Temple attending people

One of the things I was most excited to do while my dad was here, was going to the Temple here in Vancouver with him.

He adores doing Temple work. I think that's one of the reasons I like the Temple so much and that it means so much to me. Because of the example I've seen in my parents.

They have been Temple workers in the Temple in Madrid for years,and went everyday.

I loved joining them for sessions.

He loved the Temple here in Vancouver. And seriously, it is the most beautiful Temple I've ever been to, especially the inside.

I'm so hoping Carmen gets married in this Temple because I can't wait to be in the Bride's room again with her.

I am so blessed.

I can't believe my dad was here and that we spend such quality together.

I just can't imagine what a joy would be to have him living with us for good...

well... a girl can dream, right?

And on a lighter note....

this  makes my post #500!!!

Walking through Chinatown

 Evan and Laura wanted to scout out locations for the photo shoot, so we came along, and showed abuelo the Chinatown in Vancouver.

I love Vancouver.

I love that we had such a great time walking around and needed nothing else but being together.

Festival del Maiz

I don't normally go to any of the other spanish ward in vancouver, although I know some members there. From some coming to our wards activities, or from seing them at the Temple....but especially because my sister Tania attended that ward for a while and she introduced me to them.

So I got invited to this one, and since it was on a friday night, evan was working, and my dad was with us....we went.

The kids loved it.

Isabel found a friend and they became best buddies for the whole evening.

I think I am the luckiest person for being from Spain, but also come from latin descendant.

Honestly, I get the best of both worlds.

I loved growing up with a different culture added to my life style. And although I have never been to Honduras I am glad my mom raised us with a latin twist :D

I guess I am glad I have the parents I have, where they come from and the richness of different cultures.

Carmen's Baptism

It was an amazing day.

I never thought one could experience such inspiring  moments in a life time.

The moment you see your children making covenants that will bless their lives forever!

I had never felt such joy in my life.

My heart was full!

She is such a sweetheart.

I will never forget how I felt that day, and I will be grateful to my Savior forever!

One of the best things of this day was having my dad there.

His testimony was the best part of the day.

His words went straight to my heart.

His spirit filled me with tears.

His presence was the best gift we could ever get.

I am so happy he was there for Carmen.

He will make any sacrifice to be part of the pivotal moments in his children and grandchildren's lives.

And thanks to him it was the best day ever! 

Laura was taking more pictures this day, so they will be muuuuch better than these.... I can't wait to see them :D

red robin with abuelo

Our last night with abuelo, he took us out to dinner.

I can't believe how much fun we had with him. 

Now life is more... boring :(

kids loved to have him around, so did I.

I am happy he got to spend 7 weeks with his grandkids.

He got to build some more memories....experiences that will keep us going till the next time we are together again.

We don't know how long that will be, but I hope soon :)

 agggg... I miss him!

Isabel turns 4

We were all excited about this party.

Isabel has been asking for a My Little Pony Party for the whole year.

The truth is that she doesn't say much. She just barely started to talk, but show her pictures of ponies and she  will tell you everyone's names and what their beauty mark is etc. She even knows their theme songs and some other songs they have on the show...

and I love to hear her singing along, and seeing how much she loves it. I just love it.

She was lucky this year and her b-day was on sunday. So I asked Evan to decline to go to any parade and come to church with us, and spend the day with the whole family.

Doesn't he look charming in his formal uniform? I think so!

After church we had all the clan come over because Andrea was visiting, so all the family gathered for pot luck at our house.

monday was a holiday and we just relaxed at home and got ready for the party the following day.

We also got some coupons for free kids meals at white spot, so we went out for dinner to celebrate isabel's b-day!

She was so happy when the servers came with a dessert and candles and sang happy b-day to her :)

On tuesday the kids didn't have school, and we decorated and made cupcakes and some pizzas ...and pasta....and the party began!

I love my kids...i look at them and I feel I have won the lottery!

That's the way Isabel writes her name. 

I am just glad she is starting to do some writing :)

The guests: and presents

(cousins maria and jane)

 Dani and Emily

 Kata and David

 Christine 

 Julia

 Carolina and Victoria

Alejandra

She loved it.

