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Christmas time is always pretty hectic, and definitely not one of my favorite time of year. Call me Grinch, but I really don’t care for holiday music much, and hate all the stress associate with it, the rushing, the crowds, the 4 months holiday decorations in the stores…having a little boy at home, though, definitely made it better. This year however, it has been a very stressful time, because we had to deal with lots of house issues, challenges and financial hurdles all the way till the end (we signed mortgage docs on the 22nd, and everything was finalized on the 30th).

To make things more fun, it rained the whole week before Christmas. This year, which was supposed to be a very dry, la niña year, has been one of the wettest year in history. It even rained three days in a row, non stop. So, all the fun Christmas activities I planned to do with Keegan had to be postponed. No matter, we were still able to have a fun Christmas time.

The season actually started early, right after his birthday party. The next day, to be exact. One of his buddies from school, Van, was hosting a fund-raising party at his house. And what a party it was: there was real snow in the front lawn, lots of wonderful raffle prizes (and guess, what, I did not win any of them. Surprise, surprise), craft stations, cookie decorating stations, lots of food and music, and even Santa Claus, sitting in a pool house. Keegan loved the snow: even if he was a little perplexed at first, he soon joined  in a snow ball fight: the kids against the inflatable penguins.

The weather was beautiful and warm, so we just played in the sun. We ate lots of cookies, did some crafts…

…and got our picture with Santa. As always, for as much as Keegan likes Santa, he is shy when it comes to sit on his lap. A quick round of high-fives and a candy cane helped.

It was a great party, that led to an epic nap. After the nap we went to buy the Christmas tree, a table top again, and the Christmas holidays season and countdown was upon us. This year we also got sucked into the Elf On a Shelf craze. Keegan was  really misbehaving right after his birthday — probably he got too much attention then — so we thought we needed an extra incentive to calm him down. Enters the Elf. This is a book about a little elf sent by Santa to report back on his assigned child’s behavior. The book actually comes with the elf in question, that you get to name. The elf itself it is a little creepy looking — Matt compared it to Chuckie— and the illustrations not that great, but whatever works. Keegan loved it, and it was a nice incentive to behave better.

This year Keegan could hardly wait for Christmas time, and he was constantly mentioning toys he wanted…mainly everything he saw in the millions catalogs that arrive at our house. To stop the greed wave, we really tried to talk to him about Christmas as a time for giving not just getting. We made an effort to donate foods or toiletry in grocery stores bin when we were shopping together and we even donated some toys to the Toys For Tots organization.

We also made it to the parade Of Lights Event this year, in a rare and unseasonably warm Sunday in the middle of December. It is a very nice San Diego tradition: every year many boats decked out with lights and decorations will slowly parade in the San Diego Bay. Many of them also have loud speakers playing holiday music, so it is a very festive event. We got to see the show from the beach, so Keegan got a chance of play with the sand when he got bored. The festivities started with fireworks, and Keegan loved them. It was his first firework show (usually they are too late for him) and he had a blast (no pun intended).

The Christmas, or should I say Holiday party (they sang a Hanukkah song, even if Hanukkah was over by then) at his school was on December 23. This year they had an afternoon party at his own school, and it worked out a lot better. When we arrived the kids were signing holiday songs, the same same songs Keegan has been singing non-stop at home for the past month, at the top of his lung. And now that is showtime…he is barely opening his mouth, but at least he is vigorously shaking his bell. After the performance, Santa Claus AND Mrs. Claus showed up. They were great, especially compared to the pitiful Santa in cheap polyester suit and obviously fake beard that showed up last year. It must have been true what I have read on the paper: many high-end Santas were jobless this year, and slashing their prices.

They sang songs, joked and posed for pictures.

Keegan looked more perplexed than anything else, but I thought they were great.

In fact when it was time for pictures, he grudgingly posed for a group photo, but then he went on to play with his friends and did not want to sit on Santa’s lap. Good thing we had a nice shot from Van’s party.

I like this little Santa girl more…

The party was on the last school day, and it kicked off our long holiday. Both of us had the whole week off, so no real vacation for me. (-:  Fortunately Matt took some time off (in part for nursing a bad cold) so we had many fun times together.

On Christmas Eve we headed over Krista, Eric and Torin’s house for an impromptu evening celebration. Two other children were there and Keegan and Torin were their usual, wild selves.

I love this picture: it is hard to tell if they look angelic or if this is the expression of someone who has been up to no good and tries to fake innocence. What do you think?

They played well together, which meant lots of adult time for us. We munched on delicious food, drank even better cocktails and opened gifts. Keegan loved that part.

Since it was Christmas Eve, we did move his bedtime a little later, but before leaving, we made sure he was all ready for bed. Wearing his PJ he settled with Torin for a little playful bonding time and then it was time for goodbyes.

Once again, we spent the rest of Christmas Eve wrapping and setting everything under the tree. As always it looked magical when we were done.

Christmas morning started well. Keegan slept till 6.30!!! Merry Christmas to us! To be honest, he had been sleeping “late” for a few day before that; it may have been the cold weather, the rain, or a growth spur…whatever it is we savor it, as we already know it will not last. Of course he got up almost right away, after his milk, and run to see if Santa has come. And then he immediately tore into the presents.

He could not wait for the evening for his stocking: he dove right in.

While we did try to keep the number low, we still ended up with a huge mound of wrapping paper, ribbons, cardboard boxes and assorted toys. As always, it looked like a tornado ripped through our living room.

Right afterwards, we called my parents and did a festive Skype session. My sister and her family was also there so we had the chance of wishing everyone Buon Natale. Keegan was a little shy (too many people) but it was nice to see everyone.

Then it was time for my last gift: nap time! A glorious two hours nap. Keegan also had a very nice, long rest, along with Matt. Once we were all awake, we headed out to watch the Light Displays in Clairemont. Because of the rain, we were unable to check them out earlier, but even if some lights were out, most of the street was still lit up and pretty great. We had a good time strolling around.

We put Keegan to sleep with some difficulties: he was way too excited. Once he finally crashed we had a nice, romantic dinner for us, and spent some quality times together.

Once again, Christmas was over in what felt like an instant, but we had a great time indeed. Even if we are little sad to be away from family during the holidays, we are very fortunate to spend our Christmas with friends and our wonderful little guy.

Having a birthday also means getting a check up. So, exactly a week after the big day, we went to see Keegan’s doctor. It has been a difficult week, with lots of tantrums and lots of pushing boundaries, with the apex the night before: an epic meltdown at bedtime that meant going to bed without books or cuddles.

