Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

We had a great 2-day Thanksgiving feast! We were supposed to go to NY, but with my aching back problems, it just wasn't going to be possible -- sorry Vega family :( I'm sure we'll see you soon!!

Here are some pictures from a few days in November. Enjoy!

Mari and Gavin during hot cocoa festival after turkey.



Joli and Mia enjoying hot cocoa like "little ladies" (they called themselves that).
Jorge with his first turkey ever! It was so yummy! He also made beans and rice AND a pumpkin pie! Good job, Jorge!!
More posing with the turkey!
Joli and Jada getting their pictures taken in their matching dresses. This is hilarious because it is a classic Jada look...!
Still annoyed that Mommy is taking their pictures.


Ultrasound in the beginning of November - at about 5 months. Everything looks good!


Funny, funny Jada... we found her like this one day and had to grab the camera!

I Won an Award!

So, I usually post about the cool things everyone in the family is doing, and thought I'd take this one for me!

This past week, my colleague Kristen nominated me for a prestigious award through our professional organization. It's a regional award with potential for national recognition in March 2009. It was a pretty surreal experience as it was completely kept a surprise by everyone in my office (including an elaborate scheme to get me to the ceremony when I was actually planning on going home that evening!).

Kristen organized this whole thing, nominated me, got others to write letters of support and I was given the award in a very surprising ceremony on Tuesday night. The speech was written by my boss, Fr John, and was filled with very humbling quotes from people about the impact I've had on their lives. It was nuts. I actually didn't hear much of the speech because I was too busy wanting to crawl under the table!

Here is a picture of Kristen and me just after I was given the award. It's a recognition award for Educational Equity and Ethnic Diversity.

So very amazing!

Post-Election Fun!

No surprise, we are thrilled about President Elect Obama! Here is a great picture of Joli and her best friends leaving the voting booth! I hope we can take a similar one in 13 (well years when they are 18 and voting for themselves!).



This is the latest giant belly photo also taken around November 4th. Thought we could record this for baby-to-be on this special day! Yes, those are stretch marks... already.




As the news broke on CNN, Jorge was ready for his close up!

We've felt the baby move a little bit, and everything seems to be going well. I have an ultrasound coming up, but likely, we'll still not find out what sex the baby is. Jada is obsessed with Baby; Joli doesn't seem to really care. But, I think Joli has been surrounded by all the cousins and babies that she's like, 'Uh,huh. Big deal. Another thing that'll cry and interrupt my pony-playing."

Some cool kid things:

1. Joli can read. It's crazy.

2. She can name all 50 states -- even I can't do that without really thinking about it.

3. Jada's favorite thing to say these days is "Jammboooo!" which is a warning that she's about to jump on you.

4. Jada says, "If the baby's a boy, I'm going to name it Diego. If it's a girl, I'm going to name it Dora."

5. When we do nighttime prayers and get to the "God Bless Mommy, Daddy...etc" section, Joli goes through the whole family. When it's Jada's turn, she says, "God Bless my armpits. God Bless my feet. God Bless M&Ms. The end."

6. Joli is rocking out her dance moves. She LOVES to dance and make up her own songs these days. She's also finally taking music lessons in school, and I hope she really gets into some sort of instrument at some point!

That's all for now! Have a great day!!

Like Father (and Mother)... Like Daughter

I picked up Joli early from school today so that she could come with me to the voting polls. I made a point to bring Joli to the polls today for so many reasons:

1. Wanted her to know the power of the individual and the importance of voting
2. Wanted her to see the process of our rights
3. Wanted her to know that voting is an expectation!
4. Wanted her to be a part of history -- a moment in time when she can look back and know she was a part of a very big day!
5. Wanted her to know that her Mom (and Dad) care about her future and the future of our country
6. She's been hearing us talk about Obama a whole lot, and we wanted her to see it to the end!

I took this picture in the voting booth of Joli after we colored in the circle for Obama. Hopefully she can look back on this day and know that we were a part of history.

After I came home and uploaded the photo, I saw that Jorge uploaded his, too! Like father, like daughter. Off to go watch the news!!

Been a while!

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long, but hopefully that birthing video carried you all through until now!

We went on our annual Stonehill trick or treat event which was a blast! This year, Gavin and Mia came with us, along with Uncle JP and Tita Elma!

