Monday, May 9, 2011

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's day weekend was awesome!

Saturday morning I had a really great opportunity. I attended a career fair for a potential job, and had a informal FIRST INTERVIEW from which I received great FEEDBACK! Hopefully I'll hear back from them soon for my next Interview!!

After that we went to the Venice Fire Station for some FREE PANCAKES! Lorena, Alberto, and ALyssa were there too! Nico touched an 18 ft Python...Daddy didn't, hahaha!


Sunday- Mother's Day!
When I got home from the gym, Peter had made really yummy Pancakes Crepes!
I had already gotten the necklace, and I ALSO got a NEW DRESS from Peter and Nico...that I put on right away!


We went to the farmer's Market before Mass. Nico got to go on a Pony Ride; which I think I enjoyed WAY more than Nico!!!!! My cheeks were hurting from smiling.

Daddy bought mommy and nico matching blue converse shoes that we both put on for out Hike!

We went to Topanga National Park for some exploring!
We ended the day with dinner at our neighbors apt.....yummy primerib!

It was a great mother's day weekend!!!
Thank you Nico and Peter----I LOVE YOU TWO sillyheads WITH ALL MY HEART

Saturday, May 7, 2011

2nd Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day
Mother's day is hours away but we started celebrating yesterday when I got to go on a one clued-scavenger hunt for my 1st gift....A beautiful necklace with a mommy daddy and baby, making a heart shape with their arms! I loved it!!!!
Last year Nico and Peter gave an awesome photo on canvas, we are a yummy breakfast with Everette, Meagan, and Kevin at our complex's patio area (Austin). It was so much fun!

No matter what we do tomorrow, it will be amazing... because just having Nico run full speed at me with his arms wide open, giggling the whole time until he gives me a HUGE bear hug...is the BEST GIFT IN THE WORLD!!

I wanted to write a little about how it feels to be a mother...but when I read this email that Peter's mom sent me with a Poem, I realized that I couldn't have said it better myself!
Awesome Mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.


Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.



Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.


Feliz Dia de la Madres Mommy! Te quiero muchisimo!!
Happy Mother's day Baby Mommas!


Thursday, May 5, 2011

5 de Mayo

I year ago today Nico and I made it Sarah's 2nd section of Metamorphoses to Motherhood. Nico was 15 weeks old when we met these other mommas. Now 15 months old, and MILES away from where they are, we still hold them and all the memories we've made together, very colse to our heart! Thanks girls for being making me feel SO NORMAL!! Stephanie, one the the baby mommas wrote a really nice anniversary note on her blog.
On another note, We celebrated 5 de MAYO in TURE AMERICAN FASHION:
with Margaritas, Mexican food, and (baby) friends...lol.

YES! We celebrated 5 de MAYO!!!!
Some of us took it the PARTY more seriously than others...
We had some baby Momma friends and our new neighbors over. The kiddos had a great time playing and "sharing". Nico loved showing off his toys and his FLOATY.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

LA Happenings with Leilani, Baby Friends, and more

Just a couple days into being home and we've already had lots going on here in these parts:
See all of Saturday and Sunday's pictures here:

Saturday
Saturday morning we gave daddy a break and we(Nico and I) went for a nice 10 mile run together. My 1/2 Marathon in San Diego, is creepy up on me! Nico behaved like a champ. He was looking around and babbling away as we ran around the Marina's fingers by ourselves enjoying a beautiful, sunny, southern California morning with nice cool breezes every now and then. After our run we came home to get ready for Tia Leilani ARRIVAL! (She will be here for a week!!!)
From 1105 Back in LA
We got the cruisers ready and biked to the Beach. While we waited for Chris and Leilani to get to the sand, Peter and I played some ABC Volleyball.
From 1105 Back in LA
For those of you who don't know what that is, It's a game where you have to bump the ball back and forth saying the next letter in the alphabet (in order, without skipping letters) until it drops. Whoever drops it, looses. Peter apparently needs to hit up some of Nico's classes when he starts learning the alphabet since he was skipping all over the place...BUT we had a great time! I for one can say it's the most fun I've had on the beach with Peter since we moved here. Nico was playing in the sand right next to us, doing his thing!
After we FINALLY made it to Z, we walked over to where Leilani, Chris, and all their friends were hanging out. Good times...and of course a mini Nico show, followed by more volleyball (for real this time)
From 1105 Back in LA
---good times, funny people, AWESOME AFTERNOON!!!
From 1105 Back in LA
Later that night, I was picked up for a Bar outing. THough I was EXHAUSTED, I said yes...cause when do I get the chance to go out with LEILANI?
From 1105 Back in LA
We went to this bar that had Karaoke. However, it wasn't the regular, BAD DRUNK SINGERS kinda karaoke. It was HOLLYWOOD--wanna-be-found-American-Idol style Karaoke. Everyone, actually, not everyone....
From 1105 Back in LA
ALMOST everyone was REALLY GOOD! Some even gave me goosebumps.

