Grandpa Goedel

Grandpa Goedel passed away on Saturday, July 28th, 2012. He and Jill had traveled to Washington and while there, he had a heart attack. He passed away almost exactly 12 years after Grandma Goedel. She died on July 29th, 2000. I was really sad when my dad told me the news. However, I was grateful that I was able to see him so many times in the past few years. The last time I got to see him was July 3rd. Me, my mom, dad, Michael, and Cante went up to Perry to visit him before Michael left for his mission. We got to ride on one of his scooters and then we went to eat at Taco Time.

Grandpa's funeral was on August 1st in Washington. He was burried on the Tulalip Reservation right next to Grandma Goedel. All of our family met up there except for Michael since he is on his mission. It was really important for my dad for all of us to be there. We were really happy to go. It was so nice to reunite with our family members that we hadn't seen in so long. Us girls hadn't been up to see everyone since Grandma Goedel passed away. We had a great time while we were there.

Marlin, Cante, and I drove up on Monday, July 30th and arrived on Tuesday, the 31st. Our first night there, we went and helped Jill clean up her yard at her preschool. (Which is what Grandpa and Jill had come to Washington to do). Cante was in heaven at the preschool. There was a huge backyard with little cars, wagons, a playset, and a ship. Then the inside had tons of toys, puzzles, etc. My mom and me just took turns watching Cante and helping with cleaning. After we were done, we drove by the new casino and went shopping at the outlets mall. I bought a little outfit for Cante at Carters. We all decided to wear white to the funeral and Cante didn't have anything white.

Erin and Aaron got in early Wednesday morning. We all hung out at the house for a little while and then we went and ate at Alfy's Pizza. When we were done, we just went back to Sherrie's house and hung out with Michaella for a little while. Then, we went and ate at The Olive Garden for Chelsea's daughter's birthday. Afterwards, we went to Walmart to get Chelsea's daughter a gift. Later that night, everyone went over to Sherrie's to eat cake. We all stayed up late talking and playing with the kids. Then Heather and Antioni got in late that night. We were all excited to see them so we all stayed up and waited for them to get there. Cante was the only one who went to sleep. Lol.  

On Thursday morning, all the guys went to the Seattle Seahawks stadium. They got to take a tour, meet players, and watch a practice. That night, we all went and ate at the Casino's buffet. The food was delicious! When we were done, we decided to take a drive around the reservation. We drove by the long house, the cemetary, and Sherrie and Gregs old house. The water was beautiful and so was the weather! Later that night, we all met up at Sherrie's house and just hung out in the house and the backyard. We played volleyball, set up the canopy for the funeral, and Cante sat in the baby swing for hours! Marlin said he couldn't get her out of it! She loved sitting in the swing and watching all of the kids and people around her. She was just totally content and entertained. I thought...maybe we should get one of those?

The funeral service was held on Friday morning at the LDS church on the reservation.
His service was very nice and uplifting. My Dad, Sherrie, and Aaron Losik spoke. All of the grandkids sang "Families Can Be Together Forever." Our family also sang "I am a Child of God." I felt so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I felt blessed to have the knowledge of the plan of salvation and to know that I will be reunited with Grandpa Goedel and other ancestors one day. After the funeral we all had lunch at Sherrie's house. We ate pulled pork sandwiches, watermelon, chips, and soda. It was a really nice day because the whole family was together. All of our cousins, aunts, and uncles. We sat around and talked, had a little talent show, and shared memories of Grandpa Goedel. It felt so nice to be surrounded by family. It was so nice to be reunited with everyone. Later that night, we all went to the park and the guys played basketball while the girls watched the kids at the park.

On Saturday morning, all the guys went fishing with Lance and a friend of his. They were gone for about 5 hours and only caught 2 fish. lol. Heather and I took Cante, Tacoma, and Kiamaia to McDonalds to play. Then we went to a thrift store and to a pet store so the kids could see some animals. The kids had so much fun with Heather and I. They were so cute. It was fun being able to spoil them a little. When we got back, we all went to eat at Gold Corral. Then it was time to take Heather and Antioni to the airport. Erin, Aiyanna, and I drove them.

On Sunday morning we went to church on the reservation. Afterwards we went home, packed up, and hit the road. We got back on Monday afternoon just in time to turn our rental car in! We were cutting it really close though!

Overall, we had a great trip. I was really glad that Marlin could see Washington and meet all our extended family. We had so much fun together. We stayed up late every night. I know everyone was just exauhsted! I am so grateful for my family and the relationships that we share. I am also grateful to my Grandpa Goedel for teaching my dad the gospel. It had made the biggest difference for our family. I love that we can be sealed together for time and all eternity. :)

Baby Sign Language/ Folding Arms

We have been teaching Cante baby sign language this past month. So far she knows how to sign "more," and "all done." The only problem is that she likes the "more," sign a little TOO much. lol. She seriously won't stop doing it when we give her something that she really likes..lol. I'm really glad that she has a way to communicate with us. I only plan on teaching her a few essential signs, mostly having to do wit eating. I don't want her to become too reliant on signing and then not learn how to talk. It has been really rewarding seeing her pick up on the things that we have taught her so far.

