Surprise B-day for Abuela

Saturday, August 29th, was my mom's b-day. She had NO idea we had planned a surprise b-day party for her. She is always trying to surprise people on their b-day or just for fun. It was so fun to pull one over on her! She really had no idea what was happening :) We all got together at Esteban and Amy's house for a BBQ and cake. When she got there we broke out into Happy B-day Song. She had a big smile on her face and it was so worth it to "lie" to her through out the day.

We love abuela for everything she does and is!

We wish her the best on this new year in her life.

LOVE YOU!!!

Another funny from Mylo

Mylo and I were chit-chatting about school (today was his first day).

Me: Are you excited for school bud?

Mylo: yeah

Me: Next year you get to go to school everyday 'cause you'll be in kindergarten!

Mylo: Why do they call it kindergarten?

Me: I am not sure

Mylo: Maybe because they grow little vegetables there!

Me: HAHAAAAA HAHAAAA. Maybe!


Seriously this kids says stuff like this ALL the time!

My brother...

This picture was taken after a date we had with Marcos, Maria, Joel and Sid. The boys were being so silly and we were having a great laugh! They sure seem to be enjoying themselves a little too much ;) (wink wink)

My brother, Marcos, is seriously one of the nicest people I know. He has the best memory and has an ability to remember all sorts of random things about people. When we have had parties or get togethers at our house and we have invited friends over or Trevino side of the family Marcos is always sure to talk to everyone AND he really listens and cares about what people say to him. You know how we are supposed to be like children, in the forgive and forget sort of a sense? Well, Marcos is that kind of person. He is so non-judgemental. He is so quick to forgive and always loving (sometimes too loving :)). He is VERY passionate about life. He loves unconditionally and he is a big example to me of how to be more kind and more Christlike.

I remember, when we were young. I had an appointment right after school and Marcos had to stay with me so we could get back home. We were caught in the rain and we had decided to get a treat with the money my mom gave us for the taxi and it was one of the fondest memories I have of Marcos. I really had a great time with him that day. He treated my like a 'big' person and he cared about what a I had to say. It made me feel loved by him.

Anyway, today he was called and set-a-part as a High Councilman! I think its so crazy. He is young (35/6) to be in that calling, at least I think so. It was really neat to see him 'progress' in the priesthood. Maria, his wife, is very lucky to have such a great guy to be her companion. I sure wish him the best as he embarks in this demanding calling. It was interesting to see him and his countenance. I love Marcos and I am grateful for his example of forgiveness. He asked my dad (our dad) to ordain him as a High Priest in the Melchizedek Priesthood. After the difficult times we have all experienced with my dad in the last four years, I was so touched by Marcos' decision to have my dad have that honor. Marcos has always had a huge heart and (i have heard my dad say many times) he has a heart of an angel.

Love you Marcobich!

Leah's first day of school

I cannot believe our baby is in First Grade! Here she is all dolled up just before heading off to school. She woke up so happy and so excited for her new adventure. She picked her own outfit and had it laying on her bed the night before. I remember doing that before school. After breakfast Dave gave her a blessing and Leah looked so grown up and reverent. It's always a special to get a father's blessing. I know these are things Leah will remember when she gets older. She said her goodbyes and we headed off to school. When we got up to school I walked her in to class. She could have gone in by herself but I just like to be there when she does something new :) She found her spot and I sat back and watched her (with a little tear in my eye). It was funny to see her size up her new friends and also fun to see how excited she got to see her old friends. Her teacher, Mrs. Francis, seems really sweet. I am looking forward to this school year and all the new things Leah will learn, but I think I will miss her through out the day and I am VERY sure Mylo will really miss his older sister.

When she got home she said it was a great day. I kept on trying to get more out of her but I just had to be patient until she was ready to tell me. She did say her favorite part was recess and playing tag girls versus boys... Oh dear, here we go!

Last day of summer...

