We're Expecting!

So if you haven't noticed our little "widget" yet... there will be one more Mata in the beginning of August. Sorry for the unconventional blog announcement. I know it probably violated some sort of social protocol. David wanted to tell his family first since we told my family first with Malia. I have known since the beginning of December and all those many weeks is a long time for this girl to keep her mouth shut! Especially since I talk to my family every day, some of them several times a day! Thank goodness for my fav 5! So when we got into Phoenix on Saturday we told his family. Immediatley after I went to my blog and added the widget to it. I called my mom and made her look at my blog. I was trying to be clever. It took her FOREVER to load it up but her and Chris finally got to see it. They are excited but can't believe our timing AGAIN. Chris gets two weeks off from John Deere at the end of July every year. They keep trying to have a family vacation during that time, but either Britt or I keep having kids- Britt in '05, me in '06, Britt in '07, and now me again in '08! I had meant to remove the widget and wait a bit longer to tell others or at least do it in a more conventional manner. However, things got crazy with the holidays, and I spaced it! I know they tell you that you are supposed to wait until you are at least 3 months along to announce- I am only 8 weeks. I just get too excited and can't keep quiet! Who are "they" anyway? So there it is. My due date is August 12th, 3 days after Malia's second birthday. If I go 4 days early, I could have my baby on 08-08-08!! Fun, huh? You know what's not fun? The beginning parts of pregnancy! With Malia I threw up for 5 months straight. I was teaching full time and it was not enjoyable. This time I thought I was in the clear because it didn't start right away. However, a couple days before we took off for Phoenix, the extreme nausea kicked in. The same time two years previous David and I were traveling to Phoenix to spend Christmas with his family. I was pregnant then, too. Traveling and nausea don't mix! I have a really rough time with the beginning part and it's complicated this time with having a toddler by my side. Never good to have your little one witness you spewing. Sorry for the visual. Nonetheless, I know I am very blessed to bring another little one into the world and am grateful for Malia. She may have a lot of attitude right now, but one look at her and I know it is all worth it! We won't be finding out what we are going to be having. We love the element of surprise. If it's another girl we are good to go. All of Malia's clothes will even match up seasonally! If it's a boy... we are not so good to go. However, Britt may help me out since Nathan was born in August and his clothes will work out seasonally. Speaking of Nathan.. Here is a picture of Britt's kids- Nathan (2) and Nora (5 months). Britt has a blog but her internet connection is not always the best so she doesn't get to post often. Sharon (my dad's girlfriend) emailed me this photo that they took of them during Christmas. Aren't they cute? I miss them tons and can't believe how big Nora is getting!

Our Little Christmas

The little Mata family held our Christmas on Thursday night. We had just gotten back from Arizona that afternoon. It was good to spend time with our little family. Malia had a blast opening presents from us, Mom Mom and Poppa (my mom and stepdad), and her other grandparents (my dad and Sharon). Thanks to both sets of grandparents for sending out the presents. She loved all of her gifts. The toughest part was deciding what to play with first! I was very spoiled by David and hoped he liked the things I got him. We have one more "Christmas" left on New Year's Eve at Dianne's house in Idaho Falls. My grandparents will still be in town and we will go to the Rexburg Temple Open House on the second. Good times!

CHRISTMAS in AZ

David, Malia and I took off Friday the 21st to drive down to Arizona to spend Christmas with David's family in Phoenix. It should be about a 12 hour drive. We left at night so that Malia would be asleep for most of the trip. As you can see, she didn't always cooperate!



We finally got there Saturday around noon. David's dad, Gabriel, goes all out on the Christmas yard decorating. The decorations on the roof played Christmas music and lit up alternately. He made a stream running through the yard so that the moving deer bent down to drink from it! Very creative! Although, I must admit my favorite part of the yard is the flowers. They have lots of flowers planted and even shapes his bushes into animals! The roses are especially pretty.

It was great to spend time with his family. It took Malia awhile to warm up to everyone. Once she did, she had a blast. Her cousin, Gabriel (or Gabrielito as they all call him), was born two weeks after Malia. The two of them found all kinds of trouble to get into. They were particularly fond of screeching at each other.

