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I just spent several minutes re-reading these old post, and oh my heck these are hilarious to me, I was such a weirdo, haha!


I started writing this blog a little after moving to Washington State in 2007, before facebook and twitter and other social media website/apps were popular, and back then it was the cool thing to do! Most of my friends kept personal blogs and updated them often. I remember reading personal blogs daily. So funny! Just for fun, I just clicked on several of my friends blogs, and most of them have been set to private now, or haven't been updated in years.

But I'm so glad I wrote these weird posts - the little that I wrote - because I had already forgotten a lot of it!

Ian just turned 11 this year and it seems like it was only yesterday that he was a little preschooler going on his first day of preschool. Time flies! So much has happened since I last updated this blog...I plan on updating it more often!


We moved back to Utah in 2009, a little after Caleb, or KK, how we like to call him, was born. I think he was 4-5 months when we moved back and he just turned 7! Preston, our youngest, is 5 years old already, and was born the following year in 2010. KK and Preston are close in age, only a year and a half apart.  Our boys are the sweetest boys and the best of friends. We feel very fortunately to have them in our lives! 

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas!

Lucky Seven

Introducing Baby Caleb Anders

April 27th

7lbs 7oz

19 3/4 inches

Sweet Baby

being a big brother can be very tiring ...

Our Top Picks

The baby is almost here and we're making progress in choosing a name. We're now down to a small list of possible names for him. You can see - and vote on - our top picks on the new poll to the right.

I've been getting a lot of Braxton Hicks lately. It can be pretty uncomfortable at times. I don't remember getting much of those with Ian. I'm hoping that the old wives' tale about second babies being born earlier than firsts is true - time goes by so slowly for those who wait ... (you got that right Madonna!)

35 Weeks

Notice how it's a little fuzzy on one side of these pictures? Our camera's been doing that lately and we haven't been able to figure out what's wrong. Maybe it's been dropped one too many times and we might need a new one :(

Preggo Club at Malu's baby shower. Malu is due a week after me. Her shower was today ... I must've eaten most of those brigadeiros there :)

And since I haven't posted any pregnancy pictures, here's (a crappy) one of me at 35 Weeks - Could my belly be any bigger?

Actually, as big as I look here, I was even bigger with Ian - I'm 15 pounds lighter this time around to be exact! Thanks to my doctor (aka the Weight Nazi) who's encouraged me to exercise - walk - and keep active during this pregnancy. She high fived me last time when it showed I had only gained 1 pound, and says if I gain too much she'll have "yell at me" (her words, not mine). Yeah, she's nuts :)

The baby is doing good. He likes to move a lot and keep poking me in the same spot on my left 'till it hurts. He also has hiccups all the time ... just like Ian did. I love the little "nudger", but those hiccups are so annoying when I'm trying to sleep :)

Anyway, less than 5 weeks left for us! I'm so excited to finally be done and be able to hold our baby. These last weeks have gone by quick - baby #2 will be here in no time!

We keep calling him "baby" because we haven't pinned down a name for him yet. We have a little list with a few names on it ... we'll see ...

Oh Happy Day!

So weird how it's almost always sunny every time we have guests over. So far this year we had some friends come stay with us last month from Utah and my parents just left this morning after a couple days - Both times we enjoyed beautiful sunny days the whole time they were here!

Same thing happened last year with a couple of exceptions.

This is so surprising to me since that days like those are hard to come by. Seattle only averages 55 sunny days a year - mostly during summer.

{Today is back to cloudy - oh Mother nature, why do you tease me so?}

As for the rest of the days, we average 226 cloudy days (4th most in the U.S.)

This is what a typical day looks like:

Or this:

Floating Bridge - Cloudy Day

And then there are these glorious-perfect-temperature-beautiful-green-trees-contrasting-with-equally-beautiful-blue-skies SUNNY DAYS. There's nothing like it.

