all hallows eve 2011 edition

yikes, it's been forever since i've posted here!  life's been so super busy, so i haven't had the time to sit and write about what's going on.  but then halloween rolls in and we have to post pics.  :)

our family loves halloween.  okay, me and my kids LOVE halloween.  scott is a good sport and lets us drag him along for the ride.  it's always impossible to get him to participate and wear a costume, so i took the opportunity when he actually suggested a costume for us.  so i put it together, and ta-da, this year he dressed up!  we were characters from plants vs zombies (the ubber popular computer game and app by popcap).

we showed up at this halloween party and the kids went crazy!  this one little girl couldn't get over how cool our costumes were and wanted pictures with us.  it was so fun to be able to dress up and go out together... i hope scott enjoyed it just as much as i did, so we can repeat it again next year.

forget me not

this was the first year (out of the last 10) that i didn't go to the conference center for the relief society general meeting.  i had just returned from extended stay in arizona, so i had to unpack, do laundry, prepare the relief society lesson, etc...

i was bummed out for not going, because being there and walking around downtown with that army of women is just downright freaking awesome!  you get to see our strength in numbers, and you feel stronger because it's so evident you're not alone in your cause.  :)

but this year i laid low, stayed home catching up and watched conference on my laptop.  i'm glad i did.  i was able to really ponder about the words that were spoken after the meeting was over.  

the talks by the relief society general presidency were all great, but can i get a woot woot for president uchtdorf?!?  he. is. incredible.  every time he speaks to us women it's like he knows us so well.  three years ago he spoke about our need to be creative, and i felt that that message had been directly written to me.  it came at a time of deep inner search, and it changed my life.  he explains things in a way that opens my understanding to who i am as a daughter of God, and gives me assertion of my importance and value.   

his message this time was about not feeling forgotten, and it hit me hard just like his last talk.  i'm so deeply grateful for him, his wisdom, love and respect for us as daughters of our Heavenly Father.

fun in the scorching sun

what was originally a "quick" trip turned into a one week stay, then into a two week stay, and now i'm contemplating staying 2 1/2 weeks.  who knows, maybe i won't drive back home and i'll just start living in az again! LOL

we've lived in utah for the past decade, but every time i come to az to visit i get this feeling that this is my place.  i just love it here.  yes, it's insanely hot, but somehow i still like it.  i come to az regularly because my parents live here, and this time we had an extra special reason to come down.  a family reunion, celebrating 40 years of my mom's family's baptism into the church.

Here's a quick overview of the events of this trip, so far...

First things first... We quickly stopped at the Moqui Caves (still in Utah) on the way down.  We've always wanted to check that place out, but it was never open! We lucked out this time, and decided to take the extra hour break to look around and explore that incredible space.  The kids' favorite part was to see the dinossaur tracks they have in there, and the glow in the dark mineral rocks... so cool! :)

is this awesome or what! 

Once in AZ our first commitment was the reunion we had so much looked forward to.  We gathered with family and friends at the Brazilian Bull Steakhouse, and talked about the connections  we've had throughout the last 4 decades.  So, so many, and so many blessings have come from the friendship we've maintained with our family's missionary.  It was a-ma-zing, and so gratifying to be able to look back and see all the many ways we've enriched our lives because of the love we have for our Heavenly Father.  A truly unforgettable event.

{pictures coming soon!} 

That same evening Scott and I headed down to Ben Drake's wedding, in Tucson.  He looked so handsome and happy... we were so honored to be a part of his wedding day!

Dollar dance with the groom

And the next morning we were back to be present at my nephew's blessing.  We had another family gathering -- because we love good food and laughter like that.  :)

a 4 generation picture with our missionary -- we're so blessed!

Monday we were off to Salt River to celebrate a cool labor day by the water, with Scott's brother and his wife.  What a gorgeous place; we loved being there!

on the hiking trail at Salt River

Scott's brother and his "catch"...I know, it looks more like bait! lol :)

Scuba Jonah looking for "cool rocks" to add to his collection.  he did awesome! 

with my awesome sis-in-law, Amy

the girl cousins playing in the river

We spent the rest of the week swimming and hanging out.  I really can't think of anything else I'd rather do than swim when it's 113 outside!  :-P

So as one can quickly see, the greatest thing about kids is how little they need to be happy.  Here's yet another exhibit: Chandler Fashion Mall has a LEGO store.  $15 for a bucket full of pieces of your choosing.  Seriously?!?  Utah needs a LEGO store!!!  But while we don't get one, the kids had a blast going to the store they have in AZ.  It's impossible to describe Jonah's excitement when he saw the place, so I won't.

