Introducing....Thing Two

We haven't gotten around to introducing yinz to the newest addition. Alba Inés Shaw was born on October 24, 2012. She came nearly 10 days after her "due date." She makes a good addition to our crew.

Like her big sister, this one mainly goes by her middle name, Inés (pronounced ee -NEZ in English, ee-NESS in Spanish). Some of her nicknames are: Nezzy, Eenee, Cub Life, Neenee, Eenster Bunny, Easy E, and Nezmobops, and the Intern.

Thing One adores her new gig as big sister and loves to smoosh cheeks with her, help with her baths, bring her toys and show her new dance moves. She was also a devoted assistant birth partner during much of the at-home labor.

Inés would like to join us in thanking the grandmas for being so helpful before, during and after the big moment, and every great pal who helped us through the pregnancy, birth and new-baby-time. A special thanks to Marie for sharing her prescient dream about how the birth was going to happen - you nailed it, mostly.

These shots were all taken by none other than Mendy Waits, photography genius behind Black Room Photography.  See her website here.

Camp Simone

Simone celebrated the big 3 with some pals and woodland creatures - it was a camping party. We wore flannel and communed with nature. Many thanks to Campers Jon and Hyun for the photos and video.

We made these tents the night before. Pine molding, dowels, canvas and twine.

Every camper got a bandana - camp regulations. 

The buddy system.

 An un-scripted puppet show. 

Simone fearlessly led a hike around the block, clearing all obstacles in our path.

The most popular guest was the bear cake - he was devoured. At Camp Simone, we use every part of the bear.

Pin the tail on the bunny.

An anti-littering propaganda.

Bear cake, after the kids finished what was in their mess kits.

This first-time camper seems to have struggled with homesickness. 

Bandanas are really hot right now.

Happy birthday to Simone!

Let's give this thing another chance...

Many of you (including us) have most likely given up on this so-called blog.  But stuff has actually happened over this 10-month hiatus like Christmas, Simone turning 2, me being preggo again, Parker and I spending a weekend (sans bébé) in San Francisco and some other, perhaps, un-blogworthy events. We've also been lucky to have visits from some family members . . . so what's keeping the rest of you from coming out (or as they say here, 'coming aught')?

Many of you haven't seen Simone since Christmas or perhaps since last summer. She is a full-fledged kid now and will tell you so herself. Many of her hobbies have not changed, although she's sharpened her skills and is definitely the best dancer in our home (come to think of it, that's not saying much). She's all about making pretend and real sushi, making up little ditties as well as singing the classics ("Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "ABC," "Once there Was a Snowman," and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"), going to the zoo and chatting with the neighbors. Here are some random photos of Sim in no particular order:

Walking the tough streets of Pittsburgh.

Easter morning.

Parker's jealous of Simmy's hair.

The dancing is hard to capture in a still photo.

Weekend in America's Hat

We took a quick trip up north to visit the exotic city of Toronto, Canada. Two days were not nearly enough, but we managed to see a lot of the city. As it turns out, this trip sort of bookended our summer of visiting the extremes of the hemisphere (well, Toronto and Santiago aren't quite at the extremes, but we have to dramatize a little).

"No cars go..." We took a ferry from downtown to the Toronto Islands on lake Ontario. There are no cars on the islands, just pedal-powered rides.

Not a bad first try with chopsticks.

Enjoying a homemade Jamaican ginger beer. Toronto has so many great places to eat, it traumatized us a little to have to choose where to eat. Our last dinner included a lamb burger with bleu cheese and kimchi.

We took a rest stop at Lake Erie somewhere in New York on the way up.

Simone soaring over Lake Ontario.

Valparaíso

We took a spontaneous weekend trip to the coast to stay in one of our favorite cities. One night was not enough, but it was great to get a Valpo fix.

Simone's reaction when she saw the incredible view from Cerro Alegre.

5-Step Program

Simone decided to take her first steps in Chile.

Barrio Brasil (but we're still in Chile).

We took a stroll through Barrio Brasil yesterday. Apparently it used to be a pretty well-to-do neighborhood, but it hit hard times in the 1950s. The architecture is really cool. It's a bit gritty and bohemian, but it probably was quite snazzy back in the day.

"Down with the dictatorship of money!!!" (Looks like this block is getting 'Sugarhoused'.)

This mural was done by a collective that tries to recapture the identities of pueblos. Check out their blog if you're interested in seeing more of their work.