My little Piece of Heaven

Way to Go Abby!!!

2011-11-19T11:05:00.006-07:00

Here she is, in all her Glory!

Yea! Abby potty trained this week! We actually started back in July. I was not planning on it, but one morning she woke up and said, "I want to poop on the potty." I was like, yea right! But she insisted and so I sat her down and... she pooped! I was shocked! So I decided maybe she was ready. The following week was miserable! She pooped almost every time on the potty, but refused to pee. It was accident after accident and the few times I held her down and forced her to pee on the potty she cried and screamed. I decided it was not worth it. Also, I knew we had a move, a trip, and a baby on the way. So I decided to wait. About a month after the baby was born I decided it was time. I wasn't even sure if she was ready, but I put her in princess underwear and told her she was a big girl now and she was not to use diapers anymore. She thought about it and said, "o.k." And sure enough, after 3 days she was totally and completely trained! We also told her that if she potty trained we would take her to Disneyland for her birthday. (We already had the trip planned) So after she was trained we took this video....

Way to got Abby!! We are so proud of you! You did it!

Halloween

2011-10-31T17:30:00.015-06:00

Halloween this year was a lot fun! I wasn't able to participate too much because Isabel was only 2 weeks old. But Isaac and the kids had a blast. They were Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and "Captain Hook." Unfortunately I was able to turn it into a real Captain Hook costume because it was just too hard after having a baby, so he was just in a Pirate costume with a hook, but to the kids he was Captain Hook and they thought it was great! Isaac even tried to talk in a Captain Hook voice and had a sword fight with Benji and they played lots of pretend and the kids just loved it and thought they had the greatest dad in the world!

So Friday night Isaac took them to the Halloween Party at the Legacy Center, which is always a blast, then on Saturday our ward had a Halloween Activity. It started with a trunk or treat and then everyone went inside for soup. Each family in the ward brought a soup to share, so it was a fun, yummy dinner (so I heard) and after that they had a dance! Which was especially fun because it was a costume dance! Most ward members were dress up! I took a seperate car and left sleeping Isabel in the car, and stayed just for the trunk-or-treat. It was fun for me to get out for a couple of hours and take some pics.

Trunk-or-Treat

Cute Costumes

Cute Spencer was Mickey!

Here's my handsome Peter Pan getting his loot!

Best buddies!

BFF's
Samantha, Abby, & Sophia (Minnie, Tinkerbell, & Little Red Riding Hood)

Los Godoy (We love this elderly couple!)

Hey Look! Two Peter Pan's!

More good friends (the Giraldi's) Dillon & Amanda were the Hulk and Rapunzel

Here they are Halloween night! Monday night was the big night! The weather was perfect! Isaac took the kids out in the neighborhood and I stayed with the baby passing out candy.

Here they are trick-or-treating their first house (our house)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Welcome Home Isabel

2011-10-17T17:32:00.024-06:00

2 Days later, on Sunday, we were home! When Isaac and I pulled up and unloaded our little Baby Isabel, Abby started jumping up & down saying, "You brought me my baby?!!!" She was sooo excited to see that we got to bring this cute baby home and she didn't have to stay at the hospital. It was funny!

In her carseat

with me

Our 3 beautiful kids!

A few days later she fell asleep like this... "Touchdown!"

Isaac is just in love with his baby girl

Aunt Missy & Robert came to visit

So did Grandpa Mike & Magdalena

Taking a few pics at 2 weeks old

In her Halloween onsie. "I love my Mummy"

First bath

Taking a few pics at 2 months

Here's the one that went on the Baby Announcement

Isabel is Here!

2011-10-14T16:40:00.042-06:00

Isabel Naomi Granados was born on Oct. 14 at 10:12 pm. She was 7 lbs 9 oz and 18 and a half inches long! So here is the birth story...

So the night before I went to bed really believing that I would go into labor that night. When I woke up the next morning and was not in labor I was disappointed. But as soon as I got out of bed and started moving around I started having mild contractions. I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not, so I started timing them. They were every 10 minutes and bearable. So I kept going about my morning and after about an hour they started getting a little more intense and a little closer together. So I called Isaac and told him to come home. We called my in-laws and they came and picked up Benjamin and Abby. Isaac and I stayed home and continued to labor at home. At around 2 pm my mother and Step-dad arrived and my contractions were still not close enough together to go to the hospital. Around 3:30 my step-dad suggested we get going so we would not get stuck in traffic, and considering all the construction going on on I-15, we thought we should go because if things started getting more intense, I did not want to be stuck in traffic and chance having the baby on the freeway.

So we packed up and arrived at the hospital at around 5:30. The nurse checked me and I was at a 5 in dilation. So she wanted to make sure I was progressing well and told us to walk around the hospital for an hour. So we did. And hour later I was at a 6 1/2 and 90% effaced. I thought, woooo hooo! So they got me all checked in and called my nurse midwife. My nurse midwife (who was amazing!) got there and asked if I wanted my water broke. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that, but by 7:30 we decided to go for it. She was sure that I would have the baby within an hour after breaking my water. But an hour later and I was progressing but not as fast as we were hoping and the baby was still pretty high up. The contractions were definitely getting more intense and it was getting harder and harder to get through them. But the hardest thing is that I had been laboring for over 12 hours and I was exhausted! Because I was so tired I was unable to keep it together during contractions and I felt that I couldn't go on anymore, I started to question whether or not I could have this baby naturally, because I was starting to get desperate. All I wanted was to rest and I just felt like I could not do it anymore. Also my nurse midwife (who normally does not encourage a mom who wants to go natural to get an epidural) felt that perhaps the reason the baby was not descending down was because I was no longer able to stay relaxed through my contractions. She believed that the epidural might help me to relax so that the baby could descend down. Isaac and I talked it over for a minute and decided that I should get the epidural. So we called for the anesthesiologist and the nurse hooked me up to an I.V. and started getting fluids in me. After a few minutes the anesthesiologist arrived and gave me some kind of drug through my I.V. (in preparation for the epidural). Little did I know at the time, that it was just what I needed to get the edge off enough for the baby to drop and get me to a 10. So going back, while the anesthesiologist was getting prepped, the contracts were so intense that I thought to myself, "I don't want to get an epidural, how in the world am I supposed to stay still long enough for him to get that needle in me?" The contractions were so intense and close together, that I was terrified of getting the epidural at this point. So I flipped my legs around to the side of the bed, while holding onto Isaac, to get into position and I begged the anesthesiologist to wait because I immediately got hit with the worst 2 contractions yet (turns out I was in the ring of fire). Then it happened, the baby dropped and I felt the urge to push! I immediately said, "She's there, she's there!" My midwife said, "How do you know?" I yelled, "She's in my butt!!!!!" So she said, "Let me check" I laid down, she checked and said, "You're there!, do you still want the epidural or do you want to start pushing?" I thought, "epidural, are you kidding me?" I said, "Lets push!" After a 10 minutes and a few pushes she was out! I was so happy and in shock that I did it again! Especially after I was so close to getting an epidural that I did not want. It was a miracle! She dropped at the exact moment I needed her to in order to save me. The anesthesiologist was literally standing behind me with the needle in hand ready to stick me. Now that I look back on the labor, I realize that whatever drug I got in my I.V. was just enough to get me through that last part of labor and next time, that is exactly what I am going to do and I hopefully will not need to even call the anesthesiologist. :) So anyway, that is my labor story and here are some pictures of newborn Isabel....

Isaac cutting the cord

7 lbs 9 oz

My beautiful, alert little girl!

Of course my mom was there, she feels like she doesn't do much, but her support and encouragement help me soooo much! Thank you Grandma!

Proud Papa! My nurse midwife was so impressed with Isaac and said he could seriously become a dula! He was a rock star! I could never do this without him.

And he is in love with his baby girl.

Grandpa, after waiting in the Lobby all day, finally got to come in after we were all cleaned up.

My Angel of a Nurse Midwife! Seriously this woman is amazing and stayed with me the whole time! It was like having a dula and midwife in one! My mom said that she acted exactly how my Grandma used to deliver babies and My mom and I both felt the presence of my Abuelita in the room after having my baby. I think she was there the whole time, but things were to crazy intense to stop and feel her. But afterward when we started talking about her, we felt that she was there. And I think this wonderful amazing midwife had something to do with that.

The next morning my in-laws brought the kids to meet her. Abby was so excited!

And couldn't get enough of her

Benjamin was also super in love with her

And here she is with Nena

And Tia Rosi

Tia Ivonne & Tio Ruben with their kids also came to visit

And as you can see, she is just perfect!

And here are the beautiful flowers Isaac brought me while I was still in the Hospital

Halloween Field Trip

2011-10-13T16:39:00.024-06:00

Hee Haw Farms!

This year instead of a Halloween Party at our little Pre-school, we decided to do a field trip instead. Because we went as a Pre-school, we got a pretty good discount. It was a ton of fun and since it was for Halloween, we let the kids dress up in their costumes. Honestly, when I saw this place from the street, I wasn't too impressed. But once inside I realized it had a ton of stuff to do and was really, really fun!

First we ate our sack lunches

Instead of a sand box, they had this super cool corn box! Yep, the kids played in the corn kernels!

Corn stalk tepee

Tinkerbell & Minnie Mouse!

A Hay Ride!

On the Hay Ride

A Corn Maze! We got quite lost and I actually started having contractions after walking around for so long!

In the corn Maze

Best Friends!

Finding our way out

Found it!

The kids even got to take home a Pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch!

Riding a toy tractor

they also had these fun tire swings that were cut to look like horses and you sit on them like you would a horse.

They also had a few farm animals for the kids to see including these one day old baby piglets!

And finally they have this giant slide that Benjamin could not get enough of!

Happy Birthday Hazen

2011-09-26T12:26:00.011-06:00

Hazen (Peter's little boy, my nephew) turned 1!!

