I love gummy bears...

US of A :)

2012-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

My mom became I US citizen yesterday. It was such an important day for our family, but specially for her. Since I can remember, she loved the United States and American culture. I remember as a little girl in Mexico my mom would know all the History, the music, the movies, the actors, of our neighboring country. She was the one that spoke the most English of all of us. Her dream was to live here. She is such an inspiration to me. She has taught me all my life that your dreams can come true, and this dream of hers did... even if it takes decades :) It was an important day in many ways. It was the anniversary of my maternal grandmother Isnelia's passing, was the 100 anniversary of the State of Arizona, it was Valentine's day (which made me think of the love not of one person to another, but of one person to a country, to a goal, to accomplishing something), and it even snowed in Tucson.

Now, there is a little story I would like to tell about little Jimmy and the ceremony, hopefully without taking away the importance of the event. I will share it and I really hope it is not offensive to anyone, but it is too funny for me not to mention. One of the very important parts of the ceremony is when the President welcome's and talks to all the new Americans. People got very quite and sat respectfully as a video of Barack Obama starts. The very second the President says its first words, little Jimmy (who is standing) farts. But not a little or regular normal fart, it was seriously the loudest fart I have ever heard from my little man, from any 5 year old as a matter of fact. People all around just started laughing... they just couldn't ignore it. The row in front of us... people on the sides, on the back... it was all laughter. To make things worse, it smelled and it smelled horribly fetid. I was so embarrassed imagining people wondering what I feed my son... I am sure they thought beans :) but what kind? because it seriously was horrendous. I really don't mean to be so descriptive, but there is no other way to get at least close to the real event. Next to me was a couple from Afghanistan (we were chatting earlier), the woman had thought Jimmy was the cutest and the man completely ignored him, but when Jimmy farted, the man laughed and high-fived Jimmy. I wonder if it was because it was the moment President Obama opened his mouth. I thought this was the actual lack of respect and not Jimmy's fart. So the whole situation was funny and awkward. President finish talking and people were still giggling. I am sure it was a story to tell not just for me, but also for those sitting around us.

Transformed!

2012-02-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for posting this a month after we had Jimmy's 5th birthday party. Life has been busy. We celebrated mid-January as usual even though his birthday is December, 30th. This year Jimmy chose Transformers as the theme for his party. He had a Transformers cake, pinata, jumping castle, face painting, and other fun activities. Here are some pictures of the celebration.

Face painting by Anton and Daddy.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey. The winner got a Transformers coloring book. That was Leyla, I am sure her brother Logan enjoyed too :)

Break that Robot Fiona!!!

Opening gifts.

Happy boy with mom and dad.

Coolest Cowboy Gun Belts

2012-02-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

Jimmy made the coolest gun belts for him and Fiona. He grabbed two of my scarves and two gift bags. I like how he chose the pink for Fiona. They were cowboys. Coolest and trendiest cowboys in the American Southwest :)

The Tooth Fairy or Perez the Mouse?

2012-02-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

Jimmy just turned five and his first tooth fell out. My little boy is growing so fast. He got a visit, we are still not sure if it was from the Tooth Fairy or Perez the Mouse (Spanish cultures)... but he swears that he actually saw the Tooth Fairy at night and she is tiny like a penny. I believed both the fairy and the mouse came together... but since the fairy has wings, it was easier for her to get on the bed and that is why Jimmy saw her only :)

Here is Jimmy at 6 months, with two tiny teeth already.

Now :)

Peaceful Wishes.

2012-01-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Jimmy's preschool released white balloons with peaceful wishes in one of several events planned this weekend to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 8 attack against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Click here to read about it and see pictures of the event. You can see Jimmy in several of the photos and also his balloon describing what peace means to him (peace means not to hit).

My boy turned 5!!!!!

2012-01-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

First time I knew of him I was walking on Lincon Park on my way to Barnes & Noble. Something felt odd on my breasts as I was walking and I automatically knew. We had planned his arrival to this world, so I just knew. I bought a couple of pregnancy books and crossed the street to a pharmacy and bought 2 pregnancy tests. When I got home Jimmy was waiting for me. We did the test and when we saw it was positive we both cried and hugged. The joy can't be described. It was just the beginning. First time I felt him I was outside Home Depot waiting in the car for Jimmy to buy something for our gallery. It was like a little butterfly fluttering in my belly... really strong and quick. It was unlike anything I had felt before. I knew it was him and tears started rolling down my eyes. Time passes very quickly and in a blink of an eye 5 years passed by. We were in Chicago 5 years ago... windshield temperatures that winter reached -28 degrees. We had a three story loft downtown and had no doors between any of the rooms, it was hard to keep it warm and the heater would never stop. One night we had to move from our bedroom downstairs, to the guest room upstairs where it was warmer. All three of us sleeping in our queen size bed with our little gummy in the middle. He was wrapped as a burrito and we kept really close to him to keep him warm, but didn't want to move not to disturb him while sleeping. He would wake up hungry crying every 2 hours. We were, cold, sleep deprived, I was still in pain healing, and breast feeding was being extremely difficult and painful. But we were the happiest trio on Indiana Avenue. The joy that Jimmy brought to our lives can't be measured. He was loved even before he was conceived. We planned him and waited for him with anticipation. Now 5 years later (and at a high temperature of 81 degrees), he continues to bring all the happiness of the world to Jimmy and I. Thank you Heavenly Father for having the privilege of parenting this 5 years a marvelous son of yours. Our little gummy has taught in 5 years more than I can teach him in a lifetime. Thank you Jimmy for coming to our family. I love you.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

This holiday season my parents were here in Tucson from Mexico so we spent Christmas Eve at their house. Dinner was great and we had a super mellow relaxing time. I even fell asleep after dinner for 2 hours in their couch :) We open a few gifts that night and let Jimmy opened a few gifts that Santa left early by mistake LOL.

I cooked Ham for the first time. Super easy.

Jumbo bowling set.

Next morning we opened gifts at our place. Here is Jimmy with the painting his dad did for him. Mario with super powers... yay!

Cars play-doh.

But the best gift that Santa brought Jimmy this year was his Dsi3D. His face when he saw it was priceless.

He made a pile with his gifts and wanted a picture.

I got these beautiful flowers from the McIntyres. I love this picture because of what's going on in the background. A typical morning at home.

Jimmy's class Christmas celebration.

2012-01-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

First I would like to apologize for the rain of posts in the blog. The last few months I have been a little behind and unorganized about finding the time to post in the blog, and when I do, it seems like I do a bunch of posts at once. And December is a little crazy with end of the year school celebrations, Christmas, Jimmy's birthday, New Year's, and traveling or having visitors, and this December was no exception.

Below you can see some pictures of Jimmy's class Christmas party. They sang Christmas songs in 5 different languages: Japanese, English, Hebrew, Arabic, and Spanish. It was pretty neat to hear all the kids sing. There were gifts, bagels, donuts, a piñata, parents, and Santa hats.

Kids singing

Jimmy and Sebastian

Jimmy's class collected donations for the community food bank of Souther Arizona

Adorable gummy and mom.

Teacher Ana Maria.

Done!

2011-12-21T18:20:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas Trees are finally done!!! Took me a while, but mission accomplished. I must add that Jimmy decorated his tree (on his bedroom as customary) all by himself this year... even the snow and gifts below. I think he did a great job.

Santa comes to Oro Valley.

2011-12-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus came to El Conquistador Resort. This was a fun activity for the kids. Parents bought a $20 gift and dropped it the day before at the country club for Santa to pick up. Jimmy and Maxine were very very excited. They sang Christmas songs, ate cookies, listened to a Christmas story and then Santa and his wife arrived. Kids were so happy. It was neat to watch and look at their expressions. My mom, Athena, and I had a great time enjoying our little ones and their innocence.

Here when Santa called Jimmy's name. He greeted Santa and got his gift. He said Thank you at that time, but he came back at the end to say thank you again. He was very grateful.

Here singing songs. Maxine and Jimmy hugging (as usual).

Aren't they cute? holding hands while singing.

Jimmy opening his gift.

So happy with his Transformers play-doh. When he opened it he said: "yeaaahhh, what I wanted all day long. what I wanted for a zillion years." it was so cute. I had no idea he wanted this at all, I guess I chose right :)

I don't know why Jimmy's expression is that of boredom haha. He for sure was not bored and did not want to leave.

At home playing with me. This little Transformers play-doh machine is fun. I have been playing with it too :) Even when Jimmy was not home!

Artsy mom.

2011-12-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Who said I can't do cool drawings? Being around art for a decade of my life and owning an art gallery helped, didn't it? LOL.

Handy Jimmy.

2011-12-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

What kid or parent does not like Home Depot's kids workshops. I love their projects because they teach kids how to do things by themselves, they provide them with a new toy, Jimmy feels a sense of accomplishment every time we leave the store, it is a way for kid's and parents to interact with each other and build something together, and they are free!!! So if you are looking for something fun and free to do with your kids on Saturday mornings, yes, go to Home Depot.

we have a new napkin holder for the holidays.

Santa was there this last Saturday.

Chocolate is from Mexico.

2011-11-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Gum is from Mexico.
Avocados are from Mexico.
The turkey you will be eating in a few days is from Mexico.
The poinsettias that you will be using to decorate next month, are from Mexico.
What else is from Mexico?
Jimmy's mom is from Mexico!!!!

Every Friday each parent rotates and is in charge of doing a presentation on anything they want at Jimmy's preschool class. It can be a recipe, sport they like, anything. Last Friday was my turn and I gave a presentation on Mexico. We located where Mexico was in the world map, each kid spelled the word MEXICO, I showed them a book on the pyramids, and I brought a few Mexican toys for him to play with and some Mexican candy to eat :) The school provides a daily snack which was brought right after the presentation was over and coincidentally the snack that day was chip and salsa... and it just made the presentation complete. Where are chips and salsa from?? Mexico!!!!

With teacher Ana Maria

Cool castles as Sebastian called them (pyramids).

Musical instruments.

Shaking those maracas Jimmy as I show Jimmy's Mexican wrestling guy.

Yummy chocolate and vanilla candy.

The wrestler guy has a tattoo in his stomach that says: "Mexican"... sweet!!! The Friday Khalo doll was the girl's favorite toy :) Jimmy got it for me at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum store and it is always a favorite item of whoever comes in contact with it.

Dia de las brujas!

2011-11-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

After two consecutive years of being a race car driver on Halloween Day, Jimmy opted for the animal tradition and dressed as a shark (his first costume was a skunk). My mom bought this shark costume for him and I was sure he was not going to like it, but he did... and he looked so sweet. He went trick or treating with his best friends and their parents. This year was a little different in the sense that for the first time I could tell he really got what Halloween is about, he knew what to do and he seemed to fully enjoyed it. It was an awesome experience... my boy is growing really fast and I fully enjoy every second of it.

Alex, Jimmy, Maxine, and Ianna.

On our way to trick or treating.

Batman grew its fangs. My friend gave Jimmy his son's old Batman costume in case he wanted to wear it, and oh boy he did. not on Halloween day, but the days before. The Future of Twilight? Edward move over.

