A Very Long Break

This Christmas we were able to go to Utah to spend time with our family. We will be here until January, and our Blog will be put on hold until our return. I can tell you all that we are enjoying this holiday season and we wish the same to you and yours... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"Hand-Crafted

I've been making a felt board for Siena when she is older and have had so much fun doing it! Felt is actually a really hip medium right now, so I decided to take a stab at making felt hair clips for Siena. Of course, whenever I get adventurous like that, a crazy idea for a business venture always pops up. It most likely will never happen, but it would be fun to sell "hand-crafted felt clips" at a boutique. I was talking with my mom last night and we decided that the term "hand-crafted" is just a more posh way of saying "homemade", but it works when you're trying to sell! My mom is actually pursuing her own business venture right now; as many of you know, she is a dress designer and the BEST! Her friend, Tamu, encouraged her to make some distressed silk skirts for some boutiques in Park City and she's finished a couple already. Hopefully they will appear in stores soon. Good luck Mom!

Rules of Christmas: #1

At lease one gift we give MUST be homemade.

A Scary Dream, an Important Lesson

I was just sitting here, thinking of what I could blog about today when I heard a little whimper come from Siena's room. I waited to see if she would whimper again because sometimes she cries in her sleep. She cried out again, a little louder this time. I started for her bedroom. My poor baby full-out started to sob, yes, the kind of crying that generates real tears. When I got to her crib I quickly picked her up and held her close to me. She was so genuinely sad or scared that she couldn't stop crying. I had fed her about an hour before, so I knew she wasn't hungry; I changed her diaper, but it wasn't that either. I think she actually had a scary dream. Her cry was surprisingly quite similar to my own when I am painfully sad. I've only cried like that a few times in my "grown-up" life, but I remember how it feels. I wiped away the tears from her cheeks, rocked her in the rocking chair, talked quietly in her ear, cried with her, walked around with her in my arms, stroked her hair, and in about 5 minutes, she was asleep again. It really taught me the importance of parenthood. Starting out this life is all about learning and dependence and we need people to be there to comfort and help us. As adults, we have to become independent. However, we still have the opportunity to have the gift of comfort and help and it comes from our Father. Now Siena is sleeping in my arm (Yes, I typed this with one hand.) I feel so happy to be her mommy and so blessed to be able to give her comfort.

Juan

This man right here is my love. He has many qualities I wish I had; he is gentle and strong, funny but not rude, intelligent and humble, insightful but not judgmental, and self-sacrificing for his family. I love it when he teases me, I love it when he hugs me. I love that he can have a horrible day at school and still come home and smile from ear to ear when he sees Siena and me. I don't deserve him, but I am sure glad he's mine for the long haul. Gracias Johnny Carlitos y buena suerte con tus examenes esta semana. (*beso*)

The Average Parent is a Zombie

I was just reading in my American Baby mag and with every new page, there were more disturbing statistics. Now, I know I'm not a perfect parent, but I now think this is a serious issue after reading these newfound facts about the "average American parent". Here are some of the "chart toppers":

1. "A recent survey found that although parents know childhood obesity is a problem, 50% don't realize when their own child is overweight." I know that it's nearly impossible for any baby (under 2 years old) to be considered overweight, but I still am prone to wonder about Siena and her chunky thighs. When she's a toddler and moving about everywhere, I expect that those cottage cheese legs will slim down. Isn't it a red flag when that doesn't happen?
2. "$52... is the average amount of cash that women under age 34 lose track of each week-- meaning they're not sure where they spent it." Oh, $52... pocket change. (scoff) But really, people, to not even realize where it was spent.....?
3. "41% of 5 1/2 year-olds have a TV in their bedroom" (...and that's a survey of 2,707 kids!) This was the stat that inspired this blog post. Call me old-fashioned, but I still think TV should be a parent-regulated form of entertainment for children. Hey, I remember when I was a kid those many, many, moons ago and I know what goes on behind closed doors: climb into bed, say goodnight to Mom and Dad, they turn off the lights and close the door, I wait until parents are out of hearing distance, jump out of bed and play like it was 2:00 in the afternoon. I know that if I would have had a TV in my room, I would have watched it instead. It's a formula for disaster- Primetime shows and a 5 1/2 year old with no better judgment.