...At least before school started

Heston and Maricela invited us to join them at the family "Cabin" (I say its more of a compound). We started the day with some rain but as soon as we got up to Morgan we were greeted by sunshine and it was amazing! The 'cabin' is simply beautiful. We took a bit of a walk/hike over to the golf course where the kids had a good time running around. Then we came back to the cabin and while Maricela and I made lunch the boys and kids got in the hut tub. We had a wonderful
lunch outside.

After lunch the kids did some more swimming. There is a river that flows through the property and Heston, Dave and Leah all got in. Then they ran back to the hot tub to get warmed up. We watched Heston swing on a rope and into the freezing river. Leah said she wanted to get all the way in like the dads and so Dave 'helped' her in... it was a good time to see her come out :D She was FREEZING! later Leah, Heston and Dave all went down the river on Milli's little floaty, it made for a great laugh when the guys were on it. Maricela and I just sat back and laughed :)

Milli was taking her nap so I decided I better jump on the opportunity to get in the hot tub. Well Heston and Dave (and Mari too) thought I should not be allowed in the hot tub until I floated down the river as well, since I was egging in on so much earlier. I am a good sport so I quickly got in the below freezing river and onto the floaty. I could not believe how cold that water was and that Leah and the boys had gotten in. Dave was laughing so hard while I went down the river and I must say, it was funny to watch us float down. We filmed each other but those will not be going on the blog :)

We later played some games while the kids watched a movie. It was so fun to get to know some random things about Heston and Maricela and I am sure (SURE) they had a fun time as well. Really it was a great GREAT time. I hope we get to go back.

Chicken Hearts & Passion Fruit

Last Saturday Dave and I finally went out for my b-day dinner. After much mental debate I decide to go to Rodizio. I was born in Brazil and I very clearly remember going to restaurants like these in Brazil. Going there takes me back to my 'roots'. The endless amounts of meat skewered and fresh off the grill make my mouth water. However, nothing is more tasty than some yummy chicken hearts with a squeeze of lime and passion fruit juice... YUUUUUMMM!!! I seriously LOOOOVE these things. We had a great dinner. I totally over ate but it was all worth it. I know some people think chicken hearts are nasty (just the thought of them), but they are so yummy. Passion Fruit is a delicious fruit. I remember eating it with sugar over top, its a slimy seedy fruit with a tough skin but its so good. My only regret is not having Dave in the picture, because the night wouldn't have been as fun with out him :)

Comfy bed???

Mylo was so tired the other day that he fell asleep during dinner. I cleaned up and made all sorts of noise but he did not wake up. He was out! His face had a great red mark where his face was hitting the table (sorry no pics of that)... Poor kid, I have no idea what we did that day that made him that tired.

What's in the bag?

Abuela had a great day shopping... She scored on the merchandise. She purchased a darling little, dirty faced, love bug with the best cuddles ever! Lucky nobody took this little bug home sooner :)

For the record Milli LOVED being in the bag. After we pulled her out she wanted in again.

Quinny and Heidi

I have not blogged about Quinny before but he is sort of like family :) He is Dave's other partner. In reality Dave and Quinny are business partners. We have known Quinny since before Leah. I fell in love (in a friendly way) with Quin as we got to know him. After Leah was born I would ask Quin if he would wait for Leah and marry her and he would always say "maybe"... Well, he fooled me! (hahaaa).

Quinny found a wonderful girl and they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple August 14th. We are so happy for them!

I love that they live so close to us and that they watched our kids the other night so we could go on a date! They are wonderful!

Why I get to pick out the kids clothes

Sunday when we got home I asked Mylo to change into comfy clothes and this is what he picked. OK. I love the shirt, I love the shorts, I love the socks and shoes BUT not all at once! And he was so proud of himself. I LOOOOOVE him!

All Fancied Up!

Saturday I tried out a new do on Milli and I loved the volume on it! Dave doesn't like it very much, because he thinks it looks like pageant hair, but moms know best :)

Sunday I did something similar but I did side pony to make it look a little more polished :) I flipped the top down and the bottom up. I do it with my flat iron and its so easy and fast. She seems to enjoy all the pampering... She is all girl!

