He is now 18 months old!

He is just like his FATHER!!

So Erix is a busy guy these days. Weather has warmed up, so that means he is working alot which means up early and home late. I am busy with school finishing up in the next few weeks, so Amulek has been spending a little more extra time at Na-Ma's and Pop's house. Yesterday being sunday, our branch doesn't meet till 2:20-5:30. And since Erix was recently called, he wanted to go make a few visits to some of the families who were not at church just to get to know them. So I left him at church and I went to my parents house to have dinner with them and to hang out with my younger brother who has been visiting us for the past few days on his break between semesters. Well, Erix didnt end up getting home till after 10:00, Amulek was still awake and those boys have a ritual when Erix comes in the door to my parents house....right as you walk in, the back of my dad's reclincer is to the door. Here is how it goes..
In walks Erix.... Amulek and Erix's eyes meet... they smile... Erix drops down REAL FAST and hides behind the recliner (while pops.. my dad is sitting in it)... Amulek squeals cause daddy is hiding... Erix peaks out from one side.. Amulek steps back with a curious grin on his face... Erix hides again... Amulek looks arond for Erix... Erix peaks out a lil from the other side... Amulek giggles... Erix hides again... and Amulek laughs.... then... Erix comes jumping up from his hiding place and Amulek goes running... Erix chases and begins to tickle Amulek. They both LOVE LOVE LOVE this game, and so does everyone else in the room. (Its great entertainment!!)
So I didnt get that on film, but I DID catch Amulek and Erix playing another game together while Erix ate his dinner. ENJOY!! We sure did!

Just an update:

This seems to be the easiest way for me to tell everyone without anyone feeling left out of family news. So...as of yesterday Erix is now the Branch President of the spanish branch here in our stake. I am not sure if I am suppose to react a certain way, but I am excited- calm- but excited. We have attended the branch a few times and have spoken there, and we know a few of the members who are so kind. We are anxious for all the work to do to help the branch progress. I have been in a branch my whole life, so it wont be culture shock for me. And I was aksed to bare my testimont yesterday, and standing at the pulpit I felt flashbacks from my mission in Texas. It was there in Texas that I learned of the spansih language and culture, there where I learned to love these wonderful humble people, and where my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ became even more rooted to the power of missionary work. Ever since I served in south Texas the Lord has blessed me with the ability to open my mouth and declare His gospel. I LOVE and often look for opportunities to talk about religion with anyone. I rely on the spirit often to know what exactly I should say, and how to say it. I thank my Father in Heaven daily for blessing me with a "big mouth" and being bold, and for following the prompting to serve a full-time mission. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the source of all the joy and blessings I have in life. All I have is a blessing from God, and I know that being in the spanish branch is where the Lord needs my family to right now.

more pictures

Amulek with his great-grandmother "Pumpkin Pie"
Amulek with GREAT uncle Larry and Aunt Lorna
sweet cute cousin Julia and I were playing around with the camera. :)
This is a picture at the Market in Charleston near the Battery..... ppl have weave the baskets there, they are beautiful, but EXPENSIVE!
Amulek at his first market trip with mami!!

S.C. pictures

So I was going to make a slide show instead of posting a bunch of pictures, but its updating the system right now, so enjoy!

Spring Break 2009

I have been asked a few times the past few days to post some pictures of our recent short trip to Charleston South Carolina. This was a first time for both Erix and Amulek. It was exciting for me to share and show them both things that I grew up doing, and places I went to annually as a child when I would visit my grand-mother. I will admit that it was a trip greatly needed. I am in my final year in school which means the hardest, for me anyway. I needed this break so bad, and it was exactly what I wanted. I had a great time with family relaxing and riding around a beautiful area of the country. Erix even saw the old hospital where I was born, the chapel where I was blessed as a baby, another where my mother was baptized 34 years ago. It was really a great visit. I havent lived in SC since I was a few weeks old, BUT it holds alot of memories and roots of spiritual blessings for me and my family. Amulek was GREAT traveling, and of course he was the center of attention. There was not a single bad moment, it was perfect!!

I just wanted to post of a few of my favorite pictures we have recently taken of Amulek. I love him so much and I try to capture moments everyday of silly things that he does, or things he LOVES to do. He L O V E S bubble baths, and his new kick is walking around in mommy or daddy's shoes makes me think "he will soon have walked a mile literally in my shoes". He also got hold of a green crayon and it looks like he enjoyed the flavor! Amulek also loves dogs, and his aunt Sarah got him the cute winter hat :) which he also likes to wear around the house. And I can not forget the day we went to church and he wet through his pants and we had to stay late, so he walked around in his dress shirt and diaper for a while, it was so funny! And him, he is just an amazing kid! I love him so much , and I am very grateful I have him and each day full of these simple precious memorable moments.

