Six Month Stats

So I decided to look up the stats for each of the kids when they were 6 months old to compare them.  I am also posting a picture of each at 6 months of age.  It was really fun to look at the similarities and differences.

Mateo

At Birth                                                            At 6 Months

Height: 21 3/4 inches                                         Height: 28 inches

Weight: 9lb 11oz                                             Weight: 26 lbs 7 oz

Sienna

At Birth                                                             At 6 Months

Height:  19 inches                                              Height:  23.5 inches

Weight:  7lbs 7 oz                                             Weight: 16 1/2 pounds

Jada

At Birth                                                                    At 6 Months

Height: 19.5 inches                                                   Height: 26 inches

Weight: 9 lbs 2 oz                                                    Weight: 18 lbs 10 oz

Jada Turns 6 Months

My sweet Jaders is 6 months old now.  Man the time is flying.  She is quite the busy body these days too.  She sits by herself and also launches herself towards what she wants.  This is a girl who is not afraid to take a dive.  She will roll and inch her way across the room.  She is even getting up onto all fours and rocking back and forth.  She will be crawling any day now.  The bottom two teeth have come through and the top two are right there.  Poor girl with those swollen gums.  She is eating a few meals a day of baby food but what she really loves is her "special leche."  I have 6 more months to go on that and I know it will just fly on by.  Jada is such a sweet girl and we love her so much.  Here are a few pictures of her right around her 6 month birthday. 

Go Mama Go

Last night I made my way back to the soccer field after way too much time away.  I took Mateo and Sienna with me to hang out at the park while I played.  I had a fun 13 year old sitter with them to keep an eye on them in case they needed something.  In my mind I thought they would spend the entire time at the playground on the swings and slides.  On the way to game Mateo gave me a pep talk about how to use my moves on the other team and make my way to the goal.  My 4-year old had plenty of tips!  In the past few years he has spent more time on the field than me.  So I was paying attention.  And in my mind I was thinking "if I can make it through the game wihtout embarassing myself and tripping on myself then I will be happy."

When we got there, they warmed up on the field with the team kicking the ball around and practicing their shots.  Once the game started they went to the park for a few minutes.  Then, maybe 5-10 minutes into the game I heard shouts from the sidelines  "Go Mama"  "Get the ball Mama!"  I look over and they are sitting on the sidelines cheering me on.   Now those who know my kids well know that they are not a quiet bunch.  Everyone across the field can hear them.  I only played for the first half of the game (so I could get them home for a decent bedtime) and by the amount of cheers on the sidelines you would have thought I was in the world cup.  They had a blast and I had so much fun having them on the sidelines watching me. When I took a few minutes to sub off, Mateo was there sitting with me giving me tips.  He said I need to "try to get the ball away from the guy in the white shirt."  I paid close attention, as I said, he has more recent experience than me.  When I went back onto the field, the cheers started again.  A girl on the other team said to me on the field that she enjoyed my cheering section. And my own team got a real kick out of them. 

I had so much fun, and I know the kids did too.  Can't wait to take them to the next game and hear their sweet cheers again!

Tee Ball

Mateo is trying a new sport... Tee Ball.  This is our first year in tee ball.  Opening day was a little overwhelming because there were so many activities.  We decorated a float (pick-up truck) for the kids to ride in for the parade the night before and then the next day there was a parade with floats, then an opening ceremony with speakers (some great motivational ones I thought), then all the teams were introduced and the kids got to run the bases. 

Here is our "float."  Mateo is the cool dude with the glasses on.  They got to ride in the truck like this for quite a little trek in the neighborhood.  Some of the floats had music and there were police and fire trucks too.  The kids had a blast.   Later that day Mateo had his first game.  Here are some pictures of the first game.

In tee ball each of the players gets to hit the ball and run the bases.  They don't really have outs.  Here are two pictures of Mateo on base and running the bases.  The next picture is of him playing first base.

Overall, we are looking forward to a good season!!!  I am sure we will post more pictures as we get them.  And as soon as I can figure it out, I will post some videos we have too.

Jada Turns 5 months

So Jada just turned 5 months.... Time is flying faster than I can keep up with.  It seems like I get caught up in the day to day schedules that I forget to stop and smell the roses and see the bigger picture. Jada has grown so much in 5 months and is developing into her own little self.  And I really like her.  Here is a picture of her on March 18, 2010. She is our little chunky monkey.  We are playing around with giving her some rice cereal for the first time.  The first few times she was not very interested. But then when it turned into a family affair and the whole crew was into it so was she... as you can see by the picture.

We will be soon starting her on some other food besides rice cereal and take it from there.  It is a whole new stage in life for her.  I know that from here on out she is just going to be growing by leaps and bounds and be doing new activities all the time.  They just grow up so fast.  I can't wait to see what she will be doing when I post a 6 month update! 

An Uphill Battle

I feel like we have an uphill battle in our house on a daily basis.... The enemy.... laundry and dishes.  You never seem to win.  The other day I cleaned up the kitchen and did dishes and ran the dishwasher to make room for me to make some dinner.  Then what happened.... I made the whole thin dirty again and the sink was full of dirty dishes.  Now it is not like I am a gourmet chef and I whipped up something exciting and got a great reward for all these dirty dishes.  It just never ends.  Same with the laundry.  With 5 people in the house and three active little kids, we are always facing a mountain of laundry.  I have taken to trying to wear something several times before I put it in the laundry pile.  So when you see me out with a spit up stain on my shirt, sorry about that, it could be from today or from last time I wore the shirt.  And don't even get me started on trying to match up socks for 5 people.  It takes forever.  At least Mateo and Sienna can load the washer and dryer at this point (except for the soap) and can transfer loads.  And I am sure that it will only get worse as they get older.  But maybe then we will have some helpers folding the laundry. 

