Snow days brings half days sometimes...

This morning I have been dragging like you would not believe. For the past week and a half I have been in pure nesting mode and my house has been immaculate but for some reason this morning I woke up and looked outside to see the snow and I didn't want to do anything. I had my daily quiet time and felt a little better but as I made breakfast and washed dishes and then headed upstairs to get the boys I literally was worn out. I bathed the boys and got the ready for the day and then we went downstairs to eat banana nut muffins. Since then the boys have been running around and making messes and I just don't have the energy to clean up after them right now.

My husband just called me and told me that he was going to be coming home now because of the snow we are getting. (We are expected to receive anywhere from 6-10 inches of snow during the day and another 5-8 inches of snow tonight. We shall see.) He asks me if he should wait a little while longer so he can finish up some homework at work without distractions but I reminded him that during nap time he will have plenty of time to complete homework so he is happy about that. I am grateful he is coming home because it is just a nice day to have him here when I am in such a blah mood.

As for updates on Nathanael...He is still not on the growth chart for his age but according to his growth he is growing wonderfully. He is finally 21 pounds. His head is on the fifth percentile and I can't remember what it was but it figures that his head is bigger than anything else. He is always using that brain of his. It amazes me to watch these boys think and learn. They are getting so big. Nathanael is a bit on the short side but he is perfect in my eyes and I love him for being him. He definitely brings smiles to our hearts.

I pray the rest of you have a wonderful day and pray that we don't end up with a power outage or something. We are hoping we only get snow and not the mixture of ice and snow because that is what causes the power outages.

Aleida

18 Month Check-Up

Yesterday Nathanael turned 18 months but with big milestones such as these comes along the times we need to go see the doctor. Today we are going to be checking out how Nathanael is doing growth wise even though I think he is perfect and he is definitely smart. Please pray that the shot process will go smooth and that Alex will be able to go with me so I can take care of Isaiah while he tends to Nathanael while he gets shots. I hope you have a great day.

Aleida

Where has this month gone?

I am sitting here in the computer room on a much needed break wondering should I continue to clean or should I be packing and cleaning at the same time. A couple of weeks ago we put ourselves on the 4 bedroom housing list so we can have an extra bedroom but just this week we decided maybe it isn't even worth moving considering we probably won't get a house until may which is when the baby is due and then we will be moving again to a new place in december unless they change our plans again. I was content with our decision and then the housing office called again yesterday saying that they could probably get us into a house by next month. Again I debate is it even worth it, do I have the energy to do this considering I can only clean and do hard manual labor for 2-3 hours max before I have had it for the day, would I have enough time to get the house in order before the baby comes in 3 months or so? At the same time I think it would be nice to have a bigger house so the boys can have their room and the baby can have her room and if they change our plans again it would be a nice move. So here are my options stay on the list and hopefully move within a month or just stay here. As I sit here and ponder about these options I am thinking I can't believe we are almost done with the month of January. This month has consisted of so much craziness realizing that the baby is going to be here shortly and I have to get things for her. For the most part the essentials are met I am planning on nursing so she will be fed, and I have about two weeks worth of hand me downs that are unisex that can get her through for a while, and as soon as we get Nathanael his mattress for his twin bed then she will have a place to sleep. Even though those things are met there are a few things that we do need to get for her. We have been buying things here and there but paychecks are only twice a month and not enough months before she gets here. We wouldn't have had this issue if we were having another boy but I am so blessed. The Lord has continued to provide for us more than we can even imagine and we know that our precious baby will have more than she needs. With all of these things in mind we have also had to deal with snow storms every weekend so I am a little restless of the snow. I am wanting to get outside and do things. I went sledding on a tiny hill the other day after we got 16 inches of snow and had so much fun wishing I could do the bigger hills but I guess I will have to wait till next year.

Anyways I rambled on and on and did not really have any focus on what I was talking about but that is what is on my mind lately and I needed to share it with somebody before I lose my brain because my husband isn't coming home for lunch and I spend my time with two boys who do not carry a meaningful conversation with me. We usually talk about what is important in their little lives. Oh how I love my life and love my children who truly bless me in more ways than anyone can ever imagine.

