The Family Project

2011-11-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

Scotland

On the second day of our trip, we travelled north into glorious Scotland. We drove four hours further northwest, deep into Argyll, on the west coast. As you drive further north, the roads begin tapering off and you start to feel that startling sense of isolation the Highlands possess. The land varies from tree-lined to barren, and the peaty areas around Glen Coe are so sparse, that it feels other-worldly.

Our cottage was located on a teeny tiny, single lane, pot holed road, directly on Loch Awe (the lake that boasts the the title of longest freshwater loch in Scotland). Meeting another car on the road meant backing up, or pulling perilously close to the edges. That country isolation is cool, but as day trippers coming and going each day to see other things, it was a bit much. The cottage was a great bargain, and even had breakfast in the nearby hotel included. So we tried haggis (not good, friends) and smoked kippers (delicious but extremely bony!) and enjoyed incredible views in the conservatory dining area.

On the third day of our trip, we drove a short distance to Inverary Castle, current home of the Duke of Argyll. Of all the castles I've seen in England, I've never been in one as homey and welcoming as this one. They had all of the fireplaces going and fresh flowers were everywhere - the place was filled with yummy smells coming from the kitchen mingled with the hearthy smell of wood burning fireplaces. Half of the castle is kept private for the Duke's family, but the other half is open to nosey tourists like us. The castle caretakers were friendly and each one spoke like Sean Connery. If you love that, go to Scotland and be delighted by it daily.

On another day we traveled to Scottish Sea Life, a seal pup and turtle sanctuary and rescue center. Isabella loved it. I loved it. They had a flotsam and jetsam exhibit, artfully showcasing all of the trash that is washed onto the shores of the sanctuary alone. Sadly, all of it was cheap rubbish that we regularly buy and throw away. Despite all of the amazing animals at the rescue, I will probably remember that tiny exhibit the most.

On our way back from the sanctuary, we saw a sign for Ben Cruachan Falls. We dismounted and began to climb a very steep and windy path up a mountain searching for the Falls. We had to turn around before we could find the waterfall, but the climb wasn't a bust - I discovered that Isabella is a very good climber. I am so proud of her - she takes to heart everything I say. As I said before, we were more worried about the dog than her!

The day before we headed back south, we decided to return to Glen Coe, a place we had shortly visited on our last trip. I was so happy that we did. Glen Coe has a magical power; it's like stepping into a monastery, or some holy place, that dazzles your senses with its vastness. We hiked as far as we could safely go with the dog (a huge klutz, Isabella does far better climbing than he does). Then we decided to follow the river a ways, watching as our boots would get sucked deeply into the peat - some spots are like floating sponges.

After each excursion, we would head back to our cottage on its solitary road, get the heating started, and head over to the nearby hotel's lounge and pub. Pedro tried local ales and I sampled some whiskies while Isabella feasted on ice cream. We sat on big leather chairs, surrounded by heaving bookcases filled with an eclectic mix of abandoned books from former guests. Some of the nights, the place got so packed full of people, we wondered how on earth they all got there. It just felt like such a remote spot at the end of a treacherous little road.

where we had to leave the dog tied to a tree!

On the final morning of our time in Argyll, we packed the car back up and headed south. Only then did it begin to rain in earnest. It continued to rain until we crossed the English border and decided to keep driving down into the Lake District. Our last day of travel was one of the best.

a typical Sotomayor family scene

Hadrian's Wall

2011-10-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

We took a full week to travel up to the Scottish Highlands this past week. Pedro is starting a new job and had a week of leave to burn from his previous employer, so we decided to take the outdoorsy trip we've been putting off for the last three years and head up to an area we fell in love with when Isabella was just starting to move in my tummy. To break up the very long eight-hour drive, we decided to stay one night at Hadrian's Wall, a third visit to the Wall for us.

hiking up the other side of the cliff, Steel Rigg

We drove up through the Yorkshire Dales - an area of rolling hills, grazing sheep, and crumbling fences that grid up the landscape. The further north you drive, the more out-of-time you feel; it's a place that has changed very little over the centuries. When we arrived in Corbridge (an absolutely picturesque little town; we almost didn't want to leave), a tourist centre found us a cozy B&B to stay the night. It was right across the road from the Roman ruins themselves as well as the inn where we and some of our friends from Puerto Rico had stayed over five years ago. We squeezed in a hike before it got dark, and made it up Steel Rigg but not further.

a portion of Hadrian's Wall, right

The place retains such a feeling of being on the edge of civilization, like you're at a very distant outpost with little touch with the rest of the world. Imagine how the Roman soliders must have felt, being away from the balmy climate in Rome and instead roughing it in the cold, wet and windswept north of Britain. But being here again made me wonder if we shouldn't have just decided to stay the whole week and walk the Wall. After our walk, we headed over to the Twice Brewed pub and inn for a meal and the best sticky toffee pudding I've ever had. We may travel to a lot of different places, but there is something to be said for returning to the spots where you've felt most at home.

That night, Isabella excitedly climbed into her twin bed - just like the big girl she has become, still thrilled about all the little bits of the day. She was asleep within minutes, totally exhausted by all the wind and walking. I got to stay up late on the lodge's red velveteen couches, reading about the quirky and bizarre in English Cottage Interiors. In the morning, we breakfasted on smoked salmon and eggs and chatted with our lovely Yorkshire hostess. She let Isabella feed her chickens....and I think Isabella couldn't have been more excited had she been given a kitten to take home.

With that, we gassed up for the first time and crossed the border into Scotland. Just after leaving Carlisle, we passed under a spectacular full rainbow. It truly was a sign of good things to come...

2011-10-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

vegan meal one: sepia spaghetti noodles and sauce - major hit with this one

the derelict Old Mill in Elton

the "echo" bridge

clumsy dog + wagon

making her entire breakfast - scrambled eggs and nutella toast

It's just been the girls at home all this past week. Pedro took a trip to the US to renew his driver's license and we anxiously await his return so that we can begin a much put-off trip back to the Scottish highlands. With him away, it always feels like the "grown-up" is gone and we get to stay up a little later and skip school. Ha. I kept her out of playgroup one beautiful day of the Indian Summer we were having and we did a long walk with El Dogo and the wagon. We also had a couple of vegan meals, which was a challenge I wanted to see if I could pull off - being a huge milk, butter, and egg fan. But it's definitely do-able and certainly makes you more conscious of what you're eating, in terms of how many animal products we use. I think I am going to incorporate more tofu into our lives!

As for next week, we have been craving a good Scottish outing - full of remote places and beautiful scenery. Even though Scotland is directly above us, the drive there is so long and painful - as driving in England just is. All of the big cities are much closer together and roads are often choked with slow trucks, caravans and commuters. Plus, when there are problems on the road, the police typically just shut everything down, which leads to incredibly long and uncomfortable waits in a cramped car with no toilet. But! We're braving it now, in the off-season, hoping for decent weather - no gale force winds or upflowing rain, please. Castles, ruins, and vast countryside await - I hope to get a bit muddy, very tired, and fill up on piping hot pub meals before tucking into our simple cabin each night.

2011-09-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

Once a month, I volunteer with the Angler's Monitoring Initiative - in short, it's just a group of fisherman who care about the quality of the local streams and do basic testing for pollution to make sure the fish thrive. When I go, I almost always take Isabella with me. The fisherman are very good with her and she loves getting her hands dirty. As a result, my three-year-old knows the names of bugs that I didn't learn until I was in college. Yesterday, we took a bucketful of bugs and small fish home with us so that she could bring it to playgroup today for a bit of "show and tell." It was a moderate success, and Isabella was certainly the most excited one of the group - she was the last one standing and put up a fight when it came time to clear up.

Playgroup this term has been going very well for her. It was only last term that I still had to promise treats and surprises for her to allow me to leave her there. But with the older four-year-olds now in reception, what the Brits call kindergarten, there are only the littlest kids left, which has been a big boost for her confidence. I also prefer it because there is more one-on-one time with the teachers/playleaders. She is also very much into art now and brings me home more drawings and pictures than I know what to do with. What do other parents do with all of the art that accumulates with kids?

First Movie and Gratitude

2011-09-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I kept a running list of things I wanted to blog about, and was good at putting them down on a regular basis. That ability is now gone - so either I've gotten better at living in the moment, or have lost my ability to remember things well.

It's another weekend, and the end of another full week. Pedro is down with a cold and our plans for camping seem to have gone out the window along with the forecast for good weather. No matter though, we had a good week - I took Isabella to see her first movie in a theater yesterday. We saw The Smurfs, and I surprised myself at how much I enjoyed it. I was bored for the whole first 30 minutes, but once the Smurfs made it to Manhattan and the double entendres started, I found something in it for me (any by the way, the set/interior designer for the New York apartment...very cool)! We bought popcorn, and true to form, Isabella dumped half of the bag while wiggling in her seat. Then she commented on how dark the theater was and how they needed to turn on the lights and kept talking about this until we were both startled to attention by the cinema's sub-woofers and lack of volume control. It was such a cool experience with her - it was another true first and I kept feeling like I was getting away with something by being at the movies in the middle of the day.

My reverie burst when we walked out of the theater, and I could see my car in the middle of the parking lot....with the driver's side door wide open. Wide open and even touching the car right next to it! Apparently, I left my door open when I ran to the other side of the car to prevent Isabella from wandering away from the car and didn't bother to close it. Nothing was missing - but nobody bothered to close the door either - it was so weird. Like the time I left my handbag on top of the car and no one stole it. Again, I felt very lucky - because as we saw during the early August riots in London - English people aren't always honest and polite. I've had a string of minor misfortune lately, dealing with an unfair parking ticket, a dog who peed on a neighbor's foot, dead appliances, and other small things that can wear away at morale.