His preschool class. To not fully break the tradition, I allowed Jimmy to be a race car driver again for his school celebration (he tried his old costume days before his grandma gave him the shark and insisted it was not too short on his legs) :)

This is how Jimmy looked when I picked up from school... chocolate bliss...

Tucson, Je t'aime.

2011-10-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Today I had another one of those "feeling" awesome moments. I was watching the movie "Paris, Je t'aime", had my living room doors open and I could hear my neighbors laughing loudly and talking. I came out to the balcony and I realized they were watching TV as well... something funny I guess... They are a young married couple expecting their first baby... a baby girl. Just hearing them laughing together and enjoying this Sunday morning, expecting their first baby, brought back many memories and so much happiness to my heart. I could feel their love. Maybe I am influenced by the movie I am watching, maybe by the fact that is Sunday and earlier I was reading some Scriptures about love between a man and a woman, maybe that I am home alone and have more time to reflect. But I felt infinitely grateful for the existence of Love, and for having been lucky enough to experience it in my life time. Whatever happens, I can say that I truly loved and I was loved, and that alone makes life worth every minute.

More small conversations (big meaning).

2011-10-13T21:26:00.001-07:00

The sound of Jimmy peeing in my bathroom wakes me up. I can hear there's no flushing, but I am too tired to say anything and try to keep on sleeping. Seconds later I feel Jimmy's hand in my arm and he says insistingly: "Mommy, mommy, hey MMOOOOMMMMYYY, open your eyes."
Sleepy I say: "Yes Jimmy?"
Jimmy asks: "Do you know why I didn't flush the toilet?"
Me: "Why sweety?"
He responds proudly: "Because I didn't wan to wake you up."
Laughing inside I had to give him a big hug.

Jimmy: "Mommy, look at me when I play far away... follow me with your eyes so I don't get lost".
Me: "Yes Jimmy I am looking at you"
Jimmy: "No mommy you need to do it like a telescope".

Jimmy: "Why is the number 1 before the 2, and the 2 before the 3, and the 3 before the 4, and the 4 before the 5, and..."
Me: "Ok, yes Jimmy what is the question?"
Jimmy: "That is the question. Why? Why is the 1 before the 2? Why is the same every time?"
Me: "Because that is the way it is... that is the sequence"
Jimmy: "But why?"
Me: "That is the way the numbers are. For no reason, that's just the way it is."
Jimmy: "Ah! that's what you always say when you don't know the answer. But there's always a reason".
Me: :0

Mt. Lemmon part 2

2011-10-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

After playing, eating, and dancing, Jimmy and I went for a little hike and took some pictures. He is quite the photographer my little guy :) It was also fun to explore together and to have him challenge me at a very young age with his curiosity and his witty questions. He asked me about the temperature change and why it was colder there than in Tucson and when I explained with a simple answer he was not satisfied, he wanted to know exactly why the temperature at a higher altitude is colder. Or like a week ago when he asked me why moms had bigger breasts than dads, boys and little girls. Or in his last swimming lesson he wanted me to jump in the pool but I didn't have a swimming suit on... he easily said: "Just take off your clothes and come inside" when I explained that I could not do that because it was part of the rules to wear a swimming suit, he kept on asking why such a rule and why people actually have to wear a swimming suit at all when you don't have to in the bathtub and it is so hot outside. He asked me who put that rule and if it could be taken away. I already find myself many times in situations in which I am not sure how to answer... and he is only 4. I don't look forward to the questions in 6 more years. But back to the hiking... here are some pictures we took:

He was crazy excited to see this climber and wanted to know at exactly what age he could start climbing. I guess he will follow in daddy's steps.

He took this. You can see the road in the bottom. Pretty cool picture, right?

Here I had to explain why it was daytime and the moon was out. He also wanted to know why it was smaller than usual and not as bright. And he also made the observation that the moon was being rude because it was not waiting to take it's turn to come out. The sun was probably mad.

Mt. Lemmon hiking, picture taking and Oktoberfest.

2011-10-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today I had another great day with my little man. It was that time of the year again... Oktoberfest in Mt. Lemmon. We have been going since we moved to Tucson, so now it is a little tradition of ours. It is pretty cool to see how much Jimmy has changed since the first time we went (to see pics of previous years click here and here). This time he was full of questions and opinions... e.g.: "Mommy, why is it called Mountain Lemmon? there is no lemmons. I don't see any anywhere" or "Mountain Lemmon is aaaawwweeessoommmeee, I want you to buy an apartment here for us to live on the weekends", and when he was running around and playing with other kids he came and told me very serious "Mommy, see me when I am playing so we don't get lost. Do no take your eyes out of me. FO-LLOW-ME with your eyes... like a telescope."

Sausages, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and potato salad.

Attacking the bread.

We got lots of thorns in our feet after having this picture taken... ouch!

People doing the Chicken dance in the back. Jimmy and I participated in previous years. This time he refused :)

Watching the band and people dance.

Dentist Apt.

2011-10-04T17:36:00.001-07:00

Jimmy had his first real dentist appointment. In his check up they discovered he had a cavity and he got his first cap which now he proudly calls his robot tooth :) Here are some pictures of the little man being super brave. They gave him nitrous to relax him, and he also got his first shot in the mouth. After this appointment, he has considerably lowered his candy consumption on his own will, and he also remembers to brush his teeth after eating sweets, not just at bed time and in the morning. He definitely does not want to go back soon and neither do I want him too :)

Jimmy's first church talk.

2011-09-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Jimmy gave his first church talk. The topic: The Gospel will be preached all over the world." I asked Jimmy (dad) to draw him a world map which he held the whole time for everyone to see. He was nervous, but very excited. At the end he was very proud and motivated, he even sang "Scripture Power" on the way home. My little man is growing fast. I remember as if it was yesterday the day we got blessed in our loft in Chicago. Now he is giving talks and choosing what shirt and tie to wear.

On fire.

2011-08-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

I can't stop listening to Natalie Merchant. Every time I do, MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE...

Road Trip to California.

2011-08-11T16:00:00.001-07:00

Jimmy and I had to the opportunity to go into a road trip adventure to California with my friend Gaby and her cutie pie daughter Alexandra. Gaby had mentioned a few months back that she wanted to take Alexandra to Disney. Gaby works really hard and hadn't had a vacation in three years. So then I got the idea to invite them with Jimmy and I to California, drive Jimmy there for Grandparents week and kill two birds with one stone. We stayed in San Juan Capistrano at Jim and Sheila's for a few days. Then little Jimmy stayed there, and Gaby, Alexandra and I drove back. Little Jimmy flew back with Grandma a week later. We had a super great time. The main priority was to take the kiddos to Disney, but we could also take them to the beach, go to the Fashion Island mall in Newport, the Irvine Spectrum Mall where they rode the Carousel and the Ferris Wheel, play in the house and swim at the pool, etc. Here are some pictures of our adventures.

On our way to California, we ate the hottest spot in the country... literally... Yuma, AZ. Bare in mind this was end of July... it was hot, hot, hot.

Aaawww, yes, they held hands :)

Laguna Beach.

Woohoo Tacos.

Swimming at Petersonvilla.

Fashion Island at Newport with Mario Peterson (he named his new bear after Mario Kart, and got him Cars Pj's like his).

On our morning, cousins Abby and Oliver arrived for Grandparents week. Everyone relaxed for a little bit before Gaby, Alexandra and I headed back to Tucson.

Grandparents week!

2011-08-09T12:42:00.001-07:00

The first annual "Grandparents Week" kicked off at the end of July and Jimmy joined his cousins Oliver and Abby at Petersonvilla in San Juan Capistrano, California. Jimmy was so excited and there was no apprehension for him to stay at his grandparents house for a week. Playing, swimming, running through the sprinklers, playing Wii and DS were daily activities. There were daily crafts and puzzles. On the second day they all colored postcards to send home to the rested parents. They went to watch the Smurfs 3D. On Tuesday night they went to see Ringling Brothers Barnam and Bailey's Circus. It was the first time any of the kids had been to the circus. They were very excited and really enjoyed it. Jimmy kept talking about the clowns and some explosions when he came home. On the last day they took the train down to San Diego. Walked around and had lunch, ice cream cones and rode the Merry-Go-Round before heading to the toy store where everyone got to pick out a toy to take home. The next day it was time for everyone to head home. Grandma flew Jimmy home where I was anxious and happy to see him. I miss my little guy very much, but I am looking forward to next year as much as he is :D

Disney II

2011-08-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Jimmy is one lucky kid. He went to Disneyland for the first time back in May with mommy and daddy. He went back with his friend Alexandra just last week. We were in California for a few days and we all had a blast. Here are some pics of the day we went to Disney.

In the entrance with the happy moms.

With Alexandra.

Toon town. the lines were insane so we just rode one ride here.

Alexandra was dying to meet the princesses, so Jimmy had no choice that to also take pictures. Here with Ariel.

Parade.

Waving at Mickey Mouse.

Somehow the stellar moment was the fireworks. They both were overwhelmed with joy and happiness. Alexandra kept on saying: "I am so happy". Jimmy yelled: "we did it Alexandra" and hugged each other and gave each other high fives. Dancing, spinning, jumping... they were for sure at that moment in the Happiest Place on Earth.

This time they didn't even make it to the car. They both fell asleep before we even left the park.

Jimmy John.

2011-07-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I pick up Jimmy from the gym's day care, this is what I find:

Body Jam!!!

2011-07-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Kia Ora family and friends!!!! I got my Body Jam assessment video results last week, and I passed! I am officially a qualified and certified Les Mills instructor now :) Yay! After 5 months of hard work. Les Mills is an amazing fitness company from New Zealand that really takes fitness classes to the next level. They really have their act together and to be a Les Mills instructor is not as easy as other fitness programs. They are all over the world, and in every city and country instructors are in sync teaching the same choreography. Three of my cousins in Durango take Body Combat. The whole program is managed and marketed in very similar way to the LDS church in my opinion. Even with the "Kia Ora" salutation for instructors only (hand signals included), very structured, very professional (I wonder if the creator is LDS). They offer all sort of classes such as Body Combat (kind of kick boxing), Body Flow (yoga), Body pump (weight lifting), etc. I trained in Body Jam (dance fitness class) which it is actually considered the hardest class of all the programs. Never thought I would teach a fitness class in my life, and many instructors, already teaching for years with Les Mills, did not pass Body Jam as it is very very hard to teach. So I am very proud of myself. The amount of time I put into it is massive, so together with my part time job with Doxa, and little Jimmy and home chores, I have very little time. But I have not felt as happy and healthy in a long time. I was always shy of public speaking and now I have to do it, in English and while dancing :) and I love it. It feels like if I can do this, I can do anything. Next in my list: my MBA :) Thanks Body Jam!!!

Check out this private link in youtube.com if you want to see me teaching for the first time after I taped my video (chose to wear pink and black, poor guys hehe. Mitch with the pink shirt is the captain and studied dance in college, he has being doing this for a long time. The one on my right is James who trained at the same time I did, he has lost 80 pounds already):

http://youtu.be/sdUUrwGHRAI

During the 3 day training in February. Amazing Jericho flew from LA to train us. It was 12 of us. Only 5 have been certified so far.

Before taping my assessment video back in May. Mitch is the team captain and the best dancer.

