School Week

Sofia: "Mom, I wish we went to school on Saturdays and Sundays"
Me: What?!? What is she talking about?
Sofia: "I wish we went to school Saturdays and Sundays instead of Monday through Friday"
Me: Ha Ha ... that's more like it

Afternoon at the park

Since the girls spent most of the day at home, this afternoon we decided to go to the park. It was kind of windy and cool, but still much warmer than it should be at this time. The girls rode around in their scooters, and Lionel and I walked by their side. The girls enjoyed the exercise, and I was particularly happy to see Sofia's smile.

Peace garden at the park

Christmas is in the air

This afternoon my sweet Sofia helped me decorate the Christmas tree. I was very happy she did. Although I love having Christmas decorations in the house Lionel doesn't really care, so more often than not putting the tree up ends up being a lonely affair. I was particularly glad she helped because it cheered both of us up. She was sad because "her friends" told her she couldn't play with them today, and I was sad for her. When she came back home with her sad little face, I immediately fell in despair right there with her.

Nothing drains my happiness faster or deeper than seeing one of my girls get hurt. And nothing makes me as immediately happy as seeing the sadness melt away.

Bella turns 3!

It's hard to believe, but my Gordita Tenebrosa, my Princess, my Nenita, my Cosita Preciosa, has officially turned 3!

To kick-off the celebration we had a play date with the little ones of couple Mexican friends of mine. Her birthday was the day after thanksgiving so I knew it would be difficult to throw a party - since everybody is usually away - but I wanted her birthday to be acknowledged, and for her to play with other kids. Bella loved having them over, and was all smiles. Later in the day we cut cake with the entire family, a birthday tradition we can't live without. It was a great day: I loved celebrating Bella and spending every minute with both my girls.



Still wearing her Happy Birthday crown



Gift from Abuelitos

Happy Birthday banner

This pose was Abuelito's idea

Play date

Gift from Perla

Birthday card from Sofia

Checking out her new scooter, gift from mom and dad

Dora and Diego balloons from Tia and Tio

Happy Birthday to me!

 

Thanksgiving 2011

Festival of Lights

After Bella's school cupcake party we went to the Festival of Lights.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and even though the weather cooled down a lot by the time the sun went down we still had a good time.  Bella ran around all over the place, but still managed to wear her Happy Birthday crown the entire time.

Cupcakes!

This past Wednesday Sofia and I took cupcakes to Bella's daycare to celebrate her upcoming birthday. We arrived there shortly before 3:00pm so all the kids - Bella included - were still taking a nap. When she woke up she put on her "Happy Birthday" crown, which her teacher made for her per Bella's request.  She told me she always makes one when there's a birthday, which Bella remembered very well. Her teacher also said that Bella had been telling them all day how I was bringing cupcakes because of her special day. Apparently - just like me - she simply couldn't wait!

Sofia gets a C

Early this week I got Sofia's latest report card. She always gets a mix of As and Bs, but this time around she got one C. Since the C was in music, my first [sarcastic] thought was: Well, I guess she is not going to make me rich. The teacher's comment simply was: "She has to participate more".

Since a C is not quite acceptable in my book I felt it was necessary to talk to her about it. She was very sad when I told her, started crying, and kept telling me how she did participate and did everything the teacher asked. "I don't like Cs", she also said. At that point I was more concerned with making her feel better so I told her: "Well, we can't always get an A". As soon as the words came out of my mouth I thought to myself: This is going to bite me in the butt one day.

Once she finally calmed down I just reminded her one more time that it is important to practice if we want to get better at something. She said she would, and we left it at that.

Thanksgiving Feast

This past Tuesday Sofia's classroom had a Thanksgiving feast. I left work early to be able to attend and Tia, Tio, and Diego also came along. I was happy they did. It was nice to see them there, and get a glimpse of what Sofia's school life is like. All the kids read what they were thankful for, including my girl who said she was thankful for "People, Love, People, Birds, and her friends".

Tio's Birthday

Last weekend we also celebrated Tio's birthday with Sunday lunch, followed by cake cutting at their house.