Rodriguez Photo Shoot Sept 2012

We were so blessed to have Grandpa down and Keri come out to the land for another Rodriguez Photo Shoot! We even got Noe to take a few! Here are the beautiful results of a hot, crazy, fun day.

Finding Answers

Tomorrow I go to my appointment with a nutritionist. It's been 4 and a half months since I had Cinco, and I feel like this extra weight is trying to take permanent residence. After Amali, by this time I was easily 20 lbs less. I have been eating a healthy, well rounded, low carb, high lean protien, low sugar, high veggie diet, plus exercising most days of the week, for over 3 months and have seen no progress. I'm frustrated, embarrassed, and ready to feel like myself again. I don't believe in quick solutions, nor do I buy into a diet pill or weight-loss fad. That is why Mauro and I decided that maybe a nutritionist could provide some insight and answers to my weight problems. I love food, I love making dinners for my family that taste good and will keep our bodies healthy and strong. Before each meal we pray that Heavenly Father will bless our food, but it is my job to make the food that we present for blessing be healthy and well rounded. So here is my list of what I think a diet should and should not be.

Should be-
full of freshness
veggies and fruits majority of diet
whole grains and dairy secondary
meats and fats last.
educational
flavorful
vast and varied
enjoyable
satisfying


Should not be-
fad inspired
something that I can not maintain (for whatever reason; budget, time, resources)
limiting
boring
left feeling hungry
processed
boxed


Now, I have my reasons for wanting to loose weight. Yes, vanity is one of them. But it is more then that. I want to look on the outside how I feel inside. I want to be a "picture of health." Cooking,  exercise, and happiness is all a part of who I am, and right now my body is not a reflection of that. I think pretty can be at any size, it's about being comfortable in your skin. Right now, I am not at all comfortable. I feel bulky and heavy. I never want to be "skinny" or any weight that is not good for me. But I do want to feel healthy! 

So here it goes! I'll report back on what wisdom the nutritionist imparts ;-).

Den Conversion

Finally! I have been wanting to repaint and refloor the den, so I decided that would be my birthday gift to myself. And so glad I did! I pained the walls purple, and the floors to match the rest of the house. SO MUCH BETTER. I feel like with each room that we finish, our house feels more like a home.

Pics to come....

A week of Firsts

This week was a week of firsts for us!

Amali started Pre-School! We started going to the homeschool co-op on Wednesdays. Am loves her class, and her teachers, and has made sweet friends! They practice all sorts of fun things like writing their name, cutting with scissors, arts and crafts, singing, and of course playing! I assist in her class for the first hour, and am looking forward to getting to know everyone! The second hour I assist in Science, and the third hour I assist in Nursery. I was going to teach a Story Hour class but not enough kiddos signed up, so it got cut. I was super bummed!

 

Cinco started eating food! He has been very interested in what we are eating over the past few weeks, and since he turned 4 months this week we decided it was time to let him eat! First he gnawed on a piece of apple. Delighted. Then a couple days later he sucked on a peeled grape. Thrilled. Yesterday I gave him broth from the beef stew I had made for dinner. He sucked that down like it was manna from Heaven! Today I finely ground some brown rice, boiled it, and fed it to him with mommas milk. Again, he was super happy to eat and grabbed the spoon to shove it in his mouth! He's a happy baby alright, but with food he is as excited as a 4 month old can be! Pretty dang cute.

This is one happy family! 

Fun With My New Camera!

my Mauro's

Opa and Oma and their bebes

Silly Bubbs

No caption needed

On their way to the Circus!

Friends being Friends

long hot day

fun at the land

Ollie Cat

Zelia and Lucy

Pitbull Momma

Just woke up from a crazy dream. In it, I defeated the bad guy who was holding Cinco and I as well as many others hostage, but was parading as our protector. I used someone elses phone to text Mauro, but it was an old phone and didn't go through. I knew the guy was up to no good, so used the ol' "i need to poop, breastfeed, and change my babies diaper" (he was squeamish and didn't want to reveal his cover) to get out of his sight, unscrew the glass on a bathroom window, and escape. Then I woke up. Whew. As I processed the dream, I thought of every way I would have protected my baby, and how I could have released the others I was with.

