After watching dolphins play alongside the boat, string rays jump out of the water to clean their flaps and whales meandering along, as well as catching a bunch of smaller fish, this guy put up quite a fight,

before my dad brought him into the boat!

This time there are photos to prove his fish stories.

What a day of fishing!

Happy Mother’s Day from México!  I hope all of you mothers out there have a special day that is exactly what you want whether that is hanging out with your kids and/or getting some well-deserved “me” time.

We are nearly a week into Mexican paradise and I’m probably stating the obvious that it has been fabuloso.  From an adult-perspective, we’ve been waking up without an alarm, hitting the incredible gym, drinking adult beverages, hanging out with our kids, reading, taking afternoon naps, basking in the sun/shade and eating delicious food.

The kids have been busy taking everything in, learning a bit of the Spanish language and the Mexican culture, swimming, playing in the sand, playing in the hotel room, pushing elevator buttons, riding on the back of oversized golf carts, walking on bridges, getting shoulder rides, sharing a bedroom and shaking up their daily routine and loving every minute of it.  Nap times have shifted from a steady 1pm to 2 and even 3pm.  We’ve made a new rule that they must get to bed before 2pm if we want them to get to sleep expediently.  Bedtimes are as late as 9:30 and while it takes them longer to fall asleep the girls are surprisingly resilient.

In the past week, Belén has grown up before our very eyes.  She can do everything “all by herself.”  She can do “whatever she wants to.” (Yes, that was a battle.)  She has gone from being scared of the wind at the beginning of the week to riding a dolphin, feeding a gigantic iguana, riding a pony and then swinging on a swing, pumping her legs all by herself.  She’s made great progress swimming as well.  One other new noteworthy behavior is her posing for each photo opp.

Eloise, aka “the honey badger,” is scared yet fierce with her strong opinions that she is very willing to share.  When witnessing something for the first time, she wants someone to “hold you” (hold me) and watches very intently until she is comfortable with the situation at which time she dives in with full honey badger gusto.

We’ve pretty much spent the week lounging between our luxurious room, the beach, the pool and one of many restaurants nearby.  The greatest part of a two-week vacation is that there is zero guilt with this approach.  During the second week, we do plan to embark on a few more excursions, but nothing too crazy…we’ve still got plenty of relaxing to do.

Last year we had a Purple Piñata Princess Party to celebrate Belén and Eloise’s birthdays.  In January when I started to plan this year’s party, I began asking Belén what kind of party she wanted to have.  There were a few different iterations but every one of them involved princesses.  It was close to being a Disco Princess party but Andy put the kibosh on me buying or renting a disco ball so it became a simple princess party, although simple is probably not the best way to describe it.

Food, Decorations and Costumes

The Princesses

Friends and Family

The Party

And what we are not quite prepared to talk about…

One last happy birthday to our favorite princesses!

We have the great fortune of spending some time in paradise, more precisely Puerto Vallarta, even more exact the Grand Luxxe resort in Nuevo Vallarta.  Andy and I have come to Puerto Vallarta at least ten times so we are not exactly novices, and Belén was here with us three years ago, but it is Eloise’s first time and it has been fun to see her reaction to so many new things all at once.

When we first arrived and were riding in a shuttle to the hotel, Eloise pointed out each bus she saw.  ”Bus,” five seconds later, “Bus,” three seconds later, “Bus.”  She probably said the word “Bus” fifteen times in a ten mile stretch.  Needless to say in Boise, she seldom gets the opportunity to use this word and her repetition reminded us how much more prevalent buses are in developing countries than in the US.

In all of Andy’s and my trips to Nuevo Vallarta, we have never stayed anywhere as nice as the Grand Luxxe.  It is absolutely incredible.  Our combined room that my parents are sharing with us is quite possibly bigger than our house.  Think massive living and dining rooms, kitchen with granite island, two large bedrooms, three bathrooms and a den that doubles as a bedroom for the girls.  As if that weren’t enough, there is a huge balcony with two-foot wading pool perfect for the girls.  My favorite part of the room is the fact that the maid comes at least twice of day, which is pretty much my dream in life, and she cleans up everything and finds a nice little home for it and even folds my underwear.  Paradise….

