Catching up as life refuses to stop....

The past few months have been hectic. My mom's illness has really been a roller coaster of a ride. She's been diagnosed with MDS, a bone marrow disorder. We've been to MD Anderson several times and only leave more frustrated than before. Our next appt. is next Friday, so we're hoping to have some more answers. Meanwhile, my lungs started acting up in April, slowly progressing to wheezing just about 24/7. I went to see an allergist and I am taking neb treatments 2x day, prednisone, Advair inhaler and Veramyst nose spray. Hey, at least I can breath and walk without wheezing. :)

Ok, so here are some recent pics of the kids.....

Olivia *finally* lost her other front tooth!!

Valerie was in the back pretending to be a dog....

Olivia and her brownie troop went to groom some horses....

Nicholas being goofy at the kids' swim meet...

Seth pretending to be a guard....



And Seth finally taking a pic of mommy!

--B

Easter Blessings...

Good food, good friends and good wine....all that makes for a very relaxing and fun Easter Sunday.

Here are the kids eyeing those eggs and waiting to be let free to round them up!


Having fun with cascarrones....dyed egg shells filled with confetti




Taylor and Olivia...friends since birth!


Valerie wondering how she got into this mess...


Taylor, Olivia and Sweet Nicky...


Seth and Jake!!



Yes, Gabriel is actually smiling!! Say CHEESE!!


HAPPY EASTER!!

--B

Olivia and her silly friends....

So the kids had Good Friday off, but poor mom didn't, and Olivia had some friends over. Here is what 1st graders do to have fun....

Ahhh, to be a kid again!!! :P

--B

Bluebonnets and barbed wire....

Ahhh, the things we do for that yearly picture of the kids in fields of bluebonnets. LOL! We decided to hit the road today, the sky was a gorgeous blue and the temp was mild....what better reason to go and find our vibrant blue state flower.

About 30 minutes outside of Houston we spotted patches of Bluebonnets, Indian Paint Brushes and other colorful wild flowers. Then we hit the jackpot. Of course, everyone else had the same idea as the side road was filled with cars and people trying to get the same great photo. What we didn't realize was this beautiful field of Bluebonnets was guarded by old, rusted barbed wire. Following suit along with the other visitors, we gently (or not gently for some of us) managed to get in. Here are some photos of our road trip with Aunt Adrienne. Even the fire ants and barbed wire couldn't keep us away. :)

--B

Add Hairstylist to my many titles....

We were trying to grow out Olivia's bangs as she was wanting to grow her hair a bit longer. Well, we couldn't do it. She can't stand barrette's, headbands, ponytails, etc...so what started out as a simple trim of the bangs turned into cutting at least 2 inches of Olivia's hair...at her request *not* because of a mistake on my part. BTDT, just ask Deb. :)

I've attached a before and after and I must say I did a pretty darn good job...at least much better than my mother's haircut on me when I was 10. That was a nightmare. :)

Before:


After:

Anyway, swimming season is about to start so the short do will be easier to put in that lovely latex cap. She was happy with it, as you can see, so that is all that really matters..doesn't it?

--B

The many faces of Valerie....

Throughout a single day, Valerie goes through a million different emotions and with that all her different facial expressions. Here are a few....

Grandpa came to visit after a recent trip to Mexico. He not only brought some pretty dresses for Olivia and Valerie, but some yummy candy and gum. Yummy!

Showing off her orange dress

Being shy with Grandpa

Throwing one of her famous tantrums

And finally, trying to ride her pony

Yee-Haw!

--B

A Day in the Life of a Vargas....

Another weekend has come and gone. Why do they go by so darn fast?? I now fully appreciate that phrase I Live For Fridays. It was a typical weekend, visit grandma, grocery shopping, visit grandpa, cleaning and more cleaning. lol. Nicholas loves cleaning. Ever since he could walk, that boy was asking for a cloth, paper towel, even vacuum. I caught him in the act...and not only does he like doing it, but he even winds up the cord and puts the vacuum back where it belongs. How about that? Watch out Lone Star, you're next president is in the making. :)

--B

Spring Break, Rodeo and Rooms....

Ok, so Spring Break 2007 has come and gone. I took off a few days last week to enjoy it with the kids and we were so busy I need a break! lol. We're re-doing the kids' room. Went to IKEA at least a million times and yet we still aren't done. But, we're almost there. The kids got a bunk bed and we took the crib away. It was such a hard moment for me, we really don't have any babies in the house anymore. Anyway, Valerie has done extremely well without the crib. She sleeps in her little toddler bed all by herself, no getting up, nothing...I was so surprised!! She's such a firecracker when it comes to everything else, she must have known we needed *something* easy from her. lol. Here's a picture of her in her toddler bed for the first time.

We went to the rodeo last week, we took Olivia and Seth to see Beyonce. It was such a fun concert, but we didn't get a chance to ride any of the carnival rides. Oh well, there's always next year. Here's Aunt Adrienne with Olivia and Seth all decked out.

Here are some candid shots of Valerie and Seth. Seth was so excited he got a snorkeling set as a birthday gift, he just had to try it out in the tub! And Valerie is goofing around in the barenaked room before we paint it.

As always, my vacation was over in the blink of an eye. I'm planning my next one very soon. lol.

--B

Happy Birthday to me and Seth!

Well, I turned 34 Friday. See the pretty sunflowers I got?? Olivia picked the cheesecake and then was too smart to take our candles we had from Seth and Nicholas and combine them!! lol.

Just had to throw in this pic of Valerie in the tub...isn't she cute????

It was a good birthday. I'm still recovering from this cough, but at least I'm getting more and more sleep at night....and that's a good thing.

Seth's birthday is today!! We had his party at Chuck E Cheese and he had a blast. One of his little girlfriends was there too, he was in heaven. They are too sweet. :)

Happy Birthday Little Sethman!!

--Mommy