Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

I don't know about anyone else, but I am happy to say goodbye and good riddance to 2010! We have had too many ups and downs this year and I'm praying, hoping, and wishing that 2011 will be a better year for my family.

2010 began with my mom being diagnosed with a second occurrence of Hodgkins Lymphoma. not exactly how you want to begin a new year. We took things as they came and at times found it hard to keep our heads above water. On top of her cancer diagnosis she was also diagnosed with COPD ( Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder) and Congenitive heart failure. All of which are no fun! Thank God she is now 4 months into remission, she has had an internal defibrillator installed to keep her from dropping dead on us, and her COPD is controlled with the use of oxygen. Mom is still not out of the woods, but she's slowly getting there. If we could just get her bone marrow to recover from the damaging effects of chemo, she'd be right as rain.

Just as mom is in the clear from cancer my father in law is diagnosed with a grapefruit sized mass growing on his hip. It's compressing his sciatic nerve as well as all of the other nerves in his hip joint causing excruciating pain in his back and leg. He and my mother in law left the day after Christmas to see a orthopedic surgeon to see about having the mass removed for biopsy so the oncologist here could plan his next move. Instead he decided to do an open core biopsy and remove a good chunk to be taken to the lab for pathology. The orthopedic surgeon said it doesn't look like a tumor at all but a large blood clot. This is very good news for my father in law. We are still waiting on lab results, but if it is a blood clot, it can be shrunk and reabsorbed by his own body with a few injections given by a radiologist here in Odessa. We are praying for more good news as it is very hard to see dad suffer.

2010 did yield us some highs, even if they were overshadowed by lows. Maia started cheerleading and fell in love with something that she wants to continue doing for a long time. She has dreams and aspirations that she can achieve as long as she keeps her eyes on the prize. I m so very proud of my Mini Peppette and look forward to the 2011 football season.

Micaylah is growing into quite the young lady, and although teenage years are right around the corner she is a wonderful young woman right now and I'm hoping she stays that way ;) She has started tking guitar lessons, and has become more outgoing at school and at church. She even joined the New Years Eve talent show at church. I'll try to post videos but Bloggers video uploading system sucks!

October 10, 2010 Michael, Micaylah and I were all baptized and our lives were forever changed. We gave testimony for the first time and shared our Baptism with our close friends and church family. It was a powerful evening for us and we continue to live for God and praise him for his Mercy, Grace and Blessings he has given to my and my family. He truly is an awesome God, and him pulling us out of the fires of 2010 has proven that to me tenfold.

Michael and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and continue to love eachother more and more every day. I am so thankful to have this wonderful man in my life that I can call my own. He is so faithful and honest, a wonderful father and my best friend. I look forward to 40 more years with him!

I wish all of my 6 readers a very happy New Year! May 2011 be a year full of blessings, joy, laughter and love.

Adios 2010, don't let the door hit you on your way out!

Our team is WHAT? DYNAMITE!!!

This year I put Maia in the boys and girls club tackle football league as a Mini Peppette Cheerleader. I was hesitant at first but my friends insisted it would be great fun for my kiddo and the whole family and it definitely was. Maia had so much fun and was so focused on learning her cheers and dance routines, I was impressed! She cheered her little heart out for the 4th grade Gonzales Steelers and I couldn't be more proud. This is the first activity that I have put her in that she gave 100% and really loved.

In October all of the Mini Peps and cheerleaders were invited to Dance with the Odessa High School Showgirls at one of the OHS football games at Ratliffe Stadium. WE were all excited becasue we had never been to a Texas high school football game. It was so much fun. The girls danced their little hearts out and OHS beat Midland Lee High 38 to 21!
Me and my little Showgirl during the game.
These crazy kids in white overalls and red knee high socks ran these flags up and down the track after every touchdown. So cool!
Don't mind my kitchen, just look at my little star :)
Our boys made it to the Championship game at Ratliffe, and although they didn't win we are all so proud of our Steelers! Here's me and another cheer mom Jo cheering our kids on!
My girl cheering on the stands at Ratliffe.
And here she is cheering on the field. Go Steelers!

Our boys getting ready to enter the field through the run through sign.
Maia at her very first football game. I love this kid!

I haven't uploaded pics from the awards ceremony or the girls end of the season party, but they did win a trophy for Best Sportsmanship Overall. They beat out 20 other squads for that title!

Long overdue.

It's alive...

I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged! Life grabs you by the horns sometimes and all you can do is go with the flow. Between family, work, and our crazy schedule, you'd be surprised at what a hectic summer/fall season we've had.

