The Decision Has Been Made

A new chapter is about to open in our lives. Wait, we just had a baby. I'm talking about Graduate school. After weighing the pro's and con's, praying, banging my head against the wall, and fighting some of the strongest urges I've ever felt, I feel an inner peace and a new excitement. I have chosen to attend the Occupational Therapy program at the University of Utah.

Okay, Pro's and Con's.

Con's

1.) Freezing, bloody snow! We've never been exposed to such a climate. I'm not looking forward to shoveling snow while running late to school.

2.) Away from family. This will be hard, especially for Noelle.

3.) It's not USC. This one was tough. I thought for sure I would be a Trojan. USC is ranked #1 in the nation for OT schools.

4.) Freezing, bloody snow!

Pro's

1.) The U is the Utah's University = Great reputation.

2.) Housing. Why rent when a mortgage in Utah is cheaper?

3.) Cost of tuition. Well, once at the graduate level, it's all the same, but for Utah it was one of the least expensive at around 50k.

4.) The Church. Great place for spiritual experiences, I hope. Tami and the kids will have more of an opportunity to develop a strong connection with the gospel.

5.) Family. Being away might give us an chance to really spread our wings and grow as our own family. We will also have the chance to draw closer to Tami's extended family.

6.) Great outdoor activities. Hey, I intend on playing a little, too.

7.) Most importantly, I feel a prayer has been answered, and that I ought to obey.

As you can see the Pro's outweigh the Con's. We're very excited to take another step toward attaining our dream. We're a young family and we have the potential to make this experience a positive one. We'll miss California, and everything is has to offer...drat there's another Con: the ocean! Oh well, it'll be there when we get back. Until next time...

Dan

Those Were...These Are the Days

Close you eyes and think, just for a minute, of your earliest childhood memory; where you spent your days running and laughing just to pass the time. Do you remember how simple and fun life was? I seem to be living my "second childhood" through three lively spirits who I adore: Lucia, Noelle and Marco. These little rascals are so fond of each other, and though play-time is usually broken up because of a stolen toy, or push down, these kids seem to light up whenever they see each other. These pictures were taken at the park just the other day. Lucia and Noelle insisted on playing at the "big kid park." Marco, I'm sure would've said the same thing. I told Noelle and Marco to stay with Lucia, and for Lucia to wait for the other two. It was like a little person train running around the park. At times the Caboose (Marco) was left in the dust. No worries, though. I'm very thankful that our family, both immediate and extended, have been blessed with such awesome children.

Meanwhile, back at home, Corom is doing just fine. Not much to report, other than he eats, sleeps, and poops! He is opening his eyes more, which is fun, because it allows more time for interaction. He is so mellow. He reminds me of Noelle when she was a newborn. Thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments. I, like Amanda, have become fascinated with blogging! Until next time...

Dan

The World Welcomes You...

Meet our newest addition: Corom Bennett Aldama. He was born at the South Sacramento Kaiser at 10:26 am on February 27th, 2008. He weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 19 inches long (11 ounces heavier than Noelle). He is a sweet little guy, who, like his sister loves to sleep, which makes feeding time a trial. We are on cloud nine right now, actually Tami's on cloud couch, and Corom is on cloud crib sleeping. Thank you for everyone's wishes and prayers!

A little about the name: for those of you who might not know, Corom is a name found in the Book of Mormon, in the Book of Ether to be exact. We fell in love with the name immediately, and thought that not very many people would share the same name. I didn't anticipate the missionary opportunities I've had as I explain to others the origins of his name. It's a great tool to share the gospel! Bennett, as many of you know is a family name from the Shirley side.

What's most amazing is Noelle's immediate bond with her new baby brother. The first thing she asked was to hold him. She loves him so much! I was anticipating the worst when we brought Corom home for the first time. But I was set at ease by Noelle's loving, peaceful spirit (for those of you who know Noelle, you know what I'm talking about). She is so well behaved around Corom. We are mindful of the hair stroking, and cheek pinching, though.

We are thrilled to have our new addition safely at home. I feel we are being blessed with very special babies, and that is because Heavenly Father understands our current position in life. There will definitely be more to write about in the near future. Until next time...

Dan and Tami

A Huge Thanks to Everyone!!!

The poll was a hit! I wouldn't have thought that we'd get so many votes for the names. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions, too. I think my favorite suggestion was "Samuel Bennett Aldama." I have to admit, the poll was for a middle name. Because the name was leaked out, many of you know the actual name of our baby boy; however, under strict orders from "la jefa" (it's Spanish, look it up) we won't officially post the name until he is born (isn't this silly?). Well, he might come out and look like a Harrison, who knows? His middle name will definitely be Bennett, though.

Life with a 2 year old

Only two months into Noelle's third year, and already she has amazed us as to how much mischeif she can get into.