Today, I did a puff french braid with ALL her hair. She had tiny little piggies and i LOVED it. I did this on Leah when she was about 10 months old. It stayed in all day and it was so cute to see her looking all grown up and put together all day. I think she really enjoys it.

Bow Making

Milz and I got together to make bows the other night. We have wanted to make them all summer and we finally had a chance to do it. It was so fun to hang out with her with out being interrupted by my kids. We had some good laugh and lots of good company. I miss Melissa when she is in Moscow and I just loved it when she is here. We became friends because we are both 'foreigners', and all foreigners should be friends. Jajajaaa... Its so wonderful to have a friend like her, where I can be myself and know that what we share is just between us and it always feels like we can start where we left off. She often feels like family more than a friend.

Mess Maker

Somebody left the door open to the bathroom and this is what happened. An entire roll of TP gone! Milli loves to watch it unroll. What a little stinker.

Happy 30th to MEEEEEEEEE!

Holy cow that sounds so weird!


July 31st was my 30th b-day (as well as Al's wedding). As I came upstairs I was greeted by this handsome boy, holding an Oreo cookie with a candle sticking out of it.

Mylo and Dave were singing "Happy B-day" to me and it just made me smile. We had just arrived from our trip the night before and I was very impressed with Dave's creativity. It didn't feel like my b-day and we have yet to really celebrate but I got lots of phone calls and messages wishing me the best for my special day.

When we arrived home from the temple I found some green streamer sticking out of the side entrance. I wondered who would have done that or if one of the kids had 'accidentally' unrolled the streamer. Anyway, as I followed the streamer it went into the front room and lead me to this...

along with a "happy birthday" banner, balloons, a gift certificate and that nice card :) It was so fun to see that friends were able to sneak into my house and do this for me. After a hard morning it made me feel so loved by these wonderful women. They have individually touched my life and I love them for it. However, I had no idea I loved Dt. Coke that much :) I won't be running to the store for it for a while.

This is a totally bad picture of me. I guess 30 is not looking so good.

Sunday we had my family over for dinner and cake. We played Wii and laughed a lot. I love my family and how great they are. Dave and I have yet to celebrate and I can't wait. I sort of like making my b-day last for more than a day, it makes for good excuses to do things 'by myself'.

Thanks to all that made my day special with all the birthday wishes!

Al and Dianne

Al and Dianne
sealed
July 31st, 2009

This picture was taken after the temple ceremony.
Later for the reception Al wore a tux and Dianne a beautiful wedding dress.

After our very fun time at Sun Valley with the Trevino Family we came home to see Al get married and sealed to Dianne. They have been dating a very short time but they "are in love". They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple where family witnessed their union and commitment to each other. Al is an amazing man and we love him for everything he has ever done for us. Dianne is very different from Karen and although we don't know her very well yet, she seems like a great lady. Al can't say enough about her. We pray that Al and Dianne are happy, forever!

A little bit of background on Dianne. She has two children, Todd and Dana. She was a cosmetologist. She has been single for over 40 years. She is very witty and will not let Al put anything past her. He has met his match with Dianne :) . She is a very active lady, she walks a lot and can still do the splits! She loves ballet and I believe that she used to dance ballet. She likes to look pretty and get all dolled up, she enjoys cooking and being with the family.

This was not an easy day for us. The day left me thinking about Karen and what she is up to. I also reflected on my own marriage with Dave and the day we got married. The commitment we have made with each other and how this has affect our kids. It was great to meet Dianne's family and it was so nice to see all of Al's brothers and sisters. Its amazing how the temple binds us together. Its hard to know how things will pan out with everything.... my feelings are unclear with all of it.

After the temple we had lunch with the family. They had a great BIG reception that evening and it was so nice to see how loved Al and Dianne are. We love Al and always will. Karen will never be replaced but we welcome Dianne to the family. I hope we can all be happy and our family can stay united.

