Catching up...

Seems like it has been awhile since I last posted! Things have been busy around here for sure. I had a few weeks where I had a lot of cakes which kept me pretty busy when added on top of everything else! Instead of posting the cake pictures individually, I'll post a link to my photobucket account and you can look at them if you like.

Since I haven't posted pictures of the kids since March, let's just start there! Daniel is just growing up into such a great young man! He loves to help around the house as well as play, play play! After it had been so long that I had forgotten about it, he lost his first tooth one night. He was initially a little scared, but got over that quickly and thought it was super cool! For days, he would go around smiling at me so I would see it and smile. He is quite the character!



Arianna's personality continues to bloom-she is a character like her brother! She takes after her big brother in a lot of respects. She is so sweet. She's my little kissing bandit- she just randomly goes to one of us and kisses us on the leg, arm, face, head- whatever is easiest to reach. She still likes to copy everything we do which can be funny at times!

Although we don't seem to have much of a "spring" here in Texas, it is nice when we can get outside and play!

We hadn't been to the zoo in awhile and I had planned to go the next week...until Tony reminded me that it was Spring Break! I was glad that I scratched those plans when I started seeing reports from the Zoo and Museum on Facebook about their record attendance. I didn't want any part of that! So, we made some alternate plans that week and went to the zoo the next week. We had great weather and practically had the whole place to ourselves. We got to check out the new Museum of Living Art (MOLA) exhibit. It is very well done and well all enjoyed it. The only thing Daniel did not like about it was the HUGE tarantula...but everything else was good!

Then we headed off in our usual direction and saw some of our favorites. We had great views of two Cheetahs which can be a rare thing. The Penguins were being fed so there was a lot of activity there- just not in the water. Daniel said he was happy that I got to see the Giraffes since they are one of my favorites!

The train wasn't working, but we had the carousel all to ourselves. The kids had a great time riding and the guy working it actually left us on there for quite awhile. I think I was starting to get a little dizzy near the end. After the zoo, we headed downtown for a nice lunch with Tony.

Daniel's school had their Easter party on a Friday and since Tony works from home that day, I decided to go help out in his class. The teacher asked me if I could pick up the pizzas which was no problem. A couple of the kids told me repeatedly that they liked my pizza ;-). Another Mom and I "hid" the eggs before the hunt...yeah, there really wasn't much hiding. It was more like just throw the eggs out there and hope they didn't pop open when they landed. The yard was definitely covered in eggs! The kids had a blast running around and getting eggs. If you haven't heard the stories, there are about 5 girls in his class who "like" him. Some of them may or may not be in the pictures below ;-). He's friends with all of them, but does seem to like one more than the others. I am, however, sworn to secrecy on that! The pizza was a hit as well as the cupcakes. Really, could the icing BE any brighter???

The next day, we went to our neighborhood Festival at the nearby High School. It was an extremely windy day! Arianna had the right idea when it was her turn for egg hunting- she had Daniel go with her and carry her basket for her! What a great big brother! Arianna picked up a few and was done with it whereas Daniel was all about the quantity! We played some games and even got to see the Easter Bunny! The photographer tried to take her from me and she was having none of that. But she had no problems with the Easter Bunny.

That gets us to the end of March...next up the beginning of April!

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to my Father, my Father in-law and to the wonderful Father of my own children! We hope this day is a good day for all of you! Below is a card that Daniel and I made for his Daddy...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Mother's Day!

I want to wish all of you Mom's (including my own) Happy Mother's Day today! I hope that you had a wonderful day! My Mother's day actually turned into a "Mother's weekend", but you sure don't hear me complaining about that!!

It started on Thursday evening when I got my present from Tony and the kids! See, Tony isn't so good with the suspense sometimes...or maybe he just knew how much I would want this present right away!! Those of you who know me, know that I love taking pictures! We have been looking at the Canon Rebels for...well a long time! We heard that a new one was coming out and we've (ok...mostly me) have been stalking it's arrival. Well, much to my surprise, MINE came courtesy of UPS on Thursday! I was actually floored because I actually didn't think it was out yet. And I have to say that Tony is enjoying the camera almost as much as me! We have been playing with it and learning things all weekend! It was an awesome gift!

