Secret Santa

Michael and I participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange for the baby website that I am a member. We received the cutest gifts and Michael loved them all. We took a video of Michael thanking our Secret Santa, it's pretty funny. You can tell that Michael was thinking of his stomach when we shot this.

Finally, a family potrait

We finally did it! It really took some sweet talking to get Jaime to be in a formal picture. I think they came out great, considering Michael refused to cooperate with the photographer. When he wasn't running out of the shot and into the mall, he was yelling, crying and hiding his face. We managed to get one good picture of him alone before he had a complete meltdown.

More fun with lights

He cannot get enough of them!

Outside Christmas Lights

I finally finished the outside decorations today, in the 30 degree cold!! I'm happy with the results.

I am a cruel, cruel mother...

I knew this was going to turn out bad, but it's a right of passage, right? Is it mean that I look at this and laugh hysterically? I can't wait until he is 17 and I can show it to his girlfriends... Season's Greetings, LOL!!!!

Trimming the Tree

Michael was quite the little helper when I put up the tree on Sunday. He insisted on taking out the balls (thankfully I thought ahead and bought the shatterproof kind). He then threw out the ball container. (I had to fish it out of the trashcan). Then on to decorating, where he would grab the balls and throw them at the tree. He had so much fun, and I laughed and waited until he lost interest to really decorate. Jaime and Michael then assisted by sitting on the sofa and watching Star Wars. :)

He has been pretty good with the decorated tree. He loves the lights and likes to hit and snatch the ornaments. We are using the word NO a lot. He also found his favorite ornament, a picture book with his picture in it. He will take it off of the tree and ask me to read about the "baby". I wonder what he is going to think when I put presents under the tree...

House Updates

I bought new lamps for the family room and I finally got around to upgrading the trim on the fireplace mantel. I wanted to add some life to the fireplace and am really happy with the results. Best of all, I did the entire project myself. Yes, I have a sore thumb from where I smashed it with a hammer, but it was well worth it.



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Happy Thanksgiving!

Jaime, Michael and I hosted Thanksgiving this year. Everyone came over and we had a perfect day without any hiccups. Titi Carmen purchased and seasoned the turkey and Jaime cooked it. Roasting the Thanksgiving turkey is some major pressure, but it was perfect and absolutely delicious. We had great appetizers and a TON of food. I tried a new recipe I found for corn bread and sausage stuffing and it was amazing (with a little kick)! Nancy and Sam brought red rice (which was awesome) and yams (which Sam said weren't as good as last year. Since Jaime and I don't eat yams, we took his word for it. Carmen and my mom made the ham, Jaime couldn't stop raving about it. Monica made the BEST Rum cake for desert. I think it made me a bit tipsy. Michael didn't each much dinner since he got into the graham crackers for the Pumpkin Pie dip and ate about 30. At least he ate. Michael and Gabrielle had a blast playing and chasing eachother around the house. Gabrielle is fast and Michael couldn't keep up. It should be interesting next year. :) Unfortunately my mom wasn't feeling well, but at least she got to enjoy her grandson.

Considering it was Thanksgiving, I wanted to let you all know how thankful we are to have you in our lives. I hope everyone stays healthy, happy and prosperous and we are able to do this all again next year. XOXO

Michael is 18 months old today

I cannot believe my sweet baby is a year and half old today. It really is true how quickly time flies as it feels like we were only just bringing him home from the hospital.

Some fun facts for Michael at 18 months ~~~

We have been having a blast lately as Michael is learning so much and really adding to his vocabulary. Michael can now name most of his body parts; head, nose mouth, toes, pee-pee, belly or pipa, huevoes and boobies(thanks, Jaime), make animal noises like wow-wow, meow, and quack, and some of his colors, especial puh puh (purple). He also loves to say shoes, socks, fish, choo choo(doo doo), beep beep, yes and my absolute favorite Duh-Do (love you).

Michael's favorite toys right now are his train James, his power wheels car, and his stuffed dog Wow-wow, who he drags everywhere by his ear.

Michael's favorite foods right now are Goldfish, grapes, peas, rice, spaghetti and french fries.

Last but not least are our Mickey pictures. It is really difficult to get an active toddler to sit still for pictures!

A Visit from Grandma Eleanor

Grandma Eleanor came from Los Angeles for a visit this past weekend. We haven't seen her since Michael's first birthday and we were so happy to have her here. We spent a long weekend hanging out and letting her enjoy her grandson. Michael and her were so cute together and there were lots of smiles, hugs and kisses.

