ZUNIGA FAMILY

2011-06-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

2011-06-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

rockin her colors in spanish

2011-01-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Baylee Rockin Her ABC's (there's no J and K in her version!!!)

2011-01-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

November 2010

2010-11-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

My lil man - 5 1/2 months already!!!Baylee 2 1/2 years old already!!!

mommy and daddy...we don't need to mention our age!!!

we deal with a lot of this everyday :)

cutest girl ready for church

i'm still here

2010-11-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

i always wondered why people just stopped blogging...as you may have noticed i became one of "those" people a few months ago. in august our computer crashed. and it's taken until now to actually get a new one. slacker, i know. luckily the computer tech-ies said they would be able to transfer all our data from our old computer. phew. i still don't know how to get into word/excel/my pictures, etc...but, at least i'm back in the blogging world!!! my little man is 5 1/2 months old--crazy huh??? baylee's 2 1/2 and talking like crazy! she is one smart little girl. pics to come.

See You At The Club

2010-08-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

Pool and Family Time :)

2010-07-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Chillin at the pool with the cousins

2010-07-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

cutest newborn and newborn swimmer ever!!yes that is chocolate in her front teeth

cutest picture of all time (this is my niece Rachael - she was such a big help with the kids when she came down for brax's blessing - so good with the kids...thanks Rochee-ella!!)

my cutest nephews Ryan (holding Brax) and Reilly

the water is a bit chilly, that's why she's hanging on for dear life!

the whole gang

mmmmmm, the face of pure enjoyment (notice the chocolate cookie in hand)

she loooooves watermelon!

i looooooove this little man!

his first "real bath"

he did really good!

June 20th - Brax's Blessing Day

2010-06-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

My sister Jenn and her son Ryan

Grandma and Grandpa came down from Utah for the festivities

Not gonna lie, a little disappointed -- didn't get a picture of Brax in his blessing outfit or a family picture with the 4 of us :(

Lui did a great job blessing our little man

Brax Stafford Zuniga

It was great to have family here. Dad and Kaye drove down from Utah and Jenn and her 3 kids, Rachael, Ryan and Reilly also drove down from Utah. Yes, we had a bunch of U-tards in the house!!!

no title

2010-06-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

Brax with Tio I'm a Princess! Sarah and Baylee

sleeping at INO :)

Trip to INO

2010-06-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

B loves the grilled cheese from INO--every time we pull in the parking lot and she sees the building she goes "cheese cheese!"

D D D D D Dora

2010-06-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

just a really cute sleeping picture :)

at the doctors office this afternoon...we were waiting for the appt for my little man to get circumcised...poor little thing

Delivery Notes

2010-06-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

this is more-so a record for me so i can remember what happened... but feel free to read on if you'd like :)

730am 6/2/10 admitted to st. rose san martin hospital in las vegas, nv

8:30 i.v. started and very low dose of pitocin to start contractions. i'm at 4 cm.

1010 start feeling contractions more. nurse amanda asked me what my pain level was, which was wierd cause i wasn't really feeling any pain...just pressure. i told her 4 cause i wasn't really sure what to say! amanda got sent home, new nurse stephanie on duty.

1040 started prepping for epidural. i was very nervous at this point because of what happened with baylee--2 different epidurals that did nothing for me (except give me a spinal headache the day i had her, which resulted in a blood patch, which was also no fun). this time i asked lui to give me a blessing the night before we went into the hospital. it helped a lot, although i was still nervous.

1053 my hand is really cold! it's cuz of the fluids they're giving me through the i.v.

1105 lui is frozen in the room cause the air is so low. he had to go to the house to get his marshmellow jacket!

1115 3rd time i have to use the restroom since we got there this morning.

1130 finally got to go to the bathroom. the nurse has to unplug my i.v., blood pressure cuff etc in order for me to go, and she kept leaving the room!!! i thought i was gonna lose it all during those 10 steps to the bathroom!!!

1145 as dr. robison, anesthesiologist, started to prepare i almost broke down in tears. he told me afterwords "that was an easy epidural. i'm not sure why your body reacted that way last time." he then told me that in about 10 minutes my legs should start to feel tingly and warm, but that i should still be able to move them. sure enough, that's exactly what happened. i never felt that way with baylee. i get changed into a yellow gown and get a fun yellow bracelet :)

1205p dr. delozier gets there and checks me - 5 cm and 50-70% effaced. she breaks my water and thinks this will really speed things up. she heads back to her office across the street.

1215 nurse put in catheter

1220 can't really feel contractions anymore. take that back, i can feel them, but it doesn't hurt...hooray!

1250 i'm starving! but all i can eat is ice chips :(

1255 the nurse defines "active labor" as being dilated to 5cm or more...so i have now been in active labor for about an hour.

1330 something is happening. i told the nurse that and she asked what i was feeling. "like the epidural isn't working anymore and like i wanna push." she checked me and i was 10cm...ready to rock and roll! she told me not to push yet, just to let baby work his way down the birth canal by himself. that and they had to call the doctor!!

1400 really wanna push, am having to breathe through the contractions and concentrate on NOT pushing! it's hard. nurses have called the dr and they're setting up the room to have a baby!

1410 doc gets here and baby's ready to come.

1418 she says push, so i push. and out comes his head! when she said that i was like WHAT??!! she had me stop pushing so she could suck all the gunk out of his nose and mouth. i finished that last push and as i was pushing she said, "look down! open your eyes!" and when i did she was there holding my baby!!!! and he was peeing on her!!!! good job brax! ONE PUSH! as a side note, i've always wanted to be one of "those" moms who says, "oh yeah, i only had to push once." now i'm in the club!!!

8lbs 6 oz

19 in long

born at 1418 on 6/2/2010 (missed daddy's bday by 1 day!)

1730 i've gone to the bathroom once and that was quite the chore. my legs feel good. i had hospital food for dinner and it wasn't too bad--breaded chicken. jim and angel are on the way with the kids! they've been watching b for us while we're in the hospital. alicia said she's coming to visit too.