Philly's First 2007 Christmas Snow

I love the green trees lining the roads during summertime almost as much as I love the red, orange, and yellow leaves during autumn... but nothing has looked so magical as the fluffy snow that was laden on the evergreen branches outside our apartment today.

(Ansel Adams is one of my favorite photographers/artists)

An Early Christmas Gift

Yes, it's true. I've been waiting for her hair to be long enough for pigtails, and the day finally came. I'm sure it would look better if I got her hair wet first, but I still think she's a doll.

It's Officially Christmastime.

We finally put up our decorations today. Juan says, "It makes it sound like we're so late!" I know, it's only December 3rd; however, considering we usually count down the days until December so we can start "thinking Christmas", we're a little behind. Actually, the box of Christmas decorations we have carried from apartment to apartment is substantially smaller this year. We left behind almost half of our Christmas paraphernalia!! However, the six boxes of lights we have left will help ease the pain of withdrawal. I think the reason we have so many decorations is because we had an enormous tree last year and had to "fill 'er up" with decorations (on a college student budget, of course... does the dollar store ring a bell?) Sadly, our apartment kind of looks "Christmas gawdy". Yuck! Okay, I am officially taking down the tinsel. Oh well, you were all with me from start to end on this project.

p.s. (That is NOT a picture of our apartment! But thanks to gettyimages, I have the perfect picture to illustrate what happens when Christmas vomits all over your house.)

New @ Etsy.com

Tonight I went to a bow and vinyl open house, and of course, I didn't walk away empty-handed. My friends, Kim and Kathy, are quite the little entrepreneurs with their businesses. Everything was so cute and affordable that I couldn't resist getting some bows for Siena's hair. We've been going through a few withdrawals since Siena's old bows got a little too small for her ever-growing head. I mean, if your kid has hair, you have to take advantage of that, right? Anyway, Kim is selling her bows at Etsy.com and y'all should check them out. So cute! The thing I really like about the bows is that they are on alligator clips- something that will still hold on to very fine hair. Also, the headbands are adjustable (brilliant!) Another smart idea: the headbands have a band to clip a bow on, so they become interchangeable too! Anyway, here is her site.

All Tuckered Out

...But too stubborn to close her eyes. (She must get that from her Mom.)

(Sorry it's so dark, I chose the wrong camera to use for this.)

Saturday

Siena helping Dad with his homework.

Siena helping Dad decorate gingerbread cookies.

The finished product!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Who's the silliest one of all? ...every single day.

p.s. Her hair is like that all the time. We're thinking of inventing "baby mousse".

Ra, ra, ra ra ra... Ra, ra, ra ra ra... Ra, ra, ra ra ra... Goooooo Cougars!

"A minute and 23 seconds to go, BYU has the ball facing a 4th and 18. Look right, look left... Hall jumps out of the pocket and throws the ball down the sideline into Collie's hand. Pass Complete! Pass Complete! A few more plays, blah, blah, blah... BYU WINS and the Utes are left with disbelief and a second straight loss to BYU. Go Cougars!" p.s. BYU Men's Basketball vs #1 UNC tonight in Las Vegas!

Black Friday. Du, du, dun.

"Daddy, what are we going to do today?"

"Shopping!"

Yes, we did shop on Black Friday; however, we weren't fanatics about the whole thing. We left at noon... does that prove my point? We got a keyboard for me to practice on and for Siena to eventually learn on. I feel like it was a good and worthy purchase.

Stuffed!

