Bibi Comes to Visit

Mom came out last week for almost a week. It was fantastic to have her here. I think Luis spent the most time with her reading books, making cookies, playing outside, reading more books, playing fireman, hanging out with her in the guest house, and reading more books. I loved having her here, watching her get to know this new three-year-old Luis, showing her how our day-to-day life works, and talking with her every day. And to be honest, I loved having the distraction for Luis, creating a little extra time for me. The last night she was here, she stayed with Luis while Diego and I went to the movies together (the first time we've done that since I was pregnant with Luis - almost exactly 3 years!). It was a real treat.

Unfortunately, we spent so much time having fun together that I didn't get the camera out very often. Just a few pictures from the visit.

Reading stories together

Decorating Gingerbread Cookies

Raisins were the "hot commodity" topping for the cookie

Fish!

A couple of nights ago, Diego took Luis to pick up some fish for the fish tank. At 50-cents a fish, Diego splurged on five gold fish. Having no idea how long they'll last, I thought it was great that Diego started with so many. Luis LOVES his new fish tank. It is now part of his nightly routine to feed the fish before he goes to bed. He gives them a pinch of food, and then sits and watches them eat it for a couple of minutes. While I feel pretty indifferent about the fish, I do love how much Luis loves them.

Pregnancy Picture - 26 Weeks

I finally got around to taking a picture of my belly. I am 26 1/2 weeks. Still a long way to go!

(Check out this post to see what 27 weeks looked like last time around)

Batting Practice

Diego is doing a great job working with Luis between t-ball practices on his hitting. And it's working, Luis is doing a great job! The big new skill that Luis has is keeping his eye on the ball - as he does in this photo.

Yucca

It sounds silly, now that I sit down to write this, how much I enjoyed the homemade yucca that Diego made a couple of nights ago. He's been experimenting with peruvian chicken at home (and has made some really yummy pollo!), but yucca was the missing piece of the meal.

It's not an un-complicated process - peeling, boiling, cooling, and then deep-frying. But it's worth it. Yummmmmmmmm! And to make it even better, Diego made some homemade garlic aioli to go with it. Delish!!

Snow ... in MARCH!

It was a big surprise to everyone yesterday morning to look out the window and see snow flakes falling. Just two days ago, I was sitting on the driveway soaking up some sun on a beautiful 60+ degree day.

Everyone had a different reaction to the snow. Luis was thrilled to put on his snow clothes (which I really didn't think he'd get the opportunity to wear again!) and head out to play.Ashley, always up for an adventure, was happy to frolick for a bit, before retiring back inside to the warmth of her bed.
Diego, who has taken on the brunt of the "snow play" duty this winter season, was most interested in staying in the house, staying warm and drinking coffee.
Luis enjoyed his usual round of activities, using his little rake to clean off all the flat surfaces in the back yard. This nice thing was, this time around, Luis was properly outfitted in snow bibs, long john (pants) and proper gloves. To be honest, I'm not sure if he really appreciated the difference, but I did.

As a testament to how caught off guard we all were by this brief snow, you cans some shocked tulips and daffodils from the neighbors yard. (They weathered this storm, literally, without a casualty, and looked beautiful for a couple more weeks!)

Not surprisingly, the snow did not last long. We went out to get some lunch, leaving snow on the ground. When we returned 90 minutes later, it was all gone!

Luis & Diego's New Pet

After the hit that Chester was, it may be a little surprising that Luis's new pet lives in a fish tank, not in wood chips. Yesterday evening, Diego and Luis went out for a late afternoon adventure, and came back with all the makings for a fish tank (minus the fish).

To say that Luis was over the moon would be an understatement. He was so excited he could barely get the words out. Diego and Luis spent close to an hour getting the tank ready. First, they washed the gravel off.

Next they carefully added it to the fish tank (spilling only a very small amount - I was impressed!).

Next, they "planted" the plastic plants in the gravel and added the properly treated water. I really liked how Diego allowed Luis to help with every step (not always easy in fish tank set up!) and explained to him why each step was necessary. Luis LOVED being able to help his Daddy to this important job.

The (nearly) final product. The tank is all set up with gravel, plants, treated water, filter and light. In a couple of days, we'll get the fish to go with it. Luis is so excited with what he has now, it almost seems like the fish themselves are superfluous! Added bonus, the fish tank is the new night light in Luis's room.

Chester Spends Spring Break with Us

Over Christmas, Chester, the neighbor's guinea pig, spent a week with us. The Cuy, as he was called by all of the spanish speakers over the holidays. Luis really enjoyed having him here, taking care of him, feeding him carrots and playing with him. But I think Diego enjoyed it even more. For spring break, the Gee's went skiing and Chester came over here. Though I really only have this one picture of Chester's visit, this is not representative of how much time both Diego and Luis spent with Chester (LOTS!). This is representative of how Chester and Diego spent many a night watching TV together, and of how many kisses Luis bestowed on him. It was a happy week.

Taste Testing

Luis and I made cookies today. He was helpful in many ways (cracking eggs, measuring the flower, mixing it all together). But he most enjoyed sampling the batter. Hey, it's a tough job but someone's got to do it!

Luis Feeds the Ducks

We took Luis to a park close to our house to feed the ducks. After sampling the potato bread (that I found in the freezer), Luis decided he'd rather feed himself. He still calls potato bread duck bread. Unfortunately, we've used it all up (and it isn't something I typically buy).

Silly Faces

Getting Dressed

Luis has taken a real interest in dressing himself lately. The building block of any good outfit is his "tall pants" - regardless of the temperature. I will admit that Luis has a pretty good sense of what looks good together (no fancy & fancy), but he's still working on clothing "orientation" - most often wearing his pants backwards, and occasionally getting his shirt inside out.

Yesterday after his nap, Luis came down in this outfit - not the clothes he was wearing when he went down for his nap:

(Can you see that the pants are on backwards and the shirt is inside out?)

About 15 minutes after donning the above outfit to help our neighbors Kyle & Tim with some yard work, Luis decided that he'd like to run in the sprinkler. He went into the house by himself, and came out in this outfit.

And once Luis decided it was too cold to play in the sprinkler, he resorted to this outfit.

How Do You Like YOUR Blanket? Nicely chilled, thank you.

I am not really sure why, but for the last couple of days, Luis has asked to have his blanket cooled off before bedtime. He stashes it in the fridge next to his favorite thing in the fridge - the chocolate milk, and his second favorite thing - "white sauce" (ranch sauce).