A Coat of Many Different Colors

Gray Matter

2011-09-28T09:20:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Isabella pointed to her head and said, "I've sure got a good brain in there....What is a brain anyway?"

A Place to Rest my Head

2011-07-26T23:42:00.002-06:00

I have been married for eleven years and in that time we have moved nine times. We are in the process of looking for a new place and bringing that number up to ten (here is where you can insert an tired sigh). I don't particularly enjoy living the life of a nomad and if I had my way we would be settled into the home that I comfortably live out the rest of my years in. Six years ago I thought we settled into that home, but alas, it was not to be.
In the interest of looking on the sunny side of our frequent migration, I will say that there is one really great thing about living in so many different houses in the past decade and that is the certainty I have reached when it comes to what I really want in a home. The next time we buy a house or if we are lucky enough to build our own, I know exactly what I do and do not want. Because I used this blog as my online journal, I will go ahead and take the liberty of listing those wants and if I happen to be in the early stages of dementia by the time we settle down I can look here for a reminder.

* stainless steel appliances look pretty but they show every fingerprint and smudge. My ideal option would be a fridge and dishwasher that look like the cabinetry. Until the kitchen appliance industry comes out with smudgeless steel, I am keeping far away from it.

* I hate mirrored closet doors. Not only do they remind of fedora hats and leisure suits, they also attract every fingerprint in my house. I also think my youngest child finds a sadistic pleasure in licking reflective surfaces and although this is something I hope she grows out of, you just never know what strange habits will last through the teenage years.

*Kitchens that do not open up into the family room make me feel like June Cleaver, but not in a good way. I do not want to be slaving over a hot stove in my heels and pearls while the rest of the gang is chatting it up in the family room.

*clear glass shower doors are one of the worst ideas in home design. Why would I want to spend five minutes squeegeeing right after I just got nice and clean?

*Now that I have had double ovens I will be sad to say goodbye them. Thanksgiving dinner was never so easy to prepare!

*Stoves that face the backyard make constantly stirring risotto for thirty minutes much more pleasurable than stoves that face a wall.

*Having lived in a 7,000 square foot house, I can now say that bigger isn't always better. The vacuuming and dusting are constant and there is no way to utilize all that space on a daily basis unless you are in the NBA and have a gym inside your house. On the other hand, it was really fun to host family get togethers in that house and my butt got firmer from walking up and down all those staircases. When I was little I used to dream of living in a giant house, but now I would rather have something smaller.

*A formal living room isn't a waste of space for me if I can turn it into a formal living room/library. A few seating options and walls lined with books is a room I will spend a lot of time in.

*It is great if a toilet can have its own little room and not have to be in view of anything else. I believe no other explanation is required regarding the matter.

*Windows that are framed in wood make the view feel like a piece of art.

*I would prefer to have no stairs in my house, the reason being I would like to grow old and die there. I don't want to climb stairs when I am 90.

*If a house does have stairs, it makes no sense to have the laundry room be on a different floor than the bedrooms - unless your main objective in life is to have a firm butt and you want to climb stairs all day to achieve that goal.

*My ideal entry from the garage would have the laundry room off to one side and the kitchen straight ahead. That set up is great whether you just got back from a muddy soccer game OR the grocery store.

*A big pantry with an extra fridge in it makes me happy.

*We currently have a laundry room the size of a big bedroom and I LOVE it. The only thing that would make it better would be a drain in the middle of the room in case the washer flooded.

*Having a deep sink in the laundry room with a powerful sprayer is so great - especially if someone steps in dog doo.

*A trash compactor can cut two or three trips to the big outside container per day, to one.

*Wood floors feel so much better on your feet than tile. Speaking of tile, I don't know why, but the big travertine tiles not only look better, but they seem to be easier to keep clean than ceramic.

*When it comes to tile grout, go for a darker color....unless you enjoy being on your hands and knees and scrubbing with an old toothbrush.

That is my list for now. Maybe after this next move I will discover something else to add, but I think I have a pretty clear idea of what will make me happy and comfortable in a house. What's on your list?

mexicano

2011-05-02T14:18:00.002-06:00

This is how a conversation between Diego and my nephew went down last weekend.

K: "How can you not like tacos? You're Mexican!"
D: "I'm not Mexican!"
K: "You're half Mexican"
D: "Well my mom isn't Mexican and I came out of her, so I'm not Mexican".

Ja ja ja! We all thought it was pretty funny :)

2011-02-15T12:54:00.002-07:00

If I had an extra $467.62, this is what I would buy myself! Yes, it is very costly, but it combines two of my favorite things; books and cooking. A year into my marriage I realized how much I like cooking. I was working as a nanny for a very well to do family in Paradise Valley. My employer Julie was a stay at home mom who rarely stayed at home. She was very busy with hair appointments, nail appointments, lunch dates, and visits to the spa. She also had three dishes to her cooking repertoire so in addition to watching her adorable kids she asked me to cook dinner for the family three times per week. I dusted off her great cookbooks and expensive pots and pans and got to work. This was a really fun time for me. Julie would hand over her credit card and I would head to the local gourmet market to do some shopping for any kind of ingredients I wanted to use. I became familiar cooking with the things I had only read about up until that point. Quality fresh mozzarella, lamb shanks, and saffron were no longer strangers. Cooking for Julie pushed me outside of my culinary comfort zone and I realized that as long as I could read, I was capable of making some really delicious creations and I will be forever grateful for that opportunity. It makes me really happy to cook a fantastic meal and see my family or friends' faces as they enjoy it. I think I'll start up a savings jar and hopefully my spare change and dollar bills will add up and I can splurge on this book set in the near future. Bon Appetite!

Looking back

2011-01-08T18:25:00.002-07:00

Years used to have a way of dawdling when I was little. Summer moved like molasses and the school year stretched on and on. Now everything is a whirlwind and if I don't pay attention weeks at a time will pass by before I can whip my head around and wonder where the time has gone. Maybe things will slow down again when I'm old and grey but right now it feels as if I'm on one of those moving sidewalks at the airport. 2010 was no exception. We had a lot of momentous occasions the past year and I feel the need to look back and reflect on how we have grown.
2010 was the end of an era for us - no more diapers, even at night. I can't really express how thrilled I am about this! All of my kids are so close in age that twice I had an overlap and for a brief time that meant I had two kids in diapers. Maybe by the time I'm a nana I will be interested in changing a diaper again but for now I am more than happy to steer clear of changing tables and mother's rooms.
We also can now go to a restaurant as a family and even sit through a movie in a theater without any breakdowns. I no longer break out into a cold sweat at the prospect of taking all four of my children out in public.
Playgrounds became a lot of fun in 2010 as the fear of Isabella trying to get onto that metal spiral of death no longer became such a threat since her balance and coordination became better than a lot of 5 year olds.
I am down to one car seat in my vehicle.
Four teeth were lost in 2010 and the tooth fairy was 3 and 4 (she tends to be a little forgetful sometimes).
75% of my children started attending school in 2010. I also homeschooled Diego for three months. I learned that if my family were to be stranded on a deserted island, I would happily homeschool - otherwise, no.
My kids became fish and lived in the pool once we moved back to AZ. I spent a lot of money on sunscreen but probably still got a few new wrinkles.
We left the home and town I thought we would live in forever. I said goodbye to friends who had become family. We moved back to a city I have never loved, but I felt really good about it. We probably saw our families more in 2010 than we did in the previous 3 years combined.
Overall I feel like I became a more patient person in 2010. I put more trust in my Heavenly Father. It was a good year, but I'm glad it's over and I'm looking forward to the present. Happy New Year!

A close call

2010-11-22T22:06:00.003-07:00

Diego is my biggest kid but he's still the biggest cuddler. I often find myself climbing into the top bunk with him because he asks me with such sincerity (and there's no way Rico is hauling himself up, so I have to give in sometimes!). Last night Diego was in his pj's and he cuddled up against me on the couch. Imagine my horror when a few minutes later, I felt something wet on my leg!
"Diego! Did you just pee on me?" I cried in horror and pushed him away. He looked confused. Diego hasn't peed on me since he was a few months old so his confusion was understandable, HOWEVER, there was a wet circle on my jeans with no explanation as to how it got there. Then understanding dawned on Diego's face and he pulled an almost full water gun from his pocket.
"I stuck this in my pocket so when I saw Mia I could shoot her in the face."
Mystery solved. Crisis averted.

I'm telling

2010-11-05T09:00:00.003-06:00

Last night Mia and I went to a farmer's market after her soccer practice and when we left a guy was waiting outside for us. He asked me out (apparently he liked the whole crazy ponytail, work- out clothes, and no make-up look I had going on) and called me adorable. I let him know I was married but thanked him for the compliment.
Mia was staring at me the whole time with a sly smile and when we walked away she said, "I'm telling Daddy he said you were adorable! He is going to be so mad!". She was pretty convinced Rico would find the guy and beat him up! It was so funny! I told her that the man had been very polite and Daddy wouldn't get mad.
She of course promptly told Rico about it when we got home. Rico's reply was, "What? I'll kill that guy!". I think his sarcasm was lost on her.

ready or not, here I come!

2010-10-26T00:22:00.002-06:00

This is what playing hide and seek with a three year old looks like. Hilarious!

1st grade is hard

2010-08-31T11:18:00.002-06:00

This is how I found Mia eating her breakfast a few days ago. It looks like she is nursing a chocolate milk hangover!

Angelina Lips

2010-08-31T11:06:00.003-06:00

I was minding my own business when completely out of the blue, a vicious case of hives attacked me on Friday. It's been going on for five days now and I'm on the verge of losing my mind several times per day. I've been popping bendryl like candy to no avail. What I have is actually called Angioedema and it's different from regular hives because the swelling is under the skin instead of on top. It can also cause your hands, feet, eyes, and lips to swell. Only my hands and feet were swollen, until yesterday that is. I woke up with huge duck lips and Rico couldn't stop laughing for several minutes. Thanks a lot Rico. Diego asked if it was going to go away. Mia tried her best to hide her horror when she saw me and said she thought I still looked pretty. Her stocking is going to be extra fat this year! Even more fat than my lips.

Dunkin Diego

2010-08-20T10:52:00.004-06:00

Eight years can't have already passed since I dressed my first tiny baby in white for his blessing - but somehow it has and Diego turned 8 in July. It's a big year for LDS families because that is the age when children choose to be baptized. Last weekend we had family from both sides gather together to support Diego taking this step and it was great to have so many people we love under one roof.

School Days, school days

2010-08-16T00:11:00.003-06:00

I blinked my eyes and suddenly summer was ending and the school year was looming just around the corner. Backpacks were filled, lunchboxes were labeled, and brand spanking new tennis shoes were waiting to take my 3 oldest kids tearing across the playground and into their classrooms. Last Sunday we held a back to school feast, Rico gave the the kids a father's blessing (and even though Bella is two years shy of kindergarten, she asked for a blessing, Rico's heart melted, and he willingly obliged), and we tucked D, Mia, and Bubba into bed early so they could be well rested for their first day back to the grind.
Diego and Mia were a little shy when we dropped them off but Bubba strode onto the playground with the confidence of a kid who thinks everyone he meets is an instant friend. Rico and I hugged them goodbye and when it was time to pick them up that afternoon I met 3 smiling children. Their first day was a success for all of them and Bella got some much needed one on one time with mom. I love my sweet kids!

Dating advice from a 6 year old.

2010-08-08T16:25:00.003-06:00

My single niece is living with us. Last night Mia had a conversation with her and it went like this:

Mia: When you're a mom, who are you going to marry? Your boyfriend?
Sydni: I don' t have a boyfriend right now.
Mia: Why don't you just get one?
Sydni: How do I do that?
Mia: You just blink your eyes and push out your lips.
Sydni: Oh really?
Mia: Yeah, you just do it at a man!

And it's as simple as that!

Frogger

2010-08-03T23:45:00.002-06:00

"Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."
— Mark Twain

My kids didn't eat a frog, but they did catch and hold two of them in Chino over the weekend. It was their first frog experience - look at Bella's face right after she touched one!

Lynx Lake camping trip

2010-07-26T22:49:00.006-06:00

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir

We escaped the confines of the city to take our kids, nieces, and nephew camping. It's monsoon season and we were graced with a quick storm our first night. The smell of wet dirt and pine trees was just what my soul was craving.

2010-07-26T21:54:00.002-06:00

Diego turned 8 in July. When he was a baby he used to cuddle against my shoulder and play with my hair. He still does that when he gets tired. Time seems to be speeding up as I get older and I know that in a blink of an eye my sweet boy will be bigger and stronger than me. His hand dimples have been replaced by boy knuckles for quite some time now and he must have grown at least two inches over the summer. I really wanted a boy for my first child and Heavenly Father answered my prayers and then some. Our family wouldn't be the same without Diego and I'm so lucky to be his mom!

