Boricua en la Lima

It has been a whirlwind of a month! First Mom came to visit for about a month and that usually coincides with one of our kid´s birthdays (this time it was Sebas´ turn). So there was a lot of running around in the beginning of April to create the most magical of Star Wars birthday parties! Except if you´re a girl or a boy under the age of 6 and then you pretty much hated the party because Darth Vader and Darth Maul were the scariest things you had ever seen in your life. Then Mom left right after the birthday party and Dad came with his wife about 2 days later to spend Easter weekend with us. It was a great visit, we did a lot of touristy things that I don´t normally get to do with Mom.   We went to the Ballesta Isles in Paracas to see the wildlife, we went to pisco tours to learn about that whole process, and we went to do the sand buggies in the Ica dessert, something I had never done before which was really cool and highly recommended, except a little scary much like this...

Now it's time for me to write an Olympics post from behind a TV set instead of from a nosebleed seat from some Olympic venue in London.  It's my penultimate night in Switzerland and we've been reported for a noise complaint.  This embodies my experience in Switzerland.  Controlled madness.  I can be excited for Puerto Rico's performance in the Olympic games but not enough to bother the neighbors (oh and by the way a lady next door kept me up half the night bawling at 2:30 am two nights ago, super weird).  What propelled this noise complaint? (Normally I would be shocked but when it comes to my voice and decibels of course I am not).  I just happened to be for the first time in many many months jumping up and down in front of my TV rooting for Puerto Rico's own Javier Culson in the 400m men's hurdle.  He was one of a handful of Puerto Rican athletes in the 2012 Olympics and happened to be a favorite in this event at the Olympics all along and came in 3...

It started Thursday of last week.  My older girls' class was going on a picnic on Thursday and since we had just told the teachers we were leaving for Peru the teacher invited me to join.  I was super excited and doing my photographer job but then right before lunch I started feeling pretty crappy.  I thought it was the heat -- that was probably the hottest day of the year so far and spending it outside in a park was of course not helping.  Jose offered to come and get me but I felt that I had to stay with the kids' class.  By the end of that day I was exhausted but thought it was just the class trip - who wouldn't be after spending a whole day with 20 kids in the park?! By Friday I could barely move.  I actually went with the kids after school to the beach but was just lying there in the beach towel.  When we got home I officially declared "that's it, I can't get up from this couch".  Jose thought I should go to the ER on Friday night but I didn'...

Last week we finally made the decision that we are moving to Peru in August.  What could've been a sad thing for the kids was thankfully turned on its head by the fact that Peru is the place we're going to! Now they're super excited -- primarily about family of course but now they've also started thinking about decorating their new rooms (although we won't get a new apartment until probably December so we'll have to live with Jose's grandma until then) and being able to take soccer lessons, tennis lessons, dance lessons, swimming lessons, you name it lessons.  Finding schools has been a challenge though so we're still working on that which is really the most important thing at this point.  I was also an emotional wreck at the end of last week when we had to say goodbye to the kids' teachers, friends and parents after two wonderful school years at Ecolint . We will never forget their teachers and friends, such a wonderful group of people from all over...

Last weekend of full blown kids' activities (thank goodness!). This weekend was Gabi's ballet recital and while it's been a little tough on her this year not understanding too much French, I'm still really proud of how she did on her recital.  Only problem was the unbearable heat in the theatre (why won't Swiss people turn on their A/C's???) and having to sit through a whole 90 minutes of dances (two days in a row!) when Gabi's was the very first dance.  But at least after the recital on Sunday Gabi was able to go to a friend's birthday party (even though she missed saying goodbye to her ballet friends because we had to run for the door during an opportune moment!).  She also had to say goodbye to her best friend Alessia who left for Russia today.  I'm starting to get bummed out about all the goodbyes coming but I guess I'm glad the move is happening during the summer so that once school breaks it doesn't feel like you're ripping the band...

This is the month of never-ending school activities -- birthday parties to make up for the summer birthdays when the kids won't see each other, school plays, field trips and sports days (field days for those of you in the US).  And to top that off we're trying to take advantage of every single sunny day because it's been raining so much in Geneva we don't know if we can count on the weather staying nice!  I've therefore been working on perfecting my iMovie skills (I'm not doing so bad except it takes me forever to upload a movie to YouTube once I've created it and if I make a mistake like I did today it's "double the pleasure, double the fun".  Anyway, here are two videos, once for Gabi's sports day which was last week and one for Sebas' sports day which was today.

