Jayson, Alejandra and Sofia's Blog

Jasiah is 2!!!

2011-06-28T08:50:00.006-06:00

Handsome Jasiah turned 2 years old earlier this month... we happened to be out of town most of that week, so we ended up having a very small celebration at home on our way back. As you can imagine, Jasiah is not very picky, we had homemade vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and raspberrie spread. Yummy!!

All Jasiah cares about lately is cars, airplanes, trains and trucks. His presents made sure to make him happy!

Cars Movie

This is the Cars 2 movie inspired Shake and Go Track. You just shake the cars before you place them in the track and off they go...

It is actually pretty cool!

Jasiah is growing so much! His speech is more and more clear every day and he is the most active kiddo I know... basically we are just trying to keep up with him!

WE LOVE YOU JASIAH! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Sofia is 6!!!

2011-05-10T10:03:00.006-06:00

Sofia turned 6 years old! We were in Salt Lake for one of my sister's college graduation, that gave us the opportunity of having Sofia enjoy her birthday cake with some of her aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and her greatgrandma.

Sometimes it is hard to believe she is really six years old. In many aspects she is even more mature than most kids her age. We pray and work so Sofia might become the best person she can, one of the finest of Heavenly Father's daughters.

Sofia and one of her cakes!

Opening presents with K's help!

All she asked for was a scooter, so she got a pink and purple one.

Cake number two, with the other cousins

Kaiden

2011-05-10T09:47:00.007-06:00

This is Kaiden. He is 7 months old and he is the newest kiddo to come spend some time with our family. We have hosted other kids in the past couple of years, most of them for no more than a few days at a time but Kaiden might be with us for a few months. By now he has come to know our family and he is very happy. He is very cute and very smiley... this pictures were taking over Easter holiday.

Kaiden and Sofia

Kaiden and his Easter basket!
Candy to share!

We love Kaiden very much and we pray his family might be ready sooner than later to welcome him back with loving arms!

San Diego Zoo

2011-04-25T14:40:00.004-06:00

We had so much fun at the zoo in San Diego! We spent the whole day and we didn't see everything we wanted to, but its was so much fun, especially for the kids. For me one of the best things was the rib sandwiches we had for lunch. yummy! We walked and walked and walked, and when we got tired we took the trolley for a tour that covered most of the park. It was a perfect day, sunny but cool...

Just arriving!

Jasiah in the reptile exhibit... he loved the snakes and turtles... not too sure about the bugs though, thank goodness!

Sofia and Jasiah with some of their cousins

Cutie!

Orangutans!!

Oh... the beach!!!!

2011-04-25T14:24:00.003-06:00

We spent our Spring Break back in March in a little road trip to San Diego. We visited my sister and her family and, as always, we had a blast! This particular trip was a lot of fun for me. I usually try to plan all the activities ahead of time to take advantage of every day while we are on vacation, but this time we took it easy and we had enough time to rest and relax between our time on the road.

The beach! what can I say... I just wish we lived closer to a warm and sunny beach... We had a great time at Del Mar, we started with a picnic and then it was all about free time on the sand... Sofia loved every minute of it and for sure Jasiah was made for the water... He ran non stop all day, barely afraid of the waves....

What has Sofia been up to?

2011-03-25T16:11:00.008-06:00

Sofia has been pretty busy for the last three months. She has gone through so much... One of her friends from school died in an accident just before Christmas... it was a very sadtime for her. Thankfully she is doing great now and the knowledge she has of Jesus Christ and His plan for us has helped her miss her friend and have hope at the same time...

January brought the Tooth Fairy to our home!

Sof has lost three teeths already!

January brought glasses for Sofia! We never noticed she couldn't see well, but took her for a routine exam. It turned out she really needed the glasses asap! When she got her glasses she was sooo excited! She said "Mom!! The world is just what it used to be when I was younger!" Nowdays when we run into somebody we haven't seen for a while Sofia always wonders if they would recognize her without teeth and with glasses. :)

This is Sofia's spring school picture.

Sofia likes helping Jasiah get down!

If Sofia had her wishes become reality she would read all day long... she wouldn't even go to school she says, just to the library and back... she still takes dance once a week and this week she started swimming twice a week... we are trying to help her get some balance. She is doing great at school... she reads and does her math at an adavanced level, she works very hard!

Sofia's newest friend? Brownie! He is our puppy, a miniature pinscher/chihuahua that we picked up in Vegas... Poor Brownie has been trying to get used to our Wyoming weather. He is super cute!

Sofia is such a good helper around the house. She is still trying to figure out why a kid needs chores and how her life is supposed to be a happy one with "so much work to do!" but she will get there! We love Sofia so much and couldn't be any more proud of her!

What has Jasiah been up to?

2011-03-25T15:39:00.008-06:00

Since it has been three months since I last posted on this blog (shame on me!) I thought it would be good to start by updating you people on how Jasiah is doing. He is extremely healthy and growing and growing more and more everyday! He is talking more... some of his favorite words are "no", "please", "cracker", "cheese", and "bread". He is adicted to oranges, candy, and as the picture below shows, turning lights on and off... He has been banned from some playgroups for doing this, since the older kids keep chasing him everywere trying to stop him from leaving them playing in the dark basement...

