You Go, Girls!

Lily and Jasmine finished their week of soccer camp. Lily was the little cheer leader out on the field, shouting to her teammates, "Good job, guys! You can do it! Good job!"

But Jasmine was out there to win. The first morning, she spoke with her dad on the phone while getting ready, and told him, "I'm going to soccer camp, and I'm going to get a goal." Each day I got to see her play, and she definitely has a competitive bone. The first day I witnessed her kicking the ball down the field, and she mowed right over a little girl, and never stopped to look back. She just kept going with the ball. Shortly after that, it was her turn to be goalie, and she had the look of determination on her face, with her arms stretched as far as they could go, and she didn't let one ball past her.

Both girls did very well, and had a blast. They're already talking about next year's camp. The last day was the awards ceremony. Lily received the Best Friend award. Jasmine's team called themselves the Skittles, so Jasmine received the Purple Skittle award for being the sweetest.

Here's a few more pictures from this past week.

Above and below are the girls during music.

Levi and Iris listening to the kids singing.

Lily's award being announced.

On the way home after a busy morning.

Okay, this one has a story. After browsing craigslist for almost 4 months, I finally found an oven. It's practically brand new, the seller was here in town, and they gave it to me for a great price. My brother, Justin (who I can't thank enough), put it in for me. To celebrate my new working oven, I made the girls some cookies...M & M cookies. This is Iris showing me how much she enjoyed her cookie with the blue M & M's.

Too much has happened...

...to list a full-length description for each picture. So, here's a bunch of pictures (with a brief caption) to catch you up with the Solis' past few months.

Jasmine and Iris enjoying a swing when we visited Carthage, TX

Iris with her new fishing pole. She didn't catch anything, but was proud of her Dora fishing pole.

Jasmine was the only one to catch a fish...and she reminds her sisters of that often.

Rosalie and Lily celebrated their birthdays together. Rosalie turned 4, and Lily turned 7.

Here is another beautiful wedding shower cake made by Janee'. She is so talented.

The family looking their best before church on Easter Sunday.

Jamie had this waiting for me on the wall. He's so sweet.
The girls discovered it first, but luckily it was out of reach, so I got to see it.

This is one of many pictures of potty training. I'm so proud of Iris because she's picked it up so fast. It won't be long, and I'll only have one child in diapers.

Levi after me giving him a hair cut. I guess he likes it.

The girls enjoying the pool Grandma and Grandpa put up for them.

They can't wait to go back over there.

Iris was so nice to share her Popsicle with me.

Ooooo...Ashley brought Josh over to meet our Dad.

And the verdict is: Dad Approves!

Jasmine at her first year of soccer camp. She's a natural.

Jasmine and Lily

Lily attempting to kick the ball at soccer camp.



...AND FINALLY...

Apple Cinnamon Microwave Cake

Lemon-Blueberry Microwave Cake

These are pictures of two microwave cakes that should have been on an earlier post. If you're interested in trying them out, the recipe is a few posts ago.

Red Envelope Project

I came across this on another blog that I read. I'm sending out my red envelopes tomorrow to share in the many voices that are Pro Life. Visit http://www.redenvelopeproject.org/ for more information. (I didn't have time to go find red envelopes, so I printed some out off computer).

Crafty

Levi is 8 months old now. He's crawling, and is getting into everything. We had to give up on the baby food with him...he just won't eat it. He'll eat everything else, though. It doesn't matter what you have, if you're eating, he wants it. He is my best eater by-far. Oh, and I got to give him his first hair cut, well trim, on Monday. His hair around his ears was driving me crazy with how long is was. I was brave enough to take the trimmers to it, and Levi did so good. He just laid his head down on my legs and let me work. That was new for me. Since he has four older sisters, I never had to worry about a hair cut on one his size before.

I was turned on to a website by a friend of mine late last year. It's http://www.etsy.com/ It's a website for crafters to sell their stuff, and a great place to find hand-made items. I've bought a few things on there, and have also sold some creations of my own. I'm not super talented, but I enjoy having something to do that's not "mom-related." Lately I've been able to sit and craft a few things. Here's a picture of some pacifier clips that I made and a hair clip (there's a link on my blog for my store). Speaking of making things, I was able to help a friend of mine put together a shower for a mutual friend. She had the idea of putting together a diaper cake. It was super easy to do, and I was very impressed with the outcome of the finished "cake." The girl that I helped is very talented and artistic, and I had a lot of fun doing the shower with her. Here's a couple of pictures from the shower.