First Zoo Visit

We took our first family trip to the zoo. Even though Michael and I were both sick, we all had a great time. Since it was a Thursday and about 2 hours before closing, the zoo was virtually empty and we had our run of the place. The Philadelphia Zoo has a few great exhibits including Big Cat Falls, which Michael adored. We were so close to the animals, we could have touched them, well, through the plate glass...

How cute is this lioness!

Halloween-a-palooza!

We had a party at Abuelita Rita's on Sunday, a parade and party at daycare today and then trick or treating and handing out candy. What a fun filled few days! Michael had a ball and was a non-stop bundle of energy all this week, even with a cold and double ear infection.

Here is a slideshow of the festivities and a video I shot during his parade. Note that I spent most of the video chasing him and apologizing to the other parents. Are we at the terrible two's stage already??

Happy Dancing and Cruising 'round the house

Michael has a few new tricks up his sleeves. He has started to do a "happy dance" when he gets excited. It is just too cute not to share. Oh, and check out his new big boy haircut.


Also, he has perfected his driving skills. I must say that this kid is a natural, now if I could only get him to steer...

Corn on the cob!

Michael thoroughly enjoyed his first corn on the cob. How could you not love that buttery deliciousness?

Funfilled Saturday - Community Yardsale and Pumpkin Patch Day

We had the best day on Saturday. It was our bi-annual community yardsale which always means great deals! My mom, Aunt Carmen, Monica, Gabrielle and Monica's cousin Jenny all came.

I made out like a bandit and was able to get a TON of stuff for a total of $50. I love deal grabbing. Here's what we got:



Cousins having fun!



We then went to the pumpkin patch. It's a working dairy farm that had it all, hayrides, corn maze, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, clowns, you name it. Everyone had lots of fun.

Halloween Sneak Peek

I got Michael's costume in the mail yesterday and today was the first time I got to try it on. He is the cutest lion ever! He also just started growling when I ask what does a lion say. I hope to have our schtick down by Halloween.

A Tale of Two Fishies

Last Saturday we decided to check out a local Greek Festival. Jaime and I both love the food and they had games, rides and shopping booths. The gyros were to die for, I cannot get enough of the Tsaziki sauce. Mmmmmmmmmm! One of the booths was selling belly dancing hip scarves in both adult and childrens sizes. I couldn't resist and bought a pink children's size one for Gabrielle. She loved it and every time she walked the beads and coins would jingle. You can only imagine the noise it made when she ran. Sorry, Monica.

There was a fish bowl, golf ball toss game and we got a bucket of balls to throw. Michael thought it was the best thing ever and was laughing hysterically while "throwing" balls on the floor and at other players. Turns out we didn't make one ball into a fish bowl, but since we bought a bucket of balls we were guaranteed a fish.

We picked up our prize, a small white koi fish with an orange top. Jaime promptly declaired that his name was Fishstick. Michael was in awe and repeated "ish", ok more like "shhhhh". Considering we didn't have any fish supplies we headed to the pet store and bought an old fashioned fish bowl and some food. (First mistake) We then decided to get Fishstick a friend. We waited our turn and spoke to an extremely rude clerk. I told him the fish I wanted, another koi the same size as Fishstick, he said no since the bowl was too small. Said Fishstick wouldn't last a day. We opted for a smaller goldfish, called Chips, and still very pretty and went home. The entire way, I complained about how much the clerk sucked. We got the fish settled into their new home and all was well.

The next morning, both fish were alive and well. Well, maybe not so well. They seemed to trying to get air at the top of the bowl. I told Jaime that we needed a better tank, with a bubbler and filter. He agreed and said we should go out and get one. Considering it was early we decided to wait until after breakfast. Fishstick decides to go belly up right in the middle of our pancakes. After a burial at sea, complete with a flush, we switched out the water in the bowl and Chips seemed much better.

So fast forward to approximately $100 dollars in fish equipment and a replacement Fishstick later, we are the proud owners of two fish. Fishstick #2 and Chips.

F & C Version 1.0


F & C Version 2.0

Changing things up.

I needed a change so I went to the salon on Saturday. It's a big difference for me, but I like it. Jaime said he loved it, but then said it reminded him of a hot anchorwoman (which is fine) AND Monica Lewinsky (so not good).

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It's amazing what the Post Office will deliver.

We received a package in the mail from Grandma Eleanor and Michael was fascinated with the packing peanuts. They were the best thing ever!!! He broke them in half and threw them all over the kitchen. We all had a great time, even though I ended up having to clean it all up. I can't wait until he discovers bubble wrap.