Snakes & Snails, Sugar & Spice

Double the diapers,

Double the toys,

Christa is having a girl and a boy!!

She's Good!

We were discussing how kids will play off both of their parents when they are trying to get something out of them; if one parent says no they go ask the other parent. My grandma told me a story about my cousin's seven year old daughter, Sierra, that I thought was too funny not to share.

Sierra, like any other kid, was trying to pull this stunt with her grandparents. She asked Grandma Shelley for something for which she was told no. So she went to Grandpa Danny and asked for the same thing. Grandpa Danny said, "I just heard Grandma Shelley tell you no."

While rubbing Grandpa Danny's shoulders Sierra said, "Well, yeah, but...aren't you the man of the house?"

Oh Sierra, you're good. You're real good.

Seven Year Itch

Today is our seventh wedding anniversary. Last night Marshall had a sleepover at my in-laws' and Jesse took me to dinner and a movie to celebrate. We used to go to movies all the time while we were dating and then when we got married Jesse decided to tell me that he didn't really like going to movies. What a dirty trick!

At dinner while I was eating some really messy barbeque ribs I realized that one of the nice things about being married for seven years is that I dare to order ribs on a date and I know he'll still love me when dinner is over. I would have never ordered something so messy while we were dating. Oh, the beauty of seven years of marriage.

Seven year itch here we come!

Obi Nobi Kwan

Marshall was, what he refers to as, Obi Nobi Kwan for Halloween. You've commonly heard him referred to as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He has all the sounds correct, they just happen to be a little mixed up.

There was a University of Utah football game on Halloween so we spent the day with Jesse's family at the tailgate lot. They had a lovely birthday party for me on top of all the Halloween festivities. Marshall was able to get loads of candy walking through the tailgate lot.

Obi Nobi fell asleep on the way out to my parent's house with these silly glasses on because even Jedi's get tired.

In Erda, he was able to trick-or-treat at all two of my parent's neighbors' homes and they were happy to get at least one trick-or-treater that night.

Did You Say Two?

That was the last thing I expected to hear but, sure enough, that's what she said. She told me there were two babies in there. In me!!

Holy crap!! I'm having twins.

They are due sometime in April and I'm very excited and very nervous. Right now I think I'm a little more nervous than excited but I'm praying that God will ease my nerves. I'm in my second trimester so hopefully I'll be done with the icky feelings soon.

I asked Jesse what he thought about having twins. His response was, "It sounds like a lot of fun." I'm so glad to have a partner in this who is excited and so supportive. He has been taking such good care of me.

Marshall doesn't really say much about it. Although he did tell me that he heard them talking one day. I hope all three of them are not already conspiring against Jesse and me because we're going to be outnumbered.

Goodbye, Border Collie

We had a sad weekend. Luke, our Border Collie, was hit by a truck by my parents' house and we had to put him down. He was only three and a half years old and it seems like such a shame that his life was so short. We miss him a ton but we thank God for giving us the time to enjoy him that we had. I'll miss my walking buddy. Marshall will miss his "Border Tolly". Viggo will miss his obnoxious little brother. And Jesse will miss his friend. We love you, Luke! Thanks for the fun times.

My Husband, The Comedian

If asked to describe my husband in one word, most people that know him would probably say easy-going, quiet, even-tempered or something else along those lines. I don't think humorous is the first word that comes to mind when someone thinks of Jesse. In all actuality, some of the funniest things I've ever heard have come from him. He says things that, even years later, still make me laugh out loud whenever I think if them. Maybe it's because he is so quiet that when something funny comes out of his mouth it hits me extra hard because he's not the one you would expect it to come from. I hope you enjoy his humor in the following stories as much as I do.

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My brother, Richard, is notorious for his expensive taste. One night, Jesse and I went out to dinner with Richard and his wife, Jill. Richard wanted to go to Fleming's Steakhouse at the Gateway. The restaurant was way too expensive but it turned out to be a really fun night, except for Jesse ending the night with a self-inflicted sickness which actually made me quite mad. How could he throw up a meal that was so expensive! He tried to make the situation better by saying, "At least I got to taste it twice." Ew, gross!!!

Months later when we were talking about the night we went to Fleming's and how expensive it was Richard said, "Why did we go there? Didn't we have a coupon or something?"

I said, "Richard, they don't really give out coupons for restaurants like that."

Then Jesse piped up and said, "Yeah Rich, we got it in our Valpak."

It still cracks me up.

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The next story occurred when Jesse was working as a brick mason for my dad. There was never a dull moment with the men on his crew because something crazy was always going on in at least one of their lives at any given moment.