Some mid-October cake decorating with the girls

Gavin's first Stonehill Halloween -- it's so much fun because we basically just go door-to-door and get lots of candy without having to walk very far!


Our 2nd annual Office Kids picture! It got a lot bigger this year!Pre-departure picture!


These days, Baby #3 is doing well. I have an doctor's appointment and then an ultrasound in the next few weeks - at which time we will NOT be finding out the sex of the baby. Although, given the number of boy dreams I've been having, we're expecting a boy to pop out!

Jada is getting ready to be a great big sister. She LOVES Baby and hugs my belly at every chance she can get. When she wakes up in the morning, even before she says anything to Jorge/Joli/Me, she says, "Good morning, Baby! It's me... Ate Jada. I'm your sister!"

Joli is doing great at school. We're shocked by how much she can read and spell! The small class size and Montessori style teaching have been wonderful for her, and we love that she has homework! I can't believe we're actually at the age where we are sitting down and doing real homework with our kid -- where did the time go??

Recently, the kids' favorite thing to do is to TELL JOKES (hmmm.. can we say, "JORGE'S KIDS??"). The jokes are pretty terrible, but they make them funny nonetheless. Here is a video of our family during "Joke Night." For the non-Tagalog speakers, the word Jada is saying in the video is "Ugg-ugg", which to us, means "boogies." So, that gives you some context for her joke.....!

ENJOY!

I think we watch too many baby shows as a family.... I caught the girls doing this. Thank God I had the camera handy!!





On other just funny awesome notes, we went to Dim Sum today and Joli was a true rock star. Typically, as many know, she only likes to eat 3 things: har gao, shu mai, and "sweet tofu". She never eats the rice. Never eats the noodles.

BUT, today, we went with a bunch of international students from school and guess what Joli ate ... SHE ATE SNAILS!! Yes, snails! Okay, periwinkles, as they are called. But, she almost ate an entire bowl (and didn't share!). SERIOUSLY! It was so trippy I wasn't even sure that was Joli sitting next to me! She just picked one up, took out the hard thingy that covers the snail, and then sucked the snail right out!! Woah.... I think she ate about a dozen of them..... GO JOLI!

Lots of new pictures!

Wow, it's been a while since we posted any of the girls with their Tigger and Grover dolls (okay, I confess... we lost the Grover one for a while, but found him buried in a pile of toys in the playroom!).

Recognize this little gal? This is Joli at 3 months old with Tigger!

Here is Joli at 63 months old!!
Miss Jada Jada at 6 months with Grover
And, now Miss Jada (aka Cheetah Girl) with Grover at 30 months old!

Each year, we go to the NRT Fair in Easton. When we were growing up, Grace and I (Mari wouldn't be caught dead there.. and still won't!) went a lot, so it's nice to be able to bring the girls. We went with all the Talusan cousins this year!

Last year, Jada was too little to ride the pony, but here she is now! Our big girl!!


Of course, all the cousins rode horses that day. Joli was psyched! and, check out Mia and Gavin in the background on their horses!
The girls were so funny -- when we came in, they found this cute little princess booth that had beaded crowns and wands. We told them we'd "come back to get them on our way out" (sneaky trick), but alas, the girls did remember. And, we even played a game of "okay, if you can find the booth again, we'll buy the crowns" hoping they wouldn't be able to find the tiny table amidst the dozens of booths. Nope. They found it. So, Jorge shelled out for crowns and wands (of which, are now sitting in a toy box forgotten somewhere... this is why we don't buy toys anymore!)

A few weeks ago, we decided to get Joli's blood tested for the Rb gene. Ideally, the tumor is the thing to test as it can tell you right away if it's genetic or sporadic. Because her tumor wasn't viable, we had to go the blood route, which, unfortunately, is only about 90% effective. We were hoping to spare Baby #3 all of the exams under anesthesia if Joli's gene turns out to be sporadic, but the geneticist says he would recommend still doing screening since the tests aren't 100%. Urgh.... oh, well. We'll find out in a few months about the results, but it seems it won't really matter anyway in terms of a screening for the new baby :(

This is Joli looking thrilled to be at the hospital..... not.
So, I've been told that with each pregnancy, the uterus and belly "remember" faster and therefore expand faster. I believe it! Here is me at 3 1/2 months pregnant. And, yes, that's a hard belly and not just jiggly-wiggly. And, no, it's not twins!!

