THANKFUL

Our Thanksgiving weekend is officially coming to an end, but before it does, I wanted to share all the fun we had this past week. We had such a great Thanksgiving this year, and my heart is filled with gratitude when I think about all I have to be thankful for.

There are SO many things I am grateful for . . . . .

This sweet girl tops my list. She brings my life the greatest joy I've ever experienced, and the love I have for her is indescribable. I thank GOD for her every day!

My Sister Brooklyn and the boys. . . These three mean everything to me. 

We had a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving the weekend leading up to Thanksgiving, and it was so nice for all of us to be together. Even though we live about 35 minutes from each other, we are finding it difficult to get together as much as we would like to. Any chance to see them is an added bonus! How handsome are my boys? Love you guys.

My Mama

What would I do without her? She is always there when I need her. Whether it's to talk, help with Ell, support, encouragement, you name it, if she can be there, she will. I love you Mom. 

And of course my Step Dad, Cortie! So Thankful for you too. 

My Mom made these adorable little turkeys she saw on Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest.

Ella loved them! Good job Gigi.

My Dad and Step Mom Debs

My Dad flew in last weekend, and we had a chance to spend a few days together. It was so nice, and I always love having him home. My Dad holds a very special place in my heart. I miss him every day, and wish we could spend more time together. Life is just so busy. Love you Papa, and we missed having you Debs. Hopefully next time! We love you and are so grateful for you. 

Ell usually takes a while to warm up to her Papa Doug. When we picked her up from school, she was so excited to have her Papa Doug home for a visit. They walked out of school hand and hand, and she never looked back. Lots of love from Ell this trip, and I know my Dad loved every second of it!

Jose's Dad, Mom, and Sister 

These three would do anything for our family. We are so lucky. Ell spends two days a week with Irene, Inocencio, and Lourdes, and she is always so excited to see them each week. They love Ell with all they have, and I feel so blessed to have them in my life. 

We were able to spend Thanksgiving night with them, and had a blast. Yummy dinner, even better desserts, and a very relaxed mood. A perfect night!

Must be the turkey, or a very good actress? I'll let you decide!

As soon as 7 O'clock hits, she turns into a nut! She was cracking us up. I love her sense of humor. 

My love, Jose

It goes without saying how grateful I am for this amazing man. I love you Be!

And lastly, to all my dear friends who are ALWAYS there, whenever I need you. You know who you are, and I am so grateful for your presence in my life. 

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their families and friends.

Now . . . . . on to Christmas. Let the fun begin!!

Our Brave Be

Well, today was the day! Ella Catherine had her Bilateral Tympanostomy with Tubes surgery at Children's hospital this morning. Gosh... her dad and I are so glad it's over! Ella was such a trooper and proved to be the strong, brave girl we always knew she was. Here's how it all went down!

We headed to the hospital at around 5:15, and arrived at about 6:00. Check in was at 6:20, and we were called in to preop at about 7:20. The process was actually super fast, and all the nurses we so sweet and caring. Ella was measured, weighed, her vitals were check, and we were then greeted by her ENT doctor. We love Dr. Benz and he is so loving towards our girl. Dr. Benz reexplained what he was going to do and said that the entire procedure would only take about 15 minutes. Ella was a little cranky at this point, and really wanted a bottle. She was not allowed any fluids and her last ba ba was at 6pm Wednesday night. Poor girl was thirsty! Once Dr. Benz was ready, Ella's anesthesiologist came in and was so great explaining everything they would do to prepare Ella for the surgery. Then, it was time. I was not allowed to go back with her because they find it more difficult to deal with the child. This was hard. Jose and I kissed our girl and handed her off to Dr. Benz. That's right, he carried her right in to surgery. I don't think she knew what hit her! Jose and I were then directed to a private waiting room where we waited for about 20 minutes. Dr. Benz came right in and said everything went perfectly smoothly and that she did beautifully. He said she laid right down on the table and was so good when the put the mask over her face for her meds. I was so glad to hear this! He said her left ear was filled with tons of icky junk. So bad that he had to suction it out before he could place her tube. He said it had been there awhile, and she will be so glad to finally hear. Poor girl hasn't been able to hear since November! He then handed us some drops and explained some home care directions. We will have another checkup with him in about 3 weeks.

We were then sent out to the waiting area, and we buzzed within 10 minutes because Ella had woken up. We rushed to recovery so she could be brought to us immediately. Oddly enough, this is when the tears came. When I saw her being carried in by the nurses, completely out of it, I lost it. Her eyes were open, but she was exhausted. When the nurse handed her over she said, "Oh my you've got a cuddle bunny on your hands." My response, "Not really!" I then held her for a good 15 minutes(this was so sweet) before she was ready to sit up and have some juice. They then took her vitals, and Dr. Benz came by again to see her and bring her a popsicle. This made her very happy. After about 20 more minutes she was discharged and we were on our way home. My Mom of course came down and greeted us as we were walking out. Ella was so happy to see her Gigi and I loved seeing her too. She is always so supportive and came down just to see her girls for a brief minute. We are so lucky.

