Elena's prayers. / Las oraciones de Elenita

Today for dinner this is what Elena said...

"Heavenly Father, thank thee for this day, please bless the food, thanks that our house is by the park and please make tomorrow August, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."


and then her bedtime prayer...

"Heavenly Father, thank thee for this day, thank thee that we have a house, please bless KAUST, please help mami finish my calendar to see when is August, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

I don't know if anyone else is as excited as she is.


Hoy cuando Elenita bendicio la cena, esto fue lo que dijo...

"Amado padre celestial, gracias por este dia, bendice la comida, gracias por darnos una casa cerca de un parque, por favor haz que mañana sea Agosto, en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen."

y despues cuando oro antes de irse a dormir...

"Amado padre Celestial, gracias por este dia, gracias que tenemos una casa, bendice a KAUST, por favor ayuda a que mami termine mi calendario para ver cuando es Agosto, en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen."

La verdad que no se si exciste alguien mas tan emocionado como ella.

Six unimportant things...

Raya waya tagged me and after 25 years I am going to do it. Sorry it took me so long, we have been playing hard.

Here it goes, 6 unimportant things that make me happy.

1.-When Victoria says "Mami" She is too much of a Daddy's girl and I love when she wants ME!

2.- When Elena manages to come in our bed in the middle of the night without us noticicng, she wraps her little arms around my neck and holds on tight until I wake up .

3.- When David eats and eats because what I made was so yummy!

4.- When I see my email inbox with tons of emails from friends :-)

5.- Sitting down at night and smelling clean floors and dishes.

6.- Watching LOST with David, it is super fun!

I want to tagg, Mom, Keri, Katy, Lisa, Cherilyn, Solveig

What we've been up to...

In case you're wondering why we haven't been blogging, here's one reason:




...and here's another:

Three wonderful fathers.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!! to all wonderful dads out there, and to all the ones that are pretty much just like dads, to all of you, thanks for being so loving and fun :-)

Today I want to say a few things about three wonderful man in my life.
My David;

He is one special Dad. When we were expecting Elena he was a little worried about all the work that would come alone the way. Then our little one came, he could not be away from her, wherever they took her he followed. At one point the nurse comes and tell us that she is having a hard time keeping her body temperature. She wants me to have her against my skin and cover both of us with warm blankets, I nodded and after the nurse closed the door David was undressing himself, he took the baby and put her against his chest and drift away.

While I was pregnant with Victoria he told me that he was worried that he couldn't love the new baby as much as Elena, because he just loved Elena SO much. Seconds after Victoria was born he was holding her tight and told me "Belk, she is SO beautiful" and just like that he fell in love all over again.

He is the best Daddy my girls can have. I love you my Dave.


My Dad;

My Dad had too many qualities to mentioned them all, but even now after 13 years of not being together I can feel his teachings.
One of my very own favorite stories is when I turned 7 years old. I was a little bit "spoiled" (AKA Brat) On my birthday he told me we were going to have a HUGE party! so off we went to the stores, got tons of food, drinks, treats, a piñata and the toys to go inside, our last stop was the bakery, there he got me a pretty white cake with a huge pink rose, I fell in love with it and he bought it for me.
I thought we were coming home or going to my uncles house, instead we drove and drove until the roads were gone, we follow a dirt road and little "ranchitos"(tin roof homes) appeared, some where so small and isolated. I wondered why we were there but was too busy thinking about MY party to ask. At last we see another little ranchito and about 10 people outside of it. My dad goes out and talks to the Dad, next thing I know we are unloading everything. We ended up havingthe party there with people we didn't know, people that lived in a place as big as my bedroom now, people that had not enough food, people that had no friends. I was only seven but he taught me a lot by giving everything we had to some that didn't.

Dad;

You see that wodnerful grandpa there? he is "Dad" David's Dad and my Dad. There is so much I can say abou thim but I'll share my two favorites.

Dad is a convert and was engaged to mom when he, inspired by Heavenly Father, decided that he needed to serve a mission. As hard as the desicion was he made it because he knew it was the right thing to do. That is exactly what Dad is like, he is very black and white,if it's good you must do it, if it's not then Don't!

He is also an amazing Grandpa to my girls. Elena loves him so much and everytime she does something super amazing she asks me to tell Grandpa about it. I am sure Victoria will do the same.