They also took me to Posado's Cafe for some yummy Mexican food! I always say you (well, at least I) can never have too much Mexican food! The food was good, but spending the afternoon with my husband and kids was even better! Then we finished it off by finally going to see Monsters vs Aliens in 3D, which was all really enjoyed! All in all, it was a great weekend! I am truly blessed!

Finishing up December...

Well, as I said before, I have been neglecting my blog. Things are starting to slow down and I'm taking a stab at my Photoshop software so I should get caught up soon! For today, I'll post a final blog about Christmas...

We had a GREAT Christmas! Daniel is at a great age where he was in total awe and excitement- it was so fun to watch! Arianna was a little overwhelmed, but took it in stride and followed Daniel's lead. On Christmas Eve, we put out our cookies and milk...well actually I think Santa got a bottle of water. We didn't forget the reindeer either- we left them carrots by the fireplace as well as sprinkled Reindeer food on the lawn! Daniel said we needed to sprinkle LOTS of reindeer food and shared some with the neighbors lawn as well! After that, the kids got into their new PJ's from the Elves (sure was nice of them to wash the pj's as well) and we got settled in to watch a movie. We rented Horton Hears a Who and it was cute- Daniel enjoyed it so that was what mattered anyway. Daniel was so excited about Santa's impending arrival that he would NOT go to sleep! He kept pretending to be asleep but no dice! We were tracking Santa on the internet and he got to San Antoino close to midnight-which happened to be when Daniel dozed off...FINALLY!! Time for Santa to get to work!!

And boy...Santa did not disappoint! I think Daniel woke up around 7:30...maybe one of the last years we are up before him (although we are early birds). I loved seeing his eyes go from half closed sleepy to wide eyed excitement! It was pure joy! He saw the tunnel (who couldn't- it took up half the room) and his Buzz remote control car. Then he quickly found the Batman Batcave that was cleverly hidden behind some boxes. We went at a nice pace and really enjoyed everything... a little nicer than last year where he just ripped packages open and moved on! He of course performed his brotherly duties of opening Arianna's presents while she looked on. The two big things that he asked for were the Batman Batcave and Spike the Dinosaur...he asked for them over and over and over. Well, he had the Batcave, but looked like there was no Spike in his future. Oh but what is that? One last small box for Daniel from Santa. What could it be?? I'm not sure it mattered as it couldn't be Spike in that tiny box- afterall, he's over 2 feet tall. What...a shoebox? What a cruel joke from Santa- nobody likes getting shoes or clothes for Christmas! Oh, but what is in the box??? Hmmm... a remote... a SPIKE remote. He knew instantly what it was and went on the hunt. Spike was quickly found hanging out in the laundry room...and now everything was complete! I couldn't even count how many times Daniel said Thank you that morning to us and to Santa!

So, let's see what were the hits of the day? For Daniel, the Batman Batcave, Spike the dinosaur, an impression maker thing and a Mo toy (from Wall-E) and Vsmile games. For Arianna, it was definitely the Fisher Price Learning home (actually they play with this together), her stacking cups and her toothbrush! They also got joint gifts of a tunnel to crawl through and a musical set- those were both definitely a hit and they love playing with those together! All in all, it was a great morning!



During the holidays, we were also invited to Tony's sisters house to celebrate with his family. His parents, sister and husband and brother, his wife and their 8 month old daughter were all there. We had a nice time and it was fun seeing the 3 kids playing together! We also spent time celebrating with my family as well. In the end, I think it was overwhelming for the kids...but isn't that the way it always is when they are young?

We had a great holiday and hope that you did as well! On to 2009...Happy New Year! We wish you all much health, happiness and prosperity in the new year!

Gingerbread Time!