LEGOs from wall to wall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  8D

Then our plans changed again, and we had to head out to San Diego.  We're on such a tight a budget, but you don't need money to have fun when you have the beach! :)  We went to Pacific Beach, and when I got there I realized how much I miss the ocean...  wow, I miss it so much it hurts.  I tell Scott... that's the one thing I gave up when I moved from Brazil that I so wish I could have nearby again.  The ocean is my inner peaceful point of reference; it makes me whole.

my therapy

livia thought it was hilarious to dump sand on jonah's head.  jonah, not so much... 

got to teach livia how to body surf!
now we just need to come back more often so she can practice  :)

with my buddy jonah.  he loved loved loved the beach! :)

jonah playing along and pretending to be desperate
to get out of the sand trap Scott put him in

i just love this shot.  :)

My sister and her husband and kids had also gone to San Diego, so the husbands headed back to Utah while the wives and kids decided to stay behind.  My sister and I then headed back to AZ for another week or two of fun in the scorching sun.  What a perfect way to wrap up this summer!  :)

summer concerts

it's been a while since i've been to a concert, and this summer i ended up going to 2 in one week!
i found out last minute that the gypsy kings were coming to salt lake, to play at the red butte garden.  i LOVE that place... scott and i have been there before, to a diana  krall concert a couple of years ago.  come to think of it, that was the last concert we attended.  :)

so when i heard the gypsy kings were coming there i was ecstatic!  the story behind my infatuation for the  gypsy kings is that when i was about 13 years old i wanted to learn how to dance so i wouldn't embarrass myself at church dances.  but we had limited resources, and my parents couldn't afford to put me in dance lessons.  instead, they bought me a gypsy kinds LP.  i fell in love with their flamenco guitars the second i heard them play bamboleo for the first time.   they sound amazing!!!  the complementing harmony of their guitars blew my mind.  i liked them so much i even rented a video cassette of one of their live shows in London, and i dreamed back then of going to see them live some day, but artists like the gypsy kings never toured in south america.  oh well.  so i would enjoy what i could, practiced dancing with my brother, and we became so good we actually won a couple of stake dance championships.  :)

fast forward more than 20 years later, i heard they were going to be in town and i freaked out.  :)  i told scott about why i cared to go see them, and i even found discount tickets for the event.  i told my sister about them... their concert happen to be on her birthday!  long story short, in a matter of 2 days we had all purchased the tickets and were going to the concert together.

it.  was.  awesome!  :)

Scott and I at the Gypsy Kings concert

then a few days later was Adele's concert.  i was planning on going, but watching it from a building across the street, since her concert was also at a park.  so - yay! - free concert!  :)  honestly, as far as vocals go, she has been the most amazing live perfomer i've ever seen - tied with paul mccartney and placido domingo.  well, different styles, but she's right up there with the best of the bests.  she sounds just as good live as she does on the radio.  maybe even better, because she has so much control of her incredible pipes, and she loves to show off to her audience.  amazing, amazing, amazing talent.  her performance of rolling in the deep was nothing short of electrifying!  and the girl is only 23!  she'll be one of those legends, and i'll be able to tell my grandkids i went to see an Adele concert - for free! :)

with my partner in crime, Michelli, leaving Adele's concert in downtown Salt Lake

here's a video clip of Adele's performance that evening.  Rolling in the Deep:

her rendition of Lovesong (originally by The Cure) is amazing:

