Albert and Katina Angola

So much to catch up on.

2010-12-08T00:02:00.006-05:00

So I was doing freakin fantastic with the losing weight ordeal. When Albert goes and knocks me up again. To those who get offended by my use of "knock" so sorry. So right now I am 14 weeks pregnant. Naturally I hoping for a girl yet I would love to not have to buy much if its a boy. Not to mention I can quote Laura Smartt and say " Only tough women have all boys" That was my shout out to Laura and Jenny.-Bueno estaba haciendo muy bien con mi meta de perder peso cuando Albert me embarazo otra vez. Entonces tengo 14 semanas de embarazo. Naturalmente estoy esperando la nina pero a la vez me encantaria no tener que comprar nada si sale hombre. Tambien escuche de una amiga que solo las mujeres fuertes tienen solo hombres.

Our Dog Bella just gave birth to 7 beautiful little puppies. After the first 6 were born male, I just figured it wasn't in the cards to have another female in the house. Then the last most beautiful was born a girl. Bella getting knocked up herself was a shock b/c her previous owner told us she was fixed......um nope. Nuestro Pero, Bela acaba de sacar a luz 7 cachoros hermosos. Los primeros 6 eran machos, y pense que asi es mi suerte de no tener ni una nina en la casa, cuando nacio la mas hermosa hembra.

Albert is doing great; Bringing home the bacon, making me laugh, and always playing around with the boys. He just finished his season of soccer. And he was Benji's soccer coach; a job he had been waiting for since Benji was born. He did awesome! - Albert esta haciendo muy bien, traiendo la plata a la casa, haciendo me reir, y siempre jugando con los chicos. Se acabo su temporada de futbol y era el entrenador del equipo de Benji, un trabajo que estaba esperando desde que nacio Benji.

Benji also played his first season of Soccer. He did so good. He was the 2nd highest scorer. The 1st was a boy who had played 3 seasons already. Funny though, Benji got into a fight his very first game. Like mother like son. He also started Pre-school at Gibbs and absolutely love it. --Benji tambien jugo su primer temporada de futbol. Hizo muy bien . El era segundo de hacer lo mas goles, el primero era un chico quien jugo 3 temporadas pasadas. Historia chistoso, el primer partido de Benji, el se peleaba. Igualito a la mama. Tambien comenzo prescolar en la Escuela de Gibbs, y le encanta

Sammy and I get more mommy/Sammy time and we love it. He loves to sit on my lap and hold my ears. He will also follow me all around the house until Benji gets home and then he follows him. Sammy loves to dance and actually has his own special steps. I call him my little survivor b/c he's had to survive the meningitis, then my stupidity. ( I locked him and my keys in my car in 95 degree weather.) --Sammy y yo tenemos mas tiempo juntos y nos encanta. El le gusta sentarse en mi falda y agarrar mis orejas. Me persigue a todos lados de la casa hasta que llega Benji y comiensa persiguirle a el. Sammy le encanta Bailar y tiene su propio pasito. Lo llamo mi luchador porque tuvo que sobrevivir el menengitis al nacer y despues mi estupides cuando lo hecho llave al auto con el y los llaves adentro cuando estaba calientisima afuera.

I got chastised by my brother-in-law Mauricio for not keeping this up to date. He just came home from his mission and wanted to get up to date on the family. We are so proud of you Mauro! We are also very proud of my sister-in-law Susana who came in 2nd place in the Santa Cruze Marathon. Good Job Susi! --Me reprocho mi cunado Mauricio por no tener esta actualizado. Acaba de llegar de su Mission y queria leer sobre la familia. Estamos muy orgullosos de voj, Mauro! Tambien estamos muy orgullosos de me Cunada Susana quien gano segundo lugar en el maraton de Santa Cruz. Bien Hecho, Susi!

And thats about it! y Esto es todo!

Confessions Part 2

2010-08-21T22:06:00.002-04:00

So I think I have been doing pretty good since my last post. I have held my self responsible. I am now at 239.8 so things are going down. I also found a great website that helps and is free. It's myfitnesspal.com It's like the facebook of weightloss. It has helped a lot. I have also been hitting the gym pretty hard too. I LOVE ZUMBA!!! I told Albert that when I get to my goal weight I am celebrating by becoming a zumba instructor.
Funny story from the gym.....I normally go to work out in the morning and in the weight room there were about 4 highschool boys. They were there everyday. It made me think about my boys when they become that age. What was so funny about them was that they would pump weights for a minute and a half then stand there and look at themselves in the mirror for 3 minutes. As if doing 20 reps is going to make a difference.

Confessions

2010-08-02T08:04:00.002-04:00

I weigh 245 lbs. I'm a freakin wreck. I have let myself go so bad. Sure, I have my excuses why I let myself get that way. But I'm tired of the excuses, I'm tired of being tired and it needs to stop. Now if you read this I hope you would leave me a little dignity and not tell the world how much I weigh. I'm putting this out there in hopes to make my self responsible to more people than just me.
Albert and I were going to start trying to get pregnant again. I've told myself "after I have this last baby I will finally dedicate myself to getting back in shape." I had a self realization that that was just another stupid excuse. Even though we are planning 1 or 2 more babies in the future I realized I would be a bad mom to let my babies live inside an unhealthy body.
So here is my long and short term goal.....loose 2 lbs a week, to get down to my goal weight of 145 lbs. in a year.
Tips, advice, support, and healthy recipes welcome.

Opening a can of worms- Arizona Immigration law

2010-07-28T22:20:00.003-04:00

So I am sure all of have heard of the immigration laws in Arizona and the protests they are causing. This post is not intended to offend anyone it's just to see what others are thinking on the subject.
I am an avid believer that the immigration laws need to be reformed, just in a different way. Most of you know that Albert is a legal resident Alien in this country. To get his visa we did everything the government asked us too. To me it was way to much. I believe that in order for someone to legally enter this country they have to go through extensive background checks....but that's it. Between the forms we had to file, the fees we had to pay and the 2 36 hour bus trips to La paz we spent over $1000 to get here. Most immigrants who come here, come b/c they need the money. They wouldn't have the money to get here the lawful way. That's just one of the many changes needed to be made.
Let them come legally so they can be tax payers. Most of you might think, well they are just paying for the welfare they are using....not true if they are legal resident. Albert cannot receive welfare as long as he is just a resident.
My major problem with illegal immigrants are only with the bad ones. The ones who get drunk, cause problems, and never get punished for their actions. Those are the only ones we need to keep out. I saw this on a news sight and thought I'd share it.......

If you cross the North Korean border illegally you get 12 years hard
labor.
If you cross the Iranian border illegally you are detained indefinitely.
If you cross the Afghan border illegally, you get shot.
If you cross the Saudi Arabian border illegally you will be jailed.
If you cross the Chinese border illegally you may never be heard from
again.
If you cross the Venezuelan border illegally you will be branded a spy
and your fate will be sealed.
If you cross the Mexican borders illegally you will jailed for two years.
If you cross the Cuban border illegally you will be thrown into political
prison to rot.
If you cross the United States border illegally you get:
1 - A job
2 - A driver's license
3 - A Social Security card
4 - Welfare
5 - Food stamps
6 - Credit cards
7 - Subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house
8 - Free education
9 - Free health care
10 - A lobbyist in Washington
11 - Billions of dollars in public documents printed in your language
12 - Millions of servicemen and women who are willing to - and do - die
for your right to the ways and means of our constitution
13 - And the right to carry the flag of your country - the one you walked
out on - while you call America racist and protest that you don't get
enough respect

What are your thoughts?

Brothers and Best Friends

2010-07-24T03:09:00.002-04:00

Benji and Sammy have the best brother relationship. They play great together and fight well together as well. Ever since Sammy was born I could see really easy how Benji feels about his little brother. He plays with him, keeps him away from things that could hurt him, etc. Recently Benji is an avid teacher to Sammy of 2 things...1. Benji is determined that Sammy starts walking. He'll pick him up by the hands and help him walk around the room. 2. Benji is also adamant that Sammy learns how to play fight. Which makes me a little edgy but Sammy absolutely loves. As far as Sammy goes, Benji wears his heart on his sleeve.
Then there is Sammy's feeling toward Benji. Normally we see Sammy following his big brother all around the house. Sammy loves to take Benji's toys which causes a fight. Sammy being the one who usually wins b/c Benji doesn't have the heart to hurt him. Sammy doesn't show much affection toward Benji at all....At least not while anyone is looking. I realized just how much Sammy cares for Benji the other morning. After Albert left for work, Benji crawled into my bed where Sammy was already sleeping and fell back to sleep himself. About an hour later Sammy woke up. He saw Benji asleep. He then layed his head on Benji's for a little while then started giving him kisses on his cheek. Then he layed down and put his arm around his big brother and waited for him to wake up. They are so sweet together and such a blessing to have in our lives.

