Happy Valentine's Day, INDEED!

The Valentine's Day surprise started with an e-mail from Jonathan on Friday, February 13 that let me know the UPS man would be bringing a package, and I was not too look at the return label. The box arrived, and I left it outside.

Saturday morning, Christian and I were sitting together in bed when Jonathan walked in with two cards and placed them down before me ... with just a hint of a blue box sticking out from beneath the cards.

A blue in the shade of .... Tiffany Blue. I know this color well! :)



I stared down in disbelief. I was speechless (for once). Before me, for the first time ever, was a Tiffany & Co. box.

When I could finally speak, I think I said something like, "Just getting a little blue box from Tiffany is enough!" Ha ha!

Many years ago, Jonathan and I went to to Chicago and stayed at a hotel on Michigan Avenue, and our window looked down onto Tiffany & Co. I would look down at the storefront, wondering what treasures were inside. Jonathan finally took me inside and I admit to feeling uncomfortable ... as though I didn't even deserve to be inside the famed store. I felt every employee was judging me and thinking, "Lady, you can't even afford to LOOK in here ... now shoooo!"

Several years later, I now own my own little treasure from Tiffany & Co. :) Thanks, Honey!! :)

A little side note: You may have seen the header graphic we had on our website for a few days prior to Valentine's Day. It certainly wasn't a hint to Jonathan ... I just thought it was a cute idea to change "Tiffany & Co." to "Lucero & Co."

Valentine's Day Bounty

We got up bright an early this morning to head to a nearby farmer's market, Tonopah Rob's. Below is our bounty ... tangelos, tomatos, eggs, grapefruit, dates, carrots, dill, and fresh banana bread, lettuce mix, and spinach. I just love living out here!



Not pictured: the uncooked buffalo roast (too graphic), the tasty breakfast burritos (too quickly into our tummies), the natural cleaning products (something's got to get me excited about cleaning), and one might tasty cherry brownie (it was simply amazing and is now digesting nicely).

Wordless Wednesday

Christian's First Haircut

Today we reached a new milestone when Christian had his first haircut. He already had really, really short bangs, but the hair further back on his head kept falling forward ... making his style look like a Donald Trump combover, so I had to intervene. I didn't have the heart to cut off the curls in the back, so they were just trimmed.

Overall, Christian did quite well! We brought his favorite books and his beloved Elmo blanket and Jonathan held Christian in his lap while reading the books. Not a single tear was shed!

So we hereby present to you the photos ... and a short little video, too! :)

Hi to Daddy!

Jonathan is in North Carolina this week. He checks the blog every day, and so Christian wanted to give a "shout out" to his Daddy!

"Hi, Daddy! I love you and miss you ... and the special waffles you make me! It has been very warm here - 80 degrees! Mommy takes me for a nice walk after lunch every day so we can both be outside for a few minutes. I miss you giving me a bath and putting me to bed every night because that is "our time" together. But Mommy is trying to do it just like you do it ... and that makes me happy. Mommy says you are coming home tomorrow, and I'm so happy! I can't wait to see you and hear you go "booogah booogah boogah" and shake your head like crazy!"

Wordless Wednesday Video

Just a few words: I was shaking my head, and Christian was imitating me. :)

Wordless Wednesday - Photos from One Year Ago

I Love Mondays!

Subtitle:. "My Husband is So Wonderful!"
For those of you who don't know, I have one heck of a crazy, busy job. Throw in a very active 15 month old little boy who I must keep happy, fed, content, clean and well-rested while I work and you've got an incredibly busy person ... ME.

Monday's are especially busy for me at work ... and thankfully, Jonathan gets Monday's off from work and is home with us.

On a typical Monday, I'm up as early as possible so I can get on the computer and tackle the work that has already started to accumulate. I stop for a while when Christian gets up and tend to him. Afterwards, Jonathan takes over ... all day long.

He'll typically take Christian and Bella on a long walk ... and then come home and feed Christian breakfast and whip up something for me to eat. Jonathan's speciality is homemade waffles for Christian. He puts in flax seed, blueberries, carrots, zucchini ... or whatever other nutritional food we have in the house. And he freezes the waffles so that later in the week, all i have to do is pop them in the toaster and voila! Christian has a nutritious breakfast to eat!

Christian goes down for a nap at 11:00am, and then Jonathan has some time to himself. He might go running, or read or whatever strikes his fancy - today he baked some bread (no kidding!). But he also usually makes me lunch and brings it to me at my computer. What a guy!

