Goth Party 2011

On Friday, we hosted a Halloween party. We chose a Gothic theme & the invites said that everyone had to dress Goth. Some of you may know that Lincoln is fascinated with Goths (I have no idea why) so this was his dream come true!

I got sick the day after my parents left to go back to the U.S. I had a nasty stomach bug/fever/chills. Then a few days before the party, before I even got over that, Lincoln & I both came down with throat infections. I was tempted to postpone our party but Lincoln talked me into sticking with our original plan. It was not fun to plan a party when we were both sick, but the end result was definitely worth it.

OUR 1ST ANNUAL GOTH PARTY:

The decorations...

(This tree & headstone were SPRAY PAINTED on our kitchen wall by Lincoln!

Shhh...Don't tell our home owners!)

The cutest Gothic couple around...

Heather & I...

I heard multiple people say that Matt (pictured below) looks like a real Goth. I agree!

The girls...

(Heather, Montse, Vanessa, Brittany, Michelle, Verenice, me)

The boys...

(Josh, Robbie, Jaren, Lucas, Matt, Jared, Lincoln)

Game #1: 

Assemble the Skeleton...

And Label its Bones...

(perfect for the med students)

Game #2:

Pin the Nose Ring on the Goth...

Heather covered in "nose rings"...

Obviously the nose rings didn't all land on Jaren's nose...

Game #3: 

The Newly-Dead Game....

I didn't get any pictures of this, but it was the best one! If you hadn't guessed, this was the Newlywed Game, but with a Halloween twist! 

Questions we asked the girls:

1) If you took your partner to a haunted house, what would he scream during it?

"I want my mummy!", "Bring it on!" or "Hey, I have that same chainsaw at home!"

2) What is your partner's most bewitching physical attribute?

3) What Halloween monster would your partner most like to be in real life?

A werewolf, a vampire, a mummy or a warlock

4) Who is the creepiest girl that your partner dated?

5) What is your partner's most freakish hidden talent?

Questions we asked the guys:

1) What is your partner's most freakish hidden talent?

2) What is your partner most afraid of: 

Bats, snakes, rats or spiders

3) On what date were you dead set on kissing your partner for the first time?

4) What is your partner's most bewitching physical attribute?

5) What dish does  your partner cook in the kitchen that is to-die-for?

Brittany & Lucas (the only couple who isn't married) won the game! 

After the party, we picked Kylee up from the babysitter. Before she went to bed, Lincoln tried to give her a kiss & she refused. That's definitely the first time that's ever happened. I wonder why?

I think we are going to end up making this Goth Party an annual thing. It was way too much fun! :)

A Trip to Chapala & Our 1st Crepe Run

My mom & dad came to visit us here in Mexico this past week! It was SUCH a great visit. Their plane flew in late Tuesday night & Lincoln went to pick them up at the airport. One of our favorite taco shops, Los Serapes, was calling Linc's name on the way home, so they all stopped & picked up some food. The potatoes were a hit with my parents. They are the most greasy, cheesy things piled with meat & they are oh-so-good!

Kylee was SO excited to wake up Grandma & Grandpa the next morning when she found out that they were sleeping in "Kylee's house"! We had been talking with her all week about them coming! 

After waking my parents up & giving lots of hugs & smiles, Kylee wanted to put on her Snow White dress & model all of her jewelry for them. Grandma even joined in the fun & modeled Kylee's Minnie sunglasses. Kylee's picking-her-nose pose happened at the last second. :)

That day was a holiday, so Lincoln didn't have school! We ate breakfast & headed to Chapala, which is about an hour from our house. Usually there are a bunch of vendor stands & people walking around Chapala, but it was pretty empty. There was a hurricane that hit 70 miles away from Guadalajara that day, so the weather was actually pretty cold & it rained a lot more than we are used to here. We were kind of bummed that my parents came during the rain, but we didn't let the weather stop us! It even gave us an excuse to dress Kylee up in her winter coat...

(I don't know why we even bothered rolling up her pants, since we let her jump in all of the rain puddles.)

We basically just walked straight to the seafood restaurant & hung out there most of the time we were in Chapala. It was fun to just spend time together & relax. We even had a few guys serenade us at our table!

This guy ended up charging us a bunch of money for his singing. I think we probably ended up paying for the experience a lot more than the music, but it was still fun...

I think I've mentioned before that a lot of restaurants here have indoor play equipment for the kids. Kylee spent some time on the swings with Grandma...

After lunch we stopped at a nieve stand for dessert, then headed home for a nice, long 3-hour nap. Then it was time to meet some friends (the Haskin's, Kottraba's & Powell's) at our favorite taco/crepe stand! It was so fun to introduce everyone to my parents & to eat the yummy food there.

Kylee held Grandma & Grandpa's hands on the way home...

And Mom & I got each other laughing so hard that our stomachs hurt. Man, I've missed that!