Floating Bridge - Sunny Day

Redmond

Lake Washington

So I guess the message here is come on over ... and don't forget to bring the sun with you :)

Candy is Dandy

Happy Valentine's Everyone. We've sort of been boycotting Valentine's day for years now. At least in the commercial sense. It started out innocently enough. We tried to go out and have a good ol' time on Valentine's day only to be met with crowded restaurants, traffic and sold out signs at the theaters, concerts, and games. Plus they jack up the price for roses and candy {I'm talking chocolate truffles here}. We must've had fun 'cause afterwards we were broke ... you would think. In the end, the best {and cheapest} way to say "I love you" is saying it ...

Tonight we'll avoid the crowds and celebrate a quiet Valentine's day at home with pizza and a movie. Come March we'll splurge on something fun for our anniversary.

Ian was asked to bring one Valentine for each of his preschool classmates. Weird to me that this romantic holiday is for kids, too, but according to Dusty, kids really get a kick out of it. Poor Ian, his mom is the least crafty person in the world. I already feel bad that his preschool bag is not decorated like the other kids' in his class (unless you consider a muddy footprint at the bottom decoration). So I wanted to get this right.

"Dumb question, what's a valentine?" I asked Dusty

"For kids, it's a valentine's card with some candy in it ... that's what we used to do when we were little." He told me.

Wednesday morning, the day of Ian's preschool party, Dustin is all:

"So you know what to look for right? A pack of valentine cards for kids with candy in it" Trying to make sure I don't screw this up for Ian.

"Got it" I said.

I get to Freddy (Fred Meyer) and 30 minutes later, I still can't find this thing. I did find some valentine cards with a monkey on the front and thought it'd be appropriate - but it came with no candy.

Later I call Dusty at work:

"They were all out of the cards with candy, so I bought some without, do you think that's enough?"

"Oohh, I guess we would buy the candy separate and then put them in the envelope" He says.

Duh. {rolling my eyes} I guess I could've thought of that. It was too early to think straight {10 am} ...

At this point, we're already running a little late. I find a Rite Aid on the way to the preschool, run in, buy some candy, run outside only to find out Ian had swiped a shiny yellow car from the store when I wasn't looking {he showed me the car with a big grin on his face - lol} run back in to return the toy car. Back to our CRV ... we made it. Phew.

That day, Ian came home with a bag full of valentine cards and candy - one from each of his little friends. I helped him open and read each one. It gives me an idea of what to do for him next year.

Please Help Bring Sean Home

Imagine your spouse has taken your child away and then refused you any contact with him. Sounds like a nightmare. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened to a Dad in New Jersey, David Goldman and his son Sean. His wife at the time, Bruna, took their 4-year-old son Sean to her native Brazil, and unbeknown to David, she had no intentions of ever coming back.

It's been over 4 years and little has been done in David's behalf. David was, by all accounts, a good and caring father. Bruna has since passed away. David was able to see his son earlier this month for the first time since his being taken to Brazil. It seems that after some media attention and backing from some authority figures, slow progress is being made. Nothing is certain yet. I read this morning on his website that his case was referred to the Federal court in Brazil.

We live in a crazy world. These and other stories like it we see in the news just break my heart. It makes me hug my son extra tight at night and be grateful for all my many blessings. As a parent, I'm appalled at this mom's behavior. I can't even begin to imagine how much pain and anguish this guy was put through. As a Brazilian myself, I'm very upset it has taken this long for his case to reach Federal court. I pray and hope that Sean and his Dad can be reunited soon.

There's an online petition you can sign at David's website: http://www.bringseanhome.org/- You can also click on "how to help" link at the top for other ways you can help like making a donation or contacting your congressmen.

All Dogs Go to Heaven

Ice

Dustin on a sleddog run. Ice is the lead dog on the left.

The hardest part of having a pet is saying goodbye.

Our dog Ice, who's been living at Dustin's parents for the past several years, passed on a couple of days ago.

She was such a sweet and pretty dog. You couldn't help but like her, even a cat person like myself.

