The Wonderful World of Weger

LizAlan Visit

2012-02-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

My boys call Liz and Alan a joint name, LizAlan. They came to visit us last weekend. We had a lot of fun! We mostly played around. They spent some time with Luis at the dealership. We stayed up VERY late, in true Weger fashion, enjoying some very interesting and hilarious topics :) They got to witness Jackson's talk at church about Noah... although we couldn't really hear anything because he was whispering. Anyways, it was way fun to be together again... next time, we are going to Chicago... before they move!!!

Sorry I don't have more pictures! Oh yeah, notice the duct tape on his glasses? He must have fell face first at the Child care center at the gym because they brought me his broken glasses and he had a little cut above his eye where the break is. So on Monday we had a drs appt and he is going to get new ones, but it takes 5 weeks to order them... so he is going to have to deal with the tape... it is holding them together surprisingly well!

What's going on?!?!

2012-02-10T12:34:00.001-08:00

Before I get into what's been going on with us I want to give the link for my mom's blog... funny tidbit from Jax... http://sewwhatchadoinglynne.blogspot.com/ What she forgot to say is that immediately after that happened... he started to ask for a bag of candy. Not a piece of candy... a whole bag. I thought that was equally as funny!

We have been very busy... it's difficult with Luis and I both working... who is dropping off who, getting to drs appts, taking kids to Young Mens... life is just more cramped it seems. Luis sold his first car last week. I was very proud. He will hopefully have another sale tomorrow. We are still waiting to hear from the other company and he had another great interview with them this morning. I am still trying to find my place at the YMCA. I'm getting the hang of it though. I injured myself yesterday. I was preparing for a workout demonstration for about 15 employees and members... we were showcasing our new heartrate monitoring system called "MyZone" (which is awesome btw). I was setting up for the box jump and dropped a step right on my big toe!!! Those things are metal and are very heavy. It hurt so bad and I immediately took off my shoe to see a bruised and swollen toe. Several people told me not to do the workout, but I didn't want anyone to think I injured myself on purpose because I chickened out... it was supposed to be a super intense workout. So I did it... injured toe and all. I modified the burpees to be girlie pushups so I didn't put any pressure on my toe. I was also extremely EXTREMELY sore from a bootcamp workout I did on Monday. So it was an interesting day to say the least. My body is one big OUCHIE!!!

I know there is much more... I kept thinking, "man I have to blog about this" but now I don't remember. So I will be back!

My Small Wish List

2012-02-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

This post is more for Luis than for anyone else ;)

As a beginner quilter, I have many needs or wants... I don't know the difference when it comes to quilting!

I definitely need a sewing machine before Mom leaves this summer... #1 on the list!!!

I need a stash!!! I know it grows over time, but I need something to work with! I am hoping Mom will leave me a bunch of her scraps! *hint*

http://www.fatquartershop.com/store/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?sid=6085221539506085&Store_id=499&page_id=23&Item_ID=43052&Parent_Ids=
Anything from this shop would be awesome, but I like this basic pack.

And any quilting supplies in general!

Upcoming Quilt

2012-02-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

You guys are going to have to get used to the quilting posts... sorry if they bore you! I have had the fabric cut for this throw quilt I have been planning for a while. I took a break from it to make Aubry's quilt. It is a star quilt and I took several rows off the pattern to make it throw size. Even though I had the fabric cut, I hadn't laid out the pieces to see what it would look like. I wanted to do this because I completely changed the color scheme from the pattern. Big mistake... it just makes it really complicated. I had to go through and cross out and rewrite the color I was using through the entire pattern, just to be sure I wouldn't mess up! Maybe it's because I'm inexperienced. This will be my first quilt working with triangles... they are the easier ones (Which are sewn together as squares and then cut), which is why I am attempting them instead of the more difficult triangles. Anyways!!! Once I laid it out, I decided I'm not sure if I like the color scheme. I wanted blues and browns and creams, but red came into the picture and I was ok with that, until I laid it out... but I won't waste the fabric, so I will use it anyways. I think I will like it once its all sewn together more. Here are some pictures of the very rough draft laid out on the carpet :)

Pillowcase Project

2012-01-31T07:18:00.000-08:00

I had an idea yesterday to make the boys pillowcases because the other day I was washing the ones they were using and I put a colorful blanket down over Jakes pillow while he took a nap. Ever since tehn, even once he had his pillowcase back he has wanted his blanket over his pillow. So I thought it might be fun to make a colorful pillow case for him. Here are pictures of what I came up with. Mom showed me a pillowcase pattern and helped me cut the flannel, then I sewed and ironed it into these! Jackson is the Cars one, of course! What do you think? I hope they love them! They get to use them tonight!

2 Great Recipes!

2012-01-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

Caramel Apple Cookies

This recipe is a great alternative to traditional chocolate chip cookies, if you are ever not in the mood for those! They were very good. A word of advice... eat while warm. If you have leftover cookies, microwave them for about 15 seconds before you eat them again... or the caramel pieces will almost break your teeth! :)

Here is the link to the recipe. http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/09/caramel_apple_cookies.html

Tinga

This is Silvia's recipe and it is so good if you want to be brave and try something new. It's one of our favorite Mexican dishes and we introduced it to mom and dave and they like it a lot too!

1. Boil 1-2 lbs of chicken breast (add salt and chicken boullion to the water if desired)
2. Shred chicken. Blend 6 fresh tomatoes to liquid or use 2+ cans of tomato sauce.
3. In skillet, add oil and chicken, 4-5 thinly sliced onions, and blended fresh tomatoes. (There should be about equal amounts of chicken and onion.)
4. Add about 3 chipotle peppers (buy canned chipotle peppers from the mexican aisle).
Serve with rice and eat on a corn tostada!!! Optional- add sour cream and lime! Call me if you want to try it and have questions!

SOOOOOO YUMMY! I forgot to take a picture until I had already started eating... sorry!

Sneak Peek

2012-01-28T13:52:00.000-08:00

So, I just can't help myself. I have to do a little sneak peek of Aubry's quilt. I didn't want to reveal anything until her bday, but I have to! I'm too excited. I just pieced the back together and I love it! So here is a snap shot of a part of the back! The front is still a secret though! Now that I have the front and the back finished I am taking a break to go back and finish Jackson's quilt. I have the front and back finished and we finally got more batting so I am going to pin and quilt Jackson's before I continue anything else. Then on to my throw! Then on to Silvia and Lew's quilt! Can you tell I'm in love with quilting?

Oh yeah, and during the after Christmas sales Luis went a little Candy cane crazy! He wanted to try as many flavors as possible... this is just a glimpse of his stash... there are more boxes downstairs. We both agree... Spree is simply the best candy cane :)

Quilting semi-success!

2012-01-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

I am finished piecing together the top of Aubry's quilt. We had a few bumps in the road, but it is done! It was definitely a learning experience... except we don't know for sure what the cause of our stumbling block was... I just designed the back of the quilt and can't wait to get sewing! It is super cute and I hope Aubry will love the finished product! Sorry, still no pictures until I send it to her. Don't want to ruin the surprise.

Luis and I both started working. He started at the car dealership yesterday and had a lot of fun getting paid to test drive cars :) It's a pretty nice set up but long hours. He is still waiting to hear back from the other company. Keep us in your prayers. I started my training at the YMCA today as the Fitness Coordinator. I am really going to enjoy the job... It is still hard for me to be away from the kids. I feel guilty being there instead of with them... but I know we really need it. Thank you, Mom, for helping out with the boys and allowing us both to work. Within a few months they are probably going to send me to get my personal training certification so I can get a few more hours doing that. I will be working M-F 4-8pm. It does feel good to contribute though!

Hanson

2012-01-23T08:03:00.001-08:00

Ethan and I had a good moment the other day. We were having one of our many discussions about music and I was showing him some bands I liked in High school and college. He really didn't like any of it. He is very into classic rock. Then Justin Bieber came up and I told him that the Justin Bieber of my generation was Hanson... as far a popularity with the girls! He had NEVER heard of them! That was shocking to me!!! Their posters used to COVER our walls! So Thanks to good old YouTube I was able to introduce him to Hanson... Mmbop, Where's the Love... It was hilarious to remember! Ethan's comment was "They are way better than Justin Bieber... but they are really ugly!!!"I was cracking up but poor Hanson. I don't agree, I personally think Justin Bieber is better than Hanson! Right, Bryan? :)

Dave's retirement ceremony

2012-01-20T12:15:00.000-08:00

Dave is finally retired!!! Mom can give you more info about the official details but all I know is he had a great ceremony! We are very proud of him. It was great to be there and hear about all of his accomplishments. It was like I was learning about a stranger! I didn't know any of it... that's how little Dave has talked about his work the entire time I've known him! He has definitely accomplished great things for our country, that's for sure. It was great to hear how much his team loves him. I saw several full grown men get teared up and emotional. It was very sweet. (So did Mom, but that's no surprise... the surprise is that she didn't start bawling!!!) We weren't allowed to bring in phones or cameras so they had a photographer and we will hopefully have pictures from the ceremony on Monday. I'm sure Mom will post those on her blog :) After the ceremony I picked up the kids from a friends house and we all went to Fazoli's. Dave and the boys shared a pizza, Ethan and I got subs and mom got a salad and pasta! It was great! Oh, and during the ceremony Dave gave Mom and I flowers... we had to get u in front of everyone to receive them. They smell so good and are beautiful! Anyway, it was a great experience and I was happy to be a part of it. The only bad thing is that Luis wasn't here with us!!

Jackson's Obedience Chart

2012-01-19T13:52:00.001-08:00

I am once again in the behavior overhaul mode. It's sad that this mode repeats itself so often. I did a behavior chart in Texas but it was too complicated and I didn't stick with it. I am going to attempt the same thing, but a much simpler version. It is split up between morning and afternoon with the morning reward being able to watch a movie or play on his V-Reader during Jake's nap and in the evening it is a yummy treat. He needs to get 5 stickers to get the reward. He gets the reward by obeying!!! HE responds pretty well... but Mom is actually better at giving him the stickers than I am.... I really need to be more observant! I also get distracted by things we have going on and before I know it, it's naptime and there are no stickers!!! I am going to try harder. The 3 boxes are for big-time no-nos. If he gets 3 Xs he does not get his reward. We just started this, so I will let you know how it goes in a few days!

Thank You

2012-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

I dropped Luis off at the airport yesterday morning at 5:30. He is in Wisconsin until Saturday for a health screening event. It was 16 degrees outside when I left the airport. As I was driving home I saw a homeless man walking down the street with a big garbage bag over his shoulder. Just walking... I just couldn't comprehend living outside in this kind of weather. It made me so sad for him. Since I saw him I have been thinking about that a lot. I am so grateful for all the support Luis and I have received the last year or so. We have been going through hard times financially, and I know that is how people end up on the street. If it wasn't for such supportive parents, who knows where Luis and I and our boys would be. I just want to say thank you to all our parents. You have provided so much for us and we are very grateful. Thank you for listening when I just needed to vent my frustrations about life. Thank you for helping me remain faithful and looking forward to better times. Thank you to our friends and cousins and sisters and brothers who also supported Luis and I in so many ways. We want you to know that we love you all very much!

Please pray for us this weekend. Luis has 2 job interviews on Monday and we are hoping they produce something... fast! If you would like to join us, we are having a family fast on Sunday for that reason! I know that God has a plan for us and that things will work out in His time. In the meantime, Luis and I often contemplate the lessons we have learned while going through our trials the past few years. We are excited about our future and hope it comes quickly :)

My quilting obsession

2012-01-15T19:34:00.001-08:00

I think I'm addicted. Now if only I had more time to myself without kids wanting attention and more money to buy fabric! I really enjoy quilting but at the same time it is frustrating :) I wish I was learning faster but Certain parts of it are still difficult for me... however, I am proud to say that my stitches are pretty darn straight! The other day had a frustrating moment. I was working on Aubry's quilt and was so excited because I was finally going to sew all the rows together... the last step to finishing the quilt top. I stitched 3 whole panels and then realized the settings were off! So the stitches were really loose... some little fingers had been messing with Grandma's sewing machine! So I had to tear out the stitches on the entire length of the quilt for 3 whole rows!!!! (that's a lot!) Very frustrating. Anyway, I redid it all and now I am on my way to being finished again. Annoyed about the wasted time but hey, at least I got more practice right? I like that I will be able to make things for people... that I can give meaningful gifts! I am actually developing a useful talent! It's worth the frustration that is involved! So, unless otherwise stated... for my birthday this year all I want is JoAnn's Fabrics gift cards... because once my mom leaves town with her fabric stash I won't have any! :) And I'd like to keep up this wonderful, yet expensive, habit!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2012-01-13T17:41:00.001-08:00

Jacob is 2 years old today!!! My Jacob baby isn't really a baby anymore. He is so cute and talking so much now! He will repeat almost anything we say and he uses many words in a sentence. He is supposed to choose dinner because it's his bday, but we pretty much just assumed what he'd want! We had hot dogs and french fries and soda! YUM! Then we opened presents! Jake got a dump truck and blocks, a "Don't Break the Ice" game, and Jackson got a Mr. Potato Head, just so he wouldn't be jealous! (Thanks Grandma and Grandpop!) We had cupcake ice cream cones... or ice cream cone cupcakes... whatever you want to call them! They were so fun to make and the boys LOVED them! Here are some pictures of our fun day!

Pictures

2012-01-13T17:33:00.000-08:00

Just a few random pictures to share!
This is how we found the boys before we went to bed. Very cute.

He is stuck in the bucket, wearing my shoes :)
My Christmas present that I picked out myself... cutest boots ever!
This is the third day of snow since we've been here. I love it!

Genealogy work paying off!

2012-01-10T22:11:00.001-08:00

There was a youth temple trip tonight and Dave and Ethan were able to take 10 of the family names I have been working on to the temple for baptisms and confirmations! It was very exciting! Dave was also able to take about 15 names of his own! It is so awesome to be involved with this work and I love it! I can't wait to take even more names myself!!!

