Lucia is TWO!

My baby girl turned two yesterday, and I can't believe how much she's grown!

 Some things I want to remember about the two year old Lucia:

• She CANNOT sit still.  ever.  seriously.  Cuddling her only lasts a few seconds, try as I might to get her to sit in her chair to eat, she is always climbing down and walking around, and sacrament meeting (which we have from 4-5 pm, so bad anyways) is a complete joke.  She's not load, but moves so much she inevitably bonks her head on the bench and then starts crying, or wants to wander the entire chapel and gets mad that she is restrained.  She HATES her carseat - still.  She always slips out of the shoulder straps because she can't handle being restrained. 
• Part two is that she has tons of energy and is super funny.  Her favorite thing of late is to play hide-and-seek with Gabe.  She counts "1 -3- 5- find you!" and then goes running to find him.  REally she just likes the chase!  When it's her turn to hid she doesn't really get it, so just runs around in circles until someone "gets" her.  She loves it when Mario comes home at night and takes the kids acroos the street to the park to play with the soccerball.  She chases it and kicks it but mostly is content to just run all over.

• Gabe, whom she calls Bage, is her favorite persom and biggest nemesis.  She misses him when he's gone, always wants to play with him, but also kind of likes to start fights with him.
• She LOVES fruit, but we have to be careful because she gets diarrhea really easy.  Her favorites are strawberries and peaches, which she calls onions??  no idea why.  She also loves peanut butter sandwhiches, and she calls bread "bim", but says peanut butter just fine.  She has a very adventurous palate and will each just about everything - avacado and hummus being some of her favorites.
• She talks more and more every day.  Mostly she comes to tell me "Bage no share!" or to ask for "lechle chocolate" but she only likes it in the pink bottle. 
• She understands everything you say to her in Spanish, but the only words she regularly uses are  "mas" and "agua" and "leche".  Kind of sad - not sure how to change that.
• When she wants to watch any kind of movie/tv she calls it "memo" and LOVES sweets, which mostly all get grouped into the category of "chocolate". 

• She's started singing to herself - loudly - when she's laying in her bed and other times.  It's hilarious.  She just makes up whatever words and sings about "Jesus, blah blah blah, sunbeam, blah blah blah, Ollie (cousin Olive) blah blah blah."
• When presented with a new situation she is more of an observer than one to jump right in, but I don't think she's afraid, because she'll walk up to any stranger and say "hello" and when she's ready to play she jumps right in.
• I love her absolutely like crazy.  She is my girl, and she loves me right back.  She'll call out "I lub you too!" when I tell her I love her, and she gets jealous if I'm even holding Gabe.  She's beautiful and funny and sweet and I feel so blessed to have her!

August Review

I still have hope of this blog somehow forming itself into a blogbook and becoming a record of our family history. However, I really may have to find a new platform as the tediousness of uploading photos and my inability to really control their order or do much formatting is starting to drive me nuts.

Anyway, here is my first catch-up post. August began with a quick trip to LA for a visit to the Argentine Consulate. We made a weekend out of it and enjoyed the beautiful weather that typifies southern California.
The kids at Santa Monica Pier.

You may not be able to tell here, but the kids loved the beach and neither were afraid of the waves.

We walked around the Long Beach Harbor after our visit to the acquarium.

The kids had a GREAT time at the acquarium, but Mario and I both agreed it was worth it only because we got in half price. It's kind of small for what they charge for regular admission...and every acquarium will always be compared to Monterey for us...

They loved the bird exhibit.

In other August news, Lucia started a tap/jazz/tumbling class and she not only looks totally adorable in her dance clothes, she actually goes without crying and likes her "tappy tappy time". Quite a change from Gabe who REFUSED to participate in any kind of class at her age (still does actually!)

We also celebrated Mario's 36th Birthday with a homemade ice cream party. The Dulce de Leche was by far the biggest hit, and it was amazingly delicious, if I do say so myself!

Aren't the kids cute?? now let's stick them in bed so we can actually talk and enjoy ourselves!

For most of the month, Mario and Gabe went to Argentina and Lucia and I stayed home and ate a lot of frozen treats. It was too hot here to even enjoy the pool.

My New York Sweat-away

I had a work meeting in NYC last Thursday with the lovely ladies of Pascale Communications. It's an all-virtual, all-female niche public relations firm that specializes in health care, primarily ophthalmology. I do their medical writing. Once a year or so we all get together to build our team spirit (read: eat and laugh together). It was a fabulous time, although I have no pictures of the actual "work" events.

