Best Friends forever....

A good friend of mine sent me this picture of her two girls. Isn't it precious! Ohhh the memories these girls will make over their life together!!!

Thankful Thursday

I am Thankful for.....

1. My "new" living room furniture (I will blog about it later)
2. Doctors who figure out what is wrong with your child. Alex has been sick for the past two weeks. The first week, he did not have many symptoms except for not wanting to eat and being really crabby and clingy. When you are used to a laid back, content kid, it really wears you out!
3. That God has given me, yet another year of my life. For those who do not know, I turned 30 this past Friday! I think back at this past year...what a year!
4. Baby Monitors are great. I am very thankful to be able to sit here and listen to my son talk himself to sleep as I am typing this. I just smile and laugh when I hear him having fun!

Friends

As I mentioned in the previous post, Dave and I went to Akron the other weekend for a wedding. What a great time it was to see a great friend of mine get married and hang out with some college friends that I have not seen for awhile! It was once said that High School is the best time of your life. My time in college was better than High School! (of course I would say my life now is the best time of my life. I love being married with one kid!) What great people that God brought into my life and I am so glad that I can call them friends!

This is Megan and her new husband Jonathon. We met our Freshman year and were roommates our Senior year. Then since Megan and I had so much fun our Senior year, we just had to go to Mexico together and room there also! What fun!

Laura and Liz were there also! I hung out ALOT with these two my Senior year. I love that I still get to hang out with them every so often. Laura just recently moved to my neck of the woods...so I get to see her even more (hopefully)!

This is Josi, I was supposed to room with her my Junior year, but she decided to go to Nursing school in Cleveland...but I still think she is awesome! She is holding her daughter, Ruthie, who is 8 mos(?).

It always does my heart good to hang out with good friends!

Catch up

So often Dave and I take pictures to put on the blog and then we never post them. So let me take some time to post some of these pictures!

Dave and I went back to Indiana for a quick visit when Dave's mom had surgery. Dave snapped this picture of Alex, notice how he looks just like this outfit (The bull's nose ring??....maybe??).

OK, so our kid does not roll over, crawl, or walk but he can do a push up!

A few weeks ago, Dave and I were in Akron for my friend Megan's wedding. We stopped by to see another friend, Melissa, who just had a new baby! Alex was playing with her older daughter, Natalie (17 mons). Apparently Alex had a toy that she wanted to play with, so she just ploped herself on Alex's lap to get the toy. Alex just sat there and did not seem to care. I find it fun to watch Alex with other kids since he does not have a lot of interaction with other kids. All he has is me and I do not need to sit on his lap to play with his toys!

This is Kaylee (Natalie's little sister)



That is all for now...stay tuned for more!

Thankful Thursday

OK, this is not going well for me. My second Thankful Thursday and I am a day late! Better late than never, here we go....

1. Got to love disposable diapers! I know, they are filling up the landfill, but as I change my 3rd poopy diaper of the day, I am glad that I do not have to clean the diaper (just the butt that it was on!). I just wrap it up and throw it away!
2. Attached garages are wonderful. It started to rain last night on my way home from work. I just pulled into my garage and stayed nice and dry. Last time I was able to do that was when I was still living with me parents, 12 years ago!
3. Whoever has completed a Beth Moore study knows why I am thankful for her! God has used her in mighty ways in my life! I am reminded everyday that I too live in a Babylon as Daniel lived in his. The question is "how am I living for God in my Babylon?"

They are here

I had a new riding companion today on the way home from Bible Study. I was sitting at a stop light and noticed something moving at the bottom of my windshield, a cicada. I quickly rolled up all my windows...I was a little freaked out that it might fly in. I know that they are harmless...but a bug that size flying at you would make anyone scream and jump! I then got hot and rolled down my window, but did not reopen my sunroof! It stayed on my windshield the rest of the way home (about 30 min). When I got home, I jumped out of the car and ran in the house for the camera. I had to document the first Pacheco Cicada sighting! I remember when I was much younger and they were out in Ohio. All I remember is seeing their skins all over the place! The crazy thing is that the next time they are out in Chicago, Alex will be on his way to college!!! Ohhhh how the world changes in those 17 years they spend underground!
(Dave's Editorial: I wonder why Esther did not just turn the air conditioning on if she was hot and also scared of opening the windows. I'm just saying.....)

