Memorial Day and my Fourth Birthday Party!

You'd think that we would have had time to rest right? Well, we did have some down time, but I decided to get sick and spend it in bed. Kelvin got some rest and even built a computer with his dad this weekend. Good thing too, as there computer was getting old and outdated for what they need. Saturday night was my birthday dinner with the Bailey's. Maritza was not feeling well and stayed home. I had not been feeling very well, but had taken a nap earlier and felt a little better at that point. We went out to Christina's, it's a Mexican restaurant close by that I love. After good food, we went back to the house and I got a beautiful cake! I was a little reluctant to cut it because it was so pretty, but it turned out to be a great tasting cake as well.


The beautiful cake!




They started to sing before the candles were even on the cake, so we were laughing because the song had ended but they were trying to hold out the last note until the candles were lit.



Make a wish!



Isabella and Gregory doing "Superman"







After everyone left for the night, I started to feel really sick. My muscles ached and I was so nauseous. On Sunday morning, I was still pretty bad. I stayed in bed all day and slept. By yesterday morning I was feeling better and decided to go to the BBQ at Lisa's and Brandon's. We had a good time. We came home and then chilled the rest of the day and I feel a lot better today. Now I get to do homework and catch up with lots of other things. I have a feeling that this is going to be a busy summer. That's ok, I rather prefer it that way.

First week in Texas and Presents from Chile

So after the apartment fiasco, I was on the phone for almost a straight day trying to find another place. Kelvin was put on a 4/10 schedule which is working 10 hours a day 4 days a week, which means he has to be into work earlier. With an hour commute, I was getting nervous we wouldn't find another place and he would have a miserable summer. Then I called one place and they had an opening for a 2 month lease for a good price. I was so excited. I told them I would call them back after I talked to Kelvin. I tried for 2 days straight to call them back and all I got was the answering machine. I left message after message and started to get a little nervous. But yesterday I finally got a hold of them. They still have the apartment for us and it was cheaper than they had originally quoted us! The price apparently changes from day to day, and I called on a good day. I rushed up there to get the application started and today we are going to sign the last of the paper work. The Lord definitely had a hand in this. It is a lot closer than the other apartment was going to be to Kelvin's work, it's cheaper, and it's right by the Zoo and Six Flags! We scored and I am so grateful to have found a place that is a better situation for us.

On another note, for a while I have been having problems with my tooth. Ok, so it's been a year but we never had money to go to a dentist so I sucked it up as the pain would come and go. When we got to Texas, I felt like I had been punched in the jaw everyday and had trouble eating and sleeping. We decided that I just had to go to the dentist because it was getting worse and there could be more problems. I made an appointment and went on Monday. They took x-rays and the dentist said he was not 100% sure of my problem because there was only a small spot on one of my roots, but was pretty sure that was what was causing my pain. We decided to go ahead with the root canal. The funny thing was that it was not the tooth I thought was the problem. It was a tooth that I had had worked on 2 years earlier and had a crown put on. We saved some money there becasue they could reuse the crown which was very helpful. When he got into the root, he said I am now 100% sure that this was the cause of the pain. The root was so inflammed that it wouldn't stop bleeding for a long time. The procedure went really fast though and I felt so much better after it was done. It was amazing to take a drink of room temperature water and not have horrible pain in my mouth. It is still sore and will be for a while but I can handle that.

Now on to the good stuff......

Kelvin's mom got home from Chile last night. She went with Marta and they had a blast! After a long trip home, I thought she would go straight to bed, but of course we all end up talking until 9 at night! Kelvin is such a little boy and kept asking if she brought home a novel in Spanish for him, he was so excited. So she gave us our presents last night. We were so spoiled!


We both got hats for the winter and they were so warm we didn't want to take them off! I also got a scarf with the hat and I am SO excited to wear it this winter.



This is a picture of everything. You can't see things too well, but there was a lot of candy (yum), our hats, Kelvin's book in Spanish (Lord of the the Rings), some jewelry (I got two pairs of earings and he got a couple necklaces and a ring).



The blue one's were from Fabian and Paola and are a rare stone only found in 2 places in the world, one of which is Chile! It's supposed to bring success to the one who wears it. They are so beautiful and I love them! Marta got the purple ones and I am excited about them as well. I am picky about my jewelry and these are both perfect for me. Thank you Fabian, Paola and Marta!



And for the finale, the baby blanket from Mami Ecca! She makes the most beautiful baby blankets and made this one special for us. People want to buy them from her all the time. But they take her so long to make that she is only making them for her grandkids! I can't tell you how happy I was to have this piece of history for our kids made with so much love!



