Cherish the Moment

Celebrating Freedom

2008-07-07T21:44:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful get together at John and Blandy's this past Friday. We celebrated the 4th of July cooking burgers and hot dogs....go to vidamendoza.com/cherishthemoment for some funny pics of the cooks....:)
Jim was not able to be there, he spent his vacation up in Ellijay with his Uncle Larry, missed him terribly....He is back now.
On Sunday we had a special service at our church to celebrate the special holiday together. All is well with the Mendoza Household....loving our vacation time. School will not resume until Sep. 1 so we have plenty of time to party.
Wonderful news on John and Blandy's Blog....check it out.

Almost Lost Blogspot

2008-06-25T12:23:00.005-04:00

How long can you keep a blog without updating? It has been 3 months since I blogged! It is facebook to blame! :) I cant believe I cant take some time to at least type up what happened during a week!! Boy, I am glad we can keep in touch one way or another....

It was so good to see Xiomi and Chepe and Kim in CA. Thanks to Facebook and Blogger, I felt like I knew them inspite of the distance, Tenia cosas en comun. Do you know what I mean?

Two weddings down and one to go....I will be leaving this Fri to West Palm Beach to be the Photographer for my oldest nephew's wedding. I am excited to see my brothers and sisters but nervous because it is also a business engagement.....:)

I have finally uploaded all my pictures to Family Albums. (If you click on the right hand side on family albums it will take you directly to it.)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!

2008-03-29T19:09:00.004-04:00

Typical day in the Mendoza's household: We do school, we eat lunch and the girls play and nap in the afternoons. This day started to be a normal day UNTIL.... it got to quiet. Beware of silence in a house with four girls.... I started looking for them and spotted them under one of our citrus trees, no big deal, they play there lots of times. But....then they marched out of their and they didnt look like our little ladies. Is that Raquel? and Julia? Holy Cow! What is on them........oh run for the camera...Most of these pictures were taken from the playroom window...they had no idea I was watching. Denise finally caught me. After a good laugh, I left to go put my camera back and thought the worst was over.....then I hear the water running, I ran to the window to see what they were up to this time and then this is what I saw. Ran in again to get my camera and took more pictures! I enjoyed every moment! How wonderful it was to be a kid!

Livestock Show was Here!

2008-03-16T18:27:00.005-04:00

All the girls enjoy going to the livestock show, whether to eat funnel cake, ride the rides, pet the goats, look at the horse or eat cotton candy but they enjoy it tremendously. Here are some fun pics of that day! :) We love you guys.

Party Pictures

2008-03-13T17:26:00.002-04:00

Here are the pictures that were taken at Julia's Birthday party. It started as a beautiful day, but as the night came it sure got chilly, or shall I say "cold"! Thanks to all that came to be with us.

You'll Are Invited!

2008-03-05T09:05:00.004-05:00

Missions Conference

2008-02-25T19:05:00.003-05:00

Our Yearly Missions Conference was this past weekend. We had 3 main missionaries visiting us...from Spain, Panama and Mexico. The kids at our church performed a musical/drama called, "Patch the Pirate Goes to the Jungle". They did a marvelous job! So, so, proud of them. Check out the rest of the pictures on Vida Mendoza.

Picture Time!

2008-02-06T18:39:00.000-05:00

Say Cheese!:) Mom is back on the saddle again. Taking pictures like crazy and looking for little and big models! I am learning to use my new camera and I can already tell it is going to take me sometime! Valentines is coming a week from today. The girls are excited to see who will give them a Valentine this year. Julia is not so excited about the Valentines as much as she is about the candy. She keeps telling Naomi "we are going to get lots of chocolate and lollipops!"
What will you do for your special someone this year?

Got my new camera!

2008-01-31T20:36:00.000-05:00

Fed-Ex found my house and brought me a wonderful toy. I've never thought I would like "toys" but I love them. I got my new D SLR, Nikon D80! with a lens 18-135mm! I love it but I am going to have to do alot of studying! I am so excited. As soon as I learned to use it, I will post my first pictures.
We have had beautiful weather this week, we are expecting some cooler temperatures for tonight. Raquel and I made a delicious blue berry pie today. The house smells yummy, unfortunately we can't eat it tonight!:( It is for our guest tomorrow night.

Blogging Again!

