Primary Activity

We had our quarterly Primary activity a couple weeks ago. The kids were put in groups and learned different scriptures stories with a fun activity - sailboat race was Nephi's family sailing to the promised land, tug-a-war was holding to the iron rod, digging in sand to bury weapons and covenant not to fight anymore, etc. After the groups had finished at all the stations, they got to throw water balloons at Samuel the Lamanite (a.k.a. Marcos). They earned one balloon for each article of faith they passed off and some had 13 balloons. The water balloons started off okay, but there was no line for them to stand on so some of the 10 and 11 year olds were about 3 feet away just pelting Marcos - and then they started to go behind him and throw them pretty hard. By the end, he was so done. Overall, it was a great activity though and Marcos was a good sport to help out. Here are a couple pictures of Dylan at the activity. He did awesome at the tug-a-war. He and another boy in our ward were pretty much pulling four kids over every time. Pretty funny. I'm thinking Dylan and this little boy should play rec sports together. They'd dominate the field for sure! :)

Released

Today was very bitter-sweet for me. This week I received a call from the Executive Secretary in the ward - never a good thing. ;) Marcos and I had plans and couldn't meet with the bishopric until the following day. Imagine my anticipation. It was BRUTAL! My mind was doing summersaults trying to figure out what this meeting was about. Could the Bishop be that in tune that he knew how mean I had been to Marcos Monday night and that I didn't get over my insanity until late Tuesday afternoon? I was ready to be chastised for being such a horrible wife. :) Thursday evening, the bishopric stopped by and extended a call to me - 2nd counselor in the Young Women's presidency. Holy cow! I didn't see that one coming. I smiled, accepted the calling, and got a huge knot in my stomach. What a responsibility...and oh how much I am going to miss my calling as the Primary Chorister. I LOVE my Primary kids so much! I love Primary music and I love teaching them. I love the interaction - teaching, testifying, playing and even teasing a little bit...oh and crying, don't forget crying. I LOVE that all the kids know me and light up when they see me. The hugs don't hurt either. :) It's been so much fun and I've tried to make the most of it. It can be overwhelming having to prepare for two different groups of kids to "entertain" for 20+ minutes (40 total) every week, but I tried to have a plan and then wing it when the plan went astray. I think I magnified my calling to the best of my ability. BUT... I guess it's time. I'm weird. I bond to people way too easily. So it's difficult for me to "leave" anything. You should've seen me when I had to leave my Jr High friends to move 1 1/2 away when I was 14. You would've thought someone had died.

When the Bishop told me the names of the other members of the presidency, my heart was so full. It was an immediate confirmation that it was right. And I guess the president had a similar experience in knowing I was the one needed for that calling at this time. I've been praying since Thursday night and I know it's right. It's hard to leave, but for some reason I'm needed in YW right now and I'm excited for this new experience. I ran into the new YW President at Sam's Club Friday afternoon and we both got teary-eyed before we even said a word. It was one of those amazing spiritual confirmations that comes from the miraculous gift of the Holy Ghost - a tender mercy from the Lord (remember that talk from Elder Bednar? Awesome!)

My mom had a similar experience calling her counselors (she was recently put in as YW President in her ward). She was told a couple of times that so and so isn't available for a calling due to this or that, but for weeks that's who she felt was right for the calling. The Bishop finally said he had known for awhile, but wanted to make sure she wasn't being swayed since one of them happened to be his wife. The guidance one can receive from the Holy Ghost is truly amazing. The experience with my being called was very similar. I wondered why this lady kept coming into the Primary room. She has four kids in Primary, but they are all very well behaved. I thought she must just want to check up on them. Come to find out she was checking up on me. :) And today before I was set apart the newly released 2nd counselor in the YW told me when I walked into the chapel that she knew I was being called to the YW - she just had a feeling. Isn't that amazing? I told her she must be more in tune than me because it really caught me off guard. :)

It makes my heart swell to know that the Lord has such an incredible plan for each of us. I would have never known it would be my time to be released from Primary. We've got a Primary program in two months you know. :) But I am grateful for a Father in Heaven that knows far more than I do, and I am ready and willing to accept a new calling and to serve wherever I am needed to the best of my ability. I'm excited to be able to work with the Beehives. I love the youth! A few of the Beehives and many of the Mia Maids were my activity days' girls many years ago. It'll be fun to get reacquainted and to meet all the new girls that weren't around back then. I haven't been a leader in YW before though so I'm super nervous. It's going to take some work to get me up to speed - new values and all that. Wish me luck...oh and a few prayers wouldn't hurt either. ;)

Conversations With Dylan

The kid seriously cracks me up. He follows EVERYTHING - what I say, what I do, what's around us - and he doesn't forget ANYTHING! We went to the zoo earlier this week with abuela (Marcos' mom). We have talked about the capitol building a little bit and how that's where legislators meet to make laws. One day he asked me what the building on 4th South was. I told him that was the City/County building and was another building where elected officials meet to plan and make laws and make changes that need to be made. It's hard to explain the political process to a 5-year-old so I try to keep it simple, but still answer his questions. On our way to the zoo, we passed the City/County Building and he said something that I didn't understand. He repeated himself again and here's how the conversation went.

D: That's where laws are made, right?"

M: For Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City, that was where they sometimes meet, but there are other buildings as well.

D: Yeah, but they do that there, right?
M: Right. Remember when Mommy goes to vote? When you are 18 years old, you will be able to vote. We vote for people to represent us and choose people who will vote for things that we would want them to vote for. It's called a representative republic. Everyone who is a citizen of the United States and 18 years old can vote (I left out the felony part - too complicated) and I always vote because it's important that we try to elect people we think will make good choices for us.

D: Yeah, I'm going to vote too. I'm going to vote for Barack Obama.

M: Mommy didn't vote for Barack Obama, but he won the election and he's the President of our country and I will support him as long as he is our president.

D: I know mom. Who meets at the Capitol?

M: Our state senators and state representatives. We have one state senator and one state representative that represent our area here in Layton. And there are two U.S. senators and three U.S. Representatives from Utah that represent us back in Washington D.C., the capitol of our country.

D: Oh, okay.

