Home, Sweet, New Home

Hello Family and Friends,

After a terribly long absence, I am finally back on the blog :). While it has been quiet as far as posts go since April, in reality our lives have been something resembling a hurricane...but now, it is the calm after the storm.

The big news is that we have a home of our own once more --thanks be to God. Finding a home was not easy at all. In fact, it took 4 months to get to where we are now and a whole lot of prayers!! Really, we cannot thank God enough for this huge blessing.We first saw in in late April, after seeing numerous homes and having several offers fall through. We were actually surprised when this one didn't! On June 3rd we closed and June 15th we moved in. So, here it is -the new place! (chopped off part of the garage in the picture, sorry...) and as you can vaguely see, Francisco is standing in the doorway looking very happy.

After 5 terrific months living with my parents -which turned out to be such a special experience for all of us, but in particular the kids- we packed our bags once more, but this time we hope that it will be to stay for quite some time in one place. I also want to thank my parents in a very big way for all they have done to support us (and just put up with us) all of these months. Without their help, things could not have gone as smoothly and happily as they did.

Per the request of several of you, here is a quick tour of the home: Formal living and dining rooms...

The family room below -we (that is, Fair Contractors!) added the skylights which can be seen in the reflection of the mirror above the chimney) and this made a dramatic difference as far as lighting goes (it was a very dark room before, if you can believe that..). The orange decor comes as no surprise, I am sure, as it is my favorite color!

The kitchen. Everything was in great shape and really we made no modifications (short of the skylights and painting the family room). The appliances we did have to purchase though..

The upstairs game room (it's really more of a multi-purpose study & work room)..

The kids' rooms...(Fede did a great job putting together the bunkbeds, whoo-hoo!)

The master bedroom/bath..

The backyard...

I haven't included a photo of the guest bedroom as that is a disaster in progress... which is to say, all of their toys are dumped in this room and until we have visitors, it'll probably stay like this!

So, that's our home and we do hope that you all will have the chance to come visit us, now that we are getting settled. The saying is that "Everything is Bigger in Texas" and there is a lot of truth to that, so ya'll don't be shy! Come on and visit :)

In other news, the kids are very much enjoying the new-found space and they play hide-n-go seek, run around like bandits and in general find niches where to hang out (like the formal living room, which Alejandra has claimed as the official "puzzle-making area.") They are happy rediscovering all of their old toys and books and this has kept them busy, as we unpack and organize.

One day, out of the blue, I decided to dress Fran up as a vampire. He took to it rather nicely!

We have been going frequently to the pool and Alejandra just recently learned to float (what a pro!): 

Last month, Fr. Jorge (my father's brother) stopped over in Houston for a couple of days on his way from Mexico to L.A. and it was *so* great to see him:

The kids are all set for the fall as far as school goes. They will all three be attending St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School, which is less than 10 minutes away. All three are very excited, but also in no hurry to see the summer go by quickly. The days have been filled with visits from friends, some 'homeschool' work, trips to the library and lots of board games.

Fede has begun working, which is wonderful. His dedication and tireless motivation impress me so much.

Anyway, stay tuned to more posts and definitely with more frequency! Hope you all are having a marvelous summer.

Love,
The Martinez Family