The party was about 3 weeks before I had my baby, but we just had to go because we just love this little boy so much! It was a fun party and the kids had a blast. Whitney did a great job putting it together. But I feel horrible that I forget to get a picture of Whitney! We just love her, but oh well. Hazen is such a cutie and looks just like Pete did at that age. We just love to see them when we go up to Logan.

Cousin Lindy was there too!

Hazen did great tearing into his cake!

with his Daddy and Grandma!

With his Elmo Pinata! It's bigger than he is!

Breaking the Pinata

Getting Candy

Me, Pete & Allan with our kids

The Four Cousins!

The Happiest Place on Earth!

2011-09-23T21:06:00.087-06:00

Disneyland!!

Our First time as a Family at Disneyland!

Caution: This is a super long Post!

So as most of you know, thanks to Isaac's work, we had the opportunity to go to Disneyland for super cheap! And Although we had two little ones, and I was super pregnant, we still had a Blast and made so many wonderful memories!

Day 1
We arrived at our Hotel at about 2:30 in the afternoon and after getting settled in our Hotel room and making our way to the gate, we walked in at about 4:00 pm. Just in time for the 4:00 Soundsational Parade! What a great way to start our Disney adventure! The kids were mesmerized and got such a kick out of seeing the different characters on the floats. And I (remember I am pregnant) started bawling. Yes, I cried. I was just overwhelmed with this beautiful feeling of joy of seeing my kids experience Disneyland for the first time. I remember going at a 4 year old and how exciting it was. It is one of my fondest childhood memories and to be here with my kids was just so beautiful that, yes, I cried! So as far as pictures... how lame am I? I forgot to buy back up batteries for my camera and my re-chargable ones were dead! So I have no pictures of the first day. But it was fun and crowded (being a Saturday) but we were able to do a few rides and got to see the Fireworks show and Fantasmic. And that was our whole purpose of going on Saturday. So we were happy!

Day2
We decided not to go into the Park. We just didn't feel right about it and wanted to teach our kids a lesson on keeping the Sabbath day Holy. So we found a chapel and went to church instead. After church we hung out in the Hotel room and tried to keep the kids from getting cabin fever. Around 2 pm, Isaac (who was in meetings all day) called us to tell us that Goofy was in the Lobby. So Nena and I rushed the kids downstairs and we met and took pics with Goofy. The kids were super excited!

I made my mother-in-law (Nena) take one with Goofy as well! I am sooooo grateful that she came with us! I don't think I would have survived alone with the kids. She saved me!

After Isaac got out of his meetings we decided to meet up with my Aunt & Uncle and take the kids to the beach. Not to swim, but just to look and stick our feet in. The kids had never seen the Ocean before, so we thought it would be neat for them. They also had a little boat jungle gym (above) that the kids got to play on and get some of their wiggles out.

Beautiful Beach!

Sticking our feet in. Abby did it first, but decided this time she didn't want to.

With Aunt Beth and Uncle Ralph. It's always super fun to see them!

Day 3
Finally! This was the first day at Disneyland with my camera! But actually our Second day in the Park. My sister-in-law Rosi got back from her cruise the day before and decided to join us on Monday. She also invited 3 of my nieces who live in CA. They are my other sister-in-law's (Maribel) daughters.

Left to Right: Nena, Me, Natalie, Erica, Rosi, Mirium
Benji & Abby
I love the sign behind us! It says it so well "Let the Memories Begin!"

My little Mickey & Minnie

So Cute!

Dumbo Ride

Abby wanted the Pink one

Abby so cute on the Carousel & showing off her sparkly red shoes

Benjamin & Nena on the Carousel

Photo opt with Mickey!

Driving Mickey's Car

With Minnie

Sitting at Minnie's Kitchen Table

Daddy gets to join us at 4:30, here he is with the kids on the Spaceship Ride

End of the Day, we tried to get it in front of the Castle but it was too dark

Day 4
We got to go in the Park early for Magic Morning! We decided to dress the kids in their Halloween costumes! Yep, Peter Pan & Tinkerbell! They looked sooo cute and got sooo many comments and compliments left and right all day long! People got such a kick out of them.

In front of Small World (Benjamin doing his silly poses)

On the Dumbo Train (Casey Jr Train)

Abby looking so cute on the Carousel and looking out the window of the Nemo Submarine Ride

With Rapunzel and Eugine (Flynn Rider)! This was so fun! They make it so special and intimate and really spend time talking to your children, totally in character!

Some Candid shots. There is a funny story... When we walked in Rapunzel had her arms outsrtreched to Abby (because most little girls run to her first), but Abby blew right past her and gave a huge hug to Flynn! They were both really surprised! It was funny, unfortunately I didn't start taking pictures until after that happened.

All of us, they looked so Great!

Peter Pan & Tink on the Peter Pan Ride!

Of course, this day we had to go see Tinkerbell as well! She got a kick out of the kids as well!

We also got to meet a fairy friend named Vidia

And of course we are in front of Tinkerbell's house

On the Jungle Cruise Ride

Up in Tarzan's Tree House (I can't believe I actually made it up all those stairs!)

We rode the Monorail almost everyday (Which Benji loved!) but this time we got to ride in the very front!

This night was one of the 3 nights we saw the Parade! We saw it our first day, this day and on our last day, these Parade pictures are a combination of the last 2 times we saw it. It was called Mickeys Soundsational Parade and was AMAZING! Especially the music!

There were dancers in front of each float
Like, Princess dancers in front of the Pincess float and Martigra Dancers in front of the Princess & the Frog Float

Water/Fish Dancers in front of the Little Mermaid Float

Jungle Dancers in front of the Lion King Float
And much more, but my camera is not the greatest and these were the only decent pics that came out.

We also got Peter Pan's attention. Benjamin loved that!

Mary Poppins!

After the Parade, we were kind of Standing around and Mickey came out! We were the first ones to say hi to him!

Family Pic with Mickey

After the Parade we headed back to the Hotel and decided to stop and get dessert. While we were waiting for Isaac to buy it, Benjamin was out cold in a stroller, while Abby had a second wind! She should have been out as well, but there was music playing in Downtown Disney and she just had to DANCE! It was so cute/funny that I took a short video of her. It is at the very bottom of the post.

But once her head hit the pillow she was out!
So cute, with Minnie

Benji with Mickey

Day 5
There was no Magic Morning this day but we got to do something else really fun! We got to go into California Adventure a half hour early (Hotel Guests only) and get first dibs on World of Color Fast Passes and ride the new Little Mermaid Ride before the park opened! So we decided to do all of California Adventure this day (since we hadn't really gone in yet).

Abby Loved this Ride!

Benjamin got the see all of his favorite Toy Story Characters!

Abby got to hug Jessie!

With Woody

King Triton's Carousel! Abby loves anything under the sea!

With Buzz!

Toys in a Toy Box!

Marching with the Toy Soldiers

Mater and Lightning Macqueen

We also got to see Bugs land and do the rides from Bugs Life

And we saw Turtle Talk with Crush! He even picked Benjamin to Talk to!

We were able to finish California Adventure by 3:00 and then headed back to Disneyland and road the big Riverboat!

Then we went to meet some Princesses! We saw four this day, I love how Bell and Tiana's dresses look!

Daddy joined us and we did some of the Fantasy land rides again like Alice in Wonderland

And the Tea cups!

After this we headed back to California Adventure for Dinner and to see World of Color! I took pictures, but they just did not do it justice so click on the link and click on the play button to see how awesome it is!

Day 6
This was our last day at Disneyland. This was also a Magic Morning, and because we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, we got to go in early again! By this point we had seen and done almost everything! So we decided to do a few things we still had not done and repeat some of the kids favorites! Like Thunder Mountain (Benji) and Little Mermaid (Abby) and Toy Story Mania, and many more.

The Storybook boat ride

Mickey's Toon town!

Abby got pictures with four of her favorite Princesses, but the first time we did not see Cinderella and Abby was pretty disappointed (Since she is her favorite). So we went back today for a second try. We had to repeat Belle and Ariel but....

We found Cinderella!

We also saw Mickey's Dance Crew!

Mickey Mouse Club house live on Stage show! This was so neat! Love the Puppets! The kids got a kick out of it!

And of course we had to get pictures in front of the Castle! And one with just Nena because it was her first time at Disneyland!

This was a common sight with these two. So cute!

I love Abby's smile on this one!

The last day we were there was the day before they opened up the park for all their Halloween stuff, so all the Halloween decorations were up and we got a pic in front of the big Mickey Pumpkin!

Goodbye Disneyland! Thank you for the unforgettable Memories!

Crazy busy

2011-09-19T21:52:00.003-06:00

Like the title of this post says, it's been Crazy Busy! In the last couple of weeks were finally able to close on a Short Sale home that we first put an offer on back in March! It went under contract a few times before our offer was finally accepted in June. It took way longer to close than we were told and at the very end of August we closed on the house, found Renters to rent our house, moved out, cleaned the house from Top to Bottom (for the renters), loaded the moving truck, had to keep it loaded and extra day, spent the night at my in-laws, finally was able to move in, unpacked a few things, then went Van shopping, bought a van, dropped everything and took a week long trip to Disneyland, came back have been super busy doing everything BUT unpacking. And next Saturday we are going to Logan for my nephews Birthday party and I have no idea when I will get my house unpacked and in order. But oh well. So yes, that has been our crazy lives lately. I would love to post a picture of the new house, but since this is a public blog I will not. But it is beautiful and a lot nicer than our first home. It is an IVORY home, 1,000 sq ft bigger, has a fully finished, and a fully landscaped and fenced yard. We love it! The van is a Honda Odyssey, fully loaded, drives like a dream and I am one happy Mama! I never thought I would be this happy driving a mini van, but I LOVE this van! Here are a few pics of it!

August pre-school outings

2011-08-30T22:33:00.030-06:00

This month there were actually 5 Tuesdays, but we missed the first activity. The second one, we mommies decided to throw a baby shower for one of the moms in our group. So while we were having the shower, the kids hung out in the other room and had, lunch, a movie and popcorn. They got to bring blankets and pillows and sprawl out. They had fun!

