Here's to an amazing 2 months. We love you!

"You can hold me anytime..."
"Too cute for words, right? (wink, wink)"
"What? They're taking the marshmallows OUT of the lucky charms?!"

"No pictures please..."
"Whaddaya mean, mischevious?"
"Does this chair make my head look big?""
"Um...yes, I think that's a cockroach..."
"Ahhhhh..."
"Uh, dad? The boogeyman is totally behind us right now."
"Sitting next to the Treble Maker!"
"Why does it feel like someone is watching me?"
"I have the greatest parents in the world!"... ["OK, where's my five dollars?"]

"This one's from my serious collection."
"This will get you anything, they say."
"Ladies..back up and make a line."
"Dad? You have a moco."

"OK, last picture guys."
"It was a long day"

"Irresistable." - Mom

"Wait a second!..."

hey

Your 3 Weeks Old!

Wow! It's been three weeks since you were born. Happy Birthday Aiden! Here are some of my favorite pics from your first three weeks of life. Each picture a reason I never want to close my eyes or fall asleep 'cause I don't want to miss a thing (thanks Aerosmith :)

Welcome to the world, "Boy Gonzales"

"Hello, world. Yes. I am here."

"Wow, mom! This outfit is really big!"

"I'm not so sure about this car seat thing..."

"Whatchyou lookin' at Willis?"

"Sweet Dreams..."

Don't you think this pose resembles the cat from Shrek? Too cute, I think.

"Really? I'm listening, keep talking"
"Daddy's shoulder rocks."
"Oh, today was such a rough day - I had to work for my food!"
"Whaddaya mean no more milk?!"

"I'm not tired...really"

"Bath is a wonderful thing"

"Please don't make me wake up"

"Lunch Time?!"

"Hey vato, was haponeen? See you laters when I wake up."

Our 5 year Anniversary

July 24th, 2009 was spent in style at Double Dave's :). Only five minutes from home in case baby woke up needing his own dinner. A while back we contemplated about what to do for our 5 year anniversary - fun trip somewhere? Climb Everest? (hehe) Well, we couldn't have asked for a better anniversary gift than our little man. We are thankful for our five years and our precious gift.

Aiden, our Emmy

Well, facebook leaves nothing to guess. Though since my status updates are few and far between (sorry honey, I warned you!), there may be some things you don't know already. Between my last post in May and today, we've had a baby. Ha! Just thought I'd fill you in :). What an experience the last two weeks have been! I've called Aiden our "Emmy" because since he's come I feel like I have so many people to thank for getting us to where we are today. Pardon the cheese but I feel it extremely necessary...

What amazing Doctors and nurses we had at the delivery - our Dr. was not even on call but she came anyway to help deliver baby A. Thanks Dr. Castillo, Dr. Norton and Nurse Lisa who labored with us the whole way. We'll come back to see you soon.

Thanks Megan, the doula who taught our birth class, for teaching us how to get through the delivery without any drugs :) (The contractions were just like our hand in the ice water :) hehe) Though I thought myself crazy at 9 centimeters, it was worth it in the end and we couldn't have done it without you! (check out nativiti.com - a natural birthing center in the Woodlands where we took our childbirth class)

Thank you every dear Sunday School Lifegroup friend, for your advice, your encouragement, your meals, your gifts and your guidance. Thanks for helping us to be as prepared as possible for this exciting time in our lives.

Thank you, mother, for coming for an extended stay with us. For cooking, cleaning, rocking, burping (the baby), and changing (the diapers J). Thank you, Karim and Heather, for giving up your day care for six weeks. Thanks Dad, for helping with Ansley while mom is away.

Thank you other friends who came to celebrate with us and see the baby. For bringing us yummy delights on hot summer nights. Thanks Kim & Chris for the meals and desserts and for being there. Bobby & Allison, for ordering my first meal after the baby arrived J.

I guess this is the part everyone worries about when they say “thank-you’s” – that you might forget someone important. Well, of course each member of our families has been so supportive and loving – sending cards, giving phone calls, visiting and being excited with us. Thanks mama D for all of the cute outfits and toys you keep sending our way!

Well, I know there should be more people to thank, maybe that will come later on. But seeing as how it’s taken me this long to get this far on the blog, which really isn’t much, I’m just going to post to get the ball rolling. Thanks again everyone.

Love, Alia

Baby Aiden on the Way!

Well, after all of these posts (yes, all three new ones, can you believe it?) and hardly a mention about our little baby on the way. It's taken a while for me to wrap my mind around the whole thing. I think that's why I don't like roller coasters - once it starts, you can't get off! Well, here is a little pick of our baby. My parents are coming into town this weekend and hopefully we'll get a little bit of the baby's room done. I'd show it to you now but you might wonder where he'll sleep. We are getting very excited - it is only a couple of months away!! The picture was taken at 5 months, I think - our sweet ultrasound person took a 4-D pic of him for us - we are having our official 4-D tomorrow. If we can't stop looking at the picture I can only imagine once he's here...

