tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-228673762012-01-11T10:31:08.240-02:00Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.comBlogger4571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-75635764987239165922011-12-20T02:36:00.000-02:002011-12-21T14:48:10.805-02:00

Umm, I haven't posted for a while.  Blogger's all different.  Not sure I like it.  Hmmmm. I see I can now strike through my words with ease.  And change font color? or background color?  Maybe I do like it.  We'll see. So.  My fifth grader, Julio, is a relatively cool kid as far as fifth graders go.  What this currently entails is wearing summer clothing despite the fact that we are well into

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-6625486062415228492011-11-14T03:22:00.004-02:002011-11-14T03:51:56.548-02:00

Walking in heels for me is not a comfortable task. I've never been good at it-but I had hoped that after 37 years of life maybe it wasn't too noticeable and I wasn't too awkward. Is it asking too much that after 10 years of life in Latin America where all the women seem to don heals to go to the grocery store and school functions-that just a little of that would rub off on me? Just a teeny,

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-40534698382449450772011-11-08T02:57:00.004-02:002011-11-08T03:03:13.616-02:00

Today in the grocery store I ran in to my friend from Columbia. We chit-chatted in Spanish for a few minutes. When we were done Pedro asked me what language I was speaking (he has obviously abandoned his Mexican roots). I told him I was speaking Spanish to which he replied (with awe in his little voice), "How do you know everything, Mom?"If only it could last another 15 years...

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-4666163250237724082011-11-07T02:14:00.001-02:002011-11-07T02:14:21.164-02:00

testing

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-57033590893002942172011-10-27T01:07:00.006-02:002011-10-27T01:34:52.564-02:00

A couple of weeks ago we had our first flurries: We were excited, but today we woke up to this: Nice, huh?Except that it was a really heavy, wet snow that brought down a lot of branches. My parents had some serious tree fatalities. :( This afternoon we made this: Margarita wanted a "traditional" winter snowman-but I finally convinced her that a Halloween snowman would be so much funnier given the

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-88359712266039929532011-10-23T17:20:00.004-02:002011-10-23T17:55:19.475-02:00

I don't know how another two weeks have flown by. Nothing very blog-worthy has happened-just a blur of running from soccer, football, and swimming practices and games. Soccer has come to an end-Juan Carlos had the goal of the season last weekend as he headed the ball into the goal. Poor Pedro had the croup and missed a week of school but is doing better now.The biggest event of the last two weeks

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-81097195977625928842011-10-07T18:24:00.009-03:002011-10-07T19:34:13.749-03:00

Another week has flown by. I would have posted earlier (ummm, sure...), but Margarita has been heavily involved with her science fair project until late every night which involves using my laptop because the "family" computer has a dinosaur version of Word (according to her).Fall ColorsLast Friday Pedro, Guapo, and I went up to the mountains to check on our lovely house that we no longer are able

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-6369231681208762342011-09-22T23:38:00.004-03:002011-09-29T14:06:52.686-03:00

I'm still here. Dang blog. Had I been a good little blogger the last few weeks I would have posted no fewer than 5 times! Unfortunately, I'm a not a good little blogger...here they are anyway:Food SwapI had a post planned two weeks ago-and it never happened. I was going to show you what my kitchen looks like on Tuesdays: Pretty bad, huh?Since January I've been doing a food swap with another

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-53207549581175528742011-09-13T00:22:00.005-03:002011-09-13T01:58:30.985-03:00

I didn't mention Juan Carlos (8 yrs) the other day-he has no hair issues at this time (or girl issues, thank goodness).But, I must say-the child lights up like 100W bulb when he's excited. People always comment on this aspect of his personality (and physiology). It's like his face actually lights up-like one of those glow worm toys. If you know him-you know exactly what I'm talking about. You

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-3752689667920407622011-09-09T19:55:00.009-03:002011-09-10T12:31:34.779-03:00

Hi there! Remember me? That's ok if you don't, I don't blame you. I've been on a relaxing, unannounced blogcation. We're all fine here-I have no excuse besides having 4 active children and not a real good grip on keeping everything and everyone under control.But, the annoying thing about the blog is that it never stops bothering me. I tried at least 4 or 5 times to declare myself a non-blogger

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-69411043352931141472011-04-23T17:13:00.009-03:002011-04-24T02:20:08.065-03:00

I survived the 2011 Southern California Ragnar race. Our team of 12 successfully ran 202 miles from Huntington Beach to Coronado Island in San Diego.We flew out all together Thursday afternoon and got settled in in our hotel in Newport Beach. The six of us from our ward left behind our adoring husbands and 24 kids. It was strange to be without all the kiddos so we celebrated our short-lived

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-49370779764382743442011-04-14T15:59:00.002-03:002011-04-14T16:02:31.332-03:00

Was I just complaining about no snow?That's spring in Colorado-I took the pictures this morning and now it's up to 50 and most of it is melted. Crazy.Anyway, I'm headed to the airport to head off to California for my race. Do I feel ready? No. Am I scared? Yes.Wish me luck.

