Los Aldama

So, it has been a really fun few weeks. As noted before, we had the whole Shirley clan out here for Thanksgiving. I am such a family girl and was in heaven having everyone together and in my neck of the woods. It was one big party with the cousins who had once lived so close reuniting. (Noelle, Marco and Lucia) Noelle kept giggling and hugging her cousins. We met our darling little niece Sylvia for the first time. My parents, Callie and Brian and Brandon were here as well as all of the extended Shirleys. Thanksgiving was kicked off (literally) with a Turkey-soccer game. We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner complete with a parent-children's music class taught by cousin Michele, games, a talent show and gratitude-sharing moment. We also blessed Sylvia allowing all of the family to be present for the event. Temple square was lit up on Friday and we enjoyed walking the grounds with Mom, Dad and B. We then visited with my mom's family in Lehi and Alpine on Saturday and had a wonderful time. Dan' parents arrived on Thursday and are currently visiting this weekend. (Another post for a later time) They have Noelle with them at the Marriot Hotel on the U's campus. It is sure feeling like Christmas. We have decided to fly the kids and myself out to Sacramento on Friday to allow Dan some quiet time during finals week. Yup, 3 weeks back at home- I'm couldn't be happier! He will come out once finals are complete. I can't believe that we are already one semester down- it has really flown by! Happy late Thanksgiving to all. We saw Santa today- my next post will be directed towards all of the fun Christmas things that we have been doing!

So, tonight we layed carpet in our living room- YEAHHH!!! The much-needed final touch to make this little student apartment feel like our home. I wore Dan down and he finally granted my wish- the existing carpet in this place leaves much to be desired and with a soon-to-be crawler and a little girl who loves to do handstands and forward rolls, we felt like it was a good investment. Happy to announce that this apartment is starting to feel like home. I have worked really hard to make this place comfortable. It is a 3 year venture- might as well enjoy our space. This student-life is a kick! Tomorrow is preschool again at our house. (Not sure how I ended up with a week so close to my last one, but Noelle is really excited) Corom is cutting his first tooth this week and is a trooper- you can tell he doesn't feel well but is for the most part, pleasant. Callie and Brian and flying into Salt Lake in route to South Africa and have a layover on Thursday- can't wait to see my sister. We are getting excited for the holidays- it is fast approaching. Our love to all of our family and friends. I love reading the blogs and staying connected!

We have a group with 10 children ranging from 2 years to 4 years in age and do a co-op preschool every week. We have divided the month so that we each have a partner teacher and host preschool once a month. It is heaven on the off-weeks and a little crazy on the on-weeks. This last week was my week to host along with my fabulous neighbor Calisa. Our letter for the week was "H".

On Tuesday, the children had to harvest produce from the courtyard in order to earn money for their snack. (Things that Calisa has strategically placed) They picked apples from the tree, dug for carrots in the dirt, harvested potatoes from the sandbox and picked nuts from the ground. They were then able to exchange their goods in for pennies to buy their snacks. It was darling- nothing like a good hands-on activity to capture their attention and to teach a concept.

On Thursday, we had a Halloween party complete with playdough, snacks, crafts, stories and songs. The kids got to create their own costumes for a Halloween parade around the courtyard and we had a pinata full of goodies- I didn't really get any pictures of this day, but it was fun-fun-fun!

In saying that it was a marathon week, I mean it in many ways. As a family, we have been totally wiped out. (all of us sick with the flu and then me with a cold and Dan knee-deep in school) We had planned a busy week of activities for the kids and despite feeling yucky, couldn't help but stick to our commitments. (Too many fun things to do) In addition, we are all feeling a little mixed up with the time change. Dan went to bed at 7:00 tonight and the kids probably could have as well. (I kept them up, so they won't wake up at a rediculous time in the morning) Noelle had a blast with Halloween and is glad to check it off her list of holidays to get through before her birthday and Christmas. (Though we look forward to the November visits from Nana and Papa and all of the Shirleys/Hills/Hernandezes) Hope you all had a Happy Halloween- Thanksgiving here we come. (CRAZY-huh?)

