I'm Thankful For...

No matter how much I complain about my kids, I am thankful that I have them in this life, and at this moment in time. My cousin, Joni, just posted a link to a woman's website--this woman's 2 year old daughter is dying of Pediatric Cancer, and likely won't survive the week. I couldn't even make it through one post without sobbing. I know I need to count my blessings more often.

Here is the family's blog: http://half12.blogspot.com/

If you would like to make a donation to help this family, you can go to this blog and there is a button on the sidebar: http://littleolladylivedinashoe.blogspot.com/

A visit to a Mexican Dentist in Ajijic

A few weeks ago Jared and I went in for a dental cleaning at a great little 2-person office at Ajijic Dental. The dentist was superb, and gave us the best cleanings of our lives! It was a "hydro" or "sonic" or "something else" cleaning. For the life of me, I can't remember what they called it, and I can't find any phrase for it online. Basically, it was a cleaning without those nasty little metal tools scratching at your teeth, poking your gums. It was all done with a fancy little hydro tool that (much like a pressure hose) cleaned our teeth without scratching at our mouth for hours! It felt fantastically clean, was done very quickly, and didn't hurt at all! We also liked it when our dentist got out a little mini camera stick, and showed us our teeth one-by-one on the screen. She would tell us if the tooth looked fine, or showed us where there seemed to be decay. For once...I felt like a could trust a dentist, because I could SEE what she was talking about (too bad she had a LOT to see in my mouth...)! Teeth cleanings cost us $300 pesos each ($20 USD each)-trying getting THAT in the US.

We had Jared's chipped tooth fixed...she did a PERFECT job for just $45 USD. Perfectly seemless!

She also checked Ella's teeth for free. It was Ella's first time at the dentist, and she was quite nervous. The dentist just had her rinse with mouthwash, and then looked at her teeth with the camera. Ella's teeth looked PERFECT...no decay whatsoever (I wish I could say that about mine)!! Way to go, Ella!

On the topic of table dancing...

A friend showed me this very entertaining article:

Is mommy an exotic dancer? The importance of clear communications

File this under miscommunication.

On his blog, Baltimore weatherman Justin Berk posted this provocative class drawing from a child depicting her mother’s profession.

Berk also posted the mother’s letter of explanation to her daughter’s teacher.

The letter states:

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely, Mrs. ...(Mother)

Just goes to show the importance of clear communication.

(Posted by Michael Sebastian on January 30, 2009 9:13 AM | Permalink)

Team Alaska Ice Sculptures

We have a lot of extremely talented friends in Skagway, Alaska. This year, some of our friends were asked to attend an invite-only Ice Carving competition in Breckenridge, Colorado last week. When the competition begins, each team starts carving a block of snow (weighing about 20 tons). They can only use hand tools (no power tools), so you can only imagine the work required.

65 hours later, Team Alaska's block looked like this:

Notice the bear searching for the guy in the trailer? Well...he probably won't find him...he's stepped on him!! At the bottom right is their carving/sculpture that was the original design.

They didn't win the competition, but they got Kid's & People's Choice...quite the compliment! Good job, guys!!

My little brother is MARRIED!

My little brother got married 2 weeks ago at the Idaho Falls Temple. He married a beautiful, sweet girl named Devri (from Idaho Falls). I flew up with just Maiya, and left Jared to tend to Ella in Mexico. Maiya was somewhat of a terror on the flight up (it was a VERY late night), but was an angel on the way back (VERY early, and she slept almost all day on the 2 planes)! I enjoyed the view of Mexico from the plane (bottom right). I guess I always assumed most of Mexico was a desert wasteland...but its scenery varies dramatically.

Devri is very talented, and made Maiya an adorable dress for the wedding. Gee...the girl was getting married, and here she was...making a dress for a baby just a few days before the big day! We like her a lot, and are happy to have her addition to the family! It is always a relief when a family member chooses a spouse that we can relate to! According to the luncheon "toasts"...we have caught wind that she will fit into the family perfectly. She sounds like a strong, opinionated woman...just like a few other Saville girls that I can think of! I am so happy for Brian...and still find it hard to believe he is old enough to get married, let alone date a girl...

While in Utah and Idaho, we got some good family time in (although much too short)! We swam at my parents' and siblings' hotel, ate a bunch of yummy meals, and I stayed the night at my brother-in-law's grandmother's house. She is an angel, and quite the host! You wouldn't believe the breakfast she cooked up for us, and you also couldn't imagine her perfectly preserved home from the 60's. Wow...I should have taken photos...pink and lime green shag carpets...and all the accessories! I would have eaten this house up in my high school years...I'm sure I would have dug some great clothes out of the closets...

Thanks to my family for being my transportation, and helping me attempt to be a single mom for the weekend. How do single parents do it? I don't even want to find out...

Oh, no you didn't...

There are funny quirks about this place...and sometimes I see things that make me laugh so hard...

For example, we purchased a bunch of metal handmade planes, trains, and automobiles for our store.
The shop owner gave us a brochure of the different items that they make, including their mini scenes for professionals (i.e. Doctors, Teachers, Musicians, etc). The first one may seem normal, but the other two caught my eye...


Hmm...know anyone in these professions that I should purchase these for?

Christmas, New Years, and everything in between...

About Christmas...
It was quite an unusual Christmas...warm, sunny, and quiet.
Our tree was a whopping 9 inches high (including the angel).

