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.

Holiday Cheer!

The DuBord Grandparents made the trek to Matamoros

this Christmas this year. Simone was really excited about the

Holiday season, so they witnessed the excitement

of tearing through wrapping and

pulling out toys.

It was also fun to show them around where we

live and introduce them to the Consulate

community too.

I have to believe that our 70 degree weather was

a welcome change from the Midewestern freeze this year!