Thanksgiving was a huge success this year. Considering it was the first time we had to organize it on our own, I think we did alright. This morning we got to work on getting the turkey ready for roasting. We regret that we didn't document it with the camcorder because it was a hilarious adventure! It started when we tried wrestling the bird out of the bag-o-brine and into the roasting pan. It was 17 lbs! Eventually it made into the 500 degree oven. Not minutes after we closed the oven door, our house was filled with eye-burning smoke. What happened? Well, we have our theories: either the pan had a hole and thus dripped onto the heat element, or the juices were being spit out of the neck to the same place. So we cleaned up the bottom of our oven and tried again, this time with a cookie sheet under the pan. In went the turkey, again. About 30 minutes later, Juan brought up the good point that the bird should be placed in the pan breast-side-up. Unfortunately, we didn't pick up on that earlier and the bottom side of the turkey stole the nice caramel color that the top should have had. So, we rotated the turkey and put it back into the oven... yet again. Luckily this was our last mess-up on the turkey and it ultimately turned out juicy and delicious. Hey, everybody has a "First Turkey" story, right? Between us and our friends we ate dinner with, we had food coming out our ears! Here is what was on the menu:

• Roast Turkey
• Green Bean Casserole
• Homemade Stuffing
• Mashed Potatoes
• ...with Turkey Gravy
  
• Homemade Dinner Rolls
• Sweet Potato and Pear Crunch
• Apple Pie
• Banana Cream Pie
• and Pumpkin Pie with Whipping Cream

The rest of the day went a little like this: an ultimate game of Boggle, a little more piecing here and there, more Boggle while watching the Dallas Cowboys/NY Jets game, pie round #1, more Boggle, pie round #2, and finally a grand finale of Boggle. What I loved most about this day was that it was a day to formally think about things we are grateful for. I am so grateful for my little family. My husband, Juan, is such a good example to me and so supportive. Siena gives us so much joy and teaches us every day. We are living in a beautiful city and a free country, with so much history surrounding us. We have so many family members and friends who love and care about us. Most importantly, we have an eternal family and the knowledge of the Gospel on this earth. Heavenly Father has blessed our family this Thanksgiving.

A REAL-LIVE TURKEY!

No, not really... but we are cooking a turkey for the first time in our lives. Wish us luck! We are also taking on homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, pear and sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie for the meal. Aaahh! So much to do... but we're loving it because we're doing it all together and it's fun to see how we can do so much in such a small kitchen. I love that Juan didn't have school today and could hang out with me and Siena. We stayed in our jammies most of the morning and just played with our little monkey, "Gordis" (or "See-ne-na", or "changita", or "mami", or "ba-nena"... take your pick of nicknames.)

BOGGLE, BLOG, BOG, LOG, GLOB, LEG, GLOBE....

Our neighbors invited us for another mean game of Boggle tonight. It was girls against boys and when the boys teamed up, they were unstoppable. I felt bad for Genevieve because I kept dragging her down. In the end, the guys crushed our sad little score, but the game was fun. We are going to have Thanksgiving together, so maybe we'll have a little Boggle game after we eat our Gobble game. (sarcastic smile)

Our Nation's Capitol

Our trip this weekend was so fun! We started at the Lincoln Memorial, then went to the Korean, Vietnam, and WWII memorials. After that, we went to the Washington Monument and walked back to our car next to the Potomac River. It was so beautiful.

We experienced a pretty authentic Mexican lunch, (besides the portion size,) at Oyamel in Downtown Washington D.C. Both of us agree that the best Chipotle salsa is at Oyamel. We decided to change our plans from going to the art gallery at the Smithsonian to going to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and such at the National Archives Museum. It was so fascinating! I can't believe they have preserved thin pieces of paper for over 200 years!

We finished our trip at the Washington, D.C. Temple. Due to the fact that we had Siena with us, we were unable to attend a session; however, the Visitor's Center was interesting and fun to see and we enjoyed our last hour of D.C. at the temple. Luckily the drive home was long enough that we were able to translate my entire talk for church the next day.

