Meet Sofia

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wildflowersSofia is a former English teacher and now stay at home mom to six-year-old twin girls and a four-year old son. She is married to her awesome husband, Robert, who is the husband and father to their three children that she always prayed for. Sofia grew up in Mission, moved to Austin after getting married, and now lives in McAllen. She is a lover of all things food with a flair for cooking on the fly. She loves word games and wine. Her biggest hero is her mother, and all the beautiful women in her life that make her the woman she is today.  Three of her favorite things are coffee, silence, and bedtime. Her favorite scent is the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Her hope is that all three of her kids inherit her love for cooking and baking and that they inherit her husband’s sense of humor and his great taste in music.

What is the best piece of advice you ever got?

The best advice I ever got was the non-advice my grandmother Rosa gave me before I got married. As I sat by her bedside and asked her if there was any advice she had for me before marriage, all she said was “Todo va a cambiar.” Everything will change and it did, quickly. I was married in 7 months, moved to Austin, and 7 months after that, I was pregnant with twins. I delivered at 35 weeks via emergency c-section on the day I was scheduled for a tour of the hospital and maternity ward. Actually, I delivered Cecilia, our second little girl, 5 minutes before my appointment time. We moved back to the Valley 2 months after that to be closer to family and to be closer to help with the girls. Seven months after that, I became pregnant with our son. We moved 4 times in two years and I was either pregnant or towing twins during that crazy time. We now live in McAllen and have lived here for four years.

What is your favorite scent?

I love the scent of fresh brewed coffee. Before I started school, I stayed with my grandmother who brewed coffee continuously throughout the day. She used to give me milk with a little coffee served with toast and cajeta. Her kitchen was always filled with delicious food smells and the smell of fresh brewed coffee. At her kitchen table, we made tamales, tortillas, and she shaved nopales. We would gather at that kitchen table after church every Sunday and at every holiday. The conversations were always flowing, with Spanish, English, and Tex-Mex mingling and would always erupt in laughter after my grandfather would start telling his famous or infamous jokes.

What is your best & worst personality trait?

My best personality trait is that I work well under pressure my worst personality trait is that I procrastinate. This is probably why I work well under pressure. Also, I mumble and sometimes don’t speak loud enough. A trait that thankfully (or not thankfully), none of my children have inherited.

What traits do I hope our kids inherit from their father?

Well undoubtedly, they have all inherited his height.  All our kids are tall for their age, and if the trend continues I’ll have to look up to them in no time. Our twins who were born premature and tiny are taller than most kids their age and our son who is 17 1/2 months younger is not far behind them. I also hope they inherit his taste in music. My husband is a walking encyclopedia of music of many genres. He has a great ear and although he doesn’t play any instruments (except for air drums) he is really good at discovering new music and sharing classic tunes. Finally, I hope they get his sense of humor. He has the ability to bring humor into any situation and it’s disarming and really makes everyone relax. This is really great when talking down tantrum-throwing kiddos or a tantrum-throwing wifey.

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What traits do I hope our kids inherit from me?

I hope our kids inherit my love for cooking and or baking. I started cooking or at least attempting to cook at a young age. I love when they come in to help me with a meal or help me with meal prep. There is something so special about making a meal together while listening to some tunes in the kitchen with breaks in between to dance or spin. I also hope they inherit my moves because I’ve got some pretty decent middle of the kitchen dance moves.  It takes some serious skill to sauté and salsa (try to at least) at the same time.

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What is your favorite food?

This is definitely a hard one because I don’t discriminate, I just fill my plate. I love all kinds of cuisine. I love trying to cook all kinds of cuisine. I love taking pictures of food I’ve made or food I’m about to eat and sharing it on social media. This could also be one of my worst traits. My favorite thing to cook is turkey. Thanksgiving is like my super bowl and I fill that bowl with a perfectly roasted turkey, and all the fixings. I have a few recipes that have become tradition. I started making the Thanksgiving meal when I was 16 and have made it every year since.

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Who is your hero?

My hero is my mother. Her family were migrant workers and she began working in the fields at a very young age. She was told in her teen years not to pursue higher education because she was a minority, didn’t have the grades, and was a woman. She did indeed pursue higher education and put herself through school by cleaning houses. She then went on to pursue her masters while working full-time as a teacher when my brother and I were very young . She worked as an educator for 34 years all while enduring the pain of severe rheumatoid arthritis, a diagnosis that came in her late twenties. She was an accomplished educator and had the ability to help the students that had the most academic and or disciplinary challenges, to succeed. She disciplined with dignity and always encouraged her students to READ! I still marvel at how hard she worked in and out of the classroom for the success of her students despite her physical limitations. She will always be my best friend even though she is no longer with us. I miss her incredibly but she undoubtedly made me the woman I am today. Caring for her these last few years, although difficult, was a privilege and I would do it all over again in a heart beat just to be able to lay in bed next to her and listen to her words of encouragement, her wisdom, and her insistence to always pray and put it all in God’s hands.

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Sofia Ledesma
Sofia is a former English teacher and now stay at home mom to six year old twin girls and a four year old son. She is married to her awesome husband, Robert, who is the husband and the father to their three children that she always prayed for. She is a lover of all things food with a flair for cooking on the fly. She loves word games and wine. Her biggest hero is her mother, and all the beautiful women in her life that make her the woman she is today. Three of her favorite things are coffee, silence, and bedtime. Her favorite scent is the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Her hope is that all three of her kids inherit her love for cooking and baking and that they inherit her husband's sense of humor and great taste in music.

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