When we got home, we got a call from our neighbors & friends, the Arcila's, asking us to come over for some more food! We went & had such a great time with them. We ate the BEST Mexican food ever. This family is always introducing me to new Mexican dishes & they cook so well! After we ate, Kim played a few hymns on the piano while my Dad & I sang them in Spanish. That was my first time singing with my dad in Spanish, & I loved it! 

By the time we made it home, Lincoln & Kylee were asleep but the rest of us weren't quite ready to call it a night yet. It was late & we were STUFFED, but we still managed to play some Monopoly Deal & eat the salt water taffy that my parents brought me from Disneyland. I don't think I've ever eaten that much food in a single day in my life. It was worse than being on a cruise! We sure do know how to pack A LOT into one day!

Chez Nene, VIP Movies & Our 2nd Crepe Run

It was still raining a lot on Thursday, & Lincoln had school until 2pm, so we decided to take it easy all morning/early afternoon. My mom gave Kylee little presents every morning when we woke up (3 on Wednesday, 2 on Thursday & 2 on Friday...she doesn't spoil her at all!) and this big marshmallow sucker was one of them. I let Kylee eat it for breakfast because our rule during Grandma & Grandpa's visit was that THERE ARE NO RULES!

 We all sat around & watched the old Willy Wonka movie (one of our favorites!), piled onto Mom & Dad's air mattress and made Dad's hair look "pretty", and got ready for the day. Linc got home & I left for the next three hours to my piano & Spanish lessons. When I got back, we headed out to our favorite French restaurant, Chez Nene...

We all tried escargot for the first time. It wasn't bad!

Can you tell that Kylee was happy to have Grandma & Grandpa in Mexico with her? :)

Here are Linc & I with our friend Gerard, who is the owner of Chez Nene. He was in charge of our menu & decided everything that was brought to our table. The food was delicious as usual! This man sure knows how to make good food!

After dinner, we headed home to put Kylee to bed. Dani came to babysit while Lincoln & I and my parents headed to the VIP movie theaters at the Andares Mall. There weren't any movies playing that really interested us, but the first time I sat in this theater, I knew that I had to bring my dad here when he came to visit...so we decided on "Sin Escape" or No Escape, with Taylor Lautner. (The movie was in English with Spanish subtitles, in case you were wondering.) It was an ok movie, but sitting in those leather recliners with the waiters bringing us drinks was awesome. My parents were not disappointed & wondered why the U.S. doesn't have movie theaters like that! The best part? It's about the same price as a regular movie in the United States!

We dropped Lincoln off, picked up Dani, & headed to our favorite crepe stand AGAIN. I know, I know...but these crepes really are that amazing! (Just ask my mom...she ate her whole crepe plus half of my dad's the first night. Ha ha!)

We made it there around 11:40pm, just 20 minutes before closing time. Our trusty "crepe guy" Bruno was there, all ready to work his magic...

(Oh & guess what? Bruno isn't moving to Mexico City after all! He was accepted to a cooking school here & starts in January. He even wants me to taste everything that he cooks in school. Oh Bruno, you & I were meant to be friends! :) )

Enjoying our second crepe in 24 hours...

(A guy at the taco stand even whipped up some homemade strawberry jam for me to put on my crepe! They spoil me there!)

Dani & I...

(A funny story about Dani that is completely unrelated, but that makes me laugh so hard:

She was at the activity I was in charge of with the 8-11 year old kids from our ward & another ward. I taught them how to play kickball, & I was in charge of one team & Dani was in charge of the other. I just picked the teams by touching each kid's head & saying "Uno, dos, uno, dos". Once we started the game, it was quickly obvious that our team was much better at kickball then theirs, so Dani came up to me & proceeded to tell me that I had picked the teams unfairly, because her team had 3 handicap kids on it! Now, I'm not making fun of people with handicaps at all...but I was laughing so hard, because I had chosen such unevenly matched teams! The best part was when Dani said "One girl has a broken arm, one boy can't walk right & another boy has Syndrome of the Down's!" I love making fun of her English. :) )

We got home from eating crepes with happy faces & stomach aches, and my parents & I watched part of Phantom of the Opera & then went to bed. Once again...a pretty full day.

Guadalajara Zoo

On Friday the sun was shining! We were so glad, because the thing we were most excited about doing with my parents while they were here, was going to the Guadalajara Zoo. Kylee would have been very disappointed if it hadn't happened! Lincoln had school that day until 3pm, so it was just Kylee & I and my parents again. I totally messed up my directions & my cell phone wasn't working, so the drive there was interesting, but we finally made it!

Grandma & Grandpa bought Kylee this cute butterfly visor to wear...

Look how green everything is...I love it!

We saw a sign for the kangaroos when we entered the zoo, & Kylee and I had never been to that part of the zoo, so we headed to the kangaroo exhibit first. Kylee had a great seat on Grandpa's shoulders...

On the way to the exhibit, we saw this cool waterfall...

