Christmas in Dallas

We took very few presents with us to Florida, and so, had quite a few to open when we returned. But we were all very, very tired - and so it took us a few days to get around to opening gifts.

Luis doing a little "ornament management" before we got started with the present opening.

Alejo was happy to watch from the exersaucer.

JuanFe and RC gave Luis this very cool Gears toy. Luis immediately started playing with it, and loved the way the pieces fit and work together.

One could make the argument that the bag that the Gears came in was just as fun, if not more so!

Luis made this leaf print at the Science School. It is even more beautiful in person than the photo conveys. It will definitely get framed and hung up! I'm very surprised that Luis managed to keep the contents a secret for more than two weeks!

Diego's siblings all give really amazing gifts. This smile for the Playdoh Star Wars set is genuine!
I got these golf clubs from a family in my neighborhood parents group. Diego and I both thought Luis would love them, but he had a pretty tepid reaction. Hopefully when he has the opportunity to play with them on the course (not in the house!), he will warm up to them.
Alejo got some great new bath toys from Liz and Jules. He prefers to think of them as chew toys...
The Star Wars Playdoh set from Liz and Jules was a big hit. Diego enjoyed playing with it and with Luis, as it brought back lots of memories of his own Christmases, getting Star Wars toys.

Florida: Tuesday

As the days wore on, Eston warmed up considerably to Alejo. In a few more years, I think they will be good buddies!

Five days of playing with cousins ALL DAY really started to wear on Luis. He looked tired a lot of the time. He also spent a lot of time in his bathing suit.

Alejo continued to smile. And to gnaw on things.
Mom came in the kitchen and saw Franklin on the counter and promptly fussed at him. Turns out he was smooshing nuts for a cookie recipe he was making with Alison!
I can't remember what Bibi found to be so exciting, but I think it's a great picture!

(Not sure why there aren't any pictures from Monday...)

Florida: Sunday

For Mom & Sandy's 31st (!!!) anniversary, we made them a binder with loads of photos, and presented it to them after a delicious celebratory dinner (Diego made steaks on the grill and Fettuccine Carbonera).

Florida: Saturday (Christmas)

On Christmas morning, Santa brought Luis a pair of fireman boots. He LOVES them. LOVES them. When he first saw them, he asked me if they were fireman boots. When I confirmed that they were, he nearly squealed with delight, "I've ALWAYS wanted a pair of fireman boots!!" (Though he'd never actually asked for any.)

Luis sporting the boots, and holding the stocking that Aunt Jules made for him

Luis's other big present was a concrete truck. Luis had asked Santa for one - several times. Santa listened.

Alejo's happiness seems to know no limit.

Though he can strike a more serious pose from time to time:

Luis wore his boots most of the day. He tried to wear them in the hot tub, without success.

Much concrete was made that afternoon, mostly by Luis. Franklin, Eston, Solly and Diego also helped out.

Florida: Friday (Christmas Eve)

Alejo does not seem to be on the verge of getting any teeth, but he is definitely in a "mouthy" phase. He loves loves loves to gnaw on almost anything he can get into his mouth.

Maggie really loves to be with Alejo, and both he and I love it too! She is very loving and attentive with him, really keying in on how he's feeling and what he wants. I love to watch him be loved so sweetly.

The weather continued to be a bit cool, so we continued to use the hot tub. I went on a walk with Mom, Randolph, Lauren, Eston and Maggie. When we got back, we found almost everyone in the hot tub - with Alejo looking on from his bumbo. It was a happy group!

In July 2007, I took LOTS of pictures of Maggie jumping off the dock at Lake Allatoona. Here is just one of her jumping into the pool at Marco Island.
We had our traditional Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve. While it was a pot luck affair, Mom did a great job of managing the big picture, and making sure we had an amazing meal to sit down to together.

Lauren rivaled Maggie in her sweet love for and attention to Alejo. He is one lucky kid/cousin/nephew.
In preparation for Christmas day, Maggie helped Bibi make the fresh-squeezed orange juice. With 13 people, we needed a lot of OJ. (In the end we supplemented with a gallon of store bought juice).

Family Photos

The whole group!

Back Row: Randolph and Alison

Middle Row: Diego, Croom, Franklin and Sandy

Front Row: Eston, Maggie, Mary, Alejo, Lauren, Solly, Luis, and Dodie

Florida: Thursday

We all arrived in Marco on Wednesday - coming from MD, DC, GA and TX. After such a fun time last time (2008) I was really excited about this trip. Everybody had bumped up a bit in age. Maggie Lou is 10, Franklin is 7, Solly is 5, Luis is 4 (his birthday was yesterday!), Eston is 2 and Alejo is nearly 6 months. With the arrival of Alejo, Eston has gone from Baby Eston, to just Eston.

Immediately, it was wonderful to be together. Luis was really excited to see his cousins (especially the one he refers to as his sister). And the cousins, it seems, were excited to see him as well.

The pool was really too cold to swim in, at least for the adults. And Luis was not allowed in the pool without an adult. The closest he really got was climbing up and down this ladder in the deep end. Maggie Lou, at 10, had more freedoms with the pool. While Luis was on the ladder, she was leaping into the (quite cold) pool and then dunking in the (quite warm) hot tub.

Maggie found that Alejo settled down nicely in the stroller, and would stroll him around inside.
That afternoon, we decorated Train Cakes in celebration of Luis's birthday. I made 3 batches of trains. Maggie helped out by making most of the icing.
Eston was more into the eating than the decorating.
Maggie and Franklin liked both the decorating AND the eating.

Brotherly Love

There is lotsa love around here!

How Did He Do That?

I put Alejo down on the baby gym and went into the kitchen to get a drink. When I came back, he was here:Alejo is so stealthy about his rolling over. No fanfare, no showing off, no sounds at all. And he rarely turns over when I'm looking.