Our Dare Devilish Boy

Ya know.. you would think that after Amulek climbs on something and falls pretty hard, stands up screaming and crying reaching out for mama that he would stop. Right.?... NO! NOT Amulek! Amulek is CONSTANTLY trying to climb on things or ME, trying to strech his abilities of new hieghts and balancing. Amulek received a gift (before he was even born) of this drumlike toy that is not flat on the bottom, its curved, and he has figured out that he can turn it over and it can be a chair to sit on, a "ladder" that allows him to reach things too high for him, OR a new way to scare mommy trying to balance on it not holding on to anything. He surprised me at first and it was a little tricky for him, but dog-on-it, the second time he tries he has it down. Below is a video of his amazing balancing act! Enjoy!

Balancing Act

got rhythm ?

Bath time! All the boys
Waldina and Scott

Erix with Ian and Allistair

Amulek's favorite meal on the train

Lake at Donner Pass
Crossing the Colorado River

Catch up... prepare yourself for a novel with many pictures and film

So it has been a very long time (2 months to be exact) since I have blogged. I am not a slacker, just extremely busy. Christmas and break in between semesters went by REALLY fast which was a good and bad thing. I did not have one single boring moment. So, if you REALLY want to know about the past 6 weeks, sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for a long read :)

Christmas- which really falls on December 25th as we all know, but we celebrated ours a little early this year, almost an entire week early. I honestly LOVED this Christmas because it was so low key. We all decided to only get gifts for the kids which made shopping easy and stress free. We had a dinner together as a family and kept things simple. The kids (mainly Garner and Amulek) had a fun time playing with each other and new toys. Amulek loves balls, I dunno if its because he is destined to be a professional soccer player ( would be nice, haha we'll see) or what but, he has amazing foot/eye coordination. Aunt Sarah, Uncle Josh and cousins Garner and Maggie got Amulek a cool ball toy, its a caterpillar standing with its mouth open and you put a ball in the mouth and it slides down the caterpillar and it comes out its feet while playing music. That has been THE toy of all toys, mainly the balls- of which he received 16 this year, they are all over the house, which I don't mind, he loves em'. ALSO... Those How Does a Dinosaur.... books... HE LOVES to read! Everyday he brings me about 15 books throughout the day. He loves books, so he also got many books from other family members as well which we REALLY appreciate, reading to him everyday is very important to us. Coiner family Christmas went fast but it was nice, love being with family!

Train ride-

Erix, Amulek and I then left on Christmas Eve (Erix' birthday) to take a train from Virginia to California. :) Yes, really. It was quite enjoyable actually. I can only complain about one thing- not exactly comfortable to sleep sitting up or in contoured positions for 3 days. but it was a good experience. Amulek is a very social being, he loves smiling, waving and interacting with people of all ages. He made allot of friends on the train ride, and we met allot of nice people. Our first day was from Staunton to Chicago where a n older gentleman gave Amulek three pieces of fruit within 15 hours or so, another young lady who was a Montessori school teacher loved Amulek, played with him and shared her Pringles which he greatly appreciated I'm sure. And our favorite Shiela- she was the dining car hostess/waitress. She rode the train from Chicago to Sacramento and she was so much fun. Amulek looked forward to breakfast and dinner to see her. We would walk into the dining car he automatically started throwing Shiela kisses, which he received ice cream in return- two nights in a row! It was great together time for us as a family. Normally Erix and I are crazy busy working and studying full time we only get weekends together, so being on the train for 3 days together was great- no interruptions.

CALIFORNIA-
When we got off the train in Sacramento we unloaded our luggage and walked up into the station and were greeted by Erix sister Waldina and her fiance Scott (who is now her husband). We had 3 days with them until Erix' other sister Maria and her husband Colin and their boys Ian, Allistair, and Colincito returned from a visit to Montana. We had some great times while we visited. The main reason we went was for Waldina's wedding, and we kept quite busy trying to get the reception together and get dresses and sashes done for 8 damas (aka bridesmaids) which was CRAZY! We ordered dresses online which I tried to have priority shipped which didn't work, so I had to REorder the dresses and have the second order priority shipped which they shipped to VIRGINIA!!! So we said o well, and decided we would all just buy something black and look similar. As we were shopping for dresses Erix called and said the dresses arrived- (less that 24 hours before the wedding). But we had them! *pfew* Before the wedding day arrived, we spent practically every dinner together and then staying up late talking or playing the infamous game of MONOPOLY. Its tradition that we play a few times whenever we are together. And its not always a nice game, some of the family members like to play "dirty"..hmmm and if you are reading this you know who you are...Colin) :) ALSO- this year was my first time making a turkey dinner. And I was soooo excited to get to, AND try my hand at something new. It was allot of work.... turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, carrots layonnaise. It all turned out quite delicious! I LOVE cooking. I also made a great recipe my sister gave me when I got married 'Italian Wedding Soup' with spinach and meatballs- it was a hit, but I topped it off with my dad's famous peach cobbler- haha which EVERYONE asked for seconds, and a few asked for THIRDS! We had alot of good times around the dinner table in California.