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday

2010-07-18T23:13:00.009-04:00

The Angola Family has a tradition of going to eat Pizza for lunch during Albert's lunch hour on birthdays. June 24th was my baby Sammy's first birthday! We are so blessed to have his sweet spirit in our family.

At Tony's Pizza.

On Saturday the 26th. We had Sammy's Birthday Party.

One minute he is there enjoying his birthday pizza and the next..............

He is completely knocked out!

So we tried to wake him........

and then we tried again.........

Finally he woke up and we hit the pinata.

and had some yummy birthday cake!

On July 17th we celebrated Benji's 4th birthday. He wanted a spiderman theme. It was a really good party.

Of course he wouldn't have fun without "his chica", Gracie

King of the slip and slide!

Utah Trip Day 2

2010-05-03T11:15:00.003-04:00

I wanted to upload the picture of us in front of this painting, oh well. This is in the conference center and is huge

In Park City.

In the swimming pool at my parents hotel.

On Wednesday, I started my day by going to the Jordan River Temple early in the morning to do initiatories for some ancestors. That Temple was a block away from where we were staying. Then we all headed out to Temple square. We were so excited to see the temple. We took a tour of the conference center. I wasn't expecting to feel such a wonderful spirit there. Yet, it was all I could do to keep from crying.

Next we went to the Beehive house then to the tabernacle. After that we went to the visitors center. The Cristus was amazing. They played a presentation that got me thinking a lotout how I can improve on keeping the commandments.

After that Christopher Rees, Albert's trainer from the mission, took us to Park City. It was so cold but an awesome littleTwn. We ate the best pizza ever at Banjo Pizza.

To end our night, we went swimming at my parents hotel, Little America, in Downtown Salt Lake. It was an awesome pool and jacuzzi. The water was warm like bath water so it was even enjoyable for Sammy. He loves the water

Utah Trip Part 1

2010-05-02T17:23:00.004-04:00

Rosie's Bridal shower given to her by a member of Joe's family.

I couldn't believe we saw this in Utah. "If I can't see the gonorrhea, is it still there?" THEY HAVE GONORRHEA IN UTAH?!?!?!One of the very few scenic parts of our drive.

At a gas station in Wyoming. Notice the snow.....

This week we took a road trip out west to Utah for my sister Rosie's wedding. We left on Monday at noon and were planning on arriving at 4pm on Tuesday. We made excellent time and arrived at 1pm. We have unanimously decided that Nebraska and Wyoming has a whole bunch of nothing. As soon as we hit Wyoming we realized how unprepared for the weather we were. There was a lot of snow and was even really cold and snowy in Utah. It snowed everyday we were there. Luckily I thought to pack Benji and Sammy Jackets. Albert and I however had to suffer.

When we got there we stayed with Albert's trainer from the mission, Christopher Rees, and his parents. They were so great.

I got to go to Rosie's bridal shower that night. It was a good shower. The best was the fondue desert.

Catching up

2010-04-24T07:04:00.003-04:00

I hate it when I'm not up to date on my blogs. Well here goes your catch up. Albert is starting to play soccer again. A friend from church, Laura Smartt, started up a Saturday Soccer league. There season starts sometime close to summer. (You can still sign up if you want) So the past 2 Saturdays Albert has been playing pick up games. He's quite good (with a brag look on my face)

Benji has been watching the movie the Sandlot about twice a day for the past month. He now can repeat every line in the movie. what I love about it is that that movie has taught Benji how to play baseball really well. Benji can hit, throw, catch, slide and my personal favorite....spit.

Sammy is growing so fast. He is 10 months now and is in 12 month old clothes. He has 4 teeth now, which all 4 came in at the same time.......that was a long, hard week. He is also showing a lot of personality. I discovered yesterday that he knows now how to effectively fight with Benji. He says Dada and mama and no no. He is also crawling with perfection and yesterday pulled himself up to a standing position with the help of the couch. Of course when he did that he was trying to take something away from Benji.

As for me.....Same ol, same ol. I went on the stake bus temple trip last Saturday. It was a great trip and I was able to get to know some people better. It was even fun sitting next to Frank Holland the whole way. Well, that's about it. Next week we are headed off to Utah. So my blog should be a little more interesting then.

Milestones

2010-02-20T09:15:00.004-05:00

When you are a mom your kids hit certain milestones in their lives that bring certain reactions. Now sometimes a milestone can be a good thing or a bad thing. For instance, a milestone of your daughters first kiss. To the daughter, it was probably the best thing to have happened to her as of yet. To the father, it probably brought on a hidden tear and a feeling of sadness or disappointment that that daughter was no longer a little girl and scooching farther and farther away from that nest.
Now having 2 boys this will not be one of mine and Albert's milestones and I am absolutely positive that I will be the only girl in my boys lives until they reach 30. However they still bring tears to my eyes when they hit their milestones.
SAMMY- Last week he said his first word, and even though it was Dada I was still proud of him and it still made me cry.

BENJI- Every day Benji and I have his "study" time. I teach him his alphabet and numbers and he "reads" a book to me. This week after much Patience from both our parts, Benji wrote an "A" and a "D". I was so proud of him. But what made me even more happy was how proud he was of himself. Our normal study times are usually 3o minutes. That day he was so excited we went 2 hours.

ALBERT-After almost 5 years of being married. Albert has finally figured out the key to my happiness....flattery and shows of appreciation will get you everywhere. Even though I am in sweats, my hairs a mess, and no makeup. He looks deep into my eyes ( I love it when he does that because his eyes are so intense) and tells me I'm beautiful. Then he shows me appreciation for all I do in the house by telling me thank-you for each specific thing......while handing over his debit card. We haven't had a better month since he finally figured it out.

Silence--Oh no! What is Benji up to?

2010-02-12T10:58:00.002-05:00

He's in his room.....practicing his artwork....all over the wall. He draws such cute faces.

Now you are probably thinking what kind of mother doesn't look after her children well enough to catch this.....my excuse....1. He's the fastest kid in the world. 2. I was feeding Sammy.

Honestly who could be mad at that face!

We weren't too upset about the walls. We were going to paint them in 2 weeks anyway. If you haven't noticed, they're pink. Benji obviously wanted a more masculine room, so he chose blue.

Bachelorette party

2010-02-06T20:21:00.003-05:00

My little sister Rosie is getting married in April. She is leaving to move to Utah next week. A bunch of her friends through her a bachelorette party. I was so excited to be invited. We went to a dance club called the Cotton Eye Joe. I had so much fun with my sisters.

Me, Rosie and Jessica.....Funny we don't look like sisters.

Fun in the snow!

2010-01-30T12:53:00.004-05:00

It snowed a good 5 inches at our house. We made Snow people, had snow ball fights and went 4 wheeling in our back yard. Unfortunately, I think we might have to re-sod the backyard in Spring.

New goals and Sprained ankles

2010-01-24T10:57:00.002-05:00

Every year I always make a resolution to get into good physical shape. To do this I have set a plan of healthy eating and vigorous exercise 6 days a week. To be completely honest I have done great. I actually shock myself that I have kept this goal for 2 weeks. Normally it would stop after a few days. Well, that all changed into week 3. I was still super motivated to do keep my resolution Monday Night as I finished up my Zumba Class at the gym. I headed over to my parents house just to visit awhile. As I was leaving I was startled by a loud banging noise coming from beyond the neighbors privacy fence. I turned to run back in the house when my foot caught onto something and my ankle hit the ground before my foot. It hurt so bad. So I was laying on my parents walk way screaming in pain, trying to find my phone so I could call my dad to come outside and help me. Needless to say I was concerned about a fracture b/c I have had sprains before and they never hurt this bad. However due to the fact that I have no insurance I refused to go to the hospital. Luckily it was just a sprain....a really bad one and the only good part about it is that Benji feels the need to kiss my foot and ask me if I feel better every 5 minutes. So after 5 days of not moving at all I am starting to gimp around. But I am severely discouraged about my resolution. I have lost all momentum. Good pick-me ups, encouragement and advice are highly needed from all who read.