Watching the movie

Having lunch

The next week we went to Sweets Candy Factory in Salt Lake City for a tour! This was soo neat! We were not allowed to take pictures inside the factory, but we got a couple of shots in their candy shop that is in the Lobby! It was so interesting to see how they make all their different types of candy. The kids really liked seeing all the machines and how they work and we even got to taste some of the candy fresh off the line!

Kids in a Candy Store!

The next week we took Trax to the Children's exhibit at the Church History museum. Only three of us moms went this week and we met them there, so we rode the Trax by ourselves, but the kids still LOVED riding the train!

They totally did this by themselves walking to the museum. So cute!

A picture after lunch

Dancing at the exhibit (Check out the video below!)

Building an ancient Temple and then destroying it.

Abby was in the kitchen of course!

Maraly, Yadira, and I

We did get to ride home with Samantha

And Aaron! Great Day!

The next week we took advantage of $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point and went to the Dinosaur Museum! My kids look forward to this every Year!

Watching the archeologist clean off the Dinosaur Bone

Putting together Dinosaur bones!

We did it!

Playing in the Sand

The kids wanted a picture on this statue, but didn't do very good at posing

In front of the Shark!

Digging for Dinosaur Bones

And the last week we took advantage of $2 Tuesdays again and went to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point! Abby especially loved all the Baby Animals!!!

Sammy, Abby, & Yadira on the Wagon Ride

The Boys sat with me on the other side

Pony Ride!

Abby loves horses!

Feeding the goats! Fun Day!

soccer mom

2011-08-27T22:32:00.007-06:00

It's official! I am a Soccer Mom! And loving it! Benjamin was able to join the county soccer league this year and he loves it. We were able to get him an his 3 buddies all on the same team! His first game, which was at the end of this month, he scored all 7 of his teams goals and won the game! Isaac and I were beaming! We new he would do well, but didn't think he would do that well! I don't expect him to score that many every game, but I think playing soccer with his older cousins all summer really paid off! And the best part is, he is having a ton of fun! He really likes soccer!

Wave to the camera!

Dribbling the ball to the goal!

He was pretty proud of himself!

With best buddy Aaron and two Abby's!

Isaac was one proud Papa!

Below are two short clips of Benjamin scoring a couple of goals

Minie Mouse Skirt

2011-08-21T17:22:00.004-06:00

Well, I did it! I went to the fabric store and got what I needed along with a super simple pattern. But as simple as the pattern was, I still needed my mom to explain it to me. But once I understood, then yes it was pretty easy. But it still took me all day! But I am pretty proud of myself! I plan to make a couple more for my nieces. Abby just loved it and didn't want to take it off. I can't wait to see how cute she will look in it at Disneyland!

It looks big at this angle but actually fits her well.

The Zoo!

2011-08-19T17:21:00.016-06:00

Yes, again! What can I say, we love the Zoo and it was free! My Step-mom's work party this year was at the Zoo. And although we were able to go in early, the Zoo actually stayed open way late just for this occasion! And can I just say, wow, several of the animals really come alive after hours! It was a ton of fun. My step-mom even let me invite my mom! That was super nice of her. These past few years, my parents have been really civil with each other. It's been nice. And I really owe it to my step-mom. She's great.

Anyway, I was really glad my Mom was able to go, because she has never been to the Hoogle Zoo before. This was her first time. Another fun thing was that the Zoo is doing something this year call Zoorasic Park. They have a bunch of almost life size, moving, and sound making Dinosaurs! They have them placed throughout the Zoo. My kids thought they were real and didn't know what to think. And the best part was, that after 4 pm (when the park closed to the public). We got to ride the Zoo train and Carousel as many times as we wanted and they had face painting and free Dinner! It was a super fun day! They kids had been looking forward to it all summer.

Our first Dinosaur sighting. My kids are not smiling because they did not want to get this close in order to take the picture.

This Dinosaur not only roared and moved, but it sprayed water as well! Benjamin was terrified!

We rode the train about 4 times!

Playing at the Zoo Park

While we were waiting in line for face painting, the elephants were really close!

Getting their faces painted

The end product!

Riding the carousel

Daddy almost got eaten by the T-Rex!

The Tigers gave us quite a show! They were play fighting and wrestling and even in the water!

Abby insisted on taking this picture

My mom with the Giraffe's

Riding the Dinosaur!

The Countdown...

2011-08-08T22:27:00.004-06:00

Not for the baby!.... The Countdown to Disneyland!!! Tonight for FHE after a small lesson and songs, we made a paper chain to countdown the days to our trip to Disneyland. I went to Hobby Lobby today and picked up some Mickey Mouse scrap book paper and we made a chain! We told the kids that each day we would take one off and when the chain runs out, then we're off to Disneyland! They are super excited! Also at Hobby Lobby, I picked up material and a pattern to make Abby a Minnie Mouse skirt! I'll let you all know how it turns out!

July Pre-school Outings

2011-07-31T23:20:00.031-06:00

This month we had some great activities. The first on was a backyard pool party on the 5th and after our crazy busy Monday, I was too exhausted to venture out. So we skipped it. But the next 3 we were there and we had a blast!

The Second week the kids had a tour of Maceys! I was not quick with my camera so I missed a lot of great shots, but oh well. First they took a group shot and developed the picture for us and each child got to take one home. Then they took us to the Deli and gave all the kids ice-cream. Then we went to the Bakery where the kids got to see how they decorate cakes and they gave us cookies too! Then it was off to the Butcher to see how they cut and package meat. They also got to walk into the HUGE refrigerator and Freezer. My kids were too scared to go into the freezer. Then it was upstairs to the employee Break room where they got to look out the cool Mirror windows! Then it ended with Balloons and goody bags! You would never think that a tour of a Grocery Store would be fun, but it really was! The kids loved seeing how it all worked!

The Group shot

Walking through the Store

Goody Bags

The third week we did something that we did last year. The Gateway Children's Discovery Museum! This was soo fun last year and soooo cheap, that we had to do it again!

Abby enjoyed the Horse again this year!

Abby participated in a painting class! (I couldn't pull Benji away from all the fun however)

Benjamin spent most of his time in the same places as last year!
The Grocery Store

And the Ball Contraption

He did however also enjoy "pumping" gas (He has been fascinated lately with how we put gas in the car, at the gas station)

They also spent some time at the construction site

Upstairs they had a few fun things as well, like this huge music thing! Check out the Video at the bottom for how it works and my kids awesome dance skills ;)

And of course the Helicopter!

Abby also loved the little Grocery Store!

Getting a Sandwich at the Deli

After the Grocery Store she was off to the little house where she was busy in the kitchen

Doing a little ironing

And finally sitting down for lunch!

When it was time to leave I couldn't find her and I found her hiding out in the Birdhouse playing "Mommy" there as well.

Some of us Mommies that were there

The last week we went Bowling! My kids LOVE Bowling! We got a great group rate! It was super fun!

Benjamin and Abby decided that this was a much better view of the pins! See the Video of how the would throw the ball and then run down and give it a little push at the end!

I just love our pre-school activities!

A child's Prayer

2011-07-15T23:27:00.002-06:00

So, here's an experience I wanted to share. Mainly I wanted to document it for my family. (Since as most of you know I do a Blog Book every year) So anyway, about a year ago Isaac did some serious fasting and Prayer that the Lord would help him to specialize in something at his work. He was really pushing to make E.S.D. (Electro Static Discharge) his specialty and it started looking like it was going to happen, he went to his first certification training about a year ago in Boston. But then his boss decided to bag it and he missed the following training six months later. So Isaac decided that perhaps it might not happen and went on with his job.

Then in May B98.7 (the Radio Station) was doing their annual Disneyland a Day in May contest and I decided we were going to win! In case you are unfamiliar, they give away a trip to Disneyland to a family of 4 every day in the month of May. So I had the radio on and called in all the time! And every time I called I told the kids to pray to Heavenly Father that we would win tickets to go to Disneyland. And boy did they, they constantly prayed that Mama would win tickets so we could go to Disneyland. (Now, you might say, what if you don't win, then they will think that their prayers would be unanswered, but we already had a trip planned for Feb. so I knew that one way or another their prayers would be answered). Anyway, I called and called and did NOT win. I was so sure I would. It was kind of disappointing.

Now what, might you ask, does E.S.D. have to do with Disneyland? Well a couple of days ago Isaac came home from work and told me that The Director of his Dept. (His Boss's Boss) decided that he wants Isaac to become the company's E.S.D. specialist and that he needs to go to the next training in September! One Prayer answered. Well, the training and Symposium is being held at the Disneyland Hotel in California!!! So we are going with Daddy! Woot, woot! Instead of paying his plane ticket they are giving him the money and allowing him to drive, and they are paying for the hotel! Standard room sleeps 4! So we will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel at the Disneyland Resort!!!! And Disneyland is giving a special discount on Park Hopper tickets to all the people participating in the training and their families $35 a Day!!! So in essence we did win a trip to Disneyland! Our children's prayers were truly answered! Prayer works that's all I can say. Sometimes the Lord does not answer when we expect him or want him to, but he answers.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T23:48:00.021-06:00

4th of July Weekend was soooo busy! It was the last weekend that my sister-in-law Paty and her family was going to be in town, so we jam-packed it with fun! And it was super fun! On Saturday we attended the Freedom Festival in Provo. I liked looking around at all the booths and the kids loved the Reptile show! It was very entertaining. The guy presenting was a bit crazy, but lots of fun!

Before the show started they were passing around a snake and both boys wanted to hold it for a picture.

The Kids watching the show

The presenter putting a scorpion in his mouth! Crazy!

Some sort of small crocodile

Cousin Jairo got picked to "help"

At the end he pulled out this huge snake! (I think it is a Python) When the show was over he took the head of the snake into the tent and let all the kids come up and touch the body!

After this was another photo opt. that Benji wanted in on. Man he is one brave 4 year old!

Later that night we went on found great spots to hang out and wait for the fireworks to start. While waiting we did sparklers!

