As For Me and My House

Grandma's Birthday Party

2009-04-15T08:20:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm trying. It's been a little difficult to keep up with the blog on a regular basis, so I apologize if you've been looking for new photos. Here are some recent photos from Grandma's Birthday.

It's Been a LONG Time!

2009-03-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I have posted. We all started getting the bugs that were going around at the beginning of February, and then life just got in the way too.

We're so excited that Erick is now an Ochoa! His adoption was finalized in court on March 12th. Woo hoo! It was so nice to have family and friends there to witness the whole thing. It was pretty cool that he got to sit in the judge's chair and pound the gavel too. The judge also let Caleb pound the gavel.

Here are some pictures from the day...in the opposite order from how they actually happened.

Who's who from left to right: Susan Payne (our first caseworker), Eric Larson (Uncle Eric), Rosalie Ochoa (Auntie Rose), Baby Rachel (cousin), Daddy, Erick Ochoa, Mommy, Emilio (cousin), Caleb Ochoa, Grandma Ochoa, Poppaw Ochoa, Debbie White (our adoption caseworker), Sam Shin (our pastor from Wellspring Church), "Grandma" Sheila Souza (a GOOD friend), and Judge Lois Haight.

Sleepy Boy

2009-01-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

I took these photos last night. Michael and I get such a giggle (well, you know...guys don't giggle, right?) at the way Erick sleeps. See his arm sticking out of the crib bars? And his feet? His little puppy dog feet are sticking out the other side. See how his little arm is wrapped around teddy? He surrounds himself with blankets, just like Mama. What a sweet pea!

A Day at the Park 01/03/09

2009-01-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Making Cookies

2009-01-09T10:01:00.001-08:00

Trimming our Tiny Tree--A Symbol of Family and Finances

2008-12-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

Making Tamales at Mom and Dad's

2008-12-10T19:01:00.001-08:00

2008-12-10T18:11:00.001-08:00

Holiday Photo Greeting Card Designs...For Sale

2008-11-23T18:58:00.001-08:00

Sir E's 2nd Birthday Party

2008-11-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

Please click HERE for a slideshow of Erick's 2nd Birthday Party.

A Pickup Football Game

2008-11-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Caleb and Michael went to meet one of Caleb's friends from school to play a little game of catch in the park. Caleb's friend David, had a friend with him, and there were some other guys in the park, so they ended up getting to actually play a little game of football. Here are the pictures.

Our Little Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-30T12:44:00.001-07:00

Batman Lives!!!

2008-10-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

And he's come to stay at our house. We got this little costume for Erick, because Daddy is the "real" Batman...shhhhhh!!! Don't tell!!! We tried it on him tonight, and he looks so cute! He even let us put the face mask down over his eyes...not for long...but at least we got pictures.

A Family Resemblance, and Bathtime

2008-10-13T21:59:00.001-07:00

I just have to show you something. I had prayed from the beginning of the whole foster/adopt process, that God would bring us a little one who looked like the Archer or I, or a good combination of both. Well, take a look at the Archer's baby picture, and the picture of Sir E.

Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Here are some pictures from a recent bath time, which Sir E now LOVES! His favorite thing is to splash the water everywhere, and drink the bath water!

A Haircut...Finally!

2008-10-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

Parental Rights and a busy September

2008-10-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

WOW! It's been awhile since I have posted here, but life has just been SO busy! After having about 4 very slow months with the business, September brought about nearly FIFTY orders just on the digital side of the business! Praise God!

We are excited to announce that the parental rights of Sir E's birth mom has been terminated. We are sad for her, but we know that she loves Erick, and she understands that he is now in a home where he will be well taken care of and loved too. We now have to wait 60 days to see if she will appeal the ruling. If she doesn't, the adoption finalization process will begin, and the adoption should be finalized in early 2009...like January or February. YAY!!!!!!!

Here are some recent pictures of the family, including Poppaw's birthday party, and a visit from the Queen's sister (my sister). I hope you enjoy.

My New Toy

2008-09-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

I am so excited because we just got a new toy: a Canon CanoScan 8800f. I have spent the morning scanning photos that we have that are not digital photos. Now wouldn't these two have made a cute couple in high school??? The Archer says he would've totally "gone for me" in high school.

Sir E Gets All Wet!

2008-09-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

Princess R had her birthday party at the end of August, and there was a little kiddie pool full of ducks there. Well, Sir E just HAD to get at those little duckies! He started out squatting down at the edge of the pool, and by the time it was all over, he was completely wet, and splashing away in the pool!!!

Who, What, Where, When, Why, How ETSY?

