Category: Outings

Wed., Oct. 8th – It was an okay day at work–the usual, really. I rushed to pick Jaylen up from school, dropped off our stuff at home and then I took him to get a haircut. Eenan was at UIL practice till 5, so I asked Mary if she could pick him up on her way home and take him for a haircut, too. She said yes, thank goodness. Just like their school to let me know they have pictures with such short notice. At least it was two days notice this time.

I got Jaylen into the shower to wash up when we got home, then went straight to pick up Mario from work and took him to his Lasik consultation. To make a long story short: the whole procedure would cost $4,400–after the $1,300 “discount”!! Because of Mario’s severe astigmatism he’d need two surgeries to fix his vision. Something told me to ask what his vision was without corrective lenses and the lady said 20/75 in one, 20/80-1 in the other. I looked at Mario and couldn’t help smiling: his vision was within the requirement for Border Patrol without corrective lenses! Yes!! The reason they’d sent him that notice was because his vision was 20/20 in one eye with his current glasses, 20/25 in the other eye. We didn’t even think that would be the case. We kindly declined the (very expensive–$250) dilation and came home. We decided we’d set up an appointment with another ophthalmologist on Saturday for new glasses. Even though I feel incredibly nervous all over again just thinking of him being away for three months (and possibly missing the baby’s birth) I know this is something he really wants to do, so I’m supporting him all the way.

Mario and I lay in bed that night watching TV with Alaethia between us. I’d been feeling the baby flutter for a few days already and have a habit of just placing my hand on my belly, just in case the baby would kick. I actually felt her kick hard for the first time! It wasn’t just the little it-might-be-gas fluttering that I usually feel—this was a swift, genuine kick!

Thurs., Oct. 9th – Mrs. V. took Mrs. Ruiz and I a huge bag of corn each from her mom’s garden. All I could think about was some yummy corn with mayo, chile and lime for the rest of the afternoon.

The boys had picture day so I left their clothes and instructions with Mom like I usually do. I prayed that they’d stay clean until they took their picture. I was so tired that afternoon after work that I just chilled out till 5:30, when Report Card Night started. It wasn’t very restful, as Jaylen was sleepy and refused to take a nap. It’s so exhausting when he gets that way. I told him I wasn’t taking him with me since he was acting up and he stayed behind with my dad-in-law and Alaethia. He ended up falling asleep on the hammock Big Mario had just put up again.

The teachers both had nothing but good things to say about the boys. I was a bit disappointed to find out Jaylen had been moved to a different class, but still reports to his old class as his “advisory” for breakfast. He was moved away from his best friend, Aaron. And I’m not sure I’m too keen on having him in a Bilingual class, even though it’s considered “GT”. He already has a GT class. But still, his old teacher said he’s extremely bright. I didn’t get to talk to the new one because her mother had passed away and she was absent.

We visited Eenan’s class and I was glad to find out his behavior’s been improving. He isn’t talking as much (but he is still talking) and he’s turning in his work. He got off of his “half-grounding” and now gets to play video games (for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on behavior at home) after he finishes his homework and reads for half an hour like Jaylen. His teacher still seems…different. She’s not as happy-go-lucky as she was when I first met her. Maybe she was just tired?

I’m so proud of my dudes—they both made the All ‘A’ Honor Roll! Eenan had a close call—there was an 81 printed on his report for Language Arts, but when I showed the teacher she said it was the system messing up—he’d actually gotten a 94!

We got home and my dad-in-law had already put some of the corn-on-the-cobs on the grill…they were delicious!

I stayed up that night feeling for Little One’s kicks but felt nothing. I know it’s still early, but I was worried since by this time in my other pregnancies I’m sure I was already doing Kick Counts. I didn’t fall asleep till 11. Add to that Alaethia beginning to get sick and teething; she kept tugging at her ear and was having a hard time swallowing. Then she woke me up for some milk at 4:30 and again I stayed up feeling for kicks, but I didn’t feel anything. I fell asleep finally at 5:15—and my alarm went off at 5:30. Needless to say I felt like a slug all day and couldn’t wait to just get home.

Fri., Oct. 10th – One of the teams at work was going on a field trip for the Goodlife Celebration and we’d agreed that we’d watch 2 of their kids that hadn’t passed, had referrals, etc. Well, Mrs. V. agreed—I obliged, which basically means that I was mostly the one dealing with them. At the last second they left us 4 kids, but the only boy refused to stay, so he was left somewhere else. So we were left with three girls, one of them being a girl who’d given me trouble in the past. Later on they sent us two boys and they actually did everything they were told with no problem. The girls on the other hand…well, let’s just say all three ended up writing words from the dictionary till it was time for them to leave. I kept my cool the whole time, but by the end of their stay I had a headache.

