Anaya Family in Las Vegas

New Year, New Blog

2010-01-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes I know, I haven't blogged since....who knows when...... New moto.....Let Go and Let God! It's all in his hands and we are all just here for the ride.

Love you all and will blog soon :)

Long time no posting...........

2009-04-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have been gone sooooo long and so much has happened! I promise to try to post soon. I just have been super super busy.

Going to California this weekend and I cant wait to see everyone.

Happy Easter to all and like I said I will update soon...

Like my new layout?

Can I call a Snow Day?

2008-12-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

This is my house in the snow.

This is the community park in the snow.

I know I know, I have seen snow before. But I have never had it snow on my house before or where I work. We always had to drive to it.
Needless to say, I think this is awsome. Its 2:00 pm in Las Vegas and its still going.

Im happy!

Why am I happy today?

2008-11-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

Favorite Things...

2008-10-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Its a slow day here at work and I plugged in my I-Pod and hit the shuffle key and what came up first was The Days In Between - Healed. For those that don't know, my cousin Eric Lilavois Band.

I sure do miss going to hear them play. They were awesome. You Tube them if you haven't already. Found some shots of them and thought I would give them a shout out! We miss you guys!

Definitely one of my favorite things.

ER

2008-09-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

I cried my eyes out last night. I'm serious. I got the tissues ready, popped some Advil and prepared myself for the boo hooing. They said someone would die, but they never said who. Well.....

Dr Pratt died last night. :-(

RIP.

Its was pretty graphically portrayed and seriously I felt so sad.

Luis says sarcastically to me "Why are you crying? Did you know him?" LOL

I love ER.

Sad to see this be the last season.

Come back Doug!!! (Clooney, I'm talking to you!)

Back To School... Already?

2008-08-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

It's like the Office Depot commercial where the parents are super excited and the kids are like
:(

I will have pictures to post at a later time so you can see how much the kids have grown..

Stay tuned..........................

Joke of the Day by: Lisa Stevens

2008-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

A blind bunny was hopping down the bunny trail and tripped over a large snake and fell, kerplop right on his twitchy little nose.'Oh please excuse me,' said the bunny. 'I didn't mean to trip over you, but I'm blind and can't see.''That's perfectly all right,' replied the snake. 'To be sure, it was my fault. I didn't mean to trip you, but I'm blind too, and I didn't see you coming. By the way, what kind of animal are you?''Well, I really don't know,' said the bunny. 'I'm blind, and I've never seen myself. Maybe you could examine me and find out.'So the snake felt the bunny all over, and he said, 'Well, you're soft, and cuddly, and you have long silky ears, and a little fluffy tail and a dear twitchy little nose. You must be a bunny rabbit!'The bunny said, 'I can't thank you enough. But by the way, what kind of animal are you?'The snake replied that he didn't know either, and the bunny agreed to examine him, and when the bunny was finished, the snake asked, 'Well, what kind of an animal am I?'The bunny had felt the snake all over, and he replied, 'You're cold, you're slippery, and you haven't got any balls...You must be a POLITICIAN'

Shake, Ratlle and Roll..

2008-07-30T12:51:00.001-07:00

So I hope this post finds all my California Family and Friends feet firmly planted on the shaking ground.

5.4 I guess was the latest estimate and over 50 after shocks.

Email I receive around 12:30 from Angelique.."Mommy, OMG!"..Celeste.."I want to come home"..Kevin :No Comment!".

Seriously, as all of us native Californians know..the ground actually moves, shakes, rattles and rolls and you just have to get used to it, or move. I think it sounds worse than it feels. The rumbling is what gets to me.

I still love California though and I hope to be back to visit soon. Shaking, Rattling and Rolling along with everyone else!

The Anaya Family

2008-07-29T18:42:00.001-07:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Food for thought...