A calling For Luis

2012-01-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

We were officially read in as members of the Shiloh Ward today. How long that will last depends on where Luis finds a job. His interview went very well on Friday so hopefully next week he will get a second interview with a different department. Luis also got a calling today. He will be the teachers quorum adviser and assistant scout master. Thankfully he got all his scout training done in TX. He is excited to help with the scouts! I am still waiting for a calling but I feel one might be on it's way shortly!!!

Nerf Wars and an injury

2012-01-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

The Gibson house is a Nerf house. Plain and simple. Ethans favorite pass time, besides guitars of course, is nerf wars. I am not very good at playing with him but since Luis has come, he gets more playtime. For Christmas we got the boys (Luis included :) a big automatic nerf gun that shoots 20 darts. The missionaries introduced everyone to pvc pipe wars :) Those little darts shoot so fast out of the pipe by just blowing on it! It was hilarious... the guys said it hurt like paintballs! They had a lot of fun and Jake and Jax sure loved to try it as well! The picture of Jacob's owie is when Jackson hit him over the head with a nerf gun... It was pretty bad, and bled a lot. But he's ok and he forgave his bully of a brother!

New project and new room!!!

2012-01-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

This is my next project! I am going to make a throw quilt for our couch... if we ever get our couch out of storage :) The picture in the magazine is the design, but it is a king size pattern so I am taking off the outside zig-zag borders to make it a throw size. I am really excited to do this... it is a little more challenging than the pot holders, and even Jackson's quilt. I am using the fabrics in my picture, so the color scheme will match my brown and tan couch :) I have all the fabric cut so pretty soon I will start piecing it together!

The missionaries moved out yesterday and we moved right into the basement where they were living! It is wonderful and there is so much space. We had been staying in one of the bedrooms upstairs, but it was very cramped. We can hear Ethan getting ready for school at 7am... which is the only downside... I think it woke the boys up this morning and definitely Luis. (I sleep through anything except a crying baby.) Hopefully soon Luis will have a job that has him up earlier than Ethan anyways! We haven't moved everything downstairs yet, but this is the basic layout!

New Job and Family History!

2012-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

So....... I have a job! Surprise! Las week Luis and I went to the YMCA to get a guest membership. I asked, kind of randomly, if they were hiring and they told me one position that was very interesting to me! I worked with the Y in college so I figured it would be an easy in... especially since I have about 6 years of health/fitness work experience. I had my interview this morning... it lasted less than 5 minutes and he offered me the job :) I am excited because I will be the Fitness Center Coordinator, which is similar to what I have done in the past, but with a little more responsibility... I will be supervising the fitness staff! That's new for me :) I will be working 4-8pm Mon-Friday. I can add hours to my schedule if I want, so they are pretty flexible with me. I love it. It also takes of a little stress while we wait for Luis to find a job. He has an interview on Friday that he is pretty excited about. We will let you know any news on his end.

Another exciting thing that happened- I have been working on the Paulos family history and I am loving it. It is so interesting to learn names and places and all that. (I have also been working on Dave's family history as of yesterday and he already has tons of names ready to take to the temple and has even linked into a family tree back to the 1400s!!!) So, in my search for Jeannette Ella Stene, Grandpa Paulos' mother, I found a post on ancestry.com from someone also searching for relatives of Jeannette. I replied and just got a response!!! She has TONS of information, even records going back to Norway!!! She is so nice and totally willing to give me anything I want to know! I have heard stories of people finding relatives and how it helped move the geneology work along! I never thought it would happen to me! I can't wait to get all the info from her! What a blessing! If any of you want to start an account at new.familysearch.org you can link in with me and have all this info! Wish me luck in my search!

My quilting gifts

2011-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Mom has been teaching me to quilt and I decided to quilt something for all the Weger women :) We decided to do potholders. Mom helped me pick out block designs that wouldn't drive me crazy with frustration in the process. So I wanted to share them with you! I am actually very proud of them. It took a lot of work... probably about 10 hours for the 4 of them... that's lame I know... but I did everything myself and I am happy with the results... they definitely aren't perfect, but I feel very accomplished anyways!!! And I am happy to say that I actually enjoy quilting! Next project- finish Jackson's quilt!

Liz----- To match her new kitchenaid :)

Silvia------

Becky----- Because this fabric is just so... Becky!

And because I have to show her off... here is the link to my mom's blog where she posted all the quilts she made for her daughter's this Christmas! Get ready to be impressed :) http://sewwhatchadoinglynne.blogspot.com/

"Does your child have trouble hearing?"

2011-12-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

This is what the childcare staff at the YMCA asked me today :) I told them no, and they said "Oh, because he wasn't listening to any of us... at all." I got a big kick out of that! No YMCA, my child is not fully or even partially deaf... he is just disobedient! Luis promised to stay in their a few minutes next time before we leave to work out. I told Jax if he doesn't listen to the "teachers" in there that he can't go to play anymore... hopefully it sets in... they have an AWESOME childcare area! Tons of fun things to do and the boys had so much fun!

Christmas

2011-12-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderdul Christmas!!! On Christmas Eve we did a program, as per tradition!!!We sang hymns, Matt read a Christmas book, I told the nativity story with pictures, Ethan and Luis did organ solos. It was great. We all opened 1 present and then off to bed went the kids! After the boys went to bed we watched "A Christmas Story" and drank hot chocolate. It was a great day. Santa really showed up for Ethan... and Jax and Jake. It was so fun to see the excitement, of all three of them! Christmas morning was fun. We all went downstairs at 8am and we opened presents! Mom and Dave loved the Marriott Gift Card, mom cried while reading the letter, of course. Jackson got a V-Reader and Cars 2 game to go with it. They both got 2 Living Scriptures DVDs... which is what they each opened on Christmas eve. Jake got a Fur Real puppy that barks and walks. He also got a Leap Frog scribble and write toy, but we took that back today and got something a little simpler for him to learn ABCs. Luis gave me a watch and my favorite perfume. I got Luis a red tie and matching cufflinks. Thank you to everyone who gave us gifts!!! We love them all! I can't say yet what mom and dave gave us because that would ruin it for everyone... so that will be revealed on Mom's blog later. Christmas dinner was amazing... Prime rib, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry jelly, carrots and greenbeans with mushroom soup! DELICIOUS!!! We were going to make apple crisp after, but we were all so full and tired afterwards that we held off... we will make it sometime this week. After dinner the boys watched Polar Express and Matt, Junior, Ethan, Luis and I played the category game... you know, Grandma Doty's game??? Anyway, It was fun and Luis pretty much beat us everytime! And he's not even a Doty!!! We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed being able to be home this Christmas!!!

Christmas Family Pictures

2011-12-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

Post shave.... When Luis got here he had facial hair... he shaved before bed on Christmas Eve. Here are some pictures we took as a family after church on Christmas :)

Haircuts

2011-12-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

Luis buzzed his hair before he came out here, and he has the facial hair to match! (He looks goofy in that picture on purpose... he always ruins pictures!) Yesterday, Luis cut Jax and Jake's hair and it turned out really well. Jake's wasn't that drastic, just a trim around the edges because I want it to grow out and get curly again... crossing my fingers that it will! Jackson got a cute fade and he looks much older I think.

Merry Christmas Eve! Hope you all enjoy time with family. Luis made us ham and cheese pancakes this morning and we are going to do the traditional Christmas Eve program including several musical solos and the telling of the nativity story! Can't wait! Love you all!

Jackson Funnies

2011-12-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

We had playgroup at the church yesterday and before we left we wanted to go get a drink. So I walked the boys to the water fountain and Jacob got a drink. Jackson kept walking though, so I said, "Jackson, here is the water fountain." He turned around and said, "No, I go find the juice fountain!" And then he continued to look for it :) HAHA!!!

Daddy returns!!!

2011-12-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

Luis is here! I can't believe he is actually here! We have been apart for 3 months, so it is just unreal! We got to spend a wonderful day and night in St Louis. We spent most of our time Christmas shopping for the boys (it was so nice to shop without kids!). We went to Toys R Us, Kohls, and Walmart and had a great lunch at the Olive Garden where we both got steak and of course I finished it off with my favorite chocolate cake ever (Triple Chocolate Strata... imagine 3 layers of chocolate cake, mousse, and ganache)!!! Since they are a little older this year... it's really the first time we are getting them fun stocking stuffers. It was a lot of fun. We went to target on our way home in the morning and found some cool stuff there also. We had our ward Christmas party last night. So a lot of people got to meet Luis and we had some really good food. We stayed up late baking sugar cookies and wrapping presents. This morning we frosted the cookies and they were so yummy! Childhood memories! Sorry I didn't take any pictures! Luis made some good contacts at church. A few people gave him business cards so hopefully something might come of that. Overall, we are just enjoying some time relaxing and being together again! Hope everyone enjoys the last week before Christmas! Have fun!

Ho Ho Ho

2011-12-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

Nothing much is going on... just working on Christmas presents and playing! Jackson has discovered Dinosaur Train and it is now his favorite show!!! He can't get enough of it!

Luis gets here in 3 days!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!

Shakespeare Dictionary

2011-12-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

This is copied directly from a paper Ethan handed to me and told me to read. It was too funny not to post. This is his translation from our current language into the way Shakespeare would have said it...

I need to go to the bathroom.
'Tis time I must grant myself relief.

Why is there a guy in a gorilla suit carrying a stuffed giraffe? (Dave and Ethan actually saw some guy doing this the other day... walking down our street. Weird)
I wouldst inquire to the cause for which this man, or be him ape?, delves himself in such humility as to wander such streets as an ape, carrying a mock imitation of a creature, the likes of which mine eyes hadst never seen.

Air guitar is stupid.
O, that these fools, of infinite jest wouldst discontinue such acts of humilitation, flaunting such non-existent means of music.

Jake, you are stupid.
Companion, thou art a fool.

No, yo mama is fat.
Thou arst mistaken, for your maternal companion, ay, even you being the fruit of her womb, showest such unattractive indulgences as stuffing one's mouth with an over excess, nay, a deathly large amount of sustenance.

----Can you see why I just had to post this!?!?!?!?!?

Creepy Santa Pics

2011-12-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

I think this is the worst Walmart Santa I have ever seen! How fake does he look!?!?!? Don't worry the pictures were free :)

Mom and Dave

2011-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

I got this picture too late to post in the other blog entry... but it was too cute not to include!

The Hot Chocolate Debate

2011-12-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

Ethan is a hot chocolate snob... he inherited his love of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate hot chocolate from Dave. Luis and I love Land of Lakes Chocolate Supreme. So the debate was on! Ethan refused to believe anything was better than Ghirardelli! So I made mine and he made his! I think his is too bitter and he says mine is too sweet and "round". I told him that round doesn't make sense and he said "you just don't have a sophisticated enough sense of taste to describe taste like I do." Uh-huh. So, there is no winner to this debate. We agree to disagree.

By the way, Ethan walked by and told me he does not approve of the first sentence of this post... I laughed and said "I'll bet you don't!" Too bad it's true!

Christmas Decorating!

2011-12-04T15:12:00.001-08:00

We are the winners!!! We found the best TREE ever!!! We found it among the 7-8 footers, but it is actually taller. The tree guy said it was and the farmers tag them and they just sell them however they are tagged, so we got lucky because ours really is big! It was a great find... by yours truly! It is so tall it is about an inch from the ceiling. If we get a star we are going to have to cut the top of the tree! It is so wide it takes up the entire front window. I just love it! We all decorated it together, while listening to christmas music... the boys were very helpful and have actually been OK at not touching the tree... I didn't say perfect... but ok.
Mom quilted that piece in front of the fireplace... isn't it cute.

She also quilted the tree skirt! I am totally impressed!

Mom's Makeover

2011-12-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, I hope you guys weren't expecting anything drastic. Mom always looks good, but you know, it's fun to get done up every now and then! So, the day started with shopping. Mom was trying to decide between wearing a dress she dad, if we could find some cute boots... or to wear a skirt she had and go buy a new blouse or jacket. We went to Kohls first and found some awesome boots! We got so lucky and they were an AWESOME price. Normally $79 but they were on sale for $39 and mom had a $10 off coupon! Nice knee high boots for only $29... good deal!!! So she wanted me to straighten her hair and I convinced her to let me do her makeup! I assured her it wouldn't be drastic. I just used a tinted moisturizer and some powder, bronzer, eyeshadow and eyeliner. It was fun and I told her she should get contacts because she has really pretty eyes!!! Here are some pictures! She looked great!

2011-12-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

I know the picture sucks, but I hope you can tell what it is... that is our neighbor's house and I didn't want to get to close to take the picture, in case they saw... you know, that might appear a little stalker-ish. That is the leg lamp from "A Christmas Story". If you haven't seen that movie... see it. It's a christmas classic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJSmmbmJCLw

home sweet home!

2011-12-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving and Chicago

2011-11-29T11:37:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving! We did, we started out by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I loved it! I haven't seen it in years and it was fun to see. The boys likes some of the baloons... like SpongeBob and Snoopy. While Jacob had a nap and mom made rolls I took Jackson outside to play, which was a treat because it was perfect weather! In the 60s! Then he watched Ice Age while I helped mom make dinner. Dave had made stuffing earlier, which was a change from what I am used to, but it was VERY good stuffing! We ate around 4 and had so much good food! The best part??? The cranberry jelly stuff! Love that! I had fun looking at the black friday ads and dreaming of all the things I wish I could buy :) On Friday morning Mom dropped us off at Enterprise and we rented a car and we were on our way to Chicago to visit Liz and Alan. The drive took us about 4 hrs 20 min... we made pretty good time. Thank goodness for the portable DVD player. It was a life saver! Both boys slept in the car, which was nice. We were very excited to see Liz and Alan and had a lot of fun. We hung out on Friday night, went grocery shopping, ate REAL CHICAGO STYLE PIZZA, and watched Rio! It was fun and the pizza was amazing! On Saturday we went to the Chicago Zoo, which was huge and so much fun. The boys loved the animals, but Jackson was frustrated that he had to stay near us. He wanted to run off and be free! It was raining pretty much the whole time, so we got wet, but we didn't mind, it was fun! Liz has pictures from the zoo so maybe I can get some later. We came home to dry off and so Jake could nap. We watched Cars 2 and Liz made a delicious dinner. We went to the mall and the boys played on the indoor tree-house, having lots of fun, until some kid had an accident and they closed it down! So we went to see Santa and they sat on his lap for a second. Then we went to a toy store and Jackson found about a million things that he wanted! It was fun to see what he was most interested in. Jacob too. After that we came home and had baths and got ready for bed. We skyped with Luis and had fun talking with him. Alan brought us Steak and Shake milkshakes, my first time trying those, and they were awesome. Then after the kids went to bed we watched Zookeeper, which was pretty funny. Sunday we went to church for Sacrament Meeting and then Liz drove me and the boys into the city. It was cool to see. I can't wait to go back when it isn't raining and hopefully we can walk around the city. Bottom line... I loved Chicago and spending time with Liz and Alan! So did the boys (Even though we kind of destroyed their apartment in 3 days, sorry!!!) Here are some pics from Thanksgiving and from Chicago!