1800 jim and angel and the kids get there and it's chaos of course! but fun chaos :) brax does his first poop and angel volunteers to change the tar! baylee is more interested in playing with the balloon they brought me than seeing her little brother. she goes over to him a few times and says, "baby! baby!" but that's about it. she'll warm up to him :)

sarah loves kissing him...

it's been almost a week that he's been here on this earth. he is such a sweet little man. he's very mellow, he loves to eat!, we're still getting used to changing diapers with little boy parts, he's sleeping pretty good. i'm able to get about 5 hours sleep at night (broken up in 3 and 2 hours), so it's not too bad. on sunday i thought i noticed his skin and the whites of his eyes a little yellow. unfortunately the way our house is set up we didn't have any windows with direct sunlight to put him in. i called and talked to the pediatrician and she said i should supplment with some formula after my regular nursing routine. on monday we decided to take him in just to make sure he was ok and the dr said she was relieved when she walked in and saw him, cause she thought he looked just fine. that was good--i just needed that reassurance.

baylee is loving him. she needs to be reminded of course to be soft and not to poke and not to touch his face. but she loves to help me when i'm burping him and she'll throw away the dirty diapers for me in the diaper jeanie! she'll also hand me his clothes out of the basket when we're folding laundry. i've had to get after her a few times cuz she likes to sit in his chair or she'll go in his room when he's sleeping, but she'll learn...

we love having this little man in our family. it's different going somewhere and having to get 2 ready instead of just one. and get 2 loaded into the car instead of just one. and having twice as much stuff in the diaper bag now! we love you brax!

Day 1 at home

2010-06-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still getting used to changing a little boy bum. He only went through 4 outfits today! Actually, in the first 3 hours of coming home. He kept wizzin all over!

She's getting more used to him. Better than at the hospital when all she wanted to do was play with the balloon they brought me!

mmuuaaaaaaahhh!

love his little smile in this one

Brax is Here!!!

2010-06-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

i like this one cuz it means the epidural worked!

Angel changing the 1st tar diaper! Tio Jimbo there for moral support (and to hold the wipies)

officially dubbed "professional swaddler"

proud parents...oh wait, that's my baby!

Tio Jimbo

Big Sister - she was more intersted in playing with the "oh-woon" (balloon) that they brought us

Cousin Sar Sar loved smoochin on him

See?

Tia Loca

right after his first bath - so yummy!

hair color anyone???

daddy changing tar diaper #2

My little man

Dr. DeLozier - the woman that made it all happen (i'll post the delivery notes later)

More May Fun

2010-05-31T23:35:00.000-07:00

This is the book she's been carrying around with her for the last few days...hhhmmmmm

Getting ready for church on Sunday

these glasses belong to Mrs. Potato head...a little small, but she insists on wearing them!

she decided to go for a walk and dad had to go get her!

At the splash park with B

INO Company Picnic 2010

INO Picnic 2010

2010-05-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

We didn't think we would be able to go this year because of the closeness of my due date...but, we made it! Brax decided not to come out yet...

Brax's Room

2010-05-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Still waiting patiently for this little guy to come. Last Thurs at my dr.'s appt I was dilated to 3 cm and 50% effaced...I didn't think I was gonna make it through the weekend. Well, here it is Tues evening and I'm just wondering when this little guy is going to make his appearance. I feel pretty good still which is nice. I went to work yesterday and I'm planning on going the next few days as well. Friday should be my last day. I didn't go in last Fri and Sat and my assistant manager told all my associates that I was out already...when I showed up Monday morning for my shift they were all pretty suprised! I played a little joke on a few of them and told them I had the baby Sat. morning, and that I'm back to work. One of the girls even bought it!! It was purty funny.

Baylee's had a rough time going to sleep, whether it's for nap time or at night. She keeps coming out of her room. Like right now, it's 9:40 and she's laying in the hall with her blanket. Bless her heart, she'll probably fall asleep there if I don't go get her and put her in bed. Also, she still falls asleep on the floor. When we go in to check on her before we go to bed or if one of us gets home late from a closing shift, we'll find her on the floor with all her blankets as opposed to in her bed where we originally left her. Funny girl.

She's talking more and more these days - starting to put phrases and small sentences together. A few of my favorites that she says:

"More-gain?" (more again)

If I say, "We're almost home. Let's take a bath when we get home k?" She responds, "K..." but it's the little tone of voice that she says it in that's stinkin cute

"fwuh fwuh mommy" = love you mommy

A few things she loves:

Dora (still!)

grilled cheese from INO

to color

her Mrs. Potato Head (thanks Alicia!)

her bink (blanket)

going for walks

her cousin Sar Sar

to dance (esp to Lady GaGa)

singing

It's hard to believe she's already 2--my little peanut. She fills our home with joy and love and I'm so grateful that she's part of our family. She's gonna be a great big sister!

Cutest Girl and Her Pretties

2010-05-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Baylee Saving Herself in the Pool

2010-05-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Floor....again

2010-04-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Usually this happens at nap time, not bed time. I guess she wasn't that tired, cause she decided to "help mommy with the laundry."

"Not the Blender!!!"

2010-04-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

When we make her shake in the morning with banana, milk and cal-c-toce (mexican nesquik), we tell her to cover her ears and this is the face we get... !!!

INO funny car

2010-04-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's been 10 years since INO has sponsored a funny car, yet here we are--ready for the races in Vegas...

I think it's pretty darn cool that the driver is a woman! This is her, Melanie Troxel, with B, DJ, and Sarah

lovin cousins

kissin cousins (B going for the open mouth!)

this one's the best :)

Gettin Ready For Church

2010-04-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

(this one's my fav)

"you talkin to me?"

Getting Ready For Brax

2010-04-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes She Gets It...Sometimes She Doesn't...

