Summer's Here!!

Today was officially my last day of school for the 2012-2013 school year.  I cannot believe another year has come and gone.  This upcoming school year will be my 10th year in teaching.  Seriously, I'm getting old.  My very first class of third graders that I had at St. Joseph-Cottleville is graduating high school this year.  That is really hard for me to realize.  Such babies when they were with me just 10 years ago in 3rd grade and now they are on their way to college.  Just surreal. 
It has been another very busy school year and I am glad to be finished, ready to start over again in August.  I am teaching reading during summer school and I'm really looking forward to it. Juan will be working during summer school as well.  It will only be for the month of June, so Juan, Elena, and I will still have a lot of summer together once summer school is over.  Besides, Elena LOVES going to be with her friends at daycare and would prefer that Juan and I don't pick her up to go home in the afternoon, so I am glad she will still get to go spend time away from home a few days a week just like she does during the regular school year.  We are looking forward to a little over a week off together before summer school starts, so it will be great.
Elena continues to grow and grow before our very eyes.  She is SO dang smart.  Juan and I cannot believe how we can tell her something once and she knows exactly what we are talking about.  While she cannot talk back...well, at least not in coherent sentences yet...our girl knows what is going on all the time.  She is the boss and in charge...hopefully she finds a good job one day that this trait will help her in positive ways!!! :)  Elena's starting to eat more foods now.  She is showing more interest in eating on her own and her fork skills are improving.  The spoon is another story...hoping to work on that this summer.  Yes, we still throw some baby food in there when we're feeling lazy or Elena just needs a good dose of veggies, but it works for us for now.  We are hoping to work really hard this summer on getting Elena to actually eat pieces of fruit.  She is still on pureed fruits, which drives me nuts, but she spits out every fruit we try to give her.  Hopefully one of these days she will start liking something!  We did catch her stealing a few blueberries off her cousin's plate last week at great grandma's birthday party (which made me VERY happy) but when we tried to give more to E the next day, she didn't want anything to do with them.  Like I keep reading, just introduce and keep giving it to the kid as much as possible and maybe one day it will be a likable food.
So, the food saga continues, but other than that, life is good.  We are SO blessed to have the jobs we have and be surrounded by good people everyday. Elena is healthy and that is what matters!!  I saw this quote below the other day and thought it summed up our school year well...Happy Summer everyone!!

"Far and away, the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." 
~Theodore Roosevelt


Recent photos of our girl!!

 Elena seriously put all of her foam blocks right here...hilarious!

 Playing with dada

 Daddy's girl!

 Checking out the puppies that live behind us!

 Mornin'!

 She wanted to wear her Tia Oly's shoes

 Being silly with abuelo

 Peanut butter sandwich...sometimes we like it, sometimes we don't.

 mmmmm...milk

 She would NOT let me take her rosary away from her...she must have really needed to say her prayers!

Elena's Mac n Cheese skills...

I hope this video stays on our blog for awhile...I don't know why my old videos keep deleting or saying they can't load anymore...sorry to those of you that want to see those old ones and can't!  I'm kind of sad about it.  But, I won't give up on loading them on here with the hopes that the videos will be on here for some time to come.  Enjoy our little girl being a "big girl"!!!

Elmo's Song!

This is just a memory for our family...this is Elena's most favorite video to watch when we have the iPad out.  I have loved it for awhile now...it makes Elena smile when she sees it and it makes our day when she is SO excited about her Elmo!

It's Been Awhile!!