I know that I talk about my kids alot, but I recognize that most of my faithful readers are grandparents or aunts and uncles to my children. I typically post with those readers in mind, though I love having friends stop by to check out our blog! With that in mind, let me tell you about my day. So, it was a migraine day. Nothing out of the ordinary, I get them alot so this is not a post for sympathy, but rather to give you a taste of what it is like living with Noelle. I was pretty much on the couch most of the day. I did manage to get Noelle bathed and dressed. (In pants and long sleeves) In the time that I was down, she filled the toilet with toilet paper, which required scooping out, as not to overflow. (Nauseated mom and digging out toilet paper-not a good combo!) Independence in the bathroom is fantastic and she gets really creative with the tools in the bathroom! (I know, you are thinking, "Where is her mother?" I repeat- I could not get off of the couch!) She dressed and undressed and dressed and redressed, probably 20 times! Nakedness is a thrill these days. The princess Halloween costume is even more thrilling. She is obsessed with her Barbie movie and goes around reciting it and singing all of the songs at the top of her lungs! The only way I could take a nap in peace was to turn this movie on. Since I was down today, it was particularly a concert day- she had me as a captive audience! When we went outside to play, she insisted on shorts and immediately kicked off her shoes to run free! She loves the feeling of mud in her toes and squishes and digs in the mud and will do so for hours! This is much preferred over the sand box. I am not a dirt person- it makes me crazy! She is so busy, but kept coming up and kissing me and asking if I had a headache.
I suppose as I go about my busy days, I do not take enough time to sit and watch her. It is funny how it took a day of feeling lousy to devote a day to Noelle. I just watched her all day thinking, "Where did my baby go and who is this creative and inquisitive little child?" The world is a playground to a two (almost three year old) and even on a day when mom is sick, can she find fun in the simple things that surround her! I'll just end on a funny quote, "Mom, why don't you go scrape your legs with the pen scraper in the shower?" Yup, you guessed it-shave my legs. I love this little girl! This is a day with Noelle!

On Monday, a friend and photographer neighbor (who usually charges for her time) treated us to a session at the Garden Park Ward Church here in Salt Lake. It was a beautiful morning and the grounds were gorgeous! If you are interested, you can view a sample of the pictures at http://www.photographybybrittany.com/. Click on her Blog link! Enjoy!

Check out the new snow boots- we learned quickly last weekend that we did not have appropriate attire for the snow. Nana and Papa to the rescue!

Oh, the relief of having a second parent home during the day, a back up and extra playmate for the kids. Dads are much more fun than moms! It has been a wonderful week off of school for Dan! His to-do list has been pushed aside all week by the kids pleadings to play and their needs eat, sleep, ect. (Is that what I do all day while he is at school? It's alot crazier than it appears) It truly is better to have 2 on 2 that 2 on 1, as is normally the case. Every day this week Noelle has watched Barbie Diamond Castle with Dan pretending to be the prince and Noelle the princess. Noelle dresses up in her princess attire and Dan dances her around the house to the Barbie soundtrack. They have been building blanket forts, having tea parties, watching football and sharing ice cream, playing on the play ground, reading together, playing play dough, etc. Can you see why his essay due on Monday is not yet completed? They have had so much fun together!

Well, today Dan took the kids to the zoo so that I could go to the temple. (AHHHH! What a nice break for me) They had a blast! The zoo is a long walk from our house. (up the street) To me, it is a driving destination, but Dan took the kids on a walk and they seemed to really enjoy it! Thought I'd share some pictures of the week. Never mind the messes in the backgrounds. I have really taken the week off of cleaning- we are all off schedule and in vacation-mode, which I think is necessary every once in awhile. I have decided to withhold the Sleeping Beauty pictures, as not to spoil the surprise of Halloween. She has not taken the costume off since Monday! Hope everyone is well! Update the posts everyone-love reading them!

