#FelízMamasDay

I'll just come out with it: I'm spoiled.  This Mother's Day I wasn't surprised with an exotic vacation, new wardrobe, or spa gift card; rather I got a gift every mother would agree is the BEST gift a child or the father of your children could give: a day of pure consideration.

Siena actually gave me my gift on Saturday with a surprise "Mother's Day Breakfast" she concocted herself.  She must have sneaked downstairs while Juan and I were still sleeping because neither of us knew she had this planned (and unfortunately, she didn't know it wasn't officially Mother's Day yet; when she found out the news that Mother's Day was on Sunday, she was a little crushed that her labors had been performed on the wrong day.)  Her breakfast masterpiece?  " Breakfast Lunchables"--made with Wheat Thins, strawberry yogurt and vanilla yogurt, all topped with Craisins.  I am still so honored that she made that all for me for Mother's Day.  Pure consideration.

The next huge wave of thoughtfulness happened Sunday morning.  While I bathed the girls and got them ready for church, Juan was busy in the kitchen preparing a delicious breakfast of crêpes with homemade whipped cream and freshly sliced strawberries.  It was a scrumptious start to the Sabbath.  He even cleaned up the kitchen!!  Pure consideration.

After church we changed our clothes and Juan took us all on a picnic up the canyon.  He had prepared the whole thing so I didn't even have to lift a finger.  The weather was perfect so after we ate, we took a nice family drive up the canyon to Squaw Peak to show the girls the Overlook to the valley.  We happened to get up there right as about a dozen paragliders were preparing to take off.  It was kind of fun to see the whole process, as we don't know much about the sport.

We drove home and Juan started preparing dinner while I completed his mom's Mother's Day gift from the family (a planter with herbs we grew this Spring and flowers. Why had I never thought of that before??)  Once we arrived at his parents' house, the moms were directed not to do a thing but relax which was a little difficult because the guilt was weighing on me.  :)  Dinner was amazing, as was dessert and we didn't have to clean up at all.  (Can you tell that I don't really like to clean?) 

When we arrived, Juan cleaned the kitchen again while I organized my ribbon stash (...and then somehow wound up crafting.)  He didn't leave a single dish unclean or a single countertop cluttered.  Pure consideration.  

He really is a man who thinks of others more than himself and puts his family first in his life.  I couldn't have asked for more and this Mother's Day reminded me of that over and over again.

Juan's kitchen gadget gift to me: my favorite type of can opener. We haven't stumbled across one in a while and we've been looking, so I consider this gift a definite WIN. :)

Sunday:

(When it comes to family pictures, we'll take what we can get....)

 Saturday:

It's Been One of Those Days...

We've seen a whole lot of craziness the last couple of weeks and it certainly looks as if we're not going to unwind any time soon.  Where to start?  Last weekend was totally fun because we got to host a friend from Fresno, Eugenia, who wanted to come visit.  We took her to see Salt Lake City, namely Temple Square, as she just got baptized a few months ago.  She loved it and we were so happy to have her with us.  It reminded me of the wonder of it all; it's good to try to see religion through a fresh perspective.

After a few get-together dinners at our house, between family and friends, we thought we were okay to leave the house in disarray for a second.  Nope!  Thursday (yesterday) we hosted a play-date that was so ambitious I don't know what I was thinking.  Siena had wanted a playdate for a looooong time and when I finally relented and said we could go on a Nature Hike with Paige and Angelina, she ran to them with the news.  A few other girls expressed their desires to have  a play date and well, Siena just couldn't resist inviting them too.  I loved the idea of having more kids over because Siena's never stayed put in one place long enough to make close friends, but I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to handle 7 kids under the age of 6 for a few hours.  Luckily one of the mothers offered to come help me and we were set.  After feeding the kiddos some lunch we went across the street to a hobby farm of our neighbors and watched Farmer Brown feed the chickens, clean their coop and collect the eggs.  The girls loved it!  Ezra remained fixated upon the dog and was beaming from ear to ear every time he got to pet it.  When we got back we had a scavenger hunt for certain things found in nature and then planted herbs and flowers in empty egg cartons.  After that, we read some nature stories while we ate Dirt Cups as a snack and then it was free play time.  They loved it, I loved it, and I think I'm off the hook for another playdate for a while.  I put in my time....  ;)

Today was just a crazy day to end a crazy week.  Nothing too dramatic happened.

