Happy Easter 2012

Today, at the crack of dawn, I couldn't figure out why the kids were up - it was 5:55 and the kids were awake and rearing to go. I told them to lie down next to me for a while and let me sleep a little more. Finally, Agustín said, "Mommy, if you want we can just look for our baskets alone. Or, maybe you'd like to watch us?"

Oh, right! It's Easter!

HAPPY EASTER!

Of course, we immediately went downstairs to search. The bunny had left eggs all over, filled with candy and money. It didn't take too long this year to find the baskets - Agustín's was under the dining room table, on a chair, hidden by the tablecloth, and Nico's was in the toy box (Agustín found it for him).

Some of the eggs were a bit tricky to find...

Here's the stash. Fun - books and toothbrushes!!!

And candy, of course.

A Good End to Spring Break

Back at the beach again! Woohoo!

I could really get used to this.

Of course, from a blogging point of view, it was quite boring. Same old, same old: pool, ocean, pool, seafood, etc, etc, etc.

The kids did get some play time in: Angry Birds, the card game! (Quickly becoming a favorite, and a classic! - thanks Aunt Kimmy!)

The kids didn't seem all that excited to see us (the parents) because Bati was there, and they couldn't get enough of him (Yet oddly I don't have one picture of them with him - bummer!).

But I am sure they were excited to get lots of bedtime reading in, especially with our favorite English book The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.

It was hot, still, and the kids got to use their fancy M&M's fans.

I caught Agustín reading the paper one morning (it was a Miami Herald Andrés had brought from work). He informed me, very seriously, that he was "reading about London. It's really interesting. I don't really understand much, but I know it's interesting."

We left for Quito on Saturday, hoping to beat the holiday traffic by a day, and were glad we did. There had been a landslide on the highway we normally take (only 20 miles north of Quito! Such a bummer - so close, yet so far...) so we had to take the Sto Domingo highway. It had been years since we'd taken this route, and they've done a lot to the highway to improve it - tunnels and two lanes both sides, more signage. Man was it ever gorgeous! The "new" highway can't compete at all - and it is pretty too, but the Sto Domingo road is full - FULL! - of waterfalls and volcanic rock and breathtaking drops off the edge. Absolutely awe-inspiring. We were all speechless - except for Andrés, who actually had to drive it. Still as dangerous as ever, the highway is super wind-y with tons of hairpin turns, and of course it rained and was foggy all the way to Quito - quite stressful, not to mention the extra hour and a half it added to the already long drive.

But I got to see the Devil's face! Yay! I thought it had been demolished with all the construction.

Creepy.

What to do...what to do...

A week (half a week, really, since we had Thursday and Friday off) without the kids.

Of course we had to work, but we also decided we'd make the most of it.

Oh, we had big plans. HUGE plans. A night at the symphony, a night downtown barhopping, perhaps catch a Sacred Music concert, possibly visit a museum or two, mall crawl, whatever. Everything we can't really do with the kids.

Well, mostly we were just tired, and all those fancy plans sort of fell through. Plus, the cold, wet, rainy Quito weather didn't really want to co-operate. I'm not young enough anymore to want to walk around downtown with soaking shoes in a dress and nylons.

But we did get in a movie. ("This Means War", in case you were wondering. Not a lot to choose from, but fun for killing a couple of hours.)

And some good food: an Ecuadorian "steak house"

This was chicken, of course - for me!

And a nice little Italian joint - with happy hour martinis! Yum!

Missed the kids a lot, though, and the sunny warmth of the coast.

A Good Start to Spring Break

Of course, it isn't technically spring break here, since there is no spring on the equator, but it was Easter week, and the kids had it off, so the grandparents decided to take them to the beach for the week. Andrés and I had to work during the week, so we bookended the week with two trips to the beach (the second with Sebastián and his girlfriend).

The first weekend we made it down to the beach, to see how clean up was going since the huge storm that hit a few weeks ago and destroyed the shoreline.

