The Letter We {Didn't} End Up Using

No Clever Christmas-y Title Presently Available

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and everyone has "settled" into the hustle and bustle of Christmastime, I'm starting to find a growing sense of gifting apathy in me.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am still very keen on the idea of giving gifts to friends and family (possibly even neighbors, if we ever get to meet them;) however, the apathy applies more to the "essentials" or even the "luxury" gifts that one may jot on an annual exchanged gift idea list.  Rather, I feel like giving humorous, sentimental, or even what one might call "cute" gifts this year.

(Aside: I'm noticing that there are a lot of italicized and "quoted" words here... maybe that I'm past the borderline of appropriate sarcasm. Please forgive.)

Back to the point: I want to fill my Christmas check-off list obligations as soon as possible and with as little headache as possible.  This makes it hard because to do both is a Catch-22... either I spend a ridiculous amount of money on presents which I know everyone would love and worry incessantly about the expense of it all, OR I spend hours upon hours of combing through Pinterest for the not-so-original DIY idea that is bound to be a Christmas tradition in every Mormon home by next year.

What to do? What to do?

Well, I'm just going to type and an idea will form on the page that is beyond brilliance for a memorable, appreciated, and thrifty Christmas 2012.  I know it will happen, just you see.

What if I...

• Gift invitations to a big Chavez Family Christmas Party, and kill about 20 birds with one stone.  No, that would mean no headache until a couple of days before the big day, when all of my plans would then have to produce themselves.  Oh, and I think that it would kill the "budget-friendly" idea. That simply won't fit in with my plan.
• Design and print personalized stationery.  Done that, and sadly, no one was pleased with that gift.
• Scheme up a Winter Date package, including ice skating, hot chocolate and a movie.  Now, maybe I'm onto something here.... (If you wouldn't want a gift like this, please stop me!)
• Compile a book of family Christmas memories for the sentimental recipient. (Pretend you didn't see this, Mom.)
• Offer a Service Coupon Book. Let's be honest, in theory--and even in action--this is a great gift; HOWEVER, I don't know of a single soul who would be thrilled at opening a coupon book.  It screams, "I ran out of time and I am cheap, so Here!  Have a book of homemade coupons you'll feel too awkward to ever cash-in."
• Keep it simple and get everyone socks, some kind of chocolate item, and a gift card.  (I love receiving them, but gift cards are the WORST to have to give someone.  Well, maybe not for everyone, but for ME.  I hate it when people know how much money I spent on their gifts.  It regulates the amount of money I can, in good conscience, spend on each person on my list.)

Well, I'm sure there are a bazillion other ideas on Pinterest, but something inside me tells me that I will just sulk into Christmas despair upon dining on those delightfully picture-perfect webpages, realizing that I can attempt, but never quite achieve an original Christmas 2012.  I'll mull it over and come back to report with a more cheery tone.  Promise.

What the Heck?! (In Other Words: We're in Utah Now)

Well, the last time I wrote here I had a plethora of things to say about rodents, and not too long before that was a post on how to prepare cow tongue tacos; I think it's safe to say that everything gross and disgusting I could write about has been written.  It's out of my system and we're moving on.

Ahem. Do I have your attention?  Good.  Here's the scoop: we moved... again.

You may recall that we just recently moved to Dallas, TX.  That was a great choice for us and we have no regrets whatsoever, but when destiny, serendipity, fate--what have you-- comes knocking telling you to move near your family, Carpe Diem!  After a lot (and I mean A LOT) of these serendipitous moments occurred, Juan and I decided that we better not kick against the pricks.  We started looking into moving back to the ONE PLACE we thought we'd NEVER live.  (Now, to all you Utah-folk reading this: do NOT think that was a knock against your beloved state.  Here's the fortune cookie version of our reasoning for moving out-of-state: living in Utah simply was not in line with our long-term goals for our family for various reasons.)  Since deciding to move and even since we've been here, we've realized that in the short four months that we lived in Texas, our long-term goals started to shift and change.  Things that we thought were issues were not, things that we disregarded certainly started looking more important.  There was never an "A-ha!" moment per se, but there were plenty of things that started to fall into place once we made the choice to move.  Juan was offered not one, but four jobs in a state where the dental population is considered past-saturation levels; personal family issues have reassured us that we need to be near enough to actually lend a hand and be caretakers, if needed; and it was no coincidence that both Juan and I, unbeknownst to each other, had distinct impressions at the same time that we should consider moving back to Utah.

I will be the first to say that at first I was convinced that I was just being a baby and wanted to run back to mommy and daddy at the first sign of struggle (Long story short: we didn't get approved for purchasing a home, after multiple lenders said it was a sure thing.  To this day, there is absolutely no technical reason we should have been denied.)  So I was stubborn and determined to be more independent than ever!  I was an adult, for crying out loud.  I could do hard things!  Two weeks later and after lots of prayers, I started to come around the fact that the hard thing would be to move, not to stay.  Maybe that is why I didn't jump on board the Utah Train at first.  Anyway, we put in our due diligence and put out feelers for job possibilities in Utah.  Job prospects came up and we were reassured that we wouldn't need to act irresponsibly and just jump into the Land of the Unemployed.  So here we are: in Utah with job contracts and possibilities for the future.  It's not to say that we will never move again--after this summer, we have learned to Never Say Never (a nod to JB,) but we know we need to be here right now.

Juan is finishing up the last few days of his job contract in Dallas while the kids and I are living with my parents until the details get ironed out.  It's not the ideal situation yet, but we are grateful for the generosity of our family and have hope we'll get our sea legs soon.  There are still a lot of things we have to figure out but I don't feel like the future is too dim.  The move was the first step leap, and now that that is out of the way, we can get started with the rest of our lives... again.

Rat-a-tat-tat

We are ever so lucky to have encountered yet another pest whilst renting.  So far, after 7 years of marriage and 6 different houses, we have racked up quite the list:

• Countless mice
• Cockroaches (short-lived, thank heavens!)
• Bat (one-time gig, you may recall.)
• Garden Beetles (ha! and I thought it was termites. That was a happy ending :)
• Ants (and they march one by one-hundred)
• A regular trash-visiting racoon (oh, but how cute was he?!)

