March and April - Spring Is Here!

Life is busy and full of many good things, so much to be thankful for... Clearly too busy to blog the last two months! March was typical for us,  fast and furious work / school days with a lovely 1 week holiday. We spent our spring break in Taos, New Mexico skiing. I have not skied in 15+ years, and this was Eva's second time. We were on the slopes together for a while,  still learning at first. I remained there for the week, Eva quickly moved on... She loved tackling the small inclines and taking off with Colman to bigger and better slopes!




Riding the lift by herself was a big deal! ME riding by myself, a HUGE deal!



Love the house we stayed in!


April, we continued to the fast paced schedule of the spring semester all educators know too well!! Eva turned 10 this month and celebrated with a 5k race... It was a great turn out and lovely day for a race.  Eva completed her birthday month we  getting braces!! We are on the track of correcting, crooked teeth, severe overbite, and stopping thumb sucking

 Eva and cousin Isabella... Family lunch

Practicing for Dr. Seuss Day! Love a good productive Selfie! Cindy Lou Who!










Voting Day! My Elementary School around the block!

Easter, 2016

The rest of the month was full of work, school and life!

My world in April!! TESTING Season is upon us...UGH!!! Love my new Director though, Jaquline you are the best! Eva thinks so too!

                 

In parking lot of orthodontist, one last moment with Mama Hi... 

Eva's Family Tree- School Project! Apparently, Eva has settled on our last name- Martinez!!!

Shopping Shenanigans!


 
Measuring our growth in the last year!

Eva's 10th Birthday 5k Fun Run was a success!!! Thankful for great friends!!! 

Eva's platform: 3 day weekends and bringing people closer to Jesus! 

God has big plans for this one, so blessed. 

 
Saturday walk with my Favorite teenager! In front of my HS

Weekly occurance, love our neighbors! Lili Rucker is pure joy!

Soccer with Coach Luna, Team USA in honor of upcoming summer Olympics.

February 2016 - Lots to Love!

The new year is off to a nice start. This month was quick, and complete with a little trip to Playa Riviera to celebrate our dear friend Jamie Mays- Ortega marry! Colman conducted the ceremony, and I could not be more proud to be his wife. The ceremony was beautiful, no doubt due in part to the beautiful surrounding of the dusk wedding ceremony. The couple, their family and friends were full of smiles, tears of joy and lot 's of celebrations!! Jamie and Freddy planned a very fun time for all of us who attended and we are so blessed to have been a part of their wedding.

Mr.  and Mrs. Freddy Ortega!!!

Eva played basketball this month, and really began to develop her skills by the end of the season. Her coach and teammates, "The Hoopers" had a great season!

Cole and I continue working, doing life and trying to find the balance... Life is good and full and we are looking forward to a fast past spring.

1st Rodeo! Thank you Bucks...

What are they doing? Calf roping!

More amazement and dislike for the calf roping segment....

Go Hoopers!

Basketball tournament on Friday night, now time to prep for 10k on Sat morning!!!!

Cowtown 10k,, Its tradition!

Still loves Starbucks! Heading to cheer on the runners in Cowtown 1/2 marathon.

The Ruckers, and Cole ran the 1/2, way to go!

Amy and Ivy come to town!!! Love my TCU roomate and her beautfiul daughter! 

• Comments By Eva: 
• "Everyone makes mistakes, but we can't handle one this big!! Hillary can't get elected!"
• "It's super Tuesday, we get to vote! "
• "Feel The Bern! Vote for Bernie Mom!"
• "Mom, this was a great night let's do it again!" - said after dinner and a little impromptu shopping, just the two of us

HAPPY NEW NEW YEAR!

We spent New Years Eve with Friends at the Burtons! What a wonderful tradition!! Love these girls!!

Tis' The Season! Blessing Bags being made and distributed often!! 

December Recap:
We started the month with a trip to Boston to visit family. We enjoyed a lot of time with cousin Ralph, who will turn two in  a few months! It has been a year since we last traveled to Boston, so the changes as you can imagine were wonderful! He is a "real boy"!! Loves CAT trucks, animals, Shakespeare, music, and most of all "Mai Mai and Bub" Colman's parents!!! We quickly tried teaching Ralph our names, his version Marjorie= Mom/Mommy, Colman = Bacon, Eva- AVA!!! He naturally and quickly took to AVA!!! She loved being " the one" he called for as soon as he arrived each day.

The Adams! Love you three!

