McLeish Family Adventures

RVing in the Kenai

2011-07-31T21:37:00.003-06:00

I was having a hard time posting pictures here on the blog, so they are on facebook...just go to this link and you can see them:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150255605526936.321106.500986935&l=23199199ee&type=1

Have a great week!!

Train Ride to Denali

2011-07-08T14:27:00.007-06:00

We had a fun weekend riding the train to Denali and back as we celebrated 5 years of marriage!!

Great views!

There's a moose in the lake :)

The little town of Denali.

My handsome boys!

Keeping Alec busy with movies while we wait for the train...

Finally, the peanut butter chocolate ice cream pie I made for Steve on Father's Days...yummy!

Recap of our last 3 months

2011-05-06T10:09:00.013-06:00

We had an eventful last few months, with lots of pictures :)

We headed down to the "Lower 48" for a few weeks. Steve had training in OKC and I stayed with family in CO. As you can see below, Alec was entertained at the airports with anything that moved (escalators, elevators, doors, etc)...overall we had a good trip getting down there.

While at my parents' house, I made my first "Chocoflan"(chocolate cake with a cream cheese flan and caramel)...everyone loved it!

Alec loved playing with his cousin Ethan...aren't they so cute!

Steve met us in Arizona for a weekend. We got see most of his family there and had lots of fun. The weather was sooo nice. While there we took Alec to the Phoenix Zoo.

They had camels, lions, monkeys, etc...but Alec really cared more for the birds!
Alec loved Easter cause he got tons of candy! At least he's well trained...
1) Open the candy

2) Eat it

3) Clean my hands

This last month we've been doing projects around the house. One of them was painting. Here's how our living room turned out :)

(notice the new chandelier)

Then last weekend we decided last minute to drive down to Anchorage since Steve's dad had a long layover there. I'd never been there outside of the airport so I was excited to visit it. The drive wasn't bad at all and we had lots of fun! The views are AMAZING! I love the mountains by the ocean, wish I had a view like that from my house :)

Alec enjoyed the trip too!

Posing for me at the hotel in downtown Anchorage.

While there we looked at some trailers to buy and in one of the places the owner had his dogs running around in the parking lot. They were so cute and friendly. Alec had a blast playing with them.

Notice him going under the dog...he thought that was fun but the dog surely didn't.

We saw some moose (the two black dots in the back/right)

More amazing views!

Alec, grandpa and Captain Cook.

We tried Moose's Tooth pizzas and they were good! We definitely loved Snow City Cafe though.
On our drive back we got a clear view of Mount McKinley (right in the middle of the picture), the tallest mountain in N. America.

A moose, the northern lights, a check-ride, a fancy dinner...

2011-02-07T00:20:00.006-07:00

All in one day! This past Saturday Steve came home from work to tell me he passed his check-ride, which means he's moving on to the next (and last) level of training in his job until he becomes a certified air traffic controller. This was a big deal and we are very proud of him, and glad it's done! Then, our church friend and neighbor Tiffany called to tell me there was a moose hanging out in the neighborhood. So Steve drove down the street and took pictures/videos of this huuuuuge moose (and notice that we can't even see its full legs because it's covered by a foot of snow). Those things are so huge! Guess I'll never be letting Alec play by himself in the neighborhood :) So then we went to "The Turtle Club" restaurant to celebrate (Steve's advancement, not the moose) and had shrimp, prime rib, and fried halibut....yummm! To top of the day we got another call from Tiffany close to midnight and she told us that the Northern Lights were out. So we hopped in the car and drove around for 1 hour to see the lights, or the "Aurora". It's so amazing to see the bright green color it produces. We did not get a good picture of it with our camera, but one of Steve's co-workers took the following pictures. And yes, we can see them that bright by driving 5-10 minutes away from my house. So cool!! Anyways, we had a good Saturday! Today Alec was extremely grumpy from the lack of sleep from the previous night (blame it on the Aurora), and then during dinner he fell off his chair and bumped his chin on the table = cut his tongue and bled a ton. Ohhhhh, the joys of a 2-yr old! I hope it heals soon cause it hurts him every time he eats something. Maybe I'll get a picture of his tongue tomorrow?!

Also wanted to share our first homemade pizza...

it turned out great, and notice that it's Stuffed Crust!!!

Greetings from North Pole

2010-12-29T03:42:00.006-07:00

Happy New Year!

2010-12-29T02:04:00.008-07:00

I've been feeling so lazy to post here, but I figured I NEED to. Our families always remind us to post, and it's pretty much the only place we put updated pictures of Alec. We had such a fun time in CO with our family for Thanksgiving. Alec was pretty attached to me the whole time, but he sure enjoyed being all spoiled by the grandparents. We definitely miss Colorado, especially when it got to 60's while we were there. Alec didn't do so good on the plane ride back to Fairbanks though; it was a very long flight for all of us (including the people seating around us). When we got back, depression kicked in...it was dark, snowy, and in the -30's. Plus, I had decided beforehand to work full-time during the holidays and it was NOT fun. I'm so glad that's over. We actually didn't have a traditional Christmas celebration in our house, but after much needed sleep we were able to put together a small turkey dinner the day after Christmas. We figured Alec would never know what day Christmas is at this age. We definitely missed being with our families at this time of the year, but we figured we might as well enjoy ourselves. This week has been much less stressful, and the weather is been much nicer (-5 degrees...hehe). We are definitely excited for the New Year. We hope to have lots of fun as a family and make great memories together. Hope you will too!!

Cousins: Alec and Ethan...that was the best shot!!

