Some days I tell ya

The potty training with Ella has amazingly been going pretty well. She tells me when she has to pee pee and we go running to her little toilet. I did not expect this AT ALL. I expected her to not understand the concept ~ she's not even 2!

Today was one of those days where you actually stop for a brief second and wonder why you're doing it. Why you're in the spot you're in. I run and run and run. I have a full time job at home that does not involve the kids. I barely keep up the house the way it should be kept up because if I'm not working I'm going to one of the kids' activities.... or taking the dog to puppy training.... EVERY SINGLE DAY THERE'S FRICKEN SOMETHING!

I need a vacation from it all. I visioned myself on a beach with nobody.... guess what, I envisioned a margarita with tequila in it too! Just sitting there on the beach, letting the burning sensation run down my throat and hearing nothing but the waves. But, I'd get a headache, curse myself for drinking when I quit when Gino got baptized (except for the slip up of wine with my friend who's reading this... hehe) and start missing my chaos. That's the weird thing about it all. Somedays you just want to scream, but if it all went away and you were left without it, you'd be even more miserable than you were with it.

Today really sucked. I hope tomorrow is better.

Just wanted to add.....

I just caught Ella trying to pee standing up like her brother.... man, I wish my camera was in my hands at that moment.

Pee Pee on the POTTAY

Ella is officially being potty trained. It's adorable I must say. She's doing quite well too... shockingly.

Today however, she told me that she had to go potty, so I take her in there and she just sits on her potty and smiles, then says she's done... didn't do anything. So she gets up squats on my rug and pees. I giggled, because boy oh boy.... I can't believe I'm potty training my baby girl.

I love her. I love absolutely everything about her. I love her temper, her smile, her kisses, her hugs, her love, how she snuggles, and her sweet, sweet soul.

My baby is being potty trained, and next blink she'll be starting kindergarten.

I really am alive.... I promise

Hi blog, if you forgot who I am since I neglect you I'm still Amanda. I still have cute kids, hard kids, funny kids, family drama and I'm still selling food.

Life for us has been wonderful. We've had an extra toddler with us for now 3 weeks. I can pretty much say that I hope God never blesses us with twins.... EVER. In fact, my husband has informed me that we're no longer having any more children.

My niece Alana from Sacramento came to stay with us a few weeks ago, because she comes from a horrible home. A party home, she's been neglected and the whole sad sob story that you can come up in your head probably happened to her.

She's going back to her glorious life she came from tomorrow. Sad... I know. But there's not much I can do about it... besides informed CPS, which will be done.

Here's where the bad part comes in. I'm relieved that she's going to be gone and I hate to say that, but I have been going INSANE. I haven't been able to get my work done, she's very clingy, and I'm EXHAUSTED. I wasn't going to let my brother know that I have her.. he lives here, but I needed a break. I needed my family back even if just for a day. I've realized this week as much as I want to save her, I can't. It is a fight I don't have in me. I wouldn't just be fighting her mom, but I'd be fighting her mom's horrible mom... which would get her over me. I just hope that either her mom cleans up her act or my brother does.... somebody needs to for this poor baby girl's sake. Ella and Alana are only 6 weeks apart.

So this has all been going on with us.... which is why my blog has been neglected. Here's a couple pics I took at Easter..........

THIS IS ALANA

Our Easter was wonderful!!! We went to my inlaws and got to see my husband's grandparents. Definitely enjoyed myself..... as did the kids.

Taking a trip for Easter

We're taking a trip to the inlaws tonight!! We're heading to California to go and spend Easter with my inlaws and my husband's grandparents. We won't be going all the way to Sacramento ~ they only live about 3 1/2 hours from us... which is nice. We actually were planning on just leaving in the morning, but decided it would give us a little bit more time with everybody if we came tonight... we will be home tomorrow night.

Ella's Easter dress is adorable. I actually bought 2 and haven't decided which one to put her in. Pictures will definitely be coming when we return. The property that Gino's parents live on is beautiful and I can get some great pics there... they even have an old barn!!

I talked a while back about changes happening in our lives here and they're still going on. I wish I could talk in detail on here about it, but for the safety of others it's best I don't. Just keep us and our family in your prayers.... you can contact me via email if you're really curious LOL. I do talk about it on Facebook since Facebook is private.

I hope everyone has a very beautiful and wonderful Easter!! Don't forget that it's not just about bunnies and eggs... but it's about Jesus and what he did for us, his ressurection, and that one day we will have the opportunity to have eternal life thanks to what he did for us. I'm sad that we won't be able to attend church this Easter, but he definitely will be in our thoughts throughout the day.... I'm still trying to figure out something I can do with the kids so they remember (well, Jayden at least LOL)

What do I do?

