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. :)

How do YOU spend a November day?

Do you spend a November day bundled up in a coat raking leaves outside?

Do you spend a November day inside because its just too cold to be outside?

We remember those days (especially November temps in the teens - or colder - in Santa Fe). They are but a mere memory, though. Here in the Phoenix area, the temps have been in the mid 80s!

On Saturday, we went in search of a farmer's market in a nearby community. Turns out the farmer's market was on a lakeshore! We arrived to blue water, grass and palm trees ... it was like walking into somebody's vacation!

We walked around and enjoyed the sun and warm breezes. Afterwards, we took a drive to the community we hope to move to next year and had some lunch ... and then looked at some model homes. It was a mighty fine day!





















Click on this last photo!

Off to Switzerland!

No, no ... not the Luceros. We're staying put (well, except for Jonathan, who is in North Carolina this week for training).

My sister Liz is off to Geneva tomorrow for ten days (where she'll see the sight to the right)! And so now she can add Switzerland to her list of international travels, which already includes India and China.

Liz is pursuing an MBA in Global Management at the Thunderbird School of Global Managment. And its A LOT of work. I had no idea MBA programs were so intense until I started hearing the details of her program.

Like most MBA programs, the students also work full time in their real-life careers. So Liz is working full time and spending most of her free time in class, or studying, or writing papers, etc. She's busy, busy, busy. So this trip to Geneva is for her MBA program. Later in the program, she'll also be going to Dubai and somewhere in South America.

We are very impressed with Liz's ambition and drive! She works for an engineering firm and is a project manager with a Professional Engineer License. She was the first woman at her firm to be a project manager and have P.E. license. As I recall, she was also the youngest project manager at the time.

And somehow, Liz still finds time to visit with us (good thing we moved close to her!). Christian and I had dinner with her just last night. So, Christian gets to see his Auntie Liz a lot!

Liz has joined us in the world of blogging! You can check out her blog by looking at the list of blogs we have on the right side of our blog - Un Cafecito Por Favor or by going to http://www.cafedeelisabeth.blogspot.com/. She plans to update the blog while traveling in Geneva.

Liz, we wish you happy travels and a wonderful time in Geneva! We look forward to reading updates on your blog and seeing the photos you'll be taking with your cool new SLR camera!

Christian's First Birthday Party!

Christian's Turns One!

On November 2, Christian turned one! Aw, we just can't believe our lil' guy is growing up so quickly!

On his birthday, we had a party for the family. Jonathan's Uncle Philip, and his wife ... along with Jonathan's cousing Amy and her family live in the the Phoenix east valley, and we'd been wanting to have them over, so Christian's birthday provided the perfect opportunity for a gathering.

We'd like to thank our party guests for coming over, and also thank everybody who sent cards, gifts, sent e-mails and called us for Christian's special day. Wow! We weren't expecting such an outpouring ... thanks!! And a special thanks to Auntie Liz for making Christian's Elmo cake!

Granny sings Happy Birthday to Christian!

Everybody sings Happy Birthday to Christian

Here's how Christian is doing nowadays:

• He's really interested in things he can move, such as doors, drawers and cabinet drawers. If we don't remember to close a door somewhere, he's sure to find it and close himself up inside. The other day, I knew he was playing down the hall (the upstairs is as childproof as I can make it, so I let him go exploring). All was well, but then I heard a cry in the distance. I bolted up to go find my baby ... but I couldn't determine where he was. He had shut himself in a dark closet ... the poor kid!
• He's fascinated with windows. We have a couple that he can stand up and look out from, so I crack the window open a bit so he gets a nice breeze.
• He still loves his books! Most toys get cast aside in favor of the books. He loves turning the pages and gazing at the various pages. And he even has the ability to correct a book that has been given to him upside down. He immediately turns it right side up. He'll even do it to books he's unfamiliar with. Its pretty amazing!
• He's become a rather picky eater much of the time, and so that's been a challenge for us. We try to be very selective about what he eats ... his birthday cake was the first dose of sugar he's had ... and taking a bite made him gag a bit. We don't give him juice ... just water, and now milk. Jonathan enjoys making new creations for Christian using our new VitaMix. The latest creation is a mixture of grass fed beef, peas, carrots, spinach and rice (all organic). We freeze it in ice cube trays and just have to heat it up at meal time. Its pretty darn tootin' tasty, and Christian can't get enough.
• He's not talking or walking just yet. He used to babble a lot in his earlier months, but he stopped for a long time and is starting to pick it up again. But he does have comprehension. If I say, "Christian, where's daddy?" He looks for Jonathan. If I say, "Christian, where's Bella?" He looks right towards Bella. We think the move in August may have impacted his progress with walking and talking - it was a stressful time for all of us. But that's okay ... he'll do both when he's ready. He "cruises" right now and can quickly get himself from point A to point B.
• He gets a giggle out of most things these days. I hear this all day "heh heh." He's so silly!
• He has six teeth now ... two on top, four on the bottom. And he's got lots and lots of hair ... it straight in the front (and impossible to keep combed), and little curls for on the back of his head throughout the day.
• His eye color is still a bit of a mystery. They are definitely not brown like Jonathan's; definitely not blue like mine. But sometimes the look gray, sometimes they look light brown, other times they look deep blue. Depends on the light and what he's wearing. I think Christian got his Uncle Eldon's eyes, which also change color.

Christian has developed some interesting play skills.

• In his tub, we have foam letters that stick to the wall when wet. Some of these letters are in his play area, and he tries to stick them on everything: the wall, furniture, mommy (ha ha!). Since they are dry, they don't stick, but its interesting to see the connection he makes. He knows they're supposed to stick.
• And he also gets a kick out of placing those letters, or blocks, up high on a shelf ... waiting a moment, and then taking them down.
• And with his blocks, he likes to ever-so-gently stack them together. Its so cute to watch, as he tries to be very precise with the placement.
• And lastly, he has a little "farm" that has all sorts of things to spin, twirl, push, etc. He's had this toy for several months and has figured out how to work all the features, except for one. Its a large button that gets pushed down and something rotates and plays a song. He's been manually rotating that thingy, but yesterday was trying to show him that the button will rotate it, too. He watched me push on it, and then he'd touch the button ... but not understand that he needed to push it. After we went back and forth for a few minutes, he finally grabbed my hand and put it on the button. So he made the connection that mommy's hand can make it move. So its little stuff like that that its neat to see.
  

A Biblical Perspective on This Week's Election

I've been tempted to post a political comment or two from time-to-time, but have never done so because #1, I have no idea what I'm talking about and #2, I don't want to get people all riled up.

You may have seen that one of the blogs I have listed on the right side is that of Levi Lusko (
:: better fresh than frozen ::). Levi is a young pastor who has planted a thriving church in Montana. He used to be an assistant pastor at the church where Jonathan and I were married, Calvary Albuquerque. And I've followed him online ever since.

I really like Levi ... he's young and hip and loves the Lord with all his heart. And he tells it like it is. He has posted a Biblical perspective about the elections. And regardless of who you voted for on Tuesday, and regardless of your feelings about our president elect (good, bad or somewhere in between), I invite you to take a few moments to read Levi's post:

http://levilusko.blogspot.com/2008/11/next-leader-of-free-world.html

Remember: God is in control.

Christian's First Halloween

There goes Mommy and her camera ... again!

Hello, are you new here? My name is Christian ... what's yours?

Cool leather jacket, Mommy!


Daddy says I'm a "Greaser." This is his costume choice for me.
Mommy's costume for me was Superman (scroll down the page to see that picture).

I'm still happy sitting here ...

Mommy, enough is enough! I'm hot, tired and cranky!

Yay! A fun game!

Christian and Daddy invented a new game tonite. We just LOVE his contageous laugh!

Superman and The Pumpkin Patch

You never know when Superman will show up and save the day!

Remembering Last October

As I sat here looking at the calendar, just a few days before my sweet baby's first birthday, I was thinking back to those last few days before becoming a mommy.

A year ago, we were filled with excitement and the unknown of what was going to happen. When would I go into labor? How long would it last, and how painful would it really be.