I was also able to take advantage of the trip and have a lovely girls weekend in the city, and spent some time with some of my favorite women that I don't see nearly often enough. New York was experiencing a heat wave while we were there, so it was over 100 degrees and disgustingly humid the entire trip. My sister Lindsay (who is a personal shopper for anthropologie) outfitted me with adorable fashion for my trip there, and most of my cute outfits got kicked to the curb because they required long pants or too many layers and I couldn't handle the heat. And in case you were wondering, all that heat and humidity does not create a plesant environment for my uber-sensitive sniffer. I wanted to gag every time I left the hotel. Seriously.

But above all, it was a fabulous trip. First of all, I got to see Tammy for the first time in over two years. She is the most amazing person, a wonderful friend, and always a party. She also knows all the good places to eat. Here we had scrumptous breakfasts at Norma's in Le PArker Meridien hotel.
She also convinces me to do things like "go for drinks" at midnight on a Thursday to fun roof top bars where I have to make small talk with the excess men that are trying to hit on her. I just started talking about my husband and kids and they disappeared quickly.

We went to dinner one night at The Spice Market in the meatpacking district. I highly recommend it - everything was delish.

Friday morning we made it to the MET where we checked out the Alexander McQueen exhibit with Diane Keaton. It was amazing - as was the line to get in. I became a museum member to avoid it. McQueen was a true visionary and it was fabulous to see how his suit tailor background worked its way into the details of so many of his concoctions.

Paige, always up for a party, flew out from California and my good friend Catherine, who is currently living in Pennsylvania, also made it into the city.

Catherine and I sat in Colombus circle for probably more than an hour eating Tasty-D-lite yogurt and chatting.

Sunday morning we biked around Central Park and then met my friend Carol for brunch. (I'm dumb, no picture of Carol)

One of my main goals of this trip was to visit some of the fabric stores recommended by a designer/blogger I read and find some fabric to recover the chairs in my living room. I went to Mood, of Project Runway fame, and they had the most amazing selection. But the best deals were found in these little dives where you really have to search.

I mean, would you even walk in the door if someone hadn't recommended them? But I found some great fabric!

I also spent a mere hour at ABC Home & Carpet. I love that store. I wanted these amazing pendant lights for either side of my bed, but I can't afford over $1000 for bedside reading lights...

In spite of profuse sweating the entire weekend, it was such a fabulous trip. I love New York, but more than that I realized what AMAZING girlfriends I have. And I'm so lucky that they would all organize their lives to visit with me!

Conversations with Gabe

self portrait

Gabe frequently tells me "YOU'RE NOT THE BOSSING OF ME," and it's really annoying to me, and tonight after we calmed down from the most recent challenging of authority I sat him on my lap and told him:

Me: Gabe, you know that before you were here on earth you lived in Heaven with Heavenly Father and Jesus, and when you were born They sent you to me and told me I had to protect you, and love you, and teach you to be happy and be the boss of you. Just like Nana was the boss of me when I was little.

Gabe: and Jesus sent me here to be with you and papa and Lucia?

Me: yes

Gabe: and Heavenly Father and Jesus told you to be the boss of me?

Me: yes, so I could teach you how to be happy

Gabe: and did they tell you that when I say "you're not the boss" you could yell back "YES I AM!"?

Me: um, well, kind of?




and not 5 minutes later we walk downstairs and I move a pillow on the couch only to find a large and long lock of blond hair.

Me: Gabe, what is this? Did you cut Lucia's hair?

Gabe: It was an accident!

(at this point I burst out laughing because how classic is this?? after composing myself I turned to this very bewildered boy who was obviously expecting to lose his life)

Me: Gabe, we don't cut people's hair. Ever.

Gabe: Only Aunt Allie can cut hair?

Me: Yes, only Aunt Allie because she went to school for a long time where they taught her how to cut hair, and we did not.

Gabe: no, my school only teaches me Noah's Ark.

I I I Idaho....

My mother is from a very small town in Idaho with something like 500 people living in it, approximately 350 of which she is somehow related to, or has known for so long she's not really sure if there is a blood relation or not. We visited there frequently growing up and although I never wanted to live there, it has a certain enchantment for me. The weather is gorgeous. It's so green, with beautiful flowers every where.

The first week of July we had a family reunion and a majority of my 28 first cousins, their spouses and children where there to celebrate. It was truly a fabulous week. No matter how seldom I go, I feel so loved by me 6 (5 living) uncles and their wives, and love so much to spend time and reminisce with all those cousins. Gabe had 10 male cousins between the ages of 3 and 5 to play with daily. I felt like I hardly saw him - and he is my clingy kid.

Ashley - Lucia, Olive and Gabe having strawberry soda on Aunt LaDee and Uncle Noel's porch. My aunt LaDee was a home economics teacher for many many years and let's just say that he home is functioning perfection. It was amazing to stay with her.

Ashley, Lindsay and I left the kids with my mom and drove up to Jackson Hole one day - beautiful place, we were sad we didn't have time to do more hiking or biking or something.

The famous antler arches in the center of town.

Olive, Hayley and Lucia just fooling around.