Thanksgiving at the McLeish's with my mom

Steve was excited about all the food :)
Smile!
Cousins holding hands

They had lots of fun together

Eating in downtown Denver with friends

Denver Parade of Lights

Bread, Hats and Haircut

2010-11-14T23:49:00.007-07:00

I couldn't think of anything clever to name this post, so the name clearly explains this week's events through the pictures you are about to see.

1st -I learned how to make french bread at a church activity and tried it all by myself for the first time and they turned out great! We had french dip sandwiches with my homemade bread, it was yummy!

2nd- I learned to knit hats at church playgroup. We will be donating them, and I'm finishing my third one this week. So proud of myself. This is by far the most crafty I've been :)

3rd- Alec got his haircut (again) and he did awesome, and didn't cry!!! If he wasn't so dang hairy we wouldn't have to do it so often, but he's getting the hang of it.

4th- We are going to Colorado in 10 days...pics to come in a few weeks!

(can you tell he was playing with a highlighter?)
Hairy boy After the haircut

Finally got the camera out today

2010-10-30T23:28:00.004-06:00

And here are some pictures of our Mickey Mouse for the 2nd year in a row :) I figured he wouldn't mind wearing it again, plus he looks too darn cute! He was kind of shy and scared of everything that was going on, thus no smiles from him in any of the pictures...

Updating

2010-09-08T16:12:00.007-06:00

So we have been here for over 2 months now and are getting more and more used to our new life in AK...but we certainly get excited and spoiled when we get visits from our family, and wish we could live near them :(
Steve's parents came to visit and we had lots of fun. Alec sure had a great time with grandma and grandpa, and he misses them already. Here are fun some pics from this past week.

Alec watching Steve wash the car, trying to be a helper :)

At the park behind our house

Off to the Salmon bake with the McLeish's

My new hair...a true brunette

Our first month

2010-07-29T16:52:00.014-06:00

in Alaska! :)

We are finally done unpacking, and are enjoying our new town.
This was our first week by ourselves as my grandma was here for the first 3 weeks to help out. We brought her with us from Brazil in June, and now she is spending a few weeks with my parents in CO then heading back to Brazil. We definitely miss her help and her cooking :) My parents have also come up and visited for a few days, and Steve's dad has been here twice. We are so thankful he and Ryan (Steve's brother) were able to drive up here with Steve to bring our moving truck and both cars. Alec sure loves when we have company in the house, he gets really attached to them.
I still haven't taken my camera out since we got here, but here are some pictures my parents took while they were here.

This is what Fairbanks looked like when my parents were landing...at midnight!

We had to drive by Steve's new job...
It was hard to keep Alec still for the picture

In North Pole, at Santa Claus' House

of course they had reindeer!

Alec was asleep at the time, so grandma filled in to get a picture with Santa :)

At Chena Hot Springs

All you can eat Prime Rib, Salmon, Halibut and Cod!!

We saw a few moose

In front of my house

Living room...and grandma napping...

Alec saying "hand" in Portuguese cause I tell him he will get his hands stuck

making some cinnamon rolls...yummy!

BBQ in the back

the grill master

So believe it or not we had a few really hot days here and this week Alec and I went to the "beach" in Fairbanks with some friends...he's the one wearing the pink hat, which I had to borrow from my friend's daughter :) It was pretty fun!

There he is!!

Back to the USA

2010-06-30T09:00:00.019-06:00

We just got back from Brazil last week after an adventurous couple weeks in Brazil by myself with Alec. We were supposed to meet my parents in Atlanta to take the same flight to Brazil, but Alec and I never made it to Atlanta that first day after waiting standby for 7 hrs in the Oklahoma City airport. Next morning my parents called and said they slept in Atlanta as their plan had mechanical problems and only left that next morning. Then Steve drove Alec and I 2 hours to the airport in Wichita, KS, and we finally made it to Atlanta that morning. I must say I came to know that airport pretty well. We had 6 hours to spare before our flight to Rio, and my parents had left that morning so it was up to me to keep Alec entertained. We went up and down elevators and rode the train a few hundred times (at least that's what it seemed like). But Alec did amazing...such a happy boy! When we got to Rio, our bags weren't there. After going through the whole process of reporting the lost bags, immigration, customs, etc, we were finally able to leave the airport about two and a half hours after we arrived, by then Alec was ready to get out of the stroller and eat some breakfast...poor boy. He's been such a trooper. He slept on every plane ride for pretty much the duration of each flight. My parents rented a car in Rio, and it made me realize I'll never rent one there! It's soooo crazy. We thought we were going to get hit a few times. A friend told us that if we put the blinker on, then no one will let us switch lanes...so we kind of have to just go for it. We had a great welcoming party in Rio from my dad's side of the family, with lots of food and a live singer who kept everyone dancing. It was great! Then we got to visit friends, family and the neighborhood my parents grew up in. I really enjoyed spending time with my grandparents, ages 91 and 81. They loved Alec and admired his Portuguese speaking ability :) We also loved the beach there, it's sooo pretty. After a few days there we missed our early morning flight to Sao Paulo due to stopped traffic in Rio...but thank goodness Alec was already a pro at waiting in airports, plus my parents were there to help me. In Sao Paulo, we visited my mom's side of the family and friends from when I was about 4 yrs old. We had lots of fun seeing everyone and eating such good Brazilian food. We were busy most days there, waking up early and staying up late, and were kind of ready to get back to our comfortable beds here in the US. We had a great flight back to Atlanta, and found out then that we wouldn't make it to Denver on standby cause the flights that day got overbooked all of the sudden. So we purchased our tickets that morning, and it was such a relief to make it to Denver. Now we're just missing Steve, who will be driving here from Oklahoma tonight. I can't say that everything went perfectly as planned, cause it definitely didn't, but with a good attitude and a happy 18 month old, this trip was unforgettable.

