Snowy Christmas...well, really a snowy Papa's birthday!

Snow fight anyone????

What a wonderful way to wake up the day after Christmas.

Mica is not sure what to think...she just keeps saying, "Niiieeevvveee!"

A tree branch on the walking paths behind the house, heavy with snow.

Christmas Dinner

Chrsitmas Dinner 2010 with family and friends. Miguel and I bought new place settings and napkins for the occasion (we only had 3 matching plates before!). We even had to use a kiddie table.

We prepared the prime rib (which will be in our Christmas plans yearly now...yum!), ham, and salad. We thank our guests for all the other side dishes; they were delicious.

Micaela in her Christmas best, a gift from Rebecca :-)

Not to worry, that is just a little play dough in her hands.

Micaela and Lito are playing a game of "Frio" with ice cubes. It kept her occupied for quite a while :-)

The Big 3 - 0

I hope the 30's will be as great as the 20's :-)

Christmas 2010

We stayed home for Christmas this year. It was really fun having the kids wake up and run down the stairs to their Christmas presents :-) They both made a killing! Above you see Mateo decked out in his new PJs from his Aunt Korah and Uncle Nate.

Papa and Nannie got him a cape to go with his superhero gear (and Tio Matias came through with the action figure too). Halloween costume for next year????

Micaela loving the shoes she got from Tia Korah and Tio Nate :-)

In the video above, Mateo is opening the first present of the morning. It is from Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Kieth...as you can tell it is something he has been wanting. He has been playing with it ever since!

Fall is my favorite time of year!

Who knew raking the leaves could be so much fun?!

So Proud of Mateo!

Mateo was honored as spotlight student of the month by his teacher for displaying respectful behavior with teachers and classmates! We are so proud of him :-) He was just beaming when he received his certificate. What made it even better was that two former UNC and USA women's soccer players and gold medalists came to talk to the students about respect in sports! They let the kids look at all the medals and we just had to ask if Mateo could take a picture with them. They actually let him wear one of the Olympic gold medals! At one point, Mateo raised his hand and said, "I go to Carolina soccer games and they win." To this our special guest speakers said, "Go Tar Heels!"

Tio Matias

Tio Matias came by for a short visit (only a couple of hours). His niece and nephew didn't waste anytime roping them into playing with them. Good work on the Tio duties Matias :-)

Josh, Jenny, and Jeremy come to visit!!!

We loved our visit from our great friends from San Diego: Jeremy, Jenny, and Josh. Here was are at The Pit for some traditional North Carolina BBQ, the kids had to take a look at the nearby train after we finished lunch.

We love the Outer Banks and try to go there at least once/year. The kids had a blast playing in the sand and the water was even still warm enough that the parents were able to body surf. I think we will have to make the OB an annual September trip.

I don't know why, but I just love this little picture of Micaela at the North Carolina Aquarium in Manteo.

It isn't a trip to the Outer Banks if you don't see a lighthouse.

We loved seeing Thomas again this year in Spencer, NC. Mateo was so sad when it was time to leave.

We can't wait to plan our next trip with Jenny, Jeremy, and Josh. We miss them already!

Mateo starts Preschool!!!

Mateo started preschool this year. He is in a Dual Language preschool program. It has been quite and adjustment for him, but he is doing better each day. He even has a friend there that used to go to his Talentos daycare. We are so proud of him. These are a few pictures that his teacher shared with us from his first few weeks.

The Talentos Reunion

Doesn't Micaela's face here say it all, "help me!". Our house as the location for a day care reunion/play date today and she was seriously outnumbered by 3 and 4 year olds! Mateo and all the kids had a blast. Mateo had 4 friends over (2 who left the day care at the beginning of the summer).

Lunch Time!

As you can see, they all picked up right where they left off and didn't miss a beat :-)

By the end, Micaela discovered that the best place for her to hang out was with the parents!

Just a small view of the aftermath! Who knew what 6 kids can do to a house in a few hours?

Mateo's new pool skill

Mateo has found something else he likes to do at the pool. He jumps off the diving board!

Home-made Icecream

Mateo and Micaela played "Shut the Box" a colonial game that we brought back with us from Williamsburg after dinner. (OK...so they don't really know the rules, but rolling the dice is awfully fun!!)

Time for Dessert!!!!!

The best dessert maker, Abuelita, preparing the ice cream with the kids.

Micaela...are you going to eat the bowl too????

Abuelita and Abuelito made the trip to town just for the weekend and brought a treat for the kids...delicious home-made ice cream that everyone LOVED (I think Miguel and I ate at least a TON).