How'd that get there?

I just found a blob of strawberry yogurt on the wall about 5 inches from the ceiling in the piano room!?!? I tried to take a picture of it, but the lighting just wasn't working. A little later I found Elmer's glue on the piano bench. No one would fess up to either of these delights. School just let out for the break, so I have a feeling my next two weeks will be filled with such findings. Oh the joys!!

I Think I've Evolved

As a mother, that is. It's interesting to look at my days as a mom today, versus several years ago. For example, yesterday I did MANY things, including prepare food for Rick to have at the Church during tithing settlement, get 5 children and myself ready for Church in time for Dallin's early morning Presidency meeting and choir practice, go to Church, come home and get lunch for the aforementioned 5 children and myself, make a treat to take to my Visiting Teachees, go to a Visiting Teaching appointment, return home, help Eliza and Audri wrap some presents, find "I LOVE YOU" in red permanent marker (looks like it bled through a paper) on the wood dining room table, use toothpaste to remove marker from table, stuff 100 Christmas cards and letters (family assembly line made this faster, and much more fun), dip and sprinkle 80+ pretzel rods with the kids and Rick, get the kids to bed, clean up the kitchen after the chocolate dipping extravaganza. Now, a few years ago (I think about 4), I learned that toothpaste removes permanent marker from wood. I learned that when Eliza decorated this same (newly purchased) table with black permanent marker while I had fallen into a pregnancy induced sleep on the couch. I remember that day very well. The marker on the table consumed my day as I researched online, and stressed about the table. Yesterday, it was a BLIP in my busy day. Obviously the fact that I already knew to use toothpaste to get it off helps, but I think there's more to it than that. I'm hoping all of you can understand, and no one will be offended. Those of you with 3 children, do you remember life with one child? Do you remember what a big deal changing a diaper was, or giving that child a bath? Those of you with just one child, do you remember life when you were first married? What a big deal doing the laundry or going grocery shopping was? How about those of you in college, do you remember how life seemed so busy in High School, when mom was cleaning up after you, and you weren't the one who had to replace the toilet paper roll? You get the idea. It's amazing to me how we evolve. I don't remember ever having a day when I suddenly said, "Hey, today I can handle 5 kids and my husband being Bishop!!" No, all those things happened gradually. I learned a little here, a little there, until red permanent marker on the dining room table may not be my favorite part of the day, but it no longer is an all-comsuming thing either.

Blessed, Seriously

Ok, so I read this very hilarious blog, Seriously So Blessed, and today if I put a link on my blog I get entered in a free giveaway, so I'm doing it. Really for two reasons. 1. to win and 2. to confess that I read this blog. It is so funny, especially if you've ever lived in Utah!!! Enjoy!

Day 5- Mariachi!!

So, Monday came, the day we were to leave. Our plane was to leave at 2:00, so we had one last morning in Mexico City. There was one thing that I hadn't seen yet- a mariachi band. We had thought that we would see one sometime at Zocalo, but they just weren't there when we were. Sunday night our taxi driver told us that there was a plaza where some were playing and that they would be there in the morning. So, we decided we would go. We got a taxi to take us over, only to find out that they weren't actually playing until the evening, bu they were there and would play for money. We had some pesos left, and thought, why not? How often are you in Mexico City? So, feeling like the true tourists that we were, we payed for our own private mariachi concert!! It was great. Here's some photos. I was disappointed that they weren't wearing their sombreros, but our taxi driver told us they put those on in the evening. He also told us that in the evening at that plaza, there are like 15 mariachi bands, all in a circle, playing.

Here are a couple of photos of sites we saw everyday. The first, one of the street vendors selling souvenirs. We passed this woman everyday. She set up just down from our hotel. We talked to her the very first day, and would wave to her. We had fun talking to her little daughter named Audrianna. We brought home some of those little dolls for our girls.

A street food vendor. Yummy food. The key was to look for the places that had lots of people standing around them. That's how you knew they were good. We stopped at this kind of place a few times. We actually got breakfast at this one on Monday morning.

We flew home that afternoon. When we got to the truck in Chicago, it was covered with a dusting of snow- welcome home to Illinois : ).