But life is good, truly. When much of the world faces down war, natural disasters, economic collapse, corruption and injustice...I am so grateful for our spot of tranquillity. I didn't have any theater photos, but these pics I took earlier in the week of my girl feeding "Teddy Pedro" water from the dog bowl will have to do.

just a spoonful of sugar...

feeling better already

Sunday in the Park

2011-08-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

We had some fun with this. Ferry Meadows is a nature park we just discovered this past weekend. It's so close and so cool that it's almost a shame we didn't know about it until now. Nevermind. Though the playground is mostly featured in this video, there are a couple of small lakes and a lot of green space. If I get my way, we'll eventually have a kayak of our own to paddle around!

Growing Up with Grown-ups

2011-08-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

After not having blogged for so many months, it's a lot harder to come back to it than I thought. I've been working on a post that just doesn't seem to be going anywhere - probably because I'm trying to summarize what's gone one for the last four months (it feels like way more). But as I was looking through photos on my ipod, I found a few that were worthy of a post all their own.

I cannot complain that having a child has held me back from doing anything I've wanted to do - going out with friends, travelling, or even getting a coffee. If there is something going on we simply bring Isabella - living so far from family, we have no built-in babysitters. There are limitations, of course, such as trying to bring her into London needing a nap or trying to get the baby buggy up and down the steps of the Underground. And certainly, we go into the city far less than we used to because of those reasons. But Pedro and I are fortunate not to have that lost look some parents have, because Isabella is so well behaved and cool. Without a doubt, she is my sidekick and I like it this way.

All of that said, Isabella spends a lot of time with grown-ups. It is starting to show, I think. When we went to see our friends Ed and Cevin, who just moved to London, we barbecued on their massive balcony in St. Johns Wood all day. Isabella spent her time chatting with us (alas, they are kid people with no kids), playing with their iPad (filled to the brim with kiddie games), and taking the following pictures with my ipod.

The photos were very telling. Make no mistake, she had a blast when we were there and didn't want to come home (there was also a trip to the park that day - a big highlight). But the following week she told me, "Mama, I need more kids at my house." Man, that made me feel lacking. We see a lot of our friends with kids during the week - especially now that we are on British summer holidays - school and playgroup are out. But with the two little girlfriends she has had since birth, she is noticeably the third wheel when they're all together. It's like they're just old enough to want exclusivity. The two sisters next door even play more with each other than with Isabella when they're together. She doesn't seem to notice this quite yet, and her innocence is heartrending to us.

My good friend from college, Rebekah, and her family drove down from the Leeds area to spend some time with us this week. Her kids, Graham and Josephine (5 and 3-years-old), really hit it off with Isabella. Seeing the three of them engaged and her really involved with the activity was restorative. Of course, they live three hours away. As a parent, especially with only one child, you tend to overthink everything (this post being a prime example). The clichés make the truth no less true: all you want is the very best for your kids. But in the end they have to figure things out all on their own, especially friendships.

I'm off now - I hear some lovely music drifting down from her bedroom.

Come Back

2011-08-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Isabella has been asking for a baby brother or sister (actually, pretty much demanding a new sister) so it prompted me to show her the blog from its early days....her growing in my tummy and her first day in the world. That was last Sunday and I haven't been able to shake those images, nor the feelings they brough up in me, from my mind. Looking back at the blog shook me up a little bit, but mostly made me really thankful for this chronicling of her early days, pre-Facebook. So I have decided to pick it up again - I'll still post photos and small bits to Facebook, but I would like to keep this record for all of us. Facebook is an immediate fix, but really isn't a good substitute for what this blog was to our family and friends.

I'll be back.

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T01:37:00.000-07:00

Isabella woke up this morning to a little basket by her door. She stepped over it and continued on to our bedroom for her usual morning cuddle. This girl needs time to wake up, just like her parents - maybe even more so. Anyway, I had to walk her back to her room and point it out. Then, we went downstairs and the hunting began in earnest.

The Easter Bunny was pretty generous this year. Two little baskets, lots of hidden eggs, little toys, and just a silly amount of sweets and chocolate. When I brought out some of the Easter stuff this year, I found almost all of last year's candy! Luckily, she doesn't have a crazy sweet tooth - the marshmallow peeps will probably become dried little toys and the jelly beans are unlikely to be touched, only played with as she hides and rehides those eggs.

After finding all sorts of goodies inside the house, we discovered that the Easter Bunny had hidden stuff out in the garden too! Such a crafty character, that bunny.

Later on today, we are headed over to some friends' for smoked beef brisket and more surprises. Happy Easter to all!

Thomas!

2011-02-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

My friend and I took our girls to see Thomas the Tank Engine, for his limited visit on the Nene Valley Railway today. Early on, we really encouraged her to like Thomas - kids get into what you yourself get excited about, for the most part. Anyway, I wanted her to subtly know she could like a "boy" thing.

So this early encouragement probably explains why she loves taking the train - be it the underground (subway), trolly, or tram. In fact, our trip to the London aquarium was interrupted multiple times by requests to go back the "the track." As in, "Mama, when are we going back to the track?"

She has already learned that the journey itself is just as good (maybe better) than the destination.

As she retold the tale of Thomas to Pedro this evening, she reminded him that Thomas is a "really useful engine." Of course, I had to tell her to stop causing "confusion and delay" this morning as we were trying to jet out of the house. She didn't get my joke.

It was a fun morning for all.

3rd Birthday!

2011-02-21T03:12:00.000-08:00

Isabella turned three last week! Look at her go on her new scooter! She also got a fish tank! We put it in her bedroom and she absolutely loves it. This is year she was showered with all kinds of cool toys from her friends and family - we are very fortunate for such generosity and thoughtfulness. She's got lots of new art supplies, books, and cute outfits and accessories to last her the next year.

A few days later, we had her Peppa Pig themed party at our village hall. It was a smallish affair, only eight kids (most kids parties we go to have up to 20!), but the decibel level was pretty high! I worried that the kids wouldn't have enough to do, but those worries were totally unfounded. They all went nuts. I am starting to think that Isabella may be an introvert, like me, because at one point she got into one of the tents with some stuffed animals and started playing by herself. If there is a lot going on, she does tend to withdraw from the action - I am hoping that she doesn't become super-shy like I was.

Her party was also meant to be a dress-up party, as in re-use your Halloween costume - but Isabella didn't want to put hers on! And the rest of the kids abandoned theirs shortly after walking in the door. Isabella had a robot costume that was FUNNY! Hopefully, I can get a photo of her in it before she can no longer squeeze into it - her legs are growing miles a day.

Happy 3rd Birthday, my Sweet!

November and December

2011-02-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy lately, it's hard to keep up with everything. Ever since the vacation and cruise in Puerto Rico I have been playing a big game of catch-up. Catching up with projects, catching up with Christmas, with friends, with family...and someone is always inadvertently left out. I remember hearing my mom complain that there weren't enough hours in the day and I'm afraid that I'm saying the same things now. As a "stay-at-home mom", I feel this shouldn't be so. Most days, I feel like I'm working full-time with a 15 tasks going at once. And yet, when someone asks me what I do....I never know quite what to say.

So here I am, playing a bit of catch-up from the past few months.

Our trip to the Caribbean was wonderful. We were celebrating our ten-year anniversary and decided we wanted to include as much family as could be there. We did a cruise with my mom and her partner Steve, Pedro's parents, and my cousin Dennis and his fiancée. By day we relaxed, and by night we relaxed too - so I guess it's the universe piling all the stuff on me now to balance out all the relaxation I had then. The food, the sun, the people - everything went off without a hitch and we discovered that a cruise is a really great way to get together with family. After the cruise, my mom and Steve stayed four more days in PR since she had never visited the island before. So we did all the rounds to Pedro's family, introduced them to my favorite Puerto Rican dishes, and showed them some of our favorite beaches.

There are a lot of really great things to say about this trip, but since a picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, I made you a video. Enjoy - and please leave a comment if you watch it - I'd love to hear what you think.

XO

April

Come On-A My House

2011-01-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

Zoo Video

2010-11-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Zoo

2010-11-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today, I took my girl to the local wildlife center: the Hamerton Zoo.

We saw belligerent tortoises, a kookaburra, meerkats, maned wolves, a Bengal tiger, and operatic gibbons.

And she learned all of their names.

We were the only two visitors there during the first hour!

We had the park to ourselves.

And it was wonderful.

Halloween

2010-11-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

We are officially halloweened out. Three days straight of Halloween: a party, a carnival, trick-or-treating, and village bonfire night. We even opted out of two other things we had originally planned for Sunday! Anyway, Halloween was very fun this year.

Isabella went as a garden gnome. I made her little skirt, the hat, and the beard. I threw in a black belt and her little boots and the look was complete. As for myself, one day I was Cyndi Lauper and the next I was a 50's teenager with a poodle skirt. Pedro was a swarthy viking.

For the first time in my five years living in England, I got trick-or-treaters at my house! I was unprepared and they ended up getting Isabella's candy from our special trick-or-treating on an American base the day before. But it was very exciting for me (and Isabella too).

Bonfire night was great too. November 5th is the official Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes holiday), but our village decided this year to combine it with Halloween. I had originally planned to enter Isabella in the costume contest, but was feeling particularly rotten with my cough and we only made it to the actual bonfire lighting and fireworks later on in the evening. Last year it was freezing outside so we were prepared this year with hats, mittens, down coats, blankets, hot water bottles, and hot toddies for the grown ups. And the weather ended up being....very pleasant! Of course, the day I'm over-prepared is the day I don't need to be.

Halloween plinko - her favorite from the carnival - she used almost all her tickets here!

All in all, it was all good, but I am ready to pack it up. And the next holiday will be spent with family! We're getting ready for another trip and mini-family reunion with both sides of the family in two more weeks. It's going to be a good Thanksgiving.

MORE Pumpkins? Yes, More Pumpkins.

2010-10-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

We picked our own pumpkins at that same PYO farm we went to for berry picking this summer. They had a vast field full of lonely pumpkins, each of them begging to be taken home. The surrounding field also had more autumn vegetables like gourds and squash, so we picked a few of those as well.

It was cold! out on those fields, but the sky was clear and the early evening was beautiful. We went with some friends and all the kids were besides themselves with pumpkin joy.