2008-01-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Wow, it sure has been a long time! I have been inspired by several moms out there that do such a good job at blogging so much more often then me. I will try to do better.
Our Holidays were somewhat different. Papi being gone made things quite different. Mom is doing better slowly putting her life back together after all she has gone through.
This slide show is from our Christmas play, I think it was awesome. Our choir director rocks! :) The drama team did excellent! Can't wait till this years Cantata to see what we come up with.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Girls are growing and growing. Julia will be celebrating 5 years this March. She will get the traditional 5yr Old Mendoza Party. (they only get a birthday party with guest every 5 years. Everyone is invited, we do it on our backyard. Raquel's was Cinderella, Denise was Hello Kitty and Julia wants Strawberry Shortcake.
Jim is working hard and loving his job. He is also growing, not vertically but horizontally.
Finally, today, mom is feeling super duper excited! Jim just gave her a brand new camera! She got her first digital SLR!! FedEx should be her any minute!! Wow!!
I will be playing with my new toy and uploading my new creations shortly. Love You guys and sorry it took me this long to update. To those awesome bloggers thank you for keeping up with your news.

Remembering My Dad

2007-12-18T12:10:00.000-05:00

News from TX Friday 11-9-07

2007-11-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

I stopped blogging about a week ago due to the fact that our life in ICU changed drastically Thursday 11-01. My dad had not been doing good at all on Wed. When we went to visit him for his 5:00 P.M. visit they told us he was going off the blood pressure medicine because his organs were failing. The only way they could keep up his blood pressure was by filling him up with fluid. This was bad news, since he is a dialysis patient and he could no longer be dialyse until they found a better access. The last visit he was already swelling up, he had worsen so quickly, and my mother was so devastated to see him in that condition she feared for him and she was afraid of leaving home that night, so we decided to stay for the night. Thursday morning came and to see him that morning was a hard moment. I almost couldnt speak just to see his face and body be so swollen. My heart ached for my mother. All morning I was trembling and praying that the Lord would give us strength and peace and give my father rest and comfort. He wasnt responding anymore. His bleeding had increase and his blood pressure was dropping. His breathing not good either. The darkest time came that afternoon, when the assisting physician came and spoke to us about dad's condition. In short words, there was nothing else they could do for dad. She gave us time to call friends and family and told us when we were ready they would disconnect him from his life support...the ventilator. Words cant even explain to you our feelings, our pain and our the crisis we were facing. The Lord is so full of love and comfort for us. James flew in to be there for me. My siblings from NC showed up, my cousins from the area and their kids showed up to be there for us for support. We were all ready by 11:45 P.M. Dad had worsen that evening and his face was changing rapidly it was so painful to see him go through more pain. We sang and prayed with him and read psalms for the rest of that evening from 8 on we went in the room whenever we pleased and as many as we could fit in there. My daddy passed away Friday morning at 2:35 am...hearing his loved ones sing and read psalms to him and seeing our heavenly Father calling out his name. It was the hardest moment of my life to watch my father take his last breath but I rejoice in the fact and the assurance that he is no longer in pain and suffering but is in his heavenly mansion now waiting for me. I am sorry it took so long to update but I know you will understand how my life just flipped after this. We had my daddy's body transfer to TX and he was buried on Wed 11-7-07. Life is so short. Eternity is forever. Juan Galvan was ready to meet his Creator. My mother has flown back to NC today and everyone else had headed back home except my oldest sister she takes off tomorrow. My mother is closing on the sale of their home Nov 20, and heading back to TX the weekend of Thanksgiving. She will be purchasing a home near mine.

NC 4:30 P.M Wednesday

2007-10-31T16:30:00.000-04:00

I wasnt sure if I wanted to write anything today. I wasnt sure if I knew anything today! Things look so cloudy and I have all this information in my head that is not making sense anymore. This is our 6th day in ICU and I am trying so hard to learn to deal with the situation. The Lord is a Lord of peace, "Be still and know that I am God"
We had a good visit with Dr. Morris (he is the icu dr). His report is always right in the middle. From 1-10, the Dr always had dad a 5. Meaning they dont tell u straight up he is going to get better nor do they tell you we think he is doing worst. Right now, he is not able to continue his dialysis until they find another place for his access. The one he had has created a clot. His breathing is still the same, he is breathing 7 out of 19 breaths. His blood pressure is controlled but only because he is on blood pressure medication. He is back up on the medicine. He was almost off the medicine yesterday, he is climbing up there. He seems somewhat more sedated. Since he is not being dialysed his sedation stays longer and stronger. He is not responding today.
Our feelings are not up nor down.

