Carlos turns 14!!

I can't believe Carlos is already 14. Time flies!!! We had cake and presents on his birthday. The weekend before he had a couple of his friends come over. His grandpa ordained him a teacher on November 15 which was my birthday. I'm glad my dad was well enough to come here and do that. It means alot to Carlos and me.

Happy Halloween!!

We always love Halloween. Trey dressed up at Michael Jackson. I don't think he has ever really listened to Michael Jackson's music before he died. I didn't like the person but I did like most of his music. We already had most of the things Trey need to use. We only had to buy a glove and sunglasses. He had downloaded Thriller to his cellphone and would play it as he was trick or treating. A few times he did do the moon walk for people. He was so funny. Damon was a ninja. He loved his sword he got. Of course, it broke in time. Carlos originally said he wasn't going but then decided to go at the last minute. A couple of hours before we went trick or treating, I went to a few stores to find a black ski mask for him. He would be a robber. After all, what kind of costume can we come up with in just a couple of hours.

We went trick or treating for about an hour in our neighborhood. Their friend Anthony Geary went with us. The kids wanted to go to a rich neighborhood close by. They were under some illusion everyone handed out regular size candy bars in that area. We drove over there. I would drive ahead and park the car, walk to meet Daniel and the kids, and drive to the next spot. We were gone at least another 1 1/2 hours. We were so exhausted. The funny thing is that only one house handed out the regular candy bars.

Let the Races Begin

Damon has waited years to have his own Pinewood Derby car to race. He and his dad worked hard on the car. Trey even helped. He wanted it to have 2 white strips down the middle. Unfortunately, the paint job didn't look good so they had to sand it down to paint it again. We used dry rub transfers to decorate it. I think they work the best. It was called the Black Widow. Grandma and Grandpa Manire came to watch the race. He was so happy to see them. We told him before the race not to get too upset if he loses. We told him not to celebrate too much if he wins. I was very proud of him when he shooked another cub scout's hand when Damon won the "heat". I thought that he was very cool to have that much sportsmanship. He kept winning and winning. When the final race came, he was jumping up and down. He was so excited. Unfortunately, he lost the race. He did get upset at first but after a few minutes he was fine. I think he thought he didn't win anything. He won second place in the Wolf division for our pack. It was a very close race. Now, he will go to the District race on March 13. We are all excited. It will be at the mall. I hope he does well.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow....

We had about 6-8 inches of snow yesterday and today. It's the most I've seen in years. The kids played in the snow 3 times yesterday when it was probably only 4-5 inches. This afternoon we played again. I slip and fell on the porch as I was trying to throw a snowball at Carlos. Of course, we all laughed. Poor Damon kept getting pushed in the snow by Trey. We had a good time. Grandpa Hernandez bought a couple of snow sleds a few days ago for the kids. Unfortunately, they were made for small kids. Trey is so skinny he could still fit in it. The still had fun playing with them. Daniel and the kids went on a long walk in the snow twice. I was having NONE of that. It's too cold and I'm too old. I had hot chocolate ready for them when they came home. We had snow cream tonight (vanilla extract, milk, sugar, and snow). Everyone liked it except Damon. Although we've had fun, I hate being snowed in. All I've done is cooked and eaten. I'm sure I've had to gain 5 pounds these past two days.

NFL....Here We Come!!!

Trey and Damon decided to do football again this year. Although I don't have pictures of Trey yet I do have some of Damon thanks to one of the team's mom. Damon's team has been winning all season. However, two weeks ago, they lost against the #1 team. Damon was so upset...mainly at his teammates. After the game, they gave out treats...one of which was a soda bottle shaped like a football. Although he took the soda, he ripped the paper off because it reminded him of the bad game. When we got home he told Daniel he was not going to watch football that day with him as he usually does on Saturday. I felt bad he was so upset. This past weekend he was determined to win. They had a tough team. SInce it had been raining for several days the field was completely muddy. The team worked hard. He was so pumped out there on the field. He got several critical tackles. One time he jumped over the kids and sacked the quarterback. It was AWESOME! It had 4 OTs but they finally won! The kids were so excited. I've never seen Damon work so hard on the field. I was very proud of him. I don't have pictures of that game but here are some from other games. He is #78.

Cub Scouts in FUN!!!

Damon is a Cub Scout. He has waited so many years to be a scout like his brothers. Thank goodness I'm not his leader. I am the Webelos leader. We decided to get all the dens together to go bowling. There were several kids there. Trey tagged along with me since he loves bowling. Our family goes bowling often and Damon does really well. He can beat me.....without bumpers. The pictures are a little dark. When I showed them to Damon he told me they were the worst pictures he had ever seen. (Everyone's a critic.) I'm posting them anyway.




We have the best Cub Scoutmaster, Diana Fuller. She has great pack meeting. I'm so glad she is in our ward. Here is Damon getting his Bobcat badge. He was so excited. Unfortantely, I forgot to bring his uniform to change into after football practice.



Damon got to go to the June Day Camp. It is such a well organized event here. He hated the heat but was able to get alot of things checked off. He earned the Jr USA Shooting badge. He was very excited. I put it away so it wouldn't get lost. Since I don't sew, I collect badges for a few months for all the kids and then get the tailor to sew them on. When I got ready to take them, I couldn't find his shooting patch. I couldn't wait to take the other items. I knew he would be upset so I ordered a replacement patch. Unfortunately, the replacement didn't come before I got the items back from the tailor. Damon asked me where the patch was. I had to confess, but I assured him the replacement would be here soon. He said, "I worked really hard for that badge. If you ever do this again, I will have to go crazy on you." He cracks me up!!

First Day of School

I've always tried to take a picture of the kid's first day at school. At this point, it's old and they are annoyed with this tradition (as you can tell in the pics). Carlos is in 8th grade which is his last year in middle school. Trey started middle school this year (6th grade). He was very excited. His best friend, Anthony Geary, rode with us to school and they had a great time. (Not to be mean, but I HATE Anthony's puffy hair. Really....cut if already.) Damon is in 3rd grade. He is doing really well. It is the best year he has had since we've been here. Damon was not in the mood for a picture. This was the best one out of 5 takes.