Gringanada

Los Reyes Magos

2012-01-07T20:21:00.001-07:00

In Argentina, and I believe in most of South America, the 6th of January is a special day.

Some of Sergio's favorite memories as a child were when his family celebrated

El Dia de los Reyes Magos

or in other words,

The Three Wisemen Day!

While we were in Argentina we spent most of Christmas Eve cooking.

By midnight the table is set and full of every yummy thing you can imagine.

Cups are full of cider ready for a Christmas toast.

Then there are tons of fireworks.

Christmas day is mainly spent in family, but they don't really exchange gifts except for maybe a fruit cake.

The gifts come a couple of weeks later when the Three Wisemen come to visit.

The night before little kids everywhere gather grass and water for the three wisemen's camels.

Where it is winter time in the Northern Hemisphere it was a little harder to find nice yummy grass, but it wasn't going to keep Sergio from trying.

So, just in case they were still hungry we also left them a plate with carrots and oats.

And of course we had to leave a little "something-something" for the wisemen too...

We left a note of the gifts that they would like the wisemen to bring them and then they got to bed, anxiously awaiting their arrival.

~~Sergio~~ The Gringanada was sooo excited...she could hardly wait until morning.

Morning came quickly and Miss C was even able to join in on the excitement!

She could hardly wait for her "Mel-mo" book.

The Gringanada skipped right over the toys and ran straight for Mommy...

Sergio got her turned back around to the important stuff.

Overall it was a successful Three King's Day.

Yay for traditions!!!

HAPPY 2012

2012-01-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

2012 is Officially here!

If it would have came a few minutes earlier it would have found our little party-er like this:

I guess sleeping might have been better than being surprised by all of us yelling "Happy New Year!!"

Poor little baby, she is going to have a fear of digital clocks for the rest of her life.

Just like every year since I met Sergio,

This year started off with a bang.

We love Fireworks.

But not as much as we love each other.

Happy 2012!

From all of us.

2011: A Review

2011-12-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

This year has been amazing.

Most of my life has revolved around a certain someone.

I have loved every second of 2011.

So in Memory of a wonderful year

I have tried to post one picture for every month.

It was really hard to choose just one...so on some months I had to add an extra.

Enjoy!

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

As I looked back on some of my past blogs it made me remember things that I had already forgotten...

and also realize that I could have talked about more things that happened this year.

What an amazing year.

I hope that 2012 is just as lucky.

Happy New Year to all my blogstockers out there.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-26T20:41:00.001-07:00

I know that I have said this before,

But I love my dear sweet daughter.

She is so darn cute and she keeps me so grounded.

For her first Christmas, like all moms, I wanted it to be special.

We have spent the last few months finding things that we thought she would love.

Christmas morning she woke up with a half asleep smile.

We carried her up the stairs to see all of her fun gifts.

Santa had brought her a cute little doll and a new dress to wear to church.

She only spent a minute checking things out.

She started to make her way across the room to a small nativity set.

It has been her favorite toy this special season,

but I didn't expect it to be a priority Christmas morning especially with all the other fun things that there were to look at and play with.

I just sat there with a little smirk.

Everyday she teaches me something new.

I love that even thought I get all wrapped up in the gifts and the "other stuff" about Christmas.

She did exactly what she needed to do to remind me of the real meaning.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.

Although this year feels unbeatable, I know that 2012 is going to be just as amazing.

I hope it is just as awesome for all of you!

Thoughts and things on Christmas Adam

2011-12-24T00:12:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine (Melody Ream) and I were having a conversation last week, something to the effect of how you can tell you spend to much time on Facebook when you are constantly thinking of good status updates.

Tonight as I thought of something to put as my status I couldn't choose just one thing, let alone shorten any of my thoughts enough for an actual status.

So here are a few of my random ramblings from today.

1st of all.

My dear sweet cousin received his mission call to

Richmond, Virginia.

McKay & Chad

I am so excited for him.

He's pretty much the sweetest, most compassionate kid I know.

He has all of the qualities of being an awesome missionary.

Our Gringanada has yet another ear infection.

Even with tubes.

She has been sick for a full week now, I took her to the doctor on Monday and he assured me that it was just a cold and that if she wasn't better by Friday (today) that it was probably something more.

I noticed her ear oozing today and called in an antibiotic.

Being sick hasn't kept her from having fun.

Today she was pushing the presents from under the Christmas tree clear across the floor so she step up on top of them to get into her toy box.

Genius.

Speaking of Christmas.

I took Sergio shopping and told him I wasn't going to spend anymore money.

We left with a~~nother~~ new dress and a few other things.

It was his fault, I promise.

Sometimes he is worst than I am.

On another note...

Sergio started making Kipe (hamburger, bulgar wheat, and mint) today and we are going to do fruit salad as soon as I get this blog done.

Those are the sure signs that Christmas is coming.

Last but not least:

Happy Christmas Adam!!!

On our way to Twin Falls my mom and I had a nice chat about how awesome Christmas is. After listening to the song, "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill we started a very in depth conversation, in the way that only a mom and her daughter can.

We talked about a young, unwed Mary becoming "heavy with child."

We discussed how much the young Jesus Christ must have been persecuted for being, what the world considered, born out of wedlock. I am sure that the bulling was not only intense by the children his age, but also by other adults.

It brought to mind the scripture in the Book of Mormon that says,

"And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

-Alma 7:10-12

Our Savior went through every one of the sufferings, pains, sicknesses and afflictions that we can imagine-All the horrible things that we feel so alone when we go through them - and He did so willingly. All of those terrible, awful feelings so that He would know how to 'succor' or comfort and care for us when we go though similar things.

Prints of Peace

I am so grateful for the knowledge that I am never alone.

I am grateful for this time of the year to remember Him.

Merry Christmas.

Baby Fear Factor.

2011-12-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Festival of Trees.

I was so excited to introduce our Gringanada to my good friend, Santa Claus.

I don't know if he was just a little too holly or extra jolly...

Either way,

She wasn't buying it.

He later admitted to being heavily self medicated...

Maybe this tiny tot is just a good judge of character.

Her little body started shaking as a small panic attack set in.

I tried to convince her that he was an alright guy and that she needs to be nice to him so that she can get lots of presents.

I guess she didn't consider the price of gifts as valuable as her well-being.

She wouldn't calm down as long as he was looking.

She kept an eye on him the rest of the time while we looked at the trees.

Later on she watched as the other little kids went up and sat on Santa's lap.

She finally got up enough courage to make her way towards him.

But once she had caught Santa's attention she retreated back to Grandpa.

She couldn't even be bribed by a yummy candy cane.

Poor little girl.

Looks like she ain't getting nothing for Christmas.

Empanadas, Oreos and Other Babysteps

2011-11-28T16:38:00.001-07:00

So...

I don't know if it makes me a bad mom or not...

but our Gringanada is a fan of food and I am a fan of watching her try new things.

It sure beats that pureed stuff...

She destroyed that empanada...literally. I eventually had to take it away, which of course led to a temper tantrum. I know where she gets it from though...I throw temper tantrums too when people take my empanadas away.

I'm not quite as adventurous to give her things as Grandpa...

This was her first Oreo...(that I saw)

Courtesy of Grandpa.

She was willing to share if you would like a little bit.

In our Gringanada's 9 month appointment, I sheepishly admited to our doctor that I had started giving her a little bit of table food. He assured me that by now she is pretty much ready for anything except peanuts, honey and real milk...I don't think he had Oreos in mind...or empanadas for that matter.

Here I was going to make the justifying comment that this is the only Oreo that she has had until my dad just walked in with her a minute ago and he was giving her what he called "Oreo crumbs."

I guess that's how I need to start justifying it too when I eat a couple.

I guess I don't know what all she has "tried" in the last few months.

But she seems to be healthy.

Last week she even pulled this little stunt on us:

She's up and going.

She will pull herself up to the side of the couch and get a few steps in before she crashes.

She still is a lot more comfortable crawling over walking, but she is getting more couragous.

My favorite part of her walking is how excited and proud of herself she gets.

I am pretty proud of her too.

Maybe all the sugar from the Oreos has something to do with it.

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-28T16:24:00.001-07:00

Although this post might be a couple of days late...

I HAD to share these pictures!

This is her first time enjoying some nice juicy turkey.

She pretty much gobbled it up...pardon the pun.

It's always nice to be together as a family.

Overall she was a fan.

What's in a Name?

2011-11-21T22:32:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to do this blog for a while now,

but Saturday pretty much sealed the deal for me.

This story starts as Sergio and I were on our way to Pocatello to watch an amazing choir concert that my friend, Kara and her husband were in. Did I say it was amazing? Because it was.

Before the concert started we wanted to try Texas Roadhouse for dinner so I called to make reservations.

This is the basics of the conversation I had with the front desk girl.

"Hi I wanted to make reservations for tonight."

-Okay. For how many?

"2 and a high chair."

-Okay what is the name.

"Sergio Riva...I'll just spell it for you...

R-I-V-A-D-E-N-E-I-R-A."

-Oh wow...that is by far the hardest name I have ever heard. Congratulations!

Sergio and I laughed a lot.

When we arrived at the restaurant I mentioned that we already had reservations and they asked me our name again.

So...The conversation started again.

"I'll spell it for you...R-I-V-A-D-E-N-E-I-R-A."

-Oh right. Hey, you guys really need to make up a fake name for when you go out to eat...So it will be easier.

We laughed even harder.

I didn't want to get into the details of every time I call to make a Dr's appointment, or when I need to pick up a prescription, or when I get a church calling.

So we just made our way to our table I chuckled about it for the rest of the night.

Today I am dedicating this post to my very original last name.

Here are some random facts about my last name:

Funny Fact:

You can sing the Mickey Mouse song when you spell it...

try it out:

R-i-v-ade-n-e-i-r-a

pretty awesome right??

Grammar Fact:

The #2 question I always get (1st being...How did you two meet?)

is:

How do you say your last name?