The kangaroo exhibit was a walk-thru! The workers instructed us to make no sudden movements & not to draw attention to ourselves. Kinda funny. Do you see the kangaroo behind us?!

Our friend Dani told us about the aquarium inside the zoo, which we had also never been to, so we headed there next. It cost a few bucks a piece for us to get in, but it was well worth the extra money! (Especially because my dad paid. Ha ha.)

We got to pet the stingrays!

(Without their stingers off course.)

We even got to feed them some food! 

(Do you see the stingray's mouth open in this pic?)

Inside the aquarium, we saw tons of colorful fish...

And crazy-looking ones, too...

Starfish are one of my favorites...

And the colors of the coral were incredible!

We also saw sharks...

Then we went through the gift shop on our way out to buy a few souvenirs. Grandpa let Kylee pick something out. She picked some Finding Nemo markers & was very excited about them! She also played with the stuffed jellyfish while Mom & Dad picked out a little gift for Cooper...

Next it was time to go on the SAFARI! You'd better believe we bought the zoo package with access to the safari...it is one of the best parts! We sat in the very back of the vehicle (per my request), since it provides the bumpiest ride. We saw the ostriches first & this one immediately started following us...

These mountain goats looked fake!

Feeding the giraffe some carrots...

This rhino also ran behind us...

It was too bad that we didn't have more time to see the rest of the zoo, but we had to leave so that my parents could pack their stuff & go home. It sure was a fun zoo trip though!

Saying Goodbye

Kylee brought Bear along on the car ride to the airport...

We were sad that our party was over...

And here is Kylee trying to copy our sad faces...

The minute my parents stepped out of the truck, Kylee realized that they were leaving. She was so, so sad!

Then I saw my dad book it toward the airport doors & told Linc "I bet Dad's crying". It reminded me of when Dad dropped me off at college (which was 2 hours from where they lived) & literally "dropped me off". He pulled up to my apartment, gave me a hug & immediately jumped back in the car & left. When I mentioned to my dad later on that it didn't seem like he was very sad about me leaving home, he informed me that he left so quickly, because he was sobbing so hard that he couldn't talk. Oh, I love my sentimental dad!

We kept reminding Kylee that we would see Grandma & Grandpa again in 2 months when we visit them in Arizona. That made her feel a little better...

THANKS SO MUCH FOR VISITING MOM & DAD! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH & MISS YOU ALREADY!

P.S. If anyone wants to visit us, you are more than welcome to! U.S. Airways has flights from L.A. to Guadalajara, then back to Phoenix for $300 round trip right now. Just sayin'.

Cute Hallux

I just had to post another picture of this little guy. He isn't so little anymore. Our neighbors comment almost every time they see Hallux, that he is growing like crazy! He & Daisy get along great now and we are so happy to have him in our home! We love you Hallux!!!

Jackson's 5th Bday

I just realized that I never posted about Jackson's birthday! On September 13th, Jackson would have turned five years old. His birthday this year was hard for me. It was hard not being around family & friends who went through his death with me. It was hard not being able to visit the cemetery. It was hard realizing that more time has gone by since I saw him & that those memories fade more & more each year. 

However, I know that Jackson's death has helped our family in many ways. It reminds me of what (& who) is truly important, about how much Heavenly Father cares about me, about the power of other people's prayers in our behalf & of the fact that the Lord has a very specific plan for us here on earth. How grateful I am to have learned these lessons!

My sweet friend Verenice invited me over to her house the morning of Jackson's birthday. I've learned by now that being around people on Jackson's birthday is always very helpful. Verenice & I let the kids play together while we watched The Bachelorette finale. Sure, it probably wasn't the best thing to remember Jackson by, but I just wanted to be distracted & it definitely did the trick! :) 

The cute kids hanging out in their diapers...

Verenice & I made cupcakes to celebrate Jackson & took them to my house to share with Linc when he got home from school...

Family picture...

(I'm pretty sure that it was past Kylee's naptime in this pic!)

Verenice: THANK YOU for being so kind, thoughtful, supportive & compassionate. You helped me so much that day!!!

That night, Lincoln & I ended up going to P.F. Chang's with Heather & Josh. It was so good. Then we drove around Mexico like crazy people, made a late-night Walmart run & played Hide & Seek in the Dark at our house. Like I said before, it wasn't the best way to remember Jackson, but it sure did take my mind off things. I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. 

And now, a note to my little boy:

Dear Jackson, 

I love you & I miss you. You hold such a special place in my heart. You made me a mother. You helped me learn more about grief & heartache & love. You helped give me a stronger testimony of the plan of salvation. You are an amazing person. I will continue to try to live a worthy life here on earth, so that I will be able to be with you again someday! Kylee told me yesterday "Jackson...heaven...missionary." I believe that you are blessing others right now with your sweet personality & strong testimony of Jesus Christ. I sure am blessed to be your mom! Happy 5th birthday.

Love,

Mom

P.S. I'm disappointed that we didn't do the "white balloon" tradition this year, but we will definitely do it again next year!