She does it all by hand, and this was a new stitch she tried. It looks really cool!



We are very blessed to have so much wonderful family! We love you all and thank you all for the wonderful gifts. We will cherish them. Os Amamos!!!!

It's Texas Time!

We made it!! Thankfully there were no problems when we came this time. (Last year we were rear ended on the freeway by a semi truck. Nothing severe, but a little scary.) Besides some construction and unexpected delays, we made good time. We were really excited to see everyone and see Isabella again. Although when we went to Lisa and Brandon's for dinner, Isabella did not appreciate us coming into her home and glared at us through dinner. She did warm up to me pretty quick, but not to Kelvin. She is quite determined to ignore him whenever we are around. He was a little perplexed by it all, but I assured him that she would love him by the end of the summer.


This was the look that we got when we first got there.



She kept eying Kelvin trying to decide what to do with him.



Grandpa and Isabella



Mothers day gifts for Lisa from Marta.



Isabella got spoiled with a suitcase full of cute clothes. She was semi-interested in them but more interested in distracting Lisa and climbing all over her lap.



After the dinner with Lisa and Brandon, we went back to his parents house. It was such a nice night that we decided to go for a bike ride. The neighborhoods are beautiful and I love to look at the houses. On Friday we went to the apartment complex we were going to be staying at and when we sat down with the lady Kelvin had been talking to, we found out that the apartment we had was gone!! She had rented it out to someone else. She claimed it was because she didn't hear from us, but we don't know how much clearer you can get then "Yes we would like the apartment please send us the application." She did send us the application, but sent it the day before we were leaving and then made a very casual voice mail to Kelvin asking about the application. She never indicated to him that the apartment would be gone if we didn't put any money down that day. I didn't deal with any of the apartment stuff, that was all Kelvin but I was not happy when we found out that she gave it away. I asked her why she did that when we told her that we wanted it and she said that they didn't have any money down from us so they couldn't take it off the market. I understand that, but then why not tell us that there was someone else interested and that if we still wanted it then we needed to give them money? It was very poorly handled and now we are scrambling to find another place for a couple of months. At least we have his parents here so we don't have to get a hotel. They live about an hour away from Kelvin's internship which is why we wanted the apartment. The commute is a killer! Oh, well. Everything happens for a reason and we are trying to stay positive. The problem is that not many complexes will do a 2 month lease. And we also need furnished. When all is said and done, we might just sleep on the floor with an unfurnished apt. Whatever we can get at this point is what we will take.

Saturday we went to see the new movie Star Trek. It was pretty good. Unfortunately it had some trash in it. Why do they always have to do that in movies? And that night we went to a Steak restaurant. Kelvin's cousin graduated from college and there was a big celebration. The food was great and it was a lot of fun to see extended family again. I love his family so much!

Then on Sunday (today), Kelvin, his dad and I went to Larry and Michelle's boy Sam's Deacon ordination. It was such a happy moment that I did shed a tear or two. He has come a long way and was so excited to have this in his life. We went to Larry and Michelle's house after for lunch and it was such a nice day that Kelvin and I took a stroll in the golf cart around their property (they have 100 acres of beautiful land). Lunch was delicious and the company was the best! We love this little family and all they have done for us and many others. They adopted their 3 kids and have given them such a good life. The kids are great and we love to spend time with them.

So far it has been a great weekend. Busy, but great. Kelvin starts his internship tomorrow and my last class starts tomorrow. Hopefully things will continue to be smooth throughout the summer.

I Have the Best Husband in the World!!!

Last night we went to my friend Shae's house because she had "something" for me. When we got there this is what I found......





Yup, that's a surprise party all for me! Kelvin had been planning it for about a month and had kept people all up to date so most everyone I wanted to be there was there! I was shocked and speechless for a while because he is usually not able to keep a secret from me. He gets so excited when he gets me things that he just wants to tell me all about them and ends up dropping hints and I figure it out. But last night was a total shocker!! I was very impressed that he was able to keep it from me that long. And my friends that I see a lot also were able to keep it quiet as well, although that could have been more from the threat Kelvin gave them all if they let something slip. I got my very own surprise birthday party!!! My husband is the very best man in the world! They planned the party to be before we leave for Texas (which is tomorrow) so I could see all my friends one last time.


Isn't he the BEST!



Gotta love Aaron in the background!



The other instigator of the party, Shae!



My old roommates from Logan. We are still pretty good friends! Linda, Shae, Camille, and me.



And what would be a party without Roger and Adrianne there!