2008-07-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

My sister Jojo told me about a great article that she read in the SGV Tribune and I thought I would post it for all those who have children, (are going to have children) and may find themselves in this same situation.
I remember a time, like in the article, that good behavior was the norm and not the exception. "Your children are so well behaved" was an undersatement, not the shock and awe and amazement that usually comes after this statement is spoken.
What are we really teaching our children? Are we preparing them for all that life has to throw at them? or are we coddling them and "Mommy will make it all better" them to death?

Good grades, behavior are to be expected; no reward needed
By Anissa V. Rivera, Correspondent

There are a million ways to parent, but I want the way that grows good, decent, useful, happy kids.
Lately I've been rethinking my reward system for my two boys.
This all started when Firstborn Son was 4 and discovered consumerism. Behold, toys were for the buying at Target! He didn't throw tantrums if he didn't get a new gizmo, but he learned to ask (and ask, and ask again.) So I started tying strings to the playthings: Clean up the family room and get a treat.
Now he's 6, and we've developed a responsibility chart with points for each chore and a weekly total he has to earn before getting, say, a new pack of Pokemon cards. But I see that I've also thoughtlessly fallen into giving my boys a too-rewarding life: Get all your spelling words right, earn a trip to the bookstore. Behave well at church, get a doughnut. Please, just be quiet while Mama works on her column, and you get to stay up longer. These days, my son's Holy Grail, the bribe above all bribes, is a trip to the aquarium or Chuck E. Cheese.
So much of my parenting is instinctive and my instincts are telling me, "Whoa."
I don't want my kids to expect a reward every time they accomplish something. For example, Firstborn Son is an excellent reader.
So I was disappointed his name didn't appear among the top accelerated readers in his class (students have to read on their own and answer questions via computer, which tallies up the books they've read).
"Joseph,"
competitive mama intoned, "when you make it to the top 4 in accelerated reader, you get a new DS game."
Yes, shake your finger vigorously at me now. I really wasn't thinking of my son learning and enlivening his literary life. I was imagining other parents and teachers saying, "What a smart son you have!" and me serenely accepting compliments.
Another parent (and educator to boot) came to the rescue about equating good grades with cool gifts. He told me good grades are a reward in themselves and good behavior should be expected, not rewarded.
Otherwise, it means if you are not there, and a reward is not imminent, good behavior does not matter.
"A very important component of maturing is learning to deal with disappointment in a proper way," he added. "It's the child who benefits from doing well in school, and when you start attaching gifts for good grades, maybe the value of learning begins to get lost. Will your children get treats when they are adults and are disappointed?"
When my kids see me treating myself to a tea latte when I've had a challenging day, or losing myself in a novel after the dishes are done, am I teaching my boys there's a reward for enduring everyday inconveniences? And when my kids are hurt or disappointed, will they turn to shopping or sweet treats to make them feel better?
And as my wise friend says, the most is learned from failing. Children need to learn how to deal with failure and use it to motivate themselves to do better.
I would love to cultivate a positive attitude in my family more than a "gimme" one, so when hardship comes, my boys can learn something from it and feel something more sublime than the half-day rush of getting a new toy. Love and deep joy and contentment, all these things don't come wrapped in plastic wrap and wire ties. Hugs and time spent together are the stuff of life, no matter what the credit card commercials say.
I need to remember that in my everyday.
I need to remember it every day.
Anissa V. Rivera is a columnist for the Highlander weeklies. She has a blog at http://www.insidesocal.com/mom and can be reached at anivriv@yahoo.com

Lets all take stock in what is really important people!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!!!

2008-07-25T16:53:00.001-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday!

We Love you!

San Pedro

2008-07-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

JoJo and Sonya took the girls to San Pedro recently and I thought I would share the pictures with you all..If you look closely in some of the shots you can see the Disney Cruise Ships ready to take off.

Hmmm..Disney Cruise....Wouldn't that be a great vacation? Disney and a All you can eat buffet? LOL sign me up!

My oh my how these kids have grown!

2008-07-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

I remember when my girls were babies, and it seems like yesterday we started at Citrus Elementary and met all of these wonderful kids and their families. How time flies. These kids are all going into Middle School(That's what we call it here in Vegas) and Jr High and pretty soon they will be on their way to College.

