Giving Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving! I can't believe the holidays are upon us. My how time flies! We have tons to be thankful for and I just love that we have a special day in which we can ponder on all our blessings to be thankful for. God is Good!

As I sit here on this Thanksgiving night, typing on my couch, I am enjoying the quiet of the house with our Christmas tree lit and all of our Christmas decorations illuminating a warm glow. Just one of the reasons I love the Christmas season. All I am missing is the fire in the chimney and a hot mug of cocoa. Not cold enough yet for that!

NEways, I must admit this is the first year that we put up the Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. We put them up the day before Thanksgiving, a first for us! We usually put them up after Thanksgiving. For some reason Johnny was excited to put them up so he took the initiative and made the trip up to the attic to retrieve the boxes.

As him and Ati were setting up the Christmas tree I was in our bedroom making our bed. The following conversation ensued as I listened from our room.

Johnny: Ati, why do we celebrate Christmas?
Ati: For Santa Claus!
Johnny: ummmm....good answer but that's not it. Let me give you a hint. C-H-R-I-S-T-mas.
Ati: Oh! For the Christmas Tree!!
Johnny: Nooooo. Ok, who do we bake a cake for every Christmas and sing Happy Birthday to?
Ati: uhhhhh...Santa Claus?
Johnny: No.
Ati: What letter does it start with?
Johnny: J
Ati: Jaime!
Johnny: Nooooo. Jesus!!

My and here we thought we were doing a good job of teaching her the real reason for the season! We're going to have to be sure to sprinkle these lessons a little more now that she is older and can understand. Just a little later that day, she helped me set up our little nativity. It's made out of glass so I had to take some time to explain that she was not allowed to touch any of the figurines. This was our conversation.

Me: Ati, I really need for you NOT to touch baby Jesus or his family or animals.
Ati: Mom, he's in his car seat so he's gonna be okay.
Me: Babe, that's not a car seat its a basket with hay in it.
Ati: Why is he in a basket?
Me: He was born in a barn and that's why there's animals here too.
Ati: So he didn't have a car seat?
Me: Nope. He didn't even have a crib to lay in.
Ati: Who are those three guys?
Me: Those are the wise men who brought presents to Jesus when he was born. It was such a special day!
Ati: Well, they should have brought him a car seat. Look baby Jesus is already missing an arm!
Me: Yeah, that was Baby Atianna that got a hold of baby Jesus a couple of years ago and was not careful with him.
Ati: Well, he DID die mom.
Me: Yes, but he was a grown up when he died,not a baby. Either way, PLEASE don't touch any of these. We don't need baby Jesus missing any more limbs.
Ati: (Let's the information soak in)

I'am sure we'll have plenty of these conversations this season as we will be more intentional with our little spunky Atianna. In the mean time Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for free Holiday Cards from Shutterfly! They are offering 50 free holiday cards for bloggers. Visit here if your interested in this deal! Thanks Kelsey for the heads up via your post!! We love anything that is free,ninety free!!! Yay!

What do you do for a living?

As most of you know Johnny is self-employed and has a limousine business. This has allowed him the privilege to be able to be the stay at home Mr. Mom while I work full time as a First Grade teacher. He works mostly on Fri. nights and Saturdays. During the week he mostly does vehicle maintenance if needed, works on the administrative & marketing side of the business and answers the phones. On top of this he also balances the responsibilities of being the primary care giver to our little ones while I am at work.

So in order for us to not pull each other's hair out and to make some extra money on the side since I have been home on maternity leave he has been driving for his dad during the week. His dad also has a limousine business but has a Hirsch in his fleet that gets used for funerals. So herein enters a funny story.

After doing a funeral in the Hirsch Johnny decides to bring it home to grab some lunch since our house was on the way to the storage. Ati is used to running errands with daddy during the week and enjoys riding in the back of limos when they need washing at the car wash. So this day Ati decides she wants to go with daddy to drop off the car at the storage. So of course daddy would love the company and I of course would love the quiet time with Maciah. So off they go. As soon as she walks out the front door she notices it is NOT a limo. She doesn't think anything about it and is okay with her new seating arrangement up in the front with daddy in the passenger seat since there is no seating in the back. Only space for a coffin. I know.....weird. I've never ridden in one cause I think it's too creepy.

