Nicky's randoom question

So I'm laying down in my bed while my wonderful husband cleans up the bathrooms. Isn't he sweet? I did too much effort yesterday, and by the end of the day my bad foot looked horrible. Glenn told me to take it easy. I woke up "early" this morning and made some chocolate chip pancakes with eggs and ham. We ate and then I needed to rest. Anyway Glenn stayed with the kids the rest of the morning playing. Then he laid down Ian and let Nicky play her princess Wii game for an hour while I dusted the bathroom items and he cleaned off the rest of the bathroom surfaces. Anyway Glenn just went to tell Nicky to go and play with her toys because Wii time was over. She came to my room and saw me on the computer and with a concerned look asked me, "MAMA, ARE WE OKAY?" Then I looked back at her and asked her what she meant. To my surprise she looked at me deeper, kind of like she wanted to see through my pupils and asked me again while pointing to herself and then at me, "ARE WE OKAAAAAAAAAY?" Then holding my laugh in I looked at her in the same way to confirm to her, "YES, NICKY, WE (ponting at both of us as she did) ARE OKAAAAY." She was happy and pleased to hear that....I told you it is a random question since it came out of nowere...I think :)

Just pics

Children's museum

Play date with Tylin

Nicky's new hair style

Nicky and Ian's first slumber party

My dramatic foot

Well it's 6:05 p.m. and I haven't been able to stand up from bed (except of course to go to the bathroom). Glenn has been so nice taking care of the kids ALL DAY! He is just wonderful. Yup, that's right, I'm posting two days in a row. But what else can I do if I can't go anywhere?

Listening to my crew from upstairs all day made me miss them so much. I love that Nicky comes just to blow me kisses and tells me how much she loves me. She also came like 3 hours ago to tell me, "MAMA, YOU NEED TO COME DOWNSTAIRS AND EAT DINNER WITH US AT 5;00P.M." I told her I couldn't because of my ankle, but that wouldn't stop Nicky; oh no, she inmediatley had the perfect solution: "LOOK, MOM, YOU PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON (I have my pj's on of course), PUT YOUR SLIPPERS ON, AND CRAWL DOWNSTAIRS SO YOU CAN EAT SOME SOUP WITH US." I told her that I'd try, then she blew me a kiss and told me she loved me and left.

Ian on the other hand has been coming to visit me in my misery. He cheers me up so easily. With his big eyes and his cute lips. He just comes inside of my bedroom and tells me with his beautiful voice, "MAMI, MAMI" then he immediately comes and gives me kisses. They both had come to snuggle with me for 5 minutes until daddy took them outside so I could get more rest. It amazes me how much I miss them even though we all are here on a very cold day. I guess listening to their cute things without being able to see them makes me miss them even more. For example I was calling Glenn for something that I needed and Ian was the first in responding, "OH, IT'S MOM...YES, MAMI, ARE YOU OKAY?" Then I told him from upstairs that I was fine, but that I needed to talk to daddy, and he answered, "OH, OKAY." I guess I could go on and on with the cute things that they do. I feel bad for Glenn, though. Glenn has been doing a great job with them and still I don't know how he hasn't run away from their demands.

I'm having a headache from being in front of the computer and watching T.V and laying down all day long. I really want to return to normal activities. Glenn and I were just talking about how blessed we have been with this pregnancy. He had some flashblacks from my others pregnancies. It was kind of like today but for the 9 months. When I was expecting Nicky he just took care of me, but when I was expecting Ian it was doubly difficult. Especially since Nicky got sick with pneumonia and I couldn't eat but bacon and eggs for 8 months of my pregnancy, with Glenn getting ready for his step 1, etc. well, it was very hard. Now despite what we thought it was going to be, it has been better. It was surely hard when Glenn was doing his away rotations, but it was nice feeling the support of neighbors and friends. And then all of a sudden feeling better and eating better...speaking of eating, my favoite chef brought me chicken soup, so until next time...

Now what?

Well this title sounds like I'm complaining, but rather than that I'm actually about to laugh and cry at the same time. Okay, for this to make sense I'll explain myself. I have a cold, a little bit of anemia from the pregnancy, and I just fell down and injured my ankle. So I'm laying down with my foot on top of a pile of pillows, can't move at all, and the belly is hurting my back like you have no idea. And yet I feel very blessed that the baby still stretching and moving (even though it hurts), my kids are fine, and my hubby is here making some chicken soup for his sick family.