And the story behind this??? This is a picture of the slipper I pulled out from under the couch cushion. Mom asked me to dig down there and get what she though was one of the boys' toys. Well, in the process I found this nasty slipper, which had never belonged to anyone in our family... meaning I pulled out with my bare hand a disgusting slipper from the previous owners of this couch... which dave bought YEARS ago!!! I could not wash my hands enough!!! YUCK!

Toys

2011-11-21T05:46:00.001-08:00

Remember that toy Dave put together that took forever and the boys love?? Mom and I made an executive decision. It has to go back. It seems like every 2-3 minutes one of the boys is crying for me to come fix it. The ramps are not very sturdy... the whole thing isn't really, but with the slightest bit of weight the ramps disconnect from the garage and they need help fixing it. So we are going to take it back and get a Cars 2 racing toy that was our 2nd choice. Assembly not required, so ya know, that's a plus :) Now the trick is to find all the little pieces that belong with the current toy... Don't tell Walmart but it might be returned minus one or two street lamps or stop signs.

Ok, Ethan loves Jax and Jake, but a 13 year old only has so much tolerance for toddlers. I know they get on his nerves sometimes. Ethan came up to me yesterday and these were his exact words "I think I found an activity that both the boys and I enjoy... shooting them!" And this is what he meant... He is a nerf gun fanatic and realized that if he shoots the boys with the nerf gun, they laugh and he laughs, so there you go. Something a 13 year old and a 1 and 4 year old can enjoy together! One more thing about those nerf guns... don't be fooled, these little foamy darts can hurt. I got a nerf dart in the chin during a rousing round of sniper. (That is Ethan's made up game that I am not very good at because, naturally, I am a little afraid of being stocked in the dark by someone I know intends to shoot me!)But every few days I give in and play one or two rounds. And believe it or not, I have actually won!

Quilting- PROOF!

2011-11-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

Mom and I are making Jackson an I-spy quilt for Jackson. I am really excited about it. It was kind of annoying to have to cut all the squares, but now I'm actually enjoying it. I started to help with the sewing yesterday and I am posting some pictures as proof! (For those of you who can't imagine me behind a sewing machine :)

Grandma and Grandpop bought Jackson new shoes... I didn't even notice how tight his old ones were, but Grandpop did! They even light up :)

Ethan, he was very excited about 11-11-11 :)

Family tradition... chocolate graham crackers! YUMMY!

When Ethan was little he had a rubber snake that he named Bootity... I know, it's weird, but hilarious... so we got Jacob a snake and guess what his name is??? Yup, Bootity. (We were debating about how to spell that name and that is what Ethan said. SInce it was his snake, I guess he has the final say. However, it is pronounced like Boodidy... which is how I would spell it :) I also must say, and this is totally random, that my 13 year old brother is way smarter than me... as I am typing he is explaining to me the 5th dimension and moving in time and the sequence of time and alternate universes and all kinds of crazy things... he is even drawing diagrams... as I type. And I don't get it. He is a future physicist...he belongs on The Big Bang Theory!

Grandpop wanted the boys to have something to play with their cars on so mom and I got this toy, which was a pain for him to set up... Sorry, Dave! But the kids love it!

My travels

2011-11-18T19:57:00.001-08:00

The company I work for, Health Fitness Corporation, sometimes will fly their screeners to different locations if there are not enough locals. Last week they flew me to Albuquerque, NM to work a one-day event. I was so excited to get that event because it gave me a chance to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa Paulos and Mary. I haven't seen them in years... MANY MANY years and it was about time! Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures! UGH! THey all look great! And with all the health problems I have been hearing about from them, I was expecting something different, but they were exactly as I remember them! We had a lot of fun catching up on all the family and of course I had to update them on my situation... not fun. I was also able to get some geneology information from them. I got 5 full names and a few other partials. I am so excited to have this information to add to my geneology online. I am about to take a geneology class through the ward here and I can't wait! Especially since I am clueless about where to go from here! Wish me luck on that!

This past week I spent 3 and a half days in the Baltimore area, Maryland. It was a good event because we were very busy, but very stressful because there was a lot of drama with the client company. It was also hard for me because I lost my voice!!! I could barely speak, but had to!!! I'm sure people were thinking "What are you doing at a health fair... you aren't even healthy!" Anyway, I administered about 400 nicotine tests in the 3 day period :) Fun, right? I am glad that I can help contribute financially right now but it is hard to leave the boys. I am very thankful to Mom and Dave for watching the boys so I can do these events. I was also having a hard time with this event because of SO much bad language and a roommate that I will NEVER room with again! Overall it was just an uncomfortable and exhausting trip. But I am thankful for the hours I worked and the income it will provide. Oh, and I was able to meet up with June, my friend from high school. She drove up from the DC area... it was just perfect timing and we had lots of fun catching up too! I may end up working an event in Chicago after thanksgiving... if I can coordinate with Mom and afford the upfront costs of travel... even though the company reimburses for all food and travel, it has to come out of my pocket first!

Luis is working really hard to get a job. He is networking and applying to companies like crazy. Please pray that something will come up soon!

Meals and Deals for Veterans!

2011-11-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day to all our Vets! Thank you so much for serving our wonderful country! I wanted to share this list of freebies and discounts for our Veterans... some of them only apply for today, so read on and take your Veteran out on a date!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Veterans Day 2011: Many businesses honor Veterans and Service members by
offering Veterans Day discounts on goods, services and dining. Most
businesses require some proof of military service, this includes a VA
Universal Access Card, Military I.D., DD-214 (Discharge Papers) or in some
cases a picture of the veteran in uniform. Be aware that not all franchise
locations participate in their national chain‘s Veterans Day programs, be
sure contact your nearest establishment to be sure they are participating.
check out the following:

Food
Abuelo's Mexican Food - Abuelo's offerings vary by region, be sure to call
ahead to see what the discounts or freebies are included.
Applebees - All veterans and active duty military eat free from a limited
menu at Applebee's on Veterans Day. Refer to
http://www.applebees.com/menu/vetsday for locations.
America’s Incredible Pizza Company (St. Louis and St. Peters, MO) - Free
meal Nov. 11th. Call ahead to verify hours and locations.
Barmuda (Iowa) - Barmuda is offering a free meal to all active duty members
and veterans in all restaurants. 1100-2200 on 11 NOV.
Boston’s Gourmet Pizza (Denver area) – Free individual pizza. All military
veterans and active duty military personnel can enjoy an FREE individual one
topping pizza this Veteran‘s Day 5-7 PM.
Chili's - Veterans and active duty dine for free from a special limited six
item menu on Veterans Day.
Golden Corral - Golden Corral Restaurants' Military Appreciation Monday free
dinner will be available on November 15, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Military
retirees, veterans, active duty, National Guard and Reserves are all
welcome.
Hooters - All Veterans and active duty eat free. The free entrees must be
selected from a special Veterans Day menu.
Hy-Vee - Free breakfast on Veteran‘s Day during regular breakfast hours.
Select from scrambled eggs, hashbrown casserole, biscuits and gravy and
more. A free small drink is also included.
Krispy Kreme - All active-duty, retirees & veterans get a free doughnut on
Veterans Day. Be sure to call ahead to verify your local Krispy Kreme is
par-ticipating.
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants - Participating McCormick &
Schmick's Seafood Restaurants offer a complimentary entree to vets from a
special menu on a space available basis, online reservations are highly
recommended.
Outback Steakhouse - Veterans and active-duty military get a complimen-tary
Bloomin' Onion and non-alcoholic beverage on Veterans Day.
Ruby’s Diner - Free Cinnamon Roll French Toast a la carte for all veterans
and active duty military personnel on Veteran‘s Day with coupon. Breakfast
is served until 11:30 a.m.
Subway - Participating Subway‘s are offering free six-inch sub sandwiches
to veterans or active-duty members on November 11th. Please call ahead for
details.
T.G.I. Friday's - Veterans and Service members Buy one get one free from Nov
11-14. Contact your nearest location for more details on their Veterans Day
BOGO offer.
Texas Roadhouse - Free meal from opening until 4pm. on Veterans Day. Call
ahead to your local restaurant for more information.
Tim Hortons - all US locations are offering a free donut to all veterans on
11 NOV.
UNO Chicago Grill - UNO is offering a Buy One Get One free offer to Service
members or Veterans with a military or veteran I.D. or in uniform or with a
photo of themselves in uniform. The Veterans Day BOGO offer includes a free
entree or individual pizza, with the purchase of an entree or pizza of equal
or greater value.

Retail
Amazon.com - Free ?Veterans Day Honor? MP3 album download. The album
includes 12 songs by The Bands and Ensembles of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Build-a-Bear Workshop - Members of the armed services including the Army,
Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Reserve Officer Training
Corps, will receive a 20% discount November 11-15 on any one transaction at
Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Cabela's Outdoor Store - Offers their employee discount to all veterans,
active-duty military and reserves, law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel
November 11-12. Discounts vary from 5% to 50%, depending on the item.
Fashion Bug - 20% off all plus-size and misses clothing purchases with a
copy of military ID or spouse's military ID.
Home Depot - Offers a 10 percent discount to all Veterans during Veterans
Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.
Lowe's - All veterans receive the 10-percent discount on Veteran's Day,
Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The offer is available in stores only
and is limited to in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000.
Sam's Club - Sam's give away 36,000 collapsible Hugo Canes on Veterans Day
to military veterans in need of mobility assistance. Sam's Club will require
membership for this offer, but proof of service may be necessary.
Sears - 10% discount Thursday and Friday, Nov. 11-12. Sears is offering a ―
Salute to Local Heroes‖ discount to all military, veterans, police,
firefighters, teachers, and hospital staff. Offer is good for 10% of
regular, sale, and clearance prices.
Sleep Number Stores - Free travel pillow to all active duty military &
retirees now through Nov. 14. Find your ―sleep number‖ setting, and get a
free pillow.
Sports Clips Haircuts - The men's hair salon chain is offering a free
haircut to active military and veterans on Veterans Day.
The Dollar General - Veterans, Service members (Active, Guard, and Reserve),
and their immediate families will receive a 10-percent discount with a
Veterans Day coupon. The coupon may be found in store circular ads or by
asking a sales associate.

Other
Aquarium of the Pacific - Free admission to the (November 11, 2011 B&B’s
for Vets - Bed and Breakfasts across the nation are offering a one night
stay, the night before Veteran‘s Day, free to Veterans. Many also offer
discounts to military and veterans throughout the year.
Brevard Zoo FL - Free admission deployed November 11-13, 2011 (even to
spouses whose loved one is Colonial Williamsburg - Free weekend-long
admission tickets active-duty military, reservists, retirees, veterans, and
their immediate dependants November 11-13, 2011.
Concerts - Free Veterans Day Concert from The San Antonio Symphony and the
United States Air Force Band of the West November 13, 2011.
Des Moines Botanical Center - Free admission to the November 11, 2011.
Grace for Vets - Free car wash for all vets on 11 Nov at 1620 Total
Participating Locations in 50 States. Check locations at
http://graceforvets.org/2011/participating.php.
Knott’s Berry Farm - Veterans and active duty members will receive free
admission and one guest from November 1st though Thanksgiving.
Identification is required. Six additional tickets can also be purchased for
$15 a piece.
National Parks, Forests, & Monuments - Free Entrance to the public November
11-13, 2011.
Pembroke Pines - Free event on November 11, 2011.
Red Roof Hotels - Veterans will receive a 15 percent discount at
participating hotels during the month of November. Use coupon code ―
606310‖ or mention your military status when reserving. Identification of
past or present military service is required.
Registry Inns - Select Registry Inns is offering a one night stay, November
10th, the night before Veteran‘s Day to qualified Veterans and their
families. You must present a valid military ID or Veteran‘s Administration
card to take advantage of this program. Some of the sites offer additional
services and amenities for reduced rates as well.
San Jacinto Monument and Museum (La Porte, TX). November 7-13: Free
admission to the theatre, Observation Floor, and (on November 12-13) the
special exhibit to all veterans and their families Sea World, Busch Gardens
& Sesame Place - Up to 3 direct military dependents will receive a free,
single-day complimentary admission.
Wet n Wild Hawaii Water Park - Wet n Wild Hawaii is hosting the eighth
annual Veterans Day event, Thursday, November 11. All active duty and
retired military, reservists and national guards (with valid identification)
receive FREE entry into the park. Friends and family members can also
purchase a special discount admission for just $19.99 each plus tax.

