Navajo Fry Bread

My friend Susan had made a comment yesterday that she made Navajo Fry Bread. I sent her a message and asked if she would be kind enough to share the recipe. She kindly agreed. The thought of that brought back memories of going to the reservation while on vacation in Taos, New Mexico and visiting my great aunt Lydia.

Today, I thought it would be a fun thing to make to accompany dinner. I did and served some turkey shepperd's pie. Oh my goodness, you would have thought that I served Justin and Michael gold. They loved it! Justin asked why I never made it before. Hard to do when you do not have a recipe. I now have to make another batch and serve it with honey butter. That is how I remember it as a kid. Thanks Susan for sharing the recipe. I have found a new favorite for my family. Yummy! Once I get a rolling pin I will try to make them so that we can have tacos made of them and maybe I can modify the recipe to use corn/potato flour so my cousin can make them for her family.

Michael's School Pictures

Here are Michael's current year school picture and his football picture from playing left defensive back. Hope that you enjoy!

Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas!

We have had such a great holiday. We have been blessed with about 12 " of snow. We were not really able to get out from last Thursday (12/18) until Tuesday (12/22) because we have had so much snow and cold temperatures. We only yesterday were above 32 degrees in over a week.

This is out our back door and we had a good amount of snow. There is a creek that runs right behind us and we have had to chase off 3 racoons. See for yourself....

We can leave no food out for our strays that have adopted us. We have three kitties that come to visit us and sleep outside and we have named them Pirate, Calico and Smokey. Pirate always has it's tongue stuck out. We have Sylvester and Shadow looking out at them and they watch Sylvester and Shadow inside.....Kitty TV.

Here is Calico (above)

We are so grateful that we are happy and healthy this year. We look forward to hearing from everyone more often this next year.

We hope that everyone has a very enjoyable Christmas day. Let us hear from you.

First Day of School

Yesterday, was the first day of school for Michael. We were very pleased as he came home at the end of the day and said that he loves it. He was very excited this morning and said that it is a lot of fun. He has a friend in his first and second period classes named Sammy (girl) and she also attends church. The dean of students is also from our ward. He said that one of the girls from the complex where we lived made sure to find him yesterday which he was not happy about. He does not like being around her as she was in a great deal of trouble last year at school and she is just a bad influence.

Michael took his school pictures when they had Raider Rush on 8/25/08. Since they have his school id ready I would think that we should get the pictures soon. Raider Rush is a day in which they get their schedule, meet the teachers and can get fees paid in advance so that they are not trying to care of it the first couple of days.

I went back to the eye doctor yesterday and he said that my eye was clear. We are trying to figure out what triggers the allergic conjunctivitis. I may have to go see an allergist to see if I have a new allergy we did not know about. He said otherwise that my eyes are clear and look good.

Justin seems to have come down with a cold and he is not feeling well. Michael is starting to get over his. So far I am doing good and knock wood I do not get the cold.

Other than that we are doing well and trying to get into a routine because of school. We will keep you up to date about our sealing plans.

Back to school time :o)

Well, It is almost back to school time. Michael yesterday went to Raider Rush. He is attending Ridgetop Jr. High and the mascot is a raider. He got his schedule, had his school pictures taken as well as going through a mock school day. He is pleased with his classes and likes his teacher. He even mentioned to me that one has diabetes. I reminded him that he knows the signs to watch for since Mom was diabetic in her last few years. He went back later in the afternoon and is going to play football. He is very excited. We will see how he does. He is working on his first class boy scout rank and doing rather well. Michael's actual first day is on Wednesday next week. Open House for the school is tomorrow night so this should be interesting as I have never heard of one before school starts. New school and new adventures.

Justin is back at work but is working a shortened day. He has had a flair up with the disc bulges and so he is also working on the right hip as it is still very stiff. It is nice that he is back at work and doing so well again.

