Valencia County Fair

You know you live in the lovely dessert when there can be an outdoor county fair in February.

Sweet husband had to go and stand at the Univision tent and sign autographs for his silly "fans".  It was so funny to watch total strangers walk up to him, as if they're best friends, and give him big hugs.  It's so cute.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day in Belen!

 I had never seen funnel cakes be made before.  The girl that owns the tent kept asking me if I was going to order one.  Boy....did I want to!

 Once you paid to get in, all the food was FREE!  (Except OF COURSE the funnel cakes)  The lines were very, very long and the two times we made it to the front of the lines, they ran out of food.  Blast!

 Watching the pork being prepared was a very interesting and very disturbing experience.  Eek.

 

Javi had been asked to judge the "specialty dishes" cooking competition.  There were some gorgeous dishes.  He was in heaven.  He loved everything he ate.  Naturally, he scored everyone really highly.  I'm not sure he was the best choice for a food judge considering that he LOVES everything he eats.  He's a good eater.

While daddy ate loads of food, baby and I drank a large amount of amazing lemonade and laughed at daddy's love of everything edible.

 Until next year, Valencia County!

The pregnancy post that's been a LONG time comin'

A facebook status of mine, not long ago, stated that I love being pregnant.  I do.  It's true.  Now friends: many of you took that facebook status to mean that I love being pregnant because it has been a breeze and that would be incorrect...And that's why I'm writing this post.

I remember driving in the car in California with 3 of my favorite females in all the world and the pregnant one, I call her Fifi, was sitting in the front seat.  She said "I'm weird but I just love being pregnant."  I've thought about that lots of times and I've realized where she was coming from.  

Granted, Fifi is the Greek Goddess of pregnancy.  I mean seriously.  Look at her.  BUT I think she had a point.

Photos by Jylare Smith

You see, Fifi is one of the funniest friends I own.  We used to have sleepovers in my TWIN size bed (note: we were in college) and we would laugh our faces off all night long.  So I've realized that Fifi's comment about loving pregnancy wasn't coming from a "I love pregnancy because I glow so nicely and I look so good and I feel so grand" kind of place.  It was coming from a "I love pregnancy because I glow so nicely and there is something very large protruding out of my body and it's a miracle to grow a human and the most hilarious things happen when you're pregnant."  Fifi: feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

That's why I love pregnancy too.  I do glow quite nicely.  There indeed IS something very large protruding out of my body.  It IS a complete miracle to grow a human and most of all, HILARIOUS things definitely  happen when you're pregnant.  Here are just a few of my very favorites so far.

CRAVINGS

Lets begin by sharing a story about cravings.  I think cravings are ridiculous.  I believe that we have weird cravings our entire lives it's just that when we're pregnant it's "ok" to eat hot sauce with rice krispies and pickles on your pb&j.  So anyway, cravings=my whole life...not just my pregnant life.

As a newbie in this pregnancy situation, everyone kept asking me what I was "craving"?  I didn't know.  Milk, I guess.  And then it happened.  I had a "craving".  I wanted macaroni and cheese.  I indulged and made myself a whole box.  I ate it...all by myself...the whole box.  When husband returned from work around 11:00 pm I was sprawled out on the couch sicker than a little dog.  Naturally, I had thrown up the entire box of mac and cheese only hours after eating it.  Javi walked into the kitchen and saw the EMPTY pan of yellow death on the stove.  He asked "did you make mac and cheese?"  I groaned a "yes".  He then asked "where is it?"  "In the toilet" I replied.  And then my sweet husband stepped into the doorway and said, with complete shock all over his face "you ate the WHOLE box?!"  I hid my face because we all know that mac and cheese contains approximately 800 calories.  Embarrassing.

