The Lopes Family

Christmas of 2011

2012-01-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

This was a very simple, but sweet Christmas for us. Our biggest present was just having Vivi here with us! We spent Christmas Eve with Daniel's parents and grandmother - dinner and visited the Temple Lights!

We stopped by my parents for a short visit.

Grandpa Cox, Cousin Lilly, and Vivi

Then on Christmas, we went to church and headed over to my parents. We visited with them and my sister LaDawn, her husband Mike and their two girls. After a delicious lunch we went to Daniel's parents and opened presents.

Vovo Naty, Vivi and Vovo Juju

Momma got a beautiful scarf from father-in-law. Vivi liked it.

Momma also got a fun apron with a matching hot pad - homemade from her mother-in-law.

Papa got a fun hat from his daddy!

Vivi looks pretty cute in it too!

Vivi got some fun books for bedtime! Notice the butterfly theme...

Vivi's Vovo made this butterfly pillow! So sweet!

Later... Vivi got to see her fun present from Momma and Papa!

She loves it!

We had such a great time! Wonderful memories! We are so thankful for all of you and your friendship and love! Most of all, we are grateful for our Savior and a loving Father in Heaven. We hope your Christmas was joyful and full of wonderful memories!

Checkin' out the Tree

2012-01-03T17:55:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

Hope yours was as fun as ours!

My Favorite Chrismas Present

2011-12-24T08:04:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know, it's not quite Christmas - but I looove this little girl!

Merry Christmas - From our Family to Yours!

My Little Tongue

2011-12-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

So, Vivi is completely obsessed with her tongue. She seriously can't keep it in her mouth for more than a few seconds. These pictures are proof of this bizarre, yet adorable obsession!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

We are so thankful for a sweet little family. What a blessing it has been to have Vivianni join us this year! What did we do without her before???

Breakfast, as usual. But this time with a sweet bib that says,
"Everyone is thankful for me!" So true!

Later that afternoon, we headed off to my sister Colette's home for a late lunch. Everything was wonderful! We had a small bunch, Colette's family, Daniel and myself, along with his parents and grandmother. It was nice, just visiting and enjoying the beautiful weather!
Vivi thoroughly enjoyed all of the attention from her cousins!

The cute outfit she's wearing is from Aunt LaDawn's hand-me-down collection of the most adorable clothes! (Thanks!!!) She looked like a little pilgrim!

After getting this post ready, I'm starting to realize that I should probably start taking pictures of other people, along with those that I take of Vivi! This child is going to have so many pictures of her!

Laundry

2011-12-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

This looked like a lot more fun from a distance...

She's learning at such a young age.

Teeth!

2011-12-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

Yes - 6 months old, and I have teeth (that is plural). The first one came just after I turned 6 months and the second one popped out the next week.
They are just emerging, but nonetheless, they are teeth.

"Aawhh"

"AAAAH"

"Oohh"

"Aah"

"Aww"

"Hahaha"

Yep. There they are. Both of them. :)

Lauging up a storm!

2011-11-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

So Sunday's can be a little bit of a challenge for us. Vivi doesn't get her regular naps and then becomes so giggly, it's really hilarious! She just can't stop laughing! So silly! I just love this girl!

Gettin' Big!

2011-11-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

I'm growing so much and learning some fun things.

I love to hold my hands!

I like to help hold my bottle!

I can sit up on my own (for a few seconds)!
And I'm working on the splits!

And now, I'm getting to the point where I can get on my knees! Crawling is just around the corner!

Halloween

2011-11-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

Yes - it's late, but life has been ever so exhausting. So all I can say is that I'm extremely grateful that it's Sunday night and 8:20 and I have no where to be (lots of other stuff to do - dishes, fold laundry, get ready for work) but I'm taking a few minutes to blog!

For Halloween this year, we sported the "Farm Family" look. Well... sort of. It all started when we found this adorable cow costume at Costco. From there, we came up with a "farm" theme. Daniel was a farmer, I was the milk-maid (hahaha), and Vivi was the cow! Cutest Cow. Ever!

Daniels parents are a hoot! I love that they dress up. Vovo Juju was a jester, Vovo Dago was a Mexican, and Vovo Naty was a bee.

We stopped by Trader Joe's on our way home and had to take a cute picture of Daddy the Farmer and the Baby Girl Cow.

Since we were there, we stopped by Chick-fil-e and got an ice cream. First time for Vivi!

Eat Mor Chickin!

Here we are all together - and Vivi looking all sorts of tired. Way past her bedtime.

Yep - this is how she made it home. Totally sacked out!

Visitors!

2011-10-16T21:05:00.001-07:00

Last week we had family in town for my nephews wedding. (Yes, I have a nephew that is old enough to be married!)

I had to get a couple of pictures with Vivi and her cousin Lilian

I love the look on her face here!

Come visit any time! We love it! (Even though our face doesn't show it!)

Numm, numm, numm

2011-10-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Vivi's now 4 months old... meaning she can start solids!

We started giving her rice cereal and had to share a few pictures of this new experience!

Sleeping ???

2011-10-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yes our sweet Vivi is sleeping through the night - for the most part. She has an off day every once and a while. But she follows her bedtime routine quite well.

6:00 - A little rice cereal and milk to follow
6:30 - Bath and singing
6:45 - Bedtime story and a little nursing (if needed)
7:00 - Shut eye!

She'll sleep anywhere from 8-11 hours! (We're always crossing our fingers for 11 hours!)

The many silly ways I find Vivi sleeping...

(At Vovo Naty's house)

(After having just woken up!)

(And I had to re-post this - just makes me smile!)

Westside Story

2011-10-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

Last week Daniel and I had tickets to see Westside Story. Unfortunately, I was feeling really ill and just wanted to curl up in bed. At the last minute, we asked his mother if she wanted to go in my place. "Of course!" I'm so glad she was able to go! She does so much for us and watches Vivi for us all the time! Thank you Vovo Naty!

Maybe next year :)

Swimming Anyone?

2011-09-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

We were visiting some friends and decided to take Vivi out for her first swim. At first, it was no big deal, but then once she was in a little deeper, she didn't like it so much. We kept trying after the video and she started enjoying it a little more.

Vivi Found Her Toes

2011-09-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

What's that??? Yes - my daughter has now found that she can suck on her toes! Yay!
It's all in Portuguese - Basically Daniel is saying, "Oh you found your toe! Are you hungry? Wow good job" That kind of stuff :) I love that she keeps trying to get her toe but can't! So cute!

3 Months Old!

2011-09-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I'm Three Months Old!

I love to talk to and look at the fan.

I can almost sit up on my own (but I love to sit in my bumbo)!

I love to stand when someone will help me.

I’ve learned to roll over – both directions!

My hands are the most interesting thing right now!

- They do funny things and taste really good!

I know how to shake a rattle.

I might even be left –handed like Daddy!

I love to listen to music!

I enjoy being in my swing and will often nap there!

I’m completely mesmerized when Vovo Naty sings to me!

I love to be held and cuddle with Mom!

My favorite is when Daddy dances with me!

And most importantly, I know how to make anyone smile!