That seemed to work, fortunately, so he was very well behaved at the doctor’s office. I can’t really say the same for me, as I was getting very irritated by the long wait. This time he got seen both by a resident doctor and our usual doctor. As a fist thing, he had to take an eye test. Just a regular test, with symbols instead of letters. He has perfect 2o/20 at this point. Of course we don’t really have much hope he will keep it, but hopefully it will last a long time. Then they gave him an hearing test: they placed headphones on him, and asked him to clap when he was hearing a whistle. He did well in this test too, showing not only a good hearing, but also good comprehension and ability to follow directions. They also gave him a gown for the first time: a gown that would fit a 10 years old. He kept him on long enough for a photo and then he was running around naked.

Everything else got checked too: he is in good health and at a good development state. We talked about the fact he is “double jointed” (Hypermobility) just like me, and what sports would be good for him. We are leaning towards contact sports, like wrestling or martial arts…unfortunately he is still too young for that. He still on the 50% for height (approx. 95 cm or 37 in) and up to an incredible 50% for weight at 31 lb (14 kg). Amazing! Maybe we should put him on a diet now…just kidding.

The worse part of the exam was the blood test. While last time it did not phase him, maybe because he did not know what it was, this time he was scared and cried a lot. Fortunately it only lasted a minute or so. We are checking for lead: our house used to contain lead based paint, and when the drywall was cut open, some of the dust spread so we want to make sure he does not have elevated lead levels. We have not seen the results yet, but no news hopefully is good news.

So, what can we say about our 3 year old?

• He really likes languages, at this point. He often asks us how to say something in one language or another. He also still enjoys his Spanish class a lot
• He also likes water and swimming. He is learning how to swim alone. Now he can jump underwater and swim alone for a few seconds, come back for air and go under again. He is not moving very far, but at least I feel better knowing he knows how to come up for air
• He is getting more and more interested in puzzles. He still not excellent at it, but he enjoys trying (and getting some help finishing them up). He likes to play with them in the new under the stair storage closet. We are tryng to explain to him that it is not his new hideaway…

• He is more physical than ever. He loves to jump, and he is quite fearless, and likes to run and wrestle. He still craves physical contact all the time. At this point, we are full of “battle” scars
• He is still very social: all day interaction at school is still not enough. He wants more and we try to plan after school activities and playdates as often as possible.
• He is showing some interest in reading, asking what some words say. He recognizes the whole alphabet, and recognizes the letters in simple words like Vons and Taxi. He is starting to recognize letters sounds and what letter a word starts with
• He  still likes books a lot
• His favorite toys are trains and balls (soccer balls, jumping balls, throwing balls), but he is also enjoying playing (banging) with tools like his toy power drill or the hammer

• He likes music, dancing and singing.
• He is still very intense, in good and bad. He squeals with joy and screams in anger
• He knows how to roll the R
• He can dress and undressed by himself, with few mistakes. Still working on buckles, zippers, etc.
• He likes pretend play and dress up. One of his favorite activities at school is dressing up like a tiger and running around growling

So, he is a wonderfully active little boy, and it is amazing to watch him grow and develop into his own little person, so similar to me but also so different.

It is hard to believe Keegan is already three, but sure enough his birthday came and went. And what an event that was: for days afterward we paid with extra tantrums all the special attention the little guy received.

This year, Keegan has been really anticipating this day. He had learned early in the year that his birthday comes in December and that he would be three then. So, there was no way to let it go unnoticed.

Of course, for us, the hectic preparations started way earlier, but for him, the festivities began the day before, when we went to Von’s to buy a festive balloon, some goodies for his preschool party, and to order a birthday cake for his real party on Saturday. After much pondering, Keegan chose the train motive, with a Thomas train on it and some writing. It wasn’t actually too bad: fresh strawberries inside a marbled cake. He even got to taste two different frosting: of course Keegan picked the sweetest of the two.

On Friday, his actual birthday, we started the day by celebrating him and letting him open one gift from his grandparents: it was a fun puzzle book. We got him to pose in his new favorite jacket with his birthday balloon…he does not seems excited but trust me, he was bouncing off the walls. He just does not enjoy pictures.

Then, we sent him to school with chocolate chip muffins and grapes to share with his class. His new teacher, ms. Joanna, made him a crown, and I have been told that he got to hear the Happy Birthday song all day long (sorry everyone). One of the other teachers sent me the pictures of the party in progress.

I picked him up in the afternoon: Matt was already at home, since he had to meet some garage door guy, so it was a nice surprise for Keegan. Of course, the first thing he wanted to do was to open presents. We tried to limit the number, since we knew he would get more toys the following day, but he still lots: a build-yourself biplane (since we saw many at the Air Museum); a wood train set; and a small helicopter- hauling truck. I nonni sent him a couple of books, a set of paper place mats that convert into paper airplanes and and RC motorcycle. Wow, he is a lucky little guy.

can’t wait to open the presents…

my new wood train is pretty cool

Please note our plastic wrapped new carpet…and good thing we had this too, because I immediately spilled OJ on it

We ate pizza for dinner, one of his favorite foods and a little chocolate cake. We blew up the candles and took the obligatory pictures, and then back to play with the new toys once more.

Getting him to sleep was not easy: between the sugar and the excitement he woke up a few times that night. The next morning it was showtime!!!

The party has been the biggest stressor and the biggest unknown…literally. We sent out invitation without a site, since we wanted to have the party outside. Our house is still not 100% done and we had invited about 15 children: there was no way they would fit in our house. So, we checked the weather report religiously, and everything looked fine till the Monday before, when all weather reports showed rain for that day. Of course we panicked: we had no plan B, and it was too late to rent anything. So, we waited and hoped, and fortunately the chance of rain was reduced to 20%, so we took our chances. We rented a nice combo bouncie with a slide, and we headed to Liberty Station Park. It was the perfect location, with huge grass fields, a close by playground and open bathrooms.

Matt left early to pick up the cake and meet the set up guys, but I could not get the birthday boy out of the house: so he was actually late to his own party. He was so excited when he saw his bouncie and his friends!

It was definitely a good call! All the kids (and there were 12 of them) had a great time. We also brought some bouncing balls, so they had small races.

All the kids wore themselves out.

Thank you Krista for climbing up the slide to take this shot!

Keegan was so tired and cranky by noon, that he did not want to eat any pizza or cake!!! Fortunately, everyone else was hungry, since we had a lot of food.

a tired and cranky birthday boy

However he got a second wind when he saw on his best buddies from school, Kelson, arriving: for some reason he never got the invitation so we were not sure if we could get hold of him.

Kelsen and Elliott on the field

Impromptu soccer matches (and relative fights) ensued, and then more bouncing and running around. Keegan “tried” to take a nap, by laying down in the grass, but did not last long. Most kids were gone by 2pm, except for Hannah, so the two of them got some more jumping in. They even got me to jump. Man it is hard work… But the slide is fun!

Hannah and her baby sister Natalie

Then they took turns with the awesome Stomp Rocket she brought him.

We also got some party crashers: but we could not say NO. It is hard to see a bouncie and not being able to go in.

