Summer Catch Up

Wow!  I have really neglected my blog the past month, I am so sorry.  I am not sure why it keeps happening where I go through phases of not wanting to update, but I do. 

 I wish I could say it is because we have been so busy that I haven't had time to write, but that would be a HUGE lie.  I am babysitting 2 kids, so we tend to stay at the house.  Boring, I know!  But going out with 6 kids in tow is not really the greatest option.

My step daughter has been here for the summer, and the girls go through their moments of loving and loathing each other.  Almost daily (or hourly in most cases) there are serious laughs and playing great together, then fighting and arguing over a toy or where some one was sitting!  It seems very hard for the 3 of them to get along for more than a few hours.  This drives me crazy!  Just get along!  They are all 2 years apart, so I guess it is just a girl thing.  So I mainly spend my days sorting out fights and yelling at the kids.  I would love to not be involved all the time, but none of the girls ever budge so a fight could honestly last forever.  "Ain't nobody got time for that."

I didn't have a sister growing up, and I am sure to my older brothers, I was just the annoying little sister.  I played by myself or outside with the neighborhood kids.  I didn't have to share a room with anyone, so my stuff was MY stuff.  My brothers wanted nothing to do with my barbies, and I wanted nothing to do with their toys (whatever they were). 

My girls, not only share a room, but when Savannah is in town, they also share their beds.  They take turns sleeping 2 to a bed and 1 alone.  I understand how hard it must be, but there is really nothing else that can be done, especially with the arrival of the new baby.  Her crib and stuff is in Brayden's room.  It is a tight squeeze, but one that we have to just make the best of.

Speaking of baby, I am now 32 weeks and I have a HUGE bump to show for it. 

For more pictures of the bump, follow me on Instagram @ mamavsqz.  I know I haven't posted anything really on the baby, and I promise to soon.

While we haven't really done much this summer, besides a trip to Dallas, it has been pretty interesting.  Marco finally gave Carino's his notice and quit.  While Carino's was great and brought us to where we are today, he definitely needed a change.  He is still in the restaurant industry, but he is now with BJs.  I think he has really enjoyed the change of scenery, even though he is still in training.

Wow!  This post is all over the place!  I know I should update more often! 

Here are the key points:

• We have had a boring summer.
• I normally have 6 kids in my house.
• The girls fight constantly and I yell constantly.
• My bump is now 32 weeks.
• Marco got a new job.

You are now caught up.

My Week with Brayden

After a full week with grandparents, the girls have made it back home safely.  We met my dad in Abilene (halfway between Lubbock and Dallas) on Saturday to pick them up.  And in the process, we gained a girl.  Savannah's mom drove her into Dallas last Sunday and my dad met up with them to pick her up.  She is back for the rest of the summer.  Bring on the craziness!


While the girls were gone, Brayden and I had lots of fun!  It was nice having one child for a little bit.  It was so quiet, there was no fighting, and Brayden loved getting all the attention.  He didn't ask where "Didi" (Maddi) was till Thursday.

Here is a quick recap of my week with B:

 

 

First up was a 3 hour drive home by myself after meeting my mom to give her the girls.  It was crazy quiet and I really did not enjoy it very much.  I love singing and being silly with the girls, Brayden pointing out the cows, windmills, and trains, and having the hubby with me for those questionable gas station stops.  But I made it home safely.

 

The rest of the week went by way too fast.

 

We took daddy donuts on Father's Day.

 

He painted a letter B for his room.





 

We went to the Science Spectrum and played.

 

We went on a dinner/movie date to Carino's and then to the drive in.

 

It was a great week and we had lots of fun!  He was royally spoiled and loved every minute of it!

 

I did miss my girls laughter and hugs and I am so very happy that they are home!

 

Till next time!

 

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Moving, The Conclusion

If you missed Part 1, check it out here.
If you missed Part 2, check it out here.

The rest of the week went by in a blur. We took a day off to rest from the trip, and then we started the daunting task of packing. I had a lot of things I did not want to take with me, so while I was packing on Tuesday, I decided to have a moving sale as well. Like I didn't have enough to do already.
We rented a UHaul on Wednesday and began to load up. We hired movers to get all the big stuff out of the house for us while we tried to finish packing, and my mom and dad came over helped us finish loading everything! We were packed full!!

Packed and ready to go

The Uhaul was full, Marco's car that was on a trailer was full, and the Expedition was full with the exception of a spot for two car seats and the drivers seat. The dogs rode with me, and Brayden. Ella and Maddi took turns riding in the UHaul with Marco.