Next week...Alaska!

Arrived in Rio!

Family party
Biscardi Family at a traditional national June party in Rio

(people dress up kind of funny)
more family
grandparents and aunt with Alec
eating out with friends, pizza rodizio

Alec loved the beach

addicted to guarana

Go Brazil! parents celebrating soccer game

I'm Brazilian too!

aunt, dad, me and Alec

arriving in Sao Paulo with lots of bags

mani and pedi at my grandma's house for $8

a very full car!

with cousin and uncle

parents and Alec, at another restaurant

at the biggest ammusement park in Brazil

eating again, rodizio style :)

another June traditional party at church

Alec loved this pool at my great uncle's house, I'm copying that idea

18 months of...

2010-06-04T05:57:00.004-06:00

…fun, love, laughter, patience, learning, joy, more patience…Alec has been such a blessing in our lives! We love him so much and could never live without him :)
We decided to go sightseeing the other day and went to the OKC Zoo and the OKC Memorial (for the bombing in 1995). It was an eventful day and we enjoyed driving around town and spending the day together. I took some cute pictures of the animals. I was super excited to take a picture of Alec at the petting zoo, but that was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to push his stroller around the whole time, and he called the animals “Buddy” (my sister’s dog). He might enjoy it more when he’s older…
Then, we decided to do a last-minute/surprise visit to our families in Colorado for Memorial Day weekend. It was fun though it was short. Alec was able to spend lots of time with his cousin Ethan, and they are just 1 month apart.

At the zoo

At the memorial, very beautiful

In CO, getting his hair cut...

Life in OK

2010-05-20T05:18:00.006-06:00

I can't believe Steve's over halfway done with training, and we only have a few weeks left here. Time has gone by fast as Alec and I try to find fun things to do and Steve's been very busy with training. He's been doing great on all his tests, getting 100% on most of them. About a week and a half ago we definitely experienced Spring in Oklahoma with tornado warnings, softball-size hail, and strong wings. The tornado actually went through the next town south of us, but the hail made a lot of damage to our car (see picture). A few windows broke in our apartment complex, and many homes had holes on their roof from the hail, some holes made all the way through inside the house. Oh man, it was NOT FUN! Then again last Sunday another bad storm came through with strong hail which damaged lots of cars and buildings north of here and didn't come near us, but still was scary to think about the possibility of damaging our rental car too. Then yesterday the whole state of OK was under tornado watch with a few tornados touching down in different areas. I was watching the news all the day long but thank goodness we didn't get much where we live. It was still scary to think about the possibility of a tornado and more hail damage as the news kept saying we had a 9 out of 10 chance for tornados... Wow! Thank goodness for bathrooms! (Where they say it’s the safest place to stay in case of a tornado, if you don’t have a tornado shelter or basement). Besides all this violent weather we've been having fun at the library, parks, malls and hanging out with some people in our ward. Everyone here is very friendly! This whole time I've been here I kept forgetting to take pictures, but a couple days ago I decided to get that camera out. Here are some pics of Alec at the park, who turns 18 months in a couple days!!!

the hail

the carlots of homes look like this, with roofs patched from the holes

Alec eating fruit after the park

Silly boy

At the park

All he wanted to do was push his stroller around for over an hour

Picking "flowers"

AK & OK

2010-04-16T04:55:00.010-06:00

It seems like every month it gets busier and busier for us. In the last month we went to Alaska for a week and moved to Oklahoma City. We went house hunting in Fairbanks, AK and found a nice place for us; even though it's another townhome (Steve wonders if we'll ever have our own detached home :)). It's a bigger place though, with 1800 sq ft, and the community has 6 little parks and tennis and basketball courts and a clubhouse. We looked around for 5 days, and this was definitely the best option for us. We're under contract now, so hopefully everything will run smoothly until our closing in a couple months. I flew with Alec with our Skymiles' points, and Steve flew on standby. On the way back, poor Steve couldn't get on a flight and he ended sleeping on an airport for 2 nights before arriving home. I'm so glad Alec and I didn't have the same problem. We started accumulating our AlaskaAir miles now, so that we don't have to run into the same problem in the future. One thing I didn't know about Fairbanks is that it doesn't snow so much there, it's just really cold. Steve's training started a couple weeks ago, and so we got all packed up and managed to fit everything in our Jeep. It was about a 10 hr drive, which we did in 2 days with Alec. I don't think we could have handled more than 10 hrs in a car with an energetic 16-month old. So now we're here in OKC! Steve's been doing great with his training and we have about 11 weeks left here. Then, we'll drive back to Colorado and pack our stuff into the moving truck so Steve can make the long drive to Alaska. Alec and I will stay a couple more days in Colorado then fly there to meet Steve. In between now and then I'm planning on making a trip to Brazil with Alec, because it will sure be hard in the next few years to fly all the way from Alaska to Brazil. Alec has been flying like crazy, and he does pretty good on the plane (hopefully that won't change). Alec has been talking so much (or at least trying to). He tries to copy a lot of things we say. He can say most words in Portuguese, but he sure understands English too. Lately he's been obsessed with a stuffed bear, which he calls him "Buddy" (my parent's Golden Retriever, which he loved). He pretty much thinks all animals are "Buddy." I ask him where Buddy is, and he brings the bear to me then says "WowWow"...which is the sound of a dog barking in Portuguese :) He loves to eat bread, and can say that too. But the funniest thing since he's been watching a Brazilian kid's show every morning, if I count to three in Portuguese, then he yells "Quatro" (which means "4"). It's sooooo cute!! I'm going out every day with him to parks, malls, etc. I'm trying to discover new places to take him to around here. Our life is definitely an adventure!!!