My good friend Sandie is taking them out for the day in California and she sent me some pictures of the girls with Scott (isn't he handsome?) at Mimi's Cafe this morning.

(Anthony, Brandon, Scott, Angelique, Celeste and Emily out Bowling in Upland, CA)

Scotts pool: Angelique, Celeste, KC and Emily and Scott :)

What a great group of kids !!!

Hancock AKA: Will Hunka Hunka Man Smith

2008-07-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Luis, Kevin, James, Aarash (AKA: Ass Rash)and I went to see this movie this weekend. (Michael bribed us by treating us to the show only if we would take the kids too! LOL)

I would say really good movie everyone!

(PG-13 but.....Language was not really for kids.)

He is a great actor, great to look at, go see it! Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron so good.

(What a twist!!)

I would say go see it. Two thumbs way up!!!

Sex and the City Girls Night Out

2008-06-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

FUN FUN FUN Girls Night Last Friday at Town Square!

You all are the best!

PS: Chicken Little (You know who you are) was there in spirit!

The right thing right now.

2008-05-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

My Mom sent me this today. She always sends me words of encouragement and nice prayers. I really needed to hear something like this today and I opened my email and there it was.

I Love You Mom!

Let go of your concerns about what you could have done or should have done. Look instead at your many opportunities for doing the right thing right now.

If your regrets about the past are painful, then allow those regrets to teach and to motivate you.

In this moment you can take the valuable lessons you've learned and move forward with them.

You've learned that every action, as well as every failure to act, has consequences. Now is your chance to make those consequences work in your favor.

Though the past may indeed hold some regrets, you have something much more powerful. You have today.

And you have a future that will be shaped by what you do today. You can choose, right now, from a large set of valuable and desirable possibilities.

Based on your past experience, you are well qualified to be your own best advisor. Learn from what you've come through, and you'll find a way to go wherever you choose to go.

~ Every new day is a gift.. That's why we call it "the present". ~

Home Sweet Home?

2008-05-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

We're back! We had a great time in California this past weekend. We got to see friends and family that we hadn't seen in a while and visit places we hadn't been to in forever.

BRANDON'S DINER...possibly the best breakfast ever...

Zero traffic on the way home, makes the trip bearable at least.

I've got to say though, I was so happy to pull into my driveway and lay down on MY bed and take in the DRY heat of Las Vegas.

I guess no matter how much I miss California, no matter how much whining and complaining, Las Vegas is now my home.

I miss it when I'm gone and I love it when I'm back.

LAKERS 108 UTAH 105

2008-05-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Series 4 - 2

NEED I SAY MORE?

California Love

2008-05-16T09:45:00.001-07:00

Back in town again.
Humidity = Awesomeness (Is that a word)
My ear still hasn't popped though. LMAO!
Mom and Dads house sure has changed. (Pictures to follow)
Dog update: No sign of Jr and it's almost been 2 months.
Hmm..do I miss Vegas? Ill let you know later...............

Happy Birthday to my baby Angelique!

2008-05-16T09:39:00.001-07:00

Baby?
Nope she's 13!!!! (her actual Birthday was the 15th but I forgot to post in my haste and excitement)
When did this happen?
I'm so sad my baby is getting so big, pretty soon she will be in High School and then before you know it...College!
Time sure does fly doesn't it?
I am so proud of her and I hope she knows how much we all love her.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGELIQUE!

Being Sick :(

2008-05-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

I hate being sick.
I'm finally getting over this Strep Throat/Ear Infection thing that I have had since last Tuesday. I'm not contagious.
Not too sick to not work.
Just a little sick left in me I guess.
I wouldn't wish being sick on anyone.

Only bright spot in my otherwise dreary week.....WE WILL BE IN CALIFORNIA on THURSDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!

Can't wait to see everyone.
I never thought that I would be jazzed about humidity. LOL!

Slow Down

2008-05-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Take time to slow down and smell the roses!