Year-Round Veterans Discounts
FarmerBoy Restaurants - Offers a year-round 15% discount to all active
military, reserve, retired or disabled veterans and their family members
with a valid military ID.
Foot Locker - Veterans, Service members (Active, Guard, and Reserve), and
their immediate families with a Foot Locker Veterans Advantage Card receive
a 20 percent discount every day of the year. That offer is good both online
and at any store location, including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids
Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports - even on sale items Home Depot -
Offers a 10 percent discount (up to a $500 maximum) to all active military,
reserve, retired or disabled veterans and their family members with a valid
military ID.
Lowe’s - Lowe‘s offers a year-round 10 percent discount offer for all
active duty, National Guard and Reserve, retirees and disabled Service
members and their immediate families. The discount is available on in-stock
and special-order purchases of up to $5,000. The offer can‘t be used on
sales at Lowes?.com, on previous sales or on sales of services or gift
cards. You must present a valid military I.D. card to receive the discount.

[Source: Military.com Terry Howell article 9 Oct 2011 ++] (Courtesy: Clark
AB, PI, RAO, Bulletin Article, Nov. 1, 2011)

Ethan is too funny.

2011-11-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

I love Ethan, he is so hilarious... the things that he says. For example, he and I had an ab challenge today. I was telling him about P90X and about the AbRipper workout and he was being all proud and saying how he could do it no problem. I told him he would die before it was over. So, the challenge was made! After I did my Kenpo routine I put on AbRipper. I have to say that Ethan did more of them than I did... but I blame that on the fact that I have had 2 children and he is a fit, cross-country running 13 year old :) So I was impressed, but still, I think he was surprised by how difficult it was, so in a way I think I set him straight with a good respect for P90X! BUT, the second exercise is the bicycle, where you are sitting down and moving your legs as if you are peddling a bike. The third move is a reverse bicycle where you move the opposite direction. Ethan started struggling and acting kind of confused and he said "this reverse bicycle is like a brain teaser!" Mom and I cracked up. Needless to say, I couldn't finish my reverse bicycle reps from laughing so hard! But I really didn't mind ;)

Loving being here at G and G Gibson's!

2011-11-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've been taking a lot of pictures lately and I definitely shouldn't wait too long to post because then I have too many to pick from! No explanations, they are pretty much self explanatory! Enjoy!

O'Fallon, IL

2011-11-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I flew St. Louis with the boys. Mom picked us up at the airport and we came home to O'Fallon, IL! We will stay here for who knows how long... pretty much until Luis and I figure out what and where he will be working from now on! He us applying to about 10 jobs every day. We are praying something comes up soon! I am so happy to be here with Mom, Dave, and Ethan... and hey all my brothers and sisters... anyone want to come join us??? It would be so much fun. The day of traveling went pretty well. Jackson freaked out at the airport in McAllen when he had to walk through the metal detector... I think he was just very scared of what would happen to him. I had to pick him up kicking and screaming to get him through. The flight to houston was good until the landing. Jackson must have got motion sickness because he got all sweaty and clammy skin and pale and he cried a lot. He didn't throw up though, thank goodness. We RAN to our connecting flight to St Louis. We had to get on the train toget to the gate. We got there about 2 minutes before we had to board! WHEW! That was close. Jackson fell asleep before the plane even took off and Jake fell asleep shortly after. They slept for half the flight and ate snacks and played with cars the rest of the time. No sickness the second time around. I think Jackson recognized Grandma Gibson and they warmed up to Grandpop and Ethan very quickly. We had some yummy french toast for dinner and got some good playtime in! It was fun to catch up with Mom and Dave. We are sharing Ethan's room, so he got to moveinto Matt's room, which I think he was very excited about. The area is beautiful with trees that actually have red and orange leaves! The weird thing is that most houses here don't have fences... not even in the back. Unusual huh? It's like everyone shares a backyard. Dangerous if you ask me! Anyways, I will post pictures later! Sorry for typos, mom has a Mac keyboard and I have to get used to it!

Goodbye Pictures

2011-10-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday night Claudia came over to say goodbye to the boys and she brought them 2 long sleeve shirts each! She is so sweet. She is a PA student of Lew's and a good friend of the family. We have a lot of fun with her! She also brought Silvia and I Halloween goodie bags :) Unfortunately all the pics of the boys and Claudia are on Silvia's iphone! Here are some I took later with Grandma and Papa Lew! Can you guess what Silvia smelled??? I love Jake's face :)

Jackson's Early Birthday

2011-10-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jackson is going to have 2 birthdays this year. We celebrated his birthday tonight with the family because we wanted to do it before we left the Valley. On his actual birthday, Nov 6, we will celebrate it again with Mom, Dave and Ethan. He's a lucky kid!!! Silvia and I made him a cute cake and we realized it really wasn't necessary! He didn't eat one bite, he just wanted to play with his presents! So, lesson learned... don't stress about making a cute cake! He liked the way it looked though. Notice the phone in the picture of him with his cake? That is Luis on speakerphone helping us sing "Happy Birthday" :) He was most excited about the cars that Grandma and Papa Lew got him. Becky gave him a Jesus puzzle and Article of Faith flash cards. Luis and I got him new coloring books and crayons that he can use on the airplane! He also got a Truck and trailer from G and G. He was so upset when he had to go to bed and put away all his new cars. I think I will let them both take 2 cars on the airplane... it's amazing how entertained they are by them.

3 and a half days until we go to Grandma and Grandpop's house! We are getting prepared for it! It was in the 60s this morning with a high today of 72... very unusual for McAllen this time of year! It is usually in the 80s even in December! We enjoyed the fresh air outside but it was just shocking to have to put sweaters on the boys when we went outside to feed the chickens! (The boys are going to miss those chickens!) Can you tell from the pictures that I didn't know it would be that cold when I got them dressed? :) Oh, and the socks and sandals look isn't a shout out to the 80s... it's to protect the blisters on Jackson's feet- which by the way, are looking great! The bumps and blisters from the Hand Foot and Mouth disease are healing nicely, but won't be completely gone for a while. As for the other virus, Erythema multiforme, he is also healing pretty well. He hasn't gotten any new lesions, and the ones that are there already are disappearing. He still has the big ones, but Lew seems surprised by how quickly they are going away! An answer to many prayers! We may even get to go to Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. The bishop had asked if I would bear my testimony before I leave... so we will see how Jackson is doing on Saturday night. So, overall, happy to report that the sickness seems to be on it's way out!

What is the plural word for virus???

2011-10-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

I really don't know. :) Jackson has 2 at once. He has Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, like I said in the last post. His bumps are finally starting to blister over... which means that in the next few days they will fade away. Thank goodness... then around noon today I Jackson started scratching his legs like crazy and I looked and he had dime-sized welts all over his body! Poor thing! I showed them to Lew and he told me it is ANOTHER virus! I can't remember the name for it, but you pretty much get ring or target-like welts all over. They can itch or burn, which is the case with Jax, since he keeps scratching. He needs to be on benedryl and motrin and Silvia is going to pick up a topical cream that is supposed to dry them out quicker. Jackson just fell asleep on the couch. I am going to try really hard not to let Jacob, or anyone else in the house get this virus! I just dissinfected surfaces and doorknobs and all... please pray for us! (And everyone we share an airplane with on Tuesday :) Here are some pics of his bumps... they are a little worse than that now, but you get the idea. POBRECITO! Oh, and I couldn't resist a pic of Jake doing his cute "side look".

Pictures and surprising update!

2011-10-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Let's get the update out of the way. Luis is no longer working with RMS. It's kind of a long story but the bottom line is they had to shut EVERYTHING down on Friday. They all left on good terms and Luis has an idea to get a job quick, hope it works. He is going to start looking for jobs again though. We were kind of shocked and I am a little uneasy, but Luis is handling it very well. I just miss him and wish he was here with me. I am still going to stay with Mom and Dave on Nov 1, but after that, we really don't know what our plans will be. I guess we are kind of taking it as it comes. Please keep us in your prayers.

We have had a week of sickness... Jackson came down with a stomach bug on Mon-Tues (vomiting, fever, diarrhea) then Jake got it on Tues-Wed and I got it on Wed-Thurs... fun right? Well, today is Saturday and last night Jackson woke up at midnight with a fever and complaining of a headache. By the time I realized he needed to go to the clinic they were closed. His fever hasn't been extremely high, but hasn't gone below 100 all day... even on Tylenol. I was waiting for a call from his Dr all day to get a referral so he could go to a diff clinic but the call never came. I am going to call the Dr again tomorrow and see if there is a clinic open on Sunday. I think he must have an infection of some kind since his fever is pretty constant, but I would feel weird taking him to the ER over the weekend because of a fever and headache... We'll see how he is tomorrow, either way, I don't think I will get much sleep tonight. Then finally... Jacob on Thursday-ish developed a rash on his bum that Silvia and I thought were from the stomach bug or something, nope... It got really bad so I took him to the clinic on Friday (WHy couldn't Jax have gotten sick one day early and I couldve handled 2 in 1 visit!) and he has a bacterial/fungal infection on his bum! Yikes! SO he is on antibiotics and a fungal cream. Not cool. AND, yes, there is more... today he developed blister-like bumps on his hands, feet, and mouth... the diagnosis... he has "Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease" which is a different virus all together! GIVE ME A BREAK!!! There is no treatment and the bumps aren't painful but our little family is experiencing a wide range of illnesses :) Lew said that in a week or so the bumps will go away. JOY! I sure hope Jax doesn't get it.
Ok, now for some pictures!

It's rare to see them sitting this close together!

Papa Lew, being very protective of his cheeseballs... Jake and Jackson's bday gift to him. He has good reason to be protective... the first time he opened them Jackson ran up to him and said "Grandpa, I will share with you." :)

THis is Jackson reading the catalog for the Exchange, the military store... base exchange, I don't really know what the real name for it is... he stared at that page for probably a total of 2-3 hours throughout the day... he just loved all those cars!

My first ever attempt at making charro beans! I love them and Silvia trusted me to make them, with no exact recipe, just ingredients and it turned out ok... with one problem. She forgot to tell me a major ingredient! Jalapenos! So they were spiceless charro beans! Still pretty good!

And finally, these pictures are for Luis, he has been wondering how big Cindy is. She is probably 3-4 months old now. She is huge! Still likes to nibble on my boys' legs and hands which they hate. I can't tell you how many times I hear "MOM, help!" when we are outside and Jackson is running at me full force to get away from Cindy. Can you imagine Cindy up against Molly, aubry's dog :) Just kidding Aubry!

2011-10-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

One of the things I will miss about being here, Silvia's omelets. I will also miss the delicious, authentic Mexican food. I have never had real tacos and gorditas til I came here... They are so much better than anywhere else... and so much more fattening... which is why I have come to believe that it is impossible to lose weight in Rio Grande Valley!!!

My darling Jacob... a fruitaholic. Mom, Dave, get ready... he will eat all your fruit!

A ramputan... the weirdest fruit I have ever seen. Apparantly there is a plethora of fruits that can only be found outside the US and this just happens to be a good example. It looks funky but tastes like a pear/grape... but... it is $7.99/lb! YIKES!

This is what happens to my hair when I am nervous during a movie... we were watching X-Men 3 and it is pretty intense. I twist my ponytail when I am nervous :)

Mealtime success

2011-10-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Jackson eats his food! He gets yummy cookies! He only likes to eat the frosting though, which is unbelievable considering how good those Lofthouse cookies are! Jackson has been doing pretty well lately and eats his food almost all the time. I am trying to remember to give him options. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I will try to post more soon.

Whitest of Whites

2011-10-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sad news... I went to buy new makeup the other day... knowing I needed a lighter shade because for my entire life, I have never found a shade that didn't give me that orange-ish line under the jaw- you know? I think I've never found it because I have always, subconsiously, refused to try the lightest shade available. Well, I gave in and I bought the lightest shade Maybelline had to offer and sure enough... it's perfect. Who knew I was so white? Thanks, Mom. :)

Halloween and Birthday Party

2011-10-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

So, my boys are going to be ghosts for Halloween... can't get any easier, right!? I was about to buy Jackson a race car driver costume because diapers.com is having 50% off plus and extra 25% off... so it was only going to be $11 with no tax and no shipping... pretty cheap! But then Silvia and I were going through her fabric and found a white piece that was just Jackson's size. Both boys loved being wrapped in the sheet. We fooled around with ideas about making other costumes, but nothing was as easy and low maintanance as a ghost... so the other day I went to Walmart and spent $1.50 on another yard of white fabric for Jake! Halloween costume worries? NO WAY! We had them practice saying "Ooooo" and other ghost sounds and they got a big kick out of that... we are going to put flour in their hair to make it white. :) Now I just have to figure out when Trunk or Treat is! ***Disclaimer*** I would NEVER take my children trick or treating for real in McAllen/Mission. It is SO dangerous. People here don't do it right. They drive from neighborhood to neighborhood with kids running in and out of cars and the streets are literally like an LA traffic jam with children running all over the place. The goal is obviously to see how many bags of candy you can fill from the most neighborhoods! Anyway, it ruins it. I just can't believe how many parents let their kids run amongst the cars like they do. Did I mention how dangerous it is... it's night, dark costumes, barely any street lights... can't see!!! I'm glad I won't have to deal with that next year. I hope :)

Also, I am planning a little birthday party for Jax before he leaves. His bday is Nov 6, but I wanted him to have fun with his friends before he leaves. So I wanted to have his party at a bounce house place but they want $250 for 2 hours... NO. Then I thought about having it at a public park and just reserve some of the covered picnic areas. Has anyone done that? I wonder how much it costs. I am going to call tomorrow. I was also wondering if maybe the library does something for birthdays... any ideas on other cheap places? He is only going to be 4 so I don't want to spend tons of money! Help me brainstorm!

Random

2011-10-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am going to stay with Mom and Dave for over 2 months starting on November 1st! I am so excited. I bought my tickets the other night and I still can't believe it. I feel a little nervous about the fact that I am actually moving on with my life! I am so excited to spend time with my family! I just got off the phone with Ethan and it was so funny hearing him tell me that I will probably be bored because Mom will be the only one home and he will be at school... so I told him that Mom and I have a lot of fun together and I am so excited to spend all day with her!!! Maybe I can learn how to quilt while I am there ;)

In other news, Jacob not only went peepee on the potty like my last post said... he also went poo on the potty! He is my little advanced baby! Now, to get him to do it again! He is speaking a lot too. I think everyone will be surprised when they hear him. He repeats anything you ask him to and now he is starting to copy us, even when we don't ask him to.