Malia is very into playing with babies right now. Jocy (David's sister, Gabrielito's mom) just had twin boys on the 16th and 17th of August. Malia was fascinated with them. Even more enticing was their bottles, emptying their diaper bag, and disassembling their car seats.

The twins are named Alex and Tony. You can tell them apart because Alex has a mole on his forehead. So I think that is Tony laying on Jocy's lap. David's mom, Cirenia, is in the white sweater holding Alex, I think!

Here's David pushing Malia in the car. The family hangs out in the backyard a lot. They have a large covered patio and just got the swing. Pancho and Elizabeth are sitting on the swing with Gabrielito, Malia, and one of the twins. Elizabeth is David's sister and Pancho is her husband. Pancho is the one holding Mali up the top right corner to look at the birds. David's mom has lots of birds, including chickens and parakeets. In the bottom right corner in the background is Gabrielito standing next to his grandpa, Gabriel.

This is Malia dressed for church the Sunday before Christmas. She obviously had a very important phone call to make before we could leave! We went to my great-aunt Naomi's (my Grandpa LeVon's sister) ward. We were hoping to see her there but I think she must have went to one of her children's wards. I guess it was her we should have called! We drove by her house but no one was home. Her family was having a Christmas celebration on the day after Christmas. However, we had to leave early that morning to get back to Utah. Sorry we missed it!

Present time! I guess the tradition is to take a picture holding up the money they get from their parents. There are five kids in David's family. Terry is the oldest and in the bottom right corner. Her daughter is Natali, in the bottom left corner. Next is Elizabeth in the top left corner. Her husband, Pancho, and his mom, visiting from Mexico, are in the photo below her. David, the middle child, is in the top right corner. Next is Jocy, her son Gabrielito, in the middle, held up her money. In the bottom middle photo is Hernan, the baby of the family.

We all got very spoiled. Here I am with the chess game that Jocy got me. Malia got lots of clothes. In the bottom right she is opening the puppy she got from her grandparents. She had just woken up from her nap so was still a bit grumpy. Amazing how presents can get her in a good mood so fast! She did lots of "ooh"ing as she opened up her presents. She especially loved the baby doll she got from her tio Hernan. Thank you everyone for everything. It was really good to see everyone and we hope we can make it back soon. We loved the food- pazole, abondigas, tamales! I especially enjoyed spending time with Cirenia getting recipes and some family history. The trip home took a little longer than we would have liked, but we made it safely and that's what counts. Hope everyone had a merry Christmas!

Picture Collages

A couple of you asked how I did the picture collages. I downloaded Picasa from Google. It's free. Thanks to Traci for telling me how to do it! You can create your collages in Picasa and post directly to your blog. Here is the link- http://www.picasa.google.com/.

The Terry Family Christmas

On Wednesday we gathered at Velma and Virginia's house in Salt Lake. They are my Grandpa LeVon Terry's sisters. Grandpa and Grandma had just flown in from Iowa on Monday. We were also joined by Grandpa's sisters Jennette and Geneiveve, as well as his brother Roy and his wife, Carol. The Caley and Nichols families were also there. We had a great time with lots of food, singing, and presents. Virigina had a caroling book for everyone. We intended on singing only a few, but ended up singing the whole book! We also sang "The Nativity Song" as Maggie placed the figures in the nativity. We are very blessed to live close to family and to have family visiting. Merry Christmas!

THE SPREAD! I made Hot Broccoli Dip (Deanne's recipe), deviled eggs, a meat and cheese tray, and caramel cheesecake bites. Lots of other good food. I especially liked Dianne's Pumpkin Roll. YUMMY!

Singing Time! The singing was beautiful. Virginia played the keyboard for us.

Presents! Malia loved her baby, duckies, and book she got from the aunts. Thanks!

Grandpa taking a snooze! He perked up once the party got going!

Bart the Socialite! Chatting with David about Alpine and then with Grandma.

Although Dianne and I had our plates full, ready to share with our kids, all the little ones wanted to eat off of Lori's plate! Lori is Bart's wife. The little one on Lori's left is Dianne's Emma, Caleb in the middle, and my Malia on the right.

A collage of Caleb (Bart and Lori's boy). Caleb found that he fit right under the counter and got a kick out of standing under it. I love his cheeks! He chatted with Grandma as she explained one of the nativity pieces to him.