One guy, I'll call him T for his sake, was always fighting with his girlfriend. These were knock-down, drag-out fights these two lovebirds would have. As a result of one of these fights and the use of a large Salt City Candle against his face, T was missing a few teeth. He was a cowboy and this really made him look like a hillbilly.

At lunch one day, the guys were teasing T about how he always tucked in his shirt when all they were doing was laying brick. T said, "Some people consider it neat and proper to tuck in their shirt."

Jesse said, "Some people consider a full set of teeth neat and proper."

T didn't talk to him the rest of the day.

Tangible Advice

For the past few months, whenever I tuck Marshall in at night his last words to me as I walk out of his room have been, "Make sure the guys don't get me." If I don't acknowledge what he said he will yell it over and over until I stick my head in his room and say, "Okay, I'll make sure the guys don't get you." I think he overheard me retelling a time I had to wake Jesse up at night because he was having a bad dream that guys were chasing him and he couldn't get away. These guys don't seem to scare Marshall but it makes me feel bad that my little boy goes to sleep thinking someone is going to get him.

One night after saying bedtime prayers and getting him cozy for bed he gave me his standard make-sure-the-guys-don't-get-me response as I was leaving. I believe kids understand more than we give them credit for so I decided to give him some advice that I thought would help. I told him that there were no guys that were going to get him and whenever he gets scared he can always talk to Jesus and ask Him to help him not be afraid. Marshall listened very closely and then said, "And Viggo will rip the guy's arm off."

"Yes, Honey. Viggo will rip his arm off."

Sounds like Daddy beat me to it with advice that may be slightly more tangible for a two year old.

Living Up To His Name

Star Valley

The three of us recently took a short trip to Star Valley, Wyoming. I've often heard people refer to places they love and consider beautiful as God's Country. Star Valley is God's Country for us. Don't be surprised if we decide to move there one day.

We stayed in a cozy little cabin at the north end of Afton. It was kind of a last minute excursion and the best part was that we had no agenda. We did whatever we wanted which amounted to eating a lot, trying to fish (the Salt River was too high and was moving too fast and I kept having visions of Marshall getting swept down the river in a matter of seconds), reading (I read, Jesse played his guitar), hiking, a little shopping, and relaxing.

As we were driving along a road that led to Bridger National Forest we happened along an alpaca farm. There was a guy standing outside the little red barn who saw us looking and motioned for us to come over. We pulled over and saw a little baby alpaca with his mom. The guy told us that the baby was only 30 minutes old. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. It was so cute to see this wobbly little animal trying to stand on it's skinny little legs. (If you are eating while reading this or just have a weak stomach I suggest that you stop reading because this will get a little gross.) The baby was so new it was still wet and the mother had not even delivered the placenta yet. She delivered it while we were there and that was when Jesse decided it was time to go; the man can only handle so much. After we got in the car Marshall said "She has a balloon on her butt." Which is exactly what it looked like.

On our way home we stopped at a fun playground in Bear River. Marshall loved this horse swing. They sell these at CAL Ranch and I keep trying to convince my parents that they need one for their barn.

We had a blast and we plan on making Star Valley a regular getaway for us.

A Night Out with The Eagles and the Old Timers

Okay, they weren't that old; in their fifties and sixties mostly.

This past weekend Jesse and I had a most interesting experience at the Eagles concert. We went with my mom and dad and a few of their friends, not to mention the other twenty friends my parent's happened to run into that night. I can't go anywhere with them without running into someone they know.

Before this concert, if you were to ask me what songs The Eagles sang I would only be able to tell you "Hotel California". After going to the concert I realize they sing a lot of songs that I know and like; I just didn't realize they were Eagles songs.

I was expecting it to be a really mellow night of relaxing and listening to some older music, then my dad started talking about how everyone would be standing through the whole concert. I told him I didn't think they would. He told me how he and my mom went to a KISS concert when they were younger and everyone stood through the whole thing. I said, "That was thirty years ago. Now everyone is old and arthritic." My dad wisely replied while holding up his beer, "Yes, but this is arthritis medicine." He was right. Those old timers stood through the whole concert! I was worn out by the end and they were all still raring to go.

It was crazy. They were standing on chairs, dancing in the aisles, breaking the ties holding the chairs together so they could have more room to sit, and, of course, there was that oh so identifiable smell of marijuana drifting through the stadium. And I thought I was going to spend a nice, wholesome evening with my parents. The concerts Jesse and I have been to have all been very mild in comparison.