Cousins on a walk... 

We also enjoyed a special treat of watching my father in law in action. He was in a made for TV holiday movie. Eva was especially impressed, stating " People will probably ask him for his autograph!"  By the time she returned to school, I can only imagine Bub was portrayed as Robert Dinero himself! Love her love for Colman's family and their talent!

My mom recorded the program back home in Texas and enjoyed sharing with my niece Krystina who is very much involved in her school choir and theater. She watched the movie many times, and has concluded she got her acting skills from Bob! Love kids and their love of people with complete disinterest/need for DNA. :) Makes my heart happy.

At a neighbors watching THE MOVIE!!!! :) 

Weather was warm but we must have a fire!! :) 

I am going to put Harvard as one of my options for college!

Watching The Revels... 

We spent one morning at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Eva loved marking this as her second Presidential Library to visit to date. She is looking forward to visiting many more in the years ahead!

Most of our trip was spent relaxing on Tolman street with family... We worked in a trip to the theater and enjoyed a wonderful show, The Revels. The theater on the Harvard campus was the most wonderful experience in which to watch this show with some of my favorite people.

Ralph and AVA!!!

It is always such a great visit when we travel to Boston, and always a reminder of how much we wish we lived closer to one another.

Upon returning from Boston on Christmas Eve, we started the Ft. Worth Christmas traditions here in the 76110. This year was marked by many firsts, as was Thanksgiving this fall.

• No Mimi to make Christmas unique and special in countless ways...
• We did not host Christmas Eve dinner at Mimi and Tito's house, a first for  me in 40 years.
• Two pending divorces in the family, never fun..

What we did have... A wonderful family evening filled with approx. 40 people committed to coming together, celebrating the holiday and our family's Christmas Eve tradition.

We have the great honor of having my mom and her sibling's childhood nanny's daughter- Chayo here. She assisted Mom and the sisters /sisters-in-law prepare the main course. Which included tamales like Lala made in Guanajuato! http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/482 like she used to make when they were growing up!!! What a special treat, and no doubt Mimi was smiling and full of joy and certainly wishing should could be down here enjoying first hand.

Cousins... Cousins.. and more cousins!

After dinner we enjoyed various performances from kids in the family ranging from age 3-15. There was singing, magic tricks, poetry... It was all wonderful!!!

We even had a visit from Santa!! Which everyone loved!!! (Thank you uncle Daniel and Jenn)

We concluded the night with the annual opening of family presents. This was equally special, tearful, and joyful... Mimi had prepared presents for us all and we were thrilled to get our final prints of her paintings. No one complained that she hadn't had them matted yet!! Just thrilled to receive them and some children even got a name tag written in Mimi's  handwriting! :) So very blessed...

Earlier this month: Hanukkah dinner in Plano with the Kramens, 5th Annual Family Girls trip to Bass Hall, to watch The Nutcracker. Eva's School party and Christmas Musical:

Eva learns quickly and wins her first game of dreidel ! 

 

Pic up number one! 

Cousin Brendita, and Eva, Sundance Square, walking to Bass Hall

Some of the gang! Taking over Bass Hall! (well two rows of it!) 

Annual pic with the ballerina!

Stopping in Sundance Square to take it all in before the show! 

Wearing "real ballet shoes" signed by ballerinas in the show!

CCA School  Party

Karly, Eva and Brooke, post Christmas Musical pic!

Thank you for coming Krystina!

We also got a evening in with neighbor Lili Rucker!!!

 

January Recap

Back to reality... never too much fun. Work, school, and Eva has started Basketball which most of you already know. She is really enjoying team sports, and not having all of the pressure / spot like on her. Her team is THE HOOPERS, color: neon yellow, and her number is 4. She is officially 4'11'!!! Can't handle what a wonderful young lady we get to raise and enjoy!

This month, Colman and I took a quick four day trip to Playa Maya for our dear friend Jamie's wedding Colman officiated and I could not be more proud to be his wife. 

 

View from our balcony, swim up pool was wonderful!

Mr. and Mrs. Ortega!

Marriage License in the Mail!

Lastly, the Rodeo is in town!!! Hoping to make it this year, but at least Eva got to go with her class on a field trip. "It was boring"- Eva.  :( Ugh!

Comments From Eva:

• "Mom, I had a terrible dream last night, you died. I woke up and cried in real life."
• "Ralph loves me!"
• After sending Eva the pics above, she sent Jamie a congratulations video. "I love your outfits!"