If the 8 Ball says it’s true…. it’s true!

Jayden has a friend. He’s never had a “best friend” at school yet.

I think it’s rather cute. Jayden goes over to his house for playdates, and I just learned a little from my husband about what those boys are up to on those playdates through a conversation that Gino had with Jayden.

We’re nosey parents. We want know EVERYTHING, because that’s just how we are.  We know that eventually we’ll get to know nothing, and we can already see how Jayden is becoming secretive {not in a bad way}…. just not wanting to share the juicy details happenings of his day with his parents

Gino: Jayden, do you like any girls like Alexis?

Jayden: No dad!  Alexis broke up with me.

Gino: What about Hailey?

Jayden: No, Dad! Isaiah’s in love with Hailey. We know this, because we shook the ball and asked if Isaiah was in love with Hailey and looked and it said yes.
Gino and I spent a while last night just sitting and talking about our kids. How crazy Ella is, how predictable Jayden is. How we think they will be as teens, and just all around a wonderful conversation. But this little nugget nestled in this conversation had us rolling!!!! Do you remember the days that you’d shake that magic 8 ball and anxiously await it’s answer….. because you know, it’s totally right!

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And she counts

There are moments in our children’s life that we do not want to forget. Moments we wished we documented, moments we wished we had gotten on video tape.

Today, I’m noting a momentous event here, now. It has not yet been video recorded (but it will) but I know that blogging is one of the fabulous perks of being able to have one place where I know where all things are.

Ella counts. She counts like this:

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10

and it’s the cutest thing in the world. And I love her so much.

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Oh there more, people…. there’s more!

Do you need to catch up on the neighbor drama going on before reading the following?  It’s all about having a PIMP for a neighbor. {CLICK HERE}


Things have been quiet.


Life has begun to be normal.


Occasionally I hear a garage door open next door, but THAT. IS. IT. NOTHING


Until today….


Door bell rings, I answer there is “Jim” creepy neighbor pimp.


Me: “Um, hi, Jim!”


Jim: “Just wondering if you’ve been being bugged from “Assistant”. Has she been calling you?”


Me: “Nope.”


Jim: “Oh, good! Glad she’s not bugging you. Have the cops been by to talk to you?”


Me: “Um, no. Should they be?


Jim: “Oh, no. Just curious, okay talk to you later.


Me: Speechless


Can we say WEIRD?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

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Just a Motivating Monday – Forgiveness is a Virtue


If you’re just joining in:
-Write a blog post about ANYTHING at all that inspires you, or something you feel will inspire others. 

-Please link back to Garibay Soup 

-Please snag my Just a Motivating button on your post.

-I hope that we can all go and visit each other’s blogs and read what everyone has linked up ~ I hope that this carnival can bring more traffic for you 🙂 So, spread the comment love! 


Carissa over at Good N’ Crazy had a great topic on her blog for Church Talk. It’s something that has totally stuck in my mind since reading it and I think I’m going to spin off of her post for Just a Motivating Monday.

Virtue is a beautiful word. It’s a word that I’m trying to master into my life. I want to be virtuous. I want people to look at me and smile with the thought in their mind… she has so much virtue about her.

For the next few weeks I’m going to pick a virtuous trait and talk about it for Just a Motivating Monday.

This week: Forgiveness

Everybody has been hurt by someone they love.  Or maybe you hurt someone you love.  The point is… we have to be able to forgive in our heart.

President Hinckley of the LDS Church once said in an article:

“Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.”

I know it is so hard at times to forgive people, but are you perfect?  Have you gone through your whole life not doing a thing wrong to someone?  Have you been forgiven?  Forgiving somebody, especially yourself can be one of the hardest things in this world to do.  But if you are virtuous and want to be forgiven, you yourself  MUST do this.

Tips to Forgive

  • Pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him for His help.  He can soften your heart and help you to forgive.
  • Get rid of the bitterness.  If you’re still plotting out ways to get even the forgiving process is no where near.
  • Once you have forgiven, let it go.  Don’t hold on to it, because that’s holding a grudge… which does not mean you have forgiven.
  • Don’t focus so much on the negative things that have happened to you.  If you are focusing on the positive things in your life, and the positive things people have done for you, you will be able to forgive the negative things easier.  There’s no point in holding on to negativity when there’s so much positivity to welcome into your heart.
  • You need to remember that when you are forgiving, it’s for you.  It’s not for the person that did you wrong, but it is for you and your exaltation.  It’s a process you must go through, and you will be forgiving others for you.