The engaged couple, Jeremy and Christina. Just one more Wedding we will miss this summer.



A few of the boys, Lon, Steve, Nick and my former roommate from Salt Lake, Pamella Rae!



Hally and Joey, these two are so awesome and such good friends! Don't know what I would do without them!



Nick being.....well, Nick



Matt Welling



My Birthday Cake!



Aaron and Adrian, we just LOVE these two!



The Beautiful Shae!



Camille had a knife in her hand, hence the dramatic expression!



And of course the presents!



There were only so many places the camera could be so we didn't get pictures of the other present opening. I got A LOT of stuff! A pair of shoes, a shirt, a gift card to Maurices (one of my favorite stores) and Mary Kay eye makeup remover from Hally and Joey, road trip candy from Roger and Adrianne, Volume 1 of the Joseph Smith Papers Book from Matt, a candle warmer from Shae, awesome chocolate from Aaron and Adrian, and lots of cards! I loved everything! I have to say that I got thoroughly spoiled this birthday even though I never expected any presents or big parties. And the best part is that I really needed the extra love and support this year and Kelvin came through with flying colors! Thank you Shae for being such a wonderful friend. You are such a blessing in my life! Thank you to my wonderful husband who takes such good care of me. I love you so much. It is you who has been there by my side 100% of the time and never fails to make me laugh or smile when times are down and tough! You are my life and my world. So here's to the best birthday I have ever had and it's not even my birthday yet!

Feliz Dia de las Madres!

Mother's day is so special to me! Word's cannot express how much I love my mother. I know lot's of people feel that way as they should, but today I want to tell you about my mother! They say that being a mother is the highest calling you can have in this church. It is the closest to being like the angels and our Heavenly Mother that you can achieve on this earth. Women literally walk though the valley of the shadow of death to bring children into this world. It is one of the biggest sacrifices you can make. And then to be a good mother is having Heavenly Father smile constantly upon you. Mothers influence generations and have a much greater impact than we even comprehend. I had a good mother. Sometimes she feels like she didn't do enough, or could have been better, but it's the mothers who are the best who feel that way sometimes. Church was a little hard for me because of our recent experiences, but then I thought about my mother. She is such a strength to me and a comfort without even realizing it. I look to her example when life doesn't turn out like I expected.

The five greatest lessons I learned from my mother:

1. I learned that you can find humor in any situation. Laughter is truly the best medicine and we shouldn't take life too seriously.

2. I learned that trials are there for our benefit and we need to turn to the Lord for guidance.

3. I learned that the scriptures are full of knowledge and wisdom for our personal lives and our day if we will only study them and gain the knowledge for ourselves.

4. I learned that being a strong woman is necessary, but being a soft, gentle and kind woman is priceless!

5. I learned that charity is the most important thing you can obtain in this life and that you should never judge people because you don't know what they are going through or what their real intentions are.

She is my ultimate example and I hope that someday I will be blessed to be a mother, and to be one like her! I love you so much mom!

And now here are pictures from our Sunday get together!


Rachel, Braden and Sammie



Braden was being so silly. He was upset about something when he got to the house so he wouldn't open his eyes. Kelvin and I started to tease him and play around with it saying "Where is Braden? Has anyone seen Braden? I can't find him!" And of course when he would open his eyes, we would be able to "see" him again. It changed his mood right around. Kids are so precious!



Nathan loves to play with the drinking fountain in the backyard!



What would mothers day be without flowers!



Stephen and Dad grilling dinner



Grilled pineapple and steaks. It was great food! Thanks guys.



I got to do dessert and made 2 different cookies. Oreo's and Chocolate Caramel Delights. Both are incredibly awesome cookies!



Mom, Paula and Sammie



Braden was showing off his new sandals. They were Lightning McQueen sandals and he told us that they were dancing and spinning sandals, and then gave us a demonstration.

Soccer, the Zoo and my Favorite Restaurant

We had a great weekend! Friday we went and picked up Felicia and Jordan to give Ed some time to relax without the kids. We went to the park, played games and watched movies. Then on Saturday we went to Kelvin's soccer game and then to the zoo. The soccer game was really good and my fabulous man scored most of the goals! He basically won the game for his team single handed! (Hey, a girl has the right to brag about her husband being the best, right??) He was so good and he had a lot of fun. I tried to get a good picture of him scoring, but the camera takes pictures 2 seconds after you push the button so it was always just a little too late. Maybe next time I will have figured out the timing and can get a good shot! It was really good for him to get out and play. Most of the semester has been him doing homework and then going to work. He never really got a lot of time to play. But when you are in school to be a Mechanical Engineer, you don't have time to do much of anything else. The classes are killers! Needless to say he is so excited to be done in a couple years.