Sammt's Blessing day and more of Bolivia

2010-01-18T12:02:00.002-05:00

Benji kissing his Aunt Susana. Benji besando su tia Susana
Albert, Benji, Albert's mom Teresa, Albert's Grandma Francesca.
Albert, Benji, La mama de Albert Teresa y la Abuela de Albert Francesca.

Aunt Monica, Aunt Marlene, Mother-in-law Teresa, Sister-in-law Susana, Brother-in-law Fernando, Myself, Cousins Andres and David, Grandma Franci with Sammy and Benji with the binoculars

Sammy's Blessing Outside the Church with Albert's Family

My happy baby Sammy

More of Bolivia-Mas de Bolivia

2010-01-09T05:10:00.005-05:00

A street in Samaipata. Una calle en Samaipata

The weather is so nice in Samaipata that the afternoon nap is Delicious. La Clima esta tan bueno en samaipata que una siesta esta riquisima.

Especially in the hammock. Especialmente en la hamaca

At the Ruins in Samaipata. En los ruinas de Samaipata.

My In-laws, Ricardo and Teresa. Mis Suegros Ricardo y Teresa.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-02T00:13:00.006-05:00

2009 in Review.....

1. Moved into our new home in April

2. Sammy was born in June

3. Katina quit work in August.

4. Took a vacation to Bolivia in November

5. Albert's Aunt Monica came to visit us in December.

2010 Hopes and Aspirations

1. Subaru holds out till we get our tax refund.

2. spiritual goals complete

3. And the every year resolution to get into shape

(p.s. yes, that's 1 of 2 of Sammy's favorite teether (celery stick). The other is chicken bones.

Bolivia Pt. 2-The main family

2009-11-27T14:58:00.002-05:00

The day we got to Bolivia was the same day of Albert's Class reunion. Bolivia does those a little differently....All graduating classes have their get together the same time at the same place. So Albert went with his little sister Susana.

This is Albert's dad holding sammy.

This is Albert with his grandma and mom with Sammy
This is Albert's youngest brother with the boys. Susana was a little nervouse because this was the first time Fernando had ever held a baby.

We're back from Bolivia

2009-11-23T07:53:00.003-05:00

Well, we're back! We had such a great time. We took so many pictures and there is so much to tell that for the next couple of weeks all I'm going to blog about is our trip.
The flight down there went smoothly. Benji and Sammy were so well behaved that I recieved compliments from nearby passangers. From Miami to Santa cruz, we flew at night so both the boys slept the whole way. We were greeted at the airport by my sister-in-law, Susana. The whole trip was a surprise for Albert's Family. No one knew we were comming except for her. She is a Doctor and wanted to make sure she didnt schedule any patients, so we let her know. But our surprise was that she told my father-in-law and he was hiding behind some cars and actually surprised us. Albert tried to explain to Benji that he was Daddy's papa, but the name "papa" stuck with Benji most, So that's what he called his Grandpa.
To be continued.........
P.S. Saw New Moon last night...loved it...Cant' wait till June 2010!

Halloween Week

2009-10-30T20:40:00.002-04:00

We had a family activity of carving pumpkins on Wednesday. Benji lasted about 5 minutes with the pumpkin and Albert 7. I am dumbfounded that I have boys in my family who don't like to get dirty! The one pumpkin is supposed to be a kid in his bed scared of an eye looking through the window...but it didn't quite turn out.
we also went to a trunk or treat on Thursday. On Saturday we plan on crashing Pleasant Ridge ward's Trunk or treat also.
In other news Sammy rolled over today. I got my video camera and tried to film him doing it again but by that time he had no interest in performing again.

Sammy eats baby food and other tid bits of the week

2009-10-24T06:37:00.003-04:00

This week Sammy had his first try at eating baby food. It was bananas. He doesn't open his mouth as wide and anxious as Benji did, but he still liked it.
We are also really excited to be going to Bolivia soon. we leave on Nov. 6 and will be back on the 21st. Had I known when I bought the tickets that New Moon would be out on the 20th I would have made the reservations for a week earlier. And right now I am fighting terribly hard to control my desire to see it on the 22nd, which is a Sunday.
I also received a letter this week from one of my baptisms from El Salvador. He has been on his mission for 8 months now and is a District Leader and Trainer. When I got the letter and read it I couldn't help but to cry.

My B-day and We have a baby Girl!!!!

2009-10-17T16:36:00.002-04:00

Thursday was my birthday and Benji and Albert surprised me with Breakfast in bed and Roses. Even though it was at 7 am I still loved it. Then I packed up the boys and met my mom at the zoo where she gave me my birthday present of a zoo membership for the whole year for our family. We all love the zoo so much it was a great present. To top off my b-day Albert took me to Salsaritas to eat.
The Angola family would now like to welcome our newest member of the family......Samba, our 6 week old German Shephard baby girl. Benji went through varios names like Gabby Angola, girl, and finally got to Samba.....which is also his favorite kind of dance.

Life goes on

2009-10-10T06:28:00.003-04:00

I know I have been far to delinquent in my blog. but I think a good blog includes pictures and I just bought a connecter for my memory card to the computer so now you all will get to see pictures again.

It's been far too long

2009-09-01T17:55:00.002-04:00

So I was listening to the radio on the way to the gym this morning. Star 102.1 with Mark, Kim and Frank in the morning. They were talking to Tersa Smith who does the news at 9. She was talking about how her blog domain expired and was turned off for not having written on it so long and it got me thinking about my poor neglegted blog.
I have been struggling with a lot of changes going on....1.trying to adapt to being a stay at home mom. 2.My callings as a 1st counselor in Relief Society and Activities Director for the branch. 3. Trying to be a better daughter of Heavenly Father.
ADAPTING TO BEING A STAY AT HOME MOM-I'm not. I kind of knew I was never the type to stay home all day and have a clean house with the nutritios meals a day. I had to be stuck in the house all week 2 weeks ago due to my radiator giving out on me. I went crazy. Became impatient and took out all my anger on Albert when he got home from work. I knew I was being irrational. So now that I have my car back I am so much better. I am in the gym by 9:30 am every morning, which makes my day go so much better. Not to mention I am now 20 lbs below my prepreggo weight. I still count myself being a stay at home mom because the boys are just in the gym daycare for 2 hours. That still counts right? And.....since I am so much happier leaving the gym my family gets 2 some what nutritional meals a day. Sorry breakfast you will just have to stay with oatmeal packets.
MY CALLINGS- actually they aren't so bad. Gabby Craft is the prez and she is way on top of things. Besides we only have 12 Sisters on our list. Being the activities director is easy too. Everyone in our Branch are such good friends that they are all over at our house on the weekends playing volleyball anyway. I just need to start having an opening and closing prayer. However Pres. Cruze asked me to organize a temple to trip to Nashville to do Baptisms....They are complete booked to the end of the year.
TRYING TO BE A BETTER DAUGHTER OF HEAVENLY FATHER- We had a stake women's conference last week that was such a booster spiritually. I knew that I needed to improve my prayers and scripture study. The conference was a huge shove to do that. We watched Reflections of Christ. I highly recommend it.

Our trip to the Smokies

2009-07-25T23:15:00.006-04:00

We went to the smokies today. We had plans to hike to Abrams Falls but got there around 4 pm so we decided just to walk around the cades cove visitors center instead. We saw a bear (pic didn't turn out too dark)a deer and a little birds nest with chicks in it. Benji loved it. Sammy must have thought it was bland. He slept the entire time. On the way back, while we were still in the park. Albert got pulled over for going 57 in a 35 zone. Some how he has the best luck ever, he got off with a warning. That is the 3rd time he has been pulled over for speeding and still no ticket. Not that I am complaining. I didn't want to have to pay a ticket.

Benji's 3rd Birthday

2009-07-17T17:51:00.003-04:00

I can't believe Benji is 3. He is such a great kid. Last year we started a tradition of having lunch with Albert at Mr. Ghatti's Pizza Buffet for Benji's B-day. He loves to play the games. Tomorrow is his little party, Everyone is invited. Just call to get directions to the house!