This morning was not a good day for me. I woke up at 4:30AM with Justin to get him out the door. I go back to bed after he leaves. Once I woke up again, my right eye was irritated and almost swollen shut. I had made an appointment with an Opthalmologist for Thursday as I have been having a sticky discharge from the left eye, but now it could not wait. He could not see me so I was referred to another doctor to get me in today. I was diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis (Pink eye). It is not contagious. It is considered severe due to the amount of swelling and irritation. I was given steriodal eye drops and have to use them 4 times a day until it is under control and then I will most likely be put on Pataday (antihistimine drops) daily after that. The medication worked wonders within an hour. It is still swollen and a bit red but much better than it was. It was nice to be able to have them see me when it was really bad because in San Diego I was not able to be seen when it was at it's worst. I will be rechecked next Wednesday to make sure that it is gone.

One sad note is that I was told that my friend Whitney was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She is just 24 years old and has 2 small children. She is going to fight it but she may only have 2 years. We are praying that things will be touched by the Lord and she will be able to watch her babies grow up. Thank heavens she is a member of the church and has the blessings of the gospel. She is in Boise and it is considered one of the top 5 cities for colon cancer treatment so this is a plus. Please even though you may not know her keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

On an up note, I have found my cousin's eldest daughter. Beverly is the daughter of my cousin Blaine. He lived with us when I was a child and he was in the Navy during the Vietnam War. It was so nice to talk to her today. I am now able to get some more geneaology done on my father's side. Thanks to my friend, Susan Vargas who is helping me on this. I did receive the GEDCOM files from my aunt Lamona and so that does my mom's side. I am working on Justin's lines with Susan but my road block is his father (sperm donor) Carlos aka UpChuck. I got a good deal of information from him but when I asked if I could have the number to his father to get more informationm he called everyone and said not to give me information. He wants a relationship with his son but is always pulling garbage like this. It makes me mad sometimes but then I have to remind myself that it is the adversary trying to get at us. Chuck can get on his soap box and bible thump all he wants but he will have to answer for his actions to the Lord and that is my ace in the hole.

I am now working at the Family History Center on Wednesdays for 4 hours so that is a blessing for us. We are trying very hard to keep our goal of being sealed in the temple this up coming September 26th. It will be our 5th wedding anniversary and we look forward to it as well as one day being able to have Michael sealed to us.

I guess I need to get some sleep but I am having a hard time tonight. Please keep us in thought and prayer that we will be able to accomplish our goal.

Twin Falls Temple Open House & Shoshone Falls

We got up very early on the 28th and left to go to the Twin Falls Temple Open House. I was excited for Justin as I knew this would please him as he had never seen the inside of a temple before.

We had a fun time but it was about a 2 hour drive from Meridian. Along the way we stopped at the Malad Gorge to look.

We made it to the temple just in time. We went in and were pretty much a group of our own. That made it nice. We had a nice tour. The temple is on the small side but very beautiful. In all of the stained glass there are lots of syringa images. It is the Idaho State flower and is really pretty. There is also a mural of Shoshone Falls and it is soooo life like. Here is a picture of the Syringa.

Isn't it beautiful?

Justin was thrilled with the tour. We sat and drank in the beauty around us. Monique and I were disappointed as the guide assumed since we were LDS that she did not explain things to the kids and for Justin as well. We did it ourselves and they loved the mirrors in the sealing room. We then took some pictures in front of the temple.

After the tour, we decided that since we were so close to Shoshone Falls that we should take the time and go see them. We had lunch and found the falls. It was just beautiful. In the temple there is a mural of the falls and so it was breath taking to see the falls depicted in the temple. Here are some photo's from the falls:



Justin loved the hat and had to have it. Doesn't he look cute?

Monique(In the back), Tiffiny, Nicole, Brittany and Michael

It was a wonderful and fun filled day. It was a great experience had by all. We had a great day but missed Keven as he had to work. We met him at home and had a great dinner and family home evening to end the day.

Justin's Ordination to Elder

On Sunday, July 27th we went to church with Monique, Keven and the girls. Justin was really excited to be ordained and this is the first week that he felt like staying for the entire 3 hour block. He was not in pain which is a huge step. Keven has just been put in as the Young Men's President and Monique was sustained as the 1st counselor in the Relief Society. This is a huge change for her as she has been in YW and Primary for a long time. She has not been released from Young Women yet but they are having trouble since people are taking last minute vacations.

