A Merry Christmas indeed

I guess the girls haven't been so naughty because Santa got to spoil them today! Even grandma got to be spoiled because that big bear you see on the pictures was for her.


Gotta love how they cooperate for pictures on Christmas morning.  They know they can't open the presents until we get good pictures and I seriously never have to take more than a couple of shots.  They tell each other "quick.. smile big for the pictures.. hurry".  It's the magic of Christmas morning, because that means that they want me to be happy as they know that makes me happy.


This year Santa decided to bring lots of the same things instead of things completely different for each one.  It was a hit because each one had their own of the same thing and that brought the "fighting over a toy" to zero.  Santa even left a Sharpie handy for me to be able to name some things. My favorite thing for the girls were the big Disney Princesses dolls, and I hope Santa can bring more of those next Christmas.


We even got to say hello to one of Santa's messengers at a fair downtown.




Merry Christmas to ALL OF YOU and LOTS of good things for 2013!!

Santa is coming tonight....

This year we spent Christmas Eve at my dad's with his family.

My dad adores my girls and he's always looking to spend time with them.  When I RSVP'd to him, I was able to hear the excitement on his voice.

It's hard to communicate with him because of the remnants of the stroke he had several years ago but the girls can understand him perfectly fine and it is just a lovely sight when they are together.

The girls have been begging me to use a face painting set that I purchased forever ago and I just couldn't say no.  I knew it was going to get messy but I didn't care.

I'm sooo glad I agreed because they had a blast! My dad doesn't know how to say no to them and they painted ALL OVER him.  He laughed in a way that I don't think I have ever seen him before.  It was this kind of laugh that comes with JOY.  Even my nephew got to pain him and the job was mostly done by him and Mimi.

Here is a picture with my girls and daddy...


After we got home, and after a major shower because of the paint, they got into their pj's and got the cookies and milk ready for Santa.




And here you can see Santa's lefovers and message to the girls... He even arranged some of the tags that the girls got on each one of their gifts... So thoughtful of him.

Getting ready for Santa

It has been a tradition in our house to wear something special to receive Santa.  It may be the only tradition that we have never broken.

This year I wanted to have the girls do something and decided to try some Arts and Crafts project.

I purchased plain white shirts and Glitter Glue in different colors.  Not only was fun, but it was also very inexpensive.

They wanted a Christmas Tree on their shirts so I draw them myself and they did all the decor to the trees.  I even did one for myself.


They were SO PROUD of their finished shirts!!

A friend of mine was babysitting them in the morning when I went to purchase the supplies and she was BEAT after just two hours with them.  And of course, Gigi needed to be in the picture too.

The tooth fairy was in town...

... visiting Mia this time.

The first visit to Mia was back in February.  I'm proud to say that this is not an stressful situation at my house.  Gaby has been taken off all her teeth by herself.  She did an awesome job teaching Mia how to do it, and she has been following her older sister's instructions to the T.

She really looks adorable with her window!

School's Christmas Play

Each one of the girls had a different performance even though they were asked to wear the same outfit.  They sang Christmas songs.

They have been practicing for weeks and they were all really excited especially Gaby.  She was nervous but was really looking forward to it.

Mimi and Gaby both got great spots and I was able to get lots of pictures of each while performing, however Mia was on the second row and it was hard to see her.

My mom was there with us and she also enjoyed herself very much.  We were on the first row, or let's say my mom was in the first row because I was going around all the time taking pictures.

There was a bonfire at the end of the show and it was impressive for the girls.  They have never seen before... On the picture below, you can see all three girls on the right side... Mimi's face (hard to see because of the size of the picture) is because she just couldn't believe how I was at the other side of the FIRE!

Getting to know my paternal family

My mom and dad divorced when I was 2 years old and even though I spend some time with his side of the family, I never really got to know my cousins very much.  I knew most of their names (not all) but I was never close to my paternal cousins.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my sister's passed and at her wake, I got to meet a lot of cousins that I didn't even know I had.  We talked about it that day and decided that a family reunion was in order.  We needed to get to know each other.

Today was THAT day.  Sadly, it was a pool party and Gaby was extremely sick to be able to go.  It was sad to keep her home but she wasn't in the condition to be exposed to a pool in such a windy day.  At the end, it was so chilly that nobody got into the pool, but the weather was still not appropriate for Gaby to be there. I'm sure we will have more reunions were she will get to meet them.