She was so sweet to people but not so nice to the other dogs in the house. If you were petting Ice and and another dog would even try to come close, she would bare her teeth, growl and snap at that other dog and then, a half a second later, turn back to you with her sweet angel face. There's was just something very endearing about that.

Ice was an old dog and it's so sad to know she's gone, but I'm glad she's no longer in pain and that she lived a happy and productive life as a sled dog for Dustin.

Love at First Bite

Last night we had a homemade version of the Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli soup. I was pretty excited to find this copycat recipe online and had been meaning to try it for a while. It turned out pretty good, so I thought I'd share with other soup fans out there:

Ingredients:

Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon of Oil
1 pound of ground beef
1 cup of onion, finely chopped
1 cup of carrots, slivered (I bought a bag of shredded carrots)
2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with juice
1 15.5 oz. can of Red Kidney Bean
1 15.5 oz. can of White Kidney Bean
32 oz. of Beef Broth
1 1/2 teaspoon of Oregano
1 teaspoon of Parsley, freshly chopped
1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce
26 oz of Spaghetti Sauce
1 or 2 cups of salad pasta (small tube pasta)

You'll need a big pot.

Directions:

Saute onions in oil until they start becoming translucent in color. Add beef to pot and salt and pepper to taste. Add carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot. Add beef broth, oregano, Tabasco sauce, spaghetti sauce and parsley. Simmer in low/med heat for about 30 minutes. Add noodles and simmer for another 15 minutes or until noodles are tender. It makes about 5-6 qts. of soup.

Serve with Garlic Bread and sprinkle some parmesan on top!

The recipe asks for fresh parsley which I used, but since it asks for only a teaspoon of it, I'll use dried parsley instead next time. Also, next time I'll add some fresh minced garlic - I think garlic would go great with that recipe.

Enjoy!

Um... You're Coughing On My Kid...

Happy New Year Everyone {Only 29 days late}

So much has happened this year already! We've moved {again} to a bigger place, got a new president and Ian's got his first flu of the year: compliments of the coughing lady in church last Sunday.

I get that we all go to church, among other things, for the spiritual enrichment that can come from a sacrament meeting but, common sense tells me I'm excused from attending my meetings anytime I'm sick with a nasty, highly contagious flu in the dead of winter.

Oh the humanity!

This sister in church was visibly sick: coughing up a storm, sneezing and blowing into her sleeve. Right next to us. Annoying. Even more annoying was realizing she was still there for the third hour, spreading germs in relief society - all I could hear was her coughing.

There was a little sign on our old Lehi ward Nursery's door. It read:

Mary had a little lamb, she also had the flu.
And when she left our Nursery, the others had it, too.
So anytime your kid is sick, please keep her home with you.
So the other children in our Nursery can be happy and healthier, too.

Pathetic that we actually had remind parents NOT to bring their sick children into Nursery. It should be a no-brainer.

Poor Mr. E has been completely miserable since waking up with a fever a few days ago. He's been coughing, sneezing and had to miss preschool this week.

Sorry if I sound a little crass, and while I can't be 100% sure he actually got it from "sleevy", I'll never understand what possesses someone to come to church, or any other public place, while being that sick. Especially church where there are lots of babies, little children, elderly and other people with weak immune systems who can be seriously affected by it.

The Best Things in Life Are Not Things

We were eating at a sandwich shop (jimmy john's) the other day and noticed this story on the wall. I thought it was interesting - one of those stories that puts things in perspective. Here's the story:

A wealthy investment Banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The Banker complimented the Fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Fisherman replied, ‘only a little while.’

The Banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The Banker then asked, ‘but what do you do with the rest of your time?’

The Fisherman said, ‘I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.’

The wealthy banker scoffed, ‘I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.’

The Fisherman asked, ‘But, how long will this all take?’

To which the Banker replied, ‘15 - 20 years.’

‘But what then?’ Asked the Fisherman.