Christian was due on 11/9, but two weeks before that date an ultrasound showed that the baby was already 10 pounds and with two more weeks to go, the Dr. decided we'd have a C-section on 11/2.

A year ago, I was so incredibly uncomfortable. As you can see in the photo below (which I vowed I'd never make public, but after a year, I'm less sensitive about it), I was ENORMOUS! It was painful to lay in bed, so I was sleeping on the couch - and not very comfortably. I was getting weird cramps from time-to-time, which later learned were mild contractions. And I felt as though my pelvic bone was going to rip apart.

A year ago, our thoughts were consumed with "everything baby": do we have enough clothes? Enough stuff for mommy? Is everything clean enough? How will Bella do? Who will be here when the baby is born? and on and on and on.

And it was about this time a year ago that there was a full moon. We had been told that full moons tend to trigger labor in very pregnant women. So I found out exactly what time the moon would be the fullest that night, and made sure I was all packed and ready to go. What happened? Not a thing. Ha ha ha!

Good times, good times.

Here's What Happens When Daddy Brings His Work Home ...

Radioactive Decay!

Just kidding ... :) I gave Christian some "green smoothie" to try.

Dear PETA: No humans or animals were harmed in the taking of this photo.

The Arizona State Fair

Yesterday was fair day! We loaded Christian in the car, picked up Liz and all headed to "the greatest show on earth." It seems the biggest excitement for Christian was Daddy's peanut-dipped caramel apple. But babies can't have peanuts, so he could look, but not touch or taste.

After having gone to the New Mexico State Fair, I was a bit disappointed in the Arizona fair. For being in the heart of a huge metro area, it was small and kind of disorganized.

We did find some unique food ... which is sometimes hard in the world of fair food. I ate fried macaroni and cheese, and fried artichoke hearts. Both were mighty tasty and I highly recommend trying some if you ever come across it.

Christian's Baby Signs Class

We enrolled Christian in a Baby Signs class so we could all learn to communicate using sign language until Christian starts to talk. We were sold at the demo class the moment our instructor's daughter, Briley, started signing to her mom that she wanted some cereal. It was amazing!

The class is 45 minutes and involves singing, a parachute activity, story time, snacks ... and everything involves learning a variety of signs. The kiddos are all younger, and easily distracted (including Christian who several times decided he'd rather crawl off and explore his new world than sit down and participate - and that is fine).

Its fun to see Christian interact with the other kids, and we get to learn the signs and spend the week in between classes trying to incorporate them into our conversations.

Here are some absolutely adorable pics of Christian ... and some with his new friend, Briley.

So Long, Fare Thee Well, Blue!

Yesterday Jonathan's car, "Blue," went to live with its new owner - my sister's boyfriend, Terrill. It hadn't been running, and he got it running and drove it home to care for and love it for the rest of its life.

I must confess, after years of hoping Jonathan would get rid of it, I found myself a bit choked up to see it drive off into the sunset. And I was kind of glad Jonathan was out of town and didn't have to watch it happen. How can you not be sad to see something you've had for 24 years drive away?

Ironically, Honda Civics are among the most stolen cars in the Phoenix area. I said to my sister, "But surely not a 24 year old Honda!" Turns out, even older Honda Civics are a hot item - both to would-be thieves and to owners. People like to restore them, put fat engines in them and show them off. Who would have guessed that little car would actually be considered cool to lots of people!?

Terrill knows people who can help him get the car running and a give it a new paint job. So, we're eager to see what "Blue" looks like in the future.

Congrats, Terrill ... enjoy your new treasure! Just remember there is no A/C and Phoenix gets hot! :)

Nine Years Later ... and 24 Years Later ... and One Baby Later: WE BUY A NEW CAR!

As noted in a previous blog post, Jonathan's 24 year old Honda Civic CRX has passed away. My own car is nine years old, and was a make-shift family car for the first 10 months of Christian's life.

The car buying process was detailed and tiring. I wanted to do thorough reserach on a good family car and it just became too time consuming. I'll spare you the stories of visiting various car dealerships, the "bait and switch" tactics, etc.

