NOGALES, Ariz. — Alyssa Cordova has worked to create a loving home for her children.
"My babies, they're good, they're the light of my life," she said.
She's taken on the challenge of motherhood regardless of the difficulty.
"It's very easy to go crazy. You're pulled in three or four different directions and it's very easy to lose your mind."
Thankfully for her children Alyssa has kept her wits despite the terrible tragedy she's been dealt.
"They see pictures, they know daddy's in heaven."
The struggle is very real, Alyssa said, and it has been since her husband, Jesus Cordova, was killed last April.
"It's been a roller coaster, emotional, mental, physical but hey, we have a reason to wake up everyday."
"My down days I guess, they perceive them, they're more needy."
She was pregnant with her youngest child when Jesus was killed. His death changed everything for her family including their child's name.
"We had decided on a different name for him because since he was a super-duper surprise baby," Alyssa said, "we were going to name him Christopher, like Christ-sent, but after he passed away I figured it was only right for him to be his father's namesake."
There isn't a rule book for what to do after your husband dies and you're left with a family to raise.
"My house is full of music and smiles. they're happy kids and I just let them be."
Alyssa is certain she's doing what's right for her family.
"I must be, my kids are happy, my kids are healthy, they don't get sick. they're taken care of."