Abby wasn't so sure about them

Then on Monday July 4th we went to the big Parade in Provo. Unfortunately the cousins went to the wrong spot so it was just us, our kids and Nena and Rosi. But the kids still loved it! And even though we were late to get good seats, the kids decided they wanted to be in front, so they took their chairs, wiggled their way up to the front and sat down! And because they are so dang cute, no one said anything and they had great seats!

Their were some great floats! Like this Little Mermaid boat!

With Ariel and Eric at the front!

Kung Fu Panda Float

One of the huge balloons, Scooby Doo!

Then we hit the Freedom Festival again and did some of the things we didn't get too on Sat. Like jump in the Bounce Houses! We also watched some traditional Latin Dancing while we ate lunch (but I forgot to take pictures)

After that we went back to Spanish Fork and took the kids to the Splash Pad!

This was hard to gather them all for a picture, as you can see Abby was not cooperative.

Then for Dinner we headed to the Sports Park for Soccer and a BBQ! This Day was super packed and super tiring, but it was a great way to spend the last day with the cousins that love so much!

Temple Square

2011-07-01T23:47:00.016-06:00

Today we went to the Church History Museum with the cousins to see the Childrens Exibit. It is all about the Book of Mormon! It is so neat and has so many fun things for the kids to do. And of course it is free. If you go around the exhibit in order it actually has tells all the major events of the Book of Mormon. And Isaac decided to take the kid around in order and talk and ask the kids about each event in the Book of Mormon. It was great! The kids had so much fun.

They also had this part where the kids could dress up and learn some basic Mexican dances. The guy on the screen teaching was actually one of Isaac's old dance buddies!

These two cousins are dancing fools

Here is Isaac and his sister Paty showing us how it is done!

Don't my kids look like they belong to my sister-in-law?

My little Mexican ballerina

fishing off of Nefi's boat

Here they built up a BOM temple and then "destroyed" it just like in 3 Nephi

Checking out the "Gold Plates"

Having Lunch with the Missionaries

Abby and Lindy driving the truck to church

Cousins

All the kids (and Allan) in front of the Cristus

Sweet Lindy

June Pre-school outings

2011-06-30T23:04:00.017-06:00

Well, we are doing it again this year! Once a week pre-school group activities. Some are the same as last year, and some are new! So far they have been a blast! Here's what we did this month

The Bean Museum of Science at BYU. It's great they have 2 stories of stuffed animals and exhibits of all different kinds of animals. And we also got a private reptile show! It was super fun. I of course forgot my camera and so I must say thanks to Melissa and Denisse for letting me steal a few.

Abby touching a chameleon

Benjamin touching a snake and a turtle

This Lizard was really fun and big with a huge tongue!

The Next week we went to Glenn Park in Highland. I didn't even know this place existed! It was super fun. It's in the middle of town but once you are there it feels like you are up in the Mountains. We had a Picnic lunch and the kids got to feed the ducks, ride bikes all the way around the pond and play in the park. Loved this one!

The third week was the week of the Lehi Round up Rodeo Days and so we went to the Library for story time and then across the street they were have free live Bird shows! This kids got a kick out of this!

These were baby falcons that they let run around. This was a little to close for comfort and Benjamin came running over to me, a little freaked out. It was funny.

And the last week we went to the Highland Splash Pad. This was one that we did last year but it was so fun we all wanted to go again. This is always fun, I think we will have to go again before the end of the summer

Some of the Girls

Best Buddies

Lehi Round up Parade

2011-06-25T23:02:00.021-06:00

Once again, another family activity that we did last year as well. But this one is so fun! We had a blast again, and this time Paty's kids even joined us, it was a long day, but full of great memories! Great Parade followed by a Carnival at Wines Park. Here are the highlights...

Our kids checking out the parade

Lindy had fun too!

All the kids, Carl & Paty

One of the attendants on this float is Catalina a girl from our ward

More cool floats

My kids love Birthday's and so this float was a favorite

But they love Trains more, so this WAS their favorite

Abby waiting for candy and Jacob breaking a board

Train Ride at the Carnival after the Parade!

Pony Rides

Face Painting

Close Up (Everyone got a kick out of how Benji's shark opens it's mouth when he does)

Swing Ride

One last Ride

Manti Pageant

2011-06-24T22:50:00.006-06:00

We we to the Manti Pageant. This was a first for me. I've lived in Utah for how long now? Yes, I finally saw it! It was magneficent! I took some pictures before it started, but I was so mesmerized that I forgot to take some during. Wow, if you haven't seen this, go see it next year. We loved it! Another fun thing is that Isaac's sister Paty and he family came to visit for 2 weeks. Although we already had spent a couple of days with them this is the first event where I got pictures. Benjamin and Abby just love where their cousins come to visit!

The kids in front of the Temple

Cousins Jacob, Jairo, Jeffrey, & Diego

Abby and Benji with cousins Emma and Angelita

Isaac and I in front of the Temple

Seven Peaks

2011-06-18T23:01:00.004-06:00

Today, my sweet sister-in-law Whitney planned a Birthday party for Peter and Allan at Seven Peaks! It was super fun! Some of Whitney's siblings came all three of my brothers were there and my Mom and even my Dad came (although he and Magdalena only watched). It was super fun! I was planning on taking more pics but was just too busy chasing kids most of the time. I even forgot to take one of the Birthday boys. Oh well. It was a ton of fun and hopefully I can post more 7 Peaks pics this summer. With our season pass we have been going quite a bit.

Here's Grandma with her two beautiful Granddaughters!

And we tried to get a pic of just the Grandkids and my Dad snuck into the picture. Not Surprising, but oh well, this kids look cute.

Heritage Park

2011-06-11T23:00:00.011-06:00

Last year we had the chance to visit This is the Place Heritage Park for Isaac's work party and it was so much fun! So when we found out there would be a free day we decided to go again! It was really fun but a bit over crowded. If we do it again next year I think we will go closer to closing time because when we left around 2:00 pm it seemed to start calming down. The morning was crazy busy crowded. My dad went last year on the free day and he said that it was not crowded at all, but my guess is that it probably got posted on a bunch of couponing blogs this year. :P Oh well, we still had fun! Here are a few pics.

Abby fed a cow

The little petting zoo was super fun and Abby couldn't help but hug and kiss the sheep

Yee Haw Cowboy!

And Cowgirl

On the "Train" (bus) that goes around the park. (Yes, my dad couldn't find a ball cap when he left his house, so he decided to wear a sombrero)

Enjoying the free ice-cream

On the train again

Me and Benji

Benjamin's 4!

2011-06-06T16:06:00.022-06:00

This year for Benjamin's Birthday part instead of doing it the weekend before or on Memorial Day weekend, we decided to wait and do it the weekend after (first weekend in June). It's a good thing, because the weekend before and Memorial Day weekend it was raining! And this weekend was perfect! We had so much fun. This year the Theme was Toy Story! And I decided to go a lot simpler than last years Train Party. I was super glad for that! The party started with me making balloon animals (yes, I make balloon animals!), then we played games, had lunch, busted the piñata, had cake and ended with Benjamin opening his gifts! It was really fun! Here are the highlights!..

I made the cake the night before. Benjamin loved his Buzz Lightyear spaceship cake!

Toy Story Bowling, bean bag toss and pin the badges on Buzz and Woody. Thanks Uncle Pete and Brigham for helping!

Some of the guest that came were of course Benjamin's friends and some siblings Here is Raquel, Raul, Benji, Dillon, Amanda, and Aaron. (The Jaimes boys came later, as well as Sariana, and Camille; but I forgot to get pics)

Uncle Pete, Aunt Whitney and cousin Hazen were there!

Uncle Ruben, and cousins were there

Nena, Tito, Rosi, Lily and her girls were there

Dad was on the grill!

Abby and Samantha

So cute!

Grandma and Grandpa were there

Here is a better pic of that "Pin the badge on Buzz and Woody" Game and here is cousin Lindy trying to do it.

My mom (coolest Grandma ever!) of course made the Piñata. It was Ham from Toy Story, or as Benjamin likes to call him "Evil Dr. Pork Chop!"

Cake Time!

We had a bit of a challenge with the breeze, but Benjamin did get to blow out a few candles.

Yummy cake!

And of course, Benjamin's photo op. with Woody and Buzz! This was such a fun addition to the Party!

6 year Anniversary

2011-05-29T09:54:00.004-06:00

Here we are on our 6 Year Anniversary at Tucanos right before I Passed out and Threw up. Seriously. O.k. so here is the story, we decided to go here to eat and then do sealings at the Temple. It was a great meal and I think my reaction was a combination of I hadn't been remembering to take my Iron supplements and I over ate. We finished our meal and asked the waitress to take our picture. Then while Isaac was paying the bill I felt it coming... the dizziness, the light headedness and the nauseousness. Had I stood up to leave I would have completely blacked out and hit the floor. But I knew it was coming so I put my feet up, someone came to help, and I half way laid down on Isaac. I told the guy helping that I wanted to throw up so he brought me a big tub and then I did. I felt so bad for the people in the Restaurant. I'm sure they feared it was the food, I explained that it was my pregnancy, pulled myself together and then we left. The food was great and I would definitely go back, but talk about a memorable experience. I laid down in the car for a while and then we started driving home. I started to feel better and really wanted to go to the Temple, so I told Isaac to go to the Temple, so he turned around and headed for the Temple. As we were walking into the Temple Isaac and I ran into a Temple worker that happens to be one of the majorly high up's at his company! And the guy recognized Isaac! It was kinda awesome! Had we been any earlier or later, we would have not run into him. So as crappy as it was after our meal, overall it was a great Anniversary and the best part was when we got to Remember our marriage covenant while we did sealings in the Temple. I love you Isaac! Thank you for being the perfect man for me! I am a lucky woman and I can't wait to spend forever with you!

Pre-school Graduation

2011-05-26T09:55:00.011-06:00

This year we had a more simple, but very fun and very cute Pre-school Graduation. We were so proud of all the kids and moms they did a great job!