I guess I'd better start studying. At this rate, I won't be smart enough to answer his questions by the time he's in 2nd grade. :)

Sick Days

Dylan came down with a high fever Monday night so we spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday hanging out, watching movies and trying to keep the fever down a bit. Luckily it was a sore throat virus - 102-104 degree fever and blisters in his mouth and throat, but it came and went pretty quickly. Poor kid said he was "freezing" in the middle of July in our less-than-ideal-temperature swamp cooler house - even with blankets on top of him. He kept trying to take "HOT" baths to warm up. Every time I tried to do anything, he would freak out and tell me to come back and "squish" him to warm him up some more. Of course Preston thought it was some sort of a game where we jump on each other. It took me a minute to get him to hold still and just lie next to me. This is pretty much how we looked for half the week.

My Happiness List for Today

It hasn't been a great day, but good enough overall. I thought I'd better write down some of my happy thoughts for the day so when I'm having another crappy day, I can reflect on why my life doesn't totally suck. :)

• Movie morning - Preston was up who knows how many times last night, which woke Dylan. Grr....I finally gave in and let Preston watch a Little Einsteins movie in the middle of the night. What's a mom to do? Exhausted, I slept past the alarm, skipped morning exercise, asked Marcos if he was crazy when he wanted me to make him breakfast and pack him a lunch, and lay dead on the couch through a couple PBS shows. Sometimes it's just necessary to be lazy until you can pull yourself together.
• Diet Mountain Dew - need I say more? After the laziness, I required a true pick-me-up. I really would be better off just drinking coffee in the mornings. Stupid word of wisdom.
• Sprinklers on the tramp - who needs the water park when you've got a hose with expensive water to leave on all day? The kids played for almost two hours outside with only minor fights over who should have possession of the hose.
• Backyard picnics - we even had lunch out back while the kids were drenched. Makes for much quicker cleanup for sure.
• My swamp cooler - okay, compared to your average central air conditioned house, mine is probably quite hot, but it does the job pretty well (especially considering it's July) and for pennies on the dollar. I'll keep it for now. :)
• 40 minutes of story time - I can't believe Dylan and Anthony will sit so well through so many books. It really helps wind down the playtime for Anthony's nap and Dylan's quiet time.
• Moon sand - okay, I hate the blasted stuff, but I'm grateful I no longer have carpet in the dining room so Dylan can play with the moon sand all he wants and it will clean right up.
• Scripture reading done by 3:00 - that's right, it's done. I'm trying to incorporate it into quiet time somehow so I don't end up falling asleep before I learn anything at night.
• Dr. Wayne Dyer - have you heard of him? Some of you will mock, and that's fine, but this guy inspires me. I've been reading a couple little self-help type books I found at my mom's house and he just helps me put life in perspective. It's the same old, let the past go, live in the present, forgive, meditate, etc. but he's just a peaceful man and he inspires me.
• Shade in the evening and a pretty great backyard - Anthony will be going home at 5 and we have round 2 of tending (a couple neighbor kids) that will start at 6. I can sit on the shaded deck and chill while they play to their heart's content and we may just end up with a semi-clean house at the end of this long day.
• A dinner plan - there is nothing that makes my day go better than when I actually have a plan. I'm not rigid, but if I have an idea of what I'm doing, life goes better. I love the spontaneous, let's go play at the park or go swimming, but if I already know the rest of the day, I'm not a mess by the end. I've got chicken marinating that can just be thrown on the grill so I don't make the house any hotter than it needs to be. Wa-hoo!
• Cute kids that play well together - Dylan is either a big tease or a really big help. I'm hoping as time goes on, the amount of teasing will decrease and the helpfulness will increase. I was folding laundry earlier and let the kids play a couple kid computer games while I worked in the basement. One of them was an alphabet/reading program and Dylan was so cute. He would ask Preston if he wanted to hear a certain letter, Preston would say no, so he'd ask about another one until Preston agreed. Oh, I love it when they get along!
• No more remodeling projects - at least not for awhile. Everything is done...I think. And I have a house that looks much better and is clean (except for the stuff that will probably never be clean with kids like windows and blinds - I've given up on those). If you want to actually see my house nice, you may want to stop by sooner than later. I don't know how long I can keep it up. :)
  
  

And It Came To Pass...

We've been trying to read scriptures with the kids. We do our best to fit family time and spiritual moments in where we can, but I'll be honest, it's not easy. We've found that scriptures right before bed seems to work the best. On days we're actually on schedule (which is not often enough in the summer, but that's how it goes) we try to do baths, teeth, books, and then put the kids in bed while we read to them. That way they're sort of trapped and learning by osmosis if nothing else. :) Then we finish off with family prayer. Preston usually rolls around talking to himself or looking at another book in his crib, but Dylan follows pretty well most of the time. I try to stop every few verses and ask questions to make sure he's understanding. And he gets the basic story that way. Even though it's frustrating, I love helping the kids understand the scriptures a little bit more. Dylan will randomly say something like, "Yeah, I need to be good. I don't want to be like Laman and Lemuel, huh?" So cute. Today we were reading about Nephi's family and their journey to the promise land. You know the whole binding with cords bit? Well, that made Dylan pretty mad so he was growling and pretending to be a leopard by the end. But he listened to the whole story. Afterwards, he asked if there were any leopards or cheetahs since we finished off with a verse talking about the beasts they found: cow, ox, ass and goats. I told him I didn't think so, which lead to his next request. He wanted to read us scriptures before we said our prayers. I tend to be a softy and allow for stalling when it's somehow spiritual so I said yes even though I knew Marcos was done having fun. Dylan took the scriptures and flipped through them until he came to the Noah's arc story. According to Dylan, it was located somewhere in St. Luke. The following is what I remember about Dylan's account of Noah's arc.

...And it came to pass that Noah was gathering his animals and putting them in the arc. And the great storm came and was blowing the boat around. And the animals were frightened and they curled together in their families. And it came to pass that Noah was upstairs and went down to the crates where the animals were. And his wife went with him too. What was her name? And the animals were very happy. Okay, now what did you learn from that?... I repeated the story back as he had told it. Then he turned to one of the maps and showed us where the arc had sailed and how they went through the land where Jesus had lived.

