Christmas Eve, to me, has always been a very special night of the holiday. As a child, it was filled with anticipation and magic. My parents and sister were great at convincing me that Santa was near. We left cookies for Santa, and I do believe Linda even made noises...
After John’s recent trip here and noting that Uggs of Australia are made in China, he decided to send Laura uggs made in Australia, which she loves. After John watched Miquel’s enthusiasm for our local football team, the Ravens, he sent Miquel an official shirt of Perth’s soccer team, the Perth...
Our holidays with Enric, Miranda, and Silas took on an Aussie flavor, when Enric took the challenge of playing the digeridoo John sent to Miquel some Christmases ago. Enric had so much fun with it, I almost hated to see him leave it behind….
While Enric, Miranda, and Silas were here, we got to have some fun watching the Raven’s Game. Most dressed up for the occasion! Silas started the spirit off with bell ringing… My sons… Wish they could do this more often! Laura, poses with her brothers. Miranda dons a hat and...
Laura turned 15 today, and this weekend with some events planned and some left to spontaneity turned out perfect. Laura’s birthday weekend started with one of her favorite things ever, snow. That night Laura and all her friends and Miquel went to see Twilight She had a sleepover with Heather...
I owed Miquel a trip to the zoo and John also wanted to see the zoo in Baltimore. I was happy that Laura joined us. Rhinos hold a special place to John and I, so it was fun to see two of them nuzzling. Laura taking a photo of the...
Technically, it’s not the end of summer, but school has begun for most, and signals the end of summer vacation. With that in mind, mom and I told the kids to invite their friends for a party. After days of preparation, the party day started for me at 6 AM,...
In the past, I have taken a lot of teasing from my friends who spent summers going east with their families to Ocean City, and my family always went west to visit family in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia. So when I finally got to experience Ocean City, they...
Often when I look back to raising little ones, I remember the WORK; the late night feedings, the endless diapers, the colic, and the crying. Not that I didn’t enjoy those times, I sure did. The work put into it though, sure stands out in my mind as well. Thank...
Sandy Point State Park, a 786-acre park near Annapolis, Maryland, offers a variety of recreational activities including swimming, fishing, crabbing, boating, and hiking. With its convenient location on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Sandy Point State Park is a popular destination for families during the summer months. Facilities include picnic...
I noticed the other day what a mess the roof of the house was, along with the debris staining the gutter guards. As I spent a day scrubbing it, I realized, “Wait a minute, I have two tall boys in the house.” The next day, Miquel and Mike was given...
The ornaments of your house will be the guests who frequent it. ~Author Unknown Yesterday we had to say good-bye to Jared. It was nice to have his company. If only for a little while, I had in my home “a camera friend” which Laura has wished for me to...
Amidst abundant sunshine, a slight autumn chill, and falling leaves, my mom and I held a party in honor of Miquel’s 18th birthday. Mom made a great party tray platter, the band played, ice cream cake served, and presents. For any who checked in during the day, the party and...
Miquel, my graduate. Miquel had his graduation party yesterday, and even though the sunshine went away for the day, and we actually had a chill in the air, everyone braved the swimming pool, my cooking, Crazy Andrew’s water balloons, and played lots of DDR and basketball. Click here to see...
After months of preparation, the night of the graduation ceremony finally came. Not without a few tears, that’s for sure. The whole day seemed a mad rush, but as the evening approached it all seemed to come together. Miquel had his favorite dish, “Fideus a la Casola” and as...
Miquel, The Graduate Seems like there are certain occasions that just take more than one day around here. Miquel’s high school graduation seems to be just such an occasion. Yesterday at church during the morning service, all the graduates were recognized by Pastor Caleb, and given gifts. Later, in the...
Soon Miquel will graduate. He has elected to graduate with his class at Covenant. For weeks now, we have been in preparations, plannings, meetings getting ready for the big day. One of the items that was required of us was to put together a few photos and music to...
I know I posted some older photos of past Easter’s last time, so it only seems right to post the most recent. Easter was a cold one this year, so that explains Miquel’s trench coat and gloves. Laura wore a new dress sewn by my mom, and she looked just...
