The Cadena Kids 

I love my blue vomit

Today we were outside playing in the yard while waiting for Tyler's bus to come. Tyler came running up to me with a weed in his hand (but it was a pretty weed!)) yelling, "Look Mommy, I picked you a blue vomit!". Of course what he meant was "blue bonnet". And for all of you that are about to call law enforcement on my son for picking the state flower, it wasn't really a blue bonnet, it was simply a purple weed. ;-)

Love
Rhobin

Mom and Tyler's day

Tyler and I got to enjoy a day together, just the two of us at Seaworld. We had a blast! We were lucky enough to get to go into the back where only special guests and employees are allowed and meet lots of new friends.........

Here is Tyler touching a stingray.


And we got to meet the newst addition to the Shamu family. She was rejected by her mother and so she is ina tank for now with a dolphin to play with. We were about 7 feet from this whale. It was beautiful.


We tried to get a shot with the dolphin behind Tyler but by the time my slow camera took the pic the dolphin kept going back down. They were really like people. They kept coming up and checking us out.


We also got to meet the Clysdales


And here's my favorite place to be...........


And my other favorite place to be.........



Me and Tyler


And my exhausted little boy


Ok, I am really behind on pics........promise Easter pics are next!

Love
rhobin

Someone wanna tell me where the Easter Bunny lives year round?

Because I have this kid who asks WAAAAYYY more questions than I EVER did as a child. Call me nieve I guess but he also wants to know how the Easter Bunny gets from house to house so quickly without a sleigh. My answer: because he's magic. I guess I just believed everything my parents told me. He has also pointed out that the Easter Bunny that is at the mall is not the "real" Easter Bunny but only a human in a costume. Gulp.


Also, Ava has become a bit of a stink pot herself when it comes to bed time. Mike is gone Monday- Friday so I am on my own for bed times but last Saturday I left him to put them down while I went to the grocery store. When I got home he told me of an awnrey little girl that didn't want to go to bed. He said he had to put her to bed 3 times (she has figured out the child door locks) and on the last time he could hear her on the monitor (her bedroom is upstairs) "Nana, nana, boo boo. I'm sticking my head out. Nana, nana, boo boo. I'm not sleeping". Are we in for it or what? Oh, and when Tyler came down this morning he told us Ava was still sleeping in HIS bed! Evidently the second time I put her to bed at 5am she figured since we wouldn't let her sleep with us, maybe Bubba would. He said he tried to come tell us but she wouldn't let him and that she just kept talking and talking. I suppose she eventually fell asleep since he came down at 8am or so and she stayed up there. Little stinker!

Hopefully I can get around to posting some Easter pics soon. Seems like I never have enough time on my hands lately.

Love
Rhobin

Today 7 years ago

My life changed forever. My nieveness and part of my innocence was taken that day. It was today 7 years ago that I made a long trip back from McAllen and went home and fell asleep. Around 11pm I heard my roommate come in, slamming the door behind her and her heavy and quick footsteps come up our stairway. I was annoyed with her, why was she so loud? And why was she coming upstairs to wake me? She knew I was asleep. My door opened and my bed sank down as she sat down on it. "Susan is dead". "What?", I said? "Susan and Rachel were murdered". I couldn't believe what I was hearing and after those words were said I don't remember much else other than asking "why" and "by who". Rachel was a sweet girl but I knew Susan better. In fact it was on that trip to McAllen that I had asked her to go with me. I was dropping her off at that same apartment only about a week earlier, the same apartment where they lost thier lives. But we had grown a little distant recently. She and Rachel had started hanging out and doing somethings I would rather have stayed away from. From that day on, my doors were always locked, I never wanted to be home alone, I feared the dark. My security was taken away from me.


Susan had 2 small children and was divorcing her ex-husband. We had no idea who did it for about a month. We walked around wondering if it was someone we know or could have come in contact with. But 2 guys were found using their credit cards, guys that were "friends of thiers", People they trusted to let into thier house that night, the night of April 9th, 1999, only to be first injected with tilex to try and sedate them. Thier intent was burglary to support thier drug habit but once they saw the tilex wasn't working they left there being murderers.

I think about the girls all the time, if not daily. How they sat alone in that apartment for 3 days until anyone realized they were missing. How they fought to try and live. How young they were. And how easily I could have been there with them. I feel a bit selfish for saying that but reality is that it is very frightening. It's been a few years and I'm sure we would have parted ways eventually and become different people, I know I am but it would be so much easier to accept if it was just that, a seperation by choice.

The 2 guys that killed them were convicted. Clifford Kimmel sits on death row and Dereck Murphy got life in prison.

