Update

Life - is busy!

School - is great! I love being a senior. It means that I have no more GE' s. I HATE GE's! Some of them were ok, but in all honestly I just took them so I could graduate. Now, I love every single one of my classes. And, interestingly, I actually love doing my homework. I can't wait to do it sometimes. I love what I'm learning and talking about in my classes, and best of all, I feel like I'm understanding and doing well despite the challenge.

Jack - is wonderful too. He is such a happy baby, and so cute!!! I can't get over how beautiful he is. He started giving kisses lately, and I love it!! Of course, they are open mouth slobbery ones, but I love that he understands what "kiss" means and he actually tries to kiss me. He just broke his first tooth this week, and he hasn't even complained at all. He woke up in the middle of the night the first night but that's it. I was worried about our adjustment to going back to school, but so far he has loved staying with Kristen (and Kristen loves it too), and he seems really happy. I only have to take him to a couple of my classes a week, which is really nice. He had a hard time adjusting his sleeping schedule, because he wasn't taking naps in his crib anymore, and therefore was waking up a lot in the middle of the night, but he is finally going back to sleeping all night.

Juan - Is mehhh... Whatever... Haha no, he is really great too. He wakes up early and goes to work and then goes to school and comes home late, poor thing. But he is doing really well. He is doing really well at work, they like him a lot, and so far he thinks he's doing well in school. He's also helpful with Jack and around the house where he can be. The wrist is healing ok. He had to do a little physical therapy, and now he can use it the same as before, but it is still really tender to the touch.

We are both so busy during the day, and it's tough with all the homework we have to do, so our time together is scarce and, therefore, very precious. My house is almost always a disaster, but I love having something to do at school.

I can't wait until Thanksgiving and Christmas, though, when I get a break and get to see my family!

Oh how time flies!

The First Day

Oh, BYU.
What would I do without you?
And your freshman with strategically planned outfits. Fresh haircuts. Young men with clean shaven faces. And bright white sneakers?
Bring on the dances, the flirting, and the awkward mormon tomfoolery.
Tell us. "Where are you from? What is your major? Something interesting about you?"
How many got married this summer? Engaged? Baby?
Opening prayer. Closing prayer. Start class with a Hymn?
And homework. Get to it. Because you've got 3 tests next week.

YES. Doing the dishes DOES hurt.

Weak Stomachs BEWARE. Brave souls click HERE.

I'm sorry, but you gotta admit this is pretty funny!

I may be going to H-E-double hockey sticks for always laughing at others' misfortunes, but I can't help it. It's just too funny!

Where does he come up with this stuff?

My son just spent the past 10 minutes grunting and gassing... sounded like the BIG KAHUNA right? Well.... It was Juan's turn to change him, so I made him take him away. I decided to follow to offer any help, just in case (or maybe to rub it in a little). And what do I find? Basically nothing. It wasn't even coming out the sides or up the back. So, I said, "Oh, that's nothing!" and then I go into the other room and leave my boys to their business.

And what do I hear a few seconds later? "I'm sorry mi niño. She's so mean coming in here saying "oh, that's nooothing!" You worked so hard on that poop, you poor thing and then she comes in here and makes fun of it. It's just not fair!"

WHAT?!? haha I guess I need to work on not demeaning my sons efforts to pass a number 2. It is true though - he did work hard on it.

Karma

SO This (pictured above) arrived on my doorstep this week from Amazon.com. I did not order them, nor was I expecting them. We have diapers, but will probably need more SOON. Diapers are expensive. And although we have a job now, we are still playing a little catch-up. So this would have been such a huge blessing! Right?!

WRONG.

They were addressed to someone else. And seeing as we had just moved into this apartment 2 months ago, I knew this was a mistake. My conscious was nagging at me, so I went to the neighbors to ask if they knew the person they were addressed to. They said they didn't. How was I supposed to find out how to contact these people? I contemplated contacting Amazon, but decided to just wait it out to see if someone would come by looking for them, and if not... they are exactly Jack's size, so I could use them.