Rubber Ducky Time

2011-09-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Another video! Vivi loves to take a bath... and she loves music! So, here we've combined the two - a perfect combination for a very happy baby!

Shakin ' My Rattle

2011-09-01T21:48:00.002-07:00

We realized the other day that when we put the rattle in Vivi's hand, she would go crazy shaking it! Notice that her other hand remains pretty still! We think she might even be left-handed - like her daddy!

Shakin

2011-09-01T21:48:00.001-07:00

Sad Faces

2011-08-22T21:16:00.001-07:00

Is it so wrong that I love her sad face? Seriously, I think it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Vivi's First Roll-over!

2011-08-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today I went back to work and I knew that Vivi and Daddy both had a rough day. When I got home, we only spent a few minutes together, and then she was so tired, I put her down for a nap (it was about 4:00). She got up about 6:00 and after feeding her, I had her tummy down on my legs. She was wiggling so much that I decided to put her on the floor to see what she would do. I couldn't believe it! She's 12 weeks tomorrow and rolled over - multiple times! Agghhh!!! Is this supposed to be happening so soon ???

Toby meeting Vivi

2011-08-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Now this is a little gross, but granted, dogs are supposed to have the cleanest mouths, right?

Utah Trip - Part Two

2011-07-11T15:33:00.001-07:00

On the Forth of July, we had dinner at Clarisse's home with Daniel's family. Then we went to watch the fireworks in Taylorsville. Vivi did great with all the noise. She just snuggled with me the entire time.

Elisa and I showing off our strawberry noses!

Clarisse with Scott - picking his nose (ewww)

Daniel and Jonah (his nephew - or "mini me")

Seriously - is this not a little Daniel?!? (Compare this picture with the one above!)

Vivi with Tia Clarisse and cousin Jonah

Daniel and his siblings got together to take pictures the night before we left. It was a quick, spare-of-the-moment photo shoot. Props were quickly identified and used.

Here are Daniel and Gabriel using a variety of objects found in Elisa's home!

Not sure what's going on here, but I think Daniel is trying to get his sisters (Elisa and Clarisse) to say something and they started laughing!
Here's the nice shot of Gabriel, Elisa, Daniel and Clarisse

Thanks for a wonderful time! We miss you already!

Forth of July in Utah

2011-07-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

We decided to surprise Daniel's family in Utah and visit them for the 4th. It turned out to be a really great surprise! We had a wonderful time with family and everyone fell in love with Vivi!

Here are a bunch of the pictures we took!

Vivi did great for the drive. She slept most of the way.
This is basically how she looked the entire time!

Lamas! (Daniel had to stop to take the picture!)

A beautiful view!

This is the Jordan River Temple, where we were sealed!

Love this outfit!

We went to my sister-in-law's sister's home on Sunday to start celebrating the 4th of July a little early. The kids had a great time playing together. Then we set off and watched fireworks right in front of the house.

Zac and Ela (my nephew and niece)

Corben (my nephew) with Vivi

(She really does like him!)

Amanda (my sister-in-law) with Vivi. Every time I saw her, she'd say, "Okay, She's too cute.
I have to hold her now." :)

Vivi looking groovy

Smiles

2011-07-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Daniel took these pictures of Vivi!
She is starting to socialize more and is interacting so much!
We love her smiles and we'll do just about anything to get one! :)

Vivianni's Baby Blessing

2011-07-11T14:45:00.001-07:00

Vivianni was blessed by her father on Saturday, July 9th at her Grandparent Cox's home. She had many aunts, uncles, and cousins there to celebrate this special occasion! All of her mother's siblings and in-laws were there!
That made for a very full house!

Before the blessing, we sang Love At Home, with Grandpa Cox conducting. Then Vovo Dago gave the opening prayer. After this her father blessed her and gave her a name (Vivianni Lopes) with many others participating (Grandpas: Cox and Lopes; Uncles: Jared, Brent, Phil, Jeff, Max; Cousins: Jorgen; In-laws: Mike, Timo, Ben) That's 12 wonderful priesthood holders! What a special feeling there was in the room!

Dad and Vivi

Vovo Juju, Vovo Dago, Dad, Vovo Naty and Mom

Grandpa Cox, Mom, Dad and Grandma Cox

Grandma Cox and Vivi

Three Generations

Our Family

Dinner Mishaps

2011-06-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

My sweet mother brought us dinner several nights after we got home from the hospital. One night she brought Orange Chicken and rice with some angel food cake with blueberry topping for dessert. Daniel prepared the plates and warmed up the food. I smiled when I saw what he had done.

I asked, "Why did you put the blueberry topping on the rice?"
Daniel replied, "Oh, is that what that is?"

:)

Newborn Pictures

2011-06-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

We had a close friend (Erica Smith) come and take pictures
of Vivi a couple of weeks ago.

Here are some of our favorites.

Vivi's First Booboo

2011-06-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Vivi had scratched herself on her nose the other day. Then, she somehow made it worse by hitting herself and bleeding everywhere. I had to take a foto because I thought she looked adorable with her little bandaid!

Uncle John's Birthday

2011-06-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

My mom has three siblings living. Two live close enough to get together every once and a while. They three of them wanted to get together to
celebrate my uncle John's birthday.
We decided to crash the party at the Olive Garden, so that they could meet Vivi.

Aunt Gloria, Uncle John and my mom

Uncle John is a ham. He told some funny jokes while we were eating. One went like this. There was an old man who was very ill. So ill, in fact, that the doctor said he wouldn't live through the night. Late that night, he smelled something delicious in the air. He managed to get out of his bed and crawl across the room and down the stairs. He made it to the kitchen somehow and saw that his wife was making cookies. As he reached up to grab a cookie, his wife smacked his hand with the spatula and said, "Don't eat those! They are for the funeral!"

Aunt Gloria, Joann (John's wife), Mom and Dad, and Uncle John in front.

Friday Night = Date Night!

2011-06-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

We decided about 8:00 pm on Friday night that we should get out and do something. We didn't want to spend a lot of money, plus we have a newborn to take with us. So we got ready and headed off to Tempe Market Place. They always have a live band playing until about 10:00 and their are a bunch of stores to visit. We spent most of our time at Barnes and Noble (Daniel looking at some car magazines and me reading the beginning of "Hunger Games"). Daniel was wearing the hot pink baby bjiorn carrying Vivi around. He got several looks! We got a slice of pizza at "Slices" and then headed home. She was sleeping most of the time, so it worked out well.

Here's a picture of her before we went out. She decided she was hungry and gave us the "I'm hungry" cry! She's even cute crying!

Visitors from Tucson!

2011-06-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

My older sister LaDawn lives with her family in Tucson. She and the girls made a special trip up to Tempe to meet the newest addition of the family. It was so fun to see her and spend some time with her and the girls!

Lilly (six years old) is holding Vivi in this picture.

In this picture, Abigail (11 years old) is holding Vivi.
(I loved this one because Tula had to get on the couch and see what was going on. She's even looking at the camera!)

My mom and dad also stopped by before we went to Oregano's. I realized that I didn't have any pictures of the them both with Vivi. So here are a few.