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-22435817572557602192011-04-03T21:29:00.007-03:002011-04-03T22:34:24.522-03:00

No, I don't have Spring Fever. In fact, quite the opposite. I have this icky panicky feeling that winter is ending-after 10 years of perpetual summer, I'm not ready for summer to return. And it wasn't exactly what you'd call a satisfying winter here in Colorado, just a handful of snow storms (it is snowing right now as I type-so typical for Colorado-yesterday it was 80 degrees-now it's in the low

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-82338827981373474752011-03-23T23:38:00.003-03:002011-03-24T00:17:02.567-03:00

It's been a busy few days around here. The Staycation is going fairly well-despite one sick day spent at home organizing the boys' clothes and having the kids going stir crazy, we've spent some time at the Denver Science and Nature Museum, the Golden Train Museum, had a picnic in the park, and spent some time climbing trees.But the real reason (I promise it wasn't to bore you with the details)

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-78848177414002898892011-03-16T18:38:00.007-03:002011-03-21T11:16:18.893-03:00

Can you believe it's mid-March already? Weird.Orchid UpdateWell, you'll all be happy to know that my orchid is alive and well. Check out all of these blossoms: It has now officially been in my care for one month and two days. Hard to believe it's even alive, let alone gorgeous! For my flower friend BG, here's how you care for them: the more you ignore them the better. While they are blooming,

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-9567983112371058002011-03-12T20:32:00.004-03:002011-03-12T20:58:49.746-03:00

The two month span of time when 5/6ths of us get a year older.My baby is now 4. My oldest is now a teenager (gulp!). How can that be?Here's Pedro at preschool on his birthday wearing the birthday crown. His day started off on the wrong foot-Julio had decided that since Pedro likes his mini-basketball hoop that's on his door in his room, he would upgrade his own using an Amazon gift card he got

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-69277065781974746872011-03-04T00:41:00.001-03:002011-03-04T01:19:18.454-03:00

So, when I signed up to do this 12-man relay race last month, I volunteered for one of the harder legs because although the mileage was pretty high (20.4 miles split over three legs), the middle of the night leg was designated "easy", was only 3.9 miles, and was completely flat. It sounded pretty good for the middle of the night portion of the race.Well, last week we all got an email letting us

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-70878693806923101442011-02-23T00:11:00.002-03:002011-02-23T00:26:23.178-03:00

Just a quick post to let you know I'm still here-I'm not abandoning my blog as I have in months past-it is just a crazy, crazy week. One of those where every minute of every day is scheduled and that allows for no wiggle room.. From now until Sunday after church I am booked solid-student teacher conferences, birthday dinner for my SIL, book club, pack meeting, long run, short runs, temple trip,

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-41891425398400313452011-02-17T02:26:00.006-02:002011-02-18T00:12:53.804-02:00

I think I mentioned a while ago that I try to go to a yoga class once a week. The teacher and I have the same name in real life, so let's call her "Gabriela the Instructor". Occasionally Guapo goes with me because it helps his back. Occasionally another man goes with the same name (in real life) as Guapo (he, btw, is the best yogi we have ever seen so we'll call him "Guapo the Pro"). So, on any

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-45196999498957221762011-02-15T19:57:00.004-02:002011-02-16T02:30:19.191-02:00

We had a great Valentine's Day yesterday. Gaupo and I had gone out to eat last Friday night-have I mentioned that my mom takes the kids for a sleepover almost every Friday night? How completely awesome is that? (please don't stop, please don't stop, please don't stop)So, we took the kiddos out for burgers and shakes and had a grand old time.In addition to a dozen roses, which would have been

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-59910990037314158842011-02-11T20:40:00.003-02:002011-02-11T21:08:21.088-02:00

Oh the joys of dog ownership.(That's very un-PC, isn't it? I can't really "own" my dog, can I?)Quakey has turned out to be quite the little scavenger. Kitty's a scavenger-but we expected as much-she was a little skeleton when we got her-she'd been living on the streets of Small Town and almost didn't make. So, I would expect that she would eat whatever she could find. And she does (bunnies,

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-66307275235152101392011-02-07T02:39:00.003-02:002011-02-07T02:50:32.760-02:00

Can someone please explain the show "Glee" to me? The premise, the fascination with, the hype surrounding, etc., etc.We were out of American entertainment for so long, and to be honest, I am not interested in putting in the time or effort to catch up. Guapo flipped to the Golden Globes the other night and the only actors I recognized were those who were in movies when I was a kid. Kind of

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-50883389651786799942011-02-05T01:16:00.004-02:002011-02-05T03:05:29.257-02:00

... are when they are like this (Pedro this afternoon after a tough couple of days of preschool): Look at that little face, what an absolute angel (again-when he's asleep-whole different ball game when he's conscious): Of course, those two shots were hard to get because Juan Carlos was intentionally trying to ruin the picture running back in forth in front of me... ...thus bringing me back to

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-72285426754573981172011-02-02T14:16:00.003-02:002011-02-02T18:03:28.183-02:00

My kids have never had a snow day.In Caracas, Margarita had some days off thanks to Mr. Chavez and his political craziness...In Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, they had lots of days off for flooding (oh how I don't miss that place)...In Mexico City, they never had a day off, but it did take them 4 hours to get to school once due to some very bad traffic...In Rio, they had days off due to flooding and

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-86342456361188680802011-01-30T02:32:00.006-02:002011-01-30T03:17:16.687-02:00

I've been sitting here reminiscing with my blog tonight thanks to my SIL, Abby; she is at that awkward point in her pregnancy where she has important clothing choices to make-throw in the towel and wear sweat pants all the time, or try like the dickens to make her normal jeans work until the last.possible.minute (guess which route I took?). She's super cute, and super tiny (oh to be pregnant in

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-8228179812668685562011-01-29T03:58:00.006-02:002011-01-29T14:02:20.867-02:00

I've been trying to deal with the guilt that comes with receiving a new laptop from your spouse when you've purchased him an ant farm (albeit the best ant farm I could find).You might be wondering how in the world I would even think up the idea of giving Guapo an ant farm (or why?). It's some strange appendage from his childhood-he has very fond memories of having an ant farm as a young lad.