So here it is...

Our name is basically 3 names all together

Riva

Neira (Nay-tha...Nay like the sound a horse makes and the 'ra' works best if you can roll your R's it's actually a RRRR sound but the th works pretty well too.)

If you are still having a hard time pronouncing it...don't worry, I still can't say it perfectly...and neither could the majority of the people in our Spanish branch.

In fact, most everyone in Argentina still calls me by my maiden name...since they knew me by that name first and since it isn't really tradition to change your name when you get married there. Your name doesn't change on your legal documents and you vote under your maiden name. So don't worry about offending either of us if you decide to call me by my maiden name.

Geological Fact:

Part of the reason that it is so...dare I say..."weird" is because our name comes from Galicia, Spain which is a providence that borders Portugal so the last Neira...is actually a Portuguese ending.

There is even a River called Rio Neira.

Historical Fact:

But my favorite fact about where my last name came from is a story that my mom found doing family history work.

You can read the original site where I got this information here, The information was taken from a book called Genealogies of the New Kingdom of Granada. It was printed in Madrid in 1624, but I am just going to give you the less accurate Kira version.

Basically 13 years after Christ's death some of Jame's (from the bible) disciples were on a boat traveling towards Galicia.

The Queen Wolf allowed them to dock and then they asked for a cart and a couple of oxen to help them unload a few things. What I understand is when the bulls came to the boat they started to charging and the disciples made the sign of the cross and the bulls stopped.

This miracle scared the queen and so she ordered for them to be put in jail.

Sometime later one of the queen's maids went down to the dungeon and saw a "great radiance."

The maid was startled but she must have known it was a miracle so she went upstairs and grabbed the blind prince by the hand and brought him down to the dungeon.

He was miraculously healed and all the people in their town were baptized by the shore (A.K.A. "riva" in Spanish) of the Neira River. They then changed their name to Rivadeneira.

So basically our family were some of the very first gentile members of the church after Christ's death.

Pretty cool hu?

Over the last couple of years I have really grown to love my new last name.

Especially because of the man it ties me to.

We have an amazing family and I am grateful for my new heritage.

9 Months!

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Our little Gringanada is turning 9 Months old!!!

That's how long she was in my belly!

In a tribute to the last 18 months...Watch us grow.

20 weeks

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

Feburary 2011

February 2011

November 2011

Sergio's Conversion Story

2011-11-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

Last week Sergio had the opportunity to give his first talk in church in English.

He decided to share his conversion story. It was powerful and moving to say the least.

I thought that it was something that could inspire more than just our ward.

Enjoy.

Today I would like to share how the gospel changed my life.

Several years ago two young men left far away from their homes to share the gospel. They talked to a young member and asked if he could give them a reference to someone else that might be interested in the gospel. He thought about the challenge and invited a friend. She also invited her friends to listen to the missionaries with her. I was one of her friends. We listened to the lessons and my friends did not keep listening to the missionaries but I did. It was not easy because where I lived there were a lot of misconceptions about the church. I was only 14 years old and my parents were also very concerned about what I was learning and they disagreed with my decision to keep listening. My mom said that they were trying to brainwash me.

I remember when I got my first Book of Mormon every evening I sat in our patio to read it. I still remember how I could see everything that I was reading. The feelings that I had were so strong that I really wanted to share what I was reading with my mom. I would try to talk to her while she was washing clothes.

I was really worried during this time because my parents would not let me be baptized. I was not sleeping well and I even had started sleepwalking, which made my mom worry even more.

After a year of seminary and attending the church I started to beg my Heavenly Father that he would soften my parent’s hearts. The next day I came home from school and I talked to my dad and asked him for permission to be baptized. He said the same thing all parents say when they don’t want to be responsible…he said Go ask your mom. I went and asked my mom and what do you think she said? Go ask your dad. It was kind of like Ping Pong. In the end they finally signed my permission slip to be baptized.

Sergio's parents, Jose and Susana

So many blessings happened after my baptism. A little while later other missionaries came to our home. The influence and the light of these different sets of young men began to change my parent’s way of thinking. Two years later my brother and my sister were baptized.

Front row: Susana & Jose with Ale (nephew)
Back row: Sergio, me, Araceli (sister) the twins, Alejandro (brother in law) Juan (Brother), Anto (sister in law) Maira (Sister)

One year before I left on my mission we were listening to a lesson from the missionaries. It was the fifth time that my parents listened to the six discussions. We were all sitting around the table and the missionaries asked my parents if they had read the Book of Mormon. They both had. They asked if they had prayed to know that it was true and they had not. One of the missionaries asked if we could pray right then to ask if it were true. He asked my father to give the prayer. We all knelt down around the table. It was the first time that I had ever heard my father pray. The spirit was very strong. When we stood up we were all surprised to hear my father say, “I now know that I need to be baptized.” My mom then said the same thing. My brother and sisters were crying. To me it was such a surprise I could not believe what had happened. One of the missionaries baptized my mom and I baptized my dad.

Our wedding 2009
Buenos Aires Temple

Thanks to those two young men that were willing to serve a mission and to that one member that was willing to give a reference to them we have been sealed as a family. My brother and I have also served missions. One of my sisters has been married in the temple and my little sister is preparing to serve a mission.

I still have family that has not accepted the gospel. I want to thank the parents here for preparing your children so that they can serve a mission.

Argentina Salta Mission

To the Young men. I would ask you to keep yourselves clean. Study the scriptures. I have been watching you and I cannot help but think that one day you could be serving the Lord in my country and all the families that just one of you could bless.

I know that the Book of Mormon has power to touch the hearts of the people.

I know that the church is true.

I share these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T19:30:00.001-06:00

Isn't she just the cutest little witch that you have ever seen??

This is our little goul a year ago.

Have a Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Birthday Sergio!!

2011-10-28T01:22:00.001-06:00

This year Sergio only asked for 2 things for his Birthday.

A cake and Lasagna.

Last year I tried to do the same thing and it was quite the disaster.

You can read all about that here.

I had tried to make a yummy mil hoja (thousand layer) cake and I had used the wrong dough...It was literally inedible.

So...in desperate attempt to not be defeated...again...I bought everything to try it one more time.

This time I wanted to try it out before I served it to my whole family. So I just made small "alfajore" size cakes.

I bought the right kind of dough this time:

It was SO much easier this year than last year...and SOO much more yummy!!

You unfold the sheets, cut them in the shape you want, and cook them for 15 minutes.

While they cook they "puff" up.

I split each circle in half and layered the puff pastry and dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is a carmel made out of slowly cooked sweet and condensed milk, but you can usually find it in the spanish isle at the grocery store.

These each had 3 layers of dough and 2 layers of dulce de leche.

When it's cut in half it looks something like this:

Everything is better with chocolate so we topped it off with a nice layer of milk chocolate, pecans and a white chocolate drizzle.

Oh my goodness they were yummy.

They even passed Sergio's taste test.

Since he had to work today I told him that he should take them with him to share.

Afterwards I was pretty sure that he had already had his share of alfajores. I decided not to make a full cake out of the same thing...

(Plus I don't think I could get my family to try it twice.)

Instead I wanted to make him an Argentine style birthday cake.

I got the basic idea and recipe from here.

Instead of trying to make my own biscochuelo (spanish sponge cake) I took the easy route.

I made two 8" round yellow cakes:

While the cakes were cooling I made my very own whipped cream using Gossner's Whipping cream.

I am especially excited about this steps since I have never made whipped cream and it actually turn out.

I added 1 3/4 cups of cream

1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar

and 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla.

I whipped it until it was starting to spike a little bit while it was whipping.

Amazing!

I also thinly sliced some of our homemade canned peaches from last year.

Don't those look delicious?

When the cakes were cool I covered the 1st layer in the syrup from the peaches.

I then covered the cakes in a layer of dulce de leche, pushing the carmel clear to the edges. I then evenly spaced peaches over the whole cake.

My final layer was a thick slab of the whipped cream.

I then put the 2nd cake on top which, as a result, made the whipped cream from the bottom layer go everywhere.

(If I were to do this cake again I would put the syrup and dulce de leche and peaches on both layers before I actually stacked them.)

I repeated the syrup, dulce de leche and peaches and topped the whole cake off with whipped cream.

It looked something like this:

It might not be "Perfect"

But neither am I, so it was good enough for me.

It tasted amazing too.

As far as the Sergio part of Sergio's birthday goes...

He got home later than usual so only had a couple of hours to celebrate.

We ate a yummy lasagna dinner with my family.

It was a lot of fun.

Sergio got his first set of English scriptures, which he was pretty excited about.

We also got a date night to Pizza Hut.

Hazel got him this cute outfit and fun shoes,

but they didn't fit so she will just have to wear them. :)

Then it was cake time:

I love how the Gringanada is helping him out...

I looks like the blew the whole cake over.

Even though we didn't get to spend the day with Sergio we sure did think about him a lot today.

I am sure grateful for everything that he does for us and for working on his special day so that he can provide for our little family.

He's so awesome.

Happy Birthday Mi Amor!

Sick Baby...Again?

2011-10-27T23:45:00.000-06:00

Didn't I just do this blog?

It turns out that Hazel has had one ear infection right after another since August.

One before we went to Argentina.

It was still there when we got back.

Then last week I took her in for a cough that wouldn't go away and it turns out that her infection had actually got worst.

She is such a good baby, I would never have guessed that she was hurting.

It does, however, explain why she hasn't been sleeping very well.

After 4 rounds of antibiotics it was time to get her into an ear, nose and throat specialist.

At our appointment on Tuesday he strongly suggested that Hazel get tubes.

Health.com

Ear infections are when there is fluid build up behind the eardrum and the fluid doesn't have a way to drain.

During the operation they make a small incision and insert a tube so that the infection can drain.

They didn't waste any time and had her scheduled for surgery that same Thursday.

Today was her appointment.

The hardest part was that I wasn't allowed to let her eat from 3am until after the procedure.