What do you do when you have a friend with such severe problems in her life you almost want to turn your head and have no part in it?

There's a girl who lives here that ever since Ella was a newborn has needed me to be her friend. The first time I met her it was I NEED YOU TO BE MY FRIEND. I'm sorry, but I should have clung to that and been there as a good friend to her. I then saw her smoking while being 9 months pregnant and lost all interest in being there for her.

I'm writing this post, because I'm struggling with something. I as a person try to please everybody. I can be there, even when I can't. I can definitely do that, but honestly I can't. I can be friends with everybody, but truthfully, I'm so busy I hardly have time for my work and family.

This girl has once again entered my life. Our babies are now 1 1/2 and I figured it wouldn't hurt to be a friend to someone who needed one. I was on the phone with this friend yesterday and I had asked if she had the internet. Her reply was, "Well, yes and no. We don't have a DSL cable." Um... okay, a what?? I've never heard of a DSL cable. She too agreed that she'd never heard of it, and thanked me for confirming this. I asked, well, do you have a laptop or a desktop and she said laptop... but she's banned from it.

WOA! Okay... back up... you're an adult and you're banned from a laptop? What kind of a marriage is this girl in???? She then starts opening up and trying to in not so many words tell me how miserable her life is, when I hear "GET OVER HERE!!!!!!!!!" and that was screaming from her husband. She said she had to go and got off the phone.

I don't know what to do. I hate to turn my head and walk away, but I just don't think I can handle another situation in somebody else's life. I know she needs a friend, but I don't think I can sit here and watch a friend go through a life like that. I doubt she'll leave him, she's a very insecure person who has a bad outlook on herself. I'm completely opposite from this and can't understand why somebody would allow their lives to get to this point.

I guess I kinda need advice on what I should do. I have a lot on my plate and can't take on another person's problems, but what kind of person does that make me?

IT WAS FAKE!!

I went to Jayden's conference and left so pleased. My little man isn't doing too bad, and I kept looking at the report card with this warm feeling in my heart.... he's doing so great!

So, the fact that he's doing great in school isn't a fake, but that report card was! We got another student's report card ~ so I have yet to see how Jayden is "really" doing LOL.

I have seen a huge difference in him and his school work. His reading comprehension used to not be as good as it is now. He's been getting 100% on his reading comprehension answers, and his math skills at home have been excellent.

I as a parent need to try harder though. There are days that I actually forget to have him read to me... there shouldn't be a day that goes by that Jayden isn't practicing his reading. I need to be more structured with the kids and myself. I need a time schedule in this house to keep me on track. I know that it doesn't work for some, but I think it would really work for us. Sometimes I get consumed in other things and I need to limit things for all of us.... computer time, TV time, and make sure that there is time for the things that matter.

I need to block time for my work for my grandparents, I need to block time for Wildtree and make sure that I'm not spending too much time on those things and not the kids. I should be completely done with everything by the time I pick up Jayden so that the rest of our day is spent together and that they have good memories... and this isn't impossible. It just takes organization and structure... and I need to get us there.

Life for us....

Life in the Garibay home has been a bit different lately. There are things that have happened that I can't yet discuss on my blog due to privacy issues (I'm not sure who reads it!!)

I will say this... I'm exhausted, sad and I just hope that everything turns out the way God intends it too. This doesn't have much to do with our immediate family, but is effecting it. Not in a bad way :) So... basically, life has changed a bit and will remained changed for probably a couple of weeks... maybe longer who knows.

Today is General Conference and I'm anxiously awaiting to see what guidance is passed down to us today. I know a lot of people will gather at the church today to watch the words of our prophet and advisers, but I will happily be watching at home with a pause button.... something much needed with kids!!!

My Jayden

Two nights ago Jayden lost yet another tooth. He was so excited and couldn't wait for the tooth fairy to come and visit him. I snuck in durin the night and exchanged his tooth for a $5.00 bill (yeah, I know... lucky boy) and I walked into my bathroom where I have this little jewlry box that I keep his teeth in and I almost started crying.

These years are going by so fast and I don't like it. I don't want him to become a teenager and not want to be around me. I can't believe that my baby boy 8 years old this year. How does that happen?

I need to do an update of pictures with the kids and am waiting for a good weather day so I can go get some really good ones of them together. My babies aren't babies anymore.... and I'm feeling kinda sad about it.