For the past week or so we have been re-trying to teach Cante how to fold her arms. Well, last night she finally did it! Marlin and I were so excited! Now we just have to teach her to close her eyes ;) She actually sounds like she might be picking up on the "amen" part but I'm not sure. She is kind of hard to understand sometimes..lol. I happened to have my phone near by when she folded her arms so I was able to snap a picture!

Vegas PLC conference

Tuesday, June 12
We spent all morning packing. I had to get Cante's bag ready for California and my bags ready for Vegas. My parents left around 1:30. It was the first time I was going to be away from Cante. I was really sad to see her go but I knew that she would be okay because she was with my parents. Marlin dropped me off at my school around 2:00 and we left from the school around 3:00 to go to the airport. There were 12 teachers in all. Me, DeAnna Lloyd, Bret Zabel, Monique Fausett, Monique Straughn, Teresa Segura, Kathy VanWagner, Holly Rognan, Morgan Murdock, Jordan Kohler, Brooke Hatch, and Susanne Prince. We got to the airport in Vegas and caught a shuttle to Ballys. We got into our rooms and then walked over to a buffet. It was a pretty high class buffet. I saw our bill and it was $420.00 for all 12 of us to eat! Yikes. The food was great though. We went back to our rooms and went to sleep because we had to be up early the next morning. My roomate was Jordan. My parents were sending me updates on Cante throughout the day which was really nice. They probably sent me like 5 pictures on the first day. It was comforting to know she was happy and doing okay.

Wednesday, June 13
On Wednesday morning our group met around 7:15 because we had to check in and eat our continental breakfast by 8. The continental breakfast fruit and pastries. After the conference was over, we went back to our rooms and caught a monorail to Phantom of the Opera to pick up our tickets. Afterwards, we found a nice restaraunt to eat dinner at. The show started at 7. I had never seen it before so I didn't even know what it was about.  I didn't love the plot of the play but the effects and singing were great. After the Phantom of the Opera we all walked back to our rooms. I was exauhsted and had a headache from staying up too late on Monday night. I just went back to the room, read my scriptures, and called Marlin and my mom to see how they were doing. I was really missing Cante and Marlin that night. But I was comforted to know that I would see Cante in a couple days :)

Thursday, June 14
On Thursday morning we went to the conference from 8 to 1:15. During our lunch break we all ate a Cheesecake factory. After the conference was over we were supposed to meet in our teams but DeAnna told us we could use it as "free time." So me and a couple of other ladies went down to the pool and layed out. The sun felt great and so did the water. It was so relaxing. That night we went to eat dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Afterwards we walked to the Luxor so that we could go on the slanted elevators. Afterwards we walked back to our rooms and went to sleep.

Friday, June 15

Friday was our last day of the conference. It only went from 8 to 11 since it was the last day. After the conference was over we ate lunch at Sabboro then got our bags and caught the shuttle over to the airport. Because I caught a different flight than everyone else, I ended up spending 4 hours at the airport before my flight left. The wait wasn't too bad, I just got on the internet and bought a milk shake :) I flew into Long Beach Airport. My dad came and picked me up but he didn't bring Cante because we didn't want her to have to sit in the car that long. When I got home Cante was at the store with my mom and Heather. When she walked in the door, my dad and I did an experiment. We both sat on the couch and put out our arms. She had a huge smile on her face when she saw me and she walked straight to me :) PHEW! I was worried she wouldn't remember me! I could not believe how well she was walking when I got back. I was so happy to see her. She looked so grown up.


Overall, I really enjoyed the PLC conference. I don't feel like I "learned," a lot but was "reminded," of things that we can do in our school to improve our PLCs. Overall, I felt that the conference was motivational. It was also really nice for our district to pay for everything. I didn't pay a penny out of my own pocket all week!
On the other hand, I was reminded of how much I dislike Vegas. The smoke, crowds, drinking, etc. It really is sin city. I forgot how bad it is there. Don't think I will be going back for a vacation any time soon.

Lake Powell

June 28th -June 30th

We had a great time at Lake Powell this weekend! Our trip was kind of last minute. Marlin was already planing on going camping with the young men this week. However, he missed church and mutual the previous week because of work, so he didn't know they were even going to Lake Powell. He thought they were going to Wyoming or something... So when I found out on Tuesday that they were going to Lake Powell, I told Marlin that I wanted to go! His response was, "We're going to Lake Powell?" lol.

We left Thursday around noon and on our drive up, we passed a really bad fire. There was a lot of smoke in the air. There have been several fires in Utah, Arizona, and Colorado this week. I think its because it has been so dry this summer. We got to Lake powell around 7:30 or 8. We met up with the scouts and then I called Rachel. Originally, I was going to stay with Rachel's Aunt Linette, but once I realized how close the resorst was to the camp site, I wanted to stay there instead. So Rachel and Sara drove out to the lake and were able to reserve me a room. We got to visit for a while and then we went and picked up Marlin. Since, we got the room, he decided to stay with Cante and I. I don't blame him. I would rather stay in a nice cool hotel room than sleep in a hot tent!