The Banker laughed and said, ‘That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions - then what?”

The Banker said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails

He's healthy and developing fine.

When we had Ian's ultrasound he wouldn't stop moving around. This little boy was all calm and comfy in there playing with his fingers. They're 95% sure it's a BOY! Due date was pushed back to May 1st. No name yet - it's is going to be tricky - the only name we could ever agree on was "Ian" and that's already taken. We're very excited to have another boy in our family.

John, we should send you a prize for guessing it right :)

Snowed In

winter wonderland

Blizzard

Mr. E loves the snow

Wow, we've got several inches of snow and counting. Duster's working from home today. A few of our neighbors tried to drive to work and got stuck in the muck.

Today was also the day for our much-awaited baby gender finding (and other things) ultrasound - but because of the weather, it was rescheduled to Monday. Someone from the clinic called to tell me that the ultrasound tech was stuck in a ditch and couldn't keep the appointment.

Duster took a break and we went for a walk outside so Mr. E could play in the snow a bit :)

Sniffles and a Little Snow

Yesterday we went outside and played on a thin layer of snow on the grass. But only for a while. Temperature had dropped to a record low and somehow our heavy winter coats, boots and hat, weren't enough to keep us warm. So we hopped on our car and headed to the mall where they have a large inside play area for children. Mr. E didn't seem like himself, he was whiny and only after an hour of playing, threw a fit over some lolipops he saw other children had. That meant time to come home. He kept sneezing and rubbing his eyes on our way back.

This morning he woke up with watering, itchy, red eyes, a runny nose and still sneezing. I called his preschool to let them know he wouldn't be coming today. I gave him some Tylenol in case he had a sore throat, too, and he told me after a while that he still had "water in my eyes" ... he thought the tylenol would make his eyes stop watering :) Unfortunately, there's not much I can give to comfort him further since he's not coughing. According the his pediatrician website, antihistamines such as found in benadryl that would stop watering eyes, runny nose, etc, wouldn't help unless those symptoms were from a nasal allergy (not a cold), which is not the case. I didn't know that.

He's been watching cartoons all day wrapped in a blanket on the couch. For lunch we finished off a box of chips ahoys, the reduced fat kind (that means we can eat twice as much cookies right?) and called it good.

Mr. E's favorite toy is now his new snow boots. He's smitten by them and has been wearing them at home. Last night he went to bed and put them right next to him asking if it was okay that they stay there :) He loves just looking at them and jumping with them on. He insists in calling them his "mud boots" for some reason.

On a side note: Snow. It shuts down the entire town. As a county/town, we're unprepared when it comes to snow, because, they say it's rare, so why be prepared? I somewhat disagree especially because sometimes it rains after snowing, and the water freezes over roads, sidewalks, etc. Last winter I counted and it snowed exactly 10 times here, each time with the snow melting soon after. That's often to me. Church is usually canceled and at Duster's office, people will work from home if it's snowing that day because they're afraid - with reason - to drive on Washington's untreated, unplowed, icy roads. Can you imagine canceling sacrament meetings in Utah every time it snowed a little bit? So far this winter, it has snowed once and it might snow again tonight. I don't know, maybe Dustin will be working from home tomorrow :)

Catching Up

Me and Luciana at my brother's wedding

Me and Duster

Christmas Ligths at Temple Square

Mr. E Watching "Bolt" in 3D

Lunch at Grille from Ipanema with Lizzie

After Watching Twilight with Mylene and Juliana

My Little Niece Ms. E

Thanksgiving at My Parents

Mr. E Bowling

We're back home now, it's been a week actually. Our trip to Utah was very productive. It was unusually warm for end of November/December and we were bummed out that we didn't get any snow while there. As always, there wasn't enough time to see everyone or do everything on our to-do list. There was so much more I wanted to do.