Episode #1: Grandma Shirley bought Tami and me a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day. After almost devouring the contents, we put the box aside and went about our day. You all know where this is going. The house was abnormally quiet a few hours later, so I went to search for Noelle. To my astonishment I found her in the corner of our bedroom with her mouth covered in chocolate! Keep in mind, Noelle hasn't even had a lick of chocolate thus far in her life. We have kept all major sweets from her diet for obvious reasons. I couldn't get upset at her, because I was the one who left the chocolate in her reach. Instead, I asked her if the chocolate was yummy. She quickly responded "delicious, daddy!"

Episode #2: as far as I can remember Noelle has had a fascination with Tami while she applys her make-up. Just recently we painted her finger and toe nails a pretty pink. Noelle insists on removing her shoes and socks, just to admire her new colorful beauty. Just tonight, the same abnormal silence filled the house; we knew something was brewing. Tami, this time was brave enough to scout the house for any mischievousness. To her surprise, Noelle had opened her make-up bag, and had painted her face with eye-liner! Trying to explain to a 2 year old why her behavior shouldn't be repeated, while holding back laughter is almost impossible!

I can expect that those who are reading this entry, and that have older kids might be saying "you have no idea what's in store!" No doubt we have many more chocolate, make-up type episode ahead of us, what's important is that we don't forget the innocence of these youngsters, in our case, Noelle. Like a little scientist, she is exploring her world more and more each day. Just like a scientist, she will experiment with different things, and experience different outcomes as a result of her testing. What a wonderful time in her life. I am so glad I get to witness this part of her development, because it reminds me that the world is full of great things! I get so caught up with school and work sometimes that I fail to remember the simple things in life. So here's to all the two year olds! Love them, and encourage their curiosty.

Dan

Ready, Set, Here We Go!

I was just looking at the calendar this morning at work and wondering where January has gone! The time that I have been anticipating for months has finally arrived. We are 36 weeks along and on the countdown. (Noelle came at 38 weeks- Yikes) I am to that funny point in the pregnancy where I flipflop back and forth between thinking, "I can't wait for this baby to come" and "Oh, maybe I can wait!". Yes, we are getting really excited! Dan pulled out the carseat and basinet and now it is just a game of waiting! We have been going through all of our photo albums to show Noelle her baby pictures and pictures of the hospital. She just looks at us in that two-year-old way, "Yah, yah-you've been talking about this baby for a long time now-where is he?" Boy will she be surprised when he does arrive! I am on my last week of work. What a bitter-sweet feeling! I love my job and the time I spend at work, but am having a heck of a time standing on my feet for long shifts. I am planning on being on maternity until May! I only took 6 weeks with Noelle, so this long time-off is going to be a treat for our family.

Dan just started back to school this week and is pleased with his classes. It is going to be a busy one-but the last at Sac State. I keep telling him how nice it is to put on that cap and gown. That thought really pulled me along my last semester. We are all so proud of him for plugging along while somehow finding time for our family. He's a great husband/dad!

Noelle is just enjoying playroom time with her cousins. (Lucia and Marco) We love having them next door- at our request for play any time of day. Right now they are pretending to mop and clean. Lucia is the ring-leader- coming up with elaborate story lines while Noelle and Marco trail behind and follow her instructions. It's really cute!

Life is good! I'm off to make dinner- it's gymnastics night for Noelle! We will keep you all posted on the baby progress.

The Holiday Tornado

It seems like if you blink around mid November, and then open your eyes, you will find yourself taking down Christmas decorations in early January. Every year the holidays come and go like a mid western tornado, and the effects are also quite similar: complete destruction of our house for two months. This year, as we celebrated Noelle's second birthday, and Christmas, we found ourselves being a little more festive. We stopped more often to look at Christmas lights, so Noelle could soak up the holiday spirit. Making a big deal out of little things, like getting and putting up the Christmas tree made our Christmas celebration a lot more special. Though Tami and helped Noelle with the Christmas experience, I think we actually got more out of it than she.

We had a lot on our plate this year. From finals at school, to Noelle's bithday party, to Christmas morning, and all the shopping in between, to supporting my Dad, who had his prostate removed due to cancer (all of this happened within two weeks); we are absolutely exhausted. Nevertheless, this past holiday gave us a chance to reconnect with family members, and that is the real intent of Christmas: to become grounded; not to get caught up in all the wrapping paper and material gifts, but to enjoy the presence of those that are closest to you, and give them the most precious gift possible: which is the gift of love. I wish for one Christmas our whole family could get together and rent a huge cabin up in Tahoe; the only presents we would bring would be ourselves, and a promise to not bicker or argue, but to be completely passive, and tolerant of each other. Someday perhaps...

In other news, Tami is about to pop! We are expecting our baby boy March 3rd. Thank you all for participating in our poll. It's great to see everyone's opinion as far as the names are concerned. Even if you don't like the names, it's good to know you at least thought of us. I really appreciate your coments, too.

Well, enjoy a couple of the hundreds of pictures we took this year. TTFN!