...and now there is another to join the ranks:  Mr. Rat.

That really is the name we've given him over the last few months (yes, months.) Qiana is sure that she will get to meet him someday.  I am sure that she will not.  He has been scratching around for countless weeks, so our landlord had a pest-control company come out to take a look.  Indeed, there was something living in our attic.  Quite possibly many "somethings".  After setting out enough rodenticide to kill 10 rats, the pest guy left us quite un-ready for what was to come.

You see, once the rat finally found and ate the bait, he didn't leave the house like they usually do to find water (the bait leaves them very thirsty.)  He must be trapped in somehow.  I don't even think I can describe the sounds that incredibly large rodent was making today as he was dying a gruesome death.  I wanted to take the kids and run.  Actually, in hindsight I am thinking, "Why didn't I leave?!" It was awful.  So, now I am recording it because this blog seems to be right on track to be the most disgustingly-detailed account of our lives. (People didn't respond well to the Tacos de Lengua.)

So long, Mr. Rat.  We will be encountering you again in a few days when your lovely smell of death starts permeating the house and we have to have the pest guys come back to retrieve your corpse.

Birthday Punch Cuppy Cakes

My one and only idea I will share with Pinterest:

Flavor-boost your plain ol' frosting by lightly sifting Koolaid powder on top and lightly misting with water. You could also skip the hassle and mix the powder right into the frosting. The result is a high-kick of "Woooow!" with a side punch of "Yipee!"

Ladies and Gentlemen... I Bring You Tacos de Lengua!

a.k.a. Cow Tongue Tacos

Caution: this post contains graphic food images much like something you'd find on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  STOP reading if you have a weak stomach!!

Okay, if you insist on reading on...

First, don't let the name throw you off the idea: it's tongue, GET OVER IT.  I will be the first to admit that even biting into a taco de lengua was a huge leap for me a few years ago.  Even after eating it plenty of times, it still took sheer courage to accept Juan's invitation to make it ourselves at home.  You see, Juan has been eating tacos de lengua ever since he was old enough to say "tortilla".  He even remembers sitting his cute little tooshy up to the bar of a taco truck in Mexico ordering tacos de lengua all by himself "Un taco de lengua, po-fa-vo."...But I digress. People, it turns out you don't die from ingesting it!  Prepare yourself: it's actually quite tasty.  For that reason, I decided to give in and attempt the un-attemptable.  

I'll have you know that I was fully prepared to make the tacos de lengua myself.  However, upon seeing my weak constitution at the sight of raw tongue, Juan stepped in and took over.  My hero!   I could have done it.  No, really! (I just wanted to be able to eat it afterwards.)  So instead of touching the taste buds, I took over the camera duties.

5 Simple steps to tacos de lengua:

#1- Clean the tongue thoroughly under cold running water and remove excess fat.  Don't let it touch your disgusting sink that hasn't been cleaned for days anything. We take cross-contamination very seriously here.

#2- Throw it in a crockpot with a medium onion (quartered), three bay leaves, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 beef bouillon cubes.  See? Easy!

#3- Cover it and let cook on high for 5-6 hours or until the meat falls apart.  (It should still be very juicy!)

(You can tell this crockpot has had a hard life.)

#4- Take it out and peel off the outer layer (yep, the one with the tastebuds.) Rip 'em off and move on.  Shred remaining meat. Soooo succulent.

#5- Salt it, sprinkle with lime juice and devour it like there's no tomorrow.  (But no worries, like I said... you will still be alive in the morning.)

This is our version: pure and unadulterated tacos de lengua.  No super-fancy garnishes, just a simple green salsa that hits it out of the park.  Want that recipe too?  Okay, but just because I'm nice: Creamy Green Salsa
(raw version)
4-5 tomatillos, quartered 1 avocado pitted & peeled juice of 1 lime 1 jalapeno, chopped (seed and deveined if you don't like heat) 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 3/4 cup onion, chopped salt and pepper, to taste Puree all together in a blender. Adjust flavor to your liking. You've made it this far through the post.  I'm so proud of you!  For that, I'll give you extra credit: Roasted Garbanzos
canned garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) olive oil ancho chile powder garlic powder sea salt Drain and rinse garbanzos.  Pat dry and lay out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil over the chickpeas and roll them around in it with your hands.  Sprinkle with chile and garlic powders.  Roast at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Eat 'em up like popcorn. (Incidentally, you can use these same spices to jazz up boxed mac and cheese.  Try it and thank me later.) Simply Fruit Salad Canned mandarin oranges (no sugar added is best) kiwi fruit Granny Smith apple lime juice and lime zest Toss. Eat. Repeat.

You're welcome.

First World Problems

Every once in a while I will have one of those days where everything seems to be working against me, but for every day of rain there is one of sunshine. Well... this is not the case where we live, both literally and figuratively. There are plenty more days of sun than rain, and we have countless more blessings than trials.

I was reminded of that today. I learned that the mother of two children in our primary has been incarcerated, and that a father of a different family was just deported. The father of the first two children works from 1 pm to 3 am so he has relied heavily on babysitting from people in the branch. However, the youngest boy, around five years old, had a nervous breakdown yesterday because he just wanted to be home. 

My kids won't ever have that kind of experience... assuming constance. Whatever my worries or fears or even discomforts, they do not compare to what people--even people I associate with every single week-- struggle with.

There is a magnet on the refrigerator here that I see quite often while doing the dishes and wallowing in my sorrow. I love the reminder:

GOD grant me the

Serenity

TO ACCEPT the things

I cannot change;

Courage

TO CHANGE the things

I can; and

Wisdom

TO KNOW the difference.

A Casserole Affair

It's been way too long since I posted about food.

As I was planning the menu for the week last Wednesday, I came across an e-mail from Better Homes and Gardens all about Casseroles.  Sparking my interest, it had around 30 different spins on traditional casseroles.  "It's been a long time since I've made a casserole. This will be fun!," I thought.  So I closed the apps I was referring to previously and decided to return to the ever-comforting casserole.  Casserole Week was born!

And we really did eat casseroles. All. Week. Long.

Why I didn't think it through, I will never know.  I feel like I have a brick in my stomach... and it's only 9:30 in the morning. We did, however, discover some awesome--and not so awesome--recipes in the process and I'm gonna share 'em.