The flights down, despite a very early start (3am wake up call) and the fact that Belén kept us up the night before with a fever after having her four-year-old booster shots, went surprisingly well. Each of us found moments to catnap and our crazy two-year-old more or less kept it together on the flights.  After our flight down with Belén three years ago, we feel like we’ve been through the worse and everything else pales in comparison.  It turns out flying with an overtired one-year-old is much more difficult than tired two and four-year-olds.

The Trunki’s that we gave the girls for Christmas turned out to be worth their weight in gold. They provided a great way to store the in-flight entertainment (coloring books, dolls, etc.), places for them to sit, as well as an fun way to travel through the airports, being pulled by mommy and daddy.  The girls loved them!

Once we arrived at the Grand Luxxe, every ounce of discomfort experienced traveling was suddenly 100% worth it and we quickly settled into our home away from home.  The five of us enjoyed a tasty meal on the beach briefly before Andy had to take the two girls, who were incredibly sleep deprived and close to self destruction, back to the room leaving my dad and I to finish the nice meal by ourselves.  Some little critters enjoyed feasting on me at the same time while somehow the rest of the table avoided any bites.  Apparently I am sweeter than the rest.  I’m excited for my mom to get here as historically she has proven to be even sweeter than me.

You may be wondering why mom mom is not with us.  Let’s just say this is a reminder to check to make sure your passport has not expired well in advance of your trip.  She will be joining us on Tuesday after a rush trip to Seattle for a new passport.

Sunday we slept in and then spent time on the beach, lazy river and at the “kids club.”  Belén was thrilled to FINALLY be swimming as she was ready to jump in a pool the moment we boarded the first plane in Boise and wondered why the heck it took us so long to go swimming.  We’ve seen a new side to Belén this trip which I will just call “Annoyed Belén.”  She was ticked off when we went to dinner after our arrival instead of immediately jumping right into one of the massive pools on the property.  Every time I saw her annoyed/angry face, I flash forward ten years and mentally add an eye roll.  ”Mom, why can’t we go swimming?” is so much more tolerable than, “Mom, why can’t I have my boyfriend over when you are not home?”

We’ve seen a new side of Eloise as well.  She is timid about some of the new things she is experiencing.  I had to be very strategic about enticing her to put her feet in the sand.  For awhile there I thought she might be content sitting on the beach chair away from sand and surf all day long.  After I showed her how fun it is to dig your toes into the sand, she’s slowly warmed up to the experience and is not looking back.  We still have a ways to go on the pool and ocean as sand is apparently much more fun than water.

A couple of memorable moments stand out from the trip thus far.

Eloise is a huge lover of milk and in the middle of potty training which has led to a certain constipation problem now that we are traveling.  One morning she was clearly needing to go and yet unable to.  We started pumping her full of juice, which we normally never offer in hopes of helping her with her plight.  After a very uncomfortable morning, she was finally ready to go so she and I headed off in the direction of the bathroom near the pool.  We walked into the stall and she quickly announced that “No, no, No!” she was not going to go on the potty.  I decided to change her diaper on the changing table since it was wet and when I went to take her off of it, she refused.  It took a moment, but I figured out that she had found a place where she was comfortable doing her business and she wanted to stay on the changing table until it was done.  I stood there for over 20 minutes with one hand on Eloise as she sat there watching bathroom patrons come in and out and eventually getting the job done.

Both girls were patient enough to get there hair braided today.  I was amazed, especially at Eloise but the older sister magic was very effective as E watched B get hers done first and then expressed an interest herself.  It will be nice not fighting her to keep a ponytail in her hair each day and interesting to see how long beach braids hold up to a honey badger.

Our second night  at dinner, Andy was eating with Eloise on his lap.  She was bored, already finished eating herself, and decided to entertain herself by literally picking on Andy.  At one point Andy said, “Have you ever eaten dinner with a monkey on your lap?  I’m pretty sure this is what it feels like.”  I was laughing hysterically as I’ve been on the other side of Eloise’s shenanigans on many occasions.

