Partial post

This is something I started writing a few days ago. We're having a vacation week here, and thus my mind is on vaca as well. There were a few thoughts set to follow what's below, but *poof* -- gone.

As you all know, this is my first holiday season away from home. Away from my family and friends, and my sister's Christmas cookies. If nothing else, this whole experience has shown me how much I love the people in my life. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, I think it's safe to say I've hit maximum fonditude. The feeling is spilling over into my daily life down here. I like that people come to our house to hang out, and that they call from down the block to say they're in the neighborhood so they're stopping by. We get calls at 10pm; some friend or relative, who undoubtedly knows that our non-cordless telephone is right outside the room where the kids are sleeping, wants to make sure we're home because he or she will be here in five minutes. And they're bringing food or beer. I love the southern hemisphere hospitality.

Also, prepare yourselves. When I come back, I'm inviting myself over any time I feel like it.

My new porn -- er, um, entertainment

Frank and I are hanging out in the living room. A little while ago he whispered, "Hey, I have a surprise for you." He went to press the button on the remote, and 99.9% of me was betting on porn. But no. It was Star Trek.

Hotness.

Hey. Hi.

So I'm thinking about getting a little tree up, now that we have made some exciting handmade decorations with which to surround such a thing. For lack of desire to buy a whole whirl of decorations I'm not that crazy about, I opted to put the kids to work and get crafty. Watercolors, construction paper, etc. Our super duper paper chains (my favorite) will do double duty as birthday party decorations for Nico's THIRD on the 20th.

Wow. Nico is going to turn three years old. I just can't believe it. My little boy. Three just seems so much older than two. I remember bringing him home from the hospital when he was a newborn. I couldn't imagine him any bigger or older than he was then. And now here he is, making conversation with his little sister, asking her a whole string of yes-or-no questions at the dinner table.

There's not much else to say tonight, except that I miss home a lot. I miss my family, and I miss my friends. I miss my house. I miss New Jersey. Whatever you can think of about home, rest assured I miss it.

Only in Barranco

So, my friends, a little bit of info on my neighborhood. You know we live in Lima, and Lima is broken up into districts, or municipalities, or what have you. There's Miraflores, San Isidro, Surco, and Lima proper, just to name a few. And then there's my district, Barranco, which is known as the bohemian/artistic center of the city. It was founded in 1874 as a hoity-toity beach resort, and aside from having lots of fancy old houses and tourists and street dogs, it's as noisy as all get out.

Case in point: it's twenty minutes past ten on a Sunday night, and there is a concert out front. Well, technically, it's half way down the block across from the town square. And I'm not talking about some drunkard with a guitar crooning for a buck. There's a full-blown event happening. And it just started. At twenty past ten on a Sunday night. Not surprisingly, I also hear a marching band somewhere in the mix.

Okay, so we just looked out the doors and here's what's happening on this typical Sunday night in Barranco. The Procession of the Lord of Miracles. Holy smokes.

Mother and child

Tonight I'm watching Snoopy, Come Home with Nico. He laughs out loud and jokes around with me during the funny parts, and I love that, so I'm letting him stay up past his bedtime. He and I had quite a day. I did a morning run, then took both kids to the park so they could burn off some energy. We did a walk with the stroller after that. Come nap time, Livi was out like a light but Nico wanted to go for another walk. We dropped off laundry, walked to the bridge and ran around, I drooled over some hand crafted bags at a street fair, and he almost fell asleep while I was giving him a piggy back ride. Once home, I realized I had nothing to cook for dinner. Livi sat home again with Daddy, and Nico and I went to Metro to get Inca chicken, fries, salad, and a few food basics. On the way home we stopped at Hong Fu for some white rice.

While we were out, Livi had filled up on peaches, which was fine in a way because Nico had filled up on a mini bag of Cheetos while he was sitting in the shopping cart. Who gave them to him? I cannot say. I'm not the kind of mom who would feed her kid Cheetos right before dinner just to make him happy. And because he was batting his eyes and nudging his shoulder in the Cheetos' direction. No sir. Not me.

Anyhoo, here we are, watching Charlie Brown, and I've just heard the most adorable thing from Nico. He thinks that Snoopy is a mommy, and Woodstock is her baby. When he told me, I sat there batting my eyes at him (trying not to start crying like a complete sap). I smiled, and he smiled back, and then he asked for a mango. Obviously it wasn't as much of a moment for him as it was for me, but I still loved it.

Fashion, clean and dirty

Tonight I flipped the channel and landed on Sex & the City: La Pelicula (the Movie). It's making me miss my gal pals. I always giggle a little when I think of which character I am, depending on which set of girlfriends I'm with. Either I'm Miranda, or Carrie, or Samantha. Never Charlotte, though, as far as I can tell.

Well, hot news, it looks like I'm getting a washer soon! I can't believe I just exclaimed that, but seriously, I'm jazzed about this. Hand washing all of your family's socks and undies is only charming the first few times, and paying for a laundry service to clean everything else is getting expensive.

Okay listen, Carrie just found Big's emails, so I gots ta go. Hugs, all. Mwah, mwah.

Oh, wait! Before I go, must tell you that Frank landed a job teaching animation at a local college. It's a part-time gig, which is perfect, and I just have to say that I'm really proud of him.