Our new journey!

Hello to all who have not given up on the Aldape's and our lack of posting! Our lives have been in quit a whirlwind the last few weeks. ......BUT I am pleased to say that the winds are now settling and we are embarking on a new journey! I have received many e mails and calls about what we are up to, so I figured I would fill everyone in!

On June the 15th David started the Houston Fire Academy! He has since almost completed the EMT part and will be EMT certified soon. He is finishing his rotations and will take his National Board on Aug 26. After that he will start the Fire School part which is much longer! I am so proud of all that he has done and accomplished withing the last few weeks.

Since the Houston Fire Academy is obviously in Houston, this meant a very long commute for David, or us figuring something else out. Initially we were going to sell our home in Bryan and completely uproot and move to Houston, but we decided against that for many reasons. One being, we would like to come back to our home when he is out of the academy. Without knowing what the economy is going to do. having a home right now is a very good thing.

The first two weeks of the academy David commuted from Bryan to Houston Monday-Thursday. These were very long days for him. He left the house around 3:30 AM and did not get home till around 8 PM. He was such a trooper and never complained. I knew that this was not a good situation for him. He had lots of material to study and this provided him with NO time for that, on top of NO family time.

So back to the drawnig board we went. We did lots and lots of praying and seeking the Lords will for our family. We knew that David was suppose to be in the Academy, we just needed to find a way to make this work for our family.

With in a week we put the house on the market for lease and my sister and her husband generously provided David with a fifth wheel camper to live in. Thank you guys sooo much.

This meant that David was in Houston Mon -Thurs WITHOUT US, while Ava and I waited for renters!

With in another week we had found renters! God is soooo good.

We found renters on July 11 and they wanted to move in July 30th! Yikes! This meant lots to do!

Thanks to my mom and Dad, and Davids dad coming to help, we got all packed up and moved out. The packing fell mostly on my shoulders since David was tied up with the academy. For two weeks I was working full time, packing, taking care of a two year old, dealing with many things with the leasing agency, dealing with getting a new home insurance policy since our home was now a rental property, and much much more. Alas, by July 30th it was all DONE! My parents were amazing. My mom came almost every day after work and helped me pack, while my dad came and did whatever I told him to do! ( in a very nice way of coarse!) I cannot thank them enough.

Okay...now to more current!.....What does all of that mean for us now.........Well as of yesterday Thursday Aug 6th, I completed my last week of work as a full time dental hygienist. My boss graciously let me cut back to 2 days a week. I will work Mon and Tues. ( and stay with my parents) and then Ava and I will join David at the camper the remainder of the week. This way I still have my job when we move back home! ( a part time job that is!)

The Lord has been so good to us during this time of what felt like "trial and error." It is amazing what He can do when you just have faith and leave it up to him.

I am sooo excited to start this new journey with David and Ava. I am looking forward to being able to be at home more to serve David and Ava. I have waited a long time for this. More to come on that issue later ( working vs not working ) I need to get my feelings and emotions all together about this. I have a HUGE testimony to share regarding working outside the home that I would love to pass along to others.

I will try to post pictures of our new home..... the camper! It really is a nice cozy place. The best thing about it is we always have family time because it is so small! HAHA ....Really it is not bad at all! ....In the mean time I have a sweet little girl that is waking up from her nap an dying to go swimming! .... Oh yeah, we have a pool here at the RV park!

Again thanks to all who helped physically and through prayers during all of this!

My Big Girl!

Okay, I will admit it it has been way to long since my last update! ....Actually I think I am keeping up with my trend very well! .........And this post is way overdue because it is actually old news to us, but it will be new news to you all! ( maybe, if there is anybody left who has not given up on me and still reads this!)

Our little Ava is Potty Trained! This has been in the works for a few weeks now. She started taking interest in the potty a long while ago and I never really aggressively tackled the issue. A few weeks ago, I had a three day weekend and we actually stayed home for the most part, so I thought I would give it a whirl! I was pleasantly surprised at how well Ava did.

She is pretty well trained in the area of #1, and we are still working on the #2 department. I hear this is the most challenging. I am not too worried at this point, because she is already way ahead of the curve in the potty training department.

My goal is to make a sticker board or something to that sort, for the bathroom as a reward for going #2 in the potty. The child loves stickers!

I must say her panties are the cutest and littlest things I have ever seen! Her favorite by far are her Dora ones that her Abuelita, "Lita" gave her. And her little hiney in them is just precious.

I am learning that being potty trained does not necessarily make things easier, especially in public. When the child says "TT" that means now mamma!