It started with a couple of songs from the Mommy and Me class (this one is old McDonald, Abby had the kitty)

some of this years crafts

Benjamin's class presenting a song

Benjamin presenting one of his crafts

Getting ready to do the Graduation March and then the kids "marching"

Abby receiving her certificate

Benjamin receiving his Diploma

With his Diploma

Pre-school field trip

2011-05-24T18:56:00.011-06:00

This month in Benjamin's pre-school the kids learned all about ocean animals. And we decided it would be so fun for them to see the ocean animals in person and was a great way to end our school year. They had a little worksheet to do while they went around and they had soo much fun! It was a blast just like our last trip to the Living Planet Aquarium! (click on link to see previous post pics). Here are a few pics from this trip.

The kids

The Sea turtle this time was so active! Swimming right by over and over. The kids just loved it!

This is a familiar picture but the kids wanted to do it again.

Moms & Kids at the end

Mom & Tot and Itty Bitty

2011-05-23T22:05:00.024-06:00

Yep, Benjamin did another round of Itty Bitty. This time it was Itty Bitty Baseball! Isaac is not a huge fan of this sport, so he wasn't to thrilled about it. But I decided to put Benjamin in because he was showing a huge interest in Baseball. When I told him we were putting him in Baseball, he was thrilled!! It was two weeks long and ended last Friday. Below are a few highlights.

Hitting the ball and running the bases

In the "out field"

The Parachute on the last day

They did it!

The other exciting thing was while he was in one gym doing baseball, I decided to put Abby in a Mom & Tot Gymnastics class. She was so excited to be doing something besides watching from the sidelines. She absolutely loved it! Tonight was her Gymnastics meet, they got to march in and wave to the "fans." They then performed all their tricks and finally received a metal at the end. She loved receiving applause and especially loved that Daddy was in the audience. It was super cute! Check out the pictures below. The first ones are from regular class and the last ones are from the meet. Some are from my camera and some are from my friend Yadira's camera.

Practicing the march in during class

Chasing Hula Hoops

Practicing a Spring board jump

This is what our girls did a lot of the classes (running around, while Yadira and I took turns chasing them down and hauling them back to class, they were excited)

Warming up before the meet

The march in

The Spring board jump (I only got the before and after because my camera is slow), As you can see Abby got the biggest kick out of the crowd!

The Bar

Walking the balance beam

The Floor routine

Waiting and walking up to get her medal

She did it!

The Girls with their medals

Boy or Girl?

2011-05-20T20:00:00.003-06:00

It's a ..... Girl!!! Wholy cow, were we surprised! My in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, my mom and especially Isaac were certain it was boy. So certain, that I too thought it was a boy. Today in the ultrasound, when they said it was a girl, we were so surprised! We couldn't believe it. We are pleasantly surprised, especially me! I can't wait to put her and Abby in little matching dresses! The one who really knew was Benjamin. He said that he wanted another baby sister, and when we would tell him that it might be a baby brother, he would start crying and say "no, it's a baby sister!" He's an awesome Big brother, that's for sure! We can't wait to welcome this precious little one into our home!

Smithfield Health Days

2011-05-19T00:02:00.015-06:00

Last weekend, I drove up to Logan with the kids for Smithfield Health Days! Isaac had to go to scout camp, so he couldn't come. But we had a blast! That Saturday it was super Sunny and warm! I got burnt on the one spot I forgot to put sunscreen. It was a fun day, we spent it with my Mom, Uncle Fred, Uncle Pete & Aunt Whitney and of course my adorable nephew Hazen. Here are the highlights...

Waiting for the Parade to start.

Abby's squinty smile

Pete with the kids

Aunt Whitney and Hazen looking so cool

My kids were impressed by something they saw in the parade. They really loved it!

Especially all the candy they got! They made out like bandits!

Then we headed over to the little fair they had, for lunch and some fun. The kids wanted to go down the big slide, but not alone, so I made Uncle Pete go with them.

Aren't they such a cute little family? We are so happy they are back together.

The Train ride was definitely the highlight. Benjamin wanted to ride in the orange one while Abby wanted the blue caboose.

Pete decided to try the Trampoline thing. The kids got a kick out of watching him.

Taking a break

We decided to let them go a second time at the end. This time they decided they wanted to ride together. They are the best of friends.

The last thing that happened on our little trip was Abby got her first haircut. Well, we've cut her bangs several times before but this time she got an official trim. It was long, scraggly, and kind of look like a mullet. So grandma made it strain across in the back, but it is still long. It looks much better.

What's been going on

2011-05-18T16:44:00.005-06:00

As most of you can see (except for what my awesome hubby did for mother's day) I have not posted in a long time. The reason... nothing has been going on. It hasn't been boring around here. We still do our co-op pre-school. We go to the library every once in a while and the last two weeks Benjamin has been busy with Itty bitty Baseball and Abby even took a Mom & Tot Gymnastics class (Future post on that). But the last two months it's been the same old, same old. It's probably been because I am pregnant and the first trimester I am so tired that I rest every chance I get so I end up behind on everything else. The other thing that has been consuming our spare time is that we are trying to buy another house. We are looking at mostly short sales and forclosures because we want to get a good deal. So it has been a long frustrating process and we still have nothing. I'll let you all know when something does go through. So pretty much all my spare time has been house hunting or sleeping. And that has been my life for the past 3 months. So now you know where I've been. But now that I am in my 2nd trimester, I am getting my energy back and I plan to get out a lot this summer, so you should be seeing more frequent posts. This Friday I will find out what I am having (I am 19 weeks along), so stay tuned for that! Well I guess that's it!

Mother's Day Hollywood Stars

2011-05-07T19:44:00.005-06:00

Babe-

These are our children wishing y0u a Happy Mother's Day. We rehearse about 3 times. Abby picking her nose was not part of the rehearsal. It's her originality and personality just for you. The second one is take two.

I LOVE these Angels.

Happy Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day - Beautiful Mama

2011-05-07T19:25:00.002-06:00

From Benjamin and Abby your life's greatest treasures. Mama we just want to tell you how much we love you and appreciate everything you do for us. From whipping our tush to hugging us and feeding us. And let's not forget bringing us into this world. We owe everything to you. Truly your are the best Mother in the whole wide universe. On this Mother's Day we hope you feel special and know how much we LOVE you.

Your Angels - Benjamin & Abby & Daddy

Easter!

2011-04-25T22:14:00.018-06:00

This year for Easter, we had a few different activities. It started with some early Easter crafts in Abby's Mommy & Me class.

What cute bunnies!

Then the Thursday before Easter we had an Easter party at Benji's Pre-school! It was so fun, but I was so busy that I forgot to take pictures. Luckily I was able to steal a few from Yadira. ;)

And Egg balancing relay

Crafts

Look at my Easter Egg!

And we ended with a super fun Easter Egg Hunt

It was a Blast!

Then on Saturday we went to a nearby city Easter Egg Hunt and it was horrible! Way too crowded and my kids only got one egg each. Lindy came too and as you can tell by her face, it was kind of lame. So we decided to go to Walmart and buy some candy and have an egg hunt of our own at my house. That was way more fun and it lasted more than 5 seconds.

Abby looking for Eggs

Benji looking for Eggs

Lindy also did great! And she had a lot more fun!

Cute kids!

Later that evening we decorated Hard boiled eggs! Benji was pretty proud of his eggs.

This was a first for Abby so she was especially excited!

Look at our eggs!

The following day, Sunday, was the actual Easter Day. But there were no egg hunts, parties, or chocolates. We had a normal Sunday and after church we talked to the kids about the true meaning of Easter and that is the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why we have Easter, to remember that he overcame death and lived again, that all of us might live again someday! What a glorious thing to celebrate. I hope next year to do something a bit more spiritual and fun on the actual Easter Sunday, but for this year we had fun!

I'm 30!

2011-03-30T23:06:00.004-06:00

Well, last Wed. the 23, I turned 30. I was hoping my hubby would write something significant on my blog about how awesome I am. :P But twas not so. Oh well, I know he loves me anyway. So yes, I'm 30. It's weird, but I technically feel the same. It's sad that I can't say that I am in my 20's anymore, but I am looking forward to this next phase of life. It seems like just yesterday I was a poor, struggling newlywed. And now, we are in a totally different phase of life. We are progressing in so many ways, and we feel so blessed to be out of those struggling years. Now mind you, I am not saying we are rich, we still live on a budget, and I still coupon in order to stay in that budget. But if I need to buy something, I can and if we want to go out to eat, we can. And it's nice. And I know it is a blessing from our Heavenly Father. But it just makes me realize how excited to see what the next 10 years brings. I know there will be ups and downs, but hopefully there will be more ups. 30's... hear I come!

The Zoo

2011-02-28T22:59:00.019-07:00

Yep, here we are at the Zoo.... again. We just love the Zoo and who can resist when it is Free! The last Wed. in Feb. (the last winter month) the Zoo had a free day and although it was cold, it actually wasn't too cold and it was sunny. So it was actually a pretty good day! And the kids had so much fun!

Benji, checking out the map

The girls checking out the elephants

The Rhino is always fun to see

Aaron has this great kids digital camera and Benjamin was so happy to have a great friend who was willing to share with him.

Monkeys!

Abby got the biggest thrill out of getting so up close and personal with this little monkey

Getting a better look

More fun animals

Nap time?

The three musketeers

And we ended with the ever so fun Zoo carousel!

A fun day!

Happy Birthday Abby!

2011-02-20T22:59:00.027-07:00

Can you believe it?! Abby is 2 years old! We had a "small" party. We only invited a few friends but our family is so big that it is never a small party. But it was a lot of fun. Abby loves Nemo and the Little Mermaid, so we decided to have an "Under the Sea" Theme. She loved it!

I made her a Mermaid cake. I wrapped the Ariel doll in fruit roll ups and made star fish out of gum drops, I also stuck gummie sharks and Swedish fish on. I think it looks great!

My mom made her this awesome Nemo Piñata! She is the best Grandma ever!

And of course the house had to be decorated like we were under the sea!

