time flies when you aren't eating hummus

Well, we've been back in the States for about five months and there are still boxes stacked in the garage waiting to be unpacked. Heavy sigh. The kids are pretty much readjusted to life here except that Dante still asks to go to the sand dunes. I must say the grocery shopping is infinitely easier here although now I never know for sure if the mouthwash is kosher or not. I don't have a final reflection on our relocation. It's hard to summarize a year's worth of experiences and memories into a quick blurb. That said -- I'm really glad we went.

Anyhow, the summer flew by. Alejandro starts preschool next week already. He's really excited especially since they'll be speaking english! Too much has happened to give a true update without taking forever and a day and being that I'm inherently lazy when it comes to spending time on the computer -- I'm just posting a bunch of pictures with captions.

I never remember Mom playing swords with us when we were little...

Dante is finally potty trained! Woohoo!

They still love dress up no matter what country we live in..

Alejandro loves an excuse to wear his "fancy clothes." (This was a cousins' wedding in AZ.)

Dante is so trouble. When he's not putting on my makeup, he's filling the bathroom drawers with water, attempting to flush entire rolls of toilet paper, unstuffing the couch cushions, rearranging furniture to climb on the counters, turning on the garden hose to squirt whatever he can , adding random spices while we are baking brownies, and bringing bugs into the house. It's okay because he calls me "Honey" and tells me he loves me as soon as he gets caught.

A little love between Alejandro and his "Father" (they still won't call him Papa or Dad -- it's always Father.)

Don Quixote de la Mancha (I'm not kidding -- that's who they like to pretend to be. Although Dante says "Don Quixote de la Caca" just to be trouble.)

Obviously not NM!! How I miss the greenery in Ohio (oh yeah, and the family too!)

Dante finally has the attention span for crafts so now I have two of them begging to make things.

Alfonso took the boys camping last weekend. They loved burning marshmallows!

Poor Dante has started having nightmares as of late. We get midnight visits to chase rattlesnakes out of his bed and reports of being eaten by bears.

Reunion with The El Paso Cousins (plus Abuelita)

Reunion with the Ohio cousins (more blond hair, more blue eyes, a lot less spanish dialogue)

Alfonso and I snuck away by ourselves to Arches National Park in Utah.

Anyhow, I'll try to keep the blog updated a bit better now that we are (almost) settled in but no promises.

Love always,

Debi