Because I Said So.

Juan and I had a lengthy talk tonight about parenting. Yes, it didn't conclude until about 15 minutes ago (12:45 am). Because I had to post a blog today, I will share the brainchild of our conversation:

We hope to be tough, rough, lovin' padres.

The details we are still fine-tuning, but at least we made some progress on our 5-year plan. (ha ha, that was a joke?)

Fin.

(p.s. Does anyone have any ideas to go along with the topic of "The Principle of Welfare"? Necessito ayuda para mi discurso.)

Double-Chinned and Lovin' It!

sleeping like a baby



Finally, the monkey onsies fit!... sort-of.



Drool Queen

In the middle of grunting. You know what that means...

A Yummy Snack

We needed to "calm the worms" (as they say in Mexico,) in our tummies the other night but weren't hungry enough for a whole meal. So this was invented and in no time at all, we were gobbling these up. As with every invention, they need a cheesy/cliche name, so we'll call them Quick Italian Pinwheels.

All it takes is:

Bagels (we used Parmesan bagels)
Cream cheese spread on top
Spanish olives
Sun-dried tomatoes
Thinly-sliced deli ham
Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top

Set it under a broiler until the tomatoes start to turn brown and EAT!

Today's News

(You might have to click on the picture to be able to read the text)

Birthday Present for Buddha

(Buddha is my sister, Tristan, who just turned 20!)

We rented Ratatouille from Redbox today ($free.99 with promo code: DVDONME) and watched it with our neighbors. I think I can speak for all when I say that it was an "A" for Disney/Pixar. Maybe it is because I watch The Food Network too much, but they were so detail-oriented with how a kitchen is operated and how food is cooked and prepared. Wow! I also knew that it was a good movie because it kept the attention of both my sweetheart who always falls asleep during movies and my little sweetie who doesn't have a very long attention span yet.

When we returned back to our own apartment, the best thing happened... Siena talked, and kept talking even when the camera was busted out. You see, this never happens; I'm always too late and the fun has ended before I can push the "record button". Anyway, we caught it on-camera, and that's all that matters.

p.s. we know we blog a lot about Siena, but hey, somebody's gotta do it.

Spanish Word of the Day: "Jugar"

Everybody now: "who-gar". It means "to play" in Spanish. It is especially appropriate for our blog today because Siena discovered her first toy. She can't really pick it up by herself, but when I finally close her little fingers around it, she goes to town. There are two things she can do with it: shake it and gobble it. Little does she know that it also twists around and makes a clicking noise! Thanks to my Aunt Shell, she's a happy little squirt.

Some things I learned today...

Forwarning: this is going to be a really "blah" post because there are no images.

As I was watching Hazel today, I was getting a little frustrated because she didn't want to eat her lunch. She just sat there and stared at me as I was waiting for her to eat (I needed to put her down for a nap.) She just wouldn't budge. I didn't know what to do; before, when this happened, I would pick up a piece of food and bring it to her mouth to get her started and she would be fine. However, this time, she clenched her teeth shut and wouldn't let anything in. "Oh, you wanna play hard ball,eh?" Just kidding. I did have to feed a now fussy Siena, so I thought if I didn't pay attention to Hazel, she might default into eating. After feeding Siena, I went back to Hazel in her highchair to see if she had eaten her lunch. There she was, face pressed to her tray, in deep sleep. The poor thing! I didn't know that kids don't eat because they are too tired (lesson #1!)

It was a little funny when I lifted her up to clean her up and put her on the bed because there were pieces of food sticking to her face. Still, I felt awful! I wish I would have picked up on it earlier... before she clonked out. I also learned that (gasp!) sometimes kids won't do everything you want them to do (lesson #2.) I realized that I have to learn how to cope with this faster than I thought. Really, anybody who knows me knows that I am extremely determined when I get my mind set on something... sometimes even when it includes my own expectations of other people.

