Blog Break

After spending hours of trying to update the blog with all kinds of Christmas goodness, I have discovered that I have exceeded the free ($$$) space that blogger.com allows, therefore I need to figure out how to upgrade/change our account/settings without giving them my credit card number so they can take out a regular monthly fee......  So from now until then there will be one of two things on this blog: 1. no updates (most prob) or 2. photo less updates....which are really no fun at all : (

Since I'm on here perhaps I will take a stab at an update.....
Christmas was amazing....Ito was really into Santa and all his Christmas magic. 

We spent New Years at home, unfortunately just the 3 Zunigas as Ito had a fever and we had to cancel our annual Surf & Turf dinner at ball drop with the Webben family. 

2013 has started off well for us......Jorge STILL has not started the Spring semester at Creighton....apparently professors need a whole month off to rest and recover from working 3 days a week :)  Classes start this week and he is more than ready to get back to his working routine.  While he didn't miss the daily drive, he did miss having 8 hours of uninterrupted time (must be nice) and the treadmills at the Creighton gym, which I am told have their own TV's in them.    Jorge spent most of 2012 nursing a foot injury, however he is back to running which makes EVERYONE happy :)

Ito continues to spend his Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Prairieview Preschool where he gets to feed goats (that's his go to answer when I ask him what he did at school), take nature walks and play with 20 other 3, 4 & 5 year olds.  When not at school Ito keeps himself busy with entertaining Maisey, the 17 month old girl I watch during the day, and trying to get outside to play.....which has been challenging with this cold weather.  Ito started swimming lessons at Swimtastic and he and Jorge take advantage of open family swim on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. 

I stay busy caring for Ito and Maisey, and have been quite consumed with napping at every opportunity.  I have moved into my second trimester of this pregnancy and feeling MUCH better.  I am looking forward to having more energy, as anyone who has spend anytime with Ito you know that I need every ounce!

Happy New Year!

Fall Holidays

Lucky for us Halloween activities started well before the actual day so it felt like we celebrated all month....

 Ito made some ghostly snacks

 Zuniga super heroes on their way to a costume party

 Ito made a costume change to go trick or treating at Grani's house

Back to the superhero costume to trick or treat at G.G's. with his cousin Tucker

Boo at the Zoo with the Gajardo Stitt girls 

 Trick or Treating at Grandma Deb's (in witch costume)

Finally Halloween actually arrived and we went around Waverly with the Bultman and Bogle kids.

This time of year holds a different sort of excitement for Ito's grandpa and uncle Tyler, although the blood did tie into the Halloween theme nicely.

Thanksgiving day brought news that we were very thankful to share.  As Ito's shirt indicates he will be a big brother early July 2013.  Ito is thrilled!!!

 Jorge's childhood friend from Santiago, Chile flew in for the long weekend to experience his first American Thanksgiving celebration.  My mother's cooking and family's warm reception did not disappoint.

Since he flew out of Omaha at the weekends end, we made it a point to walk around the Old Market and Gene Leahy Mall.  What a wonderful way to experience the official start of the Holiday season.

Fall Festivities

Ito knew the days were getting shorter and the frost was on it's way, so he made a point to drive Maisey around on one last garden tour.

The Fountain/Zuniga family ran in the annual Hasting Ram Run.  Ito ran/walked his first 2 miles race.

Elizabeth played freshman volleyball at Southeast High.  We painted some shirts and made it to as many home games as we could.

Picked apples in Nebraska City during the Apple Jack Festival.

 Did some fall landscaping.

Bought a Mexican fire chiminea in South Omaha for the back yard where we have spent many fall evenings.

Harvested sweet potatoes from Ito's garden.

 Raked leaves for the sole purpose of jumping in them.

Grandpa brought his chain saw over to cut up some dead trees so we would have plenty of fire wood for our new chiminea.

Took Ito to the pumpkin patch where he got so tired on this jumpy thing that he could have cared less about the patch of pumpkins.

Celebrating Chile & Chileans

Jorge's 33rd Birthday

 Every year for our birthdays my parents take us to the restaurant of the birthday person's choice.  This year Jorge chose Mazatlan so he could get this whole fried fish...scales and eyeballs included.

Earlier in the day Jorgito and Maisey (girl I take care of during the day while her parents work) "helped" me make a homemade Tres Leches (3 milks) cake. 

The cake turned out great and we ate it at G.G.'s (great grandma Doris) place where we opened birthday gifts.

We continued the birthday celebration on the weekend with our good friends the Gajardo Stitt Family.  Also celebrating the Chilean Independence Day, Joel (from Chile) made these Chilean Pisco Sours, which is a great start to any party!

I made Empanadas which is Jorge's favorite food from Chile and both Jorges wore their Colo-Colo team Chilean soccer shirts.

 Professor Zuniga here in his office at Creighton after I "decorated" it.  I had his diplomas framed for his birthday gift and my parents gave him a framed art print, so I made a trip up to Omaha to hang them.

I also brought a box of trophies to display in his book case, as seen here :) 

First Day of Preschool

 Weeks of preparation led up to this moment.....

We toured the school to see if we liked it....

 We loved it...so we signed him up and instead of mailing the application in, we hand delivered it so he could get to know his teacher a little better.

They clicked and we "met" her again for the third time when we went to Preschool Orientation last Sunday.

All this planning and preparation still didn't prevent the teacher from having to peel him off Jorge's legs when he dropped him off this morning.

When i picked him up 2 1/2 hours later he was all smiles and had several stories to tell.  I thought all was well until he told me he was all done with preschool and he will just start 1st grade when he is much much bigger.....huhmmmm.....OR..... you'll go back to Preschool on Thursday :)

Summer Super Heroes

 J.R.....becuase every super hero needs a sidekick

 Hulk Hands

 in action

Super Heroes always have more fun together.

Since we've moved home

 Grandma and Grandpa were eagerly awaiting our return home in early June.  We stayed with them while we waited (18 days) for our furniture to arrive from New Mexico.   They had this welcome home gift ready to roll for Jorgito when we arrived. 

After we got all our boxes unpacked and settled, we started to watch baby Maisey while her parents (our good friends Abby and Kevin) worked during the day.  Ito loves little Maisey and calls himself her big brother. 

 They get along exceptionally well.  Ito loves to "teach her skills" and Maisey just loves to watch Ito play.

Luckily Jorge was home all summer since he doesn't start teaching at Creighton until classes start in the fall so he was our personal lifeguard and an extra set of eyes when we went on play dates like pictured here at Mahoney State Park Pool with the Bultman gang.

 We enjoyed time at my parent's pond.  Here with Tucker.

 Ito learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. Here at the start of the Waverly 4th of July kids bike parade.

 Ito refined his swimming skills he began to learn in New Mexico at our friend's pool.

We grew a small garden this year since we moved home after prime planting season.

I hosted a dinner party for my parent's 40th Anniversary on August 5th.