It is almost time....

My heart is getting smaller by the day...... tighter, sadder, in anticipation of what is ahead. Two more months to some, to more weeks to others, but the goodbyes are almost here.

We will be getting on the 'band wagon', heading home to our friends and family that have so patiently been waiting for us for the past 12 years. Kids are excited of having grandmas, grandpas, cousins and uncles/aunts around, being able to run free at grandma's house, being able to live in a house, have a yard and ride their bikes up and down. We are excited too...

... But oh so nervous. A huge part of us will be staying behind. Bernardo and Miguel's friends from school, we will miss you. Moms and Dads at the school gate, I will miss you. Ms. Trista and Ms. Karen, you are my heroes and we will miss you tremendously. I hope Miguel continuous to walk around the house asking for Lucia and Lila for a while. I hope Bernardo keeps very close to his heart his memories with buddies Victoria and Jay.

Miami was a stranger to me for so long.... and somewhere in these past 8 years it became home. Our kids were born here, took their first steps here, spoke their first words here, made their first impression in life and friends here. Fred and I married here (although looking back and at the pictures we both looked so scared and unsure of what we were doing!), bought our first home here and really fell in love here. But at the end of the day, this has been home to us because of the few and close friends that we, as a family, have been able to form.

Christine, although you feel you're surrounded by chaos, you have always been in inspiration to me. You are always capable of picking up the pieces at the end of the day and head out to the park, the beach or whatever with your kids so you all can enjoy each other's company. You're there for them day and night, and the love you feel for both Liv and Jay we are all able to feel it from a mile away :)

Erna and Bjorn, I love you both. For the sincerity, for the good laughs, for being here, there and everywhere. I love you Erna for all that you feel and not always tell; and Bjorn for all that you tell no matter what. I will miss our outings, our dinners, our jokes.

Actually...... I think I miss you all already.

xoxo
Mariana

Try, try, and try again!

I heard this 20 thousand times but with my kids being so finicky about eating for the longest time I never thought it would happen to me. Bernardo has been a picky eater (to say the least) since he started teething at astonishing 13 months old! He could eat rocks before that...... but when those darn teeth started pooping out, so did his finickyness. Is that a word???

I have been trying to get him to try new fruits, veggies and foods all the time, and this weekend we took the kids plus friends to Homestead to a German Baptist farm where they grow organic veggies, strawberries and have the best cinnamon rolls and smoothies on this planet (my extra 2 pounds in the last 48 hours can attest to that :). Bernardo has always said no to strawberries......... but look what a little bit of peer pressure and farm setting can do to my 'big boy':

YAY!!

Miguelito, on the other hand..........

And or course, better than the kids having fun is having special friends around us and sharing these special and memorable outings: the Benitah's and the Steinbekk's! Here are some of our best pictures...

Knaus Berry Farm rocks! 

  

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving has come and gone... but I guess is never too late to register my gratitude to those close to me, one way or another.

To my handsome husband, that besides all the nagging and complaining I am capable of doing in a 24 hours period (and believe me, I'm a pro!!), has proven time and time again that there is no one better in this entire world of taking care of us, making us feel loved and protected :) Chiquito, you are the best at 6am in the morning when you let me sleep for an extra hour while you give Miguel breakfast, even when you wake up in the worst mood and make me feel guilty for laying in bed!! You are also the best for rolling on the floor and pretending you're a warrier with the kids, for giving me a tight hug when I need it the most, and for telling us that you love us no matter what - everyday. We love you too!

To my parents - for  for teaching us what values really are, for standing up for what you believe in regardless of what the society tells you, for standing your hand and offering help even when we are not in need, for being humans and making mistakes throughout my up bringing so I don't repeat the same mistakes now with my own family but try some new ones :)

To my brother - that on his own special way teaches us day after day that we only have one take at this life and we better live it to the fullest

To my family - for being crazy and disfunctional, bringing much excitement and laughter at the right time (who would want a boring all perfect family???)

To my dear friends - for the experiences shared throughout the years, for the trust, for knowing I can count on you no matter what. You know who you are!!!

And to my kids - for being so special, for brighting up my day, for making me loose my mind just to a second later remind me that I truly am the luckiest person on Earth! I coudn't imagine my life without you and it has been a priviledge to be your mom and see you both grow into beautiful boys day by day!

XOXO
Mariana

Something 'old', something 'blue'

In this crazy society that we live in, where people are always after the newer, bigger and better; where you can buy (and loose) everything you have in a split second..... it's always comforting to realize our objectives are a bit different than 'the norm'. Yes, my dad would say I have an expensive taste (who doesn't??) but at the end of the day give me my family, my few dear friends and the opportunity to travel, to see and to show the world to my kids and we're all set :)


Friendships particularly are few and further apart, some that started some 20 years ago and some that are recently blossoming but still so dear. An old friend is kind of like the love we have for our grandparents...... it's been there for so long that you just cannot imagine yourself without it . The newer friends is like a new boyfriend... so darn exciting and so much to learn from each other that you see yourself making plans 24/7.