Sending hugs from Mexico!

Friday was my last day in the office, working at one of the world’s largest technology companies.  I started working at the company as a summer intern in 1997.  My history with the company started even earlier than that as my mom worked there for 20+ years before retiring a few years ago.  In a way you could say that the company is in my blood.  I feel so comfortable there.  I know how it operates.  I understand the culture.  I know how to get things done.  I know how to be successful.  

Our relationship, the company’s and mine has been mutually beneficial.  As a salaried employee, I’ve long worked many more hours than the required 40 I’m paid for.  I’ve discussed business with co-worker/friends at countless dinner parties.  I’ve lost sleep over work problems.  I’ve stressed.  I’ve missed family events.  I’ve sacrificed.

At the same time, the company sent Andy and me to live in Guadalajara, Mexico and Shanghai, China and paid for my MBA, not to mention the amazing experience I have gained in the past fifteen years.  In addition to that, I have enjoyed generous benefits, flexible time off and pretty much anything you could ask for from a company.  Logically speaking, a person should want to work at this company forever, especially once you factor in working with smart, amazing, genuinely good people.

And yet there was something missing for me.  Perhaps I am just one of those people who always wants something better, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that when people would leave the company to go work somewhere smaller, I found myself wishing it was me instead.  At the end of the day, I wasn’t so sure that my contribution really mattered. I have a lot to give, but I want it to matter.

On top of that, deep down, I have a desire to start and grow or at least be on the ground floor of a new company someday.  While there are many transferable experiences from working at in a large enterprise, it is very different growing a business from scratch.  I know this firsthand as my most recent job was starting up a new business within an existing organization.  It was by far my favorite job yet.

I cannot tell you how many years I’ve known that I have needed to make a change because the number is larger than I care to admit. I repeatedly told myself that I couldn’t give up the great opportunities that were mine for the learning and I still believe this is true.  But at a some point, I had to be true to myself and I decided to explore other options.

This exploration led me in different directions but ultimately concluded with me accepting a position at a small networking company in town.  Now small is a relative term and small for this company is roughly 120 people but my definition of small ended up meaning that I was still interviewed by the CEO.  I’m impressed with what I saw at the (new) company and also feel like my skills and experience will benefit them.  Their management team is impressive and accessible, an attribute I deem very important for this juncture in my career.  I’m not too naive to think this new company won’t have problems, I’m sure all companies do…but I’m energized to solve the problems intrinsic to a growing company.

So after 15 years, I’ve lost something…I’ll even go so far to say a part of my identity.  I’m fortunate that it was a choice I was able to make and also that my exit interview made it clear I am welcome back if I find out this other pasture is not as green as I’m hoping.  And while I will miss my old, great company more than I’m sure I even realize right now, I expect that I will revel in another new challenge. And the greatest part of all is that I feel like I am finally being authentic with myself and pursuing what I believe I need to be pursuing.  I am back on my path and because of that, I’ve gained something even more valuable.

It won’t be easy, it won’t always be comfortable, but change never is…especially the kind that matters.

Wish me luck.

Our baby turns two today.  Here is where you expect me to say that I cannot believe how quickly she has grown up (which is true) but in many ways I am completely at peace with the reality that she is two.  In fact, she has seemed a bit like two for some time now.  She is doing all of the things I expect a two-year-old to be doing including talking and asserting herself quite strongly, throwing a fit when things are not going her way, eating like a bird but still sporting the happy Buddha belly, occasionally potty training and did I mention, asserting herself strongly?

