Behold, the Elijah Manuel Fuentes human infant unit.  

Okay, I kid.  Seriously, though, is he not an awesome little guy?  The photo clearly illustrates that he knows how to get it done.  I mean, when you have such an awesome piece of cake just sitting there right in front of you on your high-chair tray, who has time to wait for a fork or plate?  Just chow it DOWN! 

Yes, I am very proud to introduce to you my second son.  Yup, that's right, I have two boys now.  How lucky can a dad get, right?  This bundle of serendipitous cuteness emerged into this world on May 29th, 2011....which fate would have it, is the day after my mother's birthday.  Cool, huh?

You know what's funny?  Literally up until he was actually tasting his first breaths of Sanpete Valley Hospital air, Amy and I were totally set on simply naming him "Eli".  Then, with the inspirational intuition that only a mother could possess, Amy intimated to me that he be called "Elijah".  And I have to admit, when she suggested it, I didn't hate it.  In fact, I actually liked it more than plain "Eli" (not that "Eli" is a bad name, I just think that the name "Elijah" is pretty dope).  

So, Eljah it was.  Plus, we added in "Manuel" because my dad is pretty awesome and we were pretty sure that Elijah could possibly be just quite as awesome as his Abuelito Fuentes.  

Elijah is a pretty cool little guy.  Sometimes I think Ethan thinks he was sent to torment him.  And by torment,   I mean the taking away of precious daddy-attention.  Luckily, Ethan has grown to love him and even lay slobber-kisses on his cheek, usually when Elijah least expects it.  

The long and short (diaper) of it all is that Elijah M. Fuentes is a very rad addition to our family and I'm pretty sure he's going to be a lady killer.

The End.

Ultimate Procrastination

If this blog was a child, I'd be in the slammer by now for neglect. A lot has happened since I last posted. I am now in my final semester of college in Logan. I am going to finish my last semester in sunny and warm St. Geoge, Utah. I going to work for the Utah State University Washington County Extension. To be truthful, it is a job that I am somewhat apprehensive about but nonetheless very excited for.

As you can tell from the picture, Ethan has become quit the curious climber. It is amazing how much he has grown in the past year. He can now walk, he loves to sing to himself, and loves wrestling with daddy. Amy and I are absolutely in love with each other and count ourselves blessed to be able to have a family. We are very excited to have me graduate and get a career going for me. To be honest, we both are very eager to finished with school so we can get on with our lives.

Speaking of having a family together, Amy is pregnant with our second child. I feel very humbled by this news, realizing the significance having two kids carries. I now need to be responsible for the lives of my wife and two kids. It's daunting but definitely doable. I mean, humanity has been doing it for thousands of years, so I think I can probably handle it.

We had a fun Halloween. It was fun to have Ethan dressed up this Halloween as a pumpki

n, courtesy of grandma Atkin. As you can see, he didn't take kindly to our taking a picture of him. He also wasn't a big fan of the cap.

This current semester has been a very fun and educational one. The practicum has been very enjoyable in that I am finally able to put my knowledge into practice. An obvious benefit is that I can get valuable experience before I set out into the real world where they expect you to know how to implement what I have learned into a professional setting. That said, I have made the decision to no pursue a graduate degree in the foreseeable future. This is mostly due to the fact that I would like to pay off my student loans and get myself some more work experience. Even then, if I find the right job, I may not need to go to graduate school. Graduate school is also a very expensive venture, one that does not necessarily mean increased income for my field of work in the finance realm.

We are moving down to St. George December 13th, 2010. It is exciting and also a bit stressful. Moving during the holidays certainly has made some people in Amy's family disappointed in the timing of our move, but Amy is determined to not let that diminish the excitement and joy it is to move to a new place with my new job. Here's to hoping it is a fun and safe trip from the top of Utah to Utah's Dixie.

Long time, sunshine...

It has been a long set of months ever since my first blog. Things really do tend to get busy once you have a child born into your home. It has been an intense first five months with our precious little Ethan, five months of intense introspection, love, and learning. He has brought so much joy into my life, as he has also for Amy.

I have recently made arrangements for me to graduate sooner than I expected. It has been a long journey, and graduation offers a great degree of solace and satisfaction to know that there truly is an end in sight. I love the time I spent here in Logan; 3 1/2 years, however, in one place where the winters are harsh does mean that I will certainly not make Cache valley my home, as beautiful as it is in more pleasant months.

Knowing that I can get a decent job with my future bachelor's degree is a very comforting feeling. The current "Great Recession" (as other have dubbed it) has made my field of work, financial counseling and advising, the kind of job that will certainly be in high demand for years to come. And graduate school, though certainly a very rewarding experience, is not one I nor this family can afford to venture into during such trying economic times as these.

My wife has been having a very difficult time in just the past few days. A good friend from months and years past has disappointed her greatly. In truth, he has hurt her to a depth that he has yet to understand. It is one of those times when you feel like the friend you have come to know for so long turns out to be very little of a friend, if ever a real friend at all. It is where it turns out that the boy that she loved in years past was, in reality, a pseudo-friend. The kind of friend that takes and rarely, if ever, gives. And to this day he continues to hurt and disrespect my wife. We are not entirely beyond forgiving this person; he is, after all, a child of god. However, in order for there to be any forgiveness and resolution, he must talk with my wife and understand the consequences his actions had upon the emotional health of my wife. Until that happens, forgiveness will be slow but sure.

*Author's Note:  January 12th, 2013

After reviewing this entry, I am happy to inform that it has been well over two years since we have thankfully forgiven her old friend. 

Aloha Oe and E Komo Mai!

Well, here I am. Blogging on my own personalized blog. It's been fun posting on Fittingly Fuentes, so much that I want to make my own. I'll be using this to post about all the crazy antics me and my boy, Ethan, will be up to as we spend time together!

Amy is now 38 weeks pregnant and dying to get Ethan out of her belly. We're pretty sure that he'll be born very soon, probably before his set due date, the 19th of June. Really, we want him like now because everything is all set up around the house for his arrival. I've kind of played spectator while Amy did her vigorous nesting the past couple weeks.

As you can see from the picture above, Amy is very well-read on life surrounding the arrival of our first child. She's already read 5 books about child birth and parenting. I don't read as much as she does, so that's amazing to me.

Well, here's hoping for an early arrival of our baby boy!