The girls are both doing good in school. Maia continues to get effortless straight A's and wow her teacher. She's at a high 4th grade reading level and brings home 2 to 3 library books a day. Micaylah is really loving the 5th grade. She has 3 different teachers in an attempt to ready the kids for Jr. High (Already???) and I think having different teachers breaks up the monotony of her day helping her to focus better. HEr grades have been awesome and we really are so proud of her.

Michael is Michael. He's so simple and easy to please. Give that man some Call of Duty and keep the soda coming, and he's A-OK. I love him so much. I may be a video game widow, but I'm thankful he's home with us.

Mom as you know has had such a crappy year! Poor thing. First she's diagnosed with cancer, then COPD (chronic obstructed pulmonary disorder) and congenitive heart failure. None of which are good but her endless trips to the Dr are making the light at the end of the tunnel a little more visible. Praise God that her cancer is in complete remission! She finished treatment in the beginning of October after 4 long weeks of radiation. She had to go every day and it was hard! The radiation has left her with some long term effects, but being alive outweighs them. The cancer center even presented her with a diploma that said "This is to certify that Tammie Guerrero has finished cancer treatment with perfect determination and bravery." It was sweet, i love the West Texas Cancer Center.

After the cancer was kicked in the behind, mom started seeing a new cardiologist. He confirmed her congenitive heart failure and told her she would need an internal defibrillator. He also told her that 9 out of 10 patients with this disease can drop dead without warning due to irregular heart beat. So of course she agreed to have the surgery. She was scheduled for the 8th of November, but ended up in the hospital on the 2nd with pneumonia and severe anemia. After 6 days, tons of antibiotics and 3 units of blood she was well enough to come home, but not to have surgery. It was postponed until the 22nd which was yesterday and I'm happy to report that the surgery went very well! She's still in the hospital, but I'll be bringing her home today. Her Dr said the surgery went beautifully, and that the device tested PERFECT. I was so relieved because to test the device, they had to STOP HER HEART (OMG) and see if the defibrillator would shock it back in gear..... thank God it did.

Work as usual is super hectic and busy. I'm finding myself hating my job more and more every day. I have this coworker that seems determined to set me up to fail. She is constantly on my case for every little thing I do. I even have to ask her permission to use the freaking bathroom! My theory is that she wants me to quit, so that she can hire a lazy spanish speaking 20 yr old who thinks she knows everything. Sorry hun, I'm not going anywhere and I am not going to fail! Get over it.

My after work schedule has been nuts! I often ask myself "What were you thinking Melissa?"! I'll break it down for you:

Monday : Micaylah's youth music team/guitar lessons.
Tuesday: Maia's Cheer Practice.
Wednesday: Church
Thursday: Maia's Cheer Practice followed by Christmas Play Practice for both girls.
Friday: Fixed date night for Mike and I... No Exceptions we need time together!
Saturday: Grocery shopping, cleaning, family time
Sunday: Church twice.

Typing it out, it doesn't seem so hectic. But add cooking dinner, running moms errands, a load of laundry here and there, and cleaning house in the mix and it's no wonder I'm exhausted!

Thankfully Football season has ended. Our 4th grade Steelers made it all the way to championships at Ratliffe Stadium and my girl got to cheer on hallowed ground... where football is concerned anyways. But I'll do a separate post just for cheer leading :)

I have so much to be thankful for right now. My family is amazing, my mom is on the right path to full recovery and we are continuously blessed. I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, God Bless you and yours!

Fair thee well my summer vacay!

Today is the day I dread all summer. The end of my summer vacation. Just typing it depresses me. Now don't get me wrong, I love my job. I couldn't ask for a better schedule. I work when my kids are at school, I have all the vacation time my kids do, and get paid for 12 months when I only work for 10. It's awesome, but having all of these weeks off from work to spend time with my kids, enjoy family visits, and get my house in order have been a bittersweet reminiscence of my stay at home mom days. I would LOVE to go back to those days, but sadly I can't. I don't ever think we will be a one income family ever again. I like bringing home bacon, but I miss volunteering at my kids school, having lunch with friends, and taking mom to dr appointments without having to take the day off work.

Ok, I'll stop before I get any more melancholy. My summer is over and I just have to deal with it. I'll go to bed soon and get up at the crack of dawn to gt dressed, fix hair and make up, and go to work. I'll start living for weekends again, and sleeping in on Saturdays. *sigh*

On another note, my kids will also be bidding their summer farewell in less than 2 weeks. I'm so ready for them to go back to school. They have been so bored and at each others throats for the past month. WE still have to get school supplies and a few school clothes, but we'll do that this weekend. Their lists are insane, but when are they ever reasonable?