To the dad's in my life, I love you so much :-)

When Victoria sleeps for over three hours and Elena is practicing her letters...

I think we need a better web cam.

yes, there are things to do around here, things are growing besides the kids, dishes need attention and the floor is begging to be cleaned, but hey! I wanted a break...ok!

Graduation day.

I know it's taking me forever. I'm sorry, I'm tired that's all.
First of all I want to congratulate to the most amazing man in the world, my very own DAVID!!
yes, I own him :-)

Graduation day started with a ceremony from the Applied Math department.

Randy LeVeque, giving David his recognition. It took him about 15 minutes, he had so much to say of my David, his great works and his wonderful personal characteristics.

Applied Math PhD graduates and professors.

Family photo. We had better ones but this one was my very own favorite :-)

Super proud parents that made the sacrifice to come for just a few days.

Uncle Gary and Aunt Liz (super proud aunt and uncle), Elena, mom David, Dad, me, Victoria and my Mami (super proud Chocha that made the super long trip all the way over here to see him graduate)

Receiving his fake diploma. Somehow Dad's amazing camera and skills got this photo. We were seated in the wrong side and super far away.

After all that was over we headed over to Gary and Liz's place to celebrate.As always they go all the way out! Look at the table runner and purple "fountains" as Liz calls them.

Drool over that yummy Asian salad, HOMEMADE or GARY MADE focaccia bread, and the little guy Gary is hiding...Sorry, I know you can't see it anymore. It was Copper River Salmon. Out of this world, as if the flavor of the poor little fish wasn't enough, uncle Gary cooked him to perfection! I think he didn't mind being eaten at all.I can't describe them, you have to eat them. Not alone though, there is a chipotle sauce that goes with it. Again, I am sorry to leave you hungry.

Did you know that under their seats at Husky stadium, the graduates have plastic ponchos to protect them if it rains. Should they add some sunscreen too? I think so!

The whole family, drawn by Elena after dinner. From left to right. Elena, Grandma, Grandpa, Liz, Gary, Daddy, Chocha. Top row right to left. Herself, me, far left corner Victoria.The graduate and the "BLING" courtesy of Patricia.

Uncle Gary, David and Dad. Three wonderful loving, hard working guys. Photographer of the day ;-)

Chocha's big day!!

It has been a while since I have been with my mom for her birthday but this year we were together and we celebrated together :-)
In her honor I will tell you a few wonderful things about her.1.-She has great sense of humor! she could always come up with some really funny things when we were little and now it has gotten way better:-)
2.- When I was 13 years old and life got crazy she let me know that she trusted me with everything. I think that all the confidence I have right now is because she valued me so much.
3.- She has always tried to make my life better, when I was very little I wasn't as nice and I could have been call a "brat" As much as she loved me she always tried to let me know that life wasn't about pretty things but about service and charity.4.- When I was little she told me that after two boys she decided she was not having more kids. I came as a surprise and I was the biggest blessing in her life "a little girl, a little friend, a little helper" It always made me feel extra special.
5.- She knows EVERYTHING!! she is a seamstress, a hairstylists, a nurse, a fashion designer, can fix anything in the house from toilets to tiles, she makes jewelry and so on. She's taught me to always be learning, if it wasn't for all her schooling our lives would have been really different after my daddy died.
6.- She taught me that there are no impossibles. There is nothing that can stop her, if she wants something she works and works until she gets it. For example, English, she has been teaching herself for the past few years,she is way better than I was after two semesters at the ELC.7.- She is a master at "living in the moment" She's taught me live and enjoy it every minute as it comes.
8.-She's never scared, no matter the situation we are in,she can keep herself together like no one I know.
9.- She was the first one to learn about the Gospel. She taught me so much through her example.
10.- She is plainly the best mom out there!! she is with me every time I need her and is always trying to help me improve my life (even when I'm not very good at it).

On your day mi chochita, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! and thanks for all you have given me, I hope some day to be as good for my girls.

For Tomorrow...

