Memories of summer... for those of you mired in winter

Amigos,

I know it's been a while since I wrote. And that you've been longing for a new posting. So, especially for you poor saps freezing in the U.S.A., I present this video to remind you that weather is seasonal and that summer will indeed return. Also, please note that I am older (I'll be 2 in less than a week!) and cuter (hard to believe!). This video is from late July on the Oregon coast...



And, if you listen closely, you may find out why they call me Mr. Squeakers!

Lots of love,
Toddler Sebas

Happy (belated) 'Ween!

That's how all the cool kids are saying it, anyway. And guess who came up with that clever name? That's right... yours truly.

Anyway, I apologize for having taken so long to write about my Halloween, but I just finally came down from that sugar high. And let me tell you, was I grumpy! Let's just say that if you want to give me a lollipop (my favorite -- see above) or some other piece of candy (my other favorite), you better have extra. Toddler Sebas does not appreciate a finite amount of candy. And with money growing on trees, there really is no excuse for not buying me lots. Speaking of... Thanksgiving is coming up. Have you thought of what presents you might send me?

Anyway, as you can see in these photos, I was definitely embracing the spirit of 'Ween. I even wore two different outfits. (Ha, fooled you! I actually wore the orange shirt earlier in 'Ween week.) Anyway, you don't have to tell me how handsome I looked in my Brazilian soccer uniform (thanks Tio Luis and Tia Renata - Happy 'Ween! And a shout out to my prima Kiara!). However, I trust I will still get many comments about my good looks.

This here's a great shot. It's me with my "boys" at school . You wouldn't know it to look at him, but Spiderman really likes to give good hugs.

A close up of me and Dominick on the trampoline at the Embassy. We're super bad!

And lest you believe I don't like the members of the opposite sex, check me out with this chick-y baby! God... I just fell out of my chair laughing at my own pun! I am clever!

Well, seems that the sugar is wearing off again, so I've got to go eat more. Hope you enjoyed the post. And, of course, the 'Ween holiday.

XOXO,
Little Pele (aka Toddler Sebastian)


PS - Here I am with a soccer ball. How cute am I? Very.

A Public Service Announcement

Dear Readers:

On this most American of days, I would like to encourage those of you who have not done so already to get to your local polling station and vote. And the first of you lucky ladies to send in your proof of voting wins a special prize:



If exercising your right to democratic participation isn't enough incentive in its own right, I certainly should be.

Ok- have to go take a nap so that I can stay up all night watching the election coverage while Mama and Dada drool on the couch.

XXOO

Sebastian (for President in 2044)

Where have I been?!

Hola amigos!

I know it has been forever, and I apologize. Truth is someone in my household - I'm not naming names - kept repeatedly turning the computer on and off until it would no longer work. Mama and Dada are hiring someone to fix it, but my last few months of photos are stuck on that inaccessible (big word, right?) hard drive. However, since that unfortunate event, I have had the opportunity to enjoy some fun events that I can share with you, my adoring public.

Most important was my enrollment in school. That's right, I'm a big boy now. (Though I still soil myself.) I started on September 1, and did not know what to expect. In fact, I thought we were just going to the park. Mama and Dada tricked me good that day. I was wondering why they were taking so many pictures. I assumed it was because I am so good looking. Like here:

And here I am driving myself to school. Dada was somehow able to keep up. He must be quite the marathon runner!

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Finally, a little video to show off my driving skills. Had I known I was going to school instead of the park, as I had been led to believe, you might have seen me demonstrate some of my evasive maneuvers.

And, lastly, there I am again. Already a teacher's pet!

I will write more soon. I promise!

XOXO,

Toddler Sebastian

My Pearly Whites

Hello friends, family and fans:

I've been super busy lately packing bags for myself, Mama and Dada (they can't do anything for themselves). We are leaving tonight to go on a 3 week whirlwind tour of Oregon, West Virginia and the Greater Washington, DC area. I really hope that Mama and Dada sleep through the flights. They are horrible travelers.

Anyhow, before we leave I thought that I would leave you with something to get you through the next few weeks with no news from yours truly. The subject: my outstanding teeth brushing abilities!

