Mati's First Horseback Riding Lesson

After much insistence from Mati, we finally organized for him to have his first horseback riding lesson. He was very happy and did well, so much so that we'll be having weekly lessons from now on. His buddy Pablo joined as well and he'll also be taking this weekly class with Mati - but they will be separated during the class. Right away, the instructor spotted their intense relationship (= they like to be wild) and suggested that each one have their own 30 minute slot.

I loved the class. While not being too draconian, the instructor demanded silence (what a pleasant break for my ears!!!) - for the horses sake: so they wouldn't get scared. I'm hoping that this little bit of discipline will help Mateo. We've been having so many behavior issues lately with him that I'm in desperate need of new discipline techniques. Time out has been maxed out and is no longer effective.

Unfortunately, he's been absorbing negative behavior from his friends and classmates. On Wednesday, he kicked me; on Thursday, he punched his friend Luciano on the arm; on Friday, he called his friend Juan Lucas "tonto". More and more he's talking like his friends from school, with their mannerism and, sadly, their bad words. He talks about killing with a gun, or kicking someone if he perceives that person to be bad. He's rough with Santi. I had a very serious talk with him yesterday about all of this. Telling him how sad and disappointed I was, emphasizing that in our house we had rules, STRICT rules about how to behave. It's gotten to the point where I've told him that either his attitude changes or I'm pulling him out of school. I'm going to ask his teacher for a conference to discuss the issue but with 27 kids in the classroom, I don't know how much help we can realistically expect from her. We'll see ...

Waiting with Pablo for their horses to arrive.

Riding with Ilona in the back. Ilona is Pablo's sister.

The end of the galloping part. He didn't like it very much, but managed well.

The Boys Having Breakfast

Tender moment this morning as both boys shared their breakfast, each with their respective "doudou" (stuffed animal).

More of Santi walking

Santiago did not want to be in his little pool boat anymore when we were in Aruba, and really wanted to be more independent, meaning walking in the pool!

The other videos are from the last few days, walking more and more, around the house in "Bogo" as Mateo now calls Bogota

Aruba - Santi walking...and Mati running...

A short video of daily activities on the beach

Aruuuuuuuuubaaaaaaaaa

Back in Bogota after five delightful days in Aruba. Although weather forecast promised rain, we had sun most of the time. Santi made progress in his walking, Mami on her tan, Mati on his rebelliousness and Daddy on his sleep.

Beating Santi to walk ... JK!

Love the tongue!

Mr. Potato Head ... the first night we got there, we dined al fresco. And so did the mosquitoes!! Mati took the worst hit, especially with his allergies, but despite the annoying itching, he was still a happy trooper.

Splashing!

Meditation

Walking in the pool ... and then he would throw himself in the water!

Walking in the room

Rain threatening to spoil the fun, but a shift of winds took the rain somewhere else! Maybe back to Bogota??

Too tired to wake up!

Halloween Party for the Fantastic 5

We had our Halloween party this past Friday. It was Mati and his old gang of four. They were all happy to be together but I was overwhelmed with such intense boy energy. They ran, screamed (God did they ever!!!), played, cried, ate, climbed and got hurt - all in two hours!!!!

We started the afternoon by taking a "field trip" to a patch of grass just down the block to do Diet Coke/Mentos geysers. The boys were thrilled!!! I gave each of them two Mentos to start with and instructed them to put the Mentos in the Coke bottle; I don't know how many we managed to drop in when they eruption happened, but it went pretty high and it amazed the boys. It was so messy and a little crazy but hilarious and so much fun. I laughed as I watched their faces and tried to avoid the spray. I never did and I got soaked but, luckily, Diet Coke is only slightly stickier than water. ;) Next time, though, I'll be sure to have a pipe in hand to help get the mentos in all at once and get the eruption to go higher.

After the geysers, we went back to the "Salon Comunal" (Community Room), where I had multiple activities prepared. I thought it would be easier to manage them in a smaller room setting and also to protect Santi from being the group's "doll". I managed to interest them in several games: musical chairs, an obstacle course, soccer, and walking with a spoon and egg, but their attention spans are so limited. All of them, with the exception of Mati, are being raised by nannies and they also indulge in at least an hour of TV a day. It was a real eye-opener to see them all in action, to realize how conceited these Colombian kids are. They all act like Little Emperors. I'm not saying Mateo is perfect ... believe me ... he's far from it and I do admit he's a spoiled little brat, but NOTHING in comparison to his friends. After this playdate on Friday, any doubts I had about not going back to work, were permanently erased from my mind. I feel it's my duty to raise the children I wanted to bring into this world and to raise them to be compassionate, loving, and tolerant human beings.

But enough ... here are the only pictures I managed to take!!

Our darling Buzz Lightyear

Our ferocious Buzz Lightyear

Pablo, Juan Lucas, Jero, Mati and Jaco

Petit Basque

Santi, Santi, Santi ... what has he been up to?

He talks and talks and talks. As an editor's note, his first word was NOT "papa" but "awa" (agua = water). He says "Ma" for Mati, "mama" for mommy (although rarely), "ba ba" for bye bye, a sort of "ai" for hi. And he imitates the sounds from the following animals: dogs, ducks, cows and when he's in the mood that of a rooster and cat. He's getting the hang of a donkey's bray and of a bird's chirp.

He also points - he points for his stuffed animal; only one, his sheep, which brings him intense joy whenever he sees him or gets him. You should see the smile on his face! Pure joy!! Or he'll point for whatever he wants: he's VERY assertive.

He walks, yes, but not on his own. He rarely ventures out to take steps unassisted, although when he sees Mati running, he also wants to take off. I've been taking him out more and more on walks around the neighborhood and in the parks. He has a good resistance, just like his brother had at this age. He'll stop every three or four steps because something, anything, caught his eye: a construction site, a leaf of the ground, a bird that flew by. It's a real change of pace for me to go so slow and appreciate what surrounds us.

He loves to swim and splash in his bath, wake his brother up by yelling, "MA!!" and giving him little pats on the chest. He's an adorable dancer, he'll bounce up and down and if he's sitting, he'll move his trunk up and down or move his arms up and down. He's also starting to imitate hand gestures to songs, like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "The Wheels on the Bus"; although, his real love is for techno, just like his parents.

And like a good Bossut, this child LOVES to eat. He'll eat and eat and eat until you tell him all gone. If he was eating something he loves, like raspberries, he'll melt down and start crying ... for 10 seconds, and then he'll stop (DRAMA QUEEN!!!!). But really, he eats just about the same quantity as his brother!!! Just this past weekend, he had a good size bowl of cherry tomatoes, followed by edamame, a rice cracker, blueberry cheerios and water. Then he saw my coconut chicken soup and he started pointed and protesting that he wanted some of it. Naturally, he liked it and demanded more ... and more. Then I had to share my mango and passion fruit smoothie with him as well!!! With all he eats, he hasn't gained any significant weight since his last checkup when he was one; he's a mere 10.4kg (although it certainly feels heavy on the arms!!).

But he's also getting very spoiled. If he's sitting on his highchair and he's not happy that he ran out of milk, he'll throw the bottle on the floor. Or if you don't do what he wants, he'll throw himself on the floor. Funny thing is that, if no one is around him, he'll throw himself very gently on the floor so he doesn't hurt his head. And if you still don't pay attention, he'll stop "crying" after, like, 3 seconds. He's big in dramatic arts!!!

So Nico thinks I'm writing a novel here. If you want further updates on Santi, make sure you email him directly.

Do I look like Mamounette or what????

Merci Tata Nabou et Tonton Vincent