So the following conversation ensues on the way to the storage.

Ati (after looking in the back): Daddy, where do the people sit?
Daddy: Ummm....people don't sit back there. A person lays back there.
Ati (her little brain wheels are churnin'): How do they lay?
Daddy: Well they are in a box. And we put the box back there.
Ati: Why are they in a box?
Daddy: Well.........(long pause) Baby, they have died and I drive them to heaven.
Ati: This car FLIES?!?!?
Daddy: No baby, this car doesn't fly.
Ati: So you drive them there.
Daddy: (At this point he just gives up and decides the conversation will have to wait for when she gets a little older to understand or just let mommy do the cleaning up.)

When they got home I was washing the dishes and Ati runs in excited to share some news with me.

Ati: MOMMY MOMMY! Guess WHAT! Daddy drives people to Heaven!!
Me: He does WHAT??......(I look over at Johnny. And all he can do is shrug his shoulders, and gives me this face like what was I supposed to say?? Not that you drive people to Heaven! I wanted to reply. But Ati looked so proud of her daddy. We had to sit her down and explain that only Jesus can take people to heaven. But daddy helps with their earthly body.

BUT......she decided driving people to heaven was a much cooler answer and has since then decided that's what he does for a living. Weeks after this episode we went to pick her up from a Mother's Day out program she attends twice a week at a local church in which we are not attenders of. Since we don't attend the church they don't really know us. When Johnny got to her little classroom for pickup the teacher approached him with a concerned look. The following conversation ensued.

Teacher: "Mr. Garcia, I must ask, what do you do for a living?"
Johnny: "Let me guess, she told you I drive people to heaven?"
Teacher: "Yes, she did."
Johnny: "well...Let me explain....."

Ohhh....Our little Ati. We have had to do lots of explaining due to her vibrant little imagination. But we have also had to explain our own little mishaps along the way. I guess her daddy shares the same "vibrant imagination" she has. Just glad he had to do the clean up at mother's day out and explain himself. As a matter of fact we have had to explain ourselves lots of times. Hey, we're not the best of parents, but we're tryin'!

Our Lil' Pumpkins!

This weekend we visited a pumpkin patch with our dear friend Trina and her boys. We had tons of fun taking pictures and picking out a pumpkin. This day was a day of firsts for us. We had never taken Ati to a pumpkin patch before. And obviously this was Maciah's first time to visit one too. After the patch we came home, had dinner together then we carved our first pumpkin ever! With Trina's help of course. Then we ate pumpkin pie. Well never had that either. And I actually liked it! I think my taste buds are expanding as I get older. The kids enjoyed their afternoon of pumpkin adventures. Most of all I think they enjoyed taking the guts out of their pumpkin. Then they were off and Trina and I were left with the carving part. Afterwards, we had a pumpkin lighting ceremony. So fun! We may actually make this a tradition from now on. Here's to friends, new traditions, and pumpkins! Happy Halloween!

Joy of Declutter!

So my goal this past summer was to declutter our house. We accomplished it thanks to my nesting period during pregnancy. It feels so good to know that we can open any closet, drawer or cabinet and everything is organized. Everything has a place and a spot, so when we walk in the door with miscellaneous items we know exactly where they are supposed to go. Our house wasn't cluttery from the outside but if you looked behind closed doors it was a mess. Especially our attic and garage since that is where odds and ends got stored. Not anymore! I can compare our home in a spiritual sense to someone who looks great on the outside but deep down in their hearts there is some mess that needs dealing with. Ahhhh...it feels so good when you finally heal and let Jesus come in to your life to do his clean up in you. Oh the joys of his saving grace! Well that's how my house feels like. Just thought I would plug in a little bible lesson in here. ; )

So this weekend is our last and final step of the declutter process. And since I am on a roll with the whole living life simply theme I figured it was perfect for me to share online. Oh and a little advertising doesn't hurt either! All proceeds are going to our current Financial Peace baby step and what's left over is being donated. Best of both worlds! So come by and hang out with us, you can shop or just bring your "junk" and maybe you can make some cash while lounging on a lawn chair with a cold soda! It doesn't get better than that! Our whole neighborhood is having a garage sale weekend so I will be trying really hard to NOT walk around to visit the bargains down the street. Last I need is to add more clutter to my already neat home.

