Boricua en la Lima

This weekend we went to london to visit jose's sister who's been living there for a few months now. It was the kids' first time so we tried to make it kid-friendly. Despite the cold and rainy weather on day 1 we did the hop on hop off bus and saw the london eye and walked around quite a bit. For dinner we had indian food which the kids tried for the first time. On day 2 we went to the aquarium and the m&m store (massive!). And then saw wizard of oz which the kids loved (but I think I loved more). On the last day we went to bedford, the town where paloma has been living in. Overall great trip - fun, family and food. :) Now no more airplanes until Lima in December!

On Friday Gabi turned 6 and we went to her school with some cupcakes to celebrate with her friends. I'm glad we did that because her party wasn't as well attended as we would've liked, largely because there are school vacations all this week (which I didn't realize at the time I set the date of the party) and everybody pretty much checked out of town early.  Once enough kids showed up at the party she had a blast though! And I think Sebas probably enjoyed himself more than anyone.  We had a Scooby Doo theme so Gabi was dressed as Daphne (sans the wig because it was too itchy) and Sebas was dressed as Scooby Doo.  He held on to the hat for as long as possible after a while he was just too sweaty to keep it on! Here are the two of them dancing with our neighbor Lola while playing something similar to musical chairs. And here is Sebas thinking very strategically about his musical "rings" game -- he was staying pretty close to the rings so that when the musi...

I guess it was too long without traveling because lo and behold Jose got ants in the pants and took us all to Strasbourg for the weekend.  Strasbourg is considered to be located in the very center of Europe and this is a primary reason why it's the seat of the European Parliament.  We took a little boat tour on Saturday morning (which was a little cold but still very pretty). We did some walking around all the streets and found a beautiful Christmas market , so cute we had to go back again while Sebas was napping.  And because Jose was back with Sebas at the hotel we got lost for like an hour trying to get back to the hotel. Maybe Ivette 2.0 comes with GPS as Jose likes to say...

In honor of my friend Ida's 40th birthday I re-did the lyrics of Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory to be "Edge of Forty". I don't think she appreciated the old jokes in there but I think I was projecting myself just a tiny bit. Anyway, hope you get a kick out of them! We sang them during the party and gave out the lyrics for people to sing along with us. "Edge of Forty" There is a reason you and me just feel so old tonight yeah baby tonight yeah baby. I know the reason you and I should get so drunk tonight. We need a girl that tells us what we're doing wrong tonight yeah baby tonight yeah baby. Give her some spirits so she'll grab the microphone tonight. It's hard to feel the rush, to see the big 4-0. I'm gonna run right to get some clairol too so we can both turn back the time. I'm on the edge of 40. And I'm sagging like a day old balloon. Out on the edge of 40. And my eyes look like they're on a raccoon. I'm ...

Jose left for Cincinnati yesterday for a week of work meetings. If all goes well I will meet him in Miami on Friday for Ida's 40th birthday party. Only good thing about Jose being gone is that I get to watch chick flicks I've had stored in my DVR for eons and eons. Oh and that he's buying a bunch of stuff in Cincinnati to bring back for the kids -- clothes, toys, medicines, etc. But other than that we definitely miss having him around and the kids miss him (and they behave quite erratically as a result!). They are making me sleep with them (or rather they are sleeping in my bed) and I'm squished in the middle between the two of them. But it feels soooo good to have a kid reach out in the middle of the night to touch your face to make sure you're there. That and being able to smell them have to be some of the best feelings in the world. But I'm already exhausted after ONE day of Jose being gone and looking forward to the Friday plane ride where hopefully ...

If my count is correct this is the first weekend at home in about 10 weeks. We were able to do grocery shopping, get school supplies for kids they were still missing, go to the movies, and catch up on laundry. Phew. Jose complained at times that he was bored and that we shouldn't go another weekend without traveling so he planned another two trips during the weekend! Go figure. Me? I was happy to actually be able to relax a little. Yes I think the kids were probably a bit restless especially because it was rainy and cold (looks like summer is officially over) so they weren't able to go outside much. But I am grateful for being able to take a breather to catch up and even go through the closet and take mental note of Fall clothes I had bought and didn't even remember I had! But of course next week the traveling starts again. Jose's going to Cincinnati for a week of work travel and if everything goes well we'll meet up in Miami the following weekend for a good ...