Another favorite, To Make You Feel My Love:

the Up house

a quick note to share what we've been up to...
so, did anyone hear about the Up house? yes, i'm talking about a replica of the house you see in the movie Up, from Pixar. a local builder decided to build a house just like the one in the movie, and after getting the approval from Disney they were able to build an exact replica, inside and out, balloons and all! and they allowed visitors to come through and check it out. but to make the experience even more real, they also had Carl and Russell out on the porch, welcoming the visitors. way, way fun. :)

a neat little detail... i know the person who architectured the house.  she's actually in my ward! :)

us, goofing off in Carl & Ellie's bathroom

Liv by the painting of Paradise Falls in the front room 

Liv outside the Up house

the mural in the nursery

jonah's fireworks

this post is outdated, but i needed to share it here, nonetheless.  jonah loves loves loves to record videos of himself "painting" on the computer screen.  then he decided to get creative with his drawings, and one day this is what he came up with.   it gets really good at right about 1:15 min.

ancient egypt 101

gotta love 6th grade.  my daughter just started the school year, and she's learning about ancient egypt.  her first home project was to build a sarcophagus.  the teacher suggested they use an old shoe box, but livia has to go all out on everything she does.  so she talked me into making a close to life size sarcophagus.  i'm officially a sucker.

but then i thought i might turn this post into a tutorial, just in case there's another sucker mom out there, lost, trying to figure out how to build a sarcophagus.  here we go...

the most important part, obviously, is to have a large cardboard box.  i was fortunate enough that we had a box that was perfect for this project.  we just recently purchased a sleep number bed, and one of the boxes the bed came in was just the right length and width for this.  that's what we used.  however, i bet if you go into a moving supply store they would have something in a similar size as the box we used.

here are the other materials we used:
acrylic paint in the colors red, green, blue, black, white and silver
paint brushes (from very small sized, to wide brushes)
decoupage sealer (can be substituted by using 2 parts glue 1 part water)
2 gold spray paint cans
magic clay
acrylic gems
plastic face mask

i put the girls to work!  this was a team project, so i had livia's friend come over and help out.  the first thing we did was prep the box.  we used the decoupage sealer to get the box ready for spray painting.  without this step the color wouldn't have stuck and the cardboard would've sucked up all the gold off the surface.

meanwhile, i worked prepping the face mask.  i used the magic clay to cover up the eyes, nostrils, and i modeled a king cobra to decorate the forehead.  i just looked up pictures of the cobra to have it as a guide, and i winged it.  it turned out okay, though! :)  it is important to mention that i did glue the magic clay on.  magic clay won't stick to the plastic this mask is made of, so i reinforced it by using tacky glue so nothing would fall off.

after this was done we were ready to spray! i took the box outside, and supervised livia.  we used a handy little tool, not sure what it's called, but it attaches to the nozzle of your spray bottle and you pull the trigger to get a continuous spray without hurting your fingers.  it worked out great.  

i had her place the mask where we would affix it later on, but i did not have her glue it in place just yet.  i did it that way so we could add details to the mask after it dried up.  

adding details to the mask... eye makeup, eyebrows, jewels for eyes, then painting the cobra.

the rest of the design was a matter of preference.  i wanted to have it look as legit as a 6th grade project can, but it had to be designs that my daughter could work on (even though i ended up doing 90% of it).  so i started out by researching egyptian symbols and common design trends on egyptian art, especially when depicting the pharao and his powers.  i found a ton of different design ideas, and had to sift through them.  in the end we opted for bold and trademark symbols (seeing eye, the egyptian cross, the sun, the spread eagle).  

the colors chosen were also the same colors commonly used to decorate a sarcophagus.  we even found out their meaning:

gold: pertaining to the divine.  godlike, with god powers

black: death

red: power

green: prosperity to the kingdom

blue: of royal origin.

white: purity

(i used the silver mixed in, to add sparkle to the blue and green)

after i came up with the basic design i kept taking pictures of the project to see if it looked "rich" enough.  pictures have a way of capturing what the eye sometimes won't, especially if you've been staring at this project for so long.  so as i took pictures and noticed it still looked "bare" i kept on building on and adding little details that, in the end, made a huge difference - like adding more jewels to make a bolder bib for the pharao, for instance.  we also wanted to add hieroglyphs, and we actually spelled something out!  "egyptian sarcophagus  project".  livia was pretty thrilled. :)

and after hours and hours of research and work, here's our finished sarcophagus!  totally worth it.  one of livia's friends from school actually fit into the box.  so they wrapped her up with toilet paper, and she came out of the sarcophagus, pretending to be a mummy.  apparently it was the highlight of the day.  :)
yes, i'm a sucker, but i'm also a recipient of "coolest mom" award.  :)

sarcophagus engineering 101

so my daughter has been learning about ancient egypt, and she has to do some homework on the topics they're going over.  one of the things the teacher suggested the kids could do to learn more about ancient egypt is to build a sarcophagus.  (?!?)  i know, i've asked myself the same question... how does building a sarcophagus help anyone learn about ancient egypt?  but i'm in for the fun, and we've been doing some research online on how to build this fancy box.

