These days...

Sorry it's kinda long....I was starting to have blog "withdrawals"...lol

I can actually say it's been a little busy around the Contreras Casa;)I know I've been neglecting our blog....BUT for good reasons, well kinda. I started spanish classes!...... I decided I can't look at people from here and tell them I've lived here almost 3 years and say "no intiende"(don't understand) to something they say to me...that's just not going to work for me. It's been a long time coming, I know....but now is the best time for me. I actually have a little bit of a base and know some , so now it's putting it all together. And most of all I have the time now because the kiddos are in school. I'm really going to have to put in the time and study it, it's not easy learning another language! Ughhhh, studying....not my thing, I leave that to my hubby;).....but I really want to know spanish when I leave mexico, such a gift to take back with me.....so like my dad always says...."you get out what you put in!" As true with all things in life:) Thanks dad...xoxo

So ....it seems these days when the kids are at school I'm at spanish class or at the gym....spanish classes mondays and fridays for 2 hrs and then the gym tuesday and thursdays....OH, and can't forget about my wednesdays with the wives, and can't forget about the daily mom and wife duties.....all of a sudden I'm a busy girl, I know......;) I was actually kind of a little crapped out because I started taking this pilates class this semester monday and friday mornings and was really starting to like it, well then my friend told me about these spanish classes......that just happen to be at the exact same time, exact same days and they don't offer pilates at my gym any other time:( I know I'm kind of a dork(as my husband would say) when I get into my workout zone....... SO I have to have little pep talk with myself...."Lex, COME on you NEED to learn this language before you leave mexico!" So, here I am almost 3 weeks later, a little closer to speaking spanish....so that's what's up with this busy bee.....

Let's see....the rest of my little fam:)

Halle is a hilarious new 6 year old.......this girl thinks EVERYTHING is funny!!!!! Like the laugh from the belly, make your face hurt kinda laugh.....it's contagious. We don't know where this came from, but it's pretty cute......except the part where she thinks butts are the funniest thing ever......we don't think that's very cute at all! Her and Costa can really get going on this one.....Erik has a friend who's kids went through the same thing until one day he was so fed up with it, he told them he was going to make them look at their own butts in the mirror.....what the heck!?!?!? Sounds weird to me......but I guess it took care of the problem......?!?! Kids and their funny phases. She is all of a sudden, a super big girl now that she's 6....every morning she makes her bed, first thing......that's something she got from her dad.....he's kind of a bed making nazi;) She can get her and Costa cereal, she can even pour the milk, without spilling. She can pretty much read ANYTHING, spanish or english....and she has the cutest spanish accent. Auntie Nisa gave us a packet of site words that Kaitlyn's doing in her kindergarden class so we can stay on track with school in the states. We've discovered she has a memory like Erik when it comes to seeing something for the first time and KNOWING it, she has learned almost the whole packet already (a little over a month....little smarty pants, that's from her daddy too)......her teachers at school always tell me she's "muy inteligente!" Oh, and today she learned how to tie her shoes!!! My baby girl is growing up, learning how to do so many new things! It was a pretty big deal, and much easier teaching her than I thought it was going to be. She told me this morning that she didn't want to wear her tennis shoes to school because she didn't know how to tie them....I thought....mmmmm, she's 6 now I should probably teach her this one. So, today while Costa was napping we started and I showed her 2 or 3 times how to do it and then told her she needed to practice herself because that's how she was going to get it......a couple times later....."voila" a bow!!! I was so proud of her!!!! Now, she can tie her shoes and Costa's! It's so nice when the oldest learns how to do things and can help out.....LOVE it. Halle is an amazing first born child, such a sweet girl, and pretty much always willing to help her little brother, most of the time;)

her and her littlest pet shops, she LOVES these things!