On Friday morning I dropped Marlin back off with the scouts and then Cante and I went to eat breakfast at Denny's. Afterwards we went to Rachels house and picked her up. Then we headed over to Antelope point where they had this little kiddy pool for Cante and Brystal. The weather was sooo warm. The water felt really nice. We hung out there for a while then Rachel ordered a pizza and by the time it was done, gerald came over with a boat to pick us up. He took us on a little tour of Antelope Canyon. It was sooo beautiful! On our way out the canyon, we saw the scouts in their boat. I started waving to them because that is what people do out there..they just wave at each other. And then as we got closer, I realized it was all the boys from our ward. LOL. Marlin wasn't on the boat though. He was out at the beach so we drove the boat over to where he was and hung out with him for a little while. He took Rachel and I to a little cliff and we jumped off. We only stayed for a little bit because Gerald had to get back to work and then we went back to the Antelope point where we had parked. By that time, my back was bright red, so we decided to drive over to Walmart to get some Aloe Vera. On our way back from Walmart we stopped to get an icecream :) Later that night, we met up with Britney and Gerald's cousin and all went out to eat. That night I stayed with Gerald's aunt and uncle. They were really nice; I was grateful that they let me stay with them even though they didn't even know me. We visited with them for a while, then Cante and I took showers and went to sleep. We had a long day; both of us were exauhsted!

On Saturday, I ate breakfast with Linette and her family then got ready and picked Rachel up. We met up with the scouts and the camp and then we all went down to the beach to swim one last time. Marlin and the boys were also burnt (even worse than me). So we put on sun block multiple times that day. They boys were playing with Bishop Beyal's canoe. They rowed out pretty far into the lake. When they got there, they found and empty house boat, got into it, and slid down the slide. LOL. They didn't think we saw them but we did. After we were done swimming, we got back on the road and headed home. Johan rode back with us.

Cante did really well all weekend long. She was content the whole time. The only time she got fussy was during the car ride but besides that she was great. I made sure to apply lots of sun screen on her so she didn't get burnt like the rest of us. She did come home a little darker though! I'm glad Cante and I ended up going with Marlin. We had way more fun than we would have if we were just at home all weekend. Marlin and I want to go again sometime (now that we know how much there is to do down there!)

We had a wonderful day today :) I started the morning off by cleaning our apartment and making breakfast for me and Cante. Afterwards, Cante and I went for a walk to the park. It was soooo hot! Luckily, I was prepared with water and a spray bottle to keep us cool! Cante went on the swings for a little while and then we sat in the shade and enjoyed some gold fish :)

 

When Marlin got back from work (substituting at TELOS) we decided to go on a canoe ride down the provo river. On our way we stopped at Wendy's to get some food. When we got to the ropes course, none of the workers were there so we just left money in the envelope and got a canoe. Marlin and I sat on each end of the canoe and Cante just relaxed in the middle. She was so good during our little "safari." I was a little worried about her trying to stand up or reach out over the canoe. She sat the whole entire time. I think she was either in awe of what we were doing or just so afraid to move. As we were canoeing down, we only ran into about 3 or 4 trees..lol. Marlin was just paddling so fast and not paying attention or something and by the time I caught his attention, we were in a bush or tree. By the end of the trip, we made up our own canoeing lingo...Code 2- We are heading towards a tree/bush...Code 3- We are really close to a tree/bush........ Code 4- Duck........Code 5- jump out...LOL. On the way back, we got the hang of things and so I only had to use Code 2 a few times. On our little trip we saw tons of ducks. Cante loved seeing them. She just kept staring and pointing at them trying to figure out what they were..lol. We even got to feed the ducks some gold fish which actually turned out to be kind of scary. They knew that the gold fish were coming from the canoe so they kept getting closer and closer to us...I thought they were going to attack me! lol. Who knew ducks could be so scary! When we got to the lake, we parked the canoe and went to a canopy to eat our snacks from wendys. We had planned to go swimming, but the beach area was too far from where we had parked. We just let Cante walk around for a little while to get some energy out and then we rode back to the ropes course. The weather was perfect.

 

 When we got back home, I changed into my workout clothes and went to Hettie's Zumba class. When I was finished, Marlin wanted to go to the grocery store to get some meat to cook. We alreay had meat but it was all frozen and not ready to cook. So all three of us went to Maceys to get food for shish kabobs! We got seasoned steak (on sale), zuchinni, bell peppers, and onions. We also bought some corn on the cob. WOW, our meal turned out soooo good!! And it was seriously soo easy! When we finished eating, I gave Cante a bath and we all went to sleep :) We had such a great day together! I love days where I get to spend time with our little family.

