¡Alejandro!

Good stylists are hard to come by. So what?

2009-11-01T06:30:00.003-06:00

Weather, budget, and gender worked against us, but Pink rocked it out on Halloween!

Thirty days HAD September and only a single post to show for it?

2009-09-29T20:29:00.011-06:00

We haven't been very good about updating the blog this month, that's true. But it was a beautiful September just the same. Here's a glimpse of some of the fun that we managed to capture on camera.

We are now proud members of the Morton Arboretum. Our timing was perfect. If September was any indication, it's going to be a gorgeous autumn.

More trips to the zoo!

Alejandro is taking soccer! He's speedy and enthusiastic...and more or less incapable of staying focused. But he sure looks adorable in that uniform.

We went back to Millennium Park with Libby and Emma to enjoy a perfect day of fun in the sun.

We went down to the 57th Street Children's Book Fair. If you get a chance to go, go! The parade, that passes in the blink of an eye, is crazy charming and perfectly accessible for little kids.

Mooma came down for a lovely visit including a long-overdue family dinner.

We celebrated the marriage of cousin Cathy and Paul who tied the knot and rocked the house! Congratulations!! (Special thanks to Julia for tirelessly--and I mean tirelessly-- entertaining Alejandro.)

While many of our friends set off for school, we've been goofing off a lot.

And we've been learning a lot about rhyming, our bodies (he's obsessed with blood, lungs, and bones!), and knock-knock jokes. Knock-knock jokes never get old. N-E-V-E-R! Here's a pretty standard example of what we hear a couple dozen times a day.

Hurry back!

2009-09-03T08:07:00.006-06:00

Watching Alejandro play with Sydney and Carter, his friends from Michigan, makes my heart sing. I've known Nikki and Bruce since college--more years than I care to count! We've witnessed a lot of each other's lives and now we're watching our kids become friends. More specifically, we're watching Alejandro fall head over heels for Sydney. (You may have noticed a pattern here: Alejandro loves older women. Who am I kidding? He loves younger women, too. He pals around with the boys, but this budding Casanova...I mean, feminist(!!)...definitely values the girls.)

Wordsmith

2009-08-24T08:12:00.003-06:00

Alejandro invented a new word. We're a little fuzzy on its spelling, but phonetically it reads like this: egglunicious

Egglunicious. When you ask Alejandro what it means, he says, "It means when you're smiling and happy and have gummy letters." When I suggested that we write a poem about it, he grabbed the pen out of my hand and wrote E G L N C, then turned to me with concern and said, "There's an E in there somewhere." While I haven't figured out exactly where that other E goes, I'm still quite impressed. We'll let Webster handle the spelling.

Hope you're feeling very egglunicious today!

Busy Busy Busy

2009-08-23T15:00:00.013-06:00

Wow! We have had an incredibly busy last few weeks, traveling in Wisconsin and western Illinois, Kiddieland, lots of friends (a special shout out to Jordan in particular), cousins, a visit from one of Alejandro's best friends (Lily Wall), and a day out with Thomas the Tank Engine at the Illinois Railway museum.

Perhaps the most fun part has been Alejandro's emergence as a world class swimmer. His fearlessness really took us by surprise. He thinks nothing of jumping off the side of the pool--with or without floaties, with or without parents close by. Alejandro has spent much of the last month swimming, asking to swim, or talking about swimming.

So, I've had my last hurrah. I have had it pretty easy since last December and tomorrow I will be returning to a regular work week for the first time in eight months. It is going to be a difficult transition back to a normal routine for everyone. Did we make the most of the sabbatical or summer? We sure tried!

Lily W. (Alejandro always uses her last name) and Ale had a blast. For kids that only get together twice a year, they jumped in instantly and jumped, tackled, and tickled each other enough to make up for lost time. Neither of them slowed down during their two day visit. Taking photos of the non-stop action was nearly impossible, but this one captured the spirit nicely.