2010-04-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

Utah Retreat

2010-04-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

Arriving at our weekend retreat getaway...quaint little individual cabins nestled in the snowy mountains of Ogden Canyon. It was beautiful!ours was named "Old Ketchican"

They bring breakfast to your cabin! french toast, oj, hot chocolate, pancakes, fruit and yogurt parfait, you name it!

The Alaskan Inn

it was a bit chilly outside! (i'm 32 weeks here-can ya tell?)

i'm very surprised he was even smiling in this picture. he thought he was gonna die, it was so cold!!!!!

every time we passed this bear i asked him to take a picture....he finally gave in

After the retreat was over, we headed to dad and Kaye's house in Lehi.

The lunch/easter egg hunt was fun and yum! this is brock, one of kaye's grandkids. he was diggin the sliders!don't look very appetizing, but boy were they yummy!

the frenzy before the flight!

aaawwww

just chillin, enjoying the festivities

March Happenings...

2010-04-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our March consisted of.....

Lounging around watching "woah-wah" and "gay-go"

Any guesses???

Lui and i celebrating our 1st 5 years of marriage (dinner and a movie)

walks with daddy during the day, when mommy's at work

Fun blast from the past! Emily (left) was my trainer when i got to brasil for my mission. Patricia (right) was one of the girls in my 1st area that was baptized. She came to the US to visit for a few weeks and they came down and stayed with us for the weekend! It was crazy to see Patricia after almost 12 years - wish my portuguese was as good as it used to be...
dinner at Hamada of Japan - our chef, Ryan. he was great!

lunch at hard rock

transistioning B into her big girl bed. which i am happy to say only took a week before she wouldn't cry, come out of her room, etc...not bad eh?

(nap time is still a little tricky i'm not gonna lie)

still getting ready for baby boy brax to come. i'm starting to enter into that oh-so-fun uncomfortable stage... we went and picked out bedding for his room and a few decorations. we still need a changing table/dresser, then just a few odds and ends...can't wait for my little guy to get here!!!

Just realized...

2010-03-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

i haven't posted any pics from the funeral a month ago...

on our way to utah for Grandma Fern's funeral. she passed away a few days before her 80th bday.
me and my papa

she played with tio matt all weekend long!

nice jim

see what i mean???

chris and his family

my cute older brother and his cute wife kory more fun with tio matt!

she loves her tio Jimbo too cuz he throws her like a rocket in the sky!!!

watching cousin sar sar get thrown like a rocket!

my turn again!

lovin the theater at grandma kaye's house

popcorn check. soda check. cousins check. movie check.

you steal my camera and take pictures? you go on my blog.

Baylee loves her cousin Emily

Meow

"a guh"

cousin gauge

lots of cousins! Gunner, Reilly, Ryan

Chris's family (check out gauge's face!) loves loves loves the carousel

tio jim was playing with his little guy dj, and b wanted in on the action

Chris's little guy gauge fell asleep on him like this in the theater!

Random Fun-ness -- Past Few Months

2010-02-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

(notice the scrunchie on he wrist! ha!)

she goes down the slide all by herself now!

she's the big helper girl

She loves to wash her hands (hope it's not a future sign of ocd...)

This was Lui and I at the INO kick off dinner at the Disneyland Hotel
my friend Karla had her little boy, sebastian

still loves bath time

saying "cheese" for the camera

My little girl isn't so little anymore :(

Grandma and Grandpa came to do taxes in vegas...so we got to go to lunch!

I made my dad a deck of cards with all his wedding pics on it! He loved it she was diggin the orange jarritos!

told ya...

taken last sun at church...one of the other red heads in our nursery class, everly!

From My Sweetie

2010-02-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

Thank you Baby! I love you!

(ps not your traditional red roses--they were "bred" in france-cool eh?)

(and he made me breakfast in bed on Sat morn!)

Movie Night #2!!

2010-01-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

The new look - after piggies in all day! She loves her Tia Angel

Adn cousin Sar Sar

Lots more kisses!

Both of them enjoying Ice Age (lasted about 20 minutes!)

Cousins playing ring around the rosie

Baby dude getting his army crawl on

It's A ...... !!!!

2010-01-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

BOY!!!!

Sunday Best

2010-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

Cutest outfit my mother-in-law gave B for Christmas...she wore it to stake conference last week

We played the matching game - all pink and black! (Lui of course had zero pink on him--it was just black)

Movie Night at Auntie Angel's

2010-01-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

Baylee - "gotta get to my chocolate at the bottom of this dang bag!"

Sarah - "hi tia, just chillin, gettin ready for the movie"

DJ - "these peanut butter m n m's are nummers!"

DJ - the only coorperative one looking at the camera. (I even used red eye reduction--what's up with that?)

Notice B dumped out all her popcorn on her lap in order to get to the chocolates at the bottom! And Angel trying to get Sarah to stop stealing B's chocolates!

After the chocolate fest

No, she is not in a chocolate-induced coma--I cut her off early into the movie! (this is after the "no-nap-day")

as a side note...i wondering recently where the heck all her socks had gone...hmmmm.....

2010

2010-01-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Baylee, DJ, and Sarah--cousins partyin on NYE... Sis-in-law, Angel (so happy they live so close to us!!!)

They stole my camera...and played kissy face! And fart face...

Auntie Angel reading a story

Grandpa and Grandma got these cute little picnic tables for the girls---they love em!

Jimbo super tired after all the new year's festivities (which consisted of staying up late, watching a movie, getting tipsy on Martinelli's Fine Apple Cider, counting how many times the news anchor from channel 8 rearranged her scarf, watching the fireworks from the bedroom window, finishing the movie, and then crashing)

Caprisun time!

We walked in on this...what should have been nap time. Should've known better putting the 2 girls in the same room for naps. Sarah got out of her bed and gave all the toys to B ...

K, time to put all the toys away and go nie nie

Super tired Sarah that didn't want to go to her room for nap time...