I've wanted to comment on my experience to the Body Worlds Exhibit for a few days now.  My short response would be to all those who would like to see what a dead human body looks like is: don't go, save your money.  If you really want to see what a dissected human body looks like, hit up someone with a key to the cadaver lab at a local university.  If you're in the Salt Lake area, I'd be happy to show you the museum at the University of Utah.  It's ten times more real, and there are pretty much the same items for viewing.  So, what's so bad about the exhibit, you ask?  Here's my long answer: a few things.  First, the price.  $22 may not sound like much, but after looking at one dissected human body, you've pretty much seen it all.  Take your spouse out for a date instead.  Second, you can't touch anything!  I understand that it's art, and shouldn't be handled, but in order to gain the full experience you need to touch, probe, follow, slice, and dissect (I only paid a $10 lab fee to do all that!).  How can you appreciate the valves of the heart if you can't feel their texture and see how they allow unidirectional flow?  You couldn't even lean over the enclosed areas, which limited the view of some of the most important parts of the organ.  Third, I would question if some of the cadavers were actually real.  Recall, I spend 10+ hours a week hovered over my own cadaver at school.  These bodies are heavy!  Some of the positions the artist placed the cadavers in must have been either supported internally with rods or some device of the like, or just not real at all, perhaps some fabricated cast of a cadaver.  Fourth and finally (because I could go on for hours), the issue of preserving human dignity comes into question.  I appreciate art just as much as the next fellow, but I found it degrading to see these bodies in abnormal positions, with one body holding above his head his entire abdominal viscera.  Another time was when I saw a group of older ladies snickering at the sight of the cadavers penis.  Come on, really?!  I recall my undergraduate professor telling the class before we saw the cadavers to maintain upmost respect for the cadaver.  We weren't/aren't allowed to take pictures of the bodies we dissect, and for good reason: some people just aren't ready to see everything the body has to offer.  He was describing the ethics behind gross anatomy, which clearly isn't followed at the Body World's Exhibit.

This is the wagon that gets all of our groceries from the car to our apartment. See that stairwell- yup, we climb 3 flights of stairs!

Noelle-ready to play out in the snow before church!

Our playground is a little out of commission. This is our front yard. (Courtyard)

Noelle modeling her new winter hat and bathing suit. I have had to hide all summer clothes- that's all she wants to wear!

So, we are feeling like we have skipped a season! As the picture above demonstrates, we have jumped right from summer to winter! On Monday, we were in shorts and short sleeves and today it snowed! It is soooo cold! We feel like a couple of tourists- gawking at the snow, without any warm clothes in our wardrobes, and the only people in the court goofily playing around and throwing snowballs! Last night we did a late-night run to Target to get Noelle some church shoes (non-sandals). Noelle is struggling with the transition. We have been putting warm clothes on her, only to find her in her room each morning changed into shorts and flip-flops. This cold thing is going to take some getting used to! Someone at church this morning said they woke up and felt like it was Christmas. (Weird for October) We are really close to the canyons and I guess in the winter the deer come down and roam around our complex. Noelle keeps asking, "where are the deer???" She always overhears grownup conversations and relates them back in funny ways. She asked if the deers were going to poop on her playground and slide. (Oh the thoughts of a two-year old)

It's been a fun weekend. The university has next week off of school for a fall break-way fun! Dan does have some big assignments due upon returning back, but is eager to relax and have some fun with the kids. On Friday we went to Trolley Square and did dinner at the Hard Rock and Saturday we celebrated cousin Ruby's birthday at John and April's house. The Shirley cousins have really taken us in and invite us to all of their gatherings- it's so nice to be surrounded by family, being so far from all immediate family. I am hoping the weather will clear up for this week. We are scheduled to do family pictures tomorrow and would love to squeeze in some fall activities. (Pumpkin patch, etc.) None-the-less, it's great to have daddy home for the week! Sorry there aren't any pictures of Corom. He wasn't dressed for playing in the snow today!

The cold weather has finally decided to come! Everyone said it was coming, but boy it came quick! The forecast is calling for slight snow on Saturday-yikes! We spend so much time outside playing that I think I might go crazy when we can't spend our days on the playground. Last weekend it rained and we had our first taste of apartment-cabin fever! It has been a pretty uneventful week. Dan's school work is keeping him really busy. When he gets home we all attack him for attention. We are excited to spend time with him when we can-he's a trooper! Tonight we did a family night out- burritos and shopping (well roaming) around Sears and Shopko. We are looking for a hutch/pantry for our kitchen. No luck with our shopping, but it was a great dinner and a fun night with the kids! This is our life these days- carefree and low-key. Such a difference from my last 10 years- I love it!

So, we have a little girl at our house who is obsessed with princesses. (Thank you grandma for the Barbie movies) Every day it is, "Princess hair mommy!" which is one braid, not two! This morning I picked out a pants and tee shirt outfit for preschool. Nope, she wanted to wear a princess dress, so I put her in a cute little red jumper and did her hair in a fancy braid. She came in to show Dan and I the final accessories for her outfit- her anklets and shoes. She was ready to go to preschool. I couldn't stop laughing! This is classic Noelle- just a glimpse into the personality of this clever and creative child. Check out what she wanted to wear to school!

