Caffeine & Nail Polish

How grand it was to be able to sit down with Jme at a Starbucks and do some much-needed catching up this past Wednesday. Jme, swapping baby stories with you is comforting, funny (and sometimes silly!), and heartwarming all at the same time. I look forward to our next coffee break. Jme, you had a lemonade frappuccino -- it's the best way I can describe it. And I had my usual decaf-grande-no foam latte. Oh ya, I switched from my other drink.

Then, yesterday, Tasha and I got our nails done. Tasha, you'll have to leave me a comment to let me know what your nail polish was called. The color looks very nice on you! Mine was, "Yes, I can-can!" It's a dark maroon color with purple highlights. I had a great time hanging out with you. We must do it again. Yay to salons that don't hurt or cut us!

Jcnt @ 14 mos & Jqn @ 31 mos

This month, Jacinta is 14 months old and Joaquin is 31 months old.

A familiar scene between you two.

Jcnt: 14 months old! My dear Jacinta, you grow more beautifully each day. We can tell already that you will probably be a handful as you get closer in height to Jqn. Actually, I don't think the height difference matters to you because you are already challenging Joaquin -- as well as Daddy and me -- in different situations. Quite possibly, you have Mama's temper. And as some people who know Mama already know, one can say that my temper is like ice in boiling oil. And if they didn't, well now it might make sense to them and it is my hope that they'll still love me anyway.

I just think it is so adorable that when you want to let us know that you really need attention, you make it a point to cover your mouth as you cry. I love it when you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do and/or say is look for me and then when you find me you say, "Mama." Oh, and you have rock star hair!

You still haven't quite mastered becoming a biped. What we're finding though is that you are more interested in going to and handling stuff at stores. Joaquin was and still is more interested in pushing the cart. Although today, that may have changed. Daddy told me that Joaquin was more into grabbing stuff off of the shelf at Target. You are, too. Oh boy.

What I started to do in the mornings while I get ready for work is get you involved. I don't mean anything big, but I just make sure that when I brush on some blush I put some on your cheeks. And when I put on my lip gloss I put some on your lips, too.

Addendum (24 August 2008): You can also take off your diaper all by yourself. It's annoying and cute at the same time. We can only have you in either a onesie or one of the panties that come with your dresses. Otherwise, you go commando.

Jqn's shirt says, "MOMS LOVE ME". It's the t-shirt from Graceland!

Jqn: 31 months old! And now my dear Joaquin, you surprise us each day of how much you understand what we communicate to you. You truly understand almost everything that we say and ask of you. What we're still waiting for is your ability to tell us, in your own words, your thoughts and questions.

For example, today when you were being naughty Daddy put you by the vent in the living room as a means to give you a time out. Daddy kept repeating for you to stay there until he says it's ok for you to leave that spot. I didn't think that you would understand but you did. You stayed in that spot for at least five minutes. You weren't still -- you were rolling around and making noise! -- but you didn't leave either. Nicely done.

Another thing that I'd like to tell you is that you are now a certified gum-chewer. You have shown us that you are capable of chewing it and then being able to decide that you're done with it by letting us know that, "done, Mama (Daddy)," and allowing us to pick it out of your mouth.

I love seeing you run around Jacinta. It makes her giggle and shriek so much. Jacinta gets so excited! You are a good big brother. Most of the time. Other times, you are pretty rough with her.

Love you both,

Mama

P.S. Every night, after midnight, there are now four bodies on Mama and Daddy's bed. We need to do something about that. For now, it's alright. We just purchased a gently used California King(!) bed set! Exciting stuff. For us, at least. And it totally does make a difference area-wise.

Downtown on a weekday | Playdate | Laundry Basket

On a Thursday a couple of weeks ago, Georgie and I took the day off to enjoy the summer weather with Joaquin and Jacinta. We had planned to go to the Wisconsin State Fair, but ended up doing our original plan which was to walk around downtown Chicago. Actually, the real original plan was that we would take Jqn and Jcnt to Millennium Park and have them run around the area between the big faces, like Joaquin did last year.

Waiting for the train.

It was a good plan, but we weren't able to follow through completely. It was still a very nice day. And it was Joaquin's first time -- Jacinta's second time -- on the Metra!