Isabella

2010-07-12T23:25:00.004-06:00

My youngest child turned 3 at the beginning of July. I don't go all out until a kid turns 5 because at that point there is a chance they will remember their birthday and when looking back on their lives they will think about what a cool mom I was for filling up so many water balloons, shredding fresh coconut for a favorite cake, or stringing up a pinata. We kept things pretty simple for our little fireball but she had a good time.
Bella was pretty dang cute the morning of her birthday. We were at my brother's house so she slept in the room with us and when she woke up I told her it was July 5th. In the cutest sing song voice she announced, "It's my....birthday!" That evening we swam, opened a few presents and ate strawberry cake.
Unless I get amnesia and forget how horrible my last pregnancy was or get a serious second wind, Bella will probably be my last baby. I can't believe she is already 3. The passage of time for a mother is marked by her children's milestones and we have reached a few this past year. No more cribs, no more diapers, no more sippy cups. All of the baby fat is almost gone and the last cute little roll on her legs is smoothing out as she lengthens. In two incredibly short years Isabella will be in kindergarten and I will have a respectable chunk of time that is filled with something this house rarely experiences - silence. I have mixed feelings about what is to come. While I look forward to being able to complete a sentence or a thought without being interrupted, I will miss so many things about being surrounded by my children for the majority of the day. I will miss the piles of artwork that are created just for me, the middle of the day tickle torture sessions, the "help" I get when cooking a meal, the hilarious and sometimes profound questions I get asked throughout the day, and a hundred other "little" things. I love the little things even though they can sometimes exhaust me and make me want to crawl into my bed at 4 pm. It's exciting and a little sad to see my kids grow up so fast. I love seeing them progress, learn new things, and develop such great personalities. I think 3 will be a great year for Isabella. Happy birthday sweet girl!

2010-06-03T17:07:00.002-06:00

Dominic turned 5 in May. Five! He is getting so big. He started off the day with the breakfast of his choice - abelskivers. Abelskivers are good and fun too, but they are a lot of work and the clean up is junky so I usually only make them on special occasions. I probably make them about nine or ten times per year but Dominic asks for them at least once a week so. Needless to say, he was a happy camper on the morning of his birthday when he got abelskivers, homemade vanilla syrup, bacon, and OJ. He really wanted to feed a giraffe for his birthday so we went to the World Wildlife Zoo way out in Litchfield. Bubba got to throw a few pellets at a giraffe but he really loved the aquarium where he got to touch and feed sting rays and a small shark. It was kind of a crazy zoo because there weren't many barriers for most of the animals and if I felt like it I could have just let my kids crawl right in with most of them - including big things like Rhinos. Bella definitely tried and if I didn't have Ninja like reflexes and instincts, you probably would have seen me on the Channel 5 news trying to rescue her from the African wild dog. It was sweaty, hot, and dusty but the kids thought it was fun and I got to see a baby lion and ocelot so I declared the outing a success.
We had a low key celebration with our good friends the Cids and Dominic blew out his candles with gusto. I can't believe Bubba is 5 and will be in school all day in a few short months. Dominic is such a ray of sunlight in our household. He has the best laugh and it can snap the grumpiest grouch out of funk the moment he hears it. He has a really incredible memory and I am always impressed with the thoughts that come out of his head. Dominic loves to open doors for me and for the past few days he has been saying, "Mom, you really look so beautiful when you wear red!". It's not uncommon for him to pick me flowers or ask me if he can do jobs for me so I won't be too tired. Who wouldn't want a boy like that? We love Bubba and are so glad he is part of our family!

AZ Living

2010-03-18T15:25:00.002-06:00

It's official - we have arrived in AZ and our activities today typified life here in the Valley of the Sun. We found a dead scorpion in the living room, went swimming, and picked lemons from one of the trees in our backyard (to make lemonade and lemon bars - yum!). The kids are on their spring break so tomorrow we are headed to Chino Valley so the kids can watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid with their cousins. I'm excited to see my sister and brother and hopefully drop in on one of my best friends. It's good to be back. It was hard to say goodbye to everything and everyone we love in Draper, but it felt right. We just have to load up on gallon sized buckets of sunscreens, sunglasses,popsicles, and our transition will be complete!

midnight snack

2010-02-16T08:05:00.002-07:00

Dear Isabella,
You were so adorable when you came into my bed at 3:20 am this morning and told me you were "hungee" and wanted a peanut butter and honey sandwich. I couldn't deny you so we spent a little quality time at the kitchen table in the middle of the night. You went right back to sleep and I tossed and turned until 5 am. Let's make this a one time cute incident and not a recurring event okay? I love you cutie!
Love,
Mommy

Remembering

2010-02-15T08:51:00.006-07:00

Today I'm thinking about California and wishing we were playing at the beach. We're not. We all got up when it was still dark to take Rico to the airport. The kids and I are lounging in our pj's and wondering if it is going to snow. So I'll make some hot chocolate, post these pictures of our Christmas vacation to Disneyland and SeaWorld, and imagine I'm someplace warm and sunny.

Jack be limbo, Jack be quick

2010-02-15T08:25:00.002-07:00

LIMBO - fun when it's a game. Not so fun when it's a state you're in.

El Cheapo

2010-02-08T21:45:00.002-07:00

I just got back from a late night run to the grocery store. I didn't want to go. My body is sore from the brutal class I took at the gym, my hair was still wet from the shower, it was 30 degrees outside, and I have a really comfortable bed that was calling to me in a sing song voice. I stretched my shaky legs, wound my hair into a bun, donned some sub arctic gear, and ignored my bed. Why, you ask? Because if I didn't go to the grocery store tonight when Rico is here, I would have to go tomorrow with at least two of my kids and for me the grocery store is something I want to get over with quickly and with as little drama as possible - like ripping a bandaid off really fast.
This economy has me trying to save money wherever I can and I was pretty happy with my how much I got for so little. This started me wondering just how low I could go on my weekly grocery bill and by the time I got home I had decided to try an experiment (and I jumped right on my computer to tell you all about it because I know that one thing a lot of people who reach their goals do is go public with their plans. So I'm going "public" even though that only includes the handful of you who read my blog! Thank you public!). For the next four weeks I am going to try to stay under $200 per week on groceries. Now I know this may be a little more or a little less than what some of you spend weekly, but it will be a stretch for me. Some ways I will hit my goal are obvious; no spur of the moment trips to our favorite Italian delicatessen to get really good cheese and prosciutto, no impulse buys when I'm browsing the Burt Bee's collection of soaps and lotions, and no putting expensive architectural magazines in the cart when I am waiting in the checkout line. But where else am I going to cut corners? This is where I need your assistance. Help me out and leave a comment with your favorite way to save money at the grocery store (other than the coupon game - I can't live on cake mixes and Jello pudding cups for a month!). Non related frugal tips are always welcome as well.
Hopefully I can make it 30 days and stay within my budget. It will mean I got more than a gallon of milk out of tonight's trip to the grocery store!

Flappy Jack

2009-12-12T16:05:00.007-07:00

Today it finally warmed up a little bit and the melting snow was perfect for packing into a snowman so I told the kids to get on their snow gear. I hate mittins. It takes way too long to get a two year old to put her thumb in the right spot! Half an hour later we were all out rolling huge snowballs. Our snowman was getting pretty big and since Rico is gone until the 23rd I needed Diego's help lifting the belly. Good thing he has been doing push ups at night! Dominic wanted to use the carrot to make our snowman anatomically correct but I made him stick it in the face for a nose instead. Bella ate a lot of snow and Mia used her artistic eye to make everything look great. We were pretty happy with our creation and since Mia wanted to name him Flappy and Dominic wanted to call him Jack, we compromised with Flappy Jack. I love snowy Decembers!

Trimming the tree

2009-12-12T15:39:00.003-07:00

I love it when the Christmas tree is up. I keep it lit all day and love looking at the lights and pretty ornaments. I keep finding Diego gazing at the tree too so I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. Decorating a tree with kids is so much fun. They remember the ornaments from the years before and say funny things. This year Dominic found a spool of red ribbon and wondered why we had red toilet paper in with all the ornaments! The tree always ends up really bottom heavy since the kids can't reach very high yet and that just adds to the charm of it. We had a fun time decorating and we hope you did too. Merry Christmas!

Zzzzzzz

2009-12-03T13:43:00.002-07:00

It was early morning before any of the kids had woken up when Rico rolled over to cuddle with me.
"Did you hear that?" I asked.
"Hear what?" Rico mumbled.
"It sounded like Dominic breathing."
We patted the lumps in the bed but didn't find a curly headed 4 year old. Rico and I both looked towards our big mirror at the same time and this is what we saw:

I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots before Bubba woke up. Don't you love these type of moments?

The Great Pumpkin

2009-11-07T15:54:00.002-07:00

One of my friends told me about a wonderful pumpkin patch and even though it was a cold day we decided to brave the weather and try it out. The pumpkin selection was great and we got some classic orange, warty, and bluish white. The kids liked the corn maze and I liked the bunnies that looked like Wookies.

The witching hour

2009-11-07T15:39:00.002-07:00

I love Halloween - LOVE it. It involves so many of my favorite things...dressing up, autumn, carving pumpkins, and apple cider. This year the weather was perfect and when my kids stepped outside to trick or treat we were greeted with a full moon rising over the tops of the mountains. The smell of fallen leaves was in the air (one of my newest favorite scents; right up there with rain in the desert) and clone troopers, superheros, princesses, and ballerinas were out in full force. I can't wait until next year!

California Dreaming

2009-09-01T14:35:00.005-06:00

I remember the first time I ever saw the ocean. I was ten and my dear friend Mandy invited me to spend a week with her family at their beach house in Mexico. I was terrified of drowning and sharks but when I saw the waves crashing onto the sand something magical stirred in my heart. I have been in awe of the ocean since then and even though my old fears still cling to me, I jump at the chance to go to the beach whenever the opportunity presents itself.
The week before school started up again Rico and I decided that the fact none of our kids had ever seen the ocean was too absurd to ignore any longer. We packed our bags and headed to San Diego! After eleven hours of driving, innumerable potty stops, lots of sunflower seeds and energy drinks for Rico, we made it. The funniest thing that occurred during the drive there was when Dominic got a big smear of chocolate on his arm. Bella saw it and said, "It's poop!". Everyone cracked up laughing and which meant Isabella decided to say, "It's poop!" over and over again for several hours afterward. I'm still hearing that catch phrase a week later.
We checked into the resort we were staying in on Mission Bay and let the kids run off the crazies that accumulate on such a long road trip. The resort was beautiful and I couldn't get over all of the incredible vegetation everywhere. San Diego trees and flowers make me feel like I'm walking through my own imagination. After a few hours we hit the beach and for the millionth time I was reminded of one of the best parts of being a parent - seeing things through my children's eyes. Each experience was newer and more amazing because I got to experience my kid's reactions.
We went to Sea World, Old Town, and drove through my dream town of Olivenhain. Diego jumped over a thousand waves, Mia built the ultimate sand castle, Dominic loved the hot tubs, and Bella enjoyed standing a few centimeters away from strangers and trying to charm them. It was a great few days and I can't wait to get back.

Me Tarzan

2009-08-11T11:41:00.004-06:00

Rico climbed one of our backyard trees last night to hang a rope swing for the kids. He was pretty high up in the branches and our girls started to get worried and kept yelling for him to come down. It's funny because our girls are the daredevils in our family. Neither of them would have blinked an eye if they themselves were the ones dangling from branches high above. I guess they didn't know that their dad is an expert tree climber and even though Mia and Bella were scared for Rico, he had it all under control. This morning our kids are like monkeys swinging from their new swing. They love it. I love that they love it. And I love that their daddy is good at constructing these types of contraptions.

little wonders

2009-08-08T22:56:00.003-06:00

Today I saw Diego standing in our backyard and staring at this flower soaring up out of our butterfly garden. It grows straight as a rod and stands about four feet tall. I could see the wonder in his expression and when I caught his eye he smiled. "Look at this flower Mom. It's so cool!". I love that my seven year old takes the time to stop and appreciate nature's little wonders. Seeing something through a child's eyes makes the experience so much sweeter.

milk bubbles

2009-07-28T23:36:00.004-06:00

When I was a kid I loved drinking milk with a straw so I could blow sky high bubbles. Luckily I have a mom who didn't have a panic attack about that kind of stuff. Neither do I - rather I grab a video camera!