The Nichols girls- Israel was unable to make it. He was flying most of the time we were there. Dianne's girls are lots of fun! Maggie is 4 and a character! She loves to get her picture taken and was crying because she hit her nose on the nativity set. Emma turns one soon and has been walking for awhile. They both warmed up to Grandma right away. It took Malia a bit longer.

Granpa's brother Roy and his wife Carol.

Malia having a grand time. If there was something to climb on, chew, or pull apart- she found it! The aunts have lots of dollies and even have a baby bed. She had a great time playing mommy. She wraps the babies up and says, "shh, shh". She also got a kick out of the gray spinning thing. Although, as you can see, she often ended up flat on her back! She also loved the little table and chairs they have. She even sat and ate at it-- for a whole minute, it think!

YO GIRL!

Malia is a yogurt fanatic! Whenever I have the fridge open she will grab a yogurt out. She eats one for breakfast most days. As you can see, not quite all of it makes it in her mouth. Regardless, it gives me about 15 minutes of sanity as she works on eating the whole container!

It's Alpine Time!

Last night we had the Alpine Cleaning and Restoration Christmas Party. We had it at the Coppermill Restaurant in Logan. The food was good and the company great (we sat by Bart and Lori!). The highlight though... David was named Employee of the Year! This is the first time Alpine has named an employee of the year. My husband ROCKS! His boss, Chris Harris, talked about how hard David works and gives 100% all of the time. I was a bit suprised. Not because I don't believe David is a hard worker. Believe you me, I know how hard he works. I was surprised because he has only been working there for 6 months! I think it just attests to how great of a worker he is. He is one of those that just goes constantly. Can't stand to sit or waste time. He takes a lot of pride in his work. I also realized last night what a great company Alpine is. Chris is very appreciative of his workers and makes a point of recognizing hard work. That is a very admirable trait. David has definitely had his share of employers that do not appreciate his efforts. We are very grateful for Alpine. I met a lot of David's fellow employees last night. They all seem like great people and you can tell they love their jobs. Boedy Hunsaker is one of David's favorites. I have had the opportunity to meet Boedy a few times also. I don't think I have ever met a happier man! He has been a great influence on our family. He also won a few awards- he has been with the company from the beginning! I know David loves working with him and I love that he has such a profound effect on so many! I am also grateful to my brother, Bart, who brought us to the company. Bart has also done a great job at Alpine and I am very proud of the all of the Alpine men in my family! "YOUR ATTITUDE ALMOST ALWAYS DETERMINES YOUR ALTITUDE IN LIFE." This is the quote printed on David's Employee of the Year plaque. So true!

The Priesthood in Our Home

Yesterday David received the Melchizedek Priesthood. Our Bishop Donald Baldwin was the one to give him the blessing. I am so grateful to now have the priesthood in our home. I am grateful that my husband has worked so hard to be worthy to receive such an honor. Now if any of us need a blessing, David will be able to give it to us. We are also one step closer to being sealed in the temple. The Lord has blessed our family in so many ways. I am in awe of how mindful He is of each of our needs. I know that the Lord has asked each of us to follow His plan and will provide a way for us to accomplish that plan if we but have faith in Him.

Quality Time with Uncle Bart

The Caley family came a visiting last night. Good times! Bart was being a great uncle and Dad and read to Malia and Caleb. Later the adults played Rummikub. The two toddlers had a tough time understanding that they weren't part of the playing. Nonetheless, the play continued and Bart won. This time!

The Lights at Temple Square

This Saturday our little family headed off to Salt Lake City to see the lights at Temple Square. It was cold but not too bad. I should say for the Iowa girl it wasn't bad. The Phoenix boy was wishing that he could be Malia and get the comfy, warm ride. We ran into a few families from Lewiston and they took this picture for us. The lights were beautiful. They start several months in advance and it takes them until March to get all of the lights down. Worth the effort if you ask me!