I had my hand up by the side of my face the whole time so I could try to look serious while I held back my chuckles. It was the funniest thing ever! He was so serious. By the way, we are far from gospel experts, but we don't make stuff up. Dylan does mix up his scripture stories at times though so if he ever tries to teach you "false doctrine," it didn't come from us. :)

Preston's World

Preston Santiago Uboldi - Man of Mystery

Preston wasn't talking much in early spring so I only had a few things written down about him. Now his vocabulary has taken off and there is no way I can keep track of everything new he is saying and doing. He is my silly little man. He has had a million little things we've had to watch or follow up on and yet he never ceases to amaze me with the progress he makes. The most recent thing following his second birthday was his lack of speech. The kid was just not talking at all. I finally got him tested and he easily qualified for early intervention. The paperwork was processed and the speech therapist started coming to our house 45 days later. By that time, he'd more than doubled his vocabulary. Now every month he's saying and doing more. He's recently gone from private speech to a group speech class and I don't know that he'll need to be there that long either. We'll see. He's doing great. One of the concerns we had around his speech was when we went to have him tested, he showed what they called "minor conductive hearing loss" that looked like it was due to negative pressure in his ears - only they don't know what's causing the negative pressure. We are still trying to figure that part of it out, but hopefully all will be fine. He seems to be picking up speech regardless of his hearing level, although it is sometimes difficult to understand him. Other times he's so clear in the way he speaks. He's my little mystery man. No one knows quite what to think. I didn't mention all this at the time because there were like 5 or 6 major things that happened this spring that required either medical attention or some other intervention on my part. It was a very overwhelming time. But he's going the right direction so things are looking up. I really didn't mean to have this much of a tangent here, but to understand my little man, you may need a little background. For some reason this little guy just keeps me on my toes. He does things in his own way and on his own time, but is often outside the norm just enough to make me (and others) wonder. I was worried about him when he didn't sit up until 8 months, when he didn't crawl until 11, when he didn't walk until almost 15 and then when he didn't talk at all by 2. And yet as far as we can tell he's normal and healthy and just his own person. So here are some of the things I wrote "to" my little one.

You have made so many great strides lately, Preston. We were so worried about your speech. We had you tested and qualified for Early Intervention. Next thing you know, you start talking (and a few words became SO many). You are your own person and like to do things in your own time. That is what I love about you. Here are some of the many new things you are doing now.

• You love to jump, hop and gallop. I have caught several people chuckling about your galloping around a room before. You just get so excited and that is how you show it.
• You LOVE being with your brother. Even when he’s sitting on time out, you’ll go sit right next to him. Being away from him makes you so sad. You try to copy what he does and think you are big just like Dylan.
• You love coloring. You call it “ca-a-ring”. You have discovered a black sharpie marker a few times and made a big mess all over yourself, the walls, and the banister.
• You still love water. You love baths, playing in the sink and squirt bottles. You could play in the water and never tire of it.
• You are so kind and loving. Whenever you do something mean or accidentally hurt someone, you are so quick to give loves. You cry when others cry and just love being around other people.
• You’ve gotten pretty attached to your blanket and call it your “na-night”. Sometimes after bed or a nap you still want to carry it around with you.
• You are still a big fan of balls. You call almost everything “beece-ball”. It’s pretty cute! As long as you have something to hit or kick, you are pretty content.
• You love being outside. The sandbox is one of your favorites. You dig and play in there forever.
• You also really love your tricycle, Dylan’s 3-wheeled scooter, and your push lawn mower. You could play outside with these things all day long!
• You like to walk around on tip toe. We’re not sure why, but it’s pretty cute to watch your sneaky little walk.
• These are just a few of the words I can think of that you are saying (around April)
o Peepa - pizza (you have just recently started saying this almost like it should sound. We really miss the pee-pa word) You also say peetsa peetsa when you want a piece of pizza. We LOVE your little language.
o Ca-a-ring - coloring
o D-O – Dyl
o Addie – Anthony
o Gran-na – grandma
o Beece-ball – ball or baseball
• One of your new favorite games is “Ring Around the Rosies”. You call it “pock-a-posy”. You’ll just randomly start singing “ring a posy, ashes ashes ashes ashes” and turning in a circle.
• You have discovered the art of ball tossing and the ceiling fan. You think it’s hilarious to throw the ball up and watch it react with such speed and no sense or real direction. We have all been caught off guard once or twice with this little game when the ball zoomed towards us with lightning speed. Pretty scary game.
• You have a newfound fear of heights. Maybe you’re a little more like your mama than I thought you were. When Papi or Mommy try to hang you upside down now (a game you used to LOVE) you hold on for dear life. Even sitting on the counter makes you pretty nervous. It’s worth it for me to try though because I love the death grip you have on my neck when you get scared. Makes me realize you still need your Mommy sometimes.
• Water is one of your favorite things. You love baths, the sprinklers and swimming. Instead of just reading books, we point to things to work on your vocabulary and speech in general. When I ask you what the picture of water is, you say, “I-aun-go shwimmin’” (I want to go swimming). So cute!
• You are becoming quite the tease and think it is so funny to run from me. You'll turn around to see if I'm watching you and then run away as fast as you can.