Well, I didn't have to wait long. Someone came looking for them. I could have lied, but I decided that I cared about my salvation and I gave them back.

I deserve some dang good payback for that one!

Translation

Bon Appetit = French for 'enjoy your meal'

Move over Julie!

I feel like Julie from "Julie & Julia." My Grandma got me this book when I got married. I have been trying a different recipe ever night and I love it!! I love cooking and I love discovering new recipes. I still make my favorites from growing up, but it's fun to add to the menu - Last night's dinner was a hit!

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI! - SOOOOOO easy, so good and so healthy too!

3 - 15 oz cans of pinto or white kidney beans (cannellini) rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped red, green or yellow sweet pepper
2 fresh jalepeño chile peppers, seeded and chopped (beware of the volatile oils!)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsps cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
3 1/2 cups chicken broth

mix in a slow cooker and go!! (cook on high for about 4-5 hours, low for 8-9)

The best part about this dish was that I had everything in my kitchen already, and it was almost no work.

My suggestions:

I used one black bean one black eyed pea and one RED kidney bean can each. I didn't have the other types on hand. I thought it was flavorful and added color to the dish. (light beans with white chicken = boring aesthetics. Presentation DOES matter!). Moral of the story: being creative with your bean choice will NOT take away from the dish

I served it on rice - YUMMY!
flavorful topping suggestions: Fresh snipped cilantro (favorite), shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and/or sour cream.

NOTE: toppings may or may not take away from the healthfulness of the dish.

Bon Appetit!

UP

Things are really looking up for us. When we got married, things were going good. We were poor, but definitely making it. Juan and I both had full-time jobs for the summer. THEN I got pregnant, sick and just couldn't work as much as I wanted while I was throwing up all day - my job was a little too demanding for that. We still had not worked out Juan's legal status. We were saving up the large sum of money it required, along with costs of rent, tuition, etc. Juan still had not been accepted into BYU or any school for that matter. He was still attending the English Language Center, so he could still work, but because of his student visa he could only work on campus. Then a huge blessing came - he passed his English test! We could now begin the application process for BYU. We had completed his application for Winter 2010 semester, but because of a mistake that BYU made, we had to push it back to spring. BIG disappointment. He had already finished the English curriculum, so No school = NO work! He wasn't able to work a whole semester, which happened to be the semester I was giving birth... I wasn't working either... We had hurried to get his papers finished before 2009 was over, but let's be honest, it's government stuff. So many hoops and hurtles... He didn't get his work permit to work off-campus. WE WERE POOR. AND I MEAN POOR. About to bring a baby into this world and we couldn't even put food on the table for ourselves. And I was sick all along the way. I made it through the days. I had to. But by the time Jack was due, my body couldn't take it anymore and I got REALLY sick.

And even through all of this, I cannot help but look back on this and not have one regret. YES, I was scared that Juan would be deported or something (a little dramatic, since he was safe under the fact that we were "in the process") but still - you never know. Scared about the money. Scared about finishing school. Having the health and strength to take care of this baby. But Juan and I have grown so much after going through it. I wasn't exactly surprised when I found out I was expecting. I was "prepared" to receive the news that I was pregnant - I was told he was coming. And I had the normal worries, but I was content. Things were being prepared, but then everything seemed to fall apart. WHY? All I could do was believe that things would work themselves out in time. And through the generosity, prayers and faith of others, they have. I am humbled by the endless mercy of God.

Right now -

Juan has his work permit
Juan passed his permanent residency interview
Juan got not only one, but TWO jobs
I got not only one, but TWO scholarships
We qualify for grants - LOTS of free money for school and living expenses
TAX returns!!
Because of all this, I can stay home until school starts again.
And I get to wake up to this in the morning:



I LOVE my life :)

You would think that being a FULL TIME stay at home mom would give me enough time to do some laundry, or at least cook a meal AND do all the dishes And take care of my baby... Right?

I have no idea where the time goes and how I seem to get NOTHING done. At least my baby is happy :)



P.S. That is not my sink, nor is that Jack taking a bath... only a representation of how I feel sometimes.