Alejandro and Thomas

No this is not the Pillsbury Doughboy in his Sunday finery, but Sir Tophamm Hatt, controler of the railroads on the Island of Sodor, home of Thomas & Friends.

Jordan did about 92 percent of the work in getting the cart around the track. Thank goodness or we would still be there.

Thanks for a great day.

So long Kiddieland

2009-08-13T14:56:00.011-06:00

When I was a kid the Chicago area was full of fantastic little amusement parks, Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom, Adventureland, Santa's Village, but the best was Kiddieland. They are all gone now except Kiddieland, and it will be closing it's doors next month after 80 years. I'm glad we got a chance to take Alejandro for a visit. It wasn't really for him though, I just wanted one more ride on the train and a chance to win a stuffed turtle. It's too bad he won't be able to take his kids some day as so many generations have before. I'm lucky that I got to discover that going back as a parent is the best part .

A picture for my Mom who always loved the Kiddieland Express

Mommies can have a great time at Kiddieland too!

Wisconsin... One more time!

2009-08-09T19:27:00.012-06:00

Where does the time go? We've been away from the blog for a while, as the summer is speeding past. Alejandro seems to be growing up a mile a minute as well. So close to reading, potty trained, and somehow getting cuter. We have had a nice quiet summer (after an exciting Winter and Spring) but after a while we were itching for a little trip up north. Alejandro had a great time at the farm as usual--thank you, Mooma!--and we took the long way home through western Wisconsin, Galena, and the Quad-Cities. Each little town you pass through has a little claim to fame.

Climbing a very high staircase in a very hilly Galena.

The incredible Dickeyville Grotto, perhaps the best naive art spot in Wisconsin. Google it for more info or better yet visit.

Cuba City Wisconsin, the city of presidents. Why? Because they have these president signs on the light posts on Main street

Alejandro taking full advantage, complete with ice cream dinner and jumping on the king-size bed.

Alejandro might not be old enough to appreciate it, but Whitey's has the best milkshake in America.

t

Can you dig it?*

2009-07-12T13:38:00.008-06:00

Today we broke in our new sandbox. (No, no, I don't mean broke in like that; Alejandro's potty training has been a fantastic success!) We've only played in it an hour and I've already made a list of Sandbox Rules. No throwing sand. No kicking sand. No carrying sand out of the designated area. No eating sand. And my personal favorite, and the hardest one for Alejandro: No destroying mommy's masterpieces! Compliance will take some time. I'm sure my next blog post will be another lament about sand in the sheets, but for now it's brilliant fun!

*(Uncle George: Can you dig it? Name that movie!)

Chugga Chugga!

2009-07-03T12:13:00.007-06:00

Make way for the Potty Train!

It's taken its sweet time, but it looks like we're approaching the station. We tried gummy bears, new trains, chocolate--lots and lots of incentives. What finally worked? Confetti! It's all about the celebratious around here! Woo-hoo!

I must be a great father

2009-06-22T06:31:00.006-06:00

What a great long weekend. One of the benefits of my job is having Fridays off in the summer. First up was Alejandro's friend Jordan's homecoming anniversary. Jordan's mom set up water toys all over the yard for the party, which Alejandro scrupulously avoided. Somehow, however, he was soaked by the end of it. Congratulations, Jordan and family! Saturday we went to nature event at a local park complete with frog petting and worm hunting, That night we went to an outdoor jazz concert at Elmhurst College with friends Libby and Emma. There was much ring-around-the-rosie playing and Libby spent much of the evening trying to tempt Alejandro into running off someplace. Ale did not want to stray too far though and eventually would try to drag her back. Many clovers were picked and presented as well. The music was great, the food was great, and the kids had a tremendous time.