And then there is the whole public restroom dilemma! YIKES! I am already phobic about public restrooms anyway, and adding a curious toddler to the mix is even more frightening. She does not understand yet that touching a potty at home does not mean we can touch the pottys in public. We are both learning, and I have put the Clorox wipes people back in business because I carry them in my purse and wipe the seat down. There has to be an easier way.

I think my clever husband may be on to something. Last week we went out to eat and Ava announces that she needs to "TT." So I look to David and say why don't you take her. He said seriously in the men's restroom they are always gross. And again I said yes.

So they get back and I asked how it went and he said "Great!"

I am thinking, not one of my public restroom experiences have ever been great with her, so what made his so GREAT. In the mean time my clever dad who was with us says, "you weren't suppose to use the urinal!" Funny dad!

David said he just had her stand on the seat while he held her and she squatted and went TT.

At first I was thinking, what in the world, and then it clicked, that is not a half bad idea! I can always depend on David to come up with stuff like this. Thanks babe!

On another Big girl note Ava is in a big girl bed! She has been since April! I told you this was way old news!

I found her the most precious English Antique Youth Day bed. It is soooooo cute. It came complete with a custom mattress and several sets of bedding. The size of the bed is larger that a crib, but shorter than a twin, so it was very helpful that everything was included. I turned the bed around to where the back rail is in the front to keep her from rolling out of bed.



I was not sure how Ava was going to do with her new bed, but she did great! I think because of the way I have it set up, it still has the cozy crib feeling to it!

The other morning I was getting ready for work, and in her monitor I heard her box fan turn off, and the she started saying " Mornin Mamma!" She said this like 4 times before I went in there and found her standing so proud and accomplished in the middle of her floor. How sweet!

The pharse "they grow up way too fast," is starting to bring meaning into our lives!

Ava we love you and we are so proud of the things you have already accomplished. We know that the Lord has great plans for you in all that you are ever going to do! Love you! Momma

Lots of new news!

Well it has been a while since I last posted, and we have been very busy in the Aldape home, so I thought I would finally get around to sharing our happenings!

First and foremost... I am an aunt again! ( or tia as my nieces call me or "chia" as Laney Rae says) My sister had her third precious girl Ruthie Claire on Friday May 22nd. She is absolutely beautiful and is perfect in every little way. We are so happy for my sister and her sweet family on this new edition. This little baby girl is already loved so much by so many people, especially her big sisters.

Miss Ruthie Claire Kramer

Me and Ruthie

My mom and her 4th precious grand-daughter!

Ava and her new cousin

While my sister was in the hospital recovering, I got the privilege of taking care of Laney Rae, her 2 yr old. And let me tell you, this was a great privilege! I have not laughed so much in my life. This girl is full of energy and brought so much joy to our home this weekend.

I must say, I have a new appreciation for moms of twins! Laney Rae and Ava are only 5 months apart.....so basically I had 2 two yr olds! Yikes! Needless to say I was very busy, but I loved every minute of it and enjoyed all of this precious time with my niece.

We had an action packed weekend full of twice the messiness, twice the potty training, twice the drama, twice the craziness, twice the storytelling, twice the cuteness, and twice the fun! Ava loved having Laney Rae with us, and I think she was a little bored tonight without her here.

Unfortunately, this weekend ended with Laney Rae getting a stomach bug! Yuck! Although I can gladly say, I am thankful that I did not get to experience twice the puking. We love you Rae Rae and we hope you feel better soon.

Twice the craziness!

Twice the storytelling!

Twice the cuteness!

Twice the fun!

Twice the potty training!

Twice the messiness!

I must include a picture of my oldest niece Kaylyn! Isn't she beautiful!!! She got to enjoy the weekend at her Aunt Honey's house playing with her cousins. We love you KK.


I love my precious nieces and I love being a "Tia" to these sweet girls. I can't wait to see what personality little Miss Ruthie will have.

Oh my gosh, my GALLY!!!

Well.... the last few days have been a whirl wind of sorts! It all began with having my gallbladder taken out on Thursday. This was not an emergency surgery, it was planned as of last Friday, ....so I was expecting this. The surgery itself was not too bad, just a lot of soreness. The hardest part is not being able to pick up Ava. I will not miss this tiny little organ one bit. It is amazing how much pain that little thing can cause.

My parents were so helpful and kept Ava last night, and brought her back this evening. ( over 24 hours without my baby!)Thanks mom and dad! I am sure Grandma and Pop's arms didn't have to be twisted to much. They never mind time with their grandkids! Needless to say Ava had a blast, and came home with lots of new goodies...some shoes, a new chair and these.................
Painted toenails! Aren't they precious? Ava keeps looking at them saying "pretty." What can I say she is a woman after her mother's own heart, she loves the look of freshly painted toes. I guess I will have a pedicure partner in a few years.