I hope everyone has a great WEdnesday. I'll be spending mine sorting millions of papers, registering students and answering the phones on the first ring. "Good Morning Milam"! Better practice my chipper voice, I don't want people to think I wish I was still on summer vacation.

Constant Craving.

For years I went to church with the girls, minus my unwilling husband because I wanted a better relationship with God aside from the Catholic raising I had few fond memories of. I wanted my girls to soak in all they could learn, I wanted us to learn together. But I grew tired of the church we went to, rather I grew tired of the Pastor and his wife. I just didn't feel like we belonged there so we left. I never did find another church after that, my feelings of walking into another church with my kids sans my husband scared me. I hated to think of what others were thinking seeing me alone. In my heart I hoped that we would go as a family and Mike just wasn't ready.

For the past few months now he has shown more interest, when mine has been faded for quite a while. He studies his bible, and he has the girls summarizing one chapter a day. I read my bible when I hear it calling to me. I'm still learning, so baby steps are what's best for me. My husband enjoys reading his bible ( as do I), and I believe he craves it. That makes me happy that he is finding his own happiness in the Lord. Something i found on my own a few years ago, and let fade from my life for fear of judgement. I wanted the spark he was feeling again.

Awhile ago I suggested a new church to him and the time just wasn't right for one reason or another. So a month ago he suggests we try it out, and we did. We like this new church and feel it is where we belong for now. We feel that we have been brought to this church family at a time when we are both needing it the most. Every sermon and Sunday school lesson speaks directly to my heart and I feel that spark slowly burning hotter and hotter. I'm learning and understanding more than I have in along time. I am craving my relationship with God more and more and it's causing emotions in me that are unexplainable, and hard to handle. But I will continue to pray, and feed my soul. We will continue our journey as a family and that makes me happier than I have truly been in a long time.

Monopoly "Money Makes It Real" and a GIVEAWAY!!

I was so excited when Hasbro contacted me to do a giveaway celebrating the 75th anniversary of one of their most popular games Monopoly! We love Monopoly in our home and with Family Game Night catching on in homes all over the country Hasbro is will be giving away Classic Monopoly to 2 lucky Much Ado About Nothing Readers! To enter simply leave a comment about what Family Game Night means to you or what games your family enjoys playing together. For another entry simply "Like" Family Game night on Facebook by clicking here. Be sure to come back and let me know if you "Like" Family Game Night on Facebook for your extra entry.



Love to splash the cash? Indulge in a property shopping spree with the classic version of MONOPOLY! Buy streets, houses and hotels and become a respected real-estate mogul. Negotiate and haggle your way to the top. You’ll own this town in no time! Go for the hottest, priciest, most exclusive addresses on the board and watch yourself profits rocket. Wanna be a MONOPOLY millionaire? READY, SET… OWN!

Includes gameboard, 8 tokens, 28 Title Deed cards, 16 Chance cards, 16 Community Chest cards, 1 pack of MONOPOLY money, 32 houses, 12 hotels, 2 dice, 1 speed die and instructions.

For 2 to 8 players. Ages 8 and up.



MONOPOLY "Money Makes It Real"

Have you ever wished the MONOPOLY money that you collected in during the
game could be real? If so, you're not alone! A recent survey conducted by
Hasbro, showed that 60 percent of United States residents who have played
the game have imagined the cash in the game becoming real money. If the
money became a reality, more people would use this cash to pay off debt (70
percent) or buy something for their family (54 percent), before they
purchased something for themselves (40 percent). Can you imagine?

Now is your chance to tell us and you could win some cash! That's right, we
are giving away $20,580 (the total money in the game "bank") as part of the
MONOPOLY "Money Makes It Real" contest to commemorate the 75th anniversary
of the game. Visit here for more details!

So what are you waiting for? Enter the giveaway, and enter the Monopoly "Money Makes It Real" contest. Simply go to the website here, sign up ( it takes less than a minute), and say what you would do with the Monopoly Bank. Would you travel, pay debts, save for your kids education, or improve your home? The possibilities are endless.

This Giveaway will end at midnight on Friday, August 13th, 2010.

We love our pets!

I cannot say how much we love our pets! They love us too, I think ;) We have 2 chihuahuas named Penn and Teller. They are brothers and we have had them for a little over 2 years. These fur babies have completed our family and although they shed, bark and hog the bed, we can't imagine life without them. There really is nothing like a pet to teach your kids responsibility and gentleness. Our girls are responsible for feeding and putting the boys outside. They also walk, play with, and cuddle with them. Just look at them, do they not look content and comfy being our babies?



Here is a little video of the boys doing the only trick they know... cha cha! Enjoy!