Again, thanks to Nanny and Grandpa for taking care of the kids and making this possible. It was a trip always to remember!!!

Day 4- Temple Rededication and Castillo de Chapultepec

Sunday morning we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel and made our way South again to the Church building where we attended the rededication. We were able to attend a broadcast of the session. It was wonderful. As the rededication ended, we lingered around the building just a little. We didn't really want to leave, not really having a place to go to spend the Sabbath, but in the end there was nothing to do but leave. So, we decided to go to the castillo de Chapultepec, a very cool castle, built in 1785 which also houses the National Museum of History. It was beautiful, and very interesting. Rick and I took the time to read and really learn about the history of Mexico from the time of the conquistadors to the present. Because we took our time in the museum portion, we actually ran out of time and missed seeing the main part of the castle because it closed!!! Oops. We were sad about that, but what we did see was very neat.


We decided to make one last trip up to the temple, not knowing for sure when the Visitor's Center closed. We made our way on the metro and microbus (crowded little buses that not many tourists take) back up to the temple. The Visitor's Center had already closed, but we enjoyed seeing the temple lit up for the night. It was peaceful and nice to see it one last time.

Day 3- Teotihuacan, Coyoacan, Cultural Celebration

So much has happened since we got home from Mexico, and life has been so busy, that it almost seems like a dream now. In the evenings, when the kids are in bed, and Rick and I are catching our breath for the day, one of us will turn to the other and say something like, "just a little while ago, we were in Mexico together." I don't want the memories to fade. This blog will help. The date shows the post is from Monday, but that's really just the day I uploaded the photos. Now it's Friday and I'm finally able to sit down and type about DAY 3!!!

Day 3 was amazing!! We woke up early, and walked to the metro, which we took to the North bus station. There we got on a bus to Teotihuacan. The bus ride was about an hour, but it was a very interesting drive to me. The part of the city that we went through was largely Rick's mission, and then, north of the city, we were able to see a little of "rural" Mexico. It was fun to see the farmers out in the fields, and to see things like fields of nopales (cactus that is eaten in many forms). When we got to the pyramids, we got some tamales from some vendors outside the site. Yummy. The above photo is pretty cool. It was as we entered the site, on the ground. It is created entirely from seeds, except for the dried chilies used as whiskers.

I could go on and on about Teotihuacan. It is just amazing. I think I'll just provide a few links, rather than try and say too much myself. The second link has some cool ariel photos, from Google earth that show the magnitude of the site. The main avenue that runs through the city is the Avenue of the Dead. We were able to start at one end, and just walk along it, seeing all the ruins along the way. Here's Rick standing in front of the pyramid of the sun.


Here's a picture from part way up the Pyramid of the Sun. This shot helps you to appreciate the vastness of this site. There is much more than just the pyramids of the sun and moon, and the temple of Quetzalcoatl. There was an entire city, and much has been uncovered- dwelling places, as well as other small pyramids. It was amazing to walk through.

And, yes, we made it to the top. It was not an easy climb, especially with the high altitude that we were at, but it was worth it. It was amazing (I know I keep using that word) to look out over all the ruins, and imagine the city at its peak. By the way, the time period of this city was 100 BC-600 AD. Seem like a familiar time period to anyone? Definitely Book of Mormon time period. It was interesting to consider as we looked at everything.

This is from the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. This pyramid is at the end (or beginning, whichever way you want to look at it) of the Avenue of the Dead. You can see the pyramid of the sun off to the left. There were a lot of vendors selling handmade items at Teotihuacan. They just mill about, selling their wares to all the tourists. We found out from talking to a lady selling some things that they are only allowed to sell handmade items from the Teotihuacan area.

We rode the bus back to Mexico City, stopped by our hotel to drop off a few gifts, and hopped on the metro to go South of the city, where we needed to be for the cultural celebration. Because we had a little time before we needed to be at the stadium, we went through Coyoacan, the colonial section of Mexico City. It was very beautiful, and interesting to see yet a different part of the city. I told Rick it made me think of the Zorro movies. Here are a couple of pictures we took.