Oh wait, yes it did.

Something extremely dramatic happened.

I was leaving the gym with Ezra and driving home when I noticed a driver next to me at the red light.  He was yelling and flailing his arm out the window and yelling something like, "Holly, come back to me!"  For a moment I thought he was just a rowdy high school kid who had mistaken me for someone else.  After the light turned green he started following me.  No joke.  I was creeped out for a second, until I started to notice that he was driving like a madman.  He was swerving in and out of lanes and I just started trying to get away from him.  Once we hit University Avenue where the speed limit is 50, it seemed as if he wasn't crazy, but that he was completely inebriated.  There was another man in the truck with him, so I thought that the possibility of his friends letting him drive drunken was slim.  However, it was soon apparent that he was under the influence of alcohol.  I called 911 and told them the most I could about the truck and our approximate location, but there was nothing I could really do besides keep driving since there were no immediate roads to turn off onto.  At one point, I was so scared about him running into me that reflexes took over and I closed my eyes tightly. He was speeding up really fast, then slowing down and swerving into the curb, then speeding up again and hanging out within inches of my car.  Finally, I pulled off the road at a red light, determined to get away from him, hoping and praying that he wouldn't slam into me.  Luckily he didn't since I had gotten out of the way, and as the light turned green and he sped off, I was able to give a better description of his license plate and vehicle to the dispatcher.  It was a little nerve-racking.  About 10 minutes later, as I went to pick Siena up from school, I noticed a police helicopter surveying the area.  I don't know if it was related at all to the guy in the truck, but it was still unnerving.  Once I calmed down a bit, I started feeling oddly like a hero, convincing myself that I saved someone from dying today.  :)  Funny how emotions work.  It was a good reminder that when we are behind the wheel, we are driving Death Machines and that we need to devote our attention to the task at hand: driving.  I'm so so so grateful that Ezra and I were okay and that as far as I assume, no one else was hurt.

Oh, and the day just got worse.  Let's just say that I was pretty desperate to renew my drivers license since Juan brought it to my attention last night that it expired last month.  So I packed the kids in the car, started making our way down to South Provo, got half-way, realized that I had left the paperwork on the table, drove back, collected everything, drove back to South Provo, unloaded my kids (Qiana only had one shoe!,) trekked upstairs to the office, filled out the paperwork with three noisy children surrounding me, got to the desk.... and was told that I had to go to the Orem office.

Are. You. Kidding. Me?

So we drove back, the girls were fighting the whole way home, I lost my temper, yelling ensued, I collected myself but was still steaming inside, the girls were crying, Ezra was sitting quietly--observing how our temperamental family works, and we pulled up to the house.

After feeding them and making amends, I decided I had better actually do my hair and makeup for my license picture, which was something I hadn't cared about at all this morning.  We loaded everyone back into the car and drove to the Orem office, hoping for a short waiting period.  That is when we caught our breath.  We walked straight up to the register and took care of business.  The only thing I regret was bringing the iPad to entertain the girls while I took my test (I was applying with an out-of-state license and they didn't have my married name on file.)  The two locas fought over it in the middle of the testing area.  I was: 1) embarrassed, 2) mad, 3) stressed out, 4) distracted or 5) all of the above.  On my open-book drivers license test, I only got 20 out of 25 questions right!  When I went back to see which ones I got wrong, I realized that I had either read too much into the question, misread the question or interpreted it incorrectly.  Puh-leez Stacia.  It totally reminded me of the ACT.  I am officially the world's WORST test-taker.  Oh well, I passed and that's all that mattered.

Now the rest of the day has plenty of positive potential I'm sure, since I have a feeling that it's only going to go up from here.

S'more de Flor

You know how people like step-by-step pictures for their sewing projects, or refurb projects, or recipes?  It's really quite the THING to do right now.  

I'm over it.

How much easier it would be to skip the 20+ beautiful "how-to" pictures and just read the directions?  I'm sure it would save about 10 minutes or so.  On second thought though, I guess it wouldn't be as fun.  And maybe you just wouldn't catch the excitement of the project, recipe, what have you....

