sea lion elation

I hope that through this video you get a taste of the tiny bit of excitement that Suzy was feeling over seeing the sea lions swim around at the aquarium the other day....and this was before the show even started!

Niagara Falls

Some thoughts about visiting Niagara Falls:

1. I'm so glad we decided the night before to go! We were waiting for a warm(er) day and today was perfect. 

2. I'm glad Elvis asked me when we were only a mile from the house if the memory card was actually inside the camera. It was not (whoops- my bad!). We were going to be those people who went to Niagara Falls and didn't take a single picture. So glad Elvis knows me so well to ask!

3. I was glad I wore my waterproof boots- I stepped in something I thought was a little slush, and it came halfway up my knees. I think I would have died of hypothermia if it weren't for those boots. 

4. I'm so glad we went to the aquarium on the NY side. They had a great sea lion show that was probably one of the highlights of suzy's life. I haven't seen her so excited in a while. Maybe she'll be a marine biologist when she grows up?

5. I'm thrilled that we decided to cross over into Canada to see the falls from the other side. The view was much better and much more was going on- the NY side is pretty dead in the winter. 

6. My childhood dream came true: ever since I visited Niagara Falls with my family when I was about 8, I always said I wanted to have my honey moon there. Something about wax museums and going over a waterfall in a barrel seemed incredibly romantic to me. Finally got to see it again with my hunny...a second honey moon of sorts! 

7. I'm so glad there are 8 billion Indian restaurants on the NY side of Niagara...we had a great dinner, as we have missed Indian food so much while being here! 

you can only make so much lemonade out of lemons...

This is Suzy's "room" in New York (aka the closet)....I'm standing in her doorway so you see the entirety of the room in this shot. Maybe this is why she's ready to go back to Pasadena? So she can finally stretch her legs??

update on the update

So, right after I posted last week, we found out that Elvis actually has to stay in NY until the end of April, not the end of Feb like they had previously said. This is a HUGE bummer to us, mostly because Suzy and I still have to go back to LA in Feb.  The reasons are numerous, including the fact that I have to be there to start receiving prenatal care, my classes, my parents are visiting in Feb, etc etc etc.

Oh, and the fact that we are DONE with the snow. Suzy keeps saying she's ready to go back to Pasadena...I think we all are.

Today, the high temp was 6 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill was like -15 because there were over 25 mile per hour winds. It was ridiculous. And I didn't even leave the apartment. It's supposed to be like this the rest of the week.

So, pray for Elvis as he has to stay here by himself, and for us as we have to be without him for 2.5 months. We think his company will let him travel often, we just don't know exactly how often.

So, that's the update of the update......

Life update

Just a little update on our lives...

As you saw via blog/email/facebook/in person/etc...I'm pregnant! I'm around 12ish weeks, and everything seems to be going great.  I'm due around the end of July/beginning of August, depending on different dates they've given me.

Suzy is really excited about the baby, although she doesn't want to be a "big sister" but rather a "big friend". She is really sweet and loving towards the baby even now. Hope that continues!

Thankfully and miraculously, I've had about 5 minutes of nausea this entire first trimester, which is a big change from my pregnancy with Suz (although I never threw up with her either). I think it's extra grace from God b/c I was really worried about being here all by myself with Suzy all day in NY, no neighbors to count on, and barfing my guts out. So thankful that was not the case. Even if I do randomly fall asleep while we're playing, at least I'm not sick.

I'm also starving all day long and feel like I'm eating non-stop, a huge change from only being able to eat cream cheese and olive sandwiches for the first few months of Suzy's pregnancy. Actually Elvis and I both could only stomach those sandwiches for dinner every night. Our families seem to think it's a boy b/c of the different symptoms this time around.  We'll find out on our anniversary, March 4th!

The hardest part about being in NY while pregnant is that my health care, which generally has awesome, free prenatal care, does not cover me while I'm outside of southern Cal. What a headache trying to get an ultrasound out here and not being able to have normal monthly check-ups.

To deal with stir-craziness and to counterbalance all I'm eating, we joined the local YMCA and we're loving it! We haven't been members of a gym in about 4 or 5 years and it has been really fun, especially since they have a swimming pool we can all use and a children's room where they watch your kids while you work out. This has made living in NY much more liveable and the long days inside much more bearable, especially since Suzy gets some energy out and gets to be around other kids.