"MORNING SICKNESS"

I was substituting 3rd grade and I managed to keep my sick self together for much of the day.  Although, around lunch time we were discussing multiplication and it happened.  I started throwing up.  No warning at all just projectile exiting my mouth.  I had managed to earn the name of a "cool substitute" and as I watched the faces of those sweet children as they screamed "Ew!" and "Gross!"  I knew that I would quickly be losing my hard-earned name.  Yep.  I did.  No longer was I the "cool sub" I was simply the barf lady.  Awesome.

Monday night I had the twins whom I nanny.  We had had a wonderful, active afternoon and were getting ready to settle in for the night.  Gage announced that he needed help going to the bathroom and asked that I come with him.  Little did I know what that would entail as we went sprinting to the bathroom.  The sweet, little, barely potty-trained 3 year old had a bad case of the runs.  He had a difficult time making it to the appropriate location and I had a big mess to clean up SO while Gage sat on the mini toilet finishing his business, I was standing over the regular toilet "reacting" to the mess I was witnessing.

When his parents got home I told them that he was a little sick and his mother announced that she's not surprised because he had eaten 12 little clementines (the mini oranges) in the morning.  TWELVE.  That is approximately 168 little sections of clementine.  Are you kidding me?  It's no wonder.

Anyway, cue the reactivated gag reflex that has been on a lovely break for almost my whole 2nd trimester.

The next day I was sitting in my Social Justice in Education class and I was drinking my water like a good pregnant woman when I choked on it.  You know, the whole "it went down the wrong tube" thing.  Choking triggered my recently reactivated gag reflex and there I was, in grad school, over the garbage can, throwing up in front on my whole class.  I was so humiliated.

LARGE BODY PARTS THAT SERVE AS SHELVES

And then there was tonight.  I sat in class taking in all of the information and witnessing the brilliance of my professor, whom I love with all my heart, and I was feeling very overwhelmed with gratitude for the beauty of pregnancy.  I felt little sister kicking away as we worked on how to effectively teach fractions to children and I just relished in the excitement of this little nugget.  It was a glorious moment and I loved it and then I looked down to see that my chest and tummy were covered in granola that had somehow missed my mouth when I ate the granola bar 15 minutes earlier.  15 minutes of pure joy and gratitude all while my classmates were staring at me wondering if I'd ever realize that I was a mess and that I had granola bits in my hair.  Good game.

LARGE BODY PARTS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH

I will not expand upon this subject because those of you who have been pregnant know what I'm talking about and those of you who haven't...I won't spoil the surprise for you :)

In other news, I had cankles the size of Manhatten yesterday.  Luckily they are back to normal today.

BUT SERIOUSLY...

It really is glorious to spend 9 months attached to this lovely little lady.  I believe that creating life is one of the greatest miracles ever.  I cannot imagine going through this without the knowledge and relationship I have with my Heavenly Father.  I have said it before and I'll say it again: to carry a child and not believe in a God has to be really difficult.  I would imagine that someone who doesn't believe in some kind of higher power would likely spend the whole 9 months convincing themselves that there is no God because every day is a miracle and every change is awe-inspiring.

SO, TRUTHFULLY, I REALLY DO LOVE BEING PREGNANT

I love that I've made 3 darling skirts in the last week (pictures to come) just so I'll finally have something to wear to church.

I love that for a long time I just looked like I was really packing on the pounds but that FINALLY I actually look pregnant.

I love that a lady in class tonight said "so you've got to be pretty close to delivery, right?"  I answered "Nope.  Not until June."  To which she replied "Oh, wow.  Are you having twins?!"  Thanks for making me feel soooo petite, lady.

I love that Gage's twin, Asher, thinks that I'm having three babies: one growing in each breast and one in my belly.  (That's a great hint into the "LARGE BODY PARTS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH" section.)

I love that the twins have named the baby "Cars 2".

I love the way girlfriend dances like crazy when her daddy plays the guitar and sings to her.

I love the way her daddy makes sure to talk to her in Spanish every day.

I love the opportunity to evaluate, for 9 months, how prepared I am to be a mother.

