Spring Break 2012 - Ruidoso Skiing!!

David, Vince, and I took a last minute trip during spring break to Ruidoso to go skiing!! My sisters had the trip already planned, and allowed us to join them in the beautiful house they rented. I grew up skiing in Ruidoso. My parents started taking us when I was in kindergarden and we skiied there, or other New Mexico resorts almost every year until I graduated high school! Skiing brings back so many good family memories, I'm glad I am able to start sharing new ones with my own family now. Carmen was too young this year and stayed behind with my parents. But we look forward to many many years of ski trips with our family and extended family!!

It was a little rough showing Vince how to ski at first (since it was close to his normal nap time).  But in no time, he was moving right along!  Next time he might master the bunny slope (like Daddy did this trip! :)

Vince's favorite party of skiing was going up the Gondola.  To get Hot Chocolate at the top restuarant! 

My sister's extended family also came and learned how to snowboard.  We were a big group!! 

Aside from skiing, we also had a tubing adventure.  There was a tubing park that had several different paths, some had bumps that sent you flying in the air!!  Cousin Warren came with us.  You could do singles, doubles, triples, or even use a family tube - which was the first one we did!  David, Vince, Warren, and I all had several trips down the hills.  There were adult hills that were steeper, and I flew down that one, head first on my belly.. quite exciting!!  There was a conveyor belt that took you up so you didn't have to put in too much effort!   

 

A great trip!  Can't wait to go back when the kids get a little older to enjoy more! 

Vince, old Videos!

I found this post in my drafts... they are of Vince, a long long time ago!!  He must have been 18 months or so.  Love seeing old videos of Vince!!  He is so grown up now.  It's crazy to see how baby he once was! 

Here, he was learning to talk I guess... In my old post, I said "he started saying cake, cake, then something else. It took us a minute to figure out he was saying "happy birthday to you"... which comes out "hppy bbay tu tu". It's a bad video, but you can hear it... "




This next video is an oldie but goodie for us. Vince loves dancing on this one pole in our backyard. Even when there is no music. Here David is grilling, so he juggles dancing on the pole with eating pieces of meat from the grill...

Family Portraits

I am late in blogging and now going out of order!! But posting nonetheless. Here are our Christmas Portraits, taken in late Nov 2011. Carmen is 8 months old here, and Vince is still 3!

I love the shots of Vince and David!!

Vince's 4th Birthday - in the Diego Treehouse!

It was Vince's 4th Birthday at the end of January, and we had a great Diego birthday party at a nearby church's play center, called the Treehouse!! It is a 3 story playground!! Perfect for Diego!!

Vince loves wearing the Diego mask below.. and his Diego cake was a big hit!

All our family came out to celebrate... including Gampa and cousin Noah!
Carmen wore her wild pants for the occasion!

All of Vince's friends came out to play!!! Pictured here are two of his best friends...

and even more best friends!!

Everyone gathered to see the birthday boy blow his candles in the neighboring cafe!!

an attempt to get everyone in the picture!

One of Vince's favorite things to do now is recount something that happened a little bit ago... and he follows that up with "but that was a long time ago when I was 3 years old!", and he has a little tone that goes with that, it's great. He also says he can do something now because he's 4, like eat turkey sandwich meat or something, funny guy. Immediately after his party he started talking about his next one and telling me where we were going to have it. You got a ways to wait buddy!!!

New Year's Eve 2011

It was Carmen's 1st New Years!! Of course she wasn't up AT New Years time... but she still got all dressed up and partied for an hour before she went to bed!!!

BUT, Vince was up AT New Years time. He actually went to sleep and woke up 2 minutes prior to midnight. I was trying to get him back to sleep when I heard counting, and we ran out to celebrate! It was his first time awake for New Years! 4th time around is a charm!!

one more pic of the family...

Here is to a wonderful 2012!!

Saenz Xmas 2011

Christmas 2011 was extra special because it was Carmen's 1st Christmas!

She of course could care less what Santa or anyone bought her. I really should have just bought boxes and water bottles for her, but she ended getting a few good things... noticably, the ball popper that she loves playing with and dancing to the music and her new bike! Vince got too many things to count. Santa was extra generous to him. He even bought him "Cranky", a huge crane that carries Thomas trains around, controlled by a remote!

Vince only got one train because we have the other 65 and there is not many left! But there is one or two that are unavailable at stores that we don't have. Think we are going to leave it that way... :)
A few picks before the unwrapping began...

The ever famous, Cranky!!! and Grandpa!!

My sister's family came over Christmas morning and we all had a great time playing with all the new toys!!

Another of Carmen's big gifts... a tricycle that you can push that converts later to a real trike. I don't know why she isn't wearing pants here!

Carmen's 1st Christmas and Vince's 4th was a big success!!

a couple more pics..

this is at the Gaylord.. I have pics of Vince on this sleigh when he was 1 and 2!!

4 cousins!!!

Tiana is 30!

My birthday falls a three days before Christmas. Some view that as a bad thing, thinking less presents. I actually like it because I get to spend my day with my loved ones.

Especially my little ones - here is Carmy looking too cute...

David suprised me with that wonderful double dozzie cookie cake - my favorite! He also showered me with several gifts when I woke up. One special gift was my baby bracelet that he and my family got fixed for Carmen, with her name inscribed and all (with my birthday still there).

As I mentioned, I get to be with my loved ones... and a big family we are! Most of my past birthdays in recent memory, we have gathered to make Christmas tamales! It's so fun to get together with my mom, sisters, cousins, aunts, and extended family... to drink wine.. I mean make tamales. We even have our own aprons...

notice my special "30" cup!

It's was a big milestone birthday, the big 3 - 0. And I couldn't have spent it in any better way then hanging out with family, and tamale making (and eating!).