• You are quite the little escape artist. You are so mellow and quiet that you can slip away without being noticed. I have to keep my eye on you all the time.
• You are SO excited about the potty, which surprised all of us. By May 2009, you were able to go potty on the big potty. We have a really fun little potty with noises that you play with, but you decided on your own that you wanted to go potty in the big potty. Every time I change your diaper, you respond with, “I-aunna go potty” and many times you actually go. We’re not quite to the potty training stage yet, but you are probably ready. You LOVE flushing the toilet and usually flush several times each time you try to go potty. Hopefully that lasts since somehow your older brother has forgotten how to flush the potty when he goes.
• Anything chocolate flavored is cocoa puffs to you, which you call “poco puck”. Chocolate milk, cookies, Cocoa Puffs, Piourettes (long cookies with chocolate filling). You love them all!
• Your latest thing is “uh-uh”. Instead of saying no, you shake your head and say “uh-uh” over and over again. We get the message.
• Head bonks are your FAVORITE thing ever. You are not big on giving kisses – you just lean in and tolerate a kiss from someone else, but you affectionately give head bonks. Sometimes they’re a bit rough and I respond with an “ouch” and a rub of the forehead. You laugh and copy me. Funny boy!
• You are also very fond of high fives right now. Everything is “I-aunt high fice”. You definitely have the “I want” part of your vocabulary down!
• You are obsessed with shoes. When they are off, but somebody has theirs on, all I hear is “suce on”. When we get home and Dylan takes his shoes off, you yank yours off and then start tugging on your socks. The poor things are so stretched out! You also really like wearing other people’s shoes around. You put on Anthony’s shoes and walk around saying, “Addie suce” or in mine or Papi’s. It’s really cute!
• You LOVE nursery and can’t wait for sacrament to be over so we can take you there. What a blessing that has been. One day, Papi was speaking in sacrament meeting and I had to set up for singing time so I took you into the Primary a couple minutes before sacrament meeting ended. You cried and cried thinking you didn’t get to go to nursery. Funny kid!
• You are quite obsessed with turning lights on and off. We never know which lights we’ll find on or off throughout the house. You leave a little trail of where you’ve been and what you’ve done.
• You love Sponge Bob. You’ve never actually watched it, but you love the song and sing it over and over any time you see something with Sponge Bob on it. We have some hand-me-down Sponge Bob flip-flops from Tony that you wear around the house. You kind of slide your feet along the ground so they won’t fall off. You also sing “sunge sob share sants” when you see the bouncy ball at grandma’s house. Most people can’t understand what you’re saying, but I pick up on it every time. It helps that you sing it.
• You LOVE to sing. We have a children’s CD and you always tell me which song you want. You say, “Zoo morrow, mama”. You say, “Bear sessisies”, “goo goo gah free dee”, “body builder” or “itsy spider”. Goo goo gah free dee took me awhile. You said the phrase over and over the same, but I could not figure it out. I finally realized you were asking for “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”.
• You love throwing things in the garbage and will say, “I frow way” and take something to the trash.
• You also love clearing your plate like your big brother. You barely can reach to toss the plate into the sink and there is usually a trail of ketchup where you missed a little, but we like to let you help anyway. Good thing you use a plastic plate though or we’d probably have a lot of broken dishes.
• I must say, “I’ll be right back” a lot because that is your new favorite saying. You’ll look at me and say, “I right back, mommy” and run down the hall.
• One day you were in the tub and Dylan was asking for more water, copying one of his favorite shows Olivia. Olivia always says, “Please, double please, triple please” to ask for things. You heard Dylan and just said, “please water double.” Cute!
• Your newest favorite thing is listening to the primary CDs in Spanish. Instead of the old lullaby music we put on for naps and bedtime we listen to that. You will sit there listening to that forever and be completely content in your crib. In fact, in the morning, the first thing you say is “proteta” which is asking for “Sigue el profeta” or Follow the Prophet, the first song on that CD.
• I have let you and Dylan have a wind-up lantern in your beds to read as you fall asleep. You just stare at that thing and study it forever. I come in to find you snuggled up with a lantern quite often.
• One day after your nap, I came in to find quite the surprise. You had reached a jersey of Dylan’s that was sitting on the changing table next to the crib and put it on, you were holding the lantern and you wanted your music on. You sat there for an hour AFTER your nap was over just hanging out by yourself. You are so social, but you enjoy your alone, quiet time as well.

Just one of many interesting ways I have found Preston during his nap

After his nap, he just wants to play in his crib

Mr Independent - he was determined to get ready to go "shwimmin'" all by himself

My loving 2-year-old. He'll sit on my lap with his hand on mine and just love me

Handyman in Training

There are a lot of words I could use to describe my dear husband: loving, kind, caring, helpful, funny, smart, spontaneous, social, understanding...I could list hundreds. Sadly, one word that may never be used to describe this wonderful man is handy. He's just not. I'm not for that matter either. We're quite the useless pair around here actually. If someone can keep up the little repairs, we can keep it clean and organized. But if something needs to be fixed or installed, we are a mess. Marcos has gotten a little bit better from the pressure some of his handyman friends have put on him, but if it's something he actually can do, he usually just doesn't. He HATES a project. I suppose he likes routine too much. When we moved in, I needed brackets to hold up the bar in the middle of the closet (too many heavy clothes I suppose). My brother-in-law installed one while Marcos watched and then told him to just buy another one and put it on the bottom closet shelf the same way. Five years later, I bought one and told him he needed to do it because the dang boards were started to pull away from the wall since we hadn't done it right the first time. Argg.....

If you've read the blog for awhile, you know our life has basically been one nonstop project since early spring. Poor Marcos. His frustration was obvious, but his patience is growing. I was pleasantly surprised at his level head during the last part of the projects we did this past weekend (painting, ripping up the carpet and getting new carpet installed upstairs). Maybe that's the best thing to come out of all this. I, on the other hand, am still running around as impatient as ever waiting for all the final details to be finished. He was exhausted by the time Saturday night rolled around. We were putting furniture back and trying to get everything ready to go to sleep. He'd been working on it hours before while I was keeping the kids away at my mom's house so he was physically drained. I came downstairs to find him sound asleep on the couch. Crap. I was in the middle of washing my blinds and we hadn't hung our curtains yet. How were we supposed to go to bed without blinds or curtains on the windows? So I got out the handy dandy drill and went to work installing the curtains myself. The screws were cheap and started to strip, some of the screws needed anchors because they were in drywall and others were in the wood. Blah! I know, it sounds simple to most of you, but I was so frustrated measuring and drilling and redrilling and anchoring and stripping (the screws that is). But I was so proud. I did it...all by myself.

Cut to today. Once again, I'd asked Marcos to help me put up the little hooks that hold back the curtains. They're those black out curtains so if you don't tie them back, my bedroom is pretty much dark all day long. We've had a rough morning around here and I was sick of waiting for everything...so I just so I threw caution into the wind and went for it. I'm pretty sure those hooks are there for good since I completely stripped those stupid cheap screws in the process, but I now have two hooks that look fairly level holding back my curtains. Was it easy? No. Somehow I feel like I need three hands when I'm trying to drill stuff. I must be uncoordinated. And it doesn't help that my handyman helpers consist of two young, mischievous little boys. It was definitely an unanticipated obstacle keeping them away from the power tools while I measured and remeasured again. But it's done. And it looks decent. So if you stop by the house and notice something is slightly off, just ignore it. I'm still in training. :)

Dylanisms

What can I say about this little monkey? So much joy, laughter, fun and frustration all wrapped into one super independent five-year-old. He is a non-stop ball of energy who loves life and learning. He LOVES to explore and imagine and is one of the most creative people I have ever met. He continues to keep me on my toes, even as a slightly mellowed down 5-year-old version of himself. Here are some of the latest and greatest Dylanisms that I actually managed to write down.