I need more sleep because lately I have been saying things that really don't make sense. This morning... it was a very late night for me... I was finishing a conversation with Jackson at breakfast about an owie on his hand and turned to jake and said... "C'mon, you need to eat your owie!" Of course I meant food... but it was really funny! Like I said, that's been happening a lot lately and I need more sleep!

Jacob went peepee in the potty!

2011-09-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe he did it! He is 19 months old! He loves the potty since he sees Jackson use it all the time. For the past week or so I put Jake on the potty once or twice a day and he just sits there. He loves it, I'm sure he feels like such a big boy. Well today, before their showers, he actually went peepee!!! I was so excited. I started screaming and Jackson did too and Silvia came running in because she figured what had happened! IT was awesome! He got a candy and I really hope he does it again tomorrow! So proud of my little man!

Mealtime Power Struggle

2011-09-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows anything about Luis and my parenting style knows that my children WILL eat all of their food, anything they are given, whether they like it or not. Well, we are firm believers in that, but it has become quite a headache for me. Ever since Luis has been gone, (he was obviously the mealtime enforcer) Jackson has put up the biggest fight about meals... almost every dinner! Our original plan for handling this was "If you don't want to eat it, you will once you get hungry enough" and that is that! Well, Jackson is especially stubborn... extremely stubborn, unnaturally stubborn for a 3 year old. Jackson went 36 hours without eating... all by choice. The food was right in front of him at each mealtime and he refused to eat it. He just drank water all day. This is what happened. On Sunday night Silvia made apricot chicken which was SO good! Jackson refused to eat. So, it became his breakfast, he refused to eat. No snacks, no drink but water, wouldn't eat it at lunch or dinner and wouldn't eat it right before bed! I kept telling him how he's going to have big owies in his tummy if he doesn't eat it, but he didn't care. He was so grumpy from hunger all day. Well at 3am he came in my room and we were up for the next 2 hours or so. He was in bed with me so he wouldn't keep Jake awake. He was crying from a headache, so I gave him Tylenol and then he started gagging like he was going to throw up over and over. My son would rather endure a hunger headache and nausea than eat his food! RIDICULOUS!!! So I couldn't let him gag like that so I got him a banana and wheat thins and he fell asleep finally. BUT, the apricot chicken was his breakfast again the next morning (The very same plate of food, we don't keep adding it on or anything) and he refused again. So, I force fed him the food. Not fun. So enough of the "You'll eat it when you are hungry enough" technique, because Jackson won't! I would end up taking to the hospital for starvation! So, new technique, force feed him until he realizes it's better to do it by himself! That is what happened tonight. He didn't want to eat his burrito so I force fed him, and trust me it takes FORCE! I am convinced my son is The Hulk. I had my arms around him with both hands with a death grip on the opposite forearm and he still almost got away! Unbelievable. It's crazy that he prefers to have food shoved into his mouth than just eating himself! Anyway, after I had forced every bite of food into his mouth, with a little help from Silvia and Danny, we were both covered with sweat and exhausted. Not to mention I had done a shoulders and arms workout routine earlier in the day, so the whole ordeal was especially difficult for my tired muscles! :) After about 2 forcefed bites, he asked to do it by himself. And he did... for one bite. Then it was back to refusing. But it gave me hope... if he realized it was better to feed himself for that short moment... maybe after a few more force feedings he will get the point for GOOD! History makes me doubt that that is likely, but I can hope... right? Wish me luck over the next few days... All I can say is, Luis, I miss you and your wonderful strict presence with our boys! But they are starting to realize that Mom (me!) is in control! Slowly but surely! The best part is... I kept my cool for the most part. Even with his crying and screaming and body-flailing!!! If he had his way, he would eat Macaroni and Cheese and hot dogs every meal... and that is not happening! Bring it on Jackson!!!

Dog Fight

2011-09-22T11:20:00.001-07:00

Before I explain what happened, I need to give you a mental picture. The Wegers have 2 acres, one acre where the house is and it is nice and landscaped and second acre, which is ugly and where Silvia keeps her chickens and garden... we call this acre "the other side" :) The german shephards stay only on the side with the house and they usually wear shock collars so they can't leave this acre even if the gates are left open. I know some people think that is cruel, but after what I saw today... it is a very GOOD idea!

For almost a week there has been a stray dog living on the other side in the pump house. Poor dog was dumped by someone because he was wearing a collar, but he was starving. The poor thing was literally a skeleton and was so weak he could barely walk. He somehow got in and was pretty much laying there ready to die when Lew found him. Lew gave him food and water and called Animal Control. Well, since it was the weekend, they couldn't come til Monday. So we gave it food and water everyday and just wished they would come pick him us and put the poor dog out of his misery. He cried everytime he got up to eat! SO sad! There was even talk about nursing him back to health and then letting him stay on the other side to scare away the possums that eat the chickens... but they decided against that, prob cuz the dog might eat the chickens. Alsatian, the male german shephard was very aggressive towards this dog, very protective of his home. He would stand at the fence and growl and bark! Well, today I was outside with the boys and the stray dog came out of the pump house and layed in the sun. I thought "wow, he looks much better, he's not even limping anymore!" That was pretty exciting. Alsatian was at the gate barking at him again. I looked away and before I knew it, I heard Alsatian going crazy! I looked back and he had opened the gate somehow and was attacking the poor dog... who was putting up a pretty good fight for being so weak to begin with! Alsatian didn't have his shock collar on! So I started running towards them and yelling at Jackson to go get Grandma. He pretty much just stood there and looked at me. Not very helpful in an emergency situation :) I kept my distance but was yelling at Alsatian to stop and go back but he wouldn't listen to me. After about a minute of yelling at him I ran back to the house and got Silvia. She came and Alsatian listened to her. At first she waid no and told him to stop But then she was saying it much nicer and was telling him "Good dog, good boy." and he came to her. I learned a lot about dog psychology today. Alsatian thought he was protecting his family and when she was praising him for that, he backed off and let the dog alone. Lesson learned on my part. The other dog seemed ok although I didn't get a good look since he crawled back into the pump house. And guess what, about a minute later Animal Control showed up! It was sad to see how they lifted this full grown dog up by a loop around his neck to put him in the truck, but they have to do it somehow. I hope they keep feeding him and someone adopts him, but I doubt it, he only has 1 week. It's sad, but there are just so many strays around her. It breaks my heart. Anyway, that was my experience with trying to break up a dog fight... unsuccessfully. It was scary to see though. I'd hate to be anyone who tried to break into this house!!

Haircuts and Eating Habits

2011-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

I gave the boys haircuts today... they were badly needed! Jackson did much better than his usual crying/screaming fit during a haircut. He whined a lot, but was pretty still. I bribed him with a "chocolate popsicle" aka fudgesicle!

YOGA BABY! My boys love to exercise with me and Silvia! Today she was doing yoga and this is Jacob joining in! I did a core workout after and Jackson was right next to me with the 3 lb weights and everything!

Jake has been acting and eating very differently lately. We kind of think it's because he isn't handling the change of Luis being gone very well. Pretty much since Luis left, Jake has been incredibly clingy. He cries if I amnot holding him. I love that he wants to cuddle and lay with me all the time... but if I have to set him down to cook or something he freaks out! Also, he is only eating about 1 meal a day... force fed! And he is holding food in his mouth! I fed the boys at 12pm yesterday and then left for church. We got to the church at 1 exactly and I got the boys a drink of water before we went in... and Jake still had a bite of ravioli in his mouth from his lunch. All the way to church! That is dangerous and not good for the teeth! He did it again today. I wouldn't let him go outside to play until he swallowed, so after about 2 minutes with Jax outside... Jake swallowed. It's a fight though to get him to eat. So thisis all very strange behavior for him. But he seems healthy and has plenty of energy. Oh, one sure way to get him to eat... SALAD! My baby loves salad.

Brown Glasses

2011-09-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

I don't have a picture yet, but I will post one soon. I called the eye dr and they said that Jackson's glasses have 1 warranty replacement. Surprise! Good thing because the tape was doing a lousy job of keeping them together. Well, it was together, just very lopsided! Jackson was very frustrated by his crooked glasses. So I took him in and they replaced them for free... but they had no black frames, so they gave him the same pair, only brown. Jackson had been about a day without his glasses on at that point and I could tell he was glad to have them back. It makes me really happy that we got him glasses, because he obviously needs them. All yesterday he was being so careful with his face so nothing would happen to his glasses. Even at the Chick-fil-A playplace... He was falling and jumping and rolling very tenderly... it was cute how paranoid he was. (THANKFULLY!) We'll see how long the caution lasts! Please let us make it longer than a week this time! :)

Update on Luis

2011-09-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Luis has really bad internet signal so I am going to post for him. He was able to find a place to rent in Lake Forest, which is where Elyse lives. Thankfully, she had sent out an email and got tons of responses from people in her ward that were willing to rent out rooms. He chose one with an elderly couple. He has the downstairs bedroom and bathroom that is kind of separated from the rest of the house, which is nice for him to have some privacy. He can use the kitchen and living room too, but he so far stays in his room mostly... they do have a piano, so that will be nice for him to play. The price is exactly what we were looking for. He is enjoying the company and is working on a project building an LA Fitness. The project is right by his neighborhood, so on days when he has to go to the site, it will be close, but that won't be often. He mostly works out of the office, which is about a 30-40 minute drive. He is going the opposite direction of traffic, so you know he loves that! He is going to get a gym membership so he can spend time there so he won't be at home all alone :( I have given him a few projects to work on so he can keep busy. I feel bad for him to be out there all by himself and I am here with family to keep me company. Aubry, take Ricky and go hang out with him every once in a while... he needs company! He is going to bed around 9ish so he gets a good night sleep. He seems to already have a lot of responsibility at work and they told him they want him to move up to project manager as soon as possible (He is now a project engineer). So that will be great to get that promotion. He is only 1 of 2 engineers and he is pretty much already doing the work of a project manager, so hopefully it will come quickly. He likes the people he works with. As I learn more, I will post more info! He is keeping his same phone number, so call him in the evenings to help him pass the time!

One week later... broken.

2011-09-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Jackson made it exactly one week of having glasses... and now they are broken. I can't believe it. (Actually I can!) I was very frustrated and a little speechless at first... the yelling came later. Silvia helped me fix them using black electrical tape... but the damage is done. They are irreparable. So Jackson will be walking around for the next 3.75 months until insurance will replace them. I definitely saw this coming, didn't I! The tape held them together fine, until he started pulling his glasses over and under his eyes, just playing... so I had to rework the tape and although they are crooked they will have to do!

Jackson is actually letting Jake sit this close to him. It's a rare sight to see... he usually keeps his distance.

These are the things Kaylee sent me from Forks! I just got them in the mail and I love them. I can't wait til I have a fridge I can put that magnet on :)

Big boy

2011-09-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Jackson had a check-up yesterday and he is a big boy! He was 92 percentile for height and 98 percentile for weight! He is good and healthy! Jake did not have a check up so I don't know his ranking... until December. Nothing really going on here, except we all miss Daddy! Maybe soon Luis will do a post so you call can hear about his new JOB!

Daddy's Last Day in Texas

2011-09-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

We had very little time to prepare for this move... which is one of the reasons why Luis is going alone at first. We found out on Tuesday and he left midday today. So yesterday we had a lot of errands to run. We had to do an oil change as well as a few other repairs before Luis' long drive... Silvia took us out to a good-bye lunch at Red Robin. I wanted the boys to do something fun with Luis as a special good-bye activity... we planned on going to The Zone so they could ride the go-karts... but when we went, the track was closed! We were so bummed! So later on, I took the boys to the park while Luis went to mutual for one last time to announce he was leaving and say goodbye! Here are some pictures of Luis' last day. I wish I got a picture with him and me :(

This picture cracked me up. I know it's blurry. When Luis leaned over for a picture with Jake, Jake leaned over as well.

Jake's reaction to hot french fries!

Congrats to Luis!

2011-09-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's official. Luis got the job with RMS Group and we will be moving back to the LA area. We do not know the actual location of the job he will be working on, so our actual place of residence is still to be determined. He tried calling the company one Friday because he still hadn't heard from them but only got voicemails. We figured they had started the Labor day holiday early. So he planned on calling them this morning, but they beat him to it! They called to ask why he hadn't responded to the job offer they had emailed last week... twice! He never got one! So they checked the email address and he finally got it! It is an amazing offer! The Lord really does look out for us. We were caught off gaurd by how good the offer was, more than we were ever expecting!!! He accepted of course, and negotiated some moving expenses to be included. I am so proud of him. The company loves him and he is really excited about the opportunity to progress within the company and help the company grow! I'm glad he can now put to use that MBA we paid for :) They need him there by Sept 12, which is this coming Monday. He will be leaving on Thurdsay morning... yes, less than 48 hours from now... I am kind of freaking out but there really isn't that much I can do. Luis has things he needs to wrap up on this end, but as far as packing, all he is taking is clothes, air mattress and sheets, laptop, folding chairs/table, and construction manuals! And maybe our microwave for all those Lean Cuisines he will be eating :) And yes... all of this will fit into his Pontiac Grand Prix... thank goodness for full-size sedans! The boys and I will probably stay here for a few months... I am hoping to be out there by Thanksgiving. I am staying behind because, 1. We don't know where we will be living, 2. There just isn't enough time for us to get our entire household into a moving van in 2 days and 3. this will give us the chance to save up a great deal of money to help pay off some debt. We are very excited about that last one!

We are very excited and can't wait to see all our family in California. We will miss Silvia and Lew and the family here of course... my boys have gotten very used to having Grandma and Papa Lew around. We are grateful to be able to put to test the lessons we have learned through our trials the past 2 years! Sometimes it was really hard and having faith didn't come as easily as it did at other times, but we made it and trusted in God the whole time. We are so thankful for the blessings we have received and that are yet to come! Love you all, thanks for your support!