Thanks for checking in!

I love this picture I just found of Jada from Camp... notice the "supermodel" pucker on her face!



JoJo had a busy day today. We were at Children's Hospital for the start of her genetic testing to find out if she has hereditary or sporadic Rb. Joli knew what she was going in for -- and she cried at school, cried in the car, cried in the parking garage, cried when we got upstairs, cried when we talked to the genetics counselor and the doctor, cried as we walked down the hall to the lab, and cried when she sat down to get her blood drawn.

Then what?

Then, she asked if she could watch the lady put the needle in, said it "didn't hurt at all" and even cracked a smile a bit.

I asked her, "So, did it hurt?" And she said, "No."

So brave, Jo. So brave!

We'll find out in a few months, even though it won't be a definitive reading (blood vs tumor is not as reliable). So, regardless of the test results, we still may have to have Baby#3 tested -- urgh!

But, for now, we're just so proud of JoJo for being so brave today! Blood draw with no numbing cream at all!

Just Back from Camp!

We had a wonderful opportunity to go back to Camp Sunshine this weekend. Those folks are amazing- they somehow crammed 6 days worth of Camp Sunshine into 1 1/2 days! The girls, of course, had a blast, and I got some good talking time with other cancer moms.

Joli and Jada rocking their Camp Sunshine gear!
Joli and her best friend, Julia! Julia is also an Rb survivor and they have bonded over their "special eyes" and their "purple glasses."

The girls on their top bunk! (no, they weren't allowed to sleep up there..)
Me and my favorite girls in the whole world! (And, baby, of course!)


Okay, so super cool part -- Joli is typically pretty shy. But, this time at Camp, she decided she wanted to be in the talent show. I kept putting her off from signing up because I was quite sure she would whisper "Mommy, I'm too shy." Well, she insisted on dancing, getting into her ballet outfit, and then dancing to "Bet On It"-- one of the most obscure songs ever.

Cut to the chase- JOLI WAS AMAZING!! They called her name, "Now, it's time for a dance routine by Joli Vega!", she whispered, "Mommy, I'm nervous.", but hopped up on stage and waited for her music. There was actually a technical difficulty, and the music didn't start for about 30 seconds-- but Joli just stood there gracefully and then ROCKED THE HOUSE!!

GO, JOLI!!! :)

Mari, Grace and me on a FORCE Brochure - an organization for people who been diagnosed as BRCA +.


God gave me a little reminder....

To count each day as a Blessing.

As many who at least read this blog know, the women in the family so far have tested for BRCA 1+. That means, we have (or, in Mari and almost Grace's case, DID) an 87% chance of developing breast cancer, and a 60% chance of developing ovarian.

So, I found a lump.

Well, to clarify, my OB found a lump when I went on Wednesday. He immediately had me schedule an appointment at MGH (where I was already being screened). So, today, Friday, I went in for my visit to the oncologist nurse, an ultrasound (no MRI because I'm pregnant) and a needle biopsy.

The first few were fine -- in fact the needle biopsy (which they took 2 samples) were fine. But, afterwards, it felt as if fire ants were wrecking havoc in my body. Ouch! An icepack and some coffee from my favorite coffee place later, I feel better.

And, the biopsy results are negative. No cancer. They think that it was an inflamed group of fat/milk cells since I had finished breastfeeding only about a year ago. Because my body is so used to being pregnant, my stomach, uterus, breasts and entire body is moving at a faster pregnancy rate because it's been familiar. They still want me to come back in 2 months to check out the site again.

Just when you get comfortable, God sometimes gives you a reminder that life is precious.

Thanks for your prayers everyone!

Sorry it's been a while, folks! It's been busy in our house!

Jorge has finally gone to print with his next 2 comics!
Liza is still feeling pukey, even though we are well into the 2nd trimester

Check out the gigantic apple Joli picked last weekend! She ate the WHOLE thing before we even made it home!



Here is Joli getting inked for the first time! No worries - it's airbrushed. Although, Joli did say, "Mommy! I want to get the tattoo, but I don't want the needles."

And, Jada. Super Jada with her trusty side kick, Cotton Candy.
The TaluVegaLacan cousins (Mia had not arrived yet) at the Greek Festival!