My family's visit to Utah

My family was in Utah for about a week right after school got out. The time went by so fast because we were so busy every minute of each day. The night they arrived, we all stayed up late talking and playing with the baby. When my dad first walked in and greeted Cante she started crying. LOL. I don't know why. She doesn't usually get like that but for some reason she got scared. Shortly after, she had warmed up to my dad, mom, and Michael.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

On Thursday morning, my mom, Cante, and I took a long walk near our apartments. When we got home, Rachel came over. Her and Gerald were visiting for a couple of days and so we got to see them and Brystal. Us girls just realxed at home, played with our little girls, and talked while my dad and Michael were out running errands. Afterwards we all met up at Burger Supreme (my dad's favorite) to get some lunch. Then Gerald came to get Rachel so my mom, dad, Michael, and I went to run some errands for Cante's birthday party. We oredered a cake for her at costco and then went to the dollar store for all the paper goods. They ended up having some really cute party supplies. Rachel called us while we were at the dollar store and asked us if we wanted to meet up at Brick Oven and so we went straight there when we were done. We met up with Gerald, Rachel, Gerald's brother, and Becky.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Heather arrived in Salt Lake on Friday morning. My mom, dad, and Cante went to go and pick her up from the airport. We sent Cante because we thought heather would want to see her :) Meanwhile, I got ready and Marlin finished his online assignments for summer school. Then we took Michael to the marathon expo to register for his marathon. When we finished there, we met up with everyone else at Tucanos. We all ate so much. Even Cante ate a lot. The food was really good though! The guys went straight home after that and the girls went to party city to get some table cloths for the birthday party. When we got home, Marlin's family was at our apartment. We got to visit with them for a little while and then it was time to get ready for the temple. Marlin's mom took Cante, Maioha, and Hoera to the mall while we were at the temple. Luckily we got to the temple early because when we got there, my mom discovered that her recommend had not yet been activated. She had just gotten it and so whoever was supposed to activate it, had not done so yet. I was also able to do work for Marlin's great grandmother, Alice Land. I got someone to do the inititory for me while I was getting dressed and then I was able to do the endowment for her. I actually got to do work for another one of his ancestors, Mrs. Pumpkin Seed, last week when we went too. Michael had a good amount of people who were there to support him as he was going through the temple. I'm glad it worked out for everyone to be there. It was me, Mom, Dad, Heather, Marlin, Crystal, Spencer, Joe and Vanessa. It was great to be in the Celestial room as an eternal family. We were just missing Antioni, Erin, and Aaron. Maybe when he gets back or sealed we can all be together in the temple. We took pictures outside the temple afterwards and then went and ate at Chilis. Marlin's mom, Cante, and the kids met up with us too. Marlin's mom gave Cante the bone of one of Marlins ribs and she just gnawed on it for about 10 minutes. By the time we all got home we were exauhsted!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Michael, Marlin, and my dad were up around 4 in the morning on Saturday to head up to Heber for the marathon. Michael caught the shuttle up and Marlin drove my dad up so he could ride his bike down with Michael. Everyone else woke up around 7:30. My dad was sending us text messages and pictures the whole way down to update us on Michael's status. We headed over to center street in provo around 8:30. We got to the RC Willey parking lot and there were a bunch of the RC Willey workers turning cars away because no one was supposed to park there....but because Marlin is good friends with the manager (James), he let us park there anyways. Gotta love those hook-ups. We walked over to University Avenue and it was packed as usual with exauhsted runners and excited fans. We didn't know what time Michael was going to get to the finish line so we watched and watched and cheered then called my dad and watched some more and some more...and finally around 10:00 him and Marlin came running down the street. (Marlin decided to run with him for the last six miles since those are the hardest). He wasn't hard to spot either because he is so tall and so dark. By that time, the three girls (me, mom and heather) decided to separate so that we could motivate him at three locations rather than one. When I saw him I started jumping up and down and screaming for him. About a minute later he ran through the finish line and completed his first marathon. What an accomplishment! According to him, it was probably the last marathon he will ever do. He said he was pretty miserable from mile 16 to the finish line.  Mile 16 is when he started cramping up. I can't blame him. The medal he got was really nice! We were all proud of his achievement. After he finished the marathon, I had to go to an audition at BYU for a program I am helping out with at the Conference center in October. Grandpa and Jill were at the apartment when I got home but I was just so tired that I didn't really get to visit with them. I was so tired. I ate a sandwhich then slept with Marlin and Cante for about 2 hours. By the time I woke up it was time to get ready for Samu's (Marlin's cousin)wedding reception. Marlin, Cante, Mom, and I all went to the reception together. It was a really nice event. There was a lot of people, food, dancing, and entertainment. Cante got to dance with me and Maioha for a little bit :) There was an awesome fijian group that performed a dance. Aunty Maioha's group also performed several maori numbers.

