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!!!

What We Do When it's Hot Outside

Back to PV after summer in Minocqua and once again we have to adjust ourselves to the intense heat and humidity. I always feel a little guilty about not posting too many summer in PV pics, but to be honest, the kids are constantly running around in underwear (and I would be if I could), and I'm just not sure if posting those pics are apropo! Anyway, I dug up a few photos that show us in the everyday heat. Enjoy (and try not to notice the lack of clothes!)

There are dance parties:





There are sprinkler parties:


We try to occupy ourselves by playing in the shadiest and coolest spaces:


We try very hard to make each other laugh despite the heat (by putting the defenseless one in a box):


Now that it is November, these photos seem cute, but I feel confident that in about seven months, I'll be ranting again - something like this.

Hurricane Jake

It appears that a hurricane hit our house last week. Toys, blankets, coasters, dolls - too many items to mention, really - were left strewn down the hallway and across the living room floor. And at the end of the trail of debris, we were left with one very exhausted nine-month-old.

Summer 2011

Summer in Minocqua 2011 was super fun. Every moment was filled with outdoor fun – two fairs, eating lunch by the lake, walking the trails, watching water ski shows, riding bikes, playing in the yard, sitting outside and watching the kids play or sitting outside around a bonfire – all new and firsts for Jakers while Soph is on her third Minocqua summer and quite the pro. I love summer in Minocqua and am so happy that we are able to share that experience with our kids.
So without further adieu, a slew of photos from our fun in the sun!






Our yearly trip to good ole Paul Bunyan for breakfast!



And we brought a little Paul Bunyan love home with us to share. Poor Javi.






















And though we missed his actual birth by just hours (!!!), our first nephew was born a few days after we got to the US! We finally got to meet him when he was only a few weeks old and spent some snuggle time with him! The kids together:


Mom and Dad also threw a “Meet the Babies” party while we were home to show off their grandkids. Lots of family and friends showed up for the yard party, and the day was perfect. Mom even had a family tree cake made, and of course, we got our photo taken around the cake. Haha!





We spent some time with my grandma and grandpa which I am always so thankful for.





And for a very brief 24 hours, we were able to visit my BFFs in Mpls. We drove over one morning and spent the day and night at Jill’s house. It was so fun to hang with Cameron and Brooke and finally meet Anders! While we didn’t get much adult time in, the whirlwind trip was totally worth it to see the ladies who have been my best friends for . . . 17 years!!! That ages me a bit. But I couldn’t be more blessed – despite us being miles apart, I have the very best friends in the world. (The group picture didn’t go well – mostly due to a Sophia meltdown, but this group of kids is so cute it doesn’t even matter!)







Then it was back home to Vallarta where a couple exciting things happened (in kiddo world). Next post, coming soon . . .

Sunday Morning Love

I am super behind on blogging but have decided not to get further behind. So my current posts from now on will be interspersed with "catch up posts" including Summer 2011, Fall 2011 and Halloween 2011. Oh dear, I am behind.

But I love mornings in my house. When everyone is fresh from a night-long sleep (or not) - but when everyone has grins from ear to ear. I woke up this morning to find Sophia had crawled in to Jake's crib and they were chatting with each other. Love them.