Thankful Thursdays

A friend of mine started blogging about what she was thankful for that week every Thursday and I thought that it was a great idea. So, Deanna, I hope you don't mind that I am going to follow your lead and do that same thing! Granted, I can guarantee that I will miss a few Thursdays here and there, but I will try to remain faithful! I hope you enjoy them:

1) That my friend Megan found a Godly man and got married this past weekend. The wedding was beautiful and I also was able to see some college friends of mine.
2) How great it is to have family in cities that you are visiting so you can stay at their house for free! Dave and I stayed with his Tio Eloy and Tia Patsy in Akron this past weekend (the wedding was in Akron). We also loved hanging out with them! Great conversation!
3) And of course, Our mom's! Thank you for finding us important enough to invest in our lives! And now, you are investing in our kid's life (I think I treasure that more)
(Proofreader's note: Esther wrote this entry on Thursday, but as the proofreader of the family, I, Dave did not get to it until Friday.)

Poor Guy

Well about midnight last night, a cry was heard over the baby monitor! Being that Alex sleeps through the night all the time, I sprang into action because when he does cry, you know that there is a big reason. When I reached in for him, I knew why he was crying. He was so hot (temp of 103). So we sat down in the chair to rock for a bit to calm down. Then it happened, he vomited all down the front of my shirt. Dave got called in: "Make up a bath for him!" What a night.

Around 4 in the morning, we were all back in bed. Well kind of, Alex was asleep width wise in our bed (that is were Dave finally got him asleep)with me next to him and Dave was downstairs on the couch since there was not room for him in our bed. Poor guy! Dave is such a trooper. He gave up his bed to his son and only got a few hours of sleep. We was up by 5:30 to get ready for work, and I sent him on an errand to get Pedialite for Alex before going to work (while I slept).

No worries. Except for some tired parents! All is well in the Pacheco household. Alex is good today. His fever is good and he is taking in his liquids. Now let's hope Dave nor I get what Alex had!

Spring is in the air

FYI: The picture has nothing to do with what I am going to write about. I figure what is a blog post without a picture of Alex. Right?

After living in an apartment for the last two years, I am really looking forward to planting flowers in my yard. Though the person who previously lived here did not take care of the flower beds, someone at one point in time knew what they were doing and planted some wonderful plants. There is one that I am enjoying today! They planted a lilac bush right outside the Living Room window. Since it is so nice today, I opened the windows and the smell of lilacs is filling the house!! How wonderful! Dave took the camera to work today, so I can not post any pictures today of my flowers, but maybe tomorrow!

So, last week I spent some time pulling the weeds that have been growing freely in the flower beds for the last two years. Not only did I find weeds but I found something living under the mulch. I have no confirmation of what it is but I know that it is alive, small and it moves. Here is how the story goes; I was squating down digging up dandelions when I noticed the mulch about 5 inches from me appeared to be moving. I stopped and watched just to make sure that I was not imagining it! I was not, something was displacing the mulch as it was moving around between the mulch and the ground. Talk about freaky!! I stepped back and watched it for about 5 minutes. I did not know what else to do but stand there and watch! I was thinking "should I step on it? Should I stab it with the scissors that are in my hand?" I did not do either, for I was more afraid of the noise it would make if I got it than of the animal itself! Can I get an Amen to that? I eventually saw it move under the bushes. The next day, that same thing happened. Anybody have any ideas of what it could be or what I should do about it? Help me get rid of this unwanted overnight guest living in my flower beds!!

Catch up time

I went to download pictures from my camera to the computer this morning and realized how long it has been since I have posted anything. I have some catching up to do! As you have read from Dave's post, we are in our "new" house now! We are loving the amount of space we have. My mom was a wonderful blessing this past week. She was able to stay and help me unpack. I am not sure if she was here to help me or spend time with Alex? I think it was for both!

This is a picture of Alex's first nap in the house. He fell asleep on the way to the house after we closed! He looks so comfortable! I am not going to be able to take many more picture of him sleeping in his car seat much longer. As you can see, he has almost out grown the car seat!