On the road to livin' the simple life!

A Simpler Life

Did you know that disposable diapers take an estimated 250-500 years to decompose in a landfill?? Kind of interesting to think that your used disposables out live you in some landfill somewhere. hmmm...

Some things have changed in our household in the recent couple of months. Yes, the arrival of our cute little boy is one of them! But other than that we have officially transitioned into cloth diaper users! Of course one reason being for the environmentally friendly cause but the money saving cause was the winner that won us over. Or should I say me. Johnny is not too happy...but he'll get over it once he sees how much it actually does save us.

Johnny and I are doing Financial Peace University at our church and have learned some great financial lessons and are trekkin along the baby steps needed to become a family free of financial bonds. Cloth Diapers are not one of the baby steps mind you but one of the things we have done to help accomplish the very first baby step.

This looks different for everyone but for us we have had to shed and get rid of some things and habits around here. Maybe I'll post our progress on the blog later. But for now we are excited about our cloth diapers! No more last minute trips to the store cause we ran out of diapers! Check it out, I even installed a clothesline in our backyard. I learned online that they last alot longer drying that way and the sun bleaches any stains that the washer might not have gotten. The natural power of God's Creation! Amazing!

So we officially have a clotheline in our backyard! I make Johnny feel better by adding that it's a retractable one! So easy to hide when we are back there. So in addition to our clothesline, we have also cut our TV cable. This one was the toughest for my dear husband. But through some intervention and hand holding he(we)managed to pull the plug. Johnny likes to poke fun at me by saying, "What's next? You wanna get rid of the cars and just get some horses?" He probably shouldn't give me any more ideas:) Well, we are taking it slowly, I am gonna give him some time before I start making an organic garden in the backyard. We'll see what he has to say about that! In the mean time we will be getting used to cloth diapers, and enjoying some local television with the bunny ear antennas! On the road to a simpler life! (Or maybe going back to the 1960's.) Who knows.

Check out that awesome, user friendly cloth diaper and my handy dandy retractable clothesline!

5 Yrs....Oh My!

Our little Ati turned 5 yrs. two weeks ago. Five years went by too fast. She has got a personality like no other! She is vibrant, loud, sassy all traits from daddy! Although she is also smart, loves books and is somewhat organized thanks to mommy : ) Here is a little walk down memory lane of her firsts to the very recent.

Her First Birthday....


Her Fifth Birthday....(those are popcorn bucket cupcakes! we had an outdoor movie theme party. Fun! )


Her Very First Day of Preschool.....


Her First day of Preschool this year.....(note, she can carry the backpack now!)

My how they grow so FAST! We love you Ati! We look foward to many more years together full of love, laughs, and hot pink nail polish with sparkles! I pinky promise!

1 Month and 10 days ago.....

We can't believe it's been a little over a month ago that we were blessed with the arrival of our little Maciah. Even though our world has been turned upside down with sleepless nights, early mornings and fatigue we wouldn't trade it for the world.

For Mother's Day, Johnny got me a maternity photo session with our favorite photog. I was hesitant on having a maternity session done and instead I really really wanted a birth photo session. During a birth session your photog is with you in the hospital during birth capturing those priceless moments before, during and after birth. Put those pictures together and you've got a Pictorial Birth Story! One of the main reasons I really wanted a birth session was because I felt like I missed out on so much when Atianna was born. Being sedated and in recovery I missed out on our family's reaction to our baby being a boy or a girl. We enjoy not finding out the gender for our surprise and our family's on that special day. For us it just makes it much more exciting.

When speaking to our photog about choosing a birth session over a maternity session (because we couldn't afford both) we were in for a surprise! She had never offered birth sessions to clients but had only at the time done them for her family members. She had been thinking about doing birth sessions professionally but before doing so she would need pictures of some in her portfolio to show prospective clients. Due to perfect timing she offered to do a birth session for us for free in order that she may use our prints for marketing purposes! I wish I could show you a picture of me doing the happy dance. But unfortunately I don't. BUT, what I do have is the slide show of Maciah's Birth Story!! I must say our family's reaction to the It's a Boy! news is priceless. Even though I wasn't there to see, the pictures are worth more than my actually being there!