(Tula again- checking things out.)

Vivi loves her grandma very much!

Garden Update

2011-06-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Daniel has worked so hard to make this a beautiful garden. We (and by "we" I totally mean "him") got started a little late. But you could never tell by how great it looks right now!

We've already enjoyed lots of tomatoes and squash. Now we're patiently waiting for the watermelon.

Vivianni's Arrival

2011-06-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here we go... the long awaited arrival of our sweet Vivianni. On May 30th, the morning was spent with my friend Erica who took belly pictures for me.

Then, that evening we spent at my parents for a Memorial Day BBQ. I was having contractions throughout the day, but nothing too close together. Then bedtime came and I wasn't able to sleep very well due to the contractions happening every 15-20 minutes. By 4:00 am, I woke Daniel up and let him know that the contractions were getting closer and that I needed him awake now. He started helping by timing them and helping me breath through them. We called Shari (our Doula) at 4:30 to let her know the contractions were about 5 minutes apart. By 7:00 am, we headed to the hospital. What a strange sensation that was, knowing we were going to the hospital to bring Vivi to this world.

(Me in triage waiting to get admitted)

At the hospital, I got checked and was at a 2, but 90% effaced. They checked me in and we went to a LDR room (Labor, Delivery and Recovery room). We had chosen to go natural (meaning no medications), and the nurses were so considerate regarding this. I spent the next 3 hours basically on the side of the bed with Daniel in front of me. He would stand up and hold onto me when the contractions came and help me stay calm and relaxed through each one. They checked to see where I was at and I was now at a 6. The thought came to me, "I don't think I can do this for hours. I think I need the medication." I shared this with Daniel and both he and Shari reminded me that I needed to just focus on the next contraction instead of the "hours" ahead. So we kept at it.

I tried some other laboring positions: the tub was awkward for me and I only spent a short time in there. Then we tried the shower, which was the best for me. Daniel sang through the rest periods and would hold me during the contractions. I would rest my head on the side of the shower wall and almost fall asleep between contractions. I held the shower head by my pelvis area and it helped so much. I think I liked this most also because it was just us - no nurses, doula or mom present.

The contractions were getting stronger and I moved back to the bed. The nurse checked and I was at a 7. My water had not broken and the doctor offered to break it for me. Pros- she would come faster; cons - the contractions would be much more intense. I chose to not have it broken. However, I threw-up shortly after and when she checked me a short time later, I was at a 9. My water still had not broken. We tried a hands/knee position with a "peanut" ball. This was to get her to move down more and hopefully break the water on her own. But nope. The doctor came and checked me and I was a 9.5. At this point I had him break the water. The term "intense" does not describe what I felt. I started pushing right after this. He had left to quickly help another patient. However, by the time he got back (about 15 minutes) Vivianni had already arrived!

I won't go into all the details of what it feels like to give birth to a 8.11 pound baby with no medications. However, I will say that it was unlike anything I have ever experienced, physically, mentally and spiritually. The nurse put her on my belly and we just stared at each other. I think I kept saying things like, "Oh my goodness!" "I can't believe she's here!" "She's so big!" I didn't know how big she was until about an hour after she was born. The nurses wouldn't take her away from me to weigh her until I was ready - so cool, right.

We spent our first night with her in the recovery room with us. She slept pretty good, and Daniel was so sweet to get up with her. The second night, however, we were both pretty exhausted and sleep deprived. We had originally said we wanted her in the room. However, about 11:30, when she started to cry, we called the nurse and said, "We changed our minds. Can she still go to the 'Cottage'?" (that's what they call the nursery). So off she went for her first sleep-over. And mom and dad were able to get a little sleep that night.

(After her first bath.)

What an amazing experience. It already seems like forever ago. Here we are and she's going to be two weeks old tomorrow! We feel so blessed to have this sweet little angel in our home. She has been such a joy and we are loving every minute (even the sleepless ones!) of being parents .

Babymoon in Tucson

2011-05-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Babymoon/Anniversary Celebration

Our 7th anniversary was March 23rd - but Daniel was in Brazil for this date. We had planned on celebrating when he came home. I took off an extra day from work and Daniel planned the trip! He took me to this beautiful resort in Tucson, AZ on April 15th. I would have posted pictures sooner - but I couldn't find the cord to upload the photos! So... here we are, several pictures later and I'm finally able to post!

We left Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday morning.

Here we are in our room - they presented us with a complimentary fruit and cheese platter. They had champagne as well - but were able to get us sparkling cider instead. Yummmm!

This is the view from the pool! Look at those mountains!

This is the "cool pool" - about 65 degrees! Needless to say, I did not get in. However, Daniel, on Saturday, had been in the jacuzzi for a while, then decided to try out the little waterfall. Too bad I didn't have the camera for that! Of course - he loved it!

Me and Vivi

Our toes look so cute together - right?
Another shot at the pool!

Daniel, the photographer, took this one of the palo verde tree with the scenery behind. Beautiful!

Here we are after dinner - totally exhausted from our day!

A delicious breakfast of waffles with fruit. I also had this yummy blueberry/banana smoothie.

Daniel had this super yummy breakfast panini - eggs, basil, ham, and lots of cheesiness.

This is the entrance of the resort! I wish you could see the amazing view of the city.
It was breathtaking!
We had such a relaxing time!
We saw the movie Rio - super funny. I loved that they got the Brazilian culture right on!
We did lots of fun window shopping (and a little real shopping)!
We ate dinner at AJ's (I've never eaten there - but what a great selection!)
We also visited my sweet sister and her family on Sunday and went to church with them.

What a great weekend!

I love Spring!!!

2011-05-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

So - spring has just about come and gone... It lasts a total of about 2 weeks in the valley! But I LOVE IT!!!

The weather as of recent has actually been really nice. We had a beautiful Sunday and my Easter lilies are almost in bloom! Yeah!!!

Here are the irises, snap dragons and other colorful Spring flowers in our yard!

Sniff... Can you smell the sweetness!

Dad's Birthday!

2011-05-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Papa Cox!

So my sweet father turned 70 something (I can't remember!!! - nor does it matter)
We had a little family gathering at my brother's home.

Dad eating the delicious carrot cake
(compliments of Costco)

All of the yummy goodies - yes there was watermelon too!

I loved this one - my mom and dad saying "hello" to Vivi!

Dad - I love you!

Here's my dad - doing what he loves to do... lead music.

Week 30

2011-04-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Here's another belly shot! - 30 Weeks!

She is kicking a ton now (I'm now 33 weeks)! I think that's my favorite part - feeling her move! However, I have to admit that we (Daniel and I) are super anxious to meet her!

Aunt Lana

2011-04-12T17:56:00.001-07:00

My sweet Aunt Lana's birthday was on March 17th!
She was a woman with so much love!

We purchased her home from my parents this last year and kept her ceramic dog in front.

Daniel planted flowers in it and I just had to take a picture of it on her birthday!

It was so perfect!

We love you and miss you Lana! I'm sure you're enjoying life on the other side!

