Rock Star

Bella woke up one morning and announced to me, "I want to be a rock star." She then told me that she needed to dress like a rock star and ended up with a guitar shirt, jeans, and pink cowboy boots. Not bad. Then I tried to put a clip in her hair as the finishing touch before sending my rock star off to preschool when she gave me this condescending look and said, "Mom, rock stars don't wear clips!" "Oh, they don't?" I said. "What do they wear then?" She ran and found a pink bandanna and said "This." Who knew my little 4 year old was so in tune with rock star fashion? Anyway, you can be sure that we didn't leave the house with out first dancing around to Pink's song, "So What" and showing off some rock star moves.

Six kids

I was the mother of six kids for a week...my own two and then 4 of my nieces and nephews while their parents went to Chile for a week. Although it was a lot of work (especially because Blaine had an extremely busy work and school week and I felt like a SINGLE mother of 6 most of the time), it was also a lot of fun. To maintain my sanity I did paper plates and bowls all week, we ate lots of hot dogs, mac and cheese, spaghetti, and burritos. We went out quite a bit to the library, the park, the movies, the bounce place, and McDonalds play place. We made valentine's cookies, ordered pizza, watched High School Musical 3 and many other movies, and played, played, played. We had a dance party on our last night with the kids and I'm sure you'll agree that these kids have some serious rock moves. (Oh, and by the way...I took very few pictures this past week...who has time for pictures with so many kids???)

Pay It Forward

I got this off of Alison's blog and she makes awesome homemade gifts so I really want one! I'm no Susy Homemaker, nor a Betty Crocker, but I will do my best to make some yummy treats... So, read on...

Pay It Forward …..So, here’s how it works: the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, some homemade goodies from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you’re going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your goodies! Please submit in an e-mail or on the comment, your address, if I don’t have it already. Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick! Have fun!

Almost 12 week ultrasound

Yesterday I had an ultrasound and it was wonderful again to see the baby moving all over the place, rubbing his/her eyes, and making fists. I am in absolute awe over the fact that this tiny human being is only 2 inches long yet has all of the human organs, appendages, fingernails, teeth buds, is swallowing and kicking, etc. It is absolutely amazing. The doc said aside from taking 7.5 years to get pregnant, I'm a pretty boring patient with everything looking normal and on track. I don't mind being boring at all! Even the nausea has started to subside this week. Can I really be this lucky? Mostly I am just tired and hungry and expanding.

I was remembering December 22, which was the day we found out that I was pregnant. We had just gotten back from California the night before. I had been wondering when my "monthly bill" would arrive and thought that maybe, just maybe, it was a little delayed. But since it is usually pretty prompt I never keep that close of tabs on it. It just always comes! After arriving home from California with a major headache, I was headed to the advil bottle when this little nagging thought said, "What if???" Well, when you are me and the "what ifs" have never panned out in over 7 years, you tend to not want to run your life by the "what ifs". But, this time I decided to go to bed with out the advil. The next morning I went grocery shopping and thought, what the heck, let's just throw one of those cheap pregnancy tests in the cart also. I really just wanted to rule it out and give myself the freedom to take an advil when I wanted one. So, when I saw the second line pop up I was perplexed. It was much lighter than the first line so I thought for sure it was just faulty. I showed it to Blaine and he said, "You're pregnant."

"No I'm not!" I argued. "I'm NOT pregnant. I don't believe this test at all. If I were pregnant, that second line would be just as bright as the first...right???" Blaine assured me that he fully believed I was pregnant but I just didn't believe it. I couldn't allow myself that luxury yet. So, off I went to Wal-greens to buy a different kind of test. This time I wanted one with WORDS, not just lines. I didn't even mind paying top dollar for the digital kind that actually reads, "Not Pregnant" or "Pregnant." As soon as I saw the "Pregnant" word pop up, I let down my guard and I schreamed, "I'M PREGNANT!!!"




Then came the anxiety. I started feeling an abnormal sense of fear and anxiety over this. I was just sure that it wouldn't last. How could it? And within a few days I was off to Chile to spend a whole month away from the possibility of seeing a doctor. That is when I decided to pay the $50 bucks for an ultrasound in Chile. What an amazing experience and it truly was a validation that there was an actual baby growing inside of me and that I didn't just dream this whole thing up. Then the nausea and the vomiting became added witnesses that I really am carrying a baby. Now I am home and just trying to enjoy this experience.

It has been so wonderful for us to receive so much well wishing and happy vibes from all of you. Thank you for sharing in our joy. Each one of our children is an absolute miracle to us and we feel so blessed that the miracles keep coming.

Dang Cute Kids and Beautiful Scenery

Bella became quite the little poser for the camera in Chile. Ez has always loved the camera.

I loved all of the beautiful flowers, the huge fat bumblebees, the birds, the cows (that seriously needed milking sometimes!), the sheep, the snow topped volcanic mountains, the lake...it was all so beautiful.

Random Pics from Chile Trip

The little pool.


Pichanga. I didn't dare help Blaine with eating that since I was feeling nauseated that day and just looking at that made the queasiness even worse!

I did enjoy eating Cazuela de Ave a few times though. It is a really yummy soup that I always loved eating on my mission.

Me and my man.

My cute boys.

My parent's house is on a dairy farm. Here we are on our little walk to see the cows.

Sonia and I took Bella and Andresito to the circus one night. It was low budget but Bella loved it.

Bella became friends with the gardner's daughter, Valentina.

At the Santiago temple.

Sonia, our tree, and dialysis

Sonia and her two year old son, Andresito, joined us for the whole month in Southern Chile. Since she is a dialysis patient, it took some major coordination to make this vacation possible for her. But, she was able to connect with a dialysis center in a town near where we stayed and every other day she went for about 4-5 hours to get her blood cleaned out. I learned much about her illness on this trip and about how difficult it is to restrict her eating and especially her liquid consumption in between dialysis treatments. But Sonia is an awesome, faithful, positive person who endures her trials with out complaints and has hope that soon she will receive a new kidney.


Sonia once told me that she wanted to do three things in her life to leave a lasting legacy: 1) raise a child 2) plant a tree and 3) write a book. So here we are planting an apple tree on my parent's property. Now onto that book...



Sonia and Bella...buddies.

Sonia at dialysis.

Princess of the Butterflies

My good friend Sonia was so great with the kids. Bella adored her and followed her around constantly. Bella with limited Spanish and Sonia with limited English became great friends. Sonia decided to make Bella a princess dress and when the dress was completed, we held a coronation ceremony to crown Bella the princess of the butterflies. It was so much fun and Bella really was in her very own fairytale.

A dress being tailor made and fit for a princess.


Once the dress was complete, Sonia sent Bella on a journey outside to gather four things before she could properly be crowned the princess of the butterflies. She had to find a flower, a leaf, a rock, and take a picture of a butterfly.

We played classical music as Bella made her grand entrance down the stairs.

Then Bella presented herself before Queen Sonia.

The Queen had to inspect all four objects to ensure that Bella was ready to be crowned the Princess of the Butterflies.

Having successfully completed her journey, Bella became the Princess of the Butterflies and was seated on her throne.

She received a certificate authenticating her as a princess.

A lovely photo of the princess and the queen.

The Royal Banquet after the coronation. Bella sat at her throne and drank pink milk as the rest of us paupers drank plain apple juice.

Then the princess decided it was time to take her new dress for a spin on the dance floor.

It was a fairy tale that came true.