Hello again.

Tap....tap, tap, tap...HELLO?  Testing...One, two...three.

Is this thing on?  (cough)...(cough)...Wow, it sure is dusty!

Ok, is it bad that I forgot my password to my blog?  I wish I were kidding.   I haven't been on here in a very long time.  About a year, to be exact, and I almost gave up trying to login because I could not remember the password! Ha!

Since there is no way for me to cram an entire year into one post, or even a couple, let's just say that lots has happened.

For starters, the kids and I are a grade higher than the last time I was here.  In a couple of weeks, I will officially have two high school-aged teenagers.  I kept back-spacing because I really did not want to type that.  Because if I  type it, then it is real.  Make sense?  I want time to slow down just a little because my kiddos are growing up so fast and I'm not liking it.  Not one bit!  Marko will be a sophomore and Gabriella will be a (gulp!)...freshman.  This just boggles my mind.

This year is also my senior year as an undergrad.  (How did that happen?!)  It's both exciting and kind of scary.  This personal goal of mine of earning my bachelor degree is becoming more and more of a reality every day (obviously), but it also will mean that the only life I have known for the last three years will change, and I don't do well with change.  This is probably because I bounced around so much as a child, that I just do not do well with it now.  I was talking to my husband about the fact that this is the first time in my entire life that I have began school somewhere and actually finished the school year in the same school.  Actually doing this was completely foreign to me.  The fact that I have done this for three years now just amazes me.

Somewhere during the last year I also decided to apply for grad school.  I am even entertaining the idea of a double major and I plan on meeting with my advisor to discuss this further.  This is definitely not set in stone.  Yet. (:
I was recently blessed with an amazing, very much sought-after scholarship that will make this year completely stress-free as far as tuition, etc.  I also made the honor roll.  These are two things that I am proud of because I seriously work my butt off on this crazy educational journey, and it is kind of satisfying to see that all my and my family's sacrifices are not in vain.

My hubby recently decided he was ready for a change also and started a new job!  God is amazing, and His timing is always perfect.  I am confidant this was the perfect decision for our family and I know that hubs will be very successful.

There's not a doubt in my mind (: 

Names

Just recently, I was driving my kids home from school when my daughter nonchalantly asks me from the back seat "Mom, why did you name me 'Gabriella'?"
Me: "What?!... I L-O-V-E your name!"
Gabriella: "You should have named me Naomi."

I literally felt my heart break into a million pieces.  I devoured every baby name book I could get my hands on while I was pregnant with her to make such an important decision!  And here she was telling me she "hates" her name.

I was undecided for quite some time on what to name her.  At about 7 months of my pregnancy, I had it narrowed down to Claudia, Isabella, Monica and of course, Gabriella.  I decided early on, as when I named Marko, that my children's names had to be beautiful (in my opinion) in both English and Spanish, and that they would be pronounced correctly in both languages.  There are some beautiful names in Spanish, but when they are pronounced in English (or at least attempted), they literally get slaughtered.  I absolutely didn't want that for my kids.
So, as my scheduled C-section date of May 17th came closer, I finally decided on Gabriella because it means "God is my strength."  And I wanted it spelled with two l's rather than just the one.  I seriously put lots and lots of thought on her name.  I mean, it is an important decision, after all.
And she hates it. Ugh.

I guess I could chalk this up to Karma because I remember having this same conversation with my mom at about the same age.  And I regret it.
Especially when my mom told me that I had been named in honor of her baby sister that had passed away as an infant.
Yeah, I felt so incredibly small and so stupid for complaining about my name.

My son, Marko, on the other hand, has never once complained about his name.  Even though throughout his entire life, he has had to put up with having somebody inevitably say "Polo" every.  single.  time.  his name is called.  It doesn't seem to bother him.  He has had to hear that so much that he might have thought his name was Marko Polo for at least the first two years of his life!  Poor kid.  Other names I considered for him were Aaron and Robert.  Oh, and the reason his name is spelled with a K rather than the traditional C, is because I lost a bet with the hubby on whether our son would have a full head of hair or not.  He didn't. (:
Marko's name means "War like," which is pretty fitting.  I was in labor for almost 48 hours and after pushing for about 8 hours (NOT kidding!), he was delivered by emergency C-section.  We both almost died during the delivery, so yes...war like is perfect.

One reason for his name is, coincidentally, in honor of my uncle, my mom's oldest brother, that passed away the year I was born.  His name was Marcos, and I wanted some variation of that name.  And also...my son may or may not carry the name of the artist playing while he was conceived.  Haha.  Kidding.....sort of.

Anyway, all this to say that this is how I ended up with my name.  And I have embraced it ever since I found out the reason my mom decided on it.
Thanks, Mom!

NaBloPoMo-June

Well this May went by in the blink of an eye, that's for sure!  And what better way to start off the month of June than to join (again), the NaBloPoMo, or the National Blog Posting Month by BlogHer?  This is actually the second time I've joined.   I tried it back in November, but circumstances beyond my control hindered me from continuing.  Life happens, people.

Anyway, I'm excited for this month's topic: Roots. I love anything to do with genealogy, so it's right up my alley (:
If you have a blog and want to join in the fun, go grab a Badge and write a post every day about your roots.  It can be anything related to your roots, such as recipes handed down from your grandmother, family trees, etc.
I'm excited to document this month's topic for my future grandchildren or whomever else is interested in say...50 years or so from now.
Let's get started!