Keegan and I finally left around 3pm, while Matt had to stay behind waiting for the guys to pick everything up. Keegan fell asleep as soon as he hit the car seat, as expected. It was easy get him to bed and he had a nice nap. I did have to wake him up as it was getting late and he was obviously a little out of sorts:he bounced so much, he ended up throwing up all over me. Fun times. He was also still tired. Not too tired for opening the presents, mind you, but still. He got to unwrap them all, but we had him choose 4 and put away the rest. We did not want to be overwhelmed. He got so many cool toys!

Unwrapping toys is serious business

After more playing he ended up going to bed earlier than usual, with no fuss. Tired but happy. It is exhausting being the birthday boy!

It is amazing how, right after Halloween, time really seems to fly by. before we knew it Thanksgiving was gone, and the Keegan’s Birthday/Christmas/ New Year marathon began.

It was a nice one, though. We started the festivities with the Thanksgiving feast at Keegan’s school. Some of the parents brought food (no, not me of course…but we were not asked), and we all set up to lunch outside. Keegan even ate some of the food, which is remarkable. Just as for any holiday the school closed early, so we headed home for our nap. Amazingly, even if there were workers finishing up our carpets and tiles, Keegan easily settled down for his nap.

The weather has been unseasonably (for San Diego) cold, which was just “perfect”, since our heater was out and the technician could not come for at least 10 days. I guess cuddling under blankets made the holiday cozier.

On Thanksgving day we took it easy. In the morning Keegan and I met with our neighbors Sharon and Jada for a playdate at the Cadmen park, with a beautiful view of the bay. It was sunny, and chilly, but we had a great time.

hanging like little monkeys

sliding together

The kids played together very well, and to see them in the convertible toy car, hugging each other and kissing, gave me a “flash forward”…Brrr, not looking forward to the whole dating drama! But at almost three they are just adorable.

After a nice two hours nap, we played around the house, in our new carpets and tiles; this is something to be grateful for: new, clean carpets and tiles instead of broken down concrete and linoleum pieces.

Matt cooked a wonderful dinner, as always, with all the traditional food. It was a little hectic to get everything ready, take the pictures and actually sit down and eat with Keegan running around, but we did it.  Keegan “helped” daddy with the cooking, while I set the table and got everything else ready.

And we all felt really fortunate to have each other and very blessed.

The next day was even more hectic as we tried to get all packed and ready to go. We decided to spend two nights in a rented house at desert Hot Springs. The idea was to be in a warmer place, and possibly even to swim in the heated pool. The average temperature over there for November is 78. Of course, this being 2010, the year where every little thing is not going our way, we were in the middle of an unusual cold spell, so the average temperature was in the  low 60s. Goodbye swimming. The house, though was wonderful, and it even had a small yard for Keegan to run and play l. And best of all, the heater was working!

After a couple of false starts, we finally got underway around 1.30. Keegan slept a couple of  hours and when he woke up, he was so tired, he basically stared into space till we got there. I got a little nap myself.

We arrived  just before dark, so we kicked the ball around and ate some nice leftover. Keegan also took a long, epic bath in the nice soaking tub. Keegan loved “his surfer room”, and we really enjoyed how easy and convenient it was to rent a house instead of going to a hotel.

we really need to work on the smiling

In the evening, after getting Keegan to bed (which was not an easy task), we watched tv and did some internet shopping: it was black Friday after all. We mainly took care of Keegan’s birthday. One hurdle at a time.

Keegan slept pretty well, only waking up a couple of times, and the next morning he was ready to play. I took a nice nap, and then we all headed down to the Children Discovery Museum of The Desert. I liked it better than the San Diego one: it was huge and lots of things for children to do, even small ones. Keegan loved the rope maze, and painting on the car, an old BMW Beetle.

He spent time riding the police motorcycle, and “running” in the wheelchair, as well as making pizzas. We avoided the whole supermarket: honestly, we get enough lines in the real thing!

The museums also had a nice outdoor area, so we spent some times playing ball. We headed home for some lunch and a nice nap, and all of us got a couple of hours under the covers…Late afternoon was sunny but very windy: Keegan almost flew off the play structure! So, we went to the store and grabbed some food instead.

The next day it was already time to leave. Matt took a morning nap, while Keegan and I played. He showed off his newly acquired skill: rolling his R. It was a big surprise since we have been trying for a while now, without big success, and now, all of a sudden, here they are! He is still working on Rs that are inside words (such as Carta), but we will get there soon. I think Spanish class helped too. Now we have to start working on the GN and GL sound.

After packing everything up, we headed to the Palm Spring Air Museum. It was pretty cool: there were a lot of WWII planes and it was fun to get a closer look. Keegan especially liked the scary images painted on some of them.

The best part for him, however, was the children section, where kids could paint a plane, climb in the cockpit of a couple other and ride the vintage fire truck.

Prying him off was not easy, but it was already lunch time. So, after a quick stop at a family restaurant we headed back to San Diego. Keegan slept the whole way, so we had a very peaceful trip, and we made it home in less than 3 hours.

It was great to get away from the construction zone for a few days, and we had a really  good time. However the amount of packing and prepping involved for a simple three day trip may make us reconsider our Christmas plans! We really would like to take Keegan to see the snow, but maybe a day trip is all we need.

Wow: a post that will not include Keegan at all. I guess we are still people too, besides being parents: what a concept!

Since it has been a pretty busy, stressful year, and both of us had a BIG birthday celebration in the past few months, we decided to try to do some fun things together. I have recently became “addicted” to the daily-deals coupons sites such as groupon.com, circlebuzz.com, or the San Diego UT daily deal sites. These are great resources to find fun, discounted activities and services. We use these site to book for a great nighttime kayak trip to see the Seaworld Fireworks, and to purchase massages and playground access. This time we decided to book a biplane ride!

Actually when I first saw the ad, I thought that Matt would not go for it since he does not like heights quite as much, but he thought it would be a fun thing to do. We have been watching these planes fly over our house for the past 7 years, so it was about time we tried ourselves.What made it even better was that he got to take a extra long lunch break on a weekday: so no babysitter required.

We met at Montgomery Field in a beautiful, if quite windy, sunny day. The temperature was a balmy 75, so the light jacket we brought was barely necessary. The company we used, Barnstorming Adventures offer different kinds of flights, including the 30 minutes biplane ride we chose. This is the description from their website:

“In helmet and headset, one or two passengers sit in the front cockpit of a meticulously restored 1920’s airplane. Your pilot flies from the back cockpit. It’s aviation like it used to be.”

We signed our life away, as always in these cases, and we went outside in the airfield. The biplane was waiting for us.

This is our plane

almost ready to go…I guess

We put on our headgear, and fit snug inside.

charming headgear

It is amazing to think that people actually were fighting wars in this thing. It is so small, and it barely fits two people. The pilot was in the back, and it was kind of funny to see that the most prominent sign we could see was the No Spitting sign. Uh???

