Flying Monkey!

Halloween is not even close to as big here as it is in the United States. There are some decorations and costumes, but in general it is not celebrated much. So, to give the American kids associated with the Embassy a little taste of home, and introduce Halloween to the Argentine employees' families, the embassy put on a fantastic Halloween party. Originally the event was scheduled for last Friday, but out of respect for the national day of mourning over the death of the former president of Argentina, it was re-scheduled for today.

All of the different sections decorated their areas and as the kids showed up they were divided into groups for tours. They were able to "trick or treat" at each section. The different sections did an amazing job getting into the spirit. We are not talking about just some pumpkins or cobwebs. There was one section who recreated with Adam's Family, with Thing giving away the candy. Another section had a evil science lab, complete with bubbling beakers of goo.

One of my favorites was the Zombie room. As we walked down the hallway there were signs everywhere warning us we had entered a "Zombie" zone. As our group was invited into the Zombie Room, we could see the "zombies" walking around, and then the music started and the section performed the zombie dance from "Thriller" - awesome. Even better was the moment we realized that none of the kids got it - only the grown-ups were laughing. I am pretty sure there was a "Mommy, what are they doing?" asked.

Ethan seemed to enjoy the tour through the embassy, especially the science lab with all the cool beakers that he could stare at.

Ethan was well prepared for Halloween, in his cool monkey costume. Steve went as a magician, and I went as a bunny. We all had a great time at Ethan's first Halloween party!

Ethan's First Meal

Ethan is slowly starting his "solid" food. Like millions of other babies before him, he got the non-offensive in terms of allergies, but generally gruel like rice cereal. We used his little chair as his feeding chair, but learned pretty quickly that there will not be much eating that low to the ground with Gracie here. She was all about being a part of the event and helping us out with Ethan.

Pobre Ethan!

Ethan is in the stage where he likes to put things in his mouth, and on one particular day when he was making lots of noise and there was not a teething toy in sight, Steve let Ethan suck on the part of his palm right below his thumb. As Steve moved his hand we discovered the hysterical noise that Ethan would make. It is generally funnier when he is in a better mood, but crying Ethan can sometimes be a bit amusing too.

By the way, the scratch on his face is from Gracie. She didn't see him when she jumped up on the bed and nicked him with her nail. Amusingly, Ethan didn't cry at all. He was just too excited to see one of his favorite dog to be real upset with her.

Gracie the Cat

So, sometimes Gracie forgets she is a dog. She thinks she is a bird and can fly when she tries to chase the pigeons in the park, she thinks she is a person when she tries to sit on the sofa instead of on the floor, and in this particular video, she thinks she is a cat as she chaser the pointer from our laser measure across the wall.

Chatty Puppies

One of the weirder things about being with the foreign service is even though you are in a completely different city from the last post, your furniture is still the same. The style and fabric is pretty consistent from place to place depending on how old it is. For nine months in DC, George and Gracie stayed off of our landlord (and friend) Lisa's sofa, but within in minutes of coming into our apartment in Buenos Aires they were curling up on their favorite chairs just like they did in Bahrain.

Sleeping on the sofa and chairs was not the only habit that was rekindled when George and Gracie saw their old furniture again. They also re-started their in depth under the furniture conversations. This is where they each put their heads underneath a different side of an arm chair or sofa and talk to each other. Check our the video link below.

Command Center!

Ethan has discovered the joys of the play center he received from Daivd, Beth and cousin Jake and he loves it. We like to call it Ethan's Command Center becuase he becomes very serious as he plays with the buttons, wheels and balls, like he has a very important job to do and must concentrate. He likes to spin himself around to try each toy and esepcially enjoys chomping down on the star toy above.

E-man is doing well, although last weekend he seemed to be losing his voice. He was sad and pitiful with a squeaky, barely there cry and a horse baby babble voice. Luckily for him and unluckily for our ears his voice seems to be back to full volume now.

Saturday Brunch? Oui, oui!

One of the best parts of the embassy community is everyone is willing to show you their favorite discoveries of your new city. Whether it is great stores or markets, parks, sites or restaurants, everyone seems to have something great to pass along to the newcomers.

One of our favorites was shown to us by our friend Ryan. She introduced us to a great cafe called "Oui, Oui". It is a small eclectic restaurant in a quite neighborhood that is between our house and the embassy. They have a fantastic brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, so yesterday, Steve, Ethan and I met Ryan there for "Huevos Completos" (eggs, bacon, toast, jam and salad), cafes con leche, limonada (the yummiest lemonade ever) and submarinos (hot frothy milk that you drop pieces of dark chocolate into).

At the end of brunch, Ethan woke up and made an entertaining appearance. He loved to sit on our lap at the table, or try to climb over the table to say hi to Ryan. He also could not decide if he was in a good mood or a bad one, so we had quite the range of faces, from smiling and laughing to pouting and on the verge of tears. Ryan took awesome pictures of all of his moods while we were there and some are hysterical.

Later in the day we met up with a couple we met through Aunt Barbara, who apparently not only know everyone in Milwaukee, but is working on knowing a lot of people here too! Brad and Laura were nice enough to spend the afternoon showing us to a flea market in a neighborhood called "Palermo Hollywood". If you have patience and a good eye you can find some real gems amongst the stalls there. Some of the vendors will also refinish or reupholster your finds. After, we walked around the neighborhood, enjoying the beautiful spring afternoon.