i personally enjoy artsy projects, but i know there are other moms out there who wouldn't have a clue where to begin with a project like this, so i decided to share what we did.  maybe it'll help someone out there.

this has cost us about $32 total, and here's the list of materials we got (some we already had):

a long cardboard box - free, from the leftover boxes from our new sleep number bed
all purpose glue (1 large tube)
water
brushes
acrylic paint, in the following colors:
blue (2 tubes)
silver (1 tube)
red (1 small tube)
green (1 small tube)
black
white
- we chose those colors because they are the colors used in egyptian art (we researched that)

2 spray cans of golden paint
1 plastic mask - full face
magic clay (1 small bag)
acrylic gems (just for fun, egyptian art usually was gem-free)

the little man is here!

so he *is* finally here!  my little sister was induced this past friday, july 22nd, and gave birth to a very cute baby boy.  things went smooth, and both mom and baby are doing great.

i've been loving on this little guy... and people have been asking me if i'm baby hungry.  i've never been baby hungry my entire life, and i think it's kind of funny how people look at a newborn and think "oh, i want one". did i want my kids?  of course!  and i love them.  i really treasured the time they were newborns, too (minus the sleep deprivation).  so yeah, they are the sweetest little thing, but to get a newborn, one must go through 9 full months of pregnancy discomforts, labor, delivery, post postpartum pains... so they can hold a little person that won't look like a newborn anymore in 2 weeks.  so no, i'm not at all baby hungry.  however i am thoroughly loving being an aunt and holding my adorable little nephew.  he is so sweet and little, and so amazingly perfect... and when he cries, off to mom he goes!  i LOVE it...being an aunt is awesome! :)

here are  a few pics of our little man, the newest addition to the family.

born on July 22nd @ 5:40pm
7lbs 1oz., 20 in.

get me bon quiqui, i need someone to call security!

do you know who bon qui qui is?  if you don't you need to meet her.  she calls security at the first sign of trouble!  :)

i wish bon qui qui had been around this past sunday.  this is how low people go these days... now the new thing is for cars to get broken into while they're parked in a church parking lot during service hours.  that's what has been happening lately, and this past sunday we had the nasty surprise of finding broken glass all over the back seat of my car as we walked into the parking lot after church services.  no rocks in sight, so this was someone who came over to the parking lot with an instrument in hand, ready to bust out a car window and make out with someone's purse.

they took something they thought was my purse... except it wasn't.  it was my make up bag.  well over $500 worth of make up products in a black travel bag.  so as frustrated as i was for having lost all the quality make up i own i couldn't help but laugh about the situation. i could picture how stupid they looked as those crooks realized they got a ton of make up rather than a purse!  sorry, suckas... you won't get your meth fix by selling a bunch of used lipstick.  hope you look very pretty all done up in mac!

get here already, caleb!

my sister is close to having her little baby boy.  very close.  very very close.  get here already, caleb!  i've never been so anxious for the birth of a new baby, but for some reason i can't wait to meet my little nephew.  maybe it's because it'll bring me memories of when jonah was born.  but maybe it's because my sister will finally have a boy and see how boys *are* more hyper.  truly, can't wait! ;)

well, along with caleb's arrival there was my mom's arrival.  she flew in just a couple of nights ago, and she's spending the month.  i got to pick her up at the airport and deal with her lost luggage situation (thanks, tsa... you guys are great).  it's really not fun to deal with the lost luggage of someone who gets anxious over little things.  now picture that anxious person not having a change of clothes or any of her belongings for 24 hrs.  see? now, i'm getting anxious just remembering what that was like.  we made the best of it, though, and i took her shopping.  she was thrilled to find cute tops and when we got home... ta-da... her luggage had been dropped off by the airline company.  yes! murphy's law never fails! :)

clearing the dishes

i know, i know... two posts in one day after not blogging for 3 months.  but i had to write it before i forgot it.