The trip was LONG! It took us over 8 hours to get into town. We pulled in close to 1 AM, did I mention the trip was long?

The best thing that we could have done, was set up a hotel room for us to stay the night in. We unloaded stuff that we would need for the night, and crashed out!

The next morning, we drove to the house to begin unloading everything. It went by fairly quickly because we had lots of help. A guy from the Carino's and 2 of Marco's cousins came to help. It was great having all the extra hands and guys to get out all the big stuff. My job, get everything out of both vehicles, and stay out of the way!

I started unpacking and getting together all the paper work to register the girls for school immediately, and tried my hardest to get us settled in as quickly as I could.

Now that we are settled in, unpacked, and in a school routine, I can say that I love it here. I love the neighborhood, I love being so close to people we know, I love the school and the girls teachers, but most of all the kids LOVE it!! The have adjusted well, and I am so happy because they are so happy. Maddi said she wants to go to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade here. I hope for her sake, we will stay here for more than 1 or 2 years.

Don't get me wrong, I miss where we used to live. I miss being minutes from my family and friends. I miss work. I miss the girls being able to go to my mom's if I am having a hard day with them. I miss having dinner on the weekends at my dads. I miss it! But was this the best move for my family? I would like to think so. I prayed so very hard for God to put us where we needed to be. For him to point us in the direction that would be best for our family. I am 100% positive, at least for now, that we are exactly where we are supposed to be. Plus, there is skype, facebook, texting, phone calls, and even emails that can keep us connected.

Besides the stress of moving and trying to get settled, I am very happy! The kids are very happy! Marco is very happy! We as a family are happy! We have started a new life here in Lubbock, and I am excited to see where we go from here.

Moving Story Part 1

I know it has been several weeks, but I wanted to make good on my word that I would write about moving to Lubbock.  It was a crazy quick move that took less than 1 week from start to finish.

It was a normal Wednesday morning and I was on Pinterest, as usual when I got a phone call from my hubby.  He said he had been asked to move to Texarkana, and wanted me to research the area and see what I thought.  I wasn't sure about moving, but I was open to the idea so I started researching.  I wasn't impressed.  The city itself, may be nice, but it is not represented well on the internet.  I searched schools, rent houses, things to do, etc for a few hours when I got another phone call saying never mind about Texarkana, Marco was really needed in Lubbock.  I was sort of relieved, since I couldn't find anything in Texarkana that would make me want to uproot my family and move there.

I was told that I only had that night to look up information on Lubbock, since Marco needed to tell them ASAP.  He came home and we talked about it.  Lubbock was 6 hours (at least) away from where we were, and I really felt like I needed more time to think it over, but I didn't have it.  Marco and I weighed the pros and cons, talked to the girls, and ultimately made the decision to move to Lubbock site unseen.  VERY SCARY!!  
*I think if I had more time to think about it, we probably wouldn't have moved.*

Marco went to work the next day, and called early morning again, and told me we were set up for a house hunting trip that day and we needed a sitter.  I told him, the only way we were going to move is if the girls had a say in the house we were going to pick.  I wanted them to see and experience the town with us first hand, and be involved in the ultimate decision making.  So instead of me and him taking a 50 minute flight, we took a 6+ hour drive with all the kids.  

I was scheduled that Thursday to close at Carmax, and I ended up having to go in and quit.  Very hard to do, I really loved working there!  Then we loaded up the car, and headed out.

The drive was long, I am not going to lie!  I had a lot of thoughts running through my mind.  Was this the right move for my family, would we be happy, would the girls adjust to yet another move, another town, another house, different friends, being away from family/friends that are just right up the road?  I was really worried for the girls.
*FYI- Marco and I have moved 8 (I think, maybe more) times since we were married and Maddi was 9 months.  We are sort of like nomads, with no real place to call home.  Most of the times were for Carinos, then the others were from one place to another in a city that we moved too.

Snack on the drive in

We drove in, stayed at a hotel, swam, ate out and really treated the first night as a vacation day.  It was really nice, since we didn't go anywhere for the whole summer, or for a few summers for that matter.  We realized that Brayden had never been to a hotel, needless to say, he went crazy!
  

Climbing on the beds.
You can't tell from the picture, but he really went crazy!

The hotel cart that carried the kids more than baggage :)

Friday, we got up bright and early and headed out to house hunt.  We stopped by a realtor and got a list of houses in our price range and addresses, but since the guy that helped us was busy, we were only able to drive by and look at the outside of the house and get a feel for the neighborhoods till he could meet us later in the day.