Christian wakes up from his nap somewhere around 2:00pm and he and Daddy and lunch and then play the rest of the day. I love to hear them down the hall laughing and having a good ol' time (and I must confess I'm a bit sad that I'm not part of the fun).

If I'm still working at 5:00pm-ish (and I usually am), Christian, Daddy and Bella go on a long walk while I keep working.

I usually make an appearance for dinner (Jonathan cooks ... or I cook ... depends on the day). And I take a long break for dinner and a little family interaction. When Christian goes to bed, I'm back to work again. Its a mighty long day.

So why do I love Mondays? Because Jonathan is a HUGE help and I get so much work done. He is an AMAZING DAD ... and he does everything on Mondays (he cooks, bakes, changes dirty diapers, bathes, entertains and STILL finds time to read and take a nap himself ... wow!). Such a wonderful husband and daddy!

Jonathan will be gone next week at out-of-state training. We'll all miss our "Monday With Daddy"!

Note: These photos are of Christian learning to read ... no kidding!! Look for info on an upcoming blog post.

Security Alert: We Have a Gate Breach

Christian kept his mommy on her toes today!

While I'm working during the day, Christian is free to explore the upstairs world. He's got his favorite spots, and I know what noises come from those spots - toys that talk, cabinets that slam, book pages that turn. The moment I hear an unusual noise of any kind, I spring into action to see what the lil' guy is doing.

Today Christian was very self-entertaining ... and wasn't at all interested in being in my office with me. I would check on him frequently, and all was well.

And then I heard a noise that doesn't belong upstairs. I jumped up to discover the source of the noise, only to find the gate at the top of the stairs was wide open. We keep it closed with velcro, and I had not heard the sound of velcro ripping apart (the velcro has become worn over time ... guess its time for new velcro).

I stood there - heart racing - thinking "What the ..." and then I heard that noise again and it occurred to me: Christian is DOWNSTAIRS playing with his toys!

My nearly-15 month old child had crawled down the three segments of stairs all by himself - and without incident! (Like most small children, he loves the stairs - but we are always by his side when he's on them, because all it takes is for Christian to be distracted for one moment, and he'll fall down, down, down ...).

I walked back to my office to get something, and headed back down to get Christian ... only to find he was halfway up the stairs again.

Later on, I discovered he's learned how to get up on the couch. I walked into the room to find him on the couch, peering over the side.

So that now makes a chair, a couch and the stairs that he's conquered. And he's still not walking. I guess climbing is more important than walking right now! :)

The Week of Philippians ... and Thermometers vs. Thermostats

Earlier this week, Jonathan sent me scripture to pass along to friends who are going through a hard time:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

In my post about Kurt Warner below, this scripture came to mind:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

This past Sunday at church was the final sermon in a series from the Book of Philippians. The topic was about Paul being content and how we all should be content.

Lo and behold, in today's weekly e-mail from Skip Heitzig (http://www.calvaryabq.org/), was this message about Paul and his message to the Philippians that I want to share with you, our blog readers. Considering the many times the Book of Philippians has entered my life this week, I would be remiss if I didn't share Skip's e-mail:

Dear Connection Friend,

I've noticed that the world is filled with two kinds of people: those who are like thermometers and those who are like thermostats. The "thermostats" regulate their surroundings, staying steady so that the environment does not control them. On the other hand, the "thermometers" change with the situation, going up or down emotionally and spiritually depending upon the circumstances.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather be a thermostat like the Apostle Paul. He had bad weeks, good weeks, times of prosperity, and times of poverty. His environment was always in flux. Yet, instead of rising and falling with the state of his outward conditions, he was inwardly steadfast.

Paul wrote in Philippians 4, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:11-13).

What was the secret to Paul's consistency in good times and bad? Contentment. It's a good lesson for all of us. Unfortunately, contentment is not something we're born with. As Paul said, contentment is something we must learn. And that lesson comes through the happenings and hardships, the ups and downs of life.

Paul was a man who had experienced many ups and downs in his life. He was born of excellent lineage, given an outstanding education, was a leader among the Jewish elite, and was a Roman citizen. However, after his conversion to Christianity, he was forced to flee several towns, attacked by mobs, shipwrecked, and imprisoned for his faith. Truly, Paul had experienced many highs and lows in his life.