Next stop, Estadio Azteca, home of the Mexican National Football (soccer to us Yankees) Team. It seats 114,000 people, and was the site for the cultural celebration put on by the Mexican Latter-day Saints to celebrate the rededication of the Mexico City Temple. President Monson and President Eyring were there, and it was an experience I will never forget. 8500 youth performed dances from all over Mexico, as well as portrayed the history of their country. At the beginning, we all waved our white hankies to Pres. Monson, and he waved his back. The people did not seem to want to stop waving. We didn't get any good photos of the dancers, but this first one is a shot of what the field looked like when we first came in. These are a few of the performers, sitting waiting to perform. It got quite cold that night, and some of these costumes didn't have a lot of fabric (they were Aztecs), and we saw them jumping around, trying to keep warm as they waited for their chance to perform.

The last two things that happened were so neat. First, about 1500 youth came onto the field in lines. First, the Young Women, dressed in Sunday best, as they sang "As Sisters in Zion" (only it was in Spanish). Then the Young Men, in white shirts and ties came on singing "Army of Helaman". Then they sang the two together. It was powerful. Here's a picture of it, from way up where we were sitting (which I seem to have deleted, and at this point I've spent so much time on this post I'm not going to get it back on here- sorry). Next the missionaries from the 6 missions in and around Mexico City poured onto the field singing "Called to Serve". This was expecially neat since Rick had been a missionary there in Mexico City, 16 years before. The growth of the Church in that country is amazing to me and to Rick. What a blessing it was for the people of that country to have the prophet there for the rededication, and to have the Church so strong and thriving. It's obvious to me that it truly blesses their lives. I hope to always remember.

Day 2- Casa de los Azulejos, Tower, Temple and Museum of Anthropology

We started Friday morning with breakfast at Sanborns in the Casa de los Azulejos (house of tiles). This was a really cool building. It was built in the 1500s, and it is covered with blue and white tiles. Here's a shot from the front, the corner, and inside, where it has the traditional Spanish courtyard. This is where you sit to eat, although today the courtyard is covered. That morning Rick got to have chilaquiles , one of his favorites from his mission, and I had some huevos mexicanos, along with some yummy juice. Again, I thought the juice cart was so colorful and beautiful I had Rick take a picture of it. I loved how everything was so colorful in Mexico!!

Next we went to the Torre Latinoamericano, Mexico City's tallest building from 1956, when it was built, until 1984. There is an observation deck at the top, and it was very impressive to look out over the city that seemed to never end. This first photo is of the Belles Artes, you might remember it from yesterday. You can see the shadow of the tower in this picture. The next three pictures are from different directions, looking out over the city. Rick could tell you which direction each one is looking (I'm not sure why we don't have a 4th), and I could make a guess, but I think I won't. It's really a very large city.... Have I said that yet?

Next we travelled up to the temple, on the Northeast side of the city, to pick up our tickets for the rededication and the cultural celebration. It was amazing how quiet and peaceful it was on the temple grounds, with the bustling city just outside the gates. We looked around the Visitor's Center, walked around the grounds and marvelled at the fact that when Rick was in Mexico, this was the only temple there. Now, there are 12. Wow!!

Next stop, the Museum of Anthropolgy, and was there ever a lot to see there. It's an amazing museum with actual pieces, and replicas of pieces from all over Mexico, from many different civilizations. The link also tells about the next picture, the Aztec calendar, or sun stone. This is the actual piece that was uncovered at Zocalo, the city square I told you about yesterday. It was initially believed to be a calendar.

This is a replica of Moctezuma's headdress. The original, which was given to Cortez, is in Vienna. This is very large. If Rick stood with his head in the center (where the head goes), the feathers extended just beyond his armspan.

They had several very cool replicas built outside of some of the ruins you can find in other parts of Mexico. I'm almost sure this one is Mayan and can be found somewhere on the Yucatan Peninsula. We were at the museum until it closed and still could have seen more. We were pretty tired by the time we left, though. Amazing cultures to learn about and wonder what life was like for them. It was also nice to get an introduction to the things we would see the next day. Day 3 included our trip to Teotihuacan, and we were able to read up about, and see pieces from the people there.