Cupcakes on a Sat afternoon...what's better!!!

And that was our new year's!

2009-12-28T22:34:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure i felt baby for the first time tonight!

Pobrecita...

2009-12-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

Disneyland Again!!!!

2009-12-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

My boss, Larry, took all the Store Managers to Disneyland for the day. Representing 3 Vegas stores, Laughlin, Lake Havasu and Kingman Larry

Larry and wife Cassie in the Haunted Mansion

Devo, Slane, Sergio, Lisa

You can't really tell but they're soaking wet from Splash Mountain. Glad I didn't (couldn't) go!

Lunch in New Orleans Thunder Mountain

Hi Larry!!

Grandma brought a new DVD from Mexico for Baylee. She sat with daddy and watched the whole thing!

Gotta love those Mexican DVD's!

Things Baylee does lately:

she loves to say NO (much to the dismay of her mom)
she says hi and bye to everyone around her. At church she'll stand at the door and say bye to everyone as they leave!
she loves to drink Cal-c-Tose in the morning (mexican version of Ovaltine!)
she says lots of words: baby, ball, peez (please), tayn too (thank you), cereal, book (and does the sign with it)
she understands more everyday and is very smart
at night when we put her to bed we say prayers-she folds her arms and closes her eyes (and keeps them closed now!) and says "Men!" at the end
she has to be covered up with 3 blankets before she'll go to sleep
she rarely sits in her high chair to eat anymore-she wants to sit in the big girl chair (we still need to get her a booster seat)
her molars are coming in, but she still doesn't have all her baby teeth in
she loves to sing and dance
her hair is growing and I'm wondering when i'm going to have to cut it :(
if she's hungry she'll grab your finger and take you to the fridge
she calls her juice in her sippy cup "ah-guh"
she loves Gloria, the woman from our ward that watches her when our shifts overlap

And probably most exciting of all....

she's super excited to be a big sister!!!! (yes, we're preggo-I'm due may 31!!)

A Trip to Mickey's House!!

2009-12-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

Our INO Christmas party was on Sat night, Dec 5th. The theme was masquerade ball--we got our masks online before we went. Cool eh?

Best picture EVER! she was NOT a happy camper when we woke her up early sun morn to head to the park!

She puckers her little lips and goes, "mmmmmm...." when she gives kisses. it's the best!

this is how she spent most of the rides...her little mitten hands covering her eyes!

lui and i just laughing....ha!

dumbo!!!

into the mouth of the whale...

NOT a fan of the characters...

even poor little donald!

NOT a fan of santa either!

she crashed around noon for about an hour...all snuggly wuggly

love this pic

Family Pictures 2009

2009-11-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Family Pics!

2009-11-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

click here to see family pics!

Getting Jiggy Wid It!

2009-10-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of Baylee's favorite things....I wonder who she gets it from....

Fall Festival and Ryan's party

2009-10-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

This girl LOVES to dance. When she hears the music her hips start movin, her hands go up and she gets down!! Check out the hair!

She loves dancing with daddy!

and loves huggin on momma...

Other Fun Stuff...

2009-10-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Some other fun stuff we've been up to the last few months...meeting up with good friends from high school, Heidi and her cute baby girl Brielle

going to the pool at the flamingo only to find it closed :(

discovering new ways to eat trix!

a special day...i'll tell you why later...

hanging out with cousins looking at the airplanes

playing at the park

Better Late Than Never!!!

2009-10-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Her 2nd airplane ride! On our way to Utah for my dad's wedding

My brother Matt, me and dad

Flyin high! My little bro Jimbo sending his daughter Sarah to outer space...

Sweet cousins

Angry cousins???

the bachelorette party at bucca di peppo

Aunt Nancy, Aunt Janie, me, my sis Jenn and sis-in-law Angel

nephew Ryan with the girls

so excited they can hardly stand it. kaye was literally jumping up and down in this pic

mmmmmmmwah!

all the siblings--Matt, Jenn, me, Chris and Jim (this is the 1st time we had all been together since mom's funeral...ironic

Jimbo, Sarah, Angel, DJ

Uncle Boo and Baylee

"i'm tired mommy, i don't wanna go on the plane..."

ok, i'm better now! Bye!!

The Wedding Shop

2009-09-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

Isn't my dad a handsome man?Jennifer
Matt Chris
Me

Matt, me, Jenn, Chris

My mom and Dad had a wedding shop when we were kids. It was called The Two Of You. My dad did the photography and mom did the cakes, decorations, etc. They loved that shop and were devastated when everything was destroyed in the Teton Dam flood. In these pictures though, my mom was behind the lens. She did a great job huh?! My little bro Jim had to be in mom's tummy, so he's the only kid not in the pics.

Daddy and Baylee

2009-09-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

From the pool....

To church.....

She sure loves her daddy. Doesn't it just make your heart melt?

INO FUN!!

2009-09-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is Esther. She's a senior this year and works for me at INO. She's a star associate--always on time, will come in on her day off if I need her, very funny, very good with the customers--just a great girl. A few weeks ago I told her that I wanted a picture of her leaving for the first day of school. I was having the worst day at work when I looked at my phone and it indicated I had new picture mail. She sent me this photo and brightened my day. Esther, you make me laugh girl.

This is Jeff, one of my shift managers--he's a goofball. The associates love him cause he's funny, gets everyone excited to be at work and runs a great shift. A customer left his hat on one of the tables in the dining room, so we had it in the office in case he came back. Well, Jeff was finishing up the afternoon stuff and decided to wear it. What a goof!

Happy Birthday 221!!! A little late I know, but on Aug 28th we celebrated our year mark of being open. My Assistant Manager Alicia found this cake at Wal-Mart....yes, it is a cake! Cool huh???

Memories from the Mission

2009-09-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ready for this? These next 3 pictures are from 1998 when I was on my mission in Brasil. My trainer, Sis Oz recently went back to visit and she brought great news with her. These wonderful people that we taught are still strong in the Gospel and have been sealed in the temple. Oh how marvelous the work!

