Los Aldama

Noelle and I (Tami) just enjoyed a yummy pancake breakfast together. Throughout breakfast I kept thinking, "Life is good!" There is an excitement that radiates from Noelle every morning when she wakes up. Her favorite part of the day is when she gets to pick her breakfast. Sometimes it's opa-meal with bananas and strawberries (Daddy's favorite) and sometimes it's cereal. Often however, the request is for pancakes or faffles (Waffles) and eggs. Her order is always complete with a request for a certain fruit and a specific type of juice. Why does this make me smile? This routine reminds Dan and I to take a moment to spend as a family before we begin our busy days. Many mornings Dan will have just 5 minutes to eat breakfast in between UPS and school, but he always sits down to eat breakfast with us. It is such a special time of day. Noelle is always in a sunny mood (and mom is always grumpy) but her innocence starts our days off well. This also allows us to pray as a family each morning. So... here's to pancakes breakfasts and the hope that this time of day will always draw us together as a family in a world that is so hectic!

It's been a while since our last post, which represents our life right now - some things are on hold. For a new start, we thought we'd change the template, and update the family pictures. We'll here's our life in a nutshell: I am struggling to finish my last semester at Sac State, while Tami goes to battle everyday with the kids at home. Life seems hectic, but then I think...August is just around the corner; at that time we'll be somewhere in Utah! I guess I ought to embrace the perceived chaos while it's still bearable. One thing that has me smiling (and I know Tami is too) is Corom's smile. He's to the age where interaction between familiar faces is increasing. His smile is so sweet! He has little dimples on each side of his mouth, which add a couple points of cuteness. It's hard to photograph because he's so sporadic with smiling. Noelle, well she is...definittely a two year old. Every time we turn our back she is smothering Corom, or endulging herself to his chupe (pacifier). I find myself switching my thinking to that of a two year old just to stay a step ahead of her. My favorite time of day, though, is when she becomes tired, and is all snuggles, because at that moment I am reminded that she is my little girl, and I love her so much. A new bedtime tactic we're trying is story time. Instead of reading books, we'll recap the days events in the form of a story. For example it could be of princess Noelle, and her royal ball-where all her friends (Lucia, Marco, Nixon, Mazzy, etc...) came from afar to eat hamburgers and hot dogs, and join together for a waterbaloon war... Noelle doesn't blink, it's like a film reel in her mind is replaying her fondest memories of the day. She is quick to interject what she remembers too. The stories only last about five minutes, and then she's falls asleep. It's a wonderful way for her to end her day. I'm glad that amidst the daily hoopla I have my children to help keep me grounded, so I can focus on what I consider the most important aspect of life: raising a celestial family.

Dan