Originally I was going to be the one making the chicken soup. I invited a friend of Nicky's to play with her while Ian took his nap (that's right, Nicky finally stopped taking naps). We made a deal and if she looks happy all day she could stop taking them but if she gets grumpy it might mean that she needs the nap again. She tries to smile and laugh (fake laughs of course) to prove to me that she is ready to stop taking them. Anyway, as I was saying, I had everything planned. On the way back from picking up Nicky we were going to pick up Taylin and then come home, eat a snack, send Ian to take his nap, and bring all the toys downstairs so the girls could play. Everything was going as planned until I don't know how my ankle just...well, I don't know exactly how it happened, but I fell down the stairs (I'm trying to not call myself dumb). I was holding Nicky's play house so I just let it go down the stairs. I wanted to scream and cry...well I actually screamed so the three of the kids went to ask me if I was okay. I told them I was fine (of course with a tear in my eye because of the pain). I told Nicky to bring me the telephone, and she immediately did. I called Glenn, but to my surprise he forgot his bipper here, so no luck with that. I couldn't move at all, the pain was killing me. I had to remember my baby steps by crawling funny. I asked the girls to help me to trick Ian so I could send him to sleep. We went to his room (I was still crawling) He thought we were going to play there until he saw me that I was trying to stand up. Since I couldn't stand up, for the first time in my life I was so glad that I have such long arms such that I could get him inside his crib from a kneeling position. He cried sadly. We came outside his room and very slowly came downstairs. The girls were very understanding. I told them I couldn't play with them because my ankle was hurting so bad. They understood. I felt so bad because I was planning to play with them and the dolls etc. Anyway I kept asking God to help me in a way to either have a special connection with Glenn so he would know I needed him or for him just showed up. 10 minutes later Glenn opened the door and as soon as I saw him I told him what happened. He was worried about me so he told me to go to the hospital. I told him to check me first. Thank goodness I didn't break up my ankle but it is so swollen and it hurts so bad. Anyway that is the story. The girls were playing very well and then I told them I wanted to play with them so they brought me some of the dolls and I got to be Ariel so we were "planning a wedding" until Taylin's dad came to pick her up.
Nicky was sad and so was Tylin so we hope maybe she can come tomorrow to have another play day. I was going to post some pictures but as you can imagine the camera is not here is downstairs and I'm not planning on bringing it so I might do that later:)

and the anguish continues.,,

We are getting closer to my hubby's graduation. At the same time, it's scary to think about what the future will hold for us. Glenn is almost done with his interviews. We are waiting for the match to come. It's funny to think that the match ceremony will be just 2 weeks before my due date. It's going to be interesting to see if this baby decides to arrive the same day that we will be knowing where we'll go for the next 6 or perhaps 10 years (scary). There's supposed to be a dinner where everybody gets to know about their match, followed by a short cruise. I think this event will be in College Station which makes the perfect excuse to stop by at this place where they make the best ribs ever (in my humble opinion of course).

I'm at my 30th week of my pregnancy. I'm really feeling way too big. I honestly can feel how my skin keeps streching (no streching marks so far, YAY!). I have some question also if the ultrasound was right or not, and if it's really a girl or is it another boy. I have never felt my babies moving this much. Nicky was quiet as a mouse and Ian wouldn't move unless you would bother him by touching my belly. This baby on the other hand moves SO much that it hurts. I'm not complaining about this. On the contrary, I'm so greatful. With Nicky and Ian I knew everything was fine because I had the nausea and all the bad symptoms you can imagine. That was a good sign. With this baby after my 20th week I started to feel very good and eating pretty much everything. If she wouldn't be moving I know I'd be so scared that she is not fine. I can't wait to meet her. It is going to be interesting to add another member to the family. I know the kids loves her already so much. Nicky could feel her kicking my belly and she was so excited when she felt the kicks. She giggled and told me that she felt her.

Speaking about Nicky: I'm so happy that after 4 years and 2 months I can finally make ponytails in her hair. She also let me style her bangs. She loves it and so do I. She is growing up so much. I keep telling her that no matter how old she is, she is always going to be my princess and my baby. She is so determined to acheive her goals. I'm so proud of her. She really wants to buy a whole bedroom set of Sleeping Beauty (you know sheets, pillowcases, blanket etc). I told her those were very expensive, and I didn't think we could afford it. Then she told me that her daddy has a lot of money in his pocket. I told her that maybe if she started to save the money that she received during the year, perhaps by the end of the year she could buy what she wanted. She of course was immediatly asking me, "ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME A DOLLAR?" I told her no, but she could wait until her b-day, easter etc to see how much she could save. The next day I asked her to clean up her bedroom, and she did great. Then I asked Ian to put aways his toys and he of course did nothing. So I asked Nicky if she could help me and she immediately answered, "ASOLUTELY![sic]" So she did it. Since that wasn't her chore, Glenn gave her 25 cents. She was so excited I told her to save it and we took advatage to talk about tithing. The next day Glenn was on his interview and I wasn't feeling very good (the belly is too big I'm not used to that); anyway she helped me again as Ian refused to help of course. Since the only cash that I had was a dollar, I gave her a dollar. She was so thrilled, and she ran upstairs to save her dollar in her "secret hiding place." Ian wanted a dollar, too but I told him why he couldn't have one. He immediatly picked up his clothes and ran upstairs to put it in my bedroom door (he knows the basket for dirty clothes is in my bedroom). Then he came downstairs and very proud of himself he told me, "I DID IT!" I felt so bad I told him that I wasn't going to give him money, but rather a kiss and a piece of gum. He really deserved it, but he was as thrilled as Nicky. Glenn and I thought that if she helps with something that she doesn't have to do (like picking up Ian's toys), and if she does it with a smile she could gain 25c. I know it's not much but she helps me everyday. If I pay her a dollar she might be the one bringing the bacon home. :)

They are so little and they are learing so much already about everything. It makes me feel scared a little bit. Raising them, well, that's what makes me scared. We have so much responsability with them: feeding them, clothing them, and making them presentable sounds like a joke. That's why I admire moms with teenagers at home (my older sister in-law is one of them). When I see how good they are turning out I quickly go close to them to ask what the secret is.

