Recent Reads:

Another one of the ideas from the Busy Preschool Book:
Ale loved it. I made a couple and threw them in the bath while and Miles were playing one afternoon.

Saturday we spontaneously met our friends at the beach for a barbecue and smores...fast becoming our favorite family activity.
It was insanely cold. At least 20 degrees cooler than Pasadena.


KE'ano and his Yeva...

Swimming lessons began last week for Ale and this week for Ke'ano. WE finally got around to purchasing goggles yesterday.
I happened to look out the window and see this: Goggles, check. Superhero cape, check. Soccer game with self, check.

Ke'ano did an assignment in class yesterday entitled "Things I want to do in LIfe"
It's times like these I wish I had a scanner to post the paper directly...
Without further ado:

1. Go to El Salvador
2. Go to college
3. Go on a real roller coaster
4. Go skoo-ba-diving in Hawaii
5. Score a goal in soccer
6. Be in a band
7. Get a job
8. Pub-lish a story
9. Read ten thousand books. 897 [already read] out of 10,000
10. Swim with a whale shark
11. Go to a Soda Stereo concert
12. Get a girlfriend
13. Meet P.J. Ladd
14. Meet Rob and Big
15. Meet Danny Way
16. Meet Gustavo [Cerati]
17. Meet all the singers from my favorite bands
18. Be a soccer player

"I love you Joe Dirt!"

A little chocolate bribe and 10 minutes with the clippers David had Ale looking stunning with his mullet.

And David thinks they don't look alike....


The side view mullet in all of its glory.

For fear of someone reporting us to children services David completed the hair cut though it was tempting to let it ride for a few days.

In Yeva news, she has decided not to go to sleep by herself anymore. I can't blame her with teeth pushing through and a gag reflex that would make any aspiring bulemic jealous. This is her preferred sleeping place these days.

Weekend Review:

We headed out to Descanso Gardens inbetween rainfalls to sneak in a walk. Note the double stroller scored for $35 on craigslist which came with only one faulty wheel.

When we got home Ale and I made magic mud--cornstarch and water. Super fun a little messy but very easy to clean up. Yeva played with the recycling on the dirty kitchen floor. Go mom.

Sunday afternoon we jumped in the Westy and headed up Angeles Crest to make smores.

Can your car do this?

mountains and smores...doesn't get much better.

The kiddos

Headband photo for grampa...
I made these granola bars from Ina Garten's Back to Basics cookbook. This recipe is a keeper!

Sorry mom, I know I haven't posted in a while...I'm slacking. June gloom is in full effect and we've been hanging indoors enjoying the cozy winter-like atmosphere. (Winter as in 60 degrees and gray outside for days on end). I recently picked up this book from the library and will probably purchase it when I get around to it one of these days as there are several (suprisingly) great ideas. This was one of them: Make a track with masking tape. Quite simple and easy to pick up.

Clover came over for a bit this afternoon. Ale requested a mask. I happened to be sitting next to a bag of paper bags. Ale wasn't that thrilled with it. I think he was hoping for another paper mache Nacho mask.
Miles came for the morning. I made ice cubes colored red, blue and yellow. I put two in a bag and let them play with them. A great lesson in teaching what different colors make. While taking a shower I heard Miles shouting from outside, "It's turning green Ale!!"
The kitchen table was temporarily transformed into a hunter's hideout where lions could be shot at with lego guns. Everyone took a break for hot chocolate.
Best friends...

I LOVE Etsy. But that is a whole post for another time. Here is a picture of the track jacket I found on Etsy made by RedBoots. The whole concept of Etsy is providing a place for the average joe to sell their homemade goods...A great way to buy local and support local artists. Anyway, David being the bike dork that he is, I was thrilled to find this for him for our anniversary.
I was also able to find a bilingual bible which I did this to: it's the back cover.
Happy anniversary!

Today the latin lover and I celebrate 6 years of matrimonial bliss. As I reflect on the events of this past year I can't help but think this has been our most significant year yet.

Over the past year we have lived in four different houses. Over the past year we brought a new life into the world. Over the past year we dreamed up a grandiose plan for the immediate future. Over the past year we decided to seek more mature input into our lives and marriage. Over the past year we made a choice to willfully submit our plans and endeavors to one greater. We saw our plans, dreams and ideas fall by the wayside. In the end we received nothing that we prayed for or attempted in our own power and everything for which we hoped. We exchanged our individual desires for an idea that is now supported and endorsed by many. Submission is never easy or painless but there is an immeasurable peace knowing we are going down the right path headed somewhere. Living in a world where people spend there lives trying to figure the proverbial 'it' out it is comforting to have some purpose-goal-endeavor to work toward. Serving the living God always comes at a cost and yet the product on the other side, that is to say, who we become in the process, is inspiring and worth going after with eyes wide open.

Little Miss turns 6 months old today! She would like you to know that she is officially sitting up by herself and has even pulled herself up to a standing position when the mood has struck.
This is her showing off her brilliant thrift store find of a dress.
Ale and I made this yesterday. It was time to clear off his art wall to make room for new creations. I took several papers that he had watercolored on and cut out bird shapes to make this very cool looking mobile.

Ale and Miles bake with Rachael:

Ale made a movie for Clover's 2nd birthday last month...

Ke'ano learns to play his first song on the guitar:

the quotable ke'ano:

"If you bought babies from stores, I bet Yeva would be from an expensive store. Ale would be from Target."

5 Minutes a day for fresh baked bread. This is a great recipe.

Yeva got her ears pierced! I may be the white one in the family but my little ones are half guanaco and culturally the baby girls get their ears pierced quite young. At least that' my justification for doing it even though David did not care one way or another. And I while I didn't exactly have the latin matriarch of the family pull out her ice cubes and needle to pierce my baby's ears...Claire's did a fine job.
I hosted our art lesson this week and we made paper mache masks. I can't believe how cool they turned out to be and will definitely do this again soon as it was fun and messy as can be for a group of 3-7 year olds. I made Ale's look like Nacho Libre. No surprise there...Now I need to finish his costume.

A busy weekend:
Lucy, Cesy, Rosa and Pamela joined us on Saturday. We hiked up to Amir's Garden in Griffeth Park.



Ke'ano looks just like David did when he had a fro many years ago.


On Sunday we headed out to Ranch Palos Verdes to the beach.
Lots of critters to be examined.


Baby toes in the Pacific
Our visit was cut short after one explosive diaper and nothing to change into (for mom or baby).