We were quickly in the air. We headed to downtown first, where we could see the disabled cruiseship, the Midway Museum and all the other downtown landmarks.

The wind was really strong and it was bouncing us all around. I usually like this kind of thrill rides, but between the smell of the gas, and all the twist and turns, I really started feeling nauseous…good thing I did not ask for a particularly exciting ride! I guess I would have not made as a pilot during WWI. Fortunately as we headed up the coast to pass Pacific Beach and La Jolla, the wind changed direction and we enjoyed a wonderful ride. We passed Mission Bay, Calumet park (where we got married), the beach we usually go to, and the luxurious la Jolla mansions.

Calumet park (green area next to the cables)

PB and the Crystal Pier

We finished our tour flying over Clairemont. Thanks to my poor sense of orientation, I was not able to recognize our exact street, but Matt got to see it. We think our house is on the bottom left side, overlooking the green canyon.

We happily landed without a glitch. I was somewhat queasy for the rest of the afternoon, especially when driving, but it was well worth it!

So, comes late October, construction really shifted in high gear. We are really trying to get everything done by December. Of course this means we will still have plenty to do in January, as far as little touch up are concerned, but we are almost there.

For the past couple of weeks we really had a flurry of activity happening at the house. 2 or 3 trades working at the same time…and this is really what we want to see: painters, carpenters, plumbers, general workers, stucco guys, all working feverishly, even on Saturdays, towards the finish line.

The stucco have been laid down. It is almost weird to see the house all white again.

The living room/kitchen rooms upstairs have been painted: green for the guest room (future Keegan’s room), beige for Keegan’s play room, blue/gray for Matt’s office, blue/green for the bathroom. The closet doors have been installed (even if not painted yet).

The bathroom has a toilet and a bidet and a sink.

And the stairs are being completed. We decided to upgrade to hardwood stairs: yes, it was more expensive, but they are looking beautiful. Plus, I really don’t want to vacuum carpeted stairs. Now, if we only could leave them without a railing it would be great. Alas, is not possible, nor desirable with a little one. Plus, the city of San Diego would not give us its final approval.

So we at least tried to mix it up a little with a 3-2-3-pattern. The pickets will be painted white and the handrail will match the steps.

Now is probably the messiest time of the whole construction as we have workers everywhere, and the kitchen and living room are not spared anymore. But we all gladly put up with it: we are so ready to be done.

Halloween weekend also brought us a fun photo session. The pool where Keegan takes swim lessons offers the chance of a underwater photo session about twice a year with a professional photographer, Shelly VanBrabant; this winter they held one on the Friday before Halloween. So, even if it was a mad rush going to school for the Halloween parade in the morning, and back for the Carnival in the afternoon, and then quickly drive to the pool, we signed up.

We got there a few minutes early, and the pool was eerily quiet: just us and the photographer, and we were the last ones for the day. Matt was able to meet us at the Halloween Carnival and accompanied us for the photo shoot, doing some documenting of his own.

we are ready for our close up

I was in the water as well, helping out and also trying to get some shots with Keegan. He quickly warmed up and he was happy splashing and playing in the water. Then it was time for his close ups. There was an assistant helping him to get underwater, and I was swimming towards him, as the photographer shot pictures.

Behind the scene of a photo shoot

In between shots she would show us the shots on her digital camera: the miracle of technology…too bad that without glass there was not much I could see. (-:

Modeling underwater is definitively much harder than I thought, especially if you have to dive down, stay below the surface, old a squirmy 3 year old, smile, look at the camera, and slowly swim forward…all at the same time. It was especially difficult not to pop out of the water. I guess I float really well. (-: Needless to say, we did not get many beautiful shots of me, but we had a lot of fun.

Keegan, on the other hand, was a great model: he smiled, kept his eyes open and generally followed all the directions. He was having a ball. And since it was Halloween weekend, he got to pose with a pirate costume. AARRR!

He looked great in most if the pictures, so, even if the sitting fee was really cheap, we will end up spending lots of money in prints…Oh well. So here are some of our favorites:

and our all time favorite

This year Halloween was really fun. Keegan is at the perfect age for it, so he was looking forward to “trick or treating” for a while. I guess this is also probably the last year I get to choose his costume, since he did not expressed any preference. So, he got to be a dragon, a really cute one, if I can say so myself. I bought the costume a few weeks ago, so he go to play in it multiple times. He especially liked the wings and the long nails, and pretending to be fierce. Little hard to believe with that smile.

This year, we also went to a Pumpkin Patch (twice): it is funny how nowadays, the pumpkins on display are kind of a side show to all the rides that are there. In fact, one night, while we were reading a Halloween story and the book showed a real Pumpkin Patch, Keegan asked me:” Where are the bouncies?”.

The weather has been horrible, so we took advantage of the first nice day and headed over to Mission Valley to Pumpkin Station. Ok, so it was not the most spectacular view (the I-8 freeway on one side and the Bed Bath and Beyond parking lot on the other) but it had bouncies, and that was all that mattered. Of course he rushed to the giant slide, his favorite. But he found time to sample all the other rides as well: the train ride, the smaller bouncies, the petting zoo, the rotating chairs, the boats.

what a panoramic view of the parking lot

WOW, there are actual pumpkins here

Matt reached us after work, so we all chose a nice pumpkin together and had a fun dinner at Bennigan’s. Keegan was in a great mood and we actually had a whole day without any whining. Incredible!

The weekend’s weather was again not the best, so we spent some time decorating and carving our pumpkin. We totally chose an easy way out, and got a pre-made template, but it turned out great. By we of course I mean I chose the template and Matt actually carved it. Keegan was excited at the idea, but got bored pretty soon.

Unfortunately, our pumpkin did not quite made it to the big day, due to one super hot day, but it did not matter. We got to enjoy it for a few days.

The following week we made another trip to the Pumpkin Patch: I have bought a lot of rides tickets and, since they were not cheap by any stretch of imagination, I did not want to waste them. Again, we spent most of our time on the giant slide. Keegan was the entertainment for all the spectators, since he was the littlest one and he was literally flying off that thing. We even got a free ticket from a family that was leaving and noticed how much he was having fun. Despite his generally cautious ways, he is NOT afraid of the giant slides.

Look at him, flying down

On Friday, we had all the school festivities. We started off with a Halloween parade in the morning: it was of course very hot, and the poor kids were melting in their heavy costumes but they had a blast  parading around and going to the nearby establishments to get some candies.

Look how good I am at holding on to the ring

After it was all over, a good 5 minutes later, it was time to enjoy some of the loot.

In the afternoon it was time for the carnival: parents came in and kids played and participated in many different games, culminating with the pinata bashing.

On the actual Halloween day, we got ready as soon as the sky got dark. Keegan was so excited! We met with Jada first, and headed out together.