Alec loves this book, he says "Bah Bah" for Brown Bear.

In Alaska

All cars have an electrical chord to plug into to these yellow plugs in the parking lots when it gets really cold

Alec did good while we went house hunting...these are some of his expressions:

Our new home!

The Alaska Pipeline...pretty cool!!

At the airport in Fairbanks

Alec's first Easter hunt!!

It didn't take him long to open the eggs and eat all those M&Ms.

Here in Oklahoma at our furnished apt.

Missing everyone!!

Good-bye Colorado

2010-03-04T10:44:00.005-07:00

So we have a class date and it's April 7, which means we're going to be moving again in the beginning of April to Oklahoma City. Steve's training will last 3 months there and then we'll do our big 5-day move to Fairbanks, Alaska where we'll be living for at least a few years. Steve will be working as an air traffic controller in the Fairbanks airport. I can't believe it's coming up so soon...It will be really sad to leave CO. We've been here so long, and we love it!! We're going to miss our families a lot! I hope we can make good friends up there so we don't feel so lonely. We're sad, but excited at the same time. It will definitely be an adventure for our family :)

Here are some recent pics...

Out to lunch with some co-workers for my farewell

Alec posing for the camera

Love his teeth!

Serious boy

Silly boy

Cute boy

Love this boy!
Eating some candy...

Catching up...

2010-02-09T22:41:00.007-07:00

Gosh, I can't believe how fast the time went by since I last posted... We had put our townhome in the market sometime in September and after quite a few showings and one bad offer, we were finally able to sell it for the full price. We (including our realtor) could not believe that we sold it for $12k more than what we paid for it a year and a half ago, specially since there were other lower-priced condos in the same complex. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is... we were so, very, truly blessed! Everything went really smooth and we ended up breaking even. It was sad leaving Alec's first home, and even though it was a small place, it was such a cozy home and we had so many fun times. So, now we are Steve's parents' house for a couple months and all our stuff is in storage. This will be a crazy, busy year as we're expecting to move two more times in the next 6 months. More to come on that...
On an even happier note: I will stop working at the end of next week! I'm really excited to enjoy Alec full-time and do so many more things for myself and my family. It won't be easy...but it will be worth it. Steve and I knew this would have to happen sometime soon and we decided it was time. Our families have been so helpful for the past year taking care of Alec. We really appreciate the many hours they've spent watching him. I really am looking forward to stop working...it will be such a relief.
Well, since life's been kind of crazy lately I forgot to take many pictures in the last couple months, so here are a few....Some pics were taken by our home teacher who's a professional photographer...others are of Alec with a purple nose after falling in the bathroom and hitting his nose against the tub...it was so sad, bloody and painful (and I almost fainted!).
By the way, Alec took his first steps on New Year's Eve, and now no one can stop that little man...no wonder why I feel so tired now.

B-day Boy

2009-12-22T23:39:00.008-07:00

So we did a little b-day party for Alec's 1st b-day at our clubhouse. It's been a month already but I kept on forgetting to post some pictures for our extended family and friends who couldn't be here for his b-day...Soooo here we go...Alec did good, I thought he was going to have fun opening the gifts but he didn't care for them at the time. Now he loves his new toys, books and clothes. He had a special b-day outfit as you can see. I did a Mickey Mouse theme since he just loooves watching Mickey Mouse, and of course we had to have hot diggity dogs to eat (with Dave and Brenda’s amazing chili), and a b-day party can never go without Brazilian candy that my mom and I made. It was fun! Thank you everyone who was able to come and celebrate his first b-day ever!!! He'll have fun looking back at these pictures when he's older.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

It went by too fast...

2009-11-16T22:18:00.008-07:00

....our family vacation. It was much needed, and we had lots of fun in Mexico. Everything was way better than I expected. The airport was nice, the city was clean, and the resort was amazing! Everyone was so friendly, always greeting us with a smile. I got to practice my Spanish, and even remembered some basic French. There were lots of Europeans there. Alec enjoyed the pool and beach. He did really well, especially on the airplane. He better get used to it at an early age :)

There are so many good pictures...

We saw quite a few iguanas

This was a show about the history of Mexico, it was so entertaining with live music and dance. It was at a park called Xcaret.

Boat ride at the river inside Xcaret park

Steve enjoying the nice beach

Perfect picture

There was a Brazilian restaurant in our resort, so we went to check it out

Alec's favorite place...the pool!

and the beach...

He was ready to jump in.

Our resort was wonderful

Miss America & Mickey Mouse

2009-11-05T08:38:00.005-07:00

October was a great month for us. No, I was not dressed up as Miss America for Halloween...but Alec sure was a cute Mickey Mouse. This was his first Halloween so I made sure to take lots of pictures. Steve's grandpa calls me Miss America now because it's been 2 weeks since I became a U.S. citizen!! I'm super excited!! It was a great ceremony, and I feel way more responsible now being a dual-citizen and all. November is going to very fun as Alec will be turning 1! I can't believe how fast this year has gone by and how much Alec has grown in just 1 year. He's such a smart "Alec". He is not walking yet, but can stand up on his own. His favorite thing to do lately is climb up (and down) the stairs...sometimes I have to stay there with him for over 30 minutes cause he has so much fun with the stairs...oh man, he's going to be a climber :)
We're all doing great and are super excited for our vacation with Alec soon...