NC 7:00 PM Tuesday

2007-10-30T18:57:00.000-04:00

We are almost at the end of another day, all I can say for this time, is we are all feeling exhausted.

NC 9:00 A.M Tuesday

2007-10-30T09:10:00.000-04:00

I visited with dad for just a little bit this time. My sister, Esther has to leave to Kansas so I gave her extra time with him. He seemed quiet today, not as responsive as he has been the last 2 days. He is going for another CAT scan of his stomach and pelvis. They are still trying to figure out what is keeping his stomach so inflated. They believe he might have an intestinal blockage. Something that has been going on for a while and just got complicated after femur surgery. If he has the blockage he might be facing a very critical surgery to remove the blockage. One thing after another...
"Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee because He trusteth in Thee" Is. 26:3

NC 8:00 A.M. Tuesday 10-30-07

2007-10-30T07:51:00.000-04:00

Twenty One years ago, my sister, Raquel, passed away. She was 18 at that time, maybe some of you didnt know this, Raquel is named after her.
today, we are on the downside of this rollecoaster! Last night things changed. One of the medicines that dad is taking is thin his blood and prevent clots, the sideeffects of that medicine is possiblilites of bleeding. Well it looks like his stomach didnt handle that medicince very well. He is bleeding from his stomach quite a bit. Therefore, he was taken off that medicine and given a small pill to stop his bleeding. There is another pill that will thin his blood and prevent clotting but he doesnt meet the criteria. This morning we visited him at 5:30 am. and they told us to expect clotting throughout his dialysis process. His blood was thickening rapidly. He also looked so differerent in color, the nurse told us he tested positive for Jaundice. There might now be some problems with his liver function.
We have been praying, reading God's Word, singing hyms, hugging and crying with each other. We are ready for what the Lord is bringing to our family. Whatever today will bring is God's Perfect Will for us. We rest on that.

Sarai

NC 8PM Monday

2007-10-29T19:46:00.000-04:00

So today is Monday, Oct. 29, 2007. My father is doing a little better, the dose for his bp meds has decreased to hardly anything. The doctor came by this morning to let us know how he was doing. He said hes still having to depend on the ventillator, but not as much as before, maybe if we encourage him to take longer breaths on his own he will not need the ventillator anymore. Also they are a little worried about his adrenaline glands not working anymore, therefore that could be one of the causes of his bp not being @ a normal rate, so they have ran a few blood tests to check. We also noticed that as of last night he has been drooling some yellow substance which might be his nutrients that hes being fed daily. Not sure, the doctors are checking it out. I know this might seem like the same news everyday, but imagine sitting here from 5am till 9 pm to hear the same report for the last three days. ICU IS A DAY TO DAY ROLLERCOASTER, just please pray that we can get out of ICU sooner than later. We will see what tomorrow will bring. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. Mat 6:34

NC 2:30 P.M. Sunday

2007-10-28T14:37:00.000-04:00

Fall is here and this is the first time I see the leaves changing.Mom and I stayed last night on watch. The rest went home to sleep. You should see the way we live in the waiting room. We have ran all the caucassians out. I feel so bad. But, Latinos will always be Latinos. The other side of the waiting room is being occupied by a young Philippino woman, whose husband is also in very critical condition. She takes over the other side with all her Asian friends. She is so sweet and we have been able to start a casual friendship w her. Our families have so many similarities. Anyway, my sister Nohemi left today, she had a hard time leaving dad. We took some pics of all the siblings together.
Dad made some progess today. It seems like we always get one good news and one not soo good. The bad one is that he started having breathing exercises, they are trying to wean him off the ventilator. So today was his first test day. They shut the ventilator off just long enough to get him to do all of the breathing on his own. He didnt pass the test but that is alright. He is weak. The good news is that he is alert again today. Yesterday he opened his eyes almost around the same time. This time all of us rushed in there to see him. Just to look into his eyes! The Lord seems to see fit to be making some progress in dad. We are all aware of dad's condition and all are willing to accept God's perfect will. Hopefully he will continue to make some more progress. Please keep us in your prayers.