Our little Costi is kinda going through a whiney stage......I'm trying to decide if he could be ready to give up his nap, but honestly I think he TOTALLY still needs it! Halle had pretty much outgrown it by this age. He totally turns into this crying over everything kid when he doesn't get his sleep and sends me through the roof, I don't have patience for whiney kids!!!!!.......probably be keeping the nap around for awhile.....on the other hand (when he's got his sleep), I can't get enough of this little guy, he's my baby and I'm holding on as long as I can.......I just want to squeeze him and kiss his cheeks all the time......and his little voice......mmmmmm, I can't get enough;) I still carry him upstairs for his nap.....he is mama's boy and I LOVE it! He is the cutest thing ever and loves to sing! It's hilarious to hear him sing spanish songs he's learning! Erik and I crack up listening to him!!! He has an obsession for basketball all of a sudden...
we recently bought him a little "real" basketball that's just his size, and fits in his hoop in the backyard perfectly. He's constantly wanting to play with it......."mom, watch me basketballing"(he calls it)...."dad, watch this".......dribbling, dribbling, dribbling.....shooting shooting......all over the place. He's actually kinda good for a 3 year old, but then again I am his mom and wouldn't think otherwise;)

Erik is just about finished with his surgery rotation this week. He got to see some pretty crazy stuff and ....one of his patients died over this past weekend. She was in her early 50's but had all kinds of stuff wrong....she was diabetic, he said she had some sort of hepatitis as well......she got necrotizing fasciitis(bacterial infection)...I'm learning along with him;)... Erik had to do the wound care for her......he said it was so gross and it just never seemed to get better....so this was his first taste of seeing a patient die. SO SAD....... We also got a taste of what residency life will be like this time around......some days he had to work 14 HOURS.......such long days......the kids and I really missed him, especially at dinner time! He's kinda frustrated with spanish.........my poor babe~I can't even imagine trying learn medicine and at the same time another language! Ahhhhhhhhhh.....head spinning if you ask me. He honestly NEVER complains, but the other day I saw him pretty annoyed........I felt so bad. Hopefully his next rotation is better.....hang in there babe, I love you!!! On a fun note~he just started on a soccer team with some of his school mates. He did all the work to get the jerseys for the team and he did a great job! This man is the best time management person I know.......simply amazing;)

Weekend of LOVE

Handmade valentines

Halle, Costa and I made sugar cookies this year for their school valentines. As I was doing this I thought to myself? Seriously? Why do I do this to myself? Why don't I just go out and buy a little candy with a tag and call it a day! It was SO much work!!! But, in the end I was happy I did it. They turned out cute and were a huge hit at school! Halle hand wrote her tags .....she did such a good job! And thanks to Grandma and Papa Contreras Costa still had some spiderman tags they sent us in the mail last year! The recipe I used I got from my friend, Hanna.....it's the absolute BEST! YUM! Thanks Hanna:)

Valentine's for my babies

We are SO blessed on this adventure, I know I keep saying that....but it's how I feel and AND it's TRUE.......I know it's God's grace:) Valentine's weekend started off saturday morning with Erik and I leaving the kids with our great friend, Leslie while we went and had an hour couples side by side massage. AMAZING:) It was an hour of heaven.....I don't remember the last time I had a massage, which is ridiculous because they are really cheap here in mexico!....I told Erik that and he said I was crazy...but seriously, I cannot remember. I do remember getting one on our honeymoon cruise.....almost 7 years ago. That was a LONG time ago! So, this was well deserved;) Our friend Les that watched the kiddos ALSO gave us this massage in a gift certificate!!! SO....the FREE massages and FREE babysitting! UM, doesn't get much better than that!!!.....pretty blessed:) Thanks LES!!!!!!!! You truly are an angel:)

Saturday afternoon we headed over to the families house for FLAUTAS....yyyyuuummm. Erik and I get pretty excited for their flautas..... It truly is the best thing they make, we think..;) It's always great to go over there and hang out with them, and it just keeps getting easier with the espanol....and even better to practice. The kids ran around like crazy, as usual. They are SO entertained when we go there.....we don't see them for hours, except maybe as they run by for drink or something. And then when it's time to go, they're never quite ready.......