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-48872593503632434402011-01-26T01:13:00.003-02:002011-01-26T01:36:17.793-02:00

Just to mark this day in history, Pedro (almost 4) had his very first playdate.He went home with a little friend directly after preschool for a couple of hours. So, what did I do with all my free time? Well, I divided it basically between two activities:1) pacing around the house not feeling quite right2)worrying that they would get in a car crash while driving from the school to the ice cream

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-74387958663348470462011-01-22T21:44:00.002-02:002011-01-22T22:23:10.064-02:00

I'm not even going to bore you with my excuses.I'm just plain.old.busy. I don't have a maid or a driver any more and I do have 4 active kids so I'm just busy, busy, busy all the day long.Christmas Christmas was good. One of those where you decide ahead of time with your spouse that you're not going to spend a lot of money on each other. Yeah. I got Guapo an ant farm and some licorice, and he

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-4682013515358602292010-12-24T02:51:00.002-02:002010-12-24T02:58:24.060-02:00

Remember how my older kids taught Pedro to replace the word "uneducated" for the word "stupid"?They have now brought to my attention how often I say the word "crap" by teaching Pedro to tell me that crap is not a nice word (I know it already!) and to replace it with "horse feathers" (horesefeathers?).Whatever would I do without the little gems?

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-67194588882678845012010-12-21T21:21:00.005-02:002010-12-22T16:33:17.106-02:00

I hesitate to share this with little holiday story you because the re-gifter is a really cool lady and a friend of mine from church. But, I keep cracking up thinking about it, so I have to share. No one in my "new" life knows about my blog (that I know of), but even so, I'm sure I'll be deleting this post in a few days when my conscience gets the best of me.Last night this woman and her husband

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-91495465166028524262010-12-18T03:09:00.007-02:002010-12-18T04:41:14.054-02:00

Holiday shoppingAs of today at 4:00 pm I.am.officially.done. Everything is wrapped. Everything is shipped. I will buy nothing else.Except, what do people generally give to the mail carrier? Money? If so, how much?Margarita RedeemedWe had a busy week of holiday parties, concerts, and recitals. And we're not done yet. At Margarita's choir concert Tuesday night this was a sight that made me happy:

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-36876674805244864672010-12-10T01:33:00.004-02:002010-12-10T02:18:18.708-02:00

About a month ago, someone from the Relief Society (women's organization of our church) asked if they could have their Christmas dinner at our house. "Sure, no problem!" I told them. Then the rest of the month everyone kept telling me how "brave" I was for hosting. I was starting to get really paranoid near the end, did they know something that I did not?It was a lot of work to get our house

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-81145042851683967182010-12-04T02:03:00.005-02:002010-12-04T02:57:57.320-02:00

My blog haunts me every night as I go to bed; it nags, "You didn't post today. AGAIN." Oh, the disappointment, the guilt, the horror. Not only am I missing my blog friends and their interesting lives, I'm not recording my own life. But I just don't have any big chunks of time like I used to when I didn't have to cook and clean and that's what I require to write. I'm hoping that at some point I

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-87399648913822814112010-11-09T19:56:00.003-02:002010-11-09T20:16:46.362-02:00

It is finally snowing. Just a bit-but it is snowing. Normally Colorado gets it's first snow in October and here we are, almost in mid-November. It seems to me, when I was a kid, it almost always snowed on Halloween making trick-or-treating mighty cold. My poor kids have been weatherchannel stalkers the past month. I was in Juan Carlos's classroom last week and his teacher told me although she

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-78505750001008172732010-11-05T00:38:00.004-02:002010-11-05T00:48:25.534-02:00

I know. It's mid-week and I'm blogging about something other than why I'm not blogging. Strange.Just a few pictures of a very naughty Underwear Dog. I'm trying not to think about how his favorite treat, despite the oodles of chews that I buy him, continues to be cat turds.And Guapo wonders why I am a cat person?(he is cute, I'll give him that; I just don't want him licking me. Or my flatware

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-21160342834611369262010-10-23T23:13:00.003-02:002010-10-29T20:08:18.350-02:00

It has been almost 3 weeks since I last blogged. I know I'm not the most faithful blogger, but 3 weeks without the excuse of pregnancy or summer vacation? Come on!I guess I feel pretty uninteresting lately-just a lot of normal life stuff. Let's see-The End of Fall SoccerHallelujah!Soccer kept things hopping this fall-4 practices on three different weeknights and then 2 or 3 games every

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-76465670995199676832010-10-10T23:25:00.004-03:002010-10-10T23:56:27.495-03:00

We went to the mountains for an overnighter on Friday.We have made some friends here who are willing to travel with us-dog and all (at least they were last week, who knows about this week). It is the family of Pedro's "crush", a word that the older kids tried to teach him. I don't think he gets it; although they got him to say that he has two crushes, one on the darling little girl below and one

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-83664116635043444532010-10-07T22:19:00.003-03:002010-10-08T12:24:59.096-03:00

When we announced we were getting a puppy the majority of the responses had something to do with how having a puppy is akin to having a newborn again.Last time I checked, my newborns didn't:leave puddles and piles randomly throughout the housebite my other childrenhoard shoes into their cribmake the cats hiss and runrun away when I open the dooreat cat poop from the litter boxNo, having a puppy