I love that every day I realize that all my life's experiences have led me to this point and I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

So actually, I love being pregnant.

It's hilarious.

Some Silly Things and Some Lovely Things

This is Lulu the Fat Bassett.  She is the hugest bassett I have every seen.  She has the shortest legs in the world and can hardly move.  I love her.

Sitting in the Dallas airport, there I was just enjoying my breakfast and a little birdy decided to join me.  That little birdy was so cute.  It made me smile.  A bird in the airport...why not??

Baby girl was given her first gender specific outfits courtesy of the Fraser family.  Alabama gear for baby girl means she's all ready for football season, BBQ, and banana pudding!

I love those ruffles AND those polka dots!  What could be better?

The view from the Drake's deck.  I could definitely get used to this.  I would LOVE to do the dishes and stare out at the beautiful sky and fields.  Maybe someday.

I'm so grateful for opportunities to sit back and relish in the joy of silly things and lovely things.  I think I need to make it a habit.

Sewing and Celebrating

A few posts back about "making stuff" I talked about teaching the Young Women (aka the teenage girls that live in our church boundaries) how to sew.  We have laughed a lot and spent LOTS of time unpicking seams.  They seem to have finally grasped it!  Here are three of the four finished baby blankets that we will be taking to the local hospital Mother/Baby unit next Thursday night.  They are so proud of their work and I am so proud of them!  They've decided that they want to make blankets for themselves to take to Girls Camp this summer so it looks like we'll be spending lots more time in front of the sewing machines!  

What sweet girls they are!

Fernanda, Giselly, Jasmin, Debany, and Brianna

We also managed to throw in a little birthday celebrating tonight.  Nothing Bundt Cakes to the rescue!   People: if you have never eaten a bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes...you should change that ASAP.  The girls thought they had died and gone to heaven.  Seriously.  Divine.

The girls and the YW Presidency
Crystal, Jasmin, Debany, Magaly, Giselly, me, Brianna, Fernanda (so sad to be missing  our 4 Perez sisters and Duby tonight!)

I am very grateful to get to work with the Young Women.  I just adore teenage girls.  They are so full of life, energy, and curiosity.  I'm grateful to get to rub shoulders with them.  I'll keep hoping for some of that energy to rub off on me!

Things you should know about Grad School

Here are some things you should know about grad school:

NUMBER 1

When I'm in grad school I have really cool fingernails because the only way to keep me sane during the hours and hours of reading is to break it up into 20 minute increments.  So, it goes like this: 

Read 20 minutes

Apply first coat of nail polish

Read 20 minutes

Apply next coat of nail polish

Read 20 minutes

Fall asleep and ruin wet fingernails 

Read 20 minutes

Remove ruined polish and start all over with coat #1

Etc.

Etc. 

Etc.

And that's how we get:

(Don't ask how to get such a shimmery steering wheel because I don't have the answer for that)

(I do, however, have the answer for how you can get such awful DRY hands such as these...move to the desert.  Easy.)

NUMBER 2

Sometimes it's ok to cry in grad school.  Almost the whole class was in tears after reading the "Where I'm From" poems on Tuesday night.  It was an incredible evening.  I am so grateful I could be apart of such an amazing learning experience such as that one.  It just reiterated to me how incredibly blessed my childhood was and how blessed my current life is.  

NUMBER 3

Sometimes you get your VERY FIRST PAPER of your grad school career back you get THIS grade:

Yes.  That is an A.  I nearly died.  Actually, I was in such shock that I just kept crying from the emotion of the Where I'm From poems.  

An A.

And a smiley face.

For me.

Miracles never cease.

Apparently all the words I've been making up for "academic writing" really paid off.

 (Something I didn't know, but learned from this paper, is that you can't use the same word twice in back-to-back sentences.  Every time I would write the same word in back-to-back sentences, she would mark it.  Who knew that was so taboo for academia?  Sheesh.)