Isn't he awesome!









He had just missed a shot in this picture but was so close!



My friend Haley, Felicia and I. Haley's husband was playing too.



Jordan being Jordan



After the game we went to the zoo with the kiddos. We went with them last year and had a lot of fun. Our camera's batteries died so we didn't get any pictures. Our other friend Matt Welling came with us and he took pictures for us. We don't have them yet so they are not with this blog. After we dropped the kiddo's off we went home and got ready for the night! Ever since we have been married I have wanted to go to my favorite restaurant in the World! Tepanyaki in Utah is a Japanese Steakhouse and like a Hibachi Grill. They cook the food on a big grill in front of you and you get great entertainment from the chef. The food is fa nominal but unfortunately so are the prices! This is why it is not a common occurrence to go. In fact, in our whole year and a half of marriage, we hadn't yet been. So this year, I insisted we go. I saved the birthday money my parents gave me and we invited our friends and went out for a birthday/goodbye celebration! It was SO much fun! Everyone had a blast and our chef was hilarious! When we first got there, there were a ton of high school students standing outside. They were all dressed up and we assumed it was for the Prom. In the middle of them all my friend Joey jumped out and yelled "Happy Birthday!" The high school kids then started to sing to me and the boys all got together and made an arch for me to walk through to get inside the restaurant all while they were singing to me! I was laughing so hard and a little embarrased. It's awesome though to have attention like that occasionally. When we got inside the kids left and I asked my friend if she put them up to it. She laughed and said she had nothing to do with it they just did it! So cute!


Joey, Haley and me




My good friend Shae



Kelvin thought it was so cute that I was SO excited to be there. I tend to act like a little kid when I get excited and was dancing when I was eating, wide eyed and a huge grin the whole night!



The love of my life and very best friend! Thank you baby for my wonderful night! You mean the world to me.

Party Time!!

Last night was the night that my family got together to celebrate all the birthdays in May. We did it early in the month so Kelvin and I could be there because we leave for Texas in a week. It was a lot of fun! We had Taco Salad, German Chocolate cake, and apple pie. I love German chocolate cake and Amy wanted the pie so everybody got something they wanted. Below are a ton of pictures. We took more, but I don't think that Nathan can hold still for 2 seconds because most of his were blurry and awful. He had a great time with his presents and as you can see from the pictures below, so did everyone else!


Nathan with his presents. We got him the candy and I think he ate all of it before the night was over. Pretty sure that he had some help from his siblings though!






He got to blow out the candles for the three of us. (It was Nathan, Amy, and my birthday's this month.)



Everyone having fun with his toys!







And of course, what is a night full of boys without a little wrestling!



Rich and Summer



Caught Ya!











The Grandparents.



Dave and Paula



Dan and Amy. They are expecting a little boy in June.



Stephen and Sammie after her wardrobe change from the jello.



I can't believe how big this kid keeps getting!



And of course....us! Sorry that the picture is not very good. We didn't have our camera so we used my parents and we didn't change the settings so the picture was taken too close.



This was my birthday present from my wonderful husband. Lately I have been wanting to play Mario Brothers from the Old School Nintendo. He looked everywhere and found a new console that just came out that plays both the Nintendo and the Super Nintendo games. It's called the Retro Duo and we have LOVED it! We took it to my parents house and my brothers were all sorts of excited. Stephen was the only one who played with Kelvin, but everyone was intently watching. This is Stephen and Kelvin playing Super Mario.



We have had a great weekend. One other funny moment that I have to share was on Sunday night. We went to Marta's for dinner and the Montanares were there as well. We were all talking and having a great time when I walked over to Kelvin and started to play with his hair. He was bending over petting the dog when I look up and see Kelvin walk out of one of the rooms. I then looked down at whose hair I was playing with and it was Felipe!!!! He just got off his mission a few months ago and we had just met that night. I was so embarrassed! Kelvin laughed and laughed and then Felipe turned around and realized it was me who had been playing with his hair, he thought it was Jennifer trying to get his attention. Then of course everyone was in the kitchen and realized my mistake and had a great laugh. In my defense, they both have the same hair and look very similar from behind. They were both wearing white tee shirts that night as well! I tend to do embarrassing things a lot. A few months before Kelvin and I got married, I was at the movies with a bunch of people. I had my arm on the arm rest and was playing with something at the end of the arm rest. I couldn't figure out what it was and when I went to look, I saw the guy sitting next to me looking right at me and my hand was on his knee! What more can I say!