Hmmmm, could be better, but at least you can see the sand!

Nico came down to the beach with us (Agustín stayed at home - not sure why he doesn't like the sand lately) and got his cars out to do some rallying in the sand. It was quite hot, and we had to leave quickly because the sun was beating down and frying us, but it was really nice to get in the sand and hear the ocean a bit.

Of course we spent lots of time by the pool.

Me, reading a book on my iPod.

The kids doing lots of cannon balls.

Some silliness before bed.

And cooling off by eating ice cubes - oh he has that Miller blood in him!

Excited to be alone with the grandparents, Agustín kept encouraging us to "leave whenever you want."

On Motherhood

I was just sitting at work today, thinking about all of the creative endeavours I would like to embark upon at this point in my life, when a thought suddenly occurred to me. Dorky, but it just makes sense today...

I have created two amazing little boys. If I died today, there would be two lives out there - two little personalities, wonderful and funny and bright - that would continue on because of something I (well I guess Andrés had something to do with it too, lol) made.

Wow.

Pretty cool.

I never realized until I became one, but being a mom is the best. I can't understand those moms who wouldn't give everything of themselves to their kids. It actually brings me joy to buy something or do something and then think - hey, someday my kids will get that, or this is something that will be a memory for my kids.

I love that. It is so special and I am so happy that I am the type of person - the type of mom - that sees it for what it is: the most incredible experience a person could have. And the icing on the cake is that Andrés is that kind of dad. That we plan our future as a family, as a couple, and as individuals, around what will be best for the kids.

I know we are not the only parents who feel the same. But I also know that there are some parents who think that once their kids turn a certain age, they're done, that they have rights too and that their happiness is equally important as their kids' happiness. Nothing wrong with that - it is the "American way". But I'm happy to know that over here, at this house, that just won't happen.

Soccer and Reading and Mommy School... Oh My!

The last week has been busy. The kids went to a soccer game with their uncle, his girlfriend and Daddy: Liga vs Independiente (?) I can't remember. Anyhow, it was at Atahualpa stadium. It was Nico's first time at a game and I was promised photos would be in my inbox that very same day, but so far...no such luck!

Daddy bought the kids Liga jerseys and they have been wearing them (almost) every day with pride! Nico especially is into his Liga shirt.

Inspired by the game, there has been a renewed interest in soccer every afternoon. Needless to say, there have been a lot of soccer games played in our back yard this week. But for some reason, they always end in tears (You cheated! You lost! I fell and scrapped my knee/check/head/elbow! You hit the ball at my face! That was a foul! Was not! Well, by now you get the picture...)

Nico received a book in the mail from his grandma in MN this week as well, and we have been reading it every night religiously. It is about a girl who has a magic finger and curses a family that likes to hunt. The hunters turn into the hunted, but no worries - in the end it all works out and the hunters repent. :)

Agus has also been into reading a lot lately. Some for school (not seen as so fun usually) and some on his own. Favorites are the Lego magazines, anything science (What Makes me Blink? is big right now) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also went shopping for a School from the Black Lagoon book recently and has been reading that. I love to see him just pick up a book and relax...

The kids had last Thursday off due to some political protesting scheduled in the city, so I stayed home with them and got some work done from home. Or meant too. What started as a work day quickly turned into a ... work day! Only this time it was "Mommy school" and Mommy had to play teacher all day long.

We created artwork and turned the fridge into a bird sanctuary,

Nico's birds - drying

mixed time capsules of baking soda with warm water and vinegar in a bag and created mini explosions, then made paper volcanoes and located volcanoes in Ecuador on the map, did some silent reading, practiced our handwriting, had math class, had phy ed (yep, you guessed it - soccer!) and learned how to sweep. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, but the kids liked it so much they have requested it continually since then! I am running out of excuses... :)

The volcanoes

Love. Love. LOVE.

