Beach!

We desperately needed to escape Quito's rain and cold, so we headed to the beach for a long weekend. Here are a few photos of the trip...

The boys loved the sun, sand, and water. Jacob loved going to the "grande pina" and "teetee pina" (translated as "grande piscina" or "big pool", and "Timothy piscina" or "baby pool"). Timothy loved the sand, particularly eating it. And naturally, we enjoyed good drinks with our feet in the sand.

Finally updated...

If you're reading this, please know that there are four new postings, so keep scrolling down!

Mothers Day with lots of Moms

We were blessed to be able to celebrate Mothers Day with both Oma and Abuela. The boys got to be with all four of their grandparents!!

And naturally, Oma got lots of lap time with the little people herself!

Sedaca Boys Take DC!

We decided to do a quick trip to DC. So I (Nicole) headed north with Jacob and Timothy. Although brief, the trip was a lot of fun and it was WONDERFUL to catch up with friends and family who are deeply missed. Here are a few of the highlights:

The National Zoo

We went to the zoo and saw elephants, gorillas, tigers, lions, and a panda! You can only imagine all of the animal noises Jacob got to make.

W&M reunion - second generation

All of the little people who were born to me and my college roommates got together one afternoon. What fun!

Philadelphia

We visited out great great Great Aunt Pearl. (2 greats are for her, and one is for her title)

Otherwise, we spent a lot of time just hanging out.

24 plus 9

So much to blog!! I'll start with the monthly photo of our little people. We couldn't be more proud of them. Here they are at the zoo together...

Jacob Turns Two!

We can't believe it, but our baby, who is now our biggie boy, is TWO. Time has flown since we first held our little bundle in our arms and looked into his big black eyes. Now he is running around, giving kisses to anyone who will stand still, and sharing his views on every issue he can. He is a true joy, and we are so blessed to be his parents.

We celebrated in Quito with a party at his nursery school, along with a couple of our friends. He quite enjoyed the Elmo/Grover theme, his first pinata (Elmo, of course), and even the "Pin the Nose on the Grover" which was somewhat different since there was a general boycott of the blindfold and taking turns. The Elmo and Grover cupcakes were a hit, despite the fact that most kids were dyed red or blue by the time we finished. Here are a few pictures.

In Maryland, he celebrated with his Oma and Opa, a real blessing.

We can't believe how quickly the time has passed, and look forward with anticipation many more years to come.

Happy Mother's Day

What a pleasure it is to be with my 2 boys and my mother on this Mother's Day. I am so very blessed to be a mother to our two little men-in-training, and am so thankful for the women who have helped me so much over the last 2 years since I became a mother. Naturally my mother and mother-in-law have been tremendously supportive, as have my sister and 3 wonderful sisters-in-law. But I am also so grateful for the many, many women - married or single, mothers or non-mothers, working in or out of the home, close or distant - who have been such wonderful friends for me over this time. Whether through invaluable advice, a supportive call or email, or just being in my life, each woman has touched my life and therefore the lives of our children in invaluable ways. I share this holiday with all of them, as they are part of the joy of being a mother and the lives of Jacob and Timothy. I know I could not have made it without their love and constant support. I love you all!

Long Weekend - Tranquilo

Although we had a long weekend for May Day, we took it easy, in light of continued illnesses that we and our little people have had. We explored the Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve, which covers an extensive swath of Ecuador. It was tremendously rainy, so our hopes of a good hike were foiled.

We tried to hike a path in a ecological reserve near Nono, but the roads were washed out. We hiked on the road, but it wasn't quite the same. Jacob liked the birds, cows, and horses, so that was definitely worth it.

Otherwise, we laid low and enjoyed playing with the boys at home.