Dodgers taking the field at Anaheim Stadium

This past Sunday we hosted a pre-Anaheim Stadium Walk brunch at our home. We were graced with the presence of family & friends...but to Lorenzo it was the greatest moment-- having his friends Felipe, Dominic & Sebastian at our home! We had time to grub down some great food and socialize for a bit before having to trek over to Anaheim. Once we arrived and unloaded our caravan of cars, Lorenzo left his mommy & daddy to line up all grown up like with his fellow teammates. Leaving him was a bit heartbreaking to think he is that grown up but we left and headed to the sea of proud parents. There you could find us among tons of other parents waiting for those few seconds of seeing our children walk by.

Lorenzo and his fellow Dodgers walked by us and even offered up some high fives! They all looked so adorable yet ever so grown up! Lorenzo looked so happy to feel a part of something so BIG!
We managed to survive from being away from Lorenzo if even for just an hour. The worst part was the darn southern california weather. It was sure hot! We'd like to thank all those that purchased tickets to share in this latest milestone in Lorenzo's life. We know it was a long hot day! We hope to continue to share our families ventures and hope to have you there! Thanks and we love you all!

Undercover FAN!

So, many of you may not know this as Steve & I do not like to divulge that Lorenzo is a Beaver Fan. We know, it breaks our hearts too! We think it is all thanks to Play Station and their Mascot mode. Lorenzo use to enjoy playing as the Beavers. With this, he declares himself a beaver fan!

Eddie & Sarah vacationed in Beaver-ville and with that carried around a poster of Lorenzo to take pictures of him around campus(See earlier blog). They were able to capture the one dimensional Lorenzo in front of spring practice, beaver stadium and the front of the beaver university. Lorenzo was thrilled with the pictures and especially the new Beaver t-shirt for his collection. (me & Steve not so excited, hoping he'll out grow this Beaver phase!)
Well, since we support our children whether we agree or not, Steve took his little boy to watch a Beaver game. Imagine the torture, it was not only a Beaver baseball game but their opponent was nothing less than the UCLA Bruins, UGH! That's why I stayed home, who would I root for--NO ONE!
Beyond all that, Steve & Lorenzo arrived at the Bruins facility and found their way among the many Beaver fans...LOL...not so many so they sat up close to the team and their dugout. In sitting so close to the team Lorenzo caught the eye of a Beaver administrative adviser. This adviser could not resist from admiring the Beaver tshirt & his amazement to see such a young Beaver fan. The gentleman got to chatting with Lorenzo, ok he clammed up like usual, so the chatting really went on with Dad. The chatting led to the introductions between Lorenzo, the coach & a few players. The coach was so impressed on this little Beaver fan going against his family and all that they stand for as USC fans, that he promised Lorenzo some Beaver gear. (We are awaiting to see if anything arrives!)
In the end, Lorenzo & dad enjoyed a great time at the baseball game, but sadly it ended with a Bruin victory. Don't know what hurt me more, to know the Bruins won or to see my son saddened by his teams loss...

Wild Animal Park - Great VISIT!

We trekked out of our home at 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15. Headed to Whittier to pick up Nina & Jeremiah. All the kids were wide awake and ready to get to San Diego and see the animals! We had a great breakfast at the Golden Egg Omelet House - 316 W Mission Ave Ste 101 Escondido, CA 92025 - but still think we were over charged!!! Anyhow, we headed out to Wild Animal Park just five minutes away. The kids were ready, bundled & unloading the Yukon for a day of fun!

We were able to save some extra money at the gate--ya' all know me wanting to save a buck--got my friend's son in as "Steve Gomez"-- lucky I took his membership card with me! Heck they didn't question...saved Nina a buck!!! My day was complete with just that, saving money!
Once inside we headed out to view the flamingos, monkeys and pelicans. Would you believe that at the pelican pond we find some dear friends to my family, the Huerta's. There they were just taking in the breathtaking view. I loved catching up with them if even for just a few minutes. (miss you guys...and thank RHS for the beginnings of our lifelong friendship!)
Lorenzo was in charge of pictures and boy did he take pictures. His count alone was at 235 photos. Jordan took 55 pictures and Quinn took 54 pictures of other people, the floor, his feet, the kids from behind...can we say "thank God for digital cameras and the delete option". All in all the photos captured our day of fun and excitement seeing oh so many beautiful animals. Not to speak of the beautiful area where we were surrounded by thousands of butterflies! It was breathtaking! Their beauty was beyond the common butterfly, there were all sizes, all colors, every shade...God really did a fine job creating butterflies and all the other gorgeous animals we encountered on our excursion out.
We headed out about 4:30 and were home by 7. The ride was not LA style, hardly any traffic. It was nice to catch up on life, on memories and laughs with Nina on our ride home as the kids rested all the way back.
Now we are awaiting May so we can return and enjoy the animals from above--zip line just installed! Nina & I are game, hoping Jeremiah & Jordan will find the courage to join us zipping across the park.

Easter Sunday...

