Tono's third birthday was a hit! When Rafa had his birthday in November, Tono was curious when his birthday would come around. "When the flowers start popping up out of the ground," I told him. All winter, he did not forget and reminded us regularly, "When the flowers are popping up, then it will be MY birthday!" So the afternoon before his birthday, Rafa came running into the house to exuberantly enthusiastically announce that indeed it was Tono's birthday and the flowers were here to prove it. Tono couldn't have been happier.

Usually we throw a little party for the boys' birthdays but this year we decided to do a family excursion instead. We met up with some friends in Santa Fe and took the brand new double decker train down to Albuquerque only to enjoy a glass of orange juice in downtown and then hop back on the train. A fantastic ride and then the day came to a close with a special birthday dinner and cake at home.

One of my favorite moments of the day was when Rafa ran for his guitar while I lit the birthday candles and proceeded to belt out an impromptu solo custom birthday song for his beloved brother with intense passion and vigor.