Glenn finally came back from playing Wii. So I've got to go. Best wishes to all the Medical School students' wives who are waiting anxiously for the big answer. Let's keep praying for the best to come. :)

I don't know how to title this blog. I just have so many feelings right now. I can feel you moving around me. I love feeling your little foot kicking my ribs (it hurts but it's cute) Or your hands just tickling me. You are not here yet but you are already so important in our lives. I can see the happiness in your daddy's eyes every time he sees or feel my belly jumping up and down. I love seeing the excitement of your siblings every time they come and "talk" to you through my belly button. Or every time they kiss my belly thinking on you and saying good night to you. We lovw you my aweet baby. We can't wait to meet you.

Nicky's because..

We were watching t.v. yesterday at night. There was actually nothing good on, so I put on a British show (those ones you know where the candidates try to win a prize on whatever they are good at). In this case it was a ballerina. Nicky kept telling me how beautiful she danced so I assumed she was going to ask me to take classes, too. Since the question never came up I asked her, "SO NICKY WOULD YOU LIKE TO DANCE LIKE HER AND BE A BALLERINA, TOO?!" To my surprise her answer was, "MMM, I DON'T THINK SO." I asked her, of course, "Why?" and she soon answered me, "I DON'T WANT TO BE A BALLERINA BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO SHOW MY UNDERWEARS!" Glenn and I were laughing so bad and trying to explain that even though we like her to be modest, ballerinas dress like that because it's classical ballet. She immediately told us, "I DON'T CARE! I DON'T WANT TO SHOW MY UNDERWEAR!" She had spoken.

Other interesting things about Nicky: Last week while Glenn was on an interview Nicky approached me and told me in a very firm voice, "MAMA, I DO NOT WANT TO GET BAPTIZED." I was shocked to hear that. I asked her why and she told me that even though she wanted to be 5, she did not want to be 8 and get baptized. I tried to explain her why baptism is so important. She started cry and told me the same thing again. I told her that I wanted her at least to think about it. She told me that she didn't even want to think about it she just didn't want to get baptized. She wouldn't tell me why. So I went sadly to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Then Nicky was asking Ian if he wanted to get baptized, and Ian with a very firm voice said, "YES!" Nicky was very sad about the subject. Then she came to me and told me, "MOM, I DON'T WANT TO GET BAPTIZED BECAUSE I'M SCARED. I DON'T WANT TO GET IN THE WATER LIKE JESUS." Then I remembered that she loves the movie "2 Testaments," and on it they showed Jesus getting baptized. I explained to her that that part of the ceremony was necessary, but she didn't have to be scared because she was going to be just fine. I told her of course that I did it, daddy did it, grandpa, grandma, abuelita and abuelito did it etc. She told me that she was going to think about it. I was cheered up to hear this. I know you might be thinking "COME ON CLAUDIA, SHE IS JUST 4," but you see Nicky is the kind of a girl who would stick to her ideas no matter how much time she needs to be convinced otherwise. Anyway I served dinner and while we ate Nicky touched my hand and told me with a very serious voice and looking at my eyes, "MAMA I THINK (she meant thought) ABOUT IT ALREADY. (a pause) I DECIDED THAT I DO WANT TO GET BAPTIZED!" I told her I was so happy to hear that. Next day, when Glenn came back, those were some of the first things she talked about with him. "DAD, I'M GOING TO GET BAPTIZED WHEN I'M 8, LIKE JESUS DID!" Glenn was confused and of course I had to explain to him what it was all about. Then we both explained to her that we all get baptized when we are 8, but Jesus got baptized a little bit older than that. She of course didn't care, she was and is fine with the idea of getting baptized sometime in 4 more years.

Our new chef?

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad, I just saw Ratatouille in the kitchen!" Those were the words that Nicky used to tell Glenn about our new chef. Glenn went to the kitchen to see what she was saying and saw nothing. Two days later we found mice poops in our kitchen. How could this happen to me? I never leave leftovers out. I don't go to sleep with the kitchen dirty, EVER! Glenn even joked abour maybe the idea that our new chef was going to the neighbors during the day and at night they might just come here to sleep in a clean place lol. That is the thing we haven't found: bites or marks that would prove his existence...except his droppings. Anyway, my brave and handsome hubby went inmediatly to the store and bought some traps to catch them. We thought it could be more than one, we didn't know, so we bought a few. That same night after we laid down the kids Glenn and I decided to watch a movie in our home. He made popcorn and brought some sparkling juice that we had. We were fine until he heard our chef in the kitchen again. I went to make sure he was caught. Glenn told me to stay away, he was scared I was going to be attacked or something...he is my hero I'm telling ya. Anyway we checked and we saw nothing. We finished the movie and went to sleep. Next morning we came down stairs to make breakfeast and their it was. The poor chef stuck in the glue trap. Glenn put his shoes on and KILLED IT ...just kidding. No he put it inside aluminum paper and inside of a bag. Then threw it in the dumpster. Since then we haven't heard, seen or have had proof that we have more of them. I hope it was just that one. However if I was paranoid with the cleaning area before. I'm totally extra paranoid now... (3 days later) ... we just caught another one in the trap next to the fridge. It appears Ratatouille let in his brother. At least the traps are working, but those glue traps are never great because you have to get rid of them while they're alive. Oh, well. Only 3.5 more months in these lovely apartments! :)

New Year and more...