So many shootings, selfishness, and hatred in this world is what undoubtedly spurred my dream. I am awestruck as we watch the "end of days" fulfill itself. How has Satan grasped so much power over so many? We can see the pattern of events that leads to self destruction. All stemming from power, greed, defiance, and corruption. And it starts very basically, as one gives up their morals, the core values that have been taught, and that gives Satan the edge up that he needs. Our country is in turmoil. Our world is weeping.

I do not dwell on this sadness, the heart pains of the earth. Instead I choose to arm myself, to carry a light in the darkness. My light is my family. My light is my service. My light is the Spirit of God, burning like a fire. My light is building a testimony, sharing love, and pushing against the envelope that is unfortunately presented to us each day.

My light is also a Walther PPK, fully loaded. Yep, I pack. I grew up knowing guns, I enjoy shooting for sport. And you better believe if anyone was ever a threat to my family, this pitbull momma would be calm, Collected, And very protective my loves and my household. Have you ever seen a determined pit?

29.

On August 16, this lady turned 29. Each year, my birthday sets me into a goal setting extravaganza! It's my own, personal, new year. This time, it's a big one! My final year before I add another decade to my bedpost. As I reflect on my 20's, I can say with a happy heart that I have met my goals, and am content with the life I build each day.

In my 20's I attended university, and graduated! I lived with some fantastic friends (Suzanne, you'll always be my favorite roommate (and soul sister, we've known each other since we were babies!) and I had some great ones!) sang along at many Cory concerts, and found myself as I explored the world outside of my hometown. I traveled to Europe and all over the states, many times with my best girl and favorite travel companion, Kelli. You think you know someone? Travel with them. It will either make or break you. Kelli and I grew together as sisters, and I cherish our friendship even more because of the memories we have had and continue to make together. I canyoned in the Swiss Alps, canoed many rivers, went Sky Diving, and explored the adventurist side of my spirit. I worked a great job that pushed me, and was guided by some women that I look up and admire (Jenn, Chris, Rachpal, and yes, even Dr. Myint, this is your namedrop!) I know I was a naive, silly, uncoordinated college kid, but those ladies developed my character, guided my decisions, and were truly some of the greatest influences for good in my life. Then, I married my best friend! Another of my fantastic roommates, Lauren, knew me so well she saw his profile on MySpace (gasp!) and immediately said, "this one is for you!" We decided to change the world together, and took our leap into the world, Austin, TX style! We adopted more pit bulls, got jobs that we loved, made incredible friends, and hiked as much of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and our favorite- UTAH, as we possibly could. Then, it was time for BABIES! Amali came just before I turned 26, giving me the title that I have always admired "MOMMA!" She quickly became our world, and soon we decided to put my career path on hold so I could stay home and raise her right. She is every passion that Mauro and I have, all rolled into one pretty girl! She has her daddies strength and determination, and my creative, bossy spirit. Three years later, we expanded our family again with a boy! Cinco may look just like daddy, but that sweet, loving, smiley kid got his momma's softer side. We are all one happy, crazy, and loving family! I have learned so much about myself being a mom. I learned that I love to write, I love to create, and I love to share the warmth of family.

So that just about covers all of my goals in my 20's. There are just 2 more specific things I want to accomplish before I am 30. I'm blogging them so I am pushed to achieve them.

First, learn ASL. Sign language has always enraptured me. Have you ever really watched someone speak with their hands and movements? It is combines creativity, expression, and rhetoric all into one beautiful package.  I took 4 years of it in college to satisfy my foreign language requirement. But I have lost so much of that from not practicing. So before I am 30, I want to be fluent.

Second, keep creating. Mauro got me an amazing camera for my birthday. Seriously, a dream come true. Cannon T4i, with 2 lenses. And, I have discovered in the past few years my serious love of the written word. So my goal is to explore both of those creative pursuits.

You know I can't finish a blog without praising my parents. They together taught me to be myself, to love others, to have standards for myself and those around me, to be happy, to stand for what is right and true. They are my hero and heroine, and in every aspect of my life I have been extremely blessed to look up to their wisdom.

So happy 29 to me! Hopefully in my 30's I will change the world! I've never believed World Peace was out of reach... it starts in our homes.