We spent a couple of nights in Lake Como in a wonderful little apartment that had enough space for everyone, and then some! As well as a great pool and jacuzzi for the kids. We ate Italian for breakfast, lunch and dinner and rented a boat to hang out on the lake, total peace! Then yesterday we drove to Monza for the F1 qualifier. It was a lot of fun and definitely something you need to say "been there done that", but it was so hot all day long today we decided to head home early so we could watch it from the comfort of our own couch. I guess the fact that our hotel room in Milan last night didn't have air conditioner and it was like 100 degrees didn't help either. Happily though I was able to see my friend Vicky from college, even if only for a little bit this morning during breakfast.

Another weekend, another trip (I swear we're almost done with all the traveling!). This weekend saw us taking a 2 hr. plane ride to Malaga, Spain and then driving 3 hrs. from Malaga to a beach town called Huelva , where we proceeded to eat ham and cheese for approximately 72 hours straight. We also enjoyed the pool, the beach, and great birthday surprise by the kids (live performance + cake). Good to have the day off on Monday too so we could recover from all the activity! We were super happy to see Jero + Elika plus their kids Ava and little Gabi who we hadn't been able to meet yet. Now back to work and back to the diet. :) Tomrorow my Mom arrives from Puerto Rico so the kids are really excited! They are loving school. In fact I always show up at school too early because they're hurrying me out the door in the morning they don't want to miss a single second.

We had hoped to travel to Venice on Thursday so that we could spend all day Friday and Saturday and then drive back all day Sunday. But Jose had a meeting scheduled at Friday at 5 pm so we had to leave at 6 pm. We drove like bats out of hell in the middle of some pretty nasty rainstorms so by the time we made it to our hotel in Venice it was 2 am. But we spent all of Saturday walking around, eating and shopping. Despite the crowds our gondola ride was peaceful and Piazza San Marco in the morning and in the evening without all the crowds is a beauty! On the way back from Venice on Sunday we stopped at Milan for lunch. I wish we would've had more time but it was still enough to remind me how much I love both Venice and Milan. Next up, Spain to meet up with Jero and Elika and I guess celebrate my birthday a little! I've been so crazy I can't even remember how old I'm going to be. Today my mother in law and sister in law are leaving after almost two months so I thin...

Another fun filled weekend traveling across Europe. This last weekend we spent time in Paris taking in the sights and then we hung out at the happiest place on Earth! :) Sebas says his favorite part was the Walt Disney Studios tram where there's a big fire and an earthquake, and Gabi of course probably only remembers princesses. :) She was pretty brave and went on a couple of "medium" roller coasters, and I overcame lots of fears and went on Space Mountain, Tower of Terror and a few other thrill rides!

We stayed at this incredible place on Saturday night after spending the day at Excenevex Plage . We had the "dungeon" which is that huge tower in the middle. Our room was like 3 stories tall, it had 3 balconies all around, and it was just one of the most spectacular experiences. We had dinner and breakfast there and hung out in the lakefront and jacuzzi. Gotta chalk that one up to another once in a lifetime experience we are lucky to have by living in Geneva. Next up: Paris and Disneyland Paris!

We had to cut our weekend short this weekend because Jose's neck was really bothering him, but we did enjoy one beautiful night and morning at La Clusaz in France . We had been here before for skiing, but it's truly beautiful in the summer with all the green in the mountains and all the houses full of flower boxes in front. We arrived Friday evening and had a great meal followed by a fun round of La skiing-inspired mini golf. Saturday morning we woke up and had enough time to take some of these pictures before heading back to the clinic to get Jose's neck checked out. Between P90X and carrying Sebas on his shoulders everywhere we go it was really taking a toll on him. But thankfully now with the medicine and hot/cold compresses on his neck he's been getting better and better. So yesterday we spent a little time at Fetes de Geneve as well, a really big festival here in the city. Sebas loved finding his famous Ferrari! :) I cut Sebas' bangs right after this...

Just got back from the most amazing vacation aboard the Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas! We sailed out of Stockholm, Sweden and visited Helsinki (Finland), St. Petersburg (Russia), Riga (Latvia), Gdansk (Poland) and Visby (Sweden). The weather wasn't always the nicest in the places we went to but the experience was once in a lifetime. The kids loved the kids area and spent tons of time there which gave us a break to enjoy ourselves reading, going to the casino, enjoying a quiet meal or having a few glasses of wine! We were all really sad to get off the boat. But we have yet another vacation to look forward to! Well not really a vacation but a weekend in Disney about 2 weeks from now. I'm sure the kids will love it even more than last time! Now to hit the gym to lose all the weight from the cruise.... Here are a few pics of the kids during the trip.

