Sick

Today we are sick. 4 out of the 6 of us are sick with headaches, tummy trouble, and fevers. 

This is one of the disadvantages of living in such a small town. When one person gets sick...the whole town gets sick. 

Our little, private elementary school shut down the preschool class for the week because all the little preschoolers where sick!

Only 1/2 of our congregation attended church this week due to this infamous sickness that is spreading through the streets.

It is almost inevitable...there is almost nothing you can do...no amount of hand sanitizer or lysol will help prevent it...

Just face the facts. When you see someone go down you know you will be there soon too. 

For now, life is on hold, my bed is full of babies...sick babies. There will be lots of movies and snuggling and sleeping. We are equipped with our "throw-up-buckets" and favorite blankies.

All our efforts are centered on getting back to normal. I hope to see you on the other side. 

P.S. I am out of Kleenex...this could be a problem.

Why do you live in Mexico?

i get asked this question more than any other. here is my explanation. 

my husband's ancestors settled in mexico while  trying to escape the polygamy laws in the usa. the last 4 generations have stayed to farm the 1,000's of acres of land that we inherited. 

my children, if they decide to take over the family farm, will be the 5 generation. 

no...we do not practice polygamy anymore. that ended several generations back , however, there is another colony of Americans (here in mexico) who currently practice polygamy. they are not associated with us in any way.  

so, here we stay to raise our children in a small town while working on the farm. we have the laid back lifestyle of the mexican culture while surrounded by americans. 

yes, the country still honors their daily siestas, and most businesses close down from the hours of 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

so nice to live in a PRO-NAP country!

and yes...it is possible to raise girls to work on the farm. my kids will go out and pull weeds or help pick peaches. we start them young. 

i love having my husband home everyday at 4:00pm and he joins us most days for lunch too. i love how the kids beg to ride in the truck with dad. i love having our farm so close to home. i love getting TONS (literally) of fresh produce every summer.

for all that i can give up nordstrom and the hustle and bustle of a city. there is always online shopping, right?!

American Girl

Yes, American Girl dolls. My girls are of the age to take very good care and these one-of-a-kind dolls. This is their new hobby. These dolls get dressed every morning and brought to the couch for family scripture study. They are now part of the family.

I'd like you to meet Victoria (my twinn) and Molly in their new pajamas that Aunt Carol hand crafted for them. The quality of these clothes are better than the ones you can order online...from the company!

We are so lucky to have her next door! My girls love to go over to her house (several times a day) to have their dolls try on new outfits...

go in for "fittings"...

get their hair brushed and styled...

Yes, Aunt Carol is too good to my girls...and their dolls.

Today...

We slept in again today. It's okay because our school is only a 2 minute drive from home. 

Get dressed.

Make beds.

Say prayers.

Read scriptures as a family.

Eat a hot breakfast.

Do 4 heads of hair.

Grab backpack and GO.

We can master our morning routine in about 30 minutes. We like to push our luck.

Garrett was able to stay home this morning while I ran Tori to school and then went to the High School weight room to work-out.

 

The Girl's P.E. teacher stopped me and asked if I would help with teaching the DANCE unit next week. I love doing that sort of thing.

I stopped by our little market on the way home for some milk, bread and fresh tortillas (I'll have to use them for lunch today). Everyone comes home for lunch...everyday. I love it.

Once I got home I fed the baby, tucked Benton into bed (he is sick today), Alex ran off to Aunt Carol's house to get her new American Girl doll clothes that she perfectly hand made, down to the last detail, and sent Garrett off to work.

Another day...another dollar...

And Adalyn is 4 months!!!

tractors

This is not an uncommon sight here.

Living in a farming community EVERYONE has a tractor...or 12.

I remember the day that Garrett bought this tractor. He was so excited. We almost drove it to church. Ha.

I love being able to have our farms close to our home. Garrett's favorite thing to do is ride the tractor. He considers it one of his hobbies...and we so happen to get paid for this "hobby."

I love having him come home for lunch on those days that he is working on the farm.  

I am so thankful that my husband loves what he does and waking up to go to work is exciting for him, especially at the beginning of planting a new crop.

Don't get me wrong, farming can be very stressful. We are at the mercy of Mother Nature. But it is also very rewarding.

Watching something grow from a seed to a beautiful piece of fruit is a very cool thing.

I always imagined that I would marry a lawyer or a doctor but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being able to raise my kids in this farming community where they learn the meaning of HARD WORK. 

my maid(s)

I have lived in Mexico for 8 years!  Wow, time flies!!

It is common for every household to have a maid. They are very inexpensive and a dime-a-dozen.

I, however, do not have a maid. In the 8 years that I have lived in this country I have been through 8 different maids. 