2008-09-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have heard me talk about my Etsy shops. Well, here is a little promotional video that talks about Etsy. Thanks to Mrs. Kwitty for sharing this video. This should explain a LOT about why I created The Downtown Boutique. I hope that you will add this to your blog, and help spread the word about Etsy. Who knows, you might have an awesome Christmas season!

Who Couldn't Use $1000 or a Caribbean Cruise???

2008-08-29T11:43:00.001-07:00

I know I could! Well, I prefer getting the $1000. We can't take off on a cruise right now, because we are awaiting the finalization of the adoption of our little guy, which probably will happen in early 2009. So the $1000 would come in VERY handy! We could even use it to pay for the adoption fees!

You're probably asking, "where do I enter?".......well, I'm not giving away this prize. I definitely can't afford to do that kind of thing...YET! Metropolitan Mama, in conjunction with Protect-a-Bed, is giving away this fabulous prize! You can read more about it at Metropolitan Mama's blog. Protect-a-Bed mattress covers would come in very handy in our home. We use those Huggies nighttime diapers, but occasionally, the little one will SOAK his sheet, blankets, and mattress pad in his crib. We'd love to get on board with Protect-a-Bed, and get one of their mattress covers.

You MUST hurry, because this giveaway expires on September 1st! Sorry, but I JUST heard about it today, otherwise I would've let you know sooner.

Have fun!

Angie

I Love Digital Scrapbooking!!!

2008-08-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have been scrapbooking since Sir C was about 3 years old. We started scrapbooking because he had had some strokes that took away his speech and hearing (hearing came back, but speech did not), and a lot of his comprehensive abilities. So we wanted a way for him to re-learn things. We started with pages of him, and also worked on pages of zoo animals so that he could learn his animals again.

I've come a LONG way from those scrapbook pages of old. I'll have to post pictures of them some time after we get a scanner.

Here are some pages of recent activities we've done as a family, or things we've had going on around here. I hope you enjoy them.

(For the credits on each layout, please click on each picture.)

Sir E Is Learning to Feed Himself

2008-08-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

I can only allow him to feed himself when the food is thick, but Sir E is now learning to feed himself! If the food is thinner, it just gets flung everywhere, and I don't really have the patience for that! As it is, he is exploring what it is like to have both hands in the food, and holding the spoon in both hands! I guess for now, he is ambidextrous. Here are some pictures from this morning's breakfast time...yogurt, baby oatmeal, and fruit dessert mixed together.

An Introduction to Bob the Builder

2008-08-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

We don't have any Bob the Builder DVD's for Sir E, so I figured when I saw that Seven Dogs and a Baby (a blog I subscribe to) was giving away a Bob DVD, it might be a good time to introduce him to Bob.

So, I'm blogging about this giveaway, so that I can have an extra entry to try and win this DVD for Sir E. Have you SEEN how much these DVD's are going for? Even on Amazon! I would LOVE to be able to win this, instead of buying it. I don't think I'd buy it at the going retail rate. I'd wait until I could find it in a consignment shop or something.

Golf Lessons for Sir C

2008-08-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

The Archer has been learning to golf in the past year and a half or so, and soSir C has really been wanting to learn. So when we got Sir C involved in Special Olympics, we found that we were able to take him to their golf "clinic" for free! It was supposed to be for something like 7 weeks, but they ended up extending it by two more weeks. We're so excited because the instructors have said that Sir C has done REALLY well, and has the potential to be able to play a 9-hole course with The Archer, with more practice. Tonight is the last night, and I think they'll be handing out some certificates or something. Too bad The Archer has to miss it...he's out hunting.

Here are some pictures we took during last week's lessons. You can see that someone else has a big interest in golf too. See the "Big Bertha" driver??

Such an Accomplishment!!!

2008-08-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Last week, Sir E had an amazing week of accomplishments!!! This is a boy who only eats baby food, who won't touch Cheerios, crackers, that sort of thing. He'll sit forever with something on his tongue because he has texture issues. Well, last Sunday, we all went out and got Slurpees from the local 7-11. I had a Wild Cherry Slurpee, and while I was waiting for The Archer and Sir C to come out of the 2nd 7-11 (they didn't have The Archer's favorite flavor at the first one), I decided to try giving some Slurpee to Sir E. He liked it!!!! He had about 9 bites, and then he decided he was done, but not before Daddy (The Archer) and big brother (Sir C) saw him eating it! Too bad I didn't have the camera for that one!