As she has been since her first day in this world two years ago, Eloise continues to be a delight.  At two-years-old, she is simply a delight with some interruptions.  If, for example, you make the BIGGEST mistake known to parenting and, God Forbid, want to dress her in jammies that are NOT her monkey jammies because, say, they are in the washing machine at the moment…look the f*!% out.  She may just throw something at you or walk up to you and hit you.  Or, perhaps, if it is too far to walk over and hit you, she might turn to Belén and hit her.  And then likely, even before you scold her and tell her that her behavior is not okay, she will quite possibly throw herself on the ground kicking and screaming and maybe even butting her head against the floor.  Oh hey, I just thought of an invention.  Someone should totally make a portable, toddler-sized version of those padded rooms they put crazy people in.  I kid, but wouldn’t that be kind of cool for a two-year-old’s tantrums.

Despite the major attitude at times, Eloise is a complete and utter joy.  She has quite a sense of humor and continues to love making people laugh.  She gets a big kick out of getting a reaction out of me and seems to pride herself in being the funniest person in the room.

I’ve told you in previous posts that she is smart so I won’t go into that much more today.  The thing that impresses me so much is she is quite strategic and thinks a few steps ahead.  She realizes that the kids at school are going to want to play with her little Cinderella doll so she asks me to put it in her cubby once we enter the classroom.  She recognizes that she wants something higher than her reach so she goes and gets the step stool in an entirely other room and moves it to where it needs to be to give her the height she needs.

Like any good toddler, she wants to do things by herself and while she insists on trying first and she tries really hard, if she can’t make it happen, she merrily asks for help.  This continues to surprise me every time it happens because of how upset Belén becomes when she cannot accomplish her goal on her own.

Her likes and dislikes have not changed much in the past month.  Cinderella and Dora are the big favorites with Yo Gabba Gabba coming in third.  We are hoping that her obsession with Cinderella will manifest itself into an easier upcoming plane flight but being that she refuses to wear her headphones thus far, we shall see.

Between the sense of humor, the smarts and her easy going nature (when she is not throwing a tantrum), I cannot tell you the number of people who observe her behavior and remark, “That Eloise is really something…she is going to do something really big one day.”  Now I don’t want to go right ahead and put the weight of major expectations on a two-year-olds shoulders but the kid does have potential and, of course, is very special….a very special two-year-old indeed!

These first years of life are incredible for so many reasons, one of which is the change that takes place during each one.  I mean, taking your first breath of air to walking the first year, then in another year expressing yourself with words, followed by making your opinions known and becoming potty trained and then this lovely year between three and four where your toddler body becomes lean and all of the baby disappears into this gorgeous little articulate girl.  As parents, it is impossible not to be completely enamoured and amazed.

What can I say?  You are our big girl now.  Despite being convinced this would never happen, you eat real food with a healthy appetite, and yet, your body is tall and lean.  You have a very good memory and are as sharp as a tack.  Your father and I need to start getting more sleep because you are close to out-smarting us.  Once you can spell, I think it is all over.

Speaking of spelling, you are on your way.  One of your favorite games at the moment is to rearrange the letters magnetized to the refrigerator into a crazy configuration and then ask Daddy or I to pronounce it. “Jee-ga-mo-na-fri-zer” and then you laugh hysterically.  You can write your name and with a little help sound out a simple word.  I will not be surprised if you are reading in no time.

We celebrated your birthday with the second year of a princess party because you are OBSESSED with princesses.  Disney’s Cinderella, Belle, Rapunzel and Merida (Brave) are like sisters with the frequency of their visits to our family room.  Tinkerbell and her friends are becoming favorites as well.

Like the princesses, you love all things pretty and you have been heard saying, “Mommy, I only want to wear one of my beautiful dresses today.”  And by the way, you say this EVERY DAY and have pretty much no interest in wearing shorts or pants.  In fact, convincing you of the need to start wearing “playground” shorts to cover your underwear, now that it’s too warm for tights, is very much a work in progress (since they are not beautiful.)  All three of your pairs of sparky shoes have had the sequence worn off of them from overuse.  Your practical shoes that we as parents think are more appropriate for daily wear, barely see the light of day outside of your closet.

As parents, we love listening to you your imagination at work with the elaborate stories you tell yourself as you are laying in bed at night waiting to fall asleep or even playing by yourself on the other side of the room.  I want to bottle up your imagination as it is so innocent, pure and powerful in case you ever need to return to it as a source of inspiration.