Okay, I'm back in.

The girls and I had some fun in the kitchen today for snacktime.  We invented a new S'MORE.  Maybe it's been done BEFORE, but I don't ABHOR a new kind of s'more.  I think I'll IMPLORE you to try this FLOR S'MORE.  One bite and you'll ADORE, I'm SURE.

(Somebody had better notify the nerd police... I need to be stopped.)

Well, because we wanted to share our recipe, and because I am back on board with the "how-to" pictures, I prettied up some silly little ones for your pleasure.  But to keep it within the realm of reason, I limited myself to only ONE other photo, besides the finished product.  (This is a s'more and by now, it had better be pretty self-explanatory.)

First and foremost, I thought it would be important to note that these s'mores are the layman's version.  They are microwaved.  MICRO-WAVED. It's just so much easier.

Step one: Set it up like this

Step two: Fill with a dollop of cream cheese.  (These first two steps are interchangeable.)

Step three: Microwave on High for about 15-20 seconds, or until the mallows puff up.

Step four: SMOOSH a strawberry over the cream cheese and surrounding mallows.

EAT.

Snippets of April

Today was a rainy day so we got to dress up--Rain Day Style.  Mondays are our volunteer days in Siena's class and happen to be Qiana's favorite days because she thinks that she's a kindergartener like her sister.

During Conference, I kept my hands busy "fancifying" a shirt Siena stained a few weeks ago.  Hope the day never comes when she's too cool to wear refurbished clothing.

Qiana and Abuela went on a Provo River walk on Sunday, like "gemelas".

Ezra has a very happy disposition until it's time for him to eat.  He's our picky child and we're trying our hardest to get him aboard the veggie train.  If it's green, he turns up his nose. (Little Chamaco!)

For General Conference, the girls were very well-behaved, thanks to a ton of ideas found on Pinterest.  They worked hard building temples out of blocks, writing in their Conference Journals, and listening from their tents they set up to be like King Benjamin's people.

Ezra is pulling himself to everything, but he still refuses to walk.  He can stand solo, but also shies away from that.  I think it's a confidence issue.  Poco a poco mijo....

Qiana has a few recurring issues with being potty trained.  She is definitely capable, but I'm guessing it's a control "thing": she only goes if I go up their with her otherwise there's a 50% chance she'll wet herself.  Well, sad for us both, I am more stubborn than her and I'm determined that she will learn to do it herself.  She knows that if she has an accident, she cleans the mess with the towel they use as a bath mat, she strips down in the tub and washes herself, then after dressing herself, she retrieves the Swiffer and gets to work cleaning it up.  She's completely competent in doing those things, so I let her and don't feel bad about it one bit. :)  Oh, but I love the little munchkin, even with her control issues because I know she gets them from me.

While we're speaking of the not-so-great things taking place in our house, I may as well bring this up: Siena does not like me.  At least, the day she wrote this she didn't.  "I [do] not like my Mom."  What possibly promoted this kind of lashing out?  I told her to pick up a blanket and put it in the blanket basket.  Oh, Girls!

One thing that is sure to bring a good mood is a riding lesson.  Until we get horses (ha!), they get their kicks on the bikes they got from Los Tres Reyes.  Just look at their faces!

Pure joy

Oh, we love our little brother.

Weekday Update with Stacia Chavez

It's been a while since I've given a little update on the family.  Actually, it's been about 7 months!  So I'll get right to it... (by the way, this is probably going to be interesting only to me and Juan, and maybe the kids when they grow up, so I'm not writing to entertain the occasional reader.  Sorry.)