Lastly, I learned that I don't know everything about raising kids. (Again... gasp!) One of the hardest things for me to deal with when Siena was born was listening to people tell me what to do and what not to do with my baby. I had read books and plenty of magazines and had my own idea of how I would take care of her. However, I didn't want people to think of me as a terrible mother because I wasn't following their advice; so I tried to do it all. I quickly found that a lot of the pieces of advice I received conflicted, so I wouldn't be able to please everyone. In frustration, I swore off taking advice. Now I realize that I need advice. I have no clue! No matter how much I read, I couldn't have been completely prepared for this! The responsibility is HUGE and I don't want to mess up. So now I am going to actually listen to the advice I receive, but will only take it as advice, not doctrine (lesson #3.)

Good talk, we should do this more often.

Our Weekend on a Weekday

Since Juan was studying for a HUGE Biochemistry test all of last week, we didn't get to do anything that fun or extraordinary. Today, he got a breather and we went out for a day out on the town. (Doesn't quite ring the right way, huh?) We went to the King of Prussia mall again because there are just a lot of cool things to see there and we like to walk around. Then we got our new tires from Costco (the end of a long, long ordeal.) Finally, we looked around for a Christmas dress for Siena, but prices haven't really gone down yet, so we'll wait a little longer. Anyway, that was the weekend we never had. (We were supposed to get a movie from Redbox, too, but all of them were either rated "R" or were not yet released. Oh well, we're too tired for one anyway.)

Siena Dance Party 2007

We have realized that we have a dancer in our midst. Remember (1) the music was playing before she started to shimmy and (2) she was the most content at the branch activity when she was out of her seat (carseat, that is) and dancing. I think the video is more descriptive.

Photo Album- Halloween Edition

Halloweeeeeen!!!!

You've waited long enough:









....wait for it....









....wait for it....

our little greek goddess

ABC's

This is what I have to look forward to as a mother and I'm so excited! For those who don't know, I babysit our neighbor's 2 year-old daughter, Hazel, three times a week. It is so fun to watch her learn:



And for those who care, I am publishing my "To-Do List" online so I will actually DO IT today! (Funny, I always seem to get more done after I tell someone I'll do it.)

1. Change laundry
2. Fax insurance info.
3. Make a deposit at bank
   
4. Buy groceries (H-Mart and Acme)
   
5. ---the other thing that Juan asked me to do, but I can't remember what it was at this moment in time---
6. Make caldo for Wednesday
7. Clean out the fridge
8. Vacuum and sweep (and try to shake Siena's rugs)
9. Ah! Do Siena's laundry
10. Blog entry (to make it an even 10 things to do)

"Round #2"

Siena has been teasing Papi a lot lately. She saves her spit-up until he has positioned her in such a way that she can let it loose ALL OVER HIM! He literally had to change all 3 PAIRS of clothes yesterday! Oh yeah, and we opened the 6-12 month box of clothes we have so we could look for a jacket, and lo and behold, another ENTIRE wardrobe appeared. WOW! We have toooooooooooo many clothes for this little monkey. Oh well, she is spoiled in the fact that she doesn't have to wear clothes with a little spit-up on them because we're desperate to make sure she wears everything at least once before she grows out of it. Why have them if you're not going to use them, right?

Este video es para mis queridos suegros.

Anoche: Juan con su nena bonita. Siena received her immunizations yesterday and wasn't loving life. It was heartbreaking to see her in such pain and Juan wanted to help her so much. So, he found a lot of songs from his childhood online and sang to her to calm her down. She ended up falling asleep in his arms. It had to be recorded for both of them to remember. (Luckily, Juan didn't know I was recording.)

Recipe of the Century... that everyone already has.

