Eternal Family

One of my dearest friends, Alyson, just adopted two handsome little boys and was sealed to them in the temple a little more than a week ago. She already has one little boy so now she is the mother of three crazy boys and will soon add a sweet little baby girl who is destined, I'm sure, to be spoiled, smothered, and overprotected by her brothers. Congrats Al, I am so happy for you and your eternal family.
Kathleen, Alyson, and I are high school friends and college roommates. Two beautiful women and me. But I got the ... umm ... charisma. I love you gals!

Halloween and Bubba's Birthday

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Aack!

Emily has gotten two teeth and has started standing in the last couple weeks! She's also decided she wants to try grown up food like crackers! What happened to my little baby?

New Baby Cousin

Born October 3, 2009 at 6:09 p.m.

Weighing 6 lbs., 11 oz. - 19 3/4"

Robin Danielle Gartner

Proud parents - Matt & Kim Gartner

Proud older brother - Jacob Gartner!!!
Congrats little bro!

The Insanity Continues

I am at the end of a long line of Dr. appointments. Whew! Julio got insurance through this job and we all needed everything. Tavian needs a cap and some fillings from a fall several months back that I guess did something to his nerves and caused decay, I need glasses (I've needed them for a couple years), we've all needed dentist appointments for a while, Julio has needed new glasses for so long that the lenses on his pop out frequently. Side story: a month or two ago we were at the ward swim party when poor Julio lost the lens in his glasses in the water. A whole bunch of people pitched in and swam around until we found them scratched up and at the deep end of the pool so poor Julio has been walking around for a month with this one really scratched up lens than falls out frequently. It's like a cartoon!

The spanish piano class is going well. Sometimes I speak better than I think and other times much worse. It seriously brings new meaning to the expression "tongue tied" for me!

Julio is leaving for a week to work in Nevada. He networked some computers together for a car auction here in January and the guy liked how he worked so well that he's going to fly him up there and back, pay for his hotel room, and pay him more money per hour this time around. So, the kids and I will be going up to Payson one last time because I can send the kids outside for more than a few minutes without worrying about sunstroke. I'm excited for Payson and nervous because I've never been without Julio for so long.

We're hoping to get Eliana into preschool soon as well. She can write her name pretty well and add and subtract, she's so good at art and I want her to get the same chances as other kids.

Anyway, that's our life right now. Not as exciting as all these trips and vacations I read about from others but we're blessed and we're busy. The Lord has opened the windows and poured out His blessings that's for sure.

Emily's Blessing Day

Sorry so late in posting these. Emily was blessed on the third, but I couldn't find her pics until today. I sewed her dress and my oh so talented and wonderful sister in law Amy crocheted the pink flower and tatted the pink lace on her dress. You are wonderful Amy! Thank you so much.
We had so many people come but I was so busy this was the only group picture I got. Julio, Emily, Eliana, Phil (Julio's brother).
.
Tell me if you can that I don't have the cutest baby around. I love Emily's smile when her daddy was holding her.

Oh and Eliana took some pictures too on her camera. It's one of those kid cameras so the pictures are low resolution but hillarious. I put them in a slide show if you care to watch. Eliana and her friends Preston and Hunter were taking pictures of each other. I'm glad she thought to get out her camera.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Memorial Day

These are some forwarded email pictures I got.

To those who have sacrificed for our country and freedom...Thank you! I have not forgotten. And to my own family members serving in the military, you are in my thoughts and prayers today especially. May God keep you safe.
Check out this article about real war heroes from the entertainment industry.

Tavian Update

Bubba's swelling is down on his face considerably. He still doesn't make all his facial expressions perfectly but for the most part it is better. His bloodwork showed no infection and the doctor said it probably wasn't an allergic reaction, but there is some fluid in his ear on the one side and he appears to have a virus so that's probably what affected his face on the one side. I amazed at how fast he's getting better. I was really scared.