I am ready…let’s go! Enough pictures!

with Jada and Sharon

We then caught up with other neighborhood kids, so we were a nice big group.

Keegan, this year, loved knocking on doors and ringing doorbells, and knew exactly what to say.We hit many more houses than last year, and I have to say that our neighbors are very generous and had lots of really good candy. We did not have any cheap goodies!

trick or treat!

After a full hour, the kids were tired and Keegan could not wait anymore to sample his loot. We went back home and survey all the candies.

Keegan got to pick his favorite 5 plus a bag of Cheetos, and despite the sugar high, he actually went to bed pretty easily.

dancing around on a sugar high!

He even saved a few for the next day. We had a talk about how too much candies gets you sick, but I think what resonated the most with him is a book we saw that shows kids getting all green and sick after eating too much junk food. Well, whatever works, right? Hopefully it will stick, since we made all the rest of the candies disappear.

So, I have to say it was a very successful Halloween, and probably the one I enjoyed the most so far. It was really wonderful to see all these little guys scurrying around, playing and collecting goodies. And I obviously did not mind making all the good candies disappear…in my own private stash.

So, despite the uncooperative weather, and the other snags, construction continues. We are still hoping to be basically done by the end of the year, but let’s see. I am sure that, no matter what, there will still be lots of little details to be finished up in the new year.

At this point we have the security screen door installed, interior doors, shelves and rods inside closets, framing and baseboard basically finished, and the upstairs niche built up.

Looking at the screen door from the inside of the house

Keegan of course enjoys seeing all the changes and almost every day comes with me to inspect the work.

can I play with these cool power tools?

let me document the progress

this is so much fun!

But my favorite part at this point are the wall tile in the bathroom. I really love how they turned out, and I already know that that bathroom will become MY bathroom.

bathroom tiles in progress

Wall tiles finished

Detail

This week we will hopefully have the bathroom  floor installed, and then it will be time for the paint color selection, the stairs railing, the lighting and all the other details. Details that include, securing a permanent mortgage and dealing with two different banks. Blah.

So, I guess my hopes of seeing a LOT of progress after I returned from my trip were quickly dashed. Insulation had been blown in and a front door has been installed but that was about it.

We have a door again!

We also ordered a nice security door to increase protection to our glass door. We saw it in someone’s house, so I knocked on the door and found out where to get it. I guess I have no shame.

And this will be our security door.

There were some issues between the demo guys and our landscaper and we basically lost more than a week. However, we are trying to catch up, even if there are still some kind of external forces conjuring against us. When we finally got the landscaper to start, San Diego experienced a huge heat wave…not the best when you are trying to make new plants thrive. As soon as we were done with that, the weather turned bad,  just as we needed to add plaster to the exterior walls: we lost three day because of a rare three days storm (with thunderstorms) with plenty rain. It rained more on one of these days than on an average October.

So where are we at this point? Well, I guess the more important step is that the code compliance guy came in and basically approved all the demo stuff and gave us the green light to keep on building. Yeah!

The hill is regrades and replanted…

…but we still miss a railing instead of the lovely plywood wall

The guy was actually surprised that we did demo everything already. Hummm, we had NO CHOICE: we could not build anymore if we did not. He was also, according to my contractor, very apologetic and said he was sorry multiple times. Like it helped. Do you know what can  I do with your apologies, Mr. city guy??? If you felt so sorry, you should have written a different letter. Now, we only need the approval of the landscape inspector and we are golden, and we can wait till final inspection for that. We would rather get it done earlier, though, just in case there is something wrong.

We also passed the huge “lathe and drywall” inspection, and we are now texturing the interior walls to get them ready for paint and also plastering the exterior.

we are getting plastered

we got walls and they are all textured

the view from the hallway, as you get upstairs

At this point this is starting to look like a house again. The walls, especially made a huge difference. I can’t say I see the finish line, but I start thinking about furniture and decorating.

Next step will be tiles and paint colors. The bathroom is waiting for some concrete coating to go on the walls, and then is tile time! They better not ruin my Toto toilet and my Kholer tub.

Tiles have been a a little difficult, as I fell in love with some accent tiles I saw in one of the IKEA store, and it took me forever to find them.

No designer I talked to knew where to find them, and the stores I visited did not have what I wanted. I resorted to write to IKEA corporate, and, believe it or not, they answered me and gave me the exact name and location for the tiles. It turned out they are available at Home Depot…I can’t believe I missed them when I went.

I am excited to finally start on the design details: lighting, paint color, furniture. It has been a long time coming.

We have been now been back a few days, and as always the adjustment has been a little rough: Keegan sleeping has been horrendous, and he also started saying he did not want to go to school, which he always liked a lot. We tried to get him back to his routine and schedule immediately and we sent him back to school right away, and even took him to swim lesson the first day we were back. Definitely, thought, these were a lot of changes for him, especially because he found a new teacher at school. But he is getting adjusted: he still very much in a mommie mode, but after getting over the jet lag, he is back to his “‘normal” pattern of a few wakings each night.

As far as I am concerned, I really did not have the time to worry about my own jet lag, and got quickly back to my routine. I still miss everyone, but I am very grateful I had been able to spend two wonderful weeks with my family and friends, and that I was able to rest and relax. I got a lot of much needed sleep and was able to get back to my ideal schedule: late to bed, late to rise…Thank you to everyone for making us feel so welcome and of course to my parents for helping out and “babysitting” so much. I love you all.

We were gone a little over two weeks, and Matt says that Keegan looks and behaves a lot differently. Is this possible? Well, every trip to Italy brought big changes: the first time, Keegan, 9+ months old, got his first three teeth, all at once. During the second trip, Keegan started talking. Seriously, the day we left for the airport he started adding 6/7 words a day to his vocabulary, in both Italian and English.

What about this trip? This time, I think, the changes are a little more subtle, but still.

• He started, from one day to the next, his WHY/PECCHE’ (still some issues with rolling he R)? phase. Lucky us. He know asks why for everything, even if at this point it is somewhat easy to satisfy his curiosity. He does lock in at times, and he asks for the same whys 15 times in a row.
• He is looking for more independence. Not from mom, mind you, but in doing things. Especially potty time. He often went to the bathroom alone when he had to poop: he required privacy (nothing new) but then he undressed, climbed on the big toilet without the little training seat, took care of business, climbed on the toilet to flush (you need to twist the handle on these toilets), filled in the bidet, took a bidet, dried himself out, emptied the bidet, washed his hands, and got dressed again. The whole process took a LONG time, but still I was impressed. Of course his cleaning and bidet skills need a little refining, but hey I take everything I can get. Good thing we will have a bidet soon in the upstairs bath. Hopefully he will keep on doing it by himself.
• His motor skills (=climbing, jumping, kicking, etc.) are much improved
• His Italian is much better, especially after the weekend he spent with my parents. Now I really have to make an effort to keep it up, as I know it will fade a little in time.
• His spacial skills are very good. I am not sure if they improved, or if I admire them so much because I have none, but he has a very good sense of direction and recognizes things from different angles. He surprised me when, at  less than 2 he could recognize his room or ours from outside.
• I would not really like to brag about this one, but he started developing his bathroom humor, definitely NOT SHARED with any of us. It is a constant talk about poop, in all its variations. Of course he decided it was hilarious to do this in a crowded airplane. Not annoying at all.
• He is also obsessed with his boy parts, or private parts in general. I guess it is a boy thing and the beginning of a life long “love affair”, but we are at least trying to let him understand that there is a time and a place, and a crowded street it neither of these. We had lots of talks about “private parts” and what is appropriate to talk about in public, since he likes to list what private parts belong to the people he sees. Oh well, he will learn.

