Family "Love" Evening

Three months ago, we started a plan for our family home evenings...who teaches, what topics, when to have a fun activity... and we've been really good in keeping it.
We've put more effort into having family home evenings where we can involve Carmen since she is more and more ready for learning each day. And yesterday we had a good one. It was on "LANGUAGE". It was very convenient since the lesson on Sunday was about this same topic and Evan had missed it because of being in a meeting.
First we sing "Families can be together forever" and we've sang it often enough now, that Carmen knows part of it....it's so cute. Then we kneel to pray and I helped Carmen say to each of us: "I love you, very much" ( she always likes to say "mucho, mucho, mucho"). Then I was holding the hymnbook and Evan took it from me very meanly and we said...NOOOOO!!! I held it again and Evan asked: Can I have the book, pleeeeease??? And I answered: Ok. He said thank you, I said your welcome. And then she tried it. She was so cute. I can't believe how fast she learned to do it the nice way.... Way faster than screaming to her saying that was wrong! yelling NO! Don't do that...etc.
We put the babies to bed and Evan and I continued the lesson. Elder Hollands words are so powerful. I remember how I felt listening to it during conference. I really felt I have to improve in this area. And talking to Evan about this really helped. So we had an exercise. We told what we liked of each other ( that was great) and we set a goal for the week not to raise our voice. I'm excited. I really want to do better. I feel like now that Carmen is almost three is when I'm starting to know how to be a mother... a good mother.
It was lovely Family Home Evening!

It Feels Good!

Finally I have good news... I've lost 6 pounds!
I's been 5 weeks and the doctor today, weighted myself....and to my surprise....6 pounds lighter! She told me it could be up to 10 pounds, cuz her scale adds 4 pounds....so there! Almost without effort! I mean, I wouldn't mind chocolate here and there....but if it is making this difference not to eat it....then I"ll stick to my plan :D.
So...I'm really content. Thought I would share it with you!

My Children's favorites!

I'm not sure it is ok for anybody to be so obsessively in love with your own child... but I AM.
Both Carmen and Evan are incredibly beautiful to me. I actually think there is no other child up to their beauty... and yes I see cute babies, but not as cute as mine. Sometimes I wonder if people feel jealous... cause I'd be! And no, I don't think I'm viced, I don't think I'm blinded... they are just the cutest little people alive.
I just look at their faces, and everything is so perfect and so delicately shaped...sooooo pretty! And not just the looks... their character that already comes out. There are so many things that I adore about them and before I forgot I wanted to share some. So I will, randomly as they come to my mind: Carmen is learning lots of words now and it is so much fun to communicate with her. Like when she is hungry and says rubbing her tummy in circular motions: " engo hambre" or the way she says 'sandwich" so clear pronouncing every salable so perfectly... oh, and she loves "peanu- butter and jaaaaam sandwich". Or when she doesn't want to eat or to do or mostly when it's time to go to bed...she says " I won't like it"... and she also mixes both languages like... : "I like the pelo" ( she always says that now that I changed my hair color" or " I like the parque" . Something that is so adorable about her is that every morning when Evan is getting ready for work she goes to the bathroom and they brush their teeth together, they floss, and they even gargle. Then we kneel together for prayer and she always has to kneel on a shape of our carpet. She says " square" or "circle"... and after the prayer daddy kisses everybody, but she always asks for another kiss, and a hug and then we say goodbye from the top of the stairs and she says " te quiero papa! Adios!". And there are times when she asks for more kisses and Evan has to come up again to kiss her goodbye for the third time.
I'm afraid this is going to be a long list... I love the way she holds the baby's face and she says... "so cute!", or how much she likes to have pictures taken of herself but she always wants me to turn the screen so she can see herself. She loves dancing, and everyday we have a little dance session at home, but for the last two weeks she asks me to wear a dress and pretends she is a bailarina... but the best thing is watching her dance....her moves are so carefully executed, and that girl can move her hips! When we watch "So you think you can dance" she always watches them dance and copies their moves....super cute!
Every time she plays with her toys she always has a papa and a mami and a baby. She takes a big dog and that's the mami, and a smaller doggy that is the baby, the same with a couple of dinosaurs, and bears, and horses.... And talking about babies, I often watch Baby Story on tv, and I can't help it...I cry every time!. She always comes to me and asks " what te pasa mama??? and holds my face and says " it's ok , it's ok". and gives me a big hug.
Now, when she hurts herself she comes and asks for a kiss and a "tirita" ( a band aid), even when she doesn't really need one, I have to or else she won;t stop complaining about how much it hurts. But the moment I put it on, the pain goes away....aren't band aids like magic?....or when she says thank you and doesn't stop until you say your welcome. Or the way she says please: "Afon" instead of por favor.
At times when I'm out of her sight, she comes looking for me and asks "Q haces? Q haces mama?" Or when you offer her something and she says " no gracias"...she is so polite :D... and when you yawn she asks: " estas cansada?? and if she is tired and she is ready for bed she yawns and says " estoy cansada....sleepy time".
The few times that Evan and I get to cuddle both of them, Carmen and Evan Mikel, come running, climb on us until they get in between us... this is not one of my favorites...but you gotta love it... After all they will not always want to be with us.
So far I'm loving every second with her...even more so now that she is more talkative and she sounds so adorable.
Of Evan Mikel...what can I say... He is just so smart, he adores Carmen, he watches her every move and he learns lots from her...even the cheekiness about her.
Ever since he was born I've seen how different he is from Carmen... he is more calm, more quiet, more cuddly, more needy of me... more a mama's boy. He is a fast learner too....from starting to crawl at barely 4 months, to starting to walk the week before his 10 month mark. He sits happy with a couple toys, he loves cartoons too, he is such a good eater too, he has always been good through the nights... he is the perfect baby.
His first word ...( I don't know if I should admit to this) was "teta" which is boob... and he wouldn't just say it, he would rub his face in my boobs too, which was a bit embarrassing when he did it in front of people. I don't have that issue anymore since I just stopped nursing a couple of weeks ago. Now he is just learning to wave good bye, every time he hears music he starts clapping and bouncing up and down... He does a super cute fishy face... with those big lips he has he looks so cute, and he just started to say "mama". I'm very glad he said mama before he said daddy... why is it that babies learn that word first??...well, not mine!
I'm sure there are many more things I love about my children, but this is it for now.

FiRsT DaY At The BeACh!

Yesterday was such a nice day... finally some summer weather!!.
Evan got home early from work and wanted to go to the beach....so we all got ready and left to the lake. It was fun to watch Carmen play in the water and be all cute :D... The baby was happy too and didn't mind the cold water at all.
So after a couple hours of sun, I'm looking a bit burned but thank goodness my face is ok.
I took some pictures at home before leaving but i never took pictures at the beach...hopefully there will be more times!

~ My Sister's is getting Married! ~

This is my sister Patricia and her fiance Fran. They are getting married next September in the Madrid temple. All of us are going and we are very excited....I can't wait!
We are very happy for them both. He is such a nice guy and we all like him very much. I'm very proud of my sis. She had a lot of faith and everything worked out. Now she is happy and she deserves it.
Te quiero , Patri!