I don't consider myself a picky person but I do expect my bathrooms to be scrubbed, not just wiped down. My three year old can do that for heaven's sake!

I have had a few of them caught stealing from me...cutting their hours short...leaving me hanging without notice...asking for advances continually...etc.

I once had a tiny, little maid who couldn't weigh more than 80 lbs. and she would break my ironing board and pull my closet door off it's track EVERY SINGLE time she came to work. I don't know how she did it!!

I figure it is not worth employing someone you cannot completely trust and have to clean up after them because they did a shotie job. So, I do not have a maid.

I know there are some great maids out there, and I have had 2 that I absolutely loved, but they were only temporarily available because they worked for the older women in our community so their loyalty was already established.

I figure my odds were stacked against me so I gave up on the quest looking for that perfect maid.  I don't regret it. My kids are learning responsibility and how to properly clean a bathroom, a mop a floor, put away laundry, etc.

I may not have this "Mexican convenience" but my kids are learning life skills because of it.

Pioneer Home

When our dear Aunt Ernie died the home she lived in was left to the family. We were then given the opportunity to live in it. 

This house is an original pioneer home. It is over 100 years old and still has the original windows, hard wood floors and corner stones.

The home used to have a pitched roof and brick exterior. It was remodeled several decades back and now it has a flat roof and the brick has been stuccoed over. I personally do NOT like the remodel. I would have preferred the original exterior.

We love our home and were able to renovate the interior before moving in. There still is a lot to be done but uncovering those original hard wood floors and restoring them was like Christmas morning. Such a treasure!

I would love to make the house look as it did back when the pioneers first settled in the colonies. So I have future plans to re-pitch the roof and scrape off all the stucco (if that is possible) to expose the original brick. 

I love living in a home with character and a story to go with it. 

This home originally had only two bedrooms (now it has 4) and a family of 9 lived in it!!! Many Hatch's have raised their families in this home and now it is my privilege to do the same. 

Mi Casa es Su Casa.

 BEFORE the remodel...

After the remodel...

Please...

Beggars are not an unusual sight here in Mexico. We are not completely surrounded by poverty. There are ALL classes combined in our community. Usually someone will come to the door asking for money to help pay medical bills (more times than not they are a hoax), food to eat, clothing for their children or work. 

I have no problem asking them to wash a car or mow a lawn in exchange for pay but usually they want a quick fix. I no longer give out money but will willingly give food or clothing to those in need.

If you have a dog in the yard it usually keeps the beggars away, because most of the Mexican people are fearful of dogs. And it especially works well when you have a very LARGE dog, which we did.

However, our dog (Great Dane) was stolen and only days away from having Great Dane pups. So our security dog could no longer help us out with the beggars. 

Once you give to one beggar they spread the word that your house is a good one to hit and you will get more of them wanting the same things. 

This happened to me yesterday. I had a father and daughter come to the door asking for money. I told them I don't keep money in the house because it is too dangerous, so they asked for food. I have no problem sharing food, so I handed over two valentine cakes. Then the man asked for clothes. Since I don't have a constant bag of "out-grown" clothing by the door I told him to come back later if he wanted clothes, for I would need to sort through closets. I sent them on their way.

Two minutes later I had a nursing baby, and a toddler by my side, in bed, almost asleep for naps when there was another knock at the door. I had to slide out of bed, without awaking the babies, and see who was there. It was the daughter, this time without her father. She asked me for a water bottle so I gave her one and again, sent her on her way. 

I guess the word got out that I say YES so I was visited by 3 more beggars that day! I haven't had a beggar in almost a year and yesterday I got 4!! 

I feel totally taken advantage of! Some of these people make a living out of begging and that is frustrating when they are perfectly capable of working! 

It would be a different story if they were grateful for the things they are given but 9 times out of 10 there is NO Thank You!

I am now saying NO to all beggars unless I feel prompted to help. Hopefully the word will spread amongst them and I will be left alone...for awhile.

giving birth in Mexico

i started out having my first child in the United States. the next three were born in mexico. having experiernced both i will tell you...hands down...i prefer to deliver in mexico!

this may come as a shock so i will explain. 

everyone i know, who has given birth in Mexico, has delivered a baby within 2 hours upon arrival at the hospital. 

the doctor's are very attentive.

they have state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. the doctors will give you their home number, office, and personal cell phone numbers.

i did have a Frankenstein-like experience with my second child, but that was because I was too new to the country and I didn't do my homework.

With my third and fourth babies I received royal treatment.  I walked into the E.R. and my doctor was paged, along with the anesthesiologist, and the pediatrician.  They all arrived within 25 minutes and they NEVER left my side...not ONCE...until I had a baby in my arms!