She woke up at 4:30 and STARVED!

I just tried to hold her, give her toys, turn on music...

Nothing.

Until we got to the doctors and she was out like a light.

When she did wake up she was in a pretty good mood.

A few minutes later they came and took my sweet baby from my arms.

She was so interested with the nurses cool hairnet that I don't even think she knew I was gone.

I was honestly very relaxed during the whole time she was gone.

I knew this was something that was going to help her feel better and I knew it was going to be worth it.

About 5 minutes later the doctor came in and told me that everything went wonderful. There had been a bunch of thick fluids from behind her eardrum that they had to suction out and that she should be able to hear better now.

It was a relief.

A few minutes later they brought her back to me, still asleep.

It took her a while to wake back up.

I don't think it was the anesthesia at all...she was just tired from not sleeping all night long. : )

When she woke up she never cried.

Although you could tell she was a little zonked.

She couldn't figure out what the blinking light was on her foot.

Once she woke up they checked her heart rate and oxygen levels one more time and sent us on our way.

I am so proud of our little girl.

I just love every bit of her.

And if she has been this sick lately, I can't wait to see what she is like when she feels well!

Little Getaway.

2011-10-22T20:05:00.000-06:00

Since Sergio and I have been married we haven't really had a getaway.

Lately he has been working a lot and our Gringanada constantly has me going.

I really felt like it was time.

I kept trying to plan things but something always came up...

Mostly work and no baby sitter.

My mom watches my niece on most weekdays and I knew it would be extreamly hard for her to watch 2 busy babies especially where she hasn't been feeling very well.

Arrangements were made so that we could finally have some alone time.

I called a hotel and got last minute reservations.

The hotel, staff and rooms were amazing.

The next day we headed to Idaho Falls to do a temple session.

It had been almost a year since we have had the opportunity to go.

It was a great way to commemorate our anniversery.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints a temple is a sacred place where members of the church go to learn and make special promises called covenants.

Sergio and I entered into a covenant when we were married in the Buenos Aires temple in Argentina.

We were sealed together for time and all eternity. That means that even though this life might end we will be together in the eternities with our families. That has an extra meaning to Sergio and me since we are always seperated from one side of our family or the other.

Every temple has a special peace and it really feels like you are closer to heaven when you visit.

If you haven't been baptized into the Latter Day Saint church you can still visit the temple grounds and a lot of temples even have special visitors centers that you can go into and learn more about temples. You can feel that same spirit of peace even when you walk on the grounds of the temple.

If you would like to learn more about temples now you can also visit this web page:

http://lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples?lang=eng

or you can watch this video:

http://www.mormonsmadesimple.com/watch/temples.php

Overall it was a much needed getaway

and a nice break from the real world,

But...

I really missed this little girl a whole bunch!!

Happy 2 Years!

2011-10-11T16:16:00.001-06:00

I can't believe how fast this last 2 years have went by.

At the same time I feel like I have been married to Sergio my whole life.

I couldn't imagine my life without him.

A few things have changed as time has past.

We have a beautiful daughter now.

We live in a new country.

Every day I love Sergio more.

As I look back, I can't believe everything that has happened in such a short time.

I am really excited to see what is in store for us in the future.

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband.

Sick Baby

2011-09-29T17:55:00.000-06:00

Our Gringanada has been pretty sick for the last week.

Just a regular head cold...but that's pretty rough when you don't know how to blow your own nose.

So looking for a little relief turned into quite the architectural adventure.

Isn't this the coolest fort EVER?

Chairs, toys, heater, sheets, Boppy and super humidifier.

It seemed to help.

I don't have any pictures of her sick baby face, but it was pretty sad.

She is on her way to being all better now,

Which makes me a happy mommy.

Why didn't everyone tell me we would have so much fun?

2011-09-29T17:48:00.000-06:00

I thought that I always wanted Hazel to stay teeny tiny.

But can I just say how much fun it is to watch her grow up?

She can sit up all by herself now.

I love watching her get to try new things.

She is standing up really well and she can pull herself up all by herself too.

Sometimes she can even stand up alone...but only for a few seconds.

She even walks when she is holding on to our fingers.

When one of us doesn't pick her up she has her own mode of transportation.

(please ignore the pleading cry)

We like to call her the spider.

She is starting to get on her hands and knees to crawl and she can take a few steps, but she usually ends up face planting.

She now High 5's

Waves Hello

And claps her hands.

It's it amazing everything that she is learning???

Isn't it crazy that a clapping baby can make a mommy so happy?

It's so much fun.

I am loving every second.

Making the cut

2011-09-29T17:14:00.000-06:00

La Gringanada has always sported a pretty sweet rooster tail.

I've needed to cut it off since she was about a month old...

but there is just something sacred about baby hair.

So 8 months later (and after a little pressure from my mother) I finally got up the courage.

There was no comming back.

I have to admit...It does look better.

Just as cute as ever.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T23:31:00.000-06:00

All by herself.

Gastronomy: Argentina Style

2011-09-05T23:12:00.000-06:00

**READER ADVISORY**

This blog has a lot of pictures.

Argentina is known for their amazing home style cooking.

Their food is about as far from Mexican food as you can possibly imagine (a common misconception) and closer to Italian food (because of all the immigrates).

It wouldn't have been a vacation to Argentina if it wasn't for all the delicious food...

Especially all the wonderfulness that Sergio's mom makes.

Anyway, grab something to wipe the drool off your chin because here is my quick and basic guide of Northern Argentina goodness.

MATE:

A hot drink that is made out of different herbs that grow in the back of people's yards or that you can buy in the store called Yerba (shur-ba).

It kind of tastes like alfalfa if it is your first time trying it, but with enough sugar it is heavenly...and addictive.

You could pretty much find any real Argentine family sitting outside on the porch drinking mate at some point during the day.

Since Sergio's dad was on vacation with us he has a strict mate-ing schedule to especially follow...

Right after waking up (6 am)

When everyone else wakes up (8:30-9:00 am)

Right before Lunch (11:30-12:30)

After "siesta" nap time. (6:00 pm)

Before eating dinner (9:00 pm)

Before going to bed (11:00 pm)

Also if anyone comes over it automatically because mate time again...even if you just drank mate.

BOMBITAS DE PAPAS:

Little Potato Bombs

This is a family tradition.

They are made with a potato dough that is filled with ground beef and wonderfulness...

and like all good Argentine food, they are fried.

I don't have a picture of the finished product, but just imagine Heaven in your mouth and that is them.

Or you could just look at this not quite right picture I found on Google.

SANDWICH (SANGUICH) DE MILANESA:

This is a classic Tucuman plate.

What can be better than breaded steaks that are then fried and slapped between lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, A LOT of Mayonnaise and Delicious sandwich bread.

Oh yah baby.

POLLO CON ARROZ:

Chicken with Rice

This is one plate that even us northerners are familiar with.

They teased Sergio's Aunt that this is the only thing she knows how to make.

It's mostly funny because it is also the only thing I know how to (kind of) make.

The yellow rice is made with a type of fake saffron and is heavenly.

ASADO:

Barbaque...with out barbaque sauce...

This Delicious mix of different cuts of meat is a symbol of Argentina gastronomy.

Argentina has always been known for their homegrown, grass fed beef.

It really does live up to the reputation.

The meat is only seasoned with lemon and salt and then grilled over coal.

Oh My Goodness it's GOoooood.

It's worth the 2 days of travel just for this tastiness.

Asado is always served with several different salads and bread.

Asqueroso Asado:

Disgusting Asado.

This is Sergio's favorite type of asado.

Chinchulin (Intestines),

Riñónes (kidneys),

and Morsilla (blood sausage. Yes...sausage made out of cooked blood...seriously).

Luckily next to those beautiful kidneys there, they were nice enough to get me some amazing sirloin.

They also bought me some normal chorrizo (sausage).

You can tell my Maira's face that she's not a fan of all the yucky stuff either.

LOCRO:

You can read all about locro in an older blog here:

http://gringanada.blogspot.com/search/label/Locro

This is the Argentine way.

Also cooked over coal.

With a lot of squash and goodness.

This is what it is really suppose to look like.

This is a meal that you make a bunch of, share it with everyone...and you still have enough left over to eat for weeks.

Not everyone is a fan...but it's pretty darn good.

PIZZA CASEROS:

Homemade Pizza.

Enough said...

DULCE DE LECHE CON PAN

Dulce de Leche/Carmel

with Bread.

Dulce de Leche was actually invented in Argentina and is well known around all of Latin America.

Bread is a staple in Argentina.

It's not a meal without bread.

BUT...

it is to be eaten during the meal.

(Not to clean your plate with.)

If they catch you eating bread after the food it is a sign that you didn't get enough to eat and that you are still hungry and you will probably be served another plate of food.

There are a lot of different types of bread.

Usually so you have something to eat while you are drinking mate.

This is called a bollo. They are made with lard and really good.

La Gringa even wanted to try it.

HELADO:

Ice cream

Argentine Ice cream is pretty much the best ice cream I have ever eaten.

And where it is especially hot in Tucuman...they eat a lot of ice cream.

EMPANADAILLA:

Sweet empanadas

Although empanadas are a typical meal in Argentina, Empanadillas are a type of snack or desert.

The dough is a harder and a little drier and they are filled sweet potato, dulce de leche or sweet cayote.

I wish I had pictures of everything we ate...because seriously...I have gained back about all my baby weight.

(Like 9 months pregnant baby weight.)

Even our Gringanada gained a few pounds (2 to be exact) on our 3 week escapade.

Thanks goodness I married an Argentine that knows how to cook or we might just have had to move back there.

Well hello Argentina...

2011-09-05T19:19:00.000-06:00

About 2 months ago Sergio and I decided that it was time for our little Gringanada to meet the rest of her family.