Our oven went out on us on Valentine's day. So, I've been making the most of my stove top and microwave. I didn't realize how much I used my oven until I couldn't, so I've been trying to be more creative with meals. I have a handful of microwave recipes from my grandma, and I've found some online that have been good. I have to share one that I've made quite a few times since not having my oven. It's so easy and the family loves it. It's very versatile, too. If you try it out, I hope you like it.

Microwave Cake

1 (18.25 oz) box of cake mix*

3 eggs

1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling*

1/2 cup applesauce

1. Mix the box of cake mix, eggs, pie filling and applesauce until moist. Use a microwave safe bundt pan** or substitute a microwave safe bowl that has a microwave safe cup or cone placed in the middle of it (to mimic a bundt pan). Pour mixture into the bundt pan or into the bowl around the cup.

2. Bake on High for 6 minutes 30 seconds, turn and bake for another 6 minutes 30 seconds on High. After time is up, leave cake in oven and cover dish with a plate. Let stand for 5 minutes (this is important to finish the cooking process).

3. Remove from microwave. Turn cake over onto plate. Remove cup (if used). Great served at any temperature. Serve hot with ice cream or with whipped topping.

*Cake can be prepared many different ways just by changing the cake mix flavor and pie filling flavor. Some variations are: Chocolate cake with cherries, Spice cake with apples, Lemon cake with blueberries, Yellow cake with cherries, etc.

**I used a silicone bundt pan.

For a good cause

Less than a couple of weeks ago, I took Lily to get her hair cut. Her hair tangles real easily, so I need it to be a more manageable length. When we got home, Jasmine had said, "I want to get my hair cut too." I brushed the comment off at the time because I've always loved Jasmine's hair. It's naturally curly, and is pretty easy to take care of. And I know she loves it too. She'll twirl around and let her hair fly, and say, "I'm a princess!" Or she'll come out and head-bang, flipping it all over the place, while Jamie and I are playing Rock Band. Her hair is thick and healthy. She always gets compliments about her hair. But lately I've noticed more and more breakage, and she's been messing with it so much that we've had a few occasions where tangles were a problem. I asked the people at the hair salon about Locks of Love. If you don't know what that is, Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss (you can check out their site at http://www.locksoflove.org/) . I showed Jasmine the website, and let her think about it for a few days, even though her initial reaction was "I want to do that." Earlier today I called and got her in for the appointment. She was grinning from ear to ear...not only on the way to the salon, but during the entire hair cut. She loves her new hair do. Over and over after the trip, I've heard, "I got a hair cut...do you like my new hair cut?" Which I do. She's beautiful either way. So, now she's a bit lighter on her feet (minus about a foot of thick curls), and her locks will go to bless a girl out there soon.

Got to give a plug for my salon. I and the girls are loyal to a local salon called Freak Show. Shelby always takes great care of us. And since the hair is being donated, the cut was free of charge.

Catching up

A few weeks ago, some friends of ours got married. I was asked to sing. I didn't have a good reason to say "no," so I went and found a song. I haven't done a solo since I was in high school. I worked very hard on the song. I was very nervous, and my voice was shaky. In fact, my left leg shook through the entire song, so I couldn't put any weight on it. I think I did okay. I got a lot of compliments and encouragement from people that know me. My brother, James, was at the wedding with us. He gave me the best compliment of them all. He said that when I started to sing, it reminded him of our mom. Our mom used to sing in church, the car, the bathroom...just wherever. It's something that we grew up with, and since she's gone, it's one of those things that we miss. So, it meant a lot to me that my brother would say that, and if I'm ever asked to sing again, it will be my motivation to say "yes."