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-69675572122217901062010-09-25T00:25:00.005-03:002010-09-25T00:49:43.167-03:00

One last post before it's Puppy Time. T-15 hours and we'll be dog owners once again. (sigh)Anyway, earlier in the week it was Pedro that was cracking us up, and today it's Juan Carlos (7 yrs old). I was going through his Friday folder which contains all of his graded work from the week and I came across this little gem in which he has to list 10 mammals. I was there that day, helping some of the

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-50510224345149916722010-09-22T00:51:00.004-03:002010-09-22T01:01:06.981-03:00

Today in Pedro's home folder was the following note from his preschool teacher:"Today Pedro thought someone said 'stupid' and told the kids in circle time, 'in our family we say 'uneducated'!!! I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but...Love, F"It's true; Pedro has had a little problem with the word "stupid"; his siblings, being the jokers that they are, thought they'd be funny and teach

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-57676243979912159092010-09-19T22:40:00.005-03:002010-09-20T18:32:15.711-03:00

Has another week come and gone? I tell you what, my biggest fear living here is that I'll wake up one morning and- BAM! I'M 45! Seriously, the weeks fly by.So, the happenings of last week...TuesdayTuesday night we went to the Rockies vs. Padres game. My mom's cousin's son, so her second cousin? And that would make him my second cousin once removed or something? It doesn't matter, any sort of

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-47658966086028639372010-09-11T21:09:00.003-03:002010-09-11T21:20:15.803-03:00

Just wanted you all to know I experienced an American first today: I went to Julio's and Juan Carlos's first soccer games. In my minivan, of course.Are there any other requirements for being a "soccer mom" that I don't know about? Unfortunately, both teams lost. :( Julio scored the only goal for his team, so at least there's that. For the most part the parents behaved-only a few who got a little

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-88884855616591128932010-09-09T22:32:00.005-03:002010-09-09T23:31:55.746-03:00

Wouldn't that be funny? It would explain my lack of posting...No, I'm not really pregnant, but we do have a little "bundle of joy" arriving two weeks from tomorrow who will likely cause me as much work as a newborn.Ta-Da:We've come full circle here, folks. We started our marriage out with dogs, then we moved on to kids, and now, I guess, we're back to dogs (well, just "dog" for the foreseeable

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-74427160420984952412010-08-31T16:16:00.006-03:002010-09-01T00:29:17.676-03:00

So I finally finished Mockingjay after just over 1,347 normal interruptions of daily life.I'm assuming you've read it, so if you haven't and plan to, you might want to stop reading now.For the most part, I loved it. I know it wasn't the feel-good ending of say Harry Potter, but I thought it was realistic. Warm and fuzzy? No at all. But, probably truer to life. I was glad Katniss ended up with

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-67450285226170483352010-08-27T16:35:00.005-03:002010-08-27T17:08:59.606-03:00

...to bring you this brief post.The first two in the series I think I read pretty much in one sitting, but thanks to my new life of non-luxury, I just can't do it. I'm telling myself that I've matured and that I'm just savoring it, but it's just a lie-I've got too much else going on.When I was complaining about all the housework were you thinking to yourselves, "just wait until school and

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-90317213726205168952010-08-20T18:59:00.005-03:002010-08-20T21:52:39.258-03:00

Pedro's a real charmer these days.He saw a wedding photo of us a couple of days ago and asked who the man was next to me. When I answered that it was "dad" he said, "What? He has a new face!" He called Guapo over and showed him-"Look dad, you had a new face. Seriously." (yes, he did say "seriously").Since he didn't fail to recognize the me of fourteen years ago, I was feeling pret-ty good about

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-76737619798435066782010-08-16T23:48:00.005-03:002010-08-17T00:05:29.839-03:00

Juan Carlos and Julio start school tomorrow.After three years of having my kids eat a wonderful lunch at school, it's back to packing them. I made the boys pack them tonight. At this point, I think it's probably more trouble to make them do it, but I just didn't have it in me. That's not good the night before the FIRST day of school.Woe is me...Speaking of school-oh my were the supply lists LONG.

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-34284135712007712882010-08-12T00:53:00.003-03:002010-08-12T01:58:03.588-03:00

After waiting 2 months and one week, our stuff will be arriving tomorrow morning from Brazil. Remember the one hundred boxes of stuff?And, just as I predicted, I don't really want the stuff anymore. I don't need the stuff anymore. We're doing just fine without the stuff. I mean, sure, the kids are whining about having no toys, but other than that we're good. I don't really feel like caring

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-13551788426997153222010-08-04T23:44:00.005-03:002010-08-05T00:06:17.561-03:00

Two days in a row after two months of blogging inactivity. Wow.Margarita left for Girls' Camp today. It was so fun to see her with her new friends all excited at the church this morning before they took off for 3 days of camping in Wyoming. I have to say, the 12 year olds were way more enthusiastic than say, the 14 year olds. The 14's and up were a little too cool for school. So, I think

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-78615877289521636902010-08-03T19:43:00.002-03:002010-08-04T00:39:00.122-03:00

Ok, no more excuses. I've been here for 6 weeks now. Yes, there's laundry.Yes, there are dirty floors, toilets, and windows.Yes, there are meals to be cooked.But there always will be-so I must return to blogging so as to please my fans (ok, really just my mom) and to record a bit of our new life.***The kids are adjusting nicely; it's been like watching little baby birds attempt flight the last

