Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Ines and Rio extend a mighty big hug and many many kisses to their Grandpa Johnny.Ines has a very fond memory of flying on Dumbo with Grandpa Johnny.

Rio hams it up for the camera with Grandpa Johnny as his main man.
Happy Birthday Grandpa Johnny!
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Ines and Rio give their cousin Carmen a big birthday shout out!
Ines tenderly hugs her cousin Carmen.
Happy 5th Birthday Carmen!

Life After Ike

No power forced the Pep's clan to relocate to Tio Michael and Tia Taryn's residence in the 6th Ward.L to R: Taryn, Miller, Rio, Marie and Minnow.
Plenty of nighttime strolling around the neighborhood brought fun community activities such as counting the live wires, split branches and felled trees.

Miller and Rio ride in Maxi-Cosi Priori in Indian Spice.
Miller and Rio bond while driving around town in search for food with their parents in tow.

Ines returns home daily to assess damages, collect necessary items and relax under the glow of the sun. Ines is incredibly homesick but has become great friends with Minnow.
A very Special, Chunky and Dramatic Thank You! to Tios Micheal and Taryn but especially l'il Miller for giving Clan Pep shelter.

Ike Shots:

Savvy call for help: "Free Beer and BBQ" signs to lure Power repair trucks to their homes.
Modern acts of kindness: Free "Cell Phone Charging Site."
Learning from the Homeless: Pets to the Rescue!

Stormy Waters Windy Sunset

Anticipating the landfall of Hurricane Ike, Inés and Rio play while their parents fret.Plastic covers and windows to shutter it seemed something big was coming..."A big Windy" is how the Pep best describes the upcoming event.

She ends the raucous day with a fun bubble bath and Rio who loves making a splash.
The HIT of the Day:

Fave video: McCain grilled by Barbara Walters on 'The View.'

No Reason Shout Out to Grandma Irene!

Grandma Irene joins Inés on her first Open House Night at Woodrow Wilson Montessori School.

Learn some Pep slang!

Wiwi (pronounced oui-oui or we-we): A shortened version of 'Abueli' by dropping the first two letters and the intermitten "l." How Inés affectionately addresses her Grandma Irene.

Feats of Play

Inés and Papa race between the limestone rings where they play call and response games. Location: Doug Hollis Listening Vessels (1987) in the Urban Gardens at Discovery Green Park.

Inés is thrilled by her ability to volley sounds and have Papa hear her voice. Earlier in the day, she was equally thrilled to see Federer and Serena win their respective US Open matches.Location: Memorial Park Tennis Center, Houston, Tx.
As a visual we post an older picture of Inés on the court.
Archive photo: Inés strikes a pose between forehands during her summer tennis camp.

Curious Rio creates a nail-biting situation when he decides to climb the stairs in search of his Mama. He gladly poses for the camera after a repeat performance. What a ham!

Location: Alfaro Residence, Spring, Tx.

Fave Headline: "Russell Brand calls George Bush a 'retard' at MTV awards." (The Times)
Fave US Open souvenir: Women's Butterfly Tee by Heidi Klum.
Fave Dedication: Madonna dedicates "Like A Virgin" to the Pope.

Happy Happy Happy Birthday!

Inés and Rio wish tìo Chad a great big Happy Birthday!Inés quick to set the party atmosphere, dresses all her ponies in their most theatrical costumes.

All the while Rio gets his little jet plane ready for flight to go meet this mysterious tìo Chad.

Trivial Facts in honor of Chad,
Silliest Birthday Song: Gimme - Fatcat and Fishface (sample).
Best political headline of the day: "The Brady Bunch on steroids," (The Times).

Silliest event on this day: 1698 - In an effort to move his people away from archaic customs, Tsar Peter I of Russia imposes a tax on beards (Wikipedia).
Shares the exact birthdate with...: 1973 - Rose McGowan, actress (Wikipedia).

Rabbit Rabbit Peter Rabbit!

Inés and Rio celebrate Peter Rabbit's Day! They don their own Peter and Flopsy ears, characters much loved by Inés and yet to be introduced to Rio, in hopes you read your favorite Peter Rabbit book too.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit: e-book, audio book, video, website.

Trivial Fact: The Tale of Peter Rabbit dates from Sept. 4, 1893 as an illustrated letter to brighten the spirits of a sick little boy.

A Bashful Pep and Sporting Rio

In the midst of her imaginary court, our very own Lady Inés coyly avoids the camera - in a shy Di pose, when she finally emerges she gives us a playful smile.

Little Rio on the other hand has the pressing matter of venturing around Discover Green Park with Papa's help.

*Funny moment: Inés belting out "Here I am baby..." while singing along to Stevie Wonder's performance at the DNC.

Inés wears: Rare Editions, burgundy and white Holiday Party dress; with matching purse.
Rio wears: Carter's, onesie; Roots, blue and white sneakers; Gap, Kite motif sun hat.