Happy 3rd Birthday Sienna

My little Sienna Boo is 3!!  Where has the time gone.  I can remember 3 years ago today hanging out at the park watching Mauricio's soccer game with Mateo and spending the afternoon hanging out.  Then all of a sudden in the evening my water breaks (no labor pains during the day) and 2 hours later we hear.... IT'S A GIRL.... Crazy.  Our sweet Sienna was here. 

Sienna, you have been a highlight of my life for the past 3 years.  We just love you so much.  You are a sweet and silly girl.  You have blossomed so much in this past year.  From being 2 to 3 you have shown what a smart girl you are becoming.  Already in pre-school, talking up a storm and such a wonderful girl.  For your 3rd birthday we had a BBQ party at the house.  When I first asked you about having a birthday party I told you I wanted to make a list and had a pen and paper in hand.  The number one request was to have hot dogs.  Number two on the list was a bounce house.  Check and check.  When it came time to make a guest list you wanted to keep it short. So we invited all the family and just a few friends.  Turns out, that you got just the party you wanted.  I had such a fun time watching you play with your friends and family. 

On your actual birthday we had a family.  We did a breakfast at IHOP, which I can't remember the last time we all went out to breakfast as a family, was really fun.  Every night before bed you ask for one more thing... and you say  "Mama/Papa... can we go bowling?"  So on your birthday we all went bowling.  You are such a big girl as you lined up the ramp, carried your ball up there and sent it on its way down the lane.  A great time for everyone. 

And for dinner I made your favorite spaghetti and meatball dinner that you always ask me about.  I hope that you had the fun day you deserve.  We love you!

Background

So I have been bit by the blog bug going around.  I see it as a way to write down the things that I want to remember about my kids as they grow up.  I did a small calendar for Mateo's first year, made one for Sienna but barely filled it out and haven't done anything yet for Jada in her first 5 months.  I love my family and they are the highlight of my life.  There are so many things going on with a family of five that are fun to share with family and friends.  I also see this blog as a chance for me to reflect on all the good things I have going on in my life when I am stressed out.  It only takes a few minutes to reflect on things that make me smile and I figure it will help me.  I know that I am far from a perfect parent/wife/friend so it will be fun for me to look back on these posts later and chuckle at how I handle things and how much fun we have as a family.

Our family background is that I have a wonderful husband Mauricio who is my partner in crime for life. 

He has been the rock in my life for as long as I have known him... and it's been a while.  We met in college and it was all over from then.  We decided that we would try to have one parent at home with our kids for as long as we can afford it.  I knew before we had Mateo that I would not be the one at home.  I just plain don't have the patience to be at home with little kids all day long.  And I love my job and the flexibility it gives me and the people I work.  I crave the adult time and quiet time.  So it was left up to Mo to be at home with the kids.  That has been the best decision we have made for our family...ever.  He is the best stay-at-home dad.  Not only does he do a wonderful job with the kids, he is able to somehow manage the house as well.  I have no idea how he does it.  When I have the kids to myself for a day or so the house is in shambles and I am exhausted. 

We have three of the most awesome kids.  Mateo (aka Tater or Tater Salad) is our oldest.  He is a bundle of energy.  He is 4 years old and is going full steam every minute of the day.  He has a love of all sports (I am currently looking for a sport that he does not pick up right away or that he does not like) and Wii.  Currently he is starting his first season of tee ball and is also enrolled in a U8 soccer clinic.  He had his first soccer season in the Fall and absolutely loved it.  We can't wait for the next season to start.  Mateo also is a very caring little boy.  He is a rough and tumble boy but also a sensitive one.  He has two little sisters to look out for and he does a wonderful job.  Now he was not a fan of having siblings when his first sister arrived but he has definitely turned the corner on that one.  He makes me proud on a daily basis.

Sienna (Sienna Boo) is the middle child.  She is turning 3 this year and is a sweet and loving girl.  And she loves all things girly.  She was born when Mateo was 21 months and as I mentioned, he was not all that happy she was around.  She has always looked up to her brother and they are best of friends.  Sienna loves to hang out with her mom and do all the things I do.  She likes to sit with me while I get ready for the day and likes to have her toe nails painted as often as she thinks about it!  She is a very smart girl.  She loves puzzles and books. She recently started riding her big girl bike with training wheels and knows how to tear it up on the scooter.  She is enrolled in a soccer class for little ones and has been enjoying it.  She is also our shy one at times.  She takes a while to warm up to things and then when she is comfortable she lets loose.  She is a wonderful girl and I am so lucky to have her as a daughter.





Jada (aka Jaders or Jader Salad) is the baby of the family.  She is 5 months old as I am writing this and she is getting bigger and bigger each day.    She was welcomed into this world by her two siblings with open arms, lots of hugs and kisses.  So many in fact that we usually have to protect her from the affection since the kids want to hug and kiss her all day long.   She is rolling over all the time, eating all the toys she can get into her mouth, and constantly studying what her brother and sister are doing so that when she gets bigger she can do it too.  She is such a mellow little girl and we enjoy each day with her.  And once she starts sleeping through the nights, we will enjoy the nights with her too.



Oh yeah... and we recently got a boxer puppy....Nacho.  He is a good boy and has been fun to have around.  A great addition to our family.  The kids just love him (even Jada watches what he is up to).

So that is my family in a nutshell.   And if you want to Keep Up With the Castros (through the eyes of Krista), check back as I try to update our family blog.