Julio, Maria Sebastiana, Joel holding Jasmin and Veronica

Rodrigo, Marcelo, Julio, Maria, Veronica, Joel, me, Sis Oz

(this was Julio's baptism)

Me, Sis Oz, Tiago, Maria, Julio, Elder Hopkin, Veronica, Joel, E. Johnston

(this was Maria's baptism a few months later. She took a little

longer to grasp the Gospel, but when she did, it was pretty

amazing that her husband, Julio, got to baptize her!)

Ok, so the following exerpt I took off Emily's blog (hope you don't mind Em!). She was my senior companion when we were serving in Grajau and met Binho, Julio, Neide and the others. She and I taught Julio and his wife. What amazing memories came alive when I read this post on her blog. I literally had tears streaming down my face while reading this. I haven't heard about how these people were doing for over 10 years and it's absolutely incredible to know that they are still strong in the Gospel. Here you go!

"Here we finally are in Cocaia. The reason for the visit. I received an email from Binho that sparked this whole visit. This is Binho with his wife Julianne on the left and a friend Neide on the right. His mom has lived across from our church for over 20 years. He invited some of the people we taught and other friends to have lunch before church at his mom's house. As we drove by I looked out the car window and tears came flooding as I saw him on the street in his suit. I didn't even recognize Robeiro who was standing next to him. I had never seen him in a suit either.

This is Julio, Sebastiana and his son. We first met Julio in a bar on a Sunday night as we were calling in our numbers. He had one too many drinks to carry on a conversation so it didn't go to far. The next day he happened to be outside his house as we walked by. The spirit stopped us and told us to turn around and go give him a Book of Mormon. To our surprise when we were returning home that evening he had already read 20-30 pages and was ready to discuss. We taught he and his wife and his brother and sister-in-law. His wife was not interested and was a practicing Catholic. She pulled us aside to tell us that he was only listening because we were beautiful and he would be back to drinking any day. To her surprise he committed fully to the gospel and was baptized. A few months later Elder Hopkin came into the area and taught his wife and Julio was able to baptize her a member of the church. They have since been sealed. He jokes he is a lucky man to have been married 3 times. Once in the Catholic church, once in the Mormon Church, and once in the temple.

Roberio was such a big surprise. We met his wife contacting on a bus. We taught them the discussions and worked through their doubts. The spirit was so strong during some our visits. Roberio shared that he can still remember the song we sang when we gave the first discussion. He said that we sang, "Families Can Be Together Forever". I remembered that night sitting around their kitchen table. It broke my heart because he told me that a few years later his wife wanted nothing to do with the church and it led to a divorce. The message and promise of families being together forever was his primary motivation for joining the church so I was truly sad for them. At the same time, I was so grateful and proud of him for developing his testimony and living the gospel.

I regret I didn't get a picture of Felix and his wife. Neide is Felix's daughter. He had been a member of the Assembly of God for 14 years. His children had all joined the church and he had been taking the discussions in Cidade D'Outra from Elder Erickson. Sister Williamson and I took over on the 4th-6th discussion. The 5th discussion had about 35 members attending. We were a little nervous as we only had a few months experience in Brazil. He joined the church and just recently met a woman and was married in the temple. It was wonderful to see him again and meet her briefly. He sent his love to Sister Williamson."

Thanks Sis Oz for sharing your experiences from Brasil!

I Never Knew What A Root Canal Was...Til Yesterday When I Had To Get One...

2009-09-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Not very fun I might add. My appointment was at 1:30pm and after arriving 10 minutes early was seated in the chair right at 1:30. Ok, so far so good. Well, that was about as good as it got. Ok, the movie Twilight was good too. (They let you choose a movie from their collection of about 50, so you can watch during your procedure). The reason I even went to the dentist you ask...I chipped my tooth on Wed at work :( Anywho, doc said she'll probably have to do an "overlay" (partial crown for those like me who have no idea what an "overlay" is--I know you know Mandy!) That is UNLESS the cavity has grown deeper into to the tooth, then a root canal would be the result. But she wouldn't know that til she was in there. Well, 2 hours later she has made her diagnosis. Cavity = super deep = root canal. I call work, I'm not going in tonight--sorry, have to get a root canal. After a lot of this:
shots of anesthesia
slobber
drilling
taking molds of my teeth
talking to the insurance lady
watching the sexy Edward...

I was out of that uncomfortable chair at 7:00pm.... yes you calculated correctly... 5 1/2 hours!!!

I wasn't asking to know what a root canal was either...

Super Crafty Friends...

2009-09-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

K, so I'm always so envious of people I know that can create pretty stuff...Grace has a way fun blog and she's doing a giveaway of these baby hair clips she made. Of course telling you all lessens my chances, but what the heck--they're super cute right!! Go check it out!!!

Random Summer Pics

2009-08-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

These were all pics from over the summer that I recently downloaded from my phone. She really did have more fun on the carousel than her face portrays. No caption necessary

Does this look comfortable? I think not...

This month alone she's already sent 5,000 texts!!! (joking) Look at that concentration

Sleepy head, red head just getting up from nap time

A Trip to the Spray Park

2009-08-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

She was a little scared at first. I'm not sure if it was because of the water or the rowdy family next to us that kept spraying water all over!!!

She quickly warmed up to the fact that the water wasn't going to hurt her...and that it was actually fun!!

She could hardly contain herself there towards the end...

Winter Clothes Test Part 1 and 2

2009-08-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Fully dressed in a long sleeved shirt, a hoodie, jeans, socks, sneakers, and a regular diaper (not a swim diaper), Nancy pushes Baylee to excel. The test is harder than anything Baylee will ever endure in real lfe, but she has to make sure she's ready to make it on her own. I think she looks pretty darn good myself!! (not being biased of course!)

