It's a wonderful Win-derful world

Windham will be 6 months old on June 8.  I can't believe how fast he's growing!  New skills he's recently mastered include rolling over, (both ways,) banging his plastic caterpillar toy on the table, laughing, "eating" rice cereal (he mostly mushes it around and some hopefully makes it down the hatch,) and drum roll, please... teething! Two tiny teeth are poking through his bottom gums.  Not gonna lie, it's been a hard road, but not as hellish as I anticipated.  

Besides his laugh which is my new most favorite sound in the whole world, my other favorite thing he does is when I smile and tell him he's doing a good job, his face will light up with delight as if he's just realized he did something good.  Even though part of me wishes he would stop growing, the other part of me can't wait to see what he'll do next.

Hopefully the first of many summer beach posts

My friend, Carrie, and I took a quick day trip to Santa Cruz.  We probably looked pretty funny lugging our strollers, umbrellas, car seats, and large beach bags down the hill from where we parked, across the street, and over the loooong stretch of burning sand.  As dad always says, "Having fun is hard work."  And it was.  But totally worth it.

It was gorgeous weather and the beach was "California empty," which means it wasn't jam-packed.  The ocean was very cold, but Windham didn't seem phased by the frigid water.  He was interested in the sand, and swallowed at least one mouthful before I noticed.  Whoops!  The famous boardwalk was closed so we'll have to come back with Mario in the summer so we can have the full experience.

Easter

The town we live in, Campbell, has the most adorable Easter Parade.  The town provided free sidewalk chalk to keep the kids entertained before the parade started.  There were baton twirlers, classic cars, and a handful of creepy bunny costumes. 

On Easter Sunday we had Mario's parents and brother over for dinner.  After dinner I made everyone dye eggs.  "Traditiooooon!  Tradition!"  Totally worth the whining from both Mario and Byron.  Mario jokingly observed that for having had so many years of practice my eggs were pretty ugly.  He was right.  However, dying Easter eggs is most definitely about the experience, no the outcome.

Yoooootah Trip

At the end of April we went to Utah to celebrate Leah's graduation from Utah Valley University.  We got to see Leah, Jessi, my dad, mom and Paul, cousin Kim, step-sister Anne and her cute kids, and as a bonus got to meet Leah's sweet boyfriend.

After the family festivities (which were plentiful thanks to wonderful hostess, Jessi) we were able to visit many of our friends.  The Allens and Jonses and Bishops- of course.  Not pictured: Annie and Bob, Sarah Croker, the Goldens, Cherry Hill 6th Ward, Michelle and other MAG friends, United Way friends, Britney, (holla!) Mitch, the Jarvis, Wilcox, and Neff families, and I almost got to see Deloris.  Almost.













To top it off, the weather was perfect. It was as if Utah was beckoning us back! Maybe someday we'll be so lucky.

Jen's Visit

In April, my dear friend, Jen, visited from Seattle.  She was only in town for the weekend, but we had a really nice time.  We didn't do much.  Talked and sat in the hammock, tried to find a bathing suit for me at Nordstrom Rack--failed--then went to get frozen yogurt.

And on Saturday we went to Half Moon Bay to get the MOST. AMAZINGLY. DELICIOUS lobster roll Eveeeeeeeeer!!!!!!!  Ok, this thing has CHUNKS of lobster with warm, crunchy, buttery, toasted bread, a fabulous light cream sauce with crunchy celery, and with a touch of tabasco sauce... THIS IS WHAT HEAVEN TASTES LIKE.  And I don't even like lobster!

All thanks to my wonderful friend and mentor, Jen.   

Feb 8. 2012 Testimony for Xiomara and Family

Happy 10 months, Hermana Ruiz!  Here's a gift from my heart to yours:

I know that the Lord has a plan for me and my life.  Whenever I've followed His suggestions, even if they didn't fit into the plan I had for myself, I've always been so much happier than I would have if I did it my way.  He truly knows how to make us happier than we can imagine, and He has a vision of us as our best and perfect selves.  I know He is guiding me toward that better self as I keep the commandments and covenants I've made with Him and as I follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. 

I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that He died for my sins so that if I repent, I can live with God again someday.  I know that the Lord has a living prophet on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson, because God listens to, cares about, and guides His people today as He did anciently, and as He always has.  I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, as he said he did, and that They tasked him with restoring the one true church to the earth.  I know that Joseph Smith translated the golden plates into the Book of Mormon, and that the Book of Mormon is truly another testament of Jesus Christ.  A second witness to compliment the Bible. 