Travis playing the guitar while we all camp out on the front lawn waiting for fireworks to start.

Lindsay, Olive, Gabe, Birdie, Ashley.

Pulling the rocking horse around to ride while we wait.

The small - ha ha - flag they fly at the park across the street for the 4th. Small town America is a great place to celebrate the nations independence!

Lucia playing in Uncle Noel's backyard. The diversions are endless!

Waiting for candy during the parade.

Listening to Cara and other performers at the Forth of July festivities in the park.

Hanging out in the grass, drinking more soda. Man did those kids get their fill of soda this week!

Brigham, Alex, Jayna, --,--, Cade, Kallie, Ashley, Khloe

Colton, Gabe, Lucia, Olive

Lots o cousins hanging out on the 4th.

Lucia, Olive and Khloe (Birdie) matchy-matchy thanks to aunt Ashley.

Alex, Misty, Lucia, and Mindy at the town breakfast.

Cade, Khloe and Gabe chowing down pancakes.

Lindsay and I AFTER the town 5k fun run. I won't mention my time, because it's not something to be proud of! (I swear it was the altitude)

The veterans who performed the gun salute. The same ones that were at my Grandfather's funeral a few years back, and we were quite sure they were going to shoot us!

Gabe, totally annoyed that he had to get hosed off after playing in the mud.

All the boys creating the mud pit.

Baby Olive enjoyed the mud pit as well!

Uncle Noel taking the kids for a ride. Who wouldn't love this??

Uncle Jay organized a family cemetary tour - all the graves belonging to family members had been marked with flags.

Misty and Josh at the family reunion. We are dumb and I have no big group pictures.

Gabriel is Four!!

• Gabe turned 4 two days before cousin Olive's first birthday, so Lindsay and I decided to have a joint, circus-themed party. We recognized that to the kids all our planning and decorations would not matter, but that made it fun for us, so we did it.


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  Lucia with cupcake all over her face.




• We worked like crazy to get our backyard done before the party. Then we decorated, we had personalized water bottles, animal ballon making kits, otter pops in little bins all over the yard, a photo booth (which no one used) and a delicious dessert table. It turned out adorable and we had the best time planning it.
  


• Mario was not so amused by all the planning (and a mild amount of pre-party stress) and swore that he is taking Lucia away on her next birthday so I can't have a party.
  
  
  
  Gabe blowing out candles while Lucia watches.


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  Some things I want to remember about my four year-old Gabe:


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  He loves his sister. They are finally starting to play together and it is so fun to watch. Of course she still annoys him sometimes when she doesn't understand how to build a good ranch out of blocks, but he is very protective of her with others.


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  He LOVES everything cowboy, and tells anyone who will listen that he is a cowboy, that he can ride a pony on his own, and he likes to wear his jeans, boots and cowboys shirts everyday, even when it's 110 outside.


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  He likes to be in control. He tells me I'm not in charge of him, he's in charge of himself. He has such a *STRONG* personality and at times it's trying, to say the least. But I know if he gets on the right track in life no one will convince him to do anything else!


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  He loves his dad to make up stories for him at night and sing him songs. Mario and I both just kind of make up lyrics as we go along, and Gabe often interrupts and says "no, what I want to happen is..."
  

• He loves his cousins and extended family. He would go to Nana's house everyday if he could. He loves his Brampa, and all his tias and tios.


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  He is an absolute fish. He would play in the pool all day. Swim lessons were a complete failure, but he already dives in head first, swims down to the bottom of the pol to get dive toys, and loves doing cannonballs.

with friends Allison and Daniella on our new swingset.

He is very alert - you can hide nothing from him. We've had some very funny conversations lately about body parts and the differences between boys and girls.

He likes everything sugary and has become a rather picky eater, even though he used to eat anything and everything. It's annoying.

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  He colors inside the lines, and has started writing random letters, although he can't identify them correctly. He counts well and does simple addition.


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  He loves to get into my makeup, and he knows he's not supposed to. The other day he snuck in my bathroom and painted his nails and when I asked him what happened to his nails he said "nothing mom, Jesus just made them this way".


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  It's getting harder and harder to get him to speak Spanish. He'll still do it with his dad, but he just tells me "mom, just speak English, okay?" But this is important to us so we keep insisting...Mario introducing terere to our friends the Hidalgo's and the Larrietta's


• TJ - Gabe's best fremeny from preschool. They always want to play together and all they do is fight.

Lucia spent the whole night grabbing otter pops and finding different people to open them for her. "Treat" she says and she holds them up, and someone always helped!

Our favorite baby Olive in her adorable circus skirt. Gabe and Lucia both adore her and the three of them play together great. That alone would make it worth living here, but thankfully we like way more things about living in Arizona than I ever would have imagined.

Happy Birthday Gabe - we love you!