Ahhhhh...

Well, summer vacation has officially begun and I thought I would pop in and let you all know what is happening in the Sotomayor household. After the craziness of finishing out my LAST school year at Desert Oasis (hallelujah), we took our first family trip to California to visit family and of course take Luca to the beach. Despite chilly weather, we had a great time just hanging out and exploring southern California. Luca of course LOVED the beach. He went toddling right towards the water holding onto daddy's hands, mouth wide open with awe and excitement. He also loved the sand. That is the longest I have ever seen him sit still in one place, bucket and shovel in hand. Thankfully none of it made it into his mouth. We also got to spend a lot of time with Santi's family, and Luca enjoyed checking out Uncle Xavi's new digs in Venice Beach. Isn't that like the perfect place for a twenty something single guy? Yeah, I know. I think Santi was drooling on the inside. Of course Luca was also spoiled rotten by his great aunts, and we were so happy we got to see Tia Maria Enith who was visiting from Ecuador. He is definitely the prince of the Sotomayor side being the only baby boy among a bunch of baby girls. And he definitely has grandpa's personality. Hopefully we will get to see grandpa in a month or two when he makes his way to the states again. After a relaxing weekend away, I got to start my summer with my little man. We have been enjoying hanging out around the house, and have made plans for play dates, library story time, and the pool next week. The past couple of days he has been a little under the weather thanks to the top teeth working their way through. Hopefully they will pop out soon and he will be back to his happy self. Even when he is uncomfortable, he doesn't sit still. He has been busy cruising around all the furniture and I am certain he will be walking very soon. Eeeeek!

Besides taking care of my teething baby, my furry baby is also nursing an injury he managed just an hour after being dropped off at the pet resort. Oh Tevez. Poor thing. I am also working on some serious home organization over the summer, on top of getting ready for my first year in first grade at my new school...AND planning the final details of two 1st birthday parties! Man, so much for lounging. I have a bunch of pictures to post from Luca's first beach adventure, but my memory card is waaaaaaaaay over in the bookcase and I am so not getting up right now. Luca's nap time is one of the few moments of the day I get to sit and chill. Oh, and our laptop is still all slow and screwy, so it will be getting (hopefully) repaired next week, which may mean I don't get to update or post more pictures for a little while. AHHHH!

Summertime...and the Livin's Easy!

I cannot believe the school year is actually over. I am so relieved. I was getting exhausted towards the end, and this was a rough year being pregnant for the majority of it. I am so happy that summer vacation has finally arrived, but reality is also sinking in that I won't actually be returning to work until sometime in November. That seems like such a long time, but I know once Luca is here it will just fly by. I would give anything to be able to stay home with him and not have to return to work, but that is up to God.
As of today I am 34 weeks and 2 days pregnant. That means, in 6 weeks or less Luca will be here. I am so excited. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve every single day. I have plenty to keep me busy in the next 6 or so weeks between organizing things around the house, working in my classroom to prepare for the maternity leave sub, and preparing for Luca's arrival. I also plan on enjoying plenty of pool time (per doctor's request) and getting as much rest as possible. I know our lives are about to change in ways we can't even imagine. It's really hard to get my mind around what is about to happen.
Next week Santi and I will celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long, and what an incredibly blessed 4 years it has been. We got married and moved across the country together as newlyweds, and God has truly provided for us since we arrived in Arizona. We have had some wonderful times together just the two of us, and we have been through a lot together. I just can't imagine what it will be like when it's no longer just the two of us. I guess we will find out soon enough!
As far as the pregnancy goes, like I mentioned I am 34 weeks and 2 days. Due to my low fluid levels a couple of weeks ago, I am being monitored twice a week with non-stress tests and fluid index tests. I went in this morning for testing and praise God everything looked good. I will go back on Friday for the tests again, and starting next week I will be seeing my doctor every week until delivery. Good thing school is out, because I don't know how I would fit in so many doctor appointments while working! Other than my concerns about my fluid levels and Luca's small size, I am feeling great. I get tired much more easily, I can't stand or walk for long periods, and I am starting to swell with the warmer weather, but honestly I can't complain. I am grateful that I have had a pretty easy pregnancy up to this point. More importantly, I am thankful that I was able to get pregnant again quickly after our losses, and that Luca is healthy and doing well so far. I know too many people who have dealt with pregnancy loss and infertility, and it's a painful thing to go through. Being pregnant and being able to have a child of our own is a true blessing, even when I am uncomfortable or inconvenienced.

And per request, we have a 34 week picture with the Halloween shirt. I can't believe we found out about this little blessing on Halloween weekend. He has definitely grown a lot since then!!!

We also spent this long weekend washing baby clothes and doing some other pre-baby home improvement projects. I think Luca has enough outfits to last his entire first year.

Tevez was helping fold clothes. Do you think he is ready to be a big brother?