Daniel's in Brazil

2011-03-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

So Daniel and a friend are starting up a business called E.A.S.Y. Going. It's an exchange program that will bring student athletes from Brazil to the USA to play for colleges and universities. A few programs exist like this, but it's very promising. So the two of them (Daniel and Rodrigo) are meeting with clients, investors and doing all sorts of other stuff these next two weeks!
He had such a crazy experience on the way to Brazil, I just had to share.
Cut and pasted from an email he sent me:

"After four hours of flight I was getting tired and a bit achy from seating for a long period of time. I got up from my seat and went back towards the bathroom to stretch by back and legs use the toilet and get a glass of juice (pessego) [peach]. By the way tasted so goood!!! So by having a funny looking shoes I guess this is how everything started. The people that worked from the Tam Airlines started looking at my feet and making comments and pointing to my feet asking a bunch of questions in regards to the five fingers shoes.
Before you know they offer me meals asked to seat down with them talking about different situations that it is going on with Brazil, President Obama's visit here and so forth. Furthermore, they liked me so much that they where able to give me a spot at the first class section. I just didn't believe that was happening. But it did!!!:) I took pictures from every one that befriended in the aircraft. I got here in Guarulhos with no problems passing thru customs, met Wilden (Rodrigo's father) with Rafael (Rodrigo's younger brother) and went to a pizzeria called Zaza to play a prank on Rodrigo.
Wilden spoke with the Oriel,manager from the pizzeria explaining that I was his son's business partner just arrived from USA and would liked to dress me as one of their workers.
Before I know I am all dressed up with red handkerchief in my head and white shirt and pants in the kitchen working. I was cutting tomatoes and flatten and stretching the dough that we ended up using in preparing my pizza of calabreza and catupiri. Rodrigo arrived at the store. I was facing back so he didn't see me at first. Sure enough I turned and asked him what kind of pizza that he would like to eat. It was awesome to see his expression unto his face!"

He hasn't sent pictures, but I'll be sure to post them when he does. It's a little quieter. But I still have the three dogs, a cat and 11 chickens to keep me company!

Baby Bump

2011-03-05T11:55:00.001-08:00

Okay - so it's a little more than a "bump" - but here's a photo of me and my belly!
This was taken at 26 weeks - and after a very long day.
(I worked from 10:00 - 7:30 and was pretty tired.)
Hopefully the next photos will turn out a little better.

Story Time

2011-02-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

With the baby being over 6 months now, she can hear and recognize our voices. I was reading and have heard about other couples who read to their unborn babies. Daniel liked the idea as well. So we decided that we would like to read her a story every night before bed (getting ready for the real thing). Last night we started. We read "You Are Special" by Max Lucado. I love this book. Daniel did the voice of Eli at the end - so funny. Kind of a cross between what Santa and Yoda would sounds like :) The really cool thing was that she was listening and would move a little as we read.

If you have any suggestions for books, let me know!

Family Reunion

2011-02-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

Over this last Christmas (2010), we got all the puppies together!
We were dog-sitting Bentley, Elisa & Josh were in town and brought Mimi, and then we stole Lacey from my parents to complete the reunion.

Seriously, it was so fun!

They all just formed this little circle and were enjoying being together sooo much!

From left to right - Tiger, Bentley, Jasper, Mimi, and Lacey (you can barely see her - she's wearing the pink dress in the picture above!)

So much Love!

Christmas Surprises!

2011-02-15T13:53:00.001-08:00

Yes - I know, I know... Christmas was A LONG time ago...

But I forgot to post these adorable pictures!

My lovely puppies decided to take my cabbage patch doll out to the back yard and had a little fun with her. Thankfully, they didn't tear the actual doll - just her clothes.
So, my sweet mother saw the tragedy and took the doll home and then proceeded to MAKE her a new dress and under-garments (bloomerish type).

I actually like this dress better than the original!
(It was a light blue, shiny -fancy dress.)

The bloomers - underneath! - Seriously, I was so excited. It was such a thoughtful gift.

My mom said that she had so much fun making it... Hmm.... I think I can find her some other than doll clothes to make :)

Count down from the BIG day!

2011-02-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

It's a....

2011-01-10T17:32:00.000-08:00

We went to the doctor's office the 23rd of December and had the ultrasound that was supposed to let us know whether we are having a boy or a girl.

(Daniel and I in the waiting room)

Well, the baby didn't cooperate as well as we were hoping. The umbilical cord was right between the legs. The doctor kept wiggling the device around, trying to move the cord or the baby. Finally, after tipping me back on the table, he was able to get a more accurate reading. He said, "I think I got it now." I asked, "How sure are you?" "Hmmm.... about 98%."

(Ultrasound of the baby showing her fist)

We had him put the baby name in an envelop we had prepared to be opened on Christmas.

Christmas eve - or at 12:01 am on Christmas morning -
we opened the card.

The anticipation was killing us!

We were so excited to see that our little girl Vivianni will be joining us in just a few months!

So exciting!

Family Home Evening at the Cox's

2010-12-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

We got a call on Monday night and were invited to have family home evening over at the Cox's - my brother and his family. Dallan had called and specifically requested that Daniel come over to help make sugar cookies.

Austin gave the lesson - which was excellent. It was about the Holy Ghost and he used a lot of candles - as you can see in the picture below.

All were very focused and quiet during the lesson - especially when he was lighting the candles!

Afterwards, we made sugar cookies - all kinds of fun Christmas shapes!
(Dallan is adorable in this picture!)

Ruthie and Michelle were working hard to get theirs done.
(I love that she had flour all over her face!)

Then, Daniel took the kids outside and jumped on the trampoline with them!
(To wear them out for the night!)

Michael then shared with us this beautiful rendition of "Frosty the Snowman".
Dallan knew most of the words, too.

Special Visit!

2010-12-22T16:46:00.001-08:00

I came home from work on Monday and received a very fun visit. I looked out the window and said to Daniel, "That looks like the Berg's car." He said, "Who's - huh, that's funny." Then these two girls I didn't recognize started walking towards my front door. When I asked who they were here to see, they pointed behind them, and there was Jessie!!! She was in town picking up there stuff so she could drive it to Florida! So fun. We visited and before she left, took a few pictures.

In front of the house.

Showing off my big pregnant belly.

Now these next two I should give a little background. We started talking about "changes" that happen to you when you're pregnant. So, before leaving, Paul's (Jessie's husband) sister grabbed some grapefruit and handed them to Jessie ...

Quite the model, right?

But, this one.... this one shows her true talent - look at her face! Agghhh - I laughed so hard! (Still laughing as I write this!)

Thanks so much for coming by to visit! And to Paul - no - you can never be replaced!

Daniel's Birthday

2010-12-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Daniel's 33rd Birthday in

Pinetop, AZ!!!

Daniel loves to go camping! But, with it being cold and me being pregos - camping was not on my list of things to do. My aunt was sweet enough to let us borrow her cabin (it's a little over a 3 hour drive) and I got to surprise him with a super fun getaway trip - his favorite thing. He told me, "This was the best birthday yet! Can we do it again next year?"

