Abby's First Birthday

My baby is one! I still love her little hands and how she cuddles and gives me hugs. It makes me so happy to see her with a big smile toddling over to show me something or clap for her. She is getting a lot more hair and it seems to be turning more blonde. Her favorite things are flags, chimes, animals, and playing with her siblings. She is 2 inches shorter and 2 pounds less than Sydney and Wynn were are her age. She doesn't let her size determine what she can do though. She is determined and goes all over the house and isn't hesitant to wrestle with her siblings. They are so sweet with her too. She and Wynn are becoming good buds while Sydney is at school.

She had a fun party with a cookie cake since she loves cookies! She even tried to blow out her candle. Andy and I enjoyed making her gifts and I think its awesome that all the kids can enjoy them together! Her favorite gift though is her rocking chair. She's been pushing it all around the house and putting her toys and blankets in it to rock them and then dumping them out so she can climb in and rock herself. She's so sweet. We love her :).

Visiting Texas

We weren't sure we were going to make it to Texas this year with some of the family just coming here for Christmas and our Disney cruise, but I was super disappointed to go! We made it happen, with some of Dads help too so thanks Dad! We all had a good time. Sydney and Wynn are finally big enough to really play with their cousins and had a great time with Brooke and Will. Every time Wynn sees the pictures of him and Will flash on the screen saver he says that's my Will. Sydney tells me how much fun she playing with Brooke and wants to Skype soon.  Andy and I enjoyed spending time with Kevin and Emily. They are adventurous like we are so we have some good times together. Our dinner date was not short on laughs and we had a lot of fun and ate tons of food! YES!

They also got to meet Grandma Alida while we were there. I haven't seen my Grandma since Sydney was just a baby so it was a treat to see her! Abby took to her right away and Sydney learned a few words to say to her in Spanish. Well... "Hola, me llamo Sydney." She just lit up when she said it though. One of my favorite memories of the trip is when Grandma Alida sat next to Wynn on a car ride. He had a toy and was just blabbering on to her about his toy and being a pirate and all his "tricks," and even though she couldn't understand a word he was saying, she paid very close attention and nodded, grinned and listened to him the whole time. It was so nice and cute!

I also got to go on a breakfast date with my dad and that was very special. I always treasured the times my dad and I got to go do things together. I never really thought a ton about it as a kid but I am so grateful that my dad took time to do things with me one on one. It made me feel special and know that I mattered to him. I looked forward to going on work store checks with him, the hardware store, or to get ice cream. I knew there was usually some treat involved too and those are some of my happiest memories. It brings me comfort and nostalgia for home to think of just driving or walking and talking with my dad about anything or nothing.

The very best highlight though was playing the Grandma and Grandpa Pack. Being with them is always a party. The kids look forward to making cookies, playing with toys, going to cool places, like the Perot Museum of Nature and Science we visited, swimming in the hot tub and being silly. Mom was worried that Abby might be afraid of her since she hasn't seen her in a while, but Abby warmed right up and loved to cuddle and point out all the things she saw to them. She loved all of Grandpa Pack's bird feeders out the dining room window and learned to say birdie as a result. I always feel so happy that my kids know they are loved and enjoy being with my parents so much. Its a blessing that I'm grateful for every time we visit or Skype with them. The kids are too.... as evidenced by their newest "fight" about whose grandma, Grandma Pack is. Wynn is adamant that she is HIS grandma and not Sydney's or Abbys and this makes Sydney very upset so then she says she's HER grandma. They go back and forth back and forth arguing about whose grandma since they don't want to share. Haha, its funny when you're not having to listen to it but it shows how much we loved visiting them and love you mom and dad!

Abuelita Alida

When we visited Texas this past month, my grandma Alida Escobar came to visit. She hasn't seen our family since Sydney was a baby so it was quite a treat! I sat down and had my mom translate for me so I  could ask her some questions about her life when she was young. I wanted to type it up so I would always have it for my children and to share with my family. I know it won't be as perfect as if she wrote it herself, but if anyone has any corrections please let me know!

Alida was born on November 17th, 1929 in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Her mom was almost 16, and her dad was 17 when they got married. Alida was their second child. Her oldest sister was named Aura Francisca. Then after Alida came Edna Graciella, Hilda Astella, Berta Surama, and Roberto Joaquin. Her dad worked with her uncle and they owned two stores; one sold hardware and the other sold crystals. Her dad primarily worked in the crystal store. Her mother was a housewife and had a nanny to help care for the girls. One nanny's name was Santos, who was sent to their family from her mother who was a poorer native indian in the country. In exchange for Santos' help, money was sent to Santos' mom.

When Alida was four years old and Hilda was born, they moved to their godparents' home for the forty days that cultural tradition mandated for postpartum recovery. Grandma says the house was haunted and that windows would blow open and doors would slam shut on their own all the time. She could hear people walking at night when everyone was in bed, and the lights would flicker. Their dad didn't believe them because it only happened when he wasn't home, but her mom was so uncomfortable there they left to stay with their grandparents before the forty days was up and never went back to the house again.

Their stores went broke as more of the native indians moved to town and opened stores of their own, so they had to move to Guatemala City when she was 9. Her dad went to work as a chief editor for the El Diario Americana in Guatemala City. He had no degree, but he was very smart. Alida's mother didn't like the big city however and went home to live with her parents when she got pregnant again. Her husband would send them money. While they were away, Hilda got typhoid fever, and it became to hard to be without her husband so they returned to Guatemala City for the rest of Alida's life.