Summer's End

It's hard to believe that summer came and went. I guess that's what happens when you spend your summer traveling around the world and visiting with family and friends. Santi and I spent two and a half weeks in Ecuador in June. It was truly an amazing experience. This was the first time he had been back to his home country since he left over 13 years ago. When we first landed in Quito it felt surreal to both of us to actually be there (could have been the lack of sleep or lightheaded feeling from the altitude). This trip was something we have both talked about since we met, and to think we were finally there was unbelievable. We spent our time exploring Quito, which Santi discovered had changed and grown quite a bit since he had left, and traveling around the rest of Ecuador visiting family. Ecuador was absolutely beautiful. I always knew I would love it there, but I never expected that it would grow my love for Santiago and give me a clearer understanding of exactly who he is and where he came from. Our childhoods are such defining parts of who we are as people, and until we went to Ecuador and I was able to see where he grew up, I never fully understood that part of him. He always had a good idea of what my childhood was like because he lived in Indiana for 13 years, understood what life in the midwest was all about, met my family, and spent time fishing and doing all of the other things I enjoyed growing up. I had never had that opportunity. Of course I had met some of his family at the wedding, and his immediate family lives in Indiana, but to meet everyone else and be there, in Ecuador, was a completely different experience. We saw and experienced so many fantastic things. I would be here all day if I wrote about them all! When people ask what my favorite part of the trip was, I have to say the FOOD..and truly experiencing the culture. I have such a deep love and respect for Hispanic culture, and Ecuadorian culture in particular. It has always been part of our relationship, but now I think both our American culture and Ecuadorian cultures will be much more closely intertwined. I love listening to Ecuadorian music, and after purchasing an Ecuadorian cookbook I am becoming quite the cook! I think that the blending of our two very unique cultures makes us a unique couple, and will one day make us a unique family.
Speaking of family...no we are not expecting! I don't know how many times I was asked that in Ecuador...being that I am almost 26 and Santi almost 29 with no children is kind of rare for Ecuadorians. That's where our American side comes in I guess! I have to admit, I have had babies on the brain for awhile now, especially with so many of my friends having babies, but there just never seems to be a "right time". I know people say there never will be a "right time", so I guess at some point we are just going to have to let God handle the timing. We always set a time frame, and then push it back when we plan another vacation or large purchase...it seems like there is always "just one more vacation" or, "let's just buy this for the house first". Lately it's been the search for a new car. Not to mention my fear of who would watch our baby if we can't afford for me to stay home. Hopefully with both of us finishing school in the next year that won't be an issue. I guess for now I need to "give it up to God" and trust him with the solution.
School is starting a week from Monday...can you believe that?! I am astonished that it is already that time of year again! I must say though, I am a little excited. I do love teaching. I am extra excited this year because it will be my second year in the same grade, kindergarten, which I love! I finally feel like I have more of a handle on what to expect and what works and what doesn't work now that I have a year of kindergarten under my belt. I was in my classroom all last week getting things arranged. I must say it looks sooooo much better than last year when I had no idea what I was doing! I have seen my class list so far...16 kiddos, but I won't get my hopes up because I will be at 20+ by the first day. This year should be extra interesting too because instead of all Spanish speakers I have one child that speaks Arabic and one that speaks Vietnemese. I have also made the decision to blog about my classroom this year. Teaching is such an inspirational career, no two days are ever alike, and to be honest I have some really funny things I would like to blog about! Hopefully it goes well.
Well, for now it is off to make dinner.

Summertime and the livin's easy...

Well, I can remember just a few weeks ago I was thinking summer would never arrive, but here it is and boy it came fast! Today I enjoyed my first official day of summer and it was grand, although I must admit I am already bored. Thankfully we have a busy summer of traveling and hosting visitors ahead of us, so I think I better enjoy the boredom while it lasts. This weekend I enjoyed catching up on my cleaning and soaking up the sun on the Salt River with teacher friends. Poor Santi is busy at work trying to get ahead before we leave. We leave for Ecuador in less than 2 weeks now, and I have plenty of last minute travel details to keep me busy for the next few days. My brother is coming out for a visit on Friday and will be here several days. We are looking forward to seeing him! I am so excited about everything we have planned for the summer, and I am so grateful that we are able to do these things. This trip to Ecuador has been a long time coming and I know that Santi is truly excited to return home. I am also really looking forward to learning more about where he grew up and seeing the beauty of his home country. I am also excited to meet many of his family members and old high school friends that I have never met! I know it will be an amazing trip and one we will cherish until we are able to return:) Shortly after we return from Ecuador I will be heading to Indiana for a week to see family and also attend the wedding of Deanna, a good friend from college. I am so excited to see my family and friends and be home again in Indiana. I cannot believe it has been almost a year since I have seen my mom!!!!! That is ridiculous if you ask me. I think we need to be making more trips! It's hard being so far away, but I am constantly torn between the life we love out here and the world of opportunities that we have and the nagging feeling that we should be closer to family. I hope sooner than later we can strike a balance.
On another note, Santi and I have joined a "Home Team", or Bible study through church and it has been a real blessing. We meet once a week with a group of couples our age, eat together, and discuss the message of the week from church. I have been praying for a long time for God to bring us some married friends our age that we could relate to and develop relationships with. At work, all of our friends are single for the most part, so it is difficult to find friends to relate to. The best part is, we also discovered that we live just one street over from the only other couple in the group who does not have kids! It's so nice to finally feel like we are connecting with people out here. I can't believe we have been here almost 2 years! Time flies!