Elvis' job is going well...busy but he likes it. Suzy and I will be going back to Pasadena on Feb 16 because i have a class I need to take on campus, but we hope he will be back with us soon after.

I'm taking a New Testament online class while I'm here and will be taking "Inner Healing Prayer" in Feb on campus.

The snow actually melted while we were in DC (of course it's in the 50s the one weekend we aren't here...) But it hs flurrying right now and should keep it up the rest of the weekend.

Well, I think that covers the basics...anything else you want to know about life in NY?

weekend in DC

We drove down to DC this weekend to visit some more with our friends David and Lucy and to celebrate their daughter Nissa's 3rd birthday. The 6 hour drive was totally worth it to spend time with them. Since they are good friends with my brother also from El Salvador, he and Anna came up for the party too which was an extra bonus! Also, my good friend Gena from college, who also lives in DC, was able to come meet us at the party. How in the world did we forget to take pictures together?!?! Anyway, here is the crew from the party:

suzy and Nissa snuggling before bedtime

making pancakes

Lulu, Suzy, Nissa

our friend Andrea from El Salvador was also there! extra bonus!

Suzy loved the Lincoln Memorial and kept calling it the Statue of Liberty. Makes a lot of sense if you ask me! 

silly faces 

thanks Ceas for everything!!!

got the Blues Festival blues

Yesterday we headed 20 minutes down the road to a ski resort town because we had read there was going to be a Blues Festival all weekend. We have kind of hit that point in our stay here where the excitement of being in a new place has worn off and we are struggling to find the positive sides of being here. We are really missing LA and our community there.  

So, we were so excited about a cultural event nearby!! There were going to be different concerts in different bars around town, but we chose a 3pm concert at the ski resort lobby because of its family friendly location and time, and we thought Suzy would like seeing skiers for the first time. 

Well, the "blues" concert was a total bust. The guy was just playing covers of '60s-'90s songs...nothing original...nothing bluesy. When a 55 yr old starts singing Green Day covers, you know it's time to go.  Suzy was all disappointed b/c there was nothing festival-like about the whole day, so we knew we needed to find something fun to do to redeem the day. And we did. 

We weren't dressed for skiing or sledding, but this particular ski resort has a "mountain coaster"...it's a roller coaster that goes down the ski slope that makes you feel like you are sledding through the woods! But you are strapped in and on a track and you get to control your speed with hand brakes. It was a blast!! It was full of curves and hills and snowy fun. 

It made me feel like I was on the bobsled track from Cool Runnings for a bit, and I was fully expecting a slow clap to break out when I reached the bottom. 

Didn't happen. 

Suzy did clap the first time, but by the 3rd time down, the sun had gone down and I think her little hands (and face, brain, etc) had frozen. 

Thanks Mountain Coaster for saving the day after a failed blues festival!

getting ready to go!

going up the mountain

zooming down the hill

Navidad

One of the great things about being in New York right now is that it is within driving distance of my brother's house in VA, where we celebrated Christmas.  We made the 7 hour drive on Friday night before Christmas, and mom and dad and Granny came up the next day. Unfortunately, Elvis had to be back at work the day after Christmas so he had to leave Christmas afternoon, but Suzy and I stayed at Marty and Sara's house and he came back to meet up with us the next weekend. What a good (and patient!) man to make the drive 4 times in a week! 

Somehow we didn't end up with a picture of everyone, but here are some shots from the week:

Sara's mom hosted a tea party for all the girls!

mmmm chocolate covered strawberries and scones at the tea party!

playing on Sara's family's farm

lots of snuggling went on

it started snowing on Christmas Eve

who says you actually need snow on the ground to sled??

Suzy and Anna were angels in the Christmas play at their church...they rocked it!

it snowed again the day after Christmas

roasting marshmallows with uncle marty

Our BFF's from El Salvador David, Lucy, Nissa, and Lulu came down from D.C. the weekend after Christmas! It was great to be reunited after not seeing them for almost 1 1/2 years.

snuggling up with a book with Lulu and Nissa

making gingerbread cookies with Nissa

Thanks Marty and Sara for hosting us this Christmas!!