Jake and Liangzi are married

Liangzi's parents take out their endowments and get sealed the day before the wedding. Pres Haines performed the ceremony and Sister Kong translated it in Mandarin. What a great day!

Me and the kids at the Houston Temple.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Ellis

 Mandy taking care of business.

The whole family plus bride's maids.

Jake and Liangzi in the midst of family

The Groom's family

Wedding party

Liangzi's family from China

ahhh, so sweet.

Cousins

The sisters

Bridesmaids

The bride

Hurray!

I love to see the temple!

Aunt Ginger and Ammon

The ring ceremony

Cousins

My newest nephew

And they are off! Just Married!

Leaving the Alamo reception center

Heading home after a long weekend.

 

The next morning, Gavin asked me on the way to school, "Mom can we start the wedding over again." I guess he had fun.

 

 

Christmas PJs 2012

Christmas 2012

 Saturday December 22, 2012 the Marcano family braved the cold to spend the day at Seaworld. We met up with our cousins Cory, Joanna and Gabe and Hunter while we were there. It was great.

The first show we saw was Shamu's Miracles. At first, I was mostly worried about getting wet as there wasn't any room on the benches that weren't in the splash zone. But then the show turned towards miracles of giving birth to a son. Of course it was symbolic of our savior whose birth we were celebrating. As a duet of singers began to sing Christmas carols and broke out into "Joy to the World" I looked around the arena at all those many many people gathered there. These people were of all different religions I'm sure and all different walks of life, but they were all hearing the same song that was jubilantly being sung by this duet. As I heard the words, "let earth receive her King!" my eyes teared up. Yes, let us receive our King! How glorious that day will be when he comes again and all knees shall bend and heads shall bow and tongues proclaim that this is the Christ! I caught a glimpse of that vision as I sat on that bench watching thousands of people celebrating the ultimate Miracle! What a great way to start off Christmas break!

Christmas Eve, Ammon got to open his first gift kind of by default that Jhonny grabbed it out of the car before we got the kids to bed. Oh well. I figured he wouldn't know the difference. He sure was excited to get in it the first time and be able to play sitting up. He's sitting up on his own a bit better now. Hopefully he will get the hang of this soon.

 Not to be outdone, the kids all got to open their new Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve. Thanks to Grandma for sending $ for me to go buy them along with a few other items.

 Ammon's first Christmas gift! He opened it with Jessica's help of course.

 Lily couldn't wait to open her gift from Jessica. I believe it was her idea to draw names and give gifts to siblings this year. She is a great gift giver. I think it must be one of her love languages. She probably already knew what was under the tree, but she was excited to open it anyway.

On Christmas Eve, Ammon went down for his nap. When I went to get him up, he looked like this. Soo cute. My little man.

 Lily got the one thing she had asked for from Santa, me, Grandma and anyone else who might be willing to buy her a gift for Christmas. Hurray!

 Gavin opens his gift from Mom and Dad that barely made it in time.

 Ammon was much more interested in the tissue paper.

 The kids all got a tablet for Christmas. This of course was decided when we weren't sure if we would remain here or go over seas next fall and I didn't want "big" presents to dispose of. I figured this would be a toy that would compile all other toys/books/games in one. The kids were surprised and excited!

 Gavin got just what he asked Santa for - Captain America to add to his Avengers/super hero collection. Of course this was his original list. He was a bit upset when Santa didn't bring anything on his list that he brought home from school the last day before Christmas break. I had to explain that I sent his requests into Santa's workshop months ago. Santa has to prepare after all. No fair changing your mind at the last second! He got over his temporary disappointment and enjoyed his gifts after all.
Later, Lily whispered in my ear that Santa didn't bring Gavin this present because I (mom) did. I looked at her confused and said, "I don't remember which one he got from Santa." Hmmm. Close one. Do you think she suspects?

 Here's a few more shots of the last first Christmas in the Marcano household. . .

 My super hero! He LOVED his gift from Ammon.