Oh heavens to Betsy! Today I had to leave the house to get a passport picture taken (which the girl decided to photoshop - she didn't like my hair and gave me a whole new 'do, no lie! - and I was like, ummmm, you probably aren't supposed to photoshop a passport picture, but well, whatever) and the photo studio was next to my lovely yarn store. Couldn't go by without passing through, and couldn't pass through without spending the twenty that was burning a hole in my pocket.

I am beginning to see the love people have for yarn. Oh yarn! The lady gave me a tour of all the new yarns that had come in, and then I was set loose to look around (and they let me touch them!) and to keep saying, "Wait, just one more," when the lady asked me if that would be all.

So here is the stash I came home with, but oh in my mind I bought so much more.

Next month, next month.

Did you notice that I found a lovely use for both of my thirty-one bags? Yes, pure organizational happiness every time I reach in there to grab something.

Homework to Hell (You know the tune, just switch the words!)

In that last post I tried to do an italics thing-y à la Ali Edwards, but I'm not so sure it worked for me. I probably won't be trying that again.

:)

Anyhoo, even though I had this week off, I have felt like all we've done all week is homework, and it's only Wednesday! Argggghhh. I am having a Charlie Brown moment!

ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

Ok, now that that is out of my system, here are a few shots of those infamous homework moments from the week.

Luckily, Agustín really does enjoy his homework, for the most part. This week he got to locate coordinates on a Cartesian plane (now wasn't that from like 7th grade Advanced Algebra?! Sheesh!!!); sew a squirrel; do English assignments involving cutting from a magazine (NOT printing from the Internet mind you - teacher's orders!) pictures like hippos and giraffes (not so hard) and other expressions like "taking a shower" & "getting dressed" (hard! No magazine in its right mind would be publishing those kinds of pictures!); and lots and lots of workbook and notebook stuff. Wow. I'm tired just thinking of it, and as I already said: it's only Wednesday!

And, to top it all off, whatever big brother does, little brother must also do.

I don't know, it's like some kind of Jedi/Lego Hero Factory code or something.

No wonder I found myself staring at our bedspread this morning, itching to color in the lines.

PS. Yes, I know that the previous picture is not rotated. It is a Blogger issue that has been pestering me for years - the last picture imported to my computer will never show up rotated on Blogger. We'll come back to it and fix it, no worries. I hope it doesn't bother you as much as it bothers me. :)

Project Life has started!

Last week I started Project Life, and yesterday completed my second week. I am such a fan of December Daily, that I knew I would love the idea of Project Life. So I bought a core kit (Turquoise) and a variety pack of paper protectors (currently unavailable) and figured I'd start with the new year. The new year started on a Sunday, which was just very super convenient, also!

My title page

I absolutely LOVE this project. The days you want to, you can play, but the other days you can just grab your photos, jot down a few words and stick them in the pockets on the protectors and you're done. No messing around, worrying where things should go or how they should be, just words and stories on my perspective of my family at this moment in time - 2012.

Week one

Already I can't stop going back and looking at my pages, already I am reminiscing about the things we did and the things the kids said, already I am anticipating next Sunday when I can sit down and put together this week... Honestly, that is the biggest problem and only complaint I have about this project - I already feel like I'm wishing my life away, and it goes together so quick that I am craving more the next day!

I guess that's not a bad thing.

Other thoughts as I embark on this amazing (creative) journey through 2012:

• I wish everyone were doing this.
• I am embarrassed to keep saying it's so easy, it's so fabulous (but it is).
• I can't think as to why I haven't ever done this before.
• I love my life.

Week two

I was really worried about spending $50 (plus the cost of the album, which I got on sale at Michael's but which has already come apart at one end...) but now I am thinking that that is very cheap for a year full of memories.

I hope I am not eating my words by the end of this year. I really think I can keep this up. And, well, if I can't, I will still have product for 2013. :)

Oh! And I just have to mention that my sister Amy let me take her compact HP photo printer back with me to Ecuador and I. love. it. Makes for a super easy scrapping experience. :) (happy dance!)