Our Easter was filled with much happiness as the kids LOVE looking for Easter eggs! Actually, Lorenzo even hid them and found them himself throughout the night! Not that easy for a four year old hiding 12 eggs and then only recovering 11. He is still looking for that lost egg this morning.
Anyhow, our day was great! Although, I only slept an hour because I chose to finish cleaning, have the table set, all our laundry done & prep breakfast so I wouldn't be caught in the kitchen AS ALWAYS! We made it to mass & the kids looked adorable. Lorenzo in dickie shorts, argyle vest & chuck taylors, Jordan in an outfit that kept slipping off her slender physique and Quinn adorable in his peach vest & more chucks. They loved that Daddy assisted in finding their baskets outside our front door left by the ever so great Easter Bunny! Jordan received "Enchanted" but her best item was a new stylish black hat! Lorenzo was thrilled with his goodies but most of all with the dvd of "Pink Panther". Go figure, he loves those movies! Quinn was given "Pinocchio" but loved the candy MOST!
Our brunch was blessed with the company of my mom, Sarah (eddie's girlfriend), and three of Martyne's friends from school (Noel, Travis & Kami). They were great guests and were ever so gracious on being invited to a wonderful breakfast in our home. We all had great conversation and enjoyed hearing about Eddie & Sarah's trip to Oregon. (Yeah, "Why Oregon?" you say...they randomly picked it on a map) They enjoyed their trip and brought us back some nice goodies.
Jordan, Lorenzo, Quinn & dad even enjoyed some ball time outside. They were playing baseball and their cries of joy coming from outside made me appreciate our family even more. Although, Jordan leaves us by three on Easter our time shared was nice. She attended mass with us, picked the flowers from our garden for our table and graced our brunch table with her presence. My skinny twiggy is sure growing up!
We finished off our day at the Gutierrez' home. We made it just in time for the Easter egg hunt and I gotta tell you Quinn looked like an ol' pro! Lorenzo claimed he needed help holding his basket 'til he saw little brother, Quinn was doing it all by himself with no problems. They both enjoyed the hunt and came up winners with $3, a See's candy certificate and of course MORE candy! Candy filled eggs are always a success! The boys truly enjoyed themselves as they met up with three cousins on this excursion out. Three BOY cousins!! YAHOO! (See, Steve's immediate family consists of only neices and we only see my brother's kids and again that is ALL girls!) So the boys were in Boy Heaven! They played soccer outside, hid eggs for each other, played a bit of hoops, watched Pinocchio, played the piano & WRESTLED! They were having such a great time. Their interaction and activeness reminded me of the days of when I was young and having great fun with cousins. I sure love watching my children be happy! It was even nice seeing Martyne laying on her Nino's sofa -- do you know doing what? -- yes of course, sleeping! But, I didn't complain as you see I realize even if Martyne is with us asleep she is with us. She is with us and I can watch my little girl sleep like the angel she is! All in all our day was a success! I even received a card from the kids that was the icing on the cake, thanks honey for taking them to pick it out. I love you! I love our family! I love us! In closing, I just would like to thank God (again) for my family, my mom, my husband, our health and all that we have and all that we are. God bless...

Lorenzo at Oregon State University

(by Eddie) As part of my week-long trip to Oregon with my girlfriend, Sarah, I took this photo at Oregon State University.

Beaver Stadium:

Spring football:

The university:

Beware of Digital Cameras!

Well, I mean in the hands of a four or two year old! I was returned my camera last night by Quinn and lo and behold I had 93 snaps of their nostrils, their teeth, their toys, the TV, their lunch & breakfast along with the best one -- a picture of my FAT A#*! Wow talk about make mom feel special! They are funny, they love capturing things around our house, that is for sure. I am only downloading a few for enjoyment and that would not include my behind! So beware if you don't want your body parts to show up on some website...don't allow your kids to take snaps of your booty! LOL Next thing I know they'll be downloading onto the web...with my luck that download will include my butt!

USC Family, ALL THE WAY!

So, for those of you living under a rock and haven't heard that USC men's basketball took the PAC 10 Championship, well they did! Not only did they put Harden from ASU & his teammates to shame in the last few minutes but they BEAT UCLA Friday night! Let's just say our familia is HAPPY! Watch the video last few minutes of the game...see our excitement, the boys playing alongside the SC boys & the celebration dancing by Lorenzo! Now the USC women will be playing for their championship game of their tournament on Sunday! GO TROJANS!

Flying with the Bees AGAIN at California Adventure

Well, it is one of Lorenzo's favorite rides at California Adventure! So we rode it AGAIN! But this time the video leaves me in tears...watch Lorenzo's face as he looks for his daddy. As more turns pass the funnier he looks. Hope it is as funny to you as it is to us! It has been getting played over and over on our computer --it is keeping me sane!

Dodger Tball Opening Day!

