#305 - February 2014

Still catching up on past months....

February was a quick month for the Saez household.  Abuela Isa was here until the third week of February, and then we had to adjust to living as just as family of four in Dunwoody.  She was such a huge help when she was here.  Not only did she do a ton of laundry, cooking, and helping with the boys, but she brought joy to the house in the way that only grandmothers can do.  We sure do miss her here!

During February, Rory, who has spent the last eight years in China, came home to visit.  She met Ben for the first time (the last time I saw her I was pregnant with him) and we got to spend time catching up with her.  Rory is a wonderful, lovely woman who has a remarkable ability to see beauty in everything.   She still looks exactly the same as she did ten years ago.  We miss her!

A family picture during Rory's visit

Owen and Ben with Uncle Johnny and Aunt Rory

Abuela with her two munchkins

We had another snowstorm in February.  This one brought a ton of ice, but we were one of the fortunate ones not to lose electricity.  Lou was home that week, so the boys got a ton of outdoor time in the snow.

Here are two videos of Lou and Owen sledding in the neighborhood.  The second one he almost takes me out!

A walk outside once the snow melted

Abuela Isa reading books to the boys the night before she left

Also during February, Mrs. Gabby, our former nanny from Savannah, came to Atlanta to visit us.  It was a great visit, and the boys were SO happy to see her!  She's become an extension of our family and we just love Gabby.

Later in the month, Lou and I travelled back to Savannah to attend a wedding.  We were able to reunite with a good bit of our Savannah friends which was so much fun.  We were also childless for the weekend, which provided a much needed break from the responsibilities of parenting.

Speaking of responsibilities.....  A certain mother of mine asked me why I couldn't talk during the day when I'm at work, and why I'm so busy all the time now that I'm back in Atlanta.  I snapped this picture of my Outlook calendar and sent it to her.  This is a representation of what every week looks like for me!  Meetings back-to-back, all day long, and often double or triple booked.  It's no wonder I need a glass of wine each night. 

#187 - Happy Birthday and Anniversary!

This weekend, we celebrated Lou's 40th birthday and our 5th wedding anniversary.  We decided to take some time off work and spend the weekend in Atlanta, and we had a wonderful time!  

On Friday, we drove by Lou's old loft in Cabbagetown.  The area has changed so much.  There are shops and stores and restaurants everywhere.  It has very little resemblance to the borderline ghetto in which we used to hang out.  Then, we drove by the house we bought right before we got married in Briarcliff.  Surprisingly, the neighborhood has changed very little.  We ate at the same Fellini's at which we used to always eat.  The houses looked the same, and some of our neighbors were still there.  It was fun reminiscing!

Then, we headed to my dad and Catherine's house.  Papa was in town too, and it was awesome to have all four generations together and spending quality time with each other.  We got to enjoy the pool in the backyard and Catherine put together a fabulous dinner to celebrate Lou's birthday and our anniversary.  

One of our favorite parts of our wedding was our fabulous wedding cake.  It was actually a tower of cheesecakes in three different flavors.  We froze the top layer and ate it on our one-year anniversary and it was still delicious!  So, I decided to surprise Lou and get a cheesecake from that bakery this weekend.  Well, as the weekend got closer, I realized he had planned the same surprise for me!  We clearly know each other well.  And..... it was as yummy as we had remembered it.

 The Saez Family

 Four generations

 Owen having fun with Johnny

Benjamin and Grandmother

 

Johnny, Robbie and O

 Papa and Owen - Seeing them play together is a memory I will never, ever forget.

Grandfather and Owen

One of the highlights of the weekend was Catherine and Dad volunteering to keep the boys Sunday night so that Lou and I could have a night out on the town.  It was such a treat!!!  We got a room at the InterContinental hotel in Buckhead, which is the hotel we stayed in on our wedding night five years ago, although this time we were not in the Presidential Suite.  However, having two little ones at home, any night alone in a hotel without kids is better than any suite!  We met some good friends of ours for dinner at Ecco, a wonderful restaurant in Midtown.  We ate delicious food and emptied many, many wine glasses and then cabbed it back to the hotel for a night of uninterrupted sleep. Happy Anniversary to us!

On Monday, after picking up the boys at Grandfather's house, we met the Flemings at the Georgia Aquarium.  It was Owen's first time and as you can imagine, he loved all the sea life.  It was a great way to end a really nice weekend!

Owen and Daddy "under water"

The girls and the kids

 Owen and Lou in the penguin exhibit.  Owen got up close and personal.