This past weekend we finally got started on the house.  We painted our room and made a headboard for the bed.  I am a huge HGTV fan so I got this great idea for a headboard.  And I must say it looks fantastic!!  Of course Ricky did about 80% of the work but it was my idea! haha.  I am so excited at how great the room looks.  It is amazing what paint can do to a room. 

Project #2 is in the works…next up is the bathrooms!  I’m hoping to get the guest bathroom started this weekend. 

I love to do this kind of stuff!!

I can’t believe it is already 2008. 

2007 was good to me.  Here are a few highlights:

1. My children are happy and healthy - that is the most important thing in the world to me!  Watching them grow and learn and form a beautiful bond with each other is the most amazing thing. 

2. Reuniting with my childhood friend Erin who coincidentally lives less than 10 minutes from me!

3. The Spurs won the championship and the Cowboys are in the playoffs. OK, that was for Ricardo - I really don’t care that much anymore!  I know those were highlights for him

4. The odometer on my car hit 100,000.  Not really a highlight - just happened!

5. I took Isabel to her first ballet.  She loves her ballet and “tappin” classes so taking her to a ballet was very special for me. 

Things to look forward to in 2008:

1. Our trip to the Dominican Republic in September.  2 weeks of Carribbean fun!  I can’t wait to take the girls to the beach and am really excited about them meeting thier great grandparents.  Isabel will turn 5 while we are there and she is really looking forward to having a little birthday party on the beach!

2. Fixing up the house.  I can’t wait to get started!  I have HUGE plans!!  HUGE!

3. Trip to the DR……our first real family vacation!

4. Trip to the DR…..our first real family vacation!

OK, I know - a little redundant.  But I am super excited about the trip!!! 

Warning - this is a rant!

I have found that drivers in Dallas are the rudest and worst I have encountered.  I thought San Antonio had some bad drivers but Dallas wins in every category!

1.  Just because your car is bigger or more expensive than mine does not give you the right to cut me off!

2. If you must talk on your phone while driving (I will admit I do talk while driving but ALWAYS use my headset - I’m just not coordinated enough do drive and talk if not using it) please pay attention to what is going on! 

3.  Please drive the speed limit!  I can’t stand to be stuck behind someone going 10 miles under the speed limit.  Driving too slow causes more problems than speeding!!  Most of the time people driving too slow are on the phone - see #2 for clarification!

4.  Use your blinkers!!!!  They come on the car for a reason!

5.  If you see the lane you are in is closing in a few hundred feet and see the 400 signs they have telling you so, you are not entitled to cut in front of all the cars that paid attention and got over. 

6.  And the thing I hate the absolute most is if I do let you in when you have not been paying attention, PLEASE, PLEASE at the very least say thank you!!! 

A simple thank you can go a long way!

End Rant.

Yesterday I took the girls to get their flu shots.  Isabel was already dreading going since at her 4 year check-up she got 4 shots.  Before that appointment she actually wanted to get a shot.  Those days are long gone.  She was sobbing Monday night after I just mentioned going to the doctor.   But I did reminder her that she would get a lollipop and sticker afterward and we were meeting Zaida, Bella and Diego to play at the mall and eat dinner. 

We got there and they called us back.  You could hear children crying in the room next to ours so that didn’t help matters.  Isabel very graciously offered up Tori to go first.  Tori got her shot and never even flinched - no tears, nothing.  I was a little shocked but very happy!  Next comes Isabel.  I had to hold her down and she was screaming and crying.  It was terrible.   She cried for about a minute or two and then settled down and ate her lollipop.  Done….over…for another year.

Poor Jerry was sick yesterday so I took the day off.  I had so much fun with the girls.  We had a packed day.  They both actually slept until 7:45 (why Isabel can’t do that on the weekends I don’t understand!).

We walked down to the park around 9:15 and as usual Isabel falls and busts both knees open when we are about 3/4 of the way there.  And do I have anything to clean it up - of course not!  I did have a wipee so that had to work.  I offered to go back home, clean it up and go back but my little trooper told me (through tears) “Don’t worry about me mommy - I’m ok.  I don’t want to go back home.  Let’s just go to the park please.”   So we tried to stop the bleeding the best we could and continued on to the park.  We stayed there for about an hour and it started getting really hot.  I hadn’t realized the slides would still be wet from the morning dew - that kinda put a damper on Tori’s sliding.  But thankfully the girls would swing all day if you let them so they had a great time.

We got back to the house and cleaned up Isabel’s knees and headed to IKEA.  Isabel has been wanting to go play at the kids zone for a while now and the last time we went there was a 45 wait to get in.  She was the only one there at the beginning of the 1 hour you are allowed to stay there.  Tori and I walked around for a while and I let her play in the kids area upstairs.  I went back to check on Isabel after about 30 minutes and she was running around with another little girl about her age and was having a blast so I just walked around for another 30 minutes until her time was up.  She didn’t want to leave but she was hungry so I convinced her.  We went upstairs to the restaurant and ate lunch.  It was cute.  I think it may have been the first time I ate in public with just me and both girls

After IKEA, we went home so Tori could take a nap.  After the nap we went to the library to check out some new books.  We got 17 books and headed back home to get ready for ballet.  The kids ate a snack and we headed back out for ballet.  We got home a little after 7, had dinner, bath, books and off to bed they went.

It was a great day!!!  I wish I could have more days like that with them.

I love my girls!!