The highlight of the weekend had to be Father's day. Many thanks to Alejandro, Joanna, Yiayia and Papou for a bunch of great gifts. The highlight of Father's day was a movie first. Joanna and my first trip to a drive-in movie and Alejandro's first movie of any kind. We saw Up. It was very sweet and funny. I challenge any adult not to sob a bit here and there especially at the beginning. We had our doubts when Alejandro fell asleep in the car on the way. The movie started late because it wasn't dark enough, but Alejandro woke up for the opening credits and had a blast after that. He spent much of time standing and watching the movie through the sunroof or crawling all over us. We weren't sure if Alejandro was ready for a movie but he really did love it. You could tell he was paying attention because he was always giving his own interpretation of events, especially scary moments. Drive-ins are great for little kids, you don't have to be quiet or sit still. It was a late night but Alejandro was fantastic. Thanks for a great day Alejandro (and mommy).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CELIA!

2009-06-19T09:48:00.001-06:00

Alejandro's Art Tour

2009-05-24T12:23:00.014-06:00

Alejandro went up to the farm last week for our yearly morel mushroom hunt and it turned into an impromptu art tour of southwest Wisconsin. Wisconsin is famous for quirky self-taught artists. Some of the art is for sale, still more is on display roadside. We had a great time driving around and checking it out.

First stop, Lulu's Art-O-Rama. Lulu is a Chicago lawyer who relocated to Wisconsin. She paints, sculpts, and is a biographer of our next artist Ellis Nelson

Next up Ellis Nelson an eighty-something year old retiree who decided to turn his love for metal work into art. His work has appeared at the Smithsonian.

Alejandro at the Wegner Gotto. Paul and Matilda Wegner built these fantastic concrete and broken glass sculptures when they retired.

Our last stop was the Prairie Moon Sculpture Garden, where Alejandro galloped on a triceratops. Herman Rusch created these sculptures over 25 years. Alejandro had a blast exploring. There are a bunch more of these sites across Wisconsin. Check them out.

Oh, and speaking of works of art, we found a bunch of delicious mushrooms and Alejandro absolutely loved them.

3

2009-05-03T04:38:00.004-06:00

In honor of Alejandro's birthday, i suggested that we take stock. I posed a few questions and here are his answers in their entirety, unedited, and delivered while standing on one leg, turning somersaults, or trying to stand in a box, with a basket on his head, on his art table. Yes, three is going to be interesting.

Q. How old are you?
A. Casi tres

Q. What's your favorite color?
A. Red and green

Q. Who is your best friend?
A. Yiayia

Q. What is your favorite animal?
A. So (His bear)

Q. What is your favorite book?
A. The Not-So-Shabby Sheepdog

Q. What is your favorite toy?
A. Trains

Q. What is your favorite food?
A. Chinese and fruit

Q. Do you have a favorite restaurant?
A. That place with the food and the apple. (Your guess is as good as ours.)

Q. What do you like?
A. I like trains and puzzles and bookses and intruments

Q. What don't you like?
A. Bookses at Libby's house. Llama, Llama, Red Pajama

Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. A tiger

Q. Who is the president?
A. Barack Obama (Already more culturally literate than most of our population!)

Q. Who is the vice president?
A. Three (Or not)

Q. What is the biggest issue facing your generation?
A. Garbage!

Q. What do you hope for?
A. Everybody gets sleep

Q. What do you want for your birthday?
A. Cupcakes!

At this point we had to intercede and take the basket away which didn't sit well with Alejandro. Interview over.

Happy birthday, littlest boy. You are my peach, you are my pomegranate.
xo

Never take me out me out the ballgame again!

2009-04-23T16:17:00.005-06:00

I guess Alejandro is a little too wise to be a Cubs fan. He was less than impressed with the whole scene at Wrigley. Too many people, and way too loud for this little one's sensitive ears. We knew that he was too young to enjoy a whole game, but it was a relatively nice day, the tickets were free (Thanks, Uncle George!), and we were willing to leave after a few innings. And we did. Alejandro did declare that he had a great time (upon leaving the field), but his face in these photos tells a very different story.

We got this halfhearted smile in exchange for leaving.

Maybe next year. Spoken like a true Cub's fan, I know.