Ok, now I know that this isn't going to be the best thing for any nutritionists to hear, so if you are one, close your ears or eyes, or whatever. Monday, after Sir C's golf lessons, we got Slurpees again, and then we went to McDonald's for dinner. His lessons are from 6-7, so it's too early to eat before the lessons, and then by the time we get home, I don't feel like cooking dinner. Sorry. So we got our McDonald's dinner, and went home. We set everything out, and I got Sir E's dinner (not McDonald's). We all sat down to eat together, and I thought I'd see how Sir E liked french fries....with ketchup. I squirted a little ketchup on his high chair tray, and gave him a french fry. I showed him how to dip it in the ketchup and eat it. So he dipped the fry in the ketchup and ate the ketchup off of the end of the fry! Again...and again....and again. He continued to do this until a softened bit of french fry came off in his mouth. He did not like that, so that was the end of that. We will be trying that again though!!! And I DID have the camera for that one!

Lastly, on Wednesday evening, I had decided to try something that someone mentioned to me. (Sorry, but I don't remember who gave this advice. I think it was my sister-in-law, or my mother-in-law.) I decided to try giving Sir E a graham cracker, because they had mentioned about how quickly graham crackers will dissolve once they meet up with saliva (well, they didn't exactly put it that way!). We had some chocolate graham crackers in the cupboard, and I thought he'd probably like that, so I gave him a small rectangle of graham cracker. He licked it for awhile, and eventually I was able to talk him into taking a bite. He took a bit of the softened graham cracker, and yes, kept it on his tongue for a bit. When he does this sort of thing, he tends to produce a LOT of drool, so that softened the graham cracker even more. He started to try his "chew, chew, chew" method, and eventually swallowed the graham cracker! He ended up eating the whole little rectangle of graham cracker, biting and licking, and all! WOO HOO!!! We're getting somewhere in all of this. No, I didn't think to grab the camera on this one. But we're finally getting somewhere.

You can enter to win a $50 Amazon.com gift card over at Robyn's Online World blog.

2008-08-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know anyone who couldn't use a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com! I know I could! I want to get some Sign Language DVDs for my 21 month old!

So head on over to Robyn's Online World, and enter to win the Amazon.com gift card. Be sure to read the rules.

Scrapblog is My New Addiction!

2008-08-09T16:06:00.001-07:00

Awhile back, I happened to "Stumble Upon" a website called Scrapblog.com. It's a site where you can do "digital scrapbooking" for FREE! It is really very cool, because they have LOADS of backgrounds, stickers, fonts, and more, that you can choose from. You can upload your photos, and insert them in premade templates or build your own page from "scratch".

Here's an example of some Scrapblogs that I have created:

WARNING: You WILL get addicted!

Family Camping Trip 2008

2008-08-02T17:30:00.001-07:00

Auntie Rose, These Are For You

2008-07-24T14:37:00.001-07:00

Auntie Rose wanted to see some more photos, so I guess I'd better get some up. We went to our friends' house for dinner on July 10th, and Sir E had a VERY fun time playing in their backyard. Mind you, this is the child who doesn't like textures on his feet, and doesn't get thrilled and excited around water.

Daddy (The Archer) took his sandals off, and he RAN to the water table, right over the grass, without a thought! By the time it was ready to eat, he was SOAKED!!!! I guess it was a good thing I brought a change of clothes!

If you click on each photo, you will get to see the image in a larger size.

Grandma & Auntie V Come For a Visit Pt. 3

2008-07-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, The Archer had to get back to work, but I took everyone else to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. Mom, Sir C, and Princess V went on the factory tour, while I fed Sir E. We had waited in line for about 1/2 an hour, so Sir E wasn't going to be patient while we walked through the tour. I had been before, so I just told them to go. It worked out well.

While we were in Fairfield, it was 105 degrees! HOT HOT HOT!!! I'm so grateful the van had air conditioning!!! When we got back home, it was 109 degrees where we live!!! YIKES!!! Mom and Princess V went to see Sir C's jujitsu class, while Sir E and I stayed home and stayed cool.

We finished off our trip with a visit to Bay Books, a used book store, where Mom was able to pick up some great books, including a yummy looking cheesecake cookbook, that had a photograph for each recipe! I love that kind of cookbook! Then, we went over to an educational shop, where Mom picked up some books for Princess V's homeschooling, and I picked up some books for Sir C to work on this summer, to help him be ready for high school this fall! We got home, and decided it was pool time, so I took Princess V and Sir C to the pool, while Sir E napped, and Mom and The Archer watched a Christian documentary show.

We (The Archer) grilled thick ribeye steaks and made salad, garlic bread and corn. Then for dessert, I made these amazingly sinful Apple Dumplings that I saw on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Sorry, no picture. They were gone WAY too fast! (Actually, we ate some, and I took the rest to a friend's house for dinner.) (By the way, I used apple quarters instead of eighths.)

