Alyssa's 1st Dance Recital

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo you ask? This is something I found. I love to find new ways to teach my kids about the different holidays so they know the importance of the day. I can't wait to enjoy some Mexican food tonight!!!

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.

So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862.

The French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas.

Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War.

The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy -- as European countries traditionally did.

Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish.

General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes.

When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz' superb horsemen miles away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.

Union forces were then rushed to the Texas/Mexican border under General Phil Sheridan, who made sure that the Mexicans got all the weapons and ammunition they needed to expel the French. American soldiers were discharged with their uniforms and rifles if they promised to join the Mexican Army to fight the French. The American Legion of Honor marched in the Victory Parade in Mexico, City.

It might be a historical stretch to credit the survival of the United States to those brave 4,000 Mexicans who faced an army twice as large in 1862. But who knows?

In gratitude, thousands of Mexicans crossed the border after Pearl Harbor to join the U.S. Armed Forces. As recently as the Persian Gulf War, Mexicans flooded American consulates with phone calls, trying to join up and fight another war for America.

Mexicans, you see, never forget who their friends are, and neither do Americans. That's why Cinco de Mayo is such a party -- A party that celebrates freedom and liberty. There are two ideals which Mexicans and Americans have fought shoulder to shoulder to protect, ever since the 5th of May, 1862. VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!

Toilet Paper Fun

Corbin and Ava had a blast playing with the rolls of toilet paper. We built towers and castles and rolled around in the big pile of TP rolls. Then Corbin and I got into a tag war to see who can throw the most at each other. ( I won......he was a better hider than thrower)

Toilet Paper Fun Part II

Cute Boy

Looking at this cute boy with a Beanie you wouldn't think it was 80 degrees here!!!

Green Thumbs or Brown Thumbs?

Well Its spring and we decided to plants some flowers for FHE. Gardening is every kids dream I'm sure. They get to get as dirty as they want and play in the dirt and the water. What fun. We did have fun planting more flowers in our pots. We are venturing out of our "flower" comfort zone and got some peppers, tomatoes, and strawberry plants too. We just haven't done any "food" plants yet becuase the kids pick things and step on things and well you know the rest. So this time we designated an area for our "garden" and hopefully the kids will help keep them alive so we can see the fruits of our labor.

Here's Corbin taking a dirt bath and loving it!

Swimming already?

Well the last couple of weeks here have been pretty warm, so what else better thing to do than to go swimming!! We borrowed our friends pool for the kids to play in, but Ava didn't want anything to do with the big pool or the big kids. They are pretty crazy in the pool. So Daddy got his little girl her very own pool. Its very cute, Its a frog and it shades half the pool so she is not in the sun all the time. I love it and so does Ava. Its just her size.

Yes instead of snow that you Utah people are eating and having snow ball fights with, we are eating popsicles from the good ol'
Wal-Mart. We got to take what we can get here in the desert!

Building Forts

This is one of my favorite memories as a kid. My brothers and I always built forts using as many blankets as we could find and all the chairs in the house we could get our hands on and move to the play room. So I am glad to say I am keeping the tradition going and I am glad that my kids love it too. But of course, there has to be a "girl" fort and a "boy" fort. Maybe when they get a little older they will just want to get along and have 1 fort together......crossing my fingers on that one.

Trash Day

All the kids love to wait by the window and watch the trash man come and get the trash. Its a huge deal around here when they here the big truck coming down our street, their ears perk up and they stop what they are doing and yell "trash mans here!" Oh how I love the simple things in life.

Ava Standing up

Just Another Day at the Zoo

We picked up aunt Kelli from the airport last Monday and went to the Zoo, yet again. It is right next to the airport, we couldn't resist! We went to a different part of the zoo that we didn't get to see last time and the kids had a blast. It was still warm,but a lot cooler than last time we went, and a lot less crowded. We went to petting zoo, where you can pet the animals and climb on tractors and play animals, We say turtles, bears, zebras, and flamingos. We had lunch in the picnic areas where the kids enjoyed feeding the ducks (they found out the ducks liked PB & J sandwiches) After we ate, we let the kids play on the playground and played in the stream that runs through the play place. It was a lot of fun.

So Kelli and Ava were sitting so nicely watching the kids play when....

A little boy threw a huge rock in their direction and splashed water all over them (notice Kelli's leg). I tried to get the boys attention to tell him to stop, but he couldn't or wouldn't hear me and he threw another rock and got them more wet! I finally got in the water and got a hold of the boy and told him to stop throwing rocks in their direction. So he turned around and threw the rock down and landed an inch away from Jaxson's foot ( a boy that I watch). luckily the boys dad finally saw what he was doing and got him out of the water and told him to stop throwing rocks, so I didn't have to.....Looking at the last picture the water took Ava by surprise!

Corbin was being a good big brother and driving Ava around the kids play area in the stroller so she can see everything. He does have some good moments with Ava!!

Happy Easter

The kids in their Easter clothes

Decorating Easter Eggs

Getting Ready for the Hunt......

Here are the kids emptying out their Eggs, notice Ava is in the middle waiting for someone to drop their guard and leave some candy laying around so she can swoop in and get it!! She did however get a hold of a chocolate bunny, I was busy picking up jelly beans and helping the kids with their eggs and baskets when I turn around to look at Ava, it was too late, She was quiet and covered in chocolate! Needless to say she wasn't very happy with me when I took it away from her.