Chicken Taco Casserole

My review: B+

Liked: Sauteed peppers and onions; spinach was a nice twist. Similar to Pastel Azteca

Recommend: Use good salsa, not just the cheapest.  It will make a difference.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

My review: B

Liked: The twist that caught my attention was the dijon mustard added to the roux as well as the celery and the roasted red peppers. Nice textural change to the traditional version.

Recommend: Don't expect a completely new taste.  After this, although it was tasty, I decided that Tuna Noodle Casserole will be Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Cheesy Shell-stuffed Shells

My review: A (with a side of guilt)

Liked: Gruyere, although a Swiss cheese, has the perfect sour-sharpness for this Italian dish.

Recommend: Add a lot of basil! It not only makes it more pleasing to the eye, but your stomach will thank you too.

Pumpkin Black Bean Bake

My review: A+

Liked: This Southwest version of Shepherd's Pie was chock-full o' flavor.  Loved the butternut squash, ground beef instead of ground turkey (which we usually find in "healthy recipes" like this so it was a nice change,) green chiles that gave a little kick, and the surprisingly small addition of cream cheese--anything is better with cream cheese--that didn't overwhelm the dish.

Recommend: If you make this, try it with the jalapeno-olive relish and let me know what you think.  I was feeling a bit lazy so we omitted that.  I regret it because it just screams to be tasted.

Creamy Chicken-Broccoli Bake

My review: ?

We were supposed to eat it but is has to wait because of a kink in dinner plans.  If after eating it I feel the need to write a review, I will post it.  It does look tasty, no?

Well, there you have it.  Casserole Week will probably never happen again because it is just TOO HEAVY; however, it was fun to dive into the world of comfort food again. Check back soon because I'm about to make Tacos de Lengua and am going to document the whole thing.  Oh, you don't know what those are?  Two words: Cow. Tongue.  You're not going to want to miss it!

Color Blind

A Sunday for the Books

Sunday is usually a day of rest.  Bah!  Not when you are in the Primary.

It's totally worth it though, to be able to teach those little cutie-pies.  Our  Spanish Branch just became an independent branch a last week, so everyone is still trying to pick up all the responsibilities until people get official callings.  I am so excited to be in the Primary presidency because learning right along side the little ones is an incredibly profound experience.  As odd as it seems, I learn more about what I personally believe when I am preparing and teaching even the most basic of lessons.

Between Week 1 and Week 2 (today) we have averaged about 25 children total in Primary.  This is far beyond the headcount I was used to in Philly, but pretty close to what we experienced while in the Midvale branch.    We have three classes besides Nursery, with 2 official teachers.  Lacking one teacher is usually not a big deal because one of the presidency can take over the extra class for the week.  As for the way Sharing Time is run, it's not so simple.  We have called a Singing Time leader but not a  pianist.  No problem--I can play the piano in the meantime until we get someone called to the position.  Well, today happened to be the day when all of the responsibilities were left on my plate and it turned out...well, interestingly.

Besides having been called to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting, I was in charge of presenting Sharing Time.  It was a simple lesson, so I wasn't too stressed out with that.  It was just that darn talk....

Last night I discovered an email from our newly-called Singing Time leader which stated that she wasn't planning on going to church today.  So I tried to call in the blogging brigades to help me prepare that too.  Luckily, there are a lot of ideas out there, so I felt in good hands.  It was just that darn talk....

Today, as I was scrambling to translate my already-written talk myself, Juan was honing his own talk.  It was not a terribly rushed morning, but stressful nonetheless so I didn't want to leave that time-consuming task to Juan this time.  I later realized that maybe it would have been easier in the end for him to have done it since he had to correct my poor grammar and sentence structure anyway. Sacrament Meeting was overflowing with stake announcements, branch news and missionary farewell testimonies so our alloted time was cut short.  Usually people are happy when they don't have to speak as long, but I was in a panic.  I wasn't sure what to cut out of my talk!  It was in a different language, so I wasn't speaking comfortably anyway and I stumbled through it. I cut things the best I knew how, but I feel like maybe overall it didn't flow together that well. :( Oh well, life moves on.

Beforehand, as I knew the tasks of the day weren't impossible to accomplish, I was just worried about how well it would go.  Well, it went like I said earlier: interestingly. In the end the Talk was talked, Sharing Time was shared, and Singing Time was sung.  Who knows if anyone got anything out of my talk or presentations.  All I know is that besides learning and reviewing a few doctrinal things, I learned that we can truly take on and accomplish a whole lot more than we feel comfortable with and IT WILL BE OKAY.  IT WILL TURN OUT.  Church callings will come and go, but the methods we learn and skills we develop will be lifelong tools to benefit us and those we serve.

For Siena

'Tis the Night before Kindergarten

And all through our house,

Everyone is stirring

from baby to spouse.

The clothes are laid out,

the backpack is checked,

"Now is there anything,

I just might forget?"

I brought out the bread,

the p.b. and honey.

The lunchbox is packed,

so you don't lose lunch money.

You have spare supplies

and a gift for your teacher.

The classic red apple

is quite a fun feature.

She'll love you, I'm sure

from day one, just you see.

But try to listen, to share

and to sit quietly.

A quick note, I write

in a moment with care,

in hopes that your first day

will be easier to bear.

Not as hard for you

as it will be for me,

you've been anxiously waiting

since you were the age of three.

With a deep breath and a sigh

I turn off the light

and then head off to bed

where I will toss all night.

Kindergarten is fun,

you can't ask for much more.

Good luck! You're most ready

to step out the front door.

Big dreams lie ahead,

many more to discover.

School is just a first step

like it was for your mother.

On a very last note

I hope you'll remember

that I love you so much

apart and together.

Birthday Girl Turns 5?!

What?  Is that 5 year-old my Siena? I refuse to believe she is already that old, despite the many, many reminders I get throughout the day.  "But Moooooommmm, I'm a big girl now.  I'm five!"...and the like.