2009-07-22T15:50:00.003-06:00

Diego turned 7 a few weeks ago and we had a little shindig to celebrate. Birthdays were never a big deal when I was growing up so I like to compensate and live vicariously through my kids. D had a water themed party and everyone got soaked (my fingers are still sore from tying so many water balloons!). We played water games, had a water war, let the kids decorate their own icecream cone cupcakes, and busted a pinata. I love my kid's birthdays and I love Diego. He is such a great kid and I feel so blessed to be his mom!

green thumb

2009-07-22T12:25:00.002-06:00

I wish I could claim responsibility for this bounty, but I decided to skip planting this year. My garden has too much shade and I (I, meaning Rico) need to move it to the other side of my yard. We had too much going on this spring to take on such a big job so I decided to be like the farmers of old and let my plot go fallow for the season. No worries though - I have a wonderful neighbor who happens to be an excellent gardener and when she goes out of town she pretends I'm doing HER a favor by picking her garden. Here's to good neighbors!

suburban housewife sews

2009-07-21T18:53:00.003-06:00

My mom is a great seamstress. She made me the coolest Halloween costumes when I was little and she always sewed the costumes for our local dance recitals. Alas, somewhere in the transferring of her genes, I missed the crafty chromosome. My sewing capabilities don't range much farther than a square pillow.
When my insanely talented friend Tammi offered to help me sew an apron I jumped on the opportunity. I don't think she took me very seriously when I told her of my lack of skills. When I entered Tammi's sewing room I knew I was in the presence of a master. Two industrial sewing machines, a serger, an ironing station, and one of those fancy tables used for cutting material sat waiting for our use. I knew how to use the iron.
It took a long time and even though I stuck out my tongue in concentration, my seams were still a little crazy. Tammi actually finished up my apron for me and the contrast between what I sewed and what she did is...pretty obvious! I love it though because it is a reminder of my first successful sewing project (other than the aformentioned square pillows) and the fun time I had hanging out with Tammi. The apron turned out really cute and every time I put it on I feel like a better woman. Thanks Tammi!

dancing queen

2009-07-21T18:51:00.000-06:00

I broke my camera quite a while ago and fell behind on my blog! I've been taking pictures again since June but I have to get back into the habit of blogging so I'll be posting some recaps of the summer so far.
Mia had her first dance recital at the beginning of the summer and it was so much fun to see her perform. Even though she is a daredevil, Mia can have a serious shy side when it comes to being the center of attention. When the curtain opened she did so great and her personality really showed.
I love this girl.

Sleeping Beauties

2009-06-05T08:56:00.002-06:00

My boys like to fall asleep with Daddy on Sunday afternoons!

The search is over

2009-03-25T15:53:00.003-06:00

I don't remember my first introduction to rice pudding, but I do know that it has long been on my list of tastier desserts. When I was little I remember coming home from church on Sundays and waiting impatiently for my mom to finish dinner. The savory smell of pot roast was torture to my growling stomach and I often tamed my hunger with a bowl of rice, milk, and cinnamon sugar. It's no wonder that when I first tasted rice pudding I was filled with nostaglia. With its simple and mild flavor, it is the perfect ending to a meal of comfort food and versatile enough to top off a full course Italian feast.
Since discovering rice pudding, I have tasted many varieties and I know what I like. Raisins are often used, but in my mind they belong in oatmeal cookies, not pudding. The rice has to be simmered in the milk to achieve the right texture. Recipes calling for cooked rice are a complete waste of calories. If I'm going to indulge in dessert, it needs to be worth it. Saying all rice puddings are equal is like comparing a piece a Bavarian chocolate to a Hershey's special dark....or a square of ex-lax (if any of you were unfortunate enough to have a brother who thought it would be funny to trick a cute little five year old into taking a bite of the "chocolate" laxative, you know exactly what I'm talking about here).
I have been trying to find a recipe for the perfect rice pudding for years, but like wealth and fame, it has been eluding me. Until last weekend. Rico and I went to dinner at a friend's house and the wonderful meal was ended with a sundae dish filled with chilled rice pudding. It was creamy, it had the perfect amount of sweetness, and it was raisin free. In short, it was everything I have been looking for in a rice pudding. I told our hostess that I had to have the recipe so she got out the package of rice and began to copy it down for me. All this time I've been scouring recipe sites and cookbooks, and lo and behold what I was looking for was on the back of lowly package of rice! If any of you have been searching for the perfect rice pudding recipe, look no longer! I like to share.

Coconut Rice Pudding:

1/2 cup Jasmine rice
2 cups whole milk
2 cups coconut milk (hey, I didn't say it was healthy, I said it was GOOD)
1/4 tsp salt (I'm sensitive to salt so I add just a little less)
1/3 cup plus 3-4 tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1 vanilla bean (the recipe didn't call for this but I added it and the result was scrumptious. And it looked pretty)

1. Wash rice thoroughly in a strainer
2. Add milks, rice, and salt to a sauce pan. Cut the vanilla bean in two and scrape out the seeds with the flat side of a knife. Add the seeds and the bean to the milk mixture. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about an hour or until it reaches a nice consistency. Stir frequently to avoid a skin from forming on the top. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean.
3. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir well.
4. Put in a dish, cover with saran wrap, and let cool for half an hour before putting it in the fridge to chill.
5. Now go jogging and do some sit ups because you are going to want to eat a big huge bowl of this!
6. The pudding is great plain but it's also really good topped with toasted coconut or mango chunks.

From the mouth of babes

2009-02-21T09:37:00.002-07:00

Me: Dominic, I want you to really try hard to stay in your own bed tonight. Last night you got in my bed and I'm so tired this morning because you kept me up!

Dominic: Mom, it wasn't me! Something was just controlling me!

Sugar and Spice

2009-02-18T22:25:00.002-07:00

As a tomboy, I always thought I would be fine with having all boys. Then Mia came along and changed all of that. Mia has taught me that there is so much to love about having a daughter. She is 65% tomboy and 35% princess - the perfect combination in my opinion. Although her legs are always covered in bruises and scratches, Mia usually picks out a skirt or a dress to wear for the day. A few days ago she was wearing a cute pink dress with tights and fuzzy brown boots when we went to the grocery store together. While we were picking out treats from the bakery a little girl Mia's age ran over and touched Mia's dress while gushing (and this is word for word), "Oh my gosh! That's so cute! I love it!". At this point the girl's mother called her over and the little cutie waved and pulled herself away - but not before saying, "Okay, I'll call you. Bye!". I had to go down two aisles before I could stop laughing!

Gingerbreadpalooza

2008-12-16T11:22:00.004-07:00

Want to host a gingerbread house decorating party? Here are a few things to remember:
1. It will take one entire day to make four big gingerbread houses from scratch. Your house will smell terrific!
2. If you use canned goods to support the walls while the icing dries, don't forget to take the cans out BEFORE you glue on the roof (I only did this on one house okay?)!
3. Be prepared for the sugar high your kids will get after they consume the construction materials.
4. Have lots of fun. This is what good memories are built on!

Like father, like son

2008-12-16T11:15:00.001-07:00

These fellas are like two peas in a pod!

The good stuff

2008-12-10T08:28:00.003-07:00

I had my rant about why I don't like Phoenix and I feel much better. Now I'm ready to write about the things I'm looking forward to when it comes to moving back to Arizona. I never noticed just how big the sky is when I lived there. You can see so much of it and it's gorgeous when it's blue and full of puffy white clouds. San Diego. Phoenix is only five and a half hours from one of my favorite places in the world! Sedona. Phoenix is only an hour and a half from one of my other favorite places in the world. Mild winters. We can drive to Prescott when we miss the snow. Our friends. We left a lot of good friends back in Arizona and it will be great to see more of them. Monsoons. I laugh when the weather people on the news talk about monsoons here. Utah doesn't have monsoon season - Arizona does. Monsoon storms fill my soul with something magical. I love watching the sky go from blue to different shades of grey when the storms roll in. The fast and intense rains leave everything sparkling and bright. There is nothing like the smell of rain in the desert and I miss that. The sunsets. Watching an Arizona sunset is like watching a master artist paint a canvas every night. I always have to stop what I'm doing and look at the sky when the sun sets in Arizona. My family. One of my sisters lives in St. George but the rest of them live in AZ. It will be nice to be able to get in the car and see them in two hours instead of twelve. There are so many wonderful things about Arizona and I know that we will be happy there too. See, my glass is half full!

A Tale of Two Cities

2008-12-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have been putting off blogging about this subject for quite some time. There are a number of reasons but I’m throwing them out the window. Afterall, my blog is a place for me to retreat to when I want to vent, explore the motivations behind my random thought processes, and ramble on and on about subjects that very possibly hold little or no interest for anyone other than myself. Here’s what is floating around in my mind and just won’t settle down until I write about it.
My little (not so little in numbers - but the kids are all so young that it just feels right calling it “little”) family will most likely going to be packing up and moving back to Phoenix sometime in the near future. Are you cocking your head to one side, trying to place that awful high pitched sound you hear in the distance? It’s me – screaming because I feel so torn about the issue! Let’s delve into this, shall we?
The financial reason that brought us to Utah ended up flopping (imagine a live fish on a hot sidewalk and you will get the mental image I’m trying to conjure here) and thus there is no reason for us to stay here. Rico’s business (the one that is not flopping on a hot sidewalk) is in Phoenix and it makes perfect sense for us to be there. Perfect sense on paper, that is. We don’t love Phoenix. We left and didn’t miss it one bit. We didn’t miss the heat, the crowded sprawl, the tract homes, the crime, or the cactus (cacti for you grammar snobs out there).
It will be so hard to say goodbye to the town, neighborhood, and house we have come to call home. I’m fairly certain we will be hard pressed to find another area like the one we live in now. We have moved nine times since we married nine years ago, so I know what I’m talking about. What do we love about our spot now? The house itself is great – beautiful yard full of trees, grass and flowers, tons of staircases for the kids to run up and down, kids’ bedrooms bigger than most master bedrooms, a toyroom the size of China, storage galore, and on and on. This is the house we brought Isabella home to after she was born. The neighbors are great. They took care of us when I had medical issues. I actually know all of them and have been in most of their homes. They are our friends. It’s the perfect place to learn to ride a bike. The city park is straight out of a Rockwell painting and it’s practically in my backyard. The library is a short walk across that park. It feels like a small town here but all the venues I need or want are minutes away. I even live a skip, hop, and jump away from the Major League Soccer stadium. Did I mention a factory that makes cookies is across the field from my home? At least twice a day I can step outside and inhale the heavenly scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. There is a temple right up the street, as well as rodeo grounds, an amphitheater, hiking trails, and the public pool. It’s safe. It has a real feel of community. We have made friends. Good friends. It feels like home.
There are only three things I hate about our town. The winter is a little too long. No problem - I can bundle up and buy hot chocolate in bulk. The pollution gets really bad during the said long winter. Big deal - I stay inside on the bad days. But the one thing I hate and don’t’ have a solution to is the fact that Rico isn’t here for half the week. He’s working in Phoenix. Phoenix – the dirty, large, and fast moving “other woman” in my husband’s life.
I love Rico. I will forever be grateful that we both decided to attend the same church dance nine years ago. He is a wonderful husband, great friend, and the best daddy. I love him more than I love the flowering pear trees in my front yard. More than the cookie scented aroma of my neighborhood. More than the four seasons we enjoy here. More than all of it. That is why we will put our house on the market after Christmas and hope somehow we beat the odds of the horrible economy and find a buyer. Having Rico home every night will be worth it to say goodbye to a place we both love so much. When we are in Phoenix and I wake up in the middle of the night to turn up the AC because I’m sweltering, I’ll reach over and feel my husband lying beside me and know that I’m home.

Deck the Halls....

2008-12-09T11:53:00.004-07:00

Christmas with kids is the best. When all my kids are grown and have their own children I hope they will be prepared to have the grandparents over on Christmas. It's just not the same without the excitement little ones bring to the season. If you don't have a kid under the age of ten, borrow or rent one for Christmas.
Decorating a tree with kids is a lot more fun too. They remember special ornaments from previous years and do crazy dance moves to entertain you. They makes the event extra special by putting on a pair of swim trunks or a princess dress. They load up the bottom half of the tree with ornaments and forget about the top. They chug eggnog and make up their own clever lyrics to Christmas songs. It doesn't get any better than this.

catch up

2008-12-09T11:47:00.002-07:00

It's been a while and I'm playing catch up with my posts. Thanksgiving was great. We were fortunate enough to spend two weeks in Arizona. The week before Thanksgiving we celebrated with Rico's family in Phoenix. We were in my hometown with my side of the family on Thanksgiving day and the following weekend. There was good food, games, movies, and a lot of laughter. My camera sat in Utah, forgotten and gathering dust. Here is the one picture I managed to get - all of my parents grandkids except one.