This weekend we had tickets for the Ziggy Marley and Alpha Blondy concernt in the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux . The Montreux Jazz Festival is apparently the biggest jazz festival in all of Europe. I was very jealous of my work girlfriend who say Ricky Martin and Ruben Blades last Wednesday. We took advantage of the weekend and spend two nights in Montreux - where one of my Mexican restaurant finds is located (I haven't been able to find many good Mexican resturants in Switzerland). With Jose's Mom and sister we did quite a bit of walking - to Chateau Chillon on the first day, to the chocolate and cheese factory tours on the second day, and then on Sunday the weather wasn't all that great so we came home early to enjoy the rain and sports on TV. :) Here are a couple of clips from the concerts on Friday night, I ended up missing the beginning of Tomorrow People from Ziggy Marley for the SECOND time in my life! The first time I was in Indianapolis when my sister w...

We just came back from what I believe is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. It was the perfect combination of wonderful people, beautiful views, a great beach for the kids, amazing food and great drinks. Definitely on top of my list of cool places to retire. We went back and forth every day from the hotel to either the beach or the center of town to go to restaurants and shopping, which helped at least partially offset the effects of all the food and drinks. :) And the kids thought it was so much fun to travel on bike all the time. This morning when we left the hotel Gabi says to me: "Mommy, I'm going to miss this hotel, and the bikes". I think that means I definitely have to take the bikes here out more often!

The school year is officially winding down which means a lot of end of school activities! I think we've had 3 birthday parties in a week's time and I'm pretty sure we have another double birthday party this week.  Last Friday was Gabi's ballet recital.  It was nothing like the ones in the US because here they do that with the slightly older kids.  But Gabi still was very excited about her performance and loved the flowers her baby brother gave her at the end of the show (last year I was a horrible mom and forgot to give her flowers).  Beyond the ballet recital we had tons of other stuff going on too; birthday parties, dinner at a new friend's house, beach on Sunday, etc.  Now the kids are very excited that after this weekend's trip to Barcelona when we come back Abuela Patty and Titi Paloma from Peru will be joining us for all the summer fun.   :)

While there are many "boulangeries" where you can have a nice croissant or pain au chocolat in Geneva, we were really looking for something more like American brunch for Father's Day. I did some research online and we ended up going to this place called O Calme in Carouge, which is near the center of the city. While I can't say the food was exactly as yummy as I would find it in Sunday brunch in the US, the brunchy vibe was definitely there (the Calm in the restaurant name is actually an acronym which means "Comme A La Maison" ("like at home")). We got pancakes for the kids, I got the full brunch (eggs, pancakes, oatmeal) plus coffee and Jose got this thing which was basically smoked salmon on top of pancakes. So we were happy with our find! Not a place to go every weekend, but definitely a cool place for special ocassions. And a huge plus was that our kids were not the loudest people in the place. :) After brunch we went bowling, then w...

Thanks to my Dad who shared this link with me. Lake Annecy was just voted as one of the top 12 most beautiful lakes in the world . We were actually there last Sunday! And I have to say while I haven't seen the other 11, I definitely have to agree that this Lake is a piece of work (just like my kids!).

Since this weekend was a long weekend in Switzerland Gabi had three days of vacation so we took a trip to the French Riviera.  The first two days were a bit of a washout, cold and rainy throughout.  But then on Friday afternoon the sun finally came out and boy what a difference the sun makes.  As a result I think the prettier places were the ones we were in when the sun was out (Monaco and St. Tropez over Cannes and Nice).  We ate like pigs, enjoyed the beaches as much as possible, tried to give Sebas the feeling that he was Fernando Alonso racing for Formula 1, and walked a TON.  We stayed at a hotel in Nice and from there drove to all these different places.  We also walked around Nice for dinner and stuff like that.  Last night dinner was at a Spanish tapas places were we had to stay way longer than anticipated because of a flash thunderstorm, but they had live music (and dessert!) so that was A OK with us.  :) Here is us when the sun finally...

Well, Memorial Day isn't celebrated in Switzerland.  Here the long weekend is NEXT weekend (something about Ascencion and who knows what else but hey I'll take it especially because it's longer than Memorial Day Weekend). In any case, we had our own unofficial kick off to summer by attempting the beaches around Geneva for the first time this year.  The weather was great and the kids had so much fun, mostly because this beach is so shallow they can walk around on their own for a really long time exploring the little "islands". Here is Gabi coming back from one of those little "islands". Next weekend we are going to the Cote D'Azur which kicks off our "crazy summer of traveling".  The husband has planned so much travel I don't know how we're going to fit it all in, but I won't complain!  We gotta take advantage of the fact that we're here for another year because we don't know what happens after the year whether we stay...