Little Red Riding Hood

Last year Valentina and Akira dressed up as a chef and lobster.  They went "Trick or Treating" to a few houses, but Valentina too young to appreciate the joy of free candy and Akira was too upset with her costume to enjoy the walk.  Fast forward one year and things were starkly different.

She started her Halloween adventures with an afternoon visit to my office to trick or treat with my coworkers.  The best part was the donut she was able to enjoy until my coworkers dog took it from her.  After a few tears about her donut, she was happy again.

We left the office, grabbed some pizza to go and hurried home to start our neighborhood adventure.  Valentina was very excited about going door to door as Little Red Riding Hood and Akira enjoyed being her wolf.  ESPN, and three little pigs joined in on the fun too, so Valentina had two wolves, three pigs, a mom and a dad in her entourage.  Our neighbors are wonderful people and made it special.  She came home with lots of candy, some special cookies and a really cute stuffed animal.

Our friends Chris, Julia and Dakota as the three pigs.  The two wolves were really well behaved next to the pigs.

Back to DC

When I first came to Washington the view was breathtaking.  One day when I was talking to my now former boss Congressman Ortiz I asked him how he'd know when it was time to retire.  He told me, "When the view gets old, it's time to go home."  Well the view has not gotten old yet, but we do miss our Texas family and friends very much.

Family time

Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast with my brother, sister in law and niece before we headed back to Houston.

Valentina meanwhile was enjoying getting spoiled. When we arrived she was still in her PJs and taking her nap in Abuela's arms. 

That evening we had a family dinner before my Mom and Dad departed and Valentina loved on the puppies. 

Abuelo made some tortillas de azucar before they left and Valentina gave those two thumbs up too. She stole a bite from everyone even after she finished hers. 

Texas Wedding

When Adrian started working with Chef Stephanie and Damien, I never thought we'd be celebrating their nuptials at a Texas ranch in Lockhart. With our boots in tow we ventured from Houston to Lockhart without our princess.

The wedding ceremony was short and sweet and the afternoon and evening were a lot of fun. The chefs cooked up a storm and smoked a piggie, some cabrito and chicken. 

We left happy for our friends, full of food and with a strong desire to buy a ranch in Texas. 

And on our second day in Texas...

We woke up to Abuelo and Abuela in town, discovered how great tortillas are and had a great visit with friends.

After some Abuelo snuggle time and breakfast, we went on a field trip to the mall to get Little V some shoes. She walked out Dilliards with two pairs because in the process of measuring her feet we realized her current shoes were too small. Oops!

After lunch and naptime, snack time was tortilla making time. She loved tortillas so much she wouldn't let it go. She even held the tortilla all the way to the park to meet Tia Amy, Hannah and Max. 

Amy and I were roommates in college and are both moms now. We hadn't met her kiddos Hannah and Max, so it was fun to have a play date with her. 

After our park adventures we had a bbq and were happy to see Tia Catriona and eat some yummy food. 

It was such a fun day the puppies were exhausted.

Texas Adventures, Day 1

Although we've lived outside the state for many years, Texas will always be home, and we want to make sure Valentina is as Texan as a Washington, DC girl can be.

We had a nice flight to Houston complete with an empty middle seat. Shortly after we arrived Adrian and I were happy to have lunch with our respective best friends - Pablo and Desi - at Whataburger. Valentina became a little more Texan by making her first stop in Texas Whataburger. 

After lunch we drove to League City and enjoyed visiting with Tia Cindy, Rose and Teddy. Valentina had never met her cousin Noah so she was very happy when he got home from school. 

Seeing my nephew be so excited to visit his baby cousin is impossible to put into words. 

She also had fun with Maddie who hadn't seen her since she was just a few days old. 

Our first day in Texas was great! We also enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Tia May and Tio Pablo. 

A visit to the office

On Tuesday Adrian had a Dr appointment so Valentina took a short visit to the office. Though she walks in shy, she warms up after a few minutes and starts acquiring things from my colleagues. She has a great memory, though, and seeks out the objects she liked before such as one of my coworker's mirrors. She looks through her bag every time and finds it. I'm so happy my coworkers enjoy having in the office.

After working hard for a couple hours we went to lunch and found a new statue.