A very good friend of mine… you can find her on twitter @jenhoehne contributed to this post by saying:

“I think that forgiveness is one of those words like “love” that people use loosley. To truly forgive someone means you have let go of any ill will and no longer harbor feelings of anger or angst toward another person.
Forgiving ourselves goes hand in hand with forgiving others. We are often times harder on ourselves than the person or people we have wronged. Forgiving others means letting go of hurt they have caused you and forgiving yourself is learning to love yourself after you have caused another person pain. Both are crutial in the eternal realm of this life and critical to our salvation and prosperity hereafter.”

Final Thought:

I know it’s hard… forgiveness is one of the hardest things that we do, but it’s something that in time needs to be done.  I haven’t completely forgiven everybody in my life that needs forgiveness, but it’s definitely something I have been working on.  Some of the people I have forgiven I have chosen not to have in my life.  Reasons being that they just aren’t a good influence on who I’m trying to be, but I have forgiven them in my heart and with God.  It’s something we should all have… it’s a virtue and if you want to be virtuous it’s a step you should take.


I hope that this post inspires you to start the forgiving process if you haven’t already.  I hope that it inspires you to always have a forgiveness attitude in your heart ~ it will only make you a better person.

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Potty Training at its FINEST


I have got to say…. having a puppy and a toddler together is one big fricking circus in this house!
The dog is pretty much potty trained.
I can’t even begin to describe the excitement in my soul about this!
The toddler is in potty training process….
It’s going well….
She actually went by herself yesterday, and decided to not put on her pullup
Instead just the pajama pants…
and I had NO. I-DEA…….
until droplets of poop starts coming out of the bottom of her pants in the kitchen.
After rushing her to toilet and then back to clean up the poop,
I found it had already been cleaned up for me…
by the puppy….

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Tonight My Heart is Heavy

Life is short. Boy is it ever so short. I talked on my blog a while back about my problems with my IUD and how I was going through hormone testing and the Nurse Practitioner that I was seeing was WONDERFUL. She was so nice, layed back, took the time to hear you out. I loved her! I just found out that in April she fell and slipped into a coma… and she never came out of it.  Just like that, a wonderful person gone from this world.  





Today is a little girl that will just melt your heart’s 2nd birthday.  However, she’s not here to celebrate it.  I’ve seen her pictures all over people’s blog and waited until today to finally head over to her mom’s blog and get to know sweet Maddie.  Oh my goodness….. I sat here tonight reading her mom’s letter to her today and cried and cried and hugged my babies.  One day she was here, the next day she was gone.  Life is so short.  And Maddie’s story really makes you stop, think and appreciate every moment that you are given with your babies.


To read all about Maddie… go {HERE} for her mama’s blog or {HERE} for her Daddy’s blog.  I waited a really, really long time to suck it up and cry with them… but I’m so happy I did.  I hope you too will go and become a friend of Maddie… she’ll melt your heart.

I have been so close to losing Ella, that stories like these crush me.  I’ve been there…. I’ve actually sat there hearing them call codes on my little girl.  At one point I thought she was gone… I know what it’s like to drop to your knees and pray that your baby won’t die…. and I’m so fortunate to still have her here.  I can’t imagine what not only Heather & Mike (Maddie’s Mama & Daddy) but all of the parents in this world that have had to suffer the heart wrenching loss of a child have had to go through… and still go through every, single day.

My heavy heart can go on and on.  I feel like I’m mourning a sister.  I haven’t unleashed the drama that’s been going on, but I’ve decided to break my silence and talk about how I feel.  My sister has turned into somebody that I do not like.  Somebody who talks disgustingly and someone that I am ashamed to say is my sister.  My sister wouldn’t act the way she’s been acting.  But in the end I think I’ve learned something that I’ve always known.  You turn into who you hang around.  So, it’s so vital that you choose to hang around people that inspire you, challenge you to grow, and have virtue, values & morals.  Because if you choose to hang out with anything less, unfortunately you will be less.  I am in mourning, because things that have been said can’t be taken back.  I have been challenging myself to personal growth, and during personal growth you need to ensure that you are not surrounded by people who hold you back, live negatively and have no virtue, values or morals, because the last thing you want to do is turn into them.  