One thing I found very interesting is how friendly they all were. By the end of the night everyone around us was talking like they were old friends and my dad had even been given a few nicknames. I told my mom that was a big difference between their generation and my generation. The girls my age just kind of stare each other down and the guys are too busy being cool. There's no attempt to be friendly with strangers. We tend to stay in our little bubbles. Maybe that's one area where I should start to imitate my parent's crazy generation. **Note to self: Be more friendly.**

It was a fun night and a big thanks to my dad for buying us the tickets.

Naughty Horn

Our neighbor plays an uncommon musical instrument and on occasion can be heard practicing outside. It's the kind of instrument that just fills the air with music and we can't quite tell from which direction its coming.

Jesse and Marshall were hanging out on the deck listening to the music from this instrument the other day. The next day Marshall was telling me about the "naughty horn" he and daddy had heard on the deck the night before.

I couldn't quite understand what he was talking about so after a little probing I figured it out. I first realized he was not talking about a horn but a pipe. This naughty pipe could also be described as bad.

Can you figure out what musical instrument he was talking about?

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It was the bagpipes! Or, according to Marshall, the bad pipes.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Marshall is afraid of the wind. He yells at it to stop when it's blowing and runs for the house if it gets too windy when he's outside. One day when it was windy at the playground, he curled up on my lap so scared while my niece was happy as a lark to have the wind blowing through her hair while she ate her grapes. I tried to explain to him that God is the One who controls the wind and that He cares more about him than even Mommy or Daddy. That helped a little but then Grandpa Dick and Uncle Richard found out about his fear and, in my family, you never want to show your weaknesses because they will be completely exploited; even if you're two.

In my effort to cure him of that fear I thought I would get him a kite to show him that the wind can be fun. I let him pick out the one he wanted and he chose Thomas the Train.

I decided to undertake this little wind intervention in Erda because all that wind has to be useful for something. After hiding around the side of my parent's house for a few minutes he finally let his guard down and joined the fun with Grandma Lisa. He was totally relaxed flying it and sat so content in my lap as we flew it together.

I think my intervention worked!

On a side note, my mom and I took him to a playground and there was a couple there with a little girl for Marshall to play with. As Marshall was walking up the stairs to play he was counting each stair he took, "One, two, three..." The lady there commented to Marshall about how smart he was and right on cue Marshall launched into his repertoire of knowledge with "A, B, C, D..." I couldn't have trained him to perform better even if I tried.

Who's Afraid of the Poop Monster?

MY DAD!!

He came through in a pinch and watched Marshall for me yesterday all by himself. This is quite the feat for a man who could probably count on one hand the number of times he has changed a diaper. He had to add to that number yesterday.

While visiting my grandpa in the hospital, Marshall did the worst thing he could possibly do with my dad in charge. He pooped his pants. After asking several nurses if they would change him and getting the response "Are you serious?" my dad finally decided to cowboy up and change the diaper himself. I have proof.

Yes, that is my dad in the picture and, yes, he is wearing surgical gloves. But he did it and I'm so proud of him. And here is the after picture that shows he survived the horrendous experience and lived to tell about it.But the panic didn't end there.

Later that day, I received a phone call from him at work. Our conversation went as follows:

Dad: "Christa, I put Marshall down for a nap. Why won't he go to sleep?"

Me: "Well, what's he doing?"

Dad: "He's standing up in the crib crying."

Me: "How long ago did you lay him down?"

Dad: "About 30 seconds ago."

Me: "Calm down, Dad. Give him a few minutes and he'll fall asleep."

All things considered, my dad was a great babysitter. Although Marshall may have been hanging upside down from the handle in my dad's truck with his pants off when I arrived to pick him up, at least he had a clean diaper on.

Book Review of "The Shack"

At one point The Shack by William P. Young was going around as the latest craze within the "Christian circles" so I was immediately intrigued. I wanted to read it, if anything, just to know what all the fuss was about. I know this review comes a little late in the game but I figured I might as well express my opinion on it. It's been a while since my last post and since I have nothing else on the horizon to blog about, a book review will have to suffice.

Just to give you a little bit of an idea of what this book is about, this is the description on the back cover:

"Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!"

Now on to my review.

I had a very hard time with this book. I didn't really care for the story line let alone the theology that was portrayed in it. I know it is fiction but it is fiction trying to pass itself off as Biblical theology and that is where I have a problem with it. When it is sold at the Christian bookstore I tend to have more of an expectation that it will be a little more theologically accurate. If someone who was not very familiar with the God of the Bible was to read this book they would get a skewed idea of who He is.