How do I know this?  I haven't seen an angel or heard God's voice from heaven or seen Christ in a tortilla.  In fact, I've never had a miraculous vision of any kind.  But I have seen miracles.  In my life and in the lives of others.  That's how I know God is real, and that He loves me and notices me.  He doesn't always give me what I want, when I wanted it, but He has always given me what I needed to learn and grow.

When I decided to take the leap of faith to start our family, it was the most difficult decision I'd ever made.  I felt like I was giving up everything.  My career, my body, my freedom, my life.  It was a huge sacrifice for me.  I thought that since I was doing something so hard for me that the Lord would bless me with a dream or vision of my future child to help me through the difficult times ahead during the pregnancy, labor and delivery, and beyond.  But He didn't.  Not ever.  I felt so foolish and abandoned.  Then I realized that He had already sent an angel to help me.  He sent me Mario.  He was all I needed to get me through the tough times.  Which there have been many, and I know there will be more.  I thought God wasn't listening and didn't care about what I needed, but I was wrong.  He was watching out for me the whole time; I just didn't see it, because I had decided I needed something else.

Marrying your brother was the best decision I've ever made.  (Another suggestion from God!)  I'm so grateful we're sealed together for time and all eternity in the temple.  It brings me such peace to know that if we live worthily, we will always be together, and nothing could take him away from me.  The temple is a wonderful place.  We draw ourselves closer to the Lord when we serve there.

May legions of angels protect you as you serve the Lord on your mission.  You are an incredible person, daughter of God, sister-in-law, and missionary!  Felizisissimo 10 months!!

With love, Chelsea

Jan 30, 2012 Black Holes and Babies

Grandfather Jerry with Windham

Xiomaraaaa!

I can't remember if I wrote last week or not... I must not have if you asked about Windham.  He's doing ok.  At the moment he's lying in my lap crying.  I think he's just tired fussy, though.  I hope he'll fall asleep soon.  Right now we're playing "spit out the pacifier."  Prince is here on the bed, too, napping peacefully with his sock monkey.  Poor Windham.  Baby tears are the saddest thing in the entire universe!  Ok, one of the saddest.  Prince just gave me this look as if to say, "Really, Chelsea? Can't you make him stop?"  Would if I could, Prince.  Would if I could.

So back to Windham and to answer how he's doing, I've made a decision that I know you'll be proud of.  I've decided that I'm tired of complaining.  I'm tired of complaining about how much he cries, how little I've slept, how incompetent modern medicine is, and on and on.  From now on when people ask how either Windham or I'm doing, I'm going to tell them all the good things about him.  Like how beautiful his blue eyes are.  Or what a good eater he is and how he's growing so fast.  (He's almost 11 lbs now!  When he was born just less than 2 months ago he was 7 lbs. 11 oz.)  Or how amazingly adorable he is, or how I looove the sound he makes after he sneezes.  Don't worry, we've got it on video, so if he's stopped doing it by the time you get home you'll still get to hear it.  Anyway, I've decided to change my attitude and be positive.  If it takes me 24 hours to get 8 hours of sleep, so what?  I can do that.  If his tummy hurts and he's crying, I expect that and will deal with it the best I know how.  I am a planet and this little guy is my sun, and everything I do revolves around him.

Speaking of the universe and planets and such... black holes are so cool!  Did you know that nobody know what happens to stuff that goes into black holes?  And that time stops at the edge of a black hole?  Time is related somehow to gravity.  The more gravity, the faster time goes.  The less gravity, the slower time passes.  (Scientists have done experiments to prove this, so I'm not just making it up.)  Craaaaaazy!  Some scientists believe that the other side of black holes could be a "white fountain" where energy and matter are spewn out.  It's fantastic to think about.  The reason I bring up black holes, is because I feel like having a baby is like entering a black hole.  Very scary and unkowable.  And painful.  Plus time does kind of stand still when you're in serious labor.  And then, on the other side of it... well nothing can really describe it.  But it's light and beautiful and creation.  So Windham is my little white fountain, and I've decided to appreciate and celebrate that rather than focus on his acid reflux and colic.  So I hope that's a decent update, in a round-about way.

By the way, about that scary Peruvian man, you did the right thing to listen to the spirit (or lack thereof) and just leave and then pray.  Satan is definitely real.  But so is God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, modern day prophets, the Priesthood, prayer, temple covenants, and the power of love. 

And we love you.  Keep up the great work, Hermana!  You are wonderful and inspired, and an angel sent to proclaim the gospel to Uruguay.

Chelsea