Hope you enjoyed Day 2, stay tuned for Day 3!!

P.S. Yes, Utah won, and BYU lost. Sad for the Cougs, but happy for the MWC to have an undefeated team.

Day 1- Arrival and Zocalo

First, I thought I'd say that I realize it's a very simple thing, but I've never used links in a post before. I thought it would be a good way to provide more information to those who want it, without making these posts too long and drawn out. Plus, we don't have pictures of some things, like the outside of the hotel, so the links can provide that as well.

Wednesday night, after my mom (Nanny) arrived at our house, we left to drive up to Chicago. We pulled into the Marriott Courtyard somewhere around 11:30 pm. We woke up, 4 hours later at 3:30 am so that we could catch the 4 am shuttle to catch our 6 am flight out of O'Hare. We flew to Detroit, and then straight to Mexico City. We arrived around 1:15 pm, and took a taxi to our hotel, the Emporio Reforma. It's on a main street, Paseo de la Reforma that runs through the middle of the city. The street is really pretty cool, check out the Wikipedia link to learn more about it. The traffic was CRAZY, but I survived. We then took the metro to Zocalo, the main plaza in Mexico City. It is the 2nd largest city plaza in the world, after Moscow's Red Square. The first 4 pictures on the link are of Zocalo. Some the others are of things we saw as well, but we can get to that later : ). So, Mexico City is built on top of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. The first thing we did at Zocalo was take a tour of Templo Mayor. It was pretty cool to be walking through ruins of an Aztec temple.

We also went through the museum right there, off the square. Here is one of the pieces inside the museum. Again, amazing stuff.
Next, we just meandered through some of the streets that shoot off from that main square. Here's a picture of one of them. We got some yummy tacos al pastor, as well as a torta, and some bakery items from a cafe. Then we had some delicious juice (it was more like a smoothie) at a little shope that had all the fruits beautifully displayed. I thought it was so pretty and cool that I made Rick take a picture of it. Another thing that was interesting to me was that all the shops were just open to the streets. They have big gates, a little like garage doors that they pull down at night, but there are no "doors". I have to assume it is because of the climate. There's no need for a door to keep the cold out. The temperature is pretty consistent year round. The high hangs out around 70 degrees all year (that's a simplification, but you get the idea). While we were there it cooled off to the 40s at night. Really pleasant weather, thus the open shops. You can kind of tell from the juice shop picture. The picture is actually taken from the street, and to the left in the picture it is also open to the street (it's obviously on a corner).
We made our way around to the Belles Artes, (wikipedia continues to offer the best info and pictures...)Mexico City's center for the arts. It was a beautiful building, with gardens out front. Lots of people just hanging out around it on a Thursday night. We rounded off the night with churros and chocolate. Mmmmm, heavenly. The best hot chocolate I have ever had, and I don't see that ever being topped. Just the thing for this chocolate lover.
So, there's day one. You may get tired of hearing about Mexico over the next few days....Sorry, it's what this blog will mostly be about (although I may or may not comment on a certain game that is going on tomorrow.....).

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

We're back, and we had a great time!! I'll be filling you in with more details than you really want, I'm sure, but that will have to happen at a future time. As for now I have laundry to do, mail to sort through, and life to continue (plus I'm a little tired).
A few words of thanks first:

• Thanks to Nanny and Grandpa for coming over and staying with the kids!!!! I can't say thank you enough.
• Thanks to the many ward members who pitched in to pick up Dallin for activites and help out with the kids on Monday when Nanny had to leave.
• Thanks from me to Rick for putting a lot of time and effort in BEFORE the trip, researching and planning. Because of all his work, things went very smoothly, and we were able to see and do A LOT of things.

