Balls of laughter

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Kite flying

I forgot how much fun this was. Of course I was on the side lines. But it brought back memories of when I was a kid and even the whole process comes back to you just like riding a bike.

These are the days

This is my new favorite photo. I imagine myself looking at this photo 25 years from now teary-eyed and reminiscent about this day, yet thankful I enjoyed these moments with my little ones.

Texas oranges

I have recently been adding more fruits and vegetables to my diet. I'm a little particular about fruit because flavor can vary within each fruit. I thought I didn't like oranges but really, I was just picking the wrong orange! I discovered Texas valley oranges when visiting Omar's family in the valley. They are the most delicious oranges I've ever had. Don't ask me how or why, but I have never been able to find Texas oranges at the grocery store here even when they're in season and even though the California ones seem to always be there and CA is farther away. So after tasting what they really should taste like, I just couldn't have a non-valley orange so up to now I've only enjoyed them yearly when we make the trip to the valley. Well, this weekend HEB had them!! I've been having a serving of fruit at every meal and I was ready for a change. If you live here, go grab a bag. They don't sell them individually only in 3 lb bags. (could be the reason I never found them). They are sooo good!!

Day trip

Have I posted about day trips before? Omar and I started enjoying day trips when we lived in Sonoma and there was so many new places to see and explore. We would chose our destination and go. It's a little trickier now with kids and now that a little more planning is required, but it works out perfect to go somewhere for the day because we're usually back by the evening and the girls sleep at home in their beds.

I think we've ventured out recently for two reasons. One, because spring is here and unfortunately, the Texas heat will probably be here within a month and then you just want to stay inside with the A/C on. It's funny, I never noticed this about Texas until we lived in CA. Then when we moved back here, I thought we would never again enjoy the beautiful weather of CA again. But it's here too, just for a shorter amount of time, so we take advantage of the season. And the other reason for venturing out is that we still don't know if we will get to stay in Texas so we want to enjoy our home state just incase we have to move (don't worry no word on anything yet).

By our friend's suggestion we headed to the beach on what was supposed to be a warm day. It ended up a bit chilly to go in the water, but I discovered that Omar preferred the beach at this temperature. Normally, the beach is his least favorite day trip destination. He thinks it's too hot. I think, "When else do you go to the beach?" Of course every summer my family took a trip to the beach. With a family of 7 children it was one of the affordable options for a vacation. Well, even with the water being to cold to go in, the beach was just as enjoyable maybe even more so with Omar loving the weather. So, I think maybe our yearly trip to the beach will be done in April from now on. Thanks for helping me make that discovery Julia!

We also stopped by a fisheries laboratory to see some sea turtles. Unlike a museum or aquarium there weren't glass walls between us and the turtles. They were in tanks which made the experience more real. I think the scientist in Omar makes me envision our family making many of these types of visits in the future. I love that!
It was incredible how close we got to be with them.
Off they go while I stay with Marisa as she naps.
Omar chose this toy without me around--Was he meant to be a father of girls or what?

Looking for seashells
It's so hard getting pictures of my still sleepy newborn. She really did sleep through most of the trip.

For me

Sometimes I forget that Elena is learning two languages and worry about her language development. She uses Spanish with me all day and I don't hear a lot of her English vocabulary until Daddy gets home. Because of this I don't hear all of the words she knows. A friend suggested that I write down all the words she does know. I hadn't done this in awhile, and just now as I looked at the list I wrote with two long columns it hit me, My Child Is Bilingual! So, I'm really just writing some of the words out for me, to remind myself of her large vocabulary in two different languages, and to have a memory of some of the funny interpretations of words (so I'm writing them as she says them). And since they're so many I'm not writing their translation because that would take forever, so don't feel you have to read them, you probably can't.

Spanish:

Tia, babo, maya, pio, ono (horno), bibi, apum, guia, naminar, gama, niño, niña, mugiagia (muchacha), panda, nom (botón), Ana, uno, u (luz) ya, no, shi (si), ya, no, pupú, pupo (pulpo), bio (veo), muna, ba (banano, queso, libro), pa (pez), patu, amias (hormigas), mino (pino), mina (nubes), namana (lampara), i-i-a (osito), tita,tilla, illa, pata, mi, bañu, talla, u-u, vas, tin, tuyo, mio, opa, mon, mono, gallo, leon, may, moño, pollo, ta, nana, a-a, ma, tio, dia, mom, talla (calle), leon (camaleon), talla (aguacate), pito, yo, tu, mi, Amen, pan

English:

Bah-bye, apple, da, do, moo, deo (deer), num, pata (pasta), blue, shoe, baa (bath), tao (star), bao (bear), how (hair), seeow, mamo, veen (swing), geega, mou (mouth), geu, bee, ooh, meow, Grandma, Grandpa, patin, num, hee, tee, Guglia (Julia), uh-oh, moon, panda, ball, money (bunny), we(read), pee (pink), baye (bike), babo (bubbles), pi (pig), Dean, punki (pumpkin), vice (rice),cacoo (cracker), kika(cookie), appy (happy), nye (nice), grumpy

Of course she's been putting a lot of words together for a while two of my favorites recently:

No Nannie (Dominic) talla (calle-street).
No niños amias (hormigas-ants).


I found the quote below.

The limits of my language are the limits of my world.
Ludwig Wittgenstein

I sure wish I could learn more languages.