Recently ...

A couple of recent pictures of the boys ....

Best Friends

Yesterday I had one of those sweet parenting moments.  I took the boys to get Santi's hair cut.  While the hairdresser clipped Santi's bangs away, Mateo entertained him by making silly faces, which obviously got Santi cracking up.  The hairdresser asked, "Do they always get along this well?  Every time you guys come, they always seem to be the best of friends!" While their fighting can be extreme and constant, they ARE the best of friends and that makes ME swell up with joy.

And the Gold Medal goes to ....

Santi has been doing gymnastics for well over a year now and continues to enjoy it very much.  In his words, "I LOVE gymnastics as much as I love candy."  Pretty strong statement from our little gourmand!!

Mateo started about 8 weeks ago and has really taken a liking to it.  Nothing, though, replaces his love for soccer.  He's not as strong, agile or coordinated as little brother is, but he gives it his best and enjoys the hour and quite honestly, that's good enough for me!

Here are two videos taken last week:

Mateo:  http://youtu.be/y_OWQIvOxLA

Santi:  http://youtu.be/cHhDw4vVLYQ

Ice Cream for Santi

One of the things Nico and I have been working on with Santi is to teach him better eating etiquette.  We remind him to slow down, to chew, to cut, to hold his fork and knife correctly and lets not forget, to wipe his mouth (and arms, and hands, and ....!!!) However, when it came to eating his ice cream on a warm evening a couple of weeks ago, he showed that all our efforts are pretty much fruitless because he enjoyed his frozen treat pretty much however he wanted to!

 Santi with a chocolate mustache

 Close up of Santi with a chocolate beard

End product: chocolate all over his face, on his tee shirt, hands and knee!! It was "Delicious!"

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

Santi had his end of the year show at school today.  Uuuuummmm, abstract corporal movement would be the best way to describe it.  :)  Enjoy!

I couldn't upload it directly here to the blog, but you can access it by clicking on the link below: http://youtu.be/IQ0h62iphhs

Boyisms

2013 has been breezing by rather quickly!  Most of these months I have been consumed by the move, buying the house and settling in; and now, daily visits to the chiropractor.  Sadly, little time is left to maintain this blog. :(  And it's such a shame because as I go through the in's and out's of daily life with my two cherubs, I am constantly telling myself I can't forget what they said or what they did, so I can update the blog and because quite honestly I want to hang on to every inch of their innocence and babyhood.

My mom always says that children are borrowed, in the sense that they are never ours for very long.  They soon grow up and start leaving us, parents, behind.  How true that is!  In our case, the one who is doing most of the growing up is Mateo.  He is still so innocent and immature but certainly doing some emotional and intellectual transformations.  Here are two recent events which juxtapose each other but show the internal changes going on.

1.  We are the car having a conversation about quick sand.  He asks me how it is that quick sand pulls one under.  I answer that I don't know, but that we can "Google" it when we get home.  He agrees and about 10 seconds later says, "I bet Arthur's dad knows the answer!" Me: "Oh, really, why?" Mateo: "Because he knows everything!!" Me: "How do you know that?" Mateo: "Mami, he WORKS at Google!!!"

2.  He lost his front two teeth in the past four months (I can't remember if I had I mentioned that in a previous blog entry!!).  And so, again in the car, out of the blue, he asks me if the Tooth Fairy really exists.  I didn't expect this conversation so soon, so I turn his question around and ask HIM why he's wondering that.  He starts telling me that a boy in his class told him so, that the Tooth Fairy is really one's parents.  I lamely answered that the boy probably said that because he had lost a tooth and the Fairy didn't bring him anything. And he answered that it couldn't be that because another friend, "who is a really good student", also told him that the Fairy didn't exist.  I couldn't spill the truth and ruin this illusion for him or for Santi who was very attentive.  I told him, remember how when you lost your tooth the Fairy brought you $10 from Trinidad and Tobago? Clearly, that was because it got confused of where you were (we were in T&T for a night before coming back to California in December)!  Mommy and Daddy don't have money from Trinidad!  There, as simple as that.  He was satisfied with the answer.  He said, "You are right Mommy. I believe in the Tooth Fairy."

And then, there's our wild child ... our Santi! That little bundle of energy that is non-stop!

1.  Me (in the car): Santi, who did you play with today? Santi: Jeanne.  Me: What did you guys do?  Santi: We played spies and then we tried to make a fire by rubbing two rocks together.  Me: Huh? Santi: Daddy said that long time ago, people made fire by rubbing rocks together. It didn't work.

2.  Santi: Why did the Egyptians build the pyramids in the dessert?  (Anyone, anyone???)

Back to the Bay Area

My camera was in the repair shop for most of December and part of January, so there are very few pictures from this past month back in the States.  But here are some shots of the boys in full action!

One of the perks of our rented house is a trampoline in the backyard.  Here they are taking a small break.

 Mateo lost his front tooth in Orange!  The crazy tooth fairy got confused and brought him $10 from Trinidad and Tobago!! Thank goodness Abuelita Rosi was able to exchange it for $10 US dollars! 

 I love Santi's shadow profile - the nose!!!

 The rebel skating inside Wheeler Hall!

Sunset view from our rented home