Thanks Nancy for everything!! You have definitely given me peace of mind with the skills you have taught my daughter.

I Tot I Taw A Pooty Tat!!!

2009-08-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

She passed!!!

2009-08-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Baylee passed her summer clothes test!!! When the instructor feels the child is ready to test (it's usually during the 6th week), they come to their lesson dressed in summer clothes and sandals. And this is what they test in. The reason being that if a child falls into a pool, they're most likely not going to have a swim suit on--they're going to be fully dressed. (The 2nd part of her testing involves a winter clothes test--long sleeved shirt, jeans and sneakers.) There are 7 different video clips from her entire lesson (about 15 minutes worth). Nancy, the instructor, tells us what she's doing with the child and why. It's pretty fascinating how Baylee handles it all...cool and collected. She does really well.

P.S. She cried when we took her out of the pool cause her lesson was over!

My Studly Little Marine Bro...

2009-08-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

Caution...this 1st picture may be offensive to some...It's just funny to me! (it's soooo Jimbo)

far left

Thank you to the men and women of this country who serve and fight for us.

Reminiscing...

2009-08-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

The girl on the far left kinda looks like me eh? It's my mom when she was a girl. I looked exactly like that when I was that same age. (her mom Fern, dad Larry and brother Greg) Cutest parents ever. I miss you so much mom...

And who are these manly men? Why, my father and brothers of course!

My bro Matt on the left a long time ago...

Jerry (friend) and my 2 bros Jim and Chris eating at INO!

One More Year Down, Another Many To Come...

2009-08-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sweet and cute...

Crazy and wild!!!

She's so good--she folds her arms when you tell her to

Romantical walk on the beach...

She was showing me her rock she found

We put her in these clothes originally to keep her covered and out of the sun and water, but to no avail. She wasn't having any of that. Needless to say I didn't put a swim diaper on her and if you're a mother you probably know that regular diapers can hold a lot of "stuff." In this case, lake water! (I'm glad that's all it was!!!)

Getting out is always the fun part. Luckily we had Lui with the help of Baylee's sand shovel to help dig us out...

Oh, and a couple big trucks...

The End! See You Next Year!!!!

Would You Like S'more?

2009-08-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

But how can I have s'more if I haven't had any yet???!!!

Baylee liked to wake up super early. Tia Rachel was 1/2 asleep while feeding her banana :)

How cute are we???

She loves to play in the sand with daddy!

Getting Ready for a SeaDoo Ride!

2009-08-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe she fell asleep!

2009-08-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is our camp--very classy :) Dad and Kaye before an early morning sea doo ride

We filled this bucket with water and put it in the shade so she would be out of the sun--she was lovin it!

2009-08-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

2 legit...2 legit to quit...hey hey!!!

Playing in the sand with daddy

Lake Powell - Day 1

2009-08-06T11:02:00.001-07:00

Our rig

Baylee, mom and cousin Rachel playing in the water

My poor little albino baby had to be covered at all times with this big hat!

She was so tired - she fell asleep in grandpa's arms

Dad and his fiancee, Kaye

Week 5 of Lessons

2009-07-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

Can you believe my little girl swimming??? Me either. I've referred the instructor Nancy to about 10 people...I think this whole process is pretty amazing. Lemme know if you want any information.

After 13 classes at the pool...this is what you get

2009-07-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Listen to Baylee right after I finish talking about how she used to drink the water and kindof choke on it cause she wouldn't wait to breathe....

Tender Mercies

2009-07-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Baylee,

We just had a special experience and I wanted to share it with you. It was bed time and I decided to sing you a few primary songs. You were laying on my shoulder as I sang I'm Trying to be Like Jesus. After that song was over I started I Am a Child of God. When I was done with the first verse, you sat up and looked at me, put both your little hands on each one of my cheeks and smiled. I told you that I love you and you nodded. You have such a precious spirit and I'm so grateful you have been sent to our home. I love you Baylee.

Love, Mom

I Have a Few Tricks Up My Sleeve...

2009-06-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, quick explanation of the tricks to come:

#1 "Show me your toofins" = show me your teeth

#2 Ojitos = ojo (pronunciation - oh ho) is eye in spanish and when they say ojitos direct translation is small eyes, but the kids will just squeeze their eyes shut--it's way cute

#3 What does the indian say? = pretty self explanatory

#4 Fishy fishy = supposed to do a fish face, but we're still working on that one

#5 Wave bye bye = once again, self explanatory

This girl is pretty darn smart I think!

I'm Not Gonna Lie...

2009-06-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

It's not easy watching her do these classes. But it's all gonna be worth it in the end... Tonight was her 2nd class--she did great. She's gonna be the big swimmer girl.

Stay tuned....

I'm So Excited!!!!!

2009-06-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is what Baylee is starting next Monday....I met Nancy, the Director of the school, at INO the other day. She's super nice and I can't wait for Baylee to start!!!!

http://www.dolphinbabiesswimschool.com/

My Brand New Nephew--DJ!

2009-06-09T21:19:00.001-07:00

This is my lil bro Jimbo, or as his wife Angel calls him, "McDreamy" Poor little guy didn't want to come out and play...have you ever heard of using the vaccuum on a c-section??? Me either!!! (his face says it all huh?)

Daniel James Larsen

Proud dad

And sweet big sis

Going to the Pool

2009-06-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

I don't wanna go home mommy!

Keeping warm with Karla

In this picture she's just like her dad, "Don't take any more pictures of me!!!"

Notice her mouth in the next 2 pictures

Check out my new swimmer mom!

2009-05-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

My little brother was asked to write an exerpt for the Southwest Airlines Employee web-site in honor of Memorial Day. It makes me proud to call him my brother.