Once we chose our pumpkins, we dropped them into these holes for measurement. Isabella kept sticking her head into the holes saying, "Where's the ladybird?" (Ladybird is Britspeak for ladybug.) It was a random question, but one that demonstrates what is usually on her mind - she loves ladybugs.

Finally, on a rainy day, we decided to carve this pumpkin up into something "very scary," at Isabella's request. She helped me scoop out the seeds (which we toasted with salt and sage, of course), and carved it!

An awesome jack-o-lantern sure to scare the goblins away from our doorstep.

Onward to Halloween

2010-10-11T01:34:00.000-07:00

candy-filled pumpkin parcels a la MarthaStewart

Isabella and I have spent an awful lot of time with Halloween decorations this year. I searched through every box in the shed and garage trying to find all five of my old Halloween decorations, but to no avail. So I invested in some cheap homemade versions instead. Halloween is fun and it's a pity that it's not celebrated in the same over-the-top way we do it back home. So no trick-or-treating outside the American community over here, but I'm working on a deal with my neighbors...

The garden is beginning to go to seed - my runner beans that are still left on the vine have gotten hardened outer pods and the seeds inside have turned...magical! They're purple! We have serious plans to start a beanstalk. "Bella and the Beanstalk" - it has a nice ring to it.

And of course, it is again baking season - the time of year that I get stingy with the heater but very generous with running my oven. These spooky treats were inspired by my Creative Director, Isabella Aida, who really wanted a ghost with glasses and a happy face. The glasses wouldn't fit, but he is quite happy as you can see.

And lastly, I have been making a bigger effort to write down all the funny things Isabella says at this age. Unfortunately, most of them get missed, but here are a few (mind you, these are coming from a two-and-a-half-year-old with a cute little high-pitched elf voice, and just a tinge of baby accent left):

"I like my orange hair."

"This is AMAZING!" As said after taking her first bite of dinner, and a clue that my constant hyperbolic speech is rubbing off on her.

"That's a FINE pumpkin, Mama." Evidence of more accrued British culture and speech.

And my favorite from last week: I had gone into her room to get her out of bed and she looked to the window and said, "The sunshine is ready!" Beautifully put.

Hike to Harvest

2010-09-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor's tree out front has just started turning yellow. Isabella is with her second cold in two consecutive weeks. We are using our heater twice a day now. And dinner tonight is a hearty, hearth-y moussaka. Autumn is really upon us here in England. I feel we have to spend as much daylight hours outside as possible, before the sun goes down at 4pm by the end of December, and the days begin to wane dramatically by 2pm.

the donkeys and horses from down the road

So Isabella and I have begun to collect even more wild berries, apples and other edibles to use such efforts as an excuse to be outside. We have even started taking the dog down to the creek for regular baths, instead of a hosing.

footpath to Southwick and the giant crabapple tree

But today I'm definitely feeling the indoorsy vibe. My attention has turned from various scattered clothing and gifting projects to projects of the house: what do I really want to look at between these four walls for the next 6-7 months before spring beckons us out again? So I am putting together a few boxes of things we no longer use or need to sell in my first car boot sale - the equivalent of a garage sale, except various people in the village get together in a parking lot and sell their wares from the trunks of their cars.

last stop at The Swan from our recent hike

This weekend we are also planning a big family hike with some other friends and their kids. It will be a kid-friendly pub crawl from one village to another - with good food and drink at both ends - absolutely the best way to do it.

More Early Autumn Energy

2010-09-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

"So you're not sleepy?" "No, it's just I hungry." And she's also eating like a teenager again. I got comments about it on her first day at playgroup. They marvelled at how much she ate at snack time. Parents get just as proud of how much their toddler eats as they do of their grades when they start school. I'm almost sure of it.

"Be careful, Isabella. There are a lot of pokies [thorns] around the blackberries." "The pokies tickle me." Then later after getting stuck, "Pokies, you don't have to hurt me." This was yesterday, when we took Spartacus for a swim down at the stream. This outing ended up being a hour and a half long hike, and by the time we made it home we were rosy cheeked and ready for hot chocolate! Isabella's first hot chocolate. It was a bit anti-climactic: I was expecting her to go bonkers over milk with loads of warm chocolate swirling around in it.

This week the days have been very full. It's not even 4p.m. but since we've been so active outside, it feels like it should be bedtime. Today we took a long bike ride to another village, then hiked up an old castle mound to see the panorama. I missed my camera every step of the way. Because she fell asleep on the bike on our way home, I missed out on a nap time break. But she has been letting her imagination run wild, and so has been entertaining herself very well.

behind her is the partially sanded table I hope to paint and stencil for her - yet another project

This week I also bought her a grab bag of toys at our Oxfam charity shop - only 99p. My investment in that cheap bag of Happy Meal cast offs and random bric-a-brac is turning out dividends in the amount of time she has spent playing with each new piece of junk. Sure, it makes for a huge mess but it buys me time to get other stuff done around here :).

Late Summer Happenings

2010-09-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

that was my teddy as a kid!

Last month we finally decided to move Isabella into a toddler bed. It was just the right time. Now I can squeeze into her little bed for a book before bedtime or just lay by her side for a few minutes to cuddle when she needs it (or I need it - which is actually most of the time). Of course, she often plays in her room now when she should be sleeping, but the transition has made mornings much easier for me. Now she can show up at MY bedside to say "good morning to you!" instead of frantically screaming at me from her crib. It makes a big difference in my usually anti-social morning mood.

With each passing day, Pedro and I swear that she is getting either clumsier or bolder - most likely the latter - but either way, she ends up with innumerable little bruises on her legs, bloody lips, and even a bruised nose. Last week was just terrible, and she fell badly twice in one day - once while playing around in her little plastic lawn chair (teeth to the coffee table), then she tripped on a new rug I bought and almost broke her nose on a dining chair.

We have put a strict stop to her cuddling with the dogs after Tracia clawed a deep gash in her cheek when Pedro's parents were here. But still, she tests the limits.

I plan to put her into playschool for one day a week this fall/winter. It will help me get errands done while she learns things from people other than me. When she turns three next February she will be entitled to school five days a week (half days), but I'm not sure how long I want her away. I do so like her company, and I have already learned how quickly these days pass.

Strawberry Picking

2010-08-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

pick your own

This post is a bit overdue. At the end of July, some of my friends and our little ones all went to a nearby farm and did some berry picking. This was a ritual my family performed almost every year where I grew up - my brothers and I would help pick gallons of berries and my mom would fill every free space of countertop preparing them for preserves or freezing. I did the same when I got home too.

getting ready

This, of course, wasn't Isabella's first foray into berry picking. We've been picking edible stuff around where we live since she was old enough to walk. It was, however, her first time at a real vegetable farm. The kids were all so happy just to get together - we certainly didn't need a gimmick to get their attention. But once they saw the strawberry fields, and the rows upon rows of redcurrants, blackberries, tayberries, and raspberries, they began "working" in earnest. Isabella ate every single berry she laid hands on - and they were so candy-sweet, I couldn't blame her.

covering each other in hay

The girls have been friends since Isabella was 6-months-old, so every time we see each other there is a lot of hugging involved - they're practically sisters. This time, when the two of them hugged goodbye - they embraced each other so hard that they both fell over, mid-hug. They got hurt and there were some tears, but it was so ridiculously cute my heart practically burst in an overwhelming sappy mom moment.

While the parents took turns paying for the loot, the kids all took off to the park and burned what little energy was left. I hope to go back to the farm very soon to repeat the experience. I love the idea of making these sorts of traditions with her, and I hope that she looks back on these times with the same warm and fuzzy feeling I do.

Impeccable Fashion Sense

2010-08-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

As per usual.

August

2010-08-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

"esa nena tiene fuerza en las manos!"

a BBQ and a tea party all in one day

rainy days ain't gonna get us down! (idea per madebyjoel)

how she managed to stand in these, who knows?

We may be experiencing our last days of summer. We have had a couple of very chilly days: days that if the calendar had read October I would have happily turned the heater on - but I object to using the heater in August! We wore wool sweaters instead - which now sounds at least as bad.

Isabella had her 2.5 year development checkup last week - but she doesn't actually turn 2.5 until tomorrow. (I refuse to let her grow up too fast, even a day - so today she is still 2.4999999!) She did great - here in England one of the big tests is whether they can properly play with a tea set - a game she has had down pat for months. Most afternoons we do a "tea time" following her nap - I have a cup of coffee and she gets some diluted chamomile tea - the proud grown-up look on her face during this little game motivates me to try to do it every day. Anyway, she passed all the little tests administered by the health visitor, was weighed and measured and is growing and learning most excellently.

At this stage, Pedro and I are blown away by the power of her memory - she can repeat the most random, offhand comments we make days after they've been made. Yesterday, she saw the ice cream man pass us on the highway and asked where he was going. I told her he wasn't selling ice cream then but was on his way home to see his family. When she heard the music of the ice cream van today, she told me he was just on his way to his home to be with his kids.

She has times of completely fluency with her speech, but some days she gets caught up on words. Every bit of it is so amazing to witness.

Les Cousines Dangereuse

2010-08-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

Paloma + Isabella June 2010 Part I

2010-08-12T12:52:00.001-07:00

She's Ready For Her Close-Up

2010-07-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

South Wales

2010-07-15T04:36:00.000-07:00

Pembroke Castle

This year Pedro's annual birthday trip involved a foray into South Wales. We wanted to take his 4X4 vehicle on its first roadtrip through somewhat rugged territory. Our plans were a bit spoiled by a brakedown that lasted almost three days and extended our trip by an extra day. But despite the car troubles, we did a bit of hiking along the coast and probably sat around a bit more than we would have otherwise.

Pembroke Castle moat

When we got restless we took taxis. The villages are pretty close together so it wasn't too bad.

Welsh cheese: Caerphilly, Welsh Brie, Red Devil (spicy!), and Harlech (with horseradish)

We stumbled upon a gourmet food shop in Pembroke; it had a huge selection of Welsh cheeses so I had the lady behind the counter put together a little picnic selection for us.