Sunday Morning we Bike to Brunch at Shanghi Reds....EXPENSIVE but AMAZING! Bottomless Mimosas!!! Waffles and Shrimp (lol, Christy{Chris's girlfriend--Leilani's brother's girlfriend} got overwelmed by the BUFFET selection and ended up getting a little confused. Leilani was great at SNEAKING some food out for me =).
From 1105 Back in LA
The chocolate covered strawberries were delectable! The company was awesome and we also got some GREAT FAMILY SHOTS!
From 1105 Back in LA

After a mini nap, we went to Aaron's 1st Birthday Party---SUPER FUN: BALLOONS everywhere, chinese food buffet, applesauce and juice for the kids, fortune cookies, A MAGICIAN, and lots of YO GABA GABA paraphernalia!
From 1105 Back in LA
From 1105 Back in LA
(Birthday boy, Aaron, is on the Bike)
And yesterday (Monday) after sending out thank yous that NICO helped write himself...
From 1104ThankU-Lels's visit-hamock
We put Nico in one of the many gifts that TITO and YESENIA gave him for Easter, a chair hammock from one of the island stops they made on their cruise a couple weeks ago.....
From 1104ThankU-Lels's visit-hamock
and HE LOVED IT! I'm not gonna lie, I was having a bit of a myocardial infarction (heart attack), seeing him up there on his new swing, but his laugh and smile made me set aside(just a little) my fears so that I too could enjoy the moment with him.


SIDE NOTE:
You see, the thing is that as a mommy now, I feel that I have FINAL DESTINATION SYNDROME (FDS). I always vividly foresee these crazy scenarios taking place and as a result, I'm super annoying to be around with all my BECAREFULs and WATCH-OUTs and HOLD-UPs. My parents have a super SEVERE version of the syndrome while I think that I'm still in the early stages of development. I'm working or figuring out a way to mitigate the side effects of FDS--- but so far...only Nico's laugh helps temporarly ease my anxiety and reasurrance from Peter that he is being MINDFUL of the dangers that linger around every corner....lol. Perhaps laying off CSI and Crimial Minds as well will an important factor in my treatment.

ON another SIDE NOTE:
I'd like to announce that NICO is no longer JET-LAGGED from the trip ....How do we know? WELL we know because he (read: WE) didn't sleep well (or almost at all) on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday night. Saturday he slept a little better but got up super early (3 or 4 am). However, finally on Sunday night and last night he slept ALL NIGHT! This morning he even slept-in until 7:30am.We are very proud of him!!!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Yay for Vivi!

Nico's grandma is a CELEBRITY in South Miami!
We wanted to Congratulate Vivi and First National Bank of South Miami for winning 2 awards:

High Growth Award

Best Corporate Citizen Award

at the First Annual Business Excellence Awards.
These images were taken by, Karen Nercess, from All-Star Event Photography.
Make sure to check out the YOU TUBE videos that grandma Vivi has created for her bank...
YES-YOU TUBE!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

VOTE FOR DOMINIQUE!

Have you ever entered a contest in the hopes that you would win, but deep down inside you kinda felt that IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU??
Well, my friend Dominique from the UF track team entered a contest.
Perform Beautifully Contest where the winner will win a trip to Napa Valley for a fitness retreat and an Oakley Ambassadorship for ONE YEAR!

She needs you to vote, so that SHE CAN WIN! She is an awesome girl who is SUPER FIT and has put her hopes on winning this conest! It will take you a 2 seconds to VOTE....SO JUST DO IT, or like our athletic director, Jeremy Foley, at UF liked to say....JGID...JUST GET IT DONE!!



EASTER VACATION- in MIAMI!!!

We are back!
Well, I guess I should say, We've been back in a LA for a couple days now...hahah, But I've been too tired to post. Here's the play by play of our trip!
From 1104 Easter Vacation

A little over a week ago we took the RED EYE to Miami. We left LA Thursday at 10ish pm. This was the first time that Nico was old enough to be aware and scared during the flight. He was actually really nervous during TAKE OFF, especially when the lights were turned off in the cabin, and there was NOTHING to look at through the window. Fortunate he calmed down and we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale 5 exhausting hours later (Friday Morning). Nico slept for about 3 1/2 of those, but neither Peter nor I were able to. We each dosed a little but never really got rest.
While waiting for my sister to arrive, I bumped into a college friend and her boyfriend at the airport---SMALL WORLD eyy!

Manuela arrived with a car full of toy, books, activity books, balls, and snacks for Nico. Though all we wanted to do was pass out, we made a pit stop at a little Cuban restaurant near Tia's apartmentand then checked out her place(super organized of course) ....WHICH was BEAUTIFUL, with tennis courts, 2 lakes (with DUCKS!), a pool, gym, and a walking path. We also got an express tour of Nova's campus. No wonder Tia hasn't come to visit...her little life in Nova looks so nice!
Mommy, daddy, and Nico took a nap on the way from FLL to MIA. Daddy and Mommy continued their nap for 4 more hours while Nico entertained the abuelos at my house.
For Lunch we headed to CAYO ESQUIVEL, my dad's favorite fish restaurant in Miami, where we met up with Todd, Vivi, and Juan. THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS!!!

