Daniel's Birthday the big 28

These are obviously Eva, you can do this with the panoramic option on the camera. This is when Bubba was getting his hair cut.

It was Daniel's 28Th Birthday yesterday (it is Andrew's today). Its the first time they have had "separate" birthday's. Ralph and Kathryn gave Daniel and I a NEW CAMERA. We are so excited because being in Guam without a camera has been challenging. It is a cool camera it takes panoramic pictures.
View of the living room area from the Kitchen area (open floor plan)

I think its just amazing. Well we had cake and ice cream for Daniel. His favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting and his famous cheesecake. I will never make or help with a cheese cake again they take forever!. It was good though. I am going to post a few pictures we took with the new camera.

Daniel, Eva and Alexander after cake

Alexander also got a hair cut today. Kathryn cut it and it looks so much better. I think we will go snorkeling later today but we will see. Hopefully at Ipao beach. We will be able to test out the new camera.

First it was ticklish and fun

Then it was 'painful'

Then is was fun because he got to hold it while it was on.

Eva was just relaxing as Bubba got his hair cut

On Saturday we had a lot of fun. We went to Ritidian Point beach. That is our favorite beach just because it is so clean and peaceful. We went with the Jimenez family.



They grilled very yummy ribs and chicken and all the kids just played together.



Daniel, Ralph and Kathryn went out snorkeling and they saw angel fish. I think they really enjoy the snorkeling. Daniel loves it because he has someone to snorkel with. We never go out together because I only last a few minutes and I usually play with the kids. So he is really enjoying it. Oh and they other day when Ralph and Kathryn were snorkeling at the Hyatt beach they saw a blue starfish. Still on my list of what I want to see but I am sure I will see one.



Daniel and Ralph were then able to go to the Priesthood session together. It was a great day. Sunday was great too. We forgot to go on a Sunday drive but we were baking cakes all evening so it didn't work out.

we are lazy

We haven't blogged in awhile only because our camera is broken. It rained for about 5 days straight and today is the first sunshine. Last Saturday we went to the beach and it rained the whole time. We stayed for an hour though because the rain doesn't really affect the temperature. Eva got in the water, not all the way under because its the ocean but I took her in and Alexander is getting more brave and crazy in the water. Not much has been happening really. We were asked to speak on Sunday about the restoration. I have no idea what to talk on because the restoration isn't just one little thing.
All I have been doing today is taking care of the children and researching and preparing to file my I-751. If no one knows what that is its the change of status form for my greencard. I will have had my greencard for 2 years on december 13th and the instructions say I am to send it in not before but during the last 90 days before december 13th. I think I am there now but the process is just as crazy as the initial greencard. I have to show all kinds of proof that we are still married and not married for a greencard. The worst thing about it is that is costs $545. This is pretty depressing because I have been googling all day to see other people's process for doing the I-751 and they were all complaining because it cost $215 in 2006. I guess applying to stay in the country is like gas prices. I think the citizenship one is about $670 it will probably be $800 by the time I get there. So you have to prove you are married in good faith (whatever that means) and pay lots of money. Oh but I didn't get on here to complain I am sure it could be a lot worse. My 10 year greencard will take about a year they say. They are very behind. The head of the USCIS(immigration) said the fees are going up so the process can go faster. Hopefully it will. Anyway I was going to ask if anyone has any photos of Daniel and I together since December 13th 2006. This is all really annoying oh and if anyone who has known us since we have been married would like to fill out an affidavit saying they have known us married and think we are married out of good faith or something then let me know. I think these people are weird about their proof of a relationship. Anyway that is life right now a bit annoying and stressful. I can't stand the immigration stuff but hopefully it will be worth it in the end. (they can't stop bugging me until I get citizenship which I can technically apply for on December 13th 2009)

Miriam

Life

I haven't blogged in awhile so here is a quick update

Our Camera is officially broken completely. It wont even turn on now. Eva is smiling and giggling a lot well her kind of giggling. We don't do much here at home with Alexander and Eva. We have gone to the beach and we went swimming with Line,Eva (American pronunciation), Kalena and Maysa at the Hilton on Friday and it was quite a bit of fun. We might be going tomorrow again. All the kids really like it and Daniel and Augustine both have to work on Labor day so we figured we would. (They are our new friends). Eva is about a year older than Alexander, Maysa is 5 and Kalena is a month older than Eva Sunna. Daniel just got done being sick again. We get sick all of us at least once a month and it is very annoying. We found out the other day that the Kathryn and Ralph are coming to visit in October and we are so excited to see them. Eva seems so big and receptive now. If you talk and smile at her she will talk and smile back. I never got that with Alexander but he wasn't as social or needy as Eva either. Sorry for no pictures. The card is even broken. The computer wont upload pictures directly from it so Daniel and I figure we will get one for Christmas or something. Although we will miss all the holidays. We will see I guess.