Little league has officially started in the city of La Habra, yipee! Lorenzo now joins the ranking of an athlete. He is loving practices, loved his game, loves his new friends & loves just goofing off with them! His first game was last week and he batted up two line drives down first that enabled him to still make it to first base. Then defensively he played second and first base. At second, times were slow. No balls hit his way and thanks to his coaches our boys don't all attack any ball hit in the infield - they know the areas they are responsible for! Way to go coach Mike, coach Pierre & coach Evan! At first base though Lorenzo saw much action! Every play the ball would be thrown to him, even if the runner had already made it to first Lorenzo always tagged the base. He was able to get not one but two runners out before they got to his domain of first base. Then the inevitable happened, he took one to the mouth. It bounced right off his mouth, ouch! Lorenzo was such a trooper and sucked it up and continued on with the game-eyes red, tears welling but never coming down!! Soon enough the rain hit and everyone ran for their cars. Who would have thought we'd play tball in wet grass & with cloudy skies...Little League is hard core!

Once at home in talking with Lorenzo he shared that when the ball hit his mouth all he thought was "I don't want to cry, I'm ok!". Then he proceeded to tell me that when he was at first he was talking to himself. I asked him what was he saying? He responded that he was telling himself "Not to let his team down!" Lorenzo as we have confirmed with all this is that he loves the game!

On Sunday at opening ceremonies Lorenzo's team won first place for their homemade banner! Way to go team mom's Laura & Diane! If you watch the video clip you will see the celebration...and you will enjoy Lorenzo's celebration dance! It is a crack up!

Sidney USC recruit - we were honored to attend!

We were very blessed to be invited to Renardo Sidney Jr's press conference on Sunday at Fairfax High School. He committed to USC and with that made the attendance that much sweeter for our family. Go Trojans! We were invited by Renardo's godmother, MaryLou and had a great time sharing in the experience. We were able to meet and speak with the star along with congratulating his Momma on a wonderful accomplishment and welcoming her to the Trojan Family! Go Trojans! We look forward to seeing Renardo in a Trojan uniform next year and we will be right there cheering him on! Go Trojans!

The experience of being there was a great venture. Not only did the kids - well Lorenzo was shy but Quinn warmed up to the big guy! Renardo is 6'11"!!!! (Lorenzo took the pic of all of us but him!) Steve also loved the experience and we could only be blessed to have something so great happen to one of our own. With that we congratulate Renardo, thank MaryLou and cheer on with a great big loud - GO TROJANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wanna go to an Angels Game? April 26

La Habra City Little League will be attending an Angels game vs the Seattle Mariners on Sunday April 26. If you'd like to come out to a game and watch Lorenzo strut the Blue uniform in a pregame parade then let us know. We must submit our entire order by March 14! Tickets are $25 p/p and are located in the Field & Terrace Levels. It should be a fun day out, even if it isn't the Dodgers....ohhh! If there are enough of us let's go BIG and plan a tailgate...save money on food and have more social time for the Family to catch up! Thanks again for your support and love through our children's milestones.

Sports Sports Sports! Tball...

Lorenzo has joined the ranks of Tball!
He is LOVING IT!

He is a Dodger and looks forward to attending practice - and loves having us all out in the backyard running plays, batting and catching! We have "mexican" style bases in our back yard, created with Duct Tape! Do us mexicans do it any other way? Anyhow...he is on the Dodgers and is thrilled with that! This is just the beginning of a long career in sports - he has his dad's shoes to fill and his older siblings shoes too! Along with having to listen to mom's coaxing from the stands.

We look forward to your making it out to a game or two. Trust us there are plenty to choose from. His games are played at LOMA NORTE PARK-This Park is right before Ladera Palma School 2051 Brookdale Avenue La Habra 90631.

And for his schedule...here you go...
Date & Times as follows.March 12 Thurs at 5:30 / March 14 Sat at 10:30 / March 17 Tues at 5:30 / March 21 Sat at 12:30 / March 26 Thurs at 5:30 / March 28 Sat at 10:30 / April 2 Thurs at 5:30 / April 4 Sat at 12:30 / April 17 Fri at 5:30 / April 18 Sat at 12:30 / April 23 Thurs at 5:30 / April 25 Sat at 10:30 / April 27 Mon at 5:30 / May 2 Sat at 2:30 / May 7 Thurs at 5:30 / May 9 Sat at 10:30 / May 12 Tues at 5:30 / May 16 Sat at 12:30 / May 21 Thurs at 5:30 / May 26 Tues at 5:30

Disneyland!

We have been using up our annual passes and enjoying a few hours here and there at Disneyland. The boys are really loving the rides and Jordan is hating the thought of her being in school while we are at the happiest place on earth! Jordan has stomached Tower of Terror once again and even kept up with little brother Lorenzo by riding the Orange Stinger.(watch the 2nd video for that ride!) After Lorenzo got on the first time, Jordan resisted her cowardly side and ventured on a time of her life. SHE LOVED IT! Lorenzo loves Orange Stinger, Soaring over California and the Tea Cups, just to name a few! The latest additions to Lorenzo & Quinn's lists of accomplishments at Disneyland included riding Roger Rabbit, Peter Pan, Casey Junior and now there is a new list to check off. Lorenzo has an imaginery list that he checks as we ride another and another ride!