Wedding-
Well, I don't know what it is with weddings but very rarely do things go as planned. To begin with everyone was running late :) we got to the temple 30 mins late, and when we got there we weren't even sure if we had someone to keep the kids. :] So I was stressed- which is normal for me these days. Luckily one of Waldina's mission companions brought her sister along who was so kind to watch Amulek and Maria's boys too while we were inside. The sealing was beautiful and they looked so happy. Pictures were crazy hectic, they had a photographer but everyone else (probably 15 other ppl) had brought personal cameras and were trying to get some shots as well.... kids were tired and hungry and we still had to go do some finishing touches for the reception. The reception started late, but went well. Food, some dancing, great slide show of Waldina and Scott's lives growing up then together, family and a few friends came to celebrate with them and wish them the best. I hope they enjoyed it. It was beautiful and intimate. We showered them with bubbles as they left for a honeymoon on the bay in San Fransisco.

The END-
We stayed till 9 cleaning up, went home, packed our things and left at 5 a.m.
CRAZY! Everything came at us at once. Amulek did well on the first flight, mainly slept cause it was so early- but the second flight he threw up on me twice (memorable) but everyone around us was great and helped me out when trying to clean him and myself up.

Now-
We are back home and back into the swing of things. I'm in school full time taking 6 classes (18 credits) and I can't wait to finish in July! Erix is working this week which is a blessing because work this time of year is slow, so anything right now is a HUGE blessing. Amulek is still 20 pounds, but is 29 almost 30 inches long he is short and thin- still carries a lil tiny belly but the doctor says he is fine and healthy. He started to count last week he says "nnn, two...theeee" "dog" "mami" and he will sign for us to tell us he wants something and when he wants more. Its exciting he is finally communicating with us.

So that is our 6 week delayed update on how are holidays went and what we are up to these days. We really look forward to this year-hoping it goes by quickly as I finish up my degree and hopefully begin a career mid-fall. We have alot of things happening now and I hope I can keep everyone updated. Enjoy the photos and video.

I DID IT!!

Ok, so I HAVE to write today! I don't know how many people know this, but this past semester has been a tough one for me... (to say the least), I was only taking 12 credits but I was taking chemistry and statistics at the same time which were both difficult for me. I am not the best at math and science...I am more of a language, writing and literature kind of person. But many local family and friends know that I was busy this semester studying alot, and I do mean ALOT. Well, all the hard work, never missing a single class, and studying any free chance that I could get, they all paid off. I ended up passing chemistry with a C, not the greatest, but honestly I only got a C because the Lord helped me, I could not have done it without Him. I did my part and He filled in my gaps. As for statistics, I'm not quite sure yet how I did, but I was doing well before the final so that should be fine as well. Thanks to all my family and friends who helped out so much keeping Amulek and being so supportive of me in my pursuit of a degree. Being educated is very important to me, and I for sure could not have done any of this without all the help, support, and encouragement from everyone and the immense blessings The Lord has given me!

I promise its my last post of the day! BREAK! it is FINALLY here!

ok so I have been pulling myself through these last few weeks of classes. I dont know why but my university here in Va decided to only give us one break the entire semester. A week long Thanksgiving break. Now I am not complaining, but there are pros and cons to this decision. Many students I know need a break before now, including myself. Thing is, we have this upcoming week off, we come back for only one week of classes then we have finals.. doesn't that sound ridiculous to some of you?? I am sorry but, I think whoever decided this new break schedule is also doing an experiment to see how stress levels rise and how test scores decline! Anyway, I am sooo psyched for this break! So I am celebrating tonight with some friends. We are going to see TWILIGHT the movie at 4 pm today then going out to dinner. No kids! I am thrilled! A girls night out! I love my son and my amazing sweet hubby but I am in NEED of this no brain needed and no responsibility evening! Just good times! And some yummy thai food!