Sammy Update

2009-07-03T16:52:00.002-04:00

Most of you might have heard through the grapevine that we had to take Sammy to the emergency room on Monday. He was admitted with a diagnosis of Bacterial Menengitis, which is worse than viral menegitis. I have never been so scared in all my life. I always knew that losing a child was my greatest fear. I was faced with that fear. The Doctor did tell us however that we came in early enough to have a little breathing room. It broke my heart as I had to turn my head into Albert's shoulder as they were doing a spinal tap on my 5 day old baby. It was even worse as I heard him scream from the nurses trying to get an IV into his tiny veins. They tried twice in each hand and twice in each ankle before the nurse finaly got one in his wrist.
We were told on Monday to expect to stay in the hospital from 10-14 days. But here I am on day 4 in my home with my baby again. PREISTHOOD BLESSINGS ARE REAL, PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED. Albert gave Sammy one of the most beautiful and most comforting blessings I have ever heard of in my life.
Yesterday morning when the doctor came in he told us that the bacteria in the culture they took from Sammy's spine had disappeared and looked like it was more viral. This morning he told me that the bacteria had completely disappeared and was replaced by a viras. Which is not really a big deal. The doctor said he had never seen anything like that happen before. Again I say..........PRAYERS ARE ANSWERE!
I finally got my camera and computer working together again so here are some pics of our new addition. Including a pic of Sammy in Children's hospital with all his IVs and tubes. (so sad)

Samuel Ricardo Angola

2009-06-27T13:20:00.000-04:00

He is here. He weighed 8lbs 3 oz. 20 1/2 inches long. and yes.......lots and lots of thick black hair. We are both ok. and at home. pictures to soon come

Stay at home Mom

2009-06-16T13:28:00.003-04:00

I have been a stay at home mother for a total of 2 days now, and I am already a little frustrated. Day 1 was perfect. Benji and I read books, played outside, I got some cleaning done, and even had dinner ready for Albert. Day 2 was going pretty good. We woke up, had breakfast then went to the pool Benji's swim lessons. After that I had to run to the post office do deliver a package to Albert's Brother. That is where my troubles began. Benji was running everywhere, threw a fit, and even ran out the door into the parking lot. I knew Benji was a very active kid, but I've never seen him act out like that before.
So here is my question to all the mothers out there.......How do you run errands while controlling your children's behavior?
I believe in spanking, as long as it is controlled and with love, however, I do not spank in public. Am I right in doing this? I highly doubt that even if I did give Benji a good spanking he would have acted much better. So I want to know what other moms do to discipline effectively.
Needless to say I am a little down trodden. The general thought running through my head is, if I cant even control one kid, how am I going to handle 2 next week, and 3 in August when we get Gabby? Any advice will help!

Albert and Katina

2009-06-04T21:16:00.004-04:00

A montage of us. Plus some sites of Bolivia and El Salvador.....Sorry Stephanie, it was the only pic I had with both Albert and I in the mission.

My Mother's day present!

2009-05-09T12:27:00.002-04:00

I got my mother's day present today. It was a complete surprise! Last night Albert told me we needed to go somewhere at 10:30am. I asked him where and he said it was a surprise. So we leave and he drives to West Knoxville. We pull up to Polish. It is a nail salon. Talk about shocker. When we walked in the Asian owner automatically knew who I was and directed me to one of the massage chairs for my Pedicure. Granted due to being Pregnant they couldn't turn the chair on, but it was like heaven on earth; the warm water my feet were in and the excellent massage on them. I Chose a light pink polish.
The last time I got a pedicure was about 6 years ago and I was used to Red, look at me, polish. I guess my personality changed.
After my pedicure I was even more surprised to be directed to another chair to get my manicure. I don't have great nails, but this girl worked wonders on them. In the car on the way home I told Albert how grateful I was for my present. He said "thank-Benji" I said thank-you to Benji, and without missing a beat and acting like he thought it up and made the appointment and paid for it, said, "your welcome, Mommy"
It was the best present I received.

Our new home

2009-05-01T18:32:00.002-04:00

Well, at least the outside of it. The inside is still pretty cluttered with boxes

Why God made Moms (long but well worth it)

2009-04-28T18:54:00.001-04:00

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers? 1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Benji's final update

2009-04-24T04:11:00.003-04:00

After a really tough Wednesday night recovering from surgery, Benji was finally released from the hospital at 6 pm on Thursday. All day Thursday, you could have never told that Benji was even sick. He was back to his normal rambunctious self. The hardest part on Thursday for him was giving out all those kisses to the nurses who took care of him and subsequently fell in love with his good looks and charm.

Update on Benji

2009-04-22T18:02:00.002-04:00

This morning Benji was wheeled from the hospital to the ENT Doctor's office. They did a hearing sreaning. Benji passed the high and mid pitched sounds but failed low pitch. So the doctor sugggested tubes. This afternoon Benji was given versed (a preanesthetic "happy juice"--video of his bizarre behavior to come later.) The Doctor put tubes in his ears and took out his adnoid. He is really fussy but did just fine. Hopefully we can go home tomorrow......Just in time for me to pack our entire house and move on Saturday. (ok, so I'm a little stressed)

Benji is in the hospital

2009-04-21T18:25:00.002-04:00

Last night Benji was admitted into Children's Hospital. He has had a bad ear infection for the past 2 weeks now. None of the antibiotics have been working. So they admitted him last night. We talked to an ENT specialist this morning and it looks like we will be in the hospital for a few more days. After that Benji will have to have surgery to put tubes in his ears and probably a couple more days in the hospital. I will update on how he is doing tomorrow. Thanks all for your prayers.

Divert your course

2009-04-19T22:39:00.000-04:00

Benji and Sammy's first fight

2009-03-24T18:20:00.002-04:00

It happened last night. I was laying in bed with Benji next to me watching TV. Somewhere between Blues Clues and Wow Wow Wubzy, Benji fell asleep with his head resting on my belly. I noticed that Sammy started getting a little more active and all of a sudden he kicked super hard right were Benji's head was. Benji, being sort of out of it from sleep, lifted his head and smacked my belly where Sammy was kicking and said "Stop Sammy." Albert and I both started laughing. So I was thinking, maybe I should go ahead and buy the boxing gloves.

Sit ups.....Benji style

2009-03-23T19:19:00.002-04:00

Katina and Albert needs

2009-03-14T21:45:00.002-04:00

One of Alice Gold's posts was so fun, I had to try it my self. What you do is go to google and type in your name and then needs. Example: Katina needs
See what comes up. Mine said-Katina needs surgery. Katina needs help. and one more that was a little inappropriate.
I did the same for Albert his was much more fun. Albert needs love. Albert needs to lose weight. Albert needs hugs. Give it a try.

Husbands say the darndest things too

2009-03-07T18:53:00.002-05:00

MY friend Lindsay Rose wrote a blog about her children saying the darnedest things. It was really funny. She invite all her read to write their own. Well, Benji really hasn't conquered the whole English / Spanish ordeal yet so he hasn't had much opportunity.
However, My husband, who is also trying to conquer the whole English/Spanish ordeal has plenty of opportunities to say the darnedest thing.
2 nights ago we were visiting with my dad at my Uncle's house because my dad is taking care of my uncle and he was bored one night. While we were there one of my unlce's friends from his church passed by to see how he was doing. My dad was telling him how Albert and I met on our mission. Then Albert blurts out "She made love to me in El Salvador" My dad's jaw dropped. This man was stunned and I just looked down and started laughing. I corrected him at that point, " Albert I think you wanted to say I fell in love with you in El Salvador" At that point both my dad and this man started laughing and Albert asked what he said. When I told him he started laughing too.

Potty Training (at least I'm trying)

2009-02-20T17:24:00.003-05:00

I thought that with the new baby coming I had better potty train Benji. I went to walmart and bought him a soccer potty chair that you can just put on top of the toilet. This is what Benji thought of the idea. He thought it would work much better as a picture frame or hat.

SAMUEL RICARDO ANGOLA

2009-02-13T21:13:00.001-05:00

We decided. His name will be Samuel b/c we decided to stick with a Book of Mormon theme....King Benjamin, Samuel the Lamanite......Joke! That was just a coincidence. We both liked Samuel, and it will be easy for Benji to say. Ricardo, because both our dads names is Ricardo (mine in the English form of Richard)

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

2009-02-11T14:07:00.002-05:00

We had the ultrasound today and we are having another baby boy! We are so excited because we have just about everything we need for a boy. Benji knew all along what it was going to be. Every time we asked him he would say, "it's a boy like daddy" and if we asked him if he wanted a girl he would firmly say "No, girl" or no sister.
So now we are stumped for names. We were thinking about Brandon, but aren't sure. So leave me some suggestions.