We had a late start that day. Later on, we wished that we would have headed downtown earlier than (catching) the 11AM Metra. Oh... the Metra. I have raved about them before, but they're not always to be the receiver of nice compliments. Especially the conductors. Boy, are they rude. Most of them are not kind souls and would probably be the first to vacate the train if there were some kind of trouble.

Jacinta on Alex's shoulders.

Our new plan was to take pictures of artwork available on the street, like the Picasso sculpture at the Daley Center. There were quite a few that we found searching online, but we were only able to take pictures at two locations.

Where is Joaquin?

Then, we met Alex for lunch at the restaurant where he works. Thank you, Alex, for a yummy lunch. Joaquin enjoyed dining there because one of the people -- a lady, of course -- entertained Joaquin by letting him play with the computer. Because we were there later than the lunch rush, Jacinta and Joaquin were able to walk around the restaurant without disturbing any patrons.


After lunch, we walked to the park by the Agora exhibit. We must have spent a couple of hours there just relaxing. Joaquin took a nice nap while Jacinta walked and crawled on the grass.

We cabbed it back to the area around the Chicago Tribune building after we separated from Alex. Speaking of cabbing it... we took the cab four times that day. Ugh. Our last cab ride should not have happened, but we had to because we took the wrong train on our way back home.

An ice cream parlor by the park. The three younger kids just rolled around the floor.

The weekend after that week, we met up with Georgie's old classmate (and his family) from grammar(!) school at a park in Evanston. Peter, Hye Rin, Eunhae and Insung, it was our pleasure to meet you! As our children grow up, they will begin to play /interact with each other instead of around each other.

Peter and Georgie or Dads and their (diaper) bags. We need to find and scan the pics of you guys when you were in grammar school!

Joaquin briefly "chatted" with a little girl.

As per usual, Joaquin was on the run. We just can't get him to sit down for a nice photo. Most of the photos I take is of him not posing. Ok, so it's a good thing.

And then I think that same weekend, I took some pics of the babies in our laundry basket. Georgie placed Jacinta in the basket first and then Joaquin, not one to be left behind, stepped inside. They were so cute!




It's almost the weekend. Hooray!

Memphis Mementos

Dear Jqn and Jcnt,

Here are a few things we bought from our trip to Graceland in Memphis, TN. I'm letting you both use the Elvis bags now because neither of you want to share and you are both into bags. It's not that you do something with the bag, it's that you both need to have a bag of your own when you see the other have one.


We bought the Tonka tractor at one of our food/gasoline stops. You each have one, but I can't seem to find the one I picked out for Jacinta.


Jacinta, I bought this gigantic ring with a pink heart glass stone. What you will do with it or what it's for, I don't really know. But, it does say Graceland on it.


The t-shirt is for both of you. Joaquin will hopefully wear it this year and then Jacinta next year. I mentioned hopefully because when Daddy put it on Joaquin, he did not want anything to do with it. He was practically ripping it off his body. I want to at least have one picture of Joaquin wearing it.


I also bought a couple of scrapbooking thingies for both of you. Joaquin, I don't know if you'll actually do something with it. Maybe Jacinta will help you.


Then, Joaquin, I bought you a nightlight that looks like an old-fashioned TV. We have yet to plug it in. Or, perhaps I'll save it for you when you get older and place it in your memory luggage, along with the scrapbook thingies.


And, finally, I took pictures of the shoes you both wore in Memphis. Joaquin, your shoes were given by Tio Steve and Tia Paola. You used them well.



Jacinta, your shoes -- crawling shoes -- were given by Uncle Alex and Miss Tasha. They weren't meant for you to walk in, but they were so cute that we let you use it for walking anyway. Plus, you did most of your learning-how-to-walk in them!

Love,

Mama

P.S. For Daddy and me, I bought a Graceland magnet.

Papa

Tomorrow, 12 August 2008, is Papa's birthday.







The picture below is my favorite photograph of me and Papa. We went to Florida for a vacation and visited NASA. At the time, I was very interested in astronomy and going to NASA was a very big deal. I just remember how very happy and excited Papa was for me. He would tap on my shoulder several times throughout the day just to let me know that he knows how happy I am that we were there; that he was able to do this for his daughter, his family. I will always hold this memory close.


I miss you so much. I wish you were still here.

McLovin

The afternoon of the day we came back from Memphis, John and Cathy invited us to ride their new boat, McLovin. After we boarded, they told us that they got many shout-outs about their name choice the day before. We got several more, "McLovin!", followed by zany laughs and giggles that day. Great choice, John!

