He's Finished!!

Well, its official...T.J. is finally finished with his Master's degree!! He just passed his national board exam and his diploma just came in the mail. I couldn't more proud of him. It was a long road with lots of stress and worry but this little part of our journey is over. It feels good for me and I know it has to feel even better for him. Now he has a good job and is working at a hospital here. It is so awesome to get pay checks again (although we tons of loans to pay off). We aren't quit sure where we will end up settling down for good but for now we are enjoying life here in Buffalo with our little family.

This is T.J.'s graduation present. He has always wanted a salt water fish tank so he treated himself to one about a month ago. It has been an adventure learning about how it works and which fish do well with other fish, but it is pretty and the kids absolutely love it.

Wacky Wednesday

Maura's class had Wacky Wednesday in honor of Dr. Seuss. She was excited to have silly hair and mismatched clothes. We even tried to get her to wear two different pairs of shoes but she wasn't too keen on that. I thought she looked great though. I sure love my Maura.

She's Here!

Mila Reese Rubalcava came on February 24th, 2011 at 11:45 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. I went in for a scheduled c-section and everything went just about according to the plan. The Dr. discovered some adhesions during the procedure and had to fix those which made the surgery quite a big longer and not to mention more brutal. I could feel them pushing, pulling and manipulating my insides and when all the pain meds started to wear off, I felt like I'd been in a fight and had been punched in my side. It was all worth it though when I finally got to hold my little girl.

My mom flew in from AZ that night and was able to help T.J. with the kids while I was in the hospital. While she was here she did everything for me. She cleaned my house, did my laundry, cooked dinner, woke up with me in the middle of the night with me to help me with the baby, and even helped me get dressed. I couldn't have made it without her. She went home Sunday and we were so sad to see her go. Maura sobbed when she left. She kept saying that we just live too far away.

Thankfully on the day my mom left, T.J. started his vacation. He helped me so much I bet it didn't feel like a vacation to him. I am so grateful to my family (thanks Drew and Cass) and friends who helped us out that week. We appreciate all the help and are so grateful for our new little member of our family. She is a little angel and is adored by all of us (especially her brothers and sister). We are truly blessed.

Timmy's concert

Timmy had a little singing concert at school this week. It super short and swee,t but so cute. Topher and Maura were captivated the whole time. Timmy even had a little solo. He did such a great job. I was very proud of him.

What a handsome boy!

Timmy and his good friend Jessi

38 weeks

There is nothing I hate more than posting pregnancy pictures for everyone to see how much weight I've gained and how big I've gotten, but I needed to post at least one picture to show proof that I was indeed pregnant for the fourth time. So this is for all the girls who actually gain weight and look pregnant during pregnancy! :)

Topher's 3rd Birthday

Topher had his 3rd birthday last week. He was so excited that we had been counting down for a long time. We opened presents in the morning. He got some play instruments, a big spiderman, a Woody car, and a cape made by me. He was really excited about everything and had a good day playing with Timmy and Maura. That evening we got together with Drew and Cass to have pizza and cupcakes.

Topher is such a funny little guy. He is super snuggly and loves everyone. He says some funny thing sometimes. A couple of things I can remember are "Mom, I yuv you wealwee (really) wealwee wealwee much! You the best mom in whole world!" "Dad is the wealwee best joker." "I just can't see good...i need gwasses (glasses) on my face." He keeps me laughing every day. We are so glad Topher is in our family. We love him very much!

Family Home Evening Fun

My kiddos love doing puzzles. We saw this Disney one at the store and had to get it. So, for Family Home Evening we all worked together to finish it. It was super fun.