Christmas Day

Stockings - the aftermath

All kinds of goodies

Nefty's first board game!

Christmas Eve

Nefty helping his brother open his Christmas Eve present (and yes, that's the Twilight DVD on the chair behind Solomon, Michelle's gift to me...hee...hee...)

Neftalí's new car, a paramedic/resuce truck!

Solomon's new mini dump truck

Auntie Michelle reading the kiddos a Christmas bedtime story
(Solomon didn't make it and was already tucked in bed)

We are so blessed to have such amazing friends. My former roommate Michelle and her family invited the boys and I to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with them in their home. We had a delicious chicken dinner, prepared by momma Morse (Michelle's mom), and shared delightful conversation with momma and poppa Morse afterward. The boys stayed up a little later than usual for the special occasion, and Nefty and Savannah could have played until they dropped dead with exhaustion! We opened up a few small gifts before the Morses headed home and the kids were tucked in bed. It was a joyous occasion in precious company. The priceless friendship of my dear friends and their kindness was yet one more example of the true Meaning of Christmas - sharing Christ's love with those around them. It truly was a Merry Christmas.

Bath Time Fun

Those big, brown eyes

"Mom...put the camera away!"

Lovin' the suds

Bath time - the best part of the day!

Thank goodness my boys love baths! They especially love bubble baths. And I love that I can put them in together. I'm thinking we'll need a jacuzzi tub in our next house, so that I can bathe all three in one shot! Wouldn't that be fun? :)

The art of making cookies

Christmas Cookies

Carefully squeezing icing onto his snowman

Adding some decorative silver balls

Gotta make sure it tastes okay!

Fun with frosting

Nefty is quite the artist. I took a short cut and bought the pre-made pre-cut dough, popped them on a cookie sheet and in the oven. They turned out pretty good, especially after being finished off with great detail by cookie connoisseur himself!

Christmas Break

Even though it's Christmas break, my children still feel it necessary to wake up before the rooster crows. Why, Lord, do my children have to be such early birds??? Today, Monday, the first official day of break, and my boys were up at 5:30am. It was still pitch black outside...but they didn't care. And they're hungry first thing too. At least the Lord has made our bodies adaptable, and mine has seemed to adjust fairly well from being a night person to a very early morning person. I didn't really have a choice. :)

Today, once I was able to have 2 cups of decaf coffee, we piled in the car and headed to the mall. I don't have any shopping to do, but we were meeting a friend and her daughter there. Since the boys don't get out during the week when I'm at work, I figure they can use the outing - and I could use the exercise. We walked around a bit, rode the elevator and escalator, played at the children's play structure, and then headed to lunch at Chili's. Then, we went to Waldenbooks, because, like his mother, Neftalí is a book-ie. We found a fun "search and find" book with several superheros (his favorite is Ironman), and a board book on trucks for Solomon. Then it truly was time to head home for some naps.

A busy Monday... and not a minute of lesson planning! Feels a little strange...but nice.

Our Little Tree

Nefty is pretty excited that the tree isn't much taller than him.

The last red star

Not sure what Sol is doing here...striking a pose I guess. He is so difficult with the camera sometimes.

Finally a decent smile from them...and Sol insisted on crossing his arms across his chest with a little attitude. :)

Instead of a real tree this year, we decided on an artificial one. It was a little sad at first, because I love the smell of a real tree. But to keep things simple - and cleaner - we decided artificial was the way to go. Yes, it's tiny - 4' to be exact. But it's perfect for us, and we love it. We couldn't get to our box of ornaments, so I just picked up a few inexpensive decorations and some ribbon at Michael's (arts & crafts store). Nefty made a star in Sunday school this morning, and it added the perfect final touch, resting against the top bow. Now I just need to wrap up a few presents and stick them underneath!

30 weeks

Umm...I think I've outgrown this shirt.

In the home stretch! I can't believe that I only have 10 weeks to go. Having a baby due shortly after the holidays surely makes those last weeks speed right on by! I'm not so sure that's good...I don't feel ready yet! Third time doesn't necessarily feel like a charm. Baby Liam will be here very soon!!

A Time for Giving Thanks

Even though this year was quite different from years past, it was certainly a Thanksgiving to remember. My husband is still with his family in Guatemala, wrapping up loose ends. He will be home with us soon, and we are all counting the days. To keep things simple (and since my kiddos don't eat THAT much), I just made some toasted ham and cheese sandwiches. We shared that together at a quiet table, while we listened to the rain fall steadily outside. Then we feasted on some homemade pumpkin pie. It was a delightful time with my boys, as they climbed into the bath tub, and then got into their snuggly pajamas. The day came quickly to an end, and I sat in the tranquility of our humble home, giving thanks for my beautiful boys and amazing husband(whom I miss terribly!). I cannot wait for us all to be together again as a reunited family, to celebrate the true Reason for the Christmas season as Jesus' birthday is just around the corner!