It all ended way to quickly for me. I am pretty proud of myself though, because I have NEVER driven in Oakland, and I actually took my Mom and Princess V to the airport! It was a little scary, but I knew The Archer was praying for me, and so was my Mom. I was praying too! WOO HOO! I did it! Yes, I cried at the airport. Yes, I cried on the way home. Yes, I cried after I had gotten home, and had already stopped crying. I miss my family SO much!!!! Especially my mom!!! One thing that my Mom said to me before they walked in to the terminal was "I love you honey, and I'm really proud of you." What a blessing to hear that!!!! I'm so glad she got to see our home and our little family, and I'm glad that she got to spend so much time talking to The Archer, and getting to know him better. I'm so glad she and Princess V got to meet Sir E. They are the first on my side of the family to do so. I'm so glad Sir E took to them so well and so quickly! Mom, I love you so much and I'm so glad you were finally able to come out and visit us. I MISS YOU!!!

Grandma & Auntie V Come For a Visit Pt. 2

2008-07-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we went down to Carmel, Pacific Grove, and Monterey. We went to The Barnyard in Carmel, where we visited the best chocolate shop ever: Pieces of Heaven. Of course we made the "obligatory" purchases there, including a box of sugar free chocolates for my diabetic dad. We also visited the wonderful toy shop, Sandcastles by the Sea. Mom bought Princess V something there for her birthday. I can't tell you what it is though, because it's a secret.

Then we had to make a stop at The Bountiful Basket to see if they had any Pineapple Vinegar in, which they didn't. We did get to taste some different vinegars though, and Mom had never tasted flavored vinegars before, but loved them. We tried Blueberry Vinegar, Strawberry Vinegar, Raspberry Vinegar, and Pear Vinegar. The owner of the shops produces her own line of these vinegars, and when The Archer and I went down there in March for his birthday, we bought the Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar, which is FANTASTIC!!! They will be opening up another shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, so be sure to check them out if you get down there.

We took a drive by Asilomar, showed them Pebble Beach Golf Course (from a distance), drove by where our church has our Women's Retreats (Lighthouse Lodge Inn & Suites), saw three deer, showed them the PG Lighthouse, and then stopped to eat lunch. For lunch, we went to the local grocery store and got some sourdough bread, some roast beef, sliced cheese, and drinks. We made sandwiches right on the seashore of Pacific Grove. It was SO nice to just sit and watch the waves while eating lunch. We had to sit in the van because it was really very windy. We didn't want everything to blow away. After we had eaten, we got out of the van and walked down to the water. It's amazing how many types of seaweed and kelp were lying around on the beach. We stayed there for awhile so that we could enjoy God's majestic creation. Then, we headed down to Monterey. While on the coastline drive, we pointed out some of the gorgeous inns down there, including Green Gables Inn, and Seven Gables Inn. One of these days, The Archer and I hope to be able to stay in one of those two places for an anniversary or something.

So we drove on down through Cannery Row, but didn't get out. We were on a mission. We wanted to take them to the little beach on Fisherman's Wharf. It's a wonderful little beach, where you don't have to trek over tons of sand dunes to get to the water. We carried our camping chairs down there, along with towels, a kite, and a thing of bubles. We took Sir E's shoes off, and let him walk in the dry sand, which he was NOT thrilled with, because of the tactile issues. Then we kept walking to the wet sand, which he REALLY didn't like, to where we reached the water that was splashing up on the beach. I guess I don't need to tell you that he HATED having his feet in the water. The ocean scares him a little because of the waves rushing up on the shore, and because it's so expansive. But we hope that things will change, as we take him to the beach more and more. We want him to learn to love the beach, the sand, the water, just as much as we do.

While we were enjoying the beach, we actually got to see some sea otters swimming around in the surf. We tried to get some good pictures, but they were really hard to see, and you couldn't tell what we were trying to photograph.

Sir C got his kite flying and had fun with it for a little while before he got bored and wanted to join me and his Auntie V, as we raced the waves. The Archer was content to sit and videotape or take pictures, because he has a torn lateral miniscus in his knee, so walking has been more painful lately. At one point, Grandma G got the bubbles out and blew them for Sir E. He LOVED that! We kept saying "pop, pop, pop", and he would mimic us. When Princess V and Sir C saw that bubbles were floating by where they were trying to build sandcastles, they had to find the source, and were delighted to see that Grandma/Mom was blowing them. They had to hop around chasing and popping as many as they could.

Princess V is such a beautiful and photogenic little girl. I really enjoyed taking pictures of her enjoying the ocean for the very first time. Mind you, she lives in a land-locked state, and has never flown until now, nor had she seen the ocean or even played in it until now. I think this was an experience that she will remember for the rest of her life.

