More Stories

Finally uploaded some pictures earlier today. I've realized that things occur in small increments these days! We had the opportunity to take Matthew to the beach in Port Aransas, TX for the first time during the Fourth of July weekend. The first picture I took of him, I caught a smile! I was ecstatic! Martin has certainly grown up on the beach. Seeing him on this trip brought back memories of early last summer when he shuddered at the idea of going near the water. This summer, he has had many opporunities to be a beach bum and now he loves the water and waves. He also learned the art of "throwing mudballs." The last trip was without fishing and I think he was a bit confused about it. He LOVES to fish thanks to his experiences with Grandpa and he has even caught a couple this summer. He has learned that the small ones need to get bigger before we can keep them because we only eat the big ones. YUM! Today's funny story: We went to an indoor park with large jump houses with our friends Aidan, Finn, and baby Addison (and mommies: Andrea, Katie S. and Katie H.) Later on he told me that he was roaring at all of the kids in the jump houses because he had on his Dinosaur shirt that said, "ROAR!" I can see it now, and it makes me chuckle. He also said that his "Lightning McQueen" socks made him run "super fast" and he burned everyone because they have flames on the heels. Funny stuff that you just can't make up, isn't it?

The boys

I can't believe it, but summer is halfway over with only about 5 weeks left! We have certainly had our ups and downs with learning our new way of life, but it has been a blast so far! Martin is 3 1/2 and showing it every day. Matthew is now 11 weeks old, and feels like he weighs a ton! They are both growing way to fast right before my very eyes! We had the opportunity to spend last week with my brother and his family (the kids and I) because our AC went out. Unfortunately, Marty had to be in Austin for work, but thanks to some wonderful friends, he didn't have to sweat it out. Martin had a BLAST with his cousins Joseph and Angelina. He spend lots of time in "the little pool" and played himself silly. He and Angelina even managed to get themselves into a little bit of trouble, and my brother and I now refer to them as "The Littles." Let's just say I should help him foot the bill for a good carpet cleaning! :) Matthew continues to grow and meet new milestones everyday! He is cooing like crazy, which is a nice sound to hear other than a cry. He has the greatest smile and it's a lovely feeling to see it brought on by his big brother so easily. They are already forming an amazing bond! I can see that Matthew loves watching Martin and Martin loves playing with Matthew. I often say that Martin loves him so much, that he loves him a little "hard" sometimes and must be reminded of "gentle" love for his brother. Matthew is also really beginning to enjoy his baby toys and has managed to hit and grab them a few times. He also LOVES his yummy left had. 99% of the time, it's the left one in his mouth which leaves us wondering if he'll inherit Grandma Chapa's lefty. . .she'd LOVE it! Well, back to the boys for now but we'll have more stories soon! :)

Matthew is born!

Well, he's been here for 6 weeks now and I haven't updated this blog since last summer. But here is my attempt to get reconnected. We are officially home for the summer and life sure is busy with 2 boys! More adventures and postings to come!

Family Vacation 2008

This summer's family vacation lead us to Port Aransas, Texas. We rented a cottage, which I will from this point forward refer to as "a box" for 5 days and stayed a few blocks from the beach. Although the box wasn't big, it was perfect for a short stay for sleeping, showering, and snacking. . .As long as we didn't cook any major dishes on the 2 x 2 stove located directly next the the 3rd bedroom a.k.a the fouton couch. Regardless of the box, we had a BLAST! We had the pleasure of my parents' company for the duration of the trip, and my brother and his 2 kiddos stayed for 2 nights. Joseph is now 5 and will start kindergarten this year, and Angelina, now 2, may as well be Martin's twin. They spent every waking second together imitating each other's actions and words. So, yes, if you've done the math, you have now figured out that there were 5 adults, and 3 children staying in the box, and now is a good time to mention that Willie Nelson the dog was also on vacation with us. It was all fun until we had to coin the phrase "this box is too small for screaming!," at which point we realized it was "BACK TO THE BEACH!" We had a ton of fun, and I even got my fishing license for the occasion. For the first time since childhood, I found myself on a fishing pier in the middle of the night with the boys and it was FUN! We also took out our "new to us" kayaks and even the kids got to take a few rides. The most amazing part was that my formerly "fearful of the water" son surprisingly was the first one to get his feet wet. As we were unpacking, we looked over to find him chasing minnows in the shallow water along the edge. And the next thing we knew he was looking for his life jacket and asking to go for a ride on the kayaks! All the while, he claimed "I grow bigger like daddy, I strong!" (We've come to interpret this as his bravery.) So, he suited up and off he went! It was so fun to watch! As the trip wore on, he continued to amaze us at his desire to get into the beach. Those of you who know Martin well, also know that he has not usually been much of a fish despite our numerous attempts. Last summer and even the beginning of this summer, he didn't so much as dip a toe in the water while yelling "no waves! stop it!" Needless to say, it was a milestone. . . We also had another milestone on our trip, Marty and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. Seems like forever ago, yet 5 years seems so short. We had a nice relaxing evening on the beach with family and enjoyed every minute of it! Since Port A was so close to Marty's parents, they also got to join in the fun when they met us out for dinner and we had a chance to see them again on our way out of town for lunch. All in all, it was another successful vacation, filled with fun, sun, and family.

Summer 2008

It has been a MUCH NEEDED break from work! Last school year was quite the whirlwind and probably the busiest I've ever been at work I helped pilot a new speech therapy program in AISD called "ALPS" which focused on articulation disorders in 3-4 year old students. It was soooo much fun, but writing a program from scratch was quite an undertaking. Thank the Lord for my wonderful colleagues who bore the brunt of the Pilot year with me! Anyway, now summer has been a blast! Although I had a few offers to keep working, nothing was worth missing the time I've had with Martin!

And so began Summer of 2008! We've really enjoyed trips to the park, play dates with friends, occasional trips to the gym, trips to Corpus, Houston, and San Antonio, and a recent family vacation to Port Aransas. We've also been attempting "potty training" and while it has lead us to the learning of some GREAT new vocabulary terms, lots of peed on underwear, and my reign as the "quick clean Queen"; we are left with the continuation of diaper changes. I finally relinquished my attempt to control Martin's bowels and have come to realize he will just do it when he's ready (and hopefully with a lot of coaxing and peer influence in daycare!) Needless to say, it's been tons of fun and I can't believe it's almost over!!! YIKES!

First Blog EVER!

Okay, so I got to reading the blogs of some friends I haven't spoken with or seen in a while (namely, Katie H., Andrea, and Katie S.) and so here I sit, inspired! I hear its "the thing to do" these days, and I've thought of blogging before, but never have found the time. . .so we'll see how this turns out! I am hopeful that this will be a fun way to keep others informed and in touch with the lives of the De Los Santos familia! Consider this my attempt to stay with the times. . . What you'll see in this blog is uknown to me, but I'm sure the most popular topics covered will include, Martin, Marty, me, and Willie and probably mostly in that order! Hope you enjoy! (And to my inspirations, you should feel proud!)