counting down...

Luis won the game

(he beat me by one

point!)

Either I'm really excited

or this ball is way heavy!

Happy Monday all, hope today starts the beginning of a wonderful week for all of your households. Today marks the official countdown to fall break, our house is literally buzzing right now. The boys are really excited to get a break for their routine, and Luis is going home to visit with his mom and sisters so he is really excited. I'm excited too, the weather has changed so much in the past week, I am eager to get out and take the boys hiking to see all the leaves changing colors. I love fall I think it is my favorite of the seasons. I love the colors and can't beat the temp, although the wind I could do without. I love taking out all the warm soft clothes and bulky sweaters and boots, can't forget the boots!! I love staying home and making warm yummy things for the family to eat, yummy soups, thick hearty stews, sweet and savoury breads. I'm so excited for this season to arrive, to say goodbye to our long hot summer and look ahead to all this time of year brings.
We had a wonderful weekend, a few weeks ago I mentioned the new chore chart our family is using, well it is paying off big time. I am no longer the nag of the bunch. Chores get done or they don't and it's all up to them, if they want a reward they work together to get things accomplished and if they want a frowny face on the chart and no reward well that is up to them too. I love that I am no longer a nag but I love even more that they are working together on things but most of all I love that they are beginging to feel a sense of pride in their work and a sense of responsiblilty, I should of done this years ago. Here are some pics of the boys enjoying their reward:) Have a great week!

happy Saturday

Nicolas with his
school principal Mr. Moore
Nicolas beat him in the race

Poor Nicolas, notice his chin

he fell during his run:(
For the past month or so Nicolas has been running every evening with Luis. He is running well over a mile at time now. He was training for the race that took place this past week. The race included all the 4th & 5th grade students from all the local elementary schools. He was super excited he came in 15th out of 250 fourth graders and 77th out of 450 or so students overall. His hard work paid off big time, we are so proud of him. He is a little bummed he fell kinda hard during the race (it was bumpy terrain) and scraped his chin, he says the fall really slowed him down. We are proud of him regardless if it was first, fifteenth of fourhundreth place. He set a goal for himself, practiced and accomplished it without stopping. Have a happy Saturday everyone:)

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...

Happy Saturday

It's always so nice to receive very good news after hours of pacing the floor. My Papa went in for a routine MRI yesterday and afterward was told to go directly to the hospital, long story short he had surgery this morning, everything went really well and he is in ICU but doing great and and he is in very good spirits.

We also accepted an offer on our house. I'm sooo grateful but I thought it would feel different. It's an almost bittersweet feeling to let go of that house. It was our first home together as a family. Babies learned how to crawl, walk & talk in that house. Manuel and I spent our lives together in that home. It's almost like closing the book on a chapter in our lives, our kids are growing, we are older and it's hard saying goodbye to a place filled with wonderful memories. Ok ok enough mushy stuff, it's not like I never had a camera or anything.

Today I feel amazed at the power and faithfulness of The Lord, I know that through it all he is always faithful, always near ever present and stressful mornings remind me to look and lean in a little closer to Him, because without Him I'm lost. Happy Saturday everyone, have a fantastic weekend

Fun family recipe

You can't see them very well
but the kiddos have the chow mein
noodles hanging from their mouths
& you can see they loved the
recipe

rice first, layer on top

with chicken mixture

and top with desired toppings

I found myself in a huge rut with what to make for dinner the other night, so I hit up our local Sam's club in a desperate search for something new and delicious for dinner. I wound up in the magazine section when I noticed one in particular, it was a taste of home mag full of kid friendly recipes, I was excited because I have their cookbook and love it although some of their recipes are for more sophisticated palates. So if you are like me, making the same things over and over try this one out, it's yummy quick, kid friendly and with a few changes it's figure friendly as well.

Chicken in a haystack

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
( I substituted the lower sodium, reduced fat kind)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken ( I cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 4)
1/2 cup water
Hot cooked rice (I opted for brown rice here)

cook chicken, when thoroughly cooked add can of soup and water (or skim milk) then mix in veggies and cook through. Place cooked rice first then chicken mixture and top away.
You can top it with, cooked peas, raisins, pineapple tidbits, shredded cheddar cheese, chow mein noodles (you know the crunchy kind, Asian isle in the supermarket bottom shelf) or just about anything that's hanging out in your pantry ** I used 2% cheddar cheese, 1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies, and the chow mein noodles and brown rice, it was yummy I hope you enjoy it as well, have a wonderful thursday:)

Froggy days...

Isaac has to be the most adventurous little critter around, he has absolutely no fear, and trust me I have tried to teach him to be afraid of certain things or a least a little more cautious, but his carefree nature is so innate in him that it is almost impossible to change his mind about anything. I'm hoping this is a great quality to posses when he is older and will hopefully less susceptible to peer pressure...here is to hoping anyway.