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-83731553236626705942010-07-07T19:29:00.009-03:002010-07-08T02:19:34.708-03:00

You're going to have to forgive my blogging habits this summer.You see, I totally underestimated what it would take to take care of a household on my own. The laundry, the floors, the cooking; so many things I haven't had to worry my pretty little head about for eons, like:1) my kids spilling stuff on the floor, I used to be like, "no biggie, I run a cloth over it and then the maid will mop later

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-57308386539263365782010-06-27T20:41:00.007-03:002010-06-28T00:26:32.391-03:00

Well, I guess it's about time that I get back to posting, huh? The last 10 days have been extremely busy and full. You think I was crazy with my pre-move organizing? That was nothing compared to the frenzy since we arrived here on the 19th. I want to have everything just how I want it immediately and it's just not possible, but I sure give it my best effort. All other activities such as blogging,

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-72553935089152992212010-06-15T11:56:00.007-03:002010-07-07T19:20:09.205-03:00

This morning, after I dropped off my kids for their last day of school, I went to my favorite spot-an outcropping of rocks in between Ipanema and Copacabana. I like to stop there halfway through a run , turn off my Ipod, and just sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery while contemplating life.Brazil's been a tough place for me. I've spent a lot of my time feeling lonely and like I'm just not quite

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-83412754664545966742010-06-13T19:53:00.003-03:002010-06-13T20:08:55.456-03:00

This is my box of Kirkland Plastic Food Wrap. It contained 3,000 square feet of plastic wrap. I've always had a special bond with this particular plastic wrap purchase and have felt it deserved it's own post about, but I've just never done it. Until today. I bought it at Costco when we first moved to Mexico City in August of 2006. I have used it almost daily since then-almost 4 years now.It ran

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-21621830504480281792010-06-09T12:11:00.007-03:002010-06-10T11:53:50.960-03:00

Ok, be honest. What's the first thing you thought of when you heard we were moving back to the States to be "normal" people again?I imagine among my friends and family it was some variation of: "However is she going to manage without her maid and driver? This should be entertaining."I'm right there with ya.I've had maids (of varying degrees of aptitude) now for 9 long years. When I left Louisiana

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-47796957030432525712010-06-07T17:44:00.004-03:002010-06-07T18:02:18.972-03:00

Yes, I realize how hypocritical this post is so quick on the heels of the last. But, allow me to clarify. I'm not so much "anti-stuff" as I am "anti-useless-stuff-that-takes-up-too-much-space". I'm all for useful stuff. And what's more useful than shoes? I mean, you've got to have them, right?And Brazil's Havaianas are the hands-down best flip-flops in the world. (So what if they offer little to

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-34803306658198829342010-06-06T17:36:00.011-03:002010-06-07T10:48:00.542-03:00

So they came and took the boxes away on Friday. They arrived at 8:45 while I was still in my pj's and were out by 11:45. When my friend, who was planning on taking my big boys for the afternoon, called at 12:30 to see how things were going and I told her they were gone (please will you still take the kids?) she asked, "Are you sure that was a Brazilian company?" It was very un-Brazilian

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-34098910956060654522010-06-03T21:47:00.005-03:002010-06-03T22:53:29.122-03:00

Part one of the move was completed yesterday, much to my surprise due to movers' late arrival: It was a team of three men and one woman and they were fast. They had everything boxed up in less than 5 hours (thanks of course to moi, who had everything in such ship shape) Today was a Brazilian holiday (didn't we just have one?), so not only did I have lots of boxes around, I also had lots of kids

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-36091110324053923502010-06-02T14:03:00.004-03:002010-06-02T14:33:43.098-03:00

For the first time in weeks, I have nothing to do. The movers are packing, the kids are at school, so I'm just hanging out.After all of my work and stress (that I just discovered gave me a cold sore-boo-h00, and made me lose 5 lbs-yay!) I was sitting here this morning at 10:15 waiting for the packers to arrive.10:15My kids will all be coming home in 6 short hours and they haven't arrived yet.So I

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-38750914663759016622010-06-01T20:59:00.009-03:002010-06-02T18:51:17.797-03:00

At some point tomorrow morning a group of movers will show up here with their brown boxes, tape, bubble wrap, and recycled-looking paper ready to pack anything and everything they can get their grubby little hands on.I'm ready for them.Just so that I can pat myself on the back later on in life (or, sooner, like tomorrow night), let's take a look at what I've been up to the last couple of

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-83633753073915682462010-05-26T21:12:00.005-03:002010-05-28T15:03:09.732-03:00

I've been pretty crazy since my last post. I'm exhausted because I'm working frantically all day getting things ready so that not a single non-necessary item travels to Colorado (can you say obsessive?) and then at night I just lay there fixating on all the items I have to sort the next day. Not to mention that the frenzy perfectly coincides with the end of the school year and all that that

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-54973082614137682282010-05-23T18:48:00.002-03:002010-05-23T19:05:18.693-03:00

No, I'm not pregnant, but thanks for thinking of me that way. You know, after last week, I am would now be considered a "high risk" pregnancy because of my age. :)After 9 years, 3 countries, 4 apartments and 1 house, 2 kids born overseas, umpteen maids, 2 foreign languages, and so much more, our Big News is that we are hanging up our passports for a season and moving stateside-specifically

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-2238201986518777632010-05-12T11:30:00.006-03:002010-05-12T16:53:00.605-03:00

