Periodic Puzzles Challenge

I was going through my dresser which has morphed into a dresser of random stuff we have collected over the years.  Its like a black hole.  We put stuff in that we think we might use at some point in our mortal existence.  As I was looking for something, I was quickly distracted by this 1000 piece puzzle of the Elements of the Periodic Table.

First of all, puzzles annoy me.  Secondly, if you are going to do a puzzle, it would be better if it was an amazing picture of a landscape of something.  Thirdly, it had a price tag of $15.  Not that $15 is a lot of money, but this is a garage sale item that you would be lucky to get rid of.  And here it is adding to the clutter.

My wife loves puzzles and she explained that she was at Costco and it looked fun so she got it.  This turned into a big debate over having to much clutter in the house, to who in the world would think it would be a fun, to me spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on surfboards and bikes without getting any crap about it from her.

Both of us had some valid points, and so I said if by 2015 this is still in the drawer, I would throw it out and we'd agree that it was a waste of money.  However, if she puts it together before then, I would agree that she was right and it was a worth wild purchase.

Two weeks later I come home to it completed. I guess I was wrong and my wife was right.  Story of my life.

Happy Halloween 2013

Here we are getting ready to go trick or treating in our friends neighborhood.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Dora the Explorer, we are dressed like that Cartoon.  Isa is Dora,  I'm her cousin Diego, Laila is the Monkey Boots, and Silvia is Swiper the fox.

I haven't blogged in like.....a....forever.   I miss it.  So many awesome things happen everyday and it feels like I don't have time to write it down.  Having two kids only 15 months apart is turning out to be so craaaaaazy!  People told me it going to get real, but I had not idea how real they meant.  I don't know how my parents raised 7 kids. With that said it has been the the funnies times and I wish I could do a better time documenting our experiences.

Dora and Pinkalicious are pumped!  I understand now why parents don't dress up.  Its a lot of work to dress up kids up.  By the time they are ready to go you are beat and are over it.  We forced ourselves.

Swiper is goosing Diego at the church's "Trunk or Treat."  Halloween is the one day I get to have a full head of hair.  For some reason its the one day that you can wear a wig and no one thinks twice about it.  Its kind of weird if you think about it.  Why can't I have a bunch of wigs and wear them everyday.  Why not, wigs are so fun and cool. 

Laila Jane 4 Months & all Smiles

I love Laila's big brown eyes.

She is always smiling

Laila is so Chill.  You can just set her down and she is happy as a clam

Isa was chill too at this age.  Is wasn't until she was 8mo that Isa became non-stop action. From swinging from the edge of the table to sharpies all over the wall.  We'll see how Laila is at 8 mos.

Silvia is such a good Momma.

Laila and Papai

I love her little chubby arms and legs.

She smells so good sometimes I'll just sniff her for a good 10 minutes.

SHE  IS SO STOKED OUT OF HER MIND

My little Morenhina

She always has some part of her hand in her mouth.

 I love Yosemite. It's truly a magical place and leaves you in awe.

Here we are on a bridge over the Merced river infront of Yosemite Falls. 

Isa didn't seem that impressed with the waterfall.  She was more interested in throwing rocks in the river.

Here we are at Mirror Lake at the base of Half Dome.  Its only a mile hike, but with Isa picking up every stick and pine cone it took us a long time getting there.

Summer Is Here! Boogie Boarding with Naomi

Summer is here! And when your with your cousins its always more magical

 

Isa and her cousin Naomi loved being pulled around by Mike on the boogie board

Isa bailed a couple of times and was completely under the water one time and didn't even cry.

  She is a tough cookie.  She is not even phased by the cold water.

2013 Easter Week End

If the video above isn't working try this one.

2013 Easter in Santa Cruz was a success. We had some friends I knew from BYU (Ajay and Angie) come down from San Francisco.  It was so fun watching their daughter, June push Isa in the doll stroller crashing into everything.

 We started Friday with a B-Day Bowling Fest to celebrate me turning the big Three-Five. Despite me barely breaking 100 both games it was so fun to act like a little kid with all your friends.

On Saturday the weather was a little wet, but by the time the Easter Egg Hunt started at the Kasper's it was clearing up.  Later that day we went down to Wilder State Beach for a little beach football and a classic game of running away from the waves as we pretend the ocean is hot lava.

Easter Sunday was so fun watching Isa following the trail of eggs that the Easter Bunny left, guiding her to her Easter basket.

 

Isa and Laila are growing up so fast. Laila is a 2 month-old sweet potato always smiling and giggling. She is sleeping well and eating great. Isa is little firecracker.  She's non-stop always wanting to go to the beach, go on walks to the church, or go on bike rides.

Introducing Laila Jane McLeod

Its been a month now since Laila was born and I have been trying to tell the birth story, but finding time to write with two kids under a year and half is difficult.  Thank goodness that we have had the wonder help of Silvia's mother.  She has been a God sent.

Laila Jane McLeod was born at 10:52 p.m. on Monday January 21st which was Martin Luther King Day this year.  She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz.

Laila is pronounced with the "ai" as a long "i" sound.  I was spelling it Lila, but Silvia said that in Brazil they spell it Laila.

Laila mean "Born at Night," "Dark-haired Beauty" or "Divine Creation." in German it also means a shade of purple.

 Jane is a family name.  She was my favorite aunt who passed away when I was in eighth grade.  She was so kind, beautiful and full of life.   She always made me feel like I was important.  The Hebrew meaning of Jane is "God is Gracious."