Where I'm From

My favorite school assignment so far.  Where I'm From.  To be read to the Social Justice in Education class tomorrow night.  This was a wonderful chance to reminisce and write about the wonderful childhood I had.

WHERE I’M FROM

I am from micro machines and G.I. Joes

From wrestling matches and time outs on the top stair.

I am from music books and parents nagging to ‘practice harder’, ‘focus more’, and ‘do that part again’.

I am from dirty feet and callused toes.  From pink tights, leotard wedgies, and dance moms watching from the one-way window.

I am from “Don’t forget to say thank you.”  “Did you say thank you?”  and snide “you're welcome’s” before I could even remember to say thank you.

I am from five am family prayer, from Mormonism, from tennis balls, and night games.

I am from “you have as much responsibility to make me happy as I have to make you happy.”

I am from bear hugs and bald heads.

I am from Randy and teary eyes and Susan and great teeth.

I am from cancer and losing and I am from cancer and winning.

I am from bookshelves and homemade bread.

I am from broken basketball hoops and green porch swings.  From open fields and sno cones.

I am from safety and care.  Listening ears and kissing lips, holding hands, head massages, and painted fingernails.

I am from I love you’s.  I miss you’s and I’ll be seeing you’s.

I am from concern.

I am from compassion.

And I am from family.

I am a part of something much larger than myself, much grander than frizzy curls, and much more important than getting a good parking place.

I am a daughter.

I am a sister.

I am a wife.

And I am a life maker.

I am from every person I’ve ever met.  I am the neighborhood kids, the girls from church, and the cousins.

I am them and we are me.

Making.

I have been so very busy making stuff lately.

I've been making up words to use in papers for grad school.  I've been making up patterns to teach the Young Women from our church how to embroider and stitch.  I've been making "example" baby blankets to get those same girls excited about making some and donating them to the local hospital mother/baby unit.  I've been making dinner (not very well OR consistently lately, might I add).

But most importantly, I've been making this:

Cutest nose ever, right?

I love HER.

That's right folks, this little nugget is a girl nugget and I couldn't possibly be any more excited.

Neither could her daddy who went to work like this today:

I have some serious feelings for this man.  Seeing him in pink sneakers just escalates those feelings.  This baby girl is so lucky to have him as a daddy.

Yep.  

Girl.  

I mean, of course it's a girl.  

I guess the Mister and Lady knew all long.

Welcome Little Lady.

Now for a word with my little one.

Hey girlfriend.

Here are just a few things that I want to remember about this magical day.  First of all, watching you wiggle your little toes was unbelievable...and was that a wave or were you going in for a high five when you showed us that perfect hand with those perfect little fingers?  Also, I appreciated that you were so modest about opening wide for us to see your kind.  Very cute.  

The Dr. said that he should hire you to be a heart model because you have such a healthy one and you were very willing to show it off.  I hope you will always remain that way.  Keep that heart open and always be willing to show it off and share it.  Hopefully, when you're all grown up, someone will still want you to be a heart model because of how big and open your heart is...not literally, just in the most important ways.

I pretty much feel like my best friend just booked a flight to come and visit me in June and I can't wait to see her and I can't stop thinking about all the things we'll do together while she's here.  That best friend is you.  I believe that our spirits have existed for a long, long time and I just know that you and I were best friends before this earth time.  I can't wait to be reunited with my BFF.  It's been way to long.  

Thanks for trusting me.  I can feel that you already do.  Thanks for choosing me and for letting me choose you...because I believe that we did.  Thanks for making me think that I am having serious heart problems but instead it's just you performing a dance number inside my body.  I love that and it makes me giggle.  Just remember to point your toes.

I love you so much little one.

Love, Your Mommy

The most beautiful birth story I've ever read/heard.

My dear friend, Rachel, shared the link to this birth story and I read it and walked away from my computer a changed person.  

It is beautiful.  

And real.  

Perhaps it's the realness of it that makes it so beautiful.

Read away my lovelies.  Find it here.