Wednesday, December 31, 2008

It's OFFICIAL!

Good news: I got a promotion! On the day that I quit. Isn't life funny? Even better news: I submitted my resignation today, and I am officially now a stay-at-home mom! I guess you could also say that I've been promoted to full-time mommy, which is much more important than any contribution I could make as a project accountant.

What am I grateful for in 2008? My best friend, Andrés, for my beautiful life. He does so much to show the kids and me his love, and we're all so in love with him. Also, the birth of our beautiful Penélope and Noah's love for his little sis. He is so gentle and sweet with her!

My new year's resolution? To do something special with my kiddos every day, whether it's a nice walk through the neighborhood, a silly dance or a great game of hide-and-seek.

Many blessings in 2009!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Here are some Christmas (& other recent) pics of Noah & Penelope.


Plus, the lovely Belen. This is the daughter of my best friend, Adriana, and her husband Pablo. She looked so beautiful in her dress, hair bow and patent leather shoes! Of course the smile is the most beautiful part of all.


Penélope is very alert and aware of her surroundings. She will make eye contact with you from across the room. Today, she laughed so hard and long while I flew a butterfly toy over her face. Who knows why she thought it was so funny. Maybe she just thought it was delightful. Of course, we were all delighted at her laughter! I only wish the camcorder had been nearby.



Bubble time! Noah loves to catch them on his fingertips and keep them there for as long as possible before they pop. Bubbles are a way for us to have fun while I am making dinner or washing dishes. Very entertaining for all of us!



Relaxing with Daddy after a bath.


Friday, December 19, 2008

Can you believe

...that these two are only five weeks apart??? Cousin Alanna has some catching up to do!

Stuck on You

Noah discovered an old gift from his Nana inside one of his toy boxes today. A coloring book that had two full pages of stickers! Guess where the stickers ended up?

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

I have to share...

these family photos that were taken by my very talented friend, Laura Swinson (Studio Bloom Photography). She does beautiful work and my only regret is that I can't frame more of these photos (unfortunately, I don't have enough wall space at home so I'll just share them here!). I love candid photos, and below are some of my favorites. To see more of Laura's work, check out her site: www.studiobloomphoto.com

I just love Noah's face in this photo.





A kiss from big brother:


Thanks Laura!!!

As you can see from my previous post, Penny has grown. A lot. She is now laughing and smiling plenty. It's so cute how she shrugs her shoulders when she chuckles. If I can remember how to free up the memory on our camcorder by getting it all burned onto a disc, I'll actually try to record her laughter so that I'll never forget exactly what she looks and sounds like right now. I also need to record Noah singing the alphabet song. He is so proud of himself and sounds so stinkin' cute, especially with the "L-M-N-O-P" part! I love it!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Bah, Humbug!

This was about the 50th shot in a series of photos Andrés & I took the other night, trying to get the perfect photo for our Christmas cards. We wanted Christmas cheer, they gave us Scrooge. Oh, well. We'll try again next year!


My first Blog. Ever.

So about a century after blogs came to exist, I finally get it. Since it took me so long to even learn what a blog is, I never thought I, myself, would become a blogger. But I figure when my children are adults and my memory is on the downhill slope, these are the years that I will most want to remember. Hence, "Life With Noah & Penélope" has begun. My goal is to chronicle all of the adorable, funny and unbelievable things my kiddos do as they grow, and the lessons I learn along the way. And, of course, to keep family and friends updated with photos (and maybe even videos if I become very ambitious)!

I attended yoga class this past Monday. The instructor talked about how the poses are all about finding balance. Some days you balance with ease, and other days you have a harder time. And that is perfectly normal and okay. Her statement really spoke to me as I thought about parenthood and the juggling act that it is. Balance between the attention given to each child, housework, and the guilt that I feel when I fail to balance my time and attention appropriately (meaning less Blues Clues and more engaging activities with Mommy). Balance. Some days I have it, some days I don't. And that is perfectly normal and okay.