Monday, February 11, 2013

Surprise!

I think "Surprise!" sums this post up best. The Rivera family is growing! Yes, we are expecting and the wee one is due in June. It has taken us a bit to adjust to the news, but we are getting excited. For those who know our history that includes several miscarriages, it was a definite surprise to have one stick, without medicine and without trying. I guess it's just meant to be! Now we are praying for a healthy little baby. We are going with the surprise theme and will find out if it's a boy or girl on its birthday. Due date is June 24ish.     

As a fun test to see who reads our blog, we are posting the news here first.









  Awwwwww. They really are little buddies! 


This surprise just so happens to coincides with another surprise in our lives. Last fall we purchased an investment home in Surprise, AZ. With our traditional retirement investments not doing so well we decided to pull some retirment funds and try something new. After lots of research, we settled on the Phoeniz area and stumbled upon the most amazing realtor! (We never even knew a city called Surprise existed until our realtor suggested it to us.) I can honestly say we have a new friend in Arizona that I hope to meet one day. Roberto flew out in October to see the house and meet our realtor.  We are now officially landlords!
Buying a home in another state definitely presents a unique set of challenges, especially when you are not going to live in it. It was an incredibly stressful venture, but one we hope pays off in the long run.

There's a quick summary of our lives during the past few months. It's definitely been an adventure!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Big girl bed

We upgraded the kids' beds recently.  Aliya now has a full bed, which she loves, and Brayden has a toddler bed.  Here's some pictures of Aliya's new bed. 
 



Thursday, January 10, 2013

Christmas

It was our year to stay in PA for Christmas so we enjoyed a low-key Christmas at home.  We celebrated on Christmas Eve with our "PA family" before church.  Then on Christmas Day, the kids were so excited to see what Santa brought.  As soon as they saw their bikes, they started squealing with excitement and couldn't wait to get downstairs to check them out.  We had a nice, relaxing day playing with the kids and eating a delicious Christmas meal.  Here'a  few pics from Christmas. 

Below are some pics of most of the kids at the Christmas Eve celebration.  Everyone was dressed in their pretty Christmas clothes.   
We went to Koziars Christmas Village, a few days after Christmas, and walked around to check out the lights. It's an amazing outdoor display with tons of lights. It was really cool to see! 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Aliya's 4th Birthday!

Aliya turned 4 on Sunday, Dec. 9.  She had a great day and topped it off with a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.  Several of her friends from church and school were able to come and help her celebrate.  She loved it!  All day she kept telling us that it's her birthday and she was going to have a birthday party.  We can't believe it's been four years since this amazing little bundle of joy came into our lives, and we can't imagine life without her.  Happy Birthday Aliya!  We love you!   
 
 
 
 Showing off her dance moves. 
 Playing with her friend Arianna. 
 Brayden showing daddy how to bowl.
 She loved being up on stage. 
 Aliya and her new buddy - Chucky! 
 All the kids. 


Brayden had fun driving his new friend around. 

Abuela visits

Roberto's mom came to visit in October (I'm a bit behind in updating the blog).  The kids had fun playing with her.  Here's a few pics from her visit. 
 



Halloween

For Halloween Aliya was Ariel and Bryaden was Captain America or he likes to say a "super hero".  The kids went Trick or Trunking at daycare one night after schol and also went Trick or Treating around the neighborhood on Halloween.  They had so much fun! 
 
 


Trick or Trunking with friends at school. 

Handing out candy to the neighborhood kids. 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Nana Visits

My mom came out to visit at the end of September and the kids had a great time playing with her.  Here are some pics from her visit.

 Playtime at home. 
 A fun day at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm. 

 The big air-filled jumping bags were a huge hit. 
 Even Nana scored some runs. 
 Say "cheese"
 Story time. 

 Inner Harbor in Baltimore. 
 The dragon boats in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.