My older brother got married and we were happy to be in attendance. The bride was ravishing in a beautiful, long-sleeved white gown. The groom, it seemed, was very careful to not outshine his blushing bride on their special day - his hair went without a trim, and he wore a tux along with a tall hat and a walking cane ... don't ask.

They got married in the Salt Lake Temple in the morning and we barely made it in time - Duster's phone died in the middle of the night, so it didn't go off. His dad had to come downstairs and wake us up {thank you}. In our hurry to get there, I ended up forgetting my camera, so there's no pictures for this post save for a couple that a friend took. Their reception was beautifully done at a country club in Saratoga Springs and the food was just scrumptious. They had a DJ, and all the little kids were dancing, Mr. E and his little cousins included. It was really cute!

We also spent a great deal of time trying to rent out our house there. It was probably the worst possible time to do that - Not very many people interested in moving over the holidays - but our prayers were answered, and we found a great little family to rent it to {huge relief}.

Other than that, we visited with family and friends, made several trips to our favorite restaurants for lunch/dinner and just enjoyed our time there.

Thank you all for the great times, laughter and yummy food - We had a lot of fun :)

On our way to the airport, we stopped at the Temple Square to see the Christmas lights.

I Know This is Last Minute, But ...

To Our Girly ...

Thursday, the 26th. We're planning on watching Twilight after the Thanksgiving festivities sometime.


Don't be ...


Everyone is invited ... so if you wanna join us, call, e-mail, orkut, facebook me or leave a comment and I'll contact you with the details.

A Letter From a Los Angeles Temple Ordinace Worker ...

I thought I'd share this forwarded e-mail letter that my husband sent me the other day ...

"My dear family, brothers and sisters, friends and leaders:

My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His tender mercies and mighty miracles in our behalf. I just have to share this with you.

As most of you know, I am a Temple ordinance worker and work the morning shift in the LA Temple every Saturday. Today, I had the privilege of translating sister Martz - the new assistant Matron's-message during our devotional.

She started like this "The prophet Joseph Smith said that no unhallowed hand would be able to stop this Work from progressing. These past few weeks when mobs have combined and armies have gathered against the saints, the Lord has protected His house". She went on to say that those, like her, who were inside the Temple when mobs were surrounding it, did not realize how scary and terrifying this looked on TV to the rest of us, because inside the House of the Lord all was calm and there was peace abundant.

After Proposition 8 passed, the Temple began receiving threatening calls and mail from those opposing it. They were warned that more than 5000 people would come to the Temple and burn it to the ground, and stop Its work. The first Thursday when the mob came, the new LA Temple President called the Salt Lake City Temple Offices for instructions. He was instructed to call the local police and to insure the safety of those attending the Temple by closing the gates. The assistant Matron said today, that it was a tender mercy from the Lord that the mob chose that Thursday to come since they had only one person coming to receive his own endowment that day, which he received in time to leave before trouble started. The LAPD and the FBI responded quickly to the Temple Presidency's summons and patrolled the grounds and kept the mob from entering the same. Most of them had never been there before and expressed their surprise at how beautiful and peaceful all around was. They were invited to come back during the Christmas season to see the lights and they promised they would.

On Thursday, November 13th, sister Campbell, a secretary in the Temple, was opening the mail and upon opening a large manila envelope found inside a smaller one. When she opened this one, a white powder flew all around her desk. She thought this could be related to the demonstrators and feared the worst - ANTHRAX. She contacted the President, who in turn called the Salt Lake City Temple office again for instructions. The FBI, the LAPD, and even the SWAT teams were once again in the grounds to investigate, and the Temple once again had to close from around 11:30 AM to 5PM. They closed the gates and were instructed to keep all the people there wherever they were found at the time. Those in the parking lot had to remain in the parking lot. Those entering the Temple had to remain in the first floor and those already upstairs were taken to the Celestial Room. Then, the miracles began to happen: A brother serving as a recorder that day is a Microbiologist by profession and used to deal with hazardous substances every day. He was the first to say the white powder in the envelope was only talc, and put every one at ease. Then the sister coordinator upstairs was impressed to call upstairs to the sealing area, and said "They said we can't go down but no one said we can't go up, and I have many people in the Celestial room with their ceremonial clothes on ready to work. Could they do some sealings?" As it happened, there were four sealers present that day and they ran four sealing sessions non stop while the Temple was closed. Downstairs, someone else thought to invite those in the Lobby to do some initiatories, which they promptly did for all those hours too, brothers and sisters alike. Among those waiting in the parking lot there was a large group of young men and women with their leaders who had come to do Baptisms for the dead, and who waited patiently all those hours and decided when the Temple was reopened to go ahead and fulfill their assignment instead of driving back home.

