Catch Up....

Sorry it's been so long since our last blog update. We've really been pretty low-key doing normal family stuff. Not much has happened. In January, I (Silvia) got braces. Everyone asks me why and that my teeth looked normal. Well, yes they sort of were, but my bite was off and I didn't want to have jaw problems later on. So I am stuck with braces for a year and a half. You probably won't see many pictures of me cause I don't like to show them.

During the beginning of the year we had a few snow storms....well, enough to keep the kids happy. I was relieved to see snow on the ground because the kids kept asking for it. They were happy when we finally got it and John and I were both glad to see it quickly melt away.



The kids have been doing well. I enrolled Isabel in gymnastics since she didn't want to dance anymore. She absolutely loves it. I can really tell that she likes it because she wants to practice things at home. With dance, she didn't really want to practice her dance steps. Her favorite things to do are the bridge, cartwheels and handstands. I get excited too because I remember loving to do those things as a kid. I try to show her how to do some of them, but then realize that I am not as limber anymore.

Noah is doing well too. He had a cardiology visit back in January and things look well. During his last surgery, the surgeon placed a fenestration (a tube that runs from his vena cava to his heart to relieve pressure), which should close naturally. However, his has not closed yet but his cardiologist is monitoring it. If it should not close on its own, we will have to make a trip down to Charleston so it can be closed via a heart cath. The procedure should be simple and is not uncommon. It's just one more thing that is in the back of our minds. As far as Noah's normal routine, he is all boy. He is such a little rascal. Since summer is coming up, I plan on getting him signed up for swim lessons soon. This will be great exercise for him and also re-introduce him to water before our pool opens.

John and I have been busy trying to keep everyone on schedule. I still try to make it to my Jazzercise class 3 times a week. It is definitely a stress reliever and I love it because it reminds me of my dancing days. John has also found a new passion. He does alot of running on our treadmill, but recently started running in a few races. His first one was the Reedy River Run 10K , which is our local downtown Greenville race. The second race was the Milliken 5K run which was all off road. He did pretty well for being a first timer. He ran 9 minute miles.

Our biggest excitement for the year thus far was our trip to California. Over Spring Break, John, the kids and I went to LA to visit my aunt and uncle, Rui and Manuela. We were very excited to take the kids on their first plane ride. The kids did wonderful on the plane and were very well behaved....thanks to technology that kept them busy. It was a 5 hour plane ride to LAX and 4hours back to ATL. Our days in LA were filled with fun, food and sightseeing. We went to Santa Monica, Disneyland (twice), Laguna Beach, Farmer's Market, Beverly Hills, Universal Studios City Walk and Hollywood. We were so busy everyday, the kids were worn out by the end of each night. We had such a wonderful time and were glad my aunt and uncle were able to take time off to show us around. I bet we wore them out too. Keeping up with kids and waking up early is something they are not used to. I was glad we went to visit and they got to meet Isabel and Noah. While we were there, we met up with my cousin, Mirella, and her husband, Rob, who moved to LA from London 4 years ago. It was great catching up with her. It's been a while since I had seen her.









We got back from LA the day before Easter. We were so tired, but didn't want to miss seeing family. The kids loaded up on Easter goodies. Our candy bowl has been replenished. We have so much candy you would think it was Halloween. We did our traditional holiday "family-hopping". Had lunch with Nana and the rest of the Smith crew and off to my parents' for more food. Luckily, my aunts, et al. were there, so we got to visit with everyone.




So now that Spring has sprung, we can't wait to enjoy it. We have a few home improvements to do and the rest of the time is Lake, Lake, Lake. The boat has been dewinterized and is ready to go. I'll be sure to update our blog with our boating adventures.