We tried to make it a fun birthday for her, and she's so easy to please that we were not worried one bit about meeting her expectations.  But I think besides the fact that her friends came over that night for swimming, her favorite part of her birthday was choosing the cake.  I took her to the grocery store on Saturday to choose out a cake.  (This was a first for us since we usually just make it ourselves.)  Flipping through the cake book, she was ecstatic.  As to be expected, she kept changing her mind as she progressed through the book.  Finally, she landed on a page near the end and was set on the design.    I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  This is what she wanted so badly:

I gently reminded her of the first few designs she had really liked and to my relief, she chose this one:

...it's a whole lot easier to plan a party theme around this cake. 

The morning started off right with Surprise Cereal... purple frosted shredded wheat.  The girls were squealing with delight.  (I sat there thinking, "Hmmm, I could be a responsible mother and make a waffle breakfast with the works like my own sweet mom did for us; but I vaguely remember the time I got Cream of Wheat with strawberry jam packets to make my own food design as being the most exciting birthday breakfast ever, so I went with the easier--I mean, more fun--approach.)

Opening presents from Mom, Dad and Qiana with extreme bedhead

 The eraser was her favorite part

Not pictured, but totally worth mentioning are the art easel that my mother gave her, and the cowgirl boots my mother-in-law gave her.  She is in love with both.

The rest of the day progressed as usual until dinner, when I prepared her requested birthday dinner.  The whole time we've been living in this house, Siena has been fascinated with an illustrated cookbook she found on a shelf.  It was printed and distributed in Great Britain, so it has a lot of traditional English recipes.  For some reason, she fixated on a particular recipe of chicken drumsticks with peas (excuse me, petite pois,) and potato crisps (chips.)  So I tried my hardest to accomplish the meal by converting milligrams and milliliters to teaspoons and cups.  It was a task.  I guessed what petite pois meant, since I know absolutely NO french, as well as "double cream"--I just picked out half and half at the store.  It wasn't until after I got to the point in the recipe where I had to add it that I realized it probably was sour cream... or something of that kind of consistency.  Oh well!  I converted 160 degrees Celcius into Farenheit and we were in business.  It actually wasn't that bad tasting.  (Ha!)  Siena was excited to see it come to life (okay, not literally, that would be gross.)  After gobbling up dinner, we headed to the pool to meet our friends for her "beach party."  I'm sad I didn't get a picture of her with all her plastic leis on.  It was cute. 

 Lauren and Qiana (Qiana has acclimatized well because once she got out of the water and into the 85 degree weather, she was cold.)

 The Ez was just hanging out.

 Adrienne with Maddy

 Logan and Madilyn

 Right before singing to her

 Siena invited some friends she had met at the pool a few days earlier. I'm so impressed that they actually came.

 McKenna, Brynlee and Siena

 Making a wish and blowing out the candle. (The one thing she requested for her birthday was a "number 5 candle".  Like I said, so easy to please.)

 "Mor-di-da!" Taking the obligatory first bite, and fully expecting someone to push her face into the cake.

 Half-way cleaned up and basking in the attention

 Just happy to have more cake

Saying goodbye to friends

The Usual Update

It's so sad.  I have written at least three other blog posts, but after careful review they all were deleted because they were too boring.  (When did I start caring?!!)

So here I am to confess yet another month of blog slacking and play catch-up.

Truth be told a lot of things have been happening with the Chavez family, although at first glance it may not seem that way.  Maybe a bulleted list would be beneficial... (I love lists!)

• First and foremost, we are in the middle stages of buying our first home.  This is a pretty big deal to us seven years into our marriage and three children later.  There is a home we found and it just feels right.  If all goes as planned, we will be moving in by the end of the month, but since Juan just started his job a month ago, something might come up in the underwriting that gives us grief.  We don't know what to expect so it's hard to let ourselves get excited.  I'm sure every homeowner reading this is nodding their head like, "Been there, done that."  You know what it's like.
• And speaking of Juan's job, he's probably not going to stay there.  They just aren't giving him enough work.  We're looking into purchasing an existing practice or starting from scratch.  This will be a joint effort since part of our business plan includes Solstice.  So many exciting things in store.... Juan has started the process with the bank and we should be seeing some major changes within the next couple of months.  If something else comes up in the meantime, we're ready for that curveball (...ha!)
• We were called into the Stake President's office a couple weeks ago and he invited us to attend the Spanish Branch instead of the Spanish Ward.  After a couple of weeks of attending the new branch, we are extremely happy with our choice.  It just feels like there is a lot of progress right on the brink and I'm excited to take part in that.
• Speaking of progress on the brink, I just have to share this piece of news that still has us grinning from ear to ear.  It has been almost eight years since Juan got home from serving an LDS mission. (I still can't believe how fast time has flown!) While in Northern California, he taught and baptized a young teenage girl who consequently was shunned by nearly her entire family.  She came from a line of high-profile leaders of their particular faith and they were very entrenched in their beliefs.  Her mother didn't allow her to be home if she and the missionaries were going to speak about religion, however her mother was kind to the elders in other ways.  For example, she always had ice-cold water bottles set aside for them when they came by to speak with her daughter.  However, absolutely NO exchange of religious beliefs were allowed to take place while she was there and she vowed never to listen to the missionaries herself.  Fast forward eight years.  Juan has kept in pretty good contact with her and her daughter and I even got to meet them once while we were visiting the area.  They have seen lots of happy times since then, ((like the daughter's marriage and the birth of their first son,) as well as really hard times (like the unfortunate death of her (the mother's) mother.))  Throughout these years and after numerous phone conversations about day-to-day life and sometimes even trivial things there was a recent one that made our jaws drop.  She called to tell us that she just went to an entire 3-hour session of church and that she immediately felt at home.  She is taking lessons (discussions) from the missionaries and her baptism date is scheduled for August 25th.  It's amazing to me how much the Gospel can awaken us to our situation in life and how much motivation it gives us to make positive changes.

Other little things of note are:

• We live with geckos and lizards.  Yes, somewhere in our house is a lizard we couldn't catch in time and we have already found and released two geckos. I know they are good to keep the bug population down, but I'm still not sold on the idea of living with roaming reptiles.  (*shutter*)
• Siena has learned to swim (technically, "streamline".)  Thanks to one extremely patient friend of ours who happens to have a knack for teaching swimming in one hour, she is a little fish.  We just have to remind her to breath! 
• Qiana is potty trained!  After three hundred and fifty-six attempts (okay, that's an estimate) she is finally contributing to the family budget by kicking her diaper habit.  I'm so happy I could cry.
• Ezra is starting to sleep longer and eat less throughout the night and I think we're pretty much down to one feeding during the early morning hours.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again--he's so easy.  Give him his pacifier and blankey at night and naptime and he's out cold.  The girls didn't have a security object, so this is new for us.  So far, it's working out just fine.