Love love Love

Garner loves to hug Amulek, and we often ask him too just cause its so cute. Well we got a picture that I thought was hilarious. But let me explain... Garner will at times get VERY enthusiastic when taking pictures especially when we tell him to say cheese. He will tense up and say it with umf.So just so you know Garner isn't trying to hurt Amulek, just showing his immense love for his cousin. So, these are the pictures expressing love from one cousin to another! We love you Garner!

Cousins are The BESTEST!

So I wanted to post about a fun day Amulek and I were able to have last week. My sister(in-law) Sarah is about to have a baby literally any day now. And we are all sooooooo excited! My younger brother Micah and I decided to go down and help a little bit and get things ready for our first niece! Woohoo! Anyway, part of the trip too was so Amulek and cousin Garner could get together and play, which doesn't happen as often as we all would like, so I recorded the boys playing together since NaMa wasn't there to see. She loves seeing her kids AND grandkids play together, which I am sure brings a tear to her eye. *kisses for mom* So hope you enjoy, and HOPE you can hear, cause I whispered on one of the recordings. Ok so I think I am gonna post two, so enjoy! I should have taken pictures of Sarah too, she was on a roll.. nonstop! She made us yummy dinner and breakfast, BUT she also made some AMAZING scones, like the best Ive ever had. Oh my goodness!!! Unbelievable! She is a great cook!

Binky Lover

So around the age of I guess 5 months Amulek got into the binky thing. And it still is a constant companion of his, especially when he is sick and at bedtime, he wakes up looking for it. Well there are times when Amulek will have a binky in his mouth then as he is playing he finds another one, and will trade them off every few seconds. Its quite hilarious, as if they have different flavors and he can distinguish them. Anyway, the other day we were playing on the bed and the following happened....

Wasting Time

So I probably be studying, but I DON'T WANT TO!! I feel like a stubborn child having a tantrum when I say it, but I am so sick of it now... I only have 2 more weeks of classes, we haven't had a single break this semester...so I am in need of a break, BIG TIME! I am REALLY looking forward to Thanksgiving, but I have to study pretty much the entire week, THEN I get to come back, have final tests, THEN study for finals!! *sigh*, *deep breath*, If I seem scatter brained, not there, completely lost, or frustrated.. you all now know why. I am ALMOST at the end of my rope...I CAN DO THIS! I CAN DO THIS! Ok Ok... haha I WILL make it, and I WILL pass my classes!
Some pretty cute fun news:
Amulek is now very interactive. We say prayers all the time, before bed, in the morning, at meals, church, etc.. he now bows his head and says his form of "amen", its pretty cute. And he does this new things as if he is playing peek-a-boo, he closes his eyes and grins like we can't see him... its hilarious... he'll walk around doing it too... which isn't very safe... but, he'll also start walking backwards-which AMAZES me the kid has such good balance! And yeah, he tried to climb on top on the computer table yesterday! He is not afraid of anything! Ok I better go study!

school is the definition of life

I am learning day by day, literally. I am a full time student, a wife, a mom, sister, daughter, and human being. I LOVE learning. I honestly take every opportunity I can to ask questions and learn something new about a culture/country, lifestyle choices, my classes, etc. I want to know the why to many things in life. Right now unfortunately social life is not on the top of my priority list BUT I have to give a HUGE shout out to my friends and family who are always calling and making sure I am still sane :) and surviving my last few semesters of college.
Life is hectic but great. I am currently passing all my classes which is a good sign, which means I get to take physiology and microbiology! woohoo! I am anxiously awaiting my turn for those classes, with fear and excitement!
Amulek is such an amazing baby! Update , he is now almost 29 inches tall, still right at 19 lbs 12 ounces, hasnt gained much weight in 5 months).
Things Amulek can do all by himself:
1) read books haha he points at each word and moves his mouth as if he were REALLY reading! Thanks to NaMa, she LOVES to read to her grandkids!
2) stack blocks- this is no joke! Amulek LOVES his blocks, and his daddy sat down with him one night to show him how to stack and ever since Amulek LOVES to stack and CRASH em'! But the other day we were all in his room just talking, and Amulek was gathering his blocks and started to stack a few, then he went lookinng for more and stacked 8 blocks ALL BY HIMSELF! Thats HIGH for a 12 month old!
3) CLIMBING! YEP! we now have a to be mountain climber on our hands! He thinks he is infincable! Scares me ALL THE TIME! And all he does is smile at me!
He is such an amazing kid, really! We love him. He looks alot like his daddy, but alot of his personality traits come from me.
Erix and I.. are GREAT! We have finally gotten our own place and are enjoying our small but VERY CUTE apartment. Our friendship has definately become stronger. Life is trully wonderful!