Ezra has been doing some major developing.  He's finally over his sickness and back to his usual cheery self.  Crawling up stairs has been a favorite activity of his, with much hesitation on my part.  Of course, I'm right there behind him as he does it in case he falls, but I can't help but think the kid is going to figure out a way to ditch Mom and try it without a "safety net".  He's trying to form real words right now.  Don't misunderstand, he's definitely not talking yet, but he's realizing that he can control sounds by forming his mouth a certain way.  It's pretty interesting to see that lightbulb working in his mind as he grows and tries new things.  He's started heading into the Separation Anxiety Stage now, too.  It's not as bad as it was for the girls, I think, but it's enough to make him cry himself to sleep at bedtime.  He loves to be chased and tickled and he's quite the cuddly boy when he wants to be.  He "dances" any time he hears a beat or music.  The kid has rhythm too.  We've got to get him into some kind of music class just as soon as he's old enough.  He's also going through a huge growth spurt right now.  Last night we fed him dinner and a 4 oz. bottle around 6:00.  At 8:00 we fed him an 8 oz. bottle right before he went to bed for the night.  At 11:00 he woke up screaming.  We thought it was just a bad dream, but since we couldn't console him at all, we gave him another 4 oz. bottle.  He inhaled that and then started crying when he realized it was all gone.  We tried another 4 ounces and after that he drifted back off to sleep.  Then again, around 6:45 this morning he woke up, hungry for more.  The kid is a bottomless pit!

Qiana is going through a bunch of changes that have left Juan and me baffled as to what is the cause and what to do about it.  The biggest change is that she's reverted back to wetting herself.  The  interesting thing is that she gets to the bathroom, sometimes even with her pants down and ready to go, but she just goes right there on the floor less than a foot away from the toilet.  I'm at my wits end trying to figure out how to help her.  It's definitely been a learning curve for Juan and me because we have tried getting really upset with her, talking it through gently with her, making it a game, rewarding her, punishing her... you name it.  Nothing seems to work!  I realize that she's gone through a TON of changes lately, what with three moves in the last 9 months, but I guess I just expected that once she learned how easy it was to just GO, she would stick with that.  Oh well, like I said, we're learning.  She is as hilarious as she ever was, begging to be tickled and faking "Sleeping Beauty" whenever she possibly can.  She loves to tease, as usual, but she's finding more and more joy in being silly and getting giggles out of her brother.  I love how those two get along.  The strangest thing happened about a month ago when I gave her a haircut/trim.  She lost her curl!  Her signature curly hair is gone!  I know it's silly, but I was devastated and felt so guilty for taking that part of her away.  She and Siena just finished up their community ed gymnastics class and although neither of them can do a cartwheel still, I think they both benefitted from having something to look forward to together.  They can be so catty to each other, lately.  I am the worst parent because no matter what I do to stop it, fighting always ensues when they play together.  I just try to enjoy the happy parts of their playtime, and in reality, they are the majority of that time.

Siena teaches me very day that there are little observers in the house.  I will see her act fifteen years older and say things to her sister or doll that only a parent would say.  Today, for example, Qiana was pretending that she was pregnant and when the baby was finally "born" Siena was so excited and said in the cutest "mom voice" that she would love to hold the baby, if Qiana would allow it.  Qiana was a gracious new mommy and handed the baby over to Siena who subsequently crooned over the doll as she gingerly cradled it in her arms.  She said things like, "It is just so adorable! Hi Baby, Hi.... So sweet. Is she talking yet?"  It shocked me when I saw them play dolls at how many motherly instincts those girls have.  Another tidbit of news about Siena is that she is progressing extremely well in piano.  She started taking lessons near the end of November, and she's almost done with her first books.  I'm so grateful that she loves it and plays for fun, even after the 40 minutes to 1 hour of practicing  she puts in every day. We just started an herb garden with the girls and she is keeping a very thorough seed journal.  Involving the children in seemingly mundane tasks brings so much whimsy to my life.

Getting along

Writing her seed observations

First day it reached 70 degrees outside, he got naked time 

Planting

...and just a bunch of random sleep pics. I love naps!

Four wheeling in the San Rafael Swell

This past weekend we went to the high desert of Utah. Oh my. It was incredible! I have always loved that place, but this trip reminded me why. If you have never been to a remote enough place that you wonder when the last person (if any) was there, you need to go to the San Rafael Swell.

There is such a powerful message nature sends you when you are at her mercy. First, we followed a trail into the depths of the Swell, then we explored the country from the dry-ish bed of a river. I was apprehensive that we would get lost, but I eventually learned to trust in my dad, who had been there enough to know how to make "breadcrumb trails" of mental marks along the way. One funny thing happened soon after I first voiced my concern that we were going to either get stuck or lost; after heartily (but kindly) rebuking me for thinking we would get stuck, my dad decided to go through a spot of high water on the four-wheeler--you can imagine what happened. He got stuck and the boys had to tow him out. I only relate that story because from the perspective of the entire group, including him, it was just plain funny and perfectly-timed. My mom and I got a really good laugh, for we love the chance to say "I told you so."