NC 3:00 P.M Saturday

2007-10-27T15:22:00.000-04:00

What a great visiting time!!! My dad made a great effort and opened his eyes for about 15 minutes. What a joy to look into your loved ones eyes for the first time after all that has happened. My sister, Esther got here from Kansas. There is joy in heaven when a sinner is saved, but there is also joy and tears in the icu waiting room. How lovely it is to have your sisters and brothers to cry with. Boy do I miss being around them. What great comfort the Lord brings to His children!

NC 11: AM Saturday

2007-10-27T10:55:00.000-04:00

We just saw the doctor this morning. Over all, he had good news for us. Last night after our last visiting hour we were taken out abruptly because his heart rate picked up more than normal. This morning he told us his heart wouldnt slow down so they gave him some shocks to control it and bring it back down and that they also injected his heart....but he did so much better in the early hours today. Papi woke up this morning for just a little tiny bit. Of course, they cant let him fully wake up since he still has the ventilator. Anyway, he also said his blood pressure is doing better, they continue to wean him off the medication. Also another great improvement is that they are allowing him to breathe more on his own. I understand that the previous 2 days the machine was breathing for him. Now he is breathing most of the time and the machine just breathes when he doesnt. The last good news that he gave us is that he had a bowel movement a small one but it is a sign that his stomach is just starting to wake up. These were his exact final words, "Overall today, he is doing better" This is so encouraging to hear. I went to Lily's house to sleep in a bed and take a real shower for the first time since I came in on Tuesday. My oldest sister, Nohemi stayed for the night with my mother and she told us that this morning, at the 5:30 visit, he was crying and was very responsive. My sister Esther gets here at noon and my brother Noe gets here at 4PM. At that time all 7 of us will be together for the first time since 2005 when we had a family reunion in Leakey Tx.

NC 12 Noon Friday

2007-10-26T11:25:00.000-04:00

We have had so many friends and family come by today it has helped to have someone else show support and love. They have also brought us food, which we all appreciate. This is the first time our family has ever been involved in the ICU. I am still trying to figure how this works, I am so full of questions, confussion, sadness, hope and trust. The Doctor saw us around 11 and gave us a report for the day. My father is doing okay. What I understand is that dad's condition can change hr to hr, day to day. Last night was bad this morning is better. Papi's main 2 problems right now are one he cant breathe on his own and 2 he cant regulate his blood pressure. That is why he is in ICU. He has many other complacations going on but these two are the reasons why he is here. As the day goes by they continue to wean him from both machines hopping that he will start on his own. We also learned that there is nothing wrong with his heart. They still dont know why his heart failed, but there is no damage there. His levels of pottassium were also low at the time of the heart attack so still unsure there. One thing that was sad was that he mentioned that every morning they turn all the sedation off of the patients to wake them up. Most all patients wake up and for seconds they feel more pain, one of the reasons that they do this is to make sure brain is working alright. Papi didnt wake up this morning. He said not to worry to quickly since papi is a dialysis patient the sedatives stay in his body for longer times. But he wanted to mention to us that papi had a heart attack and his brain did stop receiving oxygen for awhile. This is the latest update on his health.

NC Friday 6:00 A.M

2007-10-26T06:47:00.001-04:00

We had a short nite. We stayed down in the lobby and tried to get some sleep. Most of us probably got at least 3 hours. This morning we got to see dad again. The nurses said he didnt have a very good nite. His body is not responding very well to his blood pressure medicine. She gave me a number, 40, they started him at 40 yesterday, and through the night they had to keep increasing it they are now at 60. We are hoping his body will begin to react and control his own blood pressure. The CAT scan is not here yet, in regards to his stomach. That is still up in the air. I also understood that he is only breathing 50% the ventilator is making up for the other part. I wss able to talk to him and he squeezed my hand lightly enough for me to know that he could at least hear me. I sang some of his favorite hyms for him and asked him if he was ready to go home and to ask the Lord to help him go through this. The nurse was kind enough to let us stay 15 more minutes. It is so hard to say goodbye until the next visiting hours. The Lord is our refuge in our times of trouble. Please continue to pray for us. Please pray for us and thanks for being interested in my papi.