We stayed at a self-catering cottage (no-frills country house) in a village called Freshwater East. The local pub had delicious food (local fish, mussels, and pork) and put together a special ice cream sundae for Pedro. Plus, they had a huge fish tank that kept Isabella absolutely transfixed.

We only managed to get in a good coastal hike once - and it was absolutely stunning. Pedro had Isabella on his back in the child carrier and we hiked up and down the rolling hills along the coast from Freshwater. There were spectacular views. The scenery reminded me a lot of Cornwall, and also of how much I want to go back!

Our last day was spent wandering around in the village of Tenby - in the rain. Thank goodness the child carrier closes up like a little capsule and keeps Isabella out of the wind and the wet. To matters more uncomfortable, the place we were staying had closed, so we couldn't even go back just to get out of the rain. After enduring too much frustration from the mechanic ( who could never give us an estimate of when the work would be done), we decided to take a taxi to the garage and give them the evil eye until they got moving.

In all, the trip had plenty of high points and at least we were never at each other's throats! I'll post a slideshow in the margin soon.

Isabella the Flower Girl

2010-07-05T04:05:00.000-07:00

We have been planning my good friend Kathryn's wedding for the last year. My role as a bridesmaid included making the flower girl dresses so that they would match the bridesmaids gowns. So I sent swatches of fabric and Pedro's mom was able to find just the perfect material in Puerto Rico.

Kat and I made the crowns for the girls and the end result was totally adorable. They looked like two little fairies flitting about the church and the field where the reception was held. My friend Amanda graciously offered to do my hair, even though she was dealing with a house full of boxes only one day after moving.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, the couple opted for a cheese tower, using traditional British cheeses. Isabella kept robbing it of its grapes throughout the reception. We were experiencing one of the hottest days of the summer and this cheese tower got pretty ripe before the night was over.

It was one of the most beautiful weddings I have been to. The weather was unbelievable. Isabella was a perfect flower girl - she spent over three hours dancing on the dance floor, up WAY past her bedtime, but happy the entire time. Seriously, we couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Cooking with Kids - Cheese and Pizza!

2010-06-28T03:02:00.001-07:00

First thing in the morning yesterday, we made mozzarella cheese.

It takes a lot of milk to make one ball of mozzarella cheese (3.8 liters - or one gallon of whole milk - the fattier the better!).

Paloma added salt, citric acid and rennet to get the whole milk to separate into curds (solids for the cheese) and whey (the liquid left over).

This is what it looked like once we poured off the whey. We then had to heat it up enough to get the curds really stretchy, in order to get that rubbery and slightly stringy texture of fresh mozzarella.

At first, it was too hot for Paloma to handle so I got it started.

Then Paloma worked it into a ball, folding the cheese in on itself until it was shiny and smooth on the outside.

Paloma claims not to like cheese unless it is on pizza....so we made pizza! We used the warm whey left over from the cheese to make the dough. It was a scorcher outside so we filled the kiddie pool and swam until the dough was ready.

She decorated her personal pizza with pepperoni and tons of the fresh cheese she made herself :).
We used the whole ball of mozzarella and had a pizza picnic in the backyard.

Cooking with Kids - Elderflowers

2010-06-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

elderflowers

Our neighborhood has a plethora of things to pick and eat - as you may have seen we often pick things like nettles, wild garlic, and berries (sloe and blackberry). This year I have made it my goal to follow the seasonal foraging opportunities presented in a book I bought at the Eden Project last year (Seaweed and Eat It). The book chronicles the foraging adventures of a small family with two little girls who pick and prepare anything from wild crabs from the English coast, to sloe gin (which I actually made last fall). This year, I am right on track, having made special dishes from nettles and wild garlic. We are now full into the season of blooming elderflowers.

Paloma La Fritolera

We went for a short stroll through our village to find and pick a bagful of elderflowers - enough to make fritters (as you see Paloma doing) and elderflower cordial (a syrup used to flavor carbonated water or even white wine - though the syrup itself is alcohol free). Paloma was all over helping me pick the flowers, and I think she was especially excited by the prospect of getting to eat what we were picking.

the fried flowers

We sprinkled them with sugar and served them up with applesauce and jam for dipping. Isabella wasn't so sure about them, but Paloma ate more than half of the flowered stems that we cooked. Supposedly she is a picky eater - not too much evidence of that here.

ahhh, lovely donut-flavored flowers

and for good measure, look at this beautiful face!

Father's Day

2010-06-23T01:33:00.000-07:00

I have been talking hundreds of photos in the last few weeks but there has been little time to update the blog. I know, I have had complaints :).

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all the good fathers in our lives. Our kids are lucky to have such a legacy.

Our family on this side of the pond spent Father's Day at the Haycock Hotel, where we had a traditional, full English Sunday lunch. The food was beautiful and delicious. Paloma especially loved dessert - some decadent chocolate tart.

And Isabella especially enjoyed the little fountain, conveniently located alongside our table!

Llegaron!

2010-05-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

They got here yesterday and it feels like we have already done so much.

This morning we went for a short hike in the surrounding farmland. Then later this afternoon we all went to Haycock Hotel to sit in their gardens for a drink and to watch the girls play in the flowers and all the pretty things they have growing there.
Paloma and Isabella get along so well - it has been wonderful!
Isn't she just the cutest? She has been so excited being here and seeing such a big difference between England and Puerto Rico - it's nice to see because we no longer notice the differences as much.

In Her Own World

2010-05-25T01:46:00.000-07:00

She likes to organize my plants.

Discovering the wonderful smell of basil - on her own.

This morning she was totally in her own little make-believe world with this very special cast of characters.

Tracia was involved. Maybe more than what wanted to be, but she didn't complain.

Los abuelos and cousin Paloma are coming - two days to go!!!! There is talk of a trip to Vienna...

27 Months

2010-05-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Finally the weather is starting to get warmer again. We're still using our heater. We had about a two week reprieve from winter, then it began to get cold again. That hasn't stopped us from getting out, however, Pedro was in Slovakia for work last week so Isabella and I got a lot of bike riding done. I now have a fantastic child seat installed on my bike - which I hadn't really ridden since she was born. I am horrendously out of shape - it's clear that my fit army days are well behind me (my sporadic yoga doesn't seem to have cut it!). With this new mobility, I'm finding so much more to see and to explore.

Today I took her foraging for wild garlic leaves and flowers. We got tons of it - so much that by early afternoon I was ready to throw it back outside because it was making the whole house smell terrible. I put it into a rice and pork chop dish and it ended up being like cooked spinach with a garlic flavor - really good!

Anyway, Isabella is 27 months old today. She's as smart as a whip and amazes me with all that she can say (and also all that she refrains from saying when she's having a wordless tantrum). Still waiting on those two-year molars!

Exploring

2010-05-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

I took Isabella to see a scarecrow competition in a local village but there was only one scarecrow left standing! She loved it though. We spent the morning walking around and exploring...

Then we came home for a lunch of miso soup with a bunch of veggies. It went over somewhat well, but she really enjoyed trying out some chopsticks! Not too bad!

Easter - A Very Late One

2010-04-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

But better late than never, I say! Because we were gone for Easter, I stubbornly wanted to celebrate it anyway and made big plans for an Easter get-together three weeks late. Odd, I know, but that's my personality for you!

So today we had a few of our friends with families over for a potluck lunch and egg hunt. It turned out so well that we'll just have to do egg hunts for the kids more often (just kidding). But it was really great - we had tons and tons of empty plastic eggs that we filled with jelly beans, chocolates, and other tooth-rotters and we hid them all along a trail next to our house. We had eggs up in the trees, in the bushes, and under leaves. Isabella was confused at first, but once she caught on she kept saying "huevos! more huevos!". There were five little kids running around frantically seeking out those little colored eggs - it made me so happy. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy holidays with kids?

As for the food...my friends went all out - there was moussaka, coconut chicken korma, mini-cheesecakes, treacle spongecake with custard, lobster salad, and nettle and feta savory pastries - to name a few.

Growing

2010-04-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Potty Trained!

2010-04-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

This news deserves a post of its own. Prior to our trip, Isabella potty trained. She had been without diapers for a week and I thought for sure we would experience some setbacks while on our trip, but she stayed true to the effort and has been potty trained since the last week of March! This week I plan on freeing up a whole drawer of her cloth diapers and packing them away until our next little one :).

Scandinavia

2010-04-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

the traditional Swedish Dala horse

A belated Happy Easter to everyone! We are home, and a good thing we came back before the Icelandic volcano blew it's top, because it sent so much ash over European air space that all flights around here have been canceled for days now. (Yet despite this ash cloud we have had an absolutely beautiful weekend! Sunny!).

Our trip to Sweden and Norway was lovely - we especially enjoyed Stockholm.

Pedro got his Scandinavian snow after all

In Stockholm, we stayed at a really fun hotel owned by ABBA's Benny Anderssen - so the whole hotel was done in hilarious 70's retro. The rest of our trip included eating lots of fish (Isabella was very adventurous), shopping in cool Scandinavian design shops (mostly for project ideas!), and walking, walking, walking. Our train trip from city to city was absolutely gorgeous and the countryside was studded with charming red and white houses and many, many tree-lined lakes.

this little girl is a great traveler!

Next time we're in that area we will definitely rent a cabin or something so we can experience more of the rugged beauty there.

Current Doings

2010-04-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

these are some happy faces!

We went to a little wedding this past weekend. I think this was actually the first wedding Isabella has been to as well. She was so well behaved the whole time, even inside the ancient church where the ceremony itself was held.

Hemingford Abbots village where the wedding was

how sweet - i might not have caught this had i not been straggling behind in 4" heels

my girl and me

barely 7a.m. and she's already prepped for the paparazzi - thanks Auntie Lisa

We are about to leave for Scandinavia from this Saturday. I have been rushing around packing, finishing up taxes, sewing up last-minute orders, cleaning, and everything else that happens around here. Pedro and I are really looking forward to traveling again and this year may just be shaping up to be full of it (I hope!).