So how did he survive the trials and spread the good news of the gospel? He said it clearly, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I love it that he didn't say, "some things" or "a few things." He said, "all things." The bottom line is simple: Christ in us strengthens us to do everything He calls us to do. Jesus won't abandon us in the hard times; He'll walk with us through them. We can find great contentment in that truth.

What about you? Has life turned up the heat? Are you responding like a thermometer, going hot or cold depending on the circumstances? Or are you allowing Christ to consistently regulate your life? This week, let Jesus be your thermostat. When things get hot, remember to say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

In His strong love,

Skip Heitzig

Wordless Wednesday

Kurt Warner Gives Glory Where Glory is Due

I admit, I'm typically not a sports fan ... not until its a "big game" and there is an underdog playing. I always root for the underdog. And the Arizona Cardinals have been the underdog for 60+ years. So naturally, as a new Arizona resident I (we) watched yesterday's NFC Championship game.

By now ya'll know that Arizona won the game and is headed to the Super Bowl for the first time since their inception in 1898 (yes, that's right ... they are the oldest football franchise out there).

If you follow football, you probably know that the quarterback, Kurt Warner, is a Christian and is not shy about making public statements about his faith.

In case you missed this little statement Kurt Warner made after the game, here it is:

"… everybody is gonna get tired of hearing this, but I never get tired of saying
it: there is one reason that I'm standing up on stage today. That's because of
my Lord up above. I gotta say thanks to Jesus …"

Since I don't know much about Kurt Warner, I was surprised - and thrilled - to hear this statement. Jonathan was around the corner with the baby and I called out to him, "Did you hear what he just SAID!??!" It brought tears to my eyes!

In looking for this video online, I came across some people who say they are tired of hearing Kurt Warner constantly praising Jesus. Some criticize Kurt Warner for not acknowledging his own talent that brings him these achievements.

But, if you are a Christian yourself, you understand exactly where Kurt Warner stands: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13 (which, by coincidence -or not - is actually a verse the pastor at discussed at church today!)

The Lord has given Kurt Warner talent and a voice that reaches millions of people on a day like today ... and should the Cardinals win on Super Bowl Sunday, millions more around the world will hear his profession that he is a follower of Christ. God knows what He's doing ... and He uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary: He uses a football player to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

I came across a blogger who also commented about Kurt's statement yesterday. He wrote

... you can’t always tell a true Christian when they

give God thanks for their success, but you can always

tell a true Christian when they give Jesus thanks for their success.

http://workingclay.blogspot.com/2009/01/kurt-warner-thanks-jesus.html

Kurt Warner and the Cardinals won the Luceros as fans last night! What a game ... and what a guy ... and what a God we have!

Onto Super Bowl Sunday ... go get 'em, Cardinals!

We Are ... Here!

Many of you are wondering where in the Phoenix area we actually live. If you've ever been to Phoenix, you problaby know that central Phoenix is surrounded by many, many other cities and towns - its the 5th largest metro area in the U.S.

We live in the Town of Buckeye, which is far west of Phoenix (about 40 miles or so). Here's a map (click to enlarge). Most of populated Buckeye is below I-10. ... Los Luceros de Arizona live above I-10:

According to Wikipedia: The town has a total area of 145.8 square miles (377.5 km²), all of it land. The town's very large planning area extends, at its widest points 48 miles from north to south and 24 miles east to west. Due to the amount of land that the town has annexed or plans to annex (up to 600 square miles), the population may increase to over that of the current population of Phoenix itself. Buckeye is projected to expand to over 380,000 residents by 2030, with some projections giving the city some two million inhabitants by 2050, which would make it the largest suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area and possibly the United States.

Buckeye is a farming community and I've heard the "city folk" refer to Buckeye as "living in the country." It's true, there are lots of farms out here ... and lots of open desert space ... and lots of housing developments dotted across the landscape. I guess compared to living in Phoenix proper, we are indeed living out in the country. But ... we have cleaner air than the communities that are closer to Phoenix. Nearly every day, we can see a nasty brown cloud in the distance that is a grand, disgusting display of all the pollution that settles in the Valley. Who wants to breathe in THAT air? Not us!

