A Baby Niece!!

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Amanda

I’ve been waiting a long time to hear these words…… IT’S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sister is having a baby girl due April 20, 2009! I am sooooooooo happy for her and absolutely thrilled that all these cute baby girl clothes that I have are going her way! A huge congrats to my baby sister, Jessie and her little family ~ she now has 1 boy and 1 girl, just like her big sister!

So, current count is 1 Nephew, 2 Nieces & 1 one that’s unknown right now. Who would’ve thought in 2 years my mom would go from having 1 grandson to 6 grandkids total. Pretty crazy stuff there 😉 And one fertile family!

Nevermind… we’re not like Brothers & Sisters

Posted on December 11, 2008 by Amanda

This morning at 5:38am Gino woke up and announced that his alarm didn’t go off. He was supposed to be to work at 5:00am. Nothing sucks more for me than to be waken up in the middle of my sleep, because I SUCK AT FALLING BACK TO SLEEP!

I layed in bed and pondered on so much. My desk for work is in my room and I kept staring at it thinking about all of the things I needed to get done. Then I started thinking about my post about my siblings and how I referred to the show Brothers & Sisters in that post. Then I started thinking about how they all drink wine in that show, and how I really miss wine. Then I decided my family is nothing like that show, because I can’t drink wine.

I miss wine sometimes. Especially the Principato Roseato from Olive Garden ~ the blush. Now that is some delicious tasting wine.

I’m over it…. I might have to take my friend Jen’s advice that she gave on her blog and take ambien.

Christmas Traditions

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Amanda

Boy we haven’t even decorated our Christmas tree this year, but I am getting really excited about the upcoming holiday. Today is Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer, and I haven’t participated in a while, but I’m back!

Family traditions are so important. There comes a time when they stop believing in Santa Claus, and having special traditions for your children to look forward to make the holidays special to them. Hopefully they are traditions that they too will want to continue on with when they have their own families.

Here are a few of ours:

We used to allow Jayden to open up 1 present on Christmas Eve, since that’s what I got to do as a child. We’re changing this tradition this year to something that I think will be much for fun and exciting for the kids. I read this on someone else’s blog and I wish I could give credit to whoever said it, but I have no idea. I will get a box and put stamps on it and address it to the Garibay Children. Inside the box will be Christmas pajamas, ornaments for the kids to put on the tree (somethng that represents them for the year), stickers, and a Christmas book. On Christams Eve I will have my neighbor ring our doorbell and the kids will go answer it and there will be their box. They’ll have no idea where it came from, but it will definitely be something that they’ll get to look forward to every year.

A tradition that Gino and I have started with our family is we buy all the fixings for an ice cream sundae. We all get to choose whatever ice cream we’d like to use, whatever toppings and we make big ice cream sundaes and snuggle up on the couch to watch A Christmas Story. This year, in the middle of us doing this the box will arrive.

We always get an ornament for everyone in our family each year. It’s so amazing to pull out the ornaments every year and reflect on the past years we’ve shared together.

Of course we make Christmas cookies for Santa and Jayden leaves Santa a letter ~ I then enjoy the heck out of eating those delicious cookies.

I would love to hear what other’s do for their Christmas traditions. So, please leave a comment and let me know what you do!!

Bathing in our condiments

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Amanda

That’s what Ella thought would be a good idea to do yesterday. She’s really obsessed with lathering her hands together and then rubbing her hair ~ she thinks she’s washing her hair basically. Well, she goes around doing this throughout the day without anything on her hands. Her brilliant mother thought it would be the most perfect idea to put her in her high chair with a cut up corn dog and to fill her cup holder with a little ketchup to dip her corn dog…. she’s a dipper.

I’m angrily standing at my sink washing dishes… not wanting to, when I look over at Ella to see her lathering her hands up with ketchup and proceeds to wash her hair with it.

Instead of freaking I grabbed the camera and then after I took my pictures, went back to the sink to continue washing my dishes as she made even more of a mess of herself. At least it was Heinz ketchup – right?

Siblings

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Amanda

I live in a very dysfunction family. I really do. I love my family to death, but sometimes I really wonder what’s running through all their minds.

Have you ever watched the show Brother’s & Sister’s? It’s one of my favorite shows, and sometimes I can completely relate to them. I even have the gay sibling. I have a brother who doens’t want to grow up and face the babies that he makes in this world, and I just want to shake him. My sister is Mexican, but she’s white. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I guess she turned Mexican when my Mexican husband turned white. And I love it – I love her and I’m proud of her and the accomplishments she’s making in her life. I have a 10 year old sister that I don’t acknowledge too often. I need to try harder there, but it’s just weird. Her mom is 2 years older than me. I have a 16 year old cheer leader sister who is like OMG so cOoL! She is probably the only one out of the 3 of my dads that I have connected with and have somewhat of a bond with. She’s a sweet girl and I love her mom.