Captain John.

When I went down into the cabin, I immediately knew that I couldn't stay down there for a few seconds longer. I just don't do well on boats. If I were to stay in a boat for a period of time, I would probably need to take a dramamine.

Jacinta and Maddy.

Joaquin and Jacinta did not like the life vests at all. Both of them showed and let us hear their disapproval by their deliberate fidgeting and piercing cries. I didn't know that people can get ticketed if children do not wear life vests while on the boat out in the lake. Actually, I wouldn't mind if I had a life vest myself. I'm not a very strong swimmer.

It's a pretty effed up thought because I wouldn't mind traveling across the world on a boat; even a sailboat. It's just that I know I will get seasick and I have a horrible fear of drowning. It's a romantic thought though to sail across the oceans and watch the stars at night. But then, I wouldn't want to be caught in a middle of a storm. Like I said... effed up.

Cullen.

Although it didn't seem too windy, it wasn't smooth sailing. The water was rather choppy and it prevented the boat from going faster than 25mph. But, Georgie and I agreed that we felt that it was going pretty fast. I wonder how it would be like to ride the boat at 40mph.

Having said this, Joaquin and Jacinta fell fast asleep as soon as John headed out into the open water. Jacinta fell asleep on my shoulder while Joaquin fell asleep -- while standing up -- on Georgie's lap.

I like this picture of you, Georgie.

John and Cathy, thank you for inviting us to ride on your fantastic boat. And we are very grateful to have been your first guests!

Graceland: There and Back Again

We had a grand time!

Went on a crazy 3-day road trip to Memphis, TN, last week. We left around 10PM Wednesday night and arrived in Memphis the next day at around 4:30PM. The drive itself should have taken between 9-10 hours. It took us approximately 18 hours. We stopped in a hotel midway to Memphis and slept for a few hours.


Before I continue, I should mention that we almost didn't leave Chicago that Wednesday night. Jacinta, not being used to sleeping on her own (at night) started with a whimper that quickly and expectedly escalated into a full-on meltdown. Our only consolation was stopping at a Starbucks that we thought closed later than 9PM. Right.

Driving with the babies for such long periods of time was eventful, to say the least. Both Joaquin and Jacinta did so well though. Georgie and I are proud of ourselves for having been able to keep our patience from leaving the building.

Below are some snapshots that we took of Joaquin and Jacinta on their car seats. There were more pictures of Jacinta because I happened to sit opposite of Jacinta, which was an easier spot from which to take some snaps.

You may have noticed that Jacinta and Joaquin had different things in their hands. Keep reading...

Georgie and I took turns entertaining Jcnt and Jqn during the drive. We must have emptied my purse, both our pockets, as well as numerous packaging and packages, brochures and napkins, ice chips and straws from Georgie's iced Americanos, snacks and juice/water bottles which we handed to one, then the other or both. And then, repeat again. The ice chips were their favorite, we found.

Long driving, although very tiresome and somewhat monotonous except for the occasional spotting of cool-looking semis and charming scenery, was actually an escape for me. Well, OK fine. I do enjoy driving as Georgie will probably tell you.

Jacinta with her Lola.

A really cute thing that Jacinta did during the trip is she would cover her eyes/face with her blanket when we asked, out loud, "Where is Jacinta?" Then, Jacinta would pull the blanket off her face and gave the biggest smile as we said, "There she is!" Joaquin joined in on the fun, too, as we asked him the same question.

We were able to go to a couple of kid-friendly restaurants that Georgie scoped out online before our trip. We went to Las Tortugas, a Mexican restaurant, when we arrived in Memphis. The food was very good, but the babies didn't let us enjoy it. We were in and out of there within thirty minutes, I think. And we ordered a lot of food; chips and salsa, queso fundido with chorizo, tamales and a torta. My favorite was the torta.

Our only picture at Last Tortugas.

The other restaurant was Soul Fish Cafe. Which reminds me... I should probably also mention that we met up with my family (My mom, brother, Jo Anne, JJ, Christian, Danielle, Ate Trisa, Kuya Joel, Richard, Krystal and Tita Lily), who spent a week in Panama City Beach, FL, in Memphis. It was great fun! Plus, I think everyone enjoyed the food. Mmmm... fried catfish. On the bone! My mom really liked the sweet potato fries.

