Newest Family Member

So I've been a bit of a slacker in updating the blog.  I guess I do have some excuse since I had a baby 2 weeks ago tomorrow.  It's amazing how time flies.  We named her Yanna, which means dark one in Quetchua.  It's rather ironic her name means 'dark one', she is our lightest one. Actually I think she's going to be light like I am.  Yanna was born on April 1st at 4:21 am, she weighted 7 lbs 2 oz and was 19 1/2" long.  She was my little "Speeding Gonzolas"  my entire labor was 4 1/2 hours from start to finish and after the midwife broke my water, she shot out of  in less than 5 minutes.  And shot out of me is exactly what she did. The older girls slept through the entire birth.  Which was wonderful!  Suri was the first to wake up around 6:30 or 6:45am and the midwives were just leaving.  It was wonderful surprise for the girls to wake up too.

This picture was taken right after Church on Easter Sunday.  I had no idea, a couple ours later I would be having a baby.

This picture was taken seconds after Yanna was born.  Notice the carpet, Yup, she was born on the floor.

The placenta.  Notice the Tree of Life!!  Isn't it beautiful!!

Our first picture taken with all the girls.

 

Yanna's day 1

 

Suri and Yanna

Yannas first smile.

38 Weeks Pregnant

I thought I'd post a picture of what I look like right before our 4th and final baby was born.  Hopefully, the baby will be born very very soon.

Tortellini and Tomato Soup with Rosemary

So today I decided that I wanted to make a quick and easy soup.  I haven't made it in a while, so I was worried the girls, especially Kiyari, wouldn't eat it. I'm not sure where I got the recipe, all I know is I cut it out of a magazine a couple of years ago.

Once again the recipe was a huge success.  I've modified the recipe only slightly.  I used 2 fresh tomatoes instead of a 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes. I also let the soup cook a bit longer than the recipe called for since I was using fresh tomatoes.  I was also 2 cups short for the 6 cups needed for the chicken broth, so I replaced the 2 cups with water and then just adjusted the taste with salt and pepper.  And then I used Parmesan cheese instead of pesto.  In total the recipe took maybe 30 mins from start to finish.

I should also mention I made the soup a couple hours earlier, I just omited the noodles and then added them about 5 minutes before we were ready to eat.  Here is the recipe in its entirety.  Enjoy!!

Tortellini & Tomato Soup with Rosemary

Makes 4 to 6 servings (about 9 cups)  Prep: 10 minutes  Cook: 20 minutes

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz) can of diced tomatoes, drained or 2 large tomatoes diced
6 cups of chicken broth
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
12 oz tortellini or 9 oz of ravioli, fresh
3 cups of chopped spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Toppings: prepared pesto or freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and saute' until softened.  Add tomato and cook 1 minute.  Stir in broth and rosemary, and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered 5 minutes.  Add Pasta, stirring to blend and simmer 5 to 6 minutes more.

2. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Simmer stirring often, 3 more minutes or until spinach and pasta is just tender.  Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with cheese or a spoonful of pesto.

Suri's hard life.

Suri's having a hard life today.  She informed me at breakfast that she can do whatever she wants.  I said REALLY!!  OK.  Now she's learning there are consequences to doing whatever she wants.  She's pretty stubborn, so I imagine this will last for sometime.  She currently can't eat till lunch, which is at 1:00 pm because she's refused to eat her breakfast sometime around 830ish. So needless to say she's begging me for a snack.  We went outside to play for awhile when she informed she was going to eat her snack anyways.  I said ok, just remember you'll go straight to bed and you won't eat till dinner.  Her standard answer that's fine. HAHAHA!!  I laugh because I know in a couple of hours she'll not be fine.
As I'm writting this she got her playdough taken away.  I think Suri's going to have one LOOOONG day today. HAPPY PARENTING!!!!

 

Happy Day after Christmas, I hope everyone had a wonderful Day!!

 

So I have been hard at work sewing for the girl's Christmas presents. And I thought I'd show off what I've been sewing.  Both girls got a Madam Alexander doll, which I found on ebay for an AMAZING price. Q'Orianka got an 18" Latina doll. And Suri a 19" doll with creamy skin and brown hair. Lucky for me the clothes I made fit both dolls.  Although the clothes are a bit tight for Suri's doll, they still work. 

 

Q'Orianka and I have been reading the American Girl Kirsten Books so I thought I'd make this nightgown and the Apron Dress.  Since Suri's doll came naked I ended up giving the Apron Dress to her.  Q'Orianka asked me to make her a dress just like it so I'll probably be working on that this next week.  I'm not by any means a great seamstress, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy both the nightgown and the dress were to make.  And what's even better I only had to buy the fabric for the apron. :-)

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the Apron Dress without the Apron, isn't it cute!!  And Q'Orianka nightgown.  I made a few modifications just to make it different.  And it made it even easier to make. 