From the mouths of babes

2008-11-11T20:05:00.003-07:00

Diego's shouted response when Mia kept cutting him off: "Mia keeps erupting me!"

Mia during a game of hide and go seek: "Shhhh. I can hear Diego's footprints."

Dominic when Rico asked him to put a toy away: "No Dad. I'm a mystery, and mysteries don't put things away."

Bella the moment after she peed on my bathroom floor: "Uh-oh."

Daddy-O

2008-11-11T10:13:00.003-07:00

I will forever be thankful to have married a man who is such a good daddy. Rico is my kids' portable jungle gym, catapult launching, backflipping, tent building, bike fixing, story reading, wrestling, boxing, and horsey riding hero. I love you Rico.

Hello Winter

2008-11-06T11:35:00.004-07:00

The night of the election I was like a wounded animal licking its wounds. I shut off the news and crawled into my big comfy bed, hoping to find some solace in slumber. Sleep didn't make me feel better. What made me feel better was waking up to the Mia's sweet and excited voice before the sun had come up. "Mom it's snowing!" I thought she must have come straight to my room after a vivid dream but when I looked outside the ground was covered in a snowy blanket of white and it was still coming down. The first snow of the season always makes me giddy. The kid living inside of me forgets about having to shovel, the piles of wet laundry left just inside the doorways, the winter pollution, and how desperate I am for warmth by the time April arrives. No, the kid doesn't think of any of that. The kid merely anticipates snowball fights, sledding, drinking mexican hot chocolate, and snuggling in front of a crackling fire. Hello winter. Please be nicer this year than you were last year. Don't overextend your welcome. I love you now but you must leave by April.

Autumnul Musings

2008-11-06T10:29:00.004-07:00

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

-Jon Keats; To Autumn

There is nothing like a snowstorm to make me bid farewell to autumn - my favorite of all seasons. Keats' poem puts to words how this time of year makes me feel.

Trampoline mishap

2008-10-29T10:40:00.004-06:00

I have been afraid of sharks as far back as I can remember. I never even saw the ocean until I was ten years old but that didn't matter - I just knew that they were out there; waiting to eat me. I even had a weekly reoccuring shark nightmare that spanned four years. Sharks were my greatest fear - until I had kids.
Now my greatest fear is something tragic happening to one of my children. When they get hurt, I get hurt. Two weeks ago Mia put on snowboots (even though it was a warm day) and headed outside. After about ten minutes I heard her screaming. Screaming is nothing unusual in our backyard - something about getting out among the trees and grass unleashes the jungle cat in my kids and they often let loose with a wild scream once they clear the backdoor. But this scream was different. Diego ran in to announce that Mia had a bloody nose and Rico hopped up to assess the damage. Mia had hit the bridge of her nose on the bar of our trampoline. By the time he got Mia to the kitchen he realized it was more than just a bloody nose but he wouldn't let me see how bad it was. He just told me that she would have to go to the ER for stitches and that her nose was probably broken. He had bandanged her nose by then and I insisted on being the one to take her the hospital. Once we were in the ER the nurses removed the bandage and I saw the gaping hole in between Mia's eyes. You could see all the muscle and it was split down to the bone. I did my best to not react because I didn't want to scare Mia. One of my neighbors is a plastic surgeon and he met us at ER to sew up my little girl. Dr. Clayton sewed three different layers of tissue and used 15 stitches.
Mia was a champ and her behavior made the ordeal a lot easier for me to handle. She was great during the x-rays and she didn't even cry when she got stitched. Mia kept crossing her eyes to make the nurse laugh. It has taken me this long to be able to write about it though. Mia will most likely have a very thin scar but I'm so thankful she didn't damage her eye. Sharks aren't as frightening after a visit to the ER with one of your precious kiddos.
The best part was when we got home and saw the letter Diego had written Mia. It went like this:
To Mia,
I love Mia. I hope you don't die.
From Diego

Boy Meets Girl part 3

2008-10-28T16:32:00.002-06:00

I woke up early on Saturday morning and got ready quietly. I groaned inwardly while I dried my hair -there was no hiding the hideous orange hue and I once again cursed myself for taking the "free' offer to have my hair cut and highlighted at a new salon a few weeks earlier. I had played the part of a guinea pig and now I was paying the price. In half an hour Rico would see me for the first time in full daylight and I wondered if he would regret asking me for my phone number in the semi darkness of a gymnasium. I mentally shrugged and decided that it didn’t matter if Rico decided he didn’t want to ask me out again after he got a good look at the color of my Lucille Ball highlights. Hair was just hair and the horrid shade would fade and grow out – besides I was only interested in a friendship and a friend shouldn’t care if I looked like a circus clown.
It was almost eight AM when the phone rang. Rico was on the phone and told me that he got hung up doing something and would I mind meeting him at his place? I said no problem, bid my roommates farewell, and followed Rico’s directions to a cute little white house amid an orange orchard in South Phoenix. When I pulled into the gravel driveway a boy named Alejandro greeted me and directed me towards the back of the property where a scene straight out of a Warner Brothers cartoon awaited. Rico, his friend David, and two other men I didn’t know were attempting to catch an ostrich. Each person had the end of a long rope and I watched them run circles around the enormous bird, hoping to trip it up and tie the long powerful legs. The bird was wiley but after several botched attempts and much laughter from me, the four men had the ostrich down and covered its face so it would stop fighting. Rico dusted himself off and made his way over to where I stood watching the whole thing.
“Sorry about that,” he said with a grin that lit up his face. “My roommate Ray is selling his ostrich and he needed some help getting it in the truck.”
I had to admit that I was impressed. I had never seen someone wrangle an ostrich before and I liked the idea that a flightless bird bigger and stronger than me was no match for Rico. Introductions were made and David, his date Maricella, Rico and I all headed to South Mountain for our hike. Rico and I made our way to the top of the mountain in short time and we sat on an outcrop to wait for David and Maricella. I was glad that Maricella wasn’t the athletic type – it would take them some time to reach the top.
A long face to face conversation with Rico was even better than a long phone conversation. I found myself pleasantly surprised with the things I learned about him during the forty minutes while we waited at the top of the mountain. Rico defied my stereotype of attractive and popular wrestlers. He hadn’t been a drinking party boy during high school and he liked using his brain as much as he liked sporting events. Rico had a good sense of humor and I never felt that he was trying to impress me or be false in any way. We had a lot in common; in the way we grew up and the way we viewed the world. I was comfortable and relaxed being with Rico – like I was in the company of an old friend. I felt like I had an accurate impression of Rico by the time we made our way down the mountain.
The scorching Phoenix sun had made us all thirsty and hungry so we headed to a hole in the wall to get some good burritos and quench our thirst with horchata. It was the perfect day for a watermelon so after we got our food we stopped at a grocery store to pick one up. Rico realized he had left his wallet at the hole in the wall, but it was long gone when we went looking for it. Rico’s reaction gave me even further insight into his character. He didn’t get mad or even frustrated. He kept a smile on his face while he called his bank and credit card companies to report his cards stolen. He didn’t bring it up or let it damper the mood during lunch or during our impromptu soccer game on his front lawn.
Rico walked me to my car and didn’t miss a beat when he asked if I had plans for the night. My roommates and I had discussed going to a water park but suddenly that didn’t sound very much fun. I told him that I didn’t have any firm plans and he asked if I wanted to come back later on for a get together with some friends. Up to this point I had avoided spending too much time with the same guy, but standing across from Rico and seeing his smile made me forget that policy. He was so nice and easy to be around. I told him a get together sounded great and that I would see him again in a few hours. The drive back to my apartment took about ten minutes and in that time I decided that I had found a friend in Rico – the nervous excitement in my stomach told me that I might have found something more but I tried my best to ignore that thought. After all, as far as I knew, Rico was only looking to make a friend too.

GC weekend

2008-10-08T16:19:00.004-06:00

I didn't grow up in Utah where general conference was available from the comforts of home. I grew up in a small Arizona town and even though my church building had one of those bigger than life satellite dishes in the back, general conference was only available in the town twenty minutes away. It wasn't a great distance but only once do I remember making the treck to sit in the darkened stake center and listen to the counsel of our general authorities and other church leaders.
When I graduated and moved to Tucson I fell in love with general conference. Gordon B. Hinkley was the president of the church then and when I heard him speak I felt like he was really talking to ME. I looked forward to the event every six months and loved the time I was able to travel to Salt Lake with my friends and listen to the sessions in the tabernacle.
Presently we're lucky enough to live here in Utah and enjoy the semi-annual event in our family room and wearing pajamas if we so desire. It has been more challenging to listen to General Conference attentively now that a herd consisting of a first grader, two pre-schoolers, a toddler, and an overweight chocolate lab tear through our home with reckless abandon. Despite the distrations, I just love spending the weekend at home and listening to the talks. We always have abelskivers for breakfast. If you've never had abelskivers you should buy a pan and start cranking them out. Kids love the little round pancakes and grown ups don't mind them either. This year we let the kids set up a tent in the toyroom, reminiscent of the people during the reign of King Benjamin. Rico made homemade oreos Sunday night, ending the conference on a sweet note. We were well fed spiritually and physically.
What are your conference weekend traditions?

new delivery!

2008-10-07T23:13:00.002-06:00

Growing up, I was a bit of a tomboy. I liked to climb trees and ride bikes more than I liked to play with dolls. I got along great with boys but, perhaps for that very reason, I never had a big group of girls I liked to play with. I was like a fine art collector when it came to my girlfriends; finding something extrordinary every few years and admiring and appreciating great qualities in it more and more as time went by.
My personality didn't change all that much as I got older and went through high school. I had four or five girlfriends I loved to hang out with but overall I didn't like being around large gatherings of the female variety. I didn't like the creatures girls became when they grouped together and I really didn't like the way they transformed into something altogether alien when males showed up. Giggling really bugged me. I played on a boys' soccer team and spent a lot of time with wrestlers.
College rolled around and something really surprising happened. I started associating with groups of ladies and feeling comradiere with them for the first time. I played soccer on a women's team and had the time of my life. I loved those girls and had the best time on and off the field with them.
I also happened upon a group of seven extrodinary women with personalities as varied as the rainbow. We made so many great memories during the short six months we were all in Tucson together and when we went our seperate ways Crissy kept the friendships going strong by starting a monthly newsletter for the group. 11 years later the 8 of us are still close - sisters in a sense. We share each others triumphs and sorrows and still laugh like crazy when we get together. We have an official reunion once a year but we try to get together in between as often as possible. Shan and I were able to visit Crissy two weeks ago and welcome her new baby Alex to part of the group. He's adorable (just like his mom) and when he gets older he will wonder why his mom acts like a teenager and can't stop laughing or crying when she gets together with her old friends from Tucson. I love you ladies! Thanks for curing me of my fear of my own gender!

Cheeseman

2008-09-30T09:26:00.003-06:00

I gave the kids lunchables a few days ago and left them to their own devices while I folded clothes. When I came back Mia (our resident artist around here) had created this Cheeseman. I snapped a picture and praised her for the attention to detail, but failed to notice just how much detail she actually used. When I showed it to Rico the next day he couldn't stop laughing because he saw that Mr. Cheese was anatomically correct! I couldn't believe it! I showed Mia the picture of her cheeseman and asked her about the...the....well the mysterious appendage between her creation's legs and she said it was his bum. Oh. I guess Cheesemen are prone to hemroids. Who would have known?

When Girl Meets Boy part 2

2008-09-13T18:57:00.003-06:00

refer to the above link for my earlier disclaimer on these posts. The following contains a good amount of cheese so please stop reading now if you have a problem with that....or if you're lactose intolerant.

