The Noriega Family: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Weekend Fun

Natalia, Hector, Dave, Scott, Anthony, Sienna, Stephanie, Cindy, Dennis, Elder Keren

We had a great weekend. Our friends went to the Temple this weekend and were sealed together as a family. We went up Friday night for their Endowments and then again Saturday morning to see them sealed. They are such a wonderful family. They all love our girls and are so cute with them. We took Natalia and Sienna with us. They had fun walking around the Temple and they enjoyed the visitors center. It was nice to see the missionaries that returned for the Mullins to go to the temple. We were really involved in missionary work for awhile in the ward and it is nice to have played a small part in the conversion of a great family. I love the blessing that the gospel of Jesus Christ has brought to my life and I love to see the beauty that it brings to others. We love the Mullins. It was fun to get to know them before they joined the church. We were privileged to be a part of their baptism and now we got to see them in the Temple. The experience reminds me how lucky I am to be a member of Christ's church. The clarity we have in a confused world is a gift we should never take for granted.

After the temple, we headed down to Hector's parents' house. I love how excited Natalia gets when we tell her we are going to Grandma and Grandpa's. She loves it. It was a really cold day, but that did not stop us from playing outside. Natalia loves to ride the horse and play with Grandma at the playground. After awhile of playing Natalia informed me that I could go check on Sienna so she could play with Grandma by herself.

My Little Walker

Sienna has been getting so brave with her walking lately. She has taken a few little steps here and there all last week, but no real walking. Sunday she really got brave. She took three steps at church, but it was after church when we had friends over that she really put on a good show. We had so much fun watching her take her first real walk across the living room. She is so cute.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Little Rascal

We love our little rascal. She has been so much fun lately and she is really growing up fast. Her hair has grown a ton lately and thickened up. She loves to climb the stairs...as often as she can get to them. Fortunately she is good at climbing and coming down. I tried to get video, but she was being stubborn when I would get out the camera. Instead she just made funny faces as me. I love watching her down. She backs up to the top of the stairs as she looks over her shoulder and then slowly shimmies to the edge.

She also loves to play with phones and poke her head through the rails. She thinks she is hot stuff and giggles at her self when she sticks her head through.

Happy Birthday Hector

Natalia and I had fun getting ready for Hector's birthday. We made him a cookie cake and the sprinkles where Natalia's idea. Every time I ask her about her birthday she mentions that maybe her cake will have sprinkles on it. Natalia made him a card and she was really excited for daddy to get home so that she could give it to him. She kept reminding me all day that she would sing to daddy when he got home. We went to Hector's favorite restaurant for dinner. Then I headed off to young women's. After young women's Hector and I headed to our favorite cheap theatre for a late movie. We had fun hanging out and talking about how many birthdays we have known each other. We have decided that we quite like being in our thirties. Happy Birthday Hector. We all love you so much.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Circus

Lourdes took me and the girls to The Circus yesterday and we had such a fantastic time. I was worried that Sienna would not want to sit still. I thought she would want to crawl around and be frustrated because she could not (kind of like church), but she loved it. There we so many lights and flashy performances that she sat in a trance for three hours with a cute little look of wonder on her face.

I was fairly certain that Natalia would love it and I was not wrong in my assessment. She absolutely loved it. Every time an act would end she was say, "What's next?" She loved the horses, elephants, and Tigers. The Tiger show was funny because the tiger trainer had a whip and was yelling at the tigers and Talia kept saying, "mommy, he is NOT being very nice." She tried really hard to remember everything so that she could tell daddy about it. When she said her prayers at lunch after we got home, this is what she prayed, "Heavenly Father, thank you for the circus and the acrobats. Grateful for Grandma. Thank you for the tiger and eephants and horsies. Grateful for acrobats. Name Jesus Christ Amen."

Check out Sienna's finger up her nose

Both of them would clap and laugh when everyone else clapped and laughed. Sienna was an especially cute clapper. I just loved watching their little faces light up. I think we will have to make it a yearly tradition. Thanks so much Lourdes...we had a great time.

Natalia's favorite part of the circus

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Easter

Natalia and Hector working on her homemade Easter basket

Our Easter started a couple weeks before Easter Sunday with Easter crafts. We made homemade Easter baskets for Family Home Evening one night. Natalia had so much fun and then her basket was on the table for a couple of weeks which made it easy to bring up Easter. It helped her get really excited about the holiday and even though the basket was very bunny and chick themed it still helped to initiate conversations about the real meaning of Easter. I am not sure how much of Jesus being Resurrected sunk in, but at least we tried.

Natalia checking out her Easter basket Sunday Morning

Easter Morning was tons of fun. I love the looks of shear joy on my kids' faces. Natalia remembered hunting for eggs last year, so she knew what to look forward too. She was so excited to hunt for the eggs that she could not focus on what was in the basket. Every time she would see and egg, she would say, "Hey!" really loud with much enthusiasm and then run to the egg. The eggs just had a couple of jelly beans in them, but she though it was about the best thing in the world. Sienna was about as happy as could be too. She found two eggs (carefully hidden in the middle of the floor) and did not want to let go. She just sat and shock them and smiled while she watched Natalia run around. Those two eggs where all she needed for a happy Easter.

Sienna and her two eggs

Natalia hunting for eggs

Natalia showing off her egg she just found in the couch

Natalia checking out her new Magic Grow capsules...she loves these things

After all our fun egg hunting, Natalia helped me make an Easter cake. We headed to church and the girls got to wear their new Easter dresses. Natalia was really excited. Her dress is big and full and Natalia loved it. She kept saying, "I am so pretty." We will work on vanity later.

After church we headed down to Hector's parent's for Easter dinner. The three grand kids got to hunt for more eggs and since two of the grand kids are only a year old, Natalia made out pretty well. She had so much fun. I think the hunt of the egg is more exciting then what actually is enclosed in the egg. She loved it and has not stopped talking about hunting for eggs.

Grandma helping Sienna look for eggs

Eli looking for eggs

Sienna and Elijah checking out their spoils

Partners in crime. Those two just want to climb the stairs all day

It was fun to spend the afternoon with family and it was a beautiful day. Sienna was pretty tired and Natalia was doped up on sugar, but it was all worth it. We love spending time with family. We had a fantastic Easter.

Sienna relaxing with Anthrea

Sienna all tired out with Dad at the end of the day