Colombia: Day 1

Esteban and I had purchased our tickets a LONG time ago.  As soon as we had word as to when Tomi and Chuma would be tying the knot, we made plans to travel together.  It had been months of anticipation and FINALLY the day came!

Our day started early on Tuesday.  We hung out at the SLC Airport happy as ever, ready to go :)

First flight to JFK.  We made the mistake of NOT buying some neck pillows in SLC.  So, we bought some at JFK.  I was feeling horrible, stomach bug, and any comfort was welcome, even if it meant buying the pillow at 50% more than it was in SLC.

Fortunately we had a nice comfortable ride on both planes.  No one with us on the first flight and then we each got our own row on the second flight.  SOO NICE!  I needed the room to lay down, I was a mess.  Didn't eat anything all day in fear that i would quickly throw it all back up.  

 

After 11hrs of flying and 2.5hrs of lay overs, we were finally in COLOMBIA!!!!

YAY!!!!! 

 

We waited a about 25ish minutes for Tomi.  Our flight had landed a little sooner than she expected and the lines through immigration where very short.  We tried calling her on a man cell phones and seconds later, she was there :) hoooray!!!! 

 

We hurried home to finally meet Chuma and we were SO very pleased that everything we had heard and seen of him was true.  He is an amazing guy.  Tomi is one lucky girl and Chuma is one lucky guy!

 Chuma is a fabulous guitar player and singer, among other things.  We were up until 2am listening to him play and laugh and getting to know each other.  Later, Tomi and Chuma sang the song they would be singing at the ceremony... I bawled like a baby!  The love they have for each other is simply beautiful! I couldn't help myself.

 Esteban pretended to play... Tia Maggie had been sewing all night.  She has made all of the nieces dresses for our wedding.  She is pretty much a genius when it comes to sewing anything.  Its always fun to see her and be with her!

 

True Love....

... SO happy for them!

What We Did With Our Summer: Part 1

It was hot... we ate LOTS and LOTS of Otter Pops and Shaved Ice...

Sibling Love

This is not always a captured moment.  But there are many moments like this around here.  I see the love they have for each other and I am grateful to witness it.  I hope they can develop a great friendship when they are older and I hope they can always be there for one another. 

Otis can be feisty, but I think he has brought a sense of love and affection to all the kids.  I guess babies have that effect on people :)  Milli is a sweetheart.  She wants to help and is patient with her little brother. 



Its is my privileged to be their mom... may I take full advantage of the sweet moments I have with them! I know they wont be little for ever and time will not stand still. 

Sometimes I'm A Nice Mom

 The kids don't love running errands with me.  And to be totally honest, I don't love taking them on errands with me :) But I always try to make it fun and reward them for good behavior.  Sometimes that works, other times it totally does not! 

After moving into the new house, we had lots and lots of trips to Ikea or Lowes.  So the kids got very tired of both of those stores.  It was a hot summer and we were being very frugal... For $4 (including tax) I was able to go from the "mean mom" to the "nice mom." Thx IKEA!

 

It was worth the mess for all the smiles and happy kids I got it the end.  Truth is, I really do enjoy the kids.  I want to make them happy. But you can't always get them everything they want.  They don't always expect something, and most of the time, they do deserve a treat :) 

 

I like to be the nice mom all the time... I just need NICE kids all the time too :)  Easy, right?

Not Always Giggles and Laughs, Part 2

Apparently some of you still read my blog, hahaaa!  Thank you for your kind emails and words.  I have GREAT friends!

I just wanted to update this and not leave a "negative" post up for too long :)

Dave and I went for a quick date that same night.  One of the great benefits of having my mom living with us is that once she is home from work and kiddos are in bed, Dave and I can go on a date and not worry about being back in a hurry or if the kids are ok, plus its great not to have to a sitter. 

I wrote down all of the things that have been bothering me.  I wanted to have a clear head and I wanted to say everything I needed to and wanted to say.  Once Abuela got home we took off to Orange Leaf, grabbed the yummiest treat ever and drove up to Bountiful Blvd. were we could chit chat, uninterrupted and with each others full attention.