So, as you can see, there is some cake missing... yeah - well, Daniel kind of had some before I could sing to him. But that's okay - it was his cake and his birthday. I told him he could just eat the frosting if he wanted to :)

Daniel went for a little drive while I was making dinner. When he got back, he quickly got me in the car and took me to go see these deer! They were about two minutes from the cabin. We counted 11 of them!

This is Woodland Lake!

It's about a five minute walk from the cabin.
It's got this beautiful pave walk all they way around it.

Us right by the lake
- they have this cute little bridge as you arrive.

We also visited Greer, AZ - about a 45 minute drive from the cabin.

There was this little stream going through the town.

My hotty hubby - posing GQ for me :)

An awesome picture - thanks to camera timers!

Plus One - for reals

2010-11-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

So the news on the block is that our family is growing by one, again. But this time no animals are involved. Yep - I'm pregnant.

See...

We went to the doctor and he confirmed that I have a little bean inside of me. I'm 11 weeks pregnant now - so that means the baby should be due the very end of May.

The doctor added a little comment on the ultrasound,
"Mom and I are best wombmates!"

I don't know - I don't think this baby likes me very much right now - but hopefully that will change in a few weeks. :)

We are both super excited!
More updates to come!

Halloween

2010-11-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Halloween was celebrated on Saturday. We had some friends come over and carve pumpkins. They seemed to really get into it - but we did run out of time.

Ariana and Tyler Miller - getting out the goup.

Rebecca and Chris Brinkerhoff - letting their creativeness flow.

Chris's turned out pretty crazy! It was all done freehand.

Daniel - getting ready to kill his pumpkin, and me getting out the goupiness.

Our finished pumpkins lit up.
(Daniel's is the left, mine's on the right)

We stopped by our parents house after the ward party to show them our costumes - soo... what do you think?
(We're supposed to be a corpse bride and groom.)

Projects at Home

2010-11-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

We love having a garden. However, because of our dogs,

we were trying to figure out what to do.

So Daniel enlisted the help of my dad and the two of them built this awesome fence.

Looks pretty great, right. It's going be be painted white to make it look all homey :)

Thanks hun! I love it!

Toby sleeping?

2010-10-14T17:38:00.001-07:00

Plus one

2010-10-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

Soooo - some of you know this, but our family grew by one, without me even really knowing about it.

Daniel brought home another puppy who needed a home. After a few weeks of trying to find her a new home, we've decided to keep her. So yes, we have four dogs, one cat and too many chickies.

Tiger and Shanka with Daniel

Shanka lounging on something she shouldn't be.

This is Tessa and Tula- all snuggled up!

They spend a lot of time together

I love when she does this - she puts her little head on the chair and makes really funny noises!

She's a sweetie, super smart and we are happy to give her a loving home.

The Number One Super Mom!

2010-10-02T16:13:00.001-07:00

My mom just celebrated her birthday
and I thought I'd like to post a little about her.

Basically, I think my mom is really the best. She's always been an example of love and kindness in my life. Her countless acts of service are inspiring. And she raised, I think, EIGHT wonderful children - along with several other foster children! For anyone who knows her - they'll agree that she is one amazing woman!

(I thought this one was so great -
It looks like she's being sneaky or something!)

Love you tons mom!

Tiger playing fetch

2010-08-28T10:34:00.001-07:00

Igor The Bug

2010-08-28T09:21:00.001-07:00

WARNING... DO NOT READ OR LOOK AT THIS
IF YOU ARE AS DISGUSTED WITH BUGS AS I AM!

This is the story of the bug our dog Tiger found after one of the rains here.
We named him Igor.

Look at Igor's pinchers - he could hold on to the toothpick without falling!

Daniel decided Igor would be a tasty treat.

But he couldn't do it. So he let his friend Kent have a go at Igor!

Nope - he could do it either. So this is where Igor ended up.

(Disclaimer - no bugs were actually harmed in the making of this blog.)

Tucson

2010-08-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

We went to Tucson a few weeks ago and because of the rain, we got stuck inside a little more than we planned. My sister lives there and these are some pics of my nieces!

Lilly figured out a way to keep from being bored. She transported Benny the dog around the house in this basket. He just sat and enjoyed the ride.

This is Miss Pixie - their yorkie - sooo CUTE!

Abigail figured out a new way of dressing like a goddess.

Lilly just joined for the picture. (I love the spoon in the mouth!)

Bathroom Updates

2010-08-27T22:24:00.001-07:00

So our bathroom is basically the only thing in the house that hasn't really been updated (our house was built in the 60s). Daniel got the idea and with my parent's help - it's really coming along.

Here's my dad working on the plumbing - we had a few glitches.

The yucky floor after Daniel removed the tile.

My mom grouting the tile! She's a pro at this!

The bathroom now - new paint and new tile!

This is the new vanity! - without the faucet. We have the faucet in now, but we still have a couple of issues with the plumbing my dad is trying to figure out!

We are so excited to have a nice bathroom - especially for our clients!

Girls Camp

2010-07-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

We went to girls camp at Camp LoMia - this year we were at the West Camp -it was beautiful!

I was one of the cabin moms for the 3rd year Girls (the girls were divided by year as opposed to wards this year).

The theme was BOOT Camp - Build On Our Testimony
So everything was camo - super fun!

We had the Zip line again - and I went on it once - I forgot to unhook myself before getting off the seat and got stuck, dangling in the air. - So embarrassing!!!! We also went on a hike to the "Darling Rocks." Some of the other YW leaders showed up on Saturday for the hike and Bishop's night. Lilly Colon and Elise Riker were there! So fun to have them on the hike!!!

Three of my girls - Heather, Taylor and Annabel! Great girls!!!

Silly 3rd Year Girls at the Dance - yes there is an All-Girl dance and they had a blast!

1st Day at camp- we set up our cabin. We were Sariah's Soldiers (to go along with the Boot Camp theme).

I had such an amazing time and truly love these girls!!! What an amazing group of future mothers and leaders we have!
(more pictures posted on FB)

Father's Day

2010-07-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day we visited my Dad (and mom) at their new home. Daniel's parents came over to the house as well - being that their only offspring that lives in AZ is Daniel.

My papa and I - he's so cute!

Happy Father's Day!

We also brought the dogs, and Daniel's mom brought her dog (Jasper), and my parents have one dog - so needless to say, we had a lot of dogs in one house :)

Lacy (my mom's puppy) and Tiger (ours) - notice the difference in size!
Tiger currently weighs 12 pounds - Lacy weighs about 7!

All three of the cuties! (Bottom to Top) Jasper, Lacy, Tiger

Hawaii!!!

2010-07-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

So we were able to finally visit Hawaii after years of Daniel telling me, "I'm going to take you there!" We spent the first week in Maui, with my cousins. And the second week were were in Oahu, for Daniel's cousin's wedding! Both islands were beautiful and made us really miss Brazil!

In Oahu for Mosele's Wedding

At the Polynesian Cultural Center - we got lei 'd!

In Maui - at Iao Valley.

In Oahu - the Dole Pineapple Plantation - who knew pineapples grew out of the ground???

In Maui - the first beach we got to visit - Laia - not the prettiest - but we were really excited!