Jackson's glasses

2011-09-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying the glasses are a little big, but the only ones that fit his face. Tomorrow we are buying the strings that go around back to keep them on his face. They kept slipping off and he would end up looking over them. So he only wore them for about an hour today and then I was afraid they'd fall off and get smashed, so he will officially start wearing them tomorrow. I was surprised how thick the lens is on the left eye! I don't know his exact Rx, but part of the paper says his left eye is +2 and his right is +1... whatever that means. He looks so silly, but he is still super cute!

Funny Story

2011-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

I know you all are waiting for details on the big news, but I had to post this story!

I heard that Jake was awake after his nap yesterday and when I went to get him... this is what I found. :)

He had taken of his diaper... and it doesn't end there. He was pointing over the side of the crib to where his diaper was... but the diaper wasn't alone... it was right next to a puddle of pee. Haha, his sheets were completely dry... he must have aimed perfectly well to pee through the bars of his crib and not get his sheets. I was cracking up and I just had to share!

Random Pictures

2011-09-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to post some random pictures because there really isn't much going on right now. Next week we are going to pick up Jackson's glasses, so I will post those pictures then. Here are some cute ones of the boys. And Silvia's canning day. It really takes a whole day to can. She went to the market and got a 25lb box of tomatoes for $7. So she canned those. Then she canned a bunch of pinto beans from Sam's. Then I had about 2 pounds of dry black beans, so she made refried beans from scratch... it was pretty interesting to see how it's done. She was flipping them in the pan like a pancake. And you can see the finished product... I think she calls it a bean roll or something like that... it looks nasty, but it tastes good :)

These are just a few of the cans... it makes the whole kitchen such a mess, but she got TONS of cans!

See the welt on his forehead? It's hard to see in the picture... but this is what happens when Jackson stands right behind the door Luis is about to open! Doorknob in the forehead!

Our friend's the Erickson's were giving away their son's clothes, most of which are size 5 which is perfect for Jackson. Luis came home from Scouts one night with this big bag full of winter clothes! I only went through about half of it so far, and there are already 10 long sleeve shirts, tons of shorts and jammies, 2 thick winter jackets/sweaters... and all the rest I haven't seen yet! He is set for this winter! I am so thankful for these clothes, it is a major blessing for us! I can't believe my not-even-4-year-old fits in size 5, but he does!

Smashing goldfish

2011-08-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Jackson and Jake have gotten into the habit of smashing their goldfish with fists, right into the placemat. I hate that because it makes such a mess! So tonight while they were eating their bedtime snack... which included the goldfish, I told them "Don't smash those goldfish, I'm watching you." And Jackson replied defiantly, "I'm watching YOU, Mom!" I couldn't help but laugh.

Sorry there isn't more to write... nothing is really going on!

Jackson needs glasses!

2011-08-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's true! Last week Silvia made a connection that Luis and I really hadn't had click for us. Jackson always squints/closes his left eye when he is looking at things close up. He has done this for months and we noticed it, but never thought "hey, maybe he should see an eye doctor..." Well, When Silvia suggested it, it clicked and we made an appt. He also does this freaky thing where he turns his left eyeball completely sideways when he looks at something close. The dr said that was normal, I just think Jackson takes it to an extreme :) I wanted Luis to come with us to the dr to help control Jackson but he had only 3 hrs of sleep the last night and was not feeling well. So it was all me! Jackson FREAKS out at any doctor's office. Even the mention of a doctor, completely unrelated to him and he freaks out. So, I tried bribing him with fruit snacks and ice cream and it was still a disaster. For the most part. He calmed down at the end... still whined and asked for hugs every 5 seconds, but the doctor was able to get the job done. He needs glasses, with the Rx in the left eye worse than the right, kind of expected that!

It was so funny to see him in glasses. We tried on many and I feel that they are very biased towards girls... there were so many cute glasses for girls, but boys had VERY few choices. I got the cheap ones the insurance would cover because there is no way I am spending money on glasses for a 3 year old that will probably destroy them every other week. The insurance will replace damaged glasses every 4 months... so scotch tape, duct tape, super glue, I don't care... they have to last at least 4 months! He won't get his glasses for a week, but when he does I will be sure to post pictures of my cute little four eyes :)

Cindy

2011-08-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Lew got a new German Shephard puppy, she is beyond adorable. This is my first time ever seeing or holding a puppy this big! She got here at around 10pm, all the way from North Dakota. She is only 8 weeks old and look how big she is! She is so sweet and is starting to learn her name. Her fur is so fuzzy I just love it! True to Weger tradition, because she is female her name is Cindy, like all the other female German Shephards the Weger's have had. All the males are Alsatian. Jackson loves her and we have to remind him to be gentle with her even though she is rambunctious. Jake likes her but likes to keep his distance. She nipped his leg last night and since then he is cautious... but still wants to play with her. I'm glad they got a new puppy because there is talk of taking Xela with us to LA if we go... not sure if that will happen, but I wouldn't want Alsatian to be especially lonely when we leave... I'm glad he has his girl now! Here are some pictures of the new puppy!

I had to include this photo, because this is literally how I found him last night and I only have one thing to say... "And you got LASIK???" :)

Family Home Evening

2011-08-19T09:57:00.001-07:00

For about a month we have been finally having Family Home Evening. We do it on Sunday nights because on Monday's we feed the missionaries and they do laundry and sometimes Silvia and Danny have to go to Ward FHE, so it is pretty chaotic on Mondays. Sundays also works for us because it is just me, Luis and the boys that are home, so it feels more like we are our own little family again. I can already tell a difference in the boys. The first week they were totally wild and wouldn't sit still. Now they will sit and listen, with gentle reminders of course. It feels so good to be doing this. It is so important when it comes down to teaching the kids the gospel, and our lessons are usually very short, about 3-5 minutes. But it sticks with them. Jackson has learned about kneeling to pray, he knows our prophets name, he knows about eternal families and temples... all from FHE. It also gives us a chance to practice the songs he is learning in Primary. I regret that I waited so long to get started but I am glad we did. Hopefully it will help him behave well in Primary, getting practice sitting through lessons at home. Any ideas for activities we can do with 2 toddlers? There really aren't enough of us to play duck duck goose... which is what we playes when I was at home... remember Ethan? We played that almost every week for you! Anyways, it just feels like we are one step closer to raising our boys right.

On another note, I cut Luis' hair last night! A while ago we bought clippers so we could save money on haircuts. I have always done the boys' hair, but 2 years ago I attempted to cut Luis' and it was really bad. I just buzz Jackson's and I use the scissors for Jake... but Luis gets this fade thing done, which is the hard part. Well, I got brave and decided that since we might be moving to an area where haircuts are no longer just $5, I really should get some practice in. Worst case I could just buzz his hair, right? :) Well, it actually turned out normal. I will post a picture later to prove it. I was proud of myself... With a little more practice I think I will get pretty good at it.

Love my boys!

2011-08-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Jackson has been saying some pretty cute things lately. Last night while we were out, Silvia bought Jax and Jake each a little school bus toy. At bedtime, this was Jax's prayer "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for my school bus. Thank you for Jacob's school bus. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." I couldn't help but laugh. He definitely has the gratitude down pat! It was also funny the other day when Jax found a dead bug. He apparantly was confusing information because he said "Mom, the bug is dead. He was nailed to the cross." !!!!! We have taught him about Jesus, of course, and somehow that information transfered to this bug. :) I reminded him that is was Jesus who died on the cross, and he was fine with that!

We just watched Mars Needs Moms. (spoiler) It was very cute but a little heavy for kids in my opinion. It has a happy ending, but at one point the boys mom dies... in a really dramatic way. All of us adults were almost in tears and I can't really imagine how kids would react. Still, it had a great message and like I said, a happy ending.

We are still waiting to hear about the job in CA. Hopefully today we will know one way or the other!

Family Pictures

2011-08-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for the family pictures we had done the other day. We ordered one pose but we want to do a collage later so we archived all the photos. As you will see, Jacob refused to smile... oh well. Luis got a really good deal on groupon so we aren't worried about it!

http://enriquealonzo.com/#/weger/

Side note, University of Phoenix said no because of "more suitable candidates". Apparantly 2 bachelors and a masters doesn't qualify you to be an enrollment advisor... I think he was over qualified really. He said the interview didn't feel right anyways. We are still waiting to hear from RMS and we are really hoping that works out.

Hopefully, California SOON!

2011-08-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

So, obviously my views have changed. At first I was very hesitant to go back to California but I am actually really excited. It could be really great for our family. We drove up to San Antonio on Thursday and at 6:45am on Friday Luis flew to Orange County. The HR lady for the company picked him up and took him to the office in Westminster (right by the mall we used to shop at). He totally hit it off with her and she kept telling him little bits of insider info :) Like how she totally thinks he got the job! The interview was really only about 30 minutes! Luis said it went really well and then they were off to the airport again! His plane got in at 11pm and we got some cheap food and drove straight home... getting here around 4am. It was a very long day but not bad. I drove all the way home... I can't believe I made it, but I wasn't really tired until it was about 30 minutes away from home. I wish I had more details, but Luis just tells it all so much better. I think he will get the offer... I think he thinks he will get an offer. The HR lady definitely thinks he will get an offer. I just hope it's soon.

Off to San Antonio

2011-08-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

In a few hours we are leaving for San Antonio. He has to fly out of that airport (4 hrs away) for his interview in California. He will only be there for a 1 hour interview and they are going to drop him right back off at the airport and he will come home! It's crazy that he will only be there for such a short amount of time considering how expensive the ticket is! But the company was willing to do it, so it's pretty exciting. I will be driving with him and we are going to stay overnight because he has to be at the airport at 5am tomorrow. I am going to spend the morning catching up on sleep and then go to the temple for most of the day. His plane gets in at 11:45pm and I have to drive the 4 hours home! Not looking forward to that, but I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about :) Oh, about the temple, I am really excited to be going, but it's not a good sign when you pull your temple bag out of the closet and have to dust it off... I think the last time I went was Aubry's wedding. That makes me really sad to think about but if we get this job in CA we can go all the time!

Luis had a phone interview yesterday with the University of Phoenix. He will find out in 3-5 days if he is moving forward. He said he did ok in the interview, but that overall he just didn't feel that great about it. I don't know if he means the interview, or the job in general. Apparantly there isn't much opportunity for career advancement, which is a big deal for him. So we will see, it could be a nice back up if none of the construction companies work out. (Thanks for the lead with Skanska, Shannon! He submitted his resume yesterday.) We are just excited to move forward. He has only been looking for work for 2 weeks or so and I am already sick of it!

Jake got his 18 month shots this week and he was such a tough guy. He didn't even cry for the first one, just made a pouty face. He cried for the second one but not that bad. He has to go back for one more in a month, because it has to be exactly six months after the previous dose, and I got his 12 month shots 1 month late... That would have been nice to know before I spent 2 hours of my life in that clinic... I would have waited to do them all at the same time. There needs to be enough time in between doctor's visits for the kids to forget what happens there... now Jake will probably end up being terrified of the doctor like Jax is.

Ok, gotta finish packing. Wish us luck! I mean, wish Luis luck... I'm just waiting around.

2011-08-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

Doesn't Jackson look like a little model in this picture. Too bad the railing is in the way! Silvia and Lew bought the boys church outfits. They were on clearance for only $5 for all 3 pieces. Jake has one too, but I didn't have him try it on. Jackson is wearing a size 5... I can't believe it fits him, just a little big!

Funny thing happened today. I took the boys outside this morning and Alsatian wanted to be played with, of course, because he is seriously neglected :) Poor dog doesn't have anyone to play with now that Cindy is gone... and my boys are only outside for about an hour before we die of heat stroke! Anyway, Alsatian rolled over so I could scratch his belly and after a minute or so of doing that, Jake ran up to us, lifted up his shirt to show his tummy, and laid down on the cement right next to Alsatian! It was too cute. So I rubbed his belly and he loved it. HE got up and after going only a few steps he laid down again for another scratch. This repeated over and over!

Ok, on to exciting news. RMS, the company that Luis had the phone interview with on Tuesday, called last night and said that the owner and CEO want to fly Luis out to LA on Friday next week for an interview!!! So, it's very exciting that they are that interested, but scary that this is the only lead so far and I really don't want to go back to LA. If they offer a job I really hope it is in San Diego! I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. I commented last night that since God has a sense of humor, they say... it would make sense for him to send us back to the place we just left :) "Just" being almost 3 years ago, but still! Maybe this is our chance to prove that we have learned the lessons we needed to learn during our struggles the past few years. Either way, I am so thankful to have at least an option! And of course, we are still looking forward to Luis' phone interview with University of Pheonix on Wednesday. Luis is going to call up MATT construction and tell them that he will be in the area on Friday, you know, if they want him to stop by ;) Wish us luck and keep the prayers coming!

Surprise Interview

2011-08-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Luis got a voicemail last night that a company wanted a phone interview with him today. I'm so glad he checked his messages! The interview was with RMS construction which is based out of Westminster, CA... just outside of LA. So, not ideal location in my mind, but it is a project engineer position and Luis said the interview went very well. Luis is great at interviews, he is very personable and everyone loves him. They didn't specify what job he would be working on, because they do jobs all the way from Malibu to San Diego, so I'm hoping that if they send a job offer they will be more specific. We want to live very close to the job site to avoid all the driving through LA traffic. (I'm praying it's not in Malibu... cuz I don't know ANYWHERE cheap enough for us nearby!) Thankfully though, when they asked Luis what kind of salary he wanted he told them he needs to start making at LEAST what he was making when he left MATT construction. There's no way we can make it in CA with less. Well, let me rephrase... we could make it, but there's no way we will accept a job that pays less than what he used to make in CA. I don't want to leave one stressful situation for another! I'm hoping he gets a lot more phone calls and a lot more interviews soon... but he just submitted the application to RMS this past weekend, so getting an interview so quickly brought back some of my confidence that, you know what, Luis is a great candidate for these types of jobs!