A very fond farewell

2009-04-17T03:33:00.007-06:00

Tom, Alejandro, and I are sitting together in our hotel bed. Alejandro is cracking up at something on TV, Tom is laughing at Alejandro's laughing, and I'm trying to figure out how to say adios to this whole experience. We've got some serious time to kill before our evening flight, but I'll make this short.

We're grateful. I'm grateful to my husband for having the follow through to make this sabbatical happen. We're grateful that we've had a safe and happy series of trips. We're grateful that, for the time being, at least, Alejandro has some real memories of Guatemala. And Tom and I are beyond grateful to Alejandro for bringing such a gorgeous, complex culture into our lives.

And we're now very grateful to be coming home.

We've been busy since we left Antigua. We first headed up to Lake Atitlan for a couple lovely nights in a town called Santiago de Atitlan. Santiago is a special, spirited, even feisty, little town, home of a hard drinking, hard smoking patron saint, and after enduring a devastating hurricane and recent (1990!) massacre, somehow successfully drove the military out of their town. It is the only place in Guatemala where a military presence isn't allowed. Luckily for us, it's also a warm, friendly, beyond beautiful pueblo.

From there we moved into the Guatemalan highlands and visited Chichicastenango--a big word for a small town with the largest market in the Americas. There, despite knowing much better, we spent a lot of money on stuff we don't need. (Those Mayan women may look small, but they are relentless!) Oh well, when in Chichi...

I'll sign off and leave with you with some photos. The show is over and the boys are now dancing. I should join in while I have the chance.

Our cottage at La Posada de Santiago. It was incredibly beautiful and the food was such a great treat.

None of our photos did Lake Atitlan justice. Here's a cloudy shot of one of the three volcanoes surrounding the lake.

We went on hike through a nature reserve on the lake. Alejandro loved the suspension bridges...a lot more than I did!

We all loved the spider monkeys!

Three friends

Paying our respects to Saint Maximon. Never heard of him? You'd probably like him! He accepts offerings of booze, cigarettes, and spare change. It's all very serious and very campy. Can't imagine he's high on the list of Catholic hierarchy, but who knows....

Taking a little break in Panajachel

Women washing clothes in Lake Atitlan

Chichicastenango's town square the evening before the market

Market Day. Talk about not doing a place justice in a photo. Madness, I tell you!

He got the hat and the instrument...and we were rewarded with that face!!

Processing the processions

2009-04-12T08:17:00.011-06:00

Describing the week we've had is going to be a difficult. Tom and I can't even agree on how many processions we've witnessed, let alone where and when we witnessed them. The last few weeks have been a blur of colors, crowds, sights, and ceremonies. We agree, however, especially when we drop into bed at night, sore calves and deep yawns, that this leg of the trip has been simply spectacular.

It took us a while to really get the whole procession thing. A few weeks ago we accidentally stumbled upon one that had us packed in so tight, I had to let go of the balloon we had just bought Alejandro because there was absolutely no place for me to hold it. By Palm Sunday we figured it all out. We set out with our procession maps and managed to keep a couple blocks ahead of it so we can see the nearly-completed carpets without being caught by the throngs of people.

By Good Friday we were experts. We were out of the house well before 6am, hunting down the most prized carpets, finding perfect corners (where you can't get blocked in) from which to view the procession, and understood the exact way to use a stroller to block space, push through crowds, etc. But Friday evening, a little cocky, we tried to stay one step ahead, but in our haste we got caught in probably the biggest procession of the evening-thousands upon thousands of people. And then, like in a rundown in baseball, we made a wrong move and got caught in the same procession just around the corner. We were outsmarted...and tickled pink!

Last night, having heard the rumors that things quiet down on Saturday night (lies!), we decided to take a walk for ice-cream cones and ended up getting caught, not trapped, but truly caught by two different processions on our walk home. The processions are everywhere, and though they are slow, you see that thick cloud of smoke ahead of you and you know you aren't going anywhere quickly.

But they are beautiful and interesting and we've loved every minute of them. Alejandro, too. Talk about a good sport! He got into the chase. It's been so fun listening to him talk about the prosheshuns, complete with baby Jesus spottings and critique: "These floats are silly!" (Silly? It's a float of Jesus on the cross!)