I am trying to do my Immigration stuff and its so expensive so we have to take care of that first. It is made so difficult and confusing. I can't believe how expensive it is getting either. I am not going to blog more about it because it is stressful and annoying. We have just been relaxing I guess. My calling is so time consuming! I can't believe it. It keeps me very busy and Young Women can be so dramatic sometimes. The busy season is coming up. I can't help but think I would be a lot more helpful or willing in my head if I didn't have two young children and a husband. I feel like everyday of the week something is expected for it and it is rather overwhelming sometimes. There are so many activities. Over here they aren't just on Tuesdays. If we decide to do a Saturday or Friday activity we do all of them, there is no canceling of one to substitute the other and that has been happeneing for the past few weeks. It is rewarding but demanding. Anyway enough of that.

Its my birthday on Saturday and I hope I get to relax. Daniel was already sick this whole weekend so as long as The children and I don't get sick it should be a good weekend. I am hoping Daniel will be able to take me to dinner on Saturday night because there are no good movies out. There is a place called the Jamaican grill. I am hoping to go there and I already set up babysitters.

It has officially been a year since I was in school and I really miss it. I feel like my brain is turning to mush and I don't' have anything to read. I found out my local library doesn't allow children under 3 in there PERIOD. So that strikes out both of my children. If there is a low literacy rate here that is not helping it. I hope in a year I can find somewhere I want to get my masters and at least think about it. I don't know when I will be able to do it considering my family is here and grew but I don't want to give up that dream. OK I am boring and done. I am not sure when you will here from us again because of no camera and that was the main purpose. We will have to work on that.
Bye for now.

The camera worked

The camera actually decided to sort of work today. Eva is just getting better. Still has coughing fits and Alexander is getting alot better and very full of attitude. Well Here are some pictures I took this Morning. The weird half and half one is an example of what the camera does when freaking out. Its just Eva in her bouncer and the others are of Alexander. I was feeding Eva and Alexander was drawing on himself. He got a hold of one of thoe super sharpies. That was him eating his lunch trying to hide his crime. I laughed for a long time when I saw him because its the first time he didn't draw on everything else, just himself. Anyway thats all Eva is crying now, does want to go to sleep.

Miriam

Parenthood

I finally feel like a parent. Alexander has been sick since Friday night and its Tuesday morning. It would be fine if it was just a cold but it wasn't. He tossed his cookies Friday night at 12 then had a fever all night. Then he had a fever all Saturday that kept coming and going every few hours. He cried a lot and wouldn't eat or drink. Then he had a fever all night Saturday and started his runny nose and coughing a lot. Then he had a fever all Sunday and started getting crankier and crankier. The fever kept going all Sunday night into Monday morning and he started getting the shakes. He refused to sleep in his bed or our bed so I was on the couch with him all Sunday night into Monday morning getting an hour of sleep here and there when he did. His fever went down after I gave him Tylenol but would go back up to 102 when it wore off. This happened all weekend. So I finally called the pediatrician. He got us in Monday afternoon at 5. We found out he seems to have athsma or however you spell that and it's trigger is a runny nose. He also started getting an ear infection. So he is on three medications right now because the doctor said he is more aggressive with it because if you hit it hard in the beginning it will go away faster and wont come back as much over the years. Alexander was so exhausted last night from not sleeping more than an hour at a time for the last three days that he slept the whole night in his bed ( I am sure the medication helped too). I finally got some sleep last night too and I hope this doesn't happen again any time soon because I was up with Eva and then Alexander too. It became too much, that is why I called the doctor finally. The only good thing about this whole thing was that some how they didn't cry at the same time .I would get ALexander to calm down and go to sleep for a bit and then Eva would wake up and I would get her fed and changed and calm and asleep then Alexander would get up again. I didn't mention Daniel in this but he helped a lot over the weekend taking Alexander in the nights and sleeping in the other room with him when he would. I wanted Daniel to get a good nights sleep on Sunday night so he could work the next day and thats when I got no sleep at all. I can feel myself getting sick for the lack of sleep and now Eva's nose is blocked up again. This is the first time I have felt like a parent overwhelmed. I am sure it gets way worse over time but wow I don't want to experience this again for a long time or at least until Eva starts sleeping 6 hours straight so I can be ready for an experience like this and not already exhausted before it starts.
Miriam
P.S no pictures because the camera is broken still and all you would see was sick children.

Our Camera

Hi Everyone,
Well our camera is broken. Sometimes it works we have no idea what happened. Alexander would swing it around and smash the screen but it was still intact and working fine until a few days ago. Some kind of mechanical error, I don't know if moisture got in or if the batterie is over or just nothing and it broken. SOOOO I have no idea how much we will blog on here now, probably still a good amount but good luck getting pictures of Eva when she comes, maybe my mother will get here before Eva does and we can use their camera. We will see. I registered at the hospital and the crib comes here today so it is an exciting day, we are officially or technically ready for the baby. We still have many things we need to get but we have the essentials for a week of a new born.

Today Alexander and I (Miriam) went swimming at the pool for play group. He loved it and was good all day. Hopefully he wont be too tormented by this new baby. He has no idea she is coming but I hope he does well with it. We tell him Eva or the baby is in my stomach but I think he thinks it means he has a baby in his stomach too because he often points to his belly and says baby. I think he will enjoy her company when she gets a bit bigger and he can play with her. Less boredom around the house for him.
Miriam