Tavian

I'm worried about my Bubba right now. Yesterday morning he woke up with a swollen right cheek. I thought at first it was a bruise because he had been up fussing for a while the night before and we didn't know why. I thought maybe he bumped something in the dark. But it wasn't tender and I couldn't find any bruise or cuts inside his mouth. So when it looked a little worse this morning I took him to the doctor, hoping he'd laugh at me for being a silly overreacting mom and tell me it's just a bruise. The doctor ordered a blood test to check for infection, but he has no fever. He said it could be a food allergy but he hasn't eaten anything new or unusual for several days. The other possibility the doctor is looking at is Bell's Palsy, which is a temporary paralysis of face muscles on one side of the face for a few weeks or months. I questioned that too because I had Bell's Palsy and it paralyzed the entire side of my face and this is just the middle part, but apparently the nerve on the side of your face that swells and causes the paralysis divides into three branches so it is possible to just get it in on one third of one side of your face. Anyways, it's probably no big deal and I'm probably over worrying, but I wanted to ask for your prayers that he'll be okay.

Family Photos (As good as it gets)

It's been a while since we had a family photo taken so we went to the temple with my brother and sister in law and took some pictures for mom for mother's day. I made the matching tops for me and Eliana and Emily's dress, but wouldn'tcha know I forgot to do my hair. hahaha. Oh well. I guess I'm not perfect yet!

Emily Hair Day

Because of Julio's genes all our kids start out life with a mohawk. So the other day with Emily I decided to try and make it girly with hairspray and my fingers. Even if the hair looks silly isn't she adorable? Oh and we're having her blessed this Sunday so I've been working on a dress for her and will hopefully have some more adorable pictures to show soon.

My Bubba

I realized something when looking at this last months photos....















































My son may be just a little bit silly!

Too Much Time and No Energy

We've all been taking turns here with the flu. Poor Bubba had the worst of it. His fever finally broke at like 3 this morning. I am done with mine and since that means late nights up with kids I get a lot of quiet time at random moments for reading (the one positive side when everyone gets sick is that they sleep more.) I read the funniest statistic ever in this article about sun care with babies and thought I'd share it. "23% of lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18 according to the national Safety Council." At first I was alarmed. Then I started thinking isn't the life expectancy here in America like 75 years? That was the last I heard. So I calculated it (not hard). 18 is 24% of 75. So the statistic is that by the time your life is nearly one fourth over you will have had nearly one fourth of your sun exposure. That's like saying "Most people will have a dozen flowers by the time they have bought 12 of them." What would we do without statistics? Thanks for letting me share.

My Bro Ben

(Left to right: Dad, Ben, Jon)

I just realized I had not posted this picture. Jon and Dad went to visit Ben before Jon left for the MTC. They got this picture taken. I don't get to see Ben very often so I love having this picture. For those of you who know him, he is doing well. He's been taking college business courses, getting A's, the best in most of his classes, and he's been moved to a dorm area. I'm so proud of my brother and his never quit attitude that has enabled him to work so hard and improve himself.

Mom Stories

I think in some ways I underestimated how much more work a third child would be. Bless you mothers who have more for having that fourth one. haha I mean I had thought about the fact that there would always be a kid walking even when we had the double stroller and that there would be no room between carseats for books or toys on long trips. I knew naps would be trickier and schedules more complicated. But I never anticipated situations like this...I am nursing my baby to sleep while one child keeps trying to climb on my lap and no matter what I say I can't convince him to stop, meanwhile in the kitchen the other is helping herself to the brownies I baked making them look like a small animal attacked them. Or how about this one? The kids have been outside playing with the hose so you tell them we're going inside to take a bath and clean off the mud. One child strips and gets in the tub calling impatiently for you to turn the water on which you can't do because the other made so much noise coming in he woke up the baby who is screaming hysterically while you chase him trying to get him away from the furniture that he has already muddied up. Or while you bathe one child the other decides to test fire their squirt gun (which she's not supposed to be playing with) on the couch, the carpet and the sleeping baby who wakes up cold and wet. Or how about this... Eliana wakes up in the middle of the night with a nightmare and as you calm her Emily wakes up from the noise and on a side note you notice that Tavian has once again rolled out of his bed and onto the floor where you have to remember to not step on him until you can move him because even though moving him right now might be easier he'll probably wake up with all the noise and then you'll have three crying kids and you are oh so aware that you have more kids now than you have hands. Does it seem like there's someone bored, crying, or getting into something twice as much with three than with two? How does a mother of ten do it without an octupus assistant? hahaha Please tell me somebody else has stories like this too.
P.S. These are not all from one day, but they are all about my kids.

