Four years from tonight...

... Joaquin will be 6 years old and Jacinta will be 4 1/2 years old.

Today is a leap year. Happy February 29th! I can't even truly imagine how the children will look like four years from now. So, I wanted to take a picture of them today and see how much they will have changed.

Love you, Jacinta and Joaquin!

Joaquin and Jacinta were in Joaquin's bedroom on Joaquin's bed. The bowl was filled with some graham cookies that Jacinta spilled all over the bed.

Florida Vacation | Day 3 & Last Day

Day three started out with a nice breakfast and a relaxing time in the backyard. Georgie, Jacinta, Joaquin and I enjoyed the Florida sunshine while Steve, Paola and Gonzalo went to the gym. Fabi had a chance to have some time for herself as well, away from taking care of all of us.

We took out a few pieces of the foam mat and laid it on the grass. I can't believe how thick the grass is in Florida. Each blade feels like that middle part in a crab leg... you know, that flat piece that is semi-opaque? Anyways, Joaquin had fun walking and running around the yard and going inside and outside of the Florida room.

Joaquin picked this flower for me.

We went to Las Olas that afternoon and took a boat ride. We saw many lovely houses and mansions. It was unfortunate that we got there later in the day as we weren't able to take many pictures. The sun was almost gone when the tour began. The few shots that I took are either blurred or just too dark.


Back at Gonzalo and Fabi's house, Tio Willie came by -- as is his usual routine when we are there to visit -- to say goodbye. Richard surprised us by coming over, too.

One of the thoughts that I remember from that last night is Tio Willie putting Joaquin down to sleep. He was so excited that Joaquin fell asleep on his shoulder and that he was able to put Jqn down to bed. Everyone, except for me and the kids, stayed up late that night.


The next day, in the morning, Fabi and Gonzalo (I think) walked with Joaquin around their neighborhood. Joaquin loved walking around the neighborhood. On more than one occasion, one of us has had to drag a screaming and crying Joaquin back into the house. I think Joaquin could have done a Forrest Gump if we let him.

We arrived at the airport too early. 'Nuff said.

Florida Vacation | Day 2

Jacinta and I were always the last ones to wake up in the morning while we were in Florida. It may have had something to do with Fabi and Gonzalo's bedroom -- it was almost nighttime-dark even in the daytime when the vertical blinds were closed. Oh, and probably the king-sized bed; it was heavenly. I cannot believe that Georgie and I have been depriving ourselves from this true luxury. We truly need to get one.

Jacinta slept with Georgie and me and Joaquin (mostly) slept in the pack-n-play. Joaquin woke up a few times during our stay there and Georgie would usually just take him into bed with us. It was not a problem. The size of the bed surely accommodated all four of us easily, but it did not accommodate for the sleeping habits of a 2-year old toddler. If Jacinta is the "H" sleeper, Joaquin is the kicking and swatting tic-tac-toe sleeper.


We went to Sawgrass Mills Mall that day. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Georgie and I each bought a pair of shoes.

Joaquin got to ride a mini-carousel. He didn't really know what to do while riding the car so he just sat there, hands on his sides, looking down. It was only Joaquin's second time riding in one of those things. Looking through the photos now, one would want to just scoop up the little guy and give him a tight hug.


We picked up Gonzalo later on and headed to a Cuban restaurant called Versailles Restaurant. The appetizers were really yummy. Unfortunately, instead of ordering the roast pork I ordered the masitas. I don't know why I got them mixed up! Anyways, it was too over-fried and dried for my taste. I don't remember exactly what everyone else had but I do remember that they got Fabi's order wrong. Poor Fabi.


On the way home, we drove by South Beach (A1A -- Ocean Drive) and people-watched. It wasn't as crowded because it was a Sunday night. Even so, there was no parking space to be had.



We got home around 9PM, I would say. Steve and Paola headed out to visit with her Aunt. We usually watch a movie when we visit Gonzalo and Fabi in Florida but there were none that appealed to us. What did we do, instead? The next best thing, of course, that we have learned to like when our children were born -- VOD. We purchased 'War'. The funny thing is that Jqn fell asleep while we watched the film. It was a good night.

Florida Vacation | Arrival & Beach Day

Georgie, Joaquin, Jacinta and I traveled down South with Steve and Paola to visit -- and have a mini-vacation -- Fabi and Gonzalo. It was Jacinta's first airplane ride!

How was it traveling with a toddler and an infant? We would say that it wasn't too bad. How would we have faired if Steve and Paola weren't with us? I think we would have been okay, for the most part.