With very little planning we made our way from Salt Lake, UT to:

Atlanta, Georgia (4 hours)

Buenos Aires, Argentina (10 hours)

S.M. Tucuman (15 hours on bus)

Bella Vista (45 minutes in taxi)

You can not even imagine what it was like watching our baby meet her family for the first time.

She got Spoiled by grandpa,

Loved on by grandma...

And snuggled on by Tia Maira.

She loved just hanging out.

When Tia Araceli was over she was the only one that got to hold the Gringanada.

She even got to meet her cousins.

It was awesome having the family together.

We had constant visitors...

Like all of Sergio's Aunts, Uncles and cousins.

It was so good to see them and hear what they had to say the Gringita.

We even got to meet up with Tia Antonella and bebe Tobias on our way to Tucuman...

And Tio Juan on the way home.

Overall, our little vacation went way too fast.

I know Sergio would have loved to have a couple more weeks with his family.

I am so grateful for the opportunity that we had to visit them.

Maybe next time they can make their way up here.

A Quarter of a Century Ago...

2011-08-06T11:57:00.002-06:00

I was hanging out with my mom for the first time in a nice cozy hosptial room.

Today, in an effort to commemerate this special day...

We are reliving the moment.
I know today has been a lot less stressfull for me,
but my mom still feels crappy.

It just goes to show that history ALWAYS repeats itself...

in one way or another.

Get better soon Mom!

Baby Bling

2011-07-15T19:40:00.003-06:00

Everyone knows that a girl needs her Bling.

There are bracelets. (Check)

Hair pretties. (Check)

and Earrings.....

Sergio and I knew that we wanted to get our little princess' ears pierced.

But...

I did have a few concerns,

What if she moved when they pierced them?

What if when she gets older they aren't in the right spot?

If I do it now, we won't have that mother daughter experience of going to get her ears pierced.

Plus, it's her body she should decide if and when she wants them pierced.

But a girl HAS to have her bling.

I had been trying to get an appointment for over a week.

I worried about as much as I had for her immunizations.

When we finally got the call today I knew there was no going back.

Luckily on the way to the salon she fell asleep.

They got her ears all marked up so we all knew that they were straight.

What I really liked about Dragonfly Salon is that they have two people do it,

One person on each ear, at the same time.

In other words, no fussy baby when they are trying to do the other ear.

She stayed asleep the whole time they got things lined up.

I think my face in this picture pretty much describes how I was feeling.

Is someone looking a little pale?

One,

Two,

Three...

SNAP

Then there was a little bit of this.

And a lot of this.

I think her face in this picture pretty much describes her mood.

I named it,

"What the freak people!?"

The angry-ness only lasted a little bit before she was back to normal.

I think she was more upset that she got woke up than anything.

They don't seem to bother her at all anymore.

She lets me touch them and everything.

And see how cute she looks!

Nothing but a thing,

and TOTALLY worth it.

Seriously??

2011-07-08T13:53:00.001-06:00

No, I'm not ready for this.

Luckily she can't get up there by herself quite yet.

This is America.

2011-07-05T23:43:00.002-06:00

A few days ago Sergio made a comment that really touched my heart.

Our conversation was short but profound.

He quietly mentioned that he was really excited for the 4th of July.

My obvious response was,

"Oh yeah for the fireworks, right?"

He rebutted,

"No, I am just so grateful that our daughter was born here and gets to grow up here."

I am also grateful that our Gringanada was able to be born here.

I am grateful that she is going to receive all the blessings of being a US citizen.

I am also extremely grateful for my husband who was willing to leave his career to come here and start all over again, for leaving his family and for accepting mine, and for never complaining about that sacrifice.

I am grateful that he was able to receive a visa, come here legally, be issued his Green card and within a few days have a good job.

Each step has been a challenging process, but it all has been possible because of the wonderful country we live in.

I am grateful that he can come here and open a bank account or even rent an apartment without any problems...all things that while I was in Argentina, I had a hard time doing.

Those are the little things that we take advantage of.

Sergio had made another comment a few days ago that I thought was interesting.

For the record, I am very protective of my husband.

I had a fear that he would be looked down upon or treated as second class because of being an immigrant and his lack of communication skills.

When he was talking about his job the other day he mentioned that one of the things he likes here is that no one makes him feel like he is less important as they are.

Right now he is working as a groundskeeper at a local hospital and none of the doctors treat him as less.

(Except for one that is rude to everyone and ironically from Bolivia.)

They always say hi to him, and one even offered him Gatorade on a particularly warm day.

That is America.

The beginning of June Sergio's brother and sister in law came to visit us from Buenos Aires.

He couldn't get over how courteous the people were here.

If they were shopping and someone passed in front of them there was almost always a whispered "excuse me." Their waitresses always made sure they felt welcome.

and

Everyone seemed to be friendly.

I am so grateful that they felt that way.

I know that there are days that I don't.

But the fact that this was one of the things that stuck out to them made me proud to be an American.

Another experience that I had this week was going to the cemetery with my mom on Sunday night. We put flowers and flags on a few of our families graves.

My mom noticed a new headstone made out of Oakley stone and we wanted to go look at it.

Immediately you could tell that it was a headstone of two Soldiers who were Killed in Action.

I sat down in the grass and started to read their stories and how they willingly risked their lives for me, my husband, and my child. They didn't know me. They didn't need to. Yet they were willing to pay that ultimate sacrifice.

We can criticize our leaders.

We can whine about our justice system.

We can debate tax cuts.

But all said and done, with our strengths and our weaknesses,

we are America.

Service Bingo

2011-07-01T19:07:00.001-06:00

If you are looking for a fun service activity,

our Spanish Branch had a blast with this one.

That's right...Bingo of Love.

Or in other words:

Service Bingo.

We split into 3 teams.

Every team was suppose to get at least one bingo and the team to fill out the most squares won.

They also had to be back to the church by 8:00...which...in SMT (Standard Mormon Time) meant about 8:30 for one team.

Some of the squares included:

Take a bag of clothes to Deseret Industries.
Write your favorite scripture in a card for a missionary.

Pick up garbage for 10 minutes.
Pick up all the carts at grocery store.
Decorate cookies and take them to the assigned person.

Call the sisters that you visit that didn’t make it to the activity.
Pull weeds for 10 minutes.
Invite 5 people to English classes.
Wash the front windows of the church.

Take a case of water to the homeless center.
Wash 5 cars and leave a note.

This is the note they left.

In your group think of an activity that we can do as a community to serve others.
Write a note to someone close to you.
Fill out a family group sheet for family history.
Serve yourself to a rest. (because sometimes we are so busy serving others we forget about ourselves.)

Decorate a door at the assisted living center.

Who would have thought that we could do so much service in such a short amount of time!!

Everyone had a good time and left with some good stories of knocking doors to invite people to English classes...picking up a ton of carts at the grocery store...cleaning a whole park...and having a naked old man walking around at the old folks home. Yep, definitely memorable.

Even Chuck Norris...

2011-06-25T20:06:00.002-06:00

Even Chuck Norris...

Calls Josh Master.

Congratulations MASTER JOSHUA D BURGESS

Happy Birthday Mommy!!

2011-06-19T22:36:00.000-06:00

Do you have any idea what 50 candles look like?

I do now...

My mom is pretty much the most amazing person I know.

Sergio and I even named our beautiful daughter after her because of her wonderful example.

We couldn't think of better footsteps for her to follow in.

After all, it was her fault that Sergio and I got married in the 1st place...

and her fault again that we are back in the states.

So in ode to her special day today, here are a few attributes that my mommy has that our Gringanada will have to try to live up to.

Beautiful

Wife

Mother

Grandma

Friend

Example

Survivor

Wise

Explorer

Serviceable

~~Old~~ Funny!

Did I say old?

There aren't enough pictures in the world to describe how wonderful my mommy is.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Here's to many more to come!!

Happy Birthday Joshie!

2011-06-15T18:16:00.000-06:00

I have a pretty awesome brother.

He has always been a pretty good example.

He does cool things.

and he's a pretty awesome uncle too.

Today he is turning old(er,)

Because he will always be older than me...

Even if he has never looked older than me.

Happy Birthday Josh!

4 Months

2011-06-14T19:46:00.000-06:00

Last week our little gringanada turned 4 months old.

I usually try to take pictures of her every 9th, but this month we were in Utah...

It worked out okay since yesterday she had her check-up.

She is now 12 lbs and 14 oz

and 25 inches long.

That puts her in the 30th percentile for her weight...

but the 75th percentile for her height.

So she's extra tall and skinny.

She's not a real fan of pictures or videos.

She can be laughing and giggling, but if you try to take a picture she calms right down.

But today was even harder than normal.

At first I thought she was just tired.

Then she turned plain grumpy.

So we didn't get to take very many pictures.

It turns out she has a fever of 101.3.

Not so fun.

None the less, today we are having a sick day.

I am sure she will be back to normal in no time.

Our Latest Investment

2011-06-10T11:26:00.000-06:00

I don't know if you have ever seen one of these before.

They are a modern icon of our "hometown" in

San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina.

Basically it is a hot dog cooked in a waffle like batter.

Kind of like a corn dog, but...

without the sick, not fried, and it's a flour based batter instead of cornmeal.

I'm pretty sure in this city of 586,198 people it would be almost impossible to find one that hasn't tried a "panchuque."

Theses panchuque machines line the "peatonal" or pedestrian streets.

They sell thousands a week.

I think that is why Sergio has been dreaming of investing in one ever since we left.

He has looked at every web page,

Talked to the manufactures countless times,

And we have spent our fair share of hours talking about it.

Well last week his dream came true when his brother and sister-in-law made their way to the states.

Instead of paying for shipping they agreed to bring it up for us.

We are now the proud owner of a panchuque machine.

Which I have christened,

the waffle dog machine.

These are Sergio's first waffle dogs.

They tasted just like home.

If you want to try a few, just give us a call.
Sergio has been loving trying out his new toy.

Look at her Grow!