Click Here for the link. I think it will only be available to view for a couple of weeks and then taken down. In the mean time I've got to get my creative juices running and figure out how to get a coffee table book made with these! Enjoy!

Oh and if your ever in the market for getting some AMAZING pictures taken of your sweet family or babies I totally recommend using our dear friend Minnette! She does some amazing work and is the sweetest to work with! Click here to view her website.

Mediterranean Gecko

There is never a dull moment in the Garcia household. We've had friends tell us they wished they could be a fly on the wall in our house b/c we are never short of funny moments. This recent episode is one such case. Within in the last several weeks I have had the worst encounter with baby lizards IN OUR HOUSE! I didn't understand why I was the only one finding these reptiles in the house. I must state that I am terribly fearful or just flat out scared that I will jump on anything and scream when I come face to face with lizards, water roaches, big spiders,etc. Emphasis on Big. Little spiders or roaches are okay but when they are oversized I lose all cool. I am sure I scare these little creatures away with my loud screaming and running around. This is not good when my dear husband comes to the rescue and can't find them anymore and I stand there like a dummy on top of the washer in the laundry room.

As I was the only one finding these babies, I got to thinking if there are baby lizards in the house, then there must be a momma or poppa lizard somewhere around here giving birth or no wait reptiles lay eggs! Ewwww!!! Short of me packing my bags to stay at a hotel or my parents house I started praying that those parent lizards would be found and hoping that it wouldn't be me to find them.

Well folks, my prayer was answered!! Poor Atianna. We quickly found out that she is like her momma when it comes to creepy crawlers. She was coming out of her bedroom into the living room when we heard her scream sheer terror. We couldn't even ask what was wrong b/c she quickly got out of dodge. She ran into the nearest room which was Maciah's in which he was sound asleep and slammed the door shut. I wasn't gonna stick around b/c I knew that she saw something and had a feeling that a lizard was involved. So I ran to my bedroom and hopped on the bed on all fours. Johnny was left by himself totally clueless. Ati wouldn't open the door and I wasn't gonna leave my spot on top of the bed. Ati decided to communicate to us through the baby monitor b/c she refused to open the door. As I am on guard on top of my bed I yell across the house to Ati through a shut door asking her what she saw. She responds via the baby monitor in which the recievers are hooked up in the kitchen and our bedroom not on low volume might I add. Everytime she speaks into the baby monitor her voice is heard like an intercom throughout the whole house. Johnny finally gets a broom and a flashlight and gets to work. I offer to shine the flashlight under the couches from my bedroom of course on top of the bed still. So here is the scene. Ati is in Maciah's room with him asleep yelling into the baby monitor "Did you catch it yet?!?!?" Her yelling is magnified as if she were using a bullhorn in our ears. I'am hanging off my bed upside down trying to shine the flashlight into the living room underneath the couches.Johnny did point out that the creature could climb up the bed if it wanted to so there was no use on seeking shelter on it. Once Johnny got a good look at it he yelled b/c Ati's voice was so loud "I don't know what you guys are so scared about! It's just a Geiko!"

Well, at that point I almost fell off the bed head first from laughter. I might be scared of creepy crawlers but I at least know that Geiko is an Insurance Company with a lizard as a mascot. Or is it a gecko? After this momma or poppa was captured and gotten "rid" of we then got into a great conversation between the differences of lizards,geckos,crocodiles and yes geiko.

Come to find out our little visitors are called Mediterranean Geckos. At least they have a fancy name! I also learned they they prey on insects like spiders and roaches! This fact made me think twice about getting "rid" of our little friends. I should have shown a little hospitality, after all they are fighting the war against spiders and roaches. Johnny thinks I'am a little crazy for googleing geckos but I had to get to the bottom of our little visitors. And learn more about them. In the end if you can't fight them well.....join them. In the fight against other creepy crawlers. From the front or backyard.....obviously.

Like Father Like Daughter

Without the princess high heels and pretty bow of course, but just like daddy nonetheless! Hoping Maciah turns out to be a momma's boy!