Sun Valley 2009: Ice Cave

On our way home we stopped at the ice cave. It was very cool and VERY cold. To get there we had to take a little stroll/hike to the cave "door" and it was SO hot. I had no idea what to expect and once inside I thought it was really cool. It was formed by a lava tube under ground. I cannot remember how it was discovered but ice formed inside it and they have made a walk way for us to view it.

The cave is about 30ft from the top of the cave to the very bottom so about 15ft from the top of the cave to the top of the ice floor. The above picture shows the reflection and give us an idea of how big the tube would be with out any ice. They also discovered some bear bones that they say were prehistoric. It was pretty cool.

On our way to the cave they gave us a bit of info and they also had some 'amazing' replicas of the nomads. An interesting thing I learned about the nomads was that they only lived to be 18-20 years old, however they look so much older and weathered than that. Dave P thought it would be fun to take a picture next to the nomad. Mylo was bit scared to go in but went in anyway.

The kids had a fun time playing with these 'statues' after the coldy cave.

Sun Valley 2009: Redfish Lake

This was the second time we went to Redfish Lake and it was more fun than last year. The water is very cold, but the sun kept us very warm this year. The kids played (Dave included) and Milli tumbled into the water but nothing to terrible. The kids loved playing in the sand.

I love the picture of Mylo and Dave with their goggles on. Like son like father in this case :)

They rented a canoe and a water bike and they had a great time on them. Time flew by this year. We were more prepared and we were lucky to have such great weather. Dave took all of these pictures so I had to take one of him in action. Good times!

Sun Valley 2009: Ice Skating

The kids love to ice skate at the ice rink. The girls can't do it super great but it was amazing to see their progress in just minutes on the ice.

Maddie and Leah were cute together holding hands.

Dave, Mylo, Milli and I just watched from the side lines... it was still fun. Dave took a little walk to the candy shop with Mylo and that made his trip worth his while :)

Max and Megan were great big cousins and took the younger girls on the ice by holding their hands. They are so grown up!

SunValley 2009

We headed to Sun Valley a week ago for what has become a yearly tradition. We, 8 of us, participated in the Spudman Triathlon in Burley where we stayed for one night and were able to catch up with Dave's extended family.

We started our trip with a very packed car and that didn't included our bikes that Sarah and Dave were bringing up. The kids watched a couple of movies on the way up and Leah was a great entertainer for Milli. I love Dave's cheesy fake smile in the above picture...jajaa. The trip was long but the kids were happy and Milli took nice nap. We were all excited about our week.

Our first day in Sun Valley we went on a bike ride with Uncle Bob and the older kids. One of the kid favorite spot is the candy shop in the village and a great motivation to get up those hills. Its a great time to get the cousins together. They are good little buddies and that is a great thing to witness.

Maddie, Nicholas and Mylo (along with Carmen, Uncle Dave and I) went to the ice rink and later in to town to get a yummy treat. Leah didn't get to come because she got in trouble. I thought I should add that since I would hope to not forget what happened :)

This year we stayed at a house, rather than condos. We were all able to be in one place and it was great! Sean and Karalee found the house and it was wonderful compared to our previous accommodations. The kitchen was SO nice. Sarah was our cook, as always. She makes great meals and its fun to be in the kitchen with my SILs. We had a huge deck that over looked into the golf course and the beautiful mountains.

The view was simply breathtaking and we loved it.

Of course the best of the trip is being able to make memories with the kids and seeing them develop friendships that will last more than a life time. Our yearly picture taking was as difficult and stressful as always but it HAD to be done.

Grandpa with the grand kids.

All of us. This picture took a few tries. We had it on the timer and as soon as the picture was about to take someone would move or point to the camera or place a child back in its place, it made for a few fun pictures :)

I love taking these family pics. We have slowly been growing, in every sense of the word. I love to see the changes the kids have made in just a year and these are good memories for our family. Clearly missing this year was Karen. She would have LOVED this trip and being all together. She was very missed and it was different not having Karen there.

I am not done with the Sun Valley 2009 recap and there is still so much to journal about this weeks events.