My husband has always been able to help with the cutting of the cord and the meds are fantastic! Not too strong...not too weak. Enough to feel the "urge" to push but without the pain. I was even able to shower, by myself, a few hours after giving birth.

You still get your hot meals served to you and nurses checking in on you and baby, but you only have to stay admitted for 24 hours! Then you can go home to relax in your own bed. 

That is, however, if you had a smooth delivery and are not high risk, which thankfully, I am NOT.

viva Mexico!

pavement?

This is the view from our high school football field.

Whenever I tell people that I live in Mexico they say, "oh, you mean NEW Mexico." I have to correct them and say, nope...the one ACROSS the border.

The next assumption is that we live in an adobe hut on a dirt road with chickens running everywhere. 

Let me just tell you that is FALSE! We have a nice home (original Pioneer home, a story for a later date), indoor plumbing and even electricity! Nowadays with VONGE phone and DISH Network it is like we never left the States.

I had to reassure my mother that we lived on a paved road...a big step in the right direction. I must admit that my 4 inch heels do get dirt in them from going from my home to church but I blame that on the wind...mostly.

We live at the same altitude as Utah...we have green grass...and trees...I rarely see cacti...sidewalks are still a foreign concept....but we DO have pavement!

 

sisters' retreat

 Every year my husband lets me take a little vacation home...ALONE...while he watches the kids and takes over for me. I look forward to it every year!

I usually have a nursing baby with me, but it works out great because my siblings get a chance to meet my newest addition.

Uncle Rob instantly bonded with Adalyn. So sweet.

 The main purpose of the trip was to celebrate Rachel's first baby with a Sister Shower! Christine and Rachel are both due around the same time...MY birthday! So exciting!

 We ate at a darling little restaurant in the Riverwoods. I loved it because they had a lemon orchard throughout the restaurant. Made me feel like I was at home on the farm. Here we all are...except for Christine...she wandered off to a Toy Store.

 This was my traveling companion this year...Baby Ada. She did fantastic on the plane and didn't cry once!

 I just had to get a picture of my gorgeous...single...sister Janelle because this is the process she goes through to get her beautiful locks to cooperate. Too funny!

 I got the chance to meet up with my closest girlfriends from high school. We had a blast laughing and eating. Two of my best gal-pals had babies the same time I did. Here are our little girls!

My mom, Louisa and I went to the Homestead to have a soak in the mineral baths and Adalyn absolutely LOVED it. It relaxed her to the fullest and even calmed her through the "fussing hours" of the evening. We have been going to the Homestead for decades and it is one of my favorite places!

It was so nice to have a little R&R while G was home passing out Valentine's for our three kids, cooking, cleanings, wiping tears, holding FHE, doing laundry and driving to school. That is the BEST present ever.

While in Utah I got to be with all my siblings...eat out...shop...get a massage...visit...take pictures...laugh...relax...pedicures...hair appointments...visit old friends...see snow

The 

List

could 

go

on and on.

Living away from home makes these times all the more special!

{from scratch}

I am a city girl...turned country. When I married G we lived in a cute little town house and anytime we craved something we would just jump in the car and get it! I can't count how many late-night runs we made to Jamba Juice.

Today is a different story. I can no longer rely on a McDonald's to cure a quick-fix for dinner and those midnight pregnancy cravings...FORGET about it!

Don't get me wrong, we do have great little taco stands and hamburger trailers that sell the best baked potatoes you will ever taste but the hours are selective and you can't always count on them being there from one day to the next. 

In our small community I have to drive 22 miles to get to the nearest "drive-through". We do not have a WalMart in our neck of the woods so get your "fix'n's" before the tiny local store closes by 8:00pm.

Therefore, we rely on our cooking and baking skills. One night we were all craving Krispy Kreme donuts so I got online and found a copy-cat recipe and we made our own. Or the time we wanted some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream...we had to recreate our own version. 

And so it goes...living in a small farming community. I don't feel as bad letting my kids indulge because nothing made from scratch has preservatives in it....so I justify!

Plus...my cooking skills have become pretty sharp! I can improvise like a pro!!

butter baby

Living in Mexico has many advantages and disadvantages...one being BUTTER. Yes, I said b.u.t.t.e.r. 

In my kitchen I make EVERYTHING from scratch (I have to...I'll elaborate later). I find that if I don't stock my freezer with pound upon pound of butter my life will somehow END! I know it sounds shallow but it is true. 

What would we toast our bread with...what would my kids have for their baked treats that serve as After-School-Snacks, recess treats, or dessert?! 

Not "monteqilla" a Mexican version of butter. I want the REAL thing. So, it goes onto my MILE long grocery list for our monthly run out to EL Paso (the good ole U.S. of A). 

I know it sounds trivial or something you could take for granted easily but today I am so grateful for my supply of BUTTER!