Last Monday

So tomorrow is my last "work" Monday for a very loooong time- I hope! I have two more work days left and I'm a little sad. Okay- I'm a lot sad. I've loved working in education- ten years of my life have been dedicated to teaching children and welcoming them into my heart. I can easily remember my first day teaching. I was so nervous! Only to think that they were as nervous as I was.... I can see all of their little faces walking into my classroom that I worked so hard on to get clean and ready for the first day of school. I remember their names and their families and all of their little stories. Then the 2nd year, I felt a huge sense of "Hey- I think I know what I'm doing here!"- only to be knocked down by that one student that challenged every fiber of my being. This little girl had seen and heard more in her 6 years than I had ever experienced in my (at that time) 24 years. Oh, the fits she threw! She was just so lost and so was I. Yet I loved her. And I wonder where she is right now and if she is okay. That's why I love the teaching profession. You love the ones that need you the most and by the end of the year, when she told me that she loved me, that she didn't want to leave me, I realize that for 7 hours- I gave her exactly what she needed to get through another day. I remember them all, really- I loved them all and I hope that they left my classroom with just a little glimpse of how much they mattered to me. And how I hope that they will remember me as well as I remember them...
I'm on to another career in two days. Stay at home mommy is my new title. I'm ready, it is what I wished for, but man, I will miss all those kids.

One month away

I have no idea how time has escaped me. It seems like yesterday I was staring at the two little lines on the pregnancy stick. But here I sit, on May 3 and we have officially one month to go. June 3rd is the day!!!! My little boy will be joining our party soon. I have enjoyed this pregnancy so much and yet, part of me has felt a sense of mourning, if you will. This is it- I will never feel this way ever again. With Sophia, everything was new. It was a true adventure! With Diego, I was just so shocked that we were pregnant I walked around in a fog for the first couple of months- then accepted it and had fun with it, but in the back of my mind I knew I would be pregnant again one day so I wasn't sad when it was over. With this one- I have wanted to just freeze time. I never want to forget the exhaustion of the first trimester- the anticipation of each and every doctor's visit- the joy of watching my belly grow- the awe of watching my baby inside me during the sonograms-to hear the heartbeat. But what I'm going to miss the most is the tickle, the nudge, the occasional bump that this child of God gives me every day- letting me know that he's mine, all mine, while he is inside me. There is just nothing in this world that compares to it. It just solidifies the bond that I have with him, just like it did with Sophia and Diego. Sophia was really quiet inside me- not much of a mover. That's how she is now- really patient, deliberate in her actions and oh, so calm. Diego was a little firecracker- ALWAYS jumping around inside and again- that's how he is in this outside world. He is so full of energy- running, hopping, falling everywhere. And this one- he's just as sweet as can be. Never crawls under my ribcage- never hurts me at all. He seems to know when I'm thinking of him because that's when he nudges me the most. Moves more than Sophia- less than Diego. I'm going to miss this so much- tearing up right now as I write this. I wish I could rub this Buddha belly forever. What is it going to be like the night of June 2nd? Ugh- I'm going to be an emotional mess! But when it comes down to it, I know I'm doing God's work- creating this little life and caring for him until it's time for him to come into this world. I am so thankful that I have been given the awesome responsiblity to do this work. I never want to forget. Ever.

Easter

This year, we spent Easter in Dallas. Usually we go down to Kyle to celebrate with my side of the family but due to me being so pregnant- we decided to stick around Dallas. I went ahead and invited Ramon's side of the family to our house. They're not so big on having a big Easter dinner so I thought it would be nice to share that tradition with them. So we went to Easter Mass at St. Thomas (love that church- just wish it wasn't so far away) at 9:00. We had to get there early to get a seat. Man! It was packed! My kids looked so cute- if I do say so myself! Trying to listen to the message was hard, though, Diego is just so active. Going to chuch is important to us- but our little man just makes it so difficult. We have GOT to work on it! We came home and I got started on the meal- ham, sweet yams, green beans and yummy salad. My in-laws came over with some of my nephews and nieces and Ramon's older sister, Lili came. After eating we had the egg hunt, which lasted oh, about 2 minutes. As the kids get older, they just get faster at the egg hunt. Probably has something to do with the fact that there were several "Golden Eggs" filled with money.
Check out the pics--- a little story about Diego's outfit. He helps his daddy get ready for work every morning and had been asking Ramon for a tie. "Como Papi"- like Daddy! So when he saw that I had a tie for him- he was soooo excited to look just like his daddy. So sweet!

Austism Awareness Day

Just want to let everyone know that April 2 is Autism Awareness day. Being an educator for 10 years has given me the opportunity to work with some really sweet children who are afflicted with this disorder. I've always felt a certain kind of awe when working with these children, to see how their minds work. And the amount of respect I have for the parents for advocating for their children is huge. But I never knew that autism would touch my family in such a close way. This past November, my brother's 3 year old son was diagnosed with autism. While we had an idea that this diagnosis was going to happen, it still didn't blunt the blow. I know that my brother and his precious wife (who stays at home with him) have a lot to learn and a lot of work ahead of them. Fortunately, they have a good plan in place and we have seen some great progress. I will always hold close to my heart of a certain memory from this past summer- we were visiting my parent's in Kyle. We- being all the adults- were hanging out in the kitchen and we heard our kids start to get rowdy in one of the living rooms. My mom asked me to get them to calm down -"Before someone gets hurt!"- so she says. (I just think all the noise makes her nervous-ha!) So I go into the living room where the laughing and screaming was coming from and I saw the most beautiful sight ever. My nephew was actually playing with my son! I mean, wrestling and falling down all over each other. Then he started mimic-ing (sp?) Diego. I started to tear up and I just let them play and chase each other around. I had never EVER seen my nephew relate to another child like that before. My mom came into the room to see why the noise was still going on and I told her to stop b/c they were playing and I didn't want to see it end. I pray the they find a cause for autism and that there continues to be huge advances in treatment. I pray that my brother and his wife will be able to stay strong through the tough days and that their other son understands this disorder better. Wear blue this Friday in honor of Autism Awareness Day!!!!

Four + One = Five!!!

I thought I would explain my blog title a bit. It's so hard for us to believe that we are about to become a family of five because we still feel like we are brand new at being parents. When people find out that I'm pregnant with my third, it's not strange for them to give me that Oh-you-crazy-crazy-girl look. I've always wanted three children. I guess it's because I came from a family of five- my mom, dad and two older brothers. There was always a tie-breaker when you needed one! Most of you know I'm a country girl that lived on a ranch and my parents named it "Five Oaks Ranch"- five for the obvious fact that there were five in the family and oaks because the house that my parents live in is surrounded by oak trees. So I wanted the word five in my blog title like how my parents had the word five in our ranch name and I wanted it to really reflect my attitude about being a mom. I just really want have fun with my family and enjoy every single moment of it like it's a party... every milestone is a celebration. And for the moments that are everyday moments, everyday frustrations- hopefully my blog title will cheer me up and put things into perspective. The name came to me when I realized that one day, after this baby is born, we will go out to eat and have to wait for a table. And Ramon and I will be both shocked and amazed by the grace of God when the host/hostess calls for us to announce our table is ready: Garcia, Party of Five! Crazy, isn't it????? Still baffles my mind!!! HA!

First time!!!

So I've decided to bite the bullet and start a blog. I love my friends' blogs because it's a way to stay in touch. I also see it as a way of recording the everyday happenings of my family, which to me are so special. I just hope I don't bore anyone to sleep! So this is the test run. I'm determined to customize the blog and add pics- make it nice and jazzy. Stay tuned!