So, we're leaving Antigua tomorrow. This time, I'm kind of sad to go. What a difference a couple years (and a final decree) make!

Happy Easter, all you non-orthodox people.

Families outside of La Merced making gorgeous palm crosses.

While you can't help but be awestruck by the more intricate sawdust carpets,

we really loved the "simpler" carpets just as well.

I beautiful little boy in the Good Friday procession.

A family finishing up their carpet. The smoke was just around the corner!

We ducked into La Merced church to take a little break and sneak a peek at their carpet. Alejandro took the opportunity to kneel and lay out a different sort of display.

Gerbera Daisy carpet (for you, Kerri)

I love this photo of these littlest float carriers.

A portion of one of the more intricate carpets.

Following (and often proceeding) each procession is a band of tuba and drum players. The loud banging got to Alejandro after a while.

Hotel Santo Domingo carpet on Palm Sunday.

And following the procession, after the tubas and the street cleaners, the vendors--a little boy's dream!

Semana Santa in Antigua- A primer

2009-04-11T08:21:00.010-06:00

Antigua is famous for its Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration. People come from around the world to watch or participate. The first thing you are likely to notice when you arrive is the smell of incense, it may be a lingering trace or you may have arrived in the middle of a procession and find yourself in a cloud so thick you literally cannot see 15 feet. The next thing you will notice is the crowds. Antigua is a major tourist destination, but even on the busiest day of tourist season you won't see anything like this. The streets crowded with people speaking dozens of languages, with vendors selling all manner of things from the cheapest junk (which we bought our share of) to some really nice textiles and jewelry.

For centuries Antigua was the center of Christianity in the new world. There are more than 20 churches in town dating from the 16th century. Earthquakes have damaged many of these, but you will find a beautiful church or ruin around every other corner. During Semana Santa, Antigua reclaims its preeminence.

The major events of Semana Santa are the processions. A procession is a parade of sorts. Each church organizes one (more like several over lent) and there may be as many as 10,000 people participating in one. On Good Friday there were four processions snaking through town, the first one beginning at 4:00 am and the last one concluding 24 hours later at 4:00 am.

Typically a procession will begin with a band of Roman soldiers coming ahead to clear the road. Then hundreds of men dressed in purple (the color of passion) line the road, and next, men and boys will arrive swinging their incensers. (Often times you will see a cloud of smoke inching down the road before you see anything else.) (Oh, and don't worry women participate too.) Next some small floats, often time carried or pushed on wheels, of religious figures or biblical sconces. Next is the main event, a huge float perhaps of Jesus caring the cross, or later in the week the body of Christ, is carried past. When I say huge what I mean is a float elaborately decorated weighing as much as 9000 pounds, being carried on the shoulders of 80 to a 100 men. The float almost looks like some massive animal walking down the street as it sways in the rhythm of 160 footsteps. The float is so heavy that it is carried only a block before a new set of bearers takes over. In one procession there were 67 changes of possession (for those doing the math that is 67 x 80 = 5360 bearers)(Another interesting detail is that each change of bearers has been carefully planned, each of the 5360 bearers has been measured and only people of the same height are grouped together.) Lastly comes a smaller float often carried by women of the Virgin Mary. There are also processions consisting entirely of women or children. People pay to carry the floats or walk the procession. This is a massive undertaking, organizationally speaking, so the funds pay for the parades. There’s also a smaller, but very pretty, “poor parade”, where any donation, no matter how meager, is enough to get you in.

Sounds pretty impressive, but that isn't even the best part. Lining the route of the procession are elaborate carpets, or alfombras. People living on the parade route or businesses or artists construct these gorgeous alfombras from mostly organic materials-colored saw dust, pine needles, seeds, fruits and vegetables, or anything they want really. Minutes later the procession arrives. Participants walk around the alfombra, except the main float. The alfombra are there so that the float representing Jesus has something beautiful to walk on. They are meant as an offering. After the floats, an often somber band of tuba and drum players follow. The last part of the procession is a cleaning crew, and the last traces of these beautiful alfombra are gone perhaps an hour after they were created.