Mrs. Ruiz and I left to lunch after that, which was such a relief. When we got back it was time for the Goodlife video-game party another team was throwing in there. They played Xbox—loudly. I wouldn’t have minded, but I had a pounding headache from being with the girls all day.

I was so glad to get home and just chill out. When Mario got home we went outside with the rest of the family. We hung out and then grilled some more corn-on-the-cob again.

Falling asleep that night—and staying asleep—was a challenge since poor Alaethia was in pain again. She was fine all day; her cold and teething were only bothering her at night.

Sat., Oct. 11th – I woke up as soon as I could the next morning and had a quick breakfast, fed her and got her dressed to go to the doctor. Ear infection and sore throat, just as I’d suspected. Jaylen had made plans to go to Aaron’s house that morning, so we went to the pharmacy to get Alaethia’s prescription and then dropped him off at Aaron’s. We went home and I tried giving Alaethia her medicine to no avail; she quickly squirted it through her lips as soon as I gave it to her. It was that nasty ear-wax-tasting antibiotic. So there I go back to the pharmacy to get them to flavor it, even though it didn’t make a big difference. We left Eenan and Alaethia with Mary while Mario and I went to his optometrist appointment. He got his exams done and he JUST BARELY passed the requirements for Border Patrol! We picked up his check afterwards and then went to Walmart to cash it since the bank was closed. We picked up McDonald’s and then picked up Jaylen from Aaron’s. We sat around talking with family at Mary’s. Noelia was over getting help with grading her students’ work. Aaron’s mom was picking up Jaylen so we turbo-cleaned just in case she wanted a tour (she did the same for us when Jaylen first went over)…but she only came to the door. Oh well, at least the house was clean.

Jaylen was invited to a party at Aaron’s aunt’s house so they picked him up and went to party. We’d made plans with Mary to go to the movies so we let Aaron’s mom know to drop Jaylen off with Mom at our house when the party was over. She was babysitting Alaethia and Eenan, too.

Mario and I watched Pineapple Express, which was even funnier than I thought it would be! I couldn’t stop laughing. Mary watched The Mummy 3, I think. We ended the night by picking up pizza for dinner. Lately—even though the food’s fattening—there’s nothing I like more than not having to stand in front of a boiling stove and minimal dishes to wash, heh.

So, yeah—this has taken forever. I’m so tired of my entries being squished into one huge post. Not only is it inconvenient for me when I’m looking for something, but it must be boring as hell to read as a whole!

I’m taking a break from all house duties (since I did them over the weekend anyway), making something quick for dinner and watching Alaethia playing with her Magna Doodle while just so I can update for once. [edit: only got to finish up to October 7th…will update with more HOPEFULLY later.]

Sun., Sept. 28th – We woke up late, which we usually do on Sundays, and went over to Mary’s to eat Barbacoa that Mom had treated us all to. My dad-in-law added a few extra feet of cement under the new carport he made especially for me and the kids (I’m so spoiled :P), which is awesome ’cause now they have even more space to run around and play. He and Mary started talking about landscaping and she and Mario decided to go to the flea market and buy sod. Super last minute decision! They got home with Mario’s trunk bed piled high with sod. Big Mario and Mario quickly got to work and laid the sod down in about an hour and a half. Mario finished just in time to quickly shower and we left to the movies. Mary, the kiddos (except Aly—she stayed with Mom) and I watched Eagle Eye–OMG awesome movie! My hormonal self was crying at the end, of course.

Mary had a Rosary to attend so she took Mario’s truck and we took her car to Target and then Walmart. We got home and I only had enough time to put groceries away before Adan, Aide and Belle came over. I love having company but not when the house is a mess—and boy was it! I contemplated staying home from work the next day just to clean the house but thought better of it.

Mon., Sept. 29th – I put up posters at work that day. I was worried about being asked to glue the posters on the walls since I was afraid Mrs. V. would ask me to put some up that were to high, hence needed to stand on a ladder or something, but thankfully she didn’t. Things got really hectic that day; our stupid check-out system is super slow still. There’s no change since last year. I was having to do tons of things at once and didn’t really have much time to shelve the books that I’d checked in. Mrs. Ruiz got there around 11am and helped me, thank god. She’s my guardian angel, I’m telling you.