In the parking lot we did the shipment switch(all our luggage) and headed over to the Flores Abuelos' house----during which time, NICO took another nap!

I went on a run after getting in the pool while Peter play Basketball with some friends and cousins at a nearby school. Though it was humid, I felt great on the run!
After putting Nico to sleep, Mommy and Daddy went out! We celebrated Juan's Birthday at Lolita in Brickell...LOADS OF FUN!!
From 1104 dinner guests, babysitting, Enotes
SATURDAY-
Rough morning after celebrating Juan's Birthday---we're not as young as we used to be.Those days of partying all night and getting up for a 12mile run at 6 am are LONG GONE!
Peter went Fishing with Todd and Nico and I hung out with the Flores Abuelos and then went to Fairchild Tropical Gardens with my mom, Florence (peter's grandma), and Vivi. I had never walked around Fairchild! Last time I went was for Kelly and Josh's wedding, but I didn't really walk around the park. Nico loved walking around and checking out all the leaves and flowers.

When we got back, we hung out the rest of the afternoon at the Flores's home. Todd, Forman, Tio Tony, Abuela (Eneida), my Sister and Dad, and the Barreras family came over. The guys played basketball and some of us (Nico and I) got in the Pool!!!
After some Easter egg painting with Nico's Primitos, Aiden and Jules, we got ready for our SECOND OUTING: Blue Martini with Todd and Antu---another great night!
SUNDAY
HAPPY EASTER
We woke up to BEAUTIFUL EASTER BASKETS EVERYWHERE! The easter bunny at the Flores' is super nice! Vivi and Yesenia surprised Nico with LOTS of goodies!!! We ate a yummy breakfast and got ready for Mass at STA. Luz Mila was there too!
Then we went to Patricia's house (Peter's aunt) for some AWESOME FOOD, Family,
From 1104 Easter Vacation
and LOADS OF EASTER EGGS. Nico got to go on his first Easter Egg Hunt! Last year he slept right through it! He didn't really hunt so much as INVESTIGATE each egg.
But had a great time!
He was very puzzled by the fact that every time he picked up eggs from an area and turned around...there were MORE.....(work of the abuelos all setting it up for Nico to PICK UP MORE eggs).
In the end, we left the eggs with Peter's cousin who's a teacher and was going to use them as prizes in her class.
We left around 7:30pm....but the party wasn't over. Nico's visitor calendar had one more party stop. We made the Switch from the Flores' home to my home. Juan's parents, the Tafachi Family, and Andrea Portillo were awaiting Nico's arrival.

MONDAY
Peter and I slept in while TIA tortured NICO!
From 1104 Easter Vacation
....Just kidding, she also read and played with him...hahaa
From 1104 Easter Vacation
When we FINALLY got up, we went on a nice and humid 6 mile run in south Miami. After Lunch we rounded the troops (all the abuelos and Tia) and headed to Key Biscayne for a BEACH DAY(afternoon)!
On the way home we stoped by Angela and Andrew's new house---they're renting but it's still a house! It was adorable!!
We went to the movies at night to watch RIO....I thought it was really funny but the best part was the 3D glasses that we kept, lol...but they don't work outside the theater. =(
TUESDAY
Pampered myself at the Beauty secret, getting a Mani/ Pedi/ and Haircut! I felt like such a girl =)
Barbie came over and we hung out, had lunch, and caught up on life. She opened her own dance studio, All Access Dance Studio, almost a year ago and was telling me all about it. She is such an inspiration!
We had a chill afternoon while Nico napped at my house. We hung out at Peter's pool, soaked in the sun, and mentally prepared ourselves for TITO's bootcamp workout. It was really hard. I was sore until Thursday!
After a "sink shower" we went over to Sunset Place for dinner.
From 1104 Easter Vacation
Our goal was Cool de Sac, ingenious place I might add, but they closed too early, so we ended up eating in Spiltsville...which was DELISH!
We had a big good bye dinner crew: Jeanette, Carlos, Anthony, Yesenia, Manuela, the Flores Abuelos, and the Rodriguez Abuelos!

WEDNESDAY- Travel day again. By 5:38am we were on the road and heading over to FLL airport to catch our flight back to LA. Alyssa and Lorena Picked us up at the airport!

It was so NICE TO BE HOME, but we were exhausted. Peter was supposed to work half a day but didn't really manage to keep his eyes open. I reorganized Nico's room to fit all his NEW CLOTHES AND TOYS and then started unpacking my clothes (NO NEW CLOTHES or TOYS FOR ME).

Nico's Second Vacation in Miami was great! This trip was number 8 for Nico before even being 16 months of age! There are still so many places to go, people to visit. Next stop...I HOPE...is Austin,Tx!

We miss you all in Miami, thank you for making Nico's trip SO SPECIAL!!!


Quotes to Live by:

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

Be kinder than necessary, everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

When you help someone up a hill, you get that much closer to the top yourself.