Easter

This Easter, along with a basket full of treats, I tried to share with my children the true meaning of Easter and what the Savior did for us all. I don't know how much they understand, but I know Eliana understands a little because when we talk about how Jesus Christ died she gets a little teary eyed and how He came back alive she gets a big smile. We're blessed to be so close to the temple that even though we didn't attend the whole pageant at the temple we could hear it every night and we walked over and watched them rehearse a few times. What a great feeling to hear "I know He lives!" ringing through our bedroom window every night until Easter. I know He lives. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that because of the sacrifice he made we can all return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven. I know that He paid for our sins. He is our Savior, Redeemer, our Brother, and a perfect example for us to follow. We may meet with persecution, indifference, and people rolling their eyes at us, but I pray I never lose the courage to share my testimony of Him. I have been pondering part of the Lectures on Faith that says "such is the weakness of man, an such his frailties, that he is liable to sin continually, and if God were not long suffering, and full of compassion, gracious and merciful and of a forgiving disposition, man would be cut off from before him ... but by man's believing that God is full of compassion and forgiveness, long suffering and slow to anger, he can exercise faith in him and overcome doubt, so as to be exceedingly strong." How do we overcome that doubt? By understanding that God is forgiving and through the atonement of Jesus Christ. As the apostles have said "God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." (The Living Christ April 2000) I loved the testimony Elder Jeffrey Holland shared this last General Conference.


As I attended church yesterday and spoke with my brother Jonathan today (on a plane layover in Dallas from the MTC to Mexico) I felt humbled and resolved to do better at the important things and spend less time on the fluff. We are blessed to be a part of a great work!

Julio's Job

Julio got a job finally! Yay! He's doing tech support for a web hosting company called IPower. It's the end of his first week and I am so relieved. He was doing commission only sales for a short while but it paid almost nothing and he was gone for really long hours. This new job has an hourly wage we can live off of and he can earn commission on top of it for any sales he makes. Plus it's a lot closer to home, he could ride the lightrail if he needed to and he has an early schedule so I have backup in the afternoons with the kids. My mom and dad lent us their van for a while so I have a vehicle to use while Julio's gone. The Lord has really looked after us the last 6 months while Julio's been trying to find work. I feel really blessed. I mean we're not going to be rich by any means, but to not be wondering where the money to pay our bills will come from is a huge blessing. I know a lot of people are losing jobs and being laid off, but I feel really at peace that the Lord will continue to look after us like he always has.
Oh and the last two days I have been picking, washing, and juicing the mulberries from our front yard. One of our neighbors came and laid out a whole bunch of paper and we shook almost three gallons of berries out of the tree. They make a horrible mess every year, turning the pavement black and tracking into the house. So this year we picked them and I'm making syrup out of them. It's very time consuming because the berries are so small there are like 500 gazillion of them, but not bad tasting and it contributes to our food storage. It makes me realize everything that seems to be a curse can be turned into a blessing with enough effort.
Also, I have some pictures of the kids I want to post. I just need to find the camera. So hopefully you'll see them tomorrow. Emily is getting so big and she's started smiling and cooing. Aren't babies so much fun?