jonah had left his dinner plate on the table, and i reminded him to take it to the sink.
so he did.
and as he was approaching the sink, i heard...
"frisbeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
and a CRASH! noise.

yep, i'm raising a boy.

updates

man, i'm terrible, terrible, terrible at keeping a blog updated.

oh i update people about my life, alright.  i get to share sound bites of my life via the human vuvuzela facebook, and i feel like i've already shared too much.

but then there's no detail of my feelings, of my impressions.  and that's precisely why i got  a blog.  to register that somewhere.  so here i am, repentant and hopeful, and maybe this time i'll do better at writing things down on the blog.

so just to update my 7 occasional readers, here's what we've been up to since this last spring! :)

our maltese dog zoey had her litter of 4 adorable puppies... they were the sweetest, quietest little puppies.  then they learned to walk.  thank goodness for the puppy play pen, or they would've messed everywhere.
we traumatized the kids, and against their requests, we sold all the puppies.  they went very quick.  they were good quality dogs, with great personalities, so i wasn't surprised.  but i was very picky.  i made sure they went to good homes, and i was happy that they did -- every single one of them.  one of them went to a friend of mine, so i've been able to see her recently.  she is as happy as a clam, and it warms my heart to know she's so well loved and cared for. :)

last shot of zoey's puppies together.  they were 10 weeks old.

another piece of news is that scott decided to quit his day job and work for himself. yes, he left his corporate america high pay position with one of the biggest companies in the world, and is on his own, doing what he loves most, and being his own boss (which also means he's working crazy hours to meet deadlines).  i've never been more proud of him.  this is something he's always wanted to do, and finally the stars aligned and the right circumstances arrived.  i've been somewhat involved in helping with little things as needed.  i give him my full support; he knows it.  he has a few business partners, but one in particular that has been a tremendous asset in this partnership, and we're very grateful for him.   we've since been involved in some political ventures, and it's been interesting to participate in.  okay, it's been awesome to participate in.  especially when i get to support causes that are close to my heart, such as hb116.  i'm hoping we can make a difference and be a force for good as we help people realize the root of their prejudices and educate them so we can all move towards a better community.

with friends at the speaker's victory gala, in may

and more fun...

erica, a good family friend who used to live with us, got married! :)  she married a good guy, and i know they'll be very happy together.

with erica on her wedding day

jonah and livia are done with the school year!  i can't believe my little boy will be a 1st grader next year, and livia will be in 6th grade!  that's crazy, and yet awesome because now jonah will be going to school full time!  i'll have a little more time to dedicate to things i've had to put on hold because i was tending to my kids.  i'm way excited about that!  :)

my brother daniel's wife had their first baby.  a little princess they named vivi, who was born the day after my birthday.  best belated birthday present ever! :)  they surprised us this 4th of july by coming up to utah to spend the holiday with us.  it was the best!!! and vivi is the sweetest!  another little niece for me to spoil! :)

holding my precious niece, vivi. 

i think that's it for now... we have more family fun coming up, like the birth of little caleb (my sister's baby boy), the kids participation in the days of '47 parade, and a couple of trips.  i'll keep everyone posted, i hope promise!

the puppies are here!

our little maltese, zoey, has become a momma... and what a good mom she is!  she gave birth to her first litter last saturday feb.26th, in the afternoon.  she did amazing... and here they are, 3 girls and 1 boy.  :)

we named them after the powerpuff girls cartoon: blossom, bubbles, and buttercup.  the little boy is mojo.  :)  the kids are LOVING to have puppies at home, and so am i.  i didn't sleep much the first night, but now they're all doing great, eating well and sleeping like i wish my babies had for me!

 a *very* pregnant zoey!  just 2 days before her puppies arrived

 with zoey and her pups.  

zoey is an amazing mom... look at how tender she is with her puppies... they'll be ready to go to new homes in may... we'll miss them!