Joaquin got I'm-so-sleepy-cranky as we neared Ft. Lauderdale and fell asleep in Steve's arms. Jacinta, when she wasn't cat-napping, was entertained by watching her brother entertain himself with whatever he could get his hands on. Good thing that Paola and Steve bought a finger painting workbook for Joaquin. That gave us a few minutes.

The pictures below look a little distorted because they are scaled to fit inside the rectangle. To view a clearer version, just click on the photo when it appears.

We arrived a little after noon. As per usual, Gonzalo and Fabi were waiting for us at the gate. I'm so excited for the day when Joaquin, and eventually Jacinta, will run down that hallway into the arms of his very excited grandparents. He almost did it this time, but still with our help and guidance.

We went to the car rental place and picked up a Dodge minivan for us and Steve and Paola picked up a Ford Focus.

The weather was simply marvelous.

Jacinta's 1st bathing suit.

When we arrived at Gonzalo and Fabi's house we were able to relax and freshen up before having a delicious late lunch. Tio Willie arrived later on and we were all able to catch up over a nice glass of wine (for me) and Coronas for the guys.

The next day, we headed out to the beach. The morning started out with the sun shining and the clouds nicely scattered. But, as soon as we got out of the car and walked onto the beach it quickly got darker and the rain cloud that we observed from afar earlier was almost over our heads. I really thought that it would just pass us. We had no such luck.

Are you gonna use that?

First it was a few rain drops. Then, surely, torrential rain. And, of course, 20+ mi/hr winds blowing every which way, especially in the way towards my back it seemed. At first, we all bravely huddled under the big beach umbrella. Imagine, six adults, a toddler and an infant under one umbrella. As the wind picked up speed and the rain became more horizontal, Fabi decided to take Joaquin to the shelter close to the edge of the beach. Georgie followed them with a beach towel over their heads and bodies.

The rest of us remained and continued to get soaked. Jacinta fell asleep and was warmly curled up in my arms and under a towel. I guess the rain sounded like white noise. Crazy white noise.

I still can't believe that a dark rain cloud did all that.


A few minutes after the storm ended, the sun came out for a few minutes. It felt good to dry up under the warmth of the sun. I was able to take some pictures of the babies then. Joaquin and Jacinta seemed to enjoy playing on the sand. For sure Joaquin enjoyed playing in the ocean.

Me and the girl.

A little side note: Tonight there was a total lunar eclipse.

Happy Vallytine's Day! (Jcnt's 1st!)

We just got back from Florida! Pics and stories to come. Stay tuned!

He does all his own stunts

With almost everyone we talk to talking about it, I thought I would share our own experiences with this lovely weather we're having.

Last Friday was the first snow storm this year. Yup, lotsa slushy snow. Georgie and I were happy that we got out early enough to deal with the commute. However, we didn't account for the roads being poorly plowed so going six blocks took nearly 25 minutes.

Then, we finally got to the parking area by our train station. Of course our car has rear-wheel drive and we had to drive on a slight incline to get to an open spot. Fine.

We drove up every so slowly not because we had to, but because the car didn't allow us to drive any faster. I don't know about Georgie but I held my breath hoping that we would make it to the top without getting stuck. We had no such luck!

So, we decided that I should get behind the wheel and Georgie would push the car. There we were, two people hoping and praying that we would be able to park the car with enough time to be able to catch our train. Our persistence and motivation didn't let us down.

When we finally passed the peak, I dared not stop the car fearing that it may get stuck once again. Instead, I slowed down a little bit. Georgie must have read my mind because the next thing I saw was he running towards the passenger side, opening the door and jumping inside. It totally looked like something one would see on an action film!

Speaking of action films, I just remembered another incident that happened last week while we were about to leave the house. Getting out of the house is a big production for us during the winter with all the bundling up and putting on our boots and getting the babies ready. Last night, I mentioned that we can't leave Jacinta on our couch alone anymore as she is able to roll around and crawl (backwards) now. Well, the last time that we did that she almost fell off the couch, butt first, but probably would have hit the back of her head also. With preternatural speed, Georgie ran and dove slid towards the couch in time to catch Jacinta.

Yes, he does his own stunts.

Jacinta has left the...

floor mat. Crawling backwards.

She's been crawling backwards for a few days now which means we cannot leave her alone on a raised surface anymore. No more leaving Jacinta on the bed while we get ready for work. No more leaving Jacinta on the couch while we get dinner ready. No more stolen free time.

Georgie thinks she'll be crawling forward soon; that Jacinta just hasn't learned that she can keep her head up while she crawls. I say she just wants to be stealthy and lay low, Commando-style.

The Chicago Breakfast Club

I started a new blog called, 'The Chicago Breakfast Club'. Click here to check it out.