Salsa Girl

Malia loves salsa! One could explain it with her Mexican descent, yet David hates hot food! I am the spicy food lover in the family. I always joke with David that I am more Mexican than he is. I am glad that Malia likes spicy foods. David will just have to adapt to his "Spice Girls"! This was the first time we had tried this Mexican restaurant in Logan. It was pretty good. David ordered the shrimp cocktail and said it was some of the best he had ever had. Lots of shrimp! Mexican shrimp cocktail is very different than my idea of shrimp cocktail. It is served in a tall glass and has cilantro, shrimp, onions, and chunks of avacado all in a vegetable juice. There are many variations mind you. David liked this one because there was more shrimp than veggies. My chicken faijitas were okay. The place is called La Carreta (it's next to T-Mobile, off of Main). There is this other place called La Familia behind the mall that we also like. It has a Mexican store also where we can get our tortillas, chiles, and other Mexican products. I love Mexican food. I tell David that's why I married him, for the food. I am excited to go visit his family. His mom makes AMAZING food. Pazole (a pork soup) is David's favorite. David and I tried to make it on our own. We did pretty good but no one can match a mom's recipe!

Icicles on our Icicles!

David climbed up on the roof a few weeks ago to hang our icicle Christmas lights. Now we have icicles on our icicles. I love Christmas lights. I'm glad that I have a husband willing to hang them. David's dad always goes all out with Christmas yard decorations and lights. While growing up, I remember having Christmas lights hanging around our big picture windows. We had two huge evergreens out in our front yard. I always wanted to put lights on those. Completely unrealistic mind you. They were HUGE and quite a distance from the house. Our neighbors here have commented on how "festive" we are. I'm assuming the last people must have done absolutely nothing, since they are so easily impressed! I do think our lights look beautiful and will be sad when it's time for them to come down. Every time we are pulling out of the driveway Malia goes nuts- pointing at the lights and going "ooh, ooh!". I love that she loves them!

Should Santa bother?

The girl has plenty of toys, not to mention some more on the way! Yet what does she play with? Shoes! I try to keep Malia entertained with the myriad of educational toys we have. Nonetheless it is the fascination of the stinky sneaker that draws her in. She does love her shoes. She is constantly bringing me her tennis shoes to put them on her. Even over footed pajamas! She says "shoo" and we have even gotten her to say "zapato" a few times! Her tennies are a size four and her foot isn't quite big enough yet. However, the threes were too small. We are in that right between stage. I am actually quite proud of her that she has moved up. Her feet are TINY! Obviously NOT a trait she inherited from me! I also made the mistake of getting tennis shoes with laces. We spend a lot of time trying to keep them tied. All the other tennis shoes were velcro, yet were too crazy. Lots of camo and Dora. I am a big fan of plain shoes that go better with more outfits. So there you have it. My dissertation on Toddler's Tennies!