This past Saturday during the Quarterly Launch of the new choreography. It was an Afro-Caribbean street party; hence the outfits :)

In case you are wondering if Body Jam is actually a good work out, just check out my sweat. This is how we end up after every class.

With Mitch after class at Gold's gym downtown.

Lauren Taylor's Pool b-day Party.

2011-07-18T13:53:00.001-07:00

Saturday we celebrated Lauren Taylor's 4th birthday. It was a pool party, but it had all sort of fun activities for a nice and relaxing afternoon for both, kiddos, and parents.

Singing with Maxine on the way to Nogales. Yes, they held hands :)

It had swings.

A pool.

Mega-burrito wrap.

There was trampoline jumping. Our jumping beans hehe.

There was a cake and cupcakes.

Alexis, moi, Athena.

In the car on the way back, now Jimmy is in the zone crashed after the sugar rush.

Date night!

2011-07-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a perfect Friday night date with my little man. First a Japanese dinner (don't miss his skills with the chop sticks), then the movie Cars (yes, again). And of course he left the restaurant with his usual "arigato" to the sushi cooks.

Yakisoba, yums, yums.

He looooves fried calamari, but that is a big chunk he grabbed. I am proud of my little guy.

Now he is just being silly for the camera :)

Nowhere else in the world.

2011-07-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

Today as I was cleaning (deep cleaning day) I had one of those "I've been kissed by Heavenly Father, I feel the spirit very strongly, almost epiphanic" moments. I was playing Natalie Merchant on my Ipod, I could watch little Jimmy playing with his cars in the living room, and I was on my knees (literally), scrubbing some weird stubborn red goo off the floor. Tired, hungry, sweaty, with crazy hair, probably smelly, I was suddenly surrounded by an overwhelming feeling of happiness and I knew that I was exactly where and how I wanted to be. I felt so much love, love for my family, my home, my friends, myself. I would not have changed that moment for anything... I thought of different scenarios such as being on vacation in Bali, or eating some yummy meal in an exotic bazaar somewhere in the Middle East, and nope, I did not want to be there... I wanted to be right there where I was, scrubbing, stinky, watching little Jimmy play with the biggest smile on my face (although now typing this, I am having second thoughts about those other scenarios :D).

Susan, Jessica, and Max.

2011-06-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Susan, Jessica, and Max visited us in Tucson last month. It was nice and fun to have them all in our little apartment. Max behaved so well, it was like he was not even here. It was better than last time he visited with Jessica when we lived in a house and he had a yard to play and hang out in. I remember back then he had a barking competition with the neighbor's dogs at night and was scared of the coyotes. This was when I was suffering from insomnia and every little noise at night drove me nuts. So he even ended up in our garage one night. I didn't want him to sleep inside the house because I was afraid he would break things, wake us up, end up in Jimmy's room, etc. I think this time was a combination of him being older and more mature, and me being more mellow and relaxed the way I used to be before I had little Jimmy... but I even actually wanted to keep him. He slept next to me in the floor in my room and I woke up to his eyes staring at me in the morning. it was funny. I think I enjoyed him even more than little Jimmy did, and since then I have been thinking very seriously about getting a puppy. Don't take me wrong, I also greatly enjoyed Susan and Jessica... I always do, but Max brought some sort of extra happy feeling to our place. He has a good doggy soul. These were the pictures taken by me of their visit :)

Jimmy's swimming lessons

2011-06-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Jimmy finally continued with his swimming lessons after a 4 month break. Yes, I waited until it got to 107 degrees to torture the little guy. Just kidding (of course). He used to take swimming lessons at a different place that had a pool indoors, but the school closed. Then someone highly recommended this program that started last week; Somehow, they wait until the summer to give their lessons. No worries... Classes take place after 5pm. Still boiling hot, but the pool is nice and cool and our sunblock is 100 SPF. He loves his lessons and his new teacher Scott. He was dubious about him in the beginning, he wanted his old instructor Adam. Somehow he always looks up to them and says that when he grows up he will be a great swimmer like his teacher, the funny part is that we have never really seen any of them swim :) so I guess he just assumes that if they are teaching, they must be good. Let's cross our fingers.

shark cage :)

Great kick.

It was impossible to make him wear a vest before until today when the picture was taken. You can see how scared he is... more of the vest than the water. He would not let go of the instructor's neck.

Now a grand finale. Super cool jump.

Disney Ride :)

2011-06-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

The Happiest Place on Earth!

2011-05-28T22:30:00.001-07:00

This week we had the opportunity to go to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland. It was Jimmy's first time. He was a trooper and very very brave. Actually his first ride was Space Mountain (against some of my objection of course :D), but his dad tells me he was super courageous and he still keeps on talking about it. If you ask him which was his favorite ride, he will tell you Space Mountain. His least favorite... the Haunted House. Poor little guy, this was my idea actually since I think is not scary at all but quite entertaining to see the ghosts and objects flying around. His heart was pounding really hard :( and now you ask him which was his least favorite ride and he will tell you that the "Ghost House". He also liked small world. He thought it was very pretty... I guess that was his main and only observation. He had a great time. He was exhausted too as he fell asleep right away in the car. There was no parade that day, and no fireworks which I am sure he would have really enjoyed. Also there was no Mickey Mouse, or any of the Disney characters. I am sure he will come back soon to meet them.

We had not left the parking lot when he crashed :)

Children's Day around the world.

2011-05-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

In Mexico we cebrate Children's Day on April 30th. Jimmy's school held a celebration that day taking the kids around the world. They also had swimming, games, and piñatas. Here is Jimmy's passport of his travels that fun day:

Tonight

2011-03-11T23:10:00.001-08:00

Another awesome Friday night date with my little man. Tonight we rented "Despicable Me" and made oatmeal cookies. The best thing of these dates is that I am perfectly presentable in workout clothes :) Jimmy chose what to put in the cookies and I made the art. I like the letters he chose: M for Maxine, F for Fiona, S for Salime, two Js for him and daddy, P for Peterson. Thank you little Jimmy for being such a good sport, cuddling with me in the couch, being such a good helper, washing the cookies' sheets, loving the flavor, and being my son. I love you so much.

Jimmy turns 4!!!

2011-02-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Jimmy's 4th birthday at the park with some of his favorite things/activities: chocolate cake, pinata, pizza, his friends, running wild and playing non-stop. It was a great party and the adults got to really enjoy as well. I love my gummy bear.

ISP Christmas celebration

2011-02-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

The International School for Peace had it's Christmas celebration at the Children's Museum downtown Tucson. The kids got to enjoy and play at the museum before their performance started. They also met Santa in person. Jimmy and his class sang Jingle Bells in English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Japanese. They all did great. Then they ended up their presentation with a breakdance show off. They finished by going outside and sending balloons with their wishes up to the sky. They all had a blast.

Holidays recap 2010

2011-02-03T22:08:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving at the Peterson's in California
A stop in Vegas on our way to Utah
Christmas in Saratoga Springs, Utah.

About Santa (both happened today).

2011-01-14T21:53:00.001-08:00

This conversation took place while I was cooking dinner (my parts were in Spanish, his replies in English as usual).

Jimmy: mommy, is Santa coming tonight?

me: no Jimmy, we need to wait until next year. He only comes once a year.

Jimmy: but invite him for dinner, I want him to come.

me: He can't Jimmy, he is very busy preparing for next Christmas.

Jimmy: Can we go to his house?

me: He lives very far away. We can't go.

Jimmy: but I want to go, we can take a plane.

me: we can't. nobody knows where Santa lives.

Jimmy: (looking puzzled) nobody knooooowwws?

me: no. Otherwise all the children in the world would want to go to his house all the time. He needs to work and also rest, so he can be strong for next Christmas.

Jimmy: oookkk, but he better comes next year, and give me A LOT of gifts.

Then his prayer tonight:

"Diosito (Heavenly Father), thank you for my mommy, my daddy, my house, my school, my friends, my DS, Santa, and all my Christmas gifts. Te pido (I ask) that Santa comes again soon, like tomorrow. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen."

Now I have to think of something to say when in the morning he realizes that Heavenly Father did not answer his prayer :)

Jimmy IV

2011-01-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

My little man is 4. I love you!

Jimmy's first day of Preschool.

2010-09-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Jimmy started preschool this fall. Again, I can't believe how fast time goes by and how grown my little man is. Sorry for the late post, there's so much going on in my life that I have quasi abandoned my blog. Anyhow, little Jimmy, once again, did GREAT! Have I mentioned how blessed I feel with the son God has given me? how easy he has been all along? On his first day, we dropped him and planned to stay for a little bit in his class just to check things out. Well, we arrived and I could tell he was a little nervous as he would squeezed my had strongly. He could sense this was different than his preschool prep class that he had been taking before. His class started and Jimmy and I sat quietly in the back. We meant to stay longer, but right away he kept on waving us goodbye and telling us that it was ok for us to go... so we left. Hours later, we came back to pick him up. This is when the crying started (actually crying is an understatement). He kept on telling us to leave again and to come back tomorrow. Jimmy literally had to drag him out. The verdict? he loves school. Jimmy told me in the car that he was nervous because he never liked school as a kid, he was afraid little Jimmy would be the same. On the other hand, I always loved it. Another trait that confirms little Jimmy might physically look just like dad, but his personality is more like mom's.

About his school. I found it three years ago when we just moved here and I knew this is where I wanted him to go. Not only I love their curriculum and philosophy, is super affordable (compared to all preschools in Tucson), but they have full Spanish immersion which is the program Jimmy is attending. He understands Spanish 100%, but lately 80% of his vocabulary is in English. Hopefully this will encourage him to also speak his mother's tongue.

Waiting with daddy to go to his classroom.

This picture is not so pretty. It was taken on the way home after school. He was obviously upset.

Mexico City is #4.

2010-09-08T11:06:00.001-07:00

According to Forbes Mexico City is in the Top 5 World's Best 5 Cities to Eat. With a special mention on the restaurant El Cardenal where I had breakfast before heading to the airport (photos below). The other cities are Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Barcelona.

Sweet bread served with cold salty milk custard.

The best hot chocolate in the world.

Squash blossoms omelette with black bean beans over a goat's cheese tamal.

With Claudia.

I miss you Mexico!

2010-09-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I was in Mexico City. I went for work. I had not been there in 5 years. The city has changed and I realized how much I miss Mexico. I have always thought Mexico City is my favorite city. More than Chicago, more than Paris, more than London, more than Barcelona. I love Mexico City mostly because of it's contrasts and diversity in every possible way. This time I really didn't have time to explore since I was working everyday. I spent most of my days stuck in traffic, being driven around from company to company (luckily I had a driver). Still I could see a lot of new modern infrastructure, and the few places where I could go eat and visit where pretty chic.