Need I say more?

2009-09-29T14:31:00.004-06:00

He loves bath time!

Visiting Utah

2009-09-20T23:16:00.006-06:00

Last month we drove to Provo, Utah to visit my sister, and see some old friends that I made from my 1-year studying at BUY. We had a fun trip, and Alec did great. We drove to SLC a few times, had a BBQ at Bear Creek Lake, visited Park City, and below are some pics we took at the Thanksgiving Point farm. We had a great time!!

Wedding, Santa Fe & Birthday

2009-07-30T10:00:00.009-06:00

These are some events that we actually photographed, but it sure has been a busy summer. Alec is 8 months now! He got his first professional hair cut at Kool Cuts 4 Kids last week, needless to say that this is his 3rd haircut in 8 months. Steve and I have been soooo busy with work - working overtime, church callings, and everything else that's going in our lives that we try to keep up with on our free time. We need another vacation soon! We did get away for the 4th of July weekend and drove to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a fun family trip, and Alec did great. On the way back though, we passed through a hail storm and our car got some hail damage...oh well...the joys of Colorado weather. This whole summer has been raining like crazy around here. Then, it was Steve's b-day, and we had a surprise b-day party for him with all the family. That was really fun! Lastly, my sister got married last weekend, and I got to dance Brazilian music!!!(which I hadn't done in years). It was such a fun reception, and everything turned out perfect after all the hard work both families put in. Fernanda & Brian looked amazing... and so did Alec, all dressed up.
Here are some of our latest adventures in photos...

Cousins

2009-06-17T13:02:00.005-06:00

Alec & Ethan (they are only 1 month apart).

Aren't they so cute?!!!

Splish Splash

2009-06-03T17:52:00.004-06:00

We took Alec to the indoor pool at the Rec. Center on Memorial Day, and he absolutely loved it! Afterwards, we stopped by Steve's parents house and Alec got to play with a cat....so cute :)

When Alec turned 6 months, he...

2009-05-25T08:24:00.010-06:00

1) Had first first birthday cake.

(My sister Fernanda, and Alec's b-day cake: raspeberry-lemon flavor!!!)

2) Got his 2nd hair cut

3) Could already sit for a few minutes

4) Had gone on a family trip to the East coast, and he pretty good on the plan ride (most of the time)

5) Found out his hair is sensitive to humidity

6) Could already laugh really hard

We are so glad to have him in our lives!

Who does Alec look like the most?

2009-04-11T11:44:00.002-06:00

Let me know what you guys think??

(Steve)

(Gabi)

Can't believe he's 4 months!

2009-03-29T11:39:00.006-06:00

...and he weighs 17.5 pds! That was a shock to me when I went in for his 4-month doctor visit. He definately didn't enjoy the shots, but after a few minutes of crying (histerically) he fell asleep for a few hours, and did pretty good the rest of the day. I totally forgot to mention on my last few posts that Steve got a job at Jeppesen!!! (He keeps reminding to post about it, and I always forget...) It will be 2 months that he started, and he enjoys it a lot. We are all very greatful and excited for this opportunity for him. He is still planning on getting his CFI in the next few months, and after that he can instruct on his time off and accumulate more hours that way. I have been working from home still for Oppenheimer Funds, for 2 1/2 years, and it has been a good fit for me. My grandma arrived from Brazil this week and she will help me take care of Alec for the next few months. Lately, Alec has decided that he doesn't want milk from the bottle, he wants the real thing, so it has been hard when I have to leave him somewhere...He used to like the bottle better and all of the sudden he doesn't...oh well...I'm trying to find him a special bottle that he will take...hopefully it will work!!

Enjoy the pics!

We tried this purple seat...he didn't enjoy it much

He does enjoy this exersaucer, which he borrowed from his cousins...

Like father, like son

Getting ready for Rick's wedding...

I finally got to dress up and put some make up on...it had been a while...

Oh Busy Life

2009-03-06T07:51:00.004-07:00

It's been crazy around here lately, we have absolutely no time left for anything else other than working full-time, taking care of Alec, eating and sleeping. Any extra second we have, we just want to relax....boring, uhm! But I LOVE IT! Alec has been such a happy boy, smiling and giggling, and talking to us in his own language (a mix of Portuguese and English...heheh). He definately knows how to cry loud, but thank goodness it doesn't happen very often. He has rolloved over a few times tummy to back, and he demands tummy time so he can try to start crawling... he can move his legs pretty good, but still doesn't know what to do with his arms. I feel so grateful to be have him in my life, he is such a special child and I can't get enough of him!
Here are some pictures of our 3 and 1/2 month old handsome boy...

He was actually laughing here!

How sweet...some tummy time!

Deep asleep...

His 1st Valentine's Day!

our cute, chubby, little man

2009-02-04T19:41:00.009-07:00

Alec is growing like no other! Below is a cute video of him wanting to talk to us...hehe! He is 10 weeks and weights close to 14 pounds (I'm guessing based on his last appointment). He has already rolled over a few times, and is getting really strong at holding his head up.

(Pause the musicbox on the bottom of the page so you can hear him)

Quick Update

2009-01-26T16:20:00.003-07:00

I'm bored, at work, waiting for the share prices to come...so just wanted to post a couple pictures of Alec at 9 weeks! He has grown SO MUCH, as you can see...

Alec sleeping by his cousin Ethan

The cousins playing together (look at Alec's chubby face!!)

