Larry the Lizard

The lizard has been captured.
I will be happy for the next month on that fact alone. We had an alligator lizard hiding out in the hedge in front of our house, and we could not find him or drive him out for anything. So, I had resigned myself to the fact that he was taking up permanent residence there and was dealing with it okay when unexpectedly he made a second home in the bush in front of our mailbox. Now, when I'm reaching inside my mailbox for my mail, and all of sudden there is a rustle and a six-inch tail (that looks like a rattlesnake) draped over the bush right under my hand, I get kind of tired of explaining to my neighbors why I'm always running into the house screaming. So, my wonderful neighbor Jim dug up the bush for me (it was ugly anyways) and we found the little scoundrel hiding in it. He now has a new home very far away from me, more in the wilds as it were, and both parties couldn't be happier. More bugs for him, less heart attacks for me. So, Abby and Jack's reptile education will have to wait, and I've decided that all future pets in the Barquero household will always be warm-blooded.

~Theresa

Spring

Abby Learns Spanish

One good thing about watching Dora 24/7 is that Abby is starting to pick up on some spanish words. She can count from 1-5 in spanish, and it's really cute to hear her do it! My favorite one though, is "empujen," which Abby pronounces, "poopen." She was also saying "ba-hoe" and "riba" today for "abajo" and "arriba." I really have to credit that show with jumpstarting Abby's language acquisition. Just trying to say things from Dora has given her a lot of confidence, and now she tries to say almost anything. Another one of my favorites (in English) is whenever we go somewhere now in the car, Abby calls it the bus. I guess calling it the car wasn't exciting enough for her, so now I tell her to get in the car and she starts calling out, "Mama's bus, Mama's bus." I hope Jack has just as many funny sayings when he gets to be her age, because I'm sure going to miss it when she doesn't do this anymore!

It Keep Going and Going...

Well, we are still struggling to get well in this house. Jack has not stopped pooping since the last time I wrote, and now he's throwing up too. I was really sick on Friday, so maybe we have the same thing - mine was just shorter duration. I took Jack to the doctor on Saturday, actually my wonderful neighbor did because I was too weak to drive, and they said just to let it run it's course. Literally, I guess. I just don't want him to get dehydrated. You know all this feminism garbage about trying to prove what a strong woman you are? Have a couple kids and you'll prove how strong you are! Try getting up four times in the middle of the night, and changing poopy diapers till you think you're going to gag, then you'll have some merit.

Keeping up with poop

It never ceases to amaze me how much kids poop and pee. Sorry, this blog is not for the fainthearted or the politically correct. Look away now if you don't want to hear all this. Okay, that was my disclaimer. Jack woke up crying this morning, and so I got his bottle ready and the whole time I was feeding him I kept smelling this horrible smell. So, I unzipped his pajamas to change his diaper and he has poop all over his body. Up his back - even in his armpits! So, I threw him in the bathtub and cleaned him up. Right after I put clean clothes on him, I smell it again. Yes, another poopy one. So, changed him again. Then, we went upstairs to get Abby up and guess what? She had pee all over her jammies and her bedspread. So, I'm changing her and then I smell something horrible again. I looked over and Jack had pooped through his diaper onto the crib sheets. I'm thinking, do we have any clean bedding left in this house? Changed Abby, changed Jack, changed crib sheets, changed Abby's bedspread, changed Jack's bedspread. We all go downstairs, and no sooner does Jack lay down to play with toys, that we smell that familiar smell again. 4th change of clothes.

Maybe tomorrow I'll just let them go naked. We don't have any more clean clothes anyway.

~Theresa

Logan's Day

For today, I just wanted to ask you to keep my neighbors in your prayers. Today marks one year since their daughter passed away, and I am praying that it would be a day of both grieving and rejoicing. Please join me in this. Thanks!

~Theresa

"He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart..."
Isaiah 40:11

"For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to stand on the heights."
Psalm 18:32,33