March update

Another month has come and gone. We enjoyed being able to go to San Antonio this month to attend the sealing of a good friend, and were VERY thankful to Christopher and Sarah for watching the kids while we went. We got to see their new house and meet the new puppy (who isn't that small anymore!). We are also greatful to Mom for watching the kids while Tommy and I were in London (and to Dad for sharing her yet again). There is no one else in the world I would have left them with for a week. I missed them like crazy, but they didn't even pretend to care that I was gone :(

Joshua is as crazy as ever :) He enjoyed a lot more freedom with Grandma than I usually give him and is now convinced that he needs to be outside all day everyday. Unfortunately for him it has been raining and muddy since we got home, something he has seldom experienced in his life. He loves to help with the baby, but isn't thrilled that she is getting into his toys these days. We have a speech therapist coming to meet with him tomorrow to see if we can get him to start talking more, so with any luck I won't be able to get him to stop talking soon!

Abigail is no longer my sweet little baby :( While we were gone she started crawling and pulling up on things and I can't get her to sit still anymore! She has started waving and giving kisses in the last few days too! She may not be a little baby anymore, but she's still MY baby and concedes defeat when I catch her (meaning she lets me cuddle her when I want to, something Joshua never did). FYI we're having her birthday party the morning of May 30th, invitations will go out closer to the date.

Tommy is busy with school and work. He is working on getting his final paper started this semester, so he's spent MANY hours at the library doing research. If it works out like they say it should then this should be the worst of it though. He's supposed to do all of the research and gets it outlined this semester, then he just has to put it together.......... We keep telling each other that it will be over in a year!

I'm keeping busy with the kids and the house, like always. The older the kids get the more work they are :) They are getting more fun everday though as they learn to interact more. We love you all and hope to see you soon!

Hugs and kisses,
The Garcia family

Spring break

We got home from a wonderful trip to London and Paris late Saturday night. It was the first time I have voluntarily left the kids, and as great as the trip was, I will NOT be doing it again. It's funny how much my daily activities have come to be centered around them. I kept checking my bag before we left the hotel in the mornings to make sure I had bottles and diapers.......and had to remind my self that I wouldn't be needing them :) The trip really was awesome though. We arrived back at the hotel every night completely exausted with blisters forming over blisters (well I did anyway, Tommy's feet were fine) and woke up early the next morning ready to start over. We got to visit one of the ward's Tommy served in on his mission, see where he lived, and most of the classic tourist stuff too. We took a day trip to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Oxford that was well worth the time we spent traveling. During the drive we got to see the "Forbidden Forrest" from Harry Potter :) We spent one whirlwind day in Paris and got a good overview of the sites there as well. Notre Dame was the only place we spent any real amount of time, but it was beautiful. We found a gorgeous doll for Abigail and a horse and night for Joshua in addition to some pictures and other things. We spent a morning at the London temple with Tommy's parents and were able to enjoy the peace that the temple always brings. We also went to see "Les Mis" and were very impressed with how good it was. All in all it was a great trip and we are so thankful that we were given the oportunity to go. Unfotunately the kids had such a good time with Grandma that they didn't even miss me.......Joshua cried when she left, but not when I did:( Abigail also chose that week to master crawling and starting to pull up on the furniture...... apparently she forgot she was supposed to wait until I was watching to learn anything new. Now I'm keeping busy catching up on laundry and trying to get back into the swing of normal life again, oh the joys of diapers and grocery shopping :) I wouldn't trade it for the world!