We finally went to the Saturn dealer just to look around. We decided to say we were looking for a car early next year so as not to get the cheesy sales guy treatment as opposed to the truth, "We have just one car right now and we desperately need to get a car!!" But as you might know, Saturn is a bit different. The sales people don't make a commission.

I was wanting a white vehicle, but we didn't say that. As he walked us into the showroom to show us the just-arrived 2009 VUE, he commented that he had a white 2008 VUE left and it was the only four cylinder they had left ... but that he'd just show us the 2009 model because we'd be getting something in the spring.

Well, well, well ... turns out the 2008 model was no different from the 2009 model, and it was several thousand dollars LESS. So after our artificial oohing and aahing over the pretty red 2009 VUE in the showroom, I said, "You mentioned something about having a white 2008 model?"

Long-story-short, here is our new car:



Here is the amazing part of the deal: We bought this VUE on Sunday, September 28. We got a very good interest rate though their finance company because I told them how low my credit union's interest rates are. The stock market crashed hard on Monday, September 29. I have heard several news reports this week discussing the difficulites in obtaining any kind of loans right now ... home loans, car loans, etc.

So just like with our house selling last week, the timing was perfect to get this vehicle! Had we waited even 24 hours, its possible we couldn't have gotten a loan and wouldn't have been able to get this VUE.

We had planned on getting a used car, so a brand new car is quite a treat! Jonathan will use the Cavalier as a "commuter car" to get back and forth to work. The VUE will stay home with me, and it will be our family car when we're all out together.

I must give kudos to Jonathan for driving the same car for 24 years ... virtually unheard of in today's throw-away society. And he was driving a car without a/c in the Phoenix heat. What a guy!!

(Side note to that comment: today is Sunday and Jonathan is at Palo Verde in a protective suit hanging "lead blankets" in the contamination area of the plant. There is no air conditioning and these lead blankets are 45 pounds. Jonathan has a bad back. I hope he's okay!)

Christian Turns 11 Months Old

Our lil' guy turns 11 months old today!

He's got five teeth now - two on top and three on the bottom. He likes to test out his bite ... on our clothing (often getting some skin in his bite - ow!) and sometimes while breastfeeding (double ow!).

His favorite play things lately: doors, door stops (the springy kind on the wall that prevents the door from slamming into the wall) and clothes hangers. He also really enjoys books, which is wonderful! He has lots of toys, and they stay untouched in his toy box in favor of whatever book he can find.

He also loves going up the stairs. Any chance Christian gets, he quickly crawls over to the bottom of his stairs, looks to the top and starts his climb. We've got to be quick around here!

I think he's on the verge of walking now. He pulls himself up to whatever we have: the couch, the bed, my desk chair and the stair railing upstairs. Since we don't have coffee tables, he's pretty limited on what he can pull himself up to.


Mealtime has become challenging lately. I know Christian is hungry, but he protests whatever I give him. I try to shake it up by offering new foods (i.e., bits of waffle, chicken, pasta) and different locations, since he often gets very upset about being placed in his high chair. So every day is different ... yesterday he ate a lot, and had a good breakfast today ... but lunch later on might be a complete failure

Bathtime has also become a bit of a challenge. He ususally wants out the moment he gets in. I have no idea why ... its a nice temp and there are fun toys. He seems to just want his Mommy instead.

SOLD!

39 days. That was all it took! A modern day miracle, in my opinion ... especially considering the lousy housing market and general condition of the economy.

God brought a wonderful buyer to us: A Baptist pastor and his wife who had a $140,000 down payment! They made their offer, we gave our counter-offer, and they accepted. WOW! They hired an inspector, as any smart homebuyer would do ... and he found only minor things such as a missing screw to affix the dishwasher to the countertop. So, we offered them a $400 credit at closing for the cost of hiring a handyman for a day to fix the very minor issues.

The buyers asked for a quick, two-week closing - and got it. Every time we spoke to our Realtors, they told us how amazed they were at how quickly the sale was progressing, and how easy the buyers were.

The only potential problem was the events on Wall Street on Monday. I was told yesterday was a rough day for home sale closings, because lending essentially froze. But ours went through and we should have the money deposited into our account this morning.