I can see Bernardo starting new friendships in school and that to me is just so beautiful. I don't expect him to be close to all his new friends forever, but I do hope he keeps these memories close to his heart for as long as he can remember (last not forget, he's only 3 years old!!).


Jay has been his buddy since they were 9 months old; and Christine mine :) Watching them grow together has been a privilege and a blessing.







Victoria and Erna have also been a good surprise these last couple of months. Great family from Iceland with priorities and goals similar to ours. My weekly breakfasts with Erna (when I can remember) and our family outings are just tremendous!

This post is then dedicated to the little in size but huge in heart friends of Bernardo :)

Super Heroes

Just for those of you wondering......... super heroes still live strong under my roof. One day is Mr. Incredible, the other Spiderman, Superman or maybe Super Why. Whatever the hero may be, it's just a pleasure to see my little man get into this magical world and live it like there is no tomorrow. A kid's imagination is so powerful that Bernardo pretended to be invisible at the doctor's office while they gave him the flu shot....... and he literally did not feel a thing :)

We are also taking advantage of all the costumes out there for Halloween: buying capes, masks and all that polyester-long-sleeves-super-hot-costumes left and right! Like Be told me this week while at the store: "oh my lord mommy, this is my favorite! and look, it says 'Bernardo'"

I simply cannot resist :)




Mr. Incredible

Super Miguelito
Super Why

Sharing his costumes with BFF Jay

Super cape

Hot like hell vs. Pretty like you've never imagined

Yes you've guessed it.... we were out and about again! And yes, we do have wheels instead of feet! Even worse, we've been back for only 2 days and I'm already dreaming about our next adventure: a RV trip to Orlando with the kids! But we'll leave the RV trip for a future post...


So we wanted to go to Alaska on a cruise... but having emptied our piggy bank on our trip to France, we just couldn't afford it. One day for sure! But before I knew we couldn't pay for the cruise, I had sent my good friends Crica & Vudu (aka Cristina and Antonio) an email asking them if they wanted to join us on that trip. To my surprise, those two were already booked to spend a couple of days in Vegas and then the Grand Canyon and invited us in. I was so excited to see them again that Chiquito booked the tickets that same night :)


A little bit of a background: Antonio and I met during our MBA in Halifax, Nova Scotia... and became instant friends. Better yet, he immigrated to Canada with his better half, Crica, who became a sister to me. We spent 2 years glued by the hips... and I was there glued to her right leg even during the delivery of their daughter Buzuca (aka Victoria). Got the picture? I LOVE these people!!!


Back to the trip. I don't want to whine too much but Vegas is not my bread and butter kind of trip. It's all about sex, gambling, alcohol and cigarettes. urrrgggg. To make matters worse the heat is like I've never felt before in my life. You don't know if you run from the heat into the smoky casinos or vice-verse. But hey, we had our friends so in some ways we were in heaven!


Now the Grand Canyon was a different story. We arrived at the hotel, dropped our bags, went for a 5 seconds pipi stop and immediately headed over to the park. As soon as you start driving into Grand Canyon National Park, you see all these cars parking on the curb and folks leaving the cars in a hurry, armed with their cameras and curiosity. We were no different.... and WOW!! The first time you see the Grand Canyon it literally takes your breath away! And the second, the third, the forth... there's really no end to it. The magical thing to me was to see how the canyon changes before your eyes during sunrise and sunset - yes, we've attended both spectacular occasions - and it was unbelievable! The other amazing experience we had was the helicopter ride... what a treat!! Again, it took our breaths away! Like I told the pilot Ryan... I don't blame the rich and famous anymore :)


Crica, Vudu and Buzuca - seeing and spending time with all of you was priceless! It's really like we've been together all these years. The jokes, the friendship, the love has never left us. Thank you so much for everything, we had a blast! Seeing Antonio enjoying the boring lecture about rocks, plants and billions of years, shaking his head like he's in heaven was great! Seeing Crica paying $225 for the helicopter ride to later throw up all her fears was also funny (sorry), and Buzuca you are so smart and funny, I'm not sure who you got that from! And thanks for being so sweet to Be and Miguel... you indeed would have been a great big sister! Hey, you can be their big sister, how about that??


Love you all and miss you already...

:) Maricota



Here are the Fogaca-Goldins at hot like hell Las Vegas

Be and Buzuca having fun at the pool at MGM Grand

Be and Miguel astonished by all the lights and neon on the strip

Fake, hairy and tacky Elvis Presley

Miguelito and daddy taking a first glimpse of the Grand Canyon

Familia trapo....

Familia trapo #2

Lucky guy :)

Sunset at Hopi Point

Sunrise at Mather Point with freezing temperature at 5:50am

Be looking for the 'bald eagle' - when in reality he was looking at the condor!

Miguelito with his signature 'trouble' look!

Here he is just plain adorable!

Guided tour about the Canyon... and Bernardo still looking for the bald eagle! I think he is just in love with his binoculars, period.

Family that travels together......

Helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon - and Miguelito slept through the entire flight!

Aerial view of the Grand Canyon

One more.....

Bernardo playing pilot and having a blast!

Fogaca-Goldins with the Gama-Da Silva. Crica still looking good... but not for long!