Life satisfaction is more likely for those with a steady stream of minor accomplishments than for those who express interest only in major accomplishments.

Slow down :-)

Positivity, Hypocricy and Perception

2008-05-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

New resolve...Think positive, be postive, act positive.

Hmm..

I don't know if that makes sense. You know who you are. You know what I mean. Let's try it. What can it hurt?

Hypocrisy is what we want to avoid, right? In order to change we must know who we are and how we are perceived. Perception is what its about now a days.

People who are Hypocrites don't even know it. Perception. What a mighty powerful word.

People...look at yourselves, take a good hard look. Like what you see? What do others see?

Perception and Hypocrisy.

Air Anthony???

2008-05-02T08:50:00.001-07:00

Everyone knows how much I adore all my nephews, but just look at this boy! He's in the Air!!!

15 Years..

2008-05-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today is our 15 Year Anniversary. I was thinking .. that's a long time. Im so blessed to have such a wonderful Husband and two beautiful daughters..all accomplished in 15 years! Count your blessings people, I know I am. Time is not something to waste. Cherish it.

I found a website that gives some facts about the year in which we were married 1993 and I put some of them below for you to read.

Cost of Living 1993

Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 6.00%
Average Cost of new house $113,200.00
Average Income per year $31,230.00
Average Monthly Rent $532.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.16
Movie Ticket $4.14
Average cost of new car $12,750.00
Loaf of Bread $1.57
Tuition to Harvard University $23,514.00
Bill Clinton was President of the United States
Windows NT 3.1 released by Microsoft

Popular Movies

Jurassic Park
Mrs. Doubtfire
The Fugitive
The Firm
Sleepless in Seattle
Indecent Proposal
The Pelican Brief
Schindler's List
Cliffhanger
Philadelpha

Sweet Nothing In My Ear

2008-04-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Last night my sister's Caroline and Johanne and I all watched this movie called "Sweet Nothing In My Ear" with Marlee Maitlin and Jeff Daniels. The movie was about a deaf woman and a hearing man who have a hearing child who slowly over time becomes deaf.

The hearing father wants to put in a cochlear implant while the deaf mother rejects the idea.

This movie hit home for us due to the fact that JoJo and I grew up with a Hard of Hearing sister, so it kind of touched us a little differently than it would any average Joe out there.

I told them that if I had a deaf child that I would want him/her to have the cochlear implant.

My sisters think I am wrong.

My feelings are simply this..it would be as if my child were born without a hand, or a leg, or the ability to breath without the help from a machine... I would do whatever I had to do in order to solve their problems. I believe that not being able to hear is not "Normal" as some people put it. You have ears and they are supposed to work. When they don't you fix them.

I know that there are people out there who think it is cruel to put in a cochlear implant but what about those that are born as little people? They often undergo surgery to make themselves taller. Painful? Yes. Cruel? No. Its a persons choice. A families choice.

I don't know what it would have been like to have a hearing big sister. She has always worn hearing aids and used sign language. But I believe that she was lucky because she had the best of both worlds. She speaks like a hearing person but also has the skills to communicate as a deaf person. I wonder if her life and ours would be different if she was able to hear. I wonder if she thinks about that too. Would our family ever have left New York? I don't know if cochlear implants were even available when she was little, would my parents have chosen to give her one?

Aren't my Nephews adorable?

2008-04-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today I am baby sitting my nephews. Zachary is 2 going to be 3 on May 25th. Anthony 2 on July 25th and Spencer is now 3 months old. They are getting sooooo big.

Friday at last!

2008-04-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Another great week for the Anaya Household... here are some updates.