Sunday, Valentine's Day we took the kids to see the Torros(bullfighting).....It's a huge deal here in mexico........Erik had been once before and was pretty amazed by the whole thing. He said everybody gets dressed up and it's a pretty big part of the mexican culture. To be honest, I was a little hesitant about going and taking the kids to something like this.....but then again, we do live in mexico right now and it's all part of a "once in a lifetime"cultural experience.....so I agreed. And the kids were excited to go!!! They even got to take their first taxi ride! They had watched the torros on TV before and Erik explained it to them in a way that they could understand......he told them that "this is how we get the meat for the steaks we eat"......."the bulls are famous and very proud to be in the ring....not every bull gets picked to do this!" Gotta love dad's and their analogies for their kids understanding! Better him than me;)

In the taxi ride on the way to see the torro's

The next 2 pictures are kinda graphic! It's crazy, immediately after the show they start cutting up the meat
and selling it~kinda makes you feel a little better...;0
And then they cut the horns off and give them away to the matadores as prizes~

This is a little description of what it's all about.....
The Spanish occupation of Mexico led to the rise of bullfighting in the country. Also known as fiesta brava, the sport has been one of the most popular in the country for the last 400 years.

Bullfighting in Mexico is similar to the Spanish style of bullfighting. Matadores perform specific moves, occasionally using a piece of red cloth, to attract a bull in a graceful manner. Typically, a bullfighting show includes rodeos, pig chases and dances, before the bullfight begins. In the end, the bull is killed with a sword.

Thousands of bullfighting events occur annually in Mexico. In certain areas in the country, bullfighting rakes in huge amounts of money yearly, coming from both tourists and fellow Mexicans.

As evidence of the popularity of the sport, the largest bullring in the world can be found in Mexico. The bullring is known as Plaza Mexico, which is located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. Plaza Mexico can seat around 40,000 people. It was opened on February 5, 1946. The anniversary of the opening of Plaza Mexico has been celebrated every year thereafter with a special bullfight called the Corrida de Aniversario.

Of course, with popularity comes controversy. Organizations promoting animal rights have rallied against the sport of bullfighting in Mexico. They argued that the sport was not only dangerous for the matador, but more so for the horses and, of course, the bulls. Other actions against bullfighting were also done, such as the establishment of humane education programs and the creation of mascot Pepe the Bull. At one point, individuals under 18 years old were banned from watching the sport. However, fans protested by bringing their families to watch the sport.

Bullfighting remains prominent during the dry season, about November to March. Tickets may be bought at the bullring. Prices for the tickets vary, ranging anywhere from $5 to $55.

Good angels

Every morning before the kids get out of the car, I put the good angels around them. This is something that our moms have always done to us when we leave them, and when I had Halle I asked my mother in law exactly what do you say when you put "good angels" around us?..... I need to put good angels around my new little "angel".... She told me it's the sign of the cross and you say "bind satan, put the good angels around you"......So, I now do this to my kids and husband:)

Well, this morning it was pretty cute........Halle said...."mommy, this morning I sneaked around the corner and put the good angels on daddy before he left"......so precious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Melt my heart. I love it.......And every morning when I do it to them, they start doing the sign of the cross and putting the good angels on me:) Costa tells me...."mom, I put 3 angels around you so the bad guys don't get you!" Thank GOD for our good angels to help protect us from"bad" angels!

Phoenix

My new favorite band. They are a french alternative rock band. Erik and I went to their concert here in guadalajara last week. Aaaaaammmmaaaaazing! I didn't really know any of their songs but Erik has some of their music on his IPOD .....so he was a little bit familiar with them. Our friends asked us to go last minute and we were like.....sure, what the heck? It sounded like something fun and different to do....and we are always game for a date night;) It was a small venue so we were pretty close to the stage, which was awesome. We had such a great time.....