Dave is awesome!  He heard what I had to say and gave me praise where praise was needed and a good "you-know-what-you-have-to-do" where needed.  "Purging" my feelings is great for me.  I can get things in the open and not bottle them up.  Dave wants to do nothing more than please me and make me happy.  There are things that I wanted him to change and he immediately started "working" on them.  There is much I need to change to make us both happy and although I have tried to make the changes necessary, my mental block is still there. 

The good news is that I have felt so much better since "purging." I am one of those people who can't hold things in.  I have to let them out and letting them out is the best thing I could have done.  I have been listening to some uplifting music and REALLY trying to be kinder to kids and more loving to Dave. 

Things will still go up and down, but it will all be good in the long run.  I just have to keep trying and see the good that is in me. 

Thanks for your love and kind words! 

xoxo

Not Always Giggles and Laughs

 (Leah and I at Cherry Hill sometime this summer 2012)

The last few weeks I have been in some sort of funk.  I cannot snap out of it!  I have been extremely irritable, i can't stay happy for more than just a few hours, and some may even say seconds. 

(Milli, Me and Mylo playing on my phone) 

There is much in my life that brings me happiness. Dave, is awesome.  Works hard to give us everything we need and then some.  He loves me and is super supportive of me and whatever I want to do.  The kids are healthy and happy.  They are growing like weeds and are really developing their talents.  They have great friends and are learning a lot.  Our new home is beautiful and we are super happy here.  Its very comfortable, its what we wanted, we live in a fantastic neighborhood, we got a great deal (even though i came with a lot of heartache and added stress). 

(Otis, Leah, Milli and Mylo on our way to Jackson)

I am healthy (over all).  I get to stay home with the kids and raise them and teach them.  I have good friends and people who love and support me.  I have a desire to be a better person and a drive to keep going even when things are hard. 

(Otis and his chubby dirty hand)

But, for some crazy reason, I cannot seem to wake up happy and stay happy for an entire day.  I find myself sick of myself.  Nothing is good enough.  I want to be left alone, even though I wan to be with the ones I love.  I want to do nothing other than spend time with my computer, simply wasting time. 

(Dave and Otis skateboard)

This is not the life I want.  I don't want to waste time.  I want to "find the joy in the journey." I want to love on my kids and my husband.  I want to show them that I love them, not yell or ignore them.  Truth is, i am human.  I make mistakes and I can't always just be happy because I want to...

(Mylo and I share a RB Float after we were feeling sick) 

I hate the feelings I have been having.  Not to be confused with I want to leave my family, not at all!  I want nothing more than to enjoy them and show them that I want to be with them.  I need to snap out of this funk I am in and figure out what will work. 

(Dave, Otis and I on little dudes Bday) 

I want the giggles and laughs to be the constant in my home.  I want the smiles in my pictures to be who I am and who I feel.  I want the beauty that is on the outside to come from within.  Dave tells me I am beautiful all the time, and I believe him, I simply don't feel it! 

(Milli as cute as ever with mud on her hands)

I know the feelings I have come from the one being who doens't want me to be happy.  The one who doesn't want to see my family have a happy mom/wife, Satan.  I a still trying to figure out what I need and want to change to make my life what I want it to be.  I am not going to let him get a hold of me or my family.  I will not allow to destroy what I have always wanted for my life.

I love Dave and the kids and I want nothing more than to give them what they most deserve, happiness and love! 

We Are All Moved In!!!!

I can't believe its been so long since I posted :(

We had a VERY busy June, VERY busy! We moved in late May to our new home.  Its crazy to think its been almost two months.  We absolutely LOVE it here!!!!

The house is not all "fancied" up... but its getting there.

The view as you walk in the front door....  Open Great Room

View into the kitchen.

  

View from the kitchen into the Living Room.  You can see the Mud/Laundry Room as well. 

I LOVE how the colors have all worked together.  It was scary to pick things and only having my imagination to put these things together.  Dave had to trust me that this was all going to work out... and it did!  

We feel SO blessed!