• Siena starts school in 21 days! The mother writing this is freaking out about it, too.  At first I was a wreck because I wasn't sure I could handle a more rigorous schedule (which, incidentally, was something I was secretly excited for because I knew I needed it;) however, my panic turned to absolute fear when I received the list of things my Kindergartner should know by the first day of school.  I mean, it was a simple list laced with things I hadn't gotten around to doing.  For example, "Can tie shoelaces."  Whaaa?!  I dropped the ball on that since Siena never ever wears shoes with laces, especially now that we are in the deadly heat of a Texan August.  Next, "Can dress herself and tend to all bathroom needs."  Okay, whew.  We're safe on that one.  "Can count from 1-20."  Hesitating on whether we even needed to review that, I asked her to count for me.  I was holding my breath because I knew it had been a looooong while since I had coached her on her numbers. I just had always assumed she remembered them.  Well, she missed number 16 (or was is 17?  It's a different skipped number when she counts in Spanish.)  I started feeling lightheaded.  Was my (almost) 5 year-old really ready for Kindergarten? I whipped out her little Fiskars and asked her to "Cut in a straight line."  Check.  But could she write her name with the proper case?  Answer: when specifically told to, she can; however, she prefers to write: SiENA♥ We reviewed letters and their sounds, colors and shapes--check--check--check--check.  And after the entire assessment, I got my act together and got to work.  We have been reviewing (and learning, in some cases) days of the week, her birthday, seasons, months of the year, her parents' names, and yes, tying her shoes. Next goal to accomplish: learning her parents' phone numbers and (future) home address.  I'm really nervous because tomorrow is her Spanish proficiency test to see whether or not she will be accepted as a late entrant into the Dual Language program in the district.  The only possibly hope she has is if she proves that Spanish is her first language.  We're praying all goes well tomorrow, especially because we have no idea how they are going to test her.
• Ezra also has a test coming up.  Rather than a test of his intelligence, this test is based on physical traits.  His torticollis is getting a little better, which makes me feel better about torturing the poor kid with neck stretches, but his head is still misshapen.  He will go in to Cranial Technologies in two days to have an initial assessment for a possible corrective helmet.  Too bad we are still in our 90 day waiting period before health insurance kicks in because those things cost upwards of $5,000.  So it's going to be helmet over a car for me to get around in because right now is the prime time for his skull to correctly form as his bone calcification proceeds.  Tim Gunn's voice is ringing in the back of my mind, "Make it Work!"  Running all of my errands on Juan's day off hasn't been that bad.

Well, there you have it.  Another month to begin and another goal set to blog more than once in the next 24 days.

3 Days Driving, 2 Cars of People, 1 Tiring Week

Well, we've moved in and are settling down with each day that passes.  The move was not too bad since we broke it up into three days.  Ezra threw us a curve ball the day we were supposed to leave when he woke up with a horrible, horrible chest cough.  Instead of going to his usual doc, who always told us not to worry about his congestion, we went to the Pediatrics clinic at the U of U.  After hooking him up to an oxygen monitoring machine, they told us that he had Brochiolitis.  That didn't sound too great, since they said there was a high chance they'd need to admit him into the hospital for a few days. Luckily, when we brought him back the next morning, they said that his oxygen levels were back up and that he was probably out of the danger zone.  He's still got that awful, mucous-y cough, but we're hoping he'll start sounding better soon.

Back to the move...
We landed in Farmington, NM the first night, and left at a decent time the next morning so we could make it to Albequerque to sightsee a bit.  Although the drive wasn't too exciting, I still loved experiencing the Southwest views.  Old Town Albequerque was pretty....ummm....cute.  I think it was a bit touristy but the church there was awesome as was the pottery and jewelry.  Siena was too afraid to dance to the music of the mariachi band in the square, but Qiana and Abuelo took right to the dance floor.  We left New Mexico and rushed into Amarillo that night.  There was a horrible storm on our drive, but I guess I had better get used to that.  Sunday we made that last leg of the journey until we reached our temporary home in Rockwall, TX.  It was an extremely humid day, and coupled with the heat, I thought we were going to die.  Thank heavens for air conditioning!  The house is already furnished, as I have mentioned before, so we just unloaded most of the contents of the truck into the garage for storage.  Speaking of unloading, we were met with three cars full of people to help unload the Penske!  Martha has a neice, Martita, who lives in Howe about an hour and half away from us.  She has a bunch of in-laws living about 15 minutes from our house and they all willingly came to help us.  It was such a blessing!  I wish we could have fed them dinner or something, but we'll have to do that later.  We feel very fortunate to have "automatic friends" here.

Unpacking the things that belong in the house with us has been slow-going as has been the wipe-down of the place.  There are bugs and spider webs everywhere!  I'm pretty sure I'm the only one of the landlord's tenants to have cleaned the place.  It's creepy sleeping under cobwebs, but my motto of the last few years has been "PERSPECTIVE!"  The webs are going today and I can't wait until it's all clean.

Here's the run-down of what we've done so far:

July 1st: move in
July 2nd: Juan started work while I tried to clean.  Took the fam to Rudy's for some bbq.
July 3rd: Juan had work off so we went to the Dallas Museum of Art, the JFK Memorial and to Addison's Kaboomtown for a fireworks show.  The rockets were a little less impressive than we expected, but still fun.
July 4th: We all lazily went swimming at the cabana until noon and around 2 we left for Martita's farm.  It was fun to meet everyone (for the second time...I have a poor memory,) and see the Texan countryside.

Today is July 5th.  Juan is working, my in-laws are out experiencing Dallas, and the kids and I are here getting settled into a bit of a routine--something we desperately NEED.  The internet is now set-up and we're in blog-business.  I'll get pictures of the trip up here... I just have to get back to cleaning right now.