• During the spider bite adventures, I told Dylan his arm looked swollen. He looked at me nervously and replied, "Why, what does swollen mean?" "It just means it's a little bigger than normal, bud. Don't worry." He looked down with a serious look on his face and said, "That's cuz I'm tough, Mom."
• Dylan was playing dentist one day and brought down is magnifying glass and a clothespin to inspect my teeth.
• All three kids were playing cowboy one day and Dylan gave some pretend chili to Anthony. Anthony played along and said, "Yum, this is really good. How'd you make it?" Dylan replied, "I have the best recipe. I put in beans, peas, brown sugar, salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce... I make the BEST chili."
• We were in a public restroom and Dylan asked me if the feminine hygiene products were paper towels. I said no. "Mom, can I have some change?" "No bud, we're not buying any," I anticipated. He responded, "Why mom, what are they?" Honestly, his curiosity will not let me get away with simple answers.
• Another day, he was looking at something and said, "Oh, I certainly love that."
• At Dylan's preschool graduation I was crying. He asked me why. "Are you crying because you're happy? Sad? Excited?" "No, buddy, I'm crying because you're getting big and growing up so fast." "Oh, okay." A few minutes later I took him to the bathroom and when I saw myself in the mirror I started crying again. I was talking to myself and said, "No, I am not aloud. Stop!" "Mom, why are you not aloud? Did you lose your voice or something?"
• We made and painted some stepping stones with the kids' handprints on them for Father's Day. While Dylan was waiting for his turn, he decided to paint a leaf. He brought in the painted leaf and said, "This is for my father. But not my father, this is for my Father in Heaven for Father's Day." It was so sweet.
• I told Dylan to get a ball out from under the couch that he had lost. He told me he couldn't because he didn't fit. I told him to try anyway. He slid under feet first and stopped. "See, I don't fit. My penis is stuck." Later he corrected himself and said he thought it was probably just the buckle on his pants that was stuck.
• I was in the left-hand turn lane and Dylan noticed another car turning left the opposite direction. He said, "Uh-oh, mom. That car is on the same track as us."
• I was in the basement and could hear water running so I went to check it out. Running water is never a good sign around here. Dylan had undressed himself and Preston and was running water for a bath. I asked him what he was doing and he said simply, "I'm giving us a bath. We were dirty."
• Preston was in the tub handing me ocean toys. When he handed them to me, I would say the name of the animal. "That's a seal, Preston. Seal." Dylan quickly corrected me. "No mom, that's a sea lion." Preston handed me a whale. "Whale." "No, that's not a whale, that's a sperm whale. Preston, say sperm."
• We were at the store and Dylan had given Preston a glitter ball. I wasn't going to buy it so when we went to check out, I put it back. Preston started crying so Dylan went to his rescue and brought it back again. I told him to put it back and he said, "I can't put it back. It makes him too sad." We left without the glitter ball and Dylan said, "I know what I'm going to get Preston for his birthday...a glitter ball. Yeah, a glitter ball would be a good brother's day present."
• I was talking to Marcos about a place called Toad's and Dylan asked if it was a place for kids. I said yes. He said, "Do you know what I call places that are for kids?" "What?" "Where a kid can be a kid and a mom can relax and take a break from her kids." I started laughing and he said, "Mom, I know what I'm talking about. Where a mom can relax and take a break from her kids."
• Dylan put on some yellow basketball pants and said, "Oh, I love these golden pants."
• One day when we were in the car I was telling the kids about the pioneers and Pioneer Day. Dylan was kind of serious and said, "I'm looking at that cloud. Do you know why I'm looking at that cloud? That's the cloud where Jesus lives and I'm going to look for Him." He always says sweet stuff like that when we are talking about spiritual things and he feels the Spirit.
• (This one's about Anthony, but I thought it was worth remembering. He isn't LDS for those of you who don't know him.) Anthony looked at me out of the blue and said, "Okay, let me get this straight. You call God Heavenly Father and I just call Him God, right?" I said, "We call him God and Heavenly Father, but He is the same person and He loves us very much."
• I overheard Dylan say to Anthony, "Anthony, do you know that we're really brothers because you're a part of our family?" Anthony replied, "Yeah and brothers really love each other." Too cute!

Dylan the police officer - this kid loves to pretend

My mom bought this bug belt for Dylan when he stayed over at her house. He would not take it off. He told me he wanted to go exploring when we went to the park. This is how he looked for several days. He got a lot of "cool belt" comments during our outings that week. :) It's still one of his favorite new things.

Dylan's bug belt

4th of July Video

Nothing fancy, just a couple of clips from our day of festivities.

4th of July

We were up late on the 3rd of July so we skipped the parades. Marcos and Dylan went to the park to play tennis and Preston and I slept in. What a treat! We tried to catch up on my neglected chores a bit and then got ready for another night of celebrating. We met my family at a park by my mom's house that evening. They serve Greek souvlaki and my mom treated us all to dinner. The kids played ball, at the playground and around our blankets and chairs. It took a little coordinating to keep track of that many kids, but it was well worth it. They had a blast playing together. The DJ was blaring the music and we were all gettin' down a little. You should've seen Dylan - I'm afraid he takes after me. There isn't much dance talent there, but I have no power to stop myself from gettin' my groove on when the rhythm hits me. :) It was so much fun! As it started to get dark, a plane dropped a few local sky divers off who landed in front of us. It was AWESOME! By that point, we strapped Preston in his stroller. He tends to be a bit of an escape artist these days and we'd had enough of chasing him around the park. We all settled down with our treats to watch the fireworks together. What a great night! Here are a couple collages I made of our day. For those who want to see more pictures, you can find them here.

Aside from the fun celebration part, I just want to say how grateful I am to be an American. I think our freedom is something that we tend to take for granted. Most people are apathetic when it comes to the political process. Although often tedious and frustrating, I feel it my civic duty and am involved as often as possible. After all, if I'm not representing my views, then who is? I've always been pretty patriotic. I tear up every time I hear or sing the national anthem and especially when I see a veteran saluting the flag. I know our Constitution was Divinely inspired and am grateful for brave men (and women) who fought for what they knew to be right. God bless America!