Is it just me or is time going faster than normal? :)Another year has gone by- luckily I'm still in my mid-thirties and not my late thirties, right?I feel a bit lost today because Ballerina Girl and I usually go to lunch for my birthday and she's in the States for her niece's wedding. No one else besides my family knows it's my birthday. That's not totally true, the maid did bring me a gift which

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-84866628582164773342010-05-06T20:39:00.002-03:002010-05-06T20:52:34.746-03:00

...seeing awesome animals in the wild.Last week when I was going to lunch with my boys at school, Juan Carlos pointed out this beautiful toucan to me: He was eating these red berries: How totally cool is that?...and on a recent walk to the helicopter pad with Pedro, we ran into this little guy, just hanging around: My kids are too cool for monkeys now-they thing Guapo and I are weird for

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-9711672002718669712010-04-28T18:05:00.007-03:002010-04-28T20:07:38.970-03:00

I am not a pack rat. I am the opposite of a pack rat. I collect nothing. I don't feel an emotional attachment to most of my belongings*. If I haven't used something for a year (or oftentimes, just several months), I have no problem getting rid of it. In fact, I delight in it. When the world's got me down and I'm feeling blue or stressed, I find a closet or a cupboard to organize and it always

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-46697070804839908642010-04-26T21:49:00.007-03:002010-04-26T22:50:24.656-03:00

I know, two trip posts in a row-how obnoxious and boring. But, at least I'm blogging, right?We had a five day weekend (only in Brazil) last week and so we traveled with Ballerina Girl's and one other family to a sleepy little beach town an hour and a half out of the city. We rented a large 6 bedroom house where we could spread out and play. The house came with a cook, two maids and a "house boy",

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-61804079752930988692010-04-19T14:20:00.004-03:002010-04-20T13:29:13.420-03:00

So, I'm doing something I never do and covering past events. A few weeks ago I traveled to Sao Paulo with Margarita and Julio for their regional Destination Imagination competition. Ballerina Girl and I traveled on the bus with the kids. It took 8 hours each way. Thank goodness for Dramamine- while BG used her time wisely and read three books during the combined 16 hours, I took a really, really

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-79085290162235231952010-04-06T19:51:00.007-03:002010-04-06T21:52:02.763-03:00

We had our first school cancellation due to weather in nearly 3 years today. It started raining buckets late yesterday afternoon and is still raining. School has already been canceled for tomorrow.Sadly, this incident has coincided with Margarita's first opportunity to bring home a trumpet from school. (the perfect storm, if you will) She is to master playing "Hot Cross Buns"; after today, I'm

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-16375092684526447592010-04-04T20:42:00.004-03:002010-04-06T14:33:13.425-03:00

When you get away from your blog for too long, does it haunt you day and night? Do you feel guilty every time you get on your computer and then start to avoid using your computer altogether? I do. I don't know why it happens, the lulls that is- I guess for different reasons, getting too busy, nothing bloggable going on, etc., etc. And once I'm behind I never know where to start again. I don't

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-12256926511415161082010-03-24T20:48:00.002-03:002010-03-24T21:00:09.416-03:00

Well, I'm off to Sao Paulo tomorrow with Margarita and Julio for their Destination Imagination competition. Thanks to me and my (irrational) fear of flying without my kids, Ballerina Girl and I are going to suffer through a bus ride (with 20+ kids) that takes anywhere from 5-8 hours, depending on whom you ask. Did I mention I get carsick?Sounds like fun, eh?It's a humbling experience for me to

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-72214392008204299722010-03-18T20:27:00.004-03:002010-03-18T21:00:16.586-03:00

Well, Juan Carlos finally lost his first tooth (albeit at the hands of our dentist) earlier this week.Have I ever mentioned the kids' dentist before? She is about the coolest pediatric dentist I've ever met (granted, I haven't met many, but there can't be many cooler than her).From a mom's perspective, she takes time each visit to review proper brushing technique; if they're not brushing properly

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-51185950974898290072010-03-13T14:18:00.007-03:002010-03-13T14:56:09.946-03:00

A couple of years ago, about the time Juan Carlos was turning 5, I started teasing him about how he couldn't grow up and that he always had to be my baby. As he watched with envy as both Margarita and Julio were losing teeth and receiving money from the Tooth Fairy, I would explain to him that that wasn't going to happen to him because I had had a long talk with her and explained that he was

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-40308625857402592212010-03-10T20:10:00.004-03:002010-03-10T20:40:23.782-03:00

Do you ever feel like this? Like you're really, really busy, but you have nothing to show for it? That's kind of what my life's been like lately. I'm staying occupied all day long, it's not like I'm sitting watching novelas eating bonbons all day, but I can't really say I'm making a lot of visible progress.I've been running, practicing piano, finally finishing Team of Rivals (I was crying reading

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-68247297840681752452010-03-02T13:03:00.004-03:002010-03-02T16:27:51.226-03:00

When I went into help in Juan Carlos' 1st grade class last week, his teacher pulled me aside and told me she had to show me something. It was a writing assignment where the kids were supposed to respond to a letter from a disgruntled young woman, Lizzie, who was upset that she couldn't join the boys only Soccer Club, despite her supposed soccer skills.She first showed me a few of the other kids'

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-7537227758730510612010-02-27T19:14:00.005-03:002010-02-27T20:00:40.232-03:00

I'm not actually sure what they do do when it's cloudy (yes, Margarita, I know I said "do-do"), but I know what they don't do, and that's go to the beach. Even when it's sufficiently warm out.Compare my heading picture, or the first picture from my last post to these photos, taken today: It's amazing.It seems the only people there were a big group of gringos playing baseball...: ...and running

