Cuteness

Many people have asked how Daniel has adjusted to having a little sister around. Most often, he tells us she is "so precious" or "cuddly and cute". I take that as a good sign, but this was the clincher. I turned my back for one second today and this is what I found...

Another One Bites the Dust

I looked at the calendar this morning to see that it's the 29th day of the month. Why is it that the older I get, the faster time goes by (except for when we are at the doctor's office and time apparently stands still)? August will be here by the end of the week. Perhaps we have just had a very busy and rather pleasant month, with the exception of a three hour plane ride during which a croupy toddler hacked all over both of my kids and super-sized beverages were apparently offered to everyone seated in the first 15 rows of the aircraft, creating a constant stream of passengers en route to the bathroom (I don't care how much my kids scream on the plane. Next time, we are NOT sitting in the back).

We spent 10 whirlwind days in Phoenix visiting family and friends. Yes, Phoenix in July. Alltel flew Fernando out so that he could work and it made more sense to me to bring the kids along. Let me put it this way... 2 round trip tickets to Phoenix- $700, 40 bottles of water to keep us from dehydrating- $12, 14 extra hands to hold, feed, and burp a baby while I chase her older brother around...PRICELESS!

No offense to our friends or family, but I do have to say that the best part of the trip was the 24 hours we got to spend away from Phoenix. Ginormous thanks to our moms for "taking one for the team" and watching our kiddos while we went to Flagstaff!

It's always great to get back to Phoenix. We love and miss our friends and family and enjoy spending time with them, even though it goes by so fast. Such is life!

Merry Christmas!

Yes, Christmas in July. It takes me this long to recover from the previous year's holiday season. But, it never fails that by July 25th, I'm ready to gear up for the upcomoing festivities. One of my new favorite traditions is celebrating Christmas in July each year, and thanks to QVC, I can do that. Even if I have to do it by myself (which I do). Last year, my mom and I sat at home, each with a cell phone in hand and a plate of Christmas cookies in front of us, watched hours of Christmas programming and shopped. This year I was flying solo and had to watch in between taking care of the kids, but I still had a great time. No Christmas cookies this year, but I lit my favorite holiday candle and that helped me forget the fact that it was 98 degrees outside with 90% humdity. So, once again, I was able to kick of my Christmas shopping season nice and early. Laugh all you want. When my shopping is done by Thanksgiving and we are not penniless the entire month of December, you'll be admiring me!

QVC is my vice. No I have not purchased any holiday sweaters or useless figurines, but I do love finding some unique bargains. Where else can you get a Dooney and Bourke bag on 5 easy payments (with NO interest- thank you very much)? And, with two small kids, there is nothing better than shopping from the comfort of your living room. QVC doesn't care if I haven't had time to shower or brush my teeth!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

We celebrated Daniel's birthday this year in the desert with our family. It's so hard to believe he is three years old already. And yet there are those days that we find comfort in the fact that two summers from now we will be buying his first set of school supplies. Doesn't everyone know that 3 is the new 2? What fun we are having with his darling new attitude and cute little sayings, such as, "NO!", "MINE", and my personal favorite, "YOU STOP THAT!"

Regardless of this stage, which I've been told will pass in the next few months (I'm holding you to that, Steph). The past 3 years have been full of blessings and it really does make me sad that my little boy is growing up so fast.

Happy Fourth of July!

A Tale of Two Kiddies

Whoever said that having a second child would be easier needs to be clubbed over the head with a tire iron. "You'll be so much more relaxed", "everything will come so much easier"- these are some of the things we were told by, what we thought, were wiser, more experienced parents. What we didn't know was that they were also delusional. There is nothing easier about having two kids. I'm reminded of the old Wrigley chewing gum adage, "double the pleasure, double the fun" and wondering exactly at what point the "fun" will begin. I'm trusting that it will come in time, but can honestly say that there is not much fun in having an almost 3 year old and a 6 week old simultaneously.

(I should note, it is 5:30 in the morning. I have already been up for an hour. I could go back to sleep, but opted for a shower today rather than a measly 45 more minutes of sleep.)

Maybe it's just our kids. Perhaps we should have thought more about bringing into the world two individuals that were of Mexican/Italian decent. This is something that no one tells you about in pre-marital counseling. If someone would have mentioned that the combination of our ethnic heritage would result in the creation of what appears to be the world's two most high-maintanance children, perhaps we would have thought twice before deciding to become parents. We knew they were going to be loud, over-eaters, who were all up in everyone's business, but we had no idea they would be so...passionate and intense about EVERY single aspect of life.