The Silence

2009-01-31T20:18:00.002-05:00

This is what I get for sitting on the computer reading blogs. Benji's normal routine in the morning is to wake up, sit on the couch to eat oatmeal and watch cartoons. While he does that I get on the computer. As I was reading I noticed it was rather quite, I looked to where Benji normally is and this is what I found.........empty. So I went to look for him.

This is what I saw next.......Where it shouldn't have been.

I looked in the kitchen and found him......in the strawberry milk mix.......

Creating Art work.........

Moral of the story, silence is never a good thing when you have a toddler.

GO KNOXVILLE ICE BEARS!!!!!

2009-01-30T00:03:00.002-05:00

Tonight the Angolas went to a hockey game. We went to see the Knoxville Ice Bears take on The Huntsville Havocs. It was a great game. The Ice Bears won 4-1. Benji really like it and was screaming when everyone else screamed. Even when the crowd was screaming more adult words. The first time he said it, we explained to him that he shouldn't say those words so instead of screaming "hey, goalie, you suck!!!" He was screaming "hey Goalie, You're bad!!" Granted its not as strong but comming from a 2 year old it was pretty cute.

Our 2 favorite parts of the game was when the referee knocked over a player and of course the fight.

A day in Atlanta

2009-01-19T09:12:00.006-05:00

Last week Albert and I decided to go down to the Atlanta Temple on Saturday. We asked my parents if they would take care of Benji for us. They agreed happily. Saturday morning as we were leaving. We realized that this was the first time we were going on a road trip with out Benji. We were kinda sad and almost turned around to bring him with us. Fortunately sanity set in and we kept going. We stopped at Waffle house and had breakfast then were back on the road again. Albert drove the whole way and we didn't even make it out of Knoxville before I fell asleep. Albert wakes me up and tells me we are in Atlanta and needs help with the directions. I looked at the clock, 8:05am. He made it down to Atlanta in 2 1/2 hours. Good Grief, how fast was my husband going? Anyway, we pulled up to the Temple.......Gates closed. WHAT????? I had checked the website last night to make sure. So we call the temple and sure enough it was closed for cleaning. We were so bummed. We then went to the book store where we meet a bus full of members who drove 1 1/2 hours to go to the temple only to realize that it was closed. Albert decided to make the most of our trip any way. We decided to take the subway to downtown. When we got to the station, we realized we had to buy tickets from this automatic machine. Figuring it out was exciting.

We finally did!!! Then we realized we had no idea where we were or where we needed to get off at to get to Downtown, So I finally called............

No one answered. We walked down to the platform and finally found out where we were. So the next train that came we got on. It was really fun because neither me or Albert has ever been on one. People got on, people got off. We realized that we might have gone to far so we got of at the next stop. WOW!! Talk about scary. Out of maybe 500 people, I was the only white one. Normally I am used to that considering I grew up in a shady side of town myself, however the people there didn't looked to pleased to see me and I was being stared down by everyone. We got back on the train going back in the direction we came from and finally found the right stop. We walked around a little bit and were getting really Hungary so we decided to go back. We had already decided......better said is....I already decided that we were going to have lunch at the Cheesecake factory. Pure Heaven right there in my mouth. The food was great, especially the cheesecake. Then we headed for home, and again I was asleep before we even made it out of Atlanta. How was Benji being without us the whole day????? The little runt didn't even miss us. He had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa that he was mad when we came to get him.

New Year's day Activities

2009-01-02T18:48:00.003-05:00

Benji's Funky Due after the movie
Albert and I at the park

Grace the beautiful (I'm kinda jealous)

We had a lot of fun on the first day of 2009. The first hours of New Years we spent with the Craft family. Benji says that Grace is bella (beautiful).

My sister's friend, later in the day to become boyfriend, came over so the Angolas plus Rosie and Brian went to the park. After the park we went to see the movie Madagascar 2. It was cute. Benji, fell asleep half way through it and as a result we got the most laughs from his hair as we were leaving.

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T20:48:00.002-05:00

Right now I am waiting patiently to head out to PARTY!!!!!!! Tonight we are going to the Dan and Gabriella Crafts home to celebrate the New Year Latin Style. Unfortunately I have been nauseated all day long.
I received a wonderful email from Kerin Alvarez, one of the young men I helped bring into the gospel. He finally got his mission call. He is going to the El Salvador San Salvador East mission.

2008 Angola Family Review
1. Vacation to Nashville
2. Benji started using whole sentences (even though he speaks Spanglish)
3. After a year and a half of trying we are finally Pregnant.
4. Albert got employee of the month 5 months running
5. Benji Survived Thanksgiving.

Well, Not much happened this year. But next year will sure be a doozy.
For those of you planning to do your New Year's resolution just remember this quote:
"New Year's resolution goes in one year and out the other"

Great Grandma Jessie

2008-12-19T06:10:00.002-05:00

On Sunday my Great Grandma finally passed away. I say finally because she has been holding on to life by a thread for a long time now. She died at the ripe Ole age of 96. Can you imaging living 96 years?
She was born on October 11, 1912. She was raised right here in the Knoxville area. Grandma had an interesting life, which included an extremely active single life. We had found out recently that my Grandpa, her first son was not my great grandfather's child. My grandmother became pregnant by a sailor and raised my grandpa by herself for 3 years until she met my great grandfather, who adopted him. My biological great grandfather's name is Frank Knot. So if anyone has any Knots in their family, we might be related. So when my grandmother revealed my this to me, my first question was, What were doing with sailors? I shouldn't have asked. Turns out my Great Grandmother danced with a group called Daughters of America. They were a group of girls who would "entertain" sailors while they were in town. I mean entertain as dance half naked nothing else. Hello!!!! Shocker!!!
Even though she had a rough young adult life, I am so happy she overcame it. She married a well, had 3 more sons, too many grandchildren and lots of great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.
She outlived all of her cousins, her husband, her brother and sister, and 3 of her sons. She has so many of her close family members waiting for her on the other side that I know she happy to finally be with them. I miss you and love you, Grandma.

I've been tagged

2008-12-15T19:01:00.002-05:00

A)The rules are posted at the beginning.
B) Each person answers questions about their sweethearts.
C) At the end of the post, the person then tags 6 people and posts their names; then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged.

1.What is your husbands name? Albert Benjamin Angola
2.How long have you guys been married? 3 years 4 months
3.How long did you date? ooh that's a good one....well, we were good friends in the mission (nothing happened, just friends) After we wrote a lot, but in person we were together for 2 months before we got married.
4.How old is he? 25
5.Who is taller? Albert, but before I went to Bolivia I thought I was.
6.Who can sing best? neither, but it works to our advantage when we want to wake up Benji.
7.Who is smarter? UUUm I am....but he is pretty smart too
8.Who does laundry? I do. Albert tried once and used way to much bleach and ruined all of our white clothes
9.Who pays the bills? we both pay equally
10.Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Depends on if I feel pregnancy nausea, I might try to sleep closer to the door
11.Who mows the lawn? Good thing we live in an apartment, but if we had a lawn. Albert would
12.Who cooks dinner? I do. Albert will cook once in a while but it is always some weird creation and Benji and I end up eating peanut butter and jelly
13.Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? we are both to prideful for that. we just stop talking until it passes
14.Who kissed who first? Albert kissed me in the airport not 5 minutes after I got to Bolivia
15.Who wears the pants? I let him wear the pants, but just because his butt looks so good.

I tag--Stephanie, Hailey, Lindsay and Teresa

Benji and Thanksgiving...Is he still alive?

2008-11-28T22:18:00.003-05:00

YESSSSS HE IS!!!!!!!! If you read one of my previous post about Benji's Thanksgiving day Curse, you will understand why I was so worried about this day.
Two night ago I had nightmares all day long about it. First I dreamt that Benji ran out into traffic and got hit by a car. When I finally went back to sleep, I dreamt that he was attacked by a dog. After that I decided not to go back to sleep.
Thanksgiving day got here and I was prepared........

At the Turkey bowl I was on that kid like White on rice. I got really nervous when the new family in the ward brought their huge German Shepherd/Great Dane mix dog. I got even more nervous when Benji took off into a hard run straight at the dog. He is a fast little booger.