Jasiah is simply fearless... he likes diving from the couch. We first tried to teach him to stop doing it but soon we realized that wouldn't work. Instead we taught him to place pillows on the floor so he doesn't get hurt when he jumps. He goes down the stair on his belly at 30 miles per hour and he thinks it is the funnest thing to do...

He loves his baths!

He loves getting into Sofia's stuff! Any moment he notices the door to her bedroom open he will run and get as many toys and books as possible out of there and into his room... He likes dragging Barbies by their hair (Sofia doesn't like that...) and he chews on playfood non stop. He is very good with books though, he loves to "read"!

This is after getting a hold of Sofia's cowgirl boots! Cute!

Jasiah is such a treasure!

We love him so much and he brightens our day!

Sofia's Ballet Recital

2010-12-16T10:48:00.005-07:00

Sofia had her first ballet recital last week. It was, of course, a Christmas theme and it was fun. Sofia got to do some of her favorite things: get her hair done, get a little bit of make up on, and dress in fancy, beautiful clothes. The girls had been practicing very hard for weeks and when the time came they didn't disappoint! They danced beautifully! Sofia is naturally graceful and she knew her steps by memory. She said she never felt nervous on stage and that under the bright lights she actually felt like a real ballerina. She did so good! She is a natural! :)

Getting ready for the final rehersal!

Sofia and some of her dear friends!

Sofia and her instructor, Miss K

Unfotunately, I cannot show more... since there was a professional photographer there, taking photographs was not allowed during the performance.

We will wait until the ones we ordered get to us to post them.

Our Half Birthdays!

2010-12-08T10:06:00.005-07:00

We celebrated in November Sofia and Jayson's half birthdays... Sofia hadn't been keeping track so it was really a surprise... She helped make the cake and of course she supervised the decorations, to the very detail... She asked for presents, but of course that's were we draw the line... :)

Chocolate cake with pink butter cream frosting... yummy!

Jayson hadn't kept track either... but he sure enjoyed the cake!

Got Wig?

2010-12-08T09:49:00.005-07:00

This is Sofia's favorite wig...she plays with it, well, whenever she remembers it... For some reason she likes the look of it and even tries to convince poor Jasiah that wearing the wig is a fun game!

Many times Jasiah doesn't buy it!

Sofia can be very persuasive... next thing you now the little guy is all for the wig... and a pink headband!

Cute!

Even Daddy gets a try!

Happy Halloween!!!!

2010-10-29T10:22:00.005-06:00

We hope your Halloween is a deliciously spooky one and that you have as much fun as we are having!!!!

Sofia's pumpkin (a racoon-inspired one) and Ale's pumpkin.

Jayson's scary pumpkin

Jasiah as a little devil!

Sofia is our princess witch!

with her friend T from church...

Fossil Day!

2010-10-25T13:45:00.007-06:00

I know, it sounds nerdish, but we did join the celebration for fossil day (Oct 13 you people!). Sofia really likes dinosaurs and such, and since we regularly visit the dinosaur museum we knew about the activities taking place and we just couldn't miss them.

Sofia preparing to make her own fossil

I guess the fossil wasn't as large and colorful as she would've liked...

Coloring her T-Rex picture

Jasiah seemed more interested in skulls...

Jasiah might not be as excited about dinos as Sofia just yet, but you never know what he will learn from her!

Pumpkin Patch...here we go!

2010-10-25T13:22:00.006-06:00

We headed to the Pumpkin Patch the very first day it was open. I don't think it is a very smart thing to do from the perspective of prices, but I couldn't wait.

Of course the kids wanted to run everywhere! They liked the playground and the little wagons. They had fun! Our pumkins are just waiting to be carved this week!

Cute Jasiah!

My School Girl!

2010-10-25T11:14:00.008-06:00

Sofia is enjoying her time in Kindergarten. Time has flown by and she actually has been going now for over 2 months. She loves her teacher and she has made friends so easily that now I am the one trying to keep up with her busy social schedule!

She was so close to reading before school started that it only took probably 3 weeks for her to feel more confident about it. Now she is reading non stop. We are trying to challenge her by bringing home more books at a little bit of a higher level and having her read to us. She really likes that! and we are learning to endure a princess book after another... :)

I drive her to school every day. She feels she is missing out by not riding the bus (my inocent child...).

Here are some pics before going to school. Enjoy!

It was a fun trip!

2010-08-10T14:53:00.013-06:00

We made our annual summer trip to Utah last month. We decided that instead of trying to do a lot and run from place to place we were going to take it easy, visit with family, and really relax and enjoy doing mostly nothing... :)

We did visit a few places. Temple Square and downtown were one of our first stops. It was soooo hot! but walking along and keeping ourselves hydrated made it ok.

Sofia and Jasiah

This is a miraculous moment when Jasiah stayed still for a second!

...he mostly wanted to run free all over the place...
This is what happens when you frget your camera

around people who have a lot of free time and nothing to do...

Sofia and my Mom

One of those days we decided to go see the sunset at the Salt Lake. I was surprised to see the amount of people there, having a good time! We even saw some kids in bikini in the water! Another proof that teenagers like doing scary things!

