I am a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations!

If you haven't had a chance to check out my mom's blog, you should watch for new postings. She posts some pretty incredible and inspirational stories! Where she finds them, I don't know, but they are often ones we can all relate to in some way!

Lately, even though I am no longer reporting to an office away from the home for work each day, I have felt more over worked than I have in a long time! I know it's because I am still lacking a whole lotta energy due to the extreme nausea I am experiencing w/ this pregnancy. I am grateful and thrilled that we are going to be blessed w/ a 4th, we wanted this and we planned this! I just want to express that I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! I feel the guilt daily as I notice the looks of disappointment I get from my kids when they are trying to get me to do more than I can do....shoot I am more disappointed than anyone that I feel this way right now! Unfortunately this is common for me, I usually experience nausea until the 16th week! I will continue to try, every single day, to give as much as I can give! I can't wait until I get to feel the baby move more and get some energy back and especially find out if we are having a boy or a girl! :)

Anyway, as mom's we all need to remember that we are not alone in feeling that we have the hardest job on the planet....because we do! It is DEFINITELY the most rewarding...but certainly offers the biggest challenges as we continue to learn from our own kids and our mistakes! Ya know, a couple of years ago they did a study on the hours and the quality of work a mom does 24/7 and came up w/ a salary figure of $137,000 annually! This is what we are worth for the work we do! No, we don't see this money....unfortunately ;), but I believe that by doing your best as a parent, the rewards are priceless!!! :)


Just a Mom
Author Unknown

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a.....?""Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom.""We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar.""What is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out."I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire."Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters (first the lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants - ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just a Mom." Motherhood!

"No" from our kissable little girl!

Lately Ansley's favorite response to just about any question you ask is just a plain and simple "no!"

Usually when you ask Ansley for a kiss she just simply says "no" and keeps going about her business! When Ansley gets in her lovable moods we all eat it up as much as we can! We were also able to get this on film the other night.

EXCITING ROJAS FAMILY NEWS!!!

This is a photo of our sweet little Ansley taken by Malin the week she was born! My reason for posting this is to see what we have to look forward to once again! We are thrilled to be expecting baby number 4 who is scheduled to arrive around Halloween!

Joe was ready for another one when Ansley was still an infant. We agreed to wait until Ansley turned a year and we would throw caution to the wind and put it in God's hands! Well, this little one was meant to be! We were pregnant on the first try! We truely couldn't feel more blessed! I am 11 weeks and heard a nice strong heartbeat today! We pray for a safe and healthy pregnancy, baby, and delivery!

AJ and Aleigh are thrilled to be a big brother and sister again! AJ keeps saying "I can't believe Ansley is going to be a big sister already!" Well we were pleasantly surprised as well! We figured we would probably be expecting around the time ansley was 18 months, but not this quick! :)

HAPPY EASTER!

We had a wonderful Easter this year! I say that with lots of genuine enthusiasm because I actually was able to enjoy it this year as opposed to last year when I was fighting a high fever in the bed all day due to mastitis!

Saturday we invited Nana, Papa, and Madrina over for pizza and to color easter eggs! Everyone participated and enjoyed coloring and decorating easter eggs! Everyone stayed until around 10:30 p.m. Robin (Madrina) and I still had to do our shopping for Easter dinner, so we left for Wal Mart and didn't leave there until midnight. When I got home my whole family was asleep...including my easter bunny helper, Joe! I had to make Broccoli salad and fill over 50 easter eggs for the easter egg hunt, fill the kids baskets and hide them! Needless to say I didn't get to bed until around 2:30 a.m. The kids came and woke me up around 8 a.m. so they could find their baskets! They were all very excited about the goodies in their Easter Baskets! AJ got "Honey We Shrunk Ourselves" a movie he has been wanting since we went to Disneyworld last December! He has been fascinated with "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" and "Honey I Blew Up The Kid." We have been looking for "Honey We Shrunk Ourselves" for months with no luck! I was able to find it on Amazon for only $8, so we saved it for his basket and he was THRILLED! Aleigh got "Bedtime Stories" and Ansley got "Elmo in Grouchland" :) They all also got books in their baskets. Aleigh loves Fancy Nancy books and AJ is really into Robert Munsch books....their really silly stories!

Around 3p.m. we all finally made it to Madrina's house and enjoyed amazing food (Honey baked ham, deviled eggs....even mexican deviled eggs, potato casserole, green bean casserole, broccoli salad, fresh rolls, chicken stuffed crescent rolls, and baked beans)! We were able to get the kids together for a few seconds (Ansley won't sit still for nothin), and take a few pictures of them in their easter outfits (from Nana)! Then....the fun began!