On Friday, Dan's parents flew in from Sacramento to visit for the weekend. Noelle was so excited-she and Dan had been marking off calendar days for weeks in anticipation. We had a really fun visit. The University Marriott Hotel is walking distance from our home-just next door to Dan's building. Noelle spent both nights there. (A treat for us and Noelle) On Friday, we went out to dinner with my aunt and uncle- John and April. On Saturday, we spent the day in Park City playing on all of the rides. Noelle loved the Merry-Go-Round and helicopters and even went on the Alpine slide with us. Dan, Richard and I rode on the Alpine Coaster- so much fun! Sunday, we went to the Red Butte Gardens and did dinner with all of the Shirley family. Such a nice weekend-we were sad to see them go home. Thought you might enjoy some of the highlights.

So, I on Saturday I went to the farmer's market in Sandy with my neighbor Ashley and her mom. We picked up 28 boxes of peaches. (Yup, almost $300 worth of peaches) You see, in Utah, this time of year is canning time! In fact, so many people are canning this week in Salt Lake, that they have declared that there are no more bottles of lemon juice for sale in the whole valley. It's a kick! So, this morning, we gathered in Ashley's apartment to start the tedious task of blanching (boiling), peeling, cutting and cooking the peaches. I personally made 12 bottles of pie filling and 12 bottles of canned yummies! They are gorgeous- I'd show you a picture, but am too tired to fuss with that right now! Fast forward 12 hours from start time and I still have a boiling pot on my stove and one more round to go. Exhausting as today has been, I am really glad to have learned a new skill and look forward to eating peaches for the next 10 years. (Okay, one year... we will do it again next September) Next week we are doing apples! Yum!

Every time we try to feed Corom solid food he clamps his lips together and looks at us like, "No way am I going to eat that!" The exception to this is cheerios. We have tried fruit (which sometimes he will eat), yogurt, squash, infant cereals, and other odds 'n' ends off of our plates. Any suggestions? And yes, he has a pink bib on- the hand-me-downs don't match his gender!

We spent the day yesterday at Wheeler Farm, a historic old farm that was converted into a public park/farm for families to tour. We went with some of the other moms and kids in our court. We loved looking at all of the animals- Noelle especially liked the chickens. We fed geese, toured an old barn, walked around and looked at all of the animals and had a picnic lunch. We wrapped up the day by letting the kids take a dip in the creek.

We sure had an adventure this morning worth noting. Last week in church they announced that we would be having stake conference in the the Conference Center. We knew it would be a large crowd, but assumed that it would be like most stake conferences that we've attended. So, we strolled down to our car around 9:20 (conference @ 10:00) and a neighbor says, "You won't get there in time by car." We raced down to the trax station to catch the train. (Running in heels with strollers, babies, diaper bags, etc.) We arrived to the center 15 minutes late only to find security check points, stroller check-ins and few seats left. By the time we hit our seats, we were all thinking, "Okay that was a lot of work." The conference center was packed! The events that followed were equally chaotic- a potty accident, a fussy baby and little time to listen to the speakers. What a treat it was when they announced the key-note speaker, President Monson! Here I was, complaining and griping about making such a difficult trip and I was actually surprised to be in presence of the prophet. How many stake conferences get to hear the prophet? We really live 3 miles from Temple Square and are able to hear the prophet on a normal Sunday! Noelle has been saying all day, "I saw the prophet!" How grateful I am for that dear man. He has such a sweet presence. Neither of us were able to give him our undivided attention as we juggled babies, but were both thrilled at the chance to be so close to a living prophet. It sure put my flustered mood in persective!

It's been a good week. I've just been busy watching kids. I still don't feel like we quite have a routine, but we're getting there. I try really hard to get Noelle out and playing during the day. We watched other kids 2 days this week and did preschool 2 days. Dan is really busy already with school, but manages to put on his happy face for us in the evenings. Most nights, he pushes his books aside and gives us all his attention. He has been enjoying the canyons around here on his bike. We've hosted families for dinner 2 nights this week and went out to dinner with another on Friday. We're really trying to get to know people around here. Corom isn't sleeping well, so most days I feel like the walking Zomby-Mama. It's like being on-duty 24 hours a day. Thank goodness he is so much fun- he melts my heart. That is why I continue to nurse him 4 times a night- because I like him so much. He and Noelle are really discovering how much fun it is to have a sibling. They laugh together, bathe together, play together and Corom thinks Noelle is hilarious. He is always chuckling at her. Good times! I really have to take time to remind myself that these children will not be babies forever and that I need to slow down and enjoy them-even though raising babies is difficult. Have a good week everyone!