That first weekend after closing, Dave and I spent taking down wallpaper. I have come the conclusion that when buying a house with wallpaper, you should ask the homeowners to remove their own wallpaper before you buy the house..work it into the contract. As our realtor kept telling us..."it is all about the verbage." So we stripped, filled holes, sanded, and washed the walls. As you can see, one of my jobs was to wash the walls to remove the last of the glue...so I washed



and washed


and washed

I was so whipped after that weekend! And then I spent three days painting! But it was all worth it!


We had our first house guests this past weekend. When my dad come back to pick up mom, he brought with him Alex's Grandma and Grandpa Great! Dave I were able to sleep six adults and one baby comfortably in our house!!! Every couple had their own room! It was wonderful to have family come up and visit. Dave and I love our family and are blessed by them all the time! I love that Alex will have the wonderful experience of knowing his Great Grandparents! He will be blessed by them as I was when I was growing up!

We're In!

Dave here. It's been quite awhile since we've posted and part of that is because we have not had internet access for the past week. We moved into our house today, and like a moron, I didn't really document the process with photos. Here is a quick synopsis.

I was to pick up the truck from Budget today at 8:00 am. I arrived at 8:00 only to find out that they did not have the truck I had reserved. Here was the exchange between me and the Budget employee (BE):
BE: Are you returning?
Me: No, I'm picking up.
BE: What size truck did you reserve?
Me: 24 foot.
BE: Okay, we don't have a 24' on the lot right now.
Me: Okay then.

After getting over my initial shock and dismay, we worked out a fair deal for a 15 foot truck, which they had on the lot. It took an extra trip, but it was still better than waiting for a 24' truck to be delivered to them later that day.

Here was the moving crew: Me, Esther, Esther's parents (Jerry & Charlotte), My parents (Dan & Miriam), my brother Dan, Mike Patti, Mike Fralic, Daren Snow, Gene Garcia, Bob Heggeland, Jake Ritter, Willie Bosque, Len Legastee, James Vidmar, Frank Jaziak, Alex Jaziak, Chris Heubner, Jackie Heubner. My deepest apologies if I forgot anyone.....its been a long day. As you can see, we had quite a crew of workers, and with the exception of Willie, everyone was either family or from our church. I met Willie last year when he helped coach Wheaton Academy baseball.
It's great to have such willing friends.

Jake's wife Erica kept Alex for most of the day, which was an absolutely huge help to us. Mike Fralic and his wife Heide, our realtor, provided pizza for lunch, and we prayed together in the family room to dedicate this house to God.

We were done with everything pretty much by noon, and then Dan and I went to Len's house to pick up a dining room table and chairs that they so graciously provided for us.

Everyone was gone by the time we got back from that, except for all our family.
Erica brought Alex to our house mid-afternoon and he was happy to see his mom & dad. We got a little more unpacking done and then we all went to Panera for supper and my parents and Dan left to drive back to Indiana. What a blessing they were today.
Esther's Dad is leaving on Monday and her mom is staying for the rest of the week to help Esther unpack while I go back to work.

Mia has adjusted nicely as she has scoped out the entire house already. She's still a little jumpy, but with all the moving we've done in the last two years, she's getting used to being a nomadic cat. She'll be as good as new by tomorrow night.

Once we get a little more unpacked, we'll post some pictures of the new place.

Loving my two-car garage, deck and spacious back yard,
Dave.

It's Bedtime!

Packing Mania

Tomorrow is the big day! I can not believe that the day has finally arrived. My mom was up visiting this week and she helped me pack up my kitchen. For anyone who has moved, you know what a huge job that can be! It is amazing how much stuff you can put in a kitchen. My mom still found time to read Alex a story, as you can see by the picture.

This is a picture of Alex's new face he likes to make. This face comes with the baby snorting they do with their nose!! Only a baby can make it look cute! And check out the hair. I think he needs to go in for his third hair cut. I could go broke just paying for his first year's hair cuts!

Bear with us, we will be in between internet providers for the next week. We will try to run up to Dave's office to post a blog of our moving adventure!!!

It's Beginning To Look A lot Like........?????

Dave here. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. We've been preoccupied with moving stuff. We have two more days until we close (Friday morning). I'm looking out my office window and it's almost a blizzard outside. My initial reaction is to be upset and depressed because its supposed to be spring right now. However, I always revert to my philosophy about the weather: "We can't do a thing about it, so we might as well be happy with it."