Relief Society was fun as one sister approached me and asked who I was. I explained that I was visiting Keven and Monique. She said she was trying to figure out if we were related to Keven or Monique. It made me want to laugh, but I said Both! It was fun.

After church, we all went to witness Justin's Ordination by Keven. It was great and the girls were thrilled that they were a part of it. Once Justin was ordained, Monique asked him to be in the circle to set her apart in the Relief Society. He was thrilled.

Due to Justin's nervousness they decided to hold off on Michael so that Justin would relax and it would be done before we left. It was a big day and very busy. We caught Monique walking home from church as she wanted to stay for the other sister's.

We all went to bed early so that we could get up and go to the Twin Falls Temple Open House in the morning.

It's August already?

Wow it is August. Time is just Flying. We just arrived home late last night from visiting Idaho and seeing family. We had such a good time. As soon as I can get a few things done I have a lot to post along with pictures and comments. We visited Monique, Keven and the girls (Tiffiny, Brittany & Nicole) [The Smart Family] and it was such a great experience.

We visited Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls Temple Open House, went shooting and had the blessing of having Keven ordain Justin to the office of Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood and then watch Justin ordain Michael as a Deacon. What a great experience! Not to mention the drive, Tiffiny's swimming competition, boys and their fun with their toys, sidewalk art and just being able to spend time with our family.

Well, off to get settled back into being home. I will be posting losts more shortly. Is it August already? Where are the days going?

The month is flying....

Wow, it does not seem like the middle of July already. We went to San Diego on a very quick trip. It was busy but fun in a good way. The bad thing was that we felt bad that we were away from Michael on his birthday. Justin spent 5.5 hours the day we got there being drilled about the deposition for the next day and then spent the entire following day from 9:30 AM until after 5 PM being grilled with 5 different attorney's. I had to laugh though as one of them said, I was so intimidating that he wanted me removed from the building. I never even spoke to the man. Talk about paranoid! That made me laugh.

Justin was so tired (more emotional and mental) that he started having muscle spasms. We had wanted to drive to Los Angeles to see our friend Ginger before she had spinal surgery two days later. We were not able to do it and we felt so bad. We really wanted to see the Vargas family as well. Main thing is that the surgery went well and she is doing well and hopefully on the road to getting back to living life to the fullest.

Justin and I completed our temple preparation class. On the 29th of June, he was sustained an elder and we are going to Idaho to see Keven, Monique and the girls in a week or so. Keven is so looking forward to being able to ordain Justin. Michael this past Sunday, was sustained as a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. Once Justin is ordained then he and Keven and a couple of other friends will then ordain Michael. While in Idaho we are hoping to be able to visit the Twin Falls Temple Open House. Justin is excited as he will be able to see inside and maybe not be so nervous about going to the temple. I know that the girls are excited to see Michael and we will have a great time when we visit.

Michael was excited as once we returned home from San Diego. He was able to stay with his friend, Abel while we were gone. He had a blast, but was happy we were back. We got his present and he was so excited to get a new bike. We had felt so bad that the bike that we had for him was taken by someone that we allowed to live with us. He really likes the bike and should be good for a few years unless he gets tall really quick. Here he is posing with his new bike.

I periodically take care of a friend's baby. His name is Dominic and he is such a sweet spirit. He loves to laugh and smile. What a special baby. Wish his parents took better care of him but they are very young and their priorities are not what they should be. I say prayers that he is protected. Here he is sleeping......

Justin is doing great with his injuries. He should be able to return to work at the beginning of August. He is getting excited about returning to work so I think he enjoy heading back. He will be on light duty for at least a month once he returns as he still needs to regain his strength in the right leg and lower back. The goal in the next couple of weeks is to stop using his cane. I know that the Lord with bless him with the ability to get this done.