Life is short though, and I’m sad to say that I’ve had to accept the fact that my sister and my brother are both individuals that will always be stuck in their rut.  Living a life that is not something to be proud of, and until they accept this and learn and grow from this they’ll never change.  They will continue to always be hustling their way through life.  A life without honesty, a life without morals…. it’s so unfortunate.  But I have to remember that in order for me to continue with my personal growth I have to stay away from them.  I have to look at the negativity they hold, the hate they hold, the evil they hold in them and pray for them.  My brother is not someone that has ever had good in him.  I’ve been through it all with him, and honestly feel quite secure in not being in his life.  Anybody who can walk away from their own flesh & blood child and deny them is evil.  My sister, however, I’ve always loved her.  It’s unfortunate what’s happened, but I’m okay with it now.  Yes, Jessica, I do check your myspace status, because I want to see how my niece and nephew are doing.  The things you put on there lets the ghetto and trash in you shine on.  I wish we could mend this crap we’re going through, but I’ve realized since it’s started that you are not a person that I want in my world… and fortunately I get to choose who’s in my world.  I choose class, virtue, morals, and people striving to better themselves, which are things you don’t hold.  I hope one day you learn how to.

My heart is heavy, but at the end of the day I have a wonderful husband that makes me happier than I ever thought possible.  A son that never fails to put a smile on my face and warm my heart and a daughter that is and always will be  my rainbow after the storm.  My heart is heavy, but I love every thing I have in my life.  I feel fortunate to have the blessings that continue to pour down on my family.  I will continue to keep my prayers with those in this world that truly need it….. and I will continue to send my balloons to the people in heaven like Mya, my precious daughter who will always have a huge piece of my heart with her, Maddie, who has touched a world of people with her beautiful eyes and smile, and Karen… my nurse who woke up one day and didn’t know it was going to be her last.
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A little edition of my kids say

I figured it was time for another little blog post about the things that my kids say…. the things that shock me and make me laugh and wonder WHERE DID THEY GET THAT FROM?!?!


Ella: The other night we were sitting down eating dinner and this little girl who just turned 2 in August told her dad “I don’t have to.” After he told her to eat her dinner. She said it with a little attitude on her face and Gino and I just looked at each other with this look like… Oh boy, we’re in for it!


Jayden: This one was hilarious! Where he got this is beyond me!! We were pulling into the Walmart parking lot when we saw a cop pulling someone over. Jayden says very softly, “Oh no… there’s a cop. Just drive slow and act natural!” Haha!!!!!

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Just a Motivating Monday – Success

If you’re just joining in:
-Write a blog post about ANYTHING at all that inspires you, or something you feel will inspire others. 

-Please link back to Garibay Soup 

-Please snag my Just a Motivating button on your post.

-I hope that we can all go and visit each other’s blogs and read what everyone has linked up ~ I hope that this carnival can bring more traffic for you 🙂 So, spread the comment love!

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” ~Albert Schweitzer


Success… something that his been so strongly on my mind lately. But what is success? Success to me is something different than success to you, but in the end I think we all believe that we have reached our success once we are happy in our lives, happy with our situations.  Yet, I believe that we should continue on.

I am happy, and I feel that I have already met a great deal of success in my life to be at the point I am at today. But I know that there is so much more that I can achieve in life, and so much more happiness to be discovered. So, I continue on in my search for further success.

Life to me is such a journey and learning process. We should never cut ourselves short and settle in life for something that has just became comfortable…. we need to continue to challenge ourselves and be happy. Once you get stuck in a rut, well at least when I get stuck in a rut, I’m not happy. For us to continue to be successful in this life constantly challenge yourself for happiness, which will in turn lead to success.

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Just when I thought it was over….

