2010

A new list for a new year.

Hula always makes a list that matches her age.
But that would be too dearing for me.
I don't want to put 40 things on my list.
Let's see what will come up :
Here we go.
1. Go to the beach. Okay, not original, I go every year but I am craving the sun.
2. Paint new paintings. Make Mateo paint this summer on a big canvas.
3. Grow my hair longer.  I will take a picture of it now and take a picture again in one year.
4. Visit Annona in Miami or New-York.
5. Spend a weekend with my brother.  Could that be possible Mouli?
6. Take a new class.  I don't know about what but something new.
7. See my friends more.
8. Make it a priority to walk a lot.
9. Read at least 12 books.
10. Try a lot of new recipes.
11. Decorate with Vicky for her new house.
12.  Have a healthy new baby.
13. Work less.
14. Go out with M more often to restaurants, just us two.
...
more will come...still thinking about it.

being sick

Nobody likes being sick but for me being sick always means staying in bed.
Since I have started being a mom, I haven't spent many days in bed - there is always too much to do with Mateo around.
And staying in bed means having food and drink on the mattress, books and magazines around all around, eating at weird hours, looking like crap but not minding.  I love it when the bed looks like a battlefield.
I spent the whole day in bed and I loved it.
Being sick is for me the only way that I can get quiet.
I realize when I am sick how busy my life usually is.
Doing this and going there.
Working and e-mailing.
And preparing supper.
And doing, doing, doing...
I realize how much I love to do nothing.
I am often sick over the holidays.
I think it is a way for me to calm down and think about the new year.
To refresh the energy.

I loved my day and I think I feel much better.
Night will tell me if the coughing has calmed down.
M had an outing tonight which was perfect too, it gave me more time to do nothing.
I say nothing but I started reading a book (Sarah's key- Annona buy that one too!) and cried for most of the day (thank you Isabelle!) and I wrote in my journal.
M gave me the idea of making a collage and that is what I did.
I also watched an episode of Six Feet Under.  I love that show because it makes you realize how lucky we are to be alive.
And made me want to write a list about all the things I love...
Number 1 : I love babies.
Which brings me back to Mateo again, will I ever stop writing about this sweet child?

first wedding anniversary

One year ago, M and I were crying at the beach.
One year ago, 40 people came to our wedding.
One year ago, I decided to share my life with a great man -
who happened to buy me a wonderful and chic anniversary gift last week ;)
LOVE YOU M

it is dark and cold outside

I wish I could take a plane and go to the sun.

a white photo shoot

you like it?

chico #2

Can you see him on the top left corner?
Chico #2 is Mateo's fish.
I killed Chico #1 by cleaning the jar with too harsh cleaning products.
Chico #2 does not seem to be too strong either. 
He lies sideways all the time.

Mateo loves him anyway.

our man is running now

He makes us so happy!

our Christmas decorations

not much but nice and happy

another thing on my list

make a cake !

maybe not like this one - but this picture gave me the idea.
See what this mom did !
I am so jealous!
Thanks for the tip Dominique!

my christmas list

I made my Christmas list last week!
Not the things I want to receive as presents but the things I want to do during my Christmas holidays.
I have about 20 things on that list which the first is :
I want to go and see 5 movies. 

The first one will be : Los abrazos rotos
I know I will love it.
Pedro Almodovar + Penelope Cruz = Pure delight for me.
I am sure my mouth will be open wide.

Can't wait to see her again.  If I would be a man, I would travel the world to find a woman like that!

A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he didn't lose only his sight, he also lost Lena, the love of his life. This man uses two names: Harry Caine, a playful pseudonym with which he signs his literary works, stories and scripts, and Mateo Blanco, his real name, with which he lives and signs the film he directs. After the accident, Mateo Blanco reduces himself to his pseudonym, Harry Caine. If he can't direct films he can only survive with the idea that Mateo Blanco died on Lanzarote with his beloved Lena.

Look at that ! There is Mateo ! ;)

new words

Matito is speaking more and more.
About a month ago we counted how many words he said.  We counted 30.
Now, a month later, I am sure he has doubled that number.
And if we counted all the words he understands, we would be in the hundreds.
I have never been the type to count things (sorry Claudia :) !!) but I surprised myself monitoring his progress.

A few of his funny words :
Oh boy - he says screaming when we change his diaper full of poo (my mom taught him that!)
Ho! Ho ! Ho ! - he imitates Santa Claus

A few of his translations :
couti - for camion
kaya - for bicyclette
eau - for lait
papi - for papillon

and strangely enough, he does not know how to say his name !!!

Jungle

Annona asked me for book suggestions this week and I tried to remember a great book I had read that was not from a French author  (that was hard - since I mostly read in French..) but then I remembered a book that I picked at random on a shelf at the municipal library and that I devored from the moment I started...