NC 7:00 P.M

2007-10-25T19:03:00.000-04:00

I saw my dad again this time he is too sedated he isnt responding anymore. We are still taliking to him. The nurse said some of the results will start comin in later on this evening. She did tell us that this was going to be a slow progress since he is a dialysis patient. What good they put in is also the good that is being drained out by the dialysis machine. Last visiting hrs are coming at 8:30 P.M.

NC 5pm

2007-10-25T17:11:00.000-04:00

Visiting hours are so horrible in icu we can only see him for 30 min every 2 hrs or so. First visiting time came at 4:00'ish...my dad has been stabilized and he is under strong medications to keep his blood pressure regulated. he is not doing that on his own at this time. he has a ventilator (sP) down his throat so he is sedated to keep him sort of comfortable. they told us they dont know if he can hear us but encouraged us to speak to him. we did and his breathing pattern changes and he also sort of raises his eyebrows. we are talking to him to let him know we are here for him. please pray for safety for the rest of the family as they travel today and tomorrow. Lidia, Isai and David live here, Esther is flying from KS tomorrow am, Noe is also flying tomorrow am. my turn to visit it is 5:15 pm

News from NC 3:30 pm

2007-10-25T15:30:00.000-04:00

Last Friday, Oct 19, my father had a fall that fractured his femur on his left leg. This took him to WFUBMC.edu it one of the main hospitals here in Winston, NC. They scheduled him for surgery Monday morning. For those of u that do not know my father is diabetic and has low blood pressure, cholesterol, osteoporosis and dialysis 3x a week. Sunday night things got a little complicated he started loosing blood so they decided to find out why this was happening before surgery. Everything turned out okay so surgery was scheduled for Tuesday morning. Jim and I decided it would be good if I flew up to NC to be with my mom and be of help to her and him. I flew out Tuesday morning feeling so torn between my daddy and my girls. I had never left my girls nor Jim for more than a couple of days. Anyway this story is getting really long and it is only the introduction to the worst. Now I will have to keep the details for another occassion, but surgery went great, I was able to give my mom some rest. I stayed w my father Tues night. Wed morning his stomach starting acting up. He was beginning to get bloated............oh boy this is going to be so long so many things happened from there, just when we thought the worst thing was his broken femur, we are now sitting in the icu unit waiting for his blood pressure and heart rate to stabalize after having a heart attack. I was by my dad's bedside when he began loosing his pulse, the scariest thing I have ever witnessed. Watching his heart die and his breathing disappear is yet the worst thing I have experienced. The Lord gave me the strength to handle it okay. Unfortunately he had a heart attack and we still arent sure what caused it, but the doctors think that maybe while he was being dyalized this morning he lost too much fluid which caused his blood pressure to decrease. They have done labs and just now done x rays of his heart and chest to see how much damage the heart attack did. Please keep us in your prayers and I will keep you all updated

Quick Update!

2007-07-30T22:19:00.000-04:00

Potty Training started today for our youngest daughter. It usually takes us a week to get this down but Naomi did wonderful today!! It made mommy's day! Hopefully by tomorrow morning, she will remember what she did today. We started first thing in the morning and by around 2PM she told me she needed to go PeePee! I took her and sure enough she did go! The rest of the day was accident free and she even went #2 in the evening! Believe me I am totally excited. I cant even imagine what I am going to begin doing with all the money that we give monthly to Huggies!!! For the last 9 years I have estimated we have spent a total of about $8K!!! Anyway, beside potty training nothing else will go on the next week at the Mendoza Household! :)

We'ven been back!

2007-07-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know, I have now been back for exactly one week...........our 1995 Conversion Van made it home. She did great on gas, better than expected! Our summer has begun. Girls are sleeping in, playing all day long, mom is cleaning closets and moving furniture and I decided it was probably a good time to dust!:) I love summers!

Has it really been 10 years?

2007-06-28T12:55:00.000-04:00

Today, Jim and I are celebrating 10 years of marriage. He has truly been my best friend and most wonderful husband.
We are still out of town, now we are in West Palm Beach, Fl. I love you Jim!

On the Road!