We started the weekend with really wonderful summer-like weather and sunshine and we went down to the lake for some paddle boat time. Unfortunately Saturday and Sunday were not quite as nice so we did what you do when the weather is crappy...eat!  For breakfast we had Mother's Day "brunch" at one my favorite breakfast places in Geneva.  Then we barbecued while it was sort of warmish and watched the first Venezuelan to win a Formula 1 race.  I guess if someone's gonna beat Fernando Alonso he might as well be Latin.  And the fact that I'm talking about this means I've been totally brainwashed by the husband and son.  :) Anyway, here are the little cards that the kids gave me for Mother's Day which were both so sweet.  Sebas' definitely reminds me that while we sometimes roll our eyes at kids being kids because they can drive us a little bit crazy, this time goes by so fast and before we know it they are all grown up. And since it was Mothe...

I'm currently on a mini getaway with the husband. I think the last time we did this was in 2006! Well in October we went to Miami by ourselves but it was really to hang out with friends so this is the first time in a really long time we've gone away just to be by ourselves. Sorely needed! We've gone only about 30 minutes away from home to spa in France and it's beautiful. The most we've done is eat (bad for the diet, good for the soul!) and read Hunger Games. I'm on book #2 and Jose's on book #3. It's unfortunately still too cold in Geneva to hang out outside but we're doing just fine with the pool, jacuzzi, food and our books. And my iPad of course. :) Here's a couple of shots from where we're staying. It's called Jiva Hill Hotel and it's pretty amazing. The first picture is a view from the pool and the second picture is a view from our hotel room -- straight out into the golf course. Of course no one is playing golf. You...

Yesterday we went to La Clusaz again for the last skiing of the season.  Since Sebas did so well with his first lesson and Gabi is doing so well overall we decided to only have Sebas take lessons and everyone else ski as a family. This was my first time skiing since Thanksgiving of 2010 because in Thanksgiving 2011 I got the flu on the days I was scheduled to go skiing. So as you can see in the video I'm basically back to basics and look way worse than my kids do!  Gotta love it when your kids pick up things so much faster than you do.  Ah well. This week is my last week at P&G and next week the kids are off for Spring Break so we're taking another once in a lifetime trip to Vienna/Prague/Budapest.

This weekend we took Sebas for his first skiing lesson.  We weren't quite sure what to expect but it seems that he absolutely loved it and did pretty well with it.  So much so that we're thinking about going next weekend.  Gotta take advantage of the snow as much as we can before we possibly get shipped back to America.  :)   Here's a little video clip of him during his first lesson.  After his lesson he was so hungry he ate a whole Snickers bar (which he'd never tried before) in like three bites. Anyway, since he did so well I promised that if we go next weekend I would ski too so that the four of us would actually ski.  Here's hoping I don't break anything!

Not much to report here except that this weekend in Geneva felt like Spring and we even saw the Swiss version of lady bugs start to crawl out of the ground on Saturday which is a clear sign of Spring so I hope for our sake the lady bugs are right because after having that taste of Spring I can't go back to Winter, especially the Winter we've had here in Geneva this year!  Taking advantage of the awesome weather (the SUN makes all the difference!) we went to our favorite Peruvian restaurant on Saturday where the kids could actually play outside. And on Sunday we went to the Museum and then to pizza with friends of ours who were celebrating their kid's 3rd birthday.  After that my always-prepared friend had brought loaves of bread to feed the ducks and swans so my kids squealed with delight at the birds eating their bread.  On Saturday we are traveling to Cincinnati to meet up with Jose who everyone has missed terribly.  I am also looking forward to getting cheap hairc...