The little ponies, the games, the colouring pages... the friends, the food, the presents...

my little girl is growing up.

but she's still my baby :)

you might call it lazyness

I would usually take pictures with my phone, since it is the one thing i always have on my hand. but sometimes if i want a nicer picture i would use our camera.

but the thing is, i never put those camera pictures into our computer. so, looing thru the camera i found pictures from last summer, from my dad's visit, from carmen's baptism and from isabel's b-day...etc

my good husband put them transferred them all into the computer, so now they are all ready to share :D

and having a hubby that's OCD is so nice in things like this, because they are perfectly set in folders by month and year, and separated in special events.... nicely done, babe! :)

anyway.... to my defense, i hardly sit in the computer anymore. i mostly use my phone, so i never blog anymore.

but i will be good and share a bunch of the memories of this last half of a year in posts to come :D

Carmen is a very special girl

Carmen is so very special.

Since the day she was born, she carried with her a sense of extraordinary.

I remember the day I got sealed.
On the way to Seattle, Evan and I talked about the kids we will have and decided on some names.
Carmen will be our first girl.
Carmen means song.
She is certainly the best song.
Our sealer taught us about all the children that were anxiously waiting to come to our home.
She was first in line...
and we didn't make her wait at all!!
9 months after that day, she was born.
and it's been a blessing, an amazing blessing to have her all these 8 years.
We've been preparing for her baptism for the whole past year.
Her understanding of the gospel has developed so much.
During a family home evening i shared my testimony and I guess I used the words :" I have a strong testimony..." to what she responded. "Mom, I also want to have a strong testimony".
So we talked about the times she's felt the spirit, and all the witnesses she's had from the spirit.
She is amazing to me.
During her baptism I felt emotions I had never felt in my life!
I felt joy beyond compare!
It was the most special feeling I have ever had.
She was radiant.
As I received her after getting baptized, she said she was shivering, that she was cold, but "it's weird, cuz I feel all warm inside".
What a day!
It was amazing!
The song we sang together was amazing.
I hope it becomes a theme for her life.
It means so much for me to hear her sing it.
I feel there is no greater joy than to know you're children walk in truth
3 John 1:4
She has made me so happy... so so happy!
When we got home she got to open all the presents she received for her b-day.
She was amazed!
She said the only gift she thought she was getting was the gift of the Holy Ghost...and she got so much more, but "the Holy Ghost is still the best gift!" she said.
And she's right.
There is nothing like entering into covenants with a Heavenly Father that loves us and so wants to bless us.
I feel so blessed.
All the good things in my life have come from God.
And I know that the more I follow His commandments the more I get closer to the best gift He has for us:
to live with Him and our families together forever.

a week today

a week today my dad left :(

i was so sad i got sick....the day before he left it was like any other of the past 7 weeks:

the kids will go wake him up, he would make them breakfast, he would share of his piece of fruit of his breakfast, he would read and pray with us before driving them to school. 

then he would play with isabel, tease her, make her laugh.... they would chase each other around the house.... fill the house with some more laughs...

we would talk for hours.

deep conversations.

he would help me better understand the gospel and how to apply it in my life.

or talk about his life....his experiences.... I've learned so much from my dad.

how i wish he lived with us.

i tried really hard to convince him.

maybe someday.

after my parents go on a mission, i hope i will be in a position to sponsor them.

so we packed up and picked the kids up from school,

he said goodbye to my friends and their children... and the crying began.

we had some time with him and the kids before we had o drive him to the airport.

the kids played with him, seemingly unaware of what was about to happen. 

we prayed together once again.

at the airport we went with him as far as we could go. and i just lost control of myself.

i simply didn't want him to go.

it had been too long since i had had him around.

there had been 7 amazing weeks and i just couldn't face the end of it.

my poor kids were so sad to see him go it just broke my heart even more... 

and it broke my dad's heart too.

he asked himself what he was supposed to do without them so many times.

he will miss us.

we will miss him.

