Our Smiley Boy!

Auden has grown so much and is turning into a delightful little boy. He is moving around, constantly exploring everything around him. Although he loves to hang out with mom and dad, Simone is really his biggest source of entertainment. You can often hear them giggling with one another in the back seat of the car. Simone is also pushing Auden to keep up with her; he is often found climbing on things, halfway up the stairs or grabbing all of her favorite toys. He really enjoys being outside and around other kids. Another socialite.

Minnesota

We were able to schedule a much needed respite from the heat of Mexico in July to travel to Minnesota and visit with the DuBord side of the family.

Elise and Pepo were also able to travel at the same time, so they got to meet Auden for the first time.

Auden with Grandpa.

Simone at the lake

Simone really got a taste of life at the lake, tasting her first s'more,

catching her first fish,

bouncing to her heart's content,

and driving the pontoon (watch out lake dwellers)!

Austin City Limits

Ok, not really. But we did have a chance to visit Austin in June and absolutely loved it. We took in a local pool to beat the heat. Simone was a bit reluctant to jump right in. The water was a little cold and the natural pool bottom sported lots of seaweed and kelp, making it a bit slick to navigate.

Afterwards grabbed a bite to eat at a locally-grown organic restaurant. What's not to love!

Easter Eggs 2

Easter Egg Adventures

Simone had an Easter egg dying party with
her friends in Matamoros.

It culminated with an Easter egg hunt. It
was a little hard to figure out what to do
at first, but she got the hang of it pretty
quickly. Of course she was to wiggly
to open the eggs and see what was inside.

Hand in Hand

What could be better than walking
through the zoo with your buddy

when you end up at the peacock?

First Bites

Yum, rice cereal.

Just Because

Just because they are cute...

Fiesta Primavera

Simone's school had their Spring Performance, which has you
can see involved wearing a purple tutu. Her part consisted of a hopping dance. Some kids hopped, others stood and looked out at the audience, while others still wailed. Simone stood and watched the audience.

Top Chef

Simone received a new play stove for Christmas, plastic foods
from one set of grandparent, and the outfit seen here from the other set.
Occasionally, we are treated to tea, cookies and hot dogs--gourmet toddler meals.

Smiley Roller

A quick Auden update. He is now three-and-a-half

months old and starting to really interact with the world

and people around him. He has really begun to smile and

giggle, even at people he meets for the first time.

Auden is, so far, as outgoing as his

big sister was at this age.

His other big news is that he rolled over

from his stomach to his back for the fist time last week.

I think he rolled to get out of spending time on his tummy.

Simone used to roll over from her back to

her stomach in the middle of the night and scream

bloody murder because she hated being on her tummy.

Mexican Style

When Simone turned two, we started her in daycare in Mexico.
We really like the school that she is attending
and she gets quite a bit of attention
because she is the only blond kid in the building.

She was attending a daycare in the mornings
in Brownsville previously and we have been startled
by how different the two style of education are
even though the majority of the caregivers are Hispanic
on both sides of the border. For instance, when we
dropped Simone off for daycare in Brownsville, or in DC for that matter,
it was a free-for-all. Kids everywhere playing with toys, running,
and greeting their friends. However, the Mexican school is
total tranquility. As the kids come in they are instructed to
sit down on the mat and remain quiet until class starts.

It seems unnatural to us, but according to my Mexican coworkers,
they place a higher premium on discipline and we place a
higher premium on individual exploration
(this is my theory anyway).

So, why all of the picture of hair? Well, one of the common
threads through all three places is that they do her hair
while she is there. The Matamoros daycare takes the cake though
with very intricate braiding. Dad is generally the
one who does her hair in the morning and I have been trying
to rise to the occasion by putting in two floppy, uneven pigtails,
but this just seems to push the teachers to show me how pitiful
my attempts are by putting in even more plastic ties
(that cannot be taken out without a fight!)

How they get the little girls to sit still is a miracle.
This sentiment seems to be shared by both
Mexican and US parents alike.

Photoshop with Cathy

When Jon and Cathy came to visit us in November,

Cathy took some time to photograph Auden and Simone together.

Hope you enjoy them.

To see more of Cathy's photos, go to

http://cathywardphotography.blogspot.com/

Summer--I mean--January Fun!

My parents also got to see Simone turn 2 and,

of course, meet Auden for the first time.