Houston

Hello fellow readers! We just got back from a weekend in Houston with my family. It is the last weekend of vacation (for me, Edwin)! My mom is always working when we come into town, so because she was free this weekend she wanted us to come so she could make pupusas for us, which is a traditional dish from El Salvador. We arrived on Friday and went out to eat at Cafe Express with my mom and my little sister Keren. Afterwards we came home and my dad arrived to fix the sink, which was leaking, and stayed to chat for a bit.

As it turns out, my grandpa, my dad's dad, is sick in El Salvador and went through a pretty serious surgery this weekend. I was not aware of this until my mom told me on Friday. My grandfather has been sick for about 5 years. He's had trouble walking and recently had some serious pains in his foot. That pain turned out to be a viral infection that began wearing away bone and tissue and could easily spread to his leg. So unfortunately, he had to have his foot amputated. Because he's 84 years old, we were all a bit concerned about the procedure. Luckily, he survived the surgery and will heading home soon.

Friday night Chel and I stayed up chatting with my mom and playing the Nintendo Wii with my sister Keren. Saturday was the day my mom made pupusas. Pupusas are little pies that are traditionally fried on an iron skillet. They are made from corn flour and can be stuffed with almost anything, especially with a ground meat mixture made from pork, red and green peppers, onions, and spices. It's something that my grandma has made since she was a little girl and it's something that reminds me of childhood, when my grandma would give us jobs as she prepared the dish. The most coveted job: grating the cheese! My mom's pupusas were stuffed with the ground meat mixture, others with Zucchini and cheese, refried red beans and cheese, and plain ol' cheese. We decided to take my dad some lunch (he was working) and he showed us around the apartment complex where he works. It's a really nice property with a lot of really nice amenities (4 pools, a swanky fitness center and 2 COFFEE BARS).

After lunch we headed back home where my brother and his wife were joining us for their lunch. And shortly afterwards the babies arrived! Adai, my niece, has a rash on her cheeks and was a little fussy at first but after we applied the ointment her doctor prescribed she was a cheerful baby. Jafet, or JJ, was roaming all over the house asking us if we could put the "Cars" movie on for him (it's currently his favorite). He made very good friends with his tia Chelsea. In fact Chelsea changed his **very messy** diaper, chased him around the house, and helped him count his blocks. I was helping my mom look over Adai and tried rocking her to sleep. It was a nice afternoon that ended with a trip to Target! My mom was aware that we did not have a microwave so she wanted to buy us one (thanks mom). This morning we had breakfast at IHOP with my mom and my sister Keren. Keren was a little sad last night because Chelsea and I were leaving. She really enjoys spending time with all of her siblings and it's always a little hard for her when we or my brother and sister go. But she knows that we love her very much and that we will come visit soon.

This week is my first week of work and Chelsea's trip to Wisconsin. I will miss her dearly, as we have not been apart for 3 weeks since we first began dating! However, I am really happy that she will get to spend a lot of time with the family and wish that I was coming with. Stay tuned as we blog from various locations on family time in Wisco, first days of work at KIPP, and the wonderful life that we're living. Love you all.

Edwin's mom and Adai (pronounced A-Da-ee)

Edwin and Jafet (pronounced Ha-Fet)

Chel and Adai