What did not change s his love for rough playing. He used any piece of furniture, and every human, to jump and climb, causing quite a few tumbles and quite a few bruises.

Any willing grown up is good for a ride

He also still likes to build and play with cars and little animals. Of course his grandpa was more than happy to indulge him and build garages, farms and barns for them.

Princesses (my old Barbies and dolls) were also part of his playing, mainly after they were undressed. And he discovered it is fun to dress and undress girls. I tried to remind him I want him to be an INDUSTRIAL  designer/ furniture maker, not a FASHION designer.

He did not betray his old love of trucks, though, and in Italy he had a field day, since there are construction zones at every corner. His favorite one is the cement truck (betoniera in Italian) and he loudly called it out every time he saw one come by.

He also really enjoyed the “sleep game”. Cruel irony! For as much as he does not sleep when he should, he likes to “pretend” to sleep, and I and all his animals have to join in. He likes to be “snug and cozy” under the blanket and to hide in there.

Watching him play and just go about his day, I often wonder what goes on in his little head. Wouldn’t it be nice to take a peek to see what is really going on in a toddler’s head?

The second week started well: Keegan was very sweet and affectionate, if a little clingy, and I got to do some Milano shopping while he was playing with his cousins. Unfortunately I did not find much, but I always love a nice window shopping. I upped my social activities as well, and had two nice dinners with old friends, eating real pizza.

We also finally took Keegan to the Duomo, the symbol of Milano. I have a framed series of Duomo images at home, and Keegan had been looking at them, so we thought it would be a good time to show him the real thing.

Just like I did when I was his age, he loved to chase the pigeons from the square. I could swear I have the exact same picture from when I was 2. I was of course wearing a stylish coat and head scarf then.

He also wanted to go inside the Duomo, and he was actually really good. He kept quiet and did not run. He even quietly posed for pictures. Sometimes I forgot how majestic and beautiful the Duomo is.

On Wednesday we decided to go back to the Safari Park at Pombia, since Keegan enjoyed it so much last year, and he has been asking to go back to his favorite roller coaster for months. We left after lunch time, hoping he would doze off in the car, but it took him a long time to sleep, so he ended up getting less than an hour nap. No matter: he was as excited as he can be. Most of the animals were napping, but we still got to see zebras, giraffes, lions, tigers, etc. up close. Then it was time to party. The Bruco (caterpillar) Roller Coaster was of course the first stop…and the second and the third. We went back a few times. He never gets tired of it, but we dos, so we all took our turns.

We could barely pry him away, and only with the promise of more rides. So off we went to the Marry Go Round…

…then the giant slide.

This was my favorite, and if I did not have to climb all the way up, I would be still riding. I even took him up on a water roller coaster thing: not a brilliant idea, it turns out. I guess they could have some warning or age restrictions, but this is Italy, after all. It was a hollow boat, with no restraints, where you sit one in front of each other and climb up, up, up and then fall down in the water. The problem was that Keegan had to sit behind me, and could not see what was happening, and, without anything that would hold you, it was very difficult not to fall backward during the almost vertical lifts. Needless to say, Keegan did not like it, and after the first plunge wanted to get out. Fortunately there were only two. But he was very brave and did not cry. I guess next time I will go up alone.

After two or more round for most of the rides, we ended the day with a Parrot show. It was a little cheesy, but the parrots were very cool. Keegan loved them. By then, though, he was really tired, so we headed home, after a stop in the bathroom. Keegan was very proud of himself, because he had to pee standing up, like big boys: the only bathroom they had there were “Turkish style”, basically a porcelain piece on the floor with a hole in the middle. He was a little hesitant first, but then loved the fact he had to be naked to do it.

The next day, I did more socializing, and also took Keegan to visit my old friend Simona and his two sons. They have an amazing train set Keegan remembered from last year (he also remembered Simona had chocolate cake then), so we quickly set it up.

And while there was no cake this year, there were plenty of other snacks, which took the place of dinner.

On Friday, the weather quickly turned bad, so while we could not go outside as much, Keegan was enthralled by the rain, and thunderstorm. Living in San Diego, this was a real novelty, so he sat in front of the window and watched the lightning and thunders for a while. Loredana and Francesca stopped by to play, and they all got dressed up for the occasion.

After they left, there was more excitement: Naraiana and Samuele, Keegan’s cousins arrived for a sleep over. How fun to wake up in the morning and find them there. The weather was not the best, but we all had the chance to have fun. All fun that was of course videotaped and then watched in real time: Keegan bacame quite obsessed with watching videos and photos even as they were created.

I left in the morning for a last shopping trip to one of my favorite stores, Hi-tech a huge store that sells a lot of cool stuff, much from the States but also from Europe. I have found some really fun things, like My First Autoban for Keegan (a little back rolling car and a roll of tape, printed as a freeway), or the Daily Mood Calendar for Matt.

In the afternoon, since the weather improved somehow, we went to the Giardini Pubblici and had some fun on the merry Go Round and the little train, also known as the “longest little train ride in history”. It is a small track, but it goes around 6 times! Fortunately Keegan wanted to go by himself after the first two times (which means I still had to do 12 rounds on the damn thing). Such a big boy!

three generations

I was even able to squeeze in an Aperitivo with an old friend in this busy day. Sunday, our last day, I had to get packing: as always, no matter how many bags I bring, and despite all my good intentions, I always end up struggling with making everything fit, and under 50Lb. My sister and his family came over to say goodbye, and we brought the kids to the Bouncie house one more time. Keegan loved to have his cousins with him, so he could access previously unreachable areas. The place was packed (2 birthday parties) but he was still able to go wherever he wanted without wait.

taking a little break

When we got home we did our annual group photo…we did miss Matt, though )-: and we put Keegan to bed.

We had a nice, leisurely dinner, and then it was time for goodbyes and real packing. I cut down the number of carry-ons to 6, but that meant two bags to be checked.