I have a total of 5 siblings. I’m very active in 2 of those siblings lives, and the other 3 scare the sh*t out of me. I don’t know why, but I almost feel like I have to shut my heart off to the other 3, because I don’t want to take any of my love from the first 2.

My gay sister and I have had issues. I don’t agree with the way she’s living her life and frankly don’t want her lifestyle around my kids. But that’s not fair. She is my sister. She wants a relationship with her only older sister. Other than me she has 4 younger siblings.

How do you just start relationships with these strangers who yearn for your love and acceptance? It’s harder than you’d think. I’ve had to mend things with my father in order to even start thinking about his girls. I have honestly seen an answered prayer happen right before my eyes. I went to my Bishop and talked with him about my father and how I judge him and I got amazing advice from him. I was scared about making the first step in calling and trying to start up a relationship with him again, but I didn’t have to make that first step. Literally 3 hours after my talk with the Bishop my dad called ME! He called just to call and to say that he loves me. In my eyes, that was Heavnly Father showing me that it’s okay to have a non-expecting relationship with my father here on earth.

I now am gaining another type of sister here in Oregon. There’s a girl here that has the same name as my gay sister, so this might get a bit confusing, but she’s carrying my niece or nephew. Unfortunately, my brother and her do not get along at all, and this sucks. I think a few posts ago I was talking about him and my niece’s mom, and here he has yet another baby on the way. I’ve told this girl that I will be there and even go to the doctor’s appointments if she’d like, but I wish Mitch would snap out of this and step up and be a man. Gino’s had some pretty intense talks with him, and hopefully one of them has stuck with him.

I don’t know why God sends babies to sticky situations when there’s so many wonderful, married couples out there that can’t have babies. Or wonderful families, like ours that has lost babies. It’s not fair, but we have to put faith in our Heavenly Father that there is a good reason for it all.

Jayden’s A ward

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Amanda

On Thursday Jayden’s school had an award ceremony, and Jayden got an award!! His award was for Written Expression ~ so he’s considered a great writer. I’m so proud of my little man… isn’t he getting so cute and so big????

My Dancing Fools

Posted on December 5, 2008 by Amanda

Aren’t they adorable?

I knew it was coming sooner or later!

Posted on December 3, 2008 by Amanda

Situation last night went down like this:

Jayden laying in his bed, us in ours… our door is open and I hear…

Jayden: Mom, a kid at school doesn’t believe in the tooth fairy. He says it’s his mom and dad who give him the money.

Me: Speechless and heart literally dropping into my stomach

Gino: Do you believe him, Jayden?

Jayden: No… he’s a liar liar pants and on fire. I believe in the tooth fairy! She needs teeth!

Me: Thanking God for keeping my little boy still little for a little bit longer.

Now, I know many parents have their own beliefs on this subject and it can get highly heated in debate forums, but I believe in keeping the excitement and spirit alive in my children. I think that it’s exciting anticipating the tooth fairy or Santa or any other mythical thing. I don’t want to take that away from my kids. I want Jayden to believe as long as he will. This will probably be the last Christmas that Jayden believes in Santa. I think what makes me the saddest about this is that he is growing up. I knew it had to happen of course, but it’s kindof hard to face. I hope that the magic in his heart stays there for at least a couple of more years.

Babies Need BOTH Parents

Posted on December 1, 2008 by Amanda

My mom left today. She took my brother with her so that he could go and see his baby girl, Alana. He’s coming back tomorrow night on the bus. I honestly was scared that she wouldn’t remember him. Alana is 6 weeks younger than Ella and Mitch hasn’t seen her since the beginning of August. My mom told me that she hugged Mitch and he was crying. She remembered him.

That whole situation upsets me so much. I hate how Carina and Mitch didn’t try hard enough for her. It’s not easy. It’s especially harder when you’re not married. I went through it. I had a baby young just like Carina, and I was in a relationship that was HELL. I didn’t give up. I knew that my son deserved both of his parents and eventually with a lot of ups and downs we’d be okay. Now, here we are married and extremely happy.

Carina and Mitch are just so young and they just don’t realize how important a family is to a child. Living in a split up home is horrible and I wish that they would try. Even if they can’t be together there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to be hostile to one another. There is no reason why they can’t make up a plan to ensure that both of them will be strong in Alana’s life.

Mitch is doing wonderfully here, but I almost wonder if he should move back to Sacramento. For some reason he makes stupid decisions there, but if he could just put his head on straight and live for Alana maybe it would work. I just feel so sad for that baby girl.

I feel especially sad that she’s my niece and I don’t even know her. I’ve seen her once when she was a newborn and that makes me so sad. I wish I could see my niece and nephew more often. I would go to Sacramento more often, but it costs so much money! Especially since we have to stay in a hotel. That’s one reason why I’m sad I don’t live in Sacramento, but I’m so much happier here.

Makeover!