We took sooo many pictures - we've posted some of them of FB - so you can check out more there! It really was beautiful and as soon as we landed we both said, "Okay - let's just stay on the plane and maybe they'll take us back!"

Daniel's Graduation

2010-05-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

Well, it finally happened...

Daniel graduated! His family came into town for the event and we got lots of great pictures. After the graduation, his family and my parents came over to our home and we had a yummy dinner.

We got a great picture of him and his siblings!
(Clarisse, Daniel, Elisa, Gabriel - oldest to youngest)

Daniel and his sister Elisa posed for these pictures, having no idea what the other was doing. Interesting how siblings can be so remarkably alike, right?

So happy for you honey!

There are Pirates in AZ

2010-05-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

So, Because of Mother's Day (and Daniel's graduation), his family came down from Utah. I spent some "quality" time with Jonah, his nephew. I put my clip-on earrings on him and said, "Pretend you're a pirate!"

He said, "Destroy!!!" in a very low, throaty way, raising one arm as if he was ready for action!

Next I said, "Say Arrr"

So he turned to the side, winked one eye and said, "ARRRRRR!!!!"
(I love that he doesn't have his front tooth - totally makes it authentic!)

Update on the Puppies

2010-04-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay!!! So here they are! Super cute and One Month Old!!!

Their first time on the grass!

Here are two of my nieces! Awweee so sweet!

Here's a close up - giving kisses to his brother!

Temple Lights

2010-03-13T18:34:00.001-08:00

Okay, this is a little late, but I never posted about the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple!

Every year we make at least one special trip to the Temple to look at the lights and the nativities. This year it was especially cold! (Well, cold for us Arizonans!)

Aww... such a cute couple!

No, these are not our children, as you can tell by the total lack of resemblance. These are two of my favorite nieces! They were visiting from Tucson!

This was on our way home from the lights. Main Street in Mesa has some really fun "Street Art." I think everyone should have a big pink sofa chair like this. Unfortunately, it was not as soft as it looks. (Lilly, Me, LaDawn, Abby)

New couches

2010-03-13T18:11:00.001-08:00

So, now that we have the house all to ourselves, we've had to find some new furniture - which has been really exciting! We were looking first to find some couches. We really wanted leather couches, because of our pets. We also wanted them to be a light neutral color. So here's what we found...

We were so excited to find such an amazing deal! I had gone out looking at some couches, but they were all really cheaply made. Then, that same night, Daniel said, "What about these?" We immediately called in the morning, set up an appointment, borrowed my brother's truck and drove out to Happy Valley! The older couple selling them said, "I know it's silly, but I really wanted a nice young couple to buy these. We're so happy it's you!" We were so happy too! What a huge blessing!

Puppies!

2010-03-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

I finally found my cord to input fotos! Yeah - so now you all get to see the puppies!

So this is Tula's very pregnant belly - pretty huge, huh?

I spared you all some of the yuckier pictures. This is after she was cleaned up a bit. She looks a little tired and suspicious at the same time.

I loved this shot. Daniel got a picture of Tula and one of her puppies all snuggled up.

Here's one of all the puppies - in a dog pile! The runt is on top. She's about half the size of the others, but quite the fighter.

Here's one of Daniel and two of the puppies. They are so little!

They are so sweet and we can't wait till they open their eyes. They turned 1 week old yesterday! Amazing how time flies. They are already getting so much bigger. I go to work, come home and they seem bigger! Pretty soon we are going to have five very hyper and active puppies running around the house! How fun!

New Puppies!

2010-03-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

I know that many of you may be waiting for pictures of the puppies! But I can't find my cable to input the pictures! Agghh!!! So, just keep waiting a little bit. I'll find it. Tula had her puppies on Friday evening. She did really well and I thank my mom and dad for helping out (both Daniel and I had to be at work!).

She had five healthy puppies (the sixth one unfortunately did not make it). She is being an awesome mommy and taking really good care of her little pups!

We love them!

Valentine's Day

2010-03-06T14:26:00.001-08:00

I have a very sweet husband, who decided to be extra creative this Valentine's. He was thoroughly proud of himself at the end of the day. To start the day off, he had written on the bathroom mirror a sweet "I love you" message and drew hearts on it.

Next, after church, I came home to find a heart taped on the bathroom door. I thought, "Awe, he put a heart on the door." Smiled and went in the other room. When I passed by again, there was something additional that had been freshly written on the heart, "Open." I smiled and opened the door.

This is what I found - bunches of hearts with cute little messages written on them - each one a little different. But wait, there's more. Or at least he reminded me of that.

After another meeting, we came home and he sent me in the other room. When he was ready, he invited me back in, blindfolded. I thought I was going to get a massage (I am married to a massage therapist, right?) Nope, that would be too obvious. Instead, he had arranged for an "Ice cream for two in the tub." I had to laugh. Who thinks of these things? Only my husband.

It was really sweet and I must say, I've got a pretty fabulous hubby. Love you babe!

The evolution of the Egg

2010-03-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well, at least the eggs at our house.

First - you start with a chicken. This is one of our lovely laying hens. (You can see another one in the background.)

Then one day, after lots of waiting and anticipation, you will unexpectedly find an egg. At first, you may think your husband is playing a joke, because it looks fake. But you will soon find out that it is very real, just funny looking :)

Suddenly, most of your chickens will be laying eggs, and you'll begin to think, "I never have to buy eggs again."

And then, once all of the chickens are laying, you start to think, "Holy cow, what are we going to do with six eggs a day!?!"

And there you have it, the evolution of the egg, from the Lopes perspective.

Eeewwww....

2010-02-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

Yes - I have two gross little nephews!

Or maybe they are just ultra-talented! :)

Nope -just gross! :)
(Casting of the Gross little boys: Michael and Austin)

Silly Faces!

2010-02-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have the silliest niece!
We had a great time making so many funny faces, I just had to share!

Love you Ruthie!

Wedding Pictures!

2010-02-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Daniel and I have our 6th Anniversary coming up (in March). I wanted to share some of my favorite wedding pictures!

My neices Aybra and Abigail! Too cute!

Stealing kisses xoxoxo

I just love flowers and thought this picture turned out so elegant.

My gigantic family - This is only my side (my parents, brothers, sisters and their children)

No... we did not have to drive off in this car, this was just for decoration ;)

Birthday Surprises

2010-01-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

I had a fabulous birthday thanks to many wonderful people - especially my husband!

To start the day, I had a delicious breakfast (homemade granola - made by our friends, the Millers).

Then we went to lunch at my favorite pizza place - Oregano's!

Then we came home, cleaned the cars (yes - this is what I truly wanted for my birthday - a clean car!!! :))

My mom made me an amazing German Chocolate cake with homemade frosting - yummm!!!

For the evening, we went to play Lazer Tag! I forgot how fun it is to play that game. I think it would be super fun to play with a bunch of friends!

To finish the evening, we came back to the house, had delicious hamburgers, visited (thank you Stapleys for coming and sharing with us!) and then...

Watched a movie on a large screen at the Millers home. We rang in the New Year by jumping off our chairs and spraying silly string!