We are enjoying some really nice and comfortable weather right now. We have had a couple of hot days but nothing unbearable. We will let you know more of our adventures from Idaho. We are also working on going to the temple for the first time and being sealed. We will let everyone know what the plans are as soon as we make the decisions.

Justin's Dilemma

I surely know how worried you are about Justin. He's so close to graduating, but the question is, will he be able to work afterward? I know he's in a lot of pain right now, but just try to do what the doc says. I wish he could go to my chiropracter, but wish on! Sometimes life seems so arbitrary and unfair. We never know how we can grow from these incidents, but we do none-the-less. Please convey to Justin my deep understanding of his situation. I spent years in misery without relief. I will tell you - God does hear and answer our prayers. Even though I spent so many years suffering I knew one day I would find the right doc and get the help I needed for so long. May God bless you all in finding the answers for Justin. Remember, I love you all.

Justin's Accident

This has been a busy week. Justin has been seen by the Dr. everyday this week. He is so bad right now that the Dr. has ordered an MRI for Tuesday and will be sent for a second opinion this upcoming week. He is scared that he will be let go because of the car accident and so that is causing a lot of stress. I have not been sleeping as he has such a rough time as well. He had a set back today as he moved wrong yesterday and he can hardly stand up straight today. The xrays the Dr took show his right shoulder and hip are about 1 inch higher than the left side. He also has a lot of compression in the spine and cervical area too. We are hoping that in the next week that it will continue to improve.
I need to head to bed and will hopefully be able to write more tomorrow and have a little time to breathe. I need to stop for a couple of hours.

Weekend was good and not so good....

This past weekend started out good. Friday we attended a BBQ with the others in the graduating class. We had gone up to Arlington to the Navy Radio Station Jim Creek. It is in the foothills outside of Everett and it is also a huge camp area for people in the military. There are lakes, trails, campgrounds, cabins, picnic areas, etc. It was just beautiful.

A couple of the guys had not been pepper sprayed and so the remainder of the class helped out in getting them qualified. After it was all done, Michael went to Bryan and John the two instructors and asked if he could do the fight for life but not get sprayed. They were happy to oblige. In fact, they said for being 11 Michael did better than some of the men.

Michael was supposed to disarm one guy and fight with his baton. Michael misunderstood and he threw his baton down took the one away from the guy he was fighting and took him down. Everyone was just laughing but he did really well.

John is on the left and Bryan on the right

We left in the afternoon and came home to Silverdale. It was nice to be home. Michael had a baseball game early on Saturday morning. We were not sure that it would be played as it was raining and so we had to check with the coach. They played. It was hard to score the game, deal with an umbrella and the cold. I do not think it got above 45 during the day. My hands were so stiff and we were wet. Sad to say, they lost. Oh well. Another game Tuesday. Thank goodness this weekend is a bye weekend. We can have guests and not feel bad about missing a game.

Sunday we went to church and had a great day together. Justin's buddy, Tim was picking him up late about 9pm for them to get back to the academy. I got a call from Justin shortly after 10:15 pm and he let me know that they were in a hit and run accident. Tim, his wife Brittany, their 7 week old son and Justin were rear ended at about 40+ mph. Justin and Brittany got the worst of it. Tim was in the back with the baby. Justin and Tim were quick enough and got the license plate of the car that hit them. The police insisted that they be checked out. I did finally hear from Justin at about 2 AM. They were all checked out and Justin has a severe whiplash. Baby Dominic is untouched. Brittany has back issues. Tim other than stiff and sore seems to be okay at this point. I contacted their instructors and the local department to let them know what is going on. They are going to follow up on them to make sure they are ok.

What a weekend!

Weird Weather

This past weekend we had some very strange weather. With 20 minutes we had hail and about 1.5" of accumulation. Here are some pictures. So much for spring. Just a week ago on Saturday we had such a beautiful day and it was 80 degrees. Oh well. Like they say, if you do not like the weather wait a few minutes.

Starting our Family Blog

This is the beginning of the Leyva Family Blog. We hope you enjoy and come back often to check up on the happenings with us.