I’ve been going through old photos and scanning them. I thought I would share some past Easters with you. The first is my mom and I in front of our new house. I guess I was 7 or 8. The second is me in our Baltimore back yard. Next to...
 Each year, I take one of my “valentines’ to the Motortrends Autoshow in Baltimore, Maryland. It has become quite a little tradition that the whole family likes. This year we each had cameras, flat shoes (ahem, Laura), ample card space, and plenty of fresh batteries. Also this year, Miquel...
Miquel has been through a few months of making some good, sound decisions. One of those was to get baptized. I was rather certain that our youth pastor was going to take a particular delight in dunking Miquel in the water. As it turned out, Miquel felt certain he held...
Last night we went to a surprise 18th birthday party for Miquel’s friend, Ross. It was held at Texas Roadhouse. Here Mike, Crazy Andrew and Miquel wait for the birthday boy to arrive. Ross finally arrived to a very big surprise… He got a little emotional. 🙂 Ross...
Saturday, Miquel, Laura and I, took to the road, with the objective to meet Enric and Miranda in Toledo, Ohio. This was going to give Miquel a chance to go back to Wisconsin with them, getting a taste of college life for a month, practicing tennis with a student there,...
From the animals section I had forgotten that I had posted some photos of our pets, past and present, and I was going to put them all together here, but after some thought, there were so many, Dante gets his own page. Originally Miquel’s cat, Laura has adopted him and...
We live in an area that isn’t very large. Pasadena has a population of about 12,000. It is definately ever growing, and I suppose with growth, comes some uninvited “excitement.” This week Miquel had some such excitement where he works at a local pharmacy. It seems he had a male...
While we were coming back from one of our trips to D.C., the rest of us walking NORMALLY from the metro to the car, I noticed Miquel deviate from just walking and leap up on the lamppost as he made his way. Naturally I told him that he should make...
After the Sculpture Garden, Laura wanted to go to the Hirshhorn , the Smithsonian’s museum of international modern and contemporary art. The Hirshhorn is a round building, which is handy for getting a chance to see everything. You go around twice per level and then you are back where you...
The United States Navy Memorial at 7th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Indiana Avenue in Washington, D.C. honors those who have served, and are currently serving, in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine. The memorial is adjacent to the Archives-Navy Mem’l-Penn Quarter station and the National...
The pastor this morning quoted from the Gospel of Mark: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” He went on to say that too often we get caught up in the things of the...
Miquel, after growing his hair long, chemically straightening it, and coloring it twice, has finally cut his hair. His reason is it will be a lot easier to take care of when going to camp and a lot cooler for the rest of the summer. I must be the last...
When spring starts, the calendar reveals the bulk of of our whole family’s birthdays -Â April, May, and June. June holds quite a few of them, so yesterday we had a combination 3 birthdays and we even threw in an early Father’s Day for my sister’s husband, George. The cookout/party was...
Miquel had been wanting to learn how to play the theme from Jurassic Park on the piano, so he and Enric sat down to play it. Miquel has been practicing diligently, have a listen: Miquel Playing the theme from Jurassic Park (To make the file small for the net, I...
I love my son. I love Music. What I have learned though, is that I don’t always love them both together. 🙂 In the car he often blasts these songs so loud, we can’t even think. I have made a CD I have labeled “Compromise”, with songs I can tolerate...
My children seem to have been blessed with a mom who doesn’t just believe in a birthday “day’. It always somehow stretches into a “birthday month”. They don’t seem to be complaining. The first celebration Miquel had for turning 16 was basically just the family. Yesterday, we invited a few...
The weekend in pictures. Going to his favorite restaurant, Famous Daves Miquel opens presents after dinner. Went to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Sunday, Miquel requested his favorite dish of all, Fideus a la Casola Heather joined us, she liked the dinner! After dinner naptime. Ice cream cake! Showing off...
This weekend and next Miquel is playing tennis at McDonogh School. After a long time out for injuries, it was good to see him on the court again. Friends at the end of a three set match.
Miquel vs. Playstation My son Miquel is quite an athlete. Ever since I can remember, he could pick up, kick, smash, toss, any ball, paddle, racquet, bat, and Frisbee and do it with God given natural abilities. He always looked like one of those “naturals’ you hear spoke of. He...
and...