PART TWO
It had been two days since I met Rico and I was scrounging through my fridge looking for something to eat when the phone rang. Laura picked up but I didn’t pay any attention until I saw her covering the mouthpiece and waving at me from the living room.
“Nicole, it’s Chico!” she whispered dramatically.
Once I got my laughter under control, I clarified. “You mean Rico?”
Laura nodded with enthusiasm and handed the phone off to me.
“Hello?”
“Nicole,” Rico said. Why did hearing him simply state my name cause a big smile to creep onto my face?
Now a lot of girls just love talking on the phone, but I am not one of them. Face to face conversations are wonderful but I can only stay the phone for an extended amount of time with a small handful of people. My modus operandi when it came to talking on the phone was usually the same – say what you need to say, make a plan if needed, and hang up. I had a self awareness when it came to my dislike of lengthy phone conversations which is why I was really surprised when I realized we had been chatting for over an hour and I was truly enjoying myself. It was easy to talk with Rico. He was so unpretentious, funny, and sincere. There were no awkward pauses or stupid filler topics. It felt like I was talking to one of my best friends from my little home town and when Rico asked if I wanted to go hiking with him the following Saturday I said yes without a second thought.
We both had to go so we hung up and when I walked back into the living room to hang up the phone my roommates were giving me looks that said they clearly wanted to know what was going on. I told them lightly that I was going out with Rico in a few days but reiterated my stance of only dating strictly for fun and nothing else.
I was excited to spend some time with Rico but a half an hour after hanging up with him I began to feel a little bit of apprehension. That summer was supposed to be about rediscovering my true self and focusing on becoming the person I knew I could be. I had just broken a little bit free from someone who I felt held me back, and I didn’t want to let anyone else sidetrack me from reaching my potential and achieving my goals.
There was also the matter of my ex-boyfriend to think about. I said I had broken a little bit free from him, but it wasn’t complete; it was more of a simple fracture than a clean break really. Although it had been close to three months since officially breaking up with Jonah, we still talked on the phone every few nights and even kept pictures of each other up in our rooms. Deep down I knew I was letting go but it didn’t feel like he was moving along that same path. Later that night when I told Jonah I would be going out with someone new he told me to have fun but then he grew quiet and found a reason to get off the phone rather quickly. I was too young and naive to recognize the subtle guilt waves he was sending my way all the way from Indiana but I felt them all the same. They lost some of their power traveling all the way to Arizona and I went to bed that night with only the slightest aftertaste of guilt for looking forward to the weekend.
The next few days passed quickly and whenever I started thinking about my hiking date I just told myself it was because of the prospect of gaining a new friend. Friday night I hit up a party with my friends and as we were arriving we saw Rico leaving with his buddy Ric. We talked for a little while and confirmed our date for the following morning. I tried to ignore the butterflies swarming in my stomach but when Rico drove away there was no denying I was anxious for the night to end and the morning to arrive.

Arachnid Awareness

2008-09-09T11:18:00.002-06:00

Yesterday the kids and I decided to pick some pears from the tree in our side yard. We were quickly sidetracked however when we noticed an unusual looking spider hanging from its web right next to the gate. It had furry looking legs and a yellow abdomen with two spines on the top of it. I took a step closer and it reared up its legs like a horse, so we called in reinforcements. Along came Rico who bravely captured the spider and put it in the only container I could find - an emtpy baby food jar. Hopefully spiders aren't claustrophobic. The kids were all enthralled with our little captive. I caught a live fly (Mr Miyagi would have been proud) and we stuck it in with the spider. Mia sang a song to help the spider catch it but we never saw any action. This morning Diego woke me up full of excitement to tell me that during the night the spider had eaten the fly! I threw on some clothes and went downstairs to check, and sure enough the fly was gone and the spider looked too full to move. Who needs the Discovery Channel when you have a backyard full of creepy crawly things?

little helpers

2008-09-09T10:53:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago my sister Valerie came up from St. George to visit. I just love Val. She's ten years older than me and our relationship definitely has evolved over the years. When I was younger I tended to lean towards the opinion of my brother and sister who are five years older than me (yep, they're twins) - that Valerie was mean and please oh please mom and dad, don't make her babysit us! Their opinion probably had something to do with the fact that Valerie was prone to sit on them and dangle a long string of spit in front of their faces, only to suck it back up before it landed. Luckily I was too young and cute to be held down and tortured so my opinion of Valerie (or Fahvee as I called her back then) was mostly a result of following the crowd.
Truthfully Valerie was usually pretty nice to me. I remember a great day when I was about four or five. Val took me with her to browse the antique shops in Prescott and she bought me my very own bag of lime Jelly Bellys. I felt so special. As I got older I spent quite a few summers living with Val and babysitting her two girls while she worked the night shift at hospitals in Show Low and Tucson. We got to know each other better and although we had at least one really loud shouting match, we became more than sisters; we became friends.
One of the things I have always loved about Valerie is her sense of spontanaiety. One summer we were watching Schwartznegger in Kingdergarden Cop and commentating on how beautiful Astoria was. Valerie looked at me and said, "We should go there." I asked, "Are you serious?". She was serious. We got out an atlas and even though Astoria was on the farthest northwest corner of Oregon and we were in northeast Arizona, a week later we were on the road with her two little girls and driving to the little town we had admired in a movie.
My kids love Val too. She never shows up without some sort of treat or goodie for them. We went to breakfast at a friend's house while Valerie was here and she was kind enough to make her famous cinnamon crumble scones to bring along. My little chefs were all too happy to help and taste the final product. I love you Val!
What is one of your favorite sibling memories?

A golden day

2008-09-03T14:46:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days where everything clicks? Maybe nothing extraordinary happens, but it just feels like all the pieces have fallen into place just like they were supposed to? Today is one of those days. I woke up feeling rested despite the fact that Diego had a bad dream and spent half the night sleeping almost on top of me. Kids were dressed, beds were made, and the morning mess was cleaned up before nine. I got to do an hour and a half of yoga and the almost always present pain in my lower back dissappeared. The kids and I had a fun time playing together. I got a shower and sort of did my hair before getting the middle kids off to preschool. Bella took a nap when we got home and I got in two good hours of writing that I am really happy with. My thoughts have been clear (that's something pretty amazing when you have four kids age six and under) and I have had a smile on my face all day. I love these days. I hope I have many more of them!

A child's prayer

2008-08-24T20:34:00.002-06:00

One of the best things about having young children is the lessons they unintentionally teach us. A few days ago Rico was up early doing some work on his computer when he heard singing. He followed the noise to Mia's room where she was awake but still laying in bed and singing a song that she made up. It wasn't something uncommon - she's always making up funny and cute little songs for us to enjoy. Rico stayed just outside her door so she wouldn't see him and what she did next was so incredibly cute that I just had to share it with everyone. She finished her song and then said the following prayer out loud:
"Dear Heavenly Father. Did you like that song? In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
Just a sweet little girl frankly speaking with her Heavenly Father.

When Boy meets Girl

2008-08-21T21:35:00.001-06:00

It was early Friday night and I eyed my roommate Laura with speculation. Out of the three girls I lived with she was the least likely to accept my proposal of going to a church dance, but Alene and Rhonda were gone so Laura would have to be my wing man - or woman rather. I told her about the dance, playing up the fact that it would include our college aged peers from the entire Phoenix metropolitan area, instead of just Tempe and Mesa like we were used to. She still didn't look interested so I pulled out my big guns - I reminded her of the fact that I had just recently ended a year and a half long relationship and I needed to shake my hips and throw my hands up in the air; I needed to laugh; I needed to hear some good music; and I needed her support to do it all. My guilt trip did the trick and Laura agreed to be a pillar for me in my time of need. I threw on my favorite Lucky brand shorts and scrunched my curly hair but decided to forgo any perfume. I wasn't looking to catch anybody's eye; I just wanted to have fun.
We met up with some friends when we arrived and the music and dancing did the trick. I was laughing, I was having fun, and I was feeling the groove. My eyes scanned the crowd and that's when I saw him. Maybe it was the fact that he was sitting on the stage and not dancing that made him catch my eye. Or maybe it was the fact that his defined pecks clearly stood out underneath his t-shirt. Whatever the reason, I noticed him. I pointed him out to Laura and told her I would bet money that he was a wrestler. My brother was a wrestler and I had spent so much time at meets that I could spot a grappler in crowd and usually tell you what weight class he was in. Laura subtly checked him out and agreed that he was cute but we held our ground at the opposite end of the gymnasium.
The mystery man and I made eye contact a few times but I would always look quickly away. Rolling around in poison ivy was more appealing to me than getting into another relationship so I was making it a point to steer clear of good looking guys. The dates I had been on since breaking up with Jonah were with really nice guys, but they all fit a certain type. The type where as far as I was concerned, friendship was the only thing brewing on the horizon. So "Mr. big pecks" and his charming smile could just stay on his side of the gym and I could stay on mine, where I was nice and safe.
An hour and half later Laura and I joined the thrall of other twenty or so year olds making their way out of the double steel doors that led to the foyer. That's when I saw him. Big Pecks and his three friends were staking out the exit. They were like a pack of hungry coyotes; waiting to pounce on unsuspecting females who were deathly afraid of serious dating. Actually they were just sitting in some chairs by the doors but there was no way to avoid them as we walked past. Only part of me wanted to walk by unseen but the bigger bossier side of me had to look into Big Peck's eyes and smile when I got near. He hadn't lost anything upon closer proximity. If anything he was better looking face to face. He thrust out his hand and when I shook it he said,
"Hi. I'm Rico"
Without missing a beat his fast talking friend added, "I'm Suave." Ba dum dum.
I laughed, Laura laughed, and the four guys laughed. That started it all.
Laura and I had the serious businsess of hot tubbing at our friend Rich's house to attend to, but we stayed chatting with the easy going fellows for a good twenty minutes or so. People kept squeezing by us to get out of the building but we held our ground and exhanged pleasantries. I found out that Big Peck's name really was Rico and he had in fact wrestled in high school. More troubling than his good looks was how nice and down to earth he seemed.
Warning bells started going off in my head! I had a weakness for good looking Mexicans (Greeks, Spaniards, and African Americans were high up on my list too, but Mexicans just spelled trouble for me) and wrestlers had always caught my eye. Rico encompassed both of these traits so I was a little worried when he asked for my phone number, but I gave it anyway, all the while cursing the excited feeling I got while talking to him. Rich's hot tub was calling so Laura and I excused ourselves and when I finally fell into bed at two in the morning the last thing I saw in my head before nodding off was Rico's big smile.

wasted time

2008-08-20T19:41:00.003-06:00

My sister emailed me this link where you could mess with pictures and I wasted way too much time fooling around with it. It was so much fun! Check out my family in different eras.

School days, school days....

2008-08-20T18:45:00.002-06:00

Dear old golden rule days.
Monday was Mia and Bubba's first day of pre-school and they were esctatic. Especially Dominic. There was quite a build up since he had to endure one whole year of dropping off Mia and not getting to go inside. We went to a little orientation the week before and he cried when it was time to leave! Diego starts next week and he's just itching for that yellow bus to stop in front of our house and pick him up. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about Diego being gone all day long this year but pre-school is just the perfect amount of time for both mom and kids to enjoy some time for ourselves. They're pretty dang cute if I do say so myself.

Job hazard

2008-08-20T13:20:00.002-06:00

Crab Fishermen, Police Officers, and Moms. What do they all have in common? The dangers they face on the job, that's what. Check out the pretty bruise I got last week. I was laying on the futon in the toyroom, just pondering the meaning of life while Diego ran in wide circles at the speed of light (ah, the life of a child). I was caught completely unaware when he decided he had enough of his game and decided to launch himself backwards at my head. Ouch! Luckily I haven't finished evolving and my prominent brow bone protected my eyeball. Before you could say dangummit a knot the size of a ping pong ball flared up. Good thing I've seen more than enough boxing matches to know how to deal with the swelling. All I was left with was a bruise that makes it look like I enjoy wearing heavy green and purple eyeshadow on my right side only. At least my nose didn't get broken like it did in the airplane ride debacle of '06.

Dancing Queen

2008-08-14T22:01:00.004-06:00

Bella LOVES to dance. When she hears music her hips start shaking and it's just the cutest thing on this earth. She also loves Otter Pops. So much so, that when she eats one she hears music in her head and just can't help bopping along.

When Girl Meets Boy

2008-08-13T16:34:00.002-06:00

A month or so ago I got out all of my old journals to do some research into the teenage mind. It was funny, it was often cliche, and definitely high on the drama! I was starting to get scared for my kids teenage years so I moved on from my high school journals and settled into my college memories. I found something surprising - I had very little documented once I met Rico. Looking back I can remember why - I was too tired from spending every waking hour with him to dust off my pen and write in a journal. I needed the little sleep I got during that time and thus my journaling got put on the back burner. I was too busy living my own love story to write it all down.
I'm even more busy these days but the outlet of sitting down and writing is highly theraputic for my soul, so when I don't feel like working on my book, or folding my laundry, or dusting shelves this is where I'm going to turn; to the romance novel that was my life during the short seven months I dated Rico. So here's the disclaimer: This exercise is mostly for me. I won't be thinking about anyone else reading it as I write. I almost never read romances, but the thought of writing my own real life version is something I'm looking forward to. If you don't want to hear just how much I was and still am in love with my husband then don't read any of my posts titled "When Boy Meets Girl". Consider yourself warned!