My Daughter's Faith

Eliana asked me a few days ago why we can't see Heavenly Father. So I tried to make it simple and said we lived with Heavenly Father before and we'll live with Him again but when we're here on earth we need to show Him we can behave even without seeing Him. So then she said something like "but how can I see Him now?" and I told her we don't see Him but He sees us and we can talk to Him by praying and He gives us scriptures as His way of talking to us. I was feeling pretty proud of myself thinking I had explained it pretty well. That night when she said her prayer she said something like "Heavenly Father I miss you and I want you to come visit me. I'll save a spot by me on the couch and you can sit and watch me play my VSmile." Out of the mouths of babes!

Eliana's Birthday / Jon's Farewell

Here's a quick catchup on the last two weeks in random order. Eliana's 4th birthday was on the 7th and she got a brand new Dora the Explorer bicycle. Above is Tavian riding her old tricycle. You can imagine what a tight squeeze it was for her to ride. And below is Eliana on her new bike showing off for Grandpa. She was so scared the first time she rode it, but now she loves it.
I took this picture last Sunday. I didn't take Emily to church because she's so little still, but I couldn't resist the urge to dress her up and take some pictures. She looks so much like Eliana did when she was a baby.
My brother Jonathan left for the MTC on the 11th. He was going to try to visit us each individually so we made it easier by all gathering at our apartment. We had doughnuts and pictures before he left. My parents are converts so these are all the missionaries so far from my family (my brothers Jason, Matthew, baby Jacob is just cute, Jonathan, my handsome Julio and of course me.)

This was the first time my kids got to play in the snow. We were lucky enough that it snowed the weekend we went up to Payson for Eliana's birthday and Jonathan's last talk before he left for the mission.
Eliana blowing out her candles with cousins Alex and Landon watching. Aunt Kim was so sweet to make it for her. Kim's birthday was Superbowl Sunday so Eliana and I made her a cake while the boys glued themselves to the tube and then she made a cake for Eliana for her birthday. It said "Happy Happy Birthday Eliana Dear." What a sweetheart!
Also, I've started looking for a job. Hopefully Julio finds something soon, but in the meantime if I can contribute in some way I'll feel much better. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the adorable, the tiny, the amazing

Emily Rebecca Macias!

On Monday I had a Dr. appointment for an ultrasound to check the size of the baby. They were able to verify it was a girl and that she was getting pretty big (Dr. Lindstrom thought maybe 9lbs) Since Tavian was an emergency c-section at 9lbs 5oz we agreed 9lbs was cutting it too close and scheduled a c-section for Tuesday morning 7am (way too early for me). She was born at 7:40 am weighing 9lbs 8oz!! She was 19.5 inches long. Boy am I glad I had a c-section! I never would have been able to push her out. Julio says its because I eat too much junk food, but I only gained 15 lbs this pregnancy and Dr. Lindstrom says I just have big kids so of course I side with the doctor. I mean after all he is the professional.

We delivered at Banner Desert. All of our children have been born there and I love it! The nurses are so nice and everyone really takes care of you. My Mom stayed with me the first night and Julio stayed the other two nights. They took turns taking care of the kids at home and me and Emily at the hospital. The kids I think have decided to keep little miss Emily. Eliana already has a nickname for Emily, SweetPea, and we've all already taken to calling her that. Tavian I think was a little worried at first but has already started showering her with kisses. We also got flowers, gifts, and visits from my dad, my brothers and sisters-in-law, my mother-in-law, and Laurissa. Thank you all for loving us so much!

Anyway, we just got home from the hospital today. They said I could stay until tomorrow, but my brother Jon is leaving next week on his mission and is speaking in Payson on Sunday so I wanted to hurry home for that. Also, Eliana's birthday is tomorrow and I wanted to be home with her to celbrate. She's turning four and we found a bike we could afford brand new. She loves her little tricycle but she's had it more that 2 years and she's way too big for it now. I want to be there to see her face when she gets this new one. As soon as it calms down a little I will post more pics. Also I am a little intimidated at having 3 now and welcome advice from those who are already there.