Complete with a fish net "catching" my light fixture. :)

And I was especially impressed with the octopus balloons that I made! They are amazing (if I do say so myself)!

Some of the guests were Mom, Allan, Lexi and cousin Lindy

Grandma Rosa & Lindy

Abby just loves her cousin Lindy (aren't they so cute together)

friend Sabrina and her older sisters

Aunt Lily, Aunt Rosi, Nena "grandma" and cousin Ruben

Of course Big brother Benji was there.

And we had one very special guest, Great Aunt Beth. She was here from California helping my dad and just happened to be in town to join us! It was so fun, we don't usually get her for things like Birthdays! She loves seeing her great nieces and nephews since she is practically a 3rd Grandma!

For Lunch the adults had Taco Soup and the kids had hot dogs shaped like Octopuses

Piñata Time!

Yea! We got candy!

Then it was time for Cake!

She did so good blowing out her candles!

and loved eating her cup cakes!

She is such a special little princess! We just love her! A few things I love about Abby is...
She is so independent
She is so Smart (her vocabulary is off the charts)
She is athletic (as much as you can be for a 2 year old)
She is sweet with her brother (but can drive him nuts too)
And she is such a Mama's girl!

We love you Abby! Happy Birthday!

Sledding

2011-02-09T22:58:00.012-07:00

So this sledding day was really special because it was so spontaneous. We had wanted to go sledding for about a month now and every time it snowed it would melt away so quickly and the few times it didn't melt away, we either had sick kids or some other commitment that kept us from going. So now, in Feb. as we see winter melting away we thought that we would miss our chance to have another snow day. And then it happened... SNOW!! But it was warm and I knew that if we didn't go that day that the next day it would be gone. (And I was right, the next day it was gone). So I called up my friend Yadira and asked if she wanted to go and she said yes! So we took lunch to Pre-school and after pre-school and lunch we went to this great park with lots of hills and we had soooo much fun! Check it out...

The first run down with Abby

The kids were such troopers!

Abby shocked me the first time she marched herself, by herself, up the snowy, slippery, steep hill. She really is a little energizer bunny!

Best buddies having a blast

So this was funny, for some crazy reason I got this crazy idea to send my 3 1/2 year old with the 2 two year old girls down by themselves! What was I thinking??!! As I was about to let the sled go, Yadira said "Are you sure?" and I said, "No" and then I let go! Luckily nothing bad happened and they giggled the whole way down! If you look close at Abby's face, it says it all. She thought it was the greatest thing ever!

This is my awesome friend Yadira. I just love her and the great friendship that we have. She is so fun and always up for anything, even at the last minute. And because I am like that, I am so glad to have such a great friend like her who is willing to be so spontaneous with me all the time. I honestly don't know how she does it. She is a mom, she has a little photo business, she coupons, she is our Relief Society President and she still finds time to go out and do crazy spontaneous things with me. She is truly amazing!

Such a fun day! I will never forget it!

Birthdays!

2011-01-16T22:25:00.009-07:00

Yesterday we went to 2 Birthday parties! Can we just say.... to much cake! No, but really it was a lot of fun! They were pretty special birthdays too! First we went to my niece Lindy's 1 year birthday! Don't you just love the cake Lexi made?! The frosting is fondant (everything but the duckies), yes the soap, the faucet, and the nobs! Amazing right?! Lindy is totally obsessed with Rubber Duckies, so of course it was a rubber ducky theme! It was so cute the house was also decorated super cute with duckies.

The cake she actually destroyed was a different one, but she sure did a good job destroying it! She is sooo dang cute!

This is deffinately Allan's baby! ;)

The next party we went to was for Aaron (Benjamin's best friend). I even got to make his cake! It was a Toy Story theme, so I made a Buzz Light year spaceship cake! Benjamin thought it was pretty cool!

Here it is with the Buzz and Alien candles on it at the party.

And here are the kids posing for a picture with the big card board cut outs! I went half on these with Yadira, so you will probably see them again at Benjamin's party. :)

Itty Bitty BASKETBALL!!!

2011-01-14T22:24:00.016-07:00

Itty Bitty Basketball started Jan. 3rd and I think Benjamin was more excited for this than Christmas! He LOVES Baskeball! Are you surprised? Like father like son. Anyway, here is his team and individual photo! He's so cute! And looks just like Isaac! Here are a few highlights...

5 little buddies all participated together
Isaac, Dillon, Benjamin, Aaron, & Bentley

"Passing" a beach ball

A creative way to get them from Station to Station (pretending to be Crocodiles)

A Team cheer!

Play Defense

Here Benjamin is making a shot! But of course one of the coaches totally blocked the picture. Oh well. In the first pic. he is about to shoot and in the second you can see his awesome follow through, look at that arc in his wrist! He's a pro! And by the way, he totally made the shot! Way to go Benjamin!

Two little cheerleaders!

Being mischievous

On the last day they played a lot of "games" against each other, but at the end they added a game of duck, duck, goose.

The girls enjoyed watching

And at the very end, they brought out the giant parachute again! It was so fun!

And a Visit from Lenny the Lion!

Being Silly & giving High fives! We had so much fun! Thanks Yadi for the great pictures! My blog would be nothing with out you!

Jesus wants Benjamin for a Sunbeam

2011-01-02T22:04:00.002-07:00

Well, here he is! Can you believe it?! I have a child in Primary! He was so excited after his first day in Primary. After church he jumped into my arms and said, "Mama! I went to the Primary!!!" (in Spanish of course). He absolutely loves it! I get lots of praises about what a good boy he is! He participates and has even said the opening prayer all by himself. He was so proud! How time flys. It seems like just yesterday he was a baby. He is such a good little boy! I just love him!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T22:04:00.006-07:00

For New Year's we decided to join my in-laws at their ward New Year's Dance! It was a blast, especially because we did not have our kids with us!! We got to dance the night away! My sister-in-law decided not to go and offered to watch the kids! We couldn't say no to that! Thank you Rosi! You are the best! Last year was full of blessings! We hope to have another great year. Here are some pics of the party.

My in-laws

My sister-in-law Paty and her new hubby Carl

A few of my handsome nephews

The party!

Jungle Jim's

2010-12-31T22:03:00.009-07:00

Today (new year's eve) in the Morning we took the kids with their cousins to Jungle Jims! It was so fun. Ivonne found this great deal online for the kids to play all day for just $3!! They had lots and lots of indoor kiddie rides! The kids loved every minute especially because they were with their cousins!

The Swings

Spaceship Ride

This was one of those tilt-a-whirl rides where is goes around in a circle really fast! Can you tell I look excited? :P

They had this super cute Jeep Safari train

Bumper Cars!

Carousel and a spining ride

Isaac looked pretty funny riding it. ;)

Snow Days!

2010-12-30T21:48:00.010-07:00

Another thing that we recieved this Christmas Vacation was a whole lot of SNOW! This first thing Benjamin wanted to do was build a Snowman with his Dad. This is actually the first snowman for Benjamin and Isaac! Dad, did most of the work, while Benji tried to stay warm!

But they were both pretty proud of their snowman! Benjamin even put on the carrot nose himself!

The next day we got even more snow! And decided to head down to Spanish Fork to go sledding with the family! It was a blast! Everyone took a few turns going down! Even Paty and Carl!

Me and Abby all bundled up!

Jacob, Benji, & Diego all Bundled up! (It was cold!)

At the top of the hill, ready to go down!

My little Snow Angel!
(She is totally wearing Benjamin's snow pants and boots from last year ;) I think they will fit her next year too!)

Temple Square

2010-12-27T23:35:00.010-07:00

Today, the Monday after Christmas, we decided to go to Temple Square for family Home Evening. We first went to the Church History Museum to see the new children's exibit, only to find out that they are behind schedual and it never open in November like it was supposed to. So it was closed, we were bummed. We decided to see the rest of the museum which was very interesting. Then we ate our sack dinners, after which we braved the extremely cold weather to see the Christmas lights. They were so beautiful! We went with Nena, Paty & Carl, and Paty's 4 youngest children. Here are some highlights.

Us in front of the huge Christmas Tree in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building lobby. It was beautiful!

From Left to Right: Nena, Angelita, Jeffry, Paty, Carl, Jacob, Emma

Us in front of Some of the Lights

The kids in front of one of the Nativity Scenes

The kids in front of the Temple

Everyone (except Carl, he was taking the picture)

Families can be Together Forever

Christmas

2010-12-26T23:34:00.017-07:00

As you know Christmas started out with seeing Santa a few days before Christmas Eve. Here are the pictures my friend took with her awesome Camera!

I don't know why Benjamin didn't smile. Oh well. He did in the one he took with Abby (below)

These pics crack me up!
I recently saw the movie "Dispicable Me" and one of the little girls when talking about Mr. Gru says, "I like him, he's nice." And the other little girl says, "And scary." To which the other little girl respones, "Like Santa!" So true.... so true.

Christmas Eve we headed over to my Brother-in-laws house where EVERYONE spent the night, we ate Tamales (Mexican Tradition), sang karaoke, danced, played games and stayed up way to late. It was fun but, very chaotic. But definitely more on the fun side. It was fun for all the cousins to be together and wake up Christmas morning together. However is was so crazy that I was not able to take very many pictures. I totally forgot to on Christmas eve and on Christmas morning this is all I was able to get. Overall it was a wonderful Christmas filled with family. My only regret was that there were so many people, and craziness, that is was a little un-organized which lead to us not being able to take time to focus on the Savior. I think next year we will have to make it a little more simple and thus be able to spend time to teach our kids more about the Savior's birth and less about presents. But for this time, it worked and it was so fun to be surrounded by family.

This kids tearing into their stockings. Benjamin doesn't look to thrilled because he was wondering where that garbage truck was that he had asked Santa for. ;)

This was hard to get them to pose for a picture when all they wanted to do was tear into the presents. :)

There's the garbage truck! Yea! He LOVED it!

Abby got a life sized Doggie! She loves Dogs!

