"The" Folder

I just picked up Bella and got "the" folder, the one that has drawings and pictures from the entire time she has been at Goddard, starting from when she was a baby. I had forgotten I would get this little treasure. I can't wait to get home and explore it from beginning to end!

One last stop!

Just couple hours after I celebrated leaving the building to start my Sabbatical, I was right back in it. But it was for a good cause. After my Dad's ceremony Sofia and I walked back to my regular parking spot, and she asked if we could go in because it had been a very long time since she was there last. So we did. Since it was a Friday afternoon, I figured we would pretty much have the place all for ourselves.

I took her to one of our learning centers because we have a mural I knew she would like, and we also walked to my floor. She sat at my favorite desk, used the restroom, and got a kick out of a silly sign we have in there. We also walked into the main auditorim only to discover a preschool graduation was happening, and our friend Kate was in there with her son Alex! That was a pretty cool coincidence on an already very fortuitous day.

Abuelito's turn!

Today was Abuelito's turn to become a US Citizen. Tio and Lionel were at work, but Abuelita, Tia, Sofia and I were there to celebrate with him on this special ocassion. Bella and Diego went to Goddard because - let's face it - having those two with us would have been kind of a mess. There were still plenty of little kids there, some of them not behaving all that well, but at least it wasn't our problem to deal with them!

Here we go!!!

After months and months of anticipation, this afternoon marks the start of my 3 month sabbatical. As i sit here for a minute, in the gardens in front of my building, I am experiencing a whole range of emotions. I am excited to spend the summer with my girls doing summer stuff we never get to do, looking forward to not having to rush every single morning, proud of myself for having the guts to walk away from work when everything was going right, and giddy that we will get to travel to places we have never visited before. But I am also sad to have left my wonderful team, a bit scared about how my organized self will handle not having a plan for every day, and wondering where will I land when I come back.

I am also thinking about how I walk by this beautiful garden every single day, without ever stopping because I always have places to go, and meetings to attend ... Which reminds me of EXACTLY why I need and deserve to take the time off. 

So off I go...

Bella's graduation!

Last night was Bella's pre-school graduation from The Goddard School. They held it at the Turpin High School auditorium, the same place where Bella had her dance recital just couple weeks ago. The kids danced, recited a poem, and got their fake diplomas, and the families had fun taking pictures and seeing the little ones enjoy their special day. As tradition would have it for any special occassion, the entire family was there!

Olaf flower pot

Sofia made this flower pot at Sands on her very last day. Can you tell she really likes Olaf?

My team

Yesterday I took couple pictures with some of the people I have worked with so closely the last couple years. It is not like I will forget them any time soon, but I still wanted to capture their smiling faces.

Last day in 3rd grade!

Yesterday was Sofia's last day in third grade. To celebrate they took a field trip to a park, so she was ready to get sweaty and muddy, and have tons of fun!

Gymnastics aftermath

Yep, they were tired!

Turisteando

After having breakfast at a yummy and filling restaurant we had visited before, and surviving cranky spells by all three kids, we spent the day "turisteando" around downtown Chicago. We didn't make it to the giant bean at Millenium Park, but we went to the beach where the kids had fun getting wet and playing in the sand. The weather was nice then, not too hot and not too cold. We then walked to Navy Pier - which we didn't realize in previous years we could do - where we walked around and had some lunch. The girls wanted to ride the Carrousel, but the line to buy tickets was ridiculously long. We had promised Sofia that if she was nice we would go back to the American Girl Doll store, but by then Bella was tired and we were several blocks away. Instead of taking a taxi we decided to take one of those bikes, which made for a pretty pleasant ride. After the American Girl Doll store we took couple pictures in front of the cool display at the Lego store, with the Chicago skyline, and headed back to the hotel. Bella complained a little that she was tired, but ended up walking all the way. We rested for a little while and took showers before heading back out for dinner, and closed the day with frozen yogurt and a walk back to the hotel.

My Sabbatical - The countdown

The countdown for my sabbatical has definitely begun. I have one week left, but since Monday is a holiday, and Friday I am only working half day, I really only have 3 and a half work days.

Several people have asked me what am I looking forward to the most, to which I have answered, with all sincerity, that what I am looking forward to the most is just slowing down: Not having to rush the girls every morning, and actually doing kid-friendly things during the day that they really want to do. I am also looking forward to being 100% present, Vs constantly worrying about everything we need to do to get ready for work and school the next day.

Nappy nappy

Today I took a nap. It was a long one. And I liked it!

American Girl Cult ... I mean "Doll"

This weekend we are at Chicago with Tios, and today we went to the American Girl Doll store. The girls were good for the most part, even though trying to see everything can be overwhelming. I told them I would only buy them one thing each, either an outfit or one of the small dolls. I didn't want to waste my money in the little accesories that would probably get lost by day two. Funny enough we found the perfect sets: Skiing and snowboarding, because getting the exact same set for both would have been asking for trouble ("This is my boot. No, it isn't. It's mine. It doesn't have your name on it"). When we got back to the hotel the girls tried the sets on Boo, one of their stuffed animals.