Waiting for surgery with Da!

The gloves were a great distraction!

Let's do this people. I'm so thirsty and need a drink! (We all do at this point!)

Ahhhh, it's over and I can finally drink!

Mama isn't looking so hot, but here we are post surgery!

Thanks for the popsicle Dr. Benz!

Let's make some cupcakes Mom. I sure deserve it!

These last few months have been extremely hard for Jose, Ella, and I. We have been in and out of the doctor and our poor girl has been on 5 rounds of antibiotics since late November. We are so happy to be done with this and hoping that with this surgery comes no more ear infections for our girl! 

We feel so blessed to have had so many friends and family members praying for Ella today. I cannot tell you how truly lucky I feel to have so many friends who called and text today to wish Ella good luck and tell us that she was in their thoughts and prayers. This is what helped me get through today. This is what gave me the strength to hand off Ella and trust that (as my dear friend Candy said) GOD had her in his hands. It means so much to me to have these special people in our lives. 

Thank you for everyone who thought about Ella, Jose, and I today. I'm so ready for a restful night of sleep tonight. 

Thanksgiving Recap

I can't believe I am just now getting to a post about Thanksgiving! These past few weeks have been a bit hectic for the Garcia family(sick be and Da!), but we are finally on the mend and getting back up to speed. 

This year I am thankful for SO many things. A supportive and loving hubs, the most adorable little be in the world, my ever rewarding job educating children every day, and my incredibly supportive family and loving friends! Jose and I continue to feel so blessed and fortunate as we reflect on our very simple life as a family of three. I doesn't get much better than this!

As a teacher, I am incredibly lucky to have lots of time off around the holidays. For Thanksgiving, I get the entire week off, and boy did we need it. Our days were spent spending time together as a family and WITH family, going to the park, lounging around the house, shopping, and soaking up as much time with our sweet be as possible. Here are some pics to illustrate our time together. I cannot tell you how excited I am for Christmas break. Three entire weeks off with my girl. I am counting the days.

Here we are trying to get a cute pic of Ella for our Christmas card. Out of 96 pictures, not one was she looking at Momma. We tried and failed miserably. I have to say, even though she wasn't looking, I think these are super sweet. I just love her to pieces!

We love the park! Ella could spend every day there, running, swinging, sliding, feeding the ducks, you name it, she'll do it! My Mom got her this Taxi Coupe and she absolutely loves it. And when I say love, I mean she is completely obsessed with it. She would sit in it all day if we let her. It's pretty cute! Jose thought it would be a great idea if we took it with us one afternoon. She couldn't have been happier. 

And here we have some random shots. (don't mind my nephew without a shirt on. He was a HOT MESS from playing the Wii!) Ella loves her cousins to pieces. I love that they are so sweet with her and play with her so patiently. Even though sometimes they forget she is still a little be and are a bit rough! I hope they continue to have these special moments together.

Ella is also obsessed with music, especially on my iPhone, iPod, or iPad! She even tries to get a handle on my Mac, but I have to draw the line somewhere right?! She has her own playlist on all of them, and she knows exactly where to go. She even knows where camera and photos are.  How is that even possible? She could sit with me for hours looking through pictures and watching herself on video. I love this time together because she is actually still for a long period of time. It's my favorite!

It's hard to believe how different this year is compared to last year. Ella was such a tiny baby, and now she feels so grown up! Jose and are a trying to savor every moment and enjoy this precious time with our girl. This week proved to be exactly what we needed. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones. Until next year. . . . .

GOD is SO Good!

Today we received GREAT news from J's oncologist. As most of you know, Justin receives an MRI every other month to check for any new growth in his brain. Well, today's MRI showed that not only had J's tumor not grown(it has shrunk to the size on an ink speck since surgery, radiation and two years of chemo) but it wasn't even visible! No visible tumor on his brain scan. Did you hear that? NO VISIBLE TUMOR!

For those of you who continue to pray for J, my Sis, and the boys, THANK YOU. Please continue to keep them in your hearts and prayers as J continues to fight and BEAT this disease. He has a long journey ahead, but I know with continued prayer and support, anything is possible!

I love you J! More than you possibly know.

So thankful for . . . . .

OUR SWEET BABY GIRL

 Jose and I were blessed with the greatest gift of all when Ella Catherine came into our lives. I love her more than I ever thought I could love anyone. She is the light of my life and I know it's only going to get better.

THE GREATEST FAMILY AND FRIENDS who encourage, love, and support me everyday.

MY WONDERFULLY REWARDING JOB where I get to make a difference in so many children lives.

THE STRONGEST MAN I'VE EVER MET

Brain cancer has nothing on my brother (in law) Justin. I am in awe of his strength, determination, and courage as he continues to fight this ugly disease. This is one battle he is definetly going to win! I love you so much and I am so inspired by you.

and MY LOVING HUSBAND

I'm not always the easiest person to live with, especially with the sleep deprivation of late, and Jose always stands by my side. I love him more and more. I am so grateful to have him in my life. 

 Happy Thanksgiving to all!