Early Reader

While Andrew is doing phenominal in his reading abilities, something happened today that might prove a downside to this gift. At the Honda service bay this afternoon, Andrew noticed a rather gigantic ceiling fan. The thing must have been 10 feet in diameter! Since the weather was cool today, the fan was stopped which allowed Andrew to read the brand name of the fan that was displayed on one of the blades. Loud enough to get the attention and a chuckle of the service persons he proudly read: "Big Ass Fans."

Peter Pan and Woody

I know it's late (shocking, right) but here's a cute picture of the boys before going to the trunk or treat at church.

Check out the man my mom has snagged. She seems to like him just a little bit as the wedding is set for February!

"How Many Calories in a Booger, Mommy?"

This was actually a question Andrew asked me on the way to school the other morning. Why might a 5 1/2 year-old raise such a question? Let me explain.
Andrew's fascination with numbers seems to grow into different venues on a regular basis, so I wasn't surprised when he noticed the Nutritional Information panel on the side of products. He brought home a pasta necklace around Halloween, handed it to me and said, "it has 180 calories." While trick or treating, a neighbor gave him a generous handful of candy to which he inquired to her, "how many calories in the candy?" I had to explain after a look of surprise and a chuckle at what this little boy had asked her.
Back to the original scenario in the car. We are in the process of trying to break Andrew of the habit of not only picking his nose, but then proceeding to consume the find! "How may calories in a booger, mommy?" "None!", I quickly replied knowing what he must have just done. "Zero, Andrew! Because boogers are NOT food! Yucky!!!"
He didn't say much and I turned back around (we were at a traffic light). A few seconds later I hear a little voice in the backseat again...."Hmmm...I think probably one calorie."

Tagged!...I'm it!

Fine, Katrina. I'll play your game of the seven things that few people know about me. As long as I don't have to forward anything to seven more people or else...I'm cool with it.

1) I also grew up in the same house from newborn till after I got married and our new house was finished.

2) I slept with my husband for the first couple months of our marriage in the same room in which I was probably conceived...a little weird , huh? (Master suite of above mentioned house)

3) I have only two full cousins; Jennifer and Sam...in vast contrast to Demel who seems to be a cousin to every new immigrant from Cuba.

4) I despise email chain letter stuff...sorry anyone who has ever sent one to me. I have broken them all!

5) I can beat Demel and probably other guys at Guitar Hero III. ( I've completed 14 songs on the hard level)

6) I am double jointed in both thumbs (jealous aren't you all) as well as my shoulders and can reach every square inch of my own back.

7) When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor...I also begged mom and dad for a pet cow; yes, a COW!

Hope that was insightful. Feel free to comment and include odd things you might know about me that I left out. Be nice, though... or else!

Mandy...you're tagged!

Family Time

We went to Crane's Roost park a couple weekends ago with the boys to feed the ducks. I took several great pictures and wanted to share a few with you all. Enjoy!

Splashpark Fun!

After picking up Andrew from school today, we headed over to our local zoo for a little while. It was quite an August scortcher of an afternoon at about 94 degrees!! After visiting the snake room (that was air-conditioned), we made our way to the splashpark which is inside the zoo on the way back to the exit. Never have I been so tempted to join the boys and run through the water than I was today...they had a blast and I took a few cute pictures...enjoy!

Poor Little Rat

Whoever designed this Ratatoulle toy, which Sam LOVES, must have had a pretty good sense of humor. Demel and I have to chuckle every time we need to change Remy's batteries. Take a close look where the screw to the battery compartment is located...now picture the fear in a childs eyes if he walks in on you mid screw removal.

Mommy, what are you doing to Remy's bottom??!! Hasn't really happened, but I'm sure the day will come...I'll let you know. Come to think of it, I think this was a potty training prize a few months back and was in the clearance area of the Disney store. Hmmm...wonder why it was only $5.00

Local Fay Flooding

This house is about a mile (or less as the crow flies) from our house and is the most effected by the overwhelming amount of water that our area recieved from Fay. I took this picture on Friday night and since then the water has actually gone up more! There is probably about 24" of water inside the house and the family has moved out themselves as well as a few personal things...for who knows how long.

Sam Goes to Preschool

It's only fair that Sam share the spotlight as we return to another school year. He started back yesterday and was very excited to see some of his friends from last year again...especially Ashlyn, whom he told us he plans to marry!!! High school is going to be fun!! Not a tear was shed as I left the room- he was ready to get started in his new class.

Andrew goes to Kindergarten!

Andrew is officially in Kindergarten as he started school at Bentley Elementary last week. He was so excited to go to school in the morning. He ran around the house saying, "Today is August 18. School starts." He knew this because that's what I had written on the calendar in the kitchen. Demel went into work late that day and was able to escort Andrew with me to his classroom. As you could see, he was all smiles right before we went inside, and so were mom and dad.

So many things have transpired that brought us to the first day of Kindergarten, and that fact that Andrew is spending at least 80% of the day in a mainstream classroom is almost a dream come true! God is good..God is in control...God is Awsome!!!

We found out at the end of the school year in June, that Andrew would not be attending the same Elementary school that he had attended Pre-K in for two years. The ASD (autism spectrum disorder) unit was being closed and he would have to adjust to a different school altogether in the fall. I was so upset and concerned about how this could possibly be a good thing for Andrew.