I have to say it is not easy for me to sit around and do NOTHING! David has done such a great job of taking care of me and matters of the house. Yesterday I was running a slight fever and he was very persistent about taking my temperature every, what seemed like 5 minutes. He even called the "nurse on call" for me as a concerned husband. Luckily there was nothing to worry about and a slight fever is somewhat normal. Thanks babe for taking such good care of me!

This is proof that David has been cleaning up the house ..................
I looked at the fridge this morning, and noticed that Ava's magnets were all nicely lined up and paired together! Ava is smart but not this smart, David did this! How cute!

This is what it typically looks like when I pick them up! Hey it works!

Needless to say, I am glad my surgery is done and over with, and I am praying this will take care of my symptoms!

Here are a few more pics of what Ava has been up to since the last time I posted! ( a month ago!)

....The greatest of these is LOVE......

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:11-12

My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us - perfect love!
The Message 1 John 4:11-12

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you all had a great day surrounded by those you love. We did! We spent the day in Brenham with my family, at my sister and brother-in-laws farm. It was so neat to have Valentine's Day fall on a Saturday, and be surrounded by the love of your family.

Though the weather was not all that great, rainy and gloomy, we still enjoyed being at "the farm!"

Jumping on the trampoline! Or trying to anyway, it was wet!

Pushing the puppy in shopping basket


Opening goodies!! Thanks Pops and Grandma

Riding Laney Rae's horse. She loved this thing!!!


The eggs that were collected for the night.


Me and dad washing the eggs.

Ava, Laney Rae and Grandma

This is my sister, the Farmer's wife! And let me tell you, she really has her work cut out for her. During my brother-in-law's 24 hour shift at the fire department, she mans the farm. She has two very active children she is home with and is expecting her third GIRL in May. Her days are full of moving cows, feeding animals, and putting them up for the night, collecting eggs, taking care of customers when they show up on the farm, and much much more. All while tending to a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old. You go girl! It was nice to be there tonight to help a sista out!

Oh how I have missed these........

Last week a terrible, awful, horrible thing happened in our home.

We got a visit from the awful stomach bug that is apparently making it's way around Bryan/College Station.

The "bug" started it's awful vengeance on my precious Ava. We were not sure at first if this was a true stomach virus, or a side- effect from the old milk cup that Ava found that night. ( I know disgusting, from what I hear this is normal and will happen at least once to every child!)

Ava started throwing up that night, and from then on it was AWFUL!!! For those of you that have experienced a 18 month old with a stomach virus, you know what I mean. There is no warning when to expect the next " episode." I had the couches covered with towels, and had given up on changing my clothes after the four time. I really think there needs to be a 24 hour help line for mothers who are dealing with puking kids, because I was on the verge of tears. I had one, and it was my sister! Thanks Lyns!

After 24 hours we survived and Ava stopped puking, BUT now we were dealing with some pretty scary dehydration issues. Like no wet diaper for over 24 hours. Yes, this mama was freaking out, and thinking the worst ...like... oh my gosh her kidney's are shutting down.

Friday morning we got the wet diaper we were waiting for, and I am telling you the scent of a soiled diaper never smelt so good.

IT DOES NOT STOP THERE THOUGH....

After Ava was all well and good.....I ended up with the awful bug! David ended up escaping this thing.

We have now all re cooperated and are well!

I have spent the last few days wiping everything that the little "bug" could have attached itself to in my house. I forgot how addicting these wipes are.

A few months ago, I quit using cleaners with harmful chemicals in them,and started using more natural homemade cleaners! And my house has never felt cleaner and fresher! ( see my sisters amazing recipes on her blog www.yonderwayfarm.blogspot.com )

BUT after having this terrible visitor, I needed a peace of mind that the creature was GONE! ( and these wipes kill EVERYTHING..probably including brain cells! )

To those of you who had an encounter with this visitor as well, congratulations for surviving, and to those of you who are next on the list May God Bless you.

My first "Bumpy Ponytail!"

I thought I would post some pics of Ava and her styling "bumpy ponytail." Let me explain. I was talking to my sister the other day, and she said " I just don't get it bumpy ponytails must be in." She had gone somewhere that day, and noticed that all the college girls were sporting " bumpy ponytails." Which I happen to be a big fan of! I remember the years that I kept Aqua Net in business with my big bangs and slicked back ponytail! Oh no, not anymore! So here are some pics for you Sunshine! Even 17 month-olds can do the bumpy ponytail!