My trip was short and busy, but it was so much fun. It was fun to work in actual working clothes (and not in pajamas or working out clothes which I also like), and have real face to face meetings with people after four years of not doing so. It is definitely not the same talking to people on the phone, than going to meetings and talk to people that do it daily and are not as rusty as I am. But I must admit I am surprised at how easy it was and how professional I actually felt. I guess my theory that after being a mom, working outside the home is easier. I never truly became a master of multi-tasking until I became a mom (like yesterday, keeping an eye on Jimmy in the bath, while changing laundry, arguing on the phone with a T-mobile rep, and a boiling pasta in the stove. Trying to do it all fast enough so I could go to a gym class). Things that used to stress me before are a piece of cake now. This time I didn't worry so much about how I would perform and how people would see me in a work environment because now my mind was half occupied with little Jimmy who was left with dad and grandma. But I must also admit that it was fun to go on this trip, even if for work and not vacation, because I had time on my own. And even though I missed my family, I knew they were fine and little Jimmy was happy. Mostly I enjoyed coming back from work, tired, and not having to do absolutely anything... just eat and watch TV. This is something that does not happen to working mom's in the United States. In the US, you come tired from work, to work more at home.

One night I had the opportunity to go out to have dinner with my friend Claudia and her co-workers, all moms working full time. I mentioned that right now, even though I enjoy working, it is not my choice and that if I could, I would be a full time homemaker. Two women said they worked for fun since they didn't have to (except my friend who is the main bread-winner in her family), and would not stop working since they fully enjoy it. But then all three kept on talking about their maids and nannies. All three women had an everyday maid and a nanny since this type of services are very affordable in Mexico. And of course that's why working is more fun. I had to laugh at their face of horror when I told them most working women in the US have no help. These Mexican working moms come home to do absolutely nothing. House is spotless, dinner is made, and kids are bathed. They come home to just relax and fully enjoy their families. They never do dishes or laundry (ok, maybe on the weekends... maybe). Of course then I would LOVE to work and even choose to do so full time just for the fun of it. Oh Mexico... so many reasons to miss you even more!!!!

Before heading out, day 1.

Have you seen such a modern Office Depot in the US?

Lunch at Cafe Tacuba (a MC classic where artists, politicians and intellectuals met in past decades) with its amazing architecture, food, and art.

Last night dinner and art gallery hopping with Claudia

With Mark Ryden sculpture in hip Colonia Roma.

Today I ate this:

2010-08-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Grasshopper Tacos :) not the first time I eat them, yummy as always.

15 things about Jimmy

2010-08-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

We pretty much have our life documented inside a box these days. A box that might just crash on us and leave us with nothing (yes, I have back-up, but I don't trust it 100% plus is not fun). So every six months or so, I try to go over our zillion digital pictures and choose the most memorable ones and have them printed either into a book, or just as regular pictures that I put in albums. Then my friend Angie told me about blurb.com where you can have your blog printed into a book. I loved the idea since I have made this blog mainly for little Jimmy, so he can have his young life documented for the future. I would have loved to have not only pictures of me when I was young, but be able to read stories about me, my family, and friends that I don't remember. What a best narrator than my own mom. I am grateful for smart and creative people that make such neat things possible. Technology is amazing and definitely a gift from Heavenly Father.

15 things about Jimmy:

1. He is outgoing, friendly, outspoken, extroverted, witty, and funny, but also cautious, obedient, and mature. My friend says he was born a mini-adult and I think she is right. He is definitely an old soul.

2. Claims that eating oranges, mandarins, etc., is too hard because you have to chew the skin often just like gum. I used to do this too by the way, I was not able to swallow the skin and would just chew it forever.

3. People almost every where I go compliment his beautiful shiny black hair and his eyes.

4. Has the most amazing hot wheels cars collection (it is easy to give in when the cost .87 cents and it will give you a full hour of peaceful grocery shopping). That company makes millions.

5. Loves wow wow wubbzy

6. Still naps everyday 2+ hours and he is 3 years and 8 months old.

7. Loves "popcorns" (with an S) and "pica" (soda) in the movie theater. He behaves excellent at the movies, like mother, like son.

8. Knows his Nintendo is called DS, but still calls him "tiki-tiki" because that's the noise it makes when he presses the buttons.

9. Likes to sing in the back of the car while I drive. He specially likes a CD of Arabic songs and sings along in Arabic. It is hillarious.

10. Looks up to Jonah in the gym because he is 7, he also had a DS, he shares it, and he is nice to Jimmy... oh and Jonah can do cool karate moves.

11. Likes alphabet soup, milk, and mac-n-cheese.

12. Still has "goggie" as a best friend. I had to sew him 3 times already, which Jimmy calls it a visit to the doctor. He says I am goggie's doctor, and Dr. Bianchi is Jimmy's doctor.

13. He still doesn't like veggies except for carrots and edamame. He says carrots look like cheetos (and he finds it ridiculously funny, maybe that's why he eats them).

14. He tells me constantly that he loves me and gives me kisses. He asks how I feel and if I am happy because "he is happy".

15. He is very well mannered almost always saying please, thank you, and excuse me.

Jimmy's art exhibit

2010-07-31T12:26:00.001-07:00

Did you think big Jimmy's art exhibit? nope... little Jimmy's. He had his first art exhibit together with his preschool preparation classmates. Following in his dad's steps? I am not quite sure yet since he seems to have more my personality than his dad's (more brainy than artistic - I have zero creativity despite what my mom says haha), but his pieces were pretty good nonetheless.

He was so proud of his artwork. He would walk around and point at his pieces to show you.

The raibow pieces were interesting. All were different and I believed reflected the children's personalities the most. Some kids put clouds all over, others painted on top of some clouds, some had clouds only in one side. Jimmy put exactly three clouds in each side. He likes things in order, symmetry, and balance.

Below with best friend Maxine.

Those paintings are pretty cool, aren't they? Better than many submissions I received at Fifty50 Gallery :)

Jimmy's prayer?

2010-07-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Jimmy's prayer tonight while kneeling, closing his eyes, and holding his doggie (Jimmy's favorite stuffed animal pictured above) in his arms:

"Diosito (dear God), gracias por... my mommy, thank you for my daddy, hhmm... thank you for my bed, and my cars, and hhmm.... and my house, hhmm... and food, and chocolate, and chicle (gum), and... and... Jimmy... oh and I ask for more chocolate and chicle because I am a good doggie. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

I guess it was not Jimmy's prayer after all, it was his doggie's. Good to know that is doggie the one addicted to candy :)

Capture

2010-07-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have talented Jessica as a sister/aunt. Her pictures are great gifts to our family that will last for years and years to come. To see what I am talking about, click here. The photos were taken last weekend in Utah. Also you can check her blog to see more of her work. If you are interested on her taking pics of your family, let me know :)

Thank you Jess!

An Angel.

2010-07-13T00:57:00.001-07:00

In Utah this last weekend. Thank you to my talented sister in law Jessica for taking such beautiful pictures. It makes my day to see little Jimmy so happy while I stay home in Tucson. I miss him incredibly.

Culture, Art, Gastronomy, Travel, and Sports.

2010-06-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ready for lots of pictures on the month of May recap?

Culture: Here celebrating his mexican heritage at Ianna's birthday party.

Assertive little man, he knows what he wants and goes for it: lollipops!!!

A visit from the Burkhart's. With Seth and Bo (Robbie and Gris' boys).

Gastronomy: On Mother's Day. Fancy truffle fries (the truffles must have come in powder form because they were invisible to the eye :D but the fries did taste great) courtesy of my parents.

Art: more cool bath time creations. I think they are pretty cool.

Paying close attention to a play (with Maxine).

Yes, he plays for the Mexican national soccer team.

Travel: here Jimmy and I getting off the airplane on vacation to an exotic pacific island.

Sports: Yes, finally 100+ degrees in Tucson.

Genes!

2010-05-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Not my genes, that is... (you will see why in the pictures below :D). Jimmy and I were drawing and he was to duplicate in the right whatever I did on the left. I think we might have another artist in the family.

Flowers by a 3 year old can be more artistic than the ones by a 33 year old :)

This duplicate is amazingly good, don't you think? check out the hair.

See Jimmy's numbers are the green on the right of mine. This is pretty impressive. Check out number "10". I also love how he decided to paint faces inside "9" and "0".

Potty Training Update.

2010-05-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

It has been 3 weeks since little Jimmy actually sat down in the potty for the first time ever. Well, he officially has had constant dry diapers for 10 days including nap diapers. And at night, in the past week, he's had only had 2 wet diapers and 5 dry :) As a matter of fact he doesn't wear diapers at all when at home and sometimes when we go out on fast outings. Also not a single poopy diaper in a week. He goes to the potty and does it by himself... he doesn't even ask me to take him!!!! but he does yell when he is done so I can wipe him :) Oh and the treat jar is no more!!! Maybe Jimmy is an easy kid after all. It was just a matter of seating in the toilet once. He is a kid of habits, and it is hard to break them, but once he does... the new action is the new habit. Maybe it is also that even though I tried before several times, I didn't push him too hard and waited for the perfect time for my little man, or that Stephanie is brilliant :) Either way... it is exciting to enter a new era. In little Jimmy's own words: "I am (finally) not a baby anymore, I am a big kid now!"

Today.

2010-04-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

I am 33, I am healthy, I am loved, I am happy!

Riding the "Potty Train"

2010-04-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Jimmy is finally starting to say good bye to his diapers. It must be so hard to say good bye to something that has been part of your daily life since you were born, something that has been there for you and with you every day. Jimmy has said good bye to such items before such as his bottle and his pacifier, but weaning him from these two things was incredibly easy... too easy, ridiculously easy I must say. For the bottle, one day I just bought him sippy cups from the movie "Cars", made a big fuzz about them, and one morning gave it to him and told him he was to drink his milk from those from then on, and that was it. The pacifier, one night I asked him to show me his teeth, said that they were beautiful, but if he was to have the pacifier one more night they would become all crooked so no more pacifier at night and that was it. That easy. So I thought... potty training... what's the big deal? it will be easy.

At his 3 year old check-up appointment, I told Jimmy's doctor that I was ready to start potty training. The doctor laughed and said: "good that you are ready, but is he ready? boys are harder to train than girls and some boys are not ready until they are 3 1/2" which I already knew, but I thought: "this is little Jimmy we are talking about, Dr. Bianchi and I have already waited a little too long". I was soooo naive. So he just recommended to start trying, but if it was being too hard, to stop and try again a few weeks later. So since Jimmy turned 3, we had tried a couple of times with no success. I read several articles on the subject. Asked my friends (most with girls that were super easy to train), and followed their advice. Nothing worked. I was giving up thinking I would just try again when he turned 18 :).

I finally asked my friend Stephanie who has two twin boys a little older than Jimmy. When I stayed at her place in London, I saw her boys going in the toilet (wait... water closet :D), and I always like Stephanie's parenting advice since I believe we have a similar style. She told me to do the "treat jar" technique which I had read about before, but was hesitant to do since I was afraid of candy addiction (which he already kind of is), or weird psychological association to food and rewards :D. But at that point I was ready to try just about anything. The most frustrating part is that Jimmy would not seat in the potty, or sat for a few seconds only, because he was so afraid of the hole. The hole was the scariest thing in the planet for him. He would even cry if he had to put his cute bum near the hole. But ooohhhh... magical "treat jar" full of his favorite candy. The minute I showed it to him and explained the rules, he pulled down his pants, ran and sat in the toilet for the longest periods of time. Last Sunday we literally spent the whole day in the bathroom. He wanted to sit there all day long.