2010-03-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Less is More

2010-03-15T06:39:00.001-07:00

Ok, somebody needs to tell my child that less is more. And it's not going to be me because I haven't really learned it myself yet. She's going through this phase of wearing every garment and accessory she can think of. In the photo above I think she insisted I put at least five hair ties in her hair. If she finds one on the floor, it's just got to go in.

I was supposed to have a lazy weekend but instead, I made marmalade. I have been baking so much I also broke my oven and my sink is backed up. On with the next project! This is what happens to ambitious people who stay home with their kids :).

Anticipation

2010-03-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

from the barren looking earth, these tulips will soon explode into color

the tiniest iris I've ever seen

I threw this rutabaga into a pot a few months ago before it went bad - now look!

We had a "dinner party" that wasn't intended to be a dinner party last night. It just grew quickly. I was feeling partied out from hosting so many get togethers in the past few months and didn't want to do much cooking and prepping...but that's exactly what happened! I have absolutely no regrets - getting together with friends remains high on my list of things to do no matter how much work goes into it. And I always wish I could have had more people around the table. We had a couple of giggly little girls chasing each other around past their bed time, who shortly went down and let the adults sit and eat until well past midnight. It was the kind of evening that makes you feel so fortunate - which we are, and I am grateful every day.

This weekend I intend to do very little. Maybe a bit of tinkering with my sewing machine, maybe some reading...because the rest of the month is going to be pretty busy for us. Pedro has been incredibly busy at work and will be for some time. In addition to that, my birthday is coming up next week. There is a plan in the works to spend the day in London with my girlfriends next Saturday. The following weekend we have a wedding. And the following weekend we're heading to Scandinavia! More on that to follow soon.

In other news, Isabella seems to be in the middle of a growth spurt. She's suddenly taller and lankier, and is eating quantities of food fit for a teenager. Her energy levels are also oddly higher than normal - she's been climbing on the dinner table and getting into other typical mischief I thought we had just skipped over. She continues with this obsession with singer Rosemary Clooney (Mambo Italiano, and such) - I started it with over-the-top dancing and singing along and she really latched onto that! I'm hoping to get some video soon.

I hope everyone is experiencing as sunny a transition into Spring as we have been!

The Obsession

2010-03-09T06:55:00.000-08:00

She raids my purse in search of either raisins or lipstick and always succeeds, one way or the other.

More Quilts

2010-03-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

a decent photo of Isabella's birthday quilt, wrinkled and already well-loved

I've been keeping pretty busy now that my hand is mostly recuperated. I finished several projects recently, including the baby quilt you see below. I plan on listing it in my new online shop, which you can check out in the side bar :)! I am not a natural salesperson, and would actually prefer to just make things and give them away, but I really must fund my fabric addiction - which has now grown quite serious. So check out the shop if you get a chance - and tell your friends! (Just a note - my prices are considerably lower than my competition until I get more feedback from customers).

2010-02-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

doing headstands before the Mardi Gras party that would land her...

...in bed for the next week. 5 families went down with that virus!

but there are sure signs spring isn't far - snow drops are coming up!

Since last week we have had a series of minor troubles, including stomach flu and loss of heating in the house. Thankfully, so thankfully, we have several good friends who have contributed space heaters (thank you Aneta!), showers (thanks AmandaBob!), and shoulders to pout on (everybody else!). Monday night, Isabella had a relapse with vomiting and mere minutes later we discovered our oil tank was empty (right after I said, "Brrr! Pedro can you turn the heater on it's freezing in here!).

I really, really miss American-style central heating. The mammoth radiators from my 100-year-old high school were charming, but in a modern home they just take up good wall space and are fed by energy I'm not accustomed to buying à la carte. We have three different energy bills - electric, heating oil, and burning oil for the stove top. British boilers are notorious for being temperamental and all of my expat friends with kids have had boiler problems this very winter. So boiler complaints + freezing temps + apathetic British customer service = cold, cold house for days and days.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Isabella!

2010-02-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

The "2" totally looks like a "Z". Oops.

The big reveal, and my 2-year-old really likes it!

opening the loot

butterfly cupcakes with pretzels for wings

magnetic earrings that made her seem so much older

Isabella's birthday party was a hit last Saturday. We had the party a bit late so that the kids could come after nap time and the adults wouldn't have to rush off with testy toddlers by midday. But even though we scheduled the party for later on, literally everyone was almost an hour late. We were all in our birthday best, all the food was hot and set on the table, drinks were mixed, music was playing, myriad toys were ready to be played with....and yet, no one arrived for so long that I began to feel like this was going to be one of those stories I could chuckle at in 10 years, but for the moment tears seemed most likely. In the end, almost everyone came and the living room was packed to bursting (6.5 kids and 8 adults) .

We decided to get Isabella a slide for her big gift and every day since we gave it to her has been full of sliding. She even asks just to check and "see slide," just in case it mysteriously disappears while she's in the next room. A dream come true, obviously.

Cooking with Isabella

2010-02-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

23 Months and the Countdown is On to 2!

2010-02-05T05:01:00.000-08:00

the duvet of fun - excellent indoor game!

potty training is off and on at this stage

she likes to have a book propped up for her to "read" as she's falling asleep

sneak peak at her birthday present

the owl bookends I bought at the Cambridge Sunday market

the prism garland I bought for her even before she was a twinkle in my eye

Isabella and I just spent the most wonderful afternoon outside, now that the sun has come out and the air has warmed ever so slightly. We went for an hour long walk (sans stroller) picking up seeds, jumping in muddy puddles like Peppa Pig, and waving to every passing car (I think peoples' days automatically brighten to see a little girl waving hello at them). It's the kind of day that gets you making plans for spring.

I decided to take some photos of Isabella's room a few days ago after I cleaned and rearranged it. I would like to remember what it looked like before we eventually convert the crib into a toddler bed and make any other changes to it as she gets bigger. Can you believe it's been almost two years?

At this age, she is making lots of sentences, singing several verses in songs, doing her version of yoga with "'Maste" (Namaste) guy (I can't even believe she came up with that on her own) , puts herself in a time out if she's really freaking out...and the list goes on.

My Sweet Valentine

2010-01-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

My hand is recovering, little by little, thanks to acupuncture and a serious increase in exercise (yay for Bollywood dance on cable) . Still hard to type so I'm doing as little as I can. The winter is starting to drag and it's getting hard to be creative with our time indoors. At the moment we're living for meeting up with friends as much as possible. Also, having fun trying new vintage recipes from my cocktail book, an ill-used birthday gift from Pedro last year (Sidecar anyone?). A bit tough to cook anything involving chopping, so this satisfies my kitchen ambition at the moment.

Isabella turns two in two weeks. I have so many ideas for her party but I'm not sure what I'll be able to pull off single-handedly (hardy-har-har!). Stay tuned!

The Year in Review

2010-01-22T16:20:00.001-08:00

I intended to put this up around New Year's but didn't have the time until hurting my hand slowed me down last week. The video starts from Christmas 08 until about last fall.

First Sushi

2010-01-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

We gave Isabella her first taste/meal of sushi (no raw) and she ate it with relish! And when we thought she would eat no more, she would start up again. She was all about the "dip it!" in the various sauces on the table. The nori (seaweed wrapper) didn't even bother her. She ate everything. We are so proud.

Playdough!

2009-12-29T00:23:00.001-08:00

This is what Isabella did with her friend Kathryn when we went to London for our anniversary.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

Snow!

2009-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Today has been the most wonderful, Christmas-y day! We decorated sugar cookies with cool frosting and xmas sprinkles and had a blast with the snow. In all seriousness, today with Isasbella was magic.

More Holiday Stuff

2009-12-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

first gingerbread house

homemade jammies

We have been so busy for this past week. I committed myself to making most of my Christmas gifts this year, and I have to say I don't think I can do this again. All of last week I had a neckache that almost drove me to the doctor - I could hardly hold Isabella. I've been painting, sewing, knitting, Christmas-carding, party-prepping, you name it! But I'm so excited for the holidays this year that I almost don't want them to get here just so this holiday stuff can keep going - it has been so fun to show Isabella the traditions of Christmas now that she can understand a lot of what's going on.

Isabella update: The day of our anniversary, she started saying "I LOVE YOU." She has a passion for chatting on the phone, and is a kid who will actually talk to you! Her legs are growing so fast I'm not sure what to do about her pants situation - skinny waist and long legs make sizing hard. She can kind-of sing the first verse of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." I have some great videos to post one day in the not-so-distant future, I hope.

Before and After

2009-12-09T04:57:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this great blog designsponge, I bought this beat up chest from a thrift store for $5. With a little sanding, new paint, and some gorgeous fabric it's like new again! Of the million and one projects I'm working on, I am most proud of this because I actually used a handsaw to recreate the broken lid. I also cut up a ratty old comforter to re-cushion the lid - so this project ended up costing me very little indeed.

And here is the full effect - please disregard the debris on the floor, my little helper is sometimes too helpful.

Christmas Tree Hunting

2009-11-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary! Nine Years!

2009-11-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

the decor was...interesting

Typical European dining at its best (close tables) - our neighbors kept watching us eat!

lucky the restaurant rides on Jamie Oliver's celebrity, otherwise no one would know about it - it's in the middle of nowhere (if that's possible in London)

Isabella spent the day with my friend Karalee and her daughter Kathryn. She had a blast - no tears all day. Parks, play dough, and awesome toys - she wasn't ready for us to take her home!

Fresh From the Oven!

2009-11-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

Being home with Isabella affords me the opportunity to making beautiful pies like this! I can't wait to cut into it. It's got cranberries, apples, pears, and figs and way too much butter to be healthy.

My constant kitchen companion. A little finger paint in the pot makes everything taste better too.

21 Months

2009-11-16T05:04:00.000-08:00

We went from summer to winter within the span of a month. We left England for the US and came home to cold. We had a pretty wet weekend and our being caught in the house for most of it left both Pedro and I with cabin fever. We're spoiled rotten- we really are. We went out with friends on Friday night and spent Sunday afternoon keeping warm in a local pub - all with Isabella in tow. In between, I spent hours sewing up Christmas gifts and finishing my latest quilty creation to keep us warm on the couch for many wintry weekends to come. But I think what makes us feel gloomy is dealing with a little one who has spent the last year teething. She has been cutting at least four molars in the last six weeks and those buggers are taking their time to fully emerge, leaving us with a very temperamental toddler.