Happy 2009 for all of you! We had a terrific time during the holidays. I'll start where I stopped last. The 31st (New Year's): Glenn, the kids, and I went to my sister's place in Austin. The only thing not 100% Mexican in her house were (besides Glenn) the eclairs that I bought at Sam's. She made all kinds of Mexican food to receive this new year. Dina and I decided to make the most of the traditions that we always do during New Year's in our family. For example, we dress in something new (that means that you are going to be looking good most of the year); when it's 12:00 we put our shoes on the wrong foot vice verse and put a coin inside of the shoe (that means you will have luck and money); we also eat 12 grapes and make a wish for each one of the grapes. Then we go in and out of the house 12 times while holding a suitcase in one hand and the rest of the family with the other hand (that means we are going to have trips during the year). It's all very superstitious I know, but it has worked so far :) After that we all hugged and then celebrated with sparkling grape juice. The kids were so tired that they didn't fight by the time they had to go to sleep. After we celebrated and laid the kids down, Glenn, Beto and Dina were playing Wii. I was way to tired, so I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. Glenn and the others went to sleep until 3:00 a.m.. Next day we woke up and had a light breakfast. Then the guys played Wii again most of the day. We spent the night again there so the second of January we decided to come back home, but before our return we decided to go and visit Aunt Barbara who had kindly invited us for lunch. The kids had a blast. Nicky thinks she is so cool with her theater that she has in her house. Ian was happy exploring the house which, by the way, is huge. We had a fun visit and got the chance to met her new daughter-in-law. We came back home very very tired. I just wanted to sleep and the kids were so grumpy but happy for coming back home. Ian even learned the sentences, "ARE WE GOING HOME? I WANT TO BE HOME!" Poor little guy. At night that same day we went to our friends the Chapmans' house. It was Eric's b-day and it didn't matter how tired we were we just couldn't miss that event. We had a fun visit and the kids were very well behaved (if you count the fact that they were very tired and hungry). After that we came back to our home and the kids immediately asked for dinner. We served them turkey and some noodles; they devoured it. Then we changed their clothes and laid them down. Glenn and I went to bed and as soon as our body touched it we were totally out.

Since then we are just trying to get back on schedule. Nicky even told me that SHE LOVES TAKING NAPS...which is great because this was going to be the year that I was not going to let her take them anymore.

This weekend Glenn has to go to Michigan for an interview. We will leave tomorrow for my sister's, and I'll drop him off to the airport on Thursday. I'll be staying with my sister until Glenn gets back from his trip. Keep us in your prayers so his interview can go well. We would love to match here, but at this point as long as he matches we will be so happy and blessed.

Anyway, in conclusion, we had a great year. 2008 was full of blessings. We are so grateful we could say good bye to Grandma Walker and that she is happy and reunited with Grandpa in heaven. We are so happy and recognize the Lord's hand in our family and feel so blessed we could make it to Canada to visit and get to know the rest of the family. The kids bonded very well with their extended cousins. Nicky keeps asking me when she is going to see them again...that's a tough question to answer. Nicky started school and she is doing great progress in the language and other skills that she has been working on. Ian is fast in catching up with her. Glenn is also done and happy with his results on Step 1 and Step 2. We decided to add another member to this family, so we adopted 2 beta fish who by the way are STILL ALIVE. We had a great trip to Monterrey to visit with family and friend. We also decided to add another member to the family who we'll hopefully meet in April (unless she decides to come a little early). We got to visit Lisa (my sister in-law) and her family, and not just get to know her new place but also to meet baby Sabrina (who by the way is gorgeous). We have 2 more nephews and one more niece added to the family this year, which make Nicky and Ian so happy because they have more cousins to play with for future family reunions.

We are so thankful to the Lord for His help with my pregnancy and our family. We are still together and happy, which is the most important. We still have lots of trials just like we had this past year, but we know our heavenly father will help us on the way as He always does.

We love our friends and family and wish the best for all of you.

The Walkers.

We are praying of course for this year to be even better and full of good surprises.

December just began!

We haven't posted much. This month is one of the craziest one every year. So here are some pictures of this month. Ian waiting for Nicky last day at school before her vacation. That's right he was smelling his sucks...that's my boy. In Nicky's last day of school they made them wear their PJ's and gave them hot chocolate and cookies while a teacher read them a story. Here is Nicky with her teacher Mrs. Kappulea.

My niece's b-day was also in December. My sister threw a fun party for her. Nicky got to hit the pinata for the second time. It was actually her first time enjoying this. Ian on the other hand had his first time to hit the pinata and he LOVED IT!

