Whirlwind of a week!

Chicago with Jen ... 
OH MY GOODNESS!! MIKA's FIRST DAY!!!! Mika and Miss Tabitha feeling all like "big stuff" with her backpack!! She absolutely adored her first day and couldn't wait to go back!! She goes on Thursdays and Fridays. Nani brings her after Maya gets on the bus. Of course Daddy had to go her first day too.. Thank goodness. I emotionally just couldn't do it... And it was too hard to get off school. Nani told me that she felt like she was bringing her own child and had the worst pit in her stomach. She just stayed and watched Mika play for awhile outside.. and knew she was in good hands.. so was able to leave. We are the most blessed family in the world still having our Nani!! We love her so so much!!  I"ll get  a pic of her on here one of these days!! 
I love school!!! 

Filling you in on the whirlwind of a week which started in the windy city of Chicago. I flew in to meet my sister last Saturday who was flying in for work. In 10 years I've never seen her in her element of flying one of those big daddys. I've flown with her about 12 years ago in a little tiny airplane, prayed the hail mary the entire time and begged God to save my life. I am a chicken.. and my sister the daredevil.. Hence.. she's the pilot and I am still the chicken saying the hail mary every single time I fly. I made a little "love you hand" sign so she could see it from the window, had a starbucks ready for her when she got off and a sign that said "your pilot is my baby sister".  I didn't expect to break out into an out and out sob when I saw her in the plane pull up. Luckily I was around a great family consisting of 2 sisters, grandma, mom and brother so I filled up them in on the story as to why I was waving at a big piece of metal and crying my eyes out.. I really was just seeing my baby sister in that big bird for the first time. The grandma cried too and said "you should be so proud!! " Of course my sissy was embarassed and rolled her eyes when she got off the plane... :)

We proceeded to have the time of our lives the next 8 hours before sleep. We crammed as much shopping as we could and headed to Cafe Iberico, a Spanish tapas restaurant. An actual plan B. The plan B allowed us to meet our Chicago Cuban Cutie. There was a long wait to be seated, but as luck would have it we spotted and snagged 2 seats at the bar. We ordered our drinks and the bartender says "The gentleman behind you would like to buy your drinks". We gave him a high 5, a great married smile and said Gracias. I told him he looked like he belonged as he looked muy espanol.. And he started talking to me in Spanish... He's actually from Cuba.. well his parents are.. and so we had fun speaking in Spanish until we thought we'd let my sissy in on the conversation.  He was dodging his Bachelor party (or so he says) to get to bed early for a run the next morning and thought we looked like more fun. To make a long story short, we were clear we and he were interested only in great conversation, showed pictures of our kids. But great conversation was where we went. H was a total sweet heart gentleman of a guy. He was a new runner, loved speaking Spanish, and worked in the stock market. He thought we were 27.. his age... Then he bought us our dinner too. ! Wow.. We are talking WOW. Jen and I kept looking for the Oprah cameras. Was this really real? WHAT AN EGO booster for some 30 something exhausted mommys.... We said our goodbyes.. can't remember his name.. but headed to the L and kept watching our backs to see if he was following us. Nope. We kept looking again for more Oprah cameras for a show on young hotties trying to make 30 something mommys feel young and hot again.. Nope. Just a sweet gesture out of the goodness of his heart. Could this be possible in Chicago? Wow... A big tab picked up by some sweet young thing? It's not like he was some perverted old fart... We can't remember his name (I thought she caught it.. ) so we will always remember our CCC.. Chicago Cuban Cutie as our ego booster. We love Chicago, but not sure we could ever beat that for a sister trip! 

Oh yeah..Had my first day of school!! Here is my new poseee. Chris, Jen, Auntie Vicki (You've all heard me talk about Vicki) and me. You can tell we are all exhausted!! I can only remember being this tired around the 6 week mark of each daughter's birth. Wow. Once I adjust to being back full time I'm confident I'll get back in the groove! I Have loved loved loved so much my new school. I feel like it is Christmas in my huge beautiful room. I have had to calm my students' nerves as they are not used to Spanish speaking majority of the time Spanish teacher. Anyway..we're getting used to each other, but I can tell you I love their little hearts and eagerness to learn. It is so fun with the new grading system in making sure they'll all master.  The technology is out of this world!!  I only have to do a jumping jack once in awhile after school while working on my computer because with no movement, the lights turn off automatically.
Here's one pic of my room. Missing the most important part.. the kids! You can see Mika's stroller in the bottom of the room. Our school is so huge I enlist the stroller's help from my car if I  have a ton of stuff. Working mom... Watch out!!