It's the closest I've tried to the REAL DEAL. We had a recipe exchange in the neighborhood yesterday and I made Cafe Rio Pork with Tomatillo Ranch Dressing. It's the first time I tried making it with a different recipe, and it turned out tasting the most authentic. For those of you who aren't familiar with Cafe Rio, it is a delicious Mexican-style restaurant in Utah. The specialties include smothered enchiladas, huge salads, and of course, the HUGE burritos! Many people have tried to replicate the recipes, but few have succeeded. However, this recipe hits the closest to the mark, so enjoy:

A Cutie with a Pout

Some days she is happy,

Some days she is not.

Today she was both.

House Tour #2

Now that it's semi-presentable...





The best way to view it is to click directly on the video. It will take you to YouTube where it will upload faster.

Check Back Tommorrow...

... our video isn't working.

A Secret Message...

F33l Fr33 t0 C0mm3nt. W3 want t0 h3ar what p30pl3 th1nk ab0ut th15 gam3.

Okay, soooooo........

Last night Juan and I opened our game of Skip-Bo for the first time. Yes, we received this as a wedding gift about 2 years ago, and somehow neglected it. We have so many other games that we love to play, we just were too lazy to start a game we had never played together before. When I was younger, my family played Skip-Bo a lot, but for some reason, I always was too intimidated to play it when I was older. (I guess the piles and piles of cards seemed too complicated.) Anyway, I played Skip-Bo with some friends while the guys were at the Priesthood Session of Conference, and LOVED it! So, I dug through our closet and pulled out the unopened box of Skip-Bo. Those cards would finally see light! Juan couldn't remember how to play (he had only played it once or twice before,) so I started explaining. Well, knowing me, it took forever to explain and after that, it didn't even make sense, so we just started playing.

Juan won.

We kept playing and because he let me cheat a little, I won the next round... but that didn't count. We played another round.

Juan won again... flagrantly.

Maybe the Skip-Bo cards will go back to the caverns of the closet.

A Poem for Juan

Out the door and on the train, by 6:50 each day,
If I was asked to that, well, I'd have to say "No Way!"

Token, token, in the slot, then on to find a seat,
Pull out the books and study, with a granola bar to eat.

Half an hour later, nearing to the station stop,
Pack up the books and take a breath, that study helped a lot.

Walk up the stairs and through the doors, show your school ID,
Into the room and in your chair, no time left to study.

Take a test, and then a quiz, and then onto the lab,
And to the bowl of plaster, the water you will add.

Set the teeth aside for now, it's time to say "goodbye",
To all the friends that you have, sitting by your side.

Back to the station you will go, make a quick phone call,
To me who cannot wait to come to meet you with our doll.

We see you walking toward the car, a smile upon your face,
To see you makes me happy that we are in this place.

Driving back unto our home, we talk along the way,
Face-off with parallel parking, it never is my day.

Unlock the door and walk inside, it always feels so good,
To have you home has made my day, again just like it should.


I LOVE YOU!!!

So Alike

Like Father, Like Daughter...

How accurate is this???

Portrait of Chavez

Aaahh, Saturday Mornings

How do you spell RELAX? W-E-E-K-E-N-D. Last night we decided on the spur-of-the-moment to go to the King of Prussia mall and go window shopping. Before we left, we got to open up the box of 3-6 month-old clothes to dress Siena up in because she's growing like a weed. We found some fun treasures, like a pair of jeans and a beanie.

This morning we all slept in. (I'm not surprised... we do that a lot.) Because it has finally cooled off for now in Philly, we all woke up in our comfy pjs with the big comforter swallowing us up. The thing that topped this morning off, though, was the smell of our house. We got an Autumn Pumpkin-scented home fragrance "thing" last night at B&BW and by this morning, our ENTIRE apartment was satiated with the smell. I guess the only thing that would have made this morning perfect would be a homemade breakfast. Well, we will have to settle for a homemade lunch.

(Okay, I forget our picture camera doesn't automatically
rotate the video... so, enjoy from the side view. :^)