Picture Time!!!

Last week we scheduled Raquel's one year photo shoot.  It was a lot of work keeping that girl happy, but with the help of her monkey, Peanut, and a few balloons, we made it through the session.

First, she was feeling a bit shy, so we had to warm up.

After that she was pretty glamorous.

  

Do you see her holding up the column?

Time for an outfit change.  This is where the balloons came in to play because she was D.O.N.E!  Surprisingly, this is when she gave us her best smiles.

 

 

And this was Raquel 3 minutes into our car ride home.

I'm in love with them all!  

Thanks again, Jen!

A Day at the Pool, A Day of Green, and a Little Bit More

It got into the 90s here last week, which I do not think is appropriate for March.  We tried to make the best of it by having our first pool day of the season.  The water may have been slightly chilly and a bit "buggie," but we still had fun.

Not that I want you looking at my legs, but do you see how much darker Raquel looks than me?  I'm pretty much jealous.

Not that we celebrated much for St. Patrick's Day, but we did eat a rainbow of colors for breakfast the day before.  We were also invited by our friends, the Tappens, to try some corned beef and cabbage for dinner.  It was pretty delicious.  Raquel and Matthew kept sharing secret jokes throughout dinner.  They then helped their mommies work off some calories as we played run-around games.  Sadly, the video won't upload, so just use your imagination and try picture me running around with Raquel.

The little bit extra, is that I love doing my daughter's hair and I love watching her play.

Valentine Trail

We celebrated Valentine's Day in Texas, but forgot about the trail, so we did it a little late.

 
Oh yeah, and Luis also made us pancakes with heart-shaped strawberries and pink milk.  So cute!

El Mono & A Few Steps

The Morenos sent Raquel this monkey for Christmas.  She's looked it over once or twice, until yesterday.  Suddenly, she loves it and won't put it down, even when taking a few steps.

 

Speaking of taking a few steps, we caught this video the other night.  Sorry it's dark and sorry my baby is pantless.  It was right before bed.  The best part is at the very end!

 

Texas - Volume 5

On Valentine's Day, Luis, Raquel and I went on a family date to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.  They were pretty, despite the fact that it was winter, and we loved being able to stroll around, have some lunch, and enjoy the beautiful weather!

These plants are from Lu's motherland.

This sign says Mexican Ash.  Yes I am.  Really!  Anyone who eats cactus for breakfast (and likes it) must be Mexican.

Luis and I kept trying to get a good Valentine's Day "couples picture," but we kept getting these dead trees in the background.  How stunning!

Luis very romantically surprised me with my very own Valentine's Day roses (which he took pictures of at the garden and then showed me later).

Raquel's and Anthony's V-day gifts.

That night, we had dinner with the Coles.  Brother Cole used to be Luis's bishop, and the two families are good friends.  Brother and Sister Cole actually have 5 kids, but 3 of them were not here for this picture.

Another of Lu's cousins, Jorge, came by the next night.
(From left to right: Victor, Luis, Raquel, Jorge, and Ricky.

The day we left, we had one final set of visitors - Lu's uncle and his family.  We had to wake Raquel up from her nap so she could meet them, but surprisingly, she woke up very pleasantly and even went straight into a stranger's arms without protest.  My girl changed a lot this trip!

Tia Delia and Raquel

Tio Jesus and Raquel

Luis and I still can't figure it out.  All the gifts people brought throughout our trip were for Raquel.  I think they must have forgotten Luis and I were coming.  Raquel was spoiled rotten!  Check it out:
Dolls

Clothes (including some of the hair bows you see)

Toys

Other gifts not pictured:  a pink unicorn, bibs, teether toys, sippy cups, baby mesh feeders, bath toys, and $20 cash.  Every time we turned around, someone was offering her a gift.  What gives?

This was our final picture before we left, and the first one to include our entire Moreno family.
(From left to right: Victor, Mom, Anthony, Raquel, Me, Dad, Luis, Esmeralda, Melissa, and Ricky)

It was so sad to say goodbye!  Although, one of the funniest moments of our trip happened as we were circling around giving hugs.  We were all a bit weepy, some more than others.  Suddenly, I realized I hadn't said goodby to Anthony (Lu's nephew).  I looked around and noticed he wasn't with us.  I glanced over to the kitchen, and there he was, standing on a chair, quietly sneaking some forbidden snacks from the cupboard.  As soon as we made eye contact, he froze with an "uh-oh" look on his face.  It was classic!

We love our Morenos and miss them terribly.  Raquel keeps asking where her fan club is and wondering why everyone isn't crowded around her taking pictures.  Life is pretty dull with just having her mommy around all day:)

One of the most exciting parts of this trip was hearing our Morenos talk more than ever about how much they want to move to Utah when we do.  Wouldn't that be a blast?!?  I want my kids to know both sides of the family and it would be WONDERFUL to have them both close!  I know my family has also talked about this and have said how much they would love having the Morenos join our family get-togethers.  I think the Fergusons and the Morenos were meant to be together.  All in favor say I!