Tagged

2008-08-12T15:43:00.002-06:00

Tagged...
1. What is your/his name? Nicole and Rico
2. Who eats more? Usually Rico - but I can pack it in when the mood is right.
3. Who said I love you first? I did; right before I told him I didn't think we should date anymore!
4. Who is taller? Rico
5. Who is smarter? I'd say we're equally matched.
6. Who is more sensitive? Me.
7. Who does the laundry? I wash it, then pile it up until Rico takes incentive and starts folding. He's better at ironing.
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.
9. Who pays the bills? we both do.
10. Who cooks more? I cook the big meals but Rico is great at feeding us when I don't feel like doing anything.
11. What meals do you cook together? All of them - just not together every day.
12. Who is more stubborn? Oh I'm pretty dang stubborn.
13. Who is first to admit when they are wrong? toss up.
14. Who has more siblings? Rico
15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I think we each have one leg in and one leg out.
16. What do you like to do together? Go to the mountains, watch movies, read books, cook good meals, talk, laugh, watch the Olympics and the World Cup, hang out with our kids.
17. Who eats more sweets? Me. I will forgo the meal to get to the dessert.
18. Guilty pleasures? Beignets
19. How did you meet? church dance
20. Who asked who out first? Rico asked me out
21. Who kissed who first? Rico kissed me while I was half asleep on the trampoline in his backyard.
22. Who proposed? He did. And he did a fantastic job.
23. What is your/his best feature? The first thing I noticed on Rico was his broad chest and the first thing he noticed on me was my legs.
24. What is your/his best quality? Rico has so many good qualities, but one that I love is how he always gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. As for me - I have a great imagination.
I have no idea how this tagging thing works, but I assume I'm supposed to tag some others right? So I tag Deena, Jodi, Brooke, and Tricia. Why do I feel like I'm in middle school now?

Good Housekeeping

2008-08-06T12:21:00.003-06:00

Laundry is the bane of my existance. It's like the problem with Gremlins - you add water and it just keeps multiplying. At any given time I have at least two loads I need to fold (at least) but it's one of those tasks that always gets put on the back burner - it probably has something to do with the fact that I can just shut my laundry room door and somewhat fool myself into believing that a mountain of clothes isn't waiting there for me. A few days ago I had to either dive into the pile of laundry and start folding or resign myself to wearing a bathing suit for the whole day. As luck would have it, I didn't have to fold all by myself. I got a really cute little helper who put a smile on my face throughout the whole ordeal.

Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-06T12:02:00.004-06:00

I can't believe summer is almost over. Summer days are just like any other.....unless you have kids. They have a magical way of transporting you back to what the season was like back when you were little. We had dirt roads in my neighborhood when I was a kid and I have such a vivid memory of the excitement it brought when the water truck came by. The loud rumble would announce its arrival and we would run out to stand by the road and watch it amble by - spraying an arch of water from the rear. The smell of the wet dirt was delicious to me and I always wished there was a food to match the scent. On one particularly scorching day the driver of the truck had mercy on the wilted kids he saw by the side of the road....and he stopped! Right in front of my house! He motioned for all of us to come over and even though I'm sure he was breaking the "water truck-driver code", he let the group of us sit under the rainbow of cold refreshing water. We laughed, splashed, and got incredibly muddy. It was fifteen minutes of pure bliss.
My kids have been loving the unstructured days of summer. Bubba has worn swim trunks, all day, everyday, for the past two weeks. They have consumed more Otter Pops than is advisable, ran through sprinklers, caught bugs, and got muddy. It's almost over, but it's been great. Thanks kiddos, for bringing the magic and joy of summer to our house.

The following blog is rated H.

2008-08-03T11:22:00.002-06:00

H for Hallelujah, and here's why. I love movies - really good movies that is. I'm really dating myself here, but I can remember when VCRs first became mainstream. They were big heavy beasts and only rich kids had them in their houses. I grew up in a trailor park so no, we didn't own one. But that didn't stop up from heading to Radio Shack every weekend and renting one along with at least six movies for our viewing pleasure. As the youngest of five kids I never got to pick the movie and my dad always picked out two or three war movies. Man if I never see Chuck Norris on a tv screen again I will be a happy woman I tell you. In between all the Missing in Action and Rambo flicks I saw some movies I just loved. Like Goonies! What kid doesn't love imagining finding a hidden pirate treasure and escaping from a family of criminals with the help from their disfigured brother? When Rico and I had our first kid I thought of all the great movies from my childhood I could expose him too, Goonies being high on my list. It's rated PG afterall and I figured that five was about the perfect age for my oldest boy to be introduced to Mouth, Chunk, Data, and Sloth. This is when I discovered that watching movies with your really innocent little boy is quite a different experience. You see, when my kids hear the phrase "bad words" they think of things like "stupid", "poo poo head", and "Dumb dumb". Even the bible cuss words haven't made it onto their list of bad words yet. So I was a little worried when I realized that we heard a slew of cuss words in the first ten minutes of Goonies. Why didn't I remember that from watching it as a child? I guess that after seeing RoboCop, Goonies seemed fairly tame to me. Anyway, after ninety minutes of playing the "censor" or Goonies (this involoved me making loud raspberry noises everytime I realized a cuss word was coming up), I came to the sad realization that unless I wanted my kids talking like sailors (no I don't know any real sailors, but hey, they've got that reputation okay?), they would have to miss out on some of the movies I loved as a kid. Then I heard about this great new invention called Clearplay. It's a dvd player that actually edits movies for you! Of course we got on board and purchased one. Clearplay was not only great news for my kids who have never seen Monster Squad, but also for me. I stopped watching rated R movies about 11 years ago and it wasn't that big of a deal for me until 3:10 to Yuma came out. Man I wanted to see that movie. Good westerns are hard to come by and I could tell this one was going to be good. I hated that I would have to wait about three years or so until TBS or some other station decided to show an edited version to see it. Our Clearplay dvd player arrived, we downloaded the edited titles, and popped a big bowl of popcorn. First on our list were Goonies and 3:10 to Yuma, sans the cuss words, violence, and steamy situations. Thank you Clearplay for helping me in the effort of keeping my house a pottymouth-free zone!

From the mouth of babes..

2008-07-24T08:38:00.002-06:00

If you're around kids alot and don't crack up at least once a day you might want to get your funny bone checked out. My kids are always saying hilarious stuff without even trying. Here are some of my recent favorites:

Diego when he was cold after running through the sprinklers: "Mom, I need a blanket 'cause look at all my JUICE bumps!"

Mia when we were in a store and I asked her if she liked a dress her size: "Oh yes, it's SO enchanting!"

Dominic after he brought Bella a toy when she was crying. "I gave'ded it to her to cheer her down." I asked, "You mean to cheer her up?" and he said, "yeah, to cheer her up."

If I don't write to empy my mind, I go mad - Lord Byron

2008-07-22T10:39:00.004-06:00

One page, that's it. That's all I was permitted to bring to the Writing for Charity workshop I attended on Saturday. It was horrible bringing only the very first page of my book. It was like only getting to show someone a picture of Bella's pinky toe when I was trying to describe how cute she is. The event was put on by Shannon Hale, one of my favorite young adult authors and she got the likes of Brandon Mull, Mette Ivie Harrison, and others to attend. The workshop portion of the event was particularly helpful and I got some really good feedback. So even though I only got to show the pinky toe of my story, it got me all fired up to finish my book and move forward.

Mette Ivie Harrison and Shannon Hale

You say it's your birthday....

2008-07-22T10:32:00.002-06:00

Bella's and Diego's birthdays are only three days apart so we had a lot of birthday bliss in our house in July. Bella had a laid back, low key celebration and Diego had a day of all out mayhem with a water fight party in the backyard (it's amazing how long it takes to fill up hundreds of water balloons and then watch them dissappear in seven minutes flat once the fight begins!). I love these kids.

A day in the mountains

2008-07-22T09:55:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days when every little stress seems to build and build and pretty soon you feel like a human Jenga game - all wobbly and on the verge of tumbling over at any moment? I had such a day towards the beginning of July, so I left the kiddos with my husband and drove up American Fork Canyon to spend some time with nature and unwind. It was just what the doctor ordered (the doctor in this case being me. I award myself an honorary PhD from an imaginary ivy league college from time to time). I sang at the top of my lungs to great music on the way up, spent some time by a beautiful little river, wrote in my journal, and then drove higher up to Silver Lake to skip some stones. I came back recharged in mind and spirit and feeling very grateful to live close to such natural beauty!

Night Terrors

2008-07-06T18:11:00.003-06:00

For the past few months Rico has been shaping up our company and splitting his time between Phoenix and here at home. I really miss him while he's gone but I've gotten used to him being gone for half the week. I realized just how much I've adjusted to this new schedule last week when Rico spent eleven whole days with us. I was having some serious insomnia so I didn't get to bed until 2:00 AM about a week ago. Rico wasn't in bed because he had fallen asleep reading to the boys in their room. Maybe I was so tired when I fell asleep that I actually forgot Rico was home. Whatever the case was, about thirty minutes later I woke up to the loudest, most shrill and terrified screaming I had ever heard in real life! My heart was pounding like crazy! Then I realized that the screaming was coming from my own throat and I was also halfway sitting up and swinging wide punches at an unknown assailant. In the very back of my panicked mind I could faintly hear Rico saying, "Nicole! It's okay, it's just me!". It felt like I was in slow motion as I looked over to see the outline of my husband next to me (I was still swinging punches). He was just crawling into bed but I must have thought I was being attacked by an intruder - hence my screaming and punching. After my heart attack subsided I realized what a complete and utter fool I must have looked like and then I got a serious case of the giggles and couldn't stop for a couple of minutes. Then I realized two more things. Apparently my neighbors either can't hear a blood curdling scream at 2:30 AM, or they chose to ignore it. Either way it's not a comforting thought. The other thing I realized is that I will be utterly useless against a real intruder if I'm already asleep! The wicked sharp hunting knife I keep hidden by side of the bed lay untouched as I thought I was being attacked. Instead I opted to do a Rocky impression (you know - after he runs up that huge flight of stairs and boxes the air a few times?). All I can hope is that if someone breaks in while Rico is gone my chocolate lab will lick them do death!

2008-06-29T16:04:00.002-06:00

Bella took her first steps almost two weeks ago! I'm really quite proud of her especially since she has teeny tiny feet and the rest of her body bears a striking resemblance to the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. Imagine how hard it must be to balance a cute chubby body on top of the most petite little feet you've ever seen - not easy I tell you. Bella took the challenge straight on. She just stood up, decided she was going to conquer this walking thing, and took four perfect steps. That's my girl and she's pretty dang amazing in my opinion. Way to go Bella!

Bloodsport

2008-06-26T16:36:00.004-06:00

Have you ever seen the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Bloodsport? If you haven't then you really should follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0YDuSLXcX8 and watch the part where Jean-Claude gets the stuff thrown in his eyes. You'll have a much greater appreciation for the spectacle that will follow.
My brother Allen has many talents. He is a great athlete, good at fixing things, super strong, purty smart, quite a looker - but most of all he is FUNNY. He is always making people laugh and family get togethers offer the perfect occasion for showcasing his wild and wacky side. One of my favorite things in this world (other than Haggen Dazs' mayan chocolate icecream) is Big Al's Jean-Claude Van Damme impression. He used to do it on demand; actually it didn't take a demand or even an asking for that matter. You never knew when a desire to do a Jean-Claude impression might tickle Allen's fancy. But the years have taken their toll and Allen isn't quite as quick to favor us with the Bloodsport reenactment. It took a little bit of coaxing but we finally managed to pursuade Allen to do it one last time during our recent camping trip. I'm sure he had no idea that his punk little sister would post it on her blog for others to see! don't you love family?