The month of February

February was a fairly uneventful month for the Garcia family. We have been enjoying the warm weather and hoping it doesn't get too warm too soon! We have been working on getting the house and yard how we want them and making plans for London :) Obviously some of these things have been more exciting than others! The kids had their check-ups at the doctor a few days ago. Joshua is now 37 inches tall and 34 lbs. (85th %) and Abigail is 27 inches and 16 lbs. 11 oz (10th-20th %). The doctor wants us to talk to a speech therapist for Joshua to see if we can get him talking more :) We'll see how that turns out; it would be nice to finally hear all of the things he wants to tell us! We enjoyed seeing Mom, Dad, and Peter when they came up for Joshua's birthday. They brought him a bunch of balloons which he played with until they were hardly balloons anymore :) He got a climbing toy for outside, puzzles, a golf set, a bead maze, and a gardening set! I made him a cute cake shaped like a bear......he didn't want to eat it, but Abigail LOVED it :) Peter was a big help at bed time. He gave Joshua a bath all by himself! We are greatful that Christopher and Sarah are willing to help out with the kids this weekend so that we can go to a friends sealing in San Antonio. We only wish we were going to be able to stay for longer!
Tommy is really busy these days with school and an increased work load and more responsibilities at work, and a list a mile long of things to do around the house. He is enjoying it though and we constantly remind each other that he only has another year of this. We figure we've made it this far, we better keep on going!
I've just been chasing kids and taking care of the house and all of our animals :) I love being home with the kids and am amazed at how quickly they are growing up. We leave for London on the 13th, so I'm trying to get everything organized that I can before we go. I'm keeping busy freezing meals and trying to make sure everything is ready so that it won't be any more difficult than necessary for Mom. We are SO thankful that she is willing to come take care of the kids so that we can take advantage of this oportunity!
We love you all and hope to see you soon!
Hugs and kisses,
The Garcia family

Abigail

Little Miss Abigail was born on June 4, 2008. She is an absolute doll and wins over pretty much everyone that she meets. She is always smiling (especially if she sees a camera!) and makes friends everywhere she goes. She recently started crawling and pulling up (while I wasn't here......that's a topic for another post) and now refuses to sit still. She's a tiny little thing, but she has enough personality to fill a body ten times her size. I'm amazed that such a little girl can be so LOUD, I affectionately call her my little screamer, wherever she is in the house, you will hear her if she wants to be heard :) She seldom cries, but will call out to you, just to make sure someone is paying attention to her. She can be a demending little Miss, but pay attention to her and you will be rewarded with the biggest smiles and the most infectious little giggle I've ever heard.

Joshua

Joshua was born on March 1, 2007. He is now a lively two year old who is trying to find out how much power he really has in the world :) He loves to play outside, especially throwing, kicking, and chasing balls, climbing, and going down the "big boy" slide at the park. He loves his baby sister, but is somewhat annoyed that she is now mobile as she has started playing with his toys when he leaves them on the floor. He loves corn on the cob, meatballs, grapes, and gummy candies of all kinds. He is learning to drink out of a big boy cup and gets SO excited when he successfully gets through a meal without spilling any of his drink. He loves to go to nursery at church every week, and I love that he gets excited and runs to give me a hug when I go to pick him up when it's over. He is a big help with the baby. He makes sure that she has toys to play with and doesn't get into things that aren't safe for her. He makes sure everyone knows to be quiet when she's asleep and gets me clean diapers for her (he throws away the dirty ones too!). He loves to give her hugs and kisses and tries to share his snacks with her when he thinks I'm not looking :) He is a wonderful part of our family and I am loving watching him grow up.

An introduction to our family......

Just a quick disclaimer first of all.....I am doing this primarily as a way to record this time of our lives. I would love it if others enjoying reading it too, but first and formost it is a journal. To start this blog, I thought that I would just do a quick introduction to our family. Tommy and I met in late July 2005 when we were introduced by a mutual friend (thanks Sal!). I had graduated from high school just a few months before and he had only been home from his mission for a matter of weeks, so neither of us were looking for or expecting anything serious :) We spent the semester spending hours on the phone each night (thank goodness for free night and weekend minutes!) and driving back and forth between San Marcos and College Station on the weekends. Just after Christmas 2005 we got engaged and decided to put an end to our long distance relationship as quickly as possible. We were married in the Houston, Tx LDS Temple on March 11, 2006 after dating for the longest and shortest 7 and a half months of my life :) The following year we were blessed with an early anniversary present, our son, Joshua. When Joshua was 10 weeks old Tommy graduated from Texas State in San Marcos and took a job in Georgetown, where we live now. Fifteen months after Joshua was born, Abigail followed. Joshua is now 2 years old and Abigail will be 10 months in a couple of weeks. Tommy is currently working on his Masters from Texas State and is scheduled to graduate in May 2010 which cannot come soon enough in my opinion!