Our newlywed friends put the wedding together so fast that we decided to schedule the wedding shower a week after the wedding. I was very happy to get to take part in that as well. I volunteered to get the cake for the shower. My step mom made my wedding cake, so I knew she'd be perfect to ask to tackle the task. I kid you not, this was her second cake to put together...my wedding cake was her first. She was an art major, so any project that she gets her hands on will be beautiful. She did a great job, and the cake was the talk of the shower.

This past weekend, we had friends over...Saturday for a pay-per-view fight and Sunday for the Superbowl. I love having people over. The fellowship is always great, and then there's food, and the kids get to run around with their friends...it's always a lot of fun. I just hate the stress of getting the house in order. I hate to clean. I hate to nag Jamie about helping out. I always have clutter somewhere all the time. So, I am determined to get the whole family to help out around the house. It's a big job no matter what the size of your house, and I want my kids to know how to help out (I know too many people that their mom was also their maid, and they're lost without her when they get out on their own). So, right now as I type this, Lily just started the dish washer, Jasmine is mopping (with the swiffer) the kitchen, Rosalie is dusting, and Iris is running around the house with a damp rag wiping anything in her path. I crafted together a chore chart, and sat down with the girls earlier to see what they'd like to help out with, and they were honestly excited about doing chores (I can only pray that will last). Hopefully, I can keep this up because it will be a big help.

Levi cut his first teeth...the front two bottom teeth. I think he's working on more, too. He has been restless at night. I can't believe he's getting teeth already. It's time for it, but he's growing way too fast for me. I'm so in-love with this little guy. I catch myself just staring at him. He's a really sweet baby. God has blessed us with great babies...

Oh, I almost forgot...

...to mention what Jamie got me for Christmas. He did really good this year. I ended up guessing 2 of my gifts. It wasn't that hard to guess, though. I made it really clear what I wanted by slowly and loudly saying, "I'd really like ____ for Christmas..." But he went a step further, and got me something all on his own. I had a hunch that he'd bought something else. One afternoon while the girls were eating lunch, Lily and I were talking about some of the gifts under the tree. Lily said, "I bet you don't know what's in the big red box." I told her that I knew what it was. It was the mixer that I'd asked for. And I told her that I also knew about the dutch oven that Jamie had bought, as well. She said, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you already know what you're getting." Then, hoping to get some information out of her, I said, "I even know about the other present your dad bought me...the little one." And she said with surprise, "I can't believe he told you about the necklace!!!"

Of course I knew nothing about it. And even though I managed to spoil the surprise, I was still impressed when Jamie gave it to me Christmas morning. He was excited to find it. He said, "It's a heart for each one of the kids." He's very thoughtful. I've had it one since he put it around my neck that morning. He did a good job this year! Just had to brag on my hubby.

And for those of you wondering, "Why didn't I get a card?" I didn't get a chance to sit down and put together Christmas cards this year. I think I managed to send out 5, which caused a problem. I sent one to an aunt because she was in the beginning of my address book, and didn't get the rest of the aunts a card, and everyone was asking, "Where's mine?" I guess I'll save the cards for next Christmas, but I still have pictures. I think I'll do a family newsletter, or something. Who knows? But here are the actual pictures that were suppose to be sent out.

The holidays are over...

Okay, I'm making myself sit down and post an update. It's been busy around my house since Thanksgiving. In an attempt to get a bit of rest after the holidays, my house is a mess and my Christmas tree and decorations are still up. I'll deal with that on another day, though. Right now I have a lot of pictures and stories to share.

After Thanksgiving, my brother, James, came back home. He was stationed in Alaska, serving in the Army. He's now working with Jamie, and being an uncle to the kids. We're so excited to have him back. I'm close to all of my siblings. We're spread out over the country now, so it's good to have James here.


We got the tree up and decorated in early December. The girls had a lot of fun. Last year I switched over to plastic ornaments so the kids could decorate the tree. When I was little, one of my favorite things was decorating the tree. I can still remember some of the handmade ornaments that we had. I want my kids to have the same memories. Each year I've taken them to the store to pick out a new ornament. And I also make sure that any decoration that was made by them finds it's place on the tree. After the last ornament was on the tree, I had to get a family picture in front of it.