Then Christmas Eve. You see in Mexico we do the big feast on Christmas Eve and on Christmas we open the presents and re-heat the same feast. Nobody gets stressed, and everybody keeps their PJ's on. We kind of do the same thing in our little family. I made the table very fancy and I cooked Smoked Turkey (well, Glenn did it). I made the rolls, apple pie, fruit, vegetables to dip, and funeral potatoes. We also had eggnoog, and floats. My sister brought mexican beef to make some tacos (I was craving them so badly) and empanadas with caramel inside (she knows those are my favorite). We also had sparkling grape juice. We ate like it was the last dinner of our lives. Then we built the ginger bread house and train with the kids. We (the ladies) made the house. The boys on the other hand made a train. The kids were decorating and eating the masterpieces. We had so much fun doing this. After that we put on the traditional Nativity play. Nicky was an angel, Ian and Merary were shepherds. I was a very preagnet Mary and Glenn was Joseph. My brother in-law Beto and my sis Dina were the 2 wisemen (we kind of missed one of them). After that Glenn opened his present from me early so everybody could play the Wii; it was indeed a very good hit that night. The kids looooved it. Glenn and Beto had a blast. My sis and I were cleaning up and you know separating meals to go etc. After that the kids went to bed and my sis and her family went back to their house.

Next day we opened the presents. Ian was the most excited with his new table. He got lots of trains and trucks, he also got a bike. Nicky got a huge house for her and also her dream princess bike. She got lots of fun things like dolls, clothes, necklaces, a princes game to play in dadys Wii, a cd player, and a karaoke princes machine so she can sing and EVERYBODY CAN HEAR HER. Both of them got new dishes of their favorite movie characters, puzzles, guns that shoot disks and also tents of their favorite characters too. That same day after putting everything away and eating we went to visit my sister in-law in Forth Worth. We got the chance to met baby Sabrina, who is by the way so adorable. We let our kids play and get to know each other a little bit better. Nicky had thrown up when we arrived to the house. She was so embarassed, she told Glenn she didn't want to get in the house because she didn't want anybody to see her like that. So I changed her into her PJ's. Nicky does care about her looks.

We returned home just on time to celebrate our annivesary. 5 YEARS! YIPPY!!. These five years has been the most important and happy in ALL MY LIFE. THANK YOU BABE FOR BEING THE BEST HUSBAND EVER. YOU ARE INDEED MY OTHER HALF AND EVERYDAY I'M SO HAPPY THAT WE ARE WORKING AND GROWING OLD TOGETHER (TE AMO NENE, ERES EL MEJOR DEFINTIVAMENTE EL MEJOR. SOY MUY AFORTUNADA AL TENERTE A MI LADO).

Glenn made a special fancy dinner for the both of us right after we laid the kids down. He also got me a very nice card and a funny movie. He actually surpised me with the movie. He knows it's one of my favorites because I laugh so bad everytime I see it. I would never buy it. Why should I? They show it on tv all the time. I was laughing so bad when I saw he bought it. He also bought some strawberries dipped in chocolate. They were just perfect to finish the dinner.

Well, until next time, and I hope all of you had a great Christmas and we wish you a very Happy New Year!

Inspiration or Competition?

I know my son Ian is a competitive child. I knew it since day one. Nicky on the other hand never showed interest or that "talent." I know some people must think competitive children are the best. Well in my case I think we should always do the best we can just because we want to be better and not because we want to brag that we are better than somebody else.

A few days ago Glenn and I took the kids to

the neighbors' houses to give some treats. Nicky wanted to sing a song by herself so she did it. That night was just very Christmasy I guess since it was freezing. When we stopped at the Galloways place,Amanda was so nice that she let us get into her house so Nicky could sing inside instead of outside. Nicky was happy to do it like that. Then their oldest girl Taylin was so happy because she was now officially a big girl since she took a bath ALL BY HERSELF! We all told her that she was indeed a big girl and how proud we felt to have her as a friend. We finished the visit and kept going on with our lives.

Yesterday we were running late for the kids' picture appointment. I told Glenn that while I was showering the kids he could go and make a light breakfast for them. Well to my surprise Nicky refused to receive help. She told me she wanted to do it ALL BY HERSELF. So I let her do it. While I was pouring shampoo on Ian's head Nicky was doing the same and while I was foaming his body Nicky was doing the same too. She was just following me step by step. At the end I guess I saved like 10 minutes. Then Glenn came upstairs and wanted to help Nicky to dry and get ready. Nicky again refused it and wanted to do it all by herself. She was done and Glenn and I told her we were so proud of her that we weren't expecting her to do that until she was older. She answered us back with this sentence. "YEAH I'M A BIG GIRL TOO. NEXT TIME I SEE TAYLIN I'LL TELL HER THAT I CAN TAKE A BATH BY MYSELF TOO." Glenn and I looked at each other, then later talked about it. I told him that I was glad and impressed that she wanted to do it by herself. She is indeed growing up. But I wasn't expecting her to say she was doing it because of somebody else. Glenn told me that it is interesting since we had never mentioned that subject at home or anything like that. We had no idea. Then I realized how important being competitive has always been to Ian being behind as "the baby" (that's going to change very soon). He loves being at the same level as the older children, especially boys. He is always competing with Nicky in everything. Nicky never showed interest in this because she is always ahead of Ian, so why should she worry? Since she started pre-k she has been progressing in the language and other things, too. She has never mentioned, though, "OH I'M DOING IT BECAUSE SO-AND-SO CAN DO IT TOO." Now I get it. She has been talking about how she can't wait to be 5 because she is barely 4, and how big she is going to become when she turns 5 etc., etc. I'm assuming that she just barely noticed that Taylin is 5 and she is just 4 and wants to do what her friend can do? ... I don't know, I'm still trying to resolve this puzzle. One thing is for sure: Even though I never have liked competitive people, I'm so glad that Nicky wanted to do this. She can brush her teeth, put her clothes on, go potty, and bathe herself; and all this just right before I have another girl ... YAY for her and YIPPY for me! I just need to teach her how to pour cereal in her bowl and she is ready to survive in this house lol (J/K).