(And one things for sure: even though I didn't cook a Thanksgiving feast, you'd never know by looking at my refrigerator! The love of my family and friends has filled the shelves with delicious Thanksgiving leftovers!)

October 31st

Pre-costume (he couldn't wait to get the rest on!)

Neftalí (aka Batman) Menéndez, showing off his guns

My two little goblins in the car, ready to head for some trick-or-treating at the local mall

Solomon, the little horsey, taking a ride in the stroller

I decided to take the boys to the mall since they have trick-or-treating every year, and I discovered that I had missed out on a local church harvest festival that was held on the 30th. So, we headed to the mall, decked out in our costumes (Neftalí's a little big...but with room to grow for next year?), and craving some candy. We grabbed a bite of dinner first, and then began our rounds. Normally, Solomon would walk - like a horsey should - but due to the amazing number of kiddies with their parents, I thought it better to push him along. He still doesn't quite grasp the concept anyway, and it was hard enough to keep track of Nefty as we wandered from store to store collecting sweets!

Then we headed home. Solomon was pretty tuckered out and ready for bed. Nefty and I proceeded to veg out in front of the tube for a little while (though there really wasn't anything on). And then to make sure he would sleep in a little (setting the clocks back and gaining an hour of sleep), we baked almost a dozen chocolate cupcakes at about 9:30pm. What fun! Now all we have to do is ice them - and EAT them! (By the way, Neftalí DIDN'T sleep in...both boys were ready to go at about 6:30ish - and that was after I made them stay in bed awhile!)

Almost 7 months!

Here I sit, at 27 weeks, and I can hardly believe that our third sweet son will be here very soon! I am feeling well, have a pretty good amount of energy (considering I'm working full-time and mothering 2 sons while my husband is wrapping up family business down south), and am enjoying this phase of pregnancy. I have been pretty blessed to carry a basketball, so to speak (or, should I say pumpkin?), and I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed me to truly enjoy carrying each of my children. What a privilege to be able to share in the miracle of conception and childbirth alongside the Creator of ALL life!

My little men

Every day I am reveling in how quickly my little boys are growing into little men! And I'm amazed that soon, I will have not two - but THREE of them!!



Sitting at the big table, nibbling a waffle for breakfast

Testing out some big boy undies. We've begun the very early phases of potty training - Sol has gone #2 on the potty twice!!! - but we've still got a ways to go.

Looking more like a little man every day

Whatever Sol does, Nefty has to copy. Monkey see, monkey do! :)

This summer, enjoying the sunshine at local park

Talking to daddy via Skype

October 31st

Trying to get a family snapshot - minus Daddy :( - isn't so easy these days. Solomon rarely cooperates!

Gazing out at the pumpkin patch

Solomon did pretty good trekking his way through the pumpkins and vines. But after a couple spills, he clung pretty tightly to my index finger.

So many to choose from!

Bringing our pumpkin in. Nefty is a great driver!

Though we don't celebrate Halloween in our household, we still enjoy many of the fall activities associated with the end of October. I took the boys to the pumpkin patch yesterday afternoon, and they were so excited to ride the tractor out to the patch. Nefty even remembered, after starting this tradition last year, that we would be riding a tractor. I mentioned pumpkin patch, and off he went with excitement! We waded through the thick mud and wandered the countless pumpkins in search of the right one for our family. We giggled with delight as the tractor ride bounced us around on our hay seats. When we made it back to the garden area, we loaded up on the little wagon to pull our pumpkin to the check out counter. Neftalí did a great job - and inspired his brother to want to help too! After pumpkins, we went to get some delicious caramel apple spice (cider) from Starbucks. What a perfect way to wrap up our adventure! Once home, we took a warm bath and got ready for bed. Now, all we have to do is carve the pumpkin and bake some tasty cupcakes. We'll even try to parade around our costumes at a local harvest festival! The fun is just beginning!

The Colors of Fall in Oregon

Playing at a park near my childhood home

King of the mountain!

Posing in front of some yellow flowers near the UO library

A friendly squirrel, posing for a pic with lunch in his mouth

Nefty posing in front of one of the colorful trees at the entrance of the university cemetery.

I had many English literature classes here...

In front of the College of Business

We wanted to take advantage of the beautiful, sunny day and cool weather. So I decided to take the boys to the campus of the University of Oregon for a refreshing walk, in hopes to also capture some brilliant fall colors. And we were successful. As we meandered through the walkways of the university, we were all taken by the changing colors, and the boys were captivated by the squirrels as they busily searched for (or recovered) nuts. What a delight! I just couldn't help but come back to the same conclusion I've held for the last 20 years that I've lived here - I LOVE OREGON!