Oh boy… if my neighbor only knew that I was sitting here blogging about his life.. UGH! That’s okay… he never needs to know! So here I go airing out more…

“Assistant” has my phone number.  When I first met her I really was clueless to what was going on next door and I had told her I do photography, she wanted me to do her daughter’s pictures so I handed her a business card.  She called…

She wanted to inform me that she called the cops, because “Jim” has some of her stuff and she has some of his, she wants to exchange property.  Well, she’s trying to get statements together from people to give to the cops showing him what “Jim” does.  Okay, what does this have to do with me??!?!?  I’m not a hooker… I’ve only talked to the man a few times.  Oh, right… one of those conversations was quite awkward.  

When I met “Assistant” she had just gotten her boob job.  That kinda spiked my curiosity of what in the world does he do?  I knew he was an artist, because I’ve seen him load his canvases in the car, but what kind of “Assistant” gets a boob job?  So I asked.  I asked him, “Jim”, what is it that you do?  It was a day I was loading my kids in the car as he was putting art in his.  He told me that he takes exotic pictures of women…. oh, so that explains the unusual traffic of women… whatever *rollseyes* Then came the kicker…. “I’m going to say this in the most respectable way I can.  If you ever want to do pictures for your husband I would love to do them.”  Yes, he really said that to me.  My thoughts… oh, yeah, I’m just going to have some random, old perv take my pictures!  Let me just take off my clothes for ya…. H TO THE N-O!

So, phone call today… she wants a statement about it and then told me that if I had allowed him to (um, never an option) that he would have made money off my pictures.  That’s great!  Could you imagine????  Not that I would EVER, EVER, EVER allow ANYBODY to take pictures of me…. could you imagine if I was clueless, had no self respect and wanted to go ahead with it… then one day when I became rich and famous (because we all know one day it will happen) the pictures came to haunt me… lovely.
I wonder what else is going to unfold.  I don’t like being the person they both talk to, however, I like to know what’s going on.  I’m a girl, and drama is my nature.  I don’t like being a part of drama, but I LOVE HEARING ABOUT IT!

Wow…. um, yeah…. Celeste, I know you’re reading this, my friend.  And I’d like you to give your Mother In-Law two thumbs up for me on the winner she chose to rent your old house… and while you’re at it… COME BACK!!!!  I FRICKING MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY!  Just think about the fun our girls can have together living next door to each other again.  And P.S. Saturday is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!!  I HAVE NEEDED A GIRLS NIGHT OUT SINCE MY BIRTHDAY!  That’s pathetic huh?  I owe you for your birthday so it’s going to be FUN!

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Neighbor Drama Continued

I got sick and couldn’t continue on with the neighbor saga, but here I am to continue for all of those who were calling/emailing/DMing LOL  Names are being changed to protect identity.

There was a knock on my door and I answer to find his “assistant” standing there, sunglasses on and not very happy.  “Do you know how to get ahold of “Jim”?”  She asked.  “Um, no.”  I’m sitting here thinking why would I know how to get ahold of him?  I’m just the neighbor that sits back and watches all the weirdness go on.

She tells me that he turned off her and her kids’ cell phones, changed his number, threatened to kill himself.  He’s in debt because he would spend between $300-$500 a day on escorts.  And that’s where I laughed and said oh… I thought he was a pimp.  She looked at me and said, “Oh, he makes money off of these girls too.”  WOW.  So he is a pimp!

“Assistant” continues to stop by wondering if he’s come home yet.  He actually has come home, cleaned out his garage so he can park his car in there, poured out all of his alcohol and disposed of the bottles in recycling, and is kinda hiding out from her.  I have no idea what in the world is going on.  I saw him yesterday and asked how he’s doing and he said that he’s doing better.  I asked if he has kids and he said yes, and his wife of 25 years passed away.  Then he jokingly said… “I don’t think that’s the reason for my actions this summer.”  I think he had a breakdown.  

So, “assistant’s” story is that he’s basically a pimp that sleeps with escorts.  His story is that him and “assistant” broke up.  Somebody is delusional, and my bet is on HIM.  Although he did buy “assistant” a boob job, and from my calculations, this happened towards the beginning of whatever relationship they were having.

My thoughts are, she was part of his “business” or whatever the heck it was, and he took their relationship a little more seriously.  I think he realized that he was drinking way too much, stopped drinking and realized what in the world he had been up to these last few months.  I think he decided to change everything and had to cut her out of the picture in order for this to work.  These are just my thoughts on it, who knows.  You can tell the man is lost in this world.  

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