Kacie, Chris, Marguerite, Adam, Me, Erik & Damien

Celebrating 6 "campanita~tinkerbell" style

Well, it finally stopped raining in time for us to celebrate Halle's 6 birthday last thursday february 4th...YEAH!...this year she picked "Campanita theme", tinkerbell... It literally rained for almost 3 days STRAIGHT last week. It never rains here in guadalajara this time of year, ever. We were so worried last wednesday because the place we rented to have the party was outside.....and wednesday was the 3rd day of rain.....it just didn't seem like it was going to stop and be dry in time to have a party outside the very next day. Everything was wet and cold. Erik called the place to ask them if it was raining thursday and we were unable to have the party, if we could get our money back. Of course, they said no. We were so frustrated. Would it be that hard just to say..."rain's not your fault and it's not our fault...here's your money back, have a nice day"....um, right....they don't know how to do that here. We were thinking we could just move the party to peter piper pizza, inside where it would be dry and warm....Halle was up for this. But, she was definitely NOT up for moving the date of the party......she had been looking forward to the party being on thursday, it was set in her mind. We told her...."Haller's, we don't even know if anybody from your class is going to be able to come, some are sick and if it's raining we can't have a party in the rain.....we might have to move the day." And we weren't going to be able to move the party to peter piper unless we got our money back we already had paid. She was sad, and I was sad.... and I hated to see my baby girl upset over her birthday party! So, we PRAYED really hard...and I know everybody else did, too~thanks guys!!!!!!!! And we woke up thursday morning with Mr. golden sun trying his best to peak through the clouds....and it was not raining. Thank you Lord~now, if we can just get the temperature a little bit warmer.....just a little. I know, I know I'm pushing it..... I should just be happy with NO rain at this point....and NOT having to see the disappointment on my almost 6 year olds face.

opening her tink outfit

Erik came home from school around noon and we decided the party was still on. So we scrambled to let everybody know. We got a few "yes's" from Halle's class and she was SO happy! I had invited some of my friends from the wives club and their kids and spouses.....most of the kids being little boys!!!!!!!! I prayed at least a few girls from her class would show up so she wouldn't have all little boys Costa's age at her tinkerbell party.....and 2 did! Muntse(Halle's favorite friend, so we were EXTRA happy;) and her friend Sophie came too......

Muntse, Halle & Sophie

Halle & Ayi

We originally had planned on having hamburgers and hotdogs for food, but with the inconvenience of the rain, we went to plan B...... and did Little Ceasar's pizza and some appetizers~veggies with dip(thanks Kimberlie), strawberries with marshmallow cream/cream cheese, and seven layer bean dip (thanks Stacie) and chips......we hadn't had Little Ceasar's pizza yet here in mexico yet, and it was SO good! Just like home........it worked out because Halle wanted to have pizza anyways. The kids played on the brincolins(bouncers) and ran around having fun. She had a beautiful tinkerbell "cupcake" cake and a tinkerbell pinanta, of course....it's a fiesta must here in mexico. It turned out to be a fabulous party:)


Here is a list of guests that came to the party: Mom, Dad, Costa, friend Muntse from school and her mom, friend Sophie from school and her mom, The Solarte family~Steve, Kimberlie and Nathan, The Guzman family~Tito, Yari and Gabriel, The Stilson family~Brandon, Stacie, Boston and Easton, Melinda and Breton Wade, Leslie and Pablo, Amy and Luca Borboa, Angela and Ayi.

Above(wives club friends): Amy, Kimberlie, Lex, Yari, Stacie, Leslie, Angela and Melinda

Muntse and her mom, Lex, Halle, Ayi and Sophie and her mom and sister

Halle's golden birthday

Our baby girl turned 6 today on the 6th of February! She's been excited about this birthday for awhile and told everybody is was going to be her GOLDEN birthday...it's kinda funny because I seriously thought my mom made up the golden birthday thing.....because everybody I told about Halle's golden birthday kept saying....."Golden birthday? What's that?" I'm thinking....am I the only person who knows about golden birthdays? I actually called my mom and said.... MOM! You must have made this up!!!!! Nobody else seems to know about golden birthdays! But...it's actually NOT made up....I googled it to find out and found a few definitions for it......sorry mom, you don't get all the credit for the golden birthday ....xoxo.