7 weeks

2009-01-12T20:33:00.006-07:00

Gosh, Alec has grown so much!! We had a wonderful Sunday yesterday. Alec had his baby blessing and we had a great day with our families. Steve gave Alec a wonderful blessing. We hope that Alec will always be a happy little boy :)

These are some pictures from the New Year's Eve Party at Gabi's parents.

Our chubby little man...

These jeans used to be too big in him, now they are very tight around his waist!

Eating out with the Fishers at a Country Club...Seafood Buffet...yummy! Alec did so good the whole time we were there.

At church after his blessing...

6 weeks

2009-01-02T13:17:00.003-07:00

We had a great end of the year with our families. Alec enjoys being spoiled by having both sides of the family living so close to us. Below are some recent pictures. He enjoys his baths and loves his milk, it doesn't matter where it comes from.

First family picture.

Learning how to pray...

Visiting his cousin Ethan, who was born 1 month and 1 day after him.

I love to smile :)

3 weeks!

2008-12-15T16:45:00.003-07:00

It has been so fun having Alec with us these last 3 weeks. I feel like he's way older than that since I'm with him 24 hrs...and he keeps growing every day! Here are some recent pictures.

The Whole Story...

2008-12-03T17:21:00.007-07:00

So Alec decided to come out very quickly...at 2am that morning I started feeling my first contractions ever and I couldn't go back to sleep. I waited a few minutes (20 to be exact) and noticed they were already 7 minutes apart, and so I woke Steve up. He was really excited to go to the hospital!! On the way there, the contractions were 4 minutes apart and they were getting quite strong. When we got the hospital, I was only 2 1/2 cm dilated and so the nurse asked to me walk around for 2 hours, and if I wasn't 4 cm by then, I would have to go home :( I was determined not to go home cause I was in so much pain by then. As I started walking around my contractions felt like they were 30 seconds apart, each one was right after the other and I couldn't walk or sit or do anything cause it was just so uncomfortable and painful. I told the nurse that, but she still made me wait the whole 2 hours to check me again. By then, I was already 4cm dilated, and they admitted me to the delivery room. By the way, this whole time I went to the bathroom every 10 minutes or so...I had a strong urge to pee and poop the whole time, but 'number 2' never come out...After I settled in the delivery room and got all hooked up and signed the Epidural waiver, I asked the nurse to unhook me one more time as felt like I reaaaaally needed to go to the bathroom again for 'number 2'...she then decided to check me as I was bleeding quite a bit...and guess what? I was already 9 cm dilated!!! I went from a 4 to a 9 in less than 1 hr...and the nurse said that she could already see his head and I just needed to start pushing. She told me the feeling I had to go to the bathroom is because his head was pressing down there. So I started pushing, and after 45 minutes Alec was born! Everything went really fast, I didn't get to have the Epidural and I was really scared of the pain. In the end, I'm glad how everything went because I was able to feel such a relief when he was born and I really didn't feel any pain after that. I had no tearing or cuts, and I was able to walk to the bathroom shortly after. I just felt sooo great! The nurses and doctors told me I handled it really well, they told me I was really calm...but I didn't feel that way inside! I never noticed my water break, it must have happened as went to the bathroom one of the times. Alec was born 7 lbs and 8 ounces, and 20 1/2 inches long, with lots of black hair. He immediately started nursing without any problems and hasn't stopped ever since. He loves to suck! He is such a good baby and will only cry if he's hungry.
We are all doing great and I feel so blessed on how everything went so smoothly. I've had a lot of energy lately and I love staying home with him. It's amazing how our lives can change in a minute. I don't think I can live without our little Alec... I'm addicted to him!
I'll try and be good and take more pictures of him and post here more often...Hope everyone is doing great too!

He has arrived!!

2008-11-25T11:50:00.003-07:00

More details on the next post....but just wanted to let everyone know Alec Steven McLeish arrived on Saturday, Nov.22 (only 1 day late...not too bad!!). We are all doing great!

No baby yet...

2008-11-21T22:00:00.003-07:00

So, I'm 40 weeks today...and still hanging in there with the big belly. I wanted to know what the baby counter to the left would say once I reached the due date ( like, -0 days to go...or something like that...hehe). Steve and I are very anxious for his arrival, but we're not the only ones...his parents, my parents, grandparents, co-workers, and others have been keeping contact everyday to find out if something is going on around here. Sadly, this baby is not making much progress towards his debut, but hopefully he will soon!! I'm still working since I feel great, plus it helps to work from home :)
I'm confident he will be here by my next post!
Hope everyone will have a great Thanksgiving.

Baby Shower & Baby Room

2008-11-04T18:11:00.009-07:00

I've been so lazy to update the blog, Steve's helped me out by doing the last post of his San Diego Trip, which I was sad I didn't get to go. But I'm sure one day we will go back together to explore beautiful San Diego.
I can't believe it's already November and my due date is just around the corner...the doctor said at 37 weeks the baby is full-term! I can't believe he can be here anytime now! I've been feeling pretty good, except for being so swollen all over (my feet, ankle, hands, face...). I'm hoping it will all go away once the baby is here.
My baby shower was so much fun. My mom and her helpers put together a baby shower for me and my sister-in-law, Virginia (who's due in December). Below are some pictures, and as you can see there was plenty of food and fun! My mom and some friends even performed a dance from an Abba song to show everyone that moms can still have fun!

The baby room is finally clean and organized just waiting for Alec to come home. It took me hours and hours to get it together since I've been just piling stuff there for last few months. Now I can't stop going in there cause it looks so cute and feels so comfy!

