19 Months Old!

Is it me or is it rediculous that the title of this blog is 19 months...I mean, seriously, since when did our baby get to be 19 months?  Before we know it, I'll be writing this blog and the title will be 19 YEARS...don't even get me started on that.  Anyway, summer vacation is finally here for us!  Elena will be home with mom and dad for a little over a month now and we couldn't be more excited to not have to be at school everyday for awhile.  Summer school was great and all, but I'm officially ready to be a little more lazy.  Mornings in pajamas until 10am or later sounds just perfect to me.  Some Sesame Street, puzzles, walks, and of course books are on the agenda for the upcoming days.  June seriously flew by and while I don't like wishing time away, it is a relief to be done with June and onto the wonderfulness that is SUMMER.  My most favorite time of year.  Although, it seems a little odd that we've had our windows open all day today getting the cool fresh air flowing through the house...it was only in the 70s today!!  Beautiful, though.  Enjoy the photos below...June was a relatively normal month without any major hiccups, which is just fine in our books!!

Elena had a great time at Messy Night put on by Parents As Teachers at the beginning of June!

 Flashing the crowd.

 Grandma love.

 She put on daddy's sock and helped do dishes.

 Swiffering

 Abuela love.

 She got a Cars cupcake from her friend at daycare for his birthday...mmmmm

 Ugh, not now, please.

I've got some serious business to attend to, thanks.

 

Summer School: 1 Week Down!

So, Juan and I officially have one week down of summer school and 3 more to go...I'm not complaining one bit because this first week FLEW by.  I am really enjoying what I'm doing this summer...It's great to have something productive getting me out of the house for awhile everyday but getting me home early enough to have some extra time with baby girl or do some things around the house before going to pick her up from the babysitter around 4:30.  I have a feeling that just like every other summer, this one is going to fly by.  I will be tutoring some kids during July, so that is really exciting because I always enjoy getting out to teach for a few hours here and there during the month.  Many of the kids I see only during the summer months, so it is a real fun gig to have each year.
Before summer school started, Elena and I attended the annual Harry Potter Carnival at Hickman High School where Juan works and was a big part of the carnival.  Elena and I walked around while Juan worked.  We had so much fun.  Elena even got her face painted (see pics below)
Other than summer school starting, we have kept the same schedule as always...Elena has turned 18 months and is growing like a weed.  She is talking more and more and Juan and I can't get enough of her.  She has learned to say "butt" which is probably the funniest thing she's said so far...she laughs and says it every time I change her diaper or get her out of the tub to dry her off...I'm hoping to get it on video one of these days.  Last night, while we were playing, Elena pointed to her eyes and my eyes and said "eyes".  I was so proud of her.  Juan came rushing into the room as I was praising her and she showed him her eyes too.  Elena is also holding our hands to bring us together to play where she chooses or to get what she wants. Elena has been spending some more time lately in time out too.  She has been pushing her limits to see if Juan and I will follow through with a time out after telling her to stop whatever it is she is doing that's not safe and then she cries her eyes out every time she has to stand or sit in time out for a minute.  Sometimes it is really hard not to laugh while she's there (I know, horrible, right?!), but she is just such the drama queen.  After her minute, she gives us a kiss and melts into our arms...she's just so sorry, right?!  I mean, seriously, we are just so in love with this girl.  Life is good...

 Our little Harry Potter!

Enjoying time off!

Juan, Elena, and I have been enjoying our time off since school let out for me a week ago and Juan last Friday.  It has been a nice little break for a bit until summer school starts on Monday.  I am excited to work summer school again this year so Elena can get out with her friends a few days a week while Juan and I are at school.  Juan and I have been noticing how much Elena is learning when she is with her friends, so deciding to work for the month of June was a good decision for both Juan and I.  And...as I have mentioned before, I hope she starts learning to eat more foods if she sees the other kids eat too.  We had a banana/blueberry/raspberry smoothie yesterday after I attempted to give E the fruits by themselves first.  She wasn't having any of it! However, she thoroughly enjoyed the smoothie!!  (I did too)  :)
Elena got to spend some time with her "gackaw" and "gramma" over this past weekend.  I had gramma send me some pictures of her time with them.  Elena really didn't want to come back home...I don't blame her...she was SPOILED the whole time!!  My mom even put up a tent in the living room for Elena to play in...I can't wait to play in it too...looked so much fun!  When my mom and dad brought Elena back home, we had a nice BBQ lunch together and when it was time for my parents to leave, Elena ran out into the driveway with them and wanted to get back into my dad's truck to go with them.  It was just too funny.  Just another reason I'm glad we're doing summer school in June...Elena can still spend Thursday and Friday alone with her grandparents. 
Enjoy the pictures below!  Nothing else too crazy has been happening since school let out...we are just being lazy for a few days before the craziness of summer reality starts! We plan to enjoy every second!

 Enjoying some morning TV with Homer

 She was enjoying a quick snack before a bath...haha

 Homer wanted a bite too

 Taking a break from emptying her cabinets

 Thunderstorms moving in...it was really neat to watch!

 This is her doll named Elena...seriously, that was the name on the box.  She was making her pretty.

 Kisses.

 Curly hair

I couldn't get her to turn around and this is the longest she's left something on her head in awhile...it's the most adorable hat...hoping to catch her in it another day!!

 Pancakes!

 Sausages!

 Good morning!

 Playing in the tent!

Elena loves to get shoes "sooos" out of the closet and put them on...hilarious.

Another song...another memory

So, I've been hearing this song on the radio lately and every time I hear it, I just think about my life and the man I married...what a blessing of a family I have...

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!