The day almost turned bad when I was distracted for 30 seconds.

Albert came over to talk to me. I turned around and the next thing I know Albert has a look of terror on his face. 3 large players were going after a football and Benji was right where they were all going to knock into each other. Albert got to him, grabbed him and turned around right when they all collided. Albert received the blunt of the collision with his back turned hovering over Benji. Benji walked away just fine, even a little mad at Albert for interrupting his play, and Albert walked away with a big bruise on his back from the blow. Better him with a bruise then Benji with a couple of broken bones.

The rest of the day went by without any problems And that was what I was most thankful for on Thanksgiving.

My mom

2008-11-20T18:56:00.003-05:00

My mom is Robin Lynn. Born to Robert Navarrette of Mexican decent and Rosalie Larson of Chippewa Indian decent. She grew up in Santa Monica, California and then in Fernley, Nevada. While in at Fernley Highschool, she played basketball, softball, volleyball and was on the cheerleading squad. She was also treasurer in the school presidency. My mom joined the church when she was 17 years old and later went to Ricks college where she met my dad.

In her free time she loves to quilt, put together puzzles and spoil her grandkids. She loves going camping and hiking and be in the great out doors. She has taught me to live the gospel and has helped me make good decisions all my life. I am so glad she is my mom

My Daddy!

2008-11-07T18:04:00.002-05:00

My Dad was born here in good ol' Tennessee to Richard and Joann. He has 1 brother who lives in Alaska and a sister who live here in Knoxville. His favorite past times are watching and playing football. He says his best friend is Benji. Benji loves to play pillow fight with his grandpa.

Not many people know this about my dad, but he loves to write. He will right articles about politics, religion and life, Although he never gets any published. I think he would be an excellent blogger.

my favorite times with my dad are when we discuss deep church doctrine and battle over it with the scriptures. A couple of years ago, he would always win. Know I can hold my own, and he couldn't be more proud.

I am very grateful for my dad, how he raised me, his love for the gospel and savior and his love for his family. There isn't a better dad on earth.

Honey? Are you Cooking?

2008-10-29T23:23:00.004-04:00

Tonight I had to go to a Relief Society Presidency meeting, and when I got home I found Albert and Benji playing soccer. After I yelled Albert for not having Benji in Bed I noticed a smell coming from the kitchen. Albert, are you cooking? I should have known that when he said "aaw dang it" and ran to the kitchen it would not have been good. Then I saw it.......He burnt Ramen noodles. How does anyone burn Ramen noodles??????? Well, he did it.

Benji

2008-10-20T22:22:00.002-04:00

I was debating on whether or not I should include him in my blogs about family member. Of course he is the cutest family member but I already blog about him so much already. But since he is so cute and entertaining I might as well.

Benji progressed like a normal baby and toddler, but we have come to find out he is quite accident prone on Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving 2006

We were all at the Church's Turkey bowl. I was playing football and left Benji with his very helpful Aunt Chasity. Next thing I know someone from my team threw a hard pass towards the end zone but over shot the receiver by allot and hit Benji right in the face with a football. Chasity was holding him when it happened and didn't even see the ball coming. Benji was so startled and hurt that it took him awhile to actually cry out loud. ( you know how some kids hold their breath before they let out the screams) I felt so bad.

Thanksgiving 2007

We made it through the Turkey bowl and Dinner, I thought we were going to make it through this holiday with no incidents. I thought wrong. Albert was sitting on the reclining computer desk chair when Benji wanted to crawl on his lap. He started to crawl up, when he started to scream. Albert tried to pick him up when he realized Benji had caught his toe in the reclining part of the chair. Benji was screaming, I was holding him trying to calm him down, Albert was trying to pry the chair off his toe, my mom was panicking, Rosie was calling 911 and Jessica and Chasity were praying. He was stuck for 10 minutes. Albert finally was able to pry the chair open. Just then the fireman arrive along with the ambulance. We looked at his toe. It was completely white and Squished. So we went to children's hospital in the ambulance ( we were all to frazzled to drive) At the hospital the doctor told us his toe was broken and he probably would walk for about a week, obviously he didn't know Benji. The next day he was not only running but kicking a soccer ball. He normally kicked the ball before with his right foot but since it was that toe that was hurt, he learned to kick with the left. Now he kicks with both....really well....so well I just know he is going to buy me a huge mansion when he becomes a soccer star.

Well, that's my story about my baby boy

2008-10-16T22:35:00.003-04:00

Thanks Emily for tagging me! Of course it would be a picture of Benji! He's got his UT Tattoos on his face. What you do is go to your picture files...open your 4th folder... open your 4th picture, and that is the one you post!FUN!

I tag Hailey, Ashley, and Stephanie.

Albert

2008-10-11T00:09:00.000-04:00

I have decided to give you a thorough background on every member of my Family. and since Albert is my Husband He is first.

Albert was born on June 22nd in Santa Cruz de La Sierra, Bolivia. His Father is Ricardo Angola who is African Bolivian. And his mother is Teresa Torrez of Spanish decent. He has one sister, Susana Gabriella and 2 brothers Mauricio and Fernando.

Albert had a hard childhood, one so hard that he really doesn't like to talk about his first 8 years. He grew up in a poverty stricken home where sometimes the only food they had for weeks was old bread and what little breast milk his mother could produce. Some of you might think, "eew!! Breast Milk!?" But what would you do if your children were on the verge of starvation and that was the only thing that was keeping them alive?

After he turned 9, Albert's family started doing much better. Albert's father trained in electrical mechanics which in turn brought about $300 a month into their home. For Bolivia, that would be middle class. No longer suffering, Albert started doing alot better in school. He didn't have to hold down a part time job. ( He sold newspapers from 5-8 years old, 6 hours a day) He started enjoying his youth and his mother now claims that maybe he enjoyed it a little too much. (she always says that with a smile on her face) He was no stranger to causing or organizing all sorts of trouble, From setting stink bombs off in his school to accidentally drowning his mother's prized Rooster, (she didn't know this was his fault until he told her the story 12 years and one wife later)

When Albert was 11, their were a lot of killings going on in his town and the only way the bodies were identified was through their tattoos. So him and his friends, wanting only to be identified if something bad happened, got tattoos. His friends went first, getting skulls and other scary stuff tattooed on their arms and backs. Albert being the kind of person he is, innocent and sweet, got Mickey Mouse on his leg above the knee. I didn't know he had a tattoo until I saw it one day. I had to ask what it was due to the fact that now it is stretched out and covered in hair.

Even though Albert's family were members of the church all his life, he didn't get baptized until he was 14 years old due to the fact that when he made a commitment to keep the commandments he would stick to it, and at the time he didn't want to give up playing soccer on sundays.

His last year in "high school" he was named senior class president and organized many activities for his fellow classmates.

At the age of 19, Albert received his mission call to the El Salvador San Salvador mission. He was a senior companion, a trainer and a District Leader. Many families were blessed by him.

A year to the day after he returned from his mission, We were married.

Now, Albert enjoys playing soccer, watching soccer and teaching our Son, Benji, everything he knows about Soccer.

I never knew what love was until Albert came into my life. He is everything I could have hoped for and wanted in a husband and father. He is the man of my dreams.

Faces of Agony

2008-10-08T22:50:00.001-04:00

Benji and Gabby in their less than happy moods!

............But they are so cute!!!!!

El Salvador

2008-10-06T21:09:00.000-04:00

On September 20, 2008, The Salvadoran people had their groundbreaking ceremony for the San Salvador El Salvador Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is something very dear and special to my heart. Albert served in the west mission from 2002-2004 and I served there from 2003-2004. I am very grateful that the members can have the blessings of the temple in their own country. I love El Salvador and is one of my 3 favorite countries ( you can probably guess the other 2). The people are wonderful and the gospel is thriving. I am so very grateful that the lord chose me to be sent to these loving people. Here is the web site for the Temple. www.ldschurchtemples.com/sansalvador/ It will be beautiful!

Spanish Branch Activity

2008-09-27T22:18:00.001-04:00

Tonight we had our Spanish Branch "culture night". There was a ton of food, We gave a small presentation on our respective countries, and we danced. No Latin gathering is complete without dancing! It was so much fun.

