Nina de la Semana!!!

On Friday when we picked Sophia up at school, we were told that she was chosen Girl of the Week based on her excellent behavior, attitude and participation! She had the assignment of pasting five pictures of her on a big piece of paper and bringing it to school this morning! (We, of course, added some pink glitter - sooo Soph!)


Congratulations Sophia! We are sooo proud of you!
Love, Mom and Dad

p.s. (Now perhaps we could work on excellent behavior and attitude at home.)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas ...

As soon as the October and November holidays were over, we started to get ready for Christmas! We get our tree and decorate early on in December since we leave mid-month for Minocqua. We've got to get our tree time in!

Both kids were eager to help this year, and Sophia even snapped away on the camera to get a photo of the tree tied to the top of the car outside Costco!


Jake tried to help with the lights and the decorating while Sophia supervised and gave instructions (as usual).

Thanksgiving 2011

Last year we had our first big feast of a dinner and invited friends over to celebrate and share this tradition. This year, we were prepping for a wedding on Thanksgiving, so we didn't have time to handle all the bells and whistles, but we didn't let it go by uncelebrated either. Pablo, Sophia, Jake, Michelle and I ate Thanksgiving dinner quickly after wedding prep was done and before kids were ready for bed! (No time for photos. Oops!)

Sophia also had a Thanksgiving project at school and came home with this creation!

Tia Lala

Pablo's sister Claudia (otherwise known as Tia Lala) came to visit us in November for a few days! We walked the Malecon, went to Bucerias beach - pretty much played tourist with her for a weekend. (Unfortunately, we don't have great photos because we took them all on her camera and forgot to get them before she left!) So even if we don't have the proof in photos, we had so much fun and can't wait for her to visit again!




We also found out in the first weeks of November that Jake takes after Sophia in ways beyond their physical similarities. Soph is our beach bum, and it seems that Jakey is following in her footsteps!

Day of the Dead 2011

Pablo and I made a pact when our kids were born that we would do our best to instill in them elements of both of our cultures - including holidays! So the day after Halloween, we celebrate Day of the Dead. We set up our altar in remembrance of loved ones. While we find intricately-decorated and uber-complicated altars around town, ours is sweet, simple and special (due to the age group creating it!) and a way to teach our kids to take time to remember the people in our families who we loved and miss.


Flowers, photos, candles and pan de muertos - special sweet breads made for this day only! - adorn the altar.


Sophia can name everyone in the photos even though she's never met any of them - so if nothing else, this altar helps us keep the memory of our loved ones alive in our kids.




Feliz Dia de los Muertos!

Halloween 2011 - Cookies, Pumpkins, Fruit & a Burger

Despite it not being an official holiday in Mexico, Halloween has definitely gained popularity over the years!

We did some pre-Halloween prep: cookies!




Soph and Jake both turned up their noses at the pumpkin gook, and Pablo came to the rescue!





Of course, pumpkin carving can't just be "normal" in this house. Power tools were needed.


The drilling was sooo worth it!


Soph and Jake dressed in their gifts from Grammy Crawford for school, and Michelle made a Halloween cake that Sophia had no qualms about digging into!



We had our annual Halloween trick-or-treating outing with friends at the Marina boardwalk. Our group is growing! This photo was taken at the beginning of the evening, but by the end of the night, our numbers had doubled!


Soph went as a Strawberry, and Jake went as a Cheeseburger. While I thought they were really cute costumes, for weeks leading up to the big night Sophia was traumatized thinking that everyone in the Marina would want to eat she and her little brother. An imagination that won't quit.


And while it was Jake's first Halloween, we had an even younger trick-or-treater this year! Santiago was just three weeks old but dressed to celebrate in a super cute Halloween onesie we brought him back from the US!


Happy Halloween!

October in Minocqua!

For the first time in eleven years, I was able to get a taste of the Fall! One of the things I most miss living in Mexico is the change of seasons. In Puerto Vallarta we have warm and sunny and then we have steamy and sunny with rain in the afternoons. So I suppose you can say we have seasons, but I really miss the crisp and colorful fall, the lush spring, the oh-so-fun-summer sunshine and well, I guess I miss the chilly winters (but just a little). Mostly, I miss the fall.

Our wedding season took a bit of a strange turn with respect to scheduling, and our normally-full October ended up being empty. So we took advantage of that extra time and took off for the US - my first fall in 11 years and my husband and kiddos' first fall EVER.

We went hiking with the family - two babies and a three-year-old divided by seven adults seemed a breeze when we intended to stay on the beginners circle for a 45-minute hike. Somehow, however, after about 2 1/2 hours and an accidental stint on the expert trail, we were exhausted, the kids were very heavy and the hiking had taken a lot longer than we thought! Nevertheless, it was fun and beautiful!



At mom and dad's house, we spent time as much time outside in the fall weather as we could!




And spent some quality time with the youngest family member!


We headed up to Bayfield to Apple Festival - a place we visited many times as children! As adults, it was still super fun!









The trip was quick but so worth it! On our way back home, we spent the night in Chicago before flying out early the following morning. Daily we get to see how much our kiddos love each other, but this was too cute. Even sleeping, they show it.


Fall in October. Done. And fun.

Way Back at the Beginning of September - Sophia's Story!

Sophia was a terrible sleeper as a baby. Nothing changed as she turned into a toddler. We tried everything to get her to sleep through the night. At three years old, she was still waking several times a night, crying, wanting someone to sleep with her. But finally, I decided it was enough. No one in the house was getting a good night's sleep. So one night I put her in bed determined to make her fall asleep by herself - no one sitting with her, no one laying down with her. Just tuck her in and make her sleep by herself. She did not like it - at all. She screamed, kicked, screamed some more, kicked even more. About an hour and a half later, she had fallen asleep - very upset with me! We continued this for a couple nights with slow improvement. Finally, a few nights later, Soph went to sleep by herself and stayed asleep by herself all night long. We were sooo happy! Pablo and I got up early that morning and prepared a special surprise for her - a card and balloons on her breakfast chair. Since then, its been smooth sailing. Good job Sophia!!!