15 Favorite Things....

I was tagged by Traci to list 15 of my favorite things. I just gave a talk in sacrament about gratitude and have been spending the last few weeks thinking about all that I have been blessed with. So I will give you 15 things that are my "favorite" and at the same time am so very grateful for.... (1) I would have to say one of my most favorite things is the amazing man I am married to. DAVID is an incredible man. For those of you who don't know, David was baptized a little over three years ago. He is constantly an example to me. His testimony grows stronger and stronger each day. He recently received his patriarchal blessing and has had his interviews to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. He loves to share his testimony with others and leads our family with love. I am also grateful that he is a great husband. He treats me with love and respect and makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Not to mention he is incredibly romantic. He brought me these roses on Wednesday! (2) Another of my favorite things is MALIA. She is hilarious. She is 16 months today and this age is FANTASTIC! She has such an amusing personality and is a very happy little girl! (3) Another favorite is LEWISTON, Utah- the town that we live in. I love it because it reminds me of Farley back in Iowa. I love the small town feel. We are only two miles from the Utah- Idaho border, and 17 miles north of Logan. Logan is a good sized town with all the majory stores (except Target- grrr!) Yet we have many accomadations in our own lovely town- a library, grocery store, and even a discount theater! The people are all very friendly and we love being a part of the community. (4) Another of my favorite things is FAMILY. Especially during this season, I realize how blessed I am with a great family (both mine and David's). I miss everyone in Iowa tons and can't wait to have them visit. We have the opportunity to spend Christmas with David's family in Arizona. Malia can't wait to play with her primos! I am grateful for the family that we live near also. It is good to have my brother and his family right in Logan. My aunt/friend Dianne and her family just live 2 hours away in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We went and visited them yesterday. Good times! (5) Another of my favorite things is CHRISTMAS MUSIC. I started early this year in my listening, soon after Halloween. I just love it! I enjoy Hilary Weeks "Christmastime" and am a sucker for the old crooners, especially Bing Crosby. Nobody can sing it like old blue eyes! (6) Another favorite is SNOW. I know lots of people hate it because it is so messy, cold, and wet. However, I think it is beautiful! I don't necessarily enjoy playing in it, but enjoy looking at it. I am excited for Malia to try it out. (7) One of my favorite things is SCRABBLE. It is by far my favorite board game. When we lived in Iowa, I would get together with the Hayes Family and play. I have yet to find someone here that shares my affinity for the game. In the mean time, I occasionally play a game on the computer. Is that sad? I hope not. (8) BLOGGING has also become one of my favorite things. I love that I can keep up with friends and family. Sometimes this girl gets a bit lonely here in Lewiston and blogging helps me remember that I have a lot of great friends and family out there. (9) Another favorite is our CHRISTMAS TREE. David and I invested into a great fake tree when we first got married. It was a tight fit in our old apartment, but fits better in the house. The bottom 1/3 is sparsely decorated to keep the ever curious Malia from being tempted! (10) Another one of my favorite things is my CAMERA. My dad's girlfriend, Sharon, is a great photographer. When Malia was born she was upgrading her camera and passed her old one on to me. I am in no way worthy of such a fine piece of equiptment but am doing my best to figure out all of its great features! (11) Another favorite is Playtex Insulator Sports STRAW CUPS. Brittney used them with Nathan and got me hooked. I have other sippy cups but these are by far my favorite. Malia pulls the lids off of the other one's with her teeth! (12) Another one of my favorite things is my mom's restaurant, . I sure do miss stopping in for lunch. I love their homemade soups and cheesecake. Not to mention her famous hand decorated Christmas cookies! Noboby makes them as good as mom! (13) Another favorite is CHRISTMAS MOVIES. I must admit I have watched "Elf" several times already. I am currently watching "It's A Wonderful Life". Quite possibly one of the best movies EVER! (14) A favorite snack... WHEAT THINS TOASTED CHIPS, Veggie Flavor.. So yummy. Not as bad for you as chips and just as tasty! (15) A final favorite is CARMEX. I admit I am addicted to Carmex. To add to the fun they just came out with Cherry flavored. I don't like the stick, only the tube. YUMMY! Well, there you have it. These are a few of my favorite things..... Now I tag Brittney and Dianne!

Visiting Friends

On Thursday Malia and I were fortunate to have some friends come all the way out to the boonies of Lewiston to visit. My sister-in-law Lori (the one in red) brought out my favorite nephew in Utah, Caleb, to play with Malia. Whenever Malia tries to say Caleb it sounds like she is calling him "Bubba". It was great to visit with Lori and watch the kids struggle with the concept of sharing. Okay so the last part wasn't "great" but kids have to learn sometime! Caleb just entered nursery and Malia goes into nursery in February. Playtime together is a great way for them to get ready for nursery. Later on in the afternoon my "roommate" from BYU, Janelle (Williams) Day, brought her girls out. She has a 3 year old named Camille and a 7 month old, Madelyn. Cute girls! We had lots of fun and I hope we can do it again soon.

We're Famous?!?

So it turns out the "La Familia Mata" is a TV series that just started this year in Spain. I was googling our blog name to see if it would come up and came across this stunning revelation. It is a comedy and all of the websites are in Spanish, so really I have no clue what it is about. David watched a clip from it and said it was a comedy, but had really foul language. Too bad. Too bad we can't get a cut for using our family name!

A Typical Hair Day

Malia has CRAZY hair! I try my best to keep it in clips or in ponytails. However, she loves to rip them out and hand me the hairpiece. She does so with an innocent look on her face, as if to say, "Hey, look what I found!".

Here Fishy, Fishy!

On Saturday we had a family trip to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, Utah. Malia had a great time looking at all of the different fish. She even almost pet a sting ray (her arms were too short, the water too deep!). David and I really enjoyed it also. Lots to look at. We'll have to make the trip sometime without the munchkin so we can actually read the display signs. Saturday was a horrible day to be traveling through Salt Lake City. So much snow! Nonetheless, we made it there and back safely. Everything looked so beautiful covered in white.