Mario was disappointed when he received a letter from Border Patrol letting him know that as of that moment, he was “not medically cleared” because he basically flunked his eye exam. It was so discouraging to know that he aced everything else, but his vision was holding him back. He was either going to have to try to get a new prescription for glasses…or get Lasik.

Tues., Sept. 30th – The kids were having their 1st 6 weeks reviews and tests beginning that day so it was much calmer. 2nd period was still crazy, but I had it under control for the most part.

Tues. 23rd — Mrs. V. was back at work, which meant I’d have lots of stuff to do. There’s really never any down time. I felt really overwhelmed and sad at the end of the day and I didn’t even know why. Mrs. V., Mrs. Ruiz and I stood by my desk and talked about the quinceanera, and life in general. We started talking about some students we know, which somehow led to talking about Eenan’s behavior and I got so emotional about it that I started bawling; for the 2nd time in front of Mrs. V., first time in front of Mrs. Ruiz. I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t stop! Mrs. V. assured me that I’m doing a great job with the kids and that I’m an excellent mom, which made me cry even more LOL. A sub walked in at that time so I forced myself to stop crying. As I’m shelving the last few books of the day I notice the books the sub’s been putting away are in the wrong place. He says, “Uh oh! I messed up,” –which is not what I wanted to hear! I found out later on that he’d been putting all the books he’d worked on since his conference period in the wrong place. Bleh. More work for me!

Mario got home early that night. He got ready for bed around 8:30 and I hadn’t even taken a shower. The only time he has to “watch” the kids really (and it’s usually just Alaethia because the boys are in bed already) is the 30 minutes or less I spend in the shower. He didn’t care. He just cacooned himself in our comforter and began to fall asleep, Alaethia crying at the foot of the bed. I scooped her up and muttered “worthless piece of crap”, but the meaner version, which I shouldn’t have, but I was so frustrated. Why does he get to just do as he pleases and I can’t? He goes on without a worry except for whatever happens at work and I have the brunt of everything! Which is usually the case; the mom being the backbone. I wish there was more teamwork!

Needles s to say, he got up and left. That’s another thing. I know I insulted him and hurt his feelings, but I can’t just up and leave when he hurts mine.

Well, I had to shower regardless of whether I had someone to watch Aly or not, so I tried bathing with her sitting on the foot stool in the bathroom. No can do. She kept opening the cabinets and drawers and ripping the shower curtain open, which wet the floor. I asked her if she wanted a bath and she quickly ripped off her diaper. She was so well behaved; didn’t try splashing water outside or anything! First time I’d ever bathed with one of the kids. Never the boys, because they were boys and I felt uncomfortable and although Alaethia’s a girl I just feel really weird because, hello? I’m naked.

Wed. 24th – I woke up feeling really guilty about my argument with Mario. It was raining—no, pouring–and I was nervous about driving in the rain, especially because it’s so dark down the road I take.

As I was driving west on the Expressway I see the flashes of ambulance and police lights. It looked like a huge accident; the whole right lane (going East) was closed. As I get closer and am about to turn I slow down to see what it is: a huge semi trailer on its side. My heart flipped. It was all very scary. I prayed all the way to work and gave thanks to God for another day with my family. I decided to text Mario an apology as soon as I got to work. It made me realize life’s too short to be angry/upset over petty things like a shower.

We had grade level meetings that day, which means I can’t scan any books in because of the “beep” the scanner emanates. The system was excruciatingly slow so we resorted to checking out by an Excel document, like last year, which meant I’d have to manually check out these books to the kids by entering every student’s ID plus their book barcodes into the system. Since I couldn’t scan or shelve books, I busied myself alphabetizing and filing agreement documents and when I had nothing else to do I scanned books in…by hand. I typed in all barcodes. And then I was volunteered to substitute for 1 hour! I was horrified, as I’d never substituted before and was expecting the worst. I was going to get a taste of what poor Noelia has to go through every day. And these were 6th graders!

It went much better than I thought it would. The first class was really well behaved. The second class had 3 rowdy boys, but once I wrote their names down and redirected their behavior all was well.

I went back and rearranged classes for the teachers in Reading Renaissance. I went to lunch with Mrs. Ruiz and had 10 lovely extra minutes because I clocked out late the day before.

Mario got home and we watched movies, or tried to anyway. We got to watch all of Made of Honor, which was really cute. Even he enjoyed it. We tried watching Definitely, Maybe but Alaethia was becoming moody because she was sleepy so I just got in the shower and then bathed her and went to bed.