What will you be doing on Memorial Day?Posted on 05/20/2009 - 01:41 PM by GO VR Moderator

Jimbo Larsen, Employee Resources Specialist

Furniture sales, deep mattress discounts, red tag events at car dealerships, barbeques…all Memorial Day festivities. When was the last time you went to a parade? A cemetery? A ceremony? Many have wandered from the true meaning of the day.
Memorial Day has one purpose and one purpose alone: to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in the service of their country, specifically those who perished at the hands of the enemy.
As a young child, my mother always taught me to stand up when the flag marched by at parades. At Gilbert Elementary, we said the Pledge of Allegiance, sang a patriotic song, and prayed every day when school started. I believe these values and practices are what engrained in me the desire to serve this great Nation. Shortly after 9/11, I answered the call that had been in my heart many years and enlisted in the US Marines. I had a great career going with SWA and didn’t want to give that up so I joined the reserves. The one weekend a month, two weeks a year requirement became a thing of the past with the onset of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have served two tours in Iraq—one in 2003 and one in 2006.
During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I served in an infantry company that saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war. While our platoon was very blessed and lost no one, our company sustained several losses. I will never forget as long as I live what it felt like to carry that zipped up black vinyl bag. I remember thinking how strange it was that the bag was so heavy. That heavy weight tugs at my memories some nights when I can’t sleep. I will never forget the prayers that were offered on behalf of the fallen men, and more importantly, their families. My heart aches for them.
In 2004 in Tucson, I was on a burial detail for a Marine who was killed in the line of duty in Iraq. There was a HUGE outpouring of love from the community and the number of people that attended that solemn ceremony was in the thousands. I remember vividly his pregnant wife accepting the folded flag and the 21-gun salute that startled everyone. That sound echoes in my memory every time I see a flag-draped casket.
There are many who join, fewer that fight, and fewer yet who are taken from us in the line of duty. It is in their honor that we don’t work on Memorial Day. It is in their honor that we fly the flag at half mast until noon. It is in their honor that we observe the National Moment of Remembrance at 1500 local time wherever we are.
It is not a day to thank Veterans; we have that one in November. It is not a day to thank families or living servicemen. It is a day to honor those who fought and died in the service of our Country.
As General George S. Patton, Jr. stated, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”
What will you do on Monday? I know what I will do. I will remember.

At the park with Tia Loca and Rocco

2009-05-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

My BF Comes To Visit (without even telling me!!)

2009-05-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my bf who I haven't seen in forevra showed up at my store to surprise me, yet she's the one who got the surprise--I wasn't even working! But we eventually hooked up and spent a day or so together. It was so fun to see her again and the kids...

Fun at the Park with the McIntyre's

2009-05-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

2009-05-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Birthday Girl!

Gloria, our babysitter

Sabrina, Ashley, Jess (and all the kids)

Just one picture ok?

I told you...only one!!!

Karla and Baylee Mingling and eating pizza

Baylee, Karla, Alicia, Mommy

She was gettin crazy with the Dora pinata...

Notice the plastic hangy thingy the rope goes thru to hold Dora up.... Well, it broke. We had to improvise.

Lui was very in to making Dora fly :)

Sorry Dora...

"I got one Mommy!"

Headless Dora...sorry Dora!!!

Lui's caption to this picture is "ET phone home..."

Happy Birthday Dear Baylee....Happy Birthday To You!!

Yummy frosting!

My good friend Karla that I work with made this...isn't it sweet?

She was pooped after the days festivities

We went and got pics today

2009-05-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

Love the naked bum!

I'm so big! I'm one!

They turned out so cute. I just love these few with daddy!

Mama--let's go see daddy at work!

2009-04-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Mom, why are you taking pictures when we could be eating burgers right now???

Hey, you with the red apron--did you call my number yet???Finally I get my burger! (well, just bread really...)Daddy, do you want to share some of my bread?I'm tired mom. Let's go home.

Check This Out...Baylee Walks!!!

2009-04-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sad that Lui missed it, but am so glad I could share it with our wonderful friends, the McIntyre's. Thanks Bob for making my little girl laugh and thanks Lisa for making her chicken noodle soup! You guys really are wonderful. Love you

So What Do You Think?

2009-04-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Birthday Celebrations

2009-04-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

Because my birthday fell on a Sunday this year, we celebrated the day after. We went to the buffet at the new M Casino (pretty good I might add). Then that night Lui took me to see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. It was marvelous. I've seen it twice before, once in London and once in LA, but it's been so long I barely remembered it! It was only a 95 minute show with no intermission so they cut a lot out, but it was still really good. Lui even liked it! Also, there's a couple in our ward that are actually in it, so the whole time I was trying to spot them! Hey, where's my pantalones???? Can you believe daddy depantsed me in front of all those people!!
Ok, I forgive you--you let me ride on your shoulders...

Happy Easter/Birthday!

2009-04-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

We are very fortunate to have a wonderful babysitter for Baylee when our shifts overlap for work. Her name is Gloria and she's in our ward. She and her family invited us over on Sunday for a bbq and to go to the park to hide eggs for the kids. We had a lot of fun. Baylee was playing and walking at Gloria's house so much that when the time came for the easter egg hunt, she crashed! She woke up just in time though to find a few eggs of her own.

This is GloriaOne of the eggs had bubbles in it! Baylee girl loved that! Unless you're Mexican you probably don't know what's all over our heads and in our hair and all over our clothes. It's confetti! Starting at the beginning of the year, Gloria would start collecting the egg shells. Whenever they would have eggs for breakfast or french toast, she would carefully crack the shell and only open up a small hole in the top of the egg. She would rinse it out, let it dry, and after about a million eggs (or so it seemed!) she fills them with confetti, puts a piece of thin tissue paper over the hole and glues it down. Then the tradition is to crack them on the heads of others! It was good times--as you can tell Baylee even got in on the fun!

All She Wants To Do Is Walk!

2009-04-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

I posted a video a week or so ago showing how she gets so mad when you stop walking with her! She gets so angry! Leticia (sis-in-law) went with us to lunch last week to Claim Jumper at Town Square--they have this park area and that's all she wanted to do..walk walk walk! Boy are we gonna be in trouble when she starts doing it without holding on to our finger!!!