Finally, After Fifteen Years

Tonight, Rick and I leave for Chicago to fly early tomorrow morning to Mexico. This is largely to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. This is the first time the two of us have flown ANYWHERE without children. This is the first time we have been out of the country together, and it is the first time in 5 years that we've been anywhere without any of our children. Our honeymoon was great, but it was at a State Park in Indiana. We've taken other trips together, but one was to Wisconsin, the other Nauvoo. I'd say it's time. I mean, how do we even know if we're really compatible globally : )? Anyway, we're excited for the trip, and starting to doubt our sanity as well (you know, the last minute- are we CRAZY?). Crazy or not, tomorrow at this time we'll be halfway there in the sky, and by tomorrow evening we'll be eating tacos or tamales or something yummy, and I won't understand a word people are saying (ok, I do know a few words from Dora and Diego)!!! Enjoy the picture. The quality is not that great, and I'd say we look just a LITTLE different, but I thought it set a nice tone for the post!!

Thank You!

I can't currently think of any Californians that I know of who read my blog, but I wanted to post a thank you to Californian Latter-day Saints, as well as others who worked so hard in campaigning for Proposition 8. I believe in the sanctity of marriage, and that the family is the building block of society. Marriage between a man and woman is a central part of God's plan for us here on Earth. I have been very eager to see the outcome of the vote on Prop 8 in California, and was relieved to see that it passed, defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. BUT, I have been saddened and disheartened by the outcrys and protests made by those against the measure who have singled out the LDS Church as the target of their protests. I have watched videos of the protests outside of the LA temple, with the word "bigots" spray painted on its outer gates, signs posted saying "go back to Utah", chants of "tax the Mormon Church", and wondered "do we not live in a democracy? Did this not go up to vote, for the people to decide? I realize the vote was close (52% to 48%), but the majority DID vote to pass Proposition 8 (and they certainly were NOT all Mormons- California is not anywhere near 52% LDS)." And so, back to my gratitiude. I knew there were members of the Church working hard prior to the election, but now I have so much more appreciation for what they did, and what they continue to stand for. I applaud ANYONE in California (or anywhere in the USA) who is able to stand up at this time and remain firm in their standing to support the institution of marriage, inspite of the ugliness that is going on. Thank you for standing up. Here in Illinois, I stand with you.

VOTE

Just hoping you all take the chance to get out and vote today. I went at 6:15 this morning, and stood in line for 45 minutes!!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!! We had amazing weather for Halloween night. Trick-or-Treating was the warmest I can remember. Dallin went to a party at our neighbors a few houses down. He and some of the boys there did go out t-or-ting. It was a fun night.

Loot Fest

Dailie as Mother Goose

Little Red Audrihood

The Cow (that jumped over the moon)

Again, I'm having difficulty maneuvering the pictures the way I want. This is Dallin's costume. He is "a day off".

The cat (and the fiddle- hey diddle diddle). This was actually taken at the ward Halloween party.

And the dish (Rick, on the right) ran away with the spoon (me, on the left). We only put these on for the ward party. You can't read it, but the writing on Rick's says Dishwasher Safe, Oven Safe, Microwave Safe, Handpainted.

Punkin Carvin'

Ok, I don't know how to manipulate these pictures very well. So, I don't think this post will be as well planned out as I had it in my head. Monday night for FHE we carved pumpkins!! Here's a Before, during and after shot. They aren't all actually finished. Dallin and Dailie have a little more carving to do on theirs, but I thought I'd better get these posted sooner than later. We ended the night with pumpkin donuts and cider for treat!!

Brandon Mull

Brandon Mull, LDS author of the Fablehaven series, visited Dallin and Dailie's school today. Since Dailie was wearing a BYU shirt (I recommended this), she was chosen as a volunteer for part of the assembly. He said he had gone to BYU, and that was why he chose her. Anyway, all the volunteers got these T-shirts, and he signed them!! He'll be at Barnes and Noble tonight signing books, and we're hoping to make it there. Pretty cool, huh?

For all you Twilight fans out there...

Check out the little quiz I took online, just for fun. I couldn't figure out how to post it here, so I put it on the sidebar.

