La Flaca D: She lives...

So things have been both insane and generally calm at the same time. We are approaching the end of January and I still feel as if I don’t have my bearings. The new year came in with a flurry of obligations and activities and I feel now that I’m finally grabbing the reigns while alarmed at the amount to things I have yet to accomplish.

The holidays brought new toys to our household (and I’m not talking the ones that Ari and Nilsa got) that are serving to distract us on a daily basis. Its hard not to want to watch a plethora of movies in stunning H.D. quality or for that matter to watch television at all because prior to our new toy the only TV we had were the small 13-20 inch ones in the kitchen, office and upstairs in our room. The new PlayStation (PS3) still sits in its box for fear that once it’s open the distraction would be even worse. Yet the distraction is also welcome. We’ve not been able to relax and enjoy each other’s company in our house so much as we have lately. Before the New Year came we barely if ever sat all together in the living room and played, talked and laughed. And now we do. So there are positive attributes to the distractions. And I’m happy for them.

I’ve been on facebook often lately. Posting away random tidbits on what it is I’m doing. So to update you all I figured the best way to do this would be to bullet point the latest and greatest Velez household and Velez kidlets happenings. Its amazing how much can happen in almost one month.

Nilsa is blooming into such a little girl. Her vocabulary has now moved passed her obsessively favorite word that she used to repeat ad-nauseum. Zapato (shoe in Spanish for those of you who do not speak the language.) Although we understand her words very few others yet do. But we’re getting there. And the girl can certainly hold her own against her brother. The stage of worry that he will hurt her inadvertently is over. Now we worry that she will hurt him! And there is nothing more wonderful then to see them actively playing together.
In other Nilsa news her hair is getting longer and I’m increasingly aware that Daddy has no idea what to do with it. If it continues on this curly/wavy trend its going to be all the worse. I wonder if it is even logical to try to explain to Rob how to make pigtails. I remember when we were in Ocean City for our family vacation last year how we sat behind a dad who put his daughter’s hair in a braid and how impressed I was at his ability to do it as she had REALLY long hair. I can manage hair. The question is can Rob?
Laundry. My evil step child. Someone please tell me how to manage it? I know it’s a never ending process but it seems unmanageable as of late. I blame myself. I separate and pile and then forget to put it in or worse yet, forget it in the washer so that it has to be re-run because damp clothing will smell after a while. Add to my terrible tendency of leaving it in the dryer after its dry so it gets increasingly wrinkled or our obsessive need to iron EVERYTHING. Yes everything gets ironed. I can only blame myself I guess.
School. New Year means registrations for the new school year. Its always wild to me that the year JUST rolled in and I’m thinking of the next year school season. This year Ari has so enjoyed the Westfield YMCA and I cannot say anything bad about the school. It really is a fabulous program, a modern and well kept setting and it has amazing teachers and faculty. Unfortunately, next year we had to look elsewhere. Rob and I decided that it would be in Ari’s best interest to go to a school with a longer day schedule. The Westfield Y’s options for next year were only 2.5 hours for 3 or 4 days. So I started looking for Catholic Schools. I’m a catholic school girl and I would love nothing more then for Ari and Nilsa to go to one to. And being that the school system in our town isn’t up to par, its an option. So after research I narrowed it down to 2 schools and after open houses at them we registered Ari for next year at St. Theresa’s in Kenilworth. In so doing, we’ve now chosen a parish as well as that was one of my requirements. The school would be in the parish we would attend and be active in. I know I don’t talk much about religion and that neither Rob nor I come across as the religious type what with being very liberal and opposed to many of the beliefs of the roman catholic church, but we think the moral basis is something that should be learned and that helped me and so we think its an important part of the kids lives. And I’ll leave it at that. So Ari will start catholic school in a Pre-K3 program next year. 5 days a week, full day school schedule. I’m so excited.
Spanish. As many of you might and might not know I'm a champion for language studies for my kids. I really want them to speak Spanish but I find it increasingly hard for me personally to teach them since although Rob and I can speak and understand Spanish we don't' necessarily talk it to one another. For a while now I've been searching for a fun way to integrate Spanish learning for Ari and going forward for Nilsa. I recently visited Salta to check out their program of full Spanish integration AND their full day (3 or 5 day) a week summer camp. I'm registering Ari for the camp this year and will hopefully the budget will afford me the advantage of having him scheduled for weekly classes at the school during the next school year. You all know I'm picky I am and I fell in love the program, its philosophy and the full integration of Spanish. They're main 'campus' is located in Edison but they have other locations including the new Westfield location. I spoke at length with the director Jacqueline, and I really feel she not only has a passion for this but she by far has the best program available in New Jersey. I got to watch a class session underway and then heard the excitement of a child speaking Spanish to his non-Spanish speaking mother and I knew this would be a great program for Ari. I’m so excited to have him in it this summer
Friends. I’ve renewed my commitment to see my friends more often. I often feel that we say no too often because we’re unavailable for something, or that we don’t see our friends often enough. I will admit to seeing people at kids parties and such but they are never conducive to sitting down and talking about life in general. So I have to really focus on having some quality time with everyone. I know it grows increasingly hard, as we age and as our obligations with our family, work and life seem to squeeze the remaining minutes of time away from us. Its so easy to not make the effort to see anyone and to instead try to steal those moments for the other things in life that need to be done (see my previous point on laundry) and find meeting briefly with friends to be a luxury that you could pass on and yet if you do it you realize how much it is that you’ve missed the simplicity of being in somebody else’s company. So remember that when you get a call or e-mail from me imploring you to go out. Those times are so valuable.
Blogging. I promise you all that I’ll post more often and those promises have gone unfulfilled. So let me say this. I promise you nothing. I will post when I can and provide pictures and nonsensical babble on life. I may do it everyday, every week or every month. But I’ll get around to doing it.

Christmas Pictures

Rob setting up the train on Christmas Eve.