I just got back from dropping off my little critter at school. The first official full-blown cold front is in I’m in the mood for hot chocolate. My other two guys are fast asleep….must be nice…ha! Well we have lots of plans today. Today is Olivia’s birthday, she will be turning 11 years old! I’ve got a menu planned for her special day. Since her favorite food is Italian, I will be making chicken scallopini and a monster cake to bring in the Halloween spirit…wait that just doesn’t sound right…ok so you get what I mean. I will post pics after the fun is done.

In the meantime, I am biting my nails and I’ve got butterflies….my little sister is in a hospital in Colorado waiting to give birth to her first baby,  my little niece, like within the next couple of hours. Poor thing she has been there since last night. I wish I was there for her. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to meet lil miss thing.

I also got the boys pics in. They look so cute. As mentioned before, Solomon is going to be Darth Vader and Benjamin is going to be Yoda for Halloween. Here are my little guys.

Last night we made a spur of the moment decision to go and grab a bite to eat. We went to Schlotzkys and instead of eating inside we decided to eat in our van (besides the fact we were all in pajamas) with the music turned up loud (of course kid music, Jonas Brothers “we’re the kids of the future”. The boys had their pizza and Isaac and I shared a sandwich. I cannot tell you how much fun we had. Solomon is starting to learn how to read. He is learning about the letter Bb….he was coming up with words that begin with the letter B. He also has homework where he needs to find a picture of something that begins with the letter of the week and cut it out and paste it onto his worksheet. As funny as that little joker of mine is, he says, “Hey brother Benjamins big butt all start with Bb…lets take a picture!!!” Then he cannot contain himself…he falls over in non-breathing laughter!!! Is that kid crazy or what!!!! Benjamin is just loving every minute of it and is dancing like a pro playing his imaginary guitar! He’s another joker following in his brothers footsteps. Oh how could I have forgotten…right before we left the boys had super-capes on…so Benjamin was literally in his underwear with a supercape on….dancing and all! He is hilarious! I live for those moments and thats what reminds me of what a family is all about. Something as simple as that was well worthit.

On another note, I have begun a mission, a mission to be frugal with our grocery bill. With the economy looking like it is in the present time, our grocery bill has been sky-rocketing…a very significant change thats of particular notice. At first I wanted to just cry…then I was clued into one of Oprahs shows on the Coupon mom who offers valuable tips on how to save on your grocery bill. I must say, was very insightful. I also started buying the paper on Sundays and going online and finding coupons on the products we use most in our family. I also printed a coupon for a portrait studio which I’ve already scheduled an appointment tomorrow. I’ve started carring a pouch inside my purse that has all my coupons stored nice and neat. I am excited about this and looking into more ways to save some money, beacuse anyone can use an extra buck or two, right?! Well I’ll update to see how its working.

On yet another note, I want to say congrats to my dear friend Laura who had her second bundle of joy on October 12th. He is absolutely adorable…yeah now lil Luke will have a brother to play with!  And then as they get older they will turn everything into a gun or a weapon of some sort…LOL! That is exactly what my boys do! Being the wonderful, caring and concerned mother I am (haha), I head out to one of our local educational stores to buy magnets….lots of cool stuff by the way….we find a magnetic dart board…well we buy it and it doesn’t take but about 30 minutes into playing that these lovely boys concoct a gun by sticking all the darts together. I ‘ve gotta hand it to them…but at the same time…I’m like…”what!!!”Yes they are boys….but my boys! I can’t help but to baby them sometimes! We have a lot of fun especially when daddy wrestles with them….they really love that.

So its raining outside and my throat is hurting…ugh…I really don’t want to get sick. We are getting a cold front and the weather outside is evident of that. The sky is dark gray…they say it is possible it will flood…ugh! On a positive note, we are ready for Halloween…got the costumes, the trick-or-treat baskets, and all the festive wear leading up until that day. Last year was a hit…I’m just grateful it will be on a Friday this year and not a school-day! Talk about headaches and tummy-aches the next day…not so productive on a school day!!! I’m sure the teachers were pulling out their hair the following day!  Well I guess thats all for now.

-eLaiNe

OMG…where has the time gone? The last post was 2 months ago!!!! Well of course like always since then so much has happened in the Castillo’s home.

First off, we moved, thats probably the biggest reason I have not sat down and blogged. We moved about 10 minutes away from where we lived before, a nice, quiet area. We met Solomon’s new teacher at a new school and I think she is perfect for him. She seems so sweet. My little Solomon will start school this Monday, and this time a full day…wow…where does the time go??? He has all his school supplies, his transformers backpack (his request) his sneakers and the rest of his new school clothes. I have yet to buy him some converse shoes. That is still on my list.

