Happy Birthday to you...

Today is Luis' 18th birthday, I feel so excited to be with him today. Manuel nor I have ever spent his birthday with him so I think we are all a little excited. The boys woke him up by singing to him (they've been practicing since last night, so cute!) . Kids are so funny, yesterday when I picked Luis up from school (he is a senior @ Prescott High School) he asked me if he could take cupcakes to school. I find this so funny because one day he is Mr. independent and all adult like and the next he acts just like one of the little kids. We have a great day and night planned for him, I hope he enjoys the day with us, I know it's very different from what he is accustomed to but I hope he enjoys it, I know his Dad is super excited. I will post pics soon. Have a wonderful Wednesday

moving on...moving up.. who knows just moving

The tiny apple tree, planted only a few years ago>>>>

So last week Manuel and I sold our very first home together. It's been vacant on and off for the last two years (we rented it for a while). I thought that the moment we closed would feel like well new years eve or the fourth of July, you know fireworks. Well I guess it took a while to get excited about it. I feel that we are closing the door on a chapter of our lives together, the part where babies were born, learned how to crawl and walk, you know all the cutesy shmutsey stuff, the beginning of a marriage the beginning of real life. As I vacuumed the rooms for the last time before the new owners would move in, the emotions and memories were overwhelming. I would never again vacuum Isaac's nursery, ironic when I think back at all the sleepless nights I spent in there thinking how nice it will be when he sleeps through the night when he is older. I would never again rock him to sleep in that room, sing itsy bitsy spider or watch his favorite cartoon for the bizillionth time, they boy's room felt the same. I ran my hand along the fresh coat of beige paint on the walls remembering the bright blue it once was. I am (as if you didn't notice) a creature of habit, I adjust very slow to change. I like things to stay the same for a while, maybe I feel that way because of all the huge changes that have happened in the last six months (stepson moving in and two huge deaths in our family). I feel like I have just had to close the doors on so many things lately. I guess I just have to remember that when He closes a door He always opens a window. The window in this case is that it will be nice going into winter minus one house payment. I am very grateful, and I look forward to making this new house our home and creating new and wonderful memories.

fun at the lake

We had an absolute ball at Lake Mohave. The water as I hoped was crystal clear and nice and cool on a hot day. It still reaches over 100 degrees there! The kids loved playing in the water and on the beaches. They found crabs, mussels and crawdads, and we all saw a few wild donkeys and some huge birds, who knew our trip to the lake would compare to a trip to the zoo. The kids took their snorkel gear and the clarity of the water let them see some really neat stuff, I just can't get over how nice the water was. What a nice little weekend getaway. Happy Friday everyone:)

TGIF

I am so thankful it is finally Friday, we've been counting down the days this week until today because this afternoon we are headed up to the Laughlin/Vegas area to go have some fun on the beautiful lakes. Lake Mead (Hoover Dam) is one of my all time favorite lakes, the water is crystal clear (you can actually see down further than your feet, a huge fear of mine!!) and so warm, it's like bath water almost. That makes getting in the water for some boarding, skiing and such so much fun. We are also going to head over to Lake Mohave, all of these lakes are fed by the Colorado River so the water there should be equally clean, clear and warm. I'm so excited to go and get the heck outta dodge for a few days.

Isaac has just been a little ham this week, I think he is really starting to like having the house all to himself while the other kiddos are at school. He has been more loving and cuddly, although it is definitely all about him all the time, but that's OK.

My daily devotional had something in it that I thought I would share...I loved it and needed it this week, I have been so weary and it's nice to know that blessings and joy are usually felt or come in times of persecution and pain but both lead back to happiness. Joy is circumstantial, so chose it!

"You turned my lament into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness"

Psalm 30;11

Have a wonderful weekend everyone

Hanging out with the boys

Some days I feel so very blessed to live in such a small town, I feel so blessed to be raising young children here. Me and the boys have spent so much time outdoors this season, much of it just playing in the grass at the

courthouse, they have so much fun there, even with out playground equipment. It amazes me the imagination these little critters have. They can entertain themselves just about anywhere. With fall definitely in the air it saddens me that the time spent outdoors will lessen but with the coming of fall comes excitement in the Briseno household, I think the next few months are absolutely our favorite time of year. Under the circumstances this year will definitely be very different but I intend to make it extra special so the kiddos can make memories they will carry for a lifetime. What do you do with kiddos or family that makes this time of year extra special?