We have done lots of things. I'm so glad my wonderful husband has posted some of the latest tidbits that we have done.
I think my husband forgot to mention that my princess ran a race. She probably was last, but she got a medal. She was so happy with her medal and so proud of herself. She kept telling me "MAMA, I RAN VERY WELL." Poor girl, though, because we didn't have time to train or anything. I wasn't feeling well at that time. However I did what I could to let her have that experience. Glenn couldn't be with us that day. She also participated in the Christmas program at her school. She sang three songs and she did magnificently. The only problem was that I could tell she was sad since she didn't see Glenn and Ian with me (I was in the first row taking pictures and videos). As soon as she saw them she was so happy. I had promised her that Glenn was going to be there, and he was. We also had the opportunity to go as a family to the Christmas activity at church. They did a terrific job this year. Everything looked great and the food MMM! Wonderful. Santa had the perfect spot, and it was very well decorated. Nicky asked Santa for her much awaited PRINCESS BIKE, while Ian was assuring Santa that he had been "good" all year. I love when Ian wants to behave all tough. We asked him to say hello to Santa and with his tough voice repeated, "HELLO, SANTA." After the questions, if he has being good, etc. etc., we asked him to smile for the camera and he was holding back his smile. He is such a silly boy.

Anyway, as everybody knows, I'm feeling very good. So we decided to make some cookies for the neighbors and some candy canes with reindeer's faces. My candy canes looked more like cats or chihuahuas with two antennas, not reindeer at all. The cookies, well, I didn't want to abuse my good health, so Glenn was the one who made them (kind of...I bought the dough in cut shapes already). He actually just needed to cook them.

Yesterday we went to our friends' and also neighbors' apartments and gave away the treats while Nicky was singing solo "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS." She wasn't shy at all. We are so proud of her. Ian on the other hand was the one who would give the treats. The night was very cold, but we really enjoyed doing that as a family home evening. Nicky said she loved the experience. Ian just kept making his noise when he gets cold: BRRRRR!

We finally got our vacuum back. We'll see if is working correctly tomorrow. We went to Killen and let the kids run around Toys R' Us. It was funny when I asked Nicky, "SO NICKY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY THIS (pointed to a toy)?" Then she would answered me back, "MMM, IT'S VERY PRETTY MOM, BUT I THINK IT'S TO EXPENSIVE." Glenn and I were laughing about it. Then she saw something that she really wanted (and it was also very expensive), and told me "LOOK, MOM! LOOK AT THIS! ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL? AND IT'S NOT EXPENSIVE AT ALL." She definitely cracks me up. She thinks she can be very subtle lol.

Ian has started to ask "BUT WHY?" for everything, and then after lots of explanation he always says the same, "WHAT?" It doesn't matter what, for example I'll say, "IAN IT'S TIME TO GO TO SLEEP." (Ian) "BUT, WHY?" "IAN STOP BOTHERING NICKY." (Ian) "BUT WHY?" "SHE IS YOUR SISTER, SO YOU SHOULDN'T BOTHER HER." (Ian) "WHAT?" I don't think he knows what "what?" means, but he surely tries and uses it well.

I'm getting tired. Anyway Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. I'll be posting later about ours.

Claudia

The Rivalry Begins and British Frustration with Elmo

Two quick cute stories from our most recent adventures:

1. Background- Ian is very competitive, and Nicky, though very sweet, is still the little princess and likes to get her way. Nicky has learned and is still practicing 3 Christmas songs for her preschool Christmas presentation. We all know them by heart now, too. :) She also sings a song about a firetruck that isn't too exciting, which we're sure she learned at her evangelical preschool as well, (lyrics, "I love the firetruck" repeat three times, ended with "of the Lord!"). We're still wondering where this sacred fire station is. Ian loves the firetruck song because he sings along with her, mostly the end part "of the Lord!" Are our children blasphemous? We're working on it, but anyway, on the way back from a trip the other day, Nicky was belting out her chorus of Christmas songs for the 9th time. Ian asked her, then told her, then yelled for her to sing the firetruck song. Nicky, the little princess, did not want to sing the firetruck song again and continued another round of her Christmas songs. Ian then pulled out his "momma's boy" card, and cutely turned towards Claudia, and in his super-cute-little-boy voice mumbled, "Mama, gibberish gibberish Nicky no gibberish gibberish, FIRETRUCK peese [please]." Ah, yes, let the rivalry begin. Nicky didn't care either way and just kept singing.