The Temple reopened in time for the 5:30 PM session. The next day when recording the ordinances, they discovered that they had performed 2000 sacred ordinances on Thursday, only one less than the day before when three stakes had been visiting the Temple. Once again the assistant matron reminded us of the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, "No unhallowed hand can stop the Work from progressing...". But, this is not all, a prophecy was fulfilled also. When the new LA Temple President was set apart by President Uchdorft of the First Presidency, he received a blessing and these words were pronounced: " The time has come for the LA Temple to come out of obscurity and become an Ensign for Righteousness to the world under your presidency." The pictures of the Temple have been shown on TV, newspapers and the internet, not only in this country but worldwide. People of other faiths have called and sent letters to the Temple thanking the Church for defending marriage and protecting the family, and commenting how impressed they are by how beautiful and majestic the Temple looks. One minister of an African American church, who by his own admission had harbored ill feelings against the Mormons before said "I am impressed by your integrity and Christ like behavior, and even if I am not ready to consider you my brothers and sisters in Christ, we can be first cousins!".

I asked the assistant matron if I could share her comments and she said to go ahead. I can only add my own testimony that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the power and authority of God on earth. God Lives and Jesus, His only Begotten Son and our Savior is coming soon to redeem His people. I am grateful to know this and I pray we stand firm, steadfast and immobile while the prophecies of the signs before His Coming are fulfilled. "Be not afraid, only believe" He has said, and also " What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." I testify that this is true and testify it in Holy Name of Whom I strive to serve, even Jesus Christ. Be faithful and safe is my humble prayer.

Your sister in Christ,

Patricia H. A."

In Utah and Loving it!

Top Ten Reason Why We Love Utah

{in no particular order, because nobody should have to choose between these ...}

1. Temple Square During Christmas Time
2. Thunder & Lightning Storms
3. Warm Summer Nights, Fall Colors, and Winter's First Snow
4. Cafe Rio and Grill From Ipanema
5. Seven Peaks
6. People. Our Wonderful Family and Friends
7. Bear Lake
8. Utah's Beautiful Moutains and Hiking
9. Dog Sledding
10. Stucco Houses

WE miss you, Duster! Soon you'll be here having fun with us, too, CAN'T wait!

What are some of your favorite things about Utah?

This Movie ...

... Is probably already sold out by now for tomorrow. I'm hoping to watch it sometime during our upcoming stay in Utah - yay! - preferably on the huge screen at IMAX - That would be awesome! I'm just excited to be watching a movie at a theater that wasn't made by Disney. But I'm heading there with low expectations just in case they've managed to ruin this movie somehow. Especially since I loved, LOVED the book. Isn't it true that the lower the expectations, the better you enjoy a movie? Maybe that's just me.

And how about Robert Pattinson as Edward? What do you think? I've heard people say they could have done better for Bella, but I don't know ... something about him ... I say he's perrrfect! Of course, I haven't seen the movie yet, but still ... I wonder if that has anything to do with him being in some (?) of the Harry Potter movies. I wonder if he was a nerdy kid in it and now people are having a hard time seeing him as a the hot heartthrob he's supposed to be in Twilight?? No idea, I have only seen the first Harry Potter movie ... so you tell me ...

Anyone else excited? When are you planning on watching it?