Happy Campers

2008-06-24T11:35:00.004-06:00

The past weekend was our annual Foster Family campout and this year we spent the time near Green's Peak in Arizona. Rico was already in Phoenix so my wonderful niece Sydni made the 11 and a half hour road trip with me. Thanks Syd! There's no way I could have made that trip without you! It was dirty, it was beautiful, it was exhausting, it was lots of fun - everything a camping trip should be. Here's my kids with all of their cousins and Nana and Papa.My brother brought his Rhino and Ranger for everyone to take rides in. Bubba called them the Whino and the Wainjer. We were in a "wolf recovery" area so we took lots of rides where we freaked some of the kids out by pretending we were being chased by Mexican Grey Wolves. It's so fun when they're young and gullible. My brother and sister n' law saw two coyotes but the closest we got to seeing a wolf was the temporary tattoo my sister stuck on her arm.Mia had a fun time with Maddy. They are only about one month apart in age and were partners in crime the whole time. Papa brought a BB gun and you can only imagine how much fun the kids had shooting cans. After Diego had his turn he decided he was the expert on marksmanship and proceeded to give all the kids all sorts of tips....despite the fact that he never hit anything.
Mia took aim and tried to ignore the constant stream of instructions from Diego.
She was our little Annie Oakley and hit the can dead on with her first shot! Everything comes easy to this little girl.
Look how cute she was after she hit the bullseye!

Bubba thought it was pretty cool to shoot a real gun, but mostly he wanted to go on another ride in the Whino.

My nephew Levi had a loose tooth so Papa pulled it out. Papa has gotten soft in his old age - he used pliers on us!

Here's my beautiful sister n' law Vel with Bella. Vel is great to go camping with because she never forgets anything and always brings extra stuff for those of us that do (not me though - I NEVER forget anything).

Here's the folks and my brother and sisters. It was a good time and I'm looking forward to next year's campout!

Viva Las Vegas!

2008-06-05T21:58:00.003-06:00

Every year a group of my friends from our college years in Tucson get together for a reunion and some much needed girl time! This year only 3 out of the 8 could make it but we had a great time even with our small numbers. We embarked on a road trip from Salt Lake to Vegas and had a ton of fun on the way. Crissy and Shan - I love you girls and we missed the rest of you so much!
Shan was a feral child and lived her early years in a cave - which explains why she had never experienced In N' Out before this trip. We donned these posh paper hats to mark the occasion.
There is a special gas station halfway between Salt Lake and Vegas. Instead of a regular hand dryer they have a minature wind tunnel mounted on the wall. It gets the water off of your hands in three seconds flat. It also makes your mouth nice and dry if you're so inclined to stick your head under it....like we were.

Vegas is a mecca for debauchery but dang it can be fun when you're there with some of your best friends. Here's Shan and Crissy looking oh so cute inside the Venetian.
Yum. I'm still dreaming about that gelato. If you look closely you can see about six sample spoons in my hand. I had a hard time deciding and I think the lady behind the counter was worried I was just going to take a taste of everything and not buy a scoop. Wrong! I bought two.Crissy's face says it all. It was so good!
We went to an evening show of The Phantom of the Opera. The stage was incredible and the music was so beautiful. This is a really cool mosaic at the entrance to the theatre. Here we are after the show. It was such a fun time ladies and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Let them eat cake!

2008-06-04T17:14:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite friends had a birthday last weekend and I wanted to make her a special cake. So I set out to make a fresh coconut cake with lemon cream cheese filling and boiled icing. I love fresh coconut! I always used to wish I could be a cast away on Gilligan's Island just so I could drink the milk from a coconut with a straw (they didn't sell fresh coconuts at the grocery store in my little home town at the time). When I was in 4th grade I got to spend some in Mexico with one of my friends and her family and my fondest wish was to get a fresh coconut to eat. I was sorely dissapointed and I wouldn't get to experience a real coconut until I was in college. Because I was denied this simple pleasure for such a long time, I now have to use fresh coconuts whenever the opportunity arises. Like this past weekend. If you have a thing for fresh coconut and some spare time on your hands, you should try this recipe. It's no exaggeration to say it's delicious! Just a word of warning - if you have 4 kids all dying to "help" it takes a long time!

If you're cracking into a fresh coconut be prepared with some tools. It's never as easy as the little lable leads you to believe. I used a drill, a hammer, a mallet, and a trusty butterknife to get into mine. You really need a food processor of some sort to shred the fresh coconut - if you value your fingertips that is. If for some reason you are hiding out from the mob and need to alter your fingerprints then I recommend using an old fashioned grater.

I used edible flowers to decorate the cake and it really turned out really pretty. This is not a very good shot, but the cake is three layers and so so yummy. Here's the link for the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_10072,00.html

Bubba turned 3

2008-06-03T20:07:00.002-06:00

Dominic turned 3 in May! This is really a big birthday for him because it means he will start preschool in August. He also gets to chew gum again - we had some issues with gum ending up on the seats in the car and my decree that Bubba wasn't allowed to have it until he was 3. Twp year olds have amazing memories - everytime we would tell Bubba he was almost three he would say, "and then I get to chew gum!" Dominic has decided he just loves cinnamon (or ciMinnon as he calls it) and he requested a cinnamon chocolate cake for his special day. I kind of had to wing it since I couldn't find a great recipe but it turned out good and Bubba was happy.
We kept the day pretty low key since the poor kid threw up the night before.

Dominic likes to show off his muscles. Look at those ribs! I do feed him, I promise.

How does your garden grow?

2008-05-17T16:42:00.005-06:00

The past two weekends we have been getting our garden ready to plant and today we finally got the last of it all in the ground. Wow that's a good feeling. I'm hopefull for this year's garden. When we bought this house there were six raised plots with a drip system already in place. Sounds great right? Well for some reason the previous owners decided to stick the garden in one of the shadiest corners of our yard. But since we haven't had the gumption to dig up our underground tramploline (which is in the sunniest corner of our yard) and do a switcharoo, we are still working with the original garden spot. Here's why I'm still hopeful. Last year I was about seven months pregnant and feeling particularly ambitious, so I got one of the plots ready and planted nine big beautiful tomato plants I bought at Costco. I had all sorts of visions in my head of making fresh BLT's, tomato, basil, and mozzarella salads, my own tomato sauce, and so on. But then fate stepped in and we made the painful and unpleasant discovery that I had the mother of all kidney stones, which started the whole unpleasant process of being medicated for the remainder of my pregnancy (I'll post a blog about this in the future so you can relive the whole dang thing with me in case that's what you're DYING to do!). The summer passed in foggy haze for me and I don't remember much of it. I certainly didn't think about my poor tomato plants which were left to fend for themselves. Every once in a blue moon (where does that phrase even originate from anyway?) I would think, "oh. I should go water my tomato plants." But before I could get up out of the Lazyboy that became my home for two months, I usually fell back asleep. I really didn't even look in the direction of my garden during that period and I finally stopped worrying about my tomatoes since I figured they were in tomato heaven (no one eats them there) by then. Then one day in late June Diego came inside and I noticed something red in his hand. I wondered why he had taken a tomato from the fridge since he doesn't like them. So I asked what he was doing with a tomato and he said he got it from outside. "Huh?" I said. I was very ariticulate during this period. So he told me again that he got it from outside. The synapses in my brain were only firing about once every hour or so at this point (and that was just to tell me to get up and use the restroom), but I knew there was something I just wasn't getting so I got up and shuffled to the backdoor. I looked around with the look on my face that Jack Nicholson has after his lobotomy in Once Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and then I saw it. The plot with my tomatoes. It was overflowing with leafy goodness and when I got closer I saw a pluthera of tomatoes hanging from the vines. I hadn't even watered them once and those hard working vines still produced several bushels for me. So that's why I'm hopefull even though my garden doesn't get enough sun. Hopefully in two months or so you will see a post with all sorts of delicious looking fruits and veggies. In the meanwhile, here are some photos from our weekend for your viewing pleasure:

Mia standing in the garden before we tilled it up and stuck in the plants

Notice Mia - same position as the last picture. She hasn't moved a muscle. What has her so transfixed?

Oh. A worm. That's my girl.

I started these two cute plants from seeds, 2 weeks before the last frost. Then I planted them three feet apart in partial shade and fertilized. They're growing like weeds!

This gross snail is about to meet its Maker and is completely clueless

Diego with the grandaddy worm we found. It was even bigger before Rico, or "the worm assasin" accidentally chopped it in half. Rico obviously has anger issues when it comes to legless slimy creatures - good thing they regenerate.

Ah. Rico was a sprinkler guy when we met and this is one of the poses I would often see him in... and think to myself what a hunk of burnin' love he was. I still think that.

Mia's mischieveous look. It's one that we see often.

These kids love their earthworms.

They started up a nice big collection.

As long as they don't bring them inside, I'm okay with that.

This year's tomato plants. Grow my little babies, GROW!

I DO like Utah

2008-05-15T15:57:00.005-06:00

This year winter was like that really weird relative who just shows up on your doorstep unannounced..."Hey! I was just in town and thought I would stop by!", and you're wondering to yourself, "how are we related again?". Then he hunkers down and makes himself comfortable, with no intention of leaving anytime soon. After a while it gets quiet in your guest room and you think, "hey, maybe he went home without telling me." You relax and start strutting around in your underwear again but then your 4th cousin once removed on your mother's side pops his head around a corner and you have to dive for cover, realizing he was never really gone - he was just waiting to catch you by surprise. That's how winter was this year. We kept getting lulled into a false sense of warm and then Old Man Winter would chuckle an evil villian laugh and dump a bunch of white stuff on top of us or freeze us to the bone with his icy breath. When winter reared its ugly head for about the fiftieth time this year I began wondering what had caused the temporary insanity that made us pull out of warm sunny Arizona and settle down in this valley that is just like Narnia before Aslan ousted the White Witch. When I couldn't sleep at night I would tuck my freezing toes under my butt and puruse realtor.com, wistfully thinking of southern California and when I really started to get desperate I even considered the sweltering Phoenix area again (something that I thought I would NEVER do). My veins were pumping hot chocolate instead of blood and I was just about at my breaking point when gentle Spring started pushing her delicate green fingertips through the cold ground. Tulips seemed to appear overnight and even though there were some days that Winter snuck in a lucky jab, Spring held strong and won the bout. Things greened up quickly and all of sudden our trees were in bloom, daffodils were swaying in the breeze, and the buzzing of bees could be heard. I suddenly remembered what drew us here and why we loved it so much. The beautiful Rocky Mountains create such an incredible backdrop and I just can't seem to get John Denver songs out of my head at this time of year. Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying our wonderful yard and the long awaited warm weather.

This is a flowering tree of some sort in our backyard. Bella doing a little debris removal

Diego sneaking in a kiss

She has clearly lost the thrill of our photo shoot.

Bubba is doing some sort of interpretive dance.

Another flowering tree in our front yard.Here's a shot of our side yard.The boys playing by or lilac bushes.

Saplings just pop up like weeds here and we actually have to pull them up!Pretty leaves on some random bush I don't know the name of.

Tug of war.

Boomer - he's a great dog!

hip hip hooray!

2008-05-13T14:16:00.002-06:00

I'm giving myself a little pat on the back today. If you don't know, I am writing a young adult novel and have been working on it for a few months now. I have loved writing since I was a little girl and have always told myself I would write a book, but I just never seemed to be able to get past the first chapter of anything. I had plenty of good excuses for letting my creativity gather dust, but at the beginning of this year I decided that I would never get my book out of my imagination and onto paper if I kept waiting for the perfect circumstances (perfect circumstances you ask? well they would be something like this: I have my own loft where once I shut the door all other noises of the house completely dissappear. Of course I have no worries once I shut the door because my kids are all off soaking in a stellar education at school, the house is looking spic and span thanks to Rosa - my costa rican housekeeper who teaches me spanish, my team of gardeners are making sure no weeds dare show their spiky heads in my yard, and I feel great after that hour long run up the mountain. After writing uninterupted for five hours straight Rico and I go to a late lunch at a great artsy coffee shop and although I don't drink coffee they serve outstanding hot chocolate, then we pick up our kids and spend the rest of the day....skipping through clovers and things of that variety.). So I cracked open my laptop and started clicking away on a story that had been mulling in my thoughts for quite some time. With determination, encouragement from my wonderful friend Sally, and sacrificing sleep, I have now arrived at the 30,000 word mark! This is a huge accomplishment for me so far. Never before have I written this much and I'm estimating I'm about 1/3 of the way through it. By August I'm hoping to have my first draft finished, then I will start on the rewriting and cleaning up of my manuscript. So three cheers for me!