Maciah's Birth

We are so excited to finally be home from the hospital! We are adjusting to having a newborn in the house especially a male one! Diaper changing a boy has proven to be much more challenging that a girl ever was. Johnny has been in charge of diaper duty and he's already been showered upon by little Maciah. Speaking of peeing all over the place. As soon as they took him out of my tummy he also showered down the doctor! I couldn't help but ask if any of that pee fell on my wide open tummy on the surgery table. Doc said it would have been okay either way b/c the baby's urine made up the amniotic fluid. So it was already in there anyways. Interesting what you learn while in surgery. I tried to get Johnny to take pictures of the surgery but he refused. He wouldn't turn the camera on until the baby actually came out. Would have loved to see what my insides look like. I know it's sounds yucky but I think it interesting!

Another interesting story from the day of Maciah's birth. All through this pregnancy we had planned on delivering the baby via VBAC. Which stands for Vaginal Birth after Cesarean. Since Atianna was breached she had to be delivered via C-Sect. And this time around I really wanted to experience a "natural" birth. We knew the risks involved but thought the benefits heavily outweighed the small chances of those risks. Although this was MY plan my prayer ultimately was for God's will to be done. Because I know that HIS plan is always far better than mine will ever be. So as we moved further into the pregnancy specifically the 41 week mark my doc noticed on the ultrasounds that the amniotic fluid around the baby was a little low. The morning of our delivery the doctor deemed it too low in fact that a C-Sect that evening had to be done.

My little heart was so set on delivering this baby naturally that right before being rolled into the operating room I thought I felt contractions. I almost wanted to stop the whole thing and say "WAIT! Before you cut me open I really think if we wait a little bit longer these contractions can get stronger and I can do this thing!" But I didn't. I had to trust in God's plan and be content with His provision.

As it turns out, after the baby was out and the doc and her assistant were putting everything back in my tummy and preparing to close me up she said to me, "You know Jaime, I'am glad I didn't let you go any longer and go into labor after all. After looking at your uterline scar from your previous C-sect. The lining around the scar was really thin." As I was trying to process this I asked, " So does that mean that I had a larger risk of my uterus rupturing during labor?" Both her and her assistant nodded a big Yes in unison. My reply to this was "Praise God! He DOES know best!" I think they both thought me crazy at that point. They probably thought it was the epidural or something. But I couldn't help but praise Him during his precious revelation to me while laying on that surgery table even if my insides were all out in the open along with the beautiful sound of a crying baby in the background as a reminder that our God is Awesome and is Good.....All the TIME!

Enjoy our Pics from that Beautiful Day!

Personalize your own free slideshow

It's a Boy!!

We are proud to announce the arrival of our new little bundle of Joy!



Maciah Jude Garcia

8-10-10 6:45pm

Weight- 7pds. 6 ounces

Height- 19.5 inches



Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes!! For pictures click HERE!

Scissors & Hair

This is what happens when Ati gets ahold of scissors. So much for donating to Locks of Love : (

Princess Camp

Ati attended Princess Camp last week at our local Y. We knew this was right up her alley as she loves all things girly and sparkly. She was a bit apprehensive at first b/c she was afraid she wouldn't know anyone but quickly made friends with 2 other princesses whom she was in ballet class with. They were inseperable the whole week. On the last day mommy's were invited for a royal tea party with the princesses. They even had a spa day complete with manicures and pedicures for the girls. I think I need to sign myself up for an adult princess camp! Any takers?!

We miss....

Last night Ati and I were getting ready for bed putting our PJ's on. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and couldn't help but stop and ponder on my ever growing tummy. As I stood there holding my protruding belly I thought and said out loud "You know Ati, just a little while longer and your little brother or sister will be out. Then my tummy will go back to normal again." She quickly responded with a face of utter excitement, "And then you can pick me up again?!" My train of thought in the mirror quickly turned to her. These 9 months it was so easy for me to think of all the things I miss due to pregnancy. How easy to forget that I am not the only one impacted just because I am blessed to be able to carry this little miracle.