We were brave and took the girls with us, which was such a good idea in hindsight. They handled the long ride (7.5 hours!) very well. I think having so many adults to two girls helped a ton. Mom, Dad, Harper, Juan and myself went on the trip, so it was a perfect-sized group for the kind of ride we took. I think Chad really would have liked it.

Siena is learning about habitats in school right now and soon will be focusing on the desert, so I was able to take the opportunity to give her a hands-on introduction. We took a lot of pictures, so I think I'll let them speak the volumes I have to say.

Here's to Being an Adult

Looking back at my high school yearbooks last Wednesday night got me thinking to those bygone days of being young.  Yours truly is turning 29 this month (which I would have forgotten until about a week before the big day,  but thanks to a harsh awakening kind reminder a couple of days ago, it's now on my brain.) I know, I know... I'm still young, but honestly, this is going to be a hard birthday for me since it's my last Hurrah as a Twenty-Something.  These are some my perceptions of the last three decades of my life:

• 1-12 yrs. old: you can act like a child and expect to have fun. Other people will take care of you. Pretending is still okay.
• 13-18 yrs. old: learn how to act around other people through trial and error. Try to impress. Widen your range of skills.
• 19-23 yrs old: buckle down and try to get through school. Live on scraps. Live it up.
• 24- 29 yrs. old: try a new environment. Learn about humanity. Start a family. Live on a budget. Pretending is okay again.

I don't know what 30 will bring, but I'm a little scared that I will have a belated quarter-life crisis when it happens.  My biggest fears are that I will look back and find that I wasted time, that I didn't care enough, and that I cared too much.  Does anyone else fear this?  I see a train wreck of emotions coming with every tick of the clock, but I really don't know how to avoid it.  Meanwhile, I guess I can just keep chugging along somewhat naively like I have my whole life.

Next topic, but remotely related.

Last night Juan and I went to a dinner with the pre-dental club at UVU.  We were there to share our "vast knowledge" with the group.  I didn't feel unqualified, but it was weird being on "the other side".  I couldn't figure out why I was so nervous until we were driving home.  I realized that those students are heading into some difficult next few years and I was trying so hard to prep them as best as I could with all the information I had.  Juan and I talked a lot about what tools/skills they would need during the application process as well as in school; targeting the married students, we focused a lot on setting the right expectations for themselves.  We were fortunate enough to receive that advice from a mentor as undergrads so were a little more aware of that than we would have been otherwise and it helped us incredibly.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that it's good advice to take through every stage of life.  It's good practice to set goals, but even better practice to accomplish them.  If your habit is to try to achieve something without the proper EFFORT and TIME, chances are it's hardly going to happen.  There is a reason why we are called the Entitled Generation.  You hear all these success stories about startups and while it's awesome that it happened for those select few, it is not generally the case.  The fact is that TINSTAAFL: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.  If you want it and if it's good, set the goal (or expectation) and then work for it.  Put in the hours, expect to miss out on things, and keep going.  I just wanted those kids to realize that all the successful dentists they see with their nice cars and fancy lifestyles all had to go through sacrifice at some point, whether it was during dental school, after graduation, or both.

But tying it back to first topic: that made me feel old. And given the fact that I just blogged all the advice, I guess I am old--that's totally something an old person would do. 

(Cue the clip of a train starting to derail.)

Defending Marriage

A recent conversation with a person very dear to me has got me thinking a lot about why I value marriage. Being the topic of a lot of debate, I don't want to get into my views on "who should marry whom," but rather, why I highly recommend the institution in general.

There are so many places to start, so I'll just jump right in with one and we'll go from there.