Step 1: Wet the toothbrush

As you may or may not know, I've drawn a mixed bag of genetics as far as my teeth are concerned. Dada has super strong teeth with hardly a cavity or filling in sight. However, Mama has what we like to call around our house the 10K mouth. Five root canals later, she has developed a fondness for her dentist, even contemplating at one point naming me after him. Thank goodness she came to her senses or you would be reading the words of Reuben Yedigarian Gonzalez Layton. And I thought that my current name was a mouthful! No pun intended.

Step 2: Insert toothbrush in mouth and brush vigorously

So, needless to say, I need to hedge my bets and take very good care of my teeth. I know that those that I have (all 16 of them) will eventually fall out in a few years and will be spirited away to some magical kingdom (Disneyland, perhaps) by a wondrous being called the Tooth Fairy. Mama and Dada have told me all about her and how she left a dollar for each tooth that they lost. I just hope that she has factored inflation into her payouts. I mean, a dollar doesn't buy much these days.

Step 3: Keep brushing- 3 to 4 minutes is best

So, without further ado, I leave you with a couple pictures and a video of my perfected teeth brushing skills. Until next time, stay sane, healthy, happy and floss those chompers!

Step 4: Smile!

See this instructional video for more detailed information:

Besos,

SGGL

Hasta Luego Calebcito!

Dear friends, relatives and other fans:

You'll have to excuse me if this post seems a bit melancholy but we've reached that inevitable point in a baby's foreign service career when he has to say goodbye to a dear friend. Well folks, that time came for me last Sunday when I had to say goodbye to my best buddy Caleb...and his Dad (Kenny), Mom (one of my best ladies, Linsey), and baby brother Isaac.

I first met Caleb at his first birthday party (see incriminating photo), when I was just 1 month old. Considering that Mama and Dada had met his Mommy and Daddy months before and how well we have gotten along since that day, it is down right criminal that we did not meet sooner.


Over the ensuing months, we chased the chicks together (both Abuelito Pablo and Uncle Jamie would be proud),




discussed world politics,



volunteered at the local old folk's home,



painted the town red in our best clubbing clothes,



composed some rockin' tunes (our first cd is due out next fall, stay tuned for details on our cd release party),



and took road trips together.




But one of my favorite memories of Caleb and his family is when we spent Labor Day (the international one, celebrated on May 1st, not the American one) having a picnic, playing soccer and trying to keep our parents from jumping into the pond at a local park. You can read his mom's version of the day's events here: http://ramblesandruminations.blogspot.com/2008/05/may-day-is-lei-day.html. But I have to warn you that her version isn't quite accurate since she says that it was really Caleb who wanted to jump in the pond and not her.

Linsey, Caleb, Kenny, Baby Isaac, Dada and Yours Truly

Kenny and Baby Isaac (Uncle Kenny, if you are reading this, Dada really misses you. Now he has nobody to share is Coke Zero obsession or take leisurely lunches with at Tierra Santa. Also, Mama says that you took the good hummus karma with you.)

Yours Truly and Baby Isaac (I love babies!)

Mama and I (that's an olive tree in the background, the park is full of them).

Limsey and Baby Isaac

Yours Truly and Linsey. I love her! She makes me laugh. (Aunt Linsey, I know you are reading this, so I thought that I would let you know that Mama really, really, really misses you.)

But sadly, all good things must come to an end (at least temporarily anyway, our paths will no doubt cross again soon) and so it was that I found myself on a grey, drizzling Lima evening bidding, not adios, but hasta luego (that's see you later to those of you North of the equator and then some) to our dear friends. I would have liked to have indulged in my sadness but Mama and Dada were grief-stricken and so I had to be strong for them and put on my best game face. So, in closing I leave you with a couple of photos of our last moments with our friends before they hopped on a jet plane to Venezuela, with a 2 month stop-over in D.C. and Utah, where they will be rubbing elbows with international luminaries and statesmen such as Hugo Chavez. Lucky them!

Yours Truly standing forlornly at their gate waiting to enter and see them for the last time.

Secure in our manhood

He is even more secure...and coordinated too!

Hanging on the stairs (I made sure to fall off these one more time just for old times sake).