2007-06-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

We left on June 14th and went to my little sister's wedding in NC. I was able to see all my family members, had a grand time! We had the wedding on Sat June 16 and on Sunday we had a huge picnic at my parents. We had water games, volleyball tournament, a pinata and food galore! On Monday we drove up to a beautiful state park with a cold lake! We cooked out and ate a whole lot again. On Tuesday we drove up to Mount Airy NC and went to see Andy Griffiths home place. We also went strawberry picking, the best strawberries ever. Then we drove up to the Virginia state line and did some country shopping. Wed we took off and drove to Wilmington to see Jim's Grandmother, Larry and Patti Adams, Jim's aunt and uncle. We had a very good time with Grandmother even though her health was not so good her spirits were. We had a special trip to the Atlantic Ocean aboard Uncle Larry's boat. Now the girls loved that ride. We stayed at the Uncle Larry's till Saturday morning then drove down to Lakeland to see Tio Ismael and Tia Luisa. We are currently at their house at this moment. We just finished eating Camarones al Diablo! Tia Febe's recipe. A winner, I must add.I will update on this part of our trip this coming weekend.

It is all about the Water!

2007-05-24T13:04:00.000-04:00

The girls are sure loving this hot weather. Ever since we set up the pool, they have been swimming almost every day. They sure look dark!! Don't worry, mommy has been putting tons of protection on their little bodies. Naomi loves the water and Julia will become an excellent swimmer, Denise is learning to go under water without holding her nose and Raquel is learning to do flips and all sort of new tricks this year.

Shlitterbahn Here We Go!

2007-04-24T15:32:00.000-04:00

As most of you know James works for Region One, well they had an employee appreciation event at Schlitterbahn. He got two tickets one for him and one for me. If we wanted to go we needed to pay three tickets for the girls. We decided not to go because we have been having too much fun and our finances were not up to another "recreation" expense this month. Well, when some of his co-workers found out that we weren't going because of that reason they pitched in and gave him enough money to cover each of the girls tickets. Now was that super sweet or what. Thank You so much! The girls had a blast in spite of the windy day. The park is right on South Padre Island. It was indeed beautiful and tons of fun! The weather was not as hot as we wished but we still enjoyed it. We must go back again,but this time late summer! :)

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2007-04-13T19:52:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we got to take our girls to see an Astros Game. They loved it. The weather got a little crazy but we managed to still have a great time.

Sandal Time

2007-03-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

The Open Toed Shoe Pledge

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.

I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.

I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good.

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.

I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $15 or 20 and worth EVERY penny).

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

Blogging

2007-03-20T00:17:00.000-04:00

I just want all you bloggers to know how much I enjoy reading your blogs..... I read them often, I may not comment all the time but I do read your news frequently and share them with James and the girls.

I think it is so awesome to keep in touch this way....since we do live so far away and don't get to see each other. (I don't think I have seen Xiomi and Steve since our wedding....10 yrs this June.)

Hurray to blogging!

Spring Break and Julia is Four!

2007-03-14T17:15:00.000-04:00

Que Bendicion!!

Por fin llegaron las vacaciones que tanto anhelabamos!:) The weather has been just right. Monday, we cleaned house and got ready for the family get together. Julia turned four. She is turning out to be a beautiful little girl. She is talkative (with family) and truthful and brutally honest (everyone else).
Tuesday we took the girls to the zoo. They are all at the perfect age to enjoy all the animals...now even Naomi. (Not only that but we paid for a family pass last November and we will use it as much as we can before it expires.) The weather was gorgeous. We also were able to take my niece and nephew along.
Today, Wed, James spent some time at the church fixing computers and printers and who knows what else.
Tomorrow we are going to Academy to purchase bikes for Jim and I. We are going to get in shape....!! We will also be going to the Live Stock Show in Mercedes. I will up date soon. Love you all.

Summer Must Be Here!

2007-02-27T12:57:00.000-05:00

I think we just totally skipped Spring and went right into Summer.....at least that is what the girls think. They want their pool up, they are ready to hit the beach, they love hot weather. I guess you really learn to love the Valley from the day you are born.

Last week I took them to the park, they played and then we had our picnic. We also took food for the lovely ducks. Noami loved them but she would not give them the old bread, instead she ate it. Oh well!! A little mold won't hurt, that is what my high school science teacher use to say.

We took the girls bike riding down our street. Raquel is super fast, Denise is right behind her without training wheels, Julia is a little slower; she believes bike riding is to enjoy the view, not Raquel and Denise, it is all about racing! Naomi is usually very content to just ride the stroller though sometimes mommy makes her walk so she can get her exercise, but not this time she wanted Julia's bike! She was demanding it! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! YOU ARE HOW OLD....? Anyway we let her have a shot at it, she was in heaven.