Oh, and I might mention... yes, I miss everyone and everything back home.  It would be a lie to say I was completely happy right now.  I'm dealing with the move as I have in move's past: with naive optimism.

Quick Update

Yes, we found a house.  Yes, it is temporary.  Yes, it is furnished.  Yes, we can golf, swim, play tennis and basketball there. Yes, we are very blessed.

Well, I've started packing. There is no looking back now.... The only thing is, we don't know where we are going to live. Panic attack: check.

Blogging Away

I wish I were better at blogging.

Nearly five years ago, I never would have said that.  I had just moved across the country with Juan and our little newborn Siena and it seemed as if the days would go on forever.  I had all the time in the world being a stay at home mom in a tiny apartment, no friends or family nearby to pass the time with.  So I blogged.  And I blogged.  And I blogged.  Sometimes even twice a day.  I look back and am so grateful I recorded so much, but it is so hard to come to terms with the fact that I am busier and can't keep up like I want to.  I want to write down silly things that the girls say or a new milestone for Ez, and I know it's possible, but I can't seem to bring myself to the computer to record it.  With all the things the girls say and all the thoughts I have, I would never leave the computer.  I can remember staying at the computer hours on end when I just had Baby Siena because all I had to do was tend to her simple needs.  Things are different now and I realize that I have to live in the moment as well.  It's hard to really be in the moment when you're thinking of how you're going to "share it" with the world.  But there is a happy medium, in my opinion, where you can blog, Facebook, and Instagram and also put down the devices and savor the moment.  I'm going to aim for that.

Okay, that was my spiel.  Now to the fun part:

SIENA:
There are a few words that really stick out when I think of her entering her fifth year of life soon.

"Intelligent": she retains so much from just observing and spits it out at opportune times to teach her parents that she is listening.  Her enunciation is so perfect and her vocabulary so advanced it makes me laugh; every time she and I have conversations, I feel like I'm talking to a teenager.  She says things like "Mom, we are going to look for creatures in the back yard."  Five minutes later she returns with a "friend" (bug) on her finger and explains that she and Qiana are going to make it a home.  There was a bug she found at my parents' house and cared for it by making it a comfortable home in the tricycle storage box furnished with grass, leaves, sticks and dirt.  Both she and Qiqi were distraught when it was time to go and they were told they had to leave the bug there.  They asked Grandma to take care of it for them while they were gone, and to this day think that she is giving it water and food daily.

"Artist" and "Girly Girl": the girl loves to draw and write.  With every drawing, more and more details emerge.  She's added eyelashes, fancy hems to skirts, thought bubbles, and...ahem...upper female anatomy to her self portraits.  All of the hair is rainbow colored and the shoes are all high heels.  Such a female, that one.

"Devastated": on many occasions lately, Siena hears one piece of information that she doesn't like and melts to the floor in tears.  My goodness, there is so much drama with girls! ;)  On that same note, she's hit a place in her life where she feels it important--no, ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY-- to report every little crime Qiana or any other little person commits to an adult.  "Whistle blower", I think, is the correct term.  I'm to the point now that I repeat over to her, "If there isn't blood, I don't want to hear about it.  Work it out yourselves."  Is that bad?

"Groovy": this little girl likes to shake her tail feathers.  Any music starts, and she starts tapping her feet.  Give her the right beat and you've got a full-on dance party with her.  There is no stage-fright with Siena yet, so we are really enjoying the entertainment while we can.

QIANA:


Can enough be said about this spunky little girl?  All she wants is to be tickled to death.  She eggs us on so much and teases and teases and teases.  She must get that from her Grandpa.  Mostly, I think she just likes to laugh and make other people laugh.  She could play all day at full speed and never run out of energy.  If I asked her to, at any given minute in the day, she would run from one end of the house to the other as fast as she could over and over again.  Our house is laid out so there is a loop from the front room to the dining room, to the kitchen, family room and back to the front room.  She runs it ALL. THE. TIME.  To reiterate, there is not a day that goes by without a charge-through-the-house from Qiana.  I have said it before and I'll say it again, she's the one preparing me for the energetic little boy everyone keeps warning me about.  Thank heaven I don't have to run alongside her... just watching her quick little self tires me out.

She loves animals, but is a little shy up close to them (the exact opposite of her sister, who goes up to any dog and pets it.)  She loves music and "shakes it" just like her sister.  They have dance parties all the time with Juan (this is usually the reward he gives them for cleaning up the playroom.)  She loves food... still.  I'd say a good 50% of what she requests from me is food.  "Puedo tener un snack, por favor?"  More than anything, she loves her baby brother.  I hate to have to send her to Time Out for smothering her brother, yet again, because I know it's just because she was trying to hug and kiss his face off.  I cherish the bedtime routine we have of laying him next to her in bed right before Lights Out because it is when she is the most gentle and calm.  I lay him on one of her outstretched arms as she's lying down and she slowly cuddles into him, kisses his cheeks and nestles her head next to his.  She's already a fantastic big sister, even though she's a little rough right now.

Her screaming from infancy has mellowed quite a bit.  It's not completely gone, but we've seen a huge improvement over the last few months.  She still likes to throw fits though and talking it out logically to her still doesn't phase her reactions.  Now that she speaks, I can't blame her frustration on not being able to relate what she wants; she just doesn't deal well with not getting what she wants.  It actually really surprises me that she still reacts this way because she's had plenty of experiences where we don't give in to what she wants after we tell her "no."  My theory is that somewhere, somehow we gave-in once and she thinks it will happen again.  Lab rats come to mind....

EZRA:


The littlest bundle of cuteness in home is seriously the easiest baby ever!  He is fussy only when he is 1.) hungry, 2.) tired, or 3.) when he has a dirty diaper.  He's so predictable, which is something I'm really grateful for in this house full of hormones.  We just took him to his 2 month checkup and the doctor says that most everything is looking great.  He's got a slight case of torticollis, where his neck muscles aren't fully strengthened on one side so his head droops.  She says that we can try physical therapy with him and possibly avoid the need for a helmet later on (which would just be cosmetic for the resulting flat head.)  So we're stretching those neck muscles a little more each day so he doesn't have to wear one.