The morning started out with presents from mom, dad and Costi....some gap sparkly flip flops and a charm bracelet from gap with 4 special charms~a hello kitty charm(one of her most favorite things), a happy birthday charm(to remember her golden birthday, of course, an ice cream cone charm(because Halle's the QUEEN of ice cream, and last but not least a best friends charm from Auntie Nisa and cousin KK..... After opening presents we made some breakfast: mickey mouse pancakes with whip cream smiley faces and bacon, request of the birthday girl, of course. Pancakes are her favorite breakfast and she especially loves them when mom does mickey mouse ones with a whip cream smiley face:) We wanted to do something fun and different to celebrate Halle's birthday so we decided to go ice skating. There's an ice skating rink close to our house that we drive by all the time and say...."we should go try that some time"......and why not for Halle's birthday? PERFECT! We called my friend Angela and her little girl Ayi, whom is one of Halle's closest friends here in Guadalajara. They said they wanted to join us~they'd never ice skated before! Erik hadn't either and wasn't going to skate....but he ended up renting skates and we all had such a great time:) Everybody did great! ....Angela and Ayi are from Puerto Rico and have never seen snow before, so Ayi was pretty cute and just wanted to sit down and play instead of skating:)



After skating, we asked Halle what she wanted for her special birthday dinner and she wanted steak and potatoes. So we went to the store and got all the stuff for dinner. Our friend Leslie came over to have dinner and celebrate with us. Halle just loves Les! Erik made the steaks and he also made some yummy garlic sautee'd potatoes and a big salad~ Halle and Costa helped me make a raspberry whip cream pie for dessert. It was a beautiful dinner celebrating Halle!!!! I think she was a pretty happy girl when she went to bed......it was a great golden birthday!

We put her to work on her 6th birthday, we figured she was old enough to learn how to mop!....Just kidding! This girl WANTED to mop the floor...silly! We'll keep her!

My sweet Hallers.....where has the time gone? Daddy and I can't believe you are 6 years old today! It seems like yesterday we were SO excited for you to make your grand entrance into the world! It only took 16 1/2 hours of labor but finally at 2:36PM on Friday, February 6 2004, you came! We didn't know if you were a boy or girl and I truly thought it was a dream come true when you came out and were a girl! We felt SO blessed! I was so excited to have a baby.....But, I honestly secretly wished for a girl first (and I think daddy did too:) and God gave us this beautiful baby girl...YOU...what a gift! You have brought us so much joy these past 6 years and we can't even imagine what's to come watching you grow. You are such a sweet, loving little girl and we are so very proud of the person you are becoming! You are a such a great big sis to your little brother and love him tremendously!!! You kinda spoil him and let him get his way alot of the time! You're kind and always sympathetic for other peoples feelings....such an awesome quality. You are our snuggly little thing....one of my most favorite things is to snuggle you on the couch while watching a movie. We love you SO much Halle...Happy 6th Birthday!!!!

Some FUN facts about Halle at 6 years old:(I got this idea from my friend Pam's blog~she's so creative! Thanks Pam!)

*her favorite food is: steak and pepperoni pizza
*her favorite place to eat out is: peter piper pizza
*her favorite color is: pink
*her favorite animal: giraffe
*her favorite drink: sprite and rootbeer
*her favorite book to have mom read: muppet babies
*her favorite princess: Aurora(Sleeping Beauty)
*her favorite candy: M&M's
*her favorite dessert: ICE CREAM, of course!
*her favorite friend at school: Muntse...and Costi for ALL the other time:)
*her favorite movie: Barbie Rapunzel
*her favorite toy: pony's and barbies
*her favorite thing to do at home: play games with mom and dress up in princess dresses and tiara's
*her favorite thing about herself: my hair, now that it's getting longer again:)
*her favorite thing to play at school for free time: play on the toys
*looking forward to being 6: Maybe loosing some teeth so the tooth fairy can come and taking the training wheels off my bike!

Halle is: 46 inches tall
and her weight is: 47 lbs.