On Chain E-mails

(David here)

Okay, I'm going to do something unusual and post here about something other than the goings-on in our family. I'm going to rant about a pet peeve of mine, but one that I think has some real importance. I'm referring to chain e-mails -- those ones that end with 'please pass this on to everyone you know, and to all those people you don't know but whose addresses are somehow in your contacts list'. I don't mean the ones that are only humor, or the ones that say all your wishes will come true if you send them to 100,000 recipients (though those are annoying to me, I know others enjoy them); I mean the ones that purport to be factual information.

First I would like to say that 99% of these e-mails contain at least some false information, and the majority are intentionally misleading. If you don't believe me, then send me the ones you think are true and I will debunk them for you. Seriously.

You may think that even if they are not true, they are harmless. But consider the number of people that one of these messages reaches. It is not difficult to believe that the number is higher than for most legitimate news articles. So we can think of these chain e-mails as a media source that is continually disseminating information that is patently false. Would you subscribe to a newspaper or watch a TV channel that did this? Do you think that such a newspaper or TV channel should be allowed to operate? Of course not!

Considering the intricate way in which many of these e-mails are woven together from many half-truths, it seems clear to me that in some cases their original authors write them with the deliberate intent to deceive. Those people apparently believe it doesn't matter whether something is true if it promotes a point of view that they agree with. To those people I have nothing to say, except that I find your lack of integrity utterly disgusting.

When I give information to someone else, especially in writing, I consider myself responsible for the accuracy of what is written. If I am uncertain of its accuracy, I simply give them a reference to the source of the information, with a disclaimer that that source must be held accountable for its accuracy. And no, the fact that an e-mail says 'Barack Obama said the following on Tuesday', does not by itself count as a reference.

For emphasis: if you give someone information and do not tell them where you got it, YOU are effectively the source of that information and should consider yourself completely responsible for its accuracy. This has both civic and spiritual implications (remember those Sunday school lessons on gossip?)

When you receive one of these e-mails, the safest thing to do is to NOT pass it on. If you like what it says and would like others to read it, I suggest the following:

Research its accuracy. Here are some good internet resources:

www.snopes.com
www.breakthechain.org
www.hoax-slayer.com

Obviously I would not claim that everything on these sites is 100% correct either, but since they provide references for their information, they are infinitely more reliable than the e-mail you received.

If you find that the e-mail is completely accurate, pass on just a reference to the source, so they can read it firsthand. If you find that it is not accurate, you have two options: (a) don't pass it on; or (b) pass it on with a statement at the beginning to the effect of

"The following is a lie that coincides with my personal biases, so I'd like everyone else to read it."

And yes, please make that statement large, bold, and bright red.

Additionally, although this is entirely optional, I suggest that you hit 'reply all' and tell everyone that it's false, and give a reference.

Edit: A couple of people have suggested to me that the things I have said here may be offensive to some. They're probably right. I want to state emphatically that I am not directing this at any person or group of people, but at a behavior. If you think the behavior I am criticizing is okay, I hope you will not get offended, but will instead post a comment explaining your position. Alternatively, you could put something on your own blog about the idiocy of those people who don't understand the beauty of chain e-mails. And if you really want to get back at me, you could start a chain e-mail about this post, perhaps misquoting me and attributing my statements to your (least) favorite celebrity.

Ever since Saturday May the 30th

- I have change one diaper,
- Have made one dinner,
- Have gone on dates with David,
- Haven't feed Victoria,
- Haven't bathe the kids,
- Have talk to David without interruptions,
- Haven't blog as much,
- Haven't swept or mopped the floor,
- Haven't done the dishes,

I can go on and on! and it's only going to get better once Mom and Dad (David's parents) get here.

A week from today I will be crying, a week from today I will be the only mom in this place, a week from today I'll be the one cuddling with the two cutie pies. :-)

and changing the diapers :-(

Thesis defense day. / El dia de la defensa de la Tesis.

Yesterday David gave one AWESOME presentation of his work of 5 years as a UW student. There were so many supporters as his defense, not just his school friends but uncle Gary and aunt Liz were there too. After his presentation he stayed with the committee for another 15 minutes and then they signed his dissertation papers. Usually the committee have suggestions for him and wait for the suggestions to be made on his Thesis and then they signed the papers but they were so pleased they did it the same day. Can you tell I am so proud of him?

