Bar Results Are In

I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't belive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at those cheeks!

Sylvie at 11 weeks old.

Just an update..with pictures

Marco with bandage on.

Marco's stitches

Marco had his procedure this morning and everything is fine as far as we know. The doctor removed a very large lymphnode and sent it to the lab for testing. Marco and I were both very tired arriving at 6 am and he wasn't happy to be there. He came out of it ok but has been acting very wild ever since-NO NAP! He keeps taking off his bandage too.
Another thing-only 3 more days until the Bar results!

Poor Booga

Marco has to have surgery next week. It's not as bad as it sounds-at least I don't think it is. Since he was born he's had enlarged lymphnodes in his neck. He would always turn his head to the right side and sleep on that side when he was a baby. It doesn't seem to bother him now, but they are getting bigger. They aren't cancerous, but the doctor said the only thing he could do was remove them. It's an outpatient procedure, but he will be under general anaesthetic. So, he goes in for his pre-op appointment tomorrow and we'll find out more. But, we are nervous about it-please pray for Marco that everything will go well. Thanks!

Random Pictures of the Last Few Days

Sylvia looking cute in her car seat

Lucía and Marco putting on a play with their finger puppets.

Nikki passed out while watching "Dancing with the Stars", after putting in a 12-hour day as mommy, with no pay. I love you honey!





Kids Attacking Daddy while listening to Joy Division's Transmission, one of the best bands ever!!!!

My personal thoughts on Obama's historic election....

When 8:00 p.m. came, I knew that they would call the election for Obama. It was going to be an exciting moment. I could not believe it, so much so, that I teared up. Lucia asked me why I was smelling (she meant sniffling). I told her that Obama had won. I did not believe it was possible until it actually happened, I really believed that McCain would win.

As a minority, I never thought it would happened, only on "24" or "Deep Impact", Hollywood fantasies. But here, it was happening, in my lifetime. It was incredible, a deeply moving moment for me personally. This is how it must have felt to Blacks in South Africa, when Mandela was elected after years of Apartheid, or in Bolivia, how indigenous people felt when Evo Morales, the first first fully indigenous head of state in the 470 years since the Spanish Conquest was elected as President. Or in Chile, when Michelle Bachelet was elected, after she had been tortured by Pinochet, in the name of the same country she was now leading; how those who have been tortured, pursued, and detained in the name of Chile must have felt. But this was in my country, after all this country has seen, from Sengbe Pieh to Dred Scott to Rodney King, here, this country had passed an important threshold. Stunning...

I thought about how my bi-racial brown children will grow up with a bi-racial, brown, dark face as the leader of this country. It's a new reality, the new normal. My children will see his face, as they grow up, and not think it weird, unusual, or even historic that he is the President, but just normal, and that, is the most important thing.

There is much to be done, and I am optimistic and hopeful (hope!) but will reserve my final judgment of President-Elect Obama for the future. But for now, his victory is a victory for America, for the promise of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and all the sweat and tears of so many nameless and forgotten.
As the President-Elected stated, "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. "

Obama wins...kids celebrate....

Let's hope he is able to take this historic event and make his administration one that history will remember. Amazing.

I've been tagged (again and again)

I'll just do a combination of some of the tags I've had.
First-2 truths and a lie
1. I don't like sugar cereals
2. I've traveled to 9 foreign countries
3. I'm dying to go back to work teaching.

8 wishes
1. To buy a house with at least 3 bedrooms with hardwood floors, custom kitchen and bathrooms, and a nice sized yard and a playroom.
2. A vacation to Italy.
3. Julio to pass the bar and get a better job.
4. My children to be healthy-no more sickies! (we've had colds and stomach flu this week)
5. To be able to buy nice furniture for the above mentioned house.
6. For all of my siblings to live close by someday.
7. To lose 10 pounds
8. To be able to go to the temple regularly

Lucía's Medical Emergency

Lucía as Princess Aurora, but note the right hand.



Here is a close-up.

Last week during church, between Sacrament meeting and Sunday School, Lucía's right thumb was smashed by a closing door. We are not sure how it happened, since I was with Marco, and Julio was with the Sylvia. One of the counselors was nearby when it happened and managed to clean it up and get some bandages on it. He said that there was a lot of blood. Once they found us, they told us what had happened, however Lucía was still crying heavily, it was obvious she was in a lot of pain.

We took her home immediately. We were unsure the extent of the injury, but we decided to let her calm down, so she watched one of her videos. After about an hour, Julio noticed that blood was soaking through the bandages (Band-Aid). We took her to the bathroom to change the bandages, and assess the damage to her thumb. Once we took the bandages off, it was clearly a serious injury, as the nail was practically falling off, her thumb was purple, and there was a lot of bleeding. Julio then took her to the emergency room.

When I (Julio) got to the emergency room, the triage nurse quickly admitted her. They said that the nail bed had been damaged, and would require stitches. I was painful to see Lucía in so much pain, especially when the had to inject her several time with local anaesthesia. Once the drugs had numbed her thumb, she watched the doctor repair the damage. In total she has 5 stitches, three that will have to be removed. The doctor reattached her nail. He also said there is a possibility that the nail may not grow back, but hopefully that won't happen. It was a crazy situation. Be careful of closing doors.

Lucía is doing better now, but the stitches will not be taken out until later this week.