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-86580427236355122232010-02-25T20:20:00.007-03:002010-02-25T21:23:31.564-03:00

Before we get to school lunches, I am very happy to report that after more than 5 weeks of this: ...which is all fine and good except for when your struggling air conditioner can only cool down your bedroom (I won't even go into the common areas of the house) to a balmy 85 degrees...it's nice to get a little of this: Ahhhh, so refreshing. It may have even dropped into the 80's outside today which

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-5452137145744532162010-02-22T13:53:00.007-03:002010-02-22T20:57:35.443-03:00

We survived our 3rd year of Carnaval here in Brazil.It was a long, blistering week. We attended the parade last Monday night. In contrast to other years, we only stayed for half of the parade this year. Instead of crawling into bed at 7:30 am, we were tucked in at a much more respectable hour this year: 3 am. We were totally refreshed the next day, comparatively speaking.Another difference was

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-39361501677344688392010-02-13T20:08:00.008-02:002010-02-13T21:52:55.819-02:00

It's the start of Carnaval here in Brazil-the week long party in the streets. I have to admit, the first year was interesting because it was all new and different; last year was fun because my parents were here, but this year I'm just kind of sick of it-too hot, too many people, and too many nasty smells in the streets. I guess I'm just not a lot of fun.It doesn't help that it's been an oven here

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-58097604567563484752010-02-09T20:21:00.007-02:002010-02-10T21:01:02.691-02:00

Yesterday marked a significant day in my life: all my kids were at school at the same time while I was at home all.by.myself (except for the maid from whom I was hiding).This has happened before, but I have always been pregnant at the time, which is different. It always added a kind of frenzied feel to it, like I had to cherish ever second because the hours were numbered before I would have

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-37924726806709293772010-02-02T18:30:00.007-02:002010-02-02T22:27:31.849-02:00

Julio, 9 years old, is loathing school right now. Why? Cursive writing, of course. This semester, all of their work is to be done only in cursive and if they forget and print, they have to copy their work over again (this has happened to Julio a couple of times).We here at home have heard about it every day since school started last Monday: how his hand hurts, how it's NOT fair, how his teacher's

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-42688790221603847472010-01-30T16:42:00.008-02:002010-02-01T15:38:00.417-02:00

Christmas through Carnaval is prime beach time here in Brazil. If the sun's out, the beach is packed. And not American standard packed, we're talking sardine packed (just see my header photo above to see what I'm talking about). No space between you and your friendly beach neighbors. I don't particularly enjoy going to the beach when it's like that, but Guapo loves it so we usually humor him on

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-29827318070291822222010-01-27T14:48:00.006-02:002010-01-27T18:04:09.774-02:00

Juan Carlos, my 6 year old 1st grader, was invited to a birthday party Friday night that starts at 8:30 pm. Since the standard length for a birthday party here is 4 hours, we can assume that it will get over at 12:30 am.His mom just called me to explain why it starts so late-because her daughter wants music and dancing-"you know, like a club".Ummm, I 'm pretty sure he's busy that night (sleeping)

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-30461238012564004682010-01-25T16:16:00.010-02:002010-01-26T14:08:53.280-02:00

We put away Pedro's crib over the weekend. Here's the last picture ever of him in his crib that once belonged to his Uncle Matty (Guapo's brother and husband of my awesome SIL, Abby, who has big plans for her future, BTW. The crib's all yours Abby, rust and all): *Sigh*No more diapers, no more cribs. At least in the foreseeable future (don't roll your eyes at me, Guapo).He's a big boy now at

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-19820944206720002582010-01-20T21:11:00.004-02:002010-01-20T22:10:15.697-02:00

We arrived safely in Brazil after appoximately 17 hours and 15 minutes of travel. Despite some serious freaking out beforehand, which has earned me a lovely cold sore, it was proably the easiest trip to or from Brazil that I've had (with the obvious exception of the time Guapo got upgraded on the Rio-Houston leg and gave it to me). As the long flight was not full we got spread out a bit which

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-77681815357494800732010-01-17T23:15:00.011-02:002010-01-18T03:58:01.439-02:00

Well, it's that time again. Time to back up the bags (a serious undertaking) and head down south for the next 5 months give or take a day or two.So, here's what I'll miss, and what I'm looking forward to in Brazil (in no particular order. Well, except for the part about Gaupo :) ).What I'll Miss:-Redbox (how cool is Redbox?)-Not shaving my legs-Running in cool weather (despite the fact that it

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-65455337131984136482010-01-10T02:32:00.003-02:002010-01-10T02:59:15.217-02:00

I'm taking a little break from my blog lately. There's just not a lot going on that hasn't gone on during other trips home. Lots of:-Milk drinking-Infinite cereal choices (somedays I have to have 3 bowls)-Trips to Target-Egg McMuffins-Drinking water right from the tapI don't want to bore you with the details. My trip home in 9 days with the four kids, without Guapo or any other adult help, on a

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-64682762346785393792009-12-27T21:30:00.004-02:002010-03-02T14:48:18.057-03:00

Last Christmas Eve, if you remember, we thought Julio and Juan Carlos, then 8 and 5 years old, had been abducted for what were the longest 90 minutes of my life. Only after the local police were involved did we find them in a neighbor's basement, playing video games, totally clueless that they had all of us sick with fear.This year's Christmas Eve drama involved my parents. They were headed up to