2. Last night Ian struggled to sleep well and so Claudia brought him to sleep with us. He sometimes mumbles a bit in his sleep. He is also picking up a bunch of vocabulary from the Thomas the Train show, including little British phrases, his favorite of which expresses frustration, saying, "Bother, [name of someone]!" He does this to just about all his toys, and occasionally us. However, he had a cross over of t.v. shows during his sleep, mumbling, "Bother, Elmo!" He has just recently seen a few episodes of Elmo, and loves him, but apparently in his sleep Elmo got on his bad side. Oh, well. Hope you're not finishing this entry by saying, "Bother, Glenn!" (Ian does say "Bother, daddy!" quite a lot, but hey, I'm changing a lot of his diapers now). Take care, Merry Christmas everybody!

Just one little thing.

I have nothing more to say but I'M FEELING GOOD! YAY! first pregnancy ever that I'm enjoying.

Thanksgiving, so count blessings, stop whining

In honor of the great holiday that has just passed us by (nothing like getting yourself real grateful in preparation for receiving gifts, eh?), I'd like to stop my whining about the loveliness of residency applications and interviewing, and count some blessings. First off, we had a great Thanksgiving at the Chapman's ranch. We ate great food, played a bit on a Nintendo Wii (sweet!), shot .22 rifles and handguns (my 5 month pregnant wife packing heat...welcome to Texas!), and got to visit with some good friends. Thanks for the invite, Chapmans!

Now, on to the thankfulness/gratitude. I consider myself extremely fortunate and blessed. I do not at all consider myself deserving of the great life I have and all the joy I experience. I lack nothing, absolutely nothing, and have been helped along in my life every step of the way and continue to feel the Lord's helping hand continually in my life. To name a few blessings:


1. My testimony of Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, and Their true Church
2. The most fantastic, gorgeous wife in the whole world
3. Two beautiful, healthy, and challenging children with another one on the way
4. Health, strength, daily necessities
5. Live in a great country where I can enjoy #1-3 freely
6. Loving parents and extended family...well, most of the extended family (you know how it is) :)7. Opportunity to study and work in a field that I find fascinating and satisfying...now, I just have to match into a residency spot!
8. Friends who are supportive and understanding...even when I whine (and boy, am I good at it!) 9. Texas: affordable cost of living, socially conservative, and hey, you can shoot guns!
10. Being happy because I have all of the above in my life


And many, many more. Really, life is full of things for which we should be grateful. Even those who have so much "less" than we think give thanks to the Lord for their abundance. What a great holiday! To be grateful and count your blessings. Even when things are hard, it's such a sure fire way to feel better and take things in with the right attitude, that being, an attitude of gratitude (thanks, President Monson, for the couplet). :) Thanks to you all for your help and encouragement. Happy Thanksgiving, hope yours was great, too, and let's all look forward to this great time of year when we remember the Savior's birth.

"Be the next lucky emailer, and you could get a residency spot!"

Hello, all, and welcome to our crazy world of awaiting residency interview offers. I will follow the example of my lovely wife in keeping our family and friends up to date through a blog entry (with a catchy, but true, title). Claudia has been incredible throughout this, and very supportive...the kids just keep making sure I'm not going to a hospital "far, far away" every morning that they see me. It's nice to be wanted (and to be on an easy radiology rotation). :)

Quick review of how this works: a residency is the specialized training after medical school, in my case 6 years of plastic surgery training (or, plan B: 5 years of general surgery hopefully followed by another 3 years of plastic surgery training...yes, that's why it's plan B). Plastic surgery is cut-throat competitive, and I'm going up against some of the most annoyingly competitive applicants in country. There are only 45 programs in the country with a total of about 95 spots, and usually there are over 215 applicants...yup, you read that right: more than half will NOT match into plastic surgery (that's why we're told to get a plan B). So, I've applied to 36 (didn't apply to all as we can't afford and don't want to live in certain cities in the country), and went on 3 away rotations to Washington University in St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Utah (on the job interview type things, usually get you an interview). The hospital I'm at, Scott & White, has a program that takes one applicant a year as well, and is a place we would love to get accepted to. In general, you're pretty awesome in plastic surgery if you get more than 10 interviews, though getting over 5 is also something to be positive about.

Next step after dishing out the $600 in application fees and getting all the wonderful paperwork together? WAIT...and wait...and wait. Interview offers didn't start until late October. I did get formally interviewed at Las Vegas while I was there in October, and it went very well. I hoped the interviews would just start rolling in after that, as I felt and was told by the program director at Las Vegas that I was very competitive. However, after 3 rejection emails in about 5 days (my first Ivy League School rejection! I was so honored! say it with me, "Haaah-vud"), and seeing on a webpage that has a forum updating what programs have already offered and NOT getting offered by those same programs, reality started settling in: I was going to have to wait patiently, maintain faith, and take what I could get. I have received 3 other interview offers so far (total of 4 with Las Vegas). The most interesting offer started like this:

After checking my email every hour last Friday and seeing nothing, I took a nap. Unfortunately for me, during that nap, I received an interview offer (explain in a sec). It went something like this, "Due to the high quality and competitiveness of applicants this year, to further facilitate our interview process, we are offering 70 applicants an interview for 40 interview spots. The first 40 to respond to the dates listed below will be interviewed, and other applicants will be put on a wait list in the case of any cancellations. Thank you...and GO!!!" I added that last part in for humor. As the title states, the lucky first 40 to check their email would get an interview. I was unfortunately emailer #42, and am wait-listed for the date I chose...lame! Can you believe that? Is this a radio call in show to win 2 tickets to a High School Musical 3 private viewing at your local theater? What the heck happened to professionalism? This is a process to decide our futures and it's "FIRST TO CHECK THEIR EMAIL?!" Anyway, I was grateful for the interview offer (which was followed by 6 other no offers then one more interview offer to make it 4 total including Las Vegas), but the manner in which they did it seemed infantile.