After the wedding, us four went to the grocery store to get some things for Sunday dinner. Cante got to sit in the little cars that are attached to the stroller for the first time. She absolutely loved it! She had her hands on the steering wheel as though she knew what she was doing. She kept turing around and smiling at me through the grocery basket. It was so cute to see her all excited.
Earlier in the evening we were asked by Tammy McKnight to sing a song in Sacrament and so we ended up reviewing/practicing "I am a Child of God," before we went to sleep.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

When we got to church and read through the sacrament program, it said that Heather and Antioni Parker were performing a special musical number. LOL. How they got that? No one knows...It was all good though. Our family got up and sang and everyone enjoyed the song. We recieved many compliments afterwards. Also, our ward had the opportunity to listen to Larry Echohawk speak. Aparently Keaka was playing golf with him at the AIS fundraiser and invited him to come to our ward. He accepted the inviation and ended up speaking to us about his training and experience of being called to be one of the 70. It was neat to listen to him speak. There were a lot of visitors at our ward that day.

After church we went to Joe and Vanessa's house for dinner. They have six kids now! The oldest is 11 and the youngest is 2. They all came running out to greet us as we arrived. They are all so sweet and outgoing. We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit, and chips. For dessert we had brownie cookies, rice krispy treats, and pie.

The girls sang, danced, and played the piano for us. They have no fear when it comes to performing! Heather sang and played on the piano and Michael played the guitar. We enjoyed spending time with them all.

The beginning of my summer break :)

School is out! YAAAAAAY!!! I was sad to see this year's bunch of students go but there is nothing like summer break. I have had a great break so far..........

Friday, June 1^st

 After school got out, I went to a luncheon in Midway with all the teachers. We had delicious Mexican food. I even got to leave earlier than usual which was really nice. Then that night, Marlin and I attended ward temple night. It was the first time Marlin and I have been to the temple together since November I think. Since then we have just kept taking turns watching Cante so the other person could go. It was very nice to be in the temple, feel the spirit, be uplifted, and receive answers to prayers.  After the temple, the Loys took us out to Sizzlers. We had a good time talking with them. We told them they didn’t have to take us out AGAIN, but they insisted. Crystal and Spencer watched Cante for us. So we got to visit with them for a little while when we went to pick her up. Poor Cante was actually asleep when we dropped her off at Crystal and Spencers. So all night she was really clingy to Crystal. Probably because she woke up in a new place where she didn’t know or recognize anyone. As soon as we got to their house, she was all over the place and back to her independent self. Lol.

Saturday, June 2^nd

This morning we cleaned the apartment. Lately, I have been in the mood to clean. Vacuum, dust, mop, you name it. I want to do it. I think it’s just because I love having a clean house and therefore I am motivated to clean. Later  that night, we watched Hina and Tristan so that Crystal and Spencer could go out for Crystal’s birthday. We let them play at our house for a little while in the beginning. Cante kept hitting Tristan’s head and making him cry. She wasn’t doing it to be mean; that is just what she does when she is happy or excited. She starts lifting her hands up and hitting things. For example, when she wakes up before us in the morning, she starts hitting our faces to let us know she is awake. Anyways, we just decided to keep them separated for the rest of the night because she was too rough and he was too sensitive. Later, we took them to a park to play. We took them on the swings, slides, and for a walk around the track. We were trying to wear them out so they would all go to sleep. On the way home, we stopped at the store to get some groceries for Sunday, and by then the two babies were out but Hina was still awake. On our way home we asked Hina where she wanted to eat and she pointed to McDonalds. So we got her a happy meal and a few other items off the dollar menu. Crystal and Spencer picked the kids up about 30 min later. It was nice that we could switch babysitting for a couple of nights!

Sunday, June 3^rd

Today was Stake Conference. We thought that is started at 10 so that is when we arrived at the stake center. When we got there, we found out it didn’t start until 11! LOL. Guess we weren’t paying attention the week before during announcements. On the upside, we ended up getting seats in the chapel. Marlin just walked Cante around the building for that hour while I saved the seats. Cante did pretty well during conference. She stayed in the chapel pretty much the whole time. I took her out into the halls for about thirty minutes. After church, Cante and Marlin took a nap. Then later on that night, I made invitations for Cante’s birthday which we decided would be next Monday, June 11^th.