 

 

 

 I made this top today along with the skirt below.  They were on cuff that came from a pair of Q'Orianka's pants that had worn out at the knees and zipper area.  And thanks to pinterest, I decided to turn them into a skirt and top.  I think they turned out pretty cute.  I made the skirt while talking to Amber on the phone.  Not bad for multi tasking.  The shirt took a little more work since I'm not used to "winging it" and I was trying to make the top fit with out cutting into the back.  The strap attaches in the back with velcro at a V and then connects to the shirt with a piece of velcro and I added elastic to the back to make it fit better.

 

 

For the skirt I added a waist band and then elastic inside to gather it.  Quick and easy.

 

 

Here's a close up of the embroidery design on both the skirt and the top. 

Christmas Day

 



Merry Christmas!! 

 

We had a wonderfully relaxing day!! We invited some friends over for Breakfast, since they don't have any family in the area.  So I went all out and made a real American Breakfast.  Pancakes, bacon, sausage, friend potatoes, peaches, O.J., and  hot chocolate. Luis added steak and our friends brought Punche, which is a Mexican drink similar to Wassel.  It was delicious!!  After we sat down to eat I realized I forgot the eggs.  But by then, nobody wanted any since we were getting really really full.  After breakfast we visited for a while, once we left we all took a nice long nap. Which was perfect,  because by the time we'd eaten, cleaned up and visited it was almost 2:00 P.M. 

 

For Dinner, Mama Nina made Seco con Frioles and rice.  It was the ending to a perfect day.  Seco takes a couple of hours to cook, but Prep wise, it was easy, which is what I wanted.  Here is a picture of what what we ate.  I didn't take the picture.  Nevertheless it was delicious!!  I'll post the recipe another day.

 

Here are a few pictures of the girls opening their presents.

 

Suri with her new floor puzzle.  Obviously you can tell she was pulling a Suri face.  Not wanting to smile, probably becaused I asked her too!  Silly girl!!

 

Kiyari and her new xylaphone.   Pulling a typical "cheese" face.

Suri and Q'Orianka with their new Lalaloopsy dolls.

 Kiyari  with her new book and Suri with her new nightgown for her doll.

 Suri gave Q'Orianka her first cross stitch kit.  I'm really excited to teach her to cross stitch.  I'm pretty sure, I was about her age when Aunt Sue bought me my first cross stitch kit.  Suri's nickname is Lady Bug, so she got a Ladybug Girl Book.  We love the the Ladybug Girl Books!!

 Q'Orianka and her new doll nightgown and I her dolls fur coat and hat.  I found it on Craigs List for a steal.  And her doll looks so cute in it.

 Kiyari is oooing  and ahhing over a new jumper she got!!  It was adorable. Suri got 2 new skirts. I could barely get her to keep her in her pants. 

Pasta Twists w/ Broccoli Sauce

After watching the news today and seeing the terrible tragedy in Connecticut.  I had no desire to cook, let alone to cook anything long and complicated.  So I found this recipe at www.momswhothink.com.  Lucky for me it was quick, easy and a huge success by everyone.  So I thought I'd share this great find.  I should also say, that I used rigatoni noodles instead of pasta twists  and it worked out perfectly.


Pasta Twists with Broccoli Sauce

 

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
2 medium stalks broccoli
1 large red bell pepper
¾ pound pasta twists (about 4½ cups)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Finely chop the garlic and onion.
3. Separate the broccoli tops from the stems, cut the stems and tops into bite-size pieces. Coarsely chop the red bell pepper.
4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until Al Dente, 10 to 12 minutes, or chording to package directions.
5. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, warm of 1 Tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
6. Add the garlic onion mixture and stir-fry until browned, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil, the broccoli tops and stems, the bell pepper, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
8. Stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
9. Add the heavy cream and Parmesan and bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat.
10. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Drain the pasta and toss with the vegetables and sauce. Serve with warm Italian bread.

 

 

Dear Santa, 

I think I'm raising a local street artist.  My doors and walls are covered in her beautiful art work. :-)  For Christmas, I'd really love a year supply of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Clorox Wipes.  Santa, I love her art work, I'd just prefer if it was not on my wall.  I've attached a copy of her beautiful.

Sincerely,

Aprill

Football Season

School is in and that means the beginning of High School Football. Luis and Q'Orianka have started a tradition of attending the game every Friday. Here is a fun picture of the going to Friday's game. Q'Orianka is wearing one of the players jersey. She was a hugh success. Everyone wanted to take her pictures. She had her picture taken with the player who's jersey this belonged to. I should be getting that picture this week.

New Discovery

I love it when children take an interest in something new. Today, Q'Orianka found a "new" book to look at. Its called 'Active Labor' I was watching her flip through the pages, to see what she would do. The next thing I know, she's showing me a picture, with a concerned look on her face. "Mom", she said, why is she sitting on her baby". A woman in active labor in the squating position, with a baby half out. I told her she wasn't sitting on the baby, she was having a baby. She said no mom, she sitting on the baby. So ask her where the baby was, she said her bum. I told her that's how the baby comes out. She's been fascinated with the book all day. When Luis woke she showed him the picture and told him how the baby comes out. We then explained that the baby doesn't come out of your bum, and where it comes out of. She took this new information really good. Which made me very happy. I was wondering when she would get around to asking how the baby comes out. The pictures were in black and white and probably from the 70's or 80's and not really very clear, but it gave her an understanding about how our baby will be come out of my tummy. I pulled out another book for her tomorrow, 'Spiritual Midwifery' which has more pictures of woman having babies. She liked to see the pictures when the new mom was holding the baby and smiling. One picture, had the mom, delivering a baby, with her mouth open like she was saying Oh, Oh, Oh,....Q'Orianka asked why she made that face. So I asked her what she says when Luis has a surprise for her. Her eyes lit up and she said OH,OH, Oh. I said that is that's what she's saying, having the baby is like having a special surprise. She looked at the picture and said ok.