We finished off the Monterey trip by heading over to Fisherman's Wharf. We had hoped to get to the Maritime Museum, but it was closed on Mondays, and it was after 5pm, so either way, we wouldn't have made it. But we took pictures anyways. They have this cool little garden there, with all sorts of plants and flowers. One thing that Mom really REALLY loved about CA, besides the ocean, was all of the gorgeous flowers everywhere you went. We got some really good closeups of some beautiful flowers while we were down there.

We walked around the wharf, and went to the back part where you can take rides on glass bottom boats, or go on whale watching adventures. We didn't do any of those things, but we did get to see a seal or two, as well as some sea otters swimming in the bay. Once again, we took pictures, but I'm not sure you could really tell what's in the picture.

We wanted Mom and Princess V to be able to taste a little of the area, so we bought sourdough bread bowls filled with steaming clam chowder, from Old Fisherman's Grotto, a restaurant that has been featured by Rachel Ray on The Food Network, and has gotten awards for the best clam chowder. If you taste it, you'll understand why. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures of the "bowls" of chowder. I was just hungrily spooning it into my mouth. I even gave a tiny bit of the cooled chowder to Sir E. He seemed to like it. It was his very first taste of clam chowder!

Grandma & Auntie V Come For a Visit Pt. 1

2008-07-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly four years since our wedding, and I have had my sister, one brother, and my dad come out for a visit. Mom has always had foster kids, so she hasn't been able to come. Well, the Lord allowed some things to happen so that Mom could get a much needed break. I'm sure that it wasn't in the way we all would have chosen, but it was a break nonetheless. So Mom and my little sister (Auntie V, or Princess V...just for this blog) came out for a visit! We were so thrilled that they were able to come out finally. They flew in on a Saturday and flew out the following Thursday, and believe me, we packed our time together with TONS of things to see and do and places to visit.

We started their visit out by picking them up from the Oakland Airport, where their bags didn't arrive on the same plane on which they arrived. Fortunately, there was another plane that arrived right after theirs, that came from the same destination. We went to the house, dropped off the luggage, and then headed over to eat at Chevy's Mexican Restaurant with my mother- and father-in-law. Mom and Princess V had never had Chevy's before, but they sure did enjoy it! Mom had the same thing I had: Shrimp and Crab Enchiladas. Princess V had Beef Flautas from the kids' menu. Sir C had a HUGONDO burrito!!!! It was nice for my mom and The Archer's parents to be able to visit and get to know each other a little better.

We then went to their home and had dessert. Princess V got to jump on the trampoline in the backyard, while we tasted plums fresh off of the tree in the back. After we left there, we took them to see where The Archer went to high school (now in a VERY bad and scary part of town).

From there we went to the Berkeley Marina, so they could see their first glimpse of the ocean, off of the plane. It was kind of funny, because we were standing on this walking and biking path, and this cyclist came through. I had told the others to move over to the side, so that he could get through. As he rode through, he said, "This is a bike path. Other bikers might not be so friendly." Well, if that's friendly, then I can't imagine what unfriendly is! The other bikers that rode through, had no problem with where we were standing. We simply moved out of their way, just like we did for the other guy. Oh well. It's Berkeley, right?

We had to take them to the Golden Gate Bridge. That's pretty much mandatory if you're going to visit the Bay Area. It was a little chilly, a LOT windy, and pretty much as foggy as you could get. But as we were walking up the bridge, The Archer was praying that the fog would lift and the sun would poke out just for a bit, so they would be able to see the towers. Really, you couldn't even see the first tower because it was SOOOOO foggy!!! God definitely came through though! We got some sunshine, just for a short time. And check out the picture below where you can see the "stripe" in the sky. The fog was SO low that when you were at the base of the tower, and you looked up, you could see a stripe where the tower was blocking the fog, and the fog moved around it. I hope that makes sense. I think it will once you see the photo.

We also went to Pier 39 for just a short stop. There were no sea lions to see, so that was a bit of a disappointment. We did, however, make a stop at The Candy Baron to get some saltwater taffy. For me, that's a must, when you're at Pier 39.

More to come in the next post.

Something New That I Wanted to Try

2008-07-14T12:01:00.001-07:00

Why I'm In Trouble

2008-06-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was watching a 2-1/2 year old (Sir A), and I had our 19 month old, Sir E, and our 14 year old, Sir C. It was one of those days where I wish that I had a blue genie to come and take care of all the world's problems. Well, not really, but I bet you know what I mean!

Here's what happened. Sir A was sitting in the booster chair on a big chair, in the kitchen, eating his breakfast. His mom had just gotten it for him after she brought him, and then she went to run errands. Now normally, I would block the entrance to the kitchen so that Sir E couldn't go in there while Sir A was eating. I have NO clue why I didn't block the entrance to the kitchen this time. I think you might be able to figure out where this is leading...