Only three days later, his pull-ups were dry, and he asked to go pee pee :) he only had wet diapers after his nap and in the morning when he wakes up. Well, yesterday, only one week since we started the "treat jar" his diaper was dry in the morning after waking up and he asked me to take him to the potty... wow, he held his pee the whole night!!! And the most amazing part is that "the treat jar" novelty is wearing off and now he doesn't ask for candy every time he goes to the potty. One week of candy was far worth it after three months of potty struggle. Now, he still is far from being completely trained and diaper free. We are only talking about #1 and I think it might be a while until he ventures to #2. He is still a little afraid of public restrooms. I don't blame him. I have been potty trained for 31 years now, and I am still afraid. We will see how things develop in the next couple of weeks, in the mean time we will continue to ride the "potty train".

You can see the "treat jar". I know, a little nasty that it is in the bathroom, but if located somewhere else, it just did not work the same. He felt entitled to ask and have candy just whenever and not just after doing his "business".

Since I am not into scrapbooks, I do this blog for little Jimmy. Maybe one day I can print the entries into a little book. I am just guessing this will be the picture that will embarrass him when shown to his girlfriend :)

Thank you Stephanie!!!

My big kid (my baby).

2010-04-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

This picture was taking at 4 months waiting to enter Graceland.

I can't believe how fast time goes by, my little baby is now no longer one. Like he says "no soy baby, soy niño, un niño grande (I am not a baby, but a kid, a big kid)" while opening his arms as wide as he can. I remember when he was four months old, we were vacationing on Memphis and in the hotel room he was babbling and playing in his portable crib, and the word "dada" came out of his mouth. We were so excited and Jimmy swore up and down that he really said "daddy" and meant it :) I remember feeling so jealous because he did not say "mama" instead. Now little Jimmy talks non-stop, both in English and Spanish and says things like "mommy... I love you. Are you happy? I am happy" in full complete sentences. He is only 3, but he can say and do amazing things.

Being the big kid that he is, he started primary in our church last January and also in January he started his pre-school preparation class. Wow, so now he truly is a big kid. No nursery, no more just playing around but now he has started to move into the more "serious stuff" such as learning the Alphabet, working with "computers", and doing homework (which he still thinks is playing with his cars).

Below in his bedroom while role playing that he is teacher Erin (his pre-school preparation class teacher).

At "school" with his "computer"

Jimmy's favorite letter is C for cars.

With his classmate Brian. They are friends since 8 months of age and were born on the same day.

Renaissance Festival

2010-03-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Renaissance Festival last weekend. I have two words to describe it: fun and creepy. This festival was HUGE. Kind of like Disneyland. We all had fun, so much fun that Jimmy and our friend Steve spent around one hour making plans for next year and how they will dress the part, what kind of jobs they could perform, etc. not nerdy at all by the way, I have never seen an artist and an computer engineer share a vision with such vivid passion. Maybe they were just feeling the effect of the five hours we spend under the direct Arizona Sun.

First and most creepy encounter: Fairy Lady. You would have to see her in person to see the creepiness. The way she moved, they way she did not speak, the way she looked at you.

Second and not so creepy encounter(s): families not only dressed in Medieval outfits, but acting the part.

Third creepy event: me posing with flower crowns and liking it.

What about this?

The poor elephants. I felt sorry for them, but little Jimmy was super excited to ride them.

Jimmy and Mel drumming (for a long time).

All the friends

The petting zoo was the best part of the festival. Baby goats are super cute.

Hugging. So sweet.

This is the coolest biggest cow I have ever seen in my life. It made me want to be a cowgirl.

Jimmy's first photo shoot.

2010-03-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of mornings ago, I was working at home and little Jimmy grabbed the camera, turned it on, and took his first photo shoot. He had never taken a picture. I was going to erase them, but then I realized these photos were kind of special. I think he did an awesome job. Most photos were taken around my desk while I worked and quietly observed little Jimmy concentrate and do his thing.

He purposely placed my glass of water on top of the book for this photo. Pretty artistic, right?

Me working :)

The culprit of this mess? Jimmy's artistic mind :) I keep many shipping boxes neatly placed by my desk since I order lots of samples that I then ship to Hong Kong, but he decided to rearrange them and shoot in the style of Ciro Totku "the dirtiest places are the most inspiring".

Then he woke daddy up :)

Mi nombre es: "Diego"

2010-03-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

We woke up three days ago and found out little Jimmy has officially changed his name to Diego. Just this morning at the coffee shop a lady asked him what his name was and he said without hesitation: Diego. It all started one day when he said that Maxine, his best friend, looked like Dora. Now you ask him what Maxine's name is and he will say: Dora. It is funny because they do kind of look like Dora and Diego, specially Maxine, but mostly because they are best friends and the talk like Dora and Diego. I've attached a few photos. What do you think?

A colorful city, cards, and festival.

2010-02-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of this past weekend.

Jimmy is finally into colors (he seemed to only care about red cars before). Here is a city he built while taking a bath, now finally reciting and pointing the colors he knows.

Valentine's Day card project.

Brazilian Festival.

Watching the parade with daddy.

Hhmmm... pork sandwiches.

This is a true story. Cute girl comes and admires handsome boy in a cool car.

Boy starts showing off his car and when he least expects it, the girl is already sitting in the car.

Boy goes and throws a fit under a tree (not shown here), then comes back calm and asks for his car back. Girl refuses.

Boy gets shiny jewelry to get the girl to do what he wants... and it works!! Girl accepts jewelry happily only PRETENDING to do what boy wants. Five minutes later she is back in the car and boy spends the rest of the day giving her rides (smart girl). We, the parents, could only laugh. By the end of the day, it was not one girl, but two riding in Jimmy's car.

Jimmy turns 3!

2010-01-27T08:28:00.001-08:00

Jimmy turned 3 on December 30th. How fast time goes by. It still seems like it was not that long ago when I was getting to Northwestern Hospital with painful contractions, a rack of nerves, and full of excitement to meet my little man. I remember his little body, his tiny hands, his soft skin, and his dark black hair... I remember waking with my stroller around Chicago and seeing 3 year old kids, wow, it seemed like it would be ages before Jimmy would get that big and could talk and make me laugh :)

After holiday celebrations, 3 bad colds in less than 6 weeks, and work, we finally celebrated at Peter Piper Pizza last week. Grandpa Jim and grandma Sheila were able to come from California to celebrate with us. I didn't have an actual theme for the party, but it had everything that Jimmy likes: pizza, friends, cars and trains to ride, chocolate cake, balloons, hot-wheels party favor bags with real hot-wheels inside (yay!!!), and lots of toys. Thanks everyone that came to celebrate with us and made this day special!

My industrious little helper.

2010-01-20T12:03:00.001-08:00

At Trader Joe's

Jimmy is the best helper I have ever had. I am guessing most toddlers are great helpers to their respective parents. I imagine it is the excitement of being capable of doing the same things as us. Witnessing his willingness and how proud he feels to help, inspires me every day and makes household chores seem less mundane. I can't open the dishwasher without him running and start handing me the dishes, or vacuuming without him vacuuming on my side with our old broken vacuum cleaner. He likes pushing or lifting heavy objects for me (or with me to be precise) because he is "strong". At the supermarket I have a very strict rule that he has to always sit in the cart no matter what (I refuse to run after, or even just follow, a toddler in the supermarket), but Trader Joe's is the exception of the rule because they have little kid's carts so I literally just follow him around (without even a cart for myself sometimes), and point out what we need (or grab it myself if it can break or is too high), and he pushes the cart around (wow, maybe I am slaving my child!!). I know this phase is not going to last forever; it might last only one more year, but I like to believe it will last another 10 (even if it is delusional) before he thinks hanging out with me is tedious and he is a cranky teenager following me around in the super market, while he is sending text messages and asking "are we done yet?". For now I will keep enjoying my industrious little helper.

Holidays

2010-01-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

This year our Holidays were very low key. Just want I was hoping for :)

At Mt. Lemmon where we could play with snow and get into the Christmas mood. Little Jimmy was a good sport and loved throwoing snowballs at mom and dad.

New Year's Eve at North Restaurant.

Maxine and Jimmy kiss. I am telling you, these two are in love.

Now, this is a true kiss of love and appreciation to daddy after assembling his new toy :) on Christmas morning.

Hampton Court

2009-12-12T13:20:00.001-08:00

My first stop in London was Hampton Court Palace in the area of Richmond upon Thames near Justin and Stephanie's house.

Things I saw today.

2009-12-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Thames River

And that's about it because I was jet-lagged!

Thanksgiving weekend.

2009-11-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

We spend Thanksgiving with Jimmy's family. My in-laws plan a weekend full of fun activities every year. This year we had:

Cooking class with a chef from the International Culinary School

Turkey trot 5k race (I was the first member of the family to make it to the finish line this year btw).

Horseback riding at the Ortega Equestrian Center

Jimmy really impressed me with his riding skills. He is a true cowboy... golden, I mean, silver tooth and all!!!!

A trip to downtown San Diego by train.

Breakfast at Ruby's (after eating dance included).

Before bed twist lessons by grandpa.

Small conversations, big meaning!

2009-11-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

On halloween night.

me: what are you dressed as Jimmy?

Jimmy: race car driver

me: and mommy?

Jimmy: as pretty

me (thinking I have the best son): thank you Jimmy, but I am dressed as a vampire.

Jimmy: ooohhh, oookkk, a pretty vampire.

5 days ago

Jimmy: Jimmy is sick.

me: yes, jimmy, you are very hot, you have a fever.

Jimmy 1 hour later (and a dosis of motrin later): mommy, Jimmy is not hot, Jimmy is cold now. Can we go park?

me: no Jimmy, is not a good idea to go out today. You should drink lots of juice.

Jimmy when he grabs the juice: mommy, juice is cold... juice is not sick.

Yesterday in our bathroom while doing my hair.

Jimmy: mommy is pretty, like Shakira.

me: thank you Jimmy, you really love mommy.

Jimmy thinking about it: .... yes.

me: who dances better? mommy or shakira?

Jimmy laughing as if I had told him a funny joke: Shaaaakiiirraaa!!!

Halloween

2009-11-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

Wow, this halloween was a busy one with 4 different celebrations. Official Gymboree party, regular Gymboree halloween class, trunk or treat, and regular trick or treating. I never imagined a 2 year old could have such a busy social life. Jimmy was very adamant about being a Fireman like Fireman Sam, but we could not find a costume his size... Four stores later and a lot of whining, he found this race car driver suit that he loved. Not my favorite costume, but as my friend Carol would say: When did fascism end in our home to give way to liberal parenting? I think the very minute he spoke.

Red velvet Halloween mini-cupcakes.

2009-10-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

My very fist cupcakes! These were inspired by my friend Athena (you were right, they are easy to make and to clean). I had some technical problems with the icing, they look more like sushi than cupcakes, and the decorative spiders look like flies! But they taste very good. No recipe here, everything is from a box. Little Jimmy loves the bite-sizes and the "cookies and ice-cream" on top. I don't bake, so I feel a little bit like Martha Stewart here :D

Fireman Jimmy.

2009-10-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we had the opportunity to go to our neighborhood fire station as a church activity. Have a mentioned that Jimmy's favorite show is not longer Calliou, but Fireman Sam? He was very nervous when the fireman talked to him and he looked at him like a true hero. He was the first to volunteer at everything :) now he wears his helmet around the house everyday and says "rescue, rescue".