July 3 - Cherry Hill, Dinner & Fireworks

Marcos was off of work on July 3rd, so we decided to head to Cherry Hill for some family fun. My friend, Liv, decided to meet us there with her baby, Soren. Apparently we weren't the only ones with the idea to go to a water park on Marcos' day off. It was pretty crowded, but we still had a blast. The kids played forever and it turned out perfect to have Preston take a late nap since we were going to my grandma's for dinner and then to watch fireworks that night. Another fun filled day! No wonder my house is never clean - we play WAY too much! :)

Baby Soren

We ran into our friends there and Dylan rode around the lazy river with his girlfriend and future father-in-law :)

Dylan and cute baby Soren

Liv and Soren splashing in the water

Papi drenching poor Preston

Chillin' Dylan :)

Marcos enjoying himself in the lazy river

Preston playing in the water

Preston playing with GG that evening

He loves "honking" her nose and she finally honked back :)

GG with Dylan and Preston

Marcos & Dylan waiting in line for one of the bounce houses

Dylan bonded with one of my grandma's neighbors while we were watching fireworks from her front yard - cute!

Marcos' Work Party

We went to a little work get together a couple weeks ago. One of the nurse's owns a beautiful home on a big piece of property. It was the perfect place for a party. It was a little rainy, but cleared up in time for the kids to play outside. Dylan found a treehouse and was in heaven. He absolutely LOVES treehouses. Preston played with a big soccer ball, in these popup tent things and with his new little buddy, Cole. When the sun went down, we all sat outside and watched Night at the Museum projected on a big screen on the side of the house while we ate treats and popcorn. It was like the drive-in movie all over again. Good times!

Marcos' co-worker, Sheila

Another co-worker, Sean

The boss, Bonna, and her husband

Preston loving his new buddy, Cole

Preston in Cole's cute hat

Dylan's dream come true - they had a treehouse

Idaho Waterslide

Thanks for letting me reminisce a little bit. It's good to look back and remember the little things that brought us together. Now I've let myself get a bit behind. A couple weeks ago, we were invited to go to Idaho to a really cool place. It's actually a great big sod farm where the owner's live and have turned it into this nice family hangout place. There's a big hill with a black mat they've put down to create a waterslide. They also have a zip line, trampoline in the ground, swing set, big sand box and a fire pit - not to mention acres and acres of awesome grass to play on. It was so much fun for our whole family. We will definitely be visiting again. Here are a few pictures of the fun!

One of the older kids buried Dylan. I'm not sure he liked it, but it's a pretty good place for timeout. I'll have to keep that in mind next time he's naughty. :)

Dylan and Kambrie playing in the sandbox

Preston was content to run around in the grass with a ball. Look at that kick!

Marcos on the zipline.

They have this candy canon so the candy shoots out everywhere instead of just falling to the ground. It was AWESOME! Like an Easter egg hunt, but without all the work.

Marcos and Preston on the waterslide

Dylan sliding without the tube

Preston and Mommy - that kid loved sliding. He would not give us a break. Marcos and I fought over who had to take him because it was nonstop - walk up the hill, slide down, then repeat.

The end of the day without a nap. I was doing my best to entertain Preston while Dylan made s'mores before we hit the road.

Dylan just parked himself on the Bishop's lap to roast his marshmallows. What a kind and patient Bishop we have.

15- Happily Ever After

...NOT! Marriage takes work. Anyone who tells you otherwise either hasn't been married or is lying. I'm not saying that marriage isn't great, but that life isn't easy. You don't get married and then go back to life as if nothing had happened. You have to continue to nurture and strengthen your relationship if you want it to succeed.

I never thought it would be possible, but I love Marcos so much more now than I did ten years ago. Strangely, love seems to grow deeper with time. I can only hope that in ten more years I look back on my relationship and think how much deeper my love and commitment to Marcos has become. We've been through a lot together over the years - 4 cars, 2 apartments, 1 house, 4 college degrees, 10 full time jobs, at least a dozen part-time jobs, 2 children and multiple callings. We've been through some really difficult trials. There have been times when I could feel a force trying to pull us apart, times when I didn't know if our relationship could survive. But it did. Marriage isn't always roses and romance. A good marriage requires dedication and commitment. It requires communication and selflessness. It requires humility and sacrifice and love.

No one knows what trials they may face. We can only hope and pray and have faith. What I do know is that Marcos is my perfect teammate. Sometimes he has the ball and other times I do, but together we are much better than we are individually. There is no one that I would rather experience the ups and downs of life with than him. Here's to ten years of marriage and countless more to come, sweets. I love you...from here to Argentina and back - till I die and forever more!

14- The Wedding

The whole week before the wedding was rainy. Actually, most of June had been rather wet. It was the year of El Nino. As the week passed, I got a little nervous. After all, the plans had not exactly included an "in case of inclement weather" location. We were ready to purchase some umbrellas and hope for the best.

The day before my wedding was pretty weird. There's all this anticipation building up to a wedding day and then the day before there's nothing to do. I was planning on working the whole day, but they sent me home early and told me I was crazy to be at work the day before I got married. Wa-hoo! I did a bunch of pointless wedding-type things that day and then headed up to my mom's house where I would sleep that night. It remains such a bitter-sweet memory for me. I don't know if I am alone in this, but the one thing I was sure of was that Marcos and I were supposed to get married. But the feeling of my last night as a single girl, living at home (sort of ) and hanging out with my sisters (all unmarried) and my best friend (also still single) was surreal. I was so excited to start my life with Marcos, but knew that a part of me was leaving behind the life I had always known and loved. It was hard. We talked about the wedding, the honeymoon and our new apartment. We laughed and giggled and practiced styling my hair. I remember steaming my dress with Lisa upstairs at my mom's house and crying and talking about how happy and scared I was. And how weird it was that tomorrow I would be married and live in a different house and ward...and with a boy. Weird. Lisa and I had a long, emotional embrace that felt kind of like goodbye. I knew we would always be friends, but it would be different. We had been Lisa and Maria for so long that I couldn't imagine that changing. Some people may not have known which of us was which for that matter. We were pretty much a pair most of the time. Now I was going to be Marcos and Maria. Yep, bitter-sweet indeed.