Sir E walked into the kitchen, and decided that he want to know what Sir A was eating, so he grabbed the VERY full bowl of cereal and pulled it down off of the tray. Sir A got upset, because A: his cereal was now dripping down his legs and all over the floor, and B: because his cereal was no longer on his tray because Sir E pulled it off!!! When I tried to get the cereal bowl out of Sir E's little hand, he just FLUNG the rest of what was in the bowl, all over the REST of the kitchen floor! I was DEFinitely NOT in my right mind at that point, because if I had been, I would have grabbed the camera so that I could chronicle this moment that I figured I would be laughing about later. I definitely was not laughing when it happened!

Well, yesterday we had a redeeming moment. One of my best girlfriends brought over a cool two-seater red Radio Flyer wagon that her kids have outgrown. We promptly decided that we must try it out. So we put Sir E in the wagon, without even bothering to put his shoes on him, and Sir C pulled him around our little apartment courtyard. (Sir C has been such a sweet big brother, and such a good helper to me and The Archer.) It was between 10:30 and 11:00 in the morning, so the sunshine gave us such a gorgeous brightness to all the colors around us, so that we could take some amazing pictures. Here are some of the pictures that I took.

One more thing that I would like to share. The Archer's co-workers threw an "adoption shower" for us last week, and we got seriously BLESSED!!! One of the things that Sir E got was this T-shirt, which is so poignantly perfect!!!
Doesn't it say it all? Well, at least he takes a good morning nap. We're still working on good afternoon naps. Getting caught should be at the TOP of the list! :-) He's learning though.

We're Closing Shop!

2008-06-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

No, we're not shutting down the blog. But, we are closing one of our shops on Etsy...Ambrosia Delights. With a new 19 month old in our home, our lives have gotten a little more busy, so we need to simplify. We will still be keeping our Rio Oso Designs shop, and we will still do the blog.

We need to make room in our little guy's closet, so we need to sell the things from our shop. We have gotten SOOO many wonderful gifts for him, that there is no room to put everything. We are getting rid of jewelry, clothing, and baby items.

We are offering 10% off on everything in our shop until our official close date of August 1st. EVERYTHING IS ALREADY MARKED DOWN, so you don't have to do anything but buy, buy, buy!!! :-)

We are also offering FREE shipping within the USA, on any purchases over $50.

Come on over and check us out at Ambrosia Delights.

Two Great Accomplishments

2008-06-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 8th, Sir C had a jujitsu kata (competition), where he came in 1st place in his division! We are SO proud of him. He has been doing jujitsu for 2 years now, and he has really gotten very strong and learned a lot. We will keep going as long as we can. Here is a picture of Sir C and his jujitsu teacher.

Way to go Sir C!!!!!

We took the guys to the pool on Sunday and Monday. Sir C LOVES the water, even though when we first got married, The Archer had to really teach Sir C how to swim and to love the water and not be afraid of it. Sir E SCREAMED when we put him in the water! He clung to Mommy the whole time. I think I may have little finger sized bruises on the back of my arm! Eventually he calmed down and allowed me to take him further into the water. He still doesn't even like the bathtub, so the pool was definitely intimidating for him.

Here are some photos from our pool time.

Another accomplishment: We knew that Sir E "climbed", but we didn't know that he "CLIMBED"!! On Monday, I had my back turned, and when I turned around, Sir E was sitting in a dining room chair. Did Sir C put him there? No! Did The Archer put him there? NO! How did he get up there??? Well duh! He climbed!! He put one little foot on the rung, and pulled himself up. But he didn't stop there. He sat in that chair just as smug as can be, smiling the whole time, link "Ha! Bet you didn't think that I could do this!". Then, he proceeded to climb on top of the table! I couldn't help but laugh. I wanted to sternly tell him "NO!", that he could hurt himself, but I couldn't. All I could do was laugh and grab the camera. So if Sir E ever finds himself in a bad predicament, he can count on Mommy laughing and grabbing the camera. Oh well. One time, right???

We WILL live through this! My mom did, after all!

We Just Love This Little Guy!

2008-06-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

Another Visit at Grandma and Grandpa's House

2008-05-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

We visited over at The Archer's parents' house again this past Tuesday, and Sir E was feeling quite comfortable. He even let Grandpa get close to him. He's still a little timid with Grandma, which is unusual because Grandma is one of the gentlest people I know.

Sir E is Now Living at the Castle and We're Just Thrilled!!!

2008-05-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Sir E came to live with us on Wednesday, May 21st. We are SO excited! There are big changes around our house, and it will be a bit of an adjustment, but so far, so good.

