Funny Faces!

I was looking through my phone and I realized that I have the cutest kids EVER! :) We were in Utah last month and went to dinner at Cafe Rio. While we were at dinner the kids were just going CRAZY and so I decided to take some pics.

I love that Vanni is so outgoing lately. Nati always has been, but Vanni's personality is just shining more and more each day. I know that it's because he feels safe and comfortable, finally. I am so blessed to have such good, cute kids. They make me smile so much, and I see how happy they are, too! I am in love with these pics so hopefully you will like them, too!

Crazy Kids

The other day the kids and I went to our new neighborhood to look around. We had so much fun. I really am in love with our new area. It was awesome, the kids just went to the park and had a ball. It was super hot out and so I told them it was time to leave, they were so upset! I can't wait to move in on Friday. It will be so fun for them to live there. Plus, we just found out that in our neighborhood they are building a HUGE indoor water park! FUN!!

Anyways, here are some pics of the kids at the park!

Packing and Moving

I can already feel how long my week is going to be! It's only Monday, but I have sooo much work to do that I can't stop having panic attacks. We are moving into our house on Friday and we aren't packed... does anyone else see a problem with that? LoL. I really am trying to keep my chin up and think that everything will be fine, but I've ran into a ton of problems already this morning.... such as... our trash department won't set up your service over the phone it HAS to be a faxed request or in person. Not so bad if I had a freaking fax machine or didn't live 30 miles away. It's just stressful. Not to mention that at 10 am it was 101 degrees already so there goes any chance of the kids playing outside today. They don't even want to play in the sprinklers. Super.

Well, at least this picture put me in a better mood. We were in Costco and Vanni and Nati wanted the "bottle with the beach in it". Gotta love the look Vanni's giving, like he knows he's not supposed to have it. It's funny. Sadly, the bottle was not purchased. lol. kidding-ish. :)

Life's Lessons From Grammy

We went to lunch yesterday with my parents to Taco Bell. Obviously, lunch was not as entertaining as my Mom would have hoped so she decided to show the kids how to be "walrus". Now, at every meal the kids want to be walrus like Grammy taught them. Thanks, Mom. :)

I will say, I am grateful that my parents love my kids as much as I do. Grammy and Papa light up the room in the kid's eyes. Last night Vanni wouldn't sleep and I went into his room and told him to go to sleep and he said, "no you, Papa" he does that to Bryant all the time ("no you, mama").

Anyways, I was smart enough to take pics of the Walrus and make sure to get one of Grammy demonstrating. Hehe!! :) Enjoy!!!

Autty and Britty BFF

For the past few weeks I have been really missing friends. Like I have one really good girlfriend here, but we live on opposite sides of the city so we rarely get to hang out. Bottom line, I miss Brittany. A lot. We have been friends since 8th grade, don't worry, we've had our differences (we're girls for cryin' out loud!!) but I feel like lately we've gotten closer. And I miss her deeply. I wish we lived by each other again. We had so much fun. Before I moved to Arizona and she moved to Utah was some of the best memories, I think. We worked at the same place and we're both living at home, so we went shopping ALL the time! We had the best wardrobes in town! We went on weekend trips to Arizona, went to an awesome Dixie Chix concert, had a not so good road trip to Utah... and much more.

She's my bff, and will always be. I love that we can talk about anything and everything. Even when we weren't so close I knew that I could always call her and she would be there for me, and I would be there for her.

I can't wait 'til we can hang out and she can teach me to scrap and how to do this blogger thing better! :) She's the best and I'm blessed to have her.

Our House

Yesterday we went and hung out in our new neighborhood, I fall more in love with the place every time we go! It's so nice being out there. We are moving to a town called Buckeye but our subdivision is this master planned community called Verrado. The whole idea of Verrado is like old town with Main St and front porches, and parks. For every 100 houses there is 1 park. We are lucky enough to live right across the street from the nicest, biggest park in the neighborhood. Our street is pretty awesome, too. You drive in and it's narrow then in the middle is a HUGE thing of grass that goes all the way down the street and the park is in that. It's awesome. Our house is a dream, it's 3 bedrooms plus an office and a loft and 2 1/2 baths and 2550 sq ft. The master is on the main floor so we don't have to lug our HUGE bedroom set up stairs! :) Oh, and the kitchen!! Now, that's what really sold me!! It has granite counter tops, double ovens, a gas range... oh, man, I'm in heaven!! We have the biggest lot in the community so we have a HUGE grass backyard for the kids to play in. I just feel so lucky. As you can see by the pic, the front of the house is Spanish style with a front porch. It's awesome! I can't wait to move in!!!! July 1st can't come soon enough!!

They call me mama

So, the kids biological mother is crazy and I think tonight it just got to me. I know that everyone claims their ex is crazy but she really is. We found out last night that the ex, Z, has a warrant out for her arrest. Now, I've had one too (I didn't pay a ticket on time- oops!) but it wasn't for something small. She had a domestic violence report or whatever that she was supposed to have gone to court for last November. She came back into town, claimed she went to court and what did we find out last night? Failure to appear. She has been telling lies to us the whole time telling us that she had classes that she needed to take. I'm just so frustrated. I am not at all surprised that she lied, that's what she does best, but Bryant paid for her to come here to go to court and then she never went. Vanni is 2 almost 3 and didn't speak a word when I met him so we had a speech therapist come to our home and evaluate him a few months ago. The therapist told us that he was neglected and that he was starved for attention for so long that he never learned how to talk. You should hear him talk now, he NEVER stops! But it makes me so happy. Just to know that he feels comfortable and loved enough and that he is learning. He has adjusted so well to being with Bryant and I. He is super cute.
Natali is 4 almost 5 and doesn't understand that her mom doesn't want her. Natali will tell me stories about when she was with her "other Mom Zuleyma" and they are horrible. She told me how her mom hit her with a shoe on her head so hard that her eyes got blurred. She told me that her mom would sleep all the time and if Natali was hungry she had to go get her own food so she would make cereal for herself. She told me how she would make bottles for Vanni so that he wouldn't cry. It breaks my heart. They call the house they lived in with her the "cockroach house" because it had a ton of cockroaches from being so dirty. I just want to hold her and tell her that life isn't supposed to be this way for a 4 year old girl. Your mom doesn't deserve you. But I also don't ever want her to hate me for telling her bad things about her mom. I love these kids so much and though it's all really new for me, I'm trying my hardest. I know I'm not the most patient person, but I'm trying.
I just want to give my kids the best life from here on out. I want them to know that even though I didn't give birth to them, they are mine. I love them more than the person who did give birth to them. Someday I hope that they will understand that I love them like none other.