Jamie took Lily hunting one weekend with his dad. This was her first time, and won't be the last. Lily had a blast. She said it was awesome. Her grandpa got a doe, and Jamie got 2 javelinas. But if Lily tells you the story, she calls them "hogalinas." They brought one back to have it mounted. Lily calls it her trophy. When it's ready, I don't plan on having it in the house, but I'm sure we can find a nice place for it in the garage. Lily got to experience everything that goes with hunting. She watched her grandpa gut the doe, and she says, "It was awesome! I got to help...I got to hold a leg." Since her siblings were home with me, I tried to make sure we did something special. Each night, we'd drive to a local house that had Christmas lights and music, and we'd watch the lights dance as we ate our dinner. One night I made all of them hot chocolate with marshmallows and whip cream. Here's a picture of them enjoying their treat.

And here is a picture of the kiddos dressed in their best on the Sunday before Christmas.

We had our Christmas with Jamie's family on Christmas Eve at our house. We ate way too much, and the kids were spoiled. Each one of them got a bath robe from the grandparents. All the girls look so sweet with them on. They had them on when they woke up Christmas morning.


Christmas morning was all about the little ones. I have a love/hate relationship with the holidays. I love the excitement of the kids, and all the family and festivities, but I hate the stress of buying gifts. And you wouldn't think it would be hard buying for your own kids, but last year it was. I had to make sure they all had the same amount of gifts, and that each one of them got something they'd really like. But this year, when the big toy magazine came, I gave each one of them a chance to circle what they liked (understanding that they may or may not get it). Then, I decided not to do individual gifts at all. I bought a bunch of gifts, wrapped them, and stuck them under the tree...no name tags or labels. We don't do the whole Santa thing, so to build their excitement and wonder, each day at breakfast I'd ask, "If you get to open the first gift, which one would you choose?" Each day they'd change their mind on which gift they'd open. They couldn't wait for Christmas morning. When the day finally came, I got breakfast going, and Jamie read the Christmas story to the kids, and then prayed. We ate and then started with the presents. We had them open gifts from youngest to oldest. I explained to them that everything was to be shared, so with each gift that was opened, they were all equally excited. This year was less stressful with the shopping, so I'm definitely going to do the same thing next Christmas.

My sister, Jessica, flew in from Washington, and my brother, Justin, flew in from New York. Jessica is stationed at Ft. Lewis, serving in the Army. Justin was serving there as well, but is now attending West Point. I love having my family in. We don't do anything special while together...basically just hang out, catch up with our lives, and pick on each other (as siblings do).

Jessica is always a big help when she's in town. She's great with the kids. She helps me with them, and helps so much with the house. She's one of my best friends. I love her very much. I couldn't ask for a better sister. She always puts herself last, and would literally give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. There's not enough "Jessica's" in the world, so I'm grateful that I have my very own. It's always tough when it comes time to take her back to the airport. I don't know when I'll see her again. She's scheduled to deploy in a few months. I hate that she has to go, but I rest easier knowing that she's one of the many people protecting us.

Justin has already served his time in Iraq. He's been at West Point since June 2008. I'm very proud of his accomplishments and the direction his life is going. Justin is so smart. I can only wish to have some of his brains. He's great with kids, which makes him a wonderful uncle. He loves to irritate Lily to get a reaction out of her, which isn't that difficult. He likes to call her "Billy." It drives her up the wall, but it's funny to watch them go back and forth.









They both were in town for two weeks. We got to spend a lot of time with our dad since they were here. We had a couple of big meals over at Dad's. The meal closest to New Years, we ate Mexican food. It's sort of tradition since we're originally from New Mexico. My dad made a bunch of tamales, enchiladas with homemade sauce, beans, rice, sopapillas...oh, I was hurting from all the food I ate. It was all so good.

We all had a good visit. I can't wait for all of us to get together again.

And to end this entry...Lily is very proud of the fact that she lost not 1, but 2 teeth. She was a bit uncertain when the first one was loose. But after that one fell out, and I gave her a buck for it, she couldn't wait to lose another. About 2 weeks later, she (all by herself) pulled out the second one, and was quick to tell me that I owed her another dollar. I have her teeth saved in a bag, and she hopes to tuck them somewhere in her trophy when it's ready.