We are Back

2007-02-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

It has been a while....hasn't it!! Oh boy, lets see what should we blame it on. Christmas Break, the Holidays, the Youth Retreat, the New Year....well here we are alive and kicking.

We had a wonderful time with family during the Holidays. Jeremy came from California, Tio Ismael and Tia Luisa and the boys came from FL and I had my youngest brother Isai with me this Christmas. We spent Christmas at Grandmas House, full house indeed, we opened gifts galore, well one gift for the adults, and the 30 some other gifts were just for the kids. This was Justin's first Christmas.

Then we all headed up to San Antonio for a Youth retreat. We did some sightseeing and we did a photo sessions for Tio, Tia and the boys at the Alamo. Me encanto el ecenario. Los muchachos apesar de ser tan feos les hice el favor! :)

Then the new year came.....Happy New Year to everyone.

Then Jan.....we took two trips one just Jim and I. We went to Dallas on a business trip y yo me fui de chicle. My suegra stayed with our 4 girls, that was so nice of her. We had a wonderful time and mommy sure got some time off.

We then got back to the Valley and picked up the girls and went on another business trip to Austin. The girls go to see the Capitol building. Enjoy the pics.

Pictures Ready for Viewing

2006-12-15T12:07:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of fun photographing our kids two days ago. This is the result.......

http://cherishthemoment.photosite.com

password : Grandma' s State of birth.

2006-12-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

Log on to our photosite page and check out our newest family pictures.... password coming soon..........

2006-12-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

Look who is Six

2006-12-14T17:43:00.001-05:00

She read all her cards...

2006-12-14T17:43:00.000-05:00

Surprise and happy!!

2006-12-14T17:42:00.000-05:00

What is she doing?

2006-12-14T17:41:00.001-05:00

Denise got to feed a bird...she was loving it.

2006-12-14T17:41:00.000-05:00

Daddy and me at the zoo...

2006-12-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

We almost took the whole neighborhood.!

2006-12-14T17:39:00.001-05:00

First time at the Zoo...

2006-12-14T17:39:00.000-05:00

Ride a little horsie into town.....

2006-12-14T17:38:00.000-05:00

Yes, believe it or not....cousin Fred is climbing the palm tree.

2006-12-14T17:37:00.000-05:00

We got together at Tio Jason's and Tia Linda's place. Had cookies and pizza, salad....a small Christmas party.

2006-12-14T17:36:00.000-05:00

Time to decorate tree at Tia Linda's.

Happy Birthday Jason Anthony

2006-12-14T17:34:00.001-05:00

My big day finally came.... I am now One.

2006-12-14T17:34:00.000-05:00

My cousins showed me how to hit the pi�ata...it was a grand day...

2006-12-14T17:33:00.000-05:00

My mommy also helped.

2006-12-14T17:32:00.000-05:00

Tio Jim....watch out!! He also tried to hit it.

2006-12-14T17:31:00.000-05:00

And even Grandpa

2006-11-15T13:34:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!.... As he gets older.....

2006-11-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

..........the gang gets bigger! Estrenando nieto!

2006-11-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

Tea Time

2006-11-06T16:57:00.000-05:00

The Sister Gang

More Justin Pics

2006-10-31T15:49:00.000-05:00

For more pics on Justin's Week 1 go to
cherishthemoment.photosite.com

2006-10-31T13:56:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Patch 2006....we almost didn't make it. Several of the pumpkins looked like this. Noami and Jason Anthony kept digging in the rotten pumpkins....yeah pretty nasty. This was Jason Anthony's and Naomi's first time to go. More pics on our personal album. cherishthemoment.photosite.com, password is our town name.

2006-10-27T09:54:00.000-04:00

Hello world!! For more pictures please go to cherishthemoment.photosite.com, the password is Grandpa Mendoza's birthplace (country). I will upload lots more coming soon. For now this is it.

Justin Reagan Mendoza is Here!!

2006-10-22T17:25:00.000-04:00

Justin Reagan was born today Sunday Oct. 22, 2006 at 5:45 A.M. weighing 5lbs and 13 oz, 18 inches long. Both Mom and Baby are doing excellent. Pictures coming soon.