*I will end it there for today, and write more tomorrow, be on the lookout!*

Our Big Move

I am so sorry I have been MIA all month long, we have had some crazy big changes that took place out of no where...

We moved 6 hours away from where we were, the Dallas/Fort Worth area, to Lubbock, home of Texas Tech.

My hubby was transferred over here for his job, and it was a move that came out of nowhere.

We were asked on a Wednesday night if we would be willing to move here, took off Thursday afternoon on a house hunting trip, went home packed up and loaded the Uhaul the following Wednesday.  It was really quick.
We were so very sad to leave our family and friends back home, but we are settling in very nicely to Lubbock.

Here are some pictures from our move so far:

Here is our super cute house!

It has a giant backyard, this is less than half!

Our fridge doesn't fit in the space :(

We went school shopping and took a break with Icee's and popcorn

We are so excited to be close to a Sprout's again.

All of my photos are on Instagram and I would love it if you followed me over there :) My screen name is MamaVsqz!

More stories about the super quick move will come later, but I just wanted to update you on what has been happening in our crazy lives!!

Now to get ready for the first day of school next Monday!

How has your summer ended?

Happy Love Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Do you have any big plans?

A romantic evening with candles, wine, dining out or chocolate??

Nothing like that here ;)

My hubby (being a restaurant manager) will be at work, making sure everyone else's night out is perfect.

Don't feel bad for me though, I never see him on holidays that are big for going out to eat (ex: Valentine's, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.) so I am used to it.

Plus, we got to enjoy a great date night this past weekend, and he brought me home wine and chocolate last night, so I am more than ok!!

The kids and I had fun yesterday making a Pinterest inspired yummy snack to send to my hubby's work for his staff.

Taking care of couples and the occasional family on a holiday such as today can be draining, so I hope they enjoy the little pick-me-up!!

We started with waffle pretzels, Hershey's hugs, and Valentine's M&Ms.

We preheated the oven to 200 degrees, and used parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

I let the girls unwrap the the hugs, and put them onto the waffle pretzels.

Cook time is 3-5 minutes.

You want the hugs to be shiny and soft, not melted.

Pull cookie sheet out of oven and carefully place the M&M on top and gently press down.

Let them cool off in the fridge, then enjoy!!

The bite is so yummy since it is salty and sweet!!

The girls loved them, and Brayden loved sneaking our M&Ms!

I did send a lot to my hubby's work, but I of course left some here so the kids can enjoy them later!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Valentine's no matter how you are celebrating!!

Happy Anniversary Babe!!!

6 years ago at this very time, I was sitting in a dining room chair at my maid of honors house getting my hair curled by my bridesmaids.  I could have never imagined that day what my life would have blossomed into today.  I gained not only another family, but my partner in life.  I can not imagine a day going by with out my best friend and my soul mate by my side.

Marco and I met in Lake Charles LA; traveling with Carino's as trainers to open up new restaurants.  When I first met him, I did not like him at all!!  He was arrogant, cocky, and had to be the center of attention with his constant joke telling.  He wooed me with his Spanish pick up lines, and by then end of the 2 weeks, I knew my life would never be the same!

Marco and I have been through our share of ups and downs, but the ups definitely outnumber the downs.  I have a wonderful, handsome, loving, patient, hardworking hubby!  He is the rock of this family, and I am so lucky to spend the rest of my life in his arms!!  I love you with all my heart!

We were Austin Bound....

Every year, Carino's holds a softball tourney in the Austin area and my hubby and I have gone for the past several years.  My mom has normally kept our kiddos, but I was worried this year, now that we have 3 (1 who tends to not sleep through the night (Ella LOL)), that she wouldn't want to keep them for us.  But I asked her WAY in advance, and have been planning our night away as soon as she said yes! 

It is so necessary that my hubby and I get away together, even if it is for one night.  We tend to only get a few hours together at night after the little ones go to bed, and that normally entails staying up way too late to hang out and then regretting that decision when the alarm starts going off in the morning.  Those hours come only if he is working in the AM, if he is working a PM shift, I am in bed before he gets home!  

It is also necessary that I get some ME time in there somewhere.  This normally comes as soon as we check in to the hotel, and this year was no different.  My first and favorite thing to do is shower!  It recharges my batteries after a 3 1/2 hour drive plus it is heaven to be able to take a full shower with out a little one walking in on you or worrying about the baby waking up in the middle and screaming till I can get out.  I LOVE that time to myself!  