The return flight went OK. It was difficult to carry all the stuff, and an Italian passport guy was giving me a hard time because Keegan’s last name is different than mine (you got to be kidding me!) but I got through it.The car seat really helped, and so did the DVD player. Keegan slept a few hours on the first flight. Then, fortunately we met an Italian girl, Valentina, that lives in San Diego, an acquaintance of mine who has a boy, one year older than Keegan. It was great because , not only she helped me with my bags, but Keegan had a playmate during layover. They were both over tired so they were jumping off the wall, literally, but at least there was not too much crying (aside from a timeout he got for kicking me…I still have the bruise). The layover was a little difficult: I had to get my checked bags in Atlanta, and had to walk a mile to custom and then re-check them…and remember I am also pushing a stroller and tons of carry-on. Fortunately Valentina helped me, and we went through it OK. More security screening (why do we have to do it twice is a mystery) and then a long wait. Fortunately, Keegan feel asleep the moment we were seated on the plane: it was now about 9.30pm, and I dozed off too. He slept all the way till we landed, then woke up and had one of his episode of extreme crying as I was trying to gather all our stuff and get off the plane. He wanted me to hold him…yeah, right. Not only we were the last ones to get off the plane, but it took us so long the gate door was already closed.

Anyway, we made it, and seeing Matt’s smiling face at the airport almost made me forget about all the stress and exhaustion. Keegan was a little shy, but he soon warmed up to him.  The house was clean and tidy (well, as tidy as it can be in the middle of construction), and beautiful flowers and a card expected me home. I miss everyone back in Italy, but it was nice to be home!

Once again we are back from our Italian vacation. This year, only Keegan and I went, and so we were only gone for a couple of weeks. With the house completely under construction, we thought it would have been better to have at least one person home to take care of things. And with us gone, Matt had some sort of vacation as well, and three full bachelor weekends.

We left, bright and early, — or should I say dark and early (4am) to go to the airport. Keegan was very excited about flying. Even if we had to wake him up early, he got up immediately, with a big smile and said: “Good morning. We are going to the airport!”. Sometimes I wonder where he comes from: I could barely keep my eyes open and I don’t remember ever being this happy as soon as I wake up.

This year the carry-on madness got even worse: I actually had 1 piece of checked luggage and 7 pieces of carry-ons: my own carry-on and Keegan’s pirate carry-on bungee jumped together (and hooked to one side of the stroller), my bag draped around the stroller, his cooler bag with food hanging on the stroller, his penguin backpack inside the stroller, and the car seat in a backpack. Insane. I definitely went overboard. Next year I will cut down A LOT. Somebody actually asked me if I was moving to Italy. I did get many compliments for the organization, though, and some pitiful looks.

Of all things, though, I have to say that the car seat was actually the one piece of carry on worth the effort. Keegan felt comfortable in it, it was familiar to him, and he spent a lot of the time actually seated AND buckled. I had it on board for three of the flights and he slept on it too. The flights over were not too horrible, with a few exceptions. Keegan was a little tired and hyperactive at times, but after I got him to nap he was a lot better. During layover Keegan got to jump and run and play with bubbles, inspiring  comments from an other passenger on how active he was. In the second flight he slept more than three hours, so I could nap a little too. The dvd player helped too, but he got bored of it pretty quickly.

With all the stuff I had on board,we were the last ones, by far, to leave the plane, but that meant less wait for the bag.We arrived on time and my parents were waiting for us. Keegan was a little shy at first, pulling his stroller shades down, but he quickly warmed up to them.

getting his first hugs and caresses from grandma

They played games all the way home and once there Keegan immediately had gifts to open and chocolate to eat. We also had guests. My old friend Loredana and her daughter Francesca stopped by to say HI. After lunch, we all went to nap fr a few hours, and in the afternoon, Keegan’s cousins and my sister and her husband stopped by. It was time to tumble and jump and play on the furniture, and Naraiana and Samuele were happy to oblige.

Getting reacquainted with the grandps

The following day was mellow: grocery shopping, nearby park and basically resting. Keegan did not sleep much at night so we were all tired. Nothing too exciting, but, this is really what I wanted. After the exhausting and stressful life of San Diego, I needed to rest, and sleep. And between naps and my parent’s help, even with Keegan waking up a lot, I got more sleep that I usually do in San Diego.

On Monday we went to visit my sister and her children. Keegan loves hanging out with his cousin and there is always so much going on at their house. He played ball, jumped, run around the yard with the tricycle and even did some daredevil stunts.

driving the excavator

look ma, no hands

The only negative part of my sister’s house are the mosquitoes the size of an helicopter. They are also very aggressive; I got stung on my butt: they went through pants, tank top and underwear. Crazy. Keegan got a huge bite right on his cheek too. Poor guy. Of course it did not slow him down a bit.

The next day he spent a lot of time with my parents, and I had some time off to see friends and just unwind. He played and demonstrated his musical skills by banging on the piano.

By Wednesday night, his sleep was almost normal. He only woke up briefly once or twice, and by then, my mom could get him, so I could sleep. We were all more rested and full of energy, so we spent a good couple of hours in what I can only call Bouncie Paradise. Right in the median of a large street, there is a permanent kids play area, with 5 huge bouncies, including large slides, and lots of other kids playthings: cars, motorcycles, tricycles, little house and ball pits. It was also somewhat inexpensive: for about 10$ you can stay as long as you want. Keegan LOVED it. He bounced and slid for more than 1.5 hours! His favorite was the giant slide, but all other bouncies received their fair amount of attention too.

ready

set

jump

Being a Wednesday afternoon, it wasn’t too crowded so there was no lines and he could roam the place undisturbed. He liked it so much we went back twice.

Of course, no matter how tired he got (he even told me his legs were tired) his sleep pattern was the same, meaning, multiple night wakings. Fortunately for me, my mom in also an early riser, so they both got up early together, while I caught some zzzzs. Thank you mom.

Every day there was something fun planned for the little guy. On Thursday, we went to visit and play with Lori and Francesca. Despite the age difference the kids really get along and the both tumbled on the grass, and chased each other, and we even introduced Keegan to his first official Hide and Seek game. While he kept on peeking as he was counting, he quickly got the hang of it.

testing out his somersault skills

playing horsey with Francesca

upside down with mom

On Friday, we went to the Giardini Pubblici, a large park in the city. We had a quick run (literally) through the Museum of Natural Science where Keegan enjoyed all  the stuffed animals (yes, kind of creepy). Then some time at the playground, a few rounds of the merry go Round and even a quick ride on the resident pony, since he is actually enjoying them now (see previous post). So much fun!

The weekend, however, it was mommie time. I decided to go away for a short weekend with Loredana, and Keegan spent the weekend with his grandparents. It was basically the first time I left him for this “long” so I was a little nervous. Keegan, to make things more difficult, had been really cranky and whiny since I told him I was leaving, and the weather forecast was rain, but none of this deter me.