I'm no theologian but I have read my Bible and do know a little something about it. A few specifics that bothered me:

-A lack of respect and awe when face to face with the Creator of the universe to the point where Mack (the main character of the book) feels okay to even curse in front of God.

-Papa (the author's name for God in the book) telling Mack when they first meet that they will do things "on his (Mack's) time and on his (Mack's) terms." We do things God's way; not each person choosing what's right for him. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" is repeated twice in the Bible, once in Proverbs 14:12 and again in Proverbs 16:25.

-The idea that there is no submission to authority within the Trinity. The author even portrays it as sinful to think that there is any authority within the Trinity. A few verses that completely contradict that are 1 Cor 11:3, 1 Cor 15:28, John 6:38 and John 8:28. Those verses do not mince words that God the Son is subject to God the Father. The author portrays that there cannot be equality if there is authority involved.

-God the Father being portrayed in human form. In John 4:24 we read "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Jesus was God in human form, not the Father.

There is more but I think I'll leave it at that. If you've read it, let me know your opinion. If you haven't read it, I still welcome your thoughts.

Photo Tag - Grandpa Louie

I was tagged by my friend Stefanie to pick the sixth picture in my sixth folder in My Pictures and blog about it. Well, it may surprise some of you that my pictures do not have individual folders. They are in one folder in a huge, jumbled, unorganized mess. I feel like Monica from Friends when Chandler discovers the messy closet. As a result, I'm going to have to go with the sixth picture in my only folder.

This is my Grandpa Louie on Christmas day at his house in 2007. He is my dad's father. The most amazing thing about my grandpa is that he has been a wonderful father and grandfather in spite of the fact that he was under no obligation to fill that role. It was his choice. He is not my dad's biological father but he chose to adopt him when my father was about two years old. I praise God for placing this good ole' Magna boy in my family. He as been a wonderful influence in all our lives. This picture is really so great because it captures him doing something that I will forever remember about him - whistling. Grandpa Louie is constantly whistling whenever he does anything from puttering around the house to doing some kind of wood working project. I love you, Grandpa Louie, and your whistling too!

Sweet, Little Grandma Jennie

Jesse's grandma went home to be with the Lord on Sunday. What a blessing she was to so many people. She was very influential in Jesse's life, especially when he was younger and was babysat by her. He has wonderful memories of her and his grandpa. My memories of Jennie were from before I even knew Jesse. She was the sweet, little lady I would see in church all the time. Who knew that one day I would be a part of her family? Its amazing how God works. I can only imagine what she is seeing and experiencing at this moment. We will miss you but we will see you again, Grandma Jennie! Give Jesus and Max a hug for us.

Juanita "Jennie" Sandoval

12/12/1924 ~ 2/22/2009

Grandma Jennie - "mother extraordinaire", beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend went to join her Lord and Savior and her beloved husband Max on Sunday, February 22, 2009. Born to Jesus M. and Jose O. Sanchez in Castlegate, Utah. She was blessed with a loving step-father, Louis Canchola whom she cherished as DAD. She inherited a strong work ethic from her mother which served her well later on in life. She married Max Sandoval on October 21, 1942 and they started their life together in Price, Utah, later moving to Salt Lake City in 1951. God blessed them with 21 children and she never tired of having a child around the house, even if they weren't her own. She worked endlessly, making sure her family (and anyone else who was lucky enough to be there) was well fed and taken care of. Everyone loved her hand-made tortillas and wonderful Mexican food! She spent countless hours cooking, cleaning, sewing, babysitting for others and still made time for her family. Flats of eggs, garbage cans full of flour, rice and beans were the norm - all of this without Costco! She played a big part in the upbringing of many of her grandchildren by babysitting them, as well as raising her beloved grandson Jeremy, until she suffered a stroke in 1989. Throughout her remaining years, her grandchildren continued to be the light of her life. Her Christian faith was her life and she used that influence to raise her children. She and Max were founding members of the Salt Lake Christian and Missionary Alliance Church where she selflessly served in various positions and made many long lasting friendships. It was her faith that gave her the endurance, energy and amazing strength to accomplish such a remarkable life. She was truly loved and admired by many! Survived by children: Ernestine, Gilbert (Becky), Carl, Max (Brenda), Anita (Mike), Peter (Phyllis), Jennie-Lee, Elaine, Duane (Lauri), Samuel, Nathan, Patsy (Elgin), Jacob (Julie), Andrew (Cynthea), Daniel (Karen), Becky (Paul), Jennifer (Stewart), Rosellen, 46 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Preceded in death by her loving husband Max, twin infants, Mary and Joseph, son Jerry, mother Jesus Canchola, step-father Luis Canchola and brother Fidel Sanchez. A viewing will be held on Friday, Feb. 27th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Redwood Memorial, 6500 So. Redwood Rd. Services will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28th at 2:00 p.m. at the Discovery Christian Community Church at 5929 So. 900 E., Murray. Viewing one hour prior to services. We'd like to extend a special thank you to our sister, Ernestine for the loving care she gave our mother during her final years of life. We are forever grateful to her for that!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