Monday, June 4^th

Today was the perfect day! All three of us slept in. I made breakfast for Cante and ate some cereal. I got ready for the gym and dropped Cante off at the Day Care. The workers there LOVE her which is such a nice feeling!  I am glad I can take her there and know that she will be loved and taken care of. I went to a morning Zumba class. Afterwards, I came home and made a sandwich for lunch and fed Cante ham, bread, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelon. She is an excellent eater. She literally eats anything we put her in mouth. After that, we dropped Marlin off at his first day of work. He just got the job at TELOS, which is like a treatment center for youth. Then, I took Cante swimming for the FIRST time at the Lidon Aquatics center. She had a cute little bathing suit with a matching hat. She wouldn’t normally wear a hat, but she was so distracted that she kept it on. Cante was pretty scared when I first put her in the baby pool (foot deep). She would not let go of me. She just clung on tight. I think she was mostly scared because of all the people that were there. We sat in the baby pool for a while and then I took her through the lazy river. Later, I took her by the pirate ship and over to the regular swimming pool. We just rotated around between those four places for about 2 hours. I gave her water and snacks in between. She got a little more relaxed towards the end but was still holding on tight while in the water. We had a fun time together. I was really glad that I could have time to do something just for her. So many times I feel like she just has to tag along with whatever we have to do during the day. It felt good to do something for her and spend one on one time with her. Just mommy and daughter time J I hope we have more days like this in the future. If Cante is anything like me, we will! I always loved being in the water growing up and still do. After the pool, I went to walmart to pick up the invitations I made from Walmart. When we got home, we ate dinner and then I gave Cante a bath. She ended up going to sleep around 10 so Marlin had to catch a ride home from work. I was so happy to see him when he got back. Lol. It has been almost a year since he has worked so I am not used to just being at home alone for long periods of time. Guess I will be used to it by the end of the summer.

Tuesday, June 5^th

Marlin had to work a double shift today! Cante and I took him to work around 6:46 this morning and he worked until 11 pm. Cante and I were both really tired though, so after we dropped him off, we both went to sleep until about 10:30! After we woke up, we ate breakfast and then went to the gym. I did the stair master which I love and hate doing. It is really hard to do but is such a great workout! Afterwards, Cante and I went home and made sandwiches for lunch. We pretty much just hung out at the house until about 5. Then I stopped at a few houses to drop off birthday invitations. At 6, we were supposed to have a yw presidency meeting but everyone forgot but me and Sister Loy. So we just started setting up for mutual instead. The girls decorated water bottles for girls camp and practiced the camp song. Cante crawled all around the room during our activity. She is getting so good at walking now! She is taking about 8 steps at the most but it still usually only about 3 or 4 at a time. It is so exciting to see her walk! After mutual I bathed Cante, read her a few books, played with her and then at 11 we went to pick up Marlin from work. He was so happy to see her. He didn’t see her really for the last 36 hours because when he got home last night she was sleeping. It has been really nice to relax and move at slow pace. Having summer break is probably the best benefit of teaching.

11 months!

 

Well yesterday was Cante's 11 month mark! One more month to go and she will be a one-year old! I know I say this in every single blog, but I seriously cannot believe how fast time has gone by in the last year. It has been TOO fast. We have had a great week. We started off on Monday night by going to the Title VII dinner at the park behind Mountain View High School. It was my ideal summer night. Potluck, great weather, playground, family, friends, and dancing. Cante loved watching the fancy dancers. She was just jumping up and down along to the music. We sat on the grass to watch the dancers and she would not crawl on the grass. I don't think she likes the way it feels, so instead she did the bear walk. It was so cute! We had a good time talking with the Curtis, Willeto, Iremia, and Adolfo families.
On Tuesday night, we were lazy and didn't want to make dinner. So we went to our favorite place, Panda Express. Afterwards, we went to mutual. The young women had a lesson by sister Reyes on photography. On wednesday, marlin went to the library to study. Cante and I stayed home and went on a little walk around the block. Afterwards, I bathed her and put her to sleep. On Thursday night, we ate dinner at the Loy's house. They invited us over because Marlin helped them move. We stayed there for a couple of hours. They made delicious spaghetti. The boys watched a basketball game and Lorna, Levi, and I went in the back to watch American Idol :) On Friday after school, Amy came to do visiting teaching. Afterwards, we went to the Downeast Tent sale and then to the Poly Festival in Provo. We only stayed there for a little while because it was pretty cold and we weren't really prepared. Afterwards, we drove through McDonalds :)

On Saturday, I cleaned the apartment, went to Target to get a present, then went to Jackie's son's birthday party. He just turned one. His party was at the park in Orem with the really cool swings. It was the perfect day to be outside. We layed out our blanket and enjoyed the sun. After the party, Stephanie and Estephanie came over. We have been trying to get together for a while. Estephanie and I had our babies a couply months apart and stephanie lopez just had her baby in March. We just talked and let our kids play. Cante and Elizah got along pretty well. They just kept trying to take each other's toys! It was really nice to see those girls and just catch up. Made me miss our R.O.C. days. Marlin went to the Rugby game at Real Salt lake on Friday afternoon and Saturday night. He was in Heaven...he loooves his rugby.

On Sunday, both Marlin and I had to teach during the third hour for young mens and young womens. Lately, Marlin has been taking her though becuase the room he is in is bigger and so Cante can crawl around more. Anyways, Cante had fallen asleep shortly after Sunday school and because we both had to teach, Marlin decided to just lay her down on the floor during her lesson. Poor thing. That floor does not look comfortable at all. She must have been really tired!

Here is a picture of Cante and I on Sunday after church. I didn't plan for us to match, but it just worked out that way :) Wearing the dress I got from DownEast Tent Sale.

