Annual Miniolimpiada

The kids school had their annual miniolimpiada(olympics) today. We had a really nice surprise when we got to the park this morning~Daddy was there!!! We didn't think he was going to make it because he couldn't miss anymore school.....leave it to him to surprise us;) Another surprise was Halle was picked from her class to carry the torch for the opening ceremony, not a real one of course it was paper;) I actually got all teary eyed watching her be a part of this special event! This will be her last year at this school and it makes me sad! So, her being asked to represent her class like this was a big deal. She was so cute with her big smile so proud carrying the torch with everybody clapping for her! I can't believe it's almost been 3 years since she started there. It just seems crazy that it's about to come to an end. My baby's growing up!



So they have 4 grades and each class prepares a little routine. Halle's class did their to the song Hey Mickey...but in espanol;) It was adorable.......for the past 2 weeks Halle's been going around the house singing...."Oh Mickey donde estas? donde estas? me gustas mas-Hey mickey...hey hey...hey mickey. They had to wear lime green shirts and had yellow pom poms....she only has one boy in her class, Luis....so you can guess who was Mickey?!


Costa's class wore red shirts and did theirs to You are my sunshine, the reggae/rap version. My little buddy......he was so cute. We hadn't heard anything about what his class was doing, such a boy....he even walked out to the opening ceremony with his hands in his pockets, Erik and I were cracking up......we knew the song his class was doing only because Halle told us:) But he did seem to know the routine, somewhat;) It's crazy how these teachers have so much patience with these kids to teach them these routines. They are wonderful.


After each class did their little routine, they had some relay races for the kids and parents. I participated in a water balloon one, it was fun and the kids got the biggest kick watching me!

* I tried to upload the videos of their routines, but I can't seem to figure it out, it just loads FOREVER so I need to have my husband help me figure it out!

Costa and his teacher Miss Lucky

Halle and Costa with Isees, an assistant teacher....Halle LOVES her and is always talking about her!

Oh, and we had gymnastics today and they gave out listones again~and, ugg I forgot my camera...bummer!.......Halle got another one for discipline....yeah! GO Hallers! But my poor little guy didn't get one! He was heart broken, it was the saddest thing ever for his mama to watch. All the kids that got them stood up in front of the class for the parents to see and take pictures and then went to sit back down. Costa looked around like, um where's mine? Why are they forgetting me? And then I saw him start to rub his face and eyes and I knew the tears were there, he was trying to hold back but they were coming.......:( And down pour... we had some BIG crocodile tears....so sad. I was trying to console him and be happy for Halle at the same time! It was so hard! Duh, don't they know they can't give one to one sibling and not the other? NO bueno! Soooo we'll try for next month!

Creative kids

Awhile back Halle came to me and said she wanted to make a wagon for her ponies out of a cardboard box we had that we were throwing out......Of course, I thought how creative? Sounds FUN! So I helped her find some ribbon and we made a handle for her to pull them around. Costa saw this and of course had to have one for his cars! Thankfully we happened to have another similar looking box and fixed him right up! They decided they wanted to decorate them with paint.....it was a cute little project.....thanks Hallers!

The finished wagons!

Afternoons with a princess

Lately I've been really trying to spend more one on one time with Halle while Costa's napping. I usually just want to relax on the couch and snuggle with her in the afternoons after school, but sometimes I feel like that's being lazy and my "guilty"~ not being a good mom feeling kicks in;) ...and it's always easy to get distracted by the computer! And trust me, Halle is getting to the age where she tells me "mom, you LOVE the computer"....uh oh.....She is usually in the mood to play something, and of course wants me to be her playmate. I know that Costa is going to eventually outgrow these naps so this special time that I have with her will come to an end.......So, with that being said I'm trying my best. I always have to remind myself that they're only little for a short time and she won't always want to play these games with me:) I need to embrace these times! She's so cute and usually changes from her school clothes into one of her princess dresses. Such a girly girl. Lately, we've been playing with her dollhouse that Aunt Lynz got her.....it's adorable. She bought her this wooden doll house 2 christmases ago with the whole calico critter set to go inside it, the only piece she doesn't have is the kitchen set.......the pieces are tiny. I mean these dolls have everything....itty bitty everything.....Halle loves to set it all up and play for hours with it. She also likes to play with her ponies and barbies, of course and always has a game plan thought out and tells me exactly what she wants the ponies to say......Auntie Nisa got them a wooden block set for Christmas so we've been playing with that lately as well. The other day we played the animal memory game and she kicked my butt pretty much every time.......little smarty pants;) I've really been enjoying our afternoons together....Love you Hallers!

The calico critter family

Every princess loves to paint her nails and toes!

Daddy's Jeep

The other day Erik didn't have to go to school early so he took the kids to school...in the jeep! They LOVE this thing! You should see their faces light up when we go for a ride in it....it's pretty priceless.

