Bye Laura! Here is a picture of the only friend brave enough to come visit us on our travels. Her happy smile is due to witnessing the beauty of Iguazu Falls near the Brazil/Argentina border. 

Here are Marcus and Liam in their "home-schooling" classroom. To those of you that said it'd be hell to home-school these little rapscallions, I come to you hat in hand and say "you were right." 

The Argentine tango, in the barrio of San Telmo -- arguably the city's most charming neighborhood. 

This gem of a photo is a guest entry by our dear friend Dr. Laura Michaelis, who is visiting us for a week in Buenos Aires. She caught Marcus in a delicious bubble bath in our commodious apartment in the Palermo barrio of Buenos Aires. 

The lovely town of Colonia, Uruguay. We walked the rocky shoreline for quite a spell near the colonial fort. We also rented a golfcart here and whilst I was off-guard at the port, Liam stepped on the accelerator and rammed into a tourist's luggage. Yikes. 

Santa brought Marcus what he'd been requesting for months...a "not real bunny rabbit that jumps." Hours of mechanical hopping noises brought the family much holiday cheer today. 

Liam and Marcus each got a soccer ball for Christmas...after all, we are in Argentina. This inspired Liam to do his best Maradona "hand of god" impression, while simultaneously giving our tree the angelic topping that it was lacking. 

Warning: Skip this post if you aren't keen on amateur poetry (and skip it if you have a history of mocking my "poetry")

I call this piece Cotopaxi:

I stray from the beaten horse path, though not far;
Avoiding their droppings, but not their intuition.
I climb, unfettered by my children, towards a cloudless snow cone.
I climb to feel strong, to not yet lose my youth.
I climb to behold utter beauty, and I climb to avoid regret.
Conscious of the time...always conscious of the time,
I quicken my pace in the thin air and crest the paramo riddled mound.
There she is -- as perfect as Fuji and Kailash.
I gaze and ponder her summit, and if I will return...in time.
I turn, in temporary peace, and run down to my waiting family.

Liam contemplating his blessedness at our Christmas eve lunch in a bistro in the barrio of San Telmo in Buenos Aires.

The boys getting into their Christmas eve gifts. They couldn't be happier with my choice of a Reserva Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina (note the bottle that Marcus is hoisting carries the label "Marcus"). To Liam's right is our Charlie Brown fake Christmas tree. The Argentines do not use real trees. We made our own decorations and are about to make some Christmas cookies for Santa. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 

Marcus contemplating mortality at the city of the dead -- the Recoleta Cemetary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentines like to come here for a stroll. We love Buenos Aires...filled with parks, cafes, restaurants, shopping, lovely architecture, and of course, a zoo. 

This is an image I captured on a quick sunset hike outside the Hacienda Porvenir, a lovely secluded guesthouse a stone's throw from Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador. We spent our last two days in Ecuador here, prior to our departure to Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Here is the majestic and near perfect volcanic cone of Cotopaxi, Ecuador's seminal peak. She tops out above 19,000 feet. I told Liam we could come back when he is 12 years old to summit. I loved this peak and the surrounding paramo (the grass) hills. 

Here is Liam, by now becoming quite familiar with how to handle a horse. He rode solo for 2-3 hours through the mountain trails near Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador. He also gave us a scare when he gave his a horse a kick and yelled "Mas rapido!" -- a call to which the horse responded. We yelled after him to pull back on the reins...the horse relented, thankfully.  

Marcus and I on a 2-3 hour horseback ride on the outskirts of Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador. The peak behind us in Mount Rumanui, a 16,000+ foot peak. Given that we were riding with two of us in one western saddle, the last hour of the ride was not to kind to l'il Marcus's nether regions...and he often repeated his complaint. By the way, dig my chaps and poncho!

This photo was taken by Liam, our burgeoning photographer. I think the aesthetic that he was after was "the family outing on a dreary day in a third world polluted street scene." Yeah, that's it. This is in New Quito, Ecuador. On our way to take the trolley into Old Quito.  

In the spirit of the holidays, the boys both wanted to buy figurines to build their own creche scene. Having already procured a lily white baby jesus from a baby jesus store, Liam and Marcus targeted this kind street vendor for a cow and a goat. The women (and men) go crazy for our little guys, always touching their hair and grabbing their cheeks, uttering "Que lindo" or "Que precioso". Liam likes to say that the people think that he is "exotic." 

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I swear it will be the last marine iguana photograph. Really. No more Galapagos photos (most likely). 

The family enjoying a rainy day at the City of Quito Museum. There were many antique maps and instruments, which with a 2 year old and 5 year old in tow, made for a most tranquil visit. The temporary exhibit of Creche scenes by Quiteno artists finally put Jennifer and me into the Christmas mood and gave us the opportunity to remind our children of the meaning behind Christmas. 

A posse of sea lions on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos. These fellas mostly like to lay around on the sand or on the rocks, with an occasional swim mixed in. Get too close and they'll let you know you are not welcome. 

I ask you: Who is the dominant male? 

Liam has informed us that he wants to become a photographer (on top of being a zoo owner and a museum owner). This is one of his first original photos. In this one, he appears to have dressed Marcus up for his role in the upcoming Christmas pageant. Appreciate not only the saintly countenance but also the eyes gazing in a heavenly direction. What composition. Que Padre!

This is another one of Liam's original shots...I'd say he has a nice perspective. This shot is on the Tortuga Bay beach in Santa Cruz, Galapagos...a beach we visited for 4 whole days out of the 7 we were on this island. Magical place.

The Galapagos marine iguana, up close and personal. A face only a mother could love...and then only a blind mother.  

This sea lion seems to be standing guard at the foot of the Fernandina volcano, Galapagos. I, along with the boys and Jenny, have officially have been chased by 6 different sea lions now. So far, their bark has been worse than their bite.