Sunday, June 28, 2015

One Year Ago

One of my favorite features of Facebook recently is the memories notification where it tells you what happened on this day one year or two years or three years ago. It's been fun to relive some special days through the photos I've posted or just remembering the way the girls were a couple of years back. So I was happy to see the post this weekend of our trip to Spain last summer in preparation for Amaia's wedding. It was really very lucky that everything worked out for all of us to be there considering Nacho was in the middle of trying to switch jobs and we had to take Elisa out of school her last week. But we made it. And the wedding day itself was a marathon of fun starting at Kiki's apartment as we all got ready, through the ceremony at the Plaza Mayor in central Madrid and the lush and beautiful reception at an old estate in the suburbs. I suppose I was just too busy last summer to make sense of posting some photos here. So I'm going to make this a memory post and share a few of the highlights from that day one year ago...
Happy anniversary to Amaia and Jesus! And good news that they are expecting a new arrival in September. So maybe we can make a trip over before the year is out to meet the latest member of the family. I sure hope so. 

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Last Days


This week marked our last week of school: Elisa was out today with a half day and Carolina finishes Friday with a party in the afternoon to collect her yearbook and special award. Yes, it seems every group or school has a celebration lately to mark the passage of another year. And so we are ping ponging around--first to the ice cream party in Elisa's classroom the day before the last day. And then to the Out of School BBQ at Sunnyside Gardens Park on Friday night. It's a busy time! But mostly I'm just glad that they are in good spirits and finishing the year on a high note. Carolina is finally getting excited about being an Eagle next year after her initial trepidation. And I think the extra support Elisa's been getting at school with her reading is helping a lot. Her end of year progress report this year was much much better than the shock of finding out too late last year that she wasn't really reaching her potential. So here we are. Another year down. I can barely believe that she'll be entering 2nd grade in the fall. And I'll have another girl entering UPK from 8:15am to 2:30pm every. single. day. WHAT? Hallelujah. I'm so excited about that for both Carolina and myself. I know she is going to love it and I am too. So there's a sense of excitement and anticipation about returning in the fall already. But first to enjoy a bit of summer. Oh yes, I'm really ready for that too. 

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

June Wrap Up

So far June hasn't really been a hot and sweaty month. There have been lots of cool days with plenty of misty rain. But the thunderstorms and sticky nights have mostly stayed at bay. And thank goodness. It's so energy zapping to have that kind of heat early in the summer. But no, we've managed to have a few good Friday night bbq gatherings as well as some park time during the week to let the girls run around. With Nacho in training through the month of August, we also are taking advantage of his time at home as much as possible. He's just returned after a week away and the relief is palpable. So much easier having two hands on deck and knowing that I can work or do whatever I need without worrying about childcare or how I will juggle it all. June has also been a busier month for me with photo shoots than I anticipated. There have been a few family shoots, some birthday party photography and a school fundraiser at AMB that I've really enjoyed being part of. It's not left a lot of time for my own personal photo projects, but then I have all summer to catch up hopefully. And really when you have a good dry day who wants to sit inside at a computer anyway? 
This was Elisa's restaurant project from school. She was so excited to show it to me. Then she told me that was the waiter who was "bored of his job." Oh my.
Last weekend we kicked things off with the end of year AOC school potluck at St. Michael's playground. Elisa was delighted to see so many of her friends and Carolina enjoyed running wild in the misty morning too. Unfortunately, Skylar fell from the monkey bars and broke her wrist, making it a very memorable event for all the wrong reasons. Afterwards, we came home to chill out and rest on a lazy Saturday. I did laundry and not much else in preparation for a busy Sunday. The Father's Day morning started off with a trip to the movies to see Inside Out with Birdie and the Lefer family. Elisa had been on her best behavior for a week so she could go and see it. And I have to say, she really pulled herself together for the most part. Carolina also wanted to get in on the movie action as well, and both girls adopted personas from the film--Carolina was Joy, while Elisa took Disgust--which were perfectly fitting. Lunch at Pizzeria Uno nearby followed and we finished the day with a surprise toy purchase and a little SGP time that evening. So yeah, summer is almost here and we are more than ready. Today's warmer, muggier temps is probably the best sign yet that it's time for a break from school. So we'll hopefully survive this summer by hanging at the park and at home in the A/C and I'm trying to plan a few little trips as well. So we'll see how it all shakes out. Summer 4 Eva!