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-67137070044556219792009-12-24T02:00:00.003-02:002009-12-24T02:21:03.305-02:00

Picking the tree: The final product: Festive Moses: Our naughty neighbors whom Santa surely won't be visiting: Snow, finally: The temp outside right now:

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-19003297419341792342009-12-22T21:01:00.005-02:002009-12-23T01:10:15.546-02:00

We made it. We had a very tight connection in Houston; we, along with Ballerina Girl's family, were literally running through the airport, but we made it. It was one of the better trips we've had-the kids slept most of the long flight and I flew first class on the short flight-so I don't have a lot to complain about.As world travelers, we pride ourselves on quickly adjusting to jet lag. Our

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-42955391513752245882009-12-17T18:35:00.003-02:002009-12-17T18:42:21.269-02:00

After a week of intensive Christmas preparations and packing, we are leaving for the States. In just 20 short hours of travel we should be arriving at my parents house.Please wish us luck as Pedro has not proven himself to been travel-worthy the last few weeks. I am scared.The good news is that we are traveling with Ballerina Girl's family-so that will be a fun diversion. If Pedro get's too out

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-39235946794278615022009-12-14T15:02:00.011-02:002009-12-14T16:47:16.206-02:00

So my mom didn't like my sunbathing Santa header. You know, this one: She's been calling me for days, begging me to change it. She's even sent me possible replacement photos. He grosses her out for some reason. Poor Santa. So, to get her off my back, I've changed to the Christmas tree on the Lagoa out in front of our house. Supposedly it is the largest floating Christmas tree in the world and who

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-2835174076016009982009-12-09T13:54:00.003-02:002009-12-09T14:53:47.028-02:00

I just wanted to clear Kitty's name.Pumpkin jumped. Kitty actually saved his life by being on the scene last night-otherwise we never would have seen Pumpkin laying there looking like a little red grape (which are often found on my kitchen floor).How do I know this?Last night, I put Pumpkin on top of the refrigerator, a place where Kitty for sure couldn't reach. This morning, I went downstairs to

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-9030336998356884662009-12-08T21:24:00.006-02:002009-12-08T23:43:58.972-02:00

I don't know what it is about going home, but as the date approaches I turn into my most obsessive self. Whereas I thought that while Guapo was traveling, I'd be leisurely blogging and whatnot, instead I've inundated myself in a slew of new projects. For example, this morning I spent almost two hours going through all of our medicines, throwing away everything that was expired and then separating

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-37529498674165571892009-12-02T19:23:00.008-02:002009-12-04T15:02:06.400-02:00

Where to begin?December's here and things are crazy, as things tend to be in December. We leave two weeks from this very moment (yay!). I apologize for not only being a bad blogger, but also being a bad blogger friend.Guapo's traveling the whole next week, so I'll be free to spend guilt-free time on the Internet at night.But, for the time being a quick review of recent happenings.Who Will Be My

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-54726488617995109102009-11-25T19:56:00.003-02:002009-11-25T20:29:11.373-02:00

After the disappointing Halloween at the school, where they supposedly weren't allowed to decorate the classroom due to one child who doesn't celebrate any holidays (not even his birthday), I had a chat with the principal. She assured me that the holidays would not be diminished, decorations could be used in the classroom (that it was the teacher's decision not to decorate, making me wonder

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-23476872349401215762009-11-23T13:58:00.001-02:002009-11-23T14:00:28.999-02:00

What do you do with your old Christmas cards people send you with photos? I hate throwing them away, but I've got quite a stack here and I'm in one of my organizing moods.Any creative suggestions, or do I just shred them?

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-74334712240201802052009-11-20T11:04:00.003-02:002009-11-20T11:27:50.088-02:00

The good news is: I'm happy to report that the work on the house was (supposedly) finished yesterday. November 19th. This, of course, makes me look like a liar since I was sure it would take at least twice as long as the estimate predicted. They are out of my house and I am thrilled to have them gone.Our winner is: my good (and very optimistic, guessing November 18) friend Lizzy Lou, who used

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-62285779044074798652009-11-11T19:09:00.010-02:002009-11-16T18:20:02.704-02:00

I know you're getting sick of hearing about our little renovation project-but it is the center of my life right now. I'm going to try to forget about that for a few minutes to fill you in on what else is happening around here right now. But just real quick, I have to tell you, these guys, on their own, without consulting us, painted our living room a different color. Did we even want our living

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-13151652655200550572009-11-10T13:45:00.006-02:002009-11-10T14:43:39.557-02:00

Juan Carlos' and Julio's ceiling BEFORE:And, now, Juan Carlos' and Julio's ceiling AFTER two weeks of annoying men in my house working for 5 to 8 hour days:Drum Roll,Please...Ta-Da: What's sadly missing is a "during" photo that would have shown the ceiling in near perfect condition. Remember how I mentioned that it seemed wrong that they were starting fixing the walls first, before tackling the

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22867376.post-91345788813856608332009-11-04T18:12:00.006-02:002010-12-14T03:07:18.837-02:00

...having somewhere between 2 to 4 men in my house daily arriving between the hours of 8:00 am (when they should be showing up) and 10:00 (when they usually end up showing up) and leaving between 4 pm and 6 pm.They seem to always be where I want to be and I'm getting nothing done-no piano practice, no emails, no blogging. :( I am getting good at getting out of my house whenever I can. Luckily,

Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17985263633595003247noreply@blogger.com9