mother's day

2008-05-11T21:23:00.003-06:00

Mother's Day is winding down and I'm about to crawl into my cozy bed and cuddle up next to my wonderful husband. My mother is on a cruise with some friends right now and I hope that she felt the "i love you" vibes I sent over the mountains and across the ocean towards her. When I was getting ready for church this morning Diego came in to my room and gave me a big kiss and told me "Happy mother's day!" - a great way to start the day....way better than folgers in your cup I assume. Mia also told me that she loves me so so so so much, in the entire world, all the way up to the sky, she loves me. I'm not very good at metric conversions but I'm pretty sure that's a lot. Dominic made me a very beautiful gold handprint and Isabella assured me how important I am by wanting mommy and no one else to rock her when her gums (10 months and still no teeth!) were bothering her. Rico thanked me many a time for being "the mom" and did all sorts of things to illustrate his appreciation. I got a gorgeous calla lilly plant. They are my favorite flower and now I can enjoy these every year once I transplant them (I cut the flowers and paired them with some blossoms from our flowering pear tree - isn't it pretty?). I got more plants for my garden and the token chocolates (my kids love this part of mother's day because they know I share!). And for the grand finale, Rico got me..... a lawnmower. I know, how very Tim the Toolman Taylorish right? The thing is, I really do like mowing the lawn. I feel so satisfied when I see all those neat lanes and uniform length of the green grass. I don't have OCD (just look at my sock drawer or laundry room if you don't believe me), I just like having a pretty lawn. So I loved getting my shiny green john deere lawn mower with a lot of horsepower AND swivel wheels for Mother's Day. Rico easily gets away with this kind of stuff because my

reaction is, "oooh, a new lawnmower! I love it!". Somehow I don't think it would work out for me if I got him diamond earings for Father's Day though. I guess I will just have to get him that pressure washer I've been wanting and pretend it's for him. I love Rico.

sensitive

2008-05-07T21:46:00.002-06:00

I read Shel Siverstein's, The Giving Tree to Mia and Diego this evening. Diego had been in trouble before we started and he came into the room crying. He said he was thinking of something really sad. His sad thought? What if a volcano erupted and we didn't have time to rescue all of our toys? I promised him that there were no active volcanoes in the area and then we started the book. Afterwards I told the kids how I used to have a special tree when I was a little girl. My tree's name was George and he was really leafy. So much so that when I was up in George's branches no one could see me. I told them how when I was feeling blue I would climb up George and think about things and it always cheered me up. George had a low fat branch I called the diving board. It was springy and perfect for bouncing on. One day I came to visit George and found that someone had chopped off the diving board (George wasn't really MY tree. He lived in a neighbor's field) and it made me sad. I told the kids all of this and how I had loved George, just like the boy in the story loved the tree. Then we talked about some other stuff for a while and when it was quiet and we were cuddling Diego asked me in a shaky voice on the verge of tears, "but mom, WHO cut off George's branch?". I really had to fight back the laughter because he was so sincere and feeling the pain I had felt as a child when I saw George's wound. I told him that I wasn't sure, but that George was okay and he asked me if I would take him to see George the next time we were in Chino Valley. Diego is just a special kid!

Back in the saddle again

2008-05-07T16:35:00.002-06:00

This week I have started picking up the slack with a few things I've been neglecting. First, I have started writing in my journal again. I used to write at least once a week but my current journal covers four years in about ten pages. Having four kids under the age of six has something to do with my journaling lapse, but I know I can carve out half an hour on Sundays to document my life on actual paper. It feels good to hear my pen sliding across the pages - it's just so different to sit down with an empty book than it is to use the computer. I read all of my old journals (starting at age 12) and it was hilarious, sad at times, and every once in a while illuminating. I'm looking forward to the future when I read my current journal and remembering this hectic but gratifying time of my life when I got kisses and squeezie o'beezies from my kids everyday.

Second, I have been going to the gym everyday this week, and it has been a LONG time since I have formally worked out. Now I get a lot of exercise at home (we have four different staircases and seems like I'm climbing them all day. Plus I have the cutest 25 pound weight belt named Isabella that I like to carry around..), but it's just not the same as going to gym and concentrating on what I'm doing. I decided to take it easy yesterday and did a fitness yoga class. It was not easy! The instructor was pretty sneaky; when it got really hard she would decide to get up and walk around, "just to make sure we were in the right pose." Today I did cardio. Any machine that moniters a heart rate is just useless for me since I have an abnormally high heart rate. For my height, age, and weight, my target heart rate is around 154 or so. I am usually at my target heart rate as soon as I wrap my fingers around the metal sensors so the resistance doesn't increase because the machine is afraid my heart will explode, I will die, and my family will end up bringing a lawsuit against the manufacturer. I inevitably end up switching from the "cardio" option to the "manual" option because my heartrate is usually around 200 beats per minute or higher when I'm working out. I hope I don't have a heart attack anytime soon but since my dad is the same way and he's still ticking at age 67, I think I'll be okay.
It feels good to start up journaling and working out again - here's to keeping it up!

Bubbles and Wet T-shirt contest

2008-04-30T18:06:00.002-06:00

Rico and I have been seperated for about six weeks now. Not by choice though! He has been taking care of our business in Phoenix and we are only seeing him on the weekends right now. It is pretty crazy taking care of our kids, our dog, and our house all by myself for four days out of the week and last night was no exception. We spent all day outside gardening and cleaning up the backyard and by the time evening rolled around I felt like we had little dirt clouds following us wherever we went. Usually I wait until the kids are asleep to take a shower myself but I just HAD to get clean so I put the older kids in my big jetted tub. They like to take what they call "super bubble baths" so I thought I would just let them splash around and let Isabella crawl around my bedroom while I took a quick shower. I cracked my shower door so I could keep a loose eye on the bubble kids and started washing away the dirt. While I was washing my hair I felt little hands grabbing my ankles. Isabella decided to crawl in with me and have a baby wet t-shirt contest - she was fully clothed, completely drenched, and so happy! I stripped her down and let her shower with mommy. The older kids were cracking up and it sounded like a lot of fun. While I was drying off and getting Bella dressed I heard Diego yell, "Auugh! The bubbles are falling out! Now I usually put in one squirt of baby soap and turn on the jets for Super Bubble Baths (see the picture a few posts down), but Mia decided to squeeze a bunch of grown up shampoo (the good kind from the salon too!) into the tub and the result was something straight out of a Brady Bunch episode. A HUGE mountain of bubbles about three feet deep was on the verge of spilling out of the tub and onto the floor! I plunged my arm in and pulled the plug just in time and found out it takes a really long time for shampoo bubbles to die down.

When Rico gets home I'm taking a long hot shower - all by myself!!!

Girls are made of sugar and spice

2008-04-22T12:00:00.005-06:00

I was a real tomboy growing up. I climbed trees, caught lizards, and always had dirty scraped up knees, so it's not surprising that I was most excited to have boys when I became a mom. Little did I know that I would have the greatest little girl. She is the best of both worlds. If I'm feeling girly (as I sometimes do now that I'm older) Mia is always up for a little fingernail painting, but I usually have to call her in from playing outside in the dirt of collecting box elder bugs.

A few days ago Rico got back from a trip to Phoenix and he brought all the kids suckers with real scorpions inside of them. After I assured Diego that yes, the scorpions were indeed real and it wasn't just one of Dad's little tricks, I didn't think the kids would eat them. But having a creepy crawly inside her sucker didn't stop Mia. She crunched away and when she got to the scorpion she announced with excitement in voice, "I just ate its head!". I was wrong. Having girls is just as cool as having boys.

crazy weather

2008-04-17T09:22:00.004-06:00

Monday was beautiful! It was an outdoor, gardening, playing on the swings type of day and we all had a lot of fun. The next day we woke up to fat snowflakes falling from the sky! Go away winter! We have had enough of you.

Bubbles Galore

2008-04-17T09:19:00.002-06:00

A jacuzzi bathtub plus some bubbles = tons of fun!

Chubalub

2008-04-10T23:28:00.002-06:00

Bella is my first chubby baby and I love it! She has got some serious rolls and it's just so dang cute. I love kissing her cheeks because they're so soft and keep squishing in. I must be giving her a complex by always talking about how chunky she is because today Bella picked up this ball and started excercising! Doesn't she look like she's doing a class at the gym to target her love handles? She kept this up for a few minutes before deciding she wanted some Cheerios. I love this big little girl so much.

Vile smell

2008-04-09T16:05:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I was getting ready to change Bella's dirty diaper - not my favorite thing but a daily necessary evil. Dominic came running up and with a lot of excitement asked, "ooooh! Is she stinky?". I assured him she was and he said, "is it purple or green?" (it was yellowish in case you're curious - I have yet to come across a purple one!) . I couldn't stop laughing. At least someone in my house looks forward to a poopy diaper. I told you he was our clown.

2008-04-07T22:37:00.000-06:00

We spent Easter this year in Sierra Vista with my sister Brenda and her family. It was nice to get out of the winter weather that is lingering in Utah. As usual, Diego woke up before everyone else and was so tempted to find the hidden eggs. He's such a good kid though and waited for everyone else to get out of bed. The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins like always and it made me remember some of my Easters as kid.
When I was little my parents used to hide real boiled eggs that we had dyed the day before. Once we found them all, the kids would take turns hiding them again and finding them all over. One year I found the best hiding place for once of my eggs and nobody could find it. It was quite a feat since I am the youngest child and I remember feeling pretty proud for duping my siblings......the problem was that I couldn't remember where I hid that bright blue egg! We searched high and low but we couldn't find that egg. Remember, these eggs were from a live chicken - not made from hard plastic. Imagine what a treat it was when winter rolled around and I pulled out my snow boots only to remember that I had stuffed that wiley egg into the toe about 8 months before. Apparently black rubber snow boots are really good at containing vile odors.

My Amber Alert moment

2008-03-25T15:41:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Rico and I got back from taking the kids swimming at the gym here in Gilbert. When we got home I came inside with the baby and Rico stayed out front with the other three. Mia and Diego were riding scooters and Dominic was running along with them like one of the super mario brothers. About five minutes later Rico came in and asked where the kids were. Enter the icy hand that gripped my stomach. "They were out front with you", I said. Rico said he thought they had come in but when I assured him they hadn't he grabbed his car keys and went looking for them. So my 5, 4, and 2 year old were missing. I left the baby with Rico's aunt and ran down the street in the opposite direction from where Rico headed but I didn't see them. This isn't our innocent little Utah town - this is the greater Phoenix area where kids are abducted regularly, so I was really trying to keep my vivid imagination at bay. Five minutes later and still no kids so I called 911. Just as the operator asked me what my emergency was, Rico drove up with all of the kids in tow. They had decided to go exploring by themselves. Phew. Talk about relief. After spending an eternity in time out I had to talk to the older kids about the dangers of leaving without mom and dad. Today I think I'm going to invest in some of those kid leashes that look so inhumane!

Wagons ho!

2008-03-12T09:24:00.002-06:00

We're getting ready to leave for a long trip to Arizona. We will be there for 2-3 weeks and are looking forward to seeing friends and family. I have mixed feelings about Arizona. I hate the lack of grass in most places. A dirt yard filled with rocks and cacti is just one of the most unappealing things to me. However there are things I miss dearly; most of all family but also the monsoon season, beautiful sunsets, the smell of the desert, and how big the sky is. I miss seeing the stars at night. I didn't realize how much I loved star gazing until I moved from the small town I grew up in to Tucson and the light pollution blocked out most of the stars. Where we live now it's even worse...I'm lucky to make out the big dipper and north star on most nights. I think there will always be a part of me that longs to live on my own big chunk of land where I can see the stars and go outside at night and only hear the sounds of crickets and frogs.

Tender Heart

2008-03-10T10:44:00.002-06:00

Diego is thoughtful in more ways than one. He is mindful of others and sensitive to their moods. He is also always thinking about the world around him and asks the most introspective questions. For example, a few weeks ago he asked me why Jesus couldn't die. I try to give him simple answers but he always probes deeper and tries to understand things completely, which usually translates into a twenty minute discussion about whatever it is he is wondering about. He also has a great memory so don't ever promise him something unless you plan on following through!

The Tough Princess

2008-03-10T10:37:00.002-06:00

This picture would be a better representation of Mia if she were standing on the roof and doing this pose. She is fearless! Mia constantly has bruises and scratches because she never thinks about whether or not something is dangerous, but whether or not it will be fun. Everything comes easily to Mia and she will accomplish anything she sets out to do.

The clown

2008-03-10T10:23:00.002-06:00

Dominic (or Bubba as we like to call him) will be 3 in May. He is our comic relief and has had a great sense of humor since he was a baby. He is always saying funny things. Yesterday he told Rico that he was smart because he was thinking. Then he told me that his brain was leaking.

The baby

2008-03-10T10:11:00.002-06:00

Bella is the baby of our family and 8 months old already! People often say they have a good baby, but we have a little angel. I have been around a lot of babies and I have never met one as sweet and even tempered as Bella. If you spent two weeks at our house you might hear her cry once that whole time and it would most likely be because she got hurt or needed a diaper change. We all love this little girl so much and the kids often argue over who gets to hold her or play with her. She is a sweetie!