Marriage is good for you.
To the health fanatics out there, this one is for you. Studies (emphasis on the plural form,) have shown that people who have committed themselves to each other through solemn vows tend to live longer, more balanced lives. HERE is one I recommend reading right now.  Go ahead, I'll wait....
Here's another little tidbit for you:

"What would you say if someone told you that a particular social bond could add years to your life and ensure your children a better education and economic livelihood.... [and] what would you say if you found out that this social bond that was potentially so beneficial to you and your children's health and personal well-being was marriage?"1

In a pamphlet by the Institute for American Values (New York: 2002), "Why Marriage Matters: Twenty-One Conclusions from the Social Sciences", it summarizes articles and research on the matter. For a quick read, go HERE if you are still on the fence if marriage is "really for you." Pay particular attention to Points 3, 4, (5), 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, and 20, which I think apply to both married and single people.

Marriage is practical.
If you think like a businessman, you will like this one. Many, many people who go into business have a partner, someone whom they trust and regard as necessary to the vitality of the company. Having a partner fulfills many purposes, some of which are to spread the workload and ease the burden, use their specific skill set to problem solve when the other is stumped, and to increase supervision of the company. Wouldn't it be nice to have a little help every once in a while? My most-hated chore in the world was doing dishes when I was single. I only had a few dishes in the sink at a time, but it would take every ounce of self-control to make myself wash them. Along came my husband and we made a better situation for ourselves; we each chose the best part of doing dishes and assigned ourselves to the task--"Tag Team" was born. Even though I had double the amount of dishes, I only had to load them in the dishwasher which was soooooo much more bearable to me. My burden had been lightened. It also makes sense to find someone who fills in the gaps where you lack expertise. Give me a person who "knows it all", and I'll give you a failing enterprise. Picture yourself like a puzzle piece. There are parts of your life in which you excel and fill the space of responsibility. However, much to our chagrin, we all have hollow places, areas in which we lack talent. To that I say, Find Your Missing Piece! Moving on to the last point, we are more equipped to be able to keep our lives running in the right direction with someone by our side, wiping off the smudges on our glasses, giving that reality check every so often, and sharing the perspective of one who knows you more than anyone else. It just makes sense to have a partner.


Marriage is fun and makes you happy.
This is really no secret. Just go somewhere you would normally go and look around... what is stopping a married couple from being there? Unless it's Speed Dating, Nothing! Can you still go to concerts? Yes. Can you still run around the house in your pj's and sing at the top of your lungs? Yes! (My bet is that your hubby/honey will be there, singing right along with you anyway.) You can still travel. You can still eat a pint of ice cream in one sitting. You can still get on a zip line. What is the issue, people?! Whatever they say about marriage sucking the fun out of life was made up by a bitter hater, who was probably single. I read an interesting find in 2012 research that there is really no such thing as the Honeymoon Stage.  In their research, they found that most couples who have been married longer, are happier.  You can read it HERE.  I have been happier and had more fun than ever since I've been married, and you can quote me on that. If you're worried about possible difficult times with your spouse, I just want you to think back on all those times you have felt low as a single person. Cut the occurrence of those in half (my wonderful made-up, but still somewhat accurate statistic--I'm sure,) and that is what you will have in marriage. So go, improve your chances and look for love.

Marriage is necessary.
Do you want to make a difference in the world? Do you want to improve lives? Here's how: make a family.  Taken from one of the most important and bold statements in history, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, "[The Family is] a fundamental unit to society."2  Allow me to explain how we just got there. You remember the ubiquitous childhood jeer, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the baby carriage..." well, that was more sage advice than a taunt. First, you allow LOVE to be an option, then you find that someone special (key word being FIND... it is an action word,) then with your excellent ideals and lofty goals you create individuals upon which you can bestow your high morals. They will, in turn, decide to make only good choices and will forever make you proud. (*triumphant music and a wipe of a tear*) Ummmm, yeah... it goes a little bit like that. Sorta. In all seriousness though, you can change a lot of lives through those you create and rear. While still very much a virtuous cause and I would say a highly noble thing to do, humanitarian missions in Africa are NOT the only place to make an important difference.  You can start with the most basic unit: a family, with a mother and a father.

From a religious perspective, I would like to share more on The Proclamation as well as its counterpart philosophies, Secularism and Extreme Individualism. I will let the charts do the 'splaining. 3,4

In conclusion, I firmly stand on the ground that marriage is the product of divine mandate, as well as years and years of human moral evolution.  Whatever doubts or reservations you have about marriage are probably valid concerns, but ultimately not enough to prove that it is an optional institution for the Fittest.  After my research into the matter, I have found that Darwinians as well as Diocese can all agree that the bond of marriage, honored with fidelity, can uphold society and can proliferate generations of effective people.