Consoling Dada on those same stairs

One last shot of the whole group (isn't Linsey's new haircut sassy!)

Caleb, Linsey, Kenny and Baby Isaac, wherever you are tonight, good luck, godspeed and we'll see you in Los Roques!

Hasta la proxima,

Sebastian

Mother's Day in the Motherland

Surprise! Two blog entries in as many days! You must all think that you've won the lottery. Anyhow, I just wanted to give you a quick update on how we spent Mother's Day #2 here in the Motherland. First, Dada and I let Mama sleep in. She slept for 3 straight hours! I couldn't believe it. I mean, that is three hours less that she got to spend with me on the holiest of all days. While she was sleeping, however, I did get to hang out with my super cool cousins, Alicia and Alejandro, and my Tio Juan.



My prima Alicia and I. Aren't we adorable?



Tio Juan and I hanging out in our pajamas.

After Mama and Tia Kitty (who isn't pictured here but deserves mad props for being Super Mom) woke up and had a couple cups of coffee, we all headed down to the Botanical Gardens near the Capitol Building. If you have never been, then you shouldn't wait any longer. A little piece of the jungle/forest/desert exists right in the middle of downtown DC. But my favorite part was the scent exhibit. It was almost too much for my young olfactory system to handle!


The Botanical Gardens (with Capitol Building to the left)


The celebrated lady and I. Doesn't she look refreshed? It's amazing what 3 extra hours of sleep can do.


The scent garden


Some beautiful orchids


Mama and I acting up


The main atrium- a baby could get lost in here.


My primos, Alicia and Alejandro, and I learning a bit about the nature around us.


A close-up of yours truly

Dada deserves special mention because even though it was Mama and Dada's anniversary as well (4 years!), he ceded all honors and spoils to Mother's Day. Smart move, if you ask me. And last but not least, Abuelito Pablo deserves a special shout-out since it was his birthday also!


The original tree hugger in action

Until next time,

Baby Sebastian

Our Village Idiot

Warning: What you are about to read may not be for the politically correct or staunchly conservative among my fans.

There comes a time in every baby's life when he must make his first political stand. Well, fans and loved ones, that time has come. As I was watching CNN this morning over breakfast, the lead story spurred me to emerge briefly from my much deserved vacation. As you may already have ascertained by the title of this entry, it concerns our Commander-in-Chaos, our Duke of Dumb, our Icon of Ineptitude, our President of Poo Poo (and believe you me, I know alot about poo poo), yes ladies and gentlemen, step right up, the one and only George W. Bush.

Anyway, while I was minding my own business eating a delicious waffle lovingly prepared by the staff at Homewood Suites (product placement, yes, someone has to pay for this blog..oh wait, it's free you say...), I learned that in a speech before the Israeli Knesset on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence, he "suggested" that Barack Obama and other Democrats wanted to appease terrorists and that they were naive in their understanding of the situation. For more details, click on this link to the original story: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/05/15/bush-suggests-obama-wants-appeasement-of-terrorists/#more-7138

Again, does anyone not notice the dirty diaper in the room? He's obviously full of, well to put it in polite terms, poo poo. What has the world come to if politicians who support diplomatic solutions to international conflicts are deemed to be spineless and naive?

On that note, I will leave you with a few pictures of my charming self, Mama and Tio Eddie on our Nation's Mall. I may not have been born here but I love this place!



Tio Eddie and I at the World War II Memorial (Lincoln Memorial in background)



Teaching Tio Eddie to walk, alongside the Reflecting Pool



Tio Eddie and I in front of the Lincoln Memorial



The Good Man himself...well, memorialized in stone anyway. This is Mama's favorite monument.



A closer inspection for those of you who forgot to put your reading glasses on.



Yours truly, flagrantly disregarding the rules. Can't let the military-industrial complex keep you down, man.




And speaking of the original Military-Industrial Complex, isn't it lovely? Tio Eddie says that this whole scene was just created for the movie Forrest Gump, but I have my doubts. Maybe if you look close enough you can see Jen-ay emerging from the Reflecting Pool.



Mama and I

Now, back to that vacation.

XXOO, Baby Sebastian