Sofia and her Daddy

The shore

Jasiah wasn't too sure at first about walking in the water.

He musn't had liked the sand and little pebbles under his bare feet...

Me and Jasiah

Sofia in one of her favorite poses...

Another day we spontaneously decided to visit Spanish Fork. It must have been that the kids were in a good mood and we were all up and early, ready to hit the road. The town was having its "Fiesta Days" (spanish fork, get it?) so there were a lot of people dowtown and everywhere, selling stuff and food. We went straight to the cementery and cleaned a little bit the graves.

Jasiah liked hanging out at Michael's Grave

Jayson said we HAD to stop at Glade's and have lunch... even though it was only 11am. Newsome tradition I guess... I shouldn't complain, food was delicious!

We all loved our shakes!

Draper T grounds

Sofia and some of her cousins at
the Church History Museum

My side of the family went to lunch to celebrate

our Abuelita Connie's 73th Birthday

Mom with Abuelita Connie

Sofia, I and A

Another "must" visit was to Leatherby's hmmm!

I am calling these pictures

the "before-Sofia-broke-her-arm" pictures...

They were having a good time when Sofia fell from that ugly dinosaur and broke her left arm, right above the elbow... we ran her to the hospital and she was put in a sling. She wasn't too happy about it but she was soooo brave. She took some pain medication just for the first 24 hrs, after that she was fine. She was a little shy about letting people see her sling at first...

That night we went to see the Bees play. They lost miserably... but we got to see fireworks after the game! (I guess the Bees did win the rest of the games in the series)

Sofia and K

Another must! A shopping day at Park City, girls only! :)

After the orthopedic surgeon saw Sofia they put a cast on her.

She really didn't like this part...

Trying to have some pool time regardless of the cast.

So far Jasiah doesn't mind girly things.

I miss my sister a ton! I can't wait to be back!

We spent the last few days of our trip trying to help my brother and his fiancee with their wedding preparations. Decorating the place was no small task but there were many people who came and helped. The ceremony was beautiful, food was good, and dancing was exhausting. That is what I call a good wedding!

Pool Summer Days

2010-08-10T14:28:00.005-06:00

Who doesn't love a pool in a hot summer day? We hit a few this summer, here are some of the pictures I took...

Sofia and her cousin Andrea,

who stayed with us for a couple of weeks.

Ice cream snacks!!
Jasiah LOVES the water. Thank goodness we have baby pools were he can play and have fun without us being too stressed out...

Karate girls?

Yellowstone Country

2010-08-10T13:59:00.005-06:00

Last June we went ot Yellowstone National Park. It was a super fast trip that got me excited the same because I had never visited the park before. It was as beautiful as everybody says and there where surprises around every corner...
The first surprise was the snow... there we were, second half in June and we got snowed on... not too bad, just enough to make us wish we had brought warmer jackets with us.

We came through the East entrance. The lake was beautiful and the water was so active that it almost felt we were actually at a beach shore...

Sofia got her pink baseball cap at the park
Geysers were everywhere!

Amazing coloration made each of them unique...

There were signs asking not to step off the walkboards... I don't know who in their five senses would be willing to step out and walk in that hot muddy-like ground...

Jasiah stayed the whole time wrapped like a burrito... poor kiddo!

Jasiah in his coomfy stroller

The waterfalls were super cool. It was amazing how close to the water we felt.

The did as much hiking as we could with the kids. Sofia got a little tired but she did great.

We waited for Old Faithful for a few minutes... It got windy and cold and when it finally came it was hard to see against the cloudy sky... I guess we have to visit again soon...

Trip to Cody

2010-07-09T09:42:00.012-06:00

Mid June we spent a few days in Cody. The weather was for the most part nice, windy but nice. We stayed in a fabulous hotel (I am not kidding, it was really fabulous!) and spent some time exploring the town. We did a trip to Yellowstone Park, but that story will be another posting...
Buffalo Bill Historical Center is one of my favorite places to visit in Wyoming. Everytime I go I notice more and more interesting things in there. Sofia really likes it too, even though ushers are kind of paranoid about kids in the fine art section and give them a hard time...
I don't believe will be back in Cody this year... it makes sad because we missed the rodeo... until next year, I guess...

Sofia and Jasiah during a little break in one of the gardens.

Sofia tickled Jasiah until she convinced him to pose (sort of) in this little log cabin.

Waiting for our lunch.

Sofia attacking her buffalo burger...

we didn't tell her what it was until she was done...

Sofia in the Draper Museum of Natural History ...

everything was pretty cool!!

Wild Jayson!

Sofia birdwatching

Ale and Sofia (and a buffalo in the dark background)

A Milestone: Preschool Graduation

2010-06-21T09:47:00.001-06:00

Sofia graduated from Preschool! The ceremony was very cute, you could feel the excitement the kiddos felt and all parents were so delighted in their kids accomplishments... you would think preschool is not a big deal, but for these children it was. Sofia worked very hard all year and she grew so much by learning so many new things and making new friendships. Her teachers are very patient, loving women and we couldn't thank them enough.