The spirit around Antigua has been absolutely palpable. Holy week is a mixture of pride and reverence and you will never find a greater example of this then right here in Antigua. Enough talking here are some pictures of this incredible week, and truly words and pictures do not do it justice.

Stayed tuned for a post about Alejandro’s adventures during Semana Santa.

Adriana and Carla

2009-04-08T19:55:00.008-06:00

Semana Santa in Antigua is one of those rare experiences that actually exceeds expectations. We've been having a fantastic time keeping one step ahead of the daily processions, taking in and marveling at the whole grand spectacle. (Wait until you see these photos!) But, as with all spectacles, you need a little break from time to time, and our break came in the form of a lovely visit from two friends, Adriana and Carla. Adriana and Carla, as you may remember, not only set us up with a safe, happy place to live in Guatemala City, they translated, schlepped, entertained, advised, encouraged, and all-around took care of us while we were here. Long after agency and attorney bailed, Adriana was there to complete our paperwork and -literally- carry Alejandro through the rest of the process.

We had a wonderful visit. We ate lots of pancakes, tried some new restaurants, walked, drank, ate more pancakes, and relaxed away an afternoon in the tremendously charming and fantastic Valhalla Macadamia Nut Farm.

Alejandro absolutely adored these women--then, and now. And for very good reason.

Carla, Adriana, and a very happy little boy

Alejandro insisted that they hold hands everywhere. He's not the easiest boy to walk with. If you look closely you'll notice that his feet aren't (and seldom are) touching the ground.

Hanging with Carla

Adriana is most entertaining

Nuts!

Vahalla Experiemental Station

Waiting for our macadamia nut pancakes

Adios, amigas!

To Market, To Market

2009-04-01T09:41:00.005-06:00

El Mercado Municipal is the most exciting, most dynamic--even most beautiful-- spot in Antigua. It's the kind of place that makes me wish I were a photographer...and a woman who could carry things on her head.

Our loot

Big talent, meager gift

2009-03-28T21:02:00.003-06:00

xoxoxoxoxxo

Ninos con Bendicion, and wishing we knew how to make tildes

2009-03-27T10:22:00.011-06:00

We haven't been the greatest bloggers. We'll try to do better!

First a story: Alejandro and I walk to meet Tom after school every day. Minutes into today's walk, Alejandro asked me for something to drink. I asked him to wait, that soon we'd be going to lunch. Two-year-olds don't ask once, do they? He repeated his question a dozen times and each time I said, please wait. In the meantime, the stroller wheel fell off the sidewalk and the stroller jostled a bit. We both laughed, "Whoa!" and that was that. Then a couple minutes passed and Alejandro started wailing. I scooped him up and asked him what was wrong. The howling stopped immediately and he said, "You didn't see that the stroller hurt my head. I think a juice box will feel me make better."

Feel me make better! :)

He got his juice box. I know I shouldn't reward such terrible acting. You try and resist!

Yesterday we had the most charming time ever in San Antonia Aguas Calientes. We went to see the children of Ninos con Bendicion perform Mayan folk dances. We were an audience of three in the living room of the women who organizes the troupe. The kids perform to raise money to cover their school fees. They were absolutely adorable--earnest and giggly and so, so sweet. After the performance we were invited to dance, make tortillas (not as easy as it looks!), and chat with the kids. Alejandro had the time of his life. The kids took turns holding and hugging him. It wasn't easy dragging ourselves away.

The lighting wasn't right so most of our photos are, as Alejandro says, blurfy. It would take a lot more than poor lighting, a cheap camera, shaky hands, and moving subjects to ruin the images of the day. Enjoy!

The Planting Corn dance

I loved these outfits in particular

The magnificent Corn King

The kids take marimba lessons as well

Everyone dances

When Alejandro first saw this little girl he called her a princess. Take that, Ariel!