Ayer David dio una presentacion impresionante de todo su trabajo como estudiante de UW. Vinieron muchos a acompañarlo, no solo sus amigos de la escuela pero tambien sus tios Gary y Liz. Despues de su presentacion sus profesores le interrogaron y despues firmaron sus papeles.
Estoy demasiada orgullosa de mi esposo :-)

Yes, it is what you think it is :-)
Bueno la verdad no se si ustedes saben lo que es, pero aguantensen un poquito mas.

Edible arrangmens!!! We got it in the morning and had to wait to open it because it was really for David so we needed to wait until later....oh it was hard!!

Es como un ramo de flores pero esta hecho de fruta fresca. No lo pudimos habrir porque era para David y el no estaba.

Elena saw her daddy and told him, "today and yours and mine special day"
After the defense we packed ourselves and went to celebrate at Gasworks Park.
Elenita le dijo a David que hoy era el dia especial de ella y de el.
Despues de la defensa nos fuimos a celebrar a un parque.

My mom, Victoria, Gene, Camille, Janelle's arm, the twins, uncle Gary and aunt Liz.

Of course Robert was there too. I guess you can say they are representing how different Pure math is from Applyed math.
Por supuesto que Robert estaba ahi tambien. Se puede decir que los dos estan representando la diferencia entre la matematica pura y la aplicada.

See, I didn't really neglet Janelle and Camille, I came around to get them. Yes, she is single, sheesh!
Vieron no estaba dejando a Janelle y Camille botadas, si, esta soltera! dejen el fastidio.

Here is the beauty all open!! just 5 minutes later 12 hands made sure the thing was all gone!
Miren a esta presiocidad!! 5 minutos despues 12 manos se la comieron TODA!!

Watch out ladies they are both taken!!! But arent' they the handsomest ones out there?
Too bad they don't get to be together for graduation, it would ha ve been nicer to go to just one;-( just kidding!! we are so proud and honored to have been invited to Doctor Gene Corson's graduation!
We love you Gene, thanks for staying with us and for letting us celebrate with you. Kori we missed you tons, congratulations this is yours as much as it is his.

No babeen tanto mujeres!!! los dos estan casados. Pero verdad que estan super guapotes?!
Que malo que no graduan los dos al mismo tiempo por que seria mucho mejor ir a una solo graduacion en vez de dos. Mentira! estamos muy emocionados y agradecidos de haber sido invitados a la graduacion del Doctor Gene Corson.
Te queremos mucho Gene y estamos muy orgullosos de ti. Gracias por pasarla con nosotros y a Kori, felicitaciones el no lo hubiese hecho sin ti.

One of those days.

You know it's one of those days when you put the lasagna noodle box in the closet where you store your blank envelopes. Oh, and your envelopes are making friends with all the other dry pasta you have stored.

You know it's one of those days when you get ready to go and when you walk out the door you feel so Hot, and no, it isn't because the weather in Seattle is finally nice and warm. It is because you put on a long sleeve shirt and a jacket out of habit.

You know it's one of those days when you start putting your face cream in your armpits and your deodorant on your face.

You know it's one of those days because you simply leave shame behind and blog about your stupidity.

I won, I WON!!! / gane, GANE!!!!

See this BEAUTIFUL bow?!
I WON it!! yeah!! I won something online :-) and not anything look at this beauty :-) it came from flowers and bows I entered her giveaway, won and even forgot to check back and she was SO nice she let me know I had won!

Miren ese ganchito tan bello!!!
Me lo gane en una rifa en el internet :-) de la pagina de flowers and bows. La muchacha es tan buena gente me mando un mensaje para decirme que habia ganado.

I wanted to do something really cute on her hair to show off her bow but creativity was gone due to the excitement from opening the box :-(
I think she looks very pretty anyway. She had three french braids on the top half of her hair and then the bow. Super cute!

Yo queria hacer un peinado bellisimo para Nani pero se me olvido todo cuando vi mi paquete en el correo :-)
Pero, todavia se ve bonita con sus clinejas .

But that wasn't all! after choosing the bow I wanted I had some credit left over so I ordered a bow and then I qualified for another free one.
Take a look at those cute one in the box.

Pero eso no fue todo, depues de escojer el ganchito me quedama un poquito de credito.Entonces pedi otro, y despues me regalo uno mas!!

Again, Wendy thanks so much. Go take a look at her site, you will die!

Flowers and bows.