Aleida

Quick Update

I know I have not been online much but it is for good reason. I have been pretty sick lately. The midwife tells me that I have low blood pressure which is not that uncommon amongst pregnant women but this gives me problems because this causes me to lose balance and sometimes faint. I have only fainted once and was lucky to have my husband catch me before I hit the ground. I have had some dizzy spells and everything seems to go black but I have been lucky enough to sit down before I can fall. This is frustrating because after an episode I am very weak and am not very useful so I have had to rely a lot on Alex. He has been the best and although I apologize that this pregnancy has totally kicked my butt he smiles and says it is ok because it hasn't defeated me yet. He tells me he just wants me to take it easy and let our daughter grow to be healthy. It is definitely true that every pregnancy is different but I am grateful to have my husband to go through this with.

To top the low blood pressure I have been fighting to not get sick. My body is working on overdrive to not get this cold or whatever is going around but I must admit that there are days I am just achy and feel like it is about to take over.

Please pray that the Lord continues to take care of me which I know he will. In good news regarding the pregnancy I am now officially 23 weeks and the midwife told me that I need a half of a pound to be at my pre pregnancy weight so that makes her happy because I am definitely growing. Although I haven't gained any weight (which isn't all that bad for me) the baby is growing very well. Last week she was measuring at 23 weeks when I was only 22 weeks and at the last sonogram she was in the 56th percentile for growth and she only needed to be at the 50th percentile so they decided to postpone me sonogram for this month and will talk more about another sonogram next month as I get closer to delivery. It is hard for me to believe that the baby will be here in or around 17 weeks. Those weeks go by so fast for me because we are very busy around here. Well I pray you are all doing well and having a wonderful weekend.

Aleida

December Recap along with other reminders of 2008

Well the 2nd half of December went by so fast that we never got to share some pics of the family.

Dec. 14th we went to the command's Christmas party.

Dec. 15th we found out we were having a baby girl. Alex took this picture of us in the waiting room.

Dec. 16th we were on a plane to Texas. This is the boys on the second plane. We took 3 planes both ways.

A few days later we went to the mall and the boys insisted on riding the carousel so here they are having fun.

Dec. 20th my sister Jessica graduated from Texas A&M. Not very good picture but if you look close enough you can see her. The same afternoon we had a little party celebrating the fact that all of the Curiel siblings have finished their Bachelor's Degree.

Here we caught Isaiah hugging a little girl.

Dec. 21st we finally had a baby dedication for Nathanael. We have the Benavides family only missing Alex's brothers and sisters and the entire Curiel family.

Dec. 23rd We decided to take this photo and frame it for our parents to have in their ranch home of all the graduates.

Random pictures

Nathanael can't wait for Christmas.

Dec. 25th We opened presents at the Curiel household.

Dec. 26th we flew back to Maine and came back to a lot of snow.

Dec. 27th In the morning we took a picture of the snow we didn't get to the night before. First angle is from the garage. Second angle is from the street. We also opened up Christmas presents within our little family.

After all of these events we just rested. Alex went back to work on Monday-Wednesdays working only half days and on New Year's Eve we waiting until midnight and then knocked out because we were pooped. We have relaxed the past four days and now Alex is back to work again. Overall we enjoyed ourselves very much but we are glad that we can rest in our own home again.

Looking back at 2008 we are very grateful and we realized so much has happened and the year just flew by.

February - Aleida finally finished all of my requirements for a Bachelors Degree in Accounting.

March - We celebrated 3 years of marriage.

April - Alex finished his requirements for an Associate's Degree.

May - Alex and Aleida walked the stage for their degrees.

July - Nathanael turned 1 while we were in Boston.

August - Enjoyed a family vacation in Missouri and Texas.

September - Found out we were expecting baby #3.

December - Isaiah turned 3. Found out baby #3 is a girl. Went to Texas for the holidays.

Those are the most memorable things that happened for us in 2008 and we know that 2009 will be even busier for us. We pray you are all enjoying the New Year!

Benavides Family