He loves bugs, snakes, lizards and well just about anything that creeps, crawls or slithers on the ground but he especially loves the ones that ooze out yucky brightly colored substances. Right now is frog season in our area, and they are everywhere. Nathan screams at them every time we are on the street driving, he thinks that somehow I can avoid hitting them as we drive down the road, trust me that is impossible the street literally sometimes looks likes it's crawling along right beside me. Yesterday we, or should I say Isaac found a huge frog in the front yard and it provided him with about fifteen minutes of sheer joy, before I thought we should strop torturing the poor thing and let him go, so anyway here is my little curious cat chasing his hippity hoppity friend, have a wonderful day, may it be filled with many blessings and much joy!

Job 33:26

So much to say...

Nathan trying so smile

Isaac enjoying the warm summer

weather, and throwing all the

boys flippies in the pool

Isaac taking a quick pic in between
dance moves at the pool:) so cute!

Little Sophia catching
some sun

The boys enjoying a little

entertainment after a

long day of swimming

Nicolas & Nathan on their

first day of school YIPPEE! In the last couple of weeks our whole routine has changed, and for the better I must say. The kiddos excitedly returned to school, summer seemed unusually long this year so we were all ready to get a schedule going again. Nicolas (I can't believe it!) started the 4th grade, he is one of the older kids now, separate building and all, he is growing so fast. Nathan started the first grade, he is really excited that most of his friends are in the same class this year, I think it made the first day of school much easier.

I've decided to take it easy with extra curricular activities this fall, usually it seems we are running around like a bunch of crazies, it feels really nice to get to stay home after school. I feel so blessed that I am able to watch my children grow, sad that it seems to be going by so fast but lucky to get to be a part of their lives.

This last weekend we got to go to Phoenix with my wonderful and gracious cousin Michaelene. We stayed overnight so the kiddos could play in the water and drift along in the lazy river and ride the water slide, they had so much fun. So much fun in fact I found it a little difficult to have three children without my husband. I think that he does so little because he is at work so often but this weekend was a huge eye opener he does way more than I thought. I feel so blessed to be married to such an amazing man, thank you honey, I love you! Thanks again Sargent family it was soooo much fun.

After staying in the dark ages forever I finally have a new computer and a much faster connection making blogging much easier.

Things around here are going great, the kiddos are back in the routine that the new school year brings, I miss them but I like the routine myself. The peace and quiet is also priceless, it's just Isaac and I until we pick up all the boys from school. He misses them terribly I catch him all the time yelling down the stairs to the boys to see if they are there, it's sad but I think it's adorable all the same.

It would be close to perfect if when school started the hot summer weather would fade away just as fast, it seems that August is hotter than ever, I'm so ready for fall, I can't wait to bring out the boots and chunky sweaters. I'm ready for cool crisp mornings and beautiful gold leaves. So until next time I hope all is well wherever this may find you, Love, peace, and like a friend of mine said today always choose JOY!

still trying to catch up

So camping was a blast. We spent four wonderful days in beautiful Williams AZ. I would really like to show you how beautiful it was but in the rush of packing up the kids, the dogs and the tons of food we took I managed to somehow forget my camera so you are just going to have to trust me that it was absolutely beautiful up there. As green as Ireland the kids would say. Our first day there was really quiet and mellow I think everyone was exhausted from working all week because the rest of the trip was go go go. We rode our toys all over the place, so much so that at the end of every day we looked like a family of monkeys with our brown dirty faces, it's quite possible that I will be cleaning sand from our bodies for weeks. I know yuck yuck you say what is so fun about that, well it was so much fun a little dirty but fun. The kids made smores and ran around really playing yes using their imaginations and not their fingers on video games. I think they watched one movie the whole time we were there, the rest of the time I couldn't keep them inside. Even Isaac he had the best time, he is just like a puppy surrounded by big dogs he runs the pack and thinks that he is as strong, big and old as the rest of them, I swear he is three going on like twelve at this point it's cute because there isn't the twelve year old attitude.