It's been busy with Joli going to school full time, Liza working full time, Jorge working 2 full times (day job and comic job), and Jada being full time... wacky. Baby #3 is also making me nauseous, full time.

Jada, my apologies if this website is still up and running when you hit grade school, high school, meet your first love, and/or go for your first job interview. But, honey, this one was TOO GOOD not to post! So, for all you followers out there, enjoy this before Jada is saavy enough to log in and remove it from this blog!

Introducing... "Jada Montana!"


The TaluMattheLacanVega cousins. Joli was giving the directions, "Now, everyone look cute!"



Cute Story

So, in line with the "interesting questions of Joli", here is the latest from the car ride home today:

Joli: Mom, what will happen if you die?
Liza: Well, I'll go to Heaven.
Joli: But, will Daddy be all alone?
Liza: No, he'll have you and Jada and the new baby.
Joli: But, what happens if I die with you? Will Daddy be alone?
Liza: No, he'll have Jada and the new baby. And, you and I will be in Heaven.
Joli: But, what if Jada dies with you and me? Will Daddy be alone?
Liza: No, he'll have the new baby.
Joli: But, what if the new baby dies with all of us. Will Daddy be alone?
Liza: I guess he will. But he will have all of our other family with him.
Joli: But, who will Daddy love?
Liza: Joli, Dad will still love us even if we die. And, we'll love Daddy.

Pause....

Liza: Joli? Are you worried about Daddy being alone?
Joli: Yes.

Pause...

Joli: Mom, do you think Daddy will find a different person to love if we die?
Liza: Well, I hope so. I hope that if we are all in Heaven that Daddy finds someone he loves and who loves him as much as we do.
Joli: But, what if Daddy doesn't find someone that he loves?
Liza: Well, that's okay, too. But, I hope that if it makes Daddy happy for him to have someone to love, then I hope he finds someone to love.

pause..

Liza: So, I'm going to say this but you might not remember this... if Mommy should happen to die before Daddy, I do want Daddy to find love.

Joli: Mom. I don't think Daddy will ever find someone that he loves as much as he loves you.

Oh Jada....

Nighttime conversations

Blogging this for posterity's sake

Here are samples of conversations that Joli and I have while winding down for bedtime:

What's in Heaven
"Mommy, why does your body melt when it gets burned?"

"What do you mean, Joli? Have you met someone like that?" (note: we just had a young girl over for dinner who had been badly burned and was here in the US getting surgery)

"Gordon. Gordon died and then got burned."

"No, Joli. That was called cremation." (relieved that I didn't need to go into the story of the young girl)

"But why didn't it hurt him?"

"Because, when you die, your love and your spirit goes with God to Heaven. It's just your body that is here and your body doesn't feel anything anymore. So, when we visited Gordon when he was dead, his love was already with God. When we cremated Gordon, he didn't feel anything."

"I don't get it."

"I know. Don't worry."

"So, where did Gordon's love go?"

"Gordon's love went to Heaven."

"Where is Heaven?"

"Where do you want Heaven to be?"

"I think Heaven is far."

"Yes, Heaven is far."

"So, when we pray for angels to watch over us, how can they see us if Heaven is so far?"

"Because God gave them special eyes to watch over us and protect us."

"What?? Special eyes???? They have special eyes, too!!"

"No, not exactly. I mean, they have special eyes to watch over us and protect us."

"But, then why do they have wings?"

"Well, some people believe they have wings because they have to fly in Heaven."

"So, does Gordon have wings?"

"Would you like Gordon to have wings?"

"I guess. Otherwise he will look silly with all those angels if he doesn't have wings."

"What do you think Gordon does while he is in Heaven?"

"Probably play. Eat biscuits."

"I think that Gordon watches and protects you, Jada, Daddy and Mama."

" What else is in Heaven, Mom?"

"Well, some people believe that Heaven is a place where there is everything that makes you happy. What kinds of things make you happy, Joli?"

"I like when you snuggle me. Will you snuggle me when I go to Heaven?"

"If that's what you want in Heaven, then yes. What else do you think will be in Heaven for you?"

"Candy? Does God have candy in Heaven?"

" If that's what you think Heaven is, then yes, God will have candy in Heaven."

"Okay, so can I go to Heaven now?"