Family Pictures

2011-08-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Luis purchased a portrait package from a local photographer on Groupon. I think it was for Mother's Day. We had the session today finally and it was so stressful. Getting ready was horrible because we just didn't have the right things to wear. We would decide on one thing and then find something wrong with it! We wanted to do white shirts and jeans, but after many changes we ended up doing formal pics with all 3 boys in their suits! Jax fell asleep in the car on the way there... big mistake! I knew he would wake up grumpy, he always does when he sleeps in the car. So he was fussy when we got there... he cried and cried and sat off to the side crying while we all tried to cheer him up so we could get on with it! I think he was also scared off all the equipment around. Kind of a funky environment to walk into. Eventually Daddy got him to laugh by busting out "tickle hands"! From there on out he was fine and when his attention started to wander, we bribed him with ice cream :) Jake was totally fine behavior-wise but that kid refused to smile! I think we will really be lucky if the photographer got even 1 shot of him smiling! He was just so serious the whole time. We are going back next week to see the pictures so I am sure he is doing some editing. I'm really excited to see them. We only get 1 pose because I don't want to spend any extra money beyond what Luis paid for on Groupon. We will probably archive the pics though if we like a lot of them, so we can order them when we have more money! I will post the pic when we get it. Love you all!

2011-08-01T11:30:00.001-07:00

Luis told me that last week when he and Jax were driving to church, he was singing along to the music. Well, at one point, Jackson said, "Don't sing Dad" or something along those lines... and when Luis told him he was going to keep singing becuase he likes to sing... Jackson continued with the "no, don't sing Dad!" I thought that was pretty funny... Jackson never says that to me ;)

Update on the job search... we have applied to a few local jobs and many out-of-state jobs. So if we get responses the odds are that we will be leaving the Valley, which is sad but exciting. Luis has an phone interview next week with the University of Phoenix for a position as an enrollment advisor. He will be following up with a lot of the companies this week. In Brownsville, an hour away, he applied to be manager at Gold's Gym (fitness experience not necessary) so I thought that one was pretty cool :) Also, he applied to Kiewit a very LARGE construction company, for a job they are doing in ALASKA!!! After he applied, I looked at a map and freaked out a little. I had no idea how FAR it is! I thought it was right next to Washington... I'm apparantly not the best with geography, especially considering up until a few years ago I literally thought Alaska was an island... the Weger's still make fun of me for that one. Anyway... if we get the Alaska job we will pretty much be a whole country away from everyone... He has applied for a few jobs in California, some in Austin and San Antonio, Utah, Reno, Washington and here in McAllen. I am so nervous about it all... which is weird because when he was graduating from college he had so many job offers so I know he is highly qualified. But unemployment is higher now and there are more candidates... but also, in college, companies were fighting each other for Luis to pick them... he had so many companies flying him out to see them and interview... now he is fighting a bunch of other people for the company to pick him... total role reversal and I think that's why I'm a little anxious about it. Please pray that we will find something... sooner rather than later would be nice :)

Job search

2011-07-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

For the past few days I have been searching monster.com for jobs for Luis. I am looking for jobs here in the valley but I'm also searching specific types of jobs with any location. I've been looking a lot in Washington, of course... but we aren't having very much luck there... most of the construction jobbs they have available are asking for 10 years experience or they are heavy civil jobs (bridges, dams, freeways), which Luis isn't really the best qualified for. (I just saw an ant crawl under the keys of the keyboard so if my post ends abruptly it's because the ant ate the inside of this computer!) On another random note... Xela, the inside dog, loves to chew ice. So if ice ever drops out of the maker or someone gives her a piece, she runs to her rug to eat it. Many times I have found Jackson at Xela's rug eating the ice leftovers! Nasty! I just thought of that because I just saw him do it! Okay, back to the job hunt, So, guess who is hiring??? MATT Construction, the company Luis worked for in LA. We have very mixed emotions about this because we HATED Los Angeles. We had a lot of good friends and it was a great company, but it wasn't his favorite job and of course, it's LA! :( I feel like if he takes that job we will be rewinding the last 2.5 years of our life! Like they never even happened! Luis called the office today to talk to the HR director who he was good friends with, but it turns out Tim retired. So, there is someone else in his place who thankfully also had a good relationship with Luis way back when. When he was let go, they told him in a few years if they are hiring again that he should reapply. Did they mean that, or were they just being nice? I don't know. Either way, they are interested in him Luis wants them to hire him as a contracted employee so he can make a lot more money. He also applied to one local construction job and a training/development type job that is also local. He has many more applications to send out... We are also looking into Boeing in WA. I found some interesting positions there but Luis does not think he is qualified. We are keeping our options open so if you want us to come nearby you, keep your eyes out for a good job! He has a degree in Construction management and one in communications and is just about done with his MBA... if that helps! Oh, Aubry, I checked Qualcomm's website and I don't know if Luis will fit what they are looking for! It's all very technical stuff! Anyways, I will keep updating on the status of all this! Just keep us in your prayers that we will find what we need!

Long time, no post!

2011-07-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry my blogging has been so bad lately... my life is kind of depressing right now, so there really isn't much to blog about! Luis is on the job hunt again. Local and nationwide. Keep your eyes out ;) He is going to spend today applying to many local positions he has found. He will still do Primerica of course, but that is mainly in the evenings, so it will work doing both.

My friend found out she had to move in 2 days so she gave us a lot of stuff... including their old pool that they were going to throw away. The boys loved it! I've wanted to get them a pool for the 2 years we've been here, but it just never happened. So they are really enjoying this. Jackson asks if he can put on his white clothes :) and get in the "cool". He really has a hard time saying "pool". Oh well. Jacob loves being in the water too!

Wish we were there!

2011-07-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Isn't it sad that my last entry was "see you in Sequim" and now here we are, still in hot, miserable texas! First, I'm sorry about the lack of blogging or emailing. We have been without internet for a few weeks! We are back up and running now, so I am really enjoying catching up on everyone's blogs. Kaylee, keep the pictures coming! It is my lifeline to the family reunion, although I almost cry when I look at them because I want to be there so badly. Poor Luis is taking it really hard. He REALLY wanted us to be there... we actually had a pretty good income last month, but with so many unexpected expenses, we just weren't able to recover in time... not to mention the week he was gone for Scout Camp!

About Scout Camp, you know, I was actually really bitter at first while he was gone because I knew we would be missing out on a lot of money from a whole week of work missed! Unfornately he can't take a paid vacation! But every night while he was gone I would watch a dvd biography of the prophets since the restoration of the church. The dvds are awesome. They are the series "Modern Prophets" from The Living Scriptures. Buy them! They are so cool to learn so much about the prophets that we love! Anyways... I was bitter... but as I watched those dvds I was hearing all about the sacrifices the early saints made for the gospel and for their callings and missions. It is so incredible! Many men left their wives and families in very desperate situations so they could serve a 3 year mission and things like that! And the attitutes of the families was inspiring! They knew it was a righteous purpose! Bottom line... I was humbled and although Luis left me :) for a week in not the best financial situation, it is his calling to be there with the Boy Scouts and I'm glad he went. The boys bonded and based on some of the experiences he told me, their testimonies were strengthened in a big way... and they are all on track to get their Eagle!!! Anyways, that was just a good change of heart for me and I wanted to share...

Back to Sequim. We are doing our best to make the money to get us out there before the end of the month and we will see how finances look as it gets closer. Have fun while you are all out there. I wish my boys were running around playing with you guys, especially their little cousins. Keep posting pictures and stories!

See you in Sequim!

2011-06-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

We are excited for the family reunion. Today, Jax and I put together the chain and since Kaylee posted a picture... I had to! This was Jackson's first experience with a stapler and he was kind of scared of it, so he just told me what color to add and I did the rest.

I've had a lot of questions lately, so let me just calm everyone down. Yes, all four of us are planning on going to Sequim. However, we won't be able to buy our tickets until RIGHT before. Not ideal, but that's how it goes. We have had a lot of unexpected expenses come up... so many it's not even funny! Very bad timing. But, Luis and I have been working really hard, going out on a lot of appointments to cover all these expenses and SEQUIM!!! So, by the end of the month we should be able to buy our tickets. Just keep us in your prayers that all will go according to plan from here on out!

My Boy Scout

2011-06-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

Luis is the Assistant Scout Master for our troop and he LOVES it! His family is very BIG on scouting. Lew was an Eagle scout, Lew's Dad was an eagle scout, Luis is an Eagle scout... but not just that... I'm told that they pretty much got every merit badge in the book, and then some! It was fun to hear about all the things they did. Scout camp is coming up and Luis is preparing by getting his new uniform together and sewing on patches. He pulled out his old (can't remember the official name for it...) thing that goes around the chest with all the badges... which he no longer fits into :) and showed me his badges. I wanted to take some pictures so Ethan can see, because I remember when Eth called me to tell me all about his new uniform! So here is my wonderful Eagle Scout husband! Oh, and unfortunately, my nature loving scout has had to accept that I will never WILLINGLY go camping with him :)

And this is how I found Jax the other night when I went to check on him before we went to bed. :) Boys...

Your heart's about to melt!

2011-06-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

Jacob Emerson... too cute for his own good and way too grown up looking with his new haircut! I think I am getting better at it each time I do it! Don't worry, his curls will be back soon enough! The last picture is the damage caused by the dresser when Jackson fell off the bed this morning! OUCH!

Jake put this hat on all by himself :)

Jokes for Izzy

2011-06-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I was substitute teaching at a middle school and, of course, Lady Gaga came up! One guy told me 2 jokes and I had to post them for Izzy!

How do you wake up Lady Gaga?
You poke 'er face!
How does Lady Gaga like her meat?
Raw, Raw, Raw, Raw, Ra-aw!!!

:)

Random Update

2011-06-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

SO many things have happened lately... most totally random, but equally blog-worthy. Let's start with the most recent.

I had mentioned how I have been putting Jax to nap on our bed... well he finally fell off. Not at nap time though, he got in bed with me this morning and almost immediately fell off. He went down and cracked the back of his head on the dresser next to the bed. This is the first injury like this I've ever seen so I didn't really know waht to do. The bleeding stopped with a wet washcloth, but it is quite a gash. When Lew got up I showed him and he said it should heal pretty quickly and shouldn't need stitches... thankfully! It is a big fight though to get Jax to hold still so I can put neosporin on it. Hopefully when it's not as fresh in a few hours it won't be such a struggle. He got some tylenol and is doing much better now.

Um, I have been in the habit of finding things lately. Things I don't want to find... for example... a mouse. I almost stepped on a live mouse in the pantry (I was barefoot at the time) But thankfully I avoided it. I still freaked out though, I have never seen a live mouse before! Then, the other night, all the lights were out and everyone was in Silvia and Lew's room talking, so I went to join them. Well, on my way in, I was again barefoot (You'd think I'd learn my lesson) and I stepped on something cold and crunchy... I turned around and looked, yup, a cockroach!!! You should have seen me FREAK OUT! The whole family was cracking up laughing at me and I was just totally disgusted! Turns out, about 5 seconds earlier Danny had walked into the room and stepped on it, with tennis shoes on, and killed it. So I came behind him and stepped on the squished cockroach. Not cool! I am wearing shoes today... lesson learned. Especially since there have been a lot of scorpions around lately! Scary huh?

Let's see, what else? I had a pretty bad infection in my gum/tooth that I've had for almost 3 months. Nobody at the densist office could believe I wasn't in excrutiating pain! But I was experiencing NO PAIN at all! I guess I'm lucky in that way. I got a root canal on Thursday. Well, half of one. When you go in to get a root canal, you generally don't want to repeat the experience... but I was in the dentist's chair for 2 hours with him working on my without interruption and he was only halfway done, so we had to stop. He filled my tooth with cotton and put a temporary filling over it. Thank goodness it was Brother Brann doing the work, he has this amazing way of keeping you calm. He said he was having trouble because my roots are very curved and it was difficult for him to clean it all out. The good news is the awful infection I had going on in there is gone... thank goodness. So next week I get to go repeat the whole thing while he builds it up and caps it again. My jaw was very sore from holding my mouth open and he told me his fingers were very sore... :) Not a good day for anyone! They are being so generous and allowing me to pay in lumps... it is an $850 procedure (not including the crown! yikes!) so hopefully I can have it payed of within the next 2 months. So many expenses right now! I have determined that I am the absolute worst person not to have health/dental insurance. So many things are wrong with me. Nothing serious or life threatening though so I know I'm blessed.

I know this post is long and jumping all around, but I just need to say how thankful I am to have Jesus Christ in my life. I was thinking about that yesterday, about how I would overcome the trials I am going through without him. I simply can't imagine it. I am thankful for the constant reassurance I have that I am not alone and someone understands everything I feel, whether I express it or not. I just started visiting teaching a wonderful sister who hasn't been to church in a long time. She lost her husband 4 years ago and she and her kids haven't really recovered. We had an amazing visit yesterday, my companion couldn't come with me so it was just me and her. I feel very connected with her. I think we in some ways are meant to help each other, even though I haven't gone through what she is experiencing. I just feel so much love for her and I want her to come back to church so badly. She does too. She needs the companionship of the other sisters... It's so sad that's she's been trying to recover from her loss all on her own. When I left her house, I felt stronger in my own faith too... so I know we will be very good friends!

Lastly, Becky's dog, Cindy, died this week. It was very sad but it was also a good thing. Poor Cindy had been in so much pain. She would just lay there and cry! The vet didn't know what was wrong with her. He ruled things out, but didn't diagnose anything. He gave her pain medication though, which helped for the last few days before she died. I have never been in this situation, losing a pet. I didn't really know what would happen. Like, do you have a funeral service, or somekind of official good-bye. But no, Luis and Silvia dug a grave on the other side next to Alsatian's and we buried her. Jackson just asked today, "Where's Cindy?" Silvia had explained that she was gone, with Jesus. He seemed fine with that answer. He knew she was sick and hurting. Poor Alsatian (the third) is lonely now. We still don't know whether Cindy will be replaced. But I'm just glad she isn't hurting anymore.

