Ynigo Family
Father Pedro, mother Arlene, daughters Anastasia 4, Ashley 2, Madeline 6 months
Thornton
“We embrace that we’re weird and not a typical family,” says 24-year-old Arlene Ynigo, a self-employed interior and graphic designer and mom based in Thornton. She and her husband Pedro—whose day job is in sales—are artists as well as parents raising three spunky young girls: four-year-old Anastasia, two-year-old Ashley, and six-month-old Madeline. The couple met in Miami, and made the move to Colorado four years ago. Though they initially struggled and lived in low-income housing, they were able to become homeowners and are happily settling comfortably into the Rocky Mountain lifestyle.
Arlene’s family hails from Colombia and the Dominican Republic, and Pedro is Cuban. While they miss the diversity of Latin food and the sense of Hispanic community found in Miami, they’re striving to keep their cultural roots strong. For them, that means listening to Latin music, dabbling in Santería religious traditions, and cooking the meals of their homelands.
The Ynigos spend weekends hiking and making art. They’re also heavily involved in their community—something they don’t feel would’ve been possible while raising a family in Miami. From joining a local homeschooling co-op, to volunteering in the community garden, to attending local ward council meetings, they have truly carved a place for themselves in their new home.
This article appeared in the June 2019 issue of Colorado Parent.
