Big Boy Undies!!!

Yes, the Padilla family is CELEBRATING these days because Jonathan is potty-trained, yeah!! Hey desperate parents out there, all I can say is... get some Hershey Bars & a good-working timer. Yep, those 2 are to credit (ok and some patience and persistence too). From the time he wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to bed we put him on the toilet every 15-20 minutes. Every time he actually goes #1 or #2 he gets a small slice of the hershey bar, mmmm. And we're proud to say (on Jo's behalf,ha) that he has only pee'd in his underwear once in the last few days he's been 'in training'. Not bad at all. Gotta say, much easier to rinse those undies out than changing 6-7 diapers a day (not to mention the cost of those #@(@! diapers). I must admit too, Jo looks pretty darn cute sitting on the potty like a big kid, although his feet are not anywhere close to touching the floor yet :-)

Gettin' into the swing of things...

The first question that comes up in recent conversations seems to be 'so how are the kids adjusting'? Answer...Great!! Shayley and Reece have embraced their new brother and sister (literally) with open arms. Ama (4th), Shayley(3rd) and Reece(K) just finished their second week of school - first day of school pic above. Ama has received a very warm welcome from the staff and students at Ascension Lutheran School and she is doing well in her studies, keeping up with the 9 other students in her class too! Shayley loves her 3rd grade teacher, Mrs.Schubarth, and her favorite subject is Art :-) Reece can't wait to start school each day and is usually dressed in uniform before we're hardly out of bed, so safe to say he loves kindergarten. Jo is my little buddy during the day until noon when we go pick up Reece at school. I've started to run in the mornings with Jo in the jogger - talk about a work-out!! Who needs a gym when you have a toddler?! Jo has also joined the Moms Morning Out kids on Friday mornings so mommy can volunteer at school with the Hands On Art program or just have a free morning to herself. Some other activities that fill our days are piano, tae kwon do, hula class, kids choir, tutoring, taking Tux to the vet every other day (no joke) for his paw he cut pretty deep on a bean can, yes you read that right. Smart dog, can get into trash cans that are tightly closed. That was one EXPENSIVE can of beans lemme tell ya. There's s a pic of him also above in his new get-up. Yeh, that would be his FIRST cast and E-collar, cuz he's already gone through (or chewed thru), ummm... lost count.

First Family Trip to Hume Lake

We just returned from a wonderful family vacation at Hume Lake and we've got pics to prove it (hint: see our slide show above). What could be better... aahhh, the smell of pine trees and clean air (which we can really appreciate with all these fires lately), no cell phones or computers for 5 days, movie nights for mommy & daddy, family time playing games together (Hungry Hippo and Alphabet Bingo R the favorites), and even the luxury of sleeping in until 8:30am - doesn't get much better than that in my little world these days. For those of ya outta the loop, Hume Lake is nestled in the beautiful Sequoia National Forest in Central California, a must-visit-and-stay kind of place that you'll never forget. Check out their web site at http://www.humelake.org/. We surprised the kids on the last day with a late-night trip out to the balcony to lie underneath the stars. We covered up in blankets and watched as shooting stars (and satellites too) lit up the sky, yet another awesome testament to God's amazing creation.

Happy 5th Birthday Reece!!!

We're amazed that 5 years have flown by since our little boy was born. Here he is blowing out his bday candle on his cinnamon roll. And in the 2nd pic he's proudly modeling off his new Buzz Lightyear jet pack. We took the kids and Reece's friend Cody to Legoland for the day, fun fun! We'll put the pics on the slideshow soon. Happy Birthday Reece, may all your wishes come true. We love you!!

Glam n' Glitter

The kids (Jo included) had some fun with Shayley's Glam n' Glitter makeup the other day. Can you say Diva-licious?!? Check out the latest pics on the slidshow above.

Introducing Amaleah Esther and Jonathan Enrique Padilla!!