Angelique got her report card and she is getting 3 A's and 3 B's. Luis and I are super proud of her considering her Progress Report was straight B's. She's really working super hard and it shows in the report card. But, don't let her fool you, although we believe she is an intelligent girl, Papa has promised her an IPhone for straight A's. SO we know what the real motivation is! :)

Celeste turned in her Washington State Project and let me tell you she really is cut from the same cloth I am. She followed a guide for her posterboard that explained exactly what she needed, but when she found out that you get extra credit for certain things, she went all out. At the State Fair her school had Thursday night (this is where the kids present their projects and answer questions from teachers, family and friends) she HAD HAD HAD to bring Washington Apples so that everyone could taste. If this kid doesn't get an A+ be prepared for WW3 in my house! LOL.

Luis had a schedule change at work, he now works Sun thru Thurs and I hate it! For those of you that don't know he works for Citbank now at The Lakes in Las Vegas which is a 24 hour facility and they are trying something new. Since he is low man on the totem pole he is the first to try this out.

I am still working at Leavitt Insurance and I still Love Love Love it! The people I work with are great and I have so much fun here it's kind of not like work! LOL!

Check out Lydia who is the Agent I work for and how we celebrated her birthday this past week. Yes that is a flower bra!

So all in all things are going good.

We miss everyone and I hope to be in California before the month is up.

See you all soon and have a great weekend!

Sha Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Good Bye!

2008-04-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Kristy Lee Cook is gone. Finally!

That's it. I wont say anything else!

*Please remember this is just MY opinion.*

California

2008-04-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

You know what I miss? California. It's so funny that I even type in those words, because last year I was soooooooo happy to be here in Las Vegas! Don't get me wrong, I love it here, I love my House, I love my job, I love the new friends I have made, I love that my kids are thriving and doing well, etc... I just miss California.

There is something to be said about getting up in the morning and saying "I'm gonna go to Disneyland today!" or "I'm gonna go see my Mom and Dad today" and in 15-30 minutes your there.

I've got a bad case of the "Whoa is me" today. Just ignore me. I'll get over it.

What day is it again?

2008-04-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

How can it already be Tuesday? When did Monday happen?

We spent an uneventful evening at home last night. Celeste wasn't feeling well so she went to sleep early. Luis, Angelique and I stayed up and watched Law & Order, (which is even better in reruns).

Angelique loves the show, my TIVO is full of Law & Order SVU, Special Victims Unit, etc....

Of course Luis watched the Laker Game and Sports Center, me...Big Brother 9.
It's finaly getting good. I think they are down to the final 5 and all the Drama is starting to happen! All the tears and the people who claim to be such good Christians and then they act in such un-Christian-like ways! (Is that a word?)

Update on Dog: Still no word. My Mom is going to contact the pund to see if he was turned in.

Where oh where has our little dog gone?

2008-04-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

So I get a phone call on Saturday from my Mom and she sounds upset. "Junior ran away." she says. "Again?" is my reply. Let me give you some background on this dog...This dog was a street dog that Luis rescued. He was covered in Mud and Blood and looked like he had been run over and left for dead. Some of his teeth were knocked out..pitiful sight really. Luis (being the reincarnated dog that I believe he is) nursed him back to some sort of normalcy a couple of years ago, and Junior became a part of our family. When we had him for about 6 months, he ran away by digging a hole under our fence. Luckily some nice lady called us and had found him. But no matter how much love we gave him he would bolt when given the chance. Last year when we moved to Vegas, we gave the dog to my parents because of the heat here in Vegas, and he has disappered twice since then.

Well its Monday and no one has called saying they found him. My Mom has put up posters everywhere hoping someone will return her Precious Junior. We will see. Maybe this time he's gone on to his next adventure.

For my Mom's sake I hope not. She really loves this dog.

Ill keep you posted! :)

American Idol

2008-04-11T10:54:00.001-07:00

Total Shock, Michael Johns gone! What is this world coming to? Maybe he will follow on the footsteps of famous people who haven't won American Idol and have still made it: Clay, Daughtrey, Jennifer, etc...

We're Blogging!

2008-04-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well it's happened!

Our family is Blogging. After many conversations with family and friends who are always saying...What are you guys up to? How are the girls? How is Luis? Well here you go. I will try to keep this blog updated as much as I can with all the information I can gather.

I miss you all and stay tuned for more............