Thurs. 25th – I can’t remember much from that day (I blame my Pregnancy Brain), but I know it was pretty normal: hectic in the morning at work, low-key in the afternoon. I got home and since it was payday for me, I started paying my bills and then working out my new bill-paying schedule since Mario’s getting paid every week at his new job. It was such a headache—I’ve been paying our bills and buying groceries every two weeks since we got married 9 ½ years ago, so it’s taking some getting used to.

Fri. – 26th – Friday!! The day I look forward to all week. It was jean and Spirit shirt day so I was in a good mood. It was another normal day (hectic) and we had an overload of books to shelve at the end of the day, but Mrs. Ruiz, my guardian angel, helped me out so much. I left work to pick up the kids in such a good mood. Mario texted me and told me he’d have to work the next day, which kind of bummed me out, but oh well, what can you do.

We didn’t go visit Gramma that day since I figured we’d just go Saturday since Mario was working anyway. We chilled out outside with the in-laws and got the kids some ice creams and elote. Mario got home and told me we were invited to his boss’s house again for another bar-b-q. I didn’t bother getting all prettied up this time; just changed my blouse and shoes and we left. We chilled out with Maggie and the boss’s wife and then we joined the men outside and ate and talked and joked around. There was a point where I got a little riled up when some stupid things were brought up, and then my hormonal pregnant self bawled on the way home, but Mario was being really nice about everything.

Sat. 27th – Mario got his stuff ready on his own the next morning. I was so exhausted I couldn’t get out of bed. Aly and I woke up at the same time and we had breakfast and just lazied around. Mom kept rushing me and the boys to get ready so we could leave to town, but I was just too tired. The boys ended up leaving to town with Mary, Natalie and Catharine instead. I finally took a shower and we left around noon. Mario had called just before I’d gotten into the shower to tell me he was on his way home from work already. I thought, “Yay, he’ll get to go with us!” But no. He said since I wasn’t expecting him to go in the first place, wouldn’t I rather he stay home and do laundry instead? I walked him through the sorting and gave him instructions and we took off.

My first stop was Conn’s, where I paid the last $74 on our 47″ TV!! Yay, one less bill to worry about ^_^. It felt SO GOOD to pay it off. I was starving so we stopped at Taco Bell to have lunch. It took forever; Alaethia was too busy smearing her taco meat on the window (I cleaned it up, don’t worry) and only wanted to drink Cherry Pepsi. She refused to go in a high chair, but I eventually put her in one anyway. She thankfully didn’t throw a fit and finished eating her food just fine. It took us about 45 minutes just to eat lunch.

I stopped for gas and on the way to Gramma’s I decided to stop by the thrift shop, just in case I found any books, since I won’t have them as easily accessible once I stop working. My plans went out the window when Alaethia kept screaming every time she saw a “baby” (stuffed animal) and would ask for a book and give it right back to me just to ask for another one again. They also did some inconvenient rearranging of furniture so I couldn’t get the shopping cart in the aisles. I decided we’d wasted enough time and went straight to Gramma’s.

She’s doing well, except for a slight cough she’s getting. I hope they keep an eye on her; she always ends up with pneumonia. She laughed at the silly things Alaethia was saying and Alaethia kept running into the hallway. It was hilarious when someone scared her and all you saw was a flash of pink run back into the room. Gramma couldn’t stop laughing.

I started feeling really ill while we were there. I called Mario right away and asked him if he was feeling ill, because we always get sick at the same time. He said no, he felt fine. I decided to skip Walmart and Target that day and go the next. I hate having to do grocery shopping on Sundays, but oh well.

We get home and I just collapse on the couch. It isn’t long before Mario says, “Uh oh. Now I’m feeling gross.” We narrowed it down and figured it might be the type of meat his boss buys for the bar-b-q’s, because the last time we got sick (we thought it was the 24-hour bug) we’d eaten at his boss’s house the night before, too. Weird.

Mary and the boys went straight to church, Mom went home and Mario and Alaethia fell asleep. I was all alone so I decided to finish up with laundry and clean up.

A few hours later, when we’re both feeling much better, Mario and I pick up some pizzas at Peter Piper for the whole family for dinner. I love to cook, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy not being on my feet. When the boys went to sleep over at Mary’s, Mario and I (and Alaethia) watched Definitely, Maybe…and I bawled like a baby at the end. Mario kept laughing at me but I couldn’t help it. Darn hormones!