Jacob opening some of his presents

Diego got a Karaoke machine! (Do you like the fun Santa hat I edited into the picture?)

Benjamin got this awesome grooming set from Dad, his favorite part is the shaving cream and toy shaver! He has wanted one for so long so that he could "shave" just like Daddy.

He also loves playing "grocery store," so he got a cash register toy too!

There were many, many more presents though out the family, but alas, there was just too much going on for me to get all the pictures I wanted. Oh well. It was so much fun and unforgettable.

Twas the Week before Christmas.....

2010-12-23T23:33:00.012-07:00

And all through my house, I SAW MY FUTURE!, forget the mouse! Ahh! It was crazy! but oh so fun!. So about a week ago Isaac's sister re-married and then headed to Utah for Christmas. We just love her and her 7 children (6 living at home). I offered to watch her kids so that she and her new hubby could go on a honeymoon! Her teenagers stayed with my mother-in-law and the 4 youngest stayed with me. So yes, I had 6 children for 5 days! (I saw my future). But my nieces and nephews behaved very well, and my kids just LOVED having them for so long. We did a lot of fun things, including lots of Christmas shopping. You should have seen the looks I got at the store with "my 6 children," it was hilarious! Here are some of the highlights...

We made a gingerbread house and Gingerbread cookies!

Close up

We went to McDonald's

Where I met up with two of my old roommates for lunch! It was so fun to see them and their beautiful kids!

Bath Time! Can you believe that Benjamin and his cousin Jacob are only 9 months apart?!

We went to a ward Primary activity, here they are waiting in line to visit with Santa

Paty's kids with Santa

My kids with Santa (Don't you just love this pic?) I think it is the age. (See next pic.)

Here is Benjamin around that same age. Hilarious!

Christmas Card & Letter

2010-12-18T23:36:00.004-07:00

Here is our annual Christmas card and letter. I got the card done a couple of weeks before Christmas but they didn't go out until after New Year's. Oh well, better late than never. If you are reading this and haven't got your card, it is either in the mail, or I don't have your Address.

Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Well, I got my Christmas cards done before Christmas, but was unable to get them out in time. But, better late than never right! Well, this year has been another year of many blessings for us. We really feel blessed and we know it is because the Lord has truly been good to us.

In February Abby celebrated her 1 year birthday and it is hard to think that her 2 year is right around the corner. She is so much fun to have around, she is so smart and has quite the little vocabulary. She talks up a storm and is 100% girl! She loves her Mommy & Me Class/Play group. She also loves Disney princesses, high heals, and has such a little spunky attitude! She adores Benjamin and wants to do everything that he does.

In late April early May Isaac and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary! And we had always said we wanted to do another cruise (like our honeymoon) for it. We feel so lucky that we were able to do so. We went on a small one out of California, that stopped in Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. And we also did a day at Disneyland (yes, without our kids). It was sooo fun! 5 years of marriage has flown by! And we are even more in love that we were when we were newlyweds.

In May, Benjamin celebrated his 3 year birthday. It was a Train themed party with lots of friends and cousins! He is such a good boy. He is super patient and kind to his little sister and loves all things boy, trains, trucks, sports, and dancing! He also loves his friends, and pre-school and is doing really well in his little pre-school.

This past year I have also been busy with Benjamin's pre-school. A bunch of moms that I go to church with started a Co-op pre-school and the best part is that it is all in Spanish! We all take turns teaching and assisting. It's kept me really busy, but it is worth it. Over the summer, I took up couponing! I love it! I have a kitchen overflowing with food and supplies and I save anywhere from 50 – 90% on my groceries every month! And it is fun too! I am also keeping busy with my blog and last Spring I worked hard and lost about 30 lbs! It feels great! I am still not where I want to be, but I feel a lot better than I did a year ago.

I think one of the most exciting pieces of news our little family has, is that last August, Isaac graduated from his Master's program. He received a Masters in Business Administration! I am so proud of him. He set a goal that he would do it before he was 30 and he did! Just in time, he turned the big 3-0 in November.

Well, I know that in these annual letters I usually have some exciting Baby news... but not this year. This year we are taking a break! And I am really enjoying it. But don't worry, I'm sure there will be some news in next years letter. ;)

We hope you are all doing well, and are in good health. We love having you in our lives and love hearing from you as well. We are so grateful that the Lord has been so good to us and we know that this beautiful season is to remember him and what a great blessing it was for our Savior to be born into this world to give his life so that we might all live again someday. May the good Lord bless all of you!

Love,

Liz, Isaac, Benjamin, and Abigail Granados

Pre-school Christmas Party

2010-12-17T23:49:00.010-07:00

We had another Party at Pre-school! It was super fun! Again, I stole pics from my friend Yadira (that's why her two kids are featured in this first collage). Thanks Yadi! I swear my blog would have very few pictures if it weren't for her! :) Anyway, we had Christmas stories, crafts, the kids acted out the Nativity, cookie decorating, lunch and then a gift exchange!

When the kids presented the Nativity, they broke into two groups, Benjamin (and supposedly Abby) were in the first group.

The Angel tells the Shepard (Benji) that Christ has been born.

The Shepard goes to visit Joseph & Mary and the baby Jesus

The three wise men give the baby Jesus gifts

Everyone pose for a picture!

Abby decided she wanted to be in this group instead. ;)

Two little Angels!

Living Planet Aquarium

2010-12-15T00:52:00.023-07:00

On Monday we got to go to the Living Planet Aquarium!! Along with the rest of the State of Utah! It was their "un-advertised" free day. But man, it was soooo crowded. But it was also very, very fun! And of all the days to forget my camera! I forgot it on this day! But lucky for me, my awesome and talented friend Yadira was there with her super cool camera! So she let me steal a bunch! Several of us mom's from the pre-school were there, but it was so crowded that we all got separated and we didn't get pics with the other mom's and kids. But Yadira and I stuck together, I think it was our kids who made sure we stayed together. :) Anyway, it was a breath taking experience! I (and my kids) loved the Aquarium!

The company was good!

Very good!

Canoeing down the Amazon

Finding Nemo!

This was Abby's favorite tank! She loves Nemo! And whenever I couldn't find her she was right back here! And she cried when I forced her to move on.

I don't know what these were called, but they looked like mini crocodile's

These are Piranha's, they glow! Literally!

The Penguin's were soooo active! They made the one's at the Zoo look like statues!

This was the section about the Utah Marine life!

Behind my oh so adorable kids, there is more Utah Marine life

Waiting in line to see the Jelly fish, even while waiting in line, there was something to see!

Touching the Sting Rays! This was so fun! It was close to their feeding time so they kept jumping up right by us, so the kids even got to touch them, and they did!

Abby going back for more, even though they had blocked it off for feeding. (Get back here Abby!)

The Shark tank was also amazing! And huge!

It was a long day, but we had a blast!

A Fancy Nancy Christmas

2010-12-10T00:43:00.006-07:00

Last Wed. we went to the Library with some friends for a "Fancy Nancy" Christmas Party. If you know Fancy Nancy you know that it is more geared toward girls, but brothers wanted to go too, so since the spirit of Fancy Nancy is dress up, the boys dressed up too. Benjamin went as a train engineer and his buddy Dillon was spider man! Abby wore her Princess Tiana dress and Amanda looked EXACTLY like Fancy Nancy herself! It was fun!

Story Time

Making "Fancy" Snowflakes
They also played a game but I forgot to take Pics

Here they are all dressed up

I had to get this shot of Amanda, she looked great! I especially love the feather in her hair!

Indian Summer

2010-12-07T22:19:00.009-07:00

I love Indian Summer Days! And usually the latest you get one is mid November. But today we had one! I thought for sure they were over especially since the last 3 weeks we have had a blanket of snow and below freezing weather! I was 100% sure we were in full blown winter weather. But the last couple of days it started to warm up and the snow melted and today it was warm and sunny! My house was completely trashed, I had dishes up to the ceiling and was behind on everything, but I had to let it all be because today I was taking my babies to the Park! They were thrilled! They got to wear sweaters and ride their bikes and play and it was hard to believe that it was December! It was a good day... my dishes can wait.

My attempt at being artistic with my photography

I did get one good "fall" picture!

I'm Thankful for Family

2010-11-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun Thanksgiving at my Mom's this year. Above is a great picture we took of the first 4 Ambrose cousins! My two, Allan's little girl, and Peter's baby boy! Aren't they soo cute!

We were up late Wed. night prepping and spent all Thursday morning cooking. We had a wonderful feast! But I forgot to take a picture of it!!! But below is a picture of Abby after she ate dessert. It was so fun for all four of us kids and our growing families to be there. And after dinner we stayed up late playing games. The thing I love most about getting together with my family is how close in age we all are so when we all hang out we have a lot to talk about and really have a good time.

After dinner with took this picture of my Mom, with her four grand kids! She can hardly believe that she has four already!

Later that evening my Step-brother Ellis and his wife Mary Ellen came by with their two kids and we had 6 little ones running around! It was crazy! We love it when they come because their little boy Johnny and Benjamin are only 1 year apart and they really have fun together. Her are Grandma and Grandpa with 6 of their combined grandchildren. They have 10 all together with 1 more on the way (My step-sister is pregnant with her 5th). I can't wait until we can get everyone together for a picture! We are hoping to do it in the Spring. It will be a blast to have all those kids running around!

And here we all are! Mom and Gary took the pictures. I really am thankful for my family! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

2010-11-08T23:28:00.007-07:00

Isaac is officially in his 30's!!! And I get to rub it in for 4 months!!! Then I will be there too! Yikes! Anyway, Isaac turned 30 on Nov.2nd but we celebrated just this last Saturday. I threw him a Surprise Party!! Unfortunately, some of his friends were not able to make it, but his two closest friends were there and family was there and it was really fun! And he was actually genuinely surprised. Here he is moments after walking in the door. As you can see, he is pleasantly surprised.
The house was decorated and we all had fun surprising him, especially the kids! We had Carne Asada! A favorite of ours and of course cake and ice-cream! I made his favorite, Cherry cake with Cherry frosting (which happens to be Pink!). And the best part is that I put 30 candles on his cake!! Normally I buy the number candles, but I thought it would be fun to make him feel old by putting 30 candles on. I know, I'm mean! It was all in good fun. He took it with dignity.