2011-06-07T19:03:00.001-06:00

She's been able to do this for the last several weeks,

She is also a professional at doing this...

But getting her head to do this

was quite the trick.

It turns out she just needed this.

I guess it is harder than it looks to lift your head up while your behind is in the air.

She's sure getting big!

Here's your sign.

2011-05-27T16:37:00.000-06:00

I always laugh to myself every time that someone asks me if we are going to teach our Gringanada both Spanish and English.

Usually I feel like busting out some kind of Bill Engvall joke,

"Aw, she's so cute, are you going to teach her English and Spanish?"

-Nope, just Spanish, that way she can fit in with all the other Latins here...Here's your sign.

"So...are you going to teach her Spanish?"

-No, just English, she's just going to give her father the silent treatment the rest of her life...Here's your sign.

or maybe,
"Are you going to raise her bilingual?"

-Nope, just Japanese for right now... Here's your sign.

The funny part is usually when I kindly reply with a simple "yes",
I normally hear something to the effect of,
"Good because that will really help her to get a job, succeed, etc. "

(Seriously? Get a job?)

That's right! Jobs are obviously much more important than, you know, talking to her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncle's, Cousin's and any and everyone else in Argentina.
Here's your sign.

If you are guilty of asking me this completely legitimate question, it's not a problem, it happens daily...but if you heard me whispering afterwards, don't worry, it was just a friendly, "Here's your sign."

Feliz 25 de Mayo!!

2011-05-26T00:07:00.000-06:00

Today is Argentina's Revolution day!

It's the day that Argentina started on their way to Independence.

(Their actual Independence Day is July 9th.)

Of course we aren't going to miss an opportunity to celebrate!!!

We all wore our Argentine Shirts.

This is our Gringanada's shirt, appropriate right?

One of the very best parts of Argentina is that all of their holidays are spent with family and food.

This particular holiday is spent with a classic Argentine Locro.

Locro is made up of white beans, every kind of sausage that you can find, squash, and white corn...along with your regular condiments.

It normally looks something like this.

Last night Sergio mentioned to me that he would love to have a big hardy bowl of Locro for dinner tonight.

He had to work, and we don't know how to cook Argentine so his dreams were smashed.

Or were they?

Although we aren't Argie connoisseures, we DO know how to improvise!

So, in the past Sergio has mentioned that white beans and ham almost tastes like Locro,

so we started with that.

We threw in some regular yellow corn, and some spicy Italian Sausage and some bacon.

We couldn't find squash so we tossed in a can of pumpkin.

(disclaimer: by we I mean my mother, afterall, she's the cook)

Sergio walked in the door and his exact words were...

"Helloalgo huelo MUY rico."

Yah, I said exact words...it would translate to something like,

"Hellosomething smells really good."

I just smiled as he looked into our boiling pot of yumminess.

"No Way"

(exact quote)

The only thing that we were missing is a special sauce that goes on top, but I didn't (and still don't) know how to make it. So he stepped in.

Looking at the picture...I know it has paprika :)

and onions,

And he asked for chili powder...

and knowing him...I can pretty much guarantee that it has some sort of oil in it.

It is Heavenly.

This is the finished product:

I'm not going to lie...it was pretty perfect.

I think he is planning on taking it to work tomorrow to share.

I hope it gave him at least a little taste of home.

Happy 25 of May to everyone.

Styln'

2011-05-25T00:28:00.002-06:00

It's not every day that you receive one of these:

In fact, it is a VERY prestigious blogger award. Most people only are lucky enough to receive one in a life time.

Ya, it's that cool.

I am honored to announce that I have received 2 of them.

One from The Hess Madhouse: a super fun blog all about how life, your family and everything else can get a little crazy, and how sometimes that craziness can rub off on you.

Then another one from my mom...because she's always been my biggest fan.

So gracefully I would like to accept this award with thankfulness to

all the crazies at the Hess Madhouse and especially to the chief inmate for her nomination.

To my mother for getting me connected to the blogging world.

Also I would like to thank all those people that make my blog possible and give me fun things to write about.

To my facebook friends, you know who you are, who are always reading my blog and never commenting.

And a extra special thank you to spellchecker, for without it my blog wouldn't be legible.

Now, down to business.

This award would not be well deserved without completing all the fine print.

(The rules for the award are - 1. Link back the person who awarded you. 2. Tell us 7 things about yourself. )

So here is a little something something about me.

7. Being married, having a baby and being a mom is EVEN BETTER than what I had always imagined.

6. My pet peeve is when I am talking to someone and they don't make eye contact...and if you really want to make me punch you in the face, go ahead and send a text message while we are talking.

5. I love sweets, my very very favorite are chocolate chip cookies.

4. Sometimes I lay awake thinking about what I am going to blog about. Not that I am obsessive, I just try to think of ways to say what I feel without saying too much.

2. In the last 3 months I have never had to buy diapers because of all the diapers I got at my baby shower, and I still shouldn't have to for a few more weeks. I will be eternally grateful.

1. I have learned to not care too much about what other people think, because in the end I know that I am my own worst critic.

A Postpartum Perspective:

2011-05-20T17:55:00.001-06:00

Because of this,

And these,

And not having enough time to do this,

I kind of feel like this (again):

Only now, less tan.

So instead of wallowing in my postpartum pity, I decided it was time to do something.

I dyed my hair,

painted my toenails,

and Sergio even convinced me to buy a new dress.

There was still one little thing that needed to be taken care of...

My eyebrows.

It has been over a year since they had been tamed.

Yesterday my mom and I wanted to take advantage of being in town so we went to get a quick eyebrow wax.

I insisted that she go first while I waited with a whinny baby.

When it was my turn I swapped a crying baby with my mom and took my seat. I noticed that this normally quick procedure was taking a little more time then usual...and then I realized that the waxing girl was calling in backup.

(I knew my eyebrows were getting pretty bad, but I didn't realize that they were getting THAT bad.)

I also heard the whimpering of a young stylist saying things like,

"I've never had this happen before."

and,

"I think I am going to cry."

While her manager said,

"Just put some baby oil on it and it will be fine."

Through all of their disturbing conversation I stayed relatively calm and smiley,

mostly thinking about my crying baby outside.

I should have really been alarmed when I was never handed a mirror to see the finished product. I looked quickly in the mirrors as I walked up to the counter to pay, I saw that both of my eyebrows were still there, so I decided not to worry too much.

As I made my way to the car I noticed a little more stinging than normal, but then again it had been a year since I had last had my eyebrows done. I sat down in the passenger seat and immediately pulled down my visor to check out my new look.

My bright red eyebrows really caught my attention.

Not to mention the skin that had literally been torn off of under each of them.

The next day

(I am just so glad I wasn't thinking I needed a bikini wax!)

I guess in all honesty I should be thanking Salon JLA,

I am pretty sure that they cured me of any more postpartum pity parties,

AND

I will probably never have a stray eyebrow again.

Oh the price of beauty.

It's a Good Day to Celebrate

2011-05-14T23:10:00.003-06:00

And I'll tell you why.

A year ago today my mom received a new heart.

Pretty cool right?

I'm sure you can understand why that might be important, but what most people don't know is exactly how bad my mom had got.

People with heart disease don't have any obvious outward signs of being sick.

For example, unlike cancer, they don't loose their hair while undergoing treatment.

The common eye can't tell when someone has heart disease.

My mom's old heart was only had a 14% ejection fraction. Ejection fraction is a measurement of the percentage of blood leaving your heart each time it contracts. In a normal person it should be between 55% and 70% (Mayo Clinic).

She slept all the time because she didn't have energy to do anything else.

Her doctors decided that it was time to get her on a transplant list.

Most people wait on a transplant list for several months before they find a suitable donor.

A donor is chosen by the weight and height of the person needing a transplant.

The doctors had suggested that she recieve an artificial heart within the next few months, otherwise she wouln't have lived for another year.

We are so glad that we didn't have to wait too long and that today she's not getting a metal heart.

Needless to say,

Today is a day to celebrate.

I am celebrating that my mom is still alive.

I am celebrating that I get tired before she does.

I am celebrating that my kids will get to know their grandma.

I am celebrating life, family and miracles.

So in memory of today,

Here is a video and a few pictures I found while looking through her cell phone yesterday at her 1 year heart check-up.

This video was taken on the way up the elevator to her room.

This is my mommy and me. We just got to her room and she was getting ready to change into her cute hospital dress.

Four days after her transplant she walked 2 miles. She was literally walking laps around the hospital.
It was super amazing since that would have been IMPOSSIBLE a week before.

This is us getting ready to leave the hospital.
She only had to stay 10 days! How awesome is that?

If you want to know more about my mom and what she has been doing post-transplant you need to check out her blog at http://www.onemomentatatime-niece.blogspot.com/

Dear Donor Family,

2011-05-14T01:13:00.000-06:00

It has been one year since you have lost your loved one. Certainly there is no need to remind you. I am sure that not a single day has passed that you haven’t thought of them. I can imagine that you spent many sleepless nights resting your head on a drenched pillow of tears as you have thought of your loss. I am writing you now to assure you that we have done the same. We too have spent many hours pondering your loss and wondering what we as a family have done to deserve it. Tears have streaked our faces as we think of the suffering that this must have caused you. At the same time our hearts are opened in gratitude for your son or daughters selflessness. This precious life that was ended so that my mother’s life could go on has truly been a miracle. Although our hearts ache for you, not a single day has gone by that we haven’t thanked our Heavenly Father for your family and for all you gave on May 14th, 2010. This donation has greatly extended my mother’s life, and to us, your child will always be our hero.

At this time we would like to thank you for this ultimate gift. We wish you could see how much our lives have changed because of your kindness. Since this day last year my mother has completely healed from the operation and has recuperated the energy that she lost when she had her first heart attack six years ago. It’s so nice to have my mom back. We are able to do the simple things, like grocery shopping, that she physically had lost the ability to do. She is now able to stay awake all day now, which something pre-transplant was almost impossible.