I love my sweet hubby for making it such a special day.

I think 32 is going to be a good year!

Turkey Trot

2009-11-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

So I got this bright idea that since I have never ran a 10k that Thanksgiving morning would be a great time to do so. A couple of my friends (Nikki and Becky) decided to go along with the bright idea and joined in the fun. Well, there were more that 4,o00 people that decided to join in the fun! The Mi Amigo's Turkey Trot has been going on for a long time - I just didn't know about it. Apparently it's a tradition for many families. I did pretty well (better than I expected) for my first 10k. My time was 1:05 for a 6.2 mile race. Next year I'd like to come in under an hour. Up side, I didn't feel one bit eating some yummy desserts later in the day. The down side - my legs were so sore for about 3 days! Ooohh the burn! (By the way - you can't see me in the crowd- but you can see my hand! That's me waving to Daniel to the left of the middle of the picture!)

Just a little drumming

2009-11-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here's Daniel along with Jonah and Livia working it on the drum!

2009-11-27T19:15:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Super funny video

2009-11-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

For all of you out there who remember the Muppets - this one's for you...

The Ward Talent Show

2009-11-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

This is just one of the videos I'm trying to upload!

Jen Garrett - and her "un-talent"

Their New Home

2009-11-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of our six little chickies enjoying their spacious new home! (Especially compared to the blue tupperware they were in!)

Husbands should always listen to their wives

2009-11-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

So the other day Daniel purchased a shirt, but the clerk forgot to take off the little plastic thing that's supposed to prevent you from stealing it. So I suggested he take it back and have them take it off, being that he was going back in a few days to pick up his new drill (to be blogged about soon). Well, did he listen... hmmm... that would be a "no". Instead he tells me, "I'm strong enough to get this off. Watch." He then proceeds to break the device, not getting it off completely. However there is a very dark bluish-green dye inside, which Daniel managed to get all over his fingers and the shirt is completely ruined now. I just had to smile and asked him to pose for a picture. I said, "This is going on the blog."

Blue fingers - after being washed and rubbed with fingernail polish remover!

The shirt.

Chicken Coupe Update

2009-11-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well we (and by "we" I mean Daniel) finished the coupe - well ... almost. It needs to be painted and have a few little tweaks made to it. But the chickens are living in it now. Yeah!!! So exciting.

This is Chris - helping out! (Thank you!!!)

Here's Daniel - trimming the chicken wire. Not a fun job, "Especially when you don't have the right tools." (I think that was Daniel's favorite thing to say during this project.)

Here's Chris again working on the nesting boxes. It turned out so cool! (Finished project pictures to come.)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

We had a fun time on Halloween - even though we both worked! We participated in the Tempe Ward's Trunk or Treat by running the Fishing booth (thanks Erica for helping out!). Daniel wanted to go as a farmer - being that he's all farmerish these days. So I got all "pertied up" and put on my good hat and my good teeth and my good pearls. I think that this may be one of the funniest pictures I have of myself. It makes me laugh EVERY time I see it. :)

Projects at Home

2009-10-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

First off - the chicken coupe! Yes, that's Daniel's cute bum in the picture :) He's building the coupe all by himself and doing quiet an amazing job. It's farther along now, so we'll add more pictures soon.

This is why we need to get the coupe done soon!!! The chicks are not chicks anymore. They are about three times the size they were when we got them and definitely need some space!

This is our last big project right now - the garden! Yeah, I think we've planted just about everything we can think of that will grow in the Fall/Winter season: lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, swiss chard, beets, radishes, snap peas, butternut squash, sweet onions, red onions and maybe something else I'm forgetting :) Isn't this the cutest garden ever. I love the little flower boxes that Daniel built! So cute!

Mind Games

2009-10-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well, there is this really cool machine that measures the brain waves. They make it fun by letting you compete against someone to see who has "stronger" brain waves.

Rope Climbing

2009-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

At the Arizona Science Center, they have this exhibit where you can basically feel different types of resistance, by climbing various ropes. So here's all of us, minus Abigail, showing off our stuff! My favorite was watching little Lilly pull herself up, all by herself! Look at those guns!

Notice that I'm on the "harder" rope :)

Here's Daniel climbing the "hardest" rope! My hands really hurt after attempting to climb it.

Michael looks so focused!

Here's LaDawn!!! We had to stop and reminisce about how we hated climbing ropes in elementary PE. Neither of us could do it (must be a Cox thing). So we definitely were fulfilling some suppressed wishes of long ago. :)

Arizona Science Center

2009-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

We had family from Tucson in town last weekend and we had sooo much fun. We spent the day at the Science Center, which has got to be one of the funnest places in the world for kids - (and big kids too)!

Upon arriving, we realized that there was an "Aids Awareness" campaign happening right outside of the Science Center. We saw these divas and had to take a picture. They loved it!

This is my sweet niece Abigail - who is nine!

She's the one in the silly video posted earlier.

Lilly got a great ride while we scoped out the area for lunch.

I had to include this picture not only because Lillian looks so cute, but because of Mike who is in the background. He's on his phone, as he was a lot of the time, playing Fantasy Football! Don't get me wrong. He was thoroughly entertained by many of the exhibits, just really into his football game.

This one was so cute of the girls checking out the Robots exhibit. Abigail loves Star Wars - so this was perfect.

My silly niece!

2009-09-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

So this is my niece Abigail, who lives in Tucson. She was part of a talent show at school and my sister LaDawn recorded this! It was so funny, I had to pass it along.

Chicks meeting the Dogs

2009-09-28T08:35:00.001-07:00

New Addition to our Family

2009-09-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Six to be exact!!!

We haven't named them yet, being that you can't really tell them apart :)

Daniel surprised me last week (we had been talking about getting them in October) with our new arrivals. They are so cute. He and a friend (Chris B.) are going to build the coupe. Daniel's so excited about this project. He went to a class offered by City of Phoenix about how to raise chickens for eggs and care for them. Plus we've asked two family members about their experiences with raising chickens. When I told my parents about the chickens, their main concern was with how the dogs were going to react. Well, we took a little video of their reaction...