I woke up early the next morning so my sister, Alicia, and sister-in-law, Laura, could do my hair. Man, what a process! It looked pretty cute though. Thank goodness for prissy relatives. I would've been a mess without them! :) My mom and I got ready and left for the temple around 9:30 a.m. It was barely drizzling at that point - things were definitely looking up in the weather department. Talk about being pampered - those little old ladies at the temple sure take care of you and tend to your every need. It was amazing! We got ready, I said goodbye to my mom and went to meet Marcos. We sat in the celestial room forever just sitting, smiling and whispering to each other every once in awhile. It definitely felt right. A little while later we found out it really had been forever. Marcos' mom was running quite late and everyone had been waiting for her and worrying that something had happened. Thankfully we were away from the stress and worry of that tucked away in the celestial room. The sealing was beautiful. Marcos' dad performed it and it could not have gone any better. It was so special to both of us to have him be the one to seal us together for time and all eternity. His words were beautiful - humbly uttered through his broken English. I remember looking at my soon-to-be husband across the alter and feeling perfect.

After the temple ceremony, we walked out the door a very happy husband and a teary-eyed wife. We had family and friends and a pretty anxious photographer and videographer awaiting us (remember the late part - everyone outside the temple was wondering what was going on. I think they thought I'd backed out at the last minute :) ) We took a bunch of pictures and then headed over to Robintino's (I know, enough of that place already, but it was sentimental) for a very simple luncheon with just our immediate families.

Everyone parted and went to get ready for the reception. Marcos and I drove separately, which was really weird for me. Just the thought of everyone wondering what we may or may not be doing after the wedding made me a little paranoid. Stop looking at me like that. No we did not just run to the hotel for a quickie. Give me a break! Seriously though. That whole going from forbidden territory to a commandment is a weird 180 degree turn after you get married. Okay, so we headed up to my mom's house and luckily we left when we did. There was a huge wreck on the freeway so once again we were going to be dealing with everyone being late - including the photographer. We were supposed to take some family pictures at 6 p.m. and the reception would start at 7, but the photographer didn't get there until 6:45 p.m. Yikes! Oh well, we just went with it. People started showing up and we greeted them. So much for organized family pictures. We didn't have a formal line at the reception. We didn't want it to be boring or long so we just mingled. It was actually really fun. The only thing I wish is that we had maybe done the reception for the first hour and then dancing because I don't think I talked to everyone that came later to the reception. I'm not sure though. By that point, I was in my own world. Once I was boogying on the dance floor, there was no turning back. :) Basically it was a party - a great big celebration! There was tons of yummy food and tables for everyone to visit and then there was a big dance. We had everyone gettin' down on the floor. It was the best way to celebrate this moment with my family and friends. We really did have a great time and didn't end up leaving until almost 11 p.m. Hey, you only get married once, right? (well, hopefully.) By the end of the dance, I was hugging all my friends and telling them goodbye and secretly whispering how nervous I was for the wedding night.

Marcos and I changed (in separate rooms - I'm telling you people I was way more than a little bit nervous) and went to put our bags in Marcos' car before we said our final wedding goodbyes. We went to the car and discovered the nice send-off his brother, Esteban, had created - not! Marcos was so mad. He had guarded Esteban's car at their reception ten months before and Esteban was the instigator of our mess of a car. Oh well, we got the best of him. We cleaned it up before he could see our reaction. He was surprised when he walked out and realized the mess was gone. :) We went back to say goodbye, danced a couple more dances and then the remaining wedding die-hards walked us out blowing bubbles as we went. Aw, wedding rituals! :) Again Marcos wouldn't be Marcos without a big farewell moment. He drove off honking the horn and yelling goodbye to everyone. He really is crazy! As we drove down the street, it was one of those moments that I will never forget. Every detail is permanently etched in my memory. I was married to this kid now...and we were going to a hotel. Holy crap! Thank goodness we could tell each other everything. I leaned on his shoulder and whispered something about how nervous I was. He just smiled and said, "Me too."

13- Candle Pass

Technically this post should've come before the engagement since it happened right after the proposal. I wasn't going to post about it, but I figured it would be good for everyone to see a little bit of Marcos' perspective during this whole thing. Candle pass is a tradition in my sorority. After someone becomes engaged, the sisters all meet together for a candle pass. The ring is tied to a candle and the candle is passed around the room while the president of the sorority reads a letter written by the man who wants her hand in marriage. After the candle has been passed around the room at least once and the letter is finished, the girl who is now engaged blows out her candle so everyone knows who is getting married. Because I went from dating to living at my great grandma's and getting serious really quickly, most of my sorority sisters were pretty surprised I was engaged. It was really exciting and special to hear Marcos talk about why he deserved to be married to me. I thought I would share the letter that he wrote about me that was read at my candle pass. He called it "My Little Heaven".

This is indeed a very different kind of celebration. One of your sisters has made a life changing decision, her fiance has proposed to her and now, in a few months, she will be married. Life has many transitions and getting married is surely a very big one. My beautiful darling had many other plans before she would consider marriage a part of her life and one of her goals. She had planned to go into a master's program and eventually get a good job that would giver her good financial stability for the future. She also planned to one day serve an LDS mission, hopefully to a foreign land. Marriage was at the bottom of the list...but then, I came along and little by little her thoughts and desires began to change. What was a very good friendship blossomed and grew into a very deep love. We began dating, and enjoying each other's company more and more. Getting to know each other was very fun and exciting. We have so many things in common, and we compliment each other so well, it is just absolutely amazing! I've always dreamed of marrying someone like her, but she is even more than what I dreamed my girl would be. That is the reason why I call her "My Little Heaven."

My fiancee is one of the most caring, thoughtful and intelligent human beings I have ever met in my life. She has a heart that is as big as the Everest. Her smile is so cute and honest, and her little giggles simply turn my heart upside down! Loving her is not hard, because when I do, all of that love is returned...tenfold! I love her because she has ambition and will never give up on the battle of life. She's tough and the word "quit" does not exist in her vocabulary. I love her because her tender heart always reaches out to mine. I love her because every time I see her it is even better than the last time I saw her. Every time I see her I learn something new about her that I didn't know, and it reassures me that I have made the right choice. I love her because others are drawn to her and they can feel the power of her good character and simple nature. The ring that she has on her finger is probably the best description that I could give of her: it is simple, very simple, yet breathtakingly beautiful and unique! The light in her eyes gives a glimpse of her soul. There is so much substance in that soul, I honestly cannot phathom it. I could write a thousand volumes about what she means to me, and then write a thousand more because she never ceases to amaze me and she never will!