In this last year she also received her first and second grandchildren and is looking forward to watching them grow up, this otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. This year we all have gained a new appreciation for how valuable life really is. Even though our family has always been close, now we are even closer.

We know that your child was a special person because we have seen how a piece of him or her has changed our lives. I hope that as you read this note, your pain is somewhat calmed in knowing that your son or daughter is honored, loved, and has literally saved a life. We are and will be eternally grateful.

With all of our hearts,

-Kira

One Month Older & Wiser Too!

2011-05-09T23:14:00.002-06:00

Our little Gringanada is getting all growed up.

(yes growed)

Even though she is still pretty tiny.

Isn't she beautiful?

This month she is starting to play a lot more.

It's so much fun!

Every morning she tells her daddy about all of her dreams that she had during the night...

she's a real talker in the morning.

She loves Peek-a-boo

and Patty Cake.

She also has the goofiest smile and laugh.

She is starting to get pretty good at holding up her big noggin,

but she's not a fan of tummy time so she doesn't really pick her head up off the floor.

She sleeps really well, but I am not going to tell you her schedule just so I don't jinx it.

But I know it was close to nap time when we were taking pictures.

Her favorite sense lately has been taste, she has been trying to lick everything.

This morning I gave her a kiss on the cheek and she even licked my nose.

She's quite the character.

She's also getting her grab reflexes down,

she especially likes ~~pulling out~~ playing with my hair.

Even though she has started staring more at her hands and feet, I still don't think the she has realized that she is in control of them...she gets pretty mad at me when she pulls her pacifier out of her mouth.

I am glad that she doesn't know everything quite yet.

It's fun watching her figure things out.

My only fear is that she is going to grow up too fast.

My Two Cents: Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-03T12:48:00.004-06:00

I am sure at this point that everyone has their own opinion about the death of Osama Bin Laden.

It is such a relief to know that such a terrible man is dead, and therefore no longer a threat to our country or anyone one else's.

But on the flip side, it is hard to celebrate the death of anyone.

Last night I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 48.

In Alma there is an amazing warrior named Moroni. The best description of him says,

"And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery"

"Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.

"Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had asworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood."
"...If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." (Alma 48:11-13;17)

He sounds like a pretty amazing man to me.

Moroni was a Nephite, a group of people who believed in God. In the last few chapters they have had a lot of problems with their enemies, the Laminites. Instead of going to war against the Laminites Moroni helps the Nephite people prepared their cities.

All of the boarders of their city were strengthened by forts, fox hole like walls and stone walls in case of an attack. It even mentions that in the weak parts of the city, they made sure that were even more men standing guard so that they could,

"...support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians." (verse 10)

For four years they didn't have any problems in their city. But:

"...they were compelled reluctantly to contend with their brethren, the Lamanites." (Verse 21)

Okay now this is the part that I really related too...

"Now, they were sorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all—they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, unprepared to meet their God.

"Nevertheless, they could not suffer to lay down their lives, that their wives and their children should be massacred by the barbarous cruelty of those who were once their brethren..." (Verses 23 and 24)

So...basically what I am trying to say is that if you are like me, and are so glad that such a bad man has been killed and thus saving the lives of thousands upon thousands of innocent people, but at the same time you feel bad because murder isn't the best way to handle any situation...

There comes a time when you have to take action.

(If your desires aren't because you want revenge,)

but because you are trying to protect your peace, freedom, your wives and your children...you have nothing to feel bad about except the fact that that person is being sent to be judged of God without being prepared.

That's what I learned yesterday.

I know it's true.

If you would like to learn more about the Book of Mormon watch this:

or you can visit

http://www.mormon.org/

and request your own copy of The Book of Mormon.

The Parable of the Purse

2011-05-01T21:56:00.000-06:00

Today I had the opportunity to teach our Relief Society lesson at church.

I was inspired by a talk by Quentin L. Cook that I heard in General Conference.

He recounted a cute little story about a purse that was found at a youth New Years Eve dance.

This is what he said,

" I share with you part of what Sister Monica Sedgwick, the Young Women president in the Laguna Niguel stake, recorded: “We didn’t want to pry; this was someone’s personal stuff! So we gingerly opened it and grabbed the first thing that was on top—hopefully, it would identify her. It did, but in another way—it was a For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. Wow! This told us something about her. Then we reached in for the next item, a little notebook. Surely this would give us answers, but not the kind we were expecting. The first page was a list of favorite scriptures. There were five more pages of carefully written scriptures and personal notes.” The sisters immediately wanted to meet this stalwart young woman. They returned to that purse to identify its owner. They pulled out some breath mints, soap, lotion, and a brush. I loved their comments: “Oh, good things come out of her mouth; she has clean and soft hands; and she takes care of herself.”
They eagerly awaited the next treasure. Out came a clever little homemade coin purse made from a cardboard juice carton, and there was some money in a zippered pocket. They exclaimed, “Ahh, she’s creative and prepared!” They felt like little children on Christmas morning. What they pulled out next surprised them even more: a recipe for Black Forest chocolate cake and a note to make the cake for a friend’s birthday. They almost screamed, “She’s a HOMEMAKER! Thoughtful and service minded.” Then, yes, finally some identification. The youth leaders said they felt greatly blessed “to observe the quiet example of a young lady living the gospel.”

Who knew you could learn so much about someone from what's in their purse!!

(If you want to read the whole talk you should click here...It's not really all about purses.)

Most of the lesson we talked about how wonderful women are and what awesome qualities that each of us have,

because we usually forget

...but at the end I wanted each of them to have their own little purse.

I think they turned out really cute.

I used this template that you can find on this paperscrapz website.

Inside of each purse had:

A paper that said, "What's in your purse"

Five pieces of paper so each women in the class could write down some of the qualities that people could find in their 'purse'

and

A piece of chocolate (let's be honest...if a purse doesn't have chocolate it's not a real purse.)

So after all of this purse talk, I decided to bravely go where no woman in public should go...yes...I really wanted to see what someone could find out about me if they looked in my purse, and I thought it would be fun to share it all with you.

In my purse there is:

My husbands pay stubs,

A restaurant receipt,

Stamps and a couple of receipts from the post office,

2 papers from the doctors that say the Gringanada's weight and height,

A bottle cap, a really bad pacifier and a baby head band,

A pen,

My US passport, (What's that doing in there)

A grocery list,

2 dollars and some-odd cents,

and finally my wallet and identification.

Hum...

I'm evidently I world traveling, mommy with bad taste in pacifiers and a tight grip on my husbands wallet.

Who knew?

One Year Anniversery

2011-04-28T16:30:00.000-06:00

A year ago from today,

Sergio and I were getting off a plane and starting a new life in the United States.

Although saying good-bye was hard,

this last year has been far from boring.

A few days after we arrived, Derek also returned from his mission in Indianapolis, Indiana.

We surprised him when we were there to welcome him home.

A couple of weeks later (May 14th)

my amazing mother received what we had been praying for.

A new heart.

It was so hard being away from home when I knew my mom was sick.

This great gift came as quite the miracle, knowing that I didn't have to worry about how long my mom was going to live anymore.

A short time later we found out that we were going to have yet another new life in ours.

This was my dad's Father's day present last year.

It was quite the surprise.

Most of the rest of the year was spent waiting our our little gringanada.

In June we snuck home for this sweet gift:

It was our first niece from my side of the family.

It was a really special day.
But, it did make us even more anxious to get to meet our little girl!

Nothing makes waiting go faster like keeping busy...

The World Cup of Soccer did just that for us.

(At least for a couple of weeks.)

The first 6 months or so of our time in the U.S. was spent on back and forth trips to Utah.

I can literally drive the I-84 without hands.

We loved our first glances at our little doll. : )

As my belly continuted to grow:

We celebrated Sergio getting his green card.

It was a lot of work, but it was a pretty sweet Christmas present!

It was also awesome to have Darlene and David's family over for the holidays.

Febuary 9th, I finally burst.

We welcomed this little bundle into our arms.
The last few months have been spent loving on her.

She's already getting so big and beautiful!!

I can't believe that so much can be crammed into one year,

and this is just the condensed version.

It has been pretty amazing.

Even though some days I really miss Argentina,

I can't imagine what I would have done if I would have been away.

I am so grateful for my parents that have taken such good care of us as we start our lives all over again.

I am grateful for Sergio and his willingness to leave his family, friends, job and everything he has ever known to come be with me.

And mostly, I am grateful to my Heavenly Father and the way that He has answered every one of our prayers.

A Simple Testimony

2011-04-24T22:17:00.001-06:00

I am so grateful for this special time of the year.

I love to watch as the death of winter loosens her grasp and the new life of spring breaks through.

I know that Heavenly Father has given us many symbols throughout the world to help us remember the amazing love that He has for us.

Each winter we eagerly await for the flowers to triumphantly break through the cold ground. Likewise, Easter is a special time of year to remember the suffering and crucifixion of our Savior Jesus Christ and anxiously await the day of His resurrection.

I am in awe at the great love that our Heavenly Father has for us. He was willing to send His Son to this world of trials, fears, injustice, sickness, pain and death. Our Savior didn't receive an easy pass through this life just because of who His Father is, but instead He was asked to pass through more than any of us can comprehend, and yet He was able to overcome each of them without spot.

He suffered in a garden for each of our sins. During so great a suffering that blood came out of His pours He was betrayed by one of His closest friends. He was beaten and bruised for us and on the cross He died, knowing fully that it was for each of us.

Afterwards He was locked away in a cold tomb, shut off from his mourning family, friends and believers.

Without avail He triumphantly conquered the grave.

After three days of anxious await, the mob, death and the stone was no match for the power of the Resurrection.

Death lost her sting, forever.

I know that today my Savior, Jesus Christ, lives.

I have felt how His Atonement has blessed my life and healed my wounds.

I pray that as each of us watch the flowers bloom this year we can remember this infinite sacrifice and remember that we are loved.