Wordless Wednesday

Christian's Message to His Granny in Colorado

Wordless Wednesday - A New Feature

From now on, every Wednesday will be "Wordless Wednedsay" on Los Luceros de Arizona. I got this idea from my friend Brooke (her blog is "The Sforza Family" listed under our favorite blogs) ... and Brooke got the idea from another blog. Pass it on! :)

Wordless Wednesdays will just be a picture (or pictures) or a video. Unless something amazing happens and I've just got tell you about it.

So I guess today's post isn't really "wordless," is it? :) Future Wordless Wednesdays will be wordless. Now, on to today's photo:

Okay, I went for a few hours today without commenting on this photo in honor of "Wordless Wednesday." But I just gotta say something: Christian LOVES this Elmo blanket that his cousin Rebecca gave him for Christmas (hey, Becca ... see that he's wearing the jammies you gave him for his birthday?!). He drags it everywhere and always knows where it is. Its his new "favorite thing" (and seems to have maybe replaced his obsession with "X" - see the purple thing in his right hand? That is "X" ... story about "X" to follow soon).

Christian likes to grab our fingers so that we point to every Elmo on his blanket and say to him, "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo, Elmo." I like to sneak into Christian's room when he's napping and hang this blanket on the side so that its right there when he wakes up. And when he wakes up, I hear him cooing and sqealing at his his beloved blanket.

If for some reason we take the blanket from him - such as its in the way at mealtime - Christian protests. I think he loves his blanket so much he wants to Marry it. :)

Christian Turns 14 Months Old

Today our lil' guy turns 14 months old. I'm amazed at how sometimes he looks more like a "little boy" than a baby.

Most of our readers probalby want to know if Christian is walking and talking yet. The answer is: not yet.

Christian has shown no interest in walking. He crawls everywhere at lightening speed and is very good at pulling himself to standing ... but he won't let go of whatever he's holding onto. When we've tried to pry him away from holding onto an object so he can stand on his own, he just squats back down to the ground.

Christian still hasn't said his official first word, but when he wakes up in the middle of the night, Jonathan swears Christian is crying for, "Mommmmmmmmmmmmm." Sounds like it ... but I don't know if its intentional or just coincidence.

He loves to babble, babble, babble ... and in the past couple of days has figured out how to whisper. Its sooo cute!

Christian makes us laugh a lot and one of his new funny things to do is squint his eyes shut and crawl to - or on - something. He knows where his destination is, and so he shuts his eyes tight and gets there ... and then opens his eyes again. Its especially charming when we are his destination! He's really good about crawling to us and hugging us or sitting in our laps. It just makes our hearts melt!

He's also big on grabbing our fingers and taking us to something he wants us to do, such as read a book, or play with one of his toys.

And, alas, as Christian's personality continues developing, so does his impatience. Like kids his age often do, he gets easily frustrated at times. But its all part of the process.

Mealtime has become quite a struggle in the Lucero Household. Its a fine line between catering to picky baby and making sure he eats enough. He's mostly drawn to "white foods" like bananas, string cheese, bread, etc. I've read its an actual thing that some small children do ... they'll only eat white foods. We've tried - and continue to try - a variety of foods. Some days he feels adventurous and eats something different ... but most days, he'll have nothing to do with a new food. So sometimes what we end up doing is hiding nutritious food in a bit of bread. He'll eat it just about every time.

And he doesn't like us to feed him with a spoon/fork anymore - with an exception here and there. We've tried getting him to use his own utensils, but he's not interested.

We bought a book called, "The Sneaky Chef," which is about how to get children to eat nutritious food when its hidden in foods they will actually eat. As they say, "necessity is the motherhood of invention." So we'll keep trying creative ways to get Christian to eat.

Enjoy a quick video of Christian swinging (and a couple of happy baby snorts)!

Our Christmas Photos

Christmas, Christmas Time is Here ...

Christmas is always so much more entertaining with a baby in house! I have no idea what we did for holiday entertainment before Christian came along.

Christian enjoyed his presents, but they all paled in comparison to his stereo obsession. He loves to push all the buttons on the stereo and look at the lights. So ... really ... Mommy opened his presents and called him over to take a look.

He was particularly intrigued with an Elmo blanket that he got from his Cousin Rebecca. Christian loves Elmo. He stared at the blanket, reached for it, made cute high-pitched cooing noises at it.

We invited Liz and Terrill over for Christmas dinner. Jonathan did all the cooking and made mighty fine meal of spiral-cut ham, sweet potato casserole, procuitto-wrapped asparagus and biscuits. Yum!!