COLDPLAY

Erik and I went to the Coldplay concert a couple weeks ago here in Guadalajara....crazy concert! We went with Kacie, Chris, Adam, Marguerite and Jimmy. It was SO fun but kinda overwhelming. It was a sold out show so there were TONS of people there. I got a little bit clusterphobic towards the end...we even left a little early! We found out the next day it was only about 2 songs early, but I REALLY had to get out of there! It was such a scary, weird feeling! They do put on an amazing show, though. They played all the good songs, well at least all the ones we know!

I just want to say...Babe~Thank you for always taking the time for our marriage....to keep the fire alive;) You truly spoil me with all sorts of fun things....You're amazing, and I fall a little bit more in love with you everyday! And I LOVE you even more for telling me how much you love every moment of our adventure together, while we're holding each other at the Coldplay concert...SO romantic! It feels so good to hear you say it! A moment I will cherish in my heart for always! I honestly feel like the luckiest girl in the world;) This journey in Guadalajara has been amazing...we've been blessed in every way! Thank you for the chance, thank you for the journey. I LOVE you and our little family with all my heart! XOXO

Mazamitla in march

Last weekend was another holiday weekend! The kids and Erik had monday off from school so we decided to do a quick getaway to Mazamitla...just for one night this time! We invited our friends Steve, Kimberlie and Nathan, the same ones that went with us to Vallarta. We headed out of town saturday morning and got to Mazamitla around noon-ish. We found a super cute neighborhood called La Canada. It was a gated community with some pretty big cabins for rent! They were adorable! I love this town, it's the cutest mountain town ever.....such a great place for us to go to get out of the city!



The first cabin they gave us was really nice but there was a bridge with water underneath that you had to walk across to get to the front door...really cool but not so safe for the kiddos! Especially little Nathan! They were kind enough to switch us to a different one...which worked out better. Halle and Costa had a blast playing in the tree house and playing soccer in the grassy area. They are so funny with their imaginations and adventures they come up with!

Our first cabin...cute but muy peligroso!

The bridge~doesn't that look cool?

Halle and Costa playing in the tree house

We literally just relaxed and were really only there for about 24 hours. Once we got settled into the cabin headed into the little town to show Kim and Steve a little bit of Mazamitla. We stopped at a little restaurant and had a snack and an afternoon drink. The weather was SO perfect! The other two times we've been there it's been rainy season...so it was always super wet and cold. This time it was sunny and beautiful!



That night we bbq'd some arrachera and burgers....it was SO yummy! The kids played until it was time for them to go night night........we had a fire and sipped on some drinks while we talked the night away. The next morning we went out for a nice breakfast and then came back to the cabin and watched the kids play in the grass for awhile. It was SO relaxing! The sun was shining and it was a perfect day! We even ended up bbq'ing our leftover meat before we headed back to guadalajara! It's always nice to get out of the city, even if it's for only 24 hours;)

The cabin we ended up renting

Our cabin

The inside of our cabin

Cumpleanos filled weekend

Every year Erik's Uncle Bob and Auntie Gloria come to Guadalajara to visit the family that lives here. Well, and us too...at least we like to think;) It's been super fun for us to be part of the fun while we're living here! They come every March for two weeks and are here for Uncle Bob's birthday.......so it's a BIG fiesta. SO much fun! He does SO much for the family here, it's amazing......so, in return they literally treat him like a KING, and wait on him and and foot while he's here. This year we had Uncle Bob's birthday party on friday night and then we had Alejandra's Quincinieta on saturday night! Muchas fiestas:) Lot's of family, Mariachi's, tequila, and dancing! TRUE mexican parties! SO much fun for us! Uncle Bob also shares his birthday with David, Alfonso's youngest so the kids had tons of fun breaking a pinata as well. It's crazy how big of a deal the quincinieta is here for mexican families. Wow. It's like a wedding, minus the groom! So fancy! This was our third one we've been to since we've lived here. I LOVE them and would love for Halle to have one someday.....and trust me, she would LOVE to have one too~she's so cute. She tells me all the time now...."Mom, I want to be a quincinieta girl too!"...the other day we were at the carwash and she was looking through a Miss Quince magazine and was telling me the color of dress she wants....she liked the pink one;) Her and Costa were so in awe of it all and absolutely LOVED the dancing part! They wanted to be on the dance floor all night long! The birthday girl put on an amazing show for everybody....she took lessons and learned the tango and the waltz....and had her cousins and her brothers dance with her. Amazing......she was SO beautiful! It was a super fun CUMPLEANOS filled weekend!

Hallers loves her Uncle Bob:)

Erik and Alfonso

Me, Betsy, Lucy, Marianela, Nelly and Auntie Gloria

Todos ninas~ALL the girls with Auntie Gloria & Uncle Bob

And, ALL the boys;)

I LOVE this little girl, she is the cutest thing ever~her name is Gabey.....so precious:)

Uncle Bob and the other birthday boy, David

Costa trying to show off some dance moves;)

The birthday boy!

The second mariachi band that showed up to Uncle Bob's fiesta

These are pictures from the quincinieta~

This was the invitation~so gorgeous!!!

My babies.....all dressed up!

The beautiful ballroom

The center pieces!

absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

The birthday girl getting ready to make her grand entrance!

Halle and Lisette

FAMILY:)