Catching up is hard to do :)

Having a toddler and working full time is quite the job for a NEW mother, can I even call myself a new mother anymore :) Kamilo is now 2 1/2 years old, fully pottie trained and quite the entertainer and flirt! So much has happened this past year, including the death of my Mom which has been tragic, Eddie and I buying our own home and Kamilo is now two! Recently some changes have taken place in my health also and I am home on temporary dissability due to a lung issue. I have been superficially (means I hope it is wrong) diagnosed with Intersistial Lung disease.

So since I have some time off I am going to catch up on the last year of the Medina Family life :)

The Medina Family Bought a House :)

Back in November Eddie and I made a huge decision and decided to buy ourselves a family home, we got pre-approved right away and did not want to stretch ourselves too thin. Eddie and I had two very different opinions of what we both wanted, Eddie wanted a house with a garage and a large yard, I wanted something more modern and not to big or too expensive, I was thinking a Condo would be perfect. Well we had an AMAZING house hunting experience, we took a look at our first house in La Mesa, it was definitely a fixer-upper but had great potential, but before we could even put an offer in it was bought for cash! Well the real estate agent Marcia Tolin told us we would probably have to put in about 50 offers before we would actually get one accepted. So we looked online at different houses and put our first offer in on this cute little two bedroom house on a 16,000 square foot lot.



The house only two bedrooms but is modern with new kitchen and granite counter tops, move in ready no repairs needed for the house and a big open blank canvas of a yard for Eddie to play with!AMAZINGLY our offer was accepted, this was a short sale so it was still a if/if situation. Well in March just after my birthday we were very happy to find out that everything worked out!! We signed the final documents on Easter Sunday and we moved into our new home on April 15th, 2010. We were so surprised because not only was our first offer accepted it was approved!



We have been so blessed ..... :)

THREE KINGS DAY (Dia de los Reyes Magos)

Eddie and I decided that we are going to raise Kamilo with as much as his Mexican heritage as possible, one of the holidays we are going to celebrate is Three Kings Day. I believe the story behind this holiday is beautiful and special. When my husband was growing up he never celebrated Christmas day he always celebrated the Three Kings Day. I wanted to include a little bit of history in my blog today, so others can know about the spirtual element of a beautiful Mexican Holiday. :)



January the 6th is a special day in Mexico. Known as 'El Dia de Reyes' (Three Kings Day), this holiday represents the height of the Christmas season. The date marks the culmination of the twelve days of Christmas and commemorates the three wise men who traveled from afar, bearing gifts for the infant baby Jesus. The children of Mexico in particular look forward to this holiday as traditionally, gifts are exchanged on this date, not on Christmas day.

In Mexico and many other Latin American countries, Santa Claus doesn't hold the cachet that he does in the United States. Rather, it is the three wise men who are the bearers of gifts, who leave presents in or near the shoes of small children. The holiday is also known by the name of the Epiphany which dates back to the 4th century. A grand feast would be held on this day to honor the occasion of Jesus' baptism and to pay homage to the three wise men.

Many believe mysterious events preceded Jesus' birth with perhaps the most notable being the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem. This new star appeared in the evening sky just prior to the arrival of Jesus. Three wise men or Magi as they were then known, whose names were Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, traveled a far distance to pay homage to the Christ child. They brought with them fine gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Three Kings Day remains an important holiday for the people of Mexico. In addition to the gift-giving aspect of the day there is also a culinary treat that is specific to the holiday. Known as 'Rosca de Reyes' (King's Cake), this holiday dessert offers much in the way of symbolism. Shaped in the round to signify a king's crown, this sweet bread holds a special surprise. Baked inside is a small plastic figurine representing the baby Jesus. Whoever finds this token is obligated to host an upcoming party for the occasion of 'Dia de la Candelaria' (Candlemas Day) which occurs each year on February 2nd.

The effigy of the baby Jesus, hidden inside the cake, represents another aspect of the holiday. The reason Jesus is 'hidden' inside the bread is to symbolize how in life, the Christ child's birth location also needed to remain secret, in order that his life be spared. The ruler of Jerusalem at the time, King Herod, had been appraised of the mystical signs that indicated the new and rightful King of Jerusalem was soon to be born. Herod's reaction to these predictions was swift and horrible. He ordered his minions to murder all male infants recently born in Bethlehem. However, as destiny would have it, Mary and Joseph found their lodgings in a manger, not an inn. Herod's henchmen didn't think to look for an infant in such a location.