Here are all those Candles!

We turned the lights out to sing, and it really lit up the room!

It was a fun day, but I do want to say happy Birthday to my Wonderful husband, I probably don't tell you enough, but you truly are my night in shining armor! You are... there for me when I need you, supportive in all I do, helpful when I've had a long day, funny when I need a laugh, a shoulder when I need to cry, a friend when I need to vent, a lover, a companion, my best friend. I LOVE YOU. Happy birthday mi viejo! Just Kidding! You are still that sexy 24 year old I married! I love you!

My Abuelita

2010-11-02T23:28:00.010-06:00

Today is Isaac's Birthday. But I am not going to talk about Isaac today. Today is also Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, Mexican "holiday"), which is kind of Ironic because today my Abuelita (Grandma) passed away. Or better yet, I should say that her spirit has passed through the veil and she has been re-united with her brothers, sisters, and parents who have all gone before her. So today I would like to talk about my Abuelita. Above is a black and white picture of her when she was young. And next to it, a painting that was done of that picture. Wasn't she beautiful!

She was born in 1909. She was number 14 of 15 children, born in Tierra Blanca, Mexico. Her Father was from France and her mother was of Spaniard descent but from Mexico City. She had blond hair and blue eyes. Which back in the early 1900's was very rare in Mexico. She had 7 other sisters all of which were very fair and had blond hair, red hair, brown hair, blue eyes, green, eyes and brown eyes. They were known as the most beautiful girls in town. One of my favorite stories that my Abuelita told me was of when she was young, how the young men from the city would come and serenade in front of her home almost every night, because of the beautiful daughters that lived there. It was very romantic. She told me many stories of her youth when I was a little girl. She didn't marry until her early 30's so she had many adventures in her young single life. She was smart and educated. She was the head nurse at a hospital for most of her Adult single life. I loved all of her stories, even though I don't remember very many. Her and I had a very special connection. I was the only grand-daughter that spoke/understood Spanish and I looked the most like her. I like to think that I was her favorite. But I think every grandchild thinks they are their grandmother's favorite. Because my mom was her youngest child and My brothers and I were some of her youngest grandchildren, she was not a young grandma and couldn't really "play" with us, but I still have many many wonderful memories of her and she was the best grandma a little girl could have because she was so full of LOVE. This is how I remember my Grandparents best.I remember when she would come to stay with us, she would scratch my back (and tell me stories) every night until I fell asleep. I remember waking up in the morning and thinking, "wow! I don't even remember her leaving my room last night!" I also remember she made the BEST Mexican food ever! She could really cook! And when she stayed at our house we were always well fed. I also remember her slipping me $20 bills, often, and then telling me not to tell my Abuelo (Grandpa). I also remember her telling a lot of jokes. And then she would laugh so hard at her own joke that would start crying. And you may not know this but she was 11 years older than my Grandpa. And she would ALWAYS lie about her age. It wasn't until my last visit to Mexico that I found out what year she was born. My Abuelo would even lie for her! He would often tell us that they were the same age and then state his age, after which my Abulita would say in a very offended voice, "I am not that old!" It was so funny! I also remember that even though she couldn't "play" with us she would often play Chinese checkers with us. It was her FAVORITE game and she hated losing. So yes, she would cheat, and she was very sneaky about it. But mostly I remember how loving she was, and how she served everyone around her and she always gave whatever she could, she was one of the most Christ-like people I've ever known. I guess that is why it was so easy for her to accept the Gospel all those years ago when no one had even heard of the Church in southern Mexico. She and her Sister Sara were among the first members of the church in Southern Mexico. She truly is a Pioneer.

An example of the Christ-like person she was is a story that my mother shared with me a while ago. My Abuelita wasn't just a head nurse at the hospital, she was also a Nurse Midwife. And she continued to deliver babies even when she was a young mother herself. She would go deliver babies whenever she was asked. Even if the people could not pay her. And when my mother was young her and her siblings asked her why she delivered babies for people that she knew could not pay her? And she simply replied, "If I don't do it, who will?" That was the kind of women she was. And there is no doubt in my mind that when she greets the Savior on the other side of the veil he will thank her for her service to her fellow man. And "When you are in the service of others, you are in the service of God." I love her so much. She will be so missed, but I will see her again someday, that I am sure of.
This is a picture that was taken the last time I saw my Abulita. It was 6 years ago, right after I returned home from my mission. My only regret is that I was not able to see her again before she passed. I wanted so badly for her to meet my sweet husband and my two beautiful children. A year and a half ago, we had bought plane tickets and planned on going down to see them. But then the swine flu broke out and we decided we did not want to take our small children down (Ben, 2 and Abby 3 months) and put them at risk, so we got a refund and were never able to make it down. It makes me sad that now she is gone and I didn't get to see her one last time. But I know she was in pain and longed to see her sisters and parents. So I know she is happy and I am happy for her. I love you Abuelita, thank you for your example, and your love. Te Amo! Till we meet again!

The Windows of Heaven

2010-11-01T23:27:00.004-06:00

I feel it fitting, this first day of November to talk about my Blessings and how grateful I feel to be so blessed! Last month, Isaac convinced me that we needed to increase our Fast offerings. This was really hard for me because I felt like we were already very generous in our Fast offerings. But I told my husband, back when we were first married, that when it came to spiritual things I would always support him. (I think maybe I jinks myself and that is why is in the Bishopric ;), no.. but really we are happy to serve). Anyway, so we decided to increase it significantly. We almost doubled it! It was really intense for me. I thought, how are we going to do this? But I took a leap of Faith and followed my husband. And I am soooo grateful to be married to someone who is so spiritually minded.

There is a scripture that says, "Bring ye all the tithes [and offerings] into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you our a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10. I can testify to you all that this scripture has never been more true in my life than it is right now! About a week ago, I started counting my blessings and I was overwhelmed with how many we have. Especially, in this case, financially. Sure, we are far from where we want to be. But for now, we are great! Shortly after we doubled our fast offering, the Lord truly opened the windows of heaven and I feel like we are being drowned in blessings! It's wonderful. Just to give a few examples, we were recently given an opportunity to re-finance our home. It is going to free up quite a chunk of $$ each month. Then Isaac was told that he must work 10 hours of overtime each week until the end of the year. Sure it will be hard on him, but it really is a blessing. And then my couponing has really taken off! I am building my food storage and saving money like I never dreamed possible. Just look at what I got last week! I bought $25 dollars worth of Halloween Candy for $3 and spent $5 on 4 packs of diapers! Amazing right?!

There are many more blessings but after realizing this, it literally brought me to tears and I called Isaac at work and thanked him for making me trust him on increasing our Fast offering so that the Lord could "open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings on us!" And the greatest blessing of all is that this experience has strengthened my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want you all to know, that I KNOW that this is Christ's church on the earth today and it is guided by a living Prophet and if we are obedient to his commandments he will bless us! He wants to bless us! But we must do our part or he cannot bless us, because he is a just God. And I am so grateful for so many of these small experiences throughout my life that has built my testimony and I can say that I KNOW.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:33:00.020-06:00

Halloween was super fun this year! For one thing, it was Abby's first Halloween trick-or-treating! She loved it! Halloween for us started on Wednesday, with Halloween story time at the Library. It ended on Saturday with Trick-or-treating. Because Halloween was on Sunday this year everyone here in Utah trick-or-treated on Saturday. I am so grateful to live in a place were the majority of the citizens observe the Sabbath day as a day of worship. Anyway, on Thursday we had a Halloween party at our Pre-school. Here are some of the kids in there costumes. We couldn't get all of the kids together in one picture and Abby refused to get close to the Ninga Turtle for the picture. She was terrified of anything in a mask, including team mascots (I'll explain below). But it was a lot of fun!

Here is my awesome Pumpkin Cake I made for the Party!

Then on Friday night we went to the Halloween Extravaganza at the Rec. Center! It was fun. Here we are trick-or-treating at the booths around the upstairs track! Everyone got a kick out of Benjamin's home-made Thomas the Tank Engine costume!

In one of the gyms they had all kinds of games and prizes to win like this one shooting hoops! Benjamin nailed it! Even with his big bulky box he was wearing! That's our boy!

In another gym they had balloon animals, face painting and all the mascots from around the state! Cosmo (BYU Mascot) even dressed up as Robin!

Here's Benjamin with the Orem Owlz Mascot. As you can see I stayed away with Abby. If we even got close she would start crying hysterically! It was actually kind of funny.

Saturday Morning we carved Pumpkins! This was a first for our kids, but they didn't like all the mushy stuff inside so Mom and Dad ended up doing most of the carving.

Later that evening we braved the rainy weather and headed to my brother-in-laws trunk-or-treat at their ward.

Someone there was dressed as Elmo and the kids got a huge kick out of it. Remember, how I told you Abby is terrified of Mascots? She wasn't of this one! She kept following him around! Anyway, see the big rain cloud behind us?, about two minutes after this picture we got pounded by a huge hail/rain storm!

So we packed up and headed to Isaac's parents house, to visit with grandparents and see if the storm cleared up anytime soon. We got some cute pictures of the kids while were were there. Aren't Benjamin's striped overalls the cutest?! My mom found them at Smithfield Implement! Thanks Mom! They were perfect. I can't even tell you how many compliments we got on his costume!

Here is the back of Abby's costume! She was such a cute little Butterfly! I especially love how you can barely see her little face poking out!

Well around 7 pm the rain stopped and we hit the streets! It was a blast! The kids especially like trick-or-treating with their cousins!

Here's Aaron and Benji knocking on a door. What a fun night!

When we got home Abby didn't even want to eat her candy she just wanted to dump it all out and then put it back in her basket over and over.

And here is Benji with his stash! Except he only gets to keep what is in that zip lock bag.

Happy Halloween!