2006-10-22T17:23:00.000-04:00

We just had her shower two weeks ago. Thanks Justin, for waiting.

2006-10-02T01:15:00.000-04:00

Candid Shot.......she is my inspiration for the true meaning of "MOM"!

2006-10-02T01:07:00.000-04:00

"We" were babysittinng Jason Anthony last week, mommy, and all the girls.

2006-10-02T01:05:00.001-04:00

He was really dancing to "the wheels on the bus"

2006-10-02T01:05:00.000-04:00

Hello Down there!

2006-10-02T01:04:00.000-04:00

Naomi: "Who's got the ball now?"

2006-10-02T01:03:00.000-04:00

Raquel: "Give the ball to baby anthony, naomi, NOW!"

2006-10-02T01:02:00.000-04:00

Mine.......give it to me.

2006-10-02T01:01:00.000-04:00

Naomi, "you just look at her and smile,jason anthony, okay?"

2006-10-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

I said smile!!!

2006-10-02T00:59:00.000-04:00

Tia really like to take pictures of me.

2006-10-02T00:56:00.000-04:00

What a pair!

2006-10-02T00:55:00.000-04:00

The Great-Grand Father

2006-10-02T00:54:00.000-04:00

La Familia

2006-10-02T00:53:00.001-04:00

Richelle and Blandy

2006-10-02T00:53:00.000-04:00

Feliz Aniversario 25 years in the ministry!

2006-10-02T00:04:00.000-04:00

The celebration took place at Camp Loma de Vida.

2006-09-13T14:53:00.000-04:00

He is here..........The girls get so excited everytime we go to the airport. They love watching those huge planes.....they always ask when are we getting on one....and we always laugh and tell them whenever you can buy your own ticket. So for now they just watch.

2006-09-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

Abuelo, Tio y bisnieta....

2006-09-13T14:50:00.000-04:00

She made it.

2006-09-13T14:49:00.000-04:00

Waiting for el abuelo y tia Sari to get here. I loved the light from the big windows.

2006-09-13T14:48:00.000-04:00

He was happy singing "happy birthday" He is a little sick these days, pray for him.

2006-09-13T14:47:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Jason's and Raquel's birthday this past Sunday.....Raquel turned 8, Jason....well I am not quite sure, 28??

2006-08-13T00:06:00.000-04:00

Future Baby Mendoza on the way!

2006-08-09T01:35:00.000-04:00

Look who is 31!!!

2006-08-09T01:19:00.000-04:00

To the Greatest Dad on earth!! Happy Birthday Daddy WE LOVE YOU!

2006-08-09T01:17:00.000-04:00

Look who lost her first tooth!! Unfortunetely she ate it.

President Bush comes to Mission, TX

2006-08-03T17:42:00.000-04:00

President Bush came today to Anzalduas Park.
This event was closed to the public so all we could do was go and watch his arrival and departure. We stood for a while waiting by the road. Then took some quick pictures and I was too excited to continue shooting I had to put my camera down and jump and shout as my President drove right in front of me!! He waved back at us...that in itself was so thrilling, so much more than a view through the viewfinder.
What a moment!!!
This just made my week!
http://krgv.com/Video/News/27149

2006-08-03T17:41:00.001-04:00

Waiting for the President..........

2006-08-03T17:41:00.000-04:00

It is beauty and breath taking.......Amazing!! Security and policemen all over the place.

2006-08-03T17:39:00.000-04:00

Air Force One........Over the skies of the Valley.

2006-08-03T17:37:00.000-04:00

Trying to get a closer view......."give it to me, Denise, it's "me" turn!" Julia yells at Denise.

2006-08-03T17:36:00.000-04:00

Incredible!!!!!!!!! This was indeed a very exciting day for us.

2006-07-30T16:30:00.000-04:00

Grandpa went to a camp in Veracruz, he just got back Friday. He not only remembered to bring something for his grandaughters he also remember their bears. From left to right....Emily (Raquel's), Sarah (Denise's), and last Stephanie (Julia's). Thank you, Grandpa We love you!

2006-07-24T17:31:00.000-04:00

Sarai, Lili, Ester, Noe, Noemi, David, Isai and Dad and Mom
The Galvan Family

2006-07-24T17:28:00.000-04:00

Ester, Noemi, Lily and me.