Last day of school

Walking down the aisle in her pink graduation gown.
Receiving her diploma. WAY TO GO SOFIA!!!!!
When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up Sofia answered "Fashion Designer".. we had no idea she liked clothes that much! :)

Sofia and her dear friends.

Sofia is 5!!

2010-06-21T09:21:00.007-06:00

Well... she has really been 5 for over a month now... but her ever procrastinating mother is just now posting the pictures of her birthday parties... yes "parties"... Sofia ended up having three different cakes on multiple celebrations. We intended to celebrate for her in Salt Lake with all family and friends, but since Sofia had a sore throat and the poor little one had a couple of miserable days, the party ended up shrinking in size...She did have cake with all her family in town and even some who were visiting. She did have a fun time and got many presents (some of her favorites are in the pictures below).

Back home, among other things, she received a T-ball set from her mother and father (maybe not the most girly present, but she still likes, after almost 2 months, yuppy!)

Sofia is the most adorable person you would ever met. She is loving, thoughtful, funny, bubbly, curious about everything around her, and has a vast imagination. We are soooo happy to have her as part of our family and we can't wait to see her grow into the wonderful woman I am sure she one day will become.

Girls Rule!

2010-06-08T08:47:00.005-06:00

We did a short little trip to Salt Lake in May to attend the blessing of Sofia's newest baby cousin. She is the cutest thing! It was fun to see the family and Sofia was really excited to see her girly cousins. They played very well together and we just wish we could live closer and we could get to spend time together more often.

These are some pictures taken at Church right after the blessing.

Sofia and Jasiah

2010-04-27T15:48:00.009-06:00

Jasiah has been in our home now for almost 8 months. He has truly been a blessing and Sofia has come to love him deeply. Yes, she teases him and sometimes tortures him but all while she learnes to love him...

Sofia has celebrated every new tooth and every new step he has taken! By now he has been walking for weeks and she walks with him holding hands together...

Sometines, though, Sofia wants some space of her own. After Jasiah kept "messing up" her Barbie house over and over Sofia declared Jasiah and "uninvited guest" to her bedroom. She posted a sign where she wrote his name and proceeded to cross it off. She was hoping that would be enough for him to get the message! She doesn't have any problem sharing her piano with him though...

Jasiah decided to taste markers...

Playing cars with cardboard boxes.

Love Bugs?

2010-04-27T15:43:00.007-06:00

We traveled with Jayson on one of his work trips last month and made a stop in Laramie, WY where we visited the Insect Gallery at the UWYO Campus. It was a very small room but packed with interesting bugs from all over the world. It was a fun little place to visit.

Sofia is NOT a fan of cockroaches!

Billings Zoo!

2010-04-27T10:14:00.010-06:00

Last March we went to Billings for a couple of days and one of the things we did was to go to the local zoo. Not very big but with enough fun things to see for a couple of hours. The day was sunny and not as cold as the pics make it look.

Cute little piggy!

handsome guys!

This tiger was one of the coolest animals... we went during his lunch time but intead of seeing him eat, we only saw him poop! :( yeah, it was gross...

An afternoon with Mrs Wyoming

2010-02-23T16:31:00.012-07:00

I took Sofia to a "princess party" with Mrs. Wyoming. It was a busy Saturday already, but it was nice for me to take a little break from helping Jayson work on the basement.

Sofia was delighted to dress up as Cinderella and wear the newest crown she just got for Christmas last year. She wouldn't consider herself ready until I put some make up on her, so I added some sparkly powder all over her.

Mrs Wyoming was such nice lady. All the girls got to talk to her and have pictures taken. She asked Sofia what her favorite food was and Sofia said Macaroni and Cheese (which surprised me, since we have mac-n-cheese maybe once a month)....

Storytime
Making a crown with many jewels!

Busy Bee

A Cute Bowl of Cereal!

2010-02-23T16:20:00.007-07:00

Sofia had her preschool program about healthy foods... it was on an evening at school,which made it feel special for all the kids.
Sofia played the part of a bowl of cereal. She looked so cute! She said her part together with two of her friends and they did pretty well. She had been practicing a lot!
Since then she has learned more about taking care of her body... she doesn't need to be reminded anymore about brushing her teeth every night before going to bed and she is doing a little better at letting me do her hair... just a little bit...

"Cereals and breads are yummy foods to eat.

Macaroni and cheese is always a favorite treat."

The whole group

Holidays in Salt Lake

2010-02-02T12:01:00.014-07:00

We hit the road and went to Salt Lake to spend the holidays with our family and friends. We ended up getting a pretty bad cold and decided not to attemp to visit many of our friends, but we still had a pretty good time!

Most of the family parties were pretty late in the evening, as usual... poor Sofia was ready to go to bed around 10pm every night. She did get to play with all her cousins and she did enjoy her time. She got spoiled with presents.. if you ask her, she'll tell you it was the best Christmas ever!

It was so much fun to see all the kiddos and how much they have grown since we saw them last. Two of Sofia's cousins got baptized in 2009, and there is a new baby cousins on her way. The family is expanding.

Mom and Dad dancing their way through the night on Christmas Eve!