Have a fantastic day!

Update on American Idol

I just found this link on my friend Rachel's blog. I think some people have way to much time on their hands. Of course some people would say that about me and the amount of time I spent writing on my blog and reading friend's blogs!! Anyways, click here and check it out!

A trip Downtown

On Saturday, Dave, Alex and I met Jim, Tammie and Tara at the Museum of Science and Indsutry to see Body Worlds 2. What an amazing exhibit. I learned to much! God is amazing. While we were wasting time in other exhibits we stumbled upon a picture of my brother!!! Can you beleive it? We did not think people would believe that we found it, so we took a picture of it!

For those who do not know my brother, he is a geologist for the USGS. He currently is studying volcanos for them. This not not a picture of him either...give him a few years and maybe!!!! Love you Joel!

Another exhibit we saw was called "Imaging" They had a heat sensor screen. Can you guess who is who? I will give you hints. The first picture is of a mother and daughter. The second picture is of a married couple. The last picture is of someone sleeping! I would have posted pictures of Body Worlds 2 but they did not allow cameras. You will just have to click on the link above and see pictures on there.










Here is a picture of Alex when he was supposed to be sleeping! Look at him....you can not help but smile and laugh.

A new era!

You know it is amazing to watch your child enter a new era of life. Granted, I am aware that most kids enter this era much sooner, we all new that sooner or later Alex would make it. What era is this this, you ask? He now has his own ideas on what things should be like and how things should be done! If things are not how he likes it, he will let me know! It is fun to have him communicate with me more. One example I can think of is a trip to Chipotle to get Dave and I burritos. Alex loves his car seat and car rides. I took Alex with me to get them and when I put him back in his car seat to go home, he squirmed and fussed as I was buckling him back in. There were other things he would be rather be doing than sitting in his car seat. Other times are when I do not get his food to him fast enough. He watches me from his high chair and at times does not let me forget that he is waiting! Someday these small moments of communication will turn into tantrums! I will treasure these moments as I have them for someday I will want them back! It is hard to believe that this sweet face will tell me "NO!" someday!

Let the Packing Begin!

Dave here. Well, we have less than two weeks until we close on our house and then a week later, we will move in. The week in between closing and move-in we will spend painting and tearing out some wallpaper.

We hit the box jackpot as Shelly Rose, a co-worker with me at Wheaton Academy just moved and they had a load of boxes just waiting to be used. I went to get them and even though they were all broken down, I had trouble fitting all of them into my car. Our apartment is a war zone right now. We're slowly packing all of our stuff and stacking everything we can in Alex's room.

Alex enjoys sitting on top of all of the packing paper and he finds his bathtub fun to play in even when he's not taking a bath.






Well, Esther has officially beat me in the bracket challenge. I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet on the blog. Her lead is widening as OSU (her champion) has made it to the finals.

We took a trip downtown today....more on that later.

Who knows if it is true!

Are you wondering how Sanjaya can survive this long??? Why is America voting for him? Check out this website

Great read

I just got done with a great book call anonymous by Alicia Britt Chole. It is one of those book that I should read again in a year or so. So much good insight. She writes about the temptation of Christ. The idea of the book is that you can tell a lot about a person's past from the decisions they make today. So to catch a glimpse of Jesus' "anonymous" 30 years, she looks at the decisions he made when he was tempted. Thank you Miriam for letting me borrow the book!

A Visit & A Walk!

Meet our friends Aaron and Jandie Waggoner. They stopped by our place on their way out of the country. But before they left, Aaron made my son into a little homeboy! Apparently Mia wanted in on the action. "Why are they leaving the country" you may be asking? Well, they're on their way to vacation in Scotland for 16 days. I was impressed, they had everything they needed for 16 days in one large backpack and a standard school sized backpack! I can not wait to see their pictures when they get back! Their pictures should be awesome because they have their own photography business.

The weather was so beautiful today, so we took a walk. It was just a little bit windy so Alex's hair was especially messy when we got back. He is in desparate need of the third haircut of his young life. We walked for about 2 miles and the sun felt so nice. The picture is of Alex in his stroller right after we got back from the walk. Esther thinks this picture makes Alex look fat, but I say he looks pleasantly plump.