In other news, Isabella has been forming real sentences now. Most of the time we hear, "I like it," or "I dropped it," or "hold that." I have also been taking her to a new play group in the village, but she doesn't seem to be enjoying it very much at this point. Although it's an amazingly well organized group with lots of art and play, she just isn't used to the high decibel level and the concept of delaying rewards at snack time. Is it really possible to ask a not-yet two-year-old to resist chomping down on that cracker before the snack song ends, all while keeping her fingers under the table for good manners???

Next weekend is our ninth anniversary. Pedro and I are going to escape to London for lunch at Fifteen (Jamie Oliver's restaurant!!!) and an exhibit on Montezuma, while Isabella enjoys an extended play date with her friend Kathryn. We can't wait!

Halloween

2009-11-01T03:13:00.000-08:00

This year was Isabella's second halloween and was more enjoyable than last year, when I was rushing around trying to get things done after work. We went to a Halloween party for kids and then did trick-or-treating afterwards. We finished the night with a few pints of Hobgoblin brew at a pink pub with friends and came home to watch the Halloween classic The Lost Boys (after the little one's bedtime, of course) . Having a kid grants you free license to live the best parts of childhood all over again.

Autumn Bliss

2009-10-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

at the village park

changing every day

hiking with friends this past weekend - hoping to make it a weekly event

We are settling into the Fall over here. This year it is absolutely stunning. The leaves are all falling at once and the weather has been mild and dare I say it? Pleasant. Today I hung my clothes out on the line outside, which says a lot. There are sloe berries and elderberries to be had along the trails and I have several batches of each liquor brewing in preparation for a Christmas bash this year. I've decided to put up a photo with me in it since I have been getting complaints that it's like I'm a ghost. Hope you are all having a wonderful autumn week!

The Long Lost Minnesota Pics

2009-10-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

being with family is the best!

exploring Great-Grandma Lu's garden

she would have a nasty fever only hours later

learning colors from my brother, Uncle Adam

first lipstick with Auntie Lisa

cuddling with Cousin Kaitlyn on my handmade quilt

"lips" for all the girls

warm welcome from Cousin Sacha

with Grandma Sue after a long journey from NY

with Uncle Adam and her new souped up trike

patty cake with Great-Grandma

A Bunch of Beach Bums

2009-10-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

only about 20 minutes from home

April, Isabella, and sister-in-law Kathy - Isla de Ratones

Notice the great tan Aaron got while he was here - Jobos Beach

Rincón.

We really can't complain.

Photo post!

2009-10-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

snorkeling in La Parguera, Puerto Rico

Aaron donning snorkeling gear - it was so beautiful down there

Pedro's brother Luis with friend Pablo in the mangroves

Aaron in a mangrove canal in La Parguera

my brother Adam with Isabella and my neice Kaitlyn

Thanks to Pedro's brother Walo and his technological expertise, we got back some (but not all) of the lost photos. Unfortunately, most of the photos from Minnesota are still gone. We did have the presence of mind to upload them to my mom's laptop but since she doesn't have internet, it's unlikely that we'll see those any time soon. I'll post a few of the pics we found here and more in the sidebar slideshow. Have a look and be sure to leave a comment. We LOVE comments :).

Update

2009-10-02T07:38:00.001-07:00

Our month-long trip is going really well. New York was just as fabulous as I thought it would be and I hope to travel there again with a good babysitter on standby so that we can enjoy more things that the city has to offer. Claudia and Jesus were wonderful hosts and we took our time and enjoyed a few things to the full. Little Daniel was so adorable with Isabella - he behaved like her older, wiser friend who protected her from areas she wasn't supposed to be, held her hand, and showered her with baby kisses. Those two ran around Ellis Island just as happy as can be and it was precious to watch.

Our time in Duluth, Minnesota flew by. We drove into town from St. Paul and were greeted by balmy weather and a mini-family reunion - just about all of my immediate family made it out to see us. My mom watched Isabella several times during our visit so Pedro and I went out with my brothers and tried to enjoy the area a bit before we were taken down by a disgusting cold. Our plans for seeing everybody and making at least one hiking trip were nixed. We did manage to convince my youngest brother Aaron to come with us to Puerto Rico, so our farewells were made easier knowing he'd be along too.

Before we left, we found out that Pedro's uncle Vitín suffered a fatal heart attack in Puerto Rico and passed away. Ours hearts are heavy for his family as we missed the funeral by two days. Vitín's brothers and kids were still here when we arrived so we got to visit people Pedro hadn't seen in years and some that I hadn't yet met. Despite the sadness, we all had a really nice time at a party Pedro's brother Walo hosted the day after we arrived.

Since then, we have been trying to show my brother this area of the island. Yesterday we went snorkeling off Walo and Luis's boat in the mangrove islands of La Parguera. It was breathtaking. We got minorly stung by jellyfish a few times, but it was quickly forgotton in beauty of those coral reefs.

For the rest of the week, we are hoping to get in as much beach time as possible before Aaron goes back to the cold climate of Minnesota. This post is without photos because our memory card proved defective and our shots from the whole trip were erased (we may get them back yet - we're trying!). But there will be more, so I will make a photo post soon.

New York!

2009-09-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

We're in New York with our friends Jesus and Claudia. We spent yesterday in Manhattan and today in Ellis Island (where my great-grandfather arrived in 1919 from Sweden). We're having a great time but we are already leaving tomorrow for the Minnesota leg of the trip. I would love to post more photos but I don't want to waste much time being online! We'll find an internet cafe in Minnesota, so I will try to keep you posted.

Coming Soon to a City Near You

2009-09-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

We just got back from my working vacation trip to Naples and Sorrento in sunny Italy. The weather was perfect and the food was delicious. Isabella was a little angel, she put up with our late night schedules and our pesky habit of taking our time while we ate out. All in all she had a lot of fun and enjoyed taking swims at the pool with Papa and Mama as well as taking an impromptu walk on the beach. In the top picture Isabella was in this restaurant calling the lady in the window (visible in the picture) Abi, the nickname she has for grandma Aida. The lady loved her and at the end I had to take Isabella to say good bye to her given that she got all upset that we were leaving and she had not said goodbye to "Abi." We are taking it easy this weekend in preparation for our long vacation ahead starting next Thursday. We are flying back to the states and Puerto Rico to visit friends and family and we cant wait.

18 Months

2009-08-21T01:47:00.000-07:00

Isabella is 18 months now - a milestone that always seemed so, so far away whenever I looked at her 18-month clothing stash (half of which she's still too small for now that she's reached it). In these posts I find myself holding back that tendency every parent has to make sentences beginning with "my baby can do this....and my baby can do that...and my baby is the bestest and smartest baby in the whole wide world because she can do whathaveyou..." But I have to tell you about this thing she started this week that just blows my mind! She can now PUT HER SHOES ON!!! Isn't that crazy? She can put her shoes on by herself, not just her slip on boots but her little loafers, and I'm still baffled by how she is able to do it because it isn't exactly easy. She can also put a skirt or overalls on, provided they are bottom loaded. Her new morning routine is to don shoes then come running to me in the kitchen verbally demanding and signing "Play, Play, PLAY!!!!" Which basically means, "Take me outside immediately!" If not obeyed, this routine is followed by a fit of apocalyptic proportions - and this is where the bragging stops. It's probably hard to imagine this cute, sweet little girl in the photos having such a meltdown, but believe me, it happens several times a day and it ain't pretty.

the daily strawberry forage

We are planning our next trip already. Pedro is going to Naples again in less than two weeks and we already have our tickets. I'm getting a little nervous because Jessi hasn't had her baby yet and I plan on being there (her little girl's due the 24th!!!). But, I'm looking forward to eating pizza every day in the place where it was fabulously invented.

the tomatoes she calls "nummy, nummy, nummy"

Shortly after this "work" trip, we are planning a long family vacation in the US and Puerto Rico. It's been a whole year since my mom and the rest of my family saw Isabella. If we can swing it, we'll be taking a short trip to New York to see some friends on the first couple days of the trip. My passport is chock-a-block full of stamps, but I've never actually set foot in Manhattan. These plans, in fact, are hinging on whether or not I can get more pages in my passport in time for my visa renewal. The British consulate won't renew it without a blank page, and much to my surprise, there isn't one.

the tomato thief - I wish I had caught the shot before that other tomato came off the vine

SO. In the meantime, I will be trying not to think too much on all of the flights that will take us where we want to go because after all this travel I've done, I have developed a very real fear of flying. My palms are sweating even now as I write this. I remember enjoying flying, but after a series of bad landings, terrible turbulence, and the bad news in the news (not to mention that horrible show Air Crash Investigation on Discovery), I have joined the ranks of my family who never visit because they're afraid of flying. Any advice or tips to help counter this irrational thinking are very much welcome.

In closing, I would like to share a laugh with you regarding the weird photo you see below. Isabella loves baby dolls - this one is a creepy-cool thrift store find that I hope to make clothes for at some point. Anyway. I found Isabella carrying the doll around the house yesterday and giving it some kind of crazy tongue-kiss that made me do a double take. Of course, she had fed it a raisin (as you see in the pic) then changed her mind a wanted it back. I guess tongue sucking it out was the best option - albeit unsuccessful.

Who is Benjamin? And More of Summer...

2009-08-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

this butterfly was persistent

Isabella has entered the world of triple syllables. She keeps talking about this Benjamin character we have yet to meet (in fact, the only Ben we know lives all the way in Tucson and Isabella has yet to make his acquaintance). She continues to babble, gesticulate and sign but still no clue as to who or what this Benjamin is.

another farmer's market weekend - berries for the voracious berry eater

In other news, Pedro is home from his trip to Italy. We decided to sit this one out because Pedro is expected to make another trip over there before the end of the year. After hearing about the hot weather in Naples I was a teeny bit sorry we didn't go with him.

dirt mustaches are how we roll around here - I have one too

This past weekend we had great weather again and celebrated our bit of summer with a dinner party with seven people. I made a full Italian meal with lots of appetizers, a huge salmon, farro salad, lasagna, and panna cotta with market berries for dessert. We had a blast and I'm resolved to do it more often.

