Back to work!

Oh, the holidays are gone! And my hubby is back to work! But not without one last hurrah. Last week we took a day trip up to Chicago to bring Ethan to Shedd Aquarium. First thing in the morning we ate breakfast, jumped in the van and sped up to the Windy City. Thankfully, we just missed rush hour so we had a smooth drive once we hit Chicagoland. Here we are standing in front of the "Caribbean Reef" exhibit.



Our favorite part was the Oceanarium, where we got to watch a dolphin show and see the new baby beluga! Ethan loved the dolphin show! Everytime they jumped in the air, he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Yay!". This was a surprise to us, since we thought that maybe he wouldn't quite get it. But clearly, he was entertained! We then went below ground to view the Beluga Wales. They are tough to catch on camera, but here you can see a rather blurry shot of most of them. Another highlight of the aquarium is the new Wild Reef exhibit. Well, I guess it's been there for about a year, but it was new to us! We got to see sharks! And a saw fish! I had never seen one in real life.

After our 2.5 hour visit we made our way to the Mouse House. Liz was kind enough to let us lunch and nap there! Her hubby was at work, so while Ethan and David napped, we had girl talk, which is always fun. I always love catching up with friends and hearing about what's new in life.

Unfortunately, nap time didn't last for as long as we wanted, though! Ethan was up after only an hour, and Lauren (her daughter) was up before too long, too. Here's David keeping them entertained. We had such a nice visit!

Super Baby Sequel

Ethan's latest film...and Daddy's latest directorial pursuits :) Guest appearance by Mommy!

Christmas in New Jersey!

After our visit to NY we spent a few days in New Jersey to visit with my brother Fred and his family. Ethan got to spend a lot of time with his cousins Andrew and Elena, and boy did he get hyped up! I'm so glad that he had fun, and that he has got to see them twice this year. Grandpa Cuesta took us out to a fantastic buffet lunch when we arrived (all you can eat seafood, sushi, and other Japanese fare), and prepared lobster for us on Christmas Eve. I helped out by preparing sage-stuffed shrimp and steak. The feasting and festivities continued Christmas day with a turkey dinner prepared by Teresa, my sister-in-law. But did I mention the desserts? We had a smorgasbord of sweets that day: fruit tart, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, sfogliattelle, cannolis, and shortbread.

Merry Christmas!