I'm going to try to make it out to see Susan today so maybe I'll have some pics to share next time I post. Please keep thier family and friends, especially Susan's children in your prayers.

Love
Rhobin

The first step is admitting you have a problem

And I have TWO! Ebay and scrapbooking. We've even started a moms group that gets together on Fridays to do scrapbooking! I've become the mom that I used to make fun of. And the only reason I am addicted to ebay is because I am buying stuff for scrapbooking. So all this free time I DON'T have, well it's spent on online auctions or coming up with ideas for scrapbooking or scrapbooking itself. Where do you ask that I do my scrapbooking? Well, there was this permanent fixture in my kitchen called a counter that I used to do useful things on, like cooking but not anymore. Now about 3/4 of my kitchen counters are occupied by scrapbooking stuff. Who needs to cook anyway when there are microwaves? I'm totally joking, I have left about 1/4 of counter space to chop veggies and use my forman grill and blender. Now, if these trivial things like taking showers and getting dressed every day would stop interfering wth my need to scrapbook. Sigh.

Tony kicks butt!

Can I just tell you how much I am addicted to the Sopranos? This season is so different. It's so much more dramatic. I mean the action definately still exists but all of the sudden I realized with Tony in a coma, just how much I care for his character. Anyway, all I can say is he kicks some serious butt and I can't wait for next weeks episode. Oh and Vito is TOTALLY going to get whacked!

Now on to my next objection of affection.......

Tim McGraw, move over. Not to mention he is the best actor ever! My poor Timmy, acting just isn't his bag, baby.

Love
Rhobin

These days

There are a few months in my life with significant meaning. March because I had my miscarriage on the 7th (2003) right before concieving Ava, concieved Ava only 2 weeks later! April because that's the month 2 of my friends were brutally murdered in 1999. And September because that's when my grandmother passed away (also in 1999). When we start getting into these months I often find myself down and just thinking about those things and then it dawns on me, "oh, that's why I've been thinking so much about that, because we are" in such and such month. Well, this month everything has been hitting me.

Anna (my sister in law) gave me flowers, pink tulips in particular, while I was still pregnant with the baby I eventually lost. We had a scare, that at the time proved to be nothing more than some stomach cramps early on and she and my brother in law stopped by the hospital to make sure we were okay with pink tulips in tow. It wasn't long after that that I lost that baby. I planted those tulips in memory of "her" and usually by this time of year they are just starting to come back. I don't know if it was because of the late freeze we got here last month but I was a little disappointed to not see even a hint of green coming up yet. However, I find it hard to believe nothing bigger than coincidence exists because of this. Some special friends of mine, whom I have NEVER met in person (I met them soon after getting pregnant with Ava on a board called "expecting in December 2003" where the blunt of us stayed in contact and I'd say about 20 of us still chat daily on that board or on MSN) blindsided me with thier kindness. Only about 2 days after an elective surgery I had on this past March 13th a box arrived. We tore it open sure to find a note in there from Mike since he is working in Austin right now and wasn't able to be there for much more than they surgery itself. But to my surprise it was from my California friends. Inside fully intact were 6 pink tulips beautifully arranged (since then 2 more have come up) . I looked out in the front yard about 2 days ago and my tulips still haven't poked through but I still have hope that they will come back to see me, that "she" will come back to remind me. I thought I should thank "her" for sacrificing herself so Ava could be with me, because Ava is absolutely meant to be MY daughter. So here Ava is, saying thanks.



I've also found myself just down, thinking about my grandmother alot lately too. Not that it's unusual to not be saddened by her not being here anymore but it's not usually to this degree until the end of August or September, But I found myself tearing up the other day while putting together a page for Ava's scrapbook knowing that my grandmother never got to meet my babies. How she would have marveled at Ava's little voice but strong demands and how Tyler is so sensitive and cuddly and loving. She was like that. She just had those warm arms that embraced you and made you sure that everything would be okay. Six and a half years ago she passed and I can still hear her laughter like it was yesterday. You know how when something really exciting happens and you just want to call everyone close to you and tell them about your glee? I often while driving sit and think, "who is it that I haven't called to express my excitement with"? I know someone I am very close to I am missing and then it hits me, it's my grandma. I STILL do that to this day. I miss her not being a part of my life anymore and more than anything I wish I could see her embrace my babies they way she embraced me.


Now I know April is right around the corner and I know it will be another difficult month for me. But writing this for some reason gets it all out. It's like, if I share it, someone hears me and if they hear me then I am not alone. But even if no one reads this, or if the world reads it, I will possibly never know but I want to write it, put it in black and white. I guess at heart I am an artist of sorts. Now I think I am going to go cut my ear off or paint some melting clocks or stairwells that lead to nowhere or something. Ok, at least I am attempting to make a joke guys, come on!