I realized this yesterday while taking my children to the pediatrician's office for a routine check-up on a rash that Daniel has had...on his face. This should not have been a difficult procedure. I prepped him several times before going so he would know what to expect. Next time, I won't bother. It was utterly futile. I thought things were looking good when Daniel proudly walked into the new doctor's office. "Hi!" he exclaimed to everyone in the waiting room, as if they had been waiting anxiously for his arrival. He immediately made his way to the toys and started playing (this passion and intensity may prove to have it's benefits as he gets older). His sister, on the other hand, waited until I received the 14 pages of paperwork that needed to be filled out and then proceeded to throw a royal fit. Based on prior experience and the lie that "second-born babies are easier", I assumed putting a perfectly healthy, fully fed, adequately burped newborn into the car would result in a sleeping baby. However, I should have been familiar enough with Murphy's Law to realize this would never happen. The screaming commenced as soon as I sat down in the waiting room and lasted until I was able to pick her up out of her car seat and bounce her on my shoulder.

Baby in one hand, stroller in the other, I carefully guided Daniel to the exam room as if I was a dog herding cattle. It was at that point that I realized how terrifying it was for him to step on a scale (I thought that only happened once you reached adulthood- Praise God he'll never have to deal with the joys of baby weight-oh the horror!). He immediately started crying and shouting "NO! NO!" (my least favorite word in English language to date) and didn't stop until we were headed OUT of the office. The doctor weighed him, listened to his heart, and looked at his face- this, to my son, was apparently the equivalent of sawing off his right leg with a butter knife. His screams were matched only by those of his sister who has the incredible talent of appearing to be asleep until you sit down or attempt to move her for any reason. Suffice it to say, by the time we were finished, I was mourning the days when it was just me, my OB/GYN, and an invasive vaginal exam.

I often wonder why they call the process of giving birth "labor". I know it is hard work, but the true "labor" comes after you bring your kids home. My question is...why hasn't anyone developed an epidural so you don't have to feel the first 3 months? (or maybe that's what Martinis are for...)

One day, I'm sure I will look back on experiences like these and laugh- at least that's what I tell myself to keep from losing my mind. And I am confident that the time will come when we will wish our kids were still, as Daniel says, "cuddly and cute". I know we will beam with pride as we watch them grow and mature and become the dynamic, passionate, influential people they are destined to be.

Will someone remind me of that the next time we go to the doctor?

When It's Time to Change...

Most have you have probably heard the recent news that about a week ago, Verizon officially purchased Alltel Communications. It was news that we anticipated eventuallty, but certainly not this month, or this year for that matter. It is such a huge thing in the life of this city and so many of our friends. Alltel has literally been our family in a place where we have had none. And although the acquisition is far from final, it almost feels as if there's been a death in the family.

There is a myriad of emotions we are feeling at this point. We are sad, stunned, frightened, and humbled; feeling a little bit like the new kid on the playground that gets picked on his first day at a new school. It's like we were just given the ulitmate corporate wedgie and it will be a while before we fully recover.

We knew, when we made the decision to move to Little Rock, that it was most likely a temporary move. What we didn't know was that the job would be temporary as well. We have no idea what changes may come as a result of this buy out, but the odds are that major life change will be occuring, yet again.

I can hear all of our friends and family in Arizona asking when we are going to return. The answer is...we just don't know. It would be wonderful to return home to friends, family, and our home. But the truth of the matter is, "home" may end up being somewhere else.

The good news??? The sky is the limit! We have NO idea where we may end up or what opportunities await Fernando professionally and we are SO stoked to see what God has in store (I haven't used the word "stoked" in about 10 years!).

More details will come in the next few months and as the deal finalizes by the end of this year. We ask for your prayers for our family and our friends here in Little Rock as we all adjust to the changes and make plans for the next steps in our lives, as more than likely we will all be without jobs shortly.

We are so thankful for the time we've had in Little Rock and look forward to making the most of the next few months should God choose to move us on. We have learned so much about others and about ourselves. We have grown as individuals and as a family. Our faith has been stretched and challenged and we pray that we have been and will continue to be a blessing to those that the Lord has brought into our life. We are blessed that Fernando has had this opportunity to gain the experience he has and to work under the amazing, servant leadership that exists at Alltel.

The bottom line- if we had to do it all again, we would in a heartbeat. It's all part of the story of our life that God is writing. We can't wait to read the next chapter!