In a Nut Shell

Well, it's me again. Trying to think how to summarize January through the present. Is that possible? Well, yes. January was spent preparing for our elementary choir to go to TMEA in San Antonio and perform. They performed in February and it was a very successful trip - a huge milestone for us as directors and for the kids. My parents came down for the concert and we spent an extra day in San Antonio sightseeing as it was my mom's first time in SA and my dad had not been for many years.

Morning of the Performance
Warm-up on Stage
Lunch after Performance

Percussion Ensemble - after their last performance
Remember the Alamo?

"Silly rabbit...Trix are for kids!"

Riverboat Tour
My new pink case!!!!
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A "Roux'ed" Awakening:

March. March. Well, Nick and I had opposite spring breaks which was a little rough (we tried not to be too pouty). I was able to go to his school and help him a bit and did some experimental cooking - Gumbo. I'd never made it before and wondered what the ingredients were that made it the texture and flavor that it has. Well, now that I've met..."the roux" - I don't know if I could ever make gumbo again. Being the amateur Gumbo cooker I was, I didn't know anything about roux, nor did I know you can also buy it already made. Well, the recipe I chose was a good one, I just didn't realize until about halfway through the roux-making process that I was making roux for 3 or 4 batches of gumbo. Instead of a little flour and oil, my recipe called for 5 cups of flour and however much oil to go with that. Needless to say I spent two hours stirring the roux, getting slightly sleepy as the night wore on. I did read about the "File" powder (I thought it was pronounced like "file cabinet," not "filay" - well, anyhow...) and how you could add a bit or let others add a bit. Well, if I ever do make it again, I will let others add a bit. It was a very thick gumbo - I couldn't eat too much - good flavor, a little salty....well, can you tell it was a defining moment in my cooking career as I am talking about it months later?

Hmmm...

Looks like I wouldn't make a good Paleontologist after all. I couldn't find any pictures of the before stated events. Hmmmm....I'll have to do some more lookin...

Playin' Around

We got to play lots in November and December - I played for the 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards for a very talented artist named Kany Garcia. Over Thanksgiving weekend, Casting Crowns did their Christmas Celebration Tour and I was privileged to get to play for that as well. Mid December, Nick got to play around in Chicago in the snow, and then we both had our share of family fun over Christmas time in Salt Lake.

If only....

I blogged more. Here are some Thanksgiving pics I drudged up from the archives. Yeah, I pretty much feel like a Paleontologist.

Bobby & Allison

Andrea, Wyatt, Lane & Granmda

Andrea, Heather, Karim, N&A, Bud

My mom, Nick's mom & Grandma

Evan and Ansley. Cute as a button (or two)

Long Time No Write

"We jammin' - and we hope you like jammin' too."

Wow. November 1st huh? Funny thing, too. Last blog I think our little baby was literally just forming. I can't remember if I knew that or not. Well, at any rate, I thought I'd attempt to do a month by month update - short, sweet, to the point? November must have been a good month. I remember it being very busy - we had a great time with family in town for Thanksgiving. Being impregnado was a secret, though my sister-in-law questioned my serious carb cravings. I think we had pasta every night they were here. Yum.

Not only were there lots of carbs, there were also lots of babies. Ansley (my brother's baby girl), Evan (of Kim & Chris :), Wyatt and Lane (my cousin Andrea's boys) were all in town for the big shindig.

For Thanksgiving meal, Nick's brother Bobby and his amazing girlfriend Allison came over, along with Nick's parents.

It was very wonderful to be able to share time with family and host them in our new home. We always love a meal prepared by my dad. As I recall, it was tasty to say the least. Heather's world famous pecan pies, and my brothers 4 variety cranberry sauce - from horseradish to ginger - made for a savory event.

A Beautiful Morning

(photo by catmadogma)

This morning I went to the park just before dawn, which means it was dark - really dark - and the mist had set low in the air. An unsettling place to be by yourself - I considered turning back and going home. But I didn't. I reminded myself that light was coming soon. As time passed, the orange and purple line of the sunrise began to show a faint smile behind the trees. I saw the dew shimmer on the grass, heard the "cooing" of the doves. Slowly, more people began to come to the park. Soccer moms and soccer dads and lots of soccer kids. The park was awake.

As I ran I saw many familiar faces and even met some new friends. Each interaction brought a smile. I imagined all of the life at the park and imagined that instead of grass there were fields and fields of flowers. If I would have turned back in that brief dark moment before dawn, I would have missed all of the beauty that was revealed in the light.

"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

Age Before Beauty

"...and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them..."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

So I read this verse this morning as I was doing my Daniel Bible study (by Beth Moore - totally recommend it) - the heart of the study right now is about the end times. Well, when I read this verse I thought of the above title, "Age Before Beauty" and it made me laugh (though Nick is still trying to see the humor). I'm just saying, perhaps we have found the origination of the phrase.

Now that I've spent 10 minutes explaining my joke, it's starting to lose its hilarity.