The kids got silly string from Madrina, so they were having fun attacking everyone with that when Joe broke out the confetti filled eggs! In Joe's family it has always been an Easter tradition to brake confetti eggs over each others heads on Easter! This year Joe really wanted to introduce this tradition to us. He started saving all of the egg shell's by cracking off the top of the egg to dump the egg out, then cleaning and drying out the shells so that we could color them and fill them with confetti for Easter. He started saving the shells back in January, and even collected some his mom had been saving for us when we went to El Paso in February. We had TONS of egg shells to color and fill with confetti! Joe pretty much did all of the work with some help from Aleigh. She enjoyed gluing the tissue paper over the hole on the egg shells! I was the first one to get slammed...by Joe...with confetti egg on my head! WHAT A MESS we made of Madrina's yard and driveway! It was fun though and everyone had a blast!!! We even had a couple of her neighbors and roommate join in on the fun!!! Oh and the reason there are no pictures of me getting slammed w/ confetti eggs is because those were taken w/ my mom's camera...I don't have copies of those yet.Aleigh was smart and ready to go this year when they started to hunt for eggs (we fill a lot of them with quarters and a few with dollar bills, the rest with candy), she gave AJ some serious competition this year! We had a blast watching them!

KARATE TOURNAMENT

AJ and Aleigh entered the Karate Tournament on Saturday. They were both hoping to place, but I think their nerves got the best of them this time. We are so proud of them for entering the tournament and getting up in front of the judges and all of those people to do their forms! AJ said he is never entering another tournament again because he didn't place! Of course we had a long talk about that and Joe and I both reassured the kids that we were proud of them! AJ struggles to practice without goofing off! He insists that he knows his form before a tournament! Hopefully he will soon understand that it's not just about knowing it, it's more important that you feel confident about how well you know it!



After Aleigh competed she followed all of the other students into the other room to get their trophies and have their picture taken. I walked in there and told Aleigh to go over and get her trophie. She looked up at me with tear filled eyes and said "But mommy I don't get a trophie! I didn't get a place!" I gave her a hug and told her that everyone gets a trophie for entering the tournament and doing their best! She was happy after that, but she broke my heart when she said that!


Here is a picture of them pretending they got first place!

I sold some bows!

I have been making hair bows for a couple of years now, and REALLY enjoy doing it! I have never tried to even give them away as gifts, much less try to sell them. I guess even though I think they look good enough to put in my girls' hair, I have never been confident enough to think that others would want my creations.




Anyway, my mom has a friend that she used to work with at Delta, named Yvonne. Well, my mom suggested I shoot Yvonne an email and let her know that I made hair bows and offer to provide some for her Boutique consignment sale that she puts together twice a year. She was excited and gave me all of the info I needed and even went out and got me a display to put them on! The unfortunate part was that she only gave me 4 days to make bows! I turned our dining room into a craft room for 4 days and made a bow every time I had an open opportunity! I was able to come up w/ 45 bows for the sale. Since it was a consignment sale (high end consignment sale), I priced them anywhere from $2 - $4.50. Well, to my surprise, I sold all but 5 of the bows I made! I'm not sure if it was because they were so cheap, or if people really liked them! I didn't have time to put together any business cards or anything, so I was pleased to hear that a lot of people were giving their email addresses so that I could contact them w/ more info on my bows.

Aleigh's Dance Competition

Aleigh proudly wearing her 1st place medals!

The girls and their Ballet teacher, Mrs. Cindy

The girls in their "Ease on down the road" costumes (tap)

Aleigh and her Tap teacher

I was uploading photos from El Paso, when I realized I had yet to post about Aleigh's 1st dance competition! She did so great! We were very proud of her! I was so happy that my mom could be there, it was so much more exciting than the Recitals! We were in complete awe over the talent from the other Dance studios in the area! Aleigh's and the girls in her group were the youngest competitors and they were all so cute and so proud to get first place for both numbers that they performed! Even though I don't know that they had any competition for their age group, it doesn't matter! All of us mom's were so excited for our little dancers! They did a great job!!!

After all of that excitement I thought for sure Aleigh would be motivated to continue w/ dance next year, but she is firm on her decision! Aleigh does not want to continue to dance! I am proud of her for still putting all of her heart and soul into practicing and performing! She LOVES karate and wants to add gymnastics next year. AJ wants to take gymnastics as well, so I'm pretty excited because I think they will both love it!