17 months

2009-08-03T03:03:00.000-07:00

the inseparable duo

While the rest of the world seems to be suffering under intense heat waves, we in England have been perfectly cool. Though, to be honest, I would love a good heat wave right now - in fact, this very moment I am fighting the urge to put on a sweater on the principle that it's not fall yet, even though it feels like we are already in the downward slope toward winter. The sun has been going down earlier and coming up later - in stark contrast to our extremely long days (sun down around 11pm) and very early mornings (up by 4am). The early sunrises won't be all that missed because Isabella tends to rise with the sun, and that's fun for no one.

so many stunning flowers out back

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend. The weather held out and we got to put in some much needed outdoor time, washing cars, going to the park, and going on a beautiful country hike. In fact, on Saturday, we had a power outage around dusk that lasted long into the night. There was no television, no computer, no noise for miles around. I took the dogs on an extra long walk and left Pedro reading by candlelight. When I got back, the sun was just setting on the horizon and we could see the beautiful colors from our back garden. We actually got to just sit and chat over some crisp, summery Pinot Grigio as it got darker and darker. Once the lights came back on around 11pm, we sighed then turned the t.v. on as if electricity had come back in to spoil the fun. Strange how we condition ourselves to modern life, huh?

yes, weeding on on today's agenda

Today I plan on spending lots of time outside once Isabella wakes from her nap because it looks like it's going to be another lovely day for playing with the dirt.

Six Weeks? Already?

2009-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

the doll quilt for my niece Paloma

The abuelos are spending their last weekend of this trip with us before they head out on Tuesday. They have been SO much help (have you noticed the increased frequency of blog posts, for one?). I seriously don't know how I am going to manage without all the freedom and extra time I have had during the day to get things done. From righting car problems without a squirmy toddler in tow, to sewing projects and date nights, we have been so spoiled and blessed by their being here these last six weeks. Let me say it loudly now because I am absolutely THANKFUL! And let me say this too - Doña Aida's dinner tonight could easily be my last meal it was so delicious..

the Portabello Pixie dress

So I wanted to show off a couple of my many sewing projects I finished while they kept Isabella entertained.

isa swing woodnewton park 16 mos

2009-07-15T12:46:00.001-07:00

Grown-ups? Where?

2009-07-14T04:40:00.000-07:00

These are more photos from the 4th of July at our village park. The zip wire is fabulous - you should come visit us just so you can try it for yourself!

Happy Birthday, Pedro!

2009-07-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Pedro turned 34 this weekend and to celebrate, we all packed ourselves into the car for a road trip to possibly the last Roman ruin we hadn't seen in Britain. We went to Verulamium in the London 'burb of St. Albans. It was spectacular.

Then we got back into the car and had dinner at Pedro's favorite sushi restaurant in Cambridge. The restaurant was thankfully packed with loud people, so no one could hear Isabella's tired shouts for freedom.

All in all, we had a really nice time and wrapped up the night with my homemade chocolate birthday cake.

In other news, Isabella is officially potty training. This is not at my behest, but at her own free will. At 16 months she tells me in advance when she has to go potty, then she sits on her potty patiently...and goes. I had heard cloth diapers might encourage things along, but I didn't expect it so soon. She has been able to do this hit and miss (EC style) since infancy, but nothing I've put much effort into. But unlike Kate from the now defunct Jon & Kate plus 8, I won't be posting photos of that!

Video Backlog

2009-07-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to uploading some videos, so hopefully in the next few days there will be more posted. The problem is that my computer's hard disk is almost full so doing anything like this takes an incredibly long time to do. Keep checking back!

Happy Fourth!

2009-07-04T04:05:00.000-07:00

in the kiddie pool - hot weather here!

Isabella and "Abi" - enjoying blueberries, apple, and hummus

sharing her apple

I LOVE this photo

Here are some of this week's photos, taken with my new camera. I got it the same week that my old one had a final meltdown. Happy fourth of July everyone!

Madrid

2009-06-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

We're back and due to massive public outcry I will add photos from Madrid. Pedro's mom and dad arrived here two weeks ago, and one week later we were in Spain. So it has been a busy month for us. We've really been racking up the frequent flyer miles, but I have to say that I'm not looking forward to flying anytime soon. We had a terrible flight into Madrid, with the worst turbulence I can remember and I almost lost my lunch - though I've never even come close to having air sickness. Needless to say, we arrived safely there and came safely home.

a bizarre yet highly entertaining street show

The trip itself was fabulous - Spain is my absolute favorite country to visit. The food...the wine...the SUN. We ate rich food for absolutely every meal - manchego, jamón bellota, patatas bravas, olives, and Rioja with everything - red and white. Now that we're back, it's muesli and oatmeal until the cravings come back.

Plaza Mayor with baby Marilyn

Pedro had to work for half of the trip, and while he was busy doing his thing, the abuelos and I explored. We ate lots of ice cream, walked around in the dusty construction obstructed streets (horrible!), spent half a day in the Parque del Buen Retiro (amazing), and visited a photography exhibit called Años 70 - some really awesome photos from the 70's. We also saw all the major museums in the city (the Prado, Reina Sophia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza), though we didn't exactly plan the trip around museums, it just sort of happened that way. Isabella had at least one major freak out in each museum - the Prado being the worst. Her shrieks were emphasized by the cavernous marble interior - I was that person everyone looks on with pity. She wanted to run free, but I drew the line when an old man tripped on her, causing her to fall and almost falling himself. At least she was mostly fine in the airplane.

the Parque where we had a Buen Retiro

Our last two nights there were date nights - the first since Isabella was born. The abuelos watched Isabella while we went out until late. The first night was just dinner, and the second night we went to a flamenco show. I told Pedro I could live in the bottom of a glass of Rioja if set on a table in a flamenco tablao - what trumps Spanish guitar and emotional dancing?

Que Bella

2009-05-30T12:10:00.001-07:00

Late Spring Bliss

2009-05-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

Since Isabella was about 4 months old she has LOVED to have a sheet, towel, or any type of fabric tickling her face. As you can see, she hasn't changed much.

These photos were taken this weekend. We had a great Memorial Day and spent the time mostly outside - filled up the kiddie pool and Pedro and Isabella got to swim in the warm weather. Our fun was punctuated by Isabella's bouts with diarrhea. Over the last few days it has gotten worse and the poor thing was a mess a few nights ago. I took her to the doctor yesterday and got a prescription for some electrolyte syrup and she seems to be recovering. But other than that one grizzly night, she has been been acting totally normal and happy throughout.

I'm in the process of getting a new camera as my current one is slowly going kaput. I'm hoping to trade up from my KodakEasyShare point-and-shoot to some sort of fancy Nikon SLR - so when that happens, stay tuned for better shots!

Washington D.C.

2009-05-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

at the Museum of Natural History - a place where hordes of children run free and happy

Jefferson Memorial - she loves wide open marbled spaces

taken as the wind carried her buggy down the steps,
to the horror of onlookers who thought a baby was inside

being a good girl at the mall

running around the Smithsonian

We're home from DC, and I have to say that the trip was worth the hassle. Armed with canisters of WetOnes and sanitizing gel to disinfect every surface possible, we boarded the flight to DC and landed back in the US over 8 hours later. The flight was uneventful if you don't count the chaos of the first hour. Isabella's disposable diaper leaked horribly on my lap (her cloth diapers have never been so unpredictable as that) and she and I got to spend the rest of the flight covered in pee because I didn't have extra clothes in my carry-on (she had extra tops, of course, but I forgot the pants - classic!) . Almost immediately afterward, Pedro spilled his coke on himself. Isabella wasn't a happy camper that first hour, but once it was over, she was fine for the rest of the flight. The return flight home was okay too, but next time I will seriously consider getting her a seat of her own because she's a very big girl to hold in a prone sleeping position for 6 hours.

While in DC we stayed at a nice hotel with a pool. The hotel was directly connected to a mall. After living in the UK for three years, I start to forget the magnitude of American malls. How ever do you cope with so much choice? Other than shopping, we swam, we toured the Smithsonian, visited some excellent monuments, and ate the gamut of culinary cuisine from Lebanese to Japanese. This week I'm putting us back on a reasonable diet of normal calorie intake. An interesting an unexpected result of having a jet lagged baby is that Isabella is sleeping more than ever - she slept for a record 14 hours yesterday and 13 last night, plus she's still having two naps. I'm hoping it sticks through the long weekend! More photos to follow in the sidebar.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

The day started at about 6:30a.m. when Isabella rose to holler at the morning. The sun was already bright in the sky and Pedro brought her to our bed where she stayed until she could no longer resist the call to play. I got to spend two more glorious hours sleeping in (it's hard to remember the day when sleeping in till 9a.m. wasn't a thing to be happy about). From there, Pedro cooked me breakfast (a Spanish bocadillo with great coffee), he mowed the lawn, and he cleaned the kitchen. We had lunch at the King's Arms pub in Polebrook, then we visited some of our friends who live near that village. It was a really nice, relaxing day. I love being a mom.

I hope all of the wonderful mom's in our life had as good a mother's day as me. Happy Mother's Day to you all. XOXO

(new photos have been added to the album on the left - just click on the image to get a slideshow)

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May Madness

2009-05-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Isabella is almost 15 months now (next week). The list of things she is learning to do is getting ever longer. We are about to make a short trip to Washington D.C. to accompany Pedro on a 5-day business trip (we all have tickets, but the swine flu is making us reconsider...). Anyway, Pedro was remarking on how this is going to be her first trip as a really conscious little person who can communicate beyond a cry and can physically do more that sit unaided. It’s going to be interesting.