I can list off everything I miss about not being pregnant. Probably at the top of my list would be sleeping on my tummy. Then, not having to visit the bathroom every 10 minutes to relieve my pressured bladder. Or not feeling like a duck when I waddle....I mean walk. The list can go on, but I won't go there because after last night my list is nothing compared to what my little girl misses most. To be picked up and held by her momma!

Out of curiousity I asked Johnny what he missed most. He said he can't wait to stop hearing excuses. hmmmm....I'am just gonna stick to thinking about holding and picking up my Ati again.

Family Reunion 2010

We just got done hosting the 2010 Garcia Family Reunion here in Houston! It was a great success and was tons of fun seeing family from across the country come together again after two years. It was a long fun weekend but must say am glad it has come to an end! Only because the family from the host city was in charge of putting it all together! It was a lot of work but in the end it all paid off because we had a great time together. If you are a family member and new to our blog...WELCOME! It was much easier for me to post pictures of our event via this blog instead of our family website. The family website is not as user friendly to post pictures from another site. So here you go!! These are pictures from our Welcome Dinner and Casino Night. Please share the links of your pictures from Saturday night (for those of you who joined in the late night partay on the town!) and from our main event. I think in order to view my album you will probably have to set up an account with Walgreens. After that you will have access to all reunion pictures that I downloaded from everyone's camera on Friday night and are available for you to purchase in prints or in CD format. Or any kind of picture gift that is available through Walgreens. Enjoy! And can't wait to see the rest of the pics from Saturday and Sunday's events! Please add your photo links on the Family Website to make available to the rest of the family!




I'd like to share my Walgreens Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Pregnancy & Nesting

We are about 3.5 weeks away from the arrival of our second addition to our family. That's if it cooperates with our due date! The doctor said that the baby is considered full term now that I'am 37 weeks. And will be okay if baby decides to make it's grand entrance into the world anytime going foward. Yikes! Sounds so surreal to think about having a newborn around here again. With that being said I have been experiencing or should I say my dear hubby has been "suffering" through a serious nesting period. I feel like I'am a ticking time bomb and before I explode (literally) this house has some serious decluttering to go through. I even have adopted a little decluttering system that I learned through flylady. I take my three boxes that are each labeled- Put Away, Throw Away, Give Away and have been flying through the house. I love it! We have had tons of additional trash to throw, and have collected so many bags of things to be either sold or given away. Feels so good! Our closets and drawers really needed this revamp. Johnny is not liking this nesting thing at all. As he has been in charge of carrying these boxes or getting on his knees if I'am not able to or reach up high b/c well I can't do that either. Sooo,my nesting is really pointing at things and saying help! I think he's missing my school schedule and ready for me to go back to work. LOL> Oh! And by the way I learned that I love You Tube!! Via their how to videos I have learned how to fold fitted sheets the correct way and tonight learned how to properly debone a chicken! Seriously, Johnny thinks I need to get out of the house. But like I say...better take advantage of this nesting thing now before it ends and am back to being my old self again! I am not lazy.....I'am just sayin.

NEways, here are some maternity pics that we took a couple of weeks ago. My sweet hubby got me a photo session with our most favorite photograper for Mother's Day. I absolutely love her and her talent for capturing some beatiful pictures. You rock Minnette!!! Click HERE to View the slideshow. Enjoy!

Seasonal Blogger?? Noooo!

Okay, so I have fallen off the blog wagon and am trying to get back on it. It's been almost a year since I've posted anything and so much has transpired since then. During this 11 month hiatus I have been putting great blogging stories in my mental file that I knew for sure would be great posts.....never happened. So, I've decided to start from scratch! I have dumped out those mental files and hoping I can fill them up along with this blog with all our funny family or sometimes personal musings. That's what I said the first time so let's see how this year turns out.

My intentions were not to be a seasonal blogger. But I find my time during the school year is soooo....how shall I put it. BUSY! I soooo dislike that word. I don't like it because when busy I don't have any time for the things or people that matter most to me. At least that's how it feels for me. I get so caught up in doing life that I forget to take a look around and just enjoy the many blessings that God has poured on me and my family. So hopefully once again I can try to document those many blessings on this little corner of mine online that I call our blog.

Hope to still be here once this summer is over! Stay tuned for posts to come! I'am back!!