Happy 8th Birthday Tyler!

Our sweet nephew Tyler is being baptized today.


Dear Tyler,

Thank you for being such a wonderful example to your cousins. You have made a wonderful decision today and we could not be more proud of you. We love you and wish that we could be with you for this special occasion.

Love,
Uncle Steve and Aunt Jaclyn

Almost 7 Months Old

By popular demand, here is your Sophia fix. I just can't decide which ones I like the best. I love these candid photos because they really capture what she really looks like.  She has a special infatuation with shoes. Hers, yours, mine, dirty, clean, black, white, brown, red, pink. She loves them. Surely this cannot be indicative of the future - or is it? 

Sushi

Our first attempt:

Peyton is a big fan.

A Few Finished Projects

Instead of spending $299 on this Galaxy LED art from PB:

Steve and Abe painted this:

And instead of spending $179 on this Bella Butterfly Art also from PB for Sophia's nursery:

I created this thanks to a little sequins and Angela's endless supply of buttons:

I may fill in the center with a few fabric patches, but not until I find a fabric that I really like.

El Superclasico

Boca Junior vs River Plate

April 19, 2009

Come What May & Love It

I LOVE these messages! I really needed this today. This is not just a message for members of my faith, but for us all. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all heeded to this counsel?

Life is not about the trials in our lives, but about how we handle them.



This was Elder Wirthlin's last conference address before he passed away in 2008, at the age of 91. 

Jesus is the Christ and Son of the Living God

My First Photoshop Action

I used this one to make the frame just to get an idea of how they work.  I found it here with these freebies.  I have quite a few photos that would be awesome with a little work.... like this one in the frame for example. 

Clase de Danza

Peyton is in this great dance class on Monday afternoons. Instead of sending the girls to a studio, the moms from her kinder 3 class have all come together and hired a private instructor. One mom, who lives in a gated community, offered the studio in the main plaza. The instructor is wonderful. I am very impressed. This is a great start. The room is small and it is hard not to disrupt them with my large black camera. So this is the best I have for now.





She has dance clothes too, but for now, "They bug." We'll see if we can find something that does not bother her.

St. Patrick's Day

Last year, Abe read this post and laughed and laughed and laughed. He even mentioned it a few times in the week that followed. So this year, about 2 weeks before St. Patrick's Day, he and I were saying our prayers before bed and I hear him say, "...and please send the crazy leprechaun to our house to mess everything up." What in the world? Now the leprechaun was sure to make an appearance.

So without reinventing the wheel, and Daddy out of town, the Crazy Little Leprechaun did this:





When Abe realized that he had come, he proclaimed, "See Heavenly Father DOES listen to our prayers."

Peyton just kept repeating, "What a crazy little leprachaun!"

The Hair

It has been mentioned in many posts before. We tried to tame it, comb it, and gel it, but to no avail. Here it was moments before the haircut:


And sound asleep after crying and pleading to keep it (and a bath):

Facial Recognition

The New iLife ' 09 for Mac has more than exceeded our expectations!  The new iPhoto program includes a facial recognition software, which is unbelievable!  Once you "name" a face, iPhoto pulls all of the other photos from your library with that person in them.

Now the funny thing is, Sophia is throwing the program for a loop.  Just like the rest of us, it does not confuse Peyton and Abe, but often pulls their photos when looking for Sophia. 

Facial Recognition software in the standard package?  What will they include in iLife '10?

Just another reason, I LOVE MY MAC! 

Happy 1/2 Birthday

Disclaimer: Yes, I am fully aware that this is doting.  This blog is also a journal and is printed for our family. 

Sophia, or as I like to call her, my perfect angel, is 6 months old today! Where has the time gone? Seriously, this has been the fastest 6 months of my life. Steve agrees.

Today we started solids and in lieu of the traditional rice cereal, we opted for the nutrient-rich avocado. She LOVED it, but I think that the big kids enjoyed feeding her even more.

When I informed Abe that Sophia was 6 months old today, in a sarcastic grin, he said, "Oh no, she is going to start crawling and chase me around the house now!" He has been anticipating this since she was born and realized that it was going to take some patience to wait for her to grow. They truly love her.

Sophia is such a dream... We couldn't have been blessed with a sweeter child. She is inquisitive and alert. She always wants to play, puts everything in her mouth, is fond of her left thumb, is a great sleeper (exclusively in her own crib), love the Jumper, smiles on demand and laughs on cue.

Sophia, I can't imagine our life without you. You are such a blessing to each one of us.

I will post photos when I find my camera cord that has grown legs and unplugged itself from my computer.

A Little Ingenuity

Who needs a minivan when you have this?

Voila - a seven seat SUV.


They are rear-facing, completely level according to the seat, tethered snugly and sit over a wheel-bed for added protection. Not a minivan, but it will save us $30,000 in buying one for the times when we have additional guests.

I think that we really might be going native... oh wait, if that were true, I might would be asking, "What is a car seat?"

Little Jaclyn Bitz

One Month

Seven Months

3 years old (Don't you love the outfit?)

4 years old with my favorite dog of all time, Denver Bear.

Kindergarten photo (obviously Farrah Fawcett was very popular at the time)

Beyond Buenos Aires: Lujan

The Cathedral:












The Hollowed-Out Tree:




This is the view from the Cathedral Plaza. It is hard to believe that the cathedral sits along side this town:

Beyond Buenos Aires: LUJAN

The Zoo:

Now some of you, like me, may have dreamt of actually touching a lion or tiger. To wave a baton and watch the fragile grace of these large cats up close and personal, to earn the respect of beasts. So when I learned of a zoo in Lujan, I was interested, but skeptical to learn that I could take the kids to ride elephants and pet wild cats. I was assured that this zoo was legit, as legit as a zoo can be outside of a first world country. We thought that this would be a fun place to take my parents to share the experience with the kids. Having been there, I am not convinced. We will not go back, but we have a great story to tell.