Well, we FINALLY made our gingerbread house!! Even though our Elves were nice enough to put the house together for us, something was always coming up preventing us from getting to the decorating. Daniel was excited to finally get to work on the house! He did a great job...don't you think???

Jolly....or not!

Our neighborhood association hosted Santa Claus at our clubhouse yesterday and today. I think the only time we have done pictures with Santa was at Disney World when Daniel was 7 months old. Here is a picture of that...



The line was a little long tonight- I think we waited about an hour. They had a cookie contest (the ones we ate were not so good) and hot cocoa while we waited. Daniel said he didn't want to take a picture, so there was a little bribery going on. That kid can give me a dazzling smile even when he doesn't want to- he's a pro(well who wouldn't be with a picture crazy Mom)! Once we got close, Tony showed him Santa and he did get excited, so we were good to go! So, we got this good picture of Daniel and Santa...



And then the "classic baby with Santa" picture with Arianna. As I was putting her on his lap, she wouldn't take her eyes off of him. Then as soon as I let go, she turned around and gave us this....



So, I quickly got her out of there and let Daniel tell Santa a few things he wants for Christmas. I'm sure it was something Batman and something Disney!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we give thanks for our wonderful families and friends- we are blessed to have you all as part of our lives. However you are spending the holiday, we wish you a safe and happy time! Here is a picture of two of my biggest blessings!

While we are talking about Thanksgiving... Check out this awesome Thanksgiving cake created by one of my best friends! Sharon is extremely talented and equally generous with her knowledge and expertise. This is the cake she is taking to their family celebration...hope my family doesn't feel too cheated tomorrow when all they get are a couple of pies!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy Halloween!

What a jam packed week of Halloween Fun! This was the first year Daniel was really interested in "Halloween" and it seems we went all out! Where to start....

Right after vacation, we jumped right in with decorating popcorn balls and baking cookies- yummy! Sunday the 26th, we went to a costume birthday party for our neighbors cute little Pirate! Then that afternoon, we went to our neighborhood "Halloween Extravaganza" where they had games for the kids to play for prizes- Daniel did a mean "limbo"! They also had a chili cookoff, hotdogs and pumpking carving. It was a fun little carnival!

We had Daniel's normal Wednesday tumbling class and then on Thursday I finally made it around to start the pumpkin carving- I was determined to do it this year!! On Friday morning, we were invited to a Halloween Party Play Day at a neighbors house. They played games, had snacks and had a great time! We tried to get a few of the older kids to play "Pass the Pumpkin"....well, it was passed around once and they exclaimed "Can I have my candy now?" and they were done with the game...it was a nice try though! There was a hunt for candy that was crazy fun for the kids!!

Then on Friday night, we tagged along with some neighbors and their kids as we made our way trick or treating down our street. Daniel did very good with the "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you" (although he could have been a little louder). At one point, I asked if he was ready to go home and he said "No, I have to get more candy for Daddy"- how sweet was that?? The candy stash was a little heavy so I had to provide some assistance there! Arianna just took it all in and was content to follow her big brother around! We finally made it back around to our house and "Batman" wanted to help pass out candy. I really think he enjoyed that more than the trick or treating! At one point, there were kids on the other side of the street and he yelled "Candy over here" to get their attention- it was really cute! Once the candy was gone, we were done and got to go to dinner!

Then on Saturday the 1st, we went to a Halloween party at the Little Gym. They had a really good turnout for his age group! They had games set up where they could win prizes and they could also play on some of the gym stations. There were a few games during the night as well. He really enjoyed himself and it was fun to watch! We replenished with some snacks and a few pictures. As soon as the party was over, he declared "Halloween is over" and wanted his costume off!! It was a busy week, but we had a great time!!

Here are a few pictures- hope you enjoy!!

(Oh and if you are confused on what costume he wore this year...well, that's because there were 3! We had his Batman costume from last year and this year we added a Star Wars Jedi and Incredibles "Dash". Mom found the costumes cheap and couldn't resist! We'll get a lot of play time out of them anyway!)