I have two movie recommendations for you all. They are both very family friendly and you can watch them with the kids in the room. When Jesse and I watch movies with the little guy around the biggest thing we have to worry about is language because he’s a Say It/Play It. You don’t have to worry about that with these two movies.

The first one is Fireproof. This is a movie about a fireman, played by Kirk Cameron, who is struggling with his marriage and on the verge of divorce. Jesse and I watched it together and I thought it was a wonderful movie. It’s a different kind of love story than what you usually get. Most love stories end with the couple getting married and living happily ever after. This movie is different in that it is about a couple who is already past that point and still trying to love one another. In real life, marriage is hardly the end of the story. It’s only the beginning. If you have a spouse or soon-to-be-spouse I recommend watching it together.

My second recommendation is Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. This is a documentary by Ben Stein, the teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off¸ about the treatment of people promoting Intelligent Design. This movie is not about trying to convince you to believe one way or the other but simply shows the way those that dare question the mainstream are dealt with. It’s very interesting and concerning and shows a side of the story that you don’t get to hear very often.

Let me know what you think of my movie picks.

Matter of Time

When I arrived home from work last night I found Jesse sitting on the couch in a blood stained shirt holding a wet cloth over a whimpering child's lip. I learned that Marshall had fallen off the stool in the kitchen and hit his face on the side of the bar resulting in a pretty deep cut. We debated over whether or not he needed stitches and decided that we should at least take him in to get checked out. Jesse was worried about it scarring. I told him not to worry, scars are cool for boys.

It turns out we weren't overreacting and he did need stitches. The nurse told us if they weren't able to hold him still for the stitches we would have to take him to Primary Children's so he could be sedated. The idea of sedating my little boy didn't sound good to me at all. We decided it would be a good idea to pray to the Only One who could actually keep our son calm.

They started by putting some numbing ointment on his lip which he surprisingly never tried to remove. It made his lip turn white which was a good thing because it meant that it had worked and his lip was numb. The nurse had to wash it out with water and that was the part Marshall hated. Go figure! It wasn't the needle he hated, it was the water. When the doctor came in to do the stitches Marshall tattled on the nurse and told the doctor, "She put water on it!" while glaring at the sweet nurse.

They laid him down and he hardly put up any fuss. The numbing solution (and the prayer) had worked. I was singing songs to him to keep him calm when suddenly on the fourth and final stitch I started to feel sick and a little light headed. I asked Jesse to take over for me while I sat down. I thought, "Oh no! I'm like one of those men that passes out when their wife is in labor!" I think watching a needle get shoved through my baby boy's lip one too many times had finally gotten to me.

Four stitches and a popsicle later everyone was fine. I knew it was just a matter of time before we had to take him in for something like this and praise Jesus that it turned out as well as it did. His shirt on the other hand, I think is a goner.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Savannah spent some time with us last week. This is one of the conversations we had.

Savannah (singing): One manaza. One manaza. Do you know that song?
Aunt Dee Dee (that's me for those of you who don't know): What song? The one your singing?
S: Yeah. One manaza. Two manaza. Three manaza.
DD (after much contemplation): Oh! You mean the one by Britney Spears?
S: Yeah!
DD: What are the words you're singing?
S: One manaza.
DD (now laughing): What's a "manaza"?
S: I don't know.

I'm just glad she didn't know the real words to a song called Womanizer.

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I was changing Marshall's diaper the other day and he said to me, "I drop a steamer."

He gets that from his dad.

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We were out to breakfast with Savannah and she was playing with the coffee creamers by stacking them on top of each other. Then she said to Jesse and me, "Look! It's the Artful Tower."

It was too funny so we didn't bother correcting her.
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While camping we were sitting around the campfire with my niece, Bailey. I was talking about how I recently found some old papers I wrote back in Junior High. One paper talked about what I imagined my spouse to be like and the different characteristics he would have. Bailey so perceptively asked, "Did you write down a guy that drinks a lot of beer?"

I guess I left that one out.
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Send me your comments and share some of the funny things the kids in your life have said.