Happy Mother's Day

Today was my first Mother's day :) We all slept in until about 10 this morning, quickly got ready and arrived at church just a few minutes late. At the end of sacrament, all of the mothers got some flowers. All the mothers also got to attend Relief Society which was really nice. I love going to Young Womens but I also miss Relief Society. There is a special spirit there. After church, Marlin took a nap and I got to play with Cante. She even let me read like 20 books to her. She likes reading, but likes turning the pages even more. So when I do try and read to her, she  just turns the pages as fast as she can and then wants to move on to the next book. I think she was just tired and thats why she let me turn the pages and actually read to her this time. Afterwards, she went down for a nap. Then Marlin and I started cooking. I made the salad and Marlin make the hot dogs. We had hot dogs rolled in bacon. Then for the toppings we put barbeque sauce, shredded cheese, and green onions. It turned out really good. I also got to talk to my parents on the phone and skype with Heather and Antioni. Heather just announced that she was pregnant today. She told us a couple of months ago (On April 1st) but she told the "facebook world," today. lol.
I have absolutely loved being a mother. There is really nothing like it. Yes, it is crazy and exauhsting sometimes but it is amazing how much joy a child can bring into your life. It is almost indescribable. Cante has a beautiful spirit. She is amiable, adventurous, loveable, and independent. She is full of energy and excited about life. I cannot imagine life without her. She has brought me so much happiness and reminded me of my purpose here on earth.
Being a teacher has helped me understand and realize the importance of being a good mother. It's really sad to see students who struggle socially and academically because they lack parent support. I can put a lot of effort and energy into helping students become successful, but it seems that at the end of the day nothing will change if their parents don't. As I have thought about this, I have come to realize that the best thing I can do to help society is to be a good parent. I love the quote, "No success can compensate for failure in the home." I often think about that. It reminds me how important my role is as a mother. I am so grateful for the responsibility I have been given to be a mother. It is really exciting to see Cante learn and grow. I can't wait to teach her how to read, dance, pray, share, etc. I can't wait to share my testimony with her and teach her about the gospel. That is what life is all about.
I am grateful for the examples I have had in my life. My mom has had a large influence on me and been a great role-model. She has taught me many valuable things. I love spending time with and talking to her. She is always so positive and encouraging. I am also grateful for my grandmothers, Grace Goedel and Rosa Woods. I am grateful for the sacrifices they made for my parents and the things that they taught them. Their positive influences will have an effect on many generations.

I heard a poem in sacrament meeting today and thought it was a perfect summary of motherhood.

Dear Lord, It's such a hectic day,
With little time to stop and pray,
For Life's been anything but calm,
Since You called me to be a Mom,
Running errands, matching socks,
Building dreams with matching blocks,
Cooking, cleaning, finding shoes,
And other stuff that children lose,
Fitting lids on bottled bugs,
Wiping tears and giving hugs,
A stack of last week's mail to read,
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet, when I steal a moment, Lord,
Just at the sink or ironing board,
To ask the blessings of Your grace,
I see them, in my small one's face,
That you have blessed me
All the while --
And I stoop to kiss
That precious smile.

-----Author Unknown

may 12

We had a great day today. Marlin went on a long run this morning. He ran twenty one miles! Meanwhile cante and I stayed at home and cleaned. I cleaned bathroom and cleaned out closet. I alsi made grits bacon and eggs. Yum yum. When,marlin got back, he watched cante while I went to the gym. Then our ward.had a softball game at four. Marlin played and cante and I sat and talked with sis loy. Afterwards, we all went out to eat at red robin. Us, the loys, and tyler young bull. Cante was great all day, especially at the game. She was just happy to be outside in the sun. Only thing isa that she didnt like the grass so she would do the bear walk when she was on it......lol. Also, tonight when we got home, she took two steps! We listened to a talk from general conference then marlin went to sleep.

First Step!

Cante decided to take her first step today! She has been standing a lot lately and for long periods of time. But today she took one step forward without falling or anything! I was so proud. I seriously cannot believe she is almost 11 months. Marlin and I fall more and more in love with her each day. I love coming home to see her after work because she is always so happy and excited to see me, as am I! She was so funny today when I was feeding her. Whenever I woul feed her she would bite the spoon and I couldn't pull it out of her mouth. She thought it was hilarious and just started laughing each time...so her squash got everywhere. Then I started laughing at her, which made her giggle even more, which got even more messy. So finally I realized she probablly wasnt that hungry anyways and just put the baby food away.
We have taught her a few new "tricks," lately. She knows how to "mark it with a B," when singing Patty Cake. She can clap her hands after we sing, "If your happy and you know it." I also taught her how to hug and cuddle her little teddy bear and baby. She loves giving kisses to Marlin and I. She still says hola and ga quite often. She has also added mamamamama to her vocabulary. I don't think she knows what it means..but thats okay :) Now, we are trying to teach her how to fold her arms for the prayer. Its not going so well...but it usually takes about a week or so for her to pick something up.
Cante is really independent at home. She is just content playing with her toys in the living room or pulling everything out of the cupboards in the kitchen. She just kinda does her own thing and is happy doing it day after day. Lately she has spent a lot of time putting things in containers and opening and closing things. She is a really easy going baby for the most part. Church is not so easy for Marlin and I though. At home, we let her go wherever she wants but she can't do that at church. So Marlin or I usually take her out for sacrament and let her crawl around.
Well thats a small update on Cante...time for us to go play.