Both of my families are very large.  My mom comes from a family of 8 children and my dad from a family of 6 children.  Each one of my aunts and uncles from both sides have several kids which means that I have LOTS of cousins.  Then, my cousins have LOTS of kids themselves.  I have three bothers and only one of them was there, and only one of my two nephews.  But in all, lots of us got together including my dad who is one of the few survivors (4 of his siblings already passed, only one is alive).  


The girls had a blast with all her "new cousins".  Funny thing is that they meet ALL of them that day (except for my nephew).  Can't wait for Gaby to meet them all.


And here are a couple of pictures with my dad and one of my brothers.

Family Day at school

Today was the family day at the girls school.  They had performances prepared for the parents to see and it was a family day different to what I am used to.  Normally it is just a bunch of games and activities and everybody is on their own, but being able to have the girls perform and THEN get into those fun activities was something I liked very much.

Mia and Mimi have been practicing classical ballet since the beginning of the school year and Mia was soooo nervous that she was shaking.  She can actually see her nervous face on the pictures. On the other hand, Mimi was extremely confident and all sassy.  Even with Mia's stage fright, they both did a beautiful job and I was wearing my "proud mamma hat".  In one of the pictures, you can see Mimi with her best friend.  It's funny how you cannot tell which one is which if you are looking at both of them from their backs... They have the same height, same weight, same hair, same skin color... even the same BIG eyes!


Gaby have been practicing Baton Twirling and she is so happy with it that I think she even dreams about it. They did a presentation (pictures below) and my heart was racing. Mimi also performed a dance and below you can see a picture of her with her dance partner while enjoying some "waltz time".


Here is also a video with part of Gaby's performance. Super fun!

Grade time!

Gaby is doing great in 4th Grade.  I got her grades for the second evaluation and I am a proud mama!

Math 95 (A+)
Spanish 96 (A+)
Social Studies 97 (A+)
Science 94 (A-)
Art 97 (A+)
English 90 (A-)
Religion 97 (A+)
PE 85 (B+)
Discipline 85 (B+)
Computer 78 (C+)
Civic 95 (A+)

Funny that her two lower grades were the two ones I always excelled at.  I always got 100 at PE because I was part of mostly all the sport teams we had at school so I didn't really participated of the class per se.  There was always I game I needed to practice for.

And yes, the daughter of two computer geeks has 78 on computer. The teacher understood she is teaching 7th grade and the exam was not age appropriate... Plus she is not taking them to the lab , only theory... Gaby knows how to use the computer better than a lot of adults since she was 2 years old... The teacher WILL hear my mouth sooner than later.

Gabriela is NINE

That's right! Gaby is already on her last "one digit" age! She was the one that came into my life to teach me how to be someone else's mother.  As a mom, we learn new things every day and we grow with each one of our children's milestones.  Gaby is the one that has been training me to be a better mom for her sisters and that is a hard job for any child.  She does it with pride and she adores her sisters with all her heart.


Gaby chose receiving GIFTS instead of a big party, so I got her a few things plus we had a mini get together at home with two of my best friends.  It was a slumber party and we had lots of fun.

I even did an invitation for her birthday because they are always happy when I make designs for them.

Good things come is small packages

The new school year is here and it's going to be the last year ever of having a child in Preschool.  Mimi started Kinder and she is doing simply perfect.  I have heard that the youngest child is always the one that learns everything faster and reaches every milestone sooner.  I don't really know how true is that in other families but the way that Mimi excels in just about anything and everything is really amazing.

Mimi is still extremely petite for her age and she can be confused by a child that is 2 years younger than her, but as soon as you interact with her, you can tell that she ain't a baby.  She talks so fluently and with such authority that it makes you feel that you are talking to a child that is several years older.

She is a fighter and she will accomplish anything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that she sets her mind to.  I have always believed that this is something that comes from the very beginning of her existence.  She defied birth control and was conceived... then doctors said I needed to end the pregnancy because my life is at danger and she prove them wrong... then, she survived to low amniotic fluid and couple of rounds on her neck... and after she was born, she has managed to reach every single milestone earlier than expected.

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Mis is also doing really good at First Grade and Gaby at 4th grade. We moved and they are all in a new school and loving it. They would occasionally mention their old school but they have felt so at home in the new school that they are just fine.