Dominican Republic Recap

2009-04-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is the airport--cool eh?

After about 15 hours of travel...

Lui had to have a coconut! This guy that sold it to us (for 5 bucks!)--his name was Marcos, and i must say he was quite a salesman! (He got Lui for $5 didn't he?)

The Grand BuffetThe "not-so-hot" hot tub. Yeah, it wasn't even warm...

Lui was very pensive this particular day...On our way to a day excursion to Saona Island. On the way there-a catamaran ride. At the island, a buffet lunch of chicken, potatoes, fruit, all you can drink soda, lots of hanging out and getting burned :) On the way back-a speed boat ride with a driver that looks like he's 12. A stop at the sandbar to see the starfish, then back to the hotel. Long day, but fun.This is the guy they called the "paparazzi." He filmed the whole trip, then they sold it to you on a DVD. (we didn't buy it) This guy was funny though. On the island hangin outOur 12 year old boat driver

This sandbar was in the middle of the ocean and as you can see we're in water up to our chest. Notice the people in the back with their drinks in hand. The whole day it was all you can drink (soda and alcohol...let's just say we were pretty much the only ones drinking soda!)We were standing in the make-your-own-omelette line and we saw this guy making what we thought were tortillas for lunch time. Turns out it was the pizza crust! Lui was looking very forward to those "tortillas."This was our bombin omelette guy, Felix. He was there every morning of our stay and on our second to the last day (Saturday), I asked him when his day off was and he said, "Next Sunday." He lived at the hotel when he worked, and went home to his wife and 4 kids when he was done. Crazy. He was great. A shot of our hotel from the courtyard.Talk about a room with a view. Yes, that's another hotel being built right next to us. And that is our view from our room. This is our entire flight in line at the ticket counter in the dominican. We were supposed to leave on Sunday night but our flight got cancelled due to a mechanical problem. They put us up in a hotel Sunday night and this is what we got to deal with in the morning. When we got to the counter the agent was having a hard time finding a connection from Miami to Vegas, and I told him to keep looking. Another agent got on the computer and finally found us 2 seats--one in first class and the other in coach. Guess which seat I got...hee hee. Finally boarding the flight---on my way home to see my baby girl. Man, it was hard being away from her that long.

Biggest Girl

2009-03-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

This is Madeline and Baylee taking a walk around the front room. This two-handed-hold is pretty rare now-a-days. She likes to only hold on to one hand (or finger rather)

She's a happy girl--wait til you see what she does when you stop walking with her...

Don't mind the sideways-ness of the camera at the beginning--not quite sure what I was doing. Her reaction at the end is what we're looking for..what is she going to do when daddy gets a crick in his back from leaning over for so long and then puts her down??? ......

Greetings from the Dominican!

2009-03-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the D.R. It's a little rainy outside but so far it has been a fantastic trip. Tomorrow we're going on an excursion that takes us on a catamaran ride to an island and there we have lunch and then we stop at a sand bar in the middle of the ocean to swim! The hotel is nice, the beach is great and I already got burned! Oops!

Countdown to Dominican!

2009-03-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Lui's mom gets here tonight and tomorrow night we leave for the Dominican Republic! His mom and sister Leticia deserve a big thanks in advance for watching Baylee this upcoming week. We are very grateful. I'm so excited for a break and a getaway with the hubby (although I will miss my little girl something fierce).

I spoke in sacrament meeting today on families. I got several compliments after so hopefully someone got something out of it. I enjoyed doing it. (hope the bishop isn't reading this!)

I'll take lots of pics-don't worry. Signing off for now :)

Dinner With Dad

2009-03-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

My dad came into town on Monday with Kaye. That night we went out to this fancy restaurant called Lawry's-a pretty amazing steakhouse that features prime rib. It was yummy!

This is dad and his sweetheart, Kaye. They've been seeing each other for 5 months. Pretty cute couple huh?

Another Cold

2009-03-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

At the end of February Baylee got a little cold. This is her not feeling very good.

(if i had 5 bucks for everytime anyone said, "Look at that red hair!" I would be a rich lady. Isn't her hair awesome?)

Dominican Republic Here We Come!

2009-03-04T00:13:00.000-08:00

A Rundown...

2009-02-20T13:08:00.001-08:00

So here's what we've been doing for the past month or so...

Grandma Lupita, Sis-in-Law Teresa and Cousin Jalim came to visit from Mexico! Jalim and Baylee had loads of fun!

Momma and her baby girl

The whole gang

Can I get some ketchup please???

Yes, this is my new favorite way to sleep. Notice her hand in between the bumper and the mattress--precious!Baylee and I went to Idaho for my Uncle Steve's funeral. It was here 1st time on a plane and she did so good! We flew to SLC where dad picked us up and then we drove up to ID. It was a wonderful celebration of his life and great to see family and cousins I haven't seen for years.Hugs from cousins!
We also got to go and visit Aunt Nancy (my mom's sister) and Grandma Fern (my mom's mom). Baylee got to meet her great grandma for the 1st time!
Uncle Jim had a layover in Vegas so we went out to dinner. He and Baylee had a few too many if you know what I mean!
JK, here's the real one :) Love ya little brother!

New Post Coming Soon--I Promise

2009-02-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

3 Little Bugs!

2009-01-20T23:03:00.000-08:00

This is Gracie peeking from on the chair, Lily crawling behind the chair and Baylee with the baby hawk! We went over to Lisa's house tonight to play and visit. The girls had a blast together!

Anyone Interested in a Puppy???

2009-01-20T22:56:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law's dog Rubia (golden retriever) just gave birth today to a litter of 9 puppies! She is going to be selling them so let me know if you're interested or would like to know more information.

My Little Kitty Cat....Meow

2009-01-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

Look at this Big Girl!

2009-01-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

She is all over the place!