Well...I will post again with photos of our experiences in Ecuador!

Summer's end is here...

Okay, I know it's been awhile since the last post. These past few weeks have been VERY busy! After enjoying some nice relaxing "me" time in June, things really picked up in July. We started off the month enjoying a Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Tempe Town Lake. This being our first 4th in Arizona, we weren't quite sure where to go. We had heard that Tempe Town Lake was the place to be, so we decided to check it out. There was a huge crowd with lots of food, live bands, and the local news. We enjoyed some dinner and then sat by the lake and watched an amazing 45 minute fireworks show on the lake which was done to music. It was by far the best fireworks show we have ever seen! We also got to check out the Mill Ave. District which reminded us a lot of Kirkwood in Bloomington. Because ASU is in Tempe, it is very much a college town. It kind of felt like home:)
At the beginning of the month we also joined what is called a "Home Team" through our church. It is basically a Bible study. There are probably over 30 Home Teams throughout the west valley of Phoenix. It is really quite amazing that so many people are involved in weekly Bible studies. We decided based on our schedule to join one that meets Friday nights. We noticed that one of the Friday night options also happened to be a Spanish-speaking group. We decided it would be a great opportunity to connect with other Hispanic families, not to mention I could use the practice with my Spanish. It turns out they are trying to get a Spanish ministry started at our church, and the Home Team is pretty big. They are a great group of people, and although we have only been a couple of times, we really enjoy going. We are hoping to get involved with the mission of creating a Spanish ministry and eventually a Spanish service at church.
Just last week my parents came out to visit, see the new house, and help with painting. They arrived last Saturday and spent 5 days here. It was so great to spend that time with them. It is hard being so far away, but it also makes the time together that much more special. On Sunday we took them to see the Diamondbacks play the Dodgers. We were up the whole game until our closing pitcher blew it in the last inning. Even though we lost, we had a great time. It is nice to have so many pro sports teams so close. Going to games is a lot of fun. I think my parents enjoyed themselves too. They love baseball. On Monday we spent all day painting the living room, kitchen, entryway, and hallway. My dad also hung up two ceiling fans and he and Santi put together our frames and paintings from Ecuador. On Tuesday they finished up with the painting and then we all went up to Scottsdale for the day. We went to the mall and rode the trolley around Old Scottsdale. On Wednesday Santi had work and class so I took mom and dad shopping at the outlet mall. Before we knew it, it was time for them to head home. It seemed like their visit flew by! Hopefully next time they come out we won't have work to do on the house and we can do some more traveling and exploring. I really want to take them up to the Grand Canyon. We really appreciated all their help though. I will be home in September for Amanda's wedding, so I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
This past week or so I have been in and out of school and the teacher store trying to get my classroom ready. I feel like it is still a mess! I have so much to do that I don't even know where or how to start. The beginning of the school year is always a bit overwhelming, especially since I am teaching a new grade this year, not to mention I am teaching ELD (English Language Development). We are all still unsure how the new ELD program is going to work, so it will be challenging. I am looking forward to September when our routines have been established, I know my students a little better, and we are really in the thick of learning! I am also hoping that our new principal can really help us turn our school around this year. He seems great.
On top of all of that, I am applying to start grad school September 1st at Grand Canyon University. I will hopefully be getting a Master's in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
Well, that about sums up my summer! Tomorrow I have to be back at school officially. We are swamped with meetings this week, back to school night Friday, and then next Monday is the first day!

Long Summer Days...

It's summer in the desert, and it's HOT. Well, what else would you expect? Santi and I have been living in Arizona almost a year now. It's amazing how time flies. As we move from June into July...I am hoping my summer heats up a little, and I don't mean the weather! I know, I know, I said I wanted a boring summer. Well, I enjoyed being lazy for most of June. I am now getting a bit restless. I am actually missing those Indiana summers. Not the humidity of course, but just missing having friends and family close by, fishing, the smell of fresh cut grass, barbecues. Right now Santi is busy working, most of my midwestern teacher friends are traveling, and to be honest we still haven't met a lot of people.