I was sad, so sad for days.

i had this emptiness that made me feel sick.

and i got sick.

being sick and sad is not a good combo.

i've had to readjust.

back to my reality.

got myself busy again.

i got to the conclusion i have to go to spain.

next summer.

don;t know how we'll do it.

but i have to go back.

3 years without building memories with your parents or grandparents....it's just simply too long.

way too long.

and.... now it's october

so apparently it's been a while since my last posts.

that's really too bad, because life is full of great little lessons i wish i had written them down at the time....cause now i forget :(

looking back at some pictures i realized that i never shared anything about Evan jr's b-day! that's how horrible of a mother i am!

my baby boy turned 6. 

my baby boy is a big boy now.

he started grade 1. and he has mrs welch, the same teacher that carmen had in grade 1. and he's also in a grade 1-2 split class. just like carmen was.

he is reading so well now, and he's writing is improving by the second.

i am so happy for him. 

he's making good friends too, and he seems more and more comfortable in his own skin.

carmen is in grade 3-4 split class as well... and her teacher is mrs bajaromovic. who evan had last year in kindergarten. who ended up wining the award to the best teacher i.n a contest all across canada.

i love her! so we are really excited she is carmen's teacher.

carmen is doing grade 4 stuff even though she's in grade 3. she's really ahead of her class and it seems that will be happening in the years to come as well. 

i am so happy that she's had teachers that are willing to put the effort into challenging her, and helping her in her hunger for knowledge.

isabel is been doing some good growing up as well, and she is more and more ready to start kindergarten soon!! i can't wait!!

i am excited to have all my kids in school. 

if anything.... the house will keep clean longer with no one here :D

and i will finally have some "me" time without feeling that i neglect my kids.

it's horrible what we as mothers do to ourselves. that sense of guilt if we do anything for ourselves, it's the hardest thing to get rid of.... i, personally haven't learned that very well yet.

starting school also meant that my DAD got here!!!!

it's been two days short of a month now, and i've been loving every second!

my dad is such a joy to have around.

he's so easy going about everything.

he just needs scriptures, and a diary and spends the whole day studying and playing with the kids...adn he's happy.

genuinely happy.

such a joy!

we've talked more in a few weeks than what i talk with anyone is a year!

i've enjoyed writing some stories from his childhood. from my grandparents and their lives after the civil war and after world war II.... through franco and the transition.... it has been real fun, actually.

he has so many funny stories as well.... we've laughed a lot.

we've also discussed in depth doctrines of the Gospel, scriptures passages... etc.

so.... yes, i'm loving it!

we've been so excitedly preparing carmen's baptism.

so exciting!

births make mothers and mothers have birthdays

Lots of birthdays this month, but 3 main ones for me:

My mother's ( with my father in this picture)

To this day I am not really sure if she was born in 1949 or 1950.

She's not even sure herself.

But boy, I am glad she WAS born.

I love my mom.

I love her beyond words.

She's my hero.

Things she's lived, nobody might ever know. But I know just a few and she is my hero.

For some reason she has always been really strong and firm with everyone, but with me she's always been a softy.... and I've tried and will continue to try to love her back as much as she loves me.

my mother in law's ( with my sister in law, Laura in this picture)

sorry laura... i'm stealing this one :D

She is my other hero.

She's the best mother in law in the universe.

There's so many things I could tell you that she has said and done to rock my world, but I'll tell you the last, just because it shows how, in such little ways, she's just awesome:

we're preparing for the clarke's family reunion in a few days, and we were put in the same team to prepare dinner this one night. So after exchanging ideas and deciding on things... she sends me this email:

"love you. glad you're on my eternal team"

She is just full of these... and not just towards me... to everyone!

I love her!

and...

my SON, Evan's.

But his b-day is this friday and we have planned a big party, so I'll post some pictures then.

But I'll just say, he is my precious boy.

So handsome and sweet.

His teacher at church came to me yesterday to tell me he's such a loving boy in class.

And it is true.

He just melts my heart.

I love him!

So, hurray for August's birthdays and happy b-day to my favorite august's b-day people!