San Diego Trip

2008-10-13T23:17:00.004-06:00

This is a quick video from my trip about a year ago to San Diego in a 172. My friend and I flew about 9 hrs from Denver to San Diego trying to build some time for our commercial pilot certificate. We flew from Centennial to Albuquerque, Albuquerque to Phoenix, Phoenix to San Diego International. San Diego International was awesome. I flew the localizer approach in to their only runway just over top of the condos and into the displaced threshold where the centerline lights were all lit up just before dusk. What a rush! Behind me was a MD-11 from FEDEX and in front of me was a B-737 from Southwest. I had the throttle firewalled and the airspeed indicator pegged. We were probably doing about 145 knots or so down to the runway. Luckily the air was really smooth this day. We stayed the night in KSAN and then flew to Catalina Island the next morning. This was also a cool flight because it was about 50 nm off the coast of Southern California located at the top of a mountain. The runway was 3000 ft long (shortest runway I have landed on). At the end of the runway is a cliff that goes off into the ocean about 1200 ft. below. Very cool! Check out the link. I know the photography isn't very good, but my friend is the one that took it. He's a pilot not a photographer. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4322772973261107406&ei=ii30SMCtFISKqQPfpc0B&q=steves+san+diego+trip&hl=en

Last post of the day...Mt Rushmore Trip!

2008-09-04T10:11:00.007-06:00

For Labor Day weekend we stayed in Rapid City but drove up to Keystone, Custer, Deadwood, and other small towns around there. On the trip it went me, Steve, my mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law...enjoy the pics!

We also visited a Chuckwagon Supper & Show in the area...

In Deadwood, we took a bus tour around the town and visited Calamity Jane and Wild Bill's grave.

It was a long drive, 6:30 hrs each way, but thank goodness my parents have a DVD player in their car and we got to watch a few of movies each way.

It was a great weekend!

I'm back....

2008-09-04T09:50:00.008-06:00

So I had to take a quick break from the last post 'cause it was taking too long to upload all the pictures I wanted. I must mention that my favorite part about the house renovation was putting in ceiling fans in the bedrooms (thanks Dave), I don't know if I could have lived without them!! Also, this summer (I forgot to mention below) we had Kristin's wedding and here are some more pictures from that. For those who don't know, Kristin is Steve's oldest sister. Isn't she soooo beautiful!

The bride

My sister Fernanda, my mom Lucy, me and sister-in-law Virginia

Steve & Keri (other sister)

Kristin & Nick

Steve, Virginia, Lucy and Fernanda

Brenda looked great!

An overview of the Summer

2008-09-04T08:07:00.009-06:00

Finally....my day off and nothing to do! So I've downloaded some recent pictures to the computer and will post an overview of this summer's events.

So many things happened this summer, and I must say it went by pretty fast! I can't believe I only have about 2.5 months left until little Alec comes to join the family. By the way, so far that's the name we have chosen for him. No middle name yet, but it will come to us....

We bought our first home in June, a small, old townhouse in Littleton, near Chatfield Reservoir. We spent weeks and many, many hours redoing many things in it and we are not done yet. Here are some pictures of the renovated place...I wish I had taken pictures before we painted and redid the bathroom because it was really ugly, and it made such a difference!

The downstairs (and me at 28 weeks)

Our dinning area

Downstairs from a different angle (you can see our small kitchen)

View from the front door

The kitchen is small and outdated, but we did put a new light fixture.

The entrance (and we have some rich neighbors across the fence)

The outside

The backyard...just kidding, our patio.

The view from upstairs

The baby's room...in progress

Our bedroom (and office)

The upstairs bathroom

Steve helped tile around the tub and put new floor tile

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Also this Summer we celebrated Steve's and my 24th birthday. We are getting up there!!!

At Rodizio Grill - a Brazilian restaurant downtown Denver where we celebrated Steve's b-day. (Steve's mom, dad and my sister-in-law Virginia)
Steve's mom didn't want to try any of the chicken hearts.....I love them!!!

(My mom, Steve and I)

My b-day!

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For Labor Day weekend we decided to go visit Mt Rushmore in South Dakota, it was pretty fun! I'll post those pictures next time...it's taking too long!!

Just updating

2008-07-28T22:52:00.006-06:00

So it has been more than 18 days...and I did find out the sex of the baby....it's a BOY!! We are very excited, and yet very clueless as what to name him. I never thought it would be so hard to choose a name. Our lives have been so busy lately that we really haven't had much time to concentrate on choosing a name, so hopefully by the next post we'll have at least a few choices picked out...we'll see. Here are just recent pictures...I don't like taking pictures lately cause I look so biiiiiggg. But oh well...can't really change anything now. My feet and ankle have been so swollen lately, and I tried putting in one of my three pairs of tennis shoes today to go to a stretching class...and none of them fit :( I guess I'll have to keep wearing sandels for the rest of the pregancy. Can't believe the baby will be here in less than 4 months!!!

With Buddy...so cute!

Taking pregnant pictures at my parents

Being happy!

Kristin's Wedding

2008-06-22T12:43:00.002-06:00

I forgot my camera for the wedding, but here's a picture my mom took of Steve & I yesterday. I liked it!! I'll try and get some more picutures of the wedding for my next post. It was such a nice event, and Kristin looked beautiful.

Hope everyone is well!

I find out the sex of the baby in 18 days!!! Woohooo...

Cruise to the Carribean...so relaxing and fun!