We left on Saturday morning and took the 3 hours train ride. We went to Sestri Levante, where I spent all my summers when I was young. It was so weird not to have to worry abut nap times, and tantrums and potty breaks. Very liberating. We arrived with the sun, but clouds quickly came in. It did not matter. We were having a good time, and we did not let a few drops spoil it. The hotel was very nice, right on the beach, and after checking in we went for a nice lunch and a stroll on the boardwalk. There was some kind of celebration that weekend, so we look at various booths and did some shopping before retreating in the hotel as the rain grew more intense. It stopped early, though, and we went out for a nice late dinner.

The next day the weather was absolutely gorgeous, bright blue skies and no clouds in sight. We had a nice breakfast on the outdoor tables overlooking the ocean and the Baia Del Silenzio, taking it all in.

And then it was beach time! We laid in the sun and I even took a long swim. I miss swimming in the calm sea, looking at beautiful scenery. The water temperature was just perfect and the sea was somewhat clear.

We ate the unbelievable Focaccia and lots of other goodies, and strolled some more. We bought a huge Barbaforte balloon for Keegan (well hidden in a plastic bag), and slowly made our walk back to the train station. We were back just before Keegan’s bedtime. Keegan was very excited to see me, and gave me a wonderful welcome. It made my heart melt. We cuddled and he asked me ALL  about the trip, and I mean ALL. He was worse than a jealous husband. He shot a barrage of questions, mainly: where did you go? why? what did you do? And then what did you do? And after that what did you do? He wanted the full sequence of what we did, ending with his Why did you go to the beach? It was funny. He never asked me that many details about anything.

According to my parent, he was pretty good, and while he did asked for me a few times, he had a good time with my parents and his cousins. On my part, I had a wonderful time, and it was nice to take some adult time away. But it was also very nice to come back home and see him again. And the Barbaforte balloon was a huge hit (literally). He really liked it and his favorite thing to do with it, was hitting it, really hard. Is it time to get him a punching bag?

Every year, at Keegan’s school, a photography company brings in a real pony, and the kids pose on it, and even take small rides. It is a very fun event and most of the kids like it. Most kids over a certain age, I mean, since most of the smallest ones are a little afraid.

Well, third time is a charm and we finally have a smiling photo! We saw a gradual improvement last year from the “crying cowboy” picture of the first year and this year, we have finally something we can give the grandparents.

This year, summer flew by. Maybe it was because it felt like summer never really started. The weather has been horrible, with marine layer extending in July and August. And we are talking about a thick marine layer, that never broke, even at midday. These photos, even if  shot in September, show how the weather looked like for most of the summer.

bubble fun (he can now do them by himself!)

We could not even make it to the beach, it was so cold and grey. We probably went only a couple of times to let Keegan splash in the frigid water.

a rare sunny day at the beach

Anyway, we still found some time to have fun. We now have two inflatable pools so we had plenty of splashing at home. Plus, since the garage is pretty close to the front yard, we could fill it with warm water, so we could use it even with bad weather.

The Shamu pool, spraying water§

Keegan has been hanging out with his friends a lot: it becomes more and more obvious how much he NEEDS social interaction. Even after a full day playing at school, he still needs more. So, I try to plan more activities and playdates. Fortunately, San Diego really is a great city for children: so much to do and so many beautiful places to play in.

dinner with Hannah

On Sunday evenings, during the summer, a nearby park had some free concert, so I took Keegan one time when his buddy Jada was there. it was a success. The kids loved the playground, but the biggest hit was the band. Keegan and Jada danced the “night away”. They were so cute.

He even made a few new friends. He is really getting along with one of the new kids at school,Van, and we had a couple of playdates with him. We played at the park and at his house. Keegan loved his house: he has a nice big pool, and he had a blast swimming with Van and his brother. They even had some dinner together.

after all the swimming we all need a good snack!

Talking about swimming, he continues his swim lessons. He loves it and he is getting much better. He now swim without me in the water, and he now can swim under water, moving hands and feet for a few seconds. He does not move forward much, but it is a start. And most importantly he is having a blast and he is not afraid of the water.

We also started Birthday season with Mila’s birthday. It was a mellow affair, but lots of fun. Keegan, Mila and Hannah really get along, so they played in harmony for a while, while we adults, got to chat and relax.

Dinner together was fun, but not quite as fun as eating the birthday cake.

time to say: goodnight!

Progress on the house has been steady, if not very fast: we have almost finished the demolition; the pool is in storage, the jacuzzi in in the front yard, the retaining walls have been removed and so have the trellis. Now we need to re-vegetate and add railings and final boundaries. Also, the demo guys, need to fix all the damages they did; they are not called demo guys for nothing: they destroyed a bunch of plants and ripped away our irrigation system. As for the house, we have finally passed a major inspection (plumbing, electrical and structural) so we n now move on and insulate, drywall and stucco. The front door arrived, so we can finally stop using the garage to enter.

The last two weeks of summer have been particularly hectic. I was leaving for Italy on September 10, and even if I stopped working on August 27, I did not stop moving a minute the whole time. To make things crazier, my old friend from Italy (and now Germany) came to visit us with her family just before my trip, so it has been a mad rush between trying to make the house presentable-as far as it can be as a work in progress-, making millions of design decisions to have everything arranged before I left and preparing for the trip. Add to that the even less sleep we got (because of all the new situations, Keegan slept less than usual) and you will understand how exhausted I made it to travel day.

hoping a new pj will bring us good luck

However, it has been great to see my friend Giada, and her family. It must have been 5 years since last time I saw her, and I really missed her. She is my longest friendship: my mom met her pregnant mom when I was a few months old, and we have been friend since. She has two children, and while they are quite bit older than Keegan (6 and 8) they all got along great and played wonderfully together. Keegan loved the company.

They did some stuff on their own, but we also get the chance to spend a lot of time together. On Sunday night we had a great BBQ, and we all ate together. On labor Day, we went to Seaworld; it was actually not bad. We went at opening so parking was easy, and for most of the morning it was pretty empty. The overcast skies helped. We were able to watch many shows, beside the mandatory Shamu show.

Keegan took a nap around lunch time and I left him with Matt and went to the New Horizons dolphin show. It was fun, and definitely different from their basic shows.

big muffin: 10 minutes line to get the overpriced muffin, 3 bytes total consumed.

a rare family photo

After Keegan woke up, we checked out the sharks and stopped at the toddler play area, and went home, exhausted. Giada and her family stayed on for a few more hours. We met again for a nice dinner, and the next morning they left for Las Vegas. We crossed paths again on Thursday night, before I left on Friday.

group photos

I spent the following two days packing and preparing everything for my trip. Amazingly enough I got everything done by dinner time, so I had a couple more hours to spend with my friends, before my 3.30am wake up time.

So, all in all, we had lots of good times this summer and we are sad to see it gone.