Turkey Time

Yes, we like to dress our children up as turkeys on Thanksgiving. We're those kind of people.

Milo, 2009

Lucia, 2007

Mr. Independent

Let it Snow!

The first snow of the season fell this past weekend. Now, the blizzard (by my standards) that befell kept us indoors all day Saturday, but Sunday the weather was beautiful and we got a chance to enjoy the white powder.

All suited up in their new winter coats. FYI, every time I put Milo's on him, he promptly conks out.


Posing for the camera in our "Winter Wonderland". (Milo slept the entire time.)


Lucia's first touch...not so sure...


But it sure is fun throwing snowballs...


...at Mommy!


Now it's time to build a snowman. First, you make a ball like this...


Here you have the body...


Put another ball on top...


Add a third, and voila! A lovely little snowman!


That you can then DESTROY!


And a video to sum up the fun :)

Pearly Whites

Lucia's first trip to the dentist was on December 4, 2009. Technically, we were a little late, as the American Academy of Pediatric Dentristry suggests that children should have their first visit by their first birthday. It didn't go as well as I'd have hoped. She didn't cry at all, so I guess it could have been worse, but she certainly didn't open her mouth very much, so the dentist didn't get that great of a look. Oh well, no cavities were detected and it seems we're still waiting on two molars on the top: 18 teeth in all.

Lucia in the waiting room, feeling a bit nervous.


Feeling a bit MORE nervous in the dentist's chair.


Getting brushed with flouride.


And experiencing the spit sucker.


This is the widest she opened her mouth the whole time.


No tears though, so she got to pick out a toy from the treasure chest after it was all over!


Oh, and Milo still has yet to cut a tooth, so we're right on track with him!!!

Another First!

Lucia went bowling for the first time at Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde, AZ! She got to use the bumpers, of course, and fared pretty well. She adopted her unique technique early on and maintained her style and form throughout. She ended up beating Nana and Salina! Here are the photos:

Daddy's a little apprehensive about wearing "used" shoes.


Who knew they even made them so small (size 6)?


Lucia doesn't mind them...she's even admiring them.


Time to choose a ball.


Learning the basics about where the ball goes after you throw it and how it comes back to you.


Ok, it's Lucy's turn!


Daddy guides her up to the lane.


She positions herself...she liked the "kneeling" stance.


One big hurl!


Looking good...


Not bad at all!


Let's have a look at that scoreboard... And in case you were wondering what Milo did the whole time, there he is, observing as usual.


Lucia with an 80 in the top of the 9th!

Good Times

While we were in Phoenix recently, we got to spend time with some of Daddy's old friends. Here are shots of Daddy and Lucy at Happy Hour with Rodrigo, Martin and Chulo's daughter, Tany.

Seven Months Old!

Future Van Gogh?

It's really neat to see how Lucia's drawing/coloring skills have evolved. She used to just scribble all across the paper, but recently she started trying to actually color in different parts of the pictures. She's also able to draw circles now. Sometimes they turn into hearts, but hey, that's a legitimate shape, too.

Here's a picture of her yesterday in the library doing a coloring activity for Spanish storytime.



Holding her work up for all to see.



A close up. Check out the use of color - blue ice cream, green shirt and shorts, one brown shoe, one orange shoe...



And finally, this is from about a week ago when she was coloring in the bathtub.  She asked me to draw a tree, so I drew two (mine are the two on the right), then she drew her own (on the left)!

The Pink Pig!

So, the idea is that eventually we will settle our family in or around the Atlanta area. As such, I thought we'd get started and participate in a local tradition: riding the Pink Pig. Now, I can't go into all the details (you can Google it), but let's just say that this goes way back and basically you just ride a pig-shaped train around in a circle. Here are a few photos of our fun-filled day.

The sign at the entrance.


A picture of the Pink Pig in its early days. It started as a monorail, but is now a train.


Priscilla the Pig greeting all the patrons.


Mommy and Lucy with Priscilla.


An enormous inflated Priscilla.


Inside the tent where the train is.




Lucy with the pig balloon that the nice balloon man (not to be confused with Balloon Boy) made her.


Milo attempting to eat said pig balloon.


Yet another display of the Queen.


Mommy and Lucy riding the Pink Pig. (Disclaimer: Daddy's pictures ALWAYS come out blurry.)


Lucy pointing out her "I rode the Pink Pig 2009" sticker. She got a stamp on her hand, too.


One happy tradition maker.


We'll keep the sticker and leave the T-shirt on the rack!