Sofia after crashing on the couch...
New Years Eve party with sisters and crazy brother in law! :)

Eating out celebrating my sister's birthday!

Girls lunch out

Opening presents

Sofia and some of the cousins that are her age..

together they can be a handful!

Sofia and her Grandma

Jasaiah is really JASIAH!

2010-02-02T11:56:00.010-07:00

Well, after months of having this baby with us, we just learned that his name has been mispelled by everybody in the state of Wyoming! :( Jasaiah turned out ot be a Jasiah, which, like Jayson said, makes a lot more sense! :)

He has been the prefect baby ever! He has gained a lot of weight due to a very healthy apettite and lots of good sleep nights. He is rolling and moving on the floor all around us and it wouldn't surprise me if he crawls pretty soon. He says "dada", "gaga" and something that sounds like "agua", but I am not 100% sure on that one...

Sofia is 4 and-a-half!!!!!

2009-11-30T19:37:00.006-07:00

The day finally came for Sofia to celebrate her half birthday! She cannot wait to keep growing and growing, and now that she is four and-a-half years old she knows the day when she'll turn five is closer and closer... 175 days away!
The last six months have been full of excitement for Sofia. She started preschool, moved from nursery to Sunbeams, became a foster sister, etc. She has faced every new stage with fierce enthusiasm. I am beginning to understand that kids really grow up too fast, too soon. I have begged her to stay little, but her answer is always "No way!" I guessed we'll just have to do our best to enjoy every day with her. She is such a gift!

Marker Lips

2009-11-30T19:26:00.007-07:00

Sofia has been very interested in hair, makeup and such... The other day we found her after she had colored her lips with marker, red marker. She looked sooo funny! It just made me think it has been more than ten years since I owned a red lipstick... maybe it is time to bring the nineties back! :)

Trick or Treat!!

2009-11-06T18:16:00.014-07:00

Our Halloween was pretty fun! Sofia was busy with fun stuff to do at preschool all week and the party they had was awesome! They did crafts, treats, games, etc, but if you ask Sofia she will tell you her favorite station was the obstacle course, where she got to run wild up ladders and into tunnels, down on slides and jump up and down...

Sofia dressed up as a mermaid after weeks announcing she would be a Barbie Musketeer... I guess she fell in love with the Ariel costume once she saw it at the store. :) Jasaiah was our little stinker!

Extra special snack time at school

We made cupcakes to take to our Church Halloween party... pumpkin cakes with cream cheese frosting... yummy!

Sofia did all the decorating with candy corn...

Playing games at Church...

wearing boots as an authentic Wyoming girl!

Jayson pulled his Yankees shirt from the closet and called it a costume... I yielded to peer pressure and got to wear my

Red Sox jersey... GO SOX!!!!!

Ready for the Trunk -or -Treating

Jayson did all the pupkin carving this year. They turned out good!

I might help next year!

Baby Jasaiah

2009-10-09T19:18:00.009-06:00

Our life as foster parents began yesterday with the arrival of Jasaiah. He is four months old and the cutest, happiest baby you have ever seen! He has been the perfect baby, waking up only once last night, being regular with his eating and his naps. He didn't complain about the walk we took this morning under the snowy sky. He likes sucking on his fingers and he loves playing with Sofia.

We haven't met this mother yet but we know she is working hard on getting back on her feet so Jasaiah can go back with her. Nevertheless, we were told today most likely he will be with us at home for several months. We are sooooo excited!

Sofia has been very helpful.

She combined her dress up playtime today with his feeding.

Jayson is having a pretty good time.

I think Jasaiah already decided he likes him better... no fair!

I hope I can remember how to care for a baby!!! :)

Cupcake Party

2009-10-07T21:04:00.008-06:00

Last time we went to church Sofia and her friends decided they would get together and throw a cupcake party. I learned about it when I found Sofia the next day making and drawing invitation to mail to all the girls! Since it was such a good idea I went ahead and made some phone calls. The girls got together here at home and they had a great time.
Of course, it has been over a week and I still find sprinkles in the corners of my kitchen...but we can't wait to do it again soon!

you think she's got enough sprinkles?...

Sofia not sure about a picture...

The Beauty of Homegrown Veggies

2009-10-07T20:47:00.005-06:00

During our traditional Relief Society Service Auction last month I bet most of my points on a basket of homegrown vegetables. Sure, there were other tempting options: free babysitting, yummy desserts, even a free haircut (styling included), but I couldn't pass on the opportunity of enjoying fresh vegetables from somebody with better luck than mine in her garden.
When the basket arrived a few days later I felt so lucky! There were probably about 40 pounds of potatoes, onions, garlic, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, melons, etc. We have been eating them since and still have some left. You cannot even compare the flavor of these veggies to the store bought ones!
Being part of Relief Society has blessed my life in so many ways through the years! Sure, we have different personalities, likes and dislikes, but at the end of the day we are very similar and we share the same beliefs, we are all striving to achieve the same goals. Serving each other really makes our love for each other grow.
Here are some pictures!

