Dinosaurs go "Woof!"

On Saturday we went to a puppet show at the Center for Puppetry Arts with a group of friends and had a blast. It was not just any ol’ puppet show – it was like nothing else we’d ever seen. The puppets were life-size and had people inside of them controlling their movements and singing and dancing. We were sitting in the front row so Diego was very engaged. The theme of the show was Dinosaurs. Diego loves doggies and barks whenever he sees a picture of one or sees a live one. Well, he seemed to think that these dinosaurs were enormous doggies because he spent a lot of the time barking at them. It was so cute! The show was about an hour long which is a long time to hold his attention, but he did great. He snapped his fingers and shook his head with the music and squealed and laughed when he just couldn’t contain the emotion. Before the show started we were able to go upstairs and make our own shadow puppets which you will see in the picture below (I had a great time making it!)
In the evening we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner and Diego displayed his wild toddler side! As you can see from the picture, he loved having his very own crayons and coloring book. Although, he doesn’t realize that there are designated areas for coloring with crayons so he colored the table, the dividing glass between tables, the napkins, etc. He loved the pizza and ate two whole pieces. He tried to climb up onto the table about 25 times, jumped up and down with joy, threw straws across the table, almost pushed a plate off the edge and banged the menus up and down on the table. He was full of energy and certainly took the opportunity to burn it off. We had lots of laughs and had a great time.
The spring-time pictures from the previous post are from a picnic that we had on Sunday afternoon. Ricardo’s office has beautiful gardens on the property with a pond, a small stream, a nice walking path, tons of trees and flowers and cute lil’ animals running around. I used to take Diego on walks there when he was much smaller so it had been awhile since he had been. We decided it was a great setting for an afternoon picnic and headed over. Diego loved it! Papi took him down to the stream to see the ducks and he kept pointing at them and squealing. He loved seeing the little waterfalls and all of the motion of the trees, flowers, planes, etc.
Once he is walking, these kinds of outings will be totally different since it will be impossible to contain him in the stroller or our arms!

Diego has now learned how to "ROAR" at his dinosaur puppet


Can you see that mischievous glint in his eye?

Still lovin' bathtime!

It's Springtime in Atlanta!

New leaves are appearing on the trees and the flowers are in bloom! Springtime is such a wonderful time of the year when we are reminded of new life and the beauty of this earth. It is energizing to look outside and to see nature in its full splendor – surrounding us with true wonder. Here are a few pictures from today when we were enjoying the first blooms of the season. Diego loves it just as much as Ricardo and I.

What happened when I turned by back...?

...A monkey crawled into the dishwasher! I literally turned my back to get something out of the fridge and when I looked back, there he was, in the dishwasher!! I let him play with it when it is empty and clean and he loves it, but now he needs to be closely watched. As you can see, he thought it was the greatest thing ever!

Here are a couple of pictures of a hike we took last weekend:

We're back!

We’re home from California and had a fabulous time. We were in San Francisco for 4 nights and Palm Springs for 3 nights. Diego did really well with all of the plane rides and was the star of every flight. He kept me quite busy, but I was relieved that he wasn’t too much of a wiggle worm.
He had never met Auntie Asawari and Uncle Ashu so it was a really special time at their home. He LOVED playing with them and of course, they were CRAZY about him. Diego was proud of all of his tricks and was quick to show them off! Thank you to you both for such a wonderful time!
We also had the special treat of seeing Auntie Paige and Uncle Scott in San Francisco! Diego loves spending time with them and they were extremely happy to see their little guy. We can’t wait to spend more time with you in July!
We had a really special time in Palm Springs also and once again, Brownie and Ray were so excited to be with Diego. He loved exploring their condo and pushing the exercise ball up and down the living room. Brownie took us to the “living desert” which was like a zoo in the desert and we saw giraffes, zebras, wild dogs, birds, and much more and Diego barked at all of the animals – it was really cute. Thank you Brownie and Ray for an unforgettable time!
Papi missed us very much and was really excited for us to come home. He noticed a bit of a change in Diego, but not too much. Diego was really excited to see Papi and wanted to play with him for the remainder of the afternoon. He showed off all the news toys that Tia Asawari bought for him. There is one particular piece of a train set that he pushes around the entire apartment – it is his preferred mode of transportation now.
We are fortunate that Diego is such a superstar baby and that we can do all of these fun things with him. I wouldn’t consider taking such a long trip by myself if he wasn’t so easy-going. Of course he has his moments and throws little fits, but he is a happy guy most of the time. He is learning to say “No” so when I say it to him he looks up at me and says “Na, Na.”
We had a great trip, but it is so nice to be home and together as a family again!


Enjoying some tunes on the way to California

Auntie Asawari and Uncle Ashu


This is the little train that I push everywhere


Uncle Scott testing my balance



With Brownie and Ray

Bon Voyage!

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Talkin' on the phone

Oh, I was doing so well...but then had to eat it!

You won't hear from us for a few days because Diego and I are headed to California tomorrow! We are visiting my dear friend, Asawari in San Francisco and my godmother, Brownie in Palm Springs. The unfortunate part is that Ricardo won't be able to join us, but he is excited that we're able to take the trip. Diego being the lil' explorer and busy bee that he is, I'm hoping the flight over will be ok.
Here is a video for your viewing pleasure. Diego is asking for a strawberry in sign language. He uses the sign for "more" when he wants to eat and then of course, when he wants more of whatever he is eating. I love how he flips back through the pages looking for the strawberry. Right after I took the video, I jumped up and brought him a strawberry and he was thrilled!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3823305163728334899

Happy Monday!

Here I am standing up on my own! If I have a toy in my hand, I can last for longer, otherwise I squat down pretty quickly. And there I am with my buddies, Mara Kate and Micah. They came over for a play date today and we had lots of fun. Mara Kate and I wore lil' Micah out and he fell asleep in the swing. They are both such cuties!

What about Mami and Papi?

We went on a date for Valentine’s, which was a blast. In past years we have usually stayed home to cook a special dinner, but in the past year we haven’t had many chances to get out on our own (except for when Grammie and Mima visit – they always gladly volunteer to babysit!). So we had Wendy come over to babysit Diego and we headed out for a night on the town. We went to a place called Loca Luna. It's a cool tapas place, with an outdoor feel, and they were playing live bossa nova. We had lots of fun and even danced a little. Diego did great with Wendy and even went to bed before 7:00pm because he was so tired.
We’re excited that today is Friday! Not for any particular reason, but just to know that the weekend is here! We have a tradition for Friday nights that we’ve been doing for a few months, when we can. Ricardo makes an amazing tomato sauce for pasta so we have pasta and play cards. My mom taught us a game called Hand and Foot and we’re hooked! It’s a great way for Ricardo to unwind from his busy weeks at work – cooking helps him to get his mind off of things, but he never gets a chance to do it. And of course I love the treat!