Hi everyone! We just received an email from Javi He asked for everyone to please email him He pays two dollars for an hour from some Iraqi post. Any way, can one of you please invite him to this site? Happy New Year to one and all. I love you all very much but I'm sure you already know that or at least you better!

Elena's busy day

Elena's stats:

height 37.75 inches - 65th percentile

weight 30.6 pounds - 45th percentile

in short - a tall, skinny Minnie

Her school appointment went fairly well also. She had just woken up from a nap when we arrived, so her mood wasn't great and she cried and wouldn't let me put her down. Then she suddenly realized all the kids had gone outside to play and decided to join them. Off she went and had a great time, until we had to leave...when she cried hysterically again. sigh. 

Good old Isabel had us all laughing. Grandpa was commenting on how well she eats her "tolito" in the morning. Dad wanted to hear her say it so he asked her what she eats in the morning and she responded "Snakes! with ketchup" She is only crazy kid

Elena in Houston

Random Elenisms...

I visited "Chicago" (aka Santiago, her cousin)

Mama, call someone to bring us food. I'm hungry. (She certainly got used to room service quickly)

I hate this cough....

So I was calling cincinnati to book a hotel room....the lady who answers says: I'm sorry, sir, I can barely hear you.... yeah.

Good eats

some recipes for mom:

Trash Can Salad
greens - your choice; I buy the boxed mixed field greens
tomatoes - chopped to your liking, or splurge and buy the cute cherry or grape sized ones
red onion - sliced thin
avocado - diced
strawberries - sliced
nut/seed of your choice - i like pumpkin seeds or walnuts
grilled chicken if you like

mix together and dress with balsamic vinegar, good olive oil, salt, pepper


Chicken couscous
heat a pan with oil and saute several handfuls of shredded chicken (canned or leftovers)
once the chicken is hot, add pumpkin seeds, chopped green onions, and craisins - reduce the heat and season with salt/pepper/whatever you like

to make couscous - in a pot, boil water for the couscous - use 1 cup of water for each cup of couscous (1 cup is about enough to feed 2 people)
once the water is boiling, add the couscous, put the lid on and turn off the heat. let the couscous stand for 5 minutes (the couscous will absorb the water)
once the water is absorbed, fluff the couscous with a fork

add the cooked couscous to the chicken pan and stir well to incorporate. serve hot or cold.


Pesto couscous
cook the couscous as above
chop tomatoes - preferably cherry or grape sized - and add them to the cooked couscous
add pesto to taste - I usually start with 2 tbsps and add little by little until the couscous is fully dressed
you can also add chopped black olives
serve hot or cold

an expensive saturday

I finally bought my new MacBook today!!! Ridiculously excited, but it will be some delayed gratification because I'll have to drop it (and my old crapped out computer) off Monday to have them transfer over all my necessary files. It prolly won't be ready til Tuesday and I'll already be in SA by then. Or maybe I'll call SA and see if I can do it there in order to get it back by the weekend. either way, i won't be fully converted til post-Thanksgiving. But it's all very exciting :)

We went to a Christmas tree lighting at the Domain today...and after standing for 2 hrs and 15 minutes they FINALLY lit the tree. elena had fallen asleep by then. good times.

Hi everyone! Funny story: Yesterday was my first day back on the route. Anyway, as i was throwing away our trash in the dumpster right outside the store, a vagrant person asked me if i washed my clothes with Gain. I didnt think I had actually heard correctly so he repeated it again. I said yes , as a matter of fact I do. Why? Cuz u smell REALLY good.

So last nite my family came over. Isabel has learned the Pledge of Alligiance but would not say for me. So bribed her with a bubble gum Immediately she started saying it - as well as a 3 year old can. But what was even funnier was that after she was done, she made the sign of the cross. What a good Catholic!

and so it goes

Elena's school called and confirmed they will have room for her in January. She'll be starting half-day then (gulp). Of course, it's a bad day for them to have called -- she's being pleasant and friendly - which makes me feel bad for carting her off to school at 3 years old. Why couldn't they have called while she's acting like a ferrell animal?

a bed, a pillow, and a sleeping bag

While trying to teach Elena "Away in a Manger"...

me "the little Lord Jesus asleep on the...
elena "BED!!!!"
me "no, not bed, asleep on the hay - remember, Jesus didn't have a crib"
elena (shocked) "we need to get some money and buy baby Jesus a pillow aaaaand a bed.....and maybe a sleeping bag too"

So guys,
I drove 940 miles between Thursday and Saturday afternoons. From here, to Dallas, to Houston, and then back home. I saw lots of roadkill. Picked up a few friendly hitchhikers. Mooned a few unsuspecting travelers. Enticed multiple truck drivers to blow their horns at me. Overall, a good trip.

ring dunk

well last night i dunked my ring with ethan, daniel and my friend jimmy. i was picked to get third but i shocked everyone and won. not to mention i did not throw up and the other 3 did. it was hilarious because when i finished i had no idea i had won, and then i look over and jimmy is throwing up everywhere and then ethan started and daniel! ya'll might not find that too funny but jimmy was saying how bad he was gonna beat us before we started and then he was the first to throw up. anyway it was a good time and we had alot of fun. hope everyone is doing well. see ya'll soon

Mark

The big boy is even bigger than we thought...

Alvaro's 2 month check up

weight - 14 lbs 10 oz - 95th percentile
height - 23.5 inches - 75th percentile
head - 40.5 cm - 70th percentile

His belly button is fine - if it does not fix up by 5 years old (!!!), then it will need surgery. Dr. S. says it's pretty small and could fix up within the next few months.

Basically, he's in perfect health!

pinworms

Hi everyone! For those of you who didnt know, Clari had an interview in Arizona and invited grandpa to go with her. Needless to say we all know how crazy he is but this takes the cake. Apparently when Clari gets nervous, she grinds her teeth at nite when she sleeps. Because she has lately been feeling pretty calm, she has not worn her mouthpiece to prevent her from grinding her teeth. However, this morning at 6am , grandpa tells her that she grinded her teeth all nite. Then he proceeds to ask her if her butt is itchy. Clari tells him No! He tells her that she could have pinworms that come out of her anus at nite, which in turn could be making her grind her teeth!!! Then here comes the kicker... if she doesnt take care of it, it could be fatal. We could not stop laughing. By the way, Clari says that grandpa was acting like a lunatic because he was too excited about being away from grandma. One nite he came back to the hotel room around 10pm that nite then took a bath, got dressed up and told Clari that he was going to go down to the lobby and make friends with strangers! Anyway now Clari says he is starting to look depressed again because he is coming home. According to clari, he says that grandma wants to see him right of way as soon as he gets in. We all know why! She wants to count his underwear and make sure he didnt forget them the way he did in France with Paco.. That's all for now guys Take care

Elenisms

Elena (upon finding a piece of old popcorn in Mom's bedroom) - Mama, what is this?
Me - uh, old popcorn
Elena eats the popcorn
Elena - hmmm, it's pretty good

An introduction

Technically this blog is for Mom, but she's off entertaining Elena, so I'm (Araceli) writing the first post. This will be a one-stop-shop for Mom to post information, stories, etc. Basically, it's an attempt to stop her from having to tell the same story 6 times or sending obscenely long text messages. I've emailed the relevant parties the login/password info, so you too can log in and post your own information, stories, jokes, whatever...We've entered the 21st century of communication.