Rhobin

This is going a little overboard

Yesterday I was going to work out and I couldn't get Ava to put regular clothes on. Guess what I had to take her to the gym wearing?? A dress up princess dress complete with princess shoes and sunglasses. I figure some battles just aren't worth the fight and she was going to play anyhow so what the heck. After I worked out I went to the store. While I picked her up to get a drink of water and I guess the strain was a bit too much and she tooted. Then as I am walking passed the long lines of people to get a basket she is yelling, "mommy, I pooted" over and over and I was laughing so hard that I couldn't get her to stop. Everyone in line was cracking up. I mean here is this little bity girl walking around in her princess dress and play shoes and now a princess wand yelling, "Mommy, I pooted" so loud that even in a crowded store you could hear her very clearly. This girl is going to be the death of me. I really could have used one of those t-shirts that said, "Who is this child and why is she calling me Mommy?". Now, if I could only get the dress off of her so I can wash it. Maybe we need to seek medical attention for this condition.

Our next purchase needs to be stock in the Disney Princess line.

I love you Babe

Thanks for a wonderful weekend in Fredericksburg.

Mike and I enjoyed a nice stay at a bed and breakfast in Fredericksburg. It was so cute and true to it's era. A very old house....the maid quarters actually, seperate from the main house. We, or I should say, I, enjoyed lots of shopping and visiting wineries. Mikey, you should never have gotten started on that wine after a few beers! Lol, I tried to warn you!

The day we left we drove the back roads through the hill country and stopped and had lunch at the BEST mexican restuarant ever!!! Good thing it's about 45 minutes from here or I would be fighting the temptation every day! It was a much needed little getaway.

Here's some pics....


Luckenbach

The infamous Luckenbach general store and post office


Texas Hill Country









This is a really cool old cotton gin we came across. (if you can't read the sign it says, "Sisterdale Cotton Gin 1885)



Summer days.......well, practically ;-)



And here's some just of Ava and her baby that I had left on the camera from about a week ago. She's really into her dolls. Can you tell?


The momma kissing her baby goodnight


Love
Rhobin

I've come to the conclusion

that it's not age that makes us old, it's our children. But how is it that on the same token that they keep us young at heart?

The only "war wound" that seemed to bother me when I was younger was a knee injury I had from a car accident. It bothered me when it got cold outside and sometimes while playing sports. But now, after getting pg with Ty, I started falling apart. I mean, I can't sleep on my back because it starts to bother me after only a few minutes, I can't sleep on my stomach because it hurts my neck, therefore, I am left to sleep on my sides, which means rotating back and forth all night because my shoulders hurt from years of sleeping on them. I sit for too long and I get up hunched over and limping because it takes a minute to straighten out my back and because my knees are now BOTH hurting.

By 10 o'clock I'm so tired when it was till 4 o'clock am that I used to get home! Once the kids are tucked in bed I have so much stuff to do but all I WANT to do is sit on the couch for 30 minutes without having to get up to get someone a cup of water, a snack or get someone dressed. I love doing these things all day but come night time, I am exhausted! I've got more grey hairs then clean laundry and more just keep coming in. I think all the grey hairs from Johnny Carson's head have decided to have a family reunion on my head! The bags under my eyes are now evidence of not enough sleep, not because I choose to stay up late but because I had to and all the while I wake so tired and baggy eyed only to walk into my children's rooms in the early morning and be greeted with the sunniest smile. Now how could anyone ever say the lack of sleep and old knees and grey hairs aren't worth just that one smile? If it was the only smile I got for the rest of my life, it was all worth it.

AND now for the finale, the coolest reasons for having children.....

drumroll please,

1. So you can go see children's movies without looking weird or like a pervert

2. You have an excuse to keep sweets in the house again

3. You have someone to play Operation, Go fish and Yahtzee with

4. You can tell knock knock jokes without feeling silly

5. You have more artwork to decorate your refridgerator with

6. You get to have birthday parties with pinatas


7. You get to go to cool places like Chucky Cheese

8. You have something to blame that "stubborn belly fat" on ;-)

9. You can carry around a camera 24/7 without looking like a tourist (and no, fanny packs are NOT COOL even when you are a mom, for that matter neither are "mom jeans". You know what I'm talking about....the kind that start right under your rib cage, have huge back pockets that are really far apart and emphasize the "stubborn belly fat"?? Ah, now I have most of you smiling saying, "oh yeah, I used to have a pair, or two, of those! And if you still do, give them away! That is, if anyone will take them.)

10. Getting to read Dr Suess books all over again


Love
Rhobin (aka, proud mommy)