A Little Piece of Argentina!

2011-04-17T22:46:00.000-06:00

Freddy Carrasco and his friend, Paul came to visit this weekend.

Freddy's parents took care of me as a missionary and as a member when we lived in Tucuman.

I even met Freddy in Tucuman when he came to visit for Christmas three years ago.

He was also at the SLC airport when I got home.

It was good to see him again.

Especially since Sergio made delicious empanadas and got to listen to all the music he loves.

It was our little slice of Argentina.

Immunizations:

2011-04-14T23:24:00.000-06:00

It's the day that I had been dreading...

Isn't that the saddest face you have ever seen?

Our sweet little baby received her first set of immunizations.

Hepatitis B,

Polio,

Pneumococcal Disease,

Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis

Hib

(in 3 separate shots.)

She was also suppose to get a Rotaviris immunization (for diarrhea), but since it is a live vaccine, and since my mom is on a lot of steroids, she wouldn't have been able to be anywhere close to grandma for a week.

No one wanted that so we opted out of it.

It must not have been too bad since she only cried while we walked out of the waiting room

...you know just enough to freak out all the other mommies waiting to get their children immunized.

Then she took a 3 hour nap.

Maybe all that Tylenol had something to do with it...

We had a happy baby for the rest of the day.

We are looking forward to her sleeping all night again tonight.

Wish us luck!

Feliz Cumple Mes!! - April 9th, 2011

2011-04-09T13:23:00.003-06:00

Who knew that 2 months could go by so fast?!

She is such a little doll.

Mission Argentina Salta - Part III

2011-04-08T23:41:00.001-06:00

My mission started to come to an end when I was transferred to

San Miguel de Tucuman, Tucuman

This turned out to be the most rewarding part of my mission. I really learned and applied the lessons that I had learned throughout my mission and I had an awesome companion that showed me how.

This is the hilarious, lovely, obedient, amazing

Hermana Melody Ream

I love her.

She is from Orem, Utah and we quickly found a lot in common.

Like...normally celebrating Christmas in the winter instead of the death of a Tucuman summer.

We found really fun ways to teach like this fun Christmas Booth:

We sang and played the violin to get people to come and learn more.

We also bought sidewalk chalk and drew the Plan of Salvation in the streets. It caught a lot of people's attention and we had a lot of fun doing it.

You can learn more about our purpose on Earth in this video:

We made an awesome team and together we met people that in the end have become my eternal friends.

Selva's daughter (on the right) had been baptized with Hermana Ream before I arrived to the area. We continued teaching Selva and she was then baptized. I loved her quite character and her delicious food!!

While we were knocking doors we also found Julio Salto and his family. If you have ever heard me talk about Argentina, you have heard me talk about Julio. Although he is really busy and hard to get a hold of now, he is still my very best friend. I completely consider him family. He is one of the most intelligent people I know. It is a rarity that you can find someone that is a genius and humble at the same time, but Julio has the perfect equilibrium. I will love him and his amazing children, Leo and Felipe, forever.

Hna Ream and my time together didn't seem long enough, but I think I learned what I needed to.

She is still the amazing-est in my eyes!

My last transfers were shared with Hermana Romina Aponte (Buenos Aires).

She is a super hard worker. We worked double time and we saw the blessings for it.

She is humble and an amazing teacher. In fact, she is now teaching in the MTC (Mission Training Center) in Buenos Aires.

We were able to teach Karen together. She is a sweet little girl. Although some of the concepts of the church were hard for her to understand, Hna Aponte was great at explaining everything in a simple way.

Also in our time together we received a reference to teach my Mama Ines!!

I actually can't find my disks of pictures from Jujuy or from Tuucman, these are pictures that were saved on my computer as well as pictures from when we went back to Argentina. So this picture of my mama Ines is kind of small, but it is also one of my very favorites.

This is her daughter Belen. Her son Jorge was also one of my very bestest friends.

Mama Ines listened to all we had to say and really wanted to be baptized, but she had to be married first. It was a lot of work, but nothing is impossible. She was married and we even got to be there! It was a wonderful experience. Her and Belen were then baptized.

Gladys & Marcelo also needed to be married before they could be baptized. Gladys had wanted to be baptized for years, but Marcelo was completely against it. Marcelo's mom and little sister were already members of the church. We began speaking to them at lunch. We talked about the power of repentance through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Marcelo knew it was exactly what he needed in his life at this time. They were excited to get married and were baptized the next day. They are the cutest little family!

We also taught the Gonzalez family. Lucia, Karen and Jonathan, were baptized the week after I got home.

Truly every day of my mission was a miracle. I learned so much and I am a much better person because of the experiences I had there.

As my time as a missionary came to an end I could literally feel my heart breaking. I didn't want to leave these people that I loved so much. I loved the culture, the food, and the person that I had become. I didn't want to leave any of it.

Either way, a sister's mission is for 18 months, and my time was up. It was time for me to take the things that I had learned in my mission and apply them into my life as a "normal person."

Even though it was hard for me to leave...these moments totally made up for it!!!

It's also hard to not get to see your family for a year and a half.

It was nice to be welcomed home.

And to meet my future sister in law.

I was happy.

I would have never imagined that I would be back in Argentina 4 months later, in fact, when I left I didn't think I was ever going to get to go back.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be married, let alone to Sergio.

I can't believe that only 2 years later I have a beautiful baby girl.

It's amazing to me how often we only see what we want to see and we don't take time to see what our loving Heavenly Father has in store for us.

I am so grateful for these last 2 years. I still learn something every day. I still think about my mission every day. I still pray for the people I met while in Argentina...every day.

I know there will be new missions in my life.

In fact, I am starting one now as a mommy. I can only but imagine what I am going to learn now.

Mission Argentina Salta - Part II

2011-04-08T21:50:00.004-06:00

My next transfer started in the offices waiting for a new missionary,

I was a nervous wreck.

I didn't know Spanish,

I only had 6 months in my mission,

I didn't know how to teach.

Luckily Heavenly Father blessed me with an angel.

Hna Rodriguez (from Buenos Aires) was amazing. I was so excited to have her as my daughter. She really knew how to serve and she knows the gospel really well.

We were sent to

CORONEL AIRES, JUJUY.

(pronounced hue-hue-ee)

I learned a lot in my time with Hna Rodriguez and she was oh so patient with me.

She got in and took control. I learned so much from her and we spent a lot of time making up songs and laughing.

Going into this new area, with a new companion, was really hard for me. Not because the area was hard, or because it was more work than any other area, but because I was way too arrogant to want help from anyone. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do this. I wanted to do it all by myself.

I quickly learned that missionary work doesn't work that way.

Missionary work is not doing what WE want to do. It is being in the right place at the right time and listening to the spirit.

I was trying to do all I could do to make sure we had success.

That's when I learned the meaning of the scripture, "Be Still and Know that I am God."

We slowed down and I started putting my trust in Heavenly Father instead of in myself.

When I figured that out how wrong I was, we started seeing millions of miracles.

We literally had people come up and ask us to be baptized.

One of them was Valeria.

Hna Rodriguez and I had been praying to know what we should do to find people that wanted the gospel. We were sitting in chruch next to a new convert named Camilia (the darling little girl in the picture). In the middle of sacrament meeting she leaned over to me and said, Hermana, my mom wants to be baptized, can you come over and teach her.

Of course we did...and she was baptized a few weeks later.

We also met Javier. He showed up to church by himself and told us that he had already had all of the discussions in another area, but he couldn't be baptized but now he was ready. I started to ask him a few questions and he already knew EVERYTHING. He had an interview with the Elders and was baptized that same week.

It was an amazing experience.

We also found Nicholas.

We found him as we were sitting on some steps taking a break from the heat. We asked him about his day and the conversation turned to how he already knew about the Church because his mom was a member before she died. We were just in the right place at the right time.

One of my favorite people that we taught was Silvia Sanchez.

She really found answers to her prayers when she asked to know if the church was true. It was an amazing experience for all of us. I am so grateful for her amazing example as she continues strong and serves in the church.

Hna Rodriguez' and my time together came to an end, but in the next transfer we stayed in the same apartment together as I trained another new missionary.

The people that Hna Rodriguez and I taught in our time together continued to be baptized in my next transfer with my new companion.

I stayed in Coronel Aires with the mightiest person I know, in the smallest little package.

This is a picture of Hermana Romero (Lima, Peru) when we first met.

She is such a special part of my life.

Overall I think the missionaries I trained learned exactly what NOT to do as a missionary.

Again when I trained I really struggled with myself personally. I passed through one of the hardest depressions of my mission. We still watched people make righteous decisions and follow the example of Jesus Christ. I give all the credit to Hna Romero for her Giant like faith.

We continued to teach Silvia's family. We watched each of them progress in their own way. Her son Horacio (next to my mom on the right) was even baptized! He is now finishing up school and preparing to serve a mission.

We found Poala after her husband died. She had investigated the church before but couldn't be baptized. Her sister-in-law was already a member and really helped to make things come together. She is a stong woman.

We also received a reference to teach Viviana and Maria de los Angeles. I don't have their picture, but I learned a lot as we spent time with them.

Pablo found our church building after talking to a friend online and then looking up the address of the church building online. He was fun to teach. He was baptized after I had already lef t the area.

Hermana Romero and I also had a lot of fun teaching the children. Since we were then in October, we were often asked about Halloween so we decided to take the neighborhood kids out trick-o-treating to different members in the ward. It was an awesome way for them to meet ward members, and we had a blast!

We were dressed up as penguins and the kids were pumpkins and Jack from Night before Christmas...it's pretty famous in S.A.

I am so grateful for all that I learned while I was in this area.

A lot of things I had to learn the hard way, but the companions I was given really were sent from God. They have been the ones the have been by me in the hardest times and were willing to tell me the way things are even when I didn't want to hear it. I will be eternally grateful for them.

The Mission Argentina Salta

2011-04-06T00:07:00.000-06:00

This Friday is a special date for me.