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-05-31T10:17:00.001-07:00

I had a delayed birthday celebration. It's hard to get everyone together because of work, callings, etc. So we ended up celebrating my birthday on Sunday night instead of Saturday. We were planning on eating my bday dinner (RIBS!!!) around 5 but again delays. The power went out while we were cooking the ribs and then there was seminary graduation, so we didn't eat until 9:30-10! And yes, Jax and Jake stayed up. Jake only made it halfway through dinner though! We had Elder Landeen eating with us, who is not an Elder anymore... but it's weird to call him his first name. He was a missionary here a few months ago and came back to visit. Speaking of missionaries, our new missionary sounds exactly like Jacob from Twilight... Taylor Lautner. It's not just me either. When I told him that, he says he hears that ALL the time. :) I love it. Ok, so here are some pictures of the adorable birthday cake Luis made.

Forgot to mention...

2011-05-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Mom brought to my attention that I never let you guys know the results of my last exam... even though I thought I did. So, if you've heard this already, sorry. I passed my Series 26 exam on May 20, which means I am licensed to act as a limited Principal. In other words, I am licensed to supervise other investment agents. Yes! This is my last required test. There is one more I can take after I become and RVP, but it is optional. Besides our RVP, Alex, I am the only other person in the whole office with the series 26 license! It feels good to have accomplished that, and to know that we are fully prepared to be promoted to RVP and open our own office. Now we just have to qualify based on te size of our team and amount of premium we produce. Bottom line... Luis and I are so ready to kick butt! I just found out he is closing a sale as I type this! Good Job, Luis! I'm proud of him for working hard this past week. We were helping a client and it got very complicated but we stuck with it and after 3 appts, ended up with a life ins. close and an investment close! We are ready to reach our goals!

Not pregnant!

2011-05-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

It happened to me... Someone asked me if I was pregnant, and I'm NOT!!! Hahaha, I just laughed, I wasn't insulted or anything. It was a lady in our ward that I used to visit teach. When I was pregnant with Jake, she asked me if I was pregnant and she was right... she knew before anyone in the ward, even my friends! Well, I guess she got too confident because she asked me that today... and she was wrong. Her husband was with her and he looked so embarrassed, which was the funniest part. I was wearing the dress from the post below, and it's very light and flowy fabric, so maybe not that flattering! Still love it though!

Sewing adventure

2011-05-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

When I say Sewing adventure, I'm sure you automatically assumed I had done the sewing... I did about one minute of sewing, if that, before my mental breakdown caused Silvia to lovingly intervene. Actually, I begged her to do it for me. I like the idea of sewing, but when it actually comes down to it, it is way to stressful! I have such a fear of messing up. A few months ago bought 3 pairs of pants and hemmed them all and even fixed a hole in one of them... It turned out ok, but not impressive. I also now can sew on buttons... again, not an impressive task, but for me it's a big deal! I bought this dress online and when I got it, it was of course, a little short on the bottom. Kinda cutting it close. So, I bought some matching fabric and Silvia and I sewed a rim around the bottom and put a triangle at the neckline so I won't need to wear a shirt underneath. What do you think? I think it turned out really cute. All I really did was iron the gray fabric pieces and pin it together. Silvia did all the real work. I love the dress so much I was just way to stressed that I was going to mess it up. And the fabric is so fragile (don't know the right word...) That there really wouldn't be any fixing it!

Jake and Jax both love putting on anyones shoes, but especially my high heals. I finally had my camera around when they were doing it! The pic with Jackson's tummy showing is just too funny!

"The Echo"

2011-05-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

The other day Luis read me a poem from the conference issue of the Ensign. It really hit home with me because it made me realize how important it is to be a good example to our children. We have such a huge responsibility to raise them right and teach them the true principles of the gospel. The world today really is full of so many things that can pull our children away from what is right... we need to be faithful and teach our children, through example, that we are enduring to the end!

’Twas a sheep not a lamb
That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,
A grown-up sheep that strayed away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And why for the sheep should we seek
And earnestly hope and pray?
Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:
They lead the lambs astray.
Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever the sheep may stray.
When sheep go wrong,
It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.
And so with the sheep we earnestly plead
For the sake of the lambs today,
For when the sheep are lost
What a terrible cost
The lambs will have to pay.

Here is the complete article: http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/establishing-a-christ-centered-home?lang=eng&noLang=true&path=/general-conference/2011/04/establishing-a-christ-centered-home

I have read your blogs!

2011-05-26T15:22:00.001-07:00

Ok, for the past few days I have been trying to post comments on everyone's blog but I can't I don't know what's going on. SO just so you all know, I am reading your blogs, I just can't comment!

Here's what I've wanted to say lately!

Kaylee: I can't believe how awesome Derek is at making those cupcakes and Happy (Late) Birthday to him! It sounds bad, but I am glad Jesse get's Bryan back now! I can't wait for Jake to get Jackson back! Poor baby gets so beat up!

Megan: I love how Tinian's bottom lip just pouts out all the time... it is too dang cute!

Aubry: That is awesome that Ricky got a job with his brother... Careful down there by the border! Just be happy it's not the Texas-Mexico border :)

Isabel: What's going on with you BESIDES Gaga?!?!?!

Love you all!

Do you know what a dangling participle is?

2011-05-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

This is a conversation that Luis and I had as we were getting in to bed last night... Oh, a little background. Luis has been reading a book on rhetoric and has been learning a lot about correct grammar. So, here's what we said.

Luis: Do you know what a dangling participle is?
Me: The little thing hanging in the back of your throat?
Luis: Ah, see now I think I have to go to the bathroom. (I guess he had been debating to go or not to go... like I needed to know that!)
Me: Well, what is it?
Luis: #2
Me: No, I meant the dangling participle!
Luis: OH!!!

TMI!!!! I couldn't stop laughing! And for those of you who wonder, a dangling participle is something like - "Running quickly down the hill, the trash can tripped the little girl."

Luis has been saying so many things lately that are just cracking me up! I am always reminded of how fun it was when we were dating and I'd come home from being with him and I just couldn't stop smiling... my cheeks seriously hurt from laughing so much. My roommate, Ashley, would always say "You were just with Luis weren't you? I can tell because of your smile!" According to all my roommates, that's how they knew we were "Gonners", as in, there was no chance we weren't going to end up together... because he made me so happy!

The other day I asked Luis to look thr ough the freezers to find some kale we would need for soup.I reminded him that it is a green leafy vegetable with kind of ruffled edges. He starts looking and pulls out this bag of some other type of green, unidentifiable leaf and says "Hey Rachelle, can we smoke this?" What?!?!?!? Out of his mouth that was just hilarious. I think I need to start a quote book of hilarious things he says! Ok, on to some pictures!

These are the baby chicks that Silvia had in the incubator a few months ago. There are about 30 there... I know it doesn't look like it. The boys were obsessed with them! It was so cute. They always wanted to look at them!

The other day we were about to go to the clinic and Jackson saw Luis' car magazine on the way out the door and begged to take it with him. So I let him and Jackson fell in love. He kept saying "That's a nice car!" He must have overheard Luis at one point. It was so cute because he wouldn't put the magazine down. He kept saying "my car book" and I would say, "no, that's Daddy's car book" so Jax would humble himself and ask permission to look at it. It was too cute.

Change in name...

2011-05-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

No, not me... been there, done that :) I am looking for a new name for our blog. I'm growing tired of "Proud 2 be Weger"... not that I am not proud to be Weger, but I'm also just as proud to be Doty and Paulos, so I think I am searching for something else... seeing as how "Proud to be Weger, Doty, and Paulos" just doesn't look right :) Any suggestions?

Let's see... update... I don't have any more pictures lately... we need to do some fun stuff. We are going to be starting Joy School with a couple of friends. So far there are 3 of us and several more interested. I am excited about this! I remember being in Joy School when I was young and I think Jackson definitely needs the structure before he starts real school. On that note, I have put together a Good Behavior Chart for Jackson and it is almost finished. Once it is I will post a picture. It is kinda lame (I am SO not crafty!) but it gets the job done. I really hope to see a change in behavior. I am also starting a token behavior system for church. He has had a lot of trouble in his class and rarely makes it through without being brought out to me. This is a problem because I am in the Primary presidency and am doing sharing time or conducting almost every Sunday and Luis teaches Young Men's 3rd hour. So we have really been struggling with this. The theory behind the token system is you break up the class into little time slots, like 10 minute increments, which are easier for a child to handle. Jackson makes a goal for how many stickers he wants and after every 10 minutes, we evaluate his behavior and if he was good, he gets a sticker. At the end of church, if he met his sticker goal he gets a big reward. In our case, ice cream or watching a movie or something that Jax loves. We are starting this for the first time tomorrow, so I will let you all know how it goes. Obviously his teacher will have to be very involved. Wish us luck!

Jackson's prayer

2011-05-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Luis or I usually start the prayer and sometimes Jackson wants to say it, whether he is asked to or not. Tonight, I started praying at bedtime and said "thank you for..." (I was going to say "our family")and Jackson jumped in with "the gold plates" which I immediately repeated... "thank you for the gold plates and..." Jackson again threw in "the bible"... so I said "and thank you for the bible". Then there was a long pause and Jackson said... "Um... thank you for the Book of Mormon." I couldn't help laughing during the prayer because it was so cute that he remembered all these things! I love it when Jackson tells us things to pray for without prompting! On Sunday he said his first prayer in Primary!!! With help of course, but he actually spoke instead of just standing there staring at everyone!

And speaking of staring... this is totally random. I was subbing today at a middle school and there was this boy that literally sat in his chair and stared at me for about 3/4 of the period. It was really uncomfortable. I would look at him and he'd look away really fast and then 2 seconds later look back and keep staring... it was really creepy. I would be working with the other kids and think, "Hey, I wonder if that kid is still staring at me..." and I'd look and sure enough, HE WAS! I'm serious... he was doing this for about 50 minutes. Weird.

GIRL'S NIGHT!

2011-05-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, there is a story behind this girl's night. And first let me say... if you don't have girl's night, ladies... start doing it! I FIRMLY believe that every woman/mom/wife needs a break! Even if it's just once a month or something. Usually we just get together for dinner or a movie or something cheap. Well, on one of those occasions we all started reminiscing about tv shows we grew up with! you know... Family Matters, Full House, Step by Step, Growing Pains... and of course, Saved by the Bell! So we thought it would be really fun to get together and watch some of those old shows! So we decided to have an 80s themed Saved by the Bell marathon!!! We all dressed in our best 80s outfits... mine accomplished by raiding Silvia's closet... yes, those are her blue leggings and denim jacket! I had to look up what 80s fashion was like... afterall, I was only 4 years old in the 80s. Mom told me I should tease my hair, I still don't fully understand how that works :) I settled for the easy half-ponytail, classic! Blue eye shadow, big jewelry, mini skirt... all these things I learned through my 15 minutes of research are pure 80s! So, this is what I put together... oh yes, and who can forget the vest??? Again, compliments of Silvia :)

And here is a picture of all the girls! Thank goodness I am wearing leggings beneath that mini... :) I obviously missed the part that the 80s was very pink. Lesson learned!

Bottom line... so much fun hanging out with my friends and laughing and not worrying about kids... thanks to a husband that handles them so I can take it easy!

Brothers...

2011-05-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Jax and Jake are starting to act like brothers... you know, fighting all the time, being possessive of their things, beating each other up... well usually it's just Jake getting beat up. Jake copies everything Jax does which isn't good for the most part, because Jax gets into trouble a lot. For example... see pictures below. Matching forehead owies, both climb over up to the big bed in a dangerous way!

The babysitter got the boys dressed on Saturday and when I noticed what Jax was wearing I just cracked up. Those blue pants are actually Jake's size 12 month pants... they are super tight capri's on Jax :P

Jackson got a major bump on his forehead at church. Luis was taking him to timeout for the usual reason! Apparantly Jackson ran right into the outside door handle. You know the ones on the glass doors to the church? OUCH! Luis said it immediately started to swell, really big, and that it was really freaking him out. Luis isn't one to freak out at the kids getting hurt, so if he says he was worried, I would have been 100x worse! He ran and got some ice and thankfully it went down. This picture was taken after church, can you see the size of that! It was hard to get a good picture of it but it's all blue now, not a pretty sight!

The walkway outside is lined with these decorative bricks and Jake fell and landed with his face right into one!

Jackson has graduated to napping on our bed... uh, Becky's bed! Sometimes I put him down for a nap and if Jake is already sleeping in their room, I would put him in the playpen we have set up in our room. Well, I figured he's big enough to be on our bed, with more room. I was nervouse because it is so high off the ground, but I put pillows down and he was fine. He napped there again today.

My dear, sweet, manipulative Jackson!

2011-05-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Jackson is very familiar with time-out. Usually he makes a fuss or plays with the wall or something. Lately he has learned very well when to say I'm sorry. He now yells "I"m sorry, Mommy" from his time-out corner... which is very sweet. Well the other day he was in time-out and this is what I heard...

Gentle words I hear you say,
Your kind hands help me each day.
Your my mother kind and true,
Dearest mother, I love you.

That is the mother's day song they learned in Primary this year and the one they sang in Sacrament meeting. He was singing that to me from time-out! I'm sure he thought it was too sweet to resist... but he still did his time :)

2011-05-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I find Jacob in his crib after a nap just sitting there, looking at the animals on his quilt that mom made. He points at the duck and says "du, du, du"! I love that he is beginning to talk!

A little bit of everything!

2011-05-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you give a book to the devil bird. You know who I mean... Sabrina... She eats it! I salvaged it thankfully, it is one of my favorite books from growing up. The binding was all torn but thank goodness for clear packing tape.

Jackson got his head in... but couldn't get it out... I was on the phone with Mom when he did this and I stood there laughing and getting my camera while she was on the other end saying "Go help him!" Haha! He was freaking out... at least I didn't have to get the butter. :)

Proof that the guys made dessert on mother's day!

Not the best picture, but I realized that Luis and I never take pictures together... so here is our impromptu picture on Mother's Day.