So a few weeks after Javier returned home from Afghanistan, we moved to his new duty station in New York. We were very fortunate that my father in law, Sammy, was able to come help us with the move. With 3 crazy critters, we certainly needed the extra set of hands. Sammy also provided much needed comic relief and a human playground for the boys. They really love their Popo.
Before Popo left, we all went to the Queens farm on Easter to do a little egg hunting. We did not get to do an egg hunt, but we did look at farm animals and the boys enjoyed feeding some of them.
Settling into our new home has been a slow work in progress. We are still not done. Part of the problem is that there is so much to do here, that we spend a good portion of our free time out of the house and enjoying the city. One thing we really love here is the countless parks to visit. The boys LOVE going to the parks.
Later in the summer, we had a great visit from my sister in law, Jackie. It was her first time to New York and we did a lot of sightseeing in Manhattan and other places. She did a lot of exploring on her own too including taking the subway into the city and riding my bike around town here. The boys really love playing with their Tia and we loved having her for another visit. So far, she has come to visit us every year since the boys were born. We look forward to her next visit.
Sebi got his first haircut. We were sad to see his gorgeous locks go, but he needed a shorter cooler hairdo for the summer here. He's still gorgeous though.
Here are some random pictures from various trips around town.
For our anniversary, my awesome sister in law, Jackie agreed to babysit for us. We went out into Manhattan for a nice dinner at Capital Grille and watched the broadway musical Spiderman. It was a great night.
And there are literally dozens of more pictures of different trips and outings we have enjoyed so far, but it would take too long to upload them. In short, we try to get out and do something fun and/or different every weekend. We are embracing the city life while we live here. It's so much fun to take the boys out and watch them play together and with other kids.
This September our twin boys started Pre-kindergarten. While it's only 2 1/2 hours a day, it is the beginning to their long road of education. It's a milestone that marks their journey into growing up. A lot of parents cried when dropping off their kids at school. It was a precious time.
The boys love school and they love their teachers. They are in the same class. The first week was a bit rough. They have never been in a group setting with other adults. They did a lot of horsing around with each other like they would at home, and that was a big distraction for the other kids in class. Consequently, they were put in time out every day for their first week. On Friday, when they didn't get a surprise like all the other kids who were well behaved all week, they were devastated. The following week, they did a lot better. Only one day did Joaquin need a time out to correct his behavior. That Friday, they both received their reward for good behavior and they were beaming with pride. Everyday they have homework and Javier and I take turns helping them complete it each night. We are very lucky in that the school is only 4 blocks from our house, so we are able to walk there everyday, except during bad weather. Next year, when they start Kindergarten, we will have to drive wherever they go to school.
Speaking of Kindergarten, the search has begun for finding one for them. In New York, children can go to the school that is in the zone they live in, but they can apply to attend any school outside their zone as well. The applications for non-zone applicants are selected by random lottery. We happen to live in a zone with a school that is undesirable, and so I have started searching for the schools that we will apply to. So far, I have found 7 schools that are all excellent schools, but the competition is high. Our top pick school is very close to our house, but this year, 150 students applied for 75 kindergarten spots. With only a 50% chance of acceptance into a good school, I have to apply for several to increase our odds of acceptance. In the event we do not win a slot into any of the 7 good schools, I have found 7 second tier schools that I will allow the boys to attend. This process of finding and applying to all these schools is exhausting. The lotteries will be held in March and students will be notified in April and May, where they have been accepted. I'm crossing my fingers, toes, eyes, and everything else that they win a spot into one of our top 7 pick schools.
Sebi is still at home with me for now. We enjoy our one on one time together while the big boys are in school. I think 2 1/2 hours is the right amount of time for Sebi too because he starts missing his brothers at the end of that time. When it's about time to go, he will bring me his socks and shoes and say "shoes". Once I put his shoes on, he will go to the door and bang on it and say "go". Did I mention he is finally starting to talk more? I was a little worried because he wasn't talking much at all until a few months ago, but I guess he is like his brothers were and was waiting for his own time to begin talking. While I'm glad he finally calls me when he wants my attention, I am sad to say that he calls me "mom". I would prefer that he calls me "mommy" or "mama", but he has decided that he likes just plain old mom. He's my last baby and he's already abbreviated my name. He calls Javier "pop". Sebi has finally started to grow more teeth so that chewing is easier now, but he still doesn't have a mouthful yet. He loves playing with his brothers and always wants to be included in their big boy games. Jacob and Joaquin love their baby brother, but sometimes they are a little too rough with him. I always have to keep a watchful eye on them and make sure they all play nicely..... within reason.
Javier is enjoying his new job here. He is currently teaching two classes and in charge of the educational supervision of 24 officer candidates who aspire to be Marine officers when they graduate. He spends a lot of time reading, preparing for lessons, mentoring, counseling, and doing administrative duties. We are very lucky to live only 2 miles from his work, so that he is able to get there in less than 10 minutes. We wake up and eat breakfast together everyday and he gets home in time to play with the boys while I cook supper. It's unlike anything we have ever known and we love it. I already know it will be hard to return to the fleet when we leave here, but for now, we will just enjoy these 3 years as much as possible.
Living in the Bronx has been a great experience so far. There are endless opportunities for kid friendly activities. Javier is not so fond of the weather, but I love it. Right now, we are enjoying a great Fall season. As I mentioned earlier, we love going to different parks around the city. We also visit the zoo frequently. We bought an annual pass because the boys love going to see the animals. We try to visit the zoo once or twice a month.
I think that just about catches us up to the present. I can't believe I didn't blog for so long. I will be much better about updating this blog from now on. I don't want there to be big gaps in the blog when the boys get old enough to actually read this for themselves. Until then, I hope our family and friends are still enjoying reading the entries and looking at the pictures.