This year, the Mavs are in the finals, so I showered then we met everyone for dinner and drinks at BWW (Buffalo Wild Wings).  It was a blast!  I made the men sit at one end of the table, and the women sat at the other.  I was there to have fun, and I knew the men would start talking about work and I did not want to be apart of those conversations!!

After BWW, we headed back to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the night by the pool with cold beers in our hands till 1 AM.  Lots of funny things happened, too many for me to write out, just know that we had a BLAST!  

Marco and I ended up not getting the "alone" night that I was originally wanting, but being there with everyone, which included one of my very best friends (13 years in the making), was much more fun!

Bright and early Monday morning the tourney starts with the first pitch being thrown out before 8 am.  This year I did not play, so I was able to sleep in a little and ride with a couple other wives.  The tourney consists of teams made up by the different areas.  There was 2 teams from the DFW area, 1 team from the Valley, 1 team from San Antonio, etc.  Every year the best team is with out fail, the Home Office team.  They have been playing together for several years, and normally get in lots of practice time before hand.  This year was no different as they were there to dominate!  The DFW teams never do very well, and my hubby is determined to hand pick a team next year, so that they might win a game.  We headed home Monday afternoon after the 2nd DFW team lost their 2nd game.

It was so nice to get away, even for just one night.  We needed a stress free/kid free night, and we got exactly that.  So, a HUGE thank you to my mom for keeping the kiddos!!  I am so ready to do it again next year!

*Sorry there are no pictures, I just never got out my camera*

Mommy Talk *Mother's Day Edition

How was your Mother's Day? 

Did you wake up to breakfast in bed?

Did you get to shower/get ready with out any interruptions?

Did you get to pamper yourself with a mani/pedi trip?

I did not get any of these!

Now don't feel bad for me, I had a great day with my kids!

My hubby is a restaurant manager, so I woke up to him kissing me good bye pretty early.  Not long after, Maddi and Ella crawled into my bed, and took over their daddy's spot.  Nothing like cuddles in the morning!

I knew that we had nothing for breakfast, so we braved the early crowd and went out to eat.  I am sure everyone must have thought I was crazy for taking my 3 kids out by myself to breakfast, but even I needed a treat.  The restaurant was overly crowded, but the kids did great with the wait and the mass amount of people.  In the end, it was a great start to the day! 

Afterwards, we went and walked around Garden Ridge (I could seriously get lost in there for hours and spend a mass amount of money).  Brayden was getting very tired and ready for a nap, so we went home for sandwiches, cartoons, and some rest. 

It was pretty hot and humid, but after Brayden's nap we ventured to a great park here in Lewisville.  It has 2 playgrounds (one for the bigs and one for the littles), and TONS of trees.  The trees really help shade most of the playgrounds, so that made it more bearable.  We didn't get to play as long as the girls would have liked, because we ran out of water pretty quickly, and I wanted to avoid any meltdowns over being thirsty.  

I love Sonic's dollar menu, so to cool off after the park we went and got small candy sundae's and water!  The perfect combo!

The rest of the day was spent hanging out at the house with the kiddos!  I did get to talk to my hubby a few times, even though they were swamped all day which was a nice treat too!  He got home a little after 11, and it was nice to spend some alone time with him since all the kids were already asleep!!!

*Pics to come tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday*

How did you get to spend your Mother's Day? 

Carino's Anyone?

This afternoon, Brayden, Ella, and I had to take Marco some supplies to his restaurant.  Ella was starving, and I was looking for a good reason to stay out of the house.  Luckily they were slow enough for us to stay and eat!  Marco is the GM of the Denton Carino's, and I am a waitress and a trainer at the Irving location.  Carino's has some awesome deals: Family Night Mondays, Wine Down Wednesday's, great Happy Hours, and wine dinners once a month.
 

Side note:  If you like Olive Garden, you will love Carino's, since their food is so much better all the way around!!  No, seriously!

I took my camera, just in case, so that I could get some cute pics of our lunch today.  Warning, some might make your mouth water!!

Brayden had his first taste of Carino's bread!

Ella shared my cesar salad

She normally gets bowtie with alfredo and black olives,

but I made her switch it up.

Instead, she ate pizza with extra mozz and black olives.

This is my super yummy Turkey and Bacon Panini (add lettuce)!

It was so good!

We had a great lunch, with great service (as always)!

If you haven't tried Carino's, what are you waiting for??