Sofia's Apple Day

2009-09-26T10:32:00.007-06:00

Sofia has been learning about apples at school. They did tons of crafts and even created their own stamped "apple shirts". They invited parents to come and listen to the kiddos sing the songs they had learned. It was pretty cute, even though Sofia was more interested in being done with the singing, so she could show us her apple/pig (marshmellow ears and nose, clove eyes, toothpick legs and pipe cleaner tail!)

Modeling her apple shirt!

Sofia REALLY, REALLY loves preschool!

Late Summer Hike

2009-09-26T10:11:00.013-06:00

Last weekend we went for a hike to a nearby park. We hadn't been there before and didn't know what to expect, but we packed a light lunch and headed to the mountains. I have been trying some super easy recipes for artisan bread that I found on the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" (coolest book!), so we had some paninis and salad. Yummy!!
The park was small but way cute. They had picnic tables, a couple of hikes and a water fall that even though had little water was still refreshing. We had a great time!

Sofia ready to hike in style!

The itsy bitsy waterfall

Sofia got up there by the fall and seemed to be doing fine...

... until she got a little scared of the height...

... but Dad came to the rescue!!!!

Hiking a little more. The view of town was espectacular!

Chalk Painting

2009-09-17T08:22:00.017-06:00

Sofia has been in love with chalk painting lately. This month has been a pretty dried one, but last week we enjoyed a few wet days and it has been fun to go out and draw something new everyday.
Sofia is liking preschool more and more every day. She absolutely loves her teachers and all the kids in her class. She is getting more excited about spelling and she does some adding and substracting now. Who knew! My daughter is a genius! :)
There is a boy in her class who came and introduced himself and said to me "I like your daughter". He added he loves football and he is "pretty good at it". Not knowing what to say I replied "Sofia is actually a baseball girl". He said "No problem! I love all sports!". Kids are not how they used to be!

Sofia and Daddy's designs

For some reason Jayson thinks our daughter looks like a marcian...

Sofia's First Day at Preschool

2009-09-03T15:43:00.012-06:00

Sofia had her first day at preschool yesterday. We know she has been ready to go to school for a long time. She has been extremely excited and optimistic about the whole experience, repeting that even though she knew she would miss being at home with me she would always love me and think of me while at school...
She got up very early (probably a little anxious) and did everything fast, without the need to be reminded multiple times. She was happy to know that Jayson was going to work a little later yesterday morning to go with us to her school.

Sofia after having her hair done In front of her school!

Once inside, Sofia didn't waste any time

hanging out with Mom and Dad.

She went straight to he table assigned to her and went to play...

Sofia was soooo excited about the whole thing that she wore her name tag all day. At night she wore it over her pajamas....

Vacation Time in August

2009-08-28T10:37:00.021-06:00

The month of August we spent mostly in Salt Lake City. We had many specific reasons to go, Jayson had some training to take care of and we wanted to spend time with our family. I specially wanted to see my Mom who recently went through surgery.
We went to the Salt Lake Temple to do the work on behalf of one of Jayson's cousins. His mother went with us. It was a very sweet experience and definitely a testimony builder one. I wish I could explain everyone what I feel while I am at the temple, but I can't. I can't find the right words. I just wish everyone would know how it is soooo worth it.

Being in town we had to go to a Bees game. We went with one of Jayson's sisters and her husband, who let us stay at their house for some of our time is SL. We scored a pretty good night with cheap food and firewors. On top of that... the Bees won! :)

This is Sofia with one of ther Aunts at the ball park

Sofia at the beginning of the game.

Sofia got to spend time with all her cousins in town. It was special though to see her second cousins who live in Lousiana. We hadn't seen them in some time and they are adorable!

Playing to be a cowgirl while waiting for some good food...

I got to go out with my cousins as well.

One of them was moving to Ogden to go to Weber.

It was the prefect excuse to get together!

Salt Lake was soooo hot! Ice cream anyone?!

Sofia has been a fan of bear hugs lately...

One afternoon we headed to Salt Lake Cementery. We were searching for pioneer graves and found so many! It was very moving to read some of the stones, especially those whose life stories you hear all the time.

Lip Accident :(

2009-07-31T10:01:00.009-06:00

During our short visit to Salt Lake las week Sofia suffered a little accident. When you get a girl sitting in a spinning office chair and a bigger girl spinning the chair at incredibly high speed, well... you get a little bit of the not-so-unexpected... Sofia flew out of the chair and landed on the corner of an open drawer of a desk.

My brother was the first one to attend the scene and found Sofia very upset and in a "bloody" mood. We hurried to the closest Urget Care facility. On our way there Sofia, Tia Eva and I prayed that she would feel calm under the circumstances. The doctors did a good job. Sofia got three stitches on her lip, with blue "thread", since blue is still her favorite color... She was very much brave during the whole time we were at the urgent care. Afterwards she got a little swollen but she never complained. I am so proud of my little Sofia!

Two days after accident.

Sofia's doctor back at home removed two of the stitches. She was not happy with the scissors so close to her face. Jayson removed the last stitch last night.

Six days after acident. Stitches removed!!

Like Two Sisters

2009-07-20T21:46:00.021-06:00

This month of July has been crazy busy and a lot of fun! One of Sofia's little cousins, Andrea, came to stay with us for the whole month. Andrea is the only girl in her family, with two older brothers, so it was an opportunity for both Andrea and Sofia to play girly games and enjoy each other's company.