He is eating well, sleeping well (just one feeding in the middle of the night now,) and coo's and smiles after eating.  Little by little our niño is growing into the 50th percentile for weight, which is better than before.  He might be a smaller little guy because the head circumference is in the 30th percentile and his height is oddly enough in the 14th percentile.  (I actually suspect that they measured his height incorrectly because it seemed surprising to the doctor, too.)  The doc also told me that he will be an early walker--I know I should take that with a grain of salt--because his motor skills are advanced.  I'm guessing he's going to be a "Qiana" with a "Siena" face. :)

Well, there's that.  The quickest, most accurate description of the kiddos from my perspective.  And what, it only took me an HOUR to write it?!  See what I mean about blogging?  It's crazy-great for journaling purposes, but not so great when you're trying to squeeze in every last minute of extra sleep.  Totally worth it tonight, though.

Whitney Houston and Me

The other day I took the kids to the park and while the girls played to their hearts content, I strolled around the perimeter with Ezra in tow.  An elderly woman was sitting on a park bench, and I hadn't paid much notice to her as I checked in with the girls for a sand castle update.  Later, as I was walking past her she spoke up and asked me if I always speak to my children in Spanish.  After I affirmed it, she went on to tell me how essential that language is here and asked how I learned it.  I told her that we are a mixed family and that Juan is originally from Mexico.

"My daughters are both married to people of a different race," she said.  "I don't know why, but they are attracted to that sort of thing."

(Before you get all offended and everything, I have to say that I don't think she said that with bad feelings, rather the opposite.  After talking with her longer, I came to realize how much she appreciated diversity.)

It made me think of why I was so attracted to Juan.  Of course, there is a multitude of reasons but one of them was simply that he had beautiful dark skin.  My mind wandered to a conversation I recently had with my mom about my childhood.  She reminded me that my first Barbie doll was black, as per my particular request.  I named her Whitney, because it also happened that Whitney Houston was my favorite singer.  (Side note: she was my favorite singer because besides being AWESOME, one of my earliest memories was of me singing to a Whitney Houston tape that my parents got for free in the mail.)  Also, when American Girl babies were all the rage, my sisters and I each got to choose one out.  While they chose babies with the color of their skin (which I'm not saying is less cool,) the doll I chose was quite a few shades darker.  My mom told me that it caught her attention that I didn't choose dolls who looked like me.

Fast-forward about two decades and here I am with a mixed family.  Obviously, I too am "attracted to that sort of thing."  In the world I live, though, people are people and I love my white-as-white nephew just as much as the part-Hispanic one.  I wonder if there is something in one's personality that craves something they simply don't have, so-to-speak , or if there is another reason inter race attraction sometimes presents itself from childhood.  Anyway, those are my thoughts....

Evicted From the Premises

Okay, okay... it's not that bad. Since we are still humble renters and are at the beck and call of our landlord, we have found ourselves in an unfavorable position. She has decided to sell the house after we move, and is currently working with a realtor to get the job done. So we get the short end of the stick and must keep the house spic and span. This is a good habit, I agree, but it does come with some consequences I was not fully prepared for. For example, I can't leave out my towel to air dry after I shower so we are accruing a pile of moldy bath towels. Also, at the realtor's request, I have to make sure everyone is out of the house while someone is walking through. Now, I'm just given vague time frames indicating when the prospective buyers will be walking through the house, so I have to come up with 2 hour-long adventures for us homebodies. Today alone, we walked the river trail for an hour, went to visit animals at a farm, lounged in the shade of some trees down the street from our house, and played at the park. The girls were even a little exhausted by the end of it. Yesterday, we went to the dinosaur museum with Amber (who is in town visiting for her sister's wedding,) and had a picnic for dinner. It may not seem like much, but after a whole week of it, the time away from home adds up. It's so tiring! Tomorrow, we are going to find somewhere to go, but at this point "destinations" are running scarce, so I hope they sell the house soon. On a different note, we lucked out because Harper is staying with us temporarily while he starts his new job and looks for housing. The girls are loving the "sleepovers" we are hosting, since they love entertaining. It's great to be able to see more of him. Update on Ez: He is on the brink of smiling for real. I love it! Also, the poor baby has been struggling with gas issues. He just gulps so much air while he drinks that it upsets his little tummy. Hopefully it goes away so he can enjoy life again. Usually, he is so placid and easygoing, so seeing him cry is pretty upsetting to me. Qiana, bless her heart, loves her little brother so much and wants to play with him all the time; however, she usually takes it a little far. Today, I think she head-butted him trying to kiss his cheek and he started to bawl. The pobresito had real tears! She started crying too, once I scolded her, but I think it was because she felt bad for doing it. Hopefully he makes it through Qiana's rough toddler years.

High School Class Reunion

Normally when someone speaks of their high school 10 year reunion, you might expect to hear something like, "Wow, I can't believe it's been this long!" But in my case, I totally CAN believe it. There is a ton of proof: I am no longer in denial of the wrinkles between my eyebrows nor the stretch marks everywhere else. Ten years is a third of my life! So, yeah... I can believe it's finally time for that reunion.

The only reason I'm writing this is so I can acquit myself of repeating the familiar phrase, "There is absolutely NO way I'm going to that reunion." I will be attending, in a sort of way, through this blog post. There is a Facebook page for the Class of 2002, and if anyone wonders (doubtedly) what Stacia has been up to, they may want to click that link to the trusty ol' blog. They will end up here, and I can catch them up without making them listen to the whole spiel face to face. If you are one of those people, and are already bored.... Stop reading! ....Now! Really, my feelings won't be hurt. And just to make myself clear, I'm not avoiding the reunion because I don't want to see everyone, it's simply because I probably have the best life out of everyone and don't want to make them feel bad. (I hope you caught the hidden "LOL" in that... my husband just read that and told me someone might take it seriously.)

