Twins and Viejos

Hi! I started this blog to write down some of the funny and not so funny happenings over the next 6 months or so as my family lives with my mom. Our family consists of twin 2 year old boys named Peyton and Grayson, a Boxer named Cally, and regular visits by Jack and Alaina, who are 13 and 8. We made two cross country moves and need some time to recover financially. Enter the viejos (for you crackers out there, viejos means old people).

My mom has graciously opened her doors and let us move in until we can get back on our feet. In typical Cuban style, my aunt and uncle live right next door, complete with little stepping stones between the houses. Peyton and Grayson love it because they can call Abi and Tata when they are told 'no' by one of us.

It has been one week that we have been living there and all is going well. Unpacking was very interesting because I found stuff I thought I had thrown away. Those viejos are good - no garbage is safe. If you want to get rid of something that has any semblance of use left, you better burn it, or those viejos will find it and it will be sitting on your dresser when you get home. We relocated many items I didn't even know I had.

I think the best example during our move was the coffee filters. While packing up in Phoenix, there were some coffee filters in the pantry. I told my aunt we didn't need them anymore because our new coffee make used the cone kind. I said "just throw them away" foolishly thinking she would. In Tampa, I'm unpacking the 700th box, and what do I see -- coffee filters. So I take them out and throw them away. The next day I overhear a conversation that included these phrases: "what kind of coffee filters does your coffee maker use", "what about so and so," " let me call around and see," "we just can't throw them away," "someone can use them." After many calls to the Cuban Community to see who had the correct coffee maker, the proud recipient of the $3 package of coffee filters that travelled 2500 miles was the convent!! Of course, we Cubans have connections everywhere!