A Morning to Remember

because our time here is wrapping up, i feel myself trying to soak everything in. i am almost looking at everything with the same rose-colored lenses i did when i first came. guadalajara is truly a beautiful city with beauty in everyday things. the flora is particularly beautiful, the tree pictured below reminds me of the trees that come in a legos kit, driveways are decorated with intricate tile-work at every other home. while we are looking forward to being back in the united states, here are photos from yesterday morning of things and moments that we will miss.

             

Night Owl

about once every two months, it takes is an hour or more to fall asleep. i love to listen to him jabber and shuffle around in his bed. i wonder what he is thinking about and how he entertains himself during these nights. last night was one of these nights. after about an hour of listening i couldn’t resist any longer, i opened the door and was greeted with a huge smile and a 'mommy!', so he was pulled from his crib and we cuddled up in bed. he loves to watch home videos so at about 10 o’clock last night, that’s what we were doing.  watching his face while he watches himself in the videos might be the sweetest thing I have ever seen- but I find I say that he is doing the sweetest thing I have ever seen about once a day so…

want to see what we were watching?

after about 45 minutes of videos, cuddling, kisses, songs and laughing, he was back in bed and asleep within 5 minutes. amazing.

A Great Weekend

the weekend started out great with the get-together at kristi's and only got better as the weekend passed. is took 3.5 hour naps all weekend! saturday we watched eric play in a volleyball tournament and went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, la pasteria. why is it our favorite? because you can get all of the food in the picture below for less than $20 and it is delicious with a great ambiance.  i would eat there every night if my pride would let me, but i swear everytime we go i can hear them groaning to themselves, "oh, here comes that demanding american girl with the baby who throws his utensils on the floor at every chance." so because of that, we only go about once a week. and sunday we finished the tournament and ended the day cuddled in bed with popcorn and a couple of episodes of breaking bad.  i hope our remaining 5 (5!) weekends here in GDL will be this great. 

          

A Perfect Friday Evening

as a mom with a husband in medical school, i don't very often get the chance to enjoy the company of girlfriends without keeping one eye on the babe. so last night was a fun and relaxing change, just 4 grown-ups enjoyed a nice respite from the heat on the shady back patio of my friend kristi's house with cold fruity drinks and appetizing appetizers. it sure is nice to interact and converse with intelligent women after days and days of alphabet songs and stacking blocks. it was a beautiful evening, looking forward to our next get-together.

          

An Impromptu Shoot

last december my parents wanted a few pictures taken, and my sister, is and i ended up in a few of them.  these great images were taken by my talented husband just a half mile from their home.  beautiful scenery and people, inside and out.

           

           

see more of eric's work at ericoverton.com

Dinner is Served

tonight i made something for dinner that made eric say that it was the best meal he has ever had!  thrilling to hear that, you can imagine.  we had grilled salmon with a delicious mango avocado chutney, broiled asparagus, wild rice, and a salad. for years now, i have loved to cook, always feeling pretty competent for any new recipe.  but i will tell you what made me feel like a total loser in the kitchen- cutting a mango for the first time! how have i gone this many years in my life and never have cut a mango before?  it wasn't pretty, but it was sure worth it. you should give it a try:

1 mango cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 avocado cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 tomato cut up into 1/2 inch dice (when in season)

3 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon

1/2 small red onion, small dice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

          

My Lunch Date

the weather is warming up, and that means i want to spend less and less time in a hot kitchen.  'tis the season to eat out!! is and i went out for lunch today at the world's best taco shop down a few blocks.  i don't even know what it is called, but boy i wish they had one in every city we go to.  such a simple stack of ingredients, but they make it taste so good.  we will definitely miss this place when we are gone.