I was just realizing this week how long it's been since I have sat down and written about life in the Diaz household!  It's been a busy month, needless to say, but we have been enjoying every second we can with our Elena.  She takes up most of our day and I cannot sit down to write a blog with her wanting to get up and play on the computer keyboard every second, so after she goes to bed is the best time to get some writing finished.  I must say, after the cold first month of spring we've had, I am happy to be sitting here with the windows open and fresh air pouring in through the windows.  It really is a mood changer when the windows are open and the warm air smells so good.  Makes me motivated to do things!
The last month has been great.  We had a wonderful 2nd Easter with Elena and this year was just so different because she is up and walking/climbing/running around everywhere.  She wore her first fancy Easter dress and we went to our first Easter Sunday Mass as a family.  Last year was an especially special Easter because Elena and Juan were both baptized at the Easter Vigil, so this year it was nice to wake up and go to Easter Sunday Mass together...sure, Juan spent a majority of the Mass outside chasing Elena around, but we made it through the whole thing, so that counts, right?!  Elena got to have a little Easter egg hunt at grandma and grandpa's house, which was just darling to watch.  She carried around her little Easter basket and roamed around the backyard picking up colorful eggs.  Melted our hearts to watch her find eggs...just so hard to believe that Elena is getting so big and smart.  She catches onto things so quickly, it's almost scary.   
Elena will be 17 months old on Tuesday.  She is wearing 18 month clothes now (for the most part) and I still remember when we got the tub of 18 month clothes from my cousin Robyn's baby Maggie thinking that there was no way that our Elena would fit into those clothes by 18 months...she has always run small.  Well, here I am eating my words on that one.  Elena is getting longer and, may I say, chubbier by the day.  We couldn't be happier with her growth.  She is a happy and healthy baby...yes, I still give her baby food often to get those extra nutrients in her little body, but for the most part, Elena is eating solid foods at her meals.  She is very picky and one day she likes something and the next day she doesn't.  We are just trying anything and seeing what she thinks about it.  Usually, like I've said before, if Elena sees Juan or I take a few bites of something, she might get curious enough to take a bite.  Elena has her consistent favorite solid foods such as pizza, spaghetti, and mac n cheese (healthy, right?!).  This week she has ventured out and eaten several hard boiled eggs, so we were happy about that so she could get some extra protein.  Elena doesn't like any meat right now.  Every so often she will take a bite of chicken tender or nugget, but it's not a consistent like I can add to her menu.  Elena does love snacks and cereal, though, so that holds her through between meals.  Goldfish are a must, she still likes Puffs, most cereals, marshmallows, and even raisins. We cannot get her to eat a regular piece of fruit or vegetable yet, so that's where her baby food still comes in.  At one point, we did have her eating green beans, but that fad has faded.  Oh-I can't forget Elena's beloved cheese...that is her absolute favorite food...any kind of cheese.  She gets giddy when we get it out she loves it so much.  So funny!
Elena is talking a lot these days too.  She understands most of what Juan and I ask her to do and she also has demands. Some of her favorites are directed towards our pets.  Elena yells "GO!" and points so they go away when she doesn't want them around.  She also tells them no.  It's comedy to watch.  Elena is a very curious girl and when she sees something she wants to know more about she points and yells :Whasat?" or "Whasis?" She is learning more and more about vocabulary all the time. She will be using full sentences before we know it!
So, as I sit here trying to go back through this month, it seems like one big blur.  I can't remember what happened that kept us so busy each weekend, but then I realize I don't need to remember every little detail of each weekend.  All I know is that we are having fun with our girl and she is enjoying life to it's fullest too.  Sure, I was sick one weekend and didn't get out of bed...Juan and E had some good daddy-daughter time. But, other than that, our family has just been busy chasing around a toddler...There...I broke down and said it...toddler...not baby, toddler.  Wow...where has our baby gone? I see photos of her pictures on our screensaver on the computer from when she was a newborn and my heart longs for that baby again. Juan and I say all the time how much we miss her...they are only so small for the shortest of times...and what a beautiful time it was.  Now, Juan and I just sit back and marvel at this beautiful, curious little girl we have running around and look at her in awe.  She is our little miracle and always will be.  We love you, Elena Elizabeth!!

 Enjoying pizza and a little Super Why on TV!

 Daddy's Shoes!

 Reading to Dad and Mom

 She loves her cheese!

 Happy before going to daycare! Mittens may like a pancake...

 Elena's first wedding...she had a great time!

Mmmm...sweet tart sucker!!

First trip to the library!

Elena and I decided to spend some of the afternoon on Wednesday at the library.  She had never been before and since we didn't have plans for the afternoon, it was a perfect time to go and explore.  When we got there, we went straight back to the children's section and I just let her go.  She ran straight to the books and started pulling them off the shelves.  I had to have a chat with her that we weren't at home and that we needed to pick them up.  She helped me get them back where they belonged.  I let her pick out a few books to bring home, but the funny thing is, she hasn't wanted to read any of them since we brought them home.  Elena definitely has her favorite books, but I am glad we went to the library so she could start expanding her horizons!  We did a lot of walking around to check things out and she couldn't have been more excited to spend time surrounded by books.  The library even has toys there for her to play with, but she showed very little interest in them.  Elena preferred to sit in a chair and look at a book.  It just gave me butterflies to see her so excited about books.  All in all, it was a great trip and I can't wait to get her back to the library to explore again soon!!

Playing in the Snow...again!!

Elena and I went out to play today in the snow again today...here are a few pictures of our day today...and a few extras indoors too!

 Working on scooping skills...

 I'm ready, mom!

 Our little eskimo

 Our creepy "snowbunny"

 Footprint in the snow...15 (almost 16) months old :)

 Bunny hat seemed fitting with Easter just a few days away!

 Reading her Easter card she got in the mail today from great-grandma and grandpa :)