So now sad to say it's back to life, or what I mean is will I ever catch up with my laundry???Aagh it seems to multiply so fast these days so much so that my dream right now is to turn one of the storage rooms into another laundry room. Oh well it will get done and the mountain of clothes that remain was well worth the fun we had this last week. Hope all of you had a wonderful week and have a wonderful weekend:)

Going Camping

After what has been a long and heart wrenching couple of weeks I am ever so grateful to be getting out of town and out into the great outdoors. We are leaving to White Horse Lake today for the next four days. I can't wait, we are going to be with a bunch of our closest friends and we always have a ton of fun. No TV, no news, no newspaper nothing but the family and wide open spaces. We need this so much right now so I'm so grateful, I feel that since my grandpa's passing I've been living in a world that seems to be spinning so fast and I'm just not ready to jump in yet so the great outdooors is the perfect place for me right now. Have a wonderful weekend everyone:)

my Grandpa's journey nears an end

Life is a journey and to witness the end with my grandpa has been a blessing. I spent several hours just watching him today and it was amazing. I watch him drift in between, the veil is so thin right now and to be in his presence I feel the Lord and everyone so close. I watch him stuggle as if to climb out of his shell I know I'm getting all mushy and all but I just feel such a presence when I'm in the room with him. I feel like today we had our closure and I can let go. I love him enough to let go, I don't want to watch him suffer anymore. So keep us in your prayers as we watch and let go of the patriarch of our family.

Happy Thursday everyone

I'm so grateful I get to stay home almost all day and just play with Isaac, these day are kinda rare anymore.

We are having an amazing week around my house I can't believe it's already Thursday though, my my how time flies when your raising children. I'm trying to enjoy these last few days before the kiddos are finished with the school year. I'm excited to not have to run around as much but I know in just a few weeks I will hear the ever famous summer time "I'm bored" routine. After my bible study yesterday (Growing Kids God's way) I have a couple of ideas in mind to keep the summer time blues at bay, first off is to start a weekly family meeting just to make sure everyone is doing good what their highs and lows for the week are and to set up a chore list. I've come to the conclusion that my name is Shiri not servant and the kiddos (teenager included) are going to start having daily chores that they have to get done in order to earn allowance and/or privileges. I'm not going to nag or be the ever present drill Sargent anymore if they don't do it they don't get paid and their door will be closed until the next day. Although this really tests me because I really like a clean house at all times. Lord please help me with my control issues, let the dust settle it's really OK. That cleanliness is next to godliness is going totally out the window.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful week, enjoy each and every day it's a present.

Nicolas joins the adult table for the first time...

What a wonderful weekend, I couldn't have asked for more. Friday night started the tone of the days to come. My aunt Jolyln, Nicolas and I went to our church for rehearsal for the big day, it was absolutely wonderful. Saturday we woke up super early to go to the church for pictures and then it was time, time for Nicolas to receive communion and confirmation. He was so thrilled, he had to do a reading during the service so he was really nervous until that point then he smirked and said " it's all down hill from here mom, I'm ready to do this now". My eyes watered the whole time, I can't believe my baby is old enough to be doing this I kept thinking. I felt so proud of him, all these years of atrium all the sacrifices our family had made (skipping other extra curricular activities and such) all lead up to this moment for him. Like Father Daryl said Nicolas was now joining the feast, the adult table and welcome, welcome, welcome. Nicolas has such a love for the Lord that it is truly inspiring for me to watch him.
After church we had a wonderful party at my Mom's house for him, and it was wonderful filled with family, friends and teachers. The day flew by as we all enjoyed each other. I don't think the smile faded from my face for even a second the whole day, I'm such a proud mommy of my little man.
Sunday was mother's day and my day to work at the nursery, that went by quick didn't have very many kids (and Jolyn if you read this, thank you, thank you for helping me ). Then if was off to brunch at one of our favorite breakfast restaurants. Isaac believe it or not was wonderful the whole time, that's a definite first! Then it was off the to square for the arts & crafts show it was great the booths had such need and artistic things and the weather couldn't have been better. Overall this was a fantastic weekend I hope everyone had a happy and blessed mother's day, and I promise I will post pics of this wonderful event soon. Thanks Grandma:)

growing family

Ok I'm back I know it's been a really long time, but my life has just become a little busier so computer time has been put on the back burner for a while. Our family just became a family of six. My teenage step son came to live with us almost three weeks ago now, this has been a three year process getting him here so we are so happy to finally have him home.
The adjustment and transition has been good, although we all have our days. The only thing I have to say is that teenagers are very different from little ones. I struggle daily with balancing little ones and their needs and those of a young man. I feel caught in between two very different worlds. Luis (my stepson) is wonderful, he is respectful and well behaved ( at least thus far). The younger boys are thrilled to have an older brother, sometimes maybe a little overwhelmed though. It's been amazing to watch how everyone in the family has had to make changes, birth order and such has been thrown out the window. My typical first born is struggling with his new place in the family. Blending a family is a wonderful opportunity to grow and learn but also a huge transition. I pray that as the days go I will know what role I need to play and in what ways I can best help every child in our family. My role has changed too and I pray that God gives me grace, patience, understanding, maturity and a heart full of love so that I may raise all of these boys with love in their hearts and faith in their souls.