Long story short...Without any influence from myself or Andrew's teacher, he was placed in Mrs. Brown's class. Mrs. Brown just so happens to be a member of our church, and in fact, her daughter has recently started babysitting for us. Melissa told me that the principal placed Andrew in her class...I believe a higher power had a hand in that placement.

Bentley has a separate building for Kindergarten classrooms and a smaller dedicated cafeteria for those classrooms..a much better senario for Andrew. We are at peace with where he is this year and I know that his teacher loves him and prays for her classroom everyday! God is good, isn't He?

LOOOK.....Pictures!!!!!

All my good friends know that I'm not the greatest one at returning phone calls. Apparently, I should add to that keeping my blog updated. I really do have the best intentions on doing this more often, but...but... but nothing. There are no excuses. I'm sorry! Have my latest posts all had this introduction?...it sounds very familiar. I will add more photos and stories soon as Andrew is now in Kindergarten!!!! and Sam is in preschool three days a week till 2pm. I really should find the time to do this now more than during the summer. Remember, NEITHER one of my boys nap anymore, so sitting in front of the computer doesn't usually happen till their bedtime.
These pictures are a bit dated as they were taken back in June. I chose them because in these two pictures, the whole family is represented. Pinch yourself now and realize that this is not a dream. Christa has posted again. Now, it will no longer say that it's been 5 months since I posted on Mandy's site. (That was the catalyst for me doing this. Thanks, friend!)

An Afternoon at the Zoo

It's kinda nice that we can be at the zoo in 15 minutes from home or school, so we've been going alot lately to enjoy the nice Florida spring weather! It was about 72 yesterday! I think we could go every day and the boys wouldn't complain. They love seeing all the big cats, the monkeys and elephants, but their favorite place to go hands down is the herpetarium or as we like to call it- the snake house. This is a picture of one of their favorite snakes, the East African Green Mamba...he's always moving around and therefor quite an attraction.

Budding Musicians... The Encore!

Okay, so I won some tickets to a family day at the orchestra. Before the performance of Peter and the Wolf, there was an instrument "petting zoo" that allowed all the children present to get up close to and even try their hand at a few instruments. Sam and Andrew had so much fun playing the violin and Sam tried out the flute as well. Getting Andrew to try a new food is next to impossible, so getting him to put his mouth on a metal flute was not going to happen! We all enjoyed the concert and are anxious to expose the boys to music like this more often.

Budding Musicians

Here are two oh so adorable pictures of the boys playing a violin and flute at the ...what's that you say? You don't see any pictures? That must be due to the ongoing, less than capable computer skills that I posess. I don't get it. Why I was able to get the picture of Demel and I in the previous post ten minutes ago and now am having issues now is beyond me. Aarrrrg!!! Keep checking, I'll get the photos up soon-I hope.

I Love Skiing!!!

I knew that Demel, being the natural athelete that he is, was really going to enjoy skiing. And I was really just hoping that I would survive ski school and not hate Demel for dragging me halfway across the nation to freeze my booty off. Not to mention the fact that we sank an insane amount of money into clothing and accessories that would have be of no use whatsoever in the sunshine state. Well, even though I dubbed myself the "class faller," I listened carefully to our wonderful instructor and improved enough to feel confident thatI could actually be okay the next two days when we were on our own.
The next two days weren't enough for me though...I didn't want to leave! MUCH to my suprise, I fell in love with the sport. I can't believe it...a sport that requires coordination, strength, and a little bit...no a LOT of nerve was fun fun fun!!!
I can't wait to go back next year. Demel and I hope to go just one more time before introducing the kids to the snowy mountains of Colorado.

Anyone interested in joining us?

Holy Cow! She finally posted again!!!

I know that those were the thoughts running through your minds as you came to my blog. You all still check this site out? Wow. I could come up with a long list of reason that I haven't posted again, but considering I did that only two posts ago, although it was in October, I felt that might be a bit redundant. Instead, how about an update on my life? You're on the edge of your seat with anticipation now, aren't you?
Life is good here on the Gonzalez homefront. It's about to get a little hectic soon as I'm starting to plan Andrew's 5th birthday party for the end of the month...followed by a shindig for Demel mid-April and Sam's 3rd in early May...My three guys all have birthdays within 6 weeks of one another....we could have planned better I suppose. Where did the term "shindig" come from? Kind of sounds painful, doesn't it? I regress....
Demel received some exciting news in January when he found out that he passed his CFP exam! He is officially a Certified Financial Planner and basically gets to keep the job that he was promoted to the end of last year...the CFP license was a prerequisite for the position. This was a huge accomplishment, probably the greatest one in his professional life... I am so proud of him! And if I may brag a little bit more on Demel, it's quite impressive that under his name on his business card in now reads: Senior Account Executive and Vice President. No, he's not the VP of Fidelity, as his mother is under the impression of, rather the AE position is a VP level of which there are many in the grand employment structure in Fidelity.
Andrew, as you might assume is doing extraordinary and such a great kid! It's Sam the almost-three-year-old that keeps me insane... I mean busy. He's very much my personality, but the stubborn, strong willed, and sassy side of his personality has yet to be fine tuned and groomed into strengths yet. I promise to post a couple photos soon.
Demel and I just got back a few weeks ago from our first ski trip to Colorado. We had a spectacular time and both fell in love with the sport!! I can't believe how much I loved it, and I can't wait to go back next year. Photos to come soon. Hey, be happy that I 'm at least writing.
There you go. Actually, that was therapeutic for me. That's one more thing on my to do list that seemed to be nagging me in the back of my mind.