Now I need to follow her example and decide how much information to give her. If she shows interest tomorrow will talk about it again. Then maybe, maybe, I'll look for some non-graphic, non-hysterical women having babies on youtube to show her. I'll play that one by ear, I don't want to bombard her with more information than she is ready for.



By the time, she had to go to bed, she had Suri looking at the book with her. So I had them sing a couple of songs to our new baby, then say goodnight and give him a kiss. It was really cute!! I might have war over the new baby, both girls will want to always be holding him. Q'Orianka still tries to hold Suri. And Suri usually fights back, because she doesn't want her too.

Kitchen Decorating

Now that the reality of getting a house is here. I found the perfect design for my kitchen. Luis picked the color. I wasn't to sure about, since I had another idea in mind. Then as I was looking through the design binder I created, that has pictures of design ideas for different areas of the house. I found these pictures. I'm really excited, I can't wait until we move in and I can start working on making it ours.

Father's Blessing

The cutest thing happened tonight. Luis gave the girls and I a blessing, (the girls haven't been sleeping well the last couple of days.) After the blessing, we explained what a blessing was and who it comes from, Q'Orianka's eyes were so big as we explaining. So almost before we'd finished talking, she was wanting to give papa a blessing, so she stood behind him on the couch, put her hands and his head, she asked Luis what she should say, so he gave her his name then she proceeded to give blessing/prayer, it was so cute, she's talking about a couple of things that were mention in the blessing, plus a couple of other things she says at her bedtime prayers. We could hardly keep a straight face. Then Suri, the little copy cat, stood up put her hands on Luis' shoulds and said amen.

Kids can be so amazing!!!

Health Care Options

I want to share with everyone a wonderful way to share everyones health care burdens that I discovered today. A friends of mine's midwife was telling us about this program, It's called

Samaritan Ministries International.

-This is how it works!
Samaritan Ministries is a health care sharing ministry, not health insurance, so members’ needs are handled differently than insurance. Each month every Samaritan household is assigned to share in the medical need of another member.

Here's how the process works:

-Medical Need Begins
A Samaritan Ministries member has a need and calls the Samaritan Ministries office.
Packet is sent and prayer begins A Samaritan Ministries staff member sends a Need Processing packet to the member, who is added to the prayer list so fellow members can begin praying.

-The need is presented
He completes the form in the packet and returns it, with his medical bills, to the office.

-The need is processed
The Samaritan Ministries staff verifies the need information and prepares it for publication in the monthly newsletter.

-The need is published
The need is assigned to specific members, who are informed through the monthly newsletter.

-Members respond
The members send their shares along with notes of encouragement to the need assigned to them. They also pray for the member with the need.

-The burden is lifted
The member receives letters with financial gifts, notes of encouragement, and confirmation of prayers.

-God is glorified
The member is encouraged and praises God for His provision.

Memorial Day Weekend

Here are some fun pictures from the Beach. It was the first time both of the girls had really been in the water. For Suri this was amazing progress. She hate water, seriously, tub time is a nightmare and she won't play in the little pool we have for her. She prefers to put dirt in the water instead.

I can't believe it's been so long since I gave an update about our family. A lot has happened since the last time wrote. Luis and I are expecting another baby in November. I'm pretty sure it's a boy, since was so sick. I am not usually sick, I've just started to come back after about a month and half. Our poor kids, have been so neglected. Since for an entire month, I could barely get off the couch. We are finally getting back to normal or at least a little more normal of not 100% normal.

Luis contract was not renewed at the local high school, he is working at. The school district had serious budget cuts and anyone with less then 6 years of teaching, were giving a warning, that they might be let go. And he was. Which was bummer, since we were in the middle trying to buy a house. We've put that off and are looking to move, hopefully out the Fredericksburg Area. Where we will go or what he will be doing is still in the air, but we know we will be moving.

The kids are growing like weeds. Q'Orianka is 3 1/2 and is talking up storm, she has become such a little mommy to Suri. Suri doesn't usually appreciate it, but that's normal and they play so well together. Suri is 18 months and is so independent. She also talking like crazy. Her favorite word is apple. Since she loves to eat them and wants to eat them all day long.

Here are some recent pictures of the girls and us.

This is Luis and the girls outside the DC temple of a youth temple trip.

Luis and Q'Orianka fell asleep watching TV and Suri stayed awake to cuddle with her papa.

The girls pretending to play checkers at George Washington's Childhood home.

Bath Time, this is one of the few times, Suri has been happy during her bath. She hates her baths.

Here is a picture of the girls and I at the National Zoo in DC.