Okay, to start the synopsis of the last ten years of my life, we begin at BYU-I in Rexburg, ID. No, it's not because I didn't get accepted to BYU- Provo... truth is I didn't even apply there. After good ol' Mr. Bigo's class I knew I wanted a career in something botanical and BYU-I had a great program. So I got my Bachelor's degree in Horticulture and started my own wedding floral design business. It was pretty successful, which surprised not only myself, but probably my worried parents too, who wondered why their daughter chose to pursue an unlikely career. After an experience of a lifetime at a study abroad in Europe, I found myself transferring to the Provo campus to finish my last year of undergrad with my boyfriend: the tall, dark and handsome Juan Chavez. To make a long, mushy love story short, he proposed and we got married. After working in the floral industry while Juan finished his degree in Business Finance, I gave birth to a sweet baby girl, Siena. Two weeks after she was born, we moved out to Philadelphia where Juan was starting dental school at Temple University. That was like moving to a foreign country for me, but I grew up fast and learned a ton about other people, as well as myself. While there, we experienced a schload of new things. We learned how to use public transportation (believe me, that is a shock for everyone who moves from Provo to a big city;) we opened our eyes to world cuisine which started a whole "foodie" thing for our family; we made friends with people from all walks of life; our home was broken into and robbed (which shouldn't have surprised us... we are talking about West Philly for heaven sakes;) we traveled all up and down the East Coast; another tiny cutie, Qiana, was born into our family; and we made it to graduation day. Luck had it that Juan was accepted into a general practice residency in Utah, so we made the cross-country move and have loved the year that we have been able to spend here close to family again. Three weeks ago, we welcomed a new addition to our family… little Ezra. Juan is thrilled because he isn't outnumbered quite as much now. The latest happenings are that we are looking into dental practices in both Park City, UT as well as Dallas, TX to start his career. Who knows where we will end up? Either way, we are happy and feel very blessed.

Well, there you have it. (Now exonerate me from not attending the reunion!)

One Week

Ezra turned one week old yesterday. He's still just as cute and cuddly and is growing more and more aware of his surroundings as well as less and less lethargic. There is a lot less going on around the house because I've decided it really is smart to take it easy. Unfortunately, I learn that the hard way by the end of Week One with ALL of my pregnancies (this one included.) It gets a little hard to sit back and relax when the house gets destroyed by two cuties using their imagination. I've been very blessed to have so many good friends and family lending a hand. (Your generosity has been very much appreciated!!! The girls have both made the transition as well as could be expected; Siena took to Ezra like a mother hen, but Qiana had a much harder time adjusting. Really, she is still making the adjustment. She does love her brother, she just wants to be the baby of the family still. Potty training is a no-go right now but I have hopes that it will get done before her third birthday. The sleepless nights are better than I had expected maybe because I hyped myself up for it. The harder adjustment so far is the morning wake-up routine. There is no "sleeping an extra 10 minutes" anymore. ;)

News to mention:

Siena started her Zumba class last Thursday and it is so cute to watch!

Qiana tells Juan that she doesn't like "those things" on his face. (whiskers)

I am learning how to type in the iPad a little faster, change boys' diapers a little better, and how to multitask at 3 am by reading my magazines while pumping for Ez's next meal.

Juan is getting more and more contacts in Dallas, which is exciting. Unfortunately, I'm growing more and more uneasy about living there because of all the tornadoes. (Today there was a devastating tornado in that area.) Sticking with our motto, I will sign off by saying we will "Study it out, Make a decision, and Que sera, sera!"

Ezra Aksel Chavez

This little guy pretty much melts my heart. Isn't he the perfect combo of little Siena and little Qiana in boy form?

He came after 11 hours of active labor at 2:10 pm. He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 19" long. (I'm so glad that those nightmares of a 12 lb. baby didn't come true!) Dr. Christina Milan delivered him, as Dr. Stephanie Wilder was away. They broke my water and just let my body do the work, rather than give me Pitocin. This was a new thing for me because the process had been artificially sped up with both Qiana and Siena. Luckily I had an epidural to keep me comfortable. Speaking of the epidural, it was a little off when they threaded the tube through my spine, so only the left side of my body was numb. I was panicking a bit because I know I have a very low pain threshold and I hadn't prepared myself for the possibility of an au natural birthing experience. Luckily, the nurse attending me was able to calm my fears and showed me the magic little button where I could up the dosage of drugs. Once she turned me onto my right side, gravity did its thing and I numbed up to the point where I could no longer feel the contractions anywhere. After a few hours of just waiting in the delivery room, and feeling no sensations whatsoever from my waist to my knees, I found myself really short of breath. I was so confused! I hadn't been doing "anything" so why did I feel exhausted? They (Juan and the nurse) had to remind me of how much work my body was doing and that it was normal to feel like that. Just as they had calmed me down and as Juan was about to step out to get a bite to eat at the cafeteria, my body started hyperventilating. I use the words "my body" instead of "me" because I was conscious enough to know that I was hyperventillating, but absolutely could not muster the strength to combat it with deep breathing. My hands numbed up and temporarily locked into a weird position, as well as my face. I couldn't breath because it felt that the lump in my throat was covering the entire air passageway. The nurse called in the anaesthesia team and a couple more nurses (from what I could gather, since I couldn't open my eyes,) and they all checked me for signs that something happened with the epidural. Luckily, Juan was right there and his firm grip on my hand helped me calm down from the emotional/hormonal rollercoaster ride my body was on. After a few minutes and a lot of extremely concentrated efforts to breath deeply, things started to look better. The baby was doing fine still and the nurse kept me well-informed as to the state of labor I was in. After that "fit" I was so exhausted so everybody told me it would be a good time to rest since I would need to start pushing soon. The second they told me that, my heart started racing for excitement and I felt a renewed sense of strength; I insisted that if he was ready and set, I would be able to exert every last ounce of energy I had to finish the job that minute. We all got ready, and once the next contraction hit, the last sprint of the run had begun. Coaching me through it, Juan, the doctor, and the nurse hyped me up enough to get it done by the fourth contraction.

And there he was.

Perfect. Little. Ezra.

It's always a surreal experience and I'm so grateful everything went smoothly. He is such a perfect, hairy, beautiful little baby! Nursing him has been a breeze so far, which has always been the most challenging part for me. My body is definitely doing what it should to recover, however painful or uncomfortable it still is. However, I feel as though this recovery will be a lot easier than the others. I'm so grateful to our families who have been supportive by the hospital visits, babysitting the girls, and their words of encouragement. And we've had some visits from friends and family here at the hospital that have meant so much to me. Thank you to everyone!!! We love you!