All the Mexican Goodness 4 months can hold...

I haven't updated this since New Years because there hasn't been much going on.  My teaching job has come to a close it seems.  My schedule was never set in stone that's for sure but now it seems nonexistent.  Two weeks ago on Thursday after substituting for an ill teacher I asked the principal when I should be there on Friday.  That Friday was apparently a holiday (I can't keep up with the holidays!) and then she said she'd call me Monday morning to let me know when to come in.  Well, shocker, no call came on Monday.  I tried calling but the principal was out and no one else knew when I should come in.  That was two weeks ago.  After several tries of calling on my own I think I'm giving up.  I'm moving back to Kansas at the end of April and was planning on telling them that on Monday.  Looks like they saved me that conversation.  So thing's have been a little boring around here for me lately but thing's are picking up.  My birthday is in 10 days and in 20 days Octavio has a week off of school so we're trying to figure out where to go for the first few days and then the second half of the week we'll be in Tres Valles for Luisa Fernanda's baptism.  Octavio & I are going to be the godparents so that should be a fun time.  Cutest god baby ever.  (if you don't believe me, scroll down some for photos)  Then the first two weeks of April are Semana Santa (the holy weeks around Easter) and we're planning on a little beach vacation for then.  (Have to get my fill of oceans and palm trees before I move back to land locked Kansas!) and then it's home for me.  And Lola's first (and last!) airplane ride, which I'm sure will be an adventure of it's own.  I've planned trips for the rest of the weekends until I leave so I can fit as much Mexican goodness into my time as possible.  So look forward to plenty of pictures. 

Last weekend we went to the hot springs a few towns over.  We didn't get many pictures because we were in the water most of the time and neither one of us trusted ourselves not to drop the camera but photographer Octavio snapped a few before we left.  Tomorrow we're going horseback riding in Xico, another pueblo magico, nearby so we should get lots of great pictures from that.  I can't wait.  A horse was always number 1 on my Christmas list but Santa never brought me one.  If only I had been a little bit better...

Octavio's friend Soco's family lives in a town right by the hot springs so we stopped by for lunch at his family's restaurant.  The two chefs-to-be whipped up lunch for us.

You think your dad's handy with a hammer?  Soco's dad made that stove and welded all the counter tops and appliances. Wow!

We wandered around their land around the restaurant after lunch.

Have you ever seen someone look so excited to hold a baby chicken before?

chicken coops.

Authentic Mexican Nopal Cactus

more turkeys and chickens.

The restaurant from the back .

The river that feeds into the hot springs.

Where the cool water meets the warm water.

hot springs.

waiting for Octavio to finish taking pictures.

Where's Waldo?  or better yet, where's Octavio?

Fancy dinosaur bone pool we didn't discover until on our way out.  Save it for next time!

I'm definitely going to have to go down the dinosaur bone slide..

New Years in Tres Valles

As promised (and much anticipated by my mother) pictures from New Years in Tres Valles.  And a few pictures from Christmas courtesy of Octavio.

I brought games for Octavio's nieces, Hungry Hungry Hippos was a hit.

Octavio's dad with his niece Irani

I brought Octavio's little brother video games and everyone was trying to beat a level.

Octavio deemed himself "The Baby Whisperer" over the break because he always got his baby niece to sleep.

Octavio with Luisa Fernanda, wearing her present.

modeling the present I brought her.

the kids (and me) setting off small fireworks as night fell on New Years Eve.

The girls took a little nap before midnight and then were ready to go!  I could have used a nap myself...

Lola needed a little nap also...

Now we're backtracking to Christmas.. Octavio's sisters and nieces and little brother who I'm sure is glad to have another boy around when Octavio's home.

La Pelona (or little baldy) as Octavio calls her.  Check out those adorable cheeks!

Breaking pinatas on Christmas Eve.

Denys about to open her present on Christmas.

Irani with her present.

Chema (or mini Octavio, if you will) with his present.

Lola seemed to prefer Chema's bed to our air mattress.

Lola made new friends.  She was so patient with the little girls. Probably because she's used to me toting her around.

Octavio's sister, Estela with her happy little baby.

Always smiling.

except when it comes to video games, she doesn't mess around then.

or when she's tired.

"El Viejo" (The Old Man) He represents all the bad things from the past year and at midnight they burn him to signify starting a brand new year and leaving all the bad behind.

Octavio made Denys take a picture with him and the viejo.  She didn't really want to and I can't blame her, he was a little scary, especially at night!

Irani sound asleep walking to burn Octavio's grandma's viejo. 

Octavio toting Irani.

Before we burned the viejo.

their neighbor's viejo.  Theirs wasn't as good as his grandma's.

The viejo ready to go.

Starting head first.

Full flames.  There were fireworks inside too that started popping as it burned more.  It's a wonder everyone has all 10 fingers on January 1rst.

The biggest bottle of beer we'd ever seen at his uncles.

It's bigger than my head!