And for those of you wondering what kind of weather Phoenix gets for Christmas: it was a bit chilly and very rainy. "A bit chilly?" you ask. Yes, it was in the 50s. In looking at the nationwide weather map, it was pretty darn tootin' balmy here! :)

The evening ended with a $5.00 bet between Jonathan and me on who would win the Seinfeld Edition of Scene It. I won ... by a landslide. :)

All-in-all, a nice Christmas for the Lucero family. But I sure did miss being home in New Mexico!

Enjoy some videos of Christian! :)

T'was the Night Before Christmas ...

... and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a scorpion.

What? A scorpion? Yep, we have scorpions out here ... but none are stirring. Thankfully!

Our day started with a grocery trip to Walmart. Usually not recommended on Christmas Eve, but everything was fine.
I tried to make biscochitos, but learned that there is a difference between "star anise" and "anise seed." I got star anise, and the receipe called for anise seed. So I crushed up the star anise in the VitaMix and did my best.

We weren't going to put up any Christmas decorations ... we've just been too busy. But I decided that wasn't going to do, so I found one of those rosemary Christmas trees at Lowe's and I put out luminarias last night.

I certainly miss a New Mexico Christmas with luminarias everywhere and snow (or at least realistic hopes of snow). Back in NM, there are luminarias everywhere ... houses, office buildings, strip malls, etc. But out here, I have only seen one home with luminarias. So I decded it was time to bring some NM tradition to our neighbhorhood.

We went to a nearby church for Christmas Eve services. We sat in the last row, just in case Christian got restless (which is inevitable these days). And once he got restless, we put him down and let him crawl around in the back. Jonathan stayed with him ... so he didn't hear much of the message. And I was distracted by wondering what my two men were doing that I didn't hear much of the message. Oh well ... we tried.

We got home, lit the luminarias and let Christian open one gift (a tradition in my family ... see the video below). After that, it was bathtime and bedtime for Christian.

Poor Bella hurt herself while I was taking this video. You can hear her yelp in the background.

A Familiar Face in Old Photos

People often comment about how much Christian looks like Jonathan. To be honest, I don't see it. To me, Christian just looks like himself.

However, I have seen the light! Here are a couple of pictures of Jonathan as a child, and wow ... sure looks a lot like Christian!

Thanksgiving Pictures!

We piled into the car and drove across The Valley (aka metro Phoenix) to Gilbert for a Thanksgiving meal prepared by our Uncle Philip and Aunt Lise. Until that drive, I hadn't realized just how far out we live. It took us about an hour and a half to make our one-way journey ... wow! I jokingly tell people that we live so far west of Phoenix that we're practically in California. I now see that isn't too much of an exaggeration.

Many thanks to Philip and Lise for inviting us over. I was able to get away with not making Thanksgiving dinner yet once again! :)

And below is how tiny Christian was last Thanksgiving!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Happy Birthday to Bella!

Those of you who know us well, know that we absolutely love our dog, Bella! Bella has just turned four years old ... awww! And despite her "mature age" (for a dog), she still acts like an energetic lil' puppy.

In years past, we've given Bella a special doggy cake. But this year, we don't live near a doggy bakery, so we couldn't give her a real cake.

Here is the video of Bella and her "cake," and Christian deciding he wants some, too! We are so thankful that Bella isn't possessive over her food. There have been several times that Christian has grabbed food from Bella's bowl while she's eating (despite our best efforts to keep him away every time), and she does nothing about it ... she just keeps eating.

A Monday Chuckle

This sign always makes me chuckle when I see it ... and we finally had the camera in the car at the right time. Surprise is a city in the Phoenix area. And the prision and zoo ... well, there is a prison and a zoo down the way.


This photo was taken yesterday on our way to check out some model homes in the community we want to move to in late 2009 (which is coming up quickly!). I love going through model homes! Jonathan starts off enthusiastic, but quickly gets worn out. And Christian ensures our trips through the houses are quick. He has his limits.

We went to two different builders and walked through six homes ... and found a couple that would work for us. There are many more builders to visit in that community, but we need to space our trips out so that Jonathan doesn't get completely burned out. Maybe I can convince him to visit one more homebuilder this holiday weekend - esp. since he gets FIVE days off. :) And if I promise him coffee and a Chipotle burrito ... and Cold Stone Creamery. He can be bribed with coffee and food. :)