Today, Isabella spent the morning whining and driving Pedro crazy as he attempted to entertain her before work, while letting me get a few more minutes of sleep. When I ended up putting her down for a nap earlier than usual, she immediately fell asleep on my shoulder while I sang (it has been a while since she has done this). Then, as I was leaving the room, she woke up one more time to pucker her lips and demand a kiss, “Mmmmm!” Speaking of kisses, her latest passion is the butterfly kiss and she has been known to unexpectedly mash her lips into my eye. She is such a cuddly, affectionate, arm rubbing, leg hugging little bitty!

The weather in England has gotten absolutely beautiful. I got my organic veggie box today and it looked so pretty I thought I would include it in this post, since I don’t have any new photos of Isabella. I'm thinking rhubarb crisp tonight. I'm looking forward to summer more than ever!

One Day, She'll Hate Me for This....

2009-04-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

14 Months

2009-04-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

stunning, sunny day today!

independent woman

loving her Easter basket

and carrying it everywhere

Isabella turned 14 months old last week. Every day she becomes less and less babyish and more and more like a proper little girl. Each day is filled with such a growing list of accomplishments that it would be silly to list them all now. In the car this afternoon, just as we were about to pull out of the driveway, I turned around and looked at Isabella. She looked right back at me with such a sense of self that it awed me as much as took me aback - she's getting so big! Dare I say, growing up?

Our new backyard is perfect for her to run around freely in, and today we spent almost three hours playing outside in the beautiful weather. Inevitably, as we get back into the house, she turns to her next favorite thing: books. I'm at the point where I have them all memorized and can recite them to her when we're in the car and she starts fussing. I picked up a few new ones from the charity shop today and am looking forward to mixing things up. I welcome any title suggestions of books that might appeal to both toddler and adult!

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-16T12:46:00.001-07:00

We're back online, and as I type this I'm sitting on the floor getting a backache while I hunch over my laptop. So it is with moving. But our new joint has tons more space and is almost palacial compared to our old cottage/townhouse/terracehouse/apartment. Our move was a mere seven miles but the perks are fabulous - we've lost the pig smell from the farm two doors down and I still get my organic vegbox delivered on the same day as before.

A quick update: We had a great Easter with Jessi and her family. Isabella has six teeth now! She also now says "thirsty" and "thank you" - though I think I'm the only one who can decipher the words. The dogs are happier than ever. And we've been working hard every day and night to make this house look like we live here. We've made astounding progress and are almost ready for a housewarming party.

As always, pics to follow soon.

New home

2009-04-14T02:31:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new house last week! I didn't want to say too much leading up to the move because it seemed like every time talked about big plans, they didn't seem to happen (i.e. Italy!). We don't have our internet set up because there have been many problems with our old router - it may be another week before we are online. I'll post Easter pics as soon as we're back on!

Teeth

2009-03-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here comes tooth #5! Each tooth has taken its time to come down, and up until about two weeks ago she looked like a little jack-o-lantern with only one chicklet-sized toother on top. Now, they suddenly seem to be coming faster and I see several more spots where teeth are probably soon to make an appearance.

With the teeth comes an aversion to spoon-feeding. She only wants finger food - little sandwiches, string cheese (a favorite!), and fruit, as you see above.

She almost ate that whole pear before it was squished into the plush carpet of that pub. We leave a trail and a big tip in our wake!

Cornwall Trip

2009-03-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

We are back from my birthday trip down to Cornwall, in southern England. It's almost a six hour drive from where we live, but it was well worth it. We brought the dogs and packed our jalopy to the rails with our junk, but still could have brought more. We rented a small cottage in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, but managed to be close enough to everything we wanted to see.

We did hikes along the coast and in the countryside, but our favorite walk was from Talland Bay to the fishing village of Polperro. It's not tourist season yet so we got to experience gorgeous weather and beautiful beaches with hardly anyone around.

We made the essential pilgrimage to the Eden Project (click here to visit their website). It was amazing. We actually felt like we were back in Puerto Rico's El Yunque when we were in their huge rainforest biome. I think we were literally the last people to leave. I can't wait to go back some day.

Isabella loved exploring the new territory and as always, she loved being out and about with opportunities to flirt with every stranger who walks by. Her latest thing is throwing a fit when we don't let her walk. Once we put her down again, she resumes singing the song from where she left off and continues on her merry, wobbly way.

The daffodils are everywhere now, the photo you see above was actually taken near home. Their yellow is so bright that you can't even see the detail of the flowers themselves. Isabella enjoyed smelling the perfume-free blossoms.

Overall, we had a great time. England is such a beautiful country and we're very lucky to live here!

Isa Dogs 13 mo funny

2009-03-17T06:57:00.001-07:00

13 Months

2009-03-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

There isn't any real point to this video, but I love it because I captured one of the many daily moments in which Isabella just sits and examines something. It's a little thing but I'm glad I don't have to miss out on it while being at work.

A Good Day

2009-03-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

I'd like to put up a really positive post. Isabella has been developing by leaps and bounds - she's walking now, she's somewhat talking, and she's using sign language. She's been able to say dog, bird, baby, and can make signs for bird, baby, all done, poopy, more, and hello. Dog comes out like "daaaaahhhhh", bird "biirrhh", and baby is "baybay." Bird was her first sign, even though it's a bit more complicated than others. I wasn't sure if she really knew the sign corresponded to the animal, but when a huge hawk flew over us she pointed to it and then made the sign - I was blown away! Like most babies, she's really interested in learning everything and pays close attention when I'm trying to teach her something. I have a lot of videos I have yet to upload and share and will try to put a few more up here as I can. For now, please enjoy this video of Isabella walking on this bright, sunny, English morning.

Hold Your Little One Tight

2009-03-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last week we had a terrible tragedy in our village. My neighbor lost her little boy, Harry, who was only two months older than Isabella. They just played together at a birthday party a few weeks ago. He had an problem with his heart they didn't know about. I don't feel right saying much more than that. But for whatever it is worth, please send your prayers to our little corner of the globe.

Happy 1st Birthday, Isabella!

2009-02-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today is Isabella's first birthday, and as I said before, a momentous occasion for me. I have been overwhelmed with nostalia about this last year and the labor that led up to it all. In honor of the day, I am posting a video. This video clearly demonstrates why Jess is my best friend. I hope you enjoy it as much a we did.

Isabella's Birthday Party

2009-02-16T11:14:00.000-08:00

I made sock-it-to-me cake filled with vanilla pudding

Isabella's birthday party was yesterday, and we had a great time. Pedro arrived a little late with sleepy-eyed birthday girl

After all the planning and prep work we did, the party flew by in what felt like less than an hour! The birthday girl arrived almost an hour late because she refused to take a morning nap and we knew that she wouldn't be able to cope for the duration of the party if she didn't sleep for at least a couple of hours. We had a great turnout - about 25 people came, including kids.

We didn't get too many photos since we were so busy visiting everyone and playing with the kids, but I'm hoping to get more photos from our friends who had cameras there. I will be posting video soon, too.

singing her first 'happy birthday'

We rented out a local village hall so we would have lots of space for the kids to run around. I laid down foam playmats and dumped out bags of balls and blocks to supplement all the toys my friends brought to share. We had a buffet table with sherbet punch, beer, and pink champagne. There was also fingerfood like sandwiches with herbed goat cheese, hummus with pita, pasta salad, and crudites with other homemade dips.

Isabella loved the sandwiches, which are her new favorite food, because she can hold them in her hands and take bites - it's the cutest thing. Of course, I think the cake trumped the sandwich. On the tables I scattered blowouts (noisemakers?) and hershey's kisses between pink and yellow tulips from the farmer's market.

Tomorrow is Isabella's actual birthday. Pedro has to work, so I was thinking of taking her back to Fun Zone. She's teething again, with the second top inscisor breaking through, so the last couple of nights haven't been very fun for her (or us). I'll try to get more pics up soon!

Plans and Parties

2009-02-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks. From last Thursday, we've been battling snow and ice. It got so bad that the country pretty much ran out of grit to cover even the main roads - forget about windy country roads like ours. It was pandemonium - people couldn't get to work, people got into accidents, Pedro got stranded. He even had to miss two days of work because he simply couldn't get there. It was crazy - and I come from northern Minnesota, the land of lots of snow, and lots of ice. Today, the ice began to melt and things started to feel a little normal. Now, as I type this, the snow is falling again in fast, wet gobs that threaten to derail everything again tomorrow. Some areas are predicted to get another 15cm. By Wednesday, at least, we are supposed to receive truckloads of grit brought in from Spain to replenish our stores.

Before all this went down, we managed to get a bit further with our house-hunting by narrowing our focus onto another house. We are waiting to hear back from the landlord when we can move in. After what happened with Italy, you won't catch me holding my breath for anything.

On Saturday, Isabella and I attended the 1st birthday party of little William. His mother, Anna, and I live just at opposite ends of the village. We were pregnant together and randomly were "set up" by our health visitor/midwife. We hit it off right away and spent the remainder of our pregnancies commiserating, going to baby groups, and walking up and down the village trying to move things along. She was due one week after me, so imagine my surprise when I walked past her house one evening as she was coming home from the hospital, post-partum. She held up her hands and shouted, "I've done it!" I was approaching my due date and was extremely envious that she had beaten me to the punch. But I guess babies come when they're ready, or your body is ready, and not a day sooner.

So now it's time for Isabella's first birthday. It's set for next Sunday and I have been excited about it for months now. To me, it's just such a big deal. A very first birthday for my very first child. And based on her reaction to Will's party, I think she'll have a blast.

Snow II

2009-02-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

this little redhead needs her sunglasses

licking the snow

Snow!!!

2009-02-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

It is snowing in England. It started yesterday and we expected it to stop, or at least melt right away as it usually does, but it just keeps going! The whole country is practically shut down (well, at least London) and there is a tangible feeling of joy in the air. Of course, this isn't good for recession times but it does a lot for morale when you're used to looking out into bleak mid-winter skies day after day.

Isabella and I spent the day playing games and even ventured out in the fluffy white stuff for the sake of adding another event to the baby book: first snow. She absolutely loved it, especially since we went out to the cricket field with both dogs. It was great! I'll work on getting some photos of it up shortly.