In another note, Nikon decided to relocate their office and I'm not working for them anymore.  I explored the option of staying home with just the income from my designing business, however mama gotta bring home the bacon and one income is not doable.  I was offered a job as a Spanish/English interpreter and even though I have never done something like that before, I can't wait to see how it turns out.  I have a feeling that I will love it.

It's a b*tch

... and no, I'm not cursing! I'm introducing our new family member: Gigi Lucia.  She is a 9 months old chihuahua and the girls love her very much.  She drives me crazy because she does everything a dog is not supposed to do, but she has her moments when she is so sweet that makes me forgive her.

Another school year is over

Today is the last day of 3rd Grade! Gaby won't have to repeat any of her exams and according to her teacher she did great in all of them!! Can't wait to get the actual grades next week! I just cant believe I'm gonna have a 4th grader in a couple of months!

5 years ago...

... the biggest rascal of all was born!!

It's been already 5 years since the last time that I was pregnant... since the last time I had a baby kick inside of me... since the last time I was able to experience the joy of becoming a mom and looking at MY baby for the first time...

Happy Birthday to DA princess Amelia!! She is just the funniest little person you'll ever meet and she's so smart that it gets scary sometimes.

We love you from here to the moon!!

Seriously in love with photography...

... can you tell?

Being able to work at Nikon and learn so much everyday feels like a one time opportunity that I would be thankful for the rest of my life.

My "Super Mario" girls

The girls after school... Gabriela is supposed to be Mario, Mimi is supposed to be Bowser (look at the horns), and Mia... who knows? She was just holding Bluebelle and being a diva!

My Diva as a model

One of my co-workers at Nikon was hired by a local cable company for an add for a new kid's friendly remote control that they were advertising.  He asked me if he could take pictures of one of my daughters for the add and I knew right away that Mia was the girl for this task.  She LOVES the camera and the camera adores her.

I took Camila to the beauty salon to have her hair blow dried for the first time in her life and that day I decided that I was never going to spend that money again.  Her hair is beautiful as it is and it honestly looked the same that it looks everyday after she makes peace with the comb.  Good lesson learned.

He set up all the photography equipment at my garage and did all the shooting.  Funny thing is that he forgot the actual remote at home and we had to improvise a remote and then let Photoshop work its magic in order to switch the remote on the picture for the add (gotta love Photoshop).  My friend Perla was home with us that day and she helped with the lighting.  Of course, I was the photographer on the back of the photographer taking pictures of them:


The add was in newspapers, magazines and boards for several months.... here and even in Mexico.

Mia is 6

My little Diva is 6 and it is just amazing to think how true is the saying "time flies by when you are having fun".

She has been begging  for a Little Mermaid party since several months, however her birthday was going to be (once again) just after spring break and I talked to her about having that party next year and for this year simply spending several days enjoying the pool and sun.

She agreed happily as usual.  Keeping her mommy happy is one of Mia's jobs and she loves to say yes to everything I say.  She has been acting like that since a couple of years ago and I LOVE it.  I try not to abuse it but I knew the budget was not going to be enough for party and several days at the pool.

For her day, all she wanted was a strawberry cake WITH strawberries... and she got it!! She also got two Little Mermaid sets and she was pleased and happy!!


Not sure if I ever posted about this, but my grandma has been under my mom's care which means that she lives with us. She was there singing Happy Birthday to Mia and it was so nice to see her so full of joy...

Local Spring Break

I scheduled my work's vacation for this week as the girls were going to be off school for the whole week.  We got to do so many stuff and we simply had a blast.  I got around 500 pictures but I will just post a few for the memory lane.


Mia had a photoshoot for a "job" that he was hired for (that's another post) and here are some pictures from that day:


The girls also got to play Wii with my TV downstairs and I played a lot with them.  Our favorite Wii game is the Mario game called New Super Mario Bros just because we can actually play simultaneously and even though they fight when "the other one kills them", I'm convinced that it helps them to play as a team.  They ask each other for tasks to accomplish things and they sound so grown up.  They also got a playdate with the daughter of one of my cousins (remember her?) and they had a blast.


We also spent several days at a local club and they just couldn't get enough water and sun.  Different friends were with me each day and it was super fun.

Day of LOVE!

Happy Red Day to those of you that like having an excuse to show some extra love to the important people on your life!

I know we have LOTS of people to love EVERY SINGLE DAY, but it is just fun to have an excuse! Happy Valentine's Day!