Richard took this picture.

On the day that we went to Graceland, the temperature reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Ugh. It was more uncomfortable than what you're thinking. I think Joaquin and Jacinta didn't really mind it too much. Or they just didn't realize that the heat can really harm them. But, I was a little worried for them and that didn't make for an easygoing and enjoyable experience for me.

To get to the Graceland Mansion we had to board a shuttle bus that shuttled people across the street from where the tickets were purchased. There was perhaps a tour group every half hour; maybe even every 15 minutes. Once we vacated the bus, we were quickly shepherded to the front door of the Mansion where we waited until the group ahead of us were gone from the first few rooms upon entering the Mansion. Sadly, but understandably, we weren't allowed to use flash when we took pictures. Anyways, Jacinta didn't allow me to take too many pictures as I carried her in my arms.

Jqn and Jcnt took a rest in between getting out of the Mansion and heading towards the room where Elvis took care of all his business; his office.

My Mom with Christian and Jacinta. Behind them is where Elvis was laid to rest.

The four of us. This was taken in the basement of the Mansion. It had a full entertainment system, bar area and mirrors on the ceiling. Did I mention it was yellow?

There were four other exhibits, in addition to the Mansion, but we only went to the Mansion. (Sorry Mama! But, we are very thankful for your buying our tickets for us.) My family saw all the exhibits. We were just tired and hot and went to our rental, turned on the A/C and drove around downtown Memphis. As soon as we drove off, Jqn and Jcnt conked out. It was during this drive that we unexpectedly -- we weren't looking for it -- drove by Soul Fish Cafe. We invited my family to dinner there after they finished their Graceland visit.

I got a kick out of this.

The next day, we went to The Peabody to witness the marching ducks. The ducks, we read, would march from the elevator to the fountain feature inside the hotel at 11AM and would march from the fountain back into the elevator at 5PM. Unfortunately, we got there a little too late, at around 10:55AM. By that time, the crowd was 4-5 people deep all around. We didn't get to see the ducks march in person, but we were able to see them on video camera. Richard stuck his hand out, camera in hand, and recorded the whole thing. It was ok. After I saw the video, I didn't feel as regretful having not seen the procession in person.

Those darn ducks.

We headed to Beale Street afterwards. The picture on that web site makes the street look bigger/longer that it was. Georgie and I already briefly saw Beale Street the day before during our drive around downtown. We kind of knew that there wasn't much to see there, but our family wanted to go there anyway. We went and we all later decided that, yes, there was not much to see there.

We had lunch at Neely's. I ordered the beef brisket while Georgie ordered a smoked sausage and pulled pork(?) sandwich. I really liked the smoked sausage and beans. My brisket was a little too cold for my taste. I think it was a teeny bit warmer than room temperature. I like my food hot. I think that if it were hot, it would have been ten times yummier.

After we left Graceland and drove around downtown Memphis, we stopped at a Starbucks (of course). Here are a few pictures from that little excursion. I wanted to include these because both Jacinta and Joaquin and Georgie were so adorable. I especially love the picture of Georgie with Jacinta and Joaquin looking down.

After lunch, we all went on our way back to Chicago. We didn't caravan with my family because we had to get our Starbucks fix first. Well, that fix cost us about an hour of travel time. Georgie and I just could not navigate ourselves out of downtown Memphis! We went up and down Union Avenue four times trying to get to 40W. I was really frustrated. When we finally succeeded, I drove for about 260 miles. Luckily, Joaquin slept for most of those miles while Jacinta woke up at around mile marker 200. Georgie had to entertain her for an hour. He did an awesome job!

This pretty much sums up how we all felt at the end of the trip.

Around 7:30PM, we stopped for dinner and stretched our legs. We let the babies walk around a little bit, too. Georgie drove all the way home from there, but not before stopping at Effingham, IL, for an iced grande Americano. We got home at around 1:30AM.

Rube probably reaped him.

If you've never seen an episode or have never even heard of it, I hope that you would, one day, rent "Dead Like Me". Almost all the characters are interesting and droll.

It was on Showtime for only two seasons, the second being abbreviated -- just 15 episodes. We've been watching reruns for a couple of days now and the most recent episode I saw was "Ghost Story". The title of this post is a line from this episode.

When you do watch some (or all) of the episodes, let me know what you think. I'm interested to find out who out there appreciates this show as much as I do.