Notes:

1. D.B. Larson, J.P. Swyers, and S.S. Larson (1995), The Costly Consequences of Divorce: Assessing the Clinical, Economic, and Public Health Impact of Marital Disruption in the United States (Rockville, MD: National Institute for Healthcare Research), 136

2. The Family: A Proclamation to the World (1995, November) Ensign, 25, 102

3. David C. Dollahite, ed., (2000) Comparison of Sacred Truths Taught in Proclamation and Secular Philosophies; Strengthening Our Families: An In-Depth Look at the Proclamation on the Family (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft), 364

4. David C. Dollahite, ed., Comparison of the Degree of Individualism Taught in the Proclamation Versus Extreme Individualism (2000).

Happy V-Day 2013!

I just have to say that Valentine's Day is a lot more fun now that I'm learning to get in the mood for holidays that don't include moist turkey or a juicy ham.

We decided to have fun this year, despite a sleep-deprived Feb. 13th. I had glorious plans to make a pink, heart-shaped breakfast but instead busted out the English muffins, PB, and bananas cut into pathetic hearts. It was a Winner morning, believe me. (*sigh*)

Luckily, all of the rest of the day's prep was completed yesterday, so it wasn't too bad after all. (Siena made culturally appropriate valentines for her class the previous two days. Check... Whew!)

After lunch, the girls made valentines for their cousins and then we hosted a little cousin party at which we decorated heart-shaped mini cakes and played with the dress-ups. It was fun, and thankfully NOT exhausting.

When Juan got home, he presented the girls (& The Ez) with wrapped roses. I'm not gonna lie, it was incredibly cute of him to do that. Our rule for each other this year was ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOOOOOO GIFTS! Last week we finally got ourselves a decent bed (you know, one that doesn't sink in and bulge out in all the wrong places, one without previous owners...gross, but true--we couldn't afford anything else when we first got married--and one that doesn't look as if it had survived through Woodstock.) You don't know what real sleep is until you get a decent mattress. I feel five years younger! (...Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Four and a half years younger!) It was one of the best Valentines gifts we've given each other.

And That, my friends, was V-Day for our fam this year. El Fín.

Bronchiolitis, Round Two

What?! The Ez has caught it again. Don't know if I blogged about this or not, but when he was just two months old, we had a few trips to the doc due to a sick little boy. Turned out he had bronchiolitis and they had to run tubes down his throat to suction the slime from his fighting little body. It was an experience I never wished to repeat, to say the least.

Fast forward to last Sunday night when we started to see a somewhat sick baby go downhill quickly. He was up all night with a fever of 102, and by Monday morning he had lost his appetite as well as his charming personality. He wasn't all that whiny, which scared me; he was just lethargic, like a balloon losing its helium slowly. I was thinking about bringing him in to the doc, but three things held me back: 1.) his fever would go away and his spirits would improve off and on again for three days like a roller coaster ride 2.) my dad's voice resounded in my mind, "parents these days don't let their children grow stronger and fight through sickness like they should...," and 3.) our health insurance had been approved, we just hadn't received our ID cards yet and we weren't sure if the company would think this was a preexisting condition and deny our application after all. (Granted, we wouldn't have kept our child from a doc solely because we are cheap. We are cheap, but not THAT cheap.)

Anyway, I finally was able to see past that crazy list of reasons NOT to take him in due to a 95% sleep-less night last night and we saw a NP this morning. He said that Ezzie has fallen back into his old ways, and that we will need to see a clinic for more suctioning. (Boo!) Luckily, after a dose of amoxicillin and a nice nap this afternoon, he is showing more lasting signs of improvement. (Yay!) The nurse did warn me, however, that frequent situations like this can be signs of something much more serious like Cystic Fibrosis. In retrospect, I wish he hadn't told me that... I function best in naïveté. But for right now, we are giving him all the attention and meds his little self can handle with Go--Fight--Win! as our motto.

And if that "Steve Holt!" confidence doesn't get him feeling better, well, I don't know what will.