Laughs before Church

Parade Day! It was such a hot day, but the girls had fun getting wet

and picking up tons of candy. Clowns were everywhere along the parade.

At the Fair. Being as girly fancy as these girls are, they often complained of the "smell"...

We joked Andrea looked like coming out of Gilligan's Island...

Corn Dogs...

... and hamburgers!

Sofia posing in her cowboy boots.

Picnic with dear friends.

At the pool!

At the park.

Playing at home.

Andrea couldn't stand another day without a hamburger,

so we took them to McDonald's. I need to admit all of us enjoyed the junk food! :)

Even though we were having so much fun, after 21 days away from home, Andrea missed her family too much (after all she is only four years old!) So we are driving her back to Salt Lake City :( We hope to have more of Sofia's cousins soon. We'll miss you Andreita Bobana!

Ball Game!!!

2009-07-06T15:38:00.017-06:00

Last week we went to the first home game of our local baseball team. We were excited and hopeful that they would win (they are having a hard time so far this year). We arrived early, it was a little hot and very sunny. It was a very exciting game, with many runs, but, oh sad to say! out team lost. :( We still had great fireworks afterward! (Sorry, no pictures of the fireworks).

A little too bright for the first half hour or so...

I couldn't figure out exactly what the mascot was...

At first I thought it was a duck, but it had a strange sort of tail...

still thinking about it...

Sofia was afraid of "IT"

Sofia got a flower from a lady doing promotion for a local flower shop.

Sofia and Mom

It got just a little chilly when it was dark. Sofia was sleepy

(by then it was way later than her bedtime).

She had a good time cuddling with Daddy!

Visit of Grandpa and Grandma!

2009-06-16T12:24:00.013-06:00

Grandpa and Grandma came from Oregon earlier this month to visit. It was fun to spend a few days together and relax, especially after such along drive they had to get here. We went to the parks and Sofia got some baseball lesson from Grandpa. We cooked together Grandpa's famous steaks and ribs. We went shopping around town and Sofia got tremendously spoiled... as usual. We hope it will be not too long before we can be together again.

Cooking Yummy!

Some bonding time together ...

New cowboy outfit for Sof, boots included!

Hike Day

2009-06-16T12:00:00.010-06:00

A couple of weekends ago we went for a hike in a nearby reservoir. It was fun to get out of the city and enjoy some nature. The trails were fairly easy, so Sofia did all the walking herself. there were some fossils along the trail and she had fun with them. It got pretty hot pretty fast, but we are not complaining... not too much anyway.

Sofia and Ale

We had to take this one!
Clam Fossils

Rocket Night

2009-06-05T09:52:00.013-06:00

We had our Ward Picnic last weekend. It was a total blast! Many of our friends showed up and we had a great time talking, playing and enjoying delicious food.
Some of our friends brought this game for kids to fly paper rockets. Sofia was totally drawn to it. She got help making her rocket. She chose blue paper for some of it (since blue is her favorite color) and she was anxious to get going in the competition and see how well her rocket would do. Well, her rocket did pretty well, beating almost everybody else's. She run up and down all night and later she (and all of us) got a pretty good night of sleep! :)

Ready to Compete!

3, 2, 1... Blast off!
Yes!!!

Can we do it again!!!!

Sofia and her Friends B and L

L, A and Sofia

Dinner!

Picture by Sofia

Jayson's Birthday at Natural Bridge!

2009-05-30T16:12:00.011-06:00

Jayson turned 33 last week!! He took a well deserved day off at work and we hit the road!
We visited Natural Bridge. It was a very peaceful place and we had a good time doing some walking and hiking. Sofia did pretty well. Some schoold kids showed up later and she had fun playing with them in one of the playgrounds in the park.
On our way back to town we stopped at Red Lobster. Yummy!!! We were sooo tired that we all took naps as soon as we got home. Later that evening we sang Happy Birthday to J and enjoyed chocolate cake.
Jayson is a wonderful husband and Dad. I know, everybody says the same thing about their husbands, but I am totally honest when I say I couldn't had asked for someone better for me and Sofia. Jayson takes care of us in so many different ways and he truly makes us laugh every single day! Jayson, YOU ROCK!!

Natural Bridge

Jayson on top of the bridge

Nosotros

Happy Birthday to You! 33 Candles, not one more not one less! :) Enjoying his well deserved cake!

Spring Has Arrived!

2009-05-19T10:59:00.007-06:00

Spring could have finally arrived to Wyoming. We never know for sure but it looks like there is enough green everywhere around and people are begining to talk about flowers and vegetable gardens... We decided yesterday to go to the park after diner and we had a lot of fun.

If it looks like Sofia is trying to choke Jayson, you are right... she was!

Jayson having fun on the slide!
Sofia

Being a Mom

2009-05-11T10:27:00.003-06:00

I am so grateful for the blessings and the joy I have of being a Mom. It is not the way you became a mother that matters, but the amazing oportunity to spend time with a sweet little person that brings so much love into your life. Any sacrifice you make is well worth it, because nothing compares to it. Nothing teaches you so much about yourself. No other experience brings you closer to Heavenly Father and helps you understand the inconditional love He has for you.