I think the book is special in my heart since I read  it when I was in Italy at a wonderful beach called Forte dei Marmei - my first vacation with M.

a review : 
"Ce livre est vraiment une petite merveille, pleine de fous rires et d'émotions dont on ne sait pas si elles font du mal ou du bien. Ce qui fait la force de cet ouvrage, c'est que tout sonne vrai, on sent que c'est du vécu. Au final, même si ce livre est fabuleusement romanesque, on a l'impression que l'auteur, Monica Sabolo, parle de notre vie, d'une adolescence qu'on a vécu il n'y a pas si longtemps. Et donc, que notre vie aussi aurait pu être un roman. Quand on a l'impression de n'avoir rien d'exceptionnel, ce livre fait un bien fou à l'ego..."

Hope you find it Annona.

I see Mateo

in my eyes...
When I look at Mateo, I never think he looks like me but in this picture I see him.
This picture was taken on the Bateau Mouche in Paris, a trip I took with my mom when I was seven or eight?
Look at my mom, how beautiful she is.  Great cheekbones!

going through old pictures

My brother and I.
He looks so cute and happy.

me when I was 18!

Funny, heh? I was a rocker chick!
I remember showing the hairdresser a photo of Bon Jovi and that's what she did!
(Couldn't get the picture to rotate!!)

my dad

so dark and handsome in his twenties.
What is he doing on that horse?
I'll have to ask him.

a great night

It was M's birthday last week and I organize a surprise birthday party!
And it was a surprise !
It was a hit !
The place is beautiful, the food was great and the company was so fun.
Bonus #1 : A surprise visit directly from Miami : Goldberg ! M was super happy about that!
Bonus #2 : We got to dance !My favourite song of the moment : You know you want me.  I dare you to get up and dance.
Zouzou had the great idea of taking this photo from upstairs.  Thank you!

mein bruder

c'était ta fête hier!
Je t'aime !

he prefers to eat sitting in a big chair

He nears falling all the time but it makes him feel grown up.
Here he just finished eating a BIG piece of chicken that Tetta prepared for him.
Tetta was VERY happy.

his serious look

when he is watching tv.

his favourite word

I think he says "autobus" (in the cutest way - it sounds like autobouf and autobous) about 100 times a day.  When he wakes up in the morning, that's what he says and when he wakes up from nap also.
As a joke, I said : Mateo, embrasse ton autobus.  He did right away !!!

lunch time

Mateo must have been European in another life.
When he eats breakfast, it is almost nine.
He has lunch between three and four.
And he has supper at seven.

We are thinking of changing his schedule a bit.

poupou is much better

thanks to these !
We are happy that Mat is not suffering anymore.

clementines

are for me a sign of winter. 
I love clementines but I don't like winter.
This year, and I don't know why, I'm okay with the thought of winter.
Bring on the snow!
But please don't bring the cold.

that face we love

Mat is changing so much lately:
-he speaks much more
- we know what he likes and what he doesn't
- we know which games are his favourites

I must admit : I miss the baby stage...

No time for pictures lately although my camera is always in my purse...
Going for professional pictures soon at this place.

my office in 11 pictures

conciliation famille-amis-travail

Before I had Mateo, I did not really understand women who said they did not have the time to do everything - but now I do.
I don't really see my friends anymore and I miss them.
This was this summer in New-York.
I have seen Claude and Johanne only twice since then!
Boy!
Squeezing all my activities in my schedule is so hard.
Now I have time for my family and work.
And on a good week, I have the time to walk outside.
And on a very good week, I go swimming once.

I am not saying this to complain but it is funny how your life changes so much after a baby.

Nicole

My brother called me Nicole for a few months because I was so skinny (but that is really over now!)
And when I saw this picture in a magazine, it made me dream.
Me and a little girl?
Let's see what happens...

souvenirs

I like to look at the pictures in my computer and I like this picture so much...
Elias has the best pose ever.
We'll have to do that again one day...
When you turn 40 maybe Elias ?

our new pool - yes, our pool too !

our new neighbours are arriving in April !
we are excited !
lots of fun ahead!

he couldn't stay still

this is the only shot I got.

His first Halloween costume (from Élisabeth last year!)
It was a bit too tight for him but he still liked to have it on...
We went for breakfast at Elias and Luc's.  It was delicious !

hasn't he changed so much?

giving workshops

Read this somewhere :
"Trust in WHAT you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go."

Today I gave a workshop and teachers were so happy and it made me so happy.
Happy because I know that it will make students happy.
Happy because I know I am making a difference.
Happy because every day I get to do a job that I love AND I get paid to do it.
Happy because even if sometimes complain that I have too much to do...I prefer having too much than not enough.

Happy, that is the word.

mateo and my dad

Mateo is SO in love with my dad.
It is so nice to see.

When I come home from work or M comes back to work, we get a smile if we are lucky but my dad gets the whole thing !!!
Opa, Opa, Opa - Mateo says his name all the time.
When my parents came to pick up him this morning, Mateo was so happy to see him. He smiled, laughed and giggled like a girl.

It must be so fun for my dad.

My dad is really funny because he talks to him as if he was an adult.  Yes, my dad uses baby talk but most of the time it is serious talk. And the funny thing is that Mateo listens to him - I mean listens to the serious talk.  You just have to see it!

Merci Papa d'être si présent dans sa vie.