My birthday girl, Rita!

Eleven years ago, I delivered my third daughter, Rita, in a hospital in Lisbon... We had just been transferred from London to Rabat, Morocco (my husband was assigned as a Detachment Commander in charge of the Embassy Marine Security Guards). Mark was already working in Rabat and I stayed with my mom in Lisbon, awaiting the birth. He had taken a week's leave to come to Portugal, but was supposed to fly back on the 21st to host the Marine Corps Ball in Rabat and then return the next day... He never made it out of the airport, as I assured him over the phone that this baby was waiting for no one!! Rita (named after the Beatles song) was born at 6 pm after only two pushes... She has been a ball of energy ever since!!! She is a very animated, funny, smart and caring girl, she is a terrific athlete and definitely knows how to have fun!!! Our lives are truly enriched by her presence, and we are so proud of her! Happy birthday, sweet girl!!!

Halloween 2009

The kids had a wonderful Halloween this year, it landed on a Saturday so they were able to sleep in the next day!!! We had one less child dressing up this year, as Anna is getting a little old for that, she stayed home with me and handed out candy!! One of my favorite things is to see the kids that ring our bell, especially the little ones... Too darn cute!!!
















This year, Alex decided to be Optimus Prime, from The Transformers... He had fun at the little party in his classroom decorating cookies, throwing hula hoops at pumpkins and making little black bats!

Rita wanted to be a "gangsta" boy, complete with hip hanging pants and underwear showing...

Clara was a female firefighter (I didn't know they wear miniskirts...)

The best part... Candy overload!!!!

A great soccer season!

Anna just wrapped up her season playing Junior Varsity soccer in high school!! The team came out strong, with only two losses out of about 14 games!! We enjoyed watching her play and can't wait for the next season!! She loved her coach and the girls in her team were absolutely awesome... She truly had the best time!!

Happiness is...

... Being so proud of my daughter I could burst!!! No medals, two falls on the beam, and the worst floor and beam scores ever... Still, I couldn't have been prouder!!!!

Future soccer star?

De pequenino se torce o pepino....

Gotta start them early!!!! We love watching Alex play soccer, he does it with such intensity... He literally counts the days until his next game!! Something I only noticed when I was downloading the pictures is Alex's fingers (click on the pictures to enlarge them), he keeps them crossed most of the game!! Maybe he's hoping to play for Sporting when he gets older...?

Oregon State Fair!!

On Clara's birthday, we took the kids to the Oregon State Fair. I am ashamed to say that they had never been to a state fair.... They had a blast!!! Fun rides, yummy food and lots of animals to pet, what a great way to spend the day together!!! They are already talking about going back next year....

You, my brown eyed girl....

Today is my daughter Clara's 13th birthday... Clara is my (not so) mini me, she is my only brown eyed child, and she looks just like I did when I was her age!! She has a sweet, caring heart, she is always very empathetic and a good friend to all. I don't think there was a year in Elementary school where she didn't win an award for Citizenship, and has just recently been chosen by her middle school principal to be one of a handful of mentors at the elementary school... And she is a funny character, too!! She makes us laugh, and masters impressions like no one I have ever seen!!

When she was about three years old, she looked at a picture of our wedding (where my husband was wearing his dress blues) and said: "Mommy looks so pretty, with a pink dress, and pink shoes, and flowers in her head, and daddy.... Daddy is going to work!!"

A few years later, she cracked me up with this naive statement: "When I turn 18, I can do whatever I want... With your permission!"

Not only is she a wonderful person, she is a smart cookie (straight A student and a member of the National Junior Honor Society), and a great athlete! This last school year, she was the only seventh grader in her school (even among the boys) to meet all six presidential fitness standards!!!

Tuesday is the first day of school for her brother and sisters (she is the only one starting Wednesday), and I am looking forward to spending the day with her... I have a fun day planned for us! Happy birthday, sweetie, I love you so much and I am so proud of you!!!