 After presents, the missionaries came over for a Waffle breakfast. We got a few extras that didn't have appointments that day. It was great having them over. After breakfast I warned them that I wanted to hear missionary miracles for their spiritual message that morning. They all took a turn sharing a miracle from their missions and then Jhonny and I shared a couple from our missions. The spirit was burning the place up! It really brought a nice feeling into our home for the rest of the day. I also put a stocking together for each of the Elders and threw in a gift card for each one. They were so surprised. I just hoped to make their Christmas a little bit more memorable. I know it was tough as a missionary to feel very productive on Christmas because few people really want you in their home that day to preach to them. And other than a phone call home, it's hard for it to really feel like Christmas. I hope it was better than Christmas for them. I thought they looked so handsome in their suits all dressed up. I mean that in the most motherly way. I am old enough to be their mother after all.

The next day we traveled to Houston to visit my family. I got a hair cut and instead of seeing Les Miserables as planned, I got sick and ended up in bed. Then I shared it with my mom. Yuck. Not quite how I imagined spending the holidays with my family. Fortunately it was over within 24 hours. On New Years, my former Visiting Teacher came over so we could go see the show. It was soo worth it. I cried through about half of the show. It was heart wrenching and kind of ugly in places, but the music was incredible and moving. I didn't think they could out do Broadway, but they did.

Speaking of New Years. We had a little informal get together on New Year's Eve with friends from our ward. We hung out and played catch phrase and the kids played up until almost midnight. It was kind of exhausting, but so fun. Now it's back to work.

My New Year's Resolution? To survive 2013 and gain my energy back while enjoying every little moment I can with this cute little darling. We're moving into a new phase in our family - no more babies. I hope we are able to capture some great memories along the way.

One year older and wiser too. . .

I'm 40. I meant to write about all the things I have learned in the first half of my life. It seems to have flown by. Just yesterday I turned 16 and was excited and anxious about my first real date. If I could go back and give myself advise I think I would say:

Make friends with your brother while he still lives with you. He may never change, but you will.
Your sisters will end up being your best friends, so enjoy them now.
Your dad turns out to be pretty great at being a dad.
Savor every moment with the good people around you and worry less about what everyone thinks.
Quit drill team sooner and get your cosmetology license like you planned. That last year just about did you in anyway and wasn't worth all the trouble.
Prepare for a mission, because it will be a reality and one of the best experiences of your life.
It's okay to miss your mission, but real life is good too. Love it too and let it go.
Enjoy your time at BYU and don't get hung up on boys that don't call! There really are more fish in the sea and you'll find him. No use dwelling on the past.
Enjoy your classes and be open to meeting new people. Be HAPPY! Life only happens once.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Vote.
Keep on dancing. Life is what you make of it.
Don't be afraid to travel! It's kind of cool!
Tell the people you care about that you do. You never know how the conversation will turn out, but you will never regret being honest about your feelings. Sometimes, it's okay to make the first move.
Just being friends with boys doesn't really get you very far and there is no such thing as a forever friend who is a boy, unless you marry him.
Cry when it hurts. Tears are healing, not a sign of weakness.
Take risks. You never know!
You are a catch, so don't worry about the boys that don't like you. If they don't well, their loss.
Know that it will all turn out okay. The right boy will find you.
God's promises are sure so trust Him and his time tables.
When life hands you lemons, trust that lemonade is in the works.
Grad school is not as big of a deal as you thought. In fact, you will love it, so just go for it!
When you quit teaching that year, don't toss your TRS! You will want it back later.
SAVE your money!! It's better than getting into debt.
Listen to the spirit. Trust it and follow the promptings you've been given.
Learn how to have a natural birth so it doesn't about kill you when you haven't got enough time for drugs.
Find your own happiness, because marriage can be tough! Boys and husbands don't make you happy. They're just along for the ride.
Just when you think you know it all, you don't know a thing.
Even when you grow up, you will never really feel like a grown up.
Life is really too short to live with regrets. Figure out what you want and make it happen!
Now on for the next forty years.

I hope my kids will be able to benefit from my mistakes. I hope and pray they will be happy, confident, and fulfill the missions they have been sent to do here on earth. I love them so much and I'm so lucky to have them in my life. There really is nothing quite so good as being a mom and watching these spirits grow and mature. I'm amazed at their unconditional love for me no matter what kind of a day I'm having. Jessica is the best friend and confident I could ever have. She listens to me like no other. Lily is the most optimistic soul who entertains me constantly. Gavin is chivalrous and the kind of little man I've always dreamed they should all be like. Some little girl is going to be very lucky to be his princess some day. Ammon is a mystery in the making and getting cuter by the day.
Our children truly are our greatest joy in life. *sigh* Can't believe it's about half over.