Brother and Sister Rodriguez

Dan and Gabriella Craft (Benji's future in-laws)

Brother and Sister Rodriguez

Gabriella and Benji dancing (My son seems to be attracted to the Craft Women)

Grace Craft ( Benji calls her "My Gracie") Dancing with her Dad and Ignacio Garcia

The Difference between an apple and an onion

2008-09-23T23:11:00.000-04:00

Benji has recently been learning words for fruits, so when he saw that delicious red thing in my hand he couldn't resist. He grabbed it, and sunk his teeth into it. At that moment my poor son learned that not all red things were apples. He bit into an onion. A picture says a thousand words.

Bolivia-please pray

2008-09-17T18:07:00.001-04:00

This post is more of a favor asker than anything. As most of you know my husband is from Bolivia. I was married there and lived there for a year. I feel like Bolivia is my home. We have family there and so many wonderful memories. Right now Bolivia is in a political crisis. For reasons only known to the many people involved, my second country is on the brink of being torn by civil war.
2 days ago the church took out all the North American missionaries out of Bolivia and has sent them to Peru. The US embassy has been thrown out and the US government is flying out American Citizen by charter plane and helicopter. The worst part about that is, if we had stayed in Bolivia, I would have been on the plane and have had to leave my husband. I wasn't the only American citizen married to a Bolivian there, I cant imagine the pain of that separation.
I cant even describe how much it hurts to hear about the violence that is going on there. Or worse, when I see my husband worried and crying over the family we left there.
So at this time I ask for your prayers. Not only for the Angola family in Bolivia but for the church members, the people who have lost loved ones already and for the government. We would greatly appreciate it.

Death Road

2008-09-13T21:30:00.000-04:00

I Have wanted to share this video for a long time now. It is one of the places Albert took me for our honeymoon. It is the road that leads to the little town at the top of the mountains where is dad is from. Only after we got back did he tell that the name of the road is Death Road and there are more deaths per mile on this road than any other road in the world. Averaging about 25 deaths per mile in one year.

Elder Bednard and Benji

2008-09-06T22:15:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Stake Conference with Elder Bednard. It was amazing. Just being in the same room as an apostle of the lord makes you feel the Spirit. He gave an excellent message but that is not what I wanted to right about. Like always I want to write about Benji and his experience with an apostle. Obviously he didn't listen intently to the messages, but afterword Albert and I, with Benji went to shake Elder Bednard's hand. When we got in front of him. Benji reached his arms out to him like he wanted to be held by him. Albert was holding him and was speaking to Elder Bednard so he didn't realize what Benji was trying to do. When Benji realized that he was going to be held by him he settled for touching his face. Now, anyone who knows Benji knows that he is not a touchy feely kinda kid, and especially does not like to be held, but As we spoke to Elder Bednard, Benji touched his face, and his hands. It was like he knew or he had a stronger testimony of who this man was than any other person in the room and he just had to be near him.

Survivor

2008-09-04T21:15:00.000-04:00

My one weakness in the world is reality TV shows. Actually I'm only a fan of 2, Survivor and Biggest Looser. Last year I played the survivor Fantasy game. It was a lot of fun.
So here is my question or invitation.....if you are a survivor fan and would like to join my team leave me a message letting me know you are interested and I will tell you what to do. It is all Free and in the unlikely possibility that we win, unlikely because their are over 100,000 teams. We win a trip to Gabo, Africa! So let me know yall!!!

Our Anniversary

2008-08-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

Albert and I have the fortune of being able to celebrate 2 wedding anniversaries a year. And when we get officially married here in the USA, we can celebrate 3. (The United States does not recognize our Bolivian wedding.)

Our first anniversary is on August the 19th. That was when we were married civilly. Bolivia's government does not recognize temple weddings. It was a great party. It really didn't mean that much to me because I was REALLY getting married when we went to the temple. But it was fun planning stuff, the DJ, the Dancing, the dinner. Our Civil wedding and reception started at 8pm on a Friday night and didn't end til 7 am the next morning. Albert warned me about the Bolivian parties but I realized I had no clue. It was so much fun. But I was zonked the day after.

Our 2nd Anniversary is the 23 of August. That was when Albert and I were sealed for time and all eternity. I might be a little partial but the Bolivia Cochabamba temple is the most beautiful temple in the world.

Today I dedicate this blog to Albert. He is the most wonderful person I know. I couldn't have chosen a better father or husband. Not to mention outrageously gorgeous! I am so glad I get to claim him forever!

Twilight Saga cont.

2008-08-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

I finished the first book in 2 days. Wow! I absolutely loved it. I couldn't wait to have the second book so I drug Albert out on Tuesday, I didn't want to ditch him because it was our 3rd anniversary. (celebrating on Saturday) I Bought New Moon. I finished that book yesterday.
Now I know what you must be thinking "Gosh, Katina is completely ignoring her responsibilities" But I really am not. I read during work! Right now in my department we have no assignments, we just have to be there in case we have a call come through. Which we have about 30 a day, but we also have 15 people. So I would take my calls when they came through and then get back to reading.
Honestly I liked the first book better, but I still loved the 2nd book. I felt bad for poor Jacob at the end. Leave me a comment about the book if you read it!

Twilight

2008-08-18T21:33:00.000-04:00

So I have been hearing so much about the Twilight series I just had to check it out for myself. I was never really into the whole vampire fiction thing, but I have to admit. I have only read the first couple of chapters of the first book and I love it. I left the book at work and wish I hadn't. Benji is a asleep and there is nothing more I want to do right now than to get back to the book. I love it. I just might even get one of those stickers that says "My heart belongs to Edward" Then again that might give people the wrong idea. Why couldn't Edward's name be Albert?!!?!

The Angola's go to a Baseball game

2008-08-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

Last night We went to a smokies Baseball game. It was Albert and Benji's first time. Benji had more fun entertaining the people around us rather than watch the game. His favorite part was eating the nachos and licking the cheese sauce off his fingers. His least favorite part was the fireworks. They were super close and really loud. All-in-all we had a great time.

Our mini Vacation

2008-08-12T21:40:00.000-04:00

Albert is working on getting his Green card renewed, and to do that we had to go to Nashville so they could get his fingerprints . Well, we just decided to turn it into a vacation. After being in the office about 30 min. We headed to the Temple. When we got their Benji kept saying, "Jesus house?" He was so cute. After that he started saying "Hi, Jesus!" As we were leaving he started to say "chau, Jesus"

When then went to the Opry Mills Malls and had lunch at the Rain forest cafe. Benji had mixed feelings about this place. He loved because there were tons of things to see and lots of motion animals but he was terrified at first of the gorillas. After awhile he finally got used to them but would have nothing to do with the elephant.

All in all it was excellent family time that we much needed.

Benji and Gabby

2008-07-27T20:15:00.000-04:00

Benji and his cousin Gabby are best friends. All week if they havent seen each other Benji says "I want Gabby"and Gabby says "I want Benji" When we finally take Benji to see Gabby, he runs in, runs towards Gabby shouting "Gabby, Gabby!" And Gabby runs towards him and shouts his name. They hug and start to play. Not 10 minutes later they are fighting. Benji tries to take her toys, she screams at him and runs and hides. But as soon as its time to go they both cling to each other like it will be last time they see one other. As Benji leaves he waves bye and Gabby Cries. I hope they stay this close all thier lives. Gabby is going to need a friend like Benji. She has already been through so much in her short 2 years. But she is also one that shows love to everyone.

We took them to the park today so they could play on the motorized motorcycle Aunt Ro got Benji for his birthday. Without even encouraging them Benji climbs on and starts patting behind him to Gabby saying "sit down" she climbed on behind him and held on for dear life as they go around Victor Ashe Park.

a new camara

2008-07-26T10:10:00.000-04:00

Ok so I finally got into this century. We bought a digital camara. We were so upset about what happened at With Benji's B-day party we decided it was time. I was taking pictures left and right for his birthday the next day I realized the film had already gone out. So we didnt get any pictures of Benji's party. So this is the very first picture on our new digital camara!

Ok now leave me a comment on what you think Benji is trying to say here. My guess would be....."mom, I am trying to get into stuff I am not supposed to and you are totally messing with my routine!"

Memories

2008-07-16T23:24:00.000-04:00

Hey yall, I just read this post from Lindsey Rose and thought it was a good idea. Here are the rules:1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.Happy Memories to You!