2008-06-03T17:18:00.008-06:00

It was like a dream...we didn't want to come back to the real world. Here are a few pics of some of the highlights of our trip. We would definately go back again, especially with our families. The funny thing is that when we went to Miami last year, I posted a picture here of Steve standing in front of the same ship that we cruised on. So dreams do come true!!!

I better say something about my pregnancy...I'm at 15 weeks, and a lot of people still don't know. I wanted to make sure I was really pregnant before I told everybody, and yes...it's true, I even have a picture from the first ultrasound. Now I don't doubt myself anylonger... the baby will be here in November. At the end of the month I will find out if it's a boy or girl!!

There it is...

Steve "trying" to rock climb (on the ship)

Gabi learning some Mexican Cuisine in Cozumel

Taking a fun picture...

Steve didn't want to miss out...

Eating at Johnny Rockets (while docked in Jamaica)

Beautiful waters of the Grand Cayman Islands

Ice skating show while cruising

At dinner

In Haiti
Inside the ship
Inside our dinning room

The beautiful pools

Steve relaxing...

Another one at dinner

Steve "trying" to surf...

Everything was amazing! We loved it!

Just want to let everyone know...

2008-03-31T19:11:00.004-06:00

Steve is now a Commercial Pilot... he passed his Commercial test on Saturday! Wooo hoooo!!

(At NY Pizza the other day for Virginia's b-day)

Chocolate...

2008-03-31T18:04:00.008-06:00

I'm not a big cook (yet), but I love to make things with chocolate. So I finally made a Petit Gateau recipe that worked. It's like a "lava cake" that Beto made for Steve in Brazil, and he loved it! I've tried it several times but you can't cook too long or too little. Here are some pictures of my perfect Petit Gateau...I was so proud I got it right that I took some pictures!!

Continuing with the chocolate...my mom and I got together before Easter and made some homemade chocolate eggs. I had brought the molds from Brazil and wanted to use them. That's how Easter eggs are in Brazil, and the kids hunt for these big chocolate eggs on Easter.

We made a chocolate egg, a marble egg, and my favorite: a chocolate, white chocolate and coconut filled egg. I also took a picture of them cause they were soooo good!!

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter. Can't believe we are 1/3 through the year 2008 already...t's going by sooo fast. Don't you think??

It's fun to update!

2008-02-18T17:38:00.009-07:00

I've been trying to make some changes to the blog but once you start you get addicted... I want to keep adding more and more things now...I love the slideshow and the playlist, makes the webpage feel so "homey."

But before I start adding my own vocabulary or mispelling the words, here are a couple of recent pictures.

(1- At Estes Park on New Year's Eve: we will never forget it 'cause it was soooo bad!)
(2- At the 2008 Western Stock Show - we mainly go for Steve's turkey leg)
(3- Steve got a gourmet gift basket made by Gabi on Valentine's Day. It's not a picture of our closet... and yes, Gabi has been eating some of the gourmet chocolate!!!)

Can't believe it's almost 2008

2007-12-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

This year went by sooo fast, it's hard to believe Christmas has already past. Here are some new pics from this last semester. Even though we have been really busy, we always try to find some time to have fun and relax.

We wish you a wonderful 2008 full of adventures!!

At the Parade of Lights in Denver

Denver Downtown

Steve and Dave taking a lunch break

They took Gabi snowmobiling in Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Gabi dyed her hair dark (for once)... but it won't last too long

Steve, Dave and some friends from Idaho went fishing in Alaska in August.

Alaska, beautiful scenery

We started our own business in October, teaching English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Steve took Gabi flying around Denver.

On our way to Phoenix, we stopped at Albuquerque International Airport to fuel up.

Busy Summer

2007-08-13T22:51:00.001-06:00

Of course...our one year anniversary!!

Picture taken at the McLeish's family reunion in Fraser/Winter Park, in July.

A quick business trip to Miami. Of course, we had to go see the beach.

Steve wanted to touch the water...

Now that he saw this ship, he's been thinking about our next trip... a cruise (in this same ship). Liberty of the Seas...we'll be there soon!

Our last days in Brazil

2007-08-13T22:24:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from our last days...we finally got to relax and stay by ourselves after visiting so many friends and family. The pics are from the northeast part of Brazil.

The view from the resort

Eating fresh fish at the beach with my uncle and cousin (we were actually seating on top of the sand)

Steve and Joseph riding donkeys on the sand dunes.

The beautiful sunset on Pipa beach.

Another view of the Pipa beach.

The Recife Temple

These guys starting singing to us as we were walking around the town.

This is the restaurant inside the resort...wonderful!

We had our own private pool.

The view from the restaurant at the resort in Porto de Galinhas.

Continuing our trip to BRAZIL

2007-08-13T22:03:00.001-06:00

This was at a dinner we had with families from Steve's mission in Sao Goncalo, Rio.
One of the beautiful, deserted beaches in Rio de Janeiro.

At Gabby's grandparents' house. She hadn't seen them in more than 10 years!

With grandma Maria Helena in a "churrascaria" (like a Rodizio Grill) in Praia Grande, Sao Paulo.

Eating out (again) with some of our friends in Campinas, Sao Paulo. The guy in the back, next to Steven, was his mission companion. The girl in red is one of Gabby's best friends.

The temple in Campinas.

Brazil Trip

2007-07-16T21:50:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics from our trip to Brazil in May...we had lots of fun visiting friends and family. This pic was taken at Natal, where we stayed our last couple days with my uncle's family. We would definatelly go back there again, there are so many fun things to do....like this ride on the sand dunes.

This other picture was taken at the beach in Rio de Janeiro.