Vein Surgery

2009-09-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Okay - so either I'm extremely sensitive or that was the worst pain I think I have ever felt. Let me back up. I have varicose veins. I had them checked out a few months ago to see if I have a "dysfunctional valve" creating the bulging vein. And yes, three out of the four valves are not functioning. So, I scheduled the vein surgery (Endovenous Laser Therapy- EVLT). They informed me it would be "uncomfortable." Yeah, the biggest understatement of my life! They gave me a Xanax and Viacatin before the surgery to help relax and calm me. I felt a little loopy, but not much different than usual. Then came the prep. No biggy - they scrubbed the area clean and prepped my leg with a beautiful purple marker, marking where the vein was. Then the doctor came in - Dr Pain, I mean, Dr. Pang :). He told me I would feel a few pricks where the needle was numbing some areas of my leg where the needles would be inserted (picture included). Ouch, but tolerable. Then he informed me he was going to put the needle in, with the wire. Holy mother of $%#@##$!!!! I could not believe how bad that hurt. The three staff just worked quietly. Then my blood pressure started dropping, I could feel I was going to faint. (I usually do when I give blood, so they prep me by tipping the chair back to help the blood flow.) My hearing was going and the room was getting black and I felt like throwing up. I told the doctor and he had them check my blood pressure. I heard him say, "Tip her back on the table." Then he had the assistant check my bp three more times, each time tipping me back further. He said, "I don't want to go up any further, let's stop here below the knee." Finally, I could hear again and the pain was horrible. He asked if I wanted to proceed, informing me that it was my choice, but that they were ready to start the laser. I asked, "How much longer???" He said, "Two minutes." "Okay." He said, "Let me know if you feel this." It started and immediately I said, "Yes, it kills." So he stopped, put a few more shots in my leg, then tried again. "Yes it still hurts." He shot me up once more and tried one more time. "No, I don't feel it now." He completed that part of the surgery, stitched me up once where I was bleeding a little too much (picture included) and then said to have me wait in the room until my bp was back to normal. I forgot to mention that they had put a turnicate on my leg to inflate the vein a little when marking it, but did not release it during the procedure, probably contributing to the pain. When I asked him later why it hurt so bad, he said it was because my vein was small - due to being dehydrated and that my bp dropped because of a reaction I had to the medication. I think it was due to hurting so freaking bad! So I asked a friend of mine who had the procedure done and she told me that the first time killed, but the second time, it wasn't as bad because they shot her leg up with a lot more pain killer. I don't know. My favorite part of it was when Daniel walked in and was told that there were some complications and that they didn't finish the procedure. I told him in Portuguese how badly it hurt. He smiled and asked in Portuguese, "So, do you really want to have children?" I said, "No, we can just adopt." Classic.

Okay -so this is a horrible picture, but I love that Toby is in all of these.

This is my leg where you can see the purple markings where the procedure was supposed to go up to - there's a little "x". However, he stopped just below my knee.

This is a picture of the bandages, nothing too exciting.

This is me being brave to see what my leg looks like this afternoon.

Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Here's the little stitch they had to make by my ankle.

There's a little bruising, but not too bad.

Tula through the ages

2009-09-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well, Tula turned one a couple of months ago and I just had to post some before and after picture, along with some funny ones in between. She is a sweetheart and we love her to death, except when she gets in the trash. :)

Here she is after we just got her - like a fluff pup.

(For those of you who remember that brand of stuffed dog!)

Here Tula after getting groomed for the first time. Daniel freaked me out saying that she had ran away and he was out looking for her. He had really just gone to go pick her up. Not nice! But she did look adorable!

Here's Tula and her first, well, period. We got her some "doggy" diapers. They have a hole for the tail to go through. It was so funny watching her walk with them on. I love the look on her face, "Are you kidding me???"

We have these pillows the dogs use for beds. We just moved them into our room and had not put them down yet. However, Tula was not going to wait, as you can see in the photo.

Still, if we could all be as comfy as she is, then life would be good.

This is the latest picture I have of her. She cracks me up just chillin on the ground and the way she puts her feet up on the water cooler. She does this all the time now.

I love dogs - they are so funny.

New Hair

2009-09-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Okay - so nothing too exciting... but I did go brunette. This is a first for me. Let me know what you think... I've also attached some other pictures of different hair. You can vote :)

This is my friend Erica - she came over on Friday and helped me with my hair. Even though she has no formal education in regards to hair, her experience makes up for it. (She's my friend who is constantly changing her hair! I love it!)

Here I am, sporting my new hair. I didn't do it - other than blow dry it. But it's kind of fun. A lot darker than I expected. (It is a wash-out kind, so it will lighten up as the weeks go by.)

And I don't know - but I'm really loving this look. You'll have to tell me what you think :)

Arcosanti

2009-09-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have seen these pictures on Facebook - I seem to post more things there nowadays - so sorry for the delay here on the Blog (Jessie - hint, hint, hint) :)

This is at the entrance of Arcosanti. It's just off of I17, on your way to Flagstaff.

Of course, you all may recognize this hunk of a man - my sweet hubby. (Is it just me, or does that face remind you of Steve Martin on Dirty Rotten Scoundrels "Excuse me, may I use the bathroom?")

This is one of the amazing views at the site.

Me on our cozy bed, in our cozy room. No ac - just a fan, but it was really nice weather at night and only got up to about 85 during the day.

So this is us in the dining area. Great food and it's all made fresh. They use to have more of an agriculture project, but with the economy, they've downsized too. However, the food was yummy and healthy.

Independence Day!

2009-07-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

Independence Day in Safford Arizona!
We spent the weekend with our Friends
(Michelle and Noah Webster, and their son Lawrence.)

The beautiful sky - on our way down from Mt. Graham!

The lake on the top of Mt. Graham.
(Daniel took this shot- he's got a great eye!)

Daniel and Melissa
July 4th, 2009
Mt. Graham, Safford Arizona

Family Dinner

2009-06-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Our Family got together while Brent and Amanda were in town. We of course went out to dinner at Tia Rosa's - a delicious Mexican Restaurant in Mesa. Lots of fun!

The Cox Boys
(Jeff, Phil, Jared, Brent, Max)

The Cox Girls (minus one)
(Colette and Melissa)

Brent celebrated his 40th (a few weeks before) and we had to celebrate again! I mean, 40 years only happens once, right?

Daniel's Surgery

2009-05-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, some of you may have seen Daniel hobbling around on crutches. This is for good reasons - he just had knee surgery. He found out about a month ago that he had a torn meniscus (this is a cushion area in your knee). Not sure how it got torn, but it would have continued to get worse. So he opted to get surgery during his school break. We decided to head up to Vegas to have our friends dad perform the surgery - Jeff Grondell. What an awesome family. We met them a couple of months ago and just really love them. They were so kind to let us stay in the "Grondell Hotel" while Daniel was recovering.
So this is Daniel on day 1, right after the surgery. He's pretty drugged up. How else could he be smiling?
This is Daniel on day 3, when his bandages came off. The surgery required three small incisions: one for the fluid, one for the camera, and one for the tools. Since we don't live there, the Dr. taped the incisions. Pretty cool, huh?

On our way home, we got stuck in some crazy traffic. The Hoover dam is always slow, but this time it was ridiculous. The dam itself is looking pretty cool. They are constructing a new bridge and it is crazy looking.

Well, after the dam, the traffic picked up and we thought we were well on our way. Boy were we fooled.
There ended up being an accident a mile up the road and we were stuck waiting for another 2 hours. I to ok pictures as proof. We filled up the tank before leaving about 12:00 noon. This is the milage (17.7 miles) and this is the time the road started moving again (3:16 pm)!

And this is what Daniel looked like, sitting in the back seat during this lovely wait.

We finally made it home about 8:00 pm safely! We were happy to come home to our sweet pets and Daniel's parents and grandma were here waiting to greet us. They had cleaned up the entire house (inside and out), concerned that we wouldn't be able to. It sure is nice to have parents (in-laws) here, I must admit.

Tula and Bath Time

2009-05-17T21:56:00.001-07:00