Here are some new photos. Don't you just love the sweet little romper he's wearing? We are finding that with his eczema, the rompers are better, because he can't get under it to scratch. So we've been buying more rompers.

More Photos

2008-05-20T13:48:00.001-07:00

A Trip to the Grandparents' House

2008-05-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we were able to take Sir E to meet his new grandparents...The Archer's mom and dad. He also met The Archer's sister and nephew. They watch The Archer's brother's little girl too, so Princess R was there as well. Sir E did SO well! It took him about 20 minutes to kind of warm up to everyone, but after that, he was chasing Auntie R and she was chasing him. He was playing with a Mother's Day balloon, and dogpiling on Sir C and Cousin E. He also was crawling up Daddy (The Archer) to get at the blinds, because he loves to play with blinds.

If you click on any of the photos here on the blog, you will be able to see them much larger.

Sir E Comes to the Castle for a Visit

2008-05-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and we were delighted to be able to bring Sir E to our little castle. We let him run around and explore, and learn some boundaries. He wanted to touch and see everything. He loved the ceiling fan in our dining area. He kept wanting to touch the movies we have on the shelves of the entertainment center, and we would tell him no. So then he would move to touching the DVD and VCR players, and we would tell him no. So he decided to test us by knocking on the entertainment center, in between the movies and the players. It was kind of like he was saying "Can I touch this? Let's see how much I can get away with.". He'll learn, and he will feel safe.

We knew that Sir E would need to take a nap while in our little castle. We knew that putting him down like we would a child we babysit, would not work. The pack and play and the bedroom were just all too new. So we put on a Praise Baby DVD, and I held him while sitting in The Archer's "comfy chair" (the recliner). He started to relax a little, but was still in full upright position. Then, as I sang to him the songs that were being played on the TV, he would look at my mouth, and then look at the TV, and look at my mouth, and at the TV. He seemed to be fascinated. I know that The Archer was praying, and so was I, that Sir E would be able to relax enough to fall asleep. Gradually he allowed me to position him to where he was leaning against me. Then we turned down the volume on the tv, and he laid there in my arms and relaxed some more. I rubbed his face gently, and I could feel his breathing even out more, even to the point of a gentle snore, even though he was still wide-eyed. Eventually, after about 45 minutes, he was able to fall asleep in my arms. He was twitching a bit, so I think he wasn't totally relaxed, but he slept, and stayed asleep in my arms, or lying on my chest and tummy for about and hour and 15 minutes. The Archer was able to capture this time in a photo. I'm not thrilled with how I look in the photo, but I sure do love how Sir E was snuggled up and cozy, as we napped together.

We were to have dinner over at our friends' house that evening, so we took Sir E with us. We realized that it was a little overwhelming for him, because they have 3 young boys (one who is Sir E's age), and because it was a new place again. So The Archer and I took him back to his foster mom, while Sir C stayed at our friends' house and played. Sir E did SO well, considering he had a LONG, new day. He was pretty fussy at the end, but it's definitely to be expected. I would be fussy too! But it was a good learning experience for The Archer and I. We know that the transition is not going to be an easy one, so we ask for your prayers that Sir E will be able to transition into our home without too much fear and anxiety. Thank you so much for all of your prayers! We appreciate and love you!

The Archer, the Fair Queen, and the Two Knights

Sir C Met His Little Brother Yesterday

2008-05-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Sir C's first time to meet Sir E. The visit went really well. When we first got there, I sat down on the floor, as did The Archer and Sir C. Sir E seemed to recognize and remember us. It wasn't long until Sir E had come over to me and laid his head on my shoulder and snuggled up to me. If that doesn't get to a mommy's heart, I don't know what does!

It wasn't long before Sir E warmed up to Sir C. He just loves to climb all over us and just lie down and be close to us. How amazing is this after just one visit!
Sir E played with The Archer too. He thought it was fun to touch The Archer's beard. We took so many pictures and also took video, which we hope to upload here soon, if I can figure it out.
I got to feed Sir E his lunch, and change his diaper. Sir C laid down and played with Sir E. Look at how Sir E looks at Sir C. Isn't it sweet?

Here are some more pictures from our visit yesterday:

More Pictures

2008-05-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

We met Sir E today!

2008-05-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

We finally got to go meet Sir E today! You wouldn't believe how nervous The Archer and I were! It felt so weird, to think that we were going to meet our son. We had gone to a really cool toy store in a neighboring town, called Games Unlimited. They had SUCH cool toys and games! I think we'll be back when we want to get some great family toys and games. We actually ended up buying a toy figure for Sir C, because he is into knights and archers, and things like that. So we bought him an archer.

We got Sir E a really fun little Fisher Price Musical Zoo Train, as well as a gorgeous (if a stuffed animal can be called gorgeous) plush giraffe that is about 18 inches tall. We're saving the giraffe for when Sir E comes to stay.