You are such an amazing big sister to Eloise and she absolutely adores and idolizes you.  Of course, when she is pissed and pulling your hair or trying to bite your hand, this is not always obvious, but in almost every other instance, she can be seen watching and emulating her big sister.  You are getting better at standing up to her as the people walking by our house this evening surely heard as you yelled very loudly, emphasizing every word, “ELOISE–GIVE–IT–BACK–TO–ME–IT–IS–MINE!”  The bad part of being idolized is that she wants everything you like, especially when it is a toy.

Another joy as your parents is to watch you dance.  You have a raw talent in dancing and it is something you love to do.  Next fall we will sign you up for dance classes since you have asked us at least a dozen times if you can stop doing gymnastics and do dance instead.

Yesterday at the conclusion of your birthday party, you and your last friend at the party created a platform to do the hula and perform for us.  Your friend told you that you had to dance how she was dancing.  You immediately looked sad and kind of shut down.  But you responded with, “No.  I want to dance my own way.”  This scene repeated itself a couple of times until the parents jumped in and you both took turns sharing the stage and dancing in your own way.  I want you to know how proud of you I was for sticking up for yourself and refusing to give in to what your friend was telling you to do.  Choose your own path and don’t let others tell you what to do or how to do it.  Respect authority figures, of course, within reason…but continue to listen to and trust yourself to guide you on this journey of life. 

I cannot believe four years ago today I was holding you in my arms for the first time, breastfeeding you for the first time and snuggling with you for the first time.  In so many ways it seems like you have been with us forever and yet in other ways, the four years has passed in the blink of an eye.

But now here you are, beautiful, intelligent, perfect…FOUR.  We love you Belén Rose!

All year I have been asking Belén what she wants for her birthday.  Each time, her response is, “To get my ears pierced.”  I reminded her over and over again that it was going hurt a little bit and even simulated the pain with a pinch to her earlobe.  She WAS NOT deterred.

Last weekend I asked one more time before we loaded up the family into the car and drove us all to the mall to witness Belén’s first piercing.

A friend had given me a recommendation to go to Merle Norman and that turned out to be really good advice.  We walked into the store and within a minute Belén had picked out sparkly, pink stars as her first earrings and the clerk was dotting her ear with a marker.  B looked so excited and brave that she suddenly seemed more like 14 than four.

Another clerk joined the first one with her own piercing “gun.”  They do both ears at the same time to avoid the horrible anticipation of pain with the second ear.  Um, BEST IDEA EVER!

I crossed my fingers that it was not going to hurt too badly and held my iPhone in front of her to capture the experience.

“1-2-3″ and suddenly the earrings were through her earlobes and a smile was still on her face.  She was positively giddy as Andy and I stared at her with our mouths gaping with disbelief that there were no tears.

She admired her pretty earrings in the mirror as the clerk handed her a sucker.

Four is looking good so far!

Every once in awhile, I come up with a brilliant parenting technique out of nowhere and it blows my mind that it actually works (probably due to the failure of majority of the other techniques.)  I don’t think this one will be long-lived, but I am loving it while it works.

Bath time has been a tumultuous ride over the last four years.  Belén hated it more often than not until probably the past year or so.  She has shed a whole lot of tears in the bathtub.  Eloise has been more even tempered with the bath, I think because B has shown her how fun it can be.  That said, there is often a fight or some sort of drama in the tub.

Andy typically gives our kids a bath, but last week, it was my turn.  The Easter Bunny brought them a pack of letters that are supposed to stick to the tile when wet but it doesn’t really work with our small tiles.  In an effort to encourage the girls to not pull out every toy and every letter (that I would have to clean up after bath time), I came up with the, “Mommy Says” game which works a little like “Simon says” but involves washing various body parts.

The girls immediately took to the game, are learning to better wash themselves and knock on wood, we have had zero bath drama since the game started.

Now I want to know from you…what is your zen parenting secret we can all learn from?