My "fun" job.

2009-10-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

I had been a Stay at Home Mom since Jimmy was born, but now I've been working "outside" the home for a couple of months now. I have been lucky enough to find a job that allows me a flexible schedule and I can do it from home. Ok, not really, though... I need to go to the library, or a coffee shop, or Jimmy needs to take little Jimmy on outings when I am working (thanks Jimmy for babysitting so much in addition to working and managing your own business). One thing I never expected though, was to call my "outside" job my "fun" job. This is why:

-In my fun job i seat everyday for at least 4 hours, so my feet get to rest.

-I get to go to a coffee shop and seat with a yummy drink next to me.

-I can actually enjoy my drink without worries that it is going to spill.

-I have no interruptions.

-My clothes stay clean, i don't do heavy lifting, or deal with strange fluids, even if it is only for a few hours a day.

- I can take a real break.

-I can focus on one thing only vs. trying to have my brain and eyes focused on 5 different things and realizing I just forgot something major because of it.

-There are some days that I actually get to have a real lunch vs. a lunch that I made as quickly as possible and I eat while doing something else.

-If I need to go to the bathroom, nobody follows me, and I can actually have some privacy.

-My boss tells me what to do without repeating himself over and over again, and pulling my pants.

-I don't have to repeat myself either, or ask for things many times (ok, most of the time).

-I don't feel like I am playing chess when making decisions, things are straight and to the point.

-The best part... I get paid :D

Now, don't take me wrong. I love being a Stay at Home Mom, and even though I am really enjoying my "fun" job right now, if I had to chose between the two, I would not think about it twice and would chose SAHM. I love spending time with Jimmy and there are so many moments that I experience that I would not want to miss or have someone else experience them instead of me. I am grateful that I have such a good son, he truly makes things easier (even though there are moments I want to pull my hair out like yesterday), a husband who is a great dad and supports my decisions, an awesome mom and sister that help pretty often, and friends who listen. I feel like the luckiest mom in the world!

Day of the Death Show & Oktoberfest.

2009-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated a Mexican and a German tradition. On Saturday Jimmy had the 'Day of the Death Show' at Lullubell's Gallery. It is the 4th year in a row that he participates in it. I personally thought this was the best show of all. Then on Sunday we went to Mount Lemmon for Oktoberfest (click here to see pics of last year's). We enjoyed the food, but mostly being outdoors. The scenery was really beautiful. Fall is extremely pretty. Little Jimmy had a blast playing with his ball, eating, and dancing.

Little Jimmy really wanted to do the chicken dance (I know) and I had to be a good sport. By the way, does anyone know if it is really German? Isn't Swiss? Oh well... He liked it.

Chicken Basil & Pad Thai.

2009-10-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here are finally some Thai recipes. Chicken Basil which is for beginners (as my friend Panit told me) and Pad Thai which is intermediate. For Chicken Basil you can find all the ingredients in your regular store. For Pad Thai, you might have to go to an Asian market.

Chicken Basil

-fresh basil

-raw green beans

-onions

-red and green bell peppers

-serrano peppers

-chicken breast cut into chunks

-garlic

-mushroom or regular soy sauce

-oyster sauce

-sugar

-pepper & salt

Cut veggies into medium size chunks and set aside. Fry garlic with oil, then add raw chicken, then sugar (around 2 tbs), little soy sauce, oyster sauce, and veggies at the end. Do not fry veggies to much, if they get too soft, you overcooked them and it won't taste good. Veggies should be a little hard.

Accompany with white rice.

These are the ingredients you need, plus sugar, salt & pepper.

Food is ready!

Pad Thai

Ok, for sure you will impress any dinner guests with this meal.

-raw chicken cut into chunks

-raw shrimp

-Rice thai noodles

-peanuts

-eggs (2 or 3)

-scallions

-bean sprouts

-sugar

-salt

-tamarind paste

-dried shrimp

Boil noodles and drain water and set aside.

Blend the dried shrimp to a powder and set aside. Blend peanuts to a powder and set aside.

Add some water to tamarind paste to make soft and set aside. Fry scrambled eggs and set aside.

In a big pan fry chicken with oil, then add shrimp and scrambled eggs. Then scallions and bean sprouts. Then tamarind paste and sugar and salt to taste. Then add noodles. finally add dried shrimp. Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Serve into a plate and add the peanut powder on top of cooked noodles. And you have Pad Thai!!!! You might want to add extra cooked shrimp on top for decoration. You can skip the shrimp to make only chicken Pad Thai, but the dried shrimp is what really makes this dish so it might not be as good. Also you can make it with Tofu.

The ingredients before preparation.

Pad Thai

Day at the Museum.

2009-09-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning we went to the Children's Museum with my friend Panit (who has been teaching me to cook Thai food, yes!!) and his cute daughters. Jimmy had a blast. His favorite was the Fire truck where he got to be a little like Fireman Sam. He also enjoyed the super market (I never let him run or play with any items at the real one, so here he went wild) and being a doctor. He liked playing with all the buttons and gadgets in the submarine cabin and running around in the kid size maze. Before heading home we stopped for lunch at my favorite chinese restaurant next to the UofA. While in college, I used to eat mongolian shrimp here almost everyday, so when I am in the area I must go. It is small, smelly, dingy, cheap, and absolutely delicious.

Lucky Me

2009-09-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Jessica, is in town visiting us for a few days and once again she has taken wonderful photographs of little Jimmy. We have wonderful shots of our son because of her. Below is just a little taste of what she does. She took these while hanging out in our living room. Click here to view more of the photographs she took of little Jimmy and here to view her blog and see more of what she does. If you want awesome pics of you and/or your loved ones, let me know.

Day at the Zoo!

2009-08-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

A visit to the zoo was overdue. The only other time I had taken Jimmy to the zoo was in Chicago, when he was 3 months old and he slept the whole time. "Who takes their 3 month old to the zoo?" You may be asking. Babies can't see past your chest at that age. Well, that time it was more of an outing for me than for him. The weather had just gotten slightly warmer and I was dying for outdoors adventures. Then once in sunny Tucson, we still didn't feel like going because it is just too hot (extreme weather is the same... cold or hot, your are stranded inside). This past weekend though, we woke up in the mood for the zoo... in August haha!!!! To our surprise, the experience was not bad. We were there right at 9am to beat the heat, the zoo is small enough that you can see it in 1 hour or 2, and with enough shade that it was actually pleasant.

Here is Jimmy the brave. He touched the snake 6 times.

You think your life is hard? Imagine being a Polar bear in Arizona.

Jimmy feeding the Giraffes. This was the highlight of our visit.

Jimmy had the most fun at the little water playground. He enjoyed getting wet, but mostly making others wet.

There are elephants in the background.

One kid yelled: "there's a monster in the zoo" After that all the kids refer to this Rhino as "Monster"

Ended the trip with an Afghani lunch. Lil' Jimmy loved the restaurant. The table was his size and we were eating inside a "little house".

Where is the lion by the way? there's no trip to the zoo without lions. They were sleeping hiding the whole time. We might have to go back.

Angie's Caramel & Chocolate Cake

2009-08-27T13:43:00.001-07:00

My friend Angie posted this recipe on her blog a few days ago. It looked so good that I had to make it last night. It turned out as delicious as it looked. The picture below is of her cake because I think hers looks better than mine :) I didn't add a link to her blog because it is private, but basically my post is a copy of hers (Thank you Angie!). I just couldn't stop myself from sharing it too because it is soooo good. I added chopped walnuts on top to my cake instead of the chocolate sprinkles. Very yummy!

-1 box german chocolate cake mix (plus the amt. of eggs, oil & water it calls for)

- 16.5 oz container of T. Marzetti caramel apple dip (that's the stuff you can usually buy right next to the apples... fat free or not is fine... You'll use a little more than 3/4 of the caramel.)

- 1 package of mini Hershey kisses (found in baking aisle) OR milk-chocolate ghiradhelli chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. milk
- chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Cake:
Preheat oven to temperature on box, and mix cake mix as directed. Spray/Grease bundt pan, and add a little more than 3/4 of the batter to it.* Heat caramel in 20 second intervals until easy to stir (probably 45 seconds -1 minute total). Dollop caramel gently and evenly over top of cake mix with a spoon (use about half of the caramel). Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over top of caramel (use about half of package). Cover with the remaining cake batter, leaving no caramel or chocolate chips exposed (you may have to spread it with a rubber spatula or spoon). Place in oven and bake for specified time on box for a bundt. Cool completely. Turn over onto cake plate.**

Topping:
Melt remaining chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 tsp. of milk. Spoon melted chocolate into a ziploc sandwich bag, and cut the tip of one corner. Squeeze melted chocolate onto top of cake in a drizzle design. Heat remaining caramel and place a little more than half of it in a ziploc sandwich bag. Cut tip of one corner, and squeeze the caramel over top of cake in a drizzle design. Top with chocolate sprinkles (optional). Let stand for 15 minutes to set.

*Tip #1: When adding 3/4 of the batter to the pan, just pour the batter in until you would normally have to start scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, then stop. The remaining batter you add later will be the amount you have to scrape from the bowl.

**Tip #2: Sometimes when you turn the bundt pan over, the "top" of the cake will stick to the pan. This usually happens when you put too much cake batter over top of the caramel... The caramel sinks to the bottom because of the weight... or when you don't let it cool completely. SO easy to fix though! Just spoon the contents stuck to the pan to the top of the cake, and add toppings as directed right over it. It will have more of a "messy" look, but it looks like you did it on purpose. And it still tastes the same. YUM.

About clothes.

2009-08-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Jimmy is really starting to have a very strong opinion about what he wears. I thought this would be a girl-only problem, but I guess I was wrong. This morning I picked the typical church outfit (pants, dressy shirt and tie), but he refused to wear it and instead picked this mexican summer outfit that his grandpa bought for him in Mexico (shoes included). It was the first time he wore it and he was so happy with it that I took some pictures. Needless to say, he got many compliments at church... he did look cute. Four days ago we went to Target and I decided to get him some new running shoes. I could tell he had his eyes in one pair; the best looking pair actually, but I decided against it because it was the most expensive. Instead I picked 3 pairs that I liked and then from those I let him chose the pair he liked. He took a while to decide and finally made his choice. He seemed fine with his choice. Well, it has been four days and he refuses to wear his new shoes. Every time I try to put them on he pouts and says: "no, estan feos" (they are ugly)!!!! We try to convinced him otherwise and make a big fuzz about how cool his new shoes are, but it does not work. Now I am wondering if I should exchange the shoes for the ones he actually likes. He is not even 3 years old yet... and a boy, if I do that... what is going to happen when he is 16 and the item in question is a car? I know it might seem silly because they are only shoes, but I really don't want to give in... not yet.

Aqui esta Jimmy con un traje que le compro mi papa en Mexico. Le encanta. Por cierto ya tiene opina sobre la ropa que le voy a poner. Pense que esto solo era un problema con las niñas, pero veo que me equivoque. Hace unos dias le compre unos zapatos que yo escogi, pero no se los quiere poner. Dice que estan feos! No tiene ni 3 años y no quiero imaginar que va a pasar cuando tenga 16 y no se trate de un par de zapatos, si no de un carro. Mi bebe esta creciendo.