God's hand has been on the house situation since we first signed the contact to build the house in 2004. Jonathan had just graduated with his Ph.D. and was starting his new job at LANL. We were engaged and had no money for a down payment. That was during the time when lenders were doing 100% financing, so we were fortunate in the timing. A new subdivision was opening just as we were looking at homes, and we were able to get an amazing lot to build the house on. Our Realtors really liked us, and so they didn't make us pay the usual earnest deposit to hold the lot.

And it is that beautiful lot with its amazing views that got our house sold so quickly!!! We didn't make much money at all ... but, we got it sold and only had one month of having to make a mortgage payment and the rent payment on our house here in Arizona. So many people are losing their homes, and so we feel extremely blessed to have been able to sell our house at all ... and get a little money to put in the bank.

THANK YOU, GOD, FOR WATCHING OVER US!!!

Jonathan sent me this e-mail today ... I don't think he'd mind if I shared it with everybody. It kinda choked me up:

I was thinking about the house and remembering all the good times we had there. The sad thing is that it seems so brief that we were there. I was remembering our Sunday afternoon naps in the TV room with a cool breeze blowing over us. The many times in the kitchen running in to each other while we make our meals and watch the TV. Chasing Bella in the living room as she did her figure 8s around the white couch. Our time with Christian in the jet tub. Waking up in the middle of the night to feed Christian and taking the short walk to his bedroom. Seeing the sunrise reflecting in the mirror in the master bathroom. And finishing my runs stretching on the front porch looking at the view. The perpetual question, "do you want anything from down (stairs)?" I'll miss our house. It was all too brief. I Love You! Now time for some new fun memories.

The Invisible Woman

Being a mom is tough sometimes ... actually, a lot of the time. Jonathan was gone last week, and that was a hard week for me as a mom. He'll be gone again in a couple of weeks, and I'm sure it will be another hard week for me as a mom. When they say, "Parenting is the toughest job you'll ever have," they aren't kidding. (And yes, I realize that my journey as a mom is just beginning and things will only get harder)

My sister sent me this video today, and it touched my heart. I hope you moms who follow this blog enjoy the video.

Jennifer

Brian and the Blurb

Today's post title sounds like it could be a book ... or a TV show. Like "Pinky and the Brain" (which I never saw). But really, its all about a visit from Brian.

Who's Brian? Well, my cousin, of course. Brian was in Phoenix this week for some training and Liz, Christian and I met him for dinner.

Unfortunately, dinner was preceded by Christian having a bit of a rough day. He hadn't eaten much (he's going through some kind of phase) and he was tired. A hungry and tired baby is a bad combo.

We walked into the restaurant and one of my worst fears came true: a quiet restaurant and a fussy baby. I hoped for the best, but wouldn't get it. Christian refused to be put into his chair, so that forced me to hold him standing up. We were right in front of the restaurant focal point: a huge plasma TV, so I felt that all eyes were on me. Thankfully Brian, who has two young children of his own, suggested we get dinner to go. Doing so and eating at his hotel room bought us some more time with Christian.

Side note: If you double-click on the second picture down to make it bigger, you can see Christian's oh-so-cute two front teeth!

We had a very nice visit, and in Jonathan's absence for the week, it was wonderful to interact with adults who didn't cry and need their diapers changed. :)

Brian and his lovely bride Cheri embarked on a six week African Safari earlier this year, and Brian had some great stories to share. Which brings us to the second part of "Brian and the Blurb."

Brian and Cheri put together a wonderful picture book of their adventures on http://www.blurb.com/.

Here is their book, Africa 2008 Glimpses of God's Glory: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/264260. If you click on "Book Preview," you can see the first few pages ... wow!!

I was impressed ... and inspired! What a great idea for putting together Christian's first year of life! So that is my new project in my "free time." (Free time? What is that?) And so I wanted to share http://www.blurb.com/ with all of you. Many of you have children, and some of you have taken fabulous trips around the world and might like to chronicle your adventures this way.

Brian, we thank you for visiting with us this week and for a tasty dinner. And thank you, especially, for being a dad and understanding about Christian's fussy mood. Safe travels back to Cheri, Natalie and Kendra!

Jennifer