Spring Break 2012

 

Cante and I went to California for spring break. Marlin stayed home because he had his spring break a few weeks earlier. We also thought it would work out well for us to go so that he could prepare for his finals. We started our spring break off on Friday night by going to Sizzler. We love going to buffets with Cante because there is a large selection of food to feed her. We packed until late on Friday night and then had to leave at 430 in the morning to make it to our 630 flight. Cante did pretty well on the flight. I didn't know how she would do because she doesn't really like sitting and being held, but there were plenty of people around to distract her. She stayed awake for the first 30 or 40 minutes just watching the people on the plane and then finally went to sleep. We arrived in California around 7 am. My mom, dad, and Michael picked us up from the Long Beach airport. We went and got some breakfast at Jack in the Box then went over to the Long Beach swap meet. I had never been there before. It was a combination of a swap meet and yard sale. The weather was perfect. Afterwards we went to the New Port swap meet because my mom wanted to get some flip flops from there that she had seen the last time we went. By that time, we were all exauhsted. We went home and took naps. My mom had to go to the Ontario Airport to pick up Jean and Chris. Then we all went to eat at Chevys.

Sunday was Easter! My mom got Cante a cute Easter dress and we all went to church. There were a lot of people there who were visiting. After church, we made dinner and had the missionaries over. We had hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, corn on the cob, jello, funeral potatoes, chips, soda, lemon bars, and ice cream. It was the perfect easter meal. We had fun talking with the missionaries. Afterwards, my mom and I took Cante on a little walk to the park and let her ride in the swing.

On Monday, Cante and I slept in, got ready then walked with Michael to Ralphs to get some diapers and baby food. Later, we got Jamba Juice and went to my mom's school to help her cover the posters on her wall for testing. That night, Michael, dad, and I went to go see the Hunger games. It was even better the second time around. They really liked it too. We went and saw it at the Terra Vista theatres so the theatre wasn't packed at all.

On Tuesday, I took Cante for a walk in the morning. We just walked to Day Creek and back then I pushed her on the swing at the park. Afterwards, we went to the mall to help Michael look for a job (which we didn't even end up doing) and did a little shopping. I bought Cante a bathing suite for the summer. Then, we went and picked up my mom from school and met up with Kelley at Legends Grill. It was really good to see her and catch up. My family all came to eat too.

On Wednesday, I went with my mom and got a pedicure at the mall. Then we went to Marshalls. We got some pajamas for Cante and a couple shirts for me. My dad made spaghetti so we ate that when we got home. Then my mom and I went to go see the play, "Hairspray," with some of the teachers from her school. My dad watched Cante for us :). The play was really good and the venue was super nice! I was not expecting it to be as nice as it was. It was basically a restraunt with a stage in the front. We ordered a dessert during intermission and visited with the other teachers. I would love to go back and see another play there.

On Thursday, Michael and I went to Victoria Gardens and walked around. We stopped at the library because I had never been there before. Then we ate lunch at Panda Express and walked around the mall some more. Later that night, we went and ate dinner at Lucilles with Jean.
On Friday, Jaclyn came over in the morning to visit. Then I went to pick up my mom from her school. I finished reading the third book in the Hunger Games series and loooved the ending! Later that night, we went to Jean's house and she made chili. We just ate and relaxed. We had planned to see Erica that night but she ended up getting called into work.

On Saturday, we woke up and ate breakfast. My mom made waffles and eggs. Then my mom and I went walking on the trail. Afterwards we went to the mall to get Cante some Stride Right shoes. I ended up buying some shorts for summer and new black flats for school. We ate at Jack in the Box and then went home. I helped my mom make some signs for primary, packed our things, then ran to the store with Michael to get some more diapers. My feet hurt when I got home so my mom gave me a foot massage!

We woke up this morning around 5:45, and left around 6:10. My dad took us to the airport and we arrived at Salt Lake around 11. Marlin was extremely happy to see us. Probably more excited to see Cante than me (which is fine with me :)). We had to stop and get gas and then ate at Arbys. I came home, took a nap, then we made salad and went over to the Denny's for dinner. They had a dinner/meeting for their Ragnar run.

When we got home, we went on a little walk, and now my spring break is over!

I am not dreading going back to work, but I'm going to be really sad to leave Cante after being with her all week long.
We had a really good break. It was very relaxing and the perfect amount of time. I was happy that I got to spend time with my family. Guess we're back to reality and the regular routine! Only a month and a half til summer!!!