"No, Joli. You can't go to Heaven now. You can't go until God calls for you."

"But, I really want candy, Mom."

Where is Heaven?
"Mom, where exactly is Heaven?"

"Heaven is where you want it to be, Joli."

"But, really. Where is Heaven?"

" Well, some people believe that Heaven is in the clouds. Some people believe that Heaven is way above the Earth."

"Why don't you know what it looks like, Mom?"

"Joli, I've never been to Heaven. I have a picture in my imagination of Heaven, but I've never actually seen it."

"Well, I saw it, Mom."

"You did, Joli?"

"Yeah, because the other day, I looked up, and I saw a big cloud. It was bigger than the other clouds. And, that one was Heaven."

"Okay, if that's what you want Heaven to be, then that is what Heaven is."

Infinity

"Mom, can you count past 100?"

"Yes. But not now. You have to sleep. It's late."

"Yeah, but can you count past 100 in Spanish?"

"Yes."

"So, what's the last number?"

"What?"

"What's the last number?"

"The last number of what?"

"The number that's past 100."

"You mean 101?"

"No, I mean the last number. Ever."

"So, there is no last number, Joli. It's called infinity. It just goes forever and ever."

"Right, so what's the last number when you get to forever?"

"No, there isn't a last number. There is always 1 more."

"I don't get it."

"Neither do I. I don't even know what they call the biggest number."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know everything."

"Well, I know THAT Mom."

"Gee thanks, Jo. Think it's time for bed yet?"

"Okay. But, make sure you find out what the last number is, okay?"

"We'll talk about this again when you study the number line, Joli. For now, let's get through
Kindergarten."

"Fine. But, I do know all the continents, by the way."

"I know. That's awesome. Good night."

Oooh! Weekend Fun and smarty pants....

We had a fun first-week of school and weekend of activities here in our family!

Some things we learned this weekend:

* Joli knows all the continents - it completely took us by surprise. Woah.

* When Jada is mad, she calls everyone "vaca" or "cow" in Spanish. We don't know why. But, that's her latest word when she's mad at you. "Okay, you vaca!!" or "Stop it, vaca!!" Hmmm....

* Joli is rich. We finally went through all of the different change piggy banks she has and she had just over $100! Yeah, she's going to start paying rent....

* Joli thinks we are having a brother. Jada thinks we're having a sister.

* Both Joli and Jada can count to 10 in Spanish without any help.

* Try as we might, the girls still refer to Starburst candy as "Starburgers."

* Jada knows fully well how to pee/poop in the toilet when she has her big girl undies on. But, when she is wearing a diaper (a rare thing now), she tests the limits and pees/poops in the diaper. If you catch her doing it, she stares at you, points at you and says, "Go away!" or "Just go into the other room!"

* The kids have my toes. I am watching the girls cleaning up, and Jada has decided to clean up her foam puzzle pieces with her toes only.

**********
Here are the many school uniforms of Joli. A special thanks to Grammy who supplied many of the uniform outfits!



Our good friend Carra read the blog recently and saw that Joli loved making friendship bracelets! So, imagine our surprise when we found a package at our door of friendship bracelet materials and foam activities! Joli and Jada screamed with delight and called Carra immediately!

When I was growing up, my parents always took us to this Papa Ginos after soccer games. So, today, Jorge took the girls to the park to play soccer, and then we went to Papa Ginos! (I hear the official score was Girls: 6, Jorge: 1).
The family knocking back some pizza, orange soda (which Joli said "Oh! This is GROSS!"), and spaghetti.


Jorge and his new clothing trend -- plastic bibs with butterflies, and a bonus "crumbs pocket" which he squealed with delight when he found that hidden gem.

First Day of School

First day of kindergarten today for Joli! Although, she wasn't totally as psyched as we were given that she's just going to the same school. But, now Jo will be there 5 days a week and in a school uniform!

Here is Jada getting ready to take on the U.S. soccer team

Night before first day of Kindergarten trying on her uniform



First day of school!! We took a similar picture on her first day of pre-k!Coming home from school - exhausted but all smiles!

Joli had a great first day! She is in a K-3 classroom where she works 1:1 on a kindergarten curriculum from 8am-2pm and then meets up with the younger kids as a whole group in the afternoon. We love the Montessori way! And, we love the uniform - it makes the morning a whole lot easier!