Lesvi making tortillas

Washing his hands and preparing to give it a try

That five-year-old's tortillas made ours look very silly

Guatemalan version of London Bridges

Falling down on Ale

Alejandro, Wendy, and Joey

The troupe and the kid

Spoken word

2009-03-16T21:49:00.011-06:00

It's nice being back in Guatemala. I can't really explain it and I'm too tired to even try (cobblestones are tiring!), but it feels great.

I think I'll let Alejandro do the talking tonight. Alejandro and I have been writing poems. I come up with a title and then he dictates. The first couple of poems consisted of rattled lists of trains. He wasn't even trying. :) But our little Kerouac has been honing his craft and I think he's getting quite good. Without further ado...

Antigua Again

Bumpy streets. Poem. Poem.
I'm sleeping in a big boy bed.
And kisses. I hope. A. B.
Guatemala.
Hop, hop, I like kisses.
I like stairs and So [So is the name of Alejandro's bear]
and letters.
Boo. Born here. Born here.
Fountains and showers and bathtubs.
How about C? D?
D for dominoes. DO-MIN-NOES.
We have officially letters. [Officially is one of Alejandro's new favorite words]
Maybe we have letters and....
and...
[holding up a child's inner tube]
and a big hole.

Just a few photos of a great afternoon. You can see our house in the background and the pool out front. Photos of the inner tube, too!

More of actual Antigua soon.
xo

A brief interlude

2009-03-13T13:16:00.007-06:00

We took a break from our travels (and our blog) to go home, kiss our family and friends, restock our crayons, check on our house, eat too much, host a baby shower, and dance the night away at cousin Julia's bat mitzvah. (Julia, you were amazing!) It's been fast and furious and a whole lot of fun! Thank you Yiayia and Papou for putting up with our mess and our mayhem!

We're off to Guatemala in the morning!

I'll bring you to speed in photos.

Beautiful Central Park in San Pedro Sula

Any guess as to why the electricity always goes out in Honduras?

Our place in Copan Ruinas. Gorgeous!

We played for hours on the Mayan calendar in the park.

Smile inspired by the first strawberries Alejandro found in nearly two months

Copan Ruinas

The magnificent staircase

Playing among ruins

Macaws everywhere!

Big head

Yes, that's Alejandro taking a much-deserved timeout on the acropolis of Copan Ruinas. Don't let that cute little miserable face fool you!

Ready for the Bat Mitzvah

Partying like a rock star with Uncle George and psychedelic lion

Roatan, it's sure been swell!

2009-02-22T16:10:00.010-06:00

It wasn't easy pulling ourselves away from the warm lapping waters of Roatan, but we're off again. La Ceiba last night, San Pedro Sula tonight, and tomorrow Copan Ruinas. If Alejandro doesn't stage a revolt (five beds in six nights!), it should be a great time. Here are few photos from the last couple of days.

Fosters restaurant (Alejandro says, Wrencheraunt), Roatan

Alejandro letting us know he's ready for the beach.

The gorgeous waters of West Bay, Roatan.

Sweet little place next door to our apartment.

Carlos, Alejandro's new best friend who had him running and laughing the whole ferry ride.

Ale negotiating the planks on the dock of the bay.

Casa Calico, our apartment.

Mother and son and random statue.

Alejandro drew a picture of me. He's a boy of many talents. He got my hair right. Too bad my legs aren't that long or thin.

Sweet kid! (Yes, Alejandro has snapped out of his bed mood.)

Friends, family, and iguanas...

2009-02-17T11:17:00.008-06:00

Petie, who wakes us up each morning.

Alice, who did nothing but bark and growl the whole morning. He loved her!

Yolani and Judi, the little girls who lived downstairs in Trujillo. They didn't understand a word he said (one spoke German, the other Spanish), but they fought over him daily.

Enjoying a perfect meal at The Lobster Pot.

Fearless in the face of the iguanas.

Too many iguanas!