Last week the kids were off school for their "mid term break" (seriously they have so many breaks I don't even know what's the purpose of each one) so we went to Barcelona to spend the long weekend and meet one of Sebas' heroes, Messi.  What can I say...amazing food, amazing weather, super relaxing time, and getting to see your kid's face jumping up and down when Barcelona made 5 goals (4 of those were Messi's)? Pure joy.  Now Jose's gone back to Cincinnati for a few more weeks which kinda sucks but the good part is we are going to visit him in Cincinnati for a week and then head to PR for a weekend wedding of one of his buddies from high school.  I don't know how to feel about the trip to Cincinnati part of me is really excited to see old friends and eat at our usual places the food that the kids have been missing so much (Friday's, Boston Market's Mac and Cheese) but another part of me feels like it's going to be sad to see everyone a...

This was a great weekend despite freezing temperatures!  First everyone is quickly recovering -- I'm probably the farthest one behind but at least I feel good enough to be useful. :)  Then Dad and Jose both arrived on Thursday and Friday afternoon we drove to Tignes for another round of skiing.  While I stayed with the kids most of the time (and most of the time indoors because it was soooo cold!) it was a very relaxing weekend and the boys got to enjoy their skiing.  Whereas in November there wasn't nearly enough snow now there's actually too much snow!  The good thing is all the runs are connected with snow so you can go everywhere around the mountain in skis (or sled if you're me and the kids).   Here's Jose and Dad starting their first run on the first day, basically leaving from right in front of our apartment and this tunnel took them to one of the lifts. On the way back on Sunday afternoon we stopped at Annecy for a late lunch and took some be...

After so much "fun and leisure" over vacations we hit reality with a thump.  Jose left for Cincinnati on Tuesday after we arrived on Sunday afternoon, where he'll be spending a lot of time over the first few months of the year (the fewer the better!).  I will be playing single mom, hauling kid after kid to the doctor because their bodies are in shock after three weeks of pleasant weather -- warm sunny beaches and still warmer people around them.  I am incredibly grateful for the help of our nanny who can stay with one kid at home while I rush the other one to the doctor.  I am also incredibly happy that on Thursday both Jose and my Dad are coming to spend a little time here.  I do enjoy my time alone once the kids have gone to sleep where I can actually watch some chick flick that's been sitting on my DVR for 6+ months.  But I'd rather have Jose here taking the control of the remote because it's either Formula 1 or FIFA or who knows what other sport on the ...

There's a well-known Genevois tradition every first Sunday in December called L'Escalade , which celebrates the defeat of a surprise attack to Geneva by France back in 1602.  Because Escalade means "climbing of the walls", there is a short race around the old town (which is all walls basically) every year.  I was excited to sign up Gabi for her very first race and she was excited that she would be running with some friends from school.  She did a 1K in the morning and then with zero training and just after having had lunch I did 5K in the afternoon.  It was a very fun activity that we had to miss last year because we were already on our way to Peru (can't complain about that!). Gabi was a little lazy about it (every time we saw her she was walking instead of running!) but with a little prodding from us she completed her first race. I think she was proud to be like her mommy who likes to run but I also have to remember she won't always like what I like. And tha...

That won't last long though... My sister is coming on Friday and I'm going with her and her husband and my nephew to Morocco for the weekend.  All I care about is that I heard my sister say it was going to be 80 degrees F one day.   Then for Thanksgiving weekend we are going to attempt skiing in Tignes, France again like we did last year although the snow forecast is not very encouraging.  I'm fine just staying at the base of the mountain eating fondue and drinking hot chocolate. Here are some pictures of the weekend with the kids modeling their H&M loot from last weekend... They are so excited that Titi Ge, Jakey and Uncle Tom are coming in just four days!!! (or maybe I am, or both).

I tell you, when we look back on our time in Geneva and count how many weekends we were actually at home in 2011 we'll probably come up with only half of the weekends in the year or so.  It makes it a little hard to keep up with grocery shopping which I can pretty much only do on Saturdays as well as Gabi's swimming lessons. But it has been well worth it.  To quote Green Day "for what it's worth, it was worth all the while".  This was an enjoyable weekend at home though! Gabi had a birthday party on Saturday and on Sunday we had front row tickets to the Dora Show!  Funny that here instead of Dora being mainly in English with a little Spanish it's mainly in French with a little bit of English.  It was a good French lesson for me since they speak more slowly than most people and they translated into English every once in a while.  :) Here is Sebas dancing up a storm at the Dora show... And here's a beautiful picture I took with the iPhone 4S (Instagram ...

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...

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 ...