Snake!!!!!!!

Well after a regular afternoon ritual of picking up the kiddos from school and a quick trip to Costco we found an unusual visitor at our front door. A little snake was happily stretching in the sun next to my flower pots. The kids were super excited and tried to get a little too close, I had no idea what kind of snake it was so we all kept a safe distance. For a moment I thought Isaac might pounce and pick it up, he has absolutly no fear of anything. Manuel has come to the conclusion that it was more than likely a gopher snake, a new one for us we often see king snakes, and bull snakes. I'm afraid of all of them because I don't know the good ones from the bad ones, not that their bad just venemous (EEEKK!!). I'm definetly looking forward to the time that they go away for the winter, it will make my walks with the dogs a little more enjoyable, I might be able to look at something other than the ground for a change.

Our week is going great, the kids have really adjusted to the routine of the schoolday. I implimented a chore chart at the begining of the school year and that let me tell you is a miracle all wrapped up in a dry erase board, I should of thought of this years ago. They work way better than the good old paper chore charts. I used to let the kids design their own and color them however they wanted to and within a few days the charts were usually in the garbage or recycling bin. Luis even marks his done chores with a star each day, I am so proud of him I don't know if he is excited about the rewards they can earn if they do all their chores or if he just knows I desperatly need him to be a good rolemodel for the younger kids, I hope it's some of both. I hope you all are having a wondeful week I found this in my daily devotional hope it helps you because it sure helped me this week..."practice good principles everyday and victory will be the rule and defeat will be the exception in life". Don't you just love Beth Moore????

Making our march for babies...

me & the boys adding
up the money we raised

The reason we walked, the

little miracle Drezdin, rocking

out with the sunglasses on.

our first pit stop

Drezdin's loving parents

Johnny & Tiffany, holding

up the certificate for coming

in third place in money

raised, only corporate

sponors beat us in money

raised. Way to go team Drezdin!!

Team Drezdin Saturday was just a fantastic day. My boys, my mom and I all participated in the Prescott area March for dimes annual fundraiser. I've never done anything like this so I didn't know that I would be in for such a huge treat. First I have to tell you why we did this and why it means so much to us. Last October my very dear friend Tiffany gave birth to her first child, which was supposed to be such an ecstatic occasion became a very difficult time. Tiffany went to Phoenix for an ultra sound and landed up be airliffted to another hospital close by, she was suffering from extremely high blood pressure preclampsya. She was in the hospital for three days, praying that the baby would stay in as long as possible she was only 23 weeks along at this point. After three days of steroids and other drugs to strengthen baby Drezdin, staying in was no longer an option it was threatening both of their lives. So with little chance of survival or normalcy Drezdin was born. He weighed a little over a pound, he was the tiniest thing I've ever seen, his eye lids were still fused together, "like puppy eyes" as Tiffany said. Every day was a battle for survival, but every day Drezdin grew a little bigger and a little stronger. He was and is a complete miracle baby. One day as Tiffany herself was recuperating from the ordeal an "angel" came into her room, a woman from the march of dimes foundation, and with a wave of her magic wand Drezdin's medical bills (which had accumulated to over a million dollars at this point) were gone, POOF! paid for in full, leaving Tiffany and her husband free of financial stress so they could focus on more important things, getting Drezdin healthy and ready to go home and three months to the day, Drezdin would be able to go home. So that's Drezdin's story...a miracle. That is why this year and every year to come I will walk to raise money to help these incredible babies and their families. Here are some pics of our fantastic day...marching to save babies:)

making the most of it...

Labor Day was a difficult one this year with the passing of Papa, but with small children in tow it is always necessary to make the best of a bad situation. I think having small children makes grieving a little easier, it's like they know the exact moment to pop in and say or do something silly that makes me laugh, I feel very blessed to have my children. Here are some pics of us making the most of it...