I am soooo looking forward to the day when we will add a new member into our family through the miracle of adoption.

Someone gave me this little poem a while back. Enjoy!

The Answer

Not flesh of my flesh

Nor bone of my bone

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget

For a single minute

You didn't grow under my heart

But in it.

Sofia is 4!

2009-05-07T16:51:00.009-06:00

Sofia is four years old. She woke up swearing her hands are bigger and her legs are longer. She claims she is definitely not a baby anymore. At the same time, she told me "even big girls get to cry sometimes". She got a new bike from Mom and Dad. We can't wait to go outside and play!

Before moving to Wyoming our parties for her birthday were big. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, abuelitos, greatgrandma, friends, etc., everybody was invited. We did dinner for everybody and we play outside.

This year we had a small party for her. She had friends over to play games and have snacks and cake and ice cream. She has a friend who was born exactly the same day, so he came over and we sang happy birthday to both of them. Kids had a blast!

Playing!

Enjoying some chocolate cake...

Her mother forgot totally about the ice cream. Oops!

A new dress from Grandma and Grandpa!!

Since she got the new bike she wears her old helmet almost all the time...

Zoo Time!

2009-04-28T15:32:00.007-06:00

We went ot the Zoo in Salt Lake. We had a blast, even though thay had no lions, no polar bears and very few monkeys... what's up with that zoo?!

Sofia and Mom

Corn Dog Attack

Trying on Hats

Underground Creatures!!!!

Sofia and Dad

Merry-Go-Round at the Zoo

2009-04-28T11:36:00.005-06:00

Visit to Family in Salt Lake

2009-04-28T11:04:00.013-06:00

Last week we went to Salt Lake. Jayson had some trainings to take and we took advantage of that to stay and visit with friends and family. We had such a good time! Weather was perfect for most of the week and when it was rainy it wasn't even close to rainy days in Wyoming.

We visited with friends we hadn't seen in a while and Sofia got to see some of her friends as well. We were cheering for the Jazz with everybody else in town... boooooo Lakers! We strongly dislike you!! (we are trying to teach Sofia not to say the word HATE).

While taking a stroll downtown...

after that we went to Crowns Burgers... yummy!

The Air Hockey Team!

Playing doctor!

Taking a short fly on K's new plane!

Sofia loves magnifying glasses

Sofia climbed every rock we saw to have a picture taken.

Some of My Favorite Pictures of Sofia

2009-04-16T16:40:00.023-06:00

Sofia's fourth birthday is coming up and I cannot help but get a little melancholy. She is growing so fast that there is almost nothing of the baby girl she once was. She still likes receiving and giving hugs and kisses, but she wants to prove she can "do everything by herself, without any help". Her personality is so sweet and she is so well behaved that I cannot complain of her. She is such a source of joy to Jayson and I.
I have been looking through pictures and found some of my favorite pictures where she is by herself. I hope you guys enjoy!

Such a Happy Girl!

Spring At Temple Square.

One Year Old.

Yummy Toes! (I swear we fed her!)

Autum Beauty.

Sweet Sleppy Angel!

Scrapped Nose!

After Taking a Little Swim!

Sofia, two years old.

"I am Going to Work!" (I wish!...)

Smiling Really Hard!

A true cowgirl!

Cinderella 2008

At the Temple Grounds in Billings.

Wearing her favorite swimsuit.

Our Biggest Home Improvement Project Yet!

2009-04-14T17:07:00.004-06:00

As many of yoou now, with the new year we decided to challenge the bad economy and finish our basement. Jayson has been doing all the work himself and by now all the framing and plumbing is done. We are now working in the bathroom, tiling the floors, a new experience for us.

We hope that in the next couple of months we can get the electrical and the sheet rock done. We are so excited!! I never thought I would say this but I truly cannot wait to start painting those walls!!!!

Future family/TV/play room

Two bedrooms and one bathroom, all framed!

The tub is in and working!

Ready to Adopt!

2009-04-13T17:23:00.004-06:00

As of April 2009 we are officially "approved" to be adoptive parents. It has been a few months filled of excitement and anxiety but we are so thankful to everybody that has showed support and has taken the time to talk to us about their experiences with adoption. We have met wonderful, caring people that are a great example for us.
We can only pray that sooner than later a beautiful child will come into our home and make our family more complete. We are preparing as hard as we can for that moment. It will be a miracle and a blessing!

She loves Her Daddy!!!!

2009-04-03T11:58:00.000-06:00

Sofia is almost four years old. She has been a miracle in our lives. Doctors told us most likely we would never be able to have kids. With the help of dedicated and insightful doctors we were able to get pregnant and Sofia came into our family. We will be eternally grateful for her and all the hapiness she brings into our lives!

Just Checking if This is Working!!

2009-04-03T11:52:00.000-06:00

Here we are, just trying to create a blog that hopefully will help us while trying to reach to everybody out there! We are Jayson, Alejandra and Sofia, and are happy you are taking the time to check out our blog!!