master"PIECES" of my LIFE

it's all about "him"

i don't like to post only about one of the kiddos.  i really try to keep it fair, but sebastian had a baseball tournament in manteca this weekend and played 4 games.  two were on saturday, which i was in attendance and two more on sunday.  so this one IS all about him.

how great does he look?

on sunday i had my long anticipated garage sale so i missed the games but matt got these professional shots.  i'm so happy he did.  they are fantastic!

sebastian looks great at the plate.  he's come such a long way from this time last year.  i'm really proud of him 'cuz he works really hard but he loves every minute of it!

i know i'm biased, but he's such a cutie!  

and something he's never struggled with is sliding.  he loves it, digs it and does it well.  whether it's head or feet first.  

i'm looking forward to another fun baseball season.....

football games & flea markets

that was my life last weekend.  saturday was the sebastian bowl as we celebrated his 10th birthday with all his buddies.  here's seb's field of awesomeness:

 

 

it's hard to read in the picture but that's exactly what it says on the field "seb's field of awesomeness" as per the the birthday boy's request.  daddy worked really hard getting the field ready for the big game and we can't forget the end zones:

 

 

 

that's right THE NEW YORK JETS!  the boys played for a few hours and could have played all day & night if we let them.  oh, to have the energy of a ten year old....

 

 

 

 

here's the whole gang:

 

and let's not forget what every football player should eat: pizza & cake.  i love the fact that sebastian wanted a homemade cake, which i'm happy to oblige, and chocolate inside and out was his preference. 

 

 

that was saturday.  sunday of course involved the XLVI super bowl and we' re proud of the ny giants.  but before i sat down to watch the game i made it to the alameda antique faire to hunt for some treasures.  i found some things for myself and i found some things for my business.  of course the main motivation for attending is the business aspect but i think i found more stuff for myself this trip.  i'll share some of my findings as i display them in my home.  speaking of flea markets this was also the weekend for the paris flea market in livermore.  if you're local and you've never been there, i highly recommend it.  it's a unique shopping experience and it only happens once per month on the first weekend (you can view the details on the website).  here's my little space:

Au Revoir!

 

 

he's TEN

january 31st 2002 matt & i started our journey into parenthood.  i can't believe my baby boy big guy is ten years old.  that went by so fast and i image the next ten will go even faster.  here he is waking up on his big day.  gift of choice?  i touch.  he's so excited.  i think in a way he feels independent.  his very own; not to share w/ anyone else.  the ipad, desktop computer, PS3, WII are all great, BUT are shared w/ the family.  this is his to put in his pocket and take wherever he wants.  it makes me smile, but breaks my heart a bit all at the same time that's he's growing up so fast.  

saturday is his birthday celebration.  he wanted a football party so we will have the pre Super Bowl game in our backyard with about a dozen 9 - 10 year olds.  doesn't get better than that.

and of course he can't forget about HER, who thinks she's falling behind in the electronics game.  when i pointed out she has a hello kitty boom box in her room, which he does not have, it made her feel a little bit better... temporarily.

merry, happy, feliz....

merry christmas

happy new year

feliz dia de los reyes

hello 2012!

i thoroughly enjoyed the holiday season and felt like i was actually  "present" through it all (probably one of the reasons i didn't post on here as it all happened).

christmas was a success & everyone pretty much enjoyed themselves.

we rang in the new year at our friend's caroline & hywel's home.

and for the first time los reyes magos (the 3 kings) made it to our home.  the kids put out their shoes on january 5th and the morning of the 6th they found their treasures; gold (itunes card), myrrh (cotton candy) and frankincense (football cards/light up sketchers).  of course the kids were over the moon with even more gifts but i was happy to bring this tradition into my family.  i grew up celebrating los reyes magos and they might have even been more important than papa noel even (santa claus) so happy to share this little part of me with them.  i know if my parents were here they would want it this way.

and looking at the year ahead, i'm left pondering what i would like my one little word for 2012 to be......  

 

santa baby~

visited the big guy in the red suit and as a bonus this year we also saw mrs. claus.  the kids are fully aware that it's really not "santa" but simply a man that looks like him dressed in a santa suit spreading the magic of christmas 'cuz santa is waaaaay too busy.  phew, still believe in the main guy even if the mall guy is being called out.  and what makes mommy happy?  that my kids are still excited to take a picture with santa, whoever he might be.

the santa visit was bundled with a jaunt to the movies and we checked out the muppets at sebastian's persistent request.  the kids loved it, mommy & daddy not so much.  all the cameos and guest star appearances was the best part if that gives you any indication.  but we can check it off the list and move on to the next thing.

the kids are home on winter break and they both had great christmas joy in the classroom on the last day of school.  mrs. donovan, lexi's teacher, always does a potluck from around the world.  super yummy and we made faina from uruguay.  

lexi and some of her gal pals.  they don't have any fun at all!  

sebastian's teacher, ms. miranda, played a movie for the kids to chillax w/ hot chocolate & treats.  perfect for a bunch of 4th graders.  they loved it!