My Benji

2008-07-16T23:01:00.000-04:00

Right now I have a ton of thoughts going through my head about my dear baby. He will be 2 years old tomorrow. He has so many of mine and Albert's qualities that it makes us laugh sometimes. Albert and I are both pretty stubborn and it looks like Benji is going to be the same way. He also has a really sweet and caring side that I saw tonight. Albert dropped a glass bowl on his toe and it started to bleed. He was sitting on the couch trying to recuperate and Benji stayed by his side giving his foot kisses and saying "you ok, papa?" He then started to hug Albert and even offered Albert his Pacifier. I cant imagine a stronger love than that between children and their parents.

America

2008-07-13T20:26:00.000-04:00

The other day at work I had a conversation with a woman who said "I cant stand the United States, there is not one good thing about it" I had read an article by Glenn Beck a couple of days earlier and sent it to her. It was a good article, so here it is.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A few days before the Fourth of July, I read a column in The Philadelphia Inquirer that said America didn't deserve to celebrate its independence this year.It claimed that all of our so-called atrocities have shamed the memory of our founding fathers and, as a result, we should cancel our parades, put away our fireworks and all sit quietly while we atone for our sins.I guess that was one way to go.Another way to go would be to fire up the grills, bring the kids to the beach,and gather the family on a blanket to watch as your tax dollars ignite into colorful bursts.I'm guessing that most of us chose the second option.But just because I had fun with friends and family doesn't mean that I believe America is perfect. It just means that, for one day, I chose to celebrate the fact that America is still closer to perfect than any other country in the history of the world.For 364 days a year we talk about high gas prices, crooked politicians, and how much people from one political party allegedly hate everyone from the other. But for 24 hours we get to put it all aside and marvel at how a few brave men risked their lives to stand up for what they believed in. Of course, I would prefer we celebrate that every day, but for now, or at least until that Inquirer columnist gets elected president and bans it, I'll take the one. As someone who works in the media in New York City, I'll admit that I am part of the chorus of people who talk about our problems. But there's nothing wrong with that, so long as you also occasionally take the time to talk about the other side. And that's what I want to do now by asking the question that never seems to be of interest to the mainstream media: What's right with America?Let's start with our much maligned economy. I'm not trying to sugarcoat it, times are definitely tough for an awful lot of families right now. But you know what? We've made it through a depression; we've made it through wars, oil shocks, and major terrorist attacks and we're still standing. In fact, we're not just standing, we're towering over the rest of the world.Our economy is almost as big as the next four largest economies on Earth (Japan, Germany, China and Great Britain) combined. The state of California alone has an economy as large as the entire country of France. Illinois has the same GDP as all of Mexico. New York matches the entire GDP of Brazil. Florida's economy is as large as South Korea's. Texas has a GDP roughly equal to Canada's. Michigan's economy is as large as the entire country of Argentina.It takes a lot longer to turn around an aircraft carrier than it does a dinghy, but the problem we have is with our ship's captain -- the pea-brains in Washington -- not her crew.What's right with America? How about the way we educate our children. Sure, I complain a lot about left-wing professors and how some wealthy private universities hoard their billions while charging obscene amounts for tuition, but the truth is that our universities are always ranked among the best in the world.Students aren't fleeing America to go to college in Japan, India, or China -- it's the other way around. We open our colleges and universities to more than 80,000 foreign professors, scholars and educators a year and we have more students in college right now than those three countries combined.What's right with America? Our world-class universities don't require you to have an elite family name or Rockefeller-type wealth to get in. We don't care about your race, gender or nationality. You just have to be smart enough and work hard for it. What a concept, huh?What's right with America? How about the way we treat the less fortunate? With no help from our government, Americans gave a record $306 billion to charities last year alone. We give twice as much as the next closest country and, relative to the size of our economies, we give 1,000 percent more than the French.What's right with America? It's not just the wealthy who are generous. Two-thirds of American families making under $100,000 a year give to charity. Compassion is ingrained in our culture like no other.What's right with America? How about our supposedly third-world health care system? We spend more on health care per person than Switzerland, Germany, Canada, or any other country you can think of. Do we still have problems? Absolutely, but don't fall for "the grass is greener" crowd; every country has health care problems.What's right with America? We love our country. World Values Survey found that 77 percent of Americans are very proud of their nationality. That puts us in a first place tie with the Irish. Australia was next and no one else was really even close.I could go on and on, but my point is that we don't need the so often wished for "change" in this country, we just need perspective.While most of us inherently know that we've won the lottery by living here, we don't often think about the reasons why.So, for at least that one day, let's just remember that America still leads the world in the principles that matter most: The rule of law, freedom of religion, equal rights, freedom from an oppressive government and, fortunately for the Philadelphia Inquirer, freedom of speech.The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer

Big Swim/ Big Hurt/ Big Dad

2008-07-12T19:29:00.000-04:00

It has been a little over 7 hours since I reached the shoreline at Anderson county park after doing a 6 mile swim. I am barely able to keep my hands on the keyboard. This was the hardest thing I have ever done. I think it would have been easier had a couple things been different. First of all, after getting to the park to start the swim, I tried to put in my contact lenses. Well, one was missing, later to be found on my living room floor-hard and missed shaped. So during the swim I couldn't see a thing. This is bad for many reasons, I am scared to death of what I cant see. and for this very reason I was imagining all sorts of animals right under me. The other reason it was bad was because I couldn't see where I was going, which my the trip seem so long. I was about ready to give up when, as a team, we decided that I should follow right behind a red kayak which I could see. This helped so much, yet damaged me as well. It helped because now my focus was on the red kayak and not the unknown beneath me. I even started to play a game with my self where I would try to touch the kayak. This is the part that killed me later on in the swim. I was trying so hard to touch the kayak, which would ALWAYS stay a couple feet ahead of me, that I was swim pretty fast for the first 3 miles. I even left behind the rest of the group. At the half way point I was exhausted and my shoulder started to hurt. The last 3 miles I was still focused on the red kayak but I gave up my game. The last mile was what really did me in. As the waves from nearby boats would rock me, I would find myself helplessly rolling in the water onto my back. I could barely think and by now my arms were either in excruciating pain or numb. The last 50 yds, Kathy, my red kayak guide, told me to look to the shore line. There was my dad, cheering me on, telling me how great I was doing, and telling me just a little more to go. My dad saved me. How did he know? How did he know that I was just about to give up? How did he know that at that very moment I was hopelessly lost? His presence and encouragement gave me the last little bit of gas I needed to make it to the end. When I was finally there he came to the waters edge, pulled me out and helped me sit down. He didn't stay next to me to comfort me or anything like that because he went back to that spot I saw him from and started cheering on my mother. Being another lifesaver. I don't know how he does it, but every single time I have needed my dad the most he has always been there. I don't even know if he knows all the times he has saved me. So even though my dad cant swim very well, He was the best lifeguard ever!

Belly Dancing

2008-07-09T23:09:00.000-04:00

I went to my belly dancing class tonight. I love it. I am sure when I am skinny and actually look good doing it I will love it even more. The most amazing part about my class is the instructor, Sandy. She is 56 years old and looks like she is 30. We did a "sensual" dance to cool down. and in part of the routine those who could could go into a full split. I obviously went to one knee instead but this 56 year old woman went into the full split. I was shocked. This is a fantastic class. I encourage all to give it a try. After every class I feel so refreshed and invigorated.

Loving a child

2008-07-08T22:01:00.000-04:00

I have decided that I am not very good yet at this blogging thing, but I am inspired by some blogs I have read from Alice Gold and Lindsey Rose. Life experiences are always something that should be shared. I had one today. Before I tell about it let me give a quick update. My Parents now have custody of my niece who will be 2 in October. She never sees her mother. Today I went over to my parents house to watch her for a couple of hours. When it was time to leave, she started crying and calling me mama. It broke my heart. I look at Benji and I think how lucky I am to be a mother. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But how many women out there take their calling as a mother so lightly that a child can be confused about who there mother really is. If I could be the mother of every unwanted child in the world and let them feel real love I would in a heartbeat. Aside from Albert, Benji is my world. Sometimes I cant help but stare at him for hours and it is never boring. So to my son...I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I live, my baby you'll be.

My First Time

2007-10-10T20:55:00.000-04:00

I want to tell about my first time. I heard about it from a friend who inspired me to try. I was a little nervous at first. But I thought "what the heck?". "Everyone else is doing." I am talking about this.....right now....it's my first time blogging. I have never really liked accepting change when it comes to technology. The first time I had email was in May of 2000. I thought Myspace was huge. So blogging might be my mount rushmore.