Waka Waka Waka!!

So I liked this pic so much I had to put it on here. Taken in February somewhere in Janesville...

Tootles!!

(P.S. Notice how WHITE Sam looks? Crazy white boy!! Get a Tan!!)

My Little Dudes

Hot of the press! We all need to get our fixing of the little Rivera boys, sons to Joey and Pa Chia, nephews to Amy, Lacey and Jewel. Addictions: hanging out with Auntie Amy is best, and Sam being there is cool too. Here they are:



Manuel (Manny) Rivera
Born: December 23rd, 2004
Age: 3
Stats: Now potty trained; speaks well; likes to eat...a LOT; has a big noggin' for bashing. Shown in the picture below squirming with Auntie Amy. He still has to get over that temper tantrum thing.





Miguel Rivera
Born: December 25th, 2003 (yes, almost exactly one year before his little brother)
Age: 4
Stats: Loves his Auntie Amy VERY VERY much; is very cuddly and affectionate; looks like his dadda the most out of his brothers; is very smart but very sensitive; is very sweet and is not afraid to tell you how beautiful you are. Shown below with Auntie Amy, his favorite Auntie.





Gabriel (Gabe, Babrielcito) Rivera
Born: April 6th, 2001
Age: 7
Stats: Loves playing sports; hanging out with his pops and grandpa; is in the 1st grade and is reading very well; likes to watch sweet kung fu movies with his Auntie Amy; went on Auntie Amy's second date with Sam (we took him to the children's museum together); is being trained to be a boxer by his dadda; enjoys beating up on his younger brothers.




Be forewarned, I'm working on trying to make some bald-headed Clapper babies to put into the mix...

So Many Happenings in the Crazy World of Sam and Amy

It is April already! The snow is melting, the temps are warming up. Sam has packed away his snowmobile and brought home his boat. I am still going to class, but lo and behold!! I have left my horrible job at Wells Fargo and have gone back to the comfort of St. Kate's!!! Yay! I am already 1000% happier! We've even begun working out in the fancy new workout room at St. Kate's, with fancy new weights. Sam likes it, apparently the YMCA by our house was too ghetto for him. Crazy country boy! I don't have any cool pics of this fancy weight room, and I don't think they'd be too fond of me standing there snapping photos while they're all sweaty and weird-faced. But just know we are pumping up and we hope you'll approve.

Where is April finding us?? We are planning two fun vacays. The first one will be next week to the Big Cedar Resort in Ridgedale, Missouri. Fun and fishing is what we'll be hoping for, plus relaxation and strolls throughout the country side. You can check out their website at www.big-cedar.com. The temperature down there on the day we arrive is supposed to be 69 degrees. NICE!!!

And then May will find us travelling down to the Florida Keys, with a possible side-track in Miami. Hopefull we'll return with wonderful tans and the experience of swimming with dolphins. I have always wanted to do that. We'll see if Sammy will be willing to let us spend as much as they're asking for it!!!

And this past Sunday was Gabriel's 7th birthday. We partied like rock stars at Sunray Bowling. Here we are:

Gabe and I:


Minders and I:


The big news too is: hopefully we'll be moving May so Sammy can have some peace of mind. We've been rigorously searching for jobs, and the reason we've waited this long is for me to finish my last master's class. I'll be graduating in December, but this fall semester will be spent finishing up my Capstone project. Next stop: Let's get a Master's in Social Work!!!