Anyway, that's our crazy world of checking email accounts and my application account webpage AND the chat forum page every hour that it's possible. Tomorrow I'll start my general surgery interviews...we'll see how that goes. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers and for reading through this. For those curious enough to have read this far, my interview spots so far are: Scott & White, The Ohio State University, Wake Forest (North Carolina), and University of Nevada School of Medicine at Las Vegas (NOT UNLV). I'm happy with that list, but there are still a few other schools I'd like to at least get offered to go interview at to have a few more eggs to put in a few more baskets...though I'd prefer one of these places to wink-wink-nudge-nudge me...nah, just kidding, that's not allowed. ;) Wait, did I just wink? I'm in trouble...

The ultrasound is in and we're going to have a...

...you thought it would be that easy, in the title? No, we like suspense and will let you search through the post. We got back a little while ago from the radiology department at S&W Hospital after dropping Nicky off at school. Ian was tranquilized with a lollipop and subsequent candy. :) Claudia changed into her gown and we watched intently as the technician went through the measurements and showed us all the different body parts...one thing was for sure, the little baby in Claudia's tummy (as we explain to Nicky) was sure active! All the dates put Claudia at exactly 18 weeks and 2 days. All we saw for a few minutes were legs and arms and a back flying all over the place. Anyway, the long awaited moment was here... thoughts about our future addition to the family crossed our minds, changes, etc. etc. Claudia had a dream months ago when we were deciding to get pregnant one more time before residency started, and in the dream she saw a little girl who came up to her and asked her why she didn't want to have her and why she didn't love her. This dream had bothered Claudia for some time, and she had hoped that the answer would come during the ultrasound exam. I had guessed it was going to be a boy, Claudia felt it was probably a girl, and hopefully the girl from the dream. The moment finally arrived, and as the technician zoomed in a bit and focused, it seemed quite clear and he confirmed it, we would be having another girl! We were both very excited, and Claudia was relieved that perhaps the girl from the dream would join our family. We're looking forward to the new addition and that Nicky and Ian will be happy with a baby sister. We just hope that all the wiggling around isn't an indication of any fussiness. :) If it is, we'll love her all the same, but our house will be more than full of over-active children. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the announcement and had to read through everything to fin it.

Glenn is back!

YAY!!! My hubby came home on Saturday. He missed halloween and my b-day, but he made it on time to celebrate Nicky's b-day.

Halloween started for Nicky at 8:00 a.m. on the 31st when she had her school costume parade. She had a blast, and so did Ian. He kept calling all the kids "pider man" (spider man), and he loved the parade.

Later on that day I took the kids to the ward trunk or treat. We were way too late so we missed it. The kids were so excited. I felt bad telling them it was over. So I took them to the neighborhood near the church. It was their first time asking for candy by knocking doors. They loved it. After that we came home and I let them eat 2 candies each. The next day Glenn came home and everything was so happy and full of laughter and hugs and kisses. The next day was so crazy. Nicky turned 4 years old, and Glenn and my brother-in-law Beto bar-be-cued hamburgers, chicken, and beef for us. On the other hand my sister Dina and I could visit and played with the kids. Nicky loved having other kids over specially if those other kids are realtive to her. Nicky didn't want a cake so instead I made my famous trifle and my delicious pear pie.The kids were eating everything especially the whipped cream. We sang for Nicky and let her opened her present. She was so content and so nice to share all her new toys.Next day at her school. She got to wear the crown for turning 4 yrs old. She felt really special. We got to stay and wait for her happy b-day song.

I'm so happpy to have Glenn back. He will be on vacation for a week. The kids and I are enjoying him SO MUCH!

My half (from Glenn):

After being in the barren wasteland that is the University of Utah medical center for two weeks, and then driving once again across a real desert to Las Vegas, I happily returned to my lovely wife and adorable children this past week. It was a wonderful feeling to be back home and in the arms of my family and in the warmth of our home (apartment). :) Those away rotations really take a lot out of you, especially when you realize that neither party is really interested in each other...on the second day! But anyway, to stay positive, I'm home and we're together. Nicky's birthday was a fun experience, and being with family and bar-be-cueing was great (and delicious). I still feel bad that I missed Halloween and my wife's birthday, but again, stay positive...I keep telling myself that a lot lately! I wonder why? Anyhow, seeing the kids and seeing their smiles was great, and being back with my sweetie pie is the best. The kids have gotten so much bigger since I left, or at least it feels that way. Ian is talking so much and Nicky is speaking so much more. It's just great to be back.