We have also been attending Community Bible Church, absolutely love it. We are planning on becoming members very soon. Pastor Emmitt is quite enlightening and both Isaac and I have grown to respect him and his family. His wife, Julie volunteers at the Children’s Hospital…we know that because we ran into her while we were spending sometime with my neice, Davina. I really respect that, shes not superficial, not trying to be a stepford, shes actually out doing good in the community, which speaks volumes. The pastor is not a paranoid freak….hes a laid-back kind a guy…I like to refer to his personality as Tommy Lee Jones/Dr. Phil/ President Bush…good’ole Texan boy…don’t give a hoot if he offends but with class if you will!!! People need to hear the truth…and you what I’m absolutely ok with that. I’ll tell you what I don’t approve of….pastors who are so paranoid, which then leads to bad judgement which then leads to a cover-up of bad actions which then leads to a guilt-lead sermon of how much the church needs tithe…which will then lead you to an AWESOME/INCREDIBLE/SUPER/POWERFUL/TENACIOUS/INFLUENTIAL……individual…….blah blah blah blah blah!!!! “Oh wait this sermon actually worked…you know what now lets start a conference where we can charge more money!!!” Yup can you believe it I actually attended a church like that…what a waste of precious time.  Anyways let me get off this soap box and never return!!! We are in a far better place than what we were about a year and half ago…Life is good.

Well to change the subject, my mother-in-law will be moving to SA soon. Thats exciting for the kiddos. Speaking of parents, mine were in town for a couple of days…was very nice. Got to drink some coffee and eat pan de dulce…yup thats the way we do it My brother and his family will be moving here as well in about a year, can’t wait for that. My other brother was in town on the 4th of July, in fact the whole family was visiting, it was a lot of fun. Here are some pics from our get-together.

 Well I think thats all for now.Oh and Isaac’s business is doing pretty awesome, God-willing he’ll be in his office come January 1st.

I have been a busy bee putting my little Solomon’s upcoming party together. It is going to be a pirate theme and you know how we do parties…its gonna be big…its gonna be the premier event this year so far!!! LOL! So we are planning games like walk the plank, pin the eyepatch on the pirate, spin the bottle of rum (not to worry, very kid friendly, no kissing involved), a bean bag toss game, a craft of putting a pirate together, a treasure hunt and of course a pinata…and lets not forget a moonwalk. We are also going to have lots of tattoos, eyepatches, bandanas, and lots of “loud” music (solomons request). My mother-in-law is hand-making the loot bags. There will be lots of gold coins and treasure to give away. Isaac is also hand-making a treasure chest and a plank, I will post pics of everything afterwards. We are going to serve pizza, Solomon’s fav food) and cake of course. Solomon, the Captain will be dressed as a pirate. I can’t wait. Invites will go out soon, which my wonderful husband is designing, of course! Lots of family and friends will be joining in to celebrate our little boy who is turning 5…..wow seems like yesterday he was just born.

When Solomon was born, the doctor handed the scissors over to Isaac to cut the umbilical cord, Solomon reached up so fast and grabbed those scissors with a tight fist, as to say “I don’t think so!” I knew at that point, this little boy of mine was going to be a fighter, that its “his way or the highway”….my my how that rings true today.  He is certain of what he wants and he will do anything it takes to get his way. He is determined to never grow up….he tells me, “momma I don’t want to grow up I want to stay a kid forever.” I don’t know any other kid who has never wanted to grow up! He has also taken an interest in photography. Isaac is planning on getting him a nice camera soon….like better than mine!!! Thats so not fair! Well we are gonna have the best, youngest photographer! Trust me, this little guy has a eye for photography.  I certainly cannot wait for his big day. God thank you for my little guy, he is truly a gift.

Baptistina Aparicio 

These past couple of days I cannot stop thinking about her. It has been 16 years since my wela (spanish for grandmother) went to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She was actually my great-grandmother, a beautiful godly woman full of wisdom and love. I was only 11 years old at the time. It never failed, she always had rice, beans and tortillas prepared. I recall her flipping those incredible tortillas on her little yellow stove. The beans were usually left on the burner to stay warm and the rice rested in a silver-burnt pot on the table. There was also fresh coffee and pan de dulce (sweetbread). My wela always had her hair pinned up in a bun. One day I walked into her room and saw her hair down. She was brushing her long, beautiful gray hair with a small comb. I was in awe of how beautiful she was and how she made me feel at that moment. What a site, a crown full of wisdom. I will never forget that moment. How I wish she was still alive to this day, to see how my life has turned out…she would be so proud of me.

Last night as I snuggled up with my boys in their bed as I normally do at bedtime untill they fall asleep, I began thinking about her again. I always have Klove (a christian music station) playing softly in the background. As I closed my eyes, I pictured myself in my wela’s house. The year was 1990…I walked into the living room, saw all the clutter my uncle Tali collected, then I walked into the kitchen and smelled the wonderful aroma of tortillas, rice and beans….I proceeded to walk into my wela’s room where her bed lay next to the front window and the small TV in the corner….I didn’t see her but I felt her. A deep sadness bloomed and tears weld up quickly…just then the song by Natalie Grant “I’m in better hands now” played…such perfect timing Lord. At that moment I knew God had let me experiece something beautiful…I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt her. You see, when I was only 2 years old, she was the one that brought me to Corpus Christi to live with my great-uncle and great-aunt (my mom and dad). I remember that trip and me laying in her arms. It was a hard transition for me, so I am told. She brought me to better hands and because of her prayers and her generosity I am blessed. I love you wela. When that time comes for me, I hope to see you on the bridge as some of my other family members have claimed to see as they are taking their last breath.