After

2009-08-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is Jimmy after his haircut. It seems like once a year I get curious to see how he looks with short hair, plus this summer it has been so hot, that I actually felt I would do Jimmy a favor if he got a haircut. I always cut his hair, but I thought this time it would be best if I gave the assignment to a professional. I wanted short because it grows so fast, and well... I got my wish. Of course the before pic is really good (previous post-taken by Jessica), and my after is a lame attempt of a pic (Jimmy would not cooperate either).

Jimmy with Maxine this morning at Macaroni Grill after watching Ice Age.

Before

2009-08-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

With some family.

2009-07-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Las primas.

more Durango.

2009-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

The park below is huge. It has a swan lake, an auditorium, olympic size running track, pool, a train that goes around, many places for kids to play and fountains. It was described by my husband as "Waterwold" meets the "Filingstones" type of park.

Here Jimmy and I are eating at VIPS, a mexican version of Denny's.

Jimmy found his store.

This is how now a typical food court looks at a mexican mall. Jimmy was a little disappointed. Next to my parents house, there was a HomeDepot, Wallmart, and Applebee's.

Mexico is a place of contrast and that's why I love it so much. Durango is no exception. Some streets might not be paved properly, and you can eat under $5, but orders at restaurants were taken electronically, and some public restrooms had granite walls as dividers between toilets!! Also not everyone had laptops, but there was free wi-fi literally EVERY WHERE, at public parks, malls, restaurants, I think I could check my mail while at stop-light haha.

La Feria

2009-07-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

Durango was founded in 1563, so it is almost 450 years old. Every year for the anniversary, people celebrate for 3 weeks at "La Feria" a carnival in steroids. The have crazy rides, free concerts (and not just any concert, Ricky Martin has been part of the repertoire before), art exhibits, stores where you can find all sort of toys, souvenirs, and actual needs, they have a huge food court with the most typical hard-core mexican food, cockfighting (yes it is legal, Jimmy really wanted to go but he could not because they are usually at 3am and nobody that we knew wanted to go with him), this time they even had dolphin shows and divers, they have horror houses, bars and discotheques... I mean, it is pretty insane and you can go for days in a row and have fun. Coincidentally we were there during that time of the year. Below are a few pics.

Here Jimmy is at a fun house trying to stand up, he almost gave up, but he did it.

Caifanes concert, one of my favorite mexican rock bands from my teenage years.

Jimmy in one of the rides. This little girl jumped next to Jimmy and rode with him. She was smart, better to ride in a cool car with a handsome boy than alone.

Outside the Art Pavillion. Behind is one of those statue-men, but he moved when I took the pic.

More colonial buildings.

2009-07-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

For the first part of this posting see below July 19th.

Jimmy is in time-out below.

McDonald's, McGreat!

2009-07-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

My perspective of McDonald's changed when we moved to Chicago. I used to be one of those McDonald's haters. I thought the food tasted like plastic (I still think it does, but who said plastic can't taste good), and disliked the fact that McDonald's just took over when it opened in a new place. On our honeymoon I was disappointed at myself for eating at McDonald's within 24 hours of arriving to Paris. The anthropologist in me hated the fact that it took a prime spot next to the "Arc de Triomphe" in a beautiful building that should actually be a museum. I hated the fact that it was packed with tourists and travelers were missing one of the most important experiences of traveling: the local food. It was 6 a.m. and we were jet-lagged. McDonald's seemed like the best option because it was fast, cheap, we knew what to order, and it was actually open. I still did not see this as an epiphany, but as the works of an evil corporation that was taking over the world. Of course watching "Super Size Me" did not help. But in Chicago, I had the opportunity to meet a lovely family that lived in one of the penthouses of our building. They had two kids and I became their Spanish tutor. The husband turned out to be the VP of Marketing for McDonald's USA. I usually came to tutor when the mom was cooking dinner and I could tell how much she cared about her kid's diet. Yet, they went to McDonald's often and they loved it. I thought: "if there's anything wrong with McDonald's and how the food is made, she would know. And yet, this smart and caring mom feeds it to her kids". When the husband came home from work, he always looked happy and I could tell he was proud of his job. So this is how I started to become less apprehensive towards McDonald's. Eventually the husband asked for my resume and offered me a job at Corporate McDonald's in the Latin American branch, which I refused with the excuse that I had to commute 2 hours daily and would not see Jimmy. This was true and a valid reason, but also deep inside I still felt like I did not want to work there and be responsible for the doom of the human race and their diet, and that's how I choose the job at the Field Museum (which I loved by the way, except for the pay). Of course, now many times I think I should have taken the job at McD's, but that's another subject. Then I got pregnant and wow, what a relief that McD's existed. "The food was so fake that it didn't upset my stomach" I thought... like eating air :) and during those whole 9 months, their ice-cream was pretty much the only ice-cream I could digest. Then I took the time to research their company and found out that they were not as evil as many people think. Not only they are ridiculously smart, but they do care unlike many other companies, isn't the fact that you can't super-size anymore proof? they did add healthy options too, and they have amazing benefits for their employees unlike most companies. Now that Jimmy is a toddler, I am once again happy that McD's exists. What a life saver it is sometimes. Eating it is not wrong, abusing it yes. And no, McDonald's is not paying me for this post (not that many people read it anyway). Although thinking about it, maybe they should haha. And even though I am not completely against globalization, I still rejoice in the fact that McDonald's in Germany sells beer, in Korea they have bulgogi burgers and green tea Mcflurry's, and in Mexico Big Mac's have Jalapeños. Below are some pics of McD's in Durango.

Above is an only ice-cream and dessert McDonald's booth in a mall. what a great idea to franchise just the desserts.

McDonald's can be delivered right to your home, another great idea!! I wonder why they don't do that here in the US. Above you can see the little motorcycle in action.

A cool stone carved sign.

One of the McD's in my hometown is in this 4oo year old building, right downtown. Those McD's people are so smart. That's how they make a lot of their $... prime real estate. It is beautiful inside.

Durango's colonial buildings

2009-07-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Durango, Durango. That is my hometown in Mexico. It is mostly known for being Pancho Villa's birth place. Also the first Mexican president was from Durango. It is known for it's mining and wood. It is known for it's venomous scorpions and for all the many western movies that had been filmed there (not in spain like many believe). It is also known for it's beautiful women... ok, ok, I just made that up :) The city of Durango is one of the oldest in Mexico and it still has a few beautiful 400 year old colonial buildings downtown. Many were destroyed, or sold and moved to Guadalajara... in the name of modernity and well, everyone now thinks that's a shame. Most of the Spaniards that inhabited Durango were from the Basque region, hence the popularity of "frontennis", a sport Jimmy had never heard of. There is also a big arabic population. It's gastronomy is very varied, but Gorditas are big in Durango. Gorditas are a stuffed thicker version of a tortilla. You stuff them with anything you want: cheese, beans, ground beef, scrambled eggs, veggies, anything. Here are a few of it's colonial buildings and it's murals.

A mural of Pancho Villa inside a government building.

7 years!!!

2009-07-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last week was our 7th anniversary. It seems pretty surreal that we have been married for 7 years and been a couple for almost a decade. In our 7 years we have done all sort of things... fun, boring, hard, interesting, complicated things, etc. We have lived in 4 different states, traveled, taken different jobs, taken time-off jobs, opened businesses, closed a business :(, completed degrees, and even made a human!!! We can't wait to see what the following years bring. Jimmy is hugging me as a write this, and I just feel very happy that life brought us together.

We were in Mexico during our anniversary and we were pooped from traveling. We decided to celebrate with our typical and favorite date: a delicious meal and a movie.

Mexican food is so beautiful. I love the colors and the variety in textures. Below is the proof that not only looks good, but it tastes super duper yummy.

And below is a photo of our major accomplishment. We love you Jimmy.

La Semana pasada fue nuestro aniversario de casados. 7 años!!! Hemos estado juntos casi una decada si contamos el noviazgo. en 7 años hemos viajado, vivido en 4 estados diferentes, trabajado en diferentes cosas, estado sin trabajar, abierto dos negocios, y creado un humano. wow! Muchas cosas mas nos esperan. Arriba unas fotos de nosotros, lo que cenamos, y nuestro querido Jimmy. Lo mejor que hemos hecho juntos.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

2009-07-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

Leaving Tucson

The hotel in Hermosillo, I thought this photo was relevant because lil' Jimmy kept on calling it castle and saying "cool castle"

Boarding our plane, I had not boarded a plane from the back in a while and it should always be done like that, planes have many doors... why not use them all? it is faster.

We forgot the car seat in our car in the airport. Luckily Jimmy's friend who is a pilot for United had told us before that it is not a real requirement, so I did not freak out, but Jimmy napped very uncomfortably.

Jimmy looking at Mexico City from the plane.

The train part was the the train we got to get to our connecting plane.

I had not been to my hometown Durango (if you don't know where it is look at a Mexico map, big state in the north) in 5 years. I used to come every 6 months or every year at least, but now life is busier and it is just harder. Also the fact that we live in Tucson makes it harder because it is not a big city when it comes to flights. Chicago has a direct flight to Durango, but from Tucson we need to take 2 flights and it is 11 hours over all... oh, and more expensive than going to Asia or Europe. So those are some of the reasons why it is so hard to come now. But a trip to Durango was long over due. My extended family had not met Jimmy and both paternal and maternal grandparents passed away without ever meeting him. To get here it was an odyssey. We decided to actually drive to Hermosillo (3 hours south of the border) and then take the plane from there. It was a lot cheaper and just as fast as flying all the way. Then we chose to spend the night there and take a flight to Mexico city in the morning and then connect to Durango. Now in Durango, we are finally having fun, enjoying family, and eating great. I am posting a few photos above from the odyssey that was to get here, but I will post more of the actual vacation soon.

Summer Black Snow

2009-06-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Raising of a bilingual kid has been interesting to say the least. There's countless of funny phrases, and interesting, as well as confusing conversations that have occurred. So far though, he mixes both languages which is not the goal, but completely normal for a kid his age. It is a little later when he will start to separate both languages. As for now, his brain is processing double information and translating in funny ways. He learned the word "snow" last Christmas in Utah... which in Spanish is "nieve". And he learned this word well because every time he sees snow either on TV or in a book he gets excited and yells "snow, snow" and he knows that the snow is cold. In Spanish though, nieve also means ice-cream (I know it is weird, but maybe because both snow and ice-cream are cold). So every time we go for ice-cream (or Italian gelato to be precise as it does not have eggs) I tell Jimmy: "Vamos por nieve?" ("Let's go for ice-cream?"). So yesterday our son asked us to take him for "snow" and he kept on saying that he wanted "snow". First we were a little confused, but then we got it... he remembered that when I say "nieve" I refer to both snow and ice-cream, therefore he thought the name for ice-cream in English was "snow". We thought it was funny and when he got his gelato at the parlour, he yelled excited "snow, chocolate snow". People around thought it was funny and his dad explained that it was not snow, that it was called ice-cream in English, but Jimmy replied "no daddy, snow".