The "I" Tag

Ok, tagged again. I'm obedient, so I'll do it. Plus it helps me stop and think about myself. Honestly, I think tags are a great idea, I'm just frankly surprised at the number of them out there. Can't anyone think of anything to blog about without them? (Sadly, maybe we can't)

I am - a Cougar fan (hee hee, just had to put that), a Latter-day Saint, a mom, generally a happy person.
I have -blond hair (I still call it blond, although some people think it's light brown), blue eyes, a screw in my elbow, and metal plates in my face
I get frustrated when -running 4 times a week for 6 weeks results in no weight loss, I lose my patience with my kids, other people don't give themselves credit (when it's due, of course- at the same time people who give themselves credit when it's not due also frustrates me)
I value -Honesty, hard work, a job well done, "real" people, good friendships, memories
I wish - I was 15 pounds lighter, we had a different candidate to choose from in the upcoming election, that I could travel the world!!
I fear -the results of the upcoming Presidential election, the results of the vote on Proposition 8 in California
I dislike -Most shows on TV these days, unkind people, hypocrites
I love -Chocolate : ), laughing, talking with friends (including my husband) for hours on end, even better- laughing with friends, learning about the lives of people who live differently than me, whether they live down the street or across the globe
I tag- someone who reads this and has never commented on my blog (please comment to let me know who you are), Kelly, Sarah, Amy T.(cause you need to start a blog, hee hee), Honor

In Mourning for my Cougs

The Cougars had a rough night last night. They lost 32-7 to TCU, ending the longest current winning streak in college football. I wouldn't be so sad if they had fought a good fight last night, but they really just didn't show up. Sad. Don't get me wrong, TCU played a great game, and if BYU had played their best it would have been close, not even for sure the Cougars would have pulled it off then, but they just didn't look like the same team who played UCLA and Wyoming. I'm hoping they'll return next week : ).

Rejected!!

So we had a blood drive a the Church tonight. I try and donate blood regularly, although it has been since March that I last donated. I went in to donate, and I was rejected!! My iron was too low. I'm not sure what was up. I've always been fine with my iron before, and I even had broccoli for dinner before I went. It might explain why I've felt so tired the last couple of days. Guess I'll try again later!!
I found this funny cartoon when I did the Google search for the above image. I thought it was pretty funny, so I figured I'd share it with y'all.

ME-HE-CO, Here We Come!!!

I guess you could say that it started during the first session of General Conference, when the re dedication of the Mexico City Temple was mentioned. Although perhaps it started back when Rick and I were first married. We had a jar labelled MEXICO that we put our spare change in. We never got very far with that jar, although the change always came in handy when we wanted to go on a date. You might have to say that it started 15 years ago on the day we were married, since this is sort of an anniversary trip. Technically I guess it started 18 years ago when Rick was called to serve as a missionary to the Mexico City Easy Mission, although he did always say he'd never take me back to Mexico City itself. Wherever the notion first started, the reality now is that Rick and I are GOING TO MEXICO CITY!!!!!!

We've bought the plane tickets, and booked the hotel. It's official. This country bumpkin, who has never lived in a city bigger than Peoria (metropolitan area 370,000), is about to travel to the second largest city in the world (metropolitan area 20,000,000)!! I've only been out of the country once, when I was five and went with my family to Canada, but I have ALWAYS wanted to travel the world. First stop, Mexico City. I'm very excited (maybe you could tell). I'm also very glad Rick will be with me, since he's been there before, and he knows Spanish : ).

On Nov. 16 the Mexico City Temple will be rededicated after it's renovation. We will fly out of Chicago the morning of Thurs. Nov. 13, and spend 5 days, 4 nights in Mexico City. We'll get to attend the re dedication on Sunday as well as the cultural presentation that is planned for Saturday night. The temple was part of Rick's mission when he was there, and for a portion of his mission he lived in an apartment right by the temple. Rick has always said he would never take me back to his mission. He served in an area of the city that is not so safe. He felt he was protected as a missionary. Needless to say, we'll be staying in a different part of the city.
I'm sure you'll all be hearing much more about both the preparations for this trip, and the actual trip itself : ). The last time we had a "getaway", just the two of us was for our 10th anniversay, 5 years ago. We did go to Tennessee with my parents and siblings a couple of years ago, but we took 9 month old Daniel since he was still nursing. We're long overdue for a getaway. Wow!! We're going to Mexico!!!