{ho ~ ho ~ ho}

oh, christmas tree!

it's been up for a couple of weeks now & every time i look at it makes me smile.  it went up with everyone's help this year; truly a family affair.

{{{ luv }}}




 

goodbye november

so fall has come & gone and it is officially winter wonderland time.  here are the things our family was grateful for this thanksgiving season:

we all picked something we're thankful for although when we read them they really apply to the whole family.  this is the order they are written: maryjo, lexi, sebi & matt.

as has become tradition we headed to south carolina to celebrate our thanksgiving.  for the first time the weather cooperated & it was absolutely beautiful.  we had some football on the beach:

lexi really got into it.  and of course the boys were all over it.  fun, Fun, FUN!  we had lots of goofiness.

some grandparent love:

and of course for the main event:

AND of course we always have to try for that family christmas card photo...

you'll see one of these or a variation of one on our christmas card this year.  we're getting our tree tomorrow & i'll be decorating all weekend.  the season is upon us!

july recall

july was full of summer camp activities.

lexi took a week long cheer camp & a girl scout camp, which was also a week long.  she loved both of them (of course).  there's not much lexi girl doesn't love.

sebastian of course participated in a couple different baseball camps.  and he went through a phase where all he loved to do was slide head first.  he would even do it in our hallway at home.  it made laundry that much more fun, but it was worthy it to see that smile when he pops up after a perfect slide.  with all the practice i have to admit he did perfect it.  

and it wouldn't be july without a good 'ole 4th of july celebration.   we attended the parade downtown with some friends as usual and then hopped between two different parties.

well that brings my blog up to speed and i can forge ahead feeling complete & content. 

we'll be leaving in a couple of days for south carolina to celebrate thanksgiving w/ grandma & grandpa and once we get back it's christmas craziness.  i can't wait!  i love the holidays.  decorating, baking, sharing, celebrating....  

 

happy birthday honey!

my husband, best friend, father of my children, confidant, and so much more celebrates another year of life today.  unfortunately he's in phoenix until friday so we wait to celebrate together and give him birthday hugs & kisses until then.

looking forward to 40 plus more honey!  xoxo

 

august review

august began with a bang: our 2-week trip to st. thomas

august went out with a bang: my aunt&uncle's visit from uruguay

good times all around.  sooooo much to share but i'll give the cliff notes version.

this was our view from our condo.  need i say more?  we usually visit st. thomas in february (the 6th week of the year to be exact) with our time share unit for a week's visit while we yank the kids out of school and have to complete an independent study while we're on the road.  this on the other hand was a 2 week visit during summer vacation with no obligations.  we rented a friend's unit and although the view is similar to our time share unit it was nice to visit for an extended period of time with no obligations.

we visited a sugar mill on st. john's island before we headed to a beautiful beach to swim with the sea turtles.

we visited a new island, virgin gorda and hiked through their beautiful baths to get to a sheltered beach cove.  the hike was fun but required two feet & two hands thru knee high sometimes almost waist high water which didn't allow for camera equipment.  note to self: underwater camera for this type of documentation. anyway, here we are after the hike:

afterwards we rewarded ourselves with lunch at the adjacent restaurant with awesome views.  doesn't get much better than this.

there was a pool right next to our table so the kids could swim around while the adults enjoyed their food & drink leisurely.  bonus!

of course there's always our favorite beach on st. thomas: megan's bay!  we were able to visit it quite a few times on this trip.  i don't know if it was a season thing (febraury vs. august) or if it was just random but we did have some jelly fish warnings.  daddy taught the kids how to hold them without getting stung.

milestone for this trip?  the kids learned to snorkel!  so much to see right off the beach i'm glad they embraced the experience.  we saw tons of colorful fish, sea turtles, rays, and my favorite is all the vegetation.  i wish i could bring some of the stuff back to decorate my house but of course that would not be very eco friendly of me.

needless to say a good time was had by all!

the boys:

the girls:

we'll be back st. thomas!

once we got home it was time to get in gear for lexi's birthday sleepover.  yes, her birthday is in june but we always celebrate closer to back to school time so everyone is back in town from summer vacations.

we had seven girls come over, but only five slept over.  

we had some game playing orchestrated by auntie fabianna:

 

some birthday ice cream cake goodness:

some gift opening surprises:

some pillow fighting craziness:

 some movie time relaxation before sleepy sleep:

and some yummy breakfast the next morning:

may all your wishes come true baby girl!

and last but certainly not least was the arrival of my aunt & uncle form uruguay, auntie fabianna's parents.  this is the 2nd year in a row they been able to visit us & i'm loving it!

tia mary & tio bebe.  they knew my parents very well, shared many good times together and it's wonderful to be able to share memories with them.  sad to say, but not many people left that knew my parents well.  we were able to celebrate my aunt's birthday & their 50th wedding anniversary while they were here.   

fabianna surprised them with a trip to New York to celebrate their anniversary.  how great is that?  i love how much love they pour over my children while they are here.  just wish my kids could talk spanish to them,  maybe next trip.

i love my family, near & far, immediate & extended.