When El Diario Americana closed down, her father went to work for Typographia Nacional and edited other newspapers and government books.

Alida attended both primary and secondary school in her childhood and noted that they learned the USA's national anthem in school. After she finished 6th grade, her secondary school was a trade school to become a secretary. She graduated at 15 and then worked in her uncle's store for 4 years. She also taught shorthand classes at the school she had graduated from. Then she got her dream job and worked at a beautiful store called the city of Paris. She loved working there and wanted to keep working there after she met Oscar and got married, but cultural tradition required that she stay home and she was required to resign. She cried when she resigned because she was so sad.

Alida and Oscar had met because Oscar was living in Alida's uncle's boarding house in Guatemala City. They dated for 2 years. Alida liked their social life and the exciting life with his friends but had really loved her past boyfriend who hadn't wanted to marry her. When they married she says she missed the single, exciting life she had had before.

She was 24 and Oscar was 25 when they married. Oscar built her a new house after their wedding, but he brought his three brothers and a cousin to live in it with them. She didn't like that very much. The brothers all opened a candy store together. She got a separate maid just for them so she didn't have to take care of his brothers. She ended up working in the candy store a lot of the time and amused herself by making a bird room at her home with over 60 canaries. Alida has always loved birds.

3 years later Alida got pregnant with Vilma and they moved to a bigger house. Oscar went to work as an accountant for a liquor store. Vilma was born in a hospital and they only had to stay there one week. When she got home, she had lots of visitors and they tried to give her all kinds of foods to help with her recovery. She was glad when all the extra visitors left because she still had her maids to help and could have her own space again.

Her father soon retired and then opened a small school supply/bookstore in the city called the Libreria de Silhoutta.

Oscar's sisters would frequently come to visit their new home and bring their friends to stay in Oscar and Alida's nice big house. Alida didn't like having to house so many people she didn't know, so Oscar gave their old a house to his mother and all his siblings to live in. She and her mother in law had always been very close, but when they told them they didn't want so many visitors, Oscar's mother got offended. She went back and forth between the new home and Quetzaltenango after that because her husband stilled worked in Quetzaltenango for the City Hall of Ostuncalco. Her mother and father in law also had wheat farms they they owned. They grew corn, pears, and other fruits there.

She remarks that on the first dinner when all their house guests were gone and it was just she, her husband and their children sitting around the dinner table, she was so happy and excited to just have her family together for the first time.

Friends with talent

My friend traded me babysitting her kids while she was out of town for some one year pics of Abby. I think they turned out so fun and will give me something to put up in her room when he first year calendar is finished here in a few weeks. I can't believe she's a week away from 1! I have made lots of new friends since we moved back to La Grande in addition to the ones who were still here from when we lived here before and am so grateful for them. They like to get outdoors and with the kids and swim, wade through rivers, do campfires, and lots of other stuff but also have girls' nights. I am definitely one of those people that needs some me time and time away from the kids and it is so nice to have people who like to do things and get together sans kiddos regularly. This weekend a few of us are taking a trip up to the Tri-cities in Washington for a night as a Mother's day treat to ourselves. I'm looking forward to that.

Wynn's "Soccer"

Oh how I adore Wynn! He is the sweetest little boy. He loves to cuddle and hold hands. He loves for me to sing to him or scratch his back. He wears his emotions on his sleeves so when he is happy you know it. His happiest look is something like this.... he opens his eyes real wide, tilts his head to the side and has a smirking smile while he looks at you for a few moments. I call it his flirty face. It' soo cute. He seems to just love praise and cuddles and his response is priceless. He so funny too. We get a lot of time just the two of us while Abby naps and Sydney is at school and he likes to tell me all sorts of things. His imaginary friend's name is "cabba cadrava" lol and he teaches him songs and how to fight the bad guys  and tell him stories. His latest fantasy however is about going to soccer practice. He's not old enough to really join a team, but he thinks he is.

This conversation occurred today:

"Mom, I have a soccer meeting in 40 minutes."
"It's by Sydney's school and I'm supposed to meet Captain America there."

Me; "What are you going to talk about?"

"We're going to sing songs and we can bring our guitars if we want. There's gonna be other people there.... like Jarom. He has a soccer team."

"We're going to kick the balls like this (ninja kick) and fight them."

"Can you take me to my soccer meeting now?"

He was rather upset when I wouldn't drive him to school for his soccer meeting with Captain America.

Like I said, he's adorable!

Easter

We had a good Easter. The kids are getting to the stage where all three can play together and have fun....as long as Abby is the queen and get whatever she wants. She certainly has found her voice and already pushes them around. Her latest fit is about sharing my lap. If the other kids come she comes over crying and tries to push them off. Since Wynn and Abby didn't care for the eggs much we ended up playing in the living room while Sydney spent over an hour decorating eggs though and putting stickers on each and every one. She made some cool eggs! I really enjoyed being able to watch conference on Easter Sunday and have a day all to family. Its funny how you learn more when you're teaching something, and I think I've come to understand Christ's atonement more now as I try to explain to my kids than I ever did before. It's so hard to get the kids to focus on what holidays are really about with all the parties and flare that stores have to go along with holidays, so Andy and I are going to try to find or make a resurrection figurine set like the nativity sets for next year so the kids can have a hands on way to learn about and understand the real Easter story. I'm excited :).