I know that she has belonged to LD for awhile. LD has taught her many important life lessons that she could learn nowhere else. She has made many awesome friends along the way and she has learned the value of sisterhood. Your sorority has many high standards to allow new members in and she truly fits all of them. She has represented you well, very well. Now, I'm asking you to let her go and let her start this new life. I am asking you to allow the legacy she made to live in your minds and in your hearts so that she will be remembered as a very special sister of your sorority forever. "Some people come into our lives and quickly go, others come into our lives and leave such an impression that from then on we are never, ever the same." I know she has touched your lives and she truly has touched mine, and I will never be the same. If you were to ask me if I was worthy to have her...I would have to say no; no one is! Like I told her father, "...I don't have much money or possessions, but I've got my mind and I have my heart and I promise to take care of her and lover her always, unconditionally, and owrk on our relationship every day so that it can grow forever and ever." I love "My Little Heaven" because with just one kiss she transmits so much love and friendship. I love "My Little Heaven" because with just one kiss I know how much she loves me...! I could go on, but I'm about to cry...

"My Little Heaven"......I LOVE YOU 'TILL I DIE AND FOREVER MORE!

12- The Engagement

Somehow we got through the 4 months and 5 days that was our engagement. It wasn't easy though. It was a series of trials, blessings and major life changes - all in such a short period of time. Not that engagements are ever easy, but it was a lot to deal with simultaneously.

I started writing my thesis and had to come to terms with the fact that it was going to be okay, not perfect. At the same time, I started applying for jobs. I was going to have to figure something out since we were going to need health insurance and enough money to pay for an apartment and my car. I ended up finding a job a month later and thankfully I was pretty close to being done with my thesis. My stupid Chemistry professor was an idiot. I brought him draft after draft to critique and never received one comment from the guy. BUT when it came time to defend my thesis, he brought out all these questions. Hello, I could've included more if you would've given me some feedback. The other three people on my panel (Spanish professor, Zoology professor and the Chair of the Honor's Dept) thought it was great so he really was just being a jerk. Chemistry was one of three subjects I had to make fit into a thesis for a BIS (Bachelor of Integrated Studies) degree. My Spanish professor finally came to my aid and told him to lay off - it wasn't a Master's level Chemistry paper. It was a Bachelor's level triple subject one. Whatever...the whole thing sucked! But I made it through. I've never been more relieved to have something to cross of my to do list in my life.

I was struggling to figure out what to do. My pre-Marcos plan had been Med School. Now what? I was about to graduate in Chemistry, Zoology and Spanish. Hmm...what was I going to do? I couldn't go to graduate school yet. My future husband was still a few years away from his Bachelor's degree. I started sending resumes everywhere hoping I could figure something out. Well, I ended up getting an offer to work in a congressional office. Weird, but true. It's one of those times I just shrugged my shoulders and figured I'd let life guide me instead of trying to reason through everything. I'm usually wrong anyway. :) As soon as I found out I got the job, I had a million things to do. Marcos and I packed up my great grandma's stuff to take her to St. George where she would stay with my grandparents for awhile until they could come back to SLC. Road trip over the weekend and starting my first real grownup job on Monday. Holy crap! After that, we were both kind of nomads. Marcos was getting ready to move out - we had found an affordable apartment in the same complex where his brother and sister-in-law, Amy, lived. Now he just had to wait until the beginning of May when he could move in. I slept wherever I happened to be each night. Sometimes I was at my mom's, other times my great grandma's. It was insane!

The good news continued. Marcos' parents had decided to send their Geo Prizm so he would have a car. It was so hard to get places without a car and he had been without one for a long time. What a blessing! We knew we couldn't afford two car payments, but we needed two cars to make our schedules work. Wa-hoo!

We went to bridal fairs and all sorts of crazy things trying to figure out what we wanted. We decided a few things mattered and nothing else did. We wanted to have a fun wedding with lots of food, fun and dancing. We wanted things simple and not frilly. We wanted pictures and a video so we could remember that day forever. And we wanted to make sure we were ready to be husband and wife so we focused on our temple prep class and other spiritual things.

Marcos' aunt is an amazing seamstress and offered to make me a dress. A few of my friends came with me to get an idea of what style of dress I wanted and then we sent her some pictures and measurements. I knew I would love it and tried not to think about it after that. We were planning a lot of the wedding, but our parents were helping too. We were going to have the reception at my mom and Barney's house so I put them in charge of a lot - nothing like delegating projects to help ease the stress.

We flew to Florida in May and had a great time with Marcos' family. We had a lot to fit in, but it was still fun. We went to the beach, dancing with his sister, took engagement pictures, got fitted for my dress, and the family threw a shower for me. It was so crazy to have a shower thrown by people I didn't even know - and so generous. After our brief trip to Florida, it was time for real life again - work, school and more planning.

Marcos and I had decided to go on a cruise for our honeymoon. We purchased the plane tickets and tickets for the cruise and paid for them ahead of time. We didn't want to start out our marriage with a bunch of pointless debt. Because of my congressional job, we were able to learn a lot more about the INS process. It was the biggest pain ever! We had to file tons of paperwork, pay a lot of money and then wait and hope nothing went wrong so Marcos could get work authorization. Right now, he was only authorized to work on campus as part of his student visa. In the process, we found out that because Marcos had graduated from High School in Venezuela, gone to Texas on a missionary visa and then gone directly from Texas to Utah on a student visa - he had never left the country to have his passport renewed. He had the right paperwork to show he had a student visa, but he didn't have a stamp in his passport. If we left the country, he would need to get the passport renewed. Confusing? Yeah, we thought so too. Basically this meant that because the cruise went into Mexico, he would have to have his passport renewed in order to reenter the United States. And...we were only in Mexico a few hours so there was no way that was possible. There was a good chance they would decide not to let him back on the boat when we boarded in Mexico. Um, yeah, that sucked. We tried to get our money back, but nope. We hadn't purchased travel insurance (not that we even knew there was such a thing). Doing all this alone was tough work. We had to change our plans so we could still use the plane tickets, but now we had to find a hotel, rental car and all sorts of stuff. Oh, the plans that had to be made, changed and rearranged.

The good part of all this was we really worked well together. The stress got to us, but we didn't take it out on each other. Mainly I just cried it out every time I couldn't deal with life and then hugged him until I felt better. And it seemed to work. We tried to keep the focus on spiritual things - we would attempt to leave the plans and real world behind and go to our temple prep class together. It definitely helped us keep things in perspective. So the engagement didn't break us, but it could have if we had let it. Instead we allowed it to bring us closer together. If we could get through this, we could hopefully get through anything together.