Happy Holidays

So it's been a while since I've posted. The semester is almost coming to an end and I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off work. Ammon is growing, but he doesn't like to eat much more than mommy's milk which makes for a very tired full time working mom. I'm hoping he learns to eat real food soon. It's exhausting.
So last week, Jhonny and I went to a recruiting fair for South American schools. So far, we came up empty. No one wanted to accept us with four kids in tow. It was a bit disappointing for us and sad that the investment of money spent on the conference came up a bust. On the happy side for those around here, it looks like we're sticking around for a while longer. It's kind of a relief to think I won't have to get rid of all of our earthly possessions down to two suitcases per child. I can't get Jhonny to get rid of furniture I was ready to let go of a year ago, let alone an entire house full of stuff. Yikes. Who knows if we will try again. For now, I'm enjoying the bliss of staying put and throwing around the idea of buying a house here in the next year or so. That makes me nervous. Just when we sign the papers, I'm sure there will come some kind of transfer. That's just the way my life goes.
My life seems pretty routine as of late. Work, dinner, chauffering kids to dance, voice lessons, activity days, girls scouts, church, stopping every three hours to feed a baby and start again. Nothing extremely exciting around here. I'm just trying to keep up with 4 kids. Who knew it could be so hard. Perhaps if I wasn't working oh 40-60 hours a week, it wouldn't be such a challenge.
To send cards or to not send cards. I'm not much in the mood to send anything, especially after spending way too much money to go to Atlanta last week. There isn't much to report anyway that hasn't already been posted here or on facebook. Yep, I'm cheap. I can admit it.
Lily asked me what I want for Christmas. I stared at her for a minute, because what I want probably is out of her price range. So I had to think hard. Hmm. . . a day or even better - a week of no WHINING, fighting or need for me to referee, laundary that gets done, folded and put away on it's own, dinner made and cleaned up without my help, tickets to a movie (preferably Les Miserable on Christmas day) without the need to take the baby or pay for a babysitter, a full night (8 hour minimum) of uninterrupted sleep. These are all things I've sacrificed for my children. Most days they are worth it.
Last night we had our ward Christmas party. It was a pioneer theme. We had a live strings band that played while there was dancing, stick pulling, old fashioned crafts, a gingerbread house display, and treats set up in a seperate room. At the end, Sister Millett pulled out a bell choir set and the kids played a song or two. Then we sang silent night and there was a visit from Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. Santa did not come to the gathering. It was nice. Jessica's friend's family and our neighbors down the street came for the fun. It was a very nice evening. Kudos to the planning commitee.
This week I'm looking forward to a very busy week at work, kids' activities, a choir concert, a dance party, hopefully Christmas pictures of Ammon now the he is close to 7 months old and sometime we've got to get in for tithing settlement. I'm tired already. Yikes! Happy Holidays!

Three of my kids were featured in my friend's website photo shoot advertising her bow business. "Buggie's Bowtique" for specific reference. It was a stressful day for her, but fun for my kids. They were especially happy to take home free bows from the experience.

Adjusting

Tomorrow is the first day of school. I know many households that are having anxiety over getting up early tomorrow for the first time in months since school let out in May. We've had a little more warming up to that since I started working three weeks ago and Jhonny a week and 1/2 ago. And yet, the kids are still anxious about the first day of school and had a hard time getting to sleep tonight. I remember those days.
So far Ammon is adjusting just fine to our wonderful babysitter. I couldn't have asked for better. Sister Kellogg has taken Ammon all over for playdates and visits to the school. I get text pics throughout the day. He responds with a grin when he sees his little buddy (her daughter). He is doing great. I miss him of course and would love to do nothing but hold him all night when I get home from work. Not possible since I have three other kids vying for attention as well.
This pic was taken during RS today. He was sitting in my lap staring at his hands for the longest time looking so serious. I thought for sure he was falling asleep, but alas those eyes were open. Too cute.
He is growing bigger everyday and changing. His head is expanding so much that his hair looks like it's thinned out considerably even though I can tell he has new hair growing in. It just doesn't look quite as thick as before. He's still cute and adorable.. . and crying to be fed. Right now. So gotta go!

2012 Family Foto shoot