So we met our caseworker over at the foster mom's house. She was SO excited for us! She has been wanting this just as much as we have. It was kind of funny, because she had written down the wrong address, just transposing the numbers a tad. We knocked on the door of this house where an older gentleman answered the door...I think he could easily be called an old codger. He said, "Well, what can I do for you?" Our caseworker said "We're looking for "P"....(the foster mom)". He said "Do I LOOK like "P"?" It was all rather amusing, and it really helped to ease our nervousness a bit.

Well, we finally ended up at the correct house, after a short phone call to "P". Two precious little boys answered the door with her...one was "J" and one was Sir E. Immediately, I knew that I had HELD Sir E before!!!!! I had met this foster mom at the place where Sir C goes for PT/OT! Believe it or not, I had met her last summer, and had actually spoken with her about her role as a foster mom. I had asked if I could hold the baby, and asked what the story behind him was. She wasn't allowed to say much, but she gave me a tiny background. And it all came back to me as I thought about this little boy, before we met him! God knew the WHOLE time!!! Isn't that amazing???

Anyway, we took 78 pictures while we were there! Not all of them were great, because Sir E kept wanting to grab the camera, or he was just on the go all the time, and the camera captured his actions a little too late. But we did get some really good photos. Here are a few of them:

Our Target Baby Registry

2008-05-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

We've begun a Target Baby Registry. You can view it here:

Baby Registry for Michael & Angie Ochoa

We will add to it as we are able to.

A Precious Little Life

2008-05-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we met with the caseworkers last Friday, the 2nd of May. I think they knew what our answer would be, even though they asked us to think it over and give our answer on Monday. We were ok with that, because we didn't want to make an emotionally based decision, and we wanted to have the time to pray and really ask God for super clarity, and any red flags.

But, we didn't get any red flags. We really feel that God wants us to take Sir E into our home, even if it's just for a short time. We pray that he will be our son, and that we will be allowed to adopt him.

So are you ready for a picture or three? Here's Sir E:

We get to go and meet him on Wednesday, so we will go shopping for a little gift to take. We also get to take the camera, so there will be more pictures soon. We're working hard on getting our home ready for Sir E to come, so we're trying to get rid of loads of fabric, craft things (that I won't be using), clothing, etc. Please keep us in your prayers as we work on all the things that we need to get done before Sir E comes to live with us.

We will be adding more to our registries soon, so that you can get an idea of the things we need. Any gift cards for Target or Babies 'R' Us or Old Navy will be GREATLY appreciated.

We love you!

The Archer, the Fair Queen, and the Elder Knight

News of a Meeting.

2008-05-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

We are excited because, even though we thought we wouldn't get to meet the other caseworkers until next week, we will be meeting them tomorrow (May 2nd)! What this means for us, is that we will get to see pictures of our little guy tomorrow, and find out more about him. The Archer is getting off of work early so that we can go. We have a wonderful friend who is going to hang out with Sir C, even though he so badly wants to go. Thank you Mrs. S, for being so flexible and being willing to hang out with Sir C.

We want to let you know that we will have three baby registries, even though we are asking for no showers until after the adoption has been finalized.

We are registered at Babies 'R' Us, and we will be registering at Target. We also have an Amazon.com baby registry, where we are listing our immediate needs (besides diapers of course!).

Welcome to The Ochoa Family Blog

2008-04-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hello. If you're reading this blog, it's probably because you are either friend, or family, or both. We have decided to begin a family blog so that we can keep in better touch with people who are dear to us, and maybe not so near to us.

We are An Archer, A Fair Queen (couldn't very well use "fair maiden" now could I?), and soon to be Two Knights. Right now, we only have Sir C, our 14 year old knight. But, as many of you know, we have been praying and waiting, and waiting and praying for a little knight or princess. We got a call yesterday evening (April 28, 2008), that we will be adding another little knight to our humble castle very soon. Sir E is 17 months old, and he will come to live with us around the end of May. We will be SURE to post LOTS of pictures!

I will be posting our "wish list" for Sir E, so that our friends and family will know what they can buy for him. But mostly, above anything that you can give, we covet your prayers. Please pray that the transition will go smoothly, and that he will be very comfortable with us, and us with him. Sir E is coming to us so that we can adopt him. Please pray that the adoption will go through without a hitch. Please pray that Sir C will be able to be a good big brother, teaching him the ways of Knighthood, in service to The King of Kings. Please pray that the Archer and the Fair Queen (me) will be the parents that The King wants us to be, and that this little knight will know of the love of The King at an early age.

God bless you all,
The Archer, the Fair Queen, and Sir C