What's Up With This Baby?!?

The night before last I started having contractions about ten minutes apart. The Dr. said to go to the hospital when they got to ten minutes apart so when it was almost an hour of contractions I said "One more and I'm going to the hospital." So of course it was a half hour before the next contraction. I decided to go to sleep and was awakened every hour or so with a killer contraction. Early in the morning, more close contractions, so I called my mom to let her know I think I'm going into labor. She drove all the way down here and they stopped yet again! Yesterday I had more contractions in the afternoon and evening like every 20 minutes.... sigh....not close enough. So here I sit today thinking "What's up with this baby?" On the bright side when I went to my last appointment on Tuesday they told me I was dilated to a 2 and they're going to do an ultrasound on Monday to make sure the baby's not too big to deliver. If it's too big, c-section. So, one way or another this will be over soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I really don't want another c-section. I'm so excited to hold my little baby, though, so as long as she's healthy that's the most important thing.

I'm 31!

That's right. 31 years ago my mom went through excruciating pain to bring me into this world. 10 years ago tomorrow I left on my mission. 13 years ago I turned 18 and left for college 7 months after that. 15 years ago I was old enough to date and drive. I'm old enough to be the mother of any of the girls in my activities days group. And I was realizing that in some cultures girls get married in their early teens so there are grandmothers out there that are my age! Not only that but the next big birthday celebration won't be until I'm like 50 and that's only a big deal because your life is half over. P.S. I'm laughing as I type this. I love having my birthday at this age because I still get special privileges like Julio took the kids outside so I could have some quiet time and he changed Bubba's stinky diaper, not to mention I don't have to cook dinner and I get cake and ice cream. And lots of calls from friends and family. I've been bombarded with love today. Overall, not a bad deal at all. In fact it's great! Hope you all are well as well.

Good News

Julio got a temp job networking computers and being the on site tech support for the network. It's only for a week but it's great pay and we're excited that this blessing has come our way. Woohoo! And I have less than four weeks before this little baby comes out! So the time for long walks, cherry pie, (and any other wive's tale that I've heard gets your body working toward labor) is fast approaching! If anyone needs any heavy furniture moved let me know and I'm there!

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma

My grandma just turned 80 years old and we had a big family party. Family came from all sides of the country to celebrate with her. We had everyone send us video clips of themselves wishing her happy birthday and Mom, Grandpa, Uncle Craig and Aunt Alison pooled together every picture they had of Grandma and they had Julio make a video presentation for her. He put a lot of time and thought into it and the end result was a beautiful video that made a lot of people cry. I don't have any pictures of the party yet but will post them when I do. It was great to see everyone and to let Grandma know just how much she has touched all of our lives. She went to so many of our games and recitals and church things like baptisms and missionary farewells even though she's not of the same faith. And she was an adorable little girl! We love you Grandma and hope you had a wonderful birthday.

Nesting Nesting Nesting

That's what I've been doing....nesting! Like crazy! I got out the baby clothes this week, washed them and set them up in their drawer. We set up the baby swing in the corner and put the baby toys in a box underneath. We got a board for across the top bed of the bunk bed and Julio screwed it in place so Eliana can sleep up there without rolling off in the middle of the night. She's slept up there for the last four nights and Tavian finally decided to sleep on the bottom bunk bed for the last two nights. So now the crib is open for the next one. I've been cleaning out closets and corners, you know, all the the places where a little pile can gather and trying to get rid of as much excess as possible. We organized the embarrassing corner in our room where our food storage and Julio's computer stuff are. I've been shampooing the carpet today and needed a break for my back, otherwise I'd still be cleaning like crazy! Anyways, hope everyone had a great New Year's. We had a quiet evening at home watching a movie and eating ice cream and popcorn. It's one of the great things about having toddlers that we can make treats and watch a new movie and suddenly it's a party - Woohoo!