This post is a short story explaining the thoughts and reasons surrounding the names we picked for our children. Those who have been following our blog know that our daughter's name was originally Constance, the name on her birth certificate. It turns out that she does not go by Constance but Nana Amma is what they called her at Christ Outreach Orphanage. 'Nana' means 'Queen' in her native African language of Fanti and 'Amma' is her Ghanian traditional name derived from the day of the week she was born, Saturday. Amma happens to be my Ghanian name too since I was also born on a Saturday :-) It was important to us that we keep part of her familiar name, Nana Ama, as well as have her opinion in the decision for her name as she begins her new life with us. The name Amaleah came to mind one evening while I was in Ghana and I asked Mo if he could find the meaning for that name. Sure enough, the meaning for Amaleah when you put the names Ama and Leah together is 'having great strength, yet delicate, graceful'... wow, could this have fit her more perfectly?! But of course, she had to be thrilled with this name too (fingers crossed). When I asked her what she thought about Amaleah her smile could not have been bigger, she LOVED it. Amaleah it is!! For her middle name she chose her birth mother's name, Esther, which also has a beautiful meaning 'victorious, star', AND it happens to be my Gram's middle name too! For our little guy, we decided to keep his birth name, Jonathan, for a few reasons. He has been called JoJo or Jo (and a few other nicknames for that matter) the last 2 years so this is a familiar name to him. And we actually are very fond of the name Jonathan, meaning 'gift of the Lord or God's precious gift' because that is what he is, our precious gift. Another special reason we were drawn to the name Jonathan was because our son, Reece, has a middle name of David, and if you read your bible you know Jonathan and David were the best of friends, as close as brothers. So this is our prayer, our hope, that both our sons will be just that, not only brothers, but best of friends :-) Jonathan's middle name, Enrique, was chosen because it is the middle name for both Mo and his father Celso, and thus a continuation of the heritage within the Padilla family. So people ask, should we call you Amaleah and Jonathan or Ama and JoJo? And the answer... either one!! Jo has some other nicknames too, those we'll have to explain later, wink wink.

A Most (Un)Typical Day

So what is a typical day like in the life of the Padilla familia these days? So glad you asked!! Well, for those of us that stay home we get to "sleep in" until about, oh say 6 or 6:30am (daddy's usually out the door by 6am, smart move honey). My dreams slowly fade out as the lead heels of Reece's feet quickly pound down the hall to the bathroom. Then I hear the littlest Padilla (Jo) saying in his softest voice 'Ma' or 'Shay-yay' from his crib.... aaahhh, the begining of a new day! So first things first, dirty diapers, oh yah. Breakfast is no small matter anymore for 2 little eaters, oh no... it's lining up four plates, four cups, four forks and filling them for four hungry mouths (sound familiar Grama?). I do let my profession get the best of me when it comes to meals, so chances are all food groups are represented at each meal. Ama eats most of what we put in front of her(Fanta being her favorite). Jo is our work in progress :-) He still picks anything green, yellow, red, or any vegetables for that matter, out of his dish and puts it in the pile labeled 'what were u thinking mom'. After breakfast, it's time for dishes, feeding the dog, maybe some time on the treadmill(wishful thinking), take a shower, get the kids stuff ready for swim lessons, make a morning snack for hungry kids, more dishes, make beds, check email (if I'm lucky), turn the sprinklers on, answer a few emails(if I'm REALLY lucky), turn off the sprinklers, check Jo's diapers especially if a strange smell is wafting thru the house, prep a few things for lunch and then pile the kids into the car for swimming. And it's only 10:30am. I guess I forgot to list all the other stuff in between like, breaking up sib spats between Reece & Jo, calming the crying toddler whose toy was taken away AGAIN, asking over and over again for the kids to make their beds or go potty or put their dishes on the sink.... yes, we really are a normal family. Ama, Shayley and Reece are progressing well in swim class. Reece swims circles around the other 3 kids in his class while Ama and Shayley swim freestyle with no assistance!! Ama does an amazing job considering the limited amount of times she's even been in a pool and Shayley has made so much progress compared to last summer. Jo and I watch the kids from the sidelines, cheering them on. After the kids are all showered and changed into dry clothes (mommy is dripping wet b/c she helps shower them) it's back into the car and home for lunch. After lunch it is Jo's naptime. While he drifts off into La La Land I finish the dishes, unpack the swim bag of wet stuff and then hang out with the kids for awhile. Our afternoons have been filled with beach days, playing outside in the yard, and frankly just getting to know each other if you know what I mean. It has been exactly one week since Ama and Jo joined us here in California, but it really seems like much longer. The four kids are having so much fun together and are very affectionate with one another. Reece has surprised us with how 'motherly' he is with Jo, it's very sweet to watch him take care of his little bro. But they do compete for trucks and toys a lot of the time too, don't get me wrong. But there is an acceptance and love for one another amongst the kids that we are so very grateful to God for. And when daddy gets home from work you should hear how excited these kids get, yeah "excited" is probably an understatement. Dinnertime is a full table (and a few more plates too) with Jo keeping us laughing and Ama keeping me up getting her seconds, and thirds. Some of the favorites for evening entertainment have been hide-n-seek, tickling, games, walks around the block (Tux's favorite), and reading books together. Lights are usually out by 8pm (yes it's still light outside) when mommy will plop down in front of her computer to just stare at the screen for awhile, seriously. Lately Mo has been going back into work in the evenings after the kids are asleep to play catch-up on the work he missed (and about 500 emails) while in Ghana for a couple weeks. Jury is still out whether he ever WILL catch up. As my head hits the pillow at night I smile and thank God for this amazing life and family I have because of Him. Life is good, real good.