It will mark 2 years that I have been home from my mission.

Even though a lot has happened since then, I still hold my mission very close to my heart.

In the next few days I will be doing a little tour of some of the experiences that I had there.

To learn more about missionaries you can watch this short movie:

When I turned 21 I was pretty sure I wanted to serve a mission.

As I prayed to know what I should do the answers came clearly and I met with my bishop to fill out my paperwork.

I waited very anxiously for my mission call. My friends and family all put in guesses to where they thought I would go. We proudly displayed this map in our kitchen with all the guesses.

My Aunt Pam Burgess and Cody Oakes won when they guessed Argentina!

My mission was called the Argentina Salta Mission.

It covered 4 Providences,

Salta, Tucuman, Jujuy (pronounced hue-hue-ee), and Santiago del Estero.

I had the privilege of serving in 3 of those Providences.

After 6 weeks of serving in the Mission Training Center (MTC) the time finally came to go to Argentina.

My first area was called:

Alderetes, Tucuman

And my companion / trainer / mommy was

Hermana (Sister) Adriana Hansen from West Virginia.

She taught me all about the culture and how to be a missionary.

We met a lot of awesome people and had a lot of fun.

We celebrated Christmas and New Years together!

She was so awesome that I hardly felt homesick...okay maybe a little, but she certainly helped me to feel better.

We were only together for 6 weeks ( 1 transfer) but in that time we met some wonderful people.

My next companion was Hermana Fernanda Esquivel from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

She didn't speak any English, so in the time that we were together I successfully masters my own language.

It definitely wasn't English...or Spanish...

Despite our language barrier we were able to learn a lot from each other.

We also were able to see Angel Villagraa be baptized...

It was a super rainy day, but it was perfect.

A couple of weeks later Marta Castillo (on the left) was also baptized.

It is an amazing experience watching people that you love make the choice to follow the Savior's example and be baptized.

Marta was so fun to watch as she studied the Book of Mormon and was able to find comfort in the words that were there. I have never met anyone else that was so enthusiastic to read like she was.

Speaking of the Book of Mormon...

We found this one in a Saint Gaucho Gil shrine. People leave things that were special to someone that had passed away in these shrines. I thought it was appropriate.

(We were also able to teach Delia Soria and Milagros Monserrat and watch as they made the decision to be baptized, but I don't have a picture of them yet, as soon as I do I will post it on here)

After my time in Tucuman I was then asked to leave the people I had met there and go to

Tres Cerritos, Salta

I was called to serve with Hermana Marci Pickett

We had a blast together.

We were in the same area as the mission home so we did a lot of our Preparation Day activities with the office Elders.

We had a lot of fun.

Hna Pickett always cracked me up.

We also knew how to work hard.

We saw HUGE miracles.

Like as the Familia Nunez prepared to be baptized.

Brother Aldolfo (Pelusa) Nunez had investigated the church for about 10 years after half of his family had been baptized.

He knew everything about the chruch, but just didn't feel like he wanted to be baptized.

Even though my Spanish was really hard to understand he said he could feel that when we talked that the church was true.

He, his wife Felicia, and 2 of their children, Emilio and Blanca, were then baptized.

The sweet Bruna Chungara (the girl next to Pickett) was also baptized the same day.

Soon following the Nunez's other son Jose also decided to be baptized, his older brother Ramiro was able to do the honors.

Jose always prized himself as being a "gaucho" (Argentine cowboy) and asked if he could be baptized in a river close to farm that he took care of. We got special permission. I'm so glad that we did, it was such an amazing experience. Even though it was winter and the water was only knee deap the spirit was almost over bearing. The images of him coming out of the water will be in my mind forever.

Another Nunez family member also took interest in the church.

Milagro had been living with one of the Nunez boys and they had 2 beautiful kids together.

We taught her and she also wanted to be baptized.

BUT...

she needed to be married first. We helped them to get things in order and they were married soon after.

Soon she was all ready to be baptized.

We also were able to teach Clarita and her grandma Clara.

(No relation to the Nunez family : ) )

Carla wanted to be baptized really badly too but she had been waiting for 10 years for her divorce to go through so she could get married to her real love.

She has since gotten married and is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They were the sweetest little family and we loved them very much.

After Hermana Pickett and I served for 2 transfers the time came for her to go home.

It was a sad day for me because we had become such good friends.

I didn't think I would be able to be a missionary with out her.

The Lord had big plans for me...

I found out that I was going to be going to a new area and that I would be training a new missionary.

I was really nervous and I didn't think I was capable of the task...in fact I still don't think I was capable, but we made it work.

You can read more about that experience in my next blog.

We LOVED Conference!!

2011-04-05T22:37:00.000-06:00

Did you get the answers you were looking for?

I know I sure did!

It was an awesome experience, especially being with Sergio as he fulfilled his dream of going to a live session of conference. It was like watching a little kid at Disney World.

We loved ALL the talks and we came home better people.

Did you miss conference?

You can still watch it here!

Mark Your Calendars!

2011-03-30T18:08:00.000-06:00

I love General Conference!

Ever since my mission I just count down the months until it's conference time again.

General Conference happens two times a year.

Once in April and again in October.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and anyone else for that matter) get together in the Conference Center, in their homes, and in meetinghouses around the world to listen to prophets and apostles speak.

A prophet is a special man that has been called of God He has been given authority to convey special messages to Heavenly Father's children on the Earth. I am sure that you have heard about Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah. They were prophets.

When Jesus Christ was on the Earth He was kind of like a prophet, but a whole lot more since He is literally God's son. Soon after Jesus Christ was sacrificed and had resurrected His apostles were also persecuted and many of them were killed. The original church that Jesus Christ established started to be changed and there was no longer a prophet on the Earth.

Luckily, Heavenly Father loves his children so he called another prophet in 1820 and Jesus Christ's church was restored again on the Earth.

You can learn more about Joseph Smith and the restoration in this video:

I know that the same church that Jesus Christ established is on the Earth again, because like Joseph Smith, I also lacked wisdom and I asked of God in a prayer. I didn't see a vision or angels, but it doesn't mater because what I felt was even more powerful. I know that anyone who wants to know can pray and also receive an answer for any question that they have.

That's why I love Conference!

Every April and every October I listen to conference with a personal question in my heart.

Then I listen for the answer.

Sometimes the answer doesn't always come in exactly what the people say, but also what I feel.

I love listening to Thomas S. Monson. He's not just the prophet of the Mormon Church, but the prophet of the whole world!

Jesus Christ taught us to be aware of false prophets and then he taught that, "by their fruits ye shall know them." Prophets always testify of Jesus Christ, and that is exactly what President Monson does. Anyone that listens to him with an open heart will know that he is a prophet of God.

I hope that if you haven't seen or heard a conference before that you will mark your calender and that this can be the first time.
Or if this is your 181st time, I hope it is amazing.
Take this challenge.
Think of a question, it can be something simple or personal, pray about it, and I promise that you will receive an answer to your question. Promise.
You can find out more about the broadcasting of General Conference by clicking here.

Anyways, I started this blog just wanting to know what you love about conference, or what you have learned from a special conference. I hope you can leave a comment and share.

Mommies Little Monster

2011-03-26T02:59:00.000-06:00

So -

You learn a lot as a new mom...

like to turn the inside liners of the diapers outwards so they don't leak all over the place...or, how to eat left handed while holding a wiggly human in the other arm.

At the same time you don't know everything

- I'll admit -

I spend a lot of time "reading up" on mommy websites.

One thing that I really felt as a new mom is that

you can't spoil a newborn.

This picture is of Sergio feeding our Gringanada
her very first bottle.

I held off until week 6.

Pretty good right?

Obviously I wanted to hold off as long as I could since I didn't want her to have "nipple confusion" or any of that bla, bla, bla...

But THIS

THIS,

was an emergency.

The last 3 days this little bundle of joy of ours hasn't let me put her down, she cries for everyone but her mommy.

She won't sleep in her crib
or even so much as the couch right next to me.
She knows where she is comfortable and she knows how to get it.

Taking a shower has been next to impossible,

let alone eating,

doing my hair,

cleaning up after ourselves,

etc, etc, etc...

BUT, it's all worth it for someone so perfect, right?

Anyway, tonight I passed our little bundle to Sergio.

He always loves holding her while he's home,

But with our recent clingy-ness issue
it became quite the dramatic experience.

Our little angel could barely take gasps of breath
between her wails.

(This was just while I was taking a bathroom break)

I HAVE CREATED A MONSTER!!!

I took her from him for a second and she
immediately calmed down.

Determined not to be outdone by someone under 10 pounds I handed her back to Sergio.

It was like the crying had never stopped.

I knew something had to be done.

I rushed to the freezer and quickly heated a bag of milk,

all under the pressure of bloodcurdling squeals.

In record breaking time she had that bottle
in the middle of her beat red face.

It was then and there that she realized that her daddy isn't so bad.

They have really bonded...

All this time I have been convinced that you can't spoil a newborn

and that our little doll was just a good judge of character...

- it turns out I was wrong -

She just loves me for my boobs.

Pictionary:

2011-03-26T02:06:00.000-06:00

Come on! It's going to be fun!

I am sure that you know how to play.

If not,

I show you some pictures and you,

well, you tell me exactly what is in each picture.

Now, go on and be specific!

Okay, Ready to play?

Go!

I'll give you a clue, I don't think it's baby acne...

It looks grainy, and sometimes she scratches it like it itches.

Ready, set, post your answers!!!

Subliminal Messages

2011-03-17T18:07:00.002-06:00

There have been so many things that I have wanted to write about since I have had a baby.

Due to the fact that I'm not completely sure who is in my viewing audience...and with the fear of making anyone uncomfortable, I am limiting my 5 billion inappropriate blogs to a few short notes:

The list goes on...

Maybe in the future I will have the courage to tell the world about all of these little postpartum experiences.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T14:52:00.000-06:00