Jimmy eating his chocolate "snow".

Hmmm... nothing like drinking melted ice-cream.

Art 101

2009-06-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Jimmy loves to create sculptures with his cars and trucks. It is not as easy as it seems. I have tried it, and it requires patience and concentration. Below is one of his pieces made at my mom's house. He requested that it remained as centerpiece just as a true work of art.

Proud observing his creation.

15 things Jimmy does not like.

2009-06-17T08:43:00.001-07:00

(this is the edited version as I did think of more things Jimmy does not like)

1. leaving the park.

2. lettuce (or anything green for that matter)

3. juice (specially orange juice)

4. Sid the Science Kid

5. cake (he is his dad's son)

6. messes and things that don't belong.

7. sleeping with a night light. He likes his room dark.

8. when we raise our voice.

9. going down big slides.

10. when Calliou is over.

11. cold or hot drinks. they need to be room temperature.

12. when I am in the phone or in the computer (but not dad *argh*)

13. the texture of red meat

14. doors that are not closed, he needs to close the door.

15. not wearing socks (his mexican side :D)

15 things Jimmy likes

2009-06-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

(in that order):

1. going to the park

2. chocolate

3. his "goggie"

4. racing cars (not car though, but "racing car")

5. Caillou

6. pasta

7. "UP" the movie, he has seen it twice

8. other kids, specially slightly older kids

9. playing ball

10. drinking water

11. playing with water

12. milk

13. riding in the car

14. reading books before bedtime

15. putting things in order, making a mess, and then putting things in order again.

American Pie II

2009-06-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

Strawberry/Banana Sour Cream Pie

Last night I baked my second american pie. I don't remember much about my first pie (pumpkin pie 3 years ago after a Halloween carving night), and to be honest, I am not a fan of american desserts as I consider them too sweet, but this pie... ooohhh... it was DELICIOUS. Jimmy does not like dessert at all, and little Jimmy is allergic to eggs, so I just don't bake. However, after tasting this pie, I am sure it will become a regular. Jimmy, my husband, even said it was the best pie he has ever had in his life... wow! that was a compliment, specially for my second pie.

The ingredients (without measurements as usual):

-fresh strawberries cut in half or 4 pieces.

-sliced bananas

-sour cream

-sugar

-two 9 inch pie crusts from trader's joes (I've heard frozen crusts from other stores taste pretty fake)

-egg yolk

The preparation took me literally 5 minutes. I just mixed the strawberries, bananas, sugar, and sour cream in a bowl. I added the sugar little by little and tasted it to see how much I wanted (I don't like super sugary desserts). Poured it in one pie crust, put the other crust on top. Brushed some egg yolk on the top crust and sprinkled a bit of sugar too. Baked for 10 minutes on 450 degrees, then another 35 minutes on 350 degrees and voila! Most delicious pie according to Jimmy.

Zumba!!!

2009-06-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

I am officially tired of Spinning, and even the 2 new cardio cinemas in our gym are not incentive enough for me to really want to do cardiovascular exercise, so I have been trying a new aerobic class called Zumba. Maybe you have heard of it or even tried it, but if you haven't, it is a combination of aerobic steps and latin dancing. I still can't decide if I really like it, or if it actually works, but all I know is that I look forward to it and when I am doing it I am not just wishing it would be over soon. Also I am not super coordinated, but it has not been that hard to do the steps. The only other dancing classes I have taken were ballet when I was 8 years old and belly dancing for a few months more than 3 years ago (after having Jimmy I felt very inhibited about going back). Zumba is super popular in our Gym and I love watching an extremely diverse group of people moving to Latin tunes. Zumba reminds me how much I love to dance and how little I do it now. It works out your whole body and not just an specific area, and your heart rate goes to the roof. Oh, and I definitely do not feel embarrassed about looking funny or not being able to do the steps as my class has a few 70 year old female and male pupils in it :) if they can do it, I can too.

For a Zumba demo click below:

Zumba Video

Asking for forgiveness.

2009-05-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

Lil' Jimmy is really good at apologizing. So good in fact, that often I feel like he is teaching me and not the other way around. The other day my sister came to drop lil' Jimmy and I after a fun day at the mall. Jimmy was upset about coming home and about my sister leaving, so when I asked him to say goodbye and give her a kiss, he head-bumped her in the nose instead. The minute he saw her with teary eyes, his expression changed to one of sadness and concern. Inevitably, it was time for time-out. Jimmy is usually very good at time-out and stays put in silence. This time though, he started crying and saying: "sorry Nelly, sorry" over and over again. First I thought he was mad about being punished, but then I realized he was truly feeling bad about hurting my sister as he kept on crying with extreme sadness and apologizing, so I called Nelly to let her know Jimmy was sorry. Since she was only a few blocks away, she came back. When he saw her he ran to her, hugged her, told her "sorry", and kiss her. My sister told him it was "ok" and not to cry. When she left, he came back to his time-out spot and sat staring down. I told him he was not in time-out any more to which he replied "I'm ok mommy" and sat there for a little longer as if giving himself time-out. Jimmy is small and my sister loves him so much that he was automatically forgiven by her, even if he didn't apologize, but as I watched him looking concerned, it made me think about asking for forgiveness. We usually hear about how we should forgive others, but asking for forgiveness is equally important. How different would the world be if we were prompt at apologizing and not letting bad feelings cultivate in other people's hearts? It is very hard to accept that we have done wrong and to ask for forgiveness because it makes us feel vulnerable and weak, but it ultimately is a sign of strength. I pray to Heavenly Father, that he keeps Jimmy's heart as humble as it is now.

What's for dinner tonight?

2009-05-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

Every night I struggle finding what to cook that they 3 of us would like, but very often I end up cooking 2 different meals: one for Jimmy and I, and one for little Jimmy. Not only he is picky, but he has a few food allergies. Dinner last night was a success that had everyone asking for doubles, so I am sharing it.

Thai noodle shrimp salad and warm brownies with homemade apricot ice-cream.

The Thai salad is my own invention. I used rice thai noodles, shrimp, lettuce, scalions, and cucumber, for the salad. Red wine vinager, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar (the dressing is sweet so at least 2tbsp), paprika, and coriander for the dressing. Little Jimmy is allergic to egg-whites, so I make my own ice-cream, and I took this recipe from www.ice-cream-recipes.com Making ice-cream is easier than people think, even without having an ice-cream maker. I don't have one and I really don't think I need one. It is truly easy. Brownies were made from a box :)

Another fun weekend!

2009-05-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Carol and Betsye came from Chicago last weekend. It was great to have these awesome girls at home, catch up, and remember old times. Johnny and Doug get the "best husband duo" award for staying home and baby-sitting Ike, Eli, and baxter while their beautiful and hard-working wives came to visit us.

This is outside our home with the Rogue Parlour pick-up service transport.

Little Jimmy goes for a ride with Daddy in the side-car... just to the corner and back while I held my breath.

This is dinning at Casa Vicente to the music of Flamenco guitar, dancing, and singing.

Thanks to my mom for baby-sitting :) she gets the "best grandma" award.

We were in Tucson, but our feast was Chicago style... delicious and abundant. The plates just kept on coming. Who said you never get full when eating Tapas? We had all sort of seafood, pork, beef, chicken, chorizo, salads, fried potatoes, potato salad, and more potatoes. Best papas bravas ever!

Fun days!

2009-04-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been filled with fun. After our trip to California, Gaby and Alexandra came to spent the night. On thursday we celebrated my birthday with a great dinner at the Grill. Then little Jimmy spent the night at my parents, so Jimmy and I could have fun alone. Thanks to Ra sushi Bar, AMC movie theaters, and Hilton El Conquistador for providing us with a fun break :) oh, and I think there's more to come... Betsy and Carol are coming next week from Chicago... yeah!

Here are Jimmy and Alexandra having fun after waking up. 7 a.m. and ready to play.

On my birthday having dinner at the Grill.

Las ultimas semanas hemos hecho muchas cosas, pero nos hemos divertido bastante. Despues de nuestro viaje a California, Gaby y Alexandra vinieron a visitarnos. Luego celebramos mi cumpleaños cenando con mi mama y Nelly (hicimos corajillo jajaja). Y este fin dejamos a Jimmy en casa de mi mama para nosotros tener un descanso y disfrutar solos. Gracias mama y Nelly por cuidar a Gummy!!!

Easter Egg Hunt / Huevos de Pascua

2009-04-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

We traveled to California to celebrate Easter with "grandpa" and "grandma" and had a blast. It was little Jimmy's first egg hunt, and mine too. Even though I have lived in the US for many years, I had never truly celebrated the american way. It was extremely fun. We ate and mingled, and little Jimmy played with his cousins and hunted for eggs.

And the hunt begins...

Jimmy discovers his treasures.

El Domingo Santo viajamos a California para celebrar la Pascua con mis suegros. Aqui se acostumbra hacer una comida para la familia y darle a los niños huevos con regalitos adentro. En este caso, Jimmy y sus primos tuvieron que buscarlos en el jardin. Arriba en las fotos se ve Jimmy buscando huevos y tambien abriendolos para descubrir que regalos venian adentro.

Man's best friend... / El mejor amigo del hombre...

2009-04-04T13:49:00.001-07:00

Or so they say. In Jimmy's case is true. Jessica bought "goggie" (as Jimmy calls him) when she came to Tucson. Since then, Goggie has become Jimmy's best friend. Usually Jimmy gets attached to a new toy for a few days, then he moves on. But with Goggie things have been different, he has been loyal to him for almost 3 months (with a 1 week break after I got him a football). That's a record. And he does everything with Goggie (except sleep because I have been very strict about it, he is just too big). Everything and everywhere... Goggie seats next to Jimmy in the car seat, when he eats, when he is bathing, in his room at night, even waits for us at a Gymboree bench while we play because according to Jimmy is too hot for Goggie to stay in the car. He feeds Goggie, he gives Goggie medicine (this is so cute), and has tried to put diapers on Goggie. He brushes Goggie's teeth every night. He hugs and kisses Goggie 50 times a day (no exaggeration), and he asks Goggie how he is feeling very often.

This is Jimmy with "goggie". As you can see "goggie" is not small, so many times it is an inconvenience for mommy.

Even when hiking with dad, Goggie can't stay behind. He can barely hold Goggie and he gets tired, so Dad ends up holding both Jimmy and Goggie every time.

Jimmy tiene un perrito que le regalo su tia Jessica y se ha hecho su mejor amigo. Lo carga a todas partes, le da de comer, medicina, lo cambia, lo besa, lo abraza, lo regaña, le lava los dientes, etc. etc. El hecho de que su perrito al que llama "goggie" esta casi de su tamaño es una incoveniencia para mi, pero no para Jimmy. Aqui en las fotos lo pueden ver hasta cuando va a caminar con su papa al desierto, no lo suelta... no puede ni caminar bien y se cansa pronto asi que su papa termina cargando a los dos.

Jimmy's Shanty House

2009-04-03T15:55:00.001-07:00

Jimmy helps build his house.

Hola!

Shanty, shanty but he has a TV and a lamp for when it gets dark.

Jimmy is excited that he is allowed to draw in this house's walls.

Jimmy likes relaxing in his house.