It took about 5 hours of crafting the "Arrbol Navidad" at a church Enrichment class where a few Mexican sisters taught the Gringos in Spanish. None of us speak Spanish, but we managed! This Mexican Paper Mache craft is unlike anything I have ever seen before! I actually really enjoyed it! I realized that nowadays it is rare for me to do crafts that are unrelated to the business and don't fall under Jared's scrutiny...hahaa!

On Christmas Day, Ella didn't know it was a special day. That is, until we sat down with her and explained to her the Christmas Bible story, baby Jesus, and how the Wise Men brought Jesus gifts. We then pulled out her single gift and explained to her that it was a reminder of when the wise men visited Jesus. Of course, she was thrilled to get a present!

She got a cute little mini doll chair and table set that we bought at a little tienda for less than $2.50. Simple, and yet...well...isn't that what Christmas should be? I have to admit that as a retailer I am quite cycnical about what Christmas has been "made into." Of course I desperately want my customers to "buy buy buy!", but our celebration of Christmas is quite different in reality. I think it is easy to miss the whole point, nowadays!

The following week we went to Chapala with some friends that we randomly made in church on Sunday. Carla & Greg were visiting from Texas for their 10th wedding Anniversary (left the kids at home), and were without transportation or plans. We chimed and asked, "Do you want to go to the Chapala market with us, tomorrow?" They accepted, and on Monday it turned into an all day affair. We thoroughly enjoyed their company, and even got some family photos (a rarity)!

The chapel in Chapala had set up a huge nativity with corn husk characters (perhaps 2-3 feet tall each). I was really impressed, as I've always loved the corn husk doll craft. I especially enjoyed the Satan character standing in the corner. Hmm...that's a new twist on the nativity scene that I have never seen before!

Ella made buddies with Carla & Greg immediately. The next day we offered to take them to Tonala, an outskirt community in Guadalajara where many of the products sold in Mexico are made. There is an outdoor market, and there is always some great shopping to be done. I think they ended up buying 4 or 5 nativity sets while we were there!! And all for ridiculously inexpensive prices!

We had a business mission to custom order some metal embossed artwork for our store. We knew what we wanted, and were returning to ask some artists to make images of wildlife that they don't see down here...such as moose, bears, etc. As it turned out, Carla & Greg speak great Spanish (Greg is a Spanish teacher), and they translated for us as we made our custom orders. Looking back, I'm not quite sure how we would have done it without them! They were a HUGE blessing, and we hope to stay in touch and remain friends! Too bad they don't live down here!

On Jared's birthday we dropped the girls off at a friend's house and scurried over to the movie theater to enjoy our first movie in town (and our first break from the kids!). We were disappointed to learn that the theater was closed for the New Year's Eve! Argh! What luck!! So, we went to Walmart, instead. Yes, SOOOO exciting!

While there, we ran into some friends who invited us to their house that evening. They were having a small get-together. We accepted, and I baked a birthday cake to take to the party for Jared. The party was great, intimate, and included just a small number of other Mexican couples. Two of the husbands (including our host, Mark) are Canadian (married to Mexican women), so they helped to translate! We learned a bit about the Mexican New Year traditions.

We enjoyed yummy food, sat outside on Mark and Martha's veranda, and enjoyed the beautiful weather all night as the kids played in the yard and inside. Mark and Martha's property is right on the lake, and is SUPERB. Here's a photo of their backyard in the daylight:

We talked about American and Mexican New Year's traditions. One of the Mexican men was laughing about how he was once in the US, and was shocked when his hosts turned on the TV to watch the ball drop...he couldn't believe it. He thought that was so funny!

In Mexico, they count down according to their own watches, and when the clock strikes midnight, they eat a grape for every clock chime (you know...12 chimes means it is 12 o'clock). They say it is for good luck for each of the months of the coming year! Truly, 12 grapes is a LOT to eat in 12 seconds...and I don't think everyone quite did it...but I suppose it is the intention that counts!! Everyone also went around the room and gave each other a hug.

We left "early," around 1am. We were told that Mexicans often go to 2am or 3am. Maiya was a wreck, and needed to be put to bed...but Ella could have gone all night playing with her new best friend from preschool, Pablo. Pablo is the child of Martha and Mark, and is clearly Ella's new beau (to rival Nico in Alaska). They have been inseperable at school, lately (which has caused a bit of trouble). Oh...isn't it funny that Ella's two boyfriends have both been half-Mexican?!! :-)

Oh...and a few more photos to end my post...

Maiya is developing quite the personality. She thinks everything is SOOO funny. She makes this sly face when she is up to something goofy (like climbing or lounging on the stairs...her favorite). Her giggle and toothy smile is just priceless!

She also likes to bite Mommy, Daddy, and Ella...just because she thinks it is funny. It's so cute right now...but hopefully it won't become a habit! She just giggles and giggles...until you loudly scream "Ouch!"...and then she cries!

Jared has also decided that he wants to spend more time outside. So, for a week straight we would move an extra couch outside every day so he could relax out there. I don't think I ever took the time to enjoy it. It was jsut a bit too too warm and sunny for my taste :-) Oh, Mexican living is hard...

Congrats...you survived another dreadfully long blog post (or perhaps you just skimmed past the photos, to the bottom?)!! Oh well...either way...

Happy New Year!