Mommy's Vacay

The last weekend of April was a very special weekend for a special 10 year old.  We celebrated Angelica's First Communion.  Greg was a sweetie and arranged my travel arrangements to Florida, and I was going solo.  I had mixed emotions about my trip.  I worried about the boys and what kind of chaos I was going to arrive back home to.  But, thanks to the wonders of technology, I got to skype and see my kids, and of course that melted my heart.  

When I arrived, I stayed with my cousin Gracie.  Gracie & I grew up together like sisters and are very close even though we don't see each other often.  But somehow we manage to plan a trip and see each other once a year.  And this year we got to see each other twice!!  One thing we have in common is enjoying a nice outing and great food.  The biggest goal on my trip was to enjoy an adult beverage and warm dinner, something I don't get to enjoy often.  So, let me tell you about my fabulous time in Florida and the fabulous food I consumed.       

Day 1:  included lunch at Crispers.  I had a fantastic Asian Flatbread Salad.  Eating a salad may not seem that great.  BUT it was GREAT.  You see, when your a SAHM, it's not likely that you'll get a nice healthy salad for lunch.  Your mind is traveling 100 miles per minute trying to sit your kids, cut their food, get them to eat, get them to stay quiet, get them to eat, pick up spills, get them to sit.  I mean it's a BIG job trying to eat out. Therefore, Crispers was the number one place I wanted as soon as I stepped off the plane.  Then we headed to pick up Angelica from school.  She was so excited to have me in town.  I felt like a princess staying in her two-toned pink Paris bedroom.  Then we headed to see the Twincess.  That's right I got to hold two pretty princesses.  My cousin Annabel was blessed with two beautiful baby girls a month ago.  Aryianna and Natalie were so precious, makes me want to have another ;)  And I can't forget to mention Nickolas and Ayden, Annabel's other adorable kids.  Nickolas is four months older than Dylan so it was such a treat to play with him.  He is such a happy toddler, always laughing and giggling.  I can still hear his contagious laughter as I type.  Ayden is  one month younger than Ethan.  He is now my buddy on Draw Something.  Even though I missed my babies I got to play and love on my cousin's kids.  

Holding 1 Month Twin Princesses 

Then we drove to my Aunt & Uncle's house in Daytona and had homemade Enchiladas, beans & rice.  Growing up we spent almost every weekend at their house in Plainview.  We came over for cook outs or just for my parents to enjoy coffee and dessert.  It was a neat family tradition and to this day, they still have Sunday dinner.  All five of their kids and grandchildren come over to enjoy Sunday dinner and family time.  What a great tradition huh?  After we left we grabbed an adult beverage, and it was very yummy!  

Enjoyed a Bahamarita

Day 2:  I got to sleep in YEA!  It was nice to wake up with the Florida sun blaring in my face as oppose to an upset hungry toddler.  I got to enjoy a nice hot uninterrupted shower.  I even had time to blow dry, straighten my hair and put make-up on.  We headed around the corner to the Waterford Town Lake area and did some major baby shopping.  Yes, I had to get those baby girls some cute pink things since I don't get to shop for girls.  After hours of shopping, Angelica spent the evening with her dad and we headed for Kobe Japanese Steakhouse.  Lucky for us, Grace is VIP there, (because they eat their so frequently) we got bumped to the top of the list and avoided the Prom Crowds.  I enjoyed the seafood there and had sushi and Shrimp & scallop Teppanyaki Entree.  I had so much delicious food, I was about to explode!  After our fantastic dinner we headed to the movies.  This too is a treat for me.  If we go to the movies we see all G rated movies with Ethan.  

Day 3:  Sunday was a big day for us.  Angelica made her first communion.  She was beautifully dressed in a white beaded dress, sparkling tiara and matching veil.  The Catholic Church was beautifully decorated with white lilies.  I didn't bring my camera and my phone was dead so no pictures on this day :(
The reception was held at Buca di Beppo, which was my first time there.  Greg loves Italian food so I'll definitely have to take him to the one in Frisco or South Lake.  After our heavy lunch I enjoyed a sweet coconut iced gelati at Jeremiah's Ice.  Then we walked off those calories at the outlets. However, all that walking made me hungry again so we had puerto rican food for dinner.  I had some of the best fried plantains ever.

Day 4:  This was my last day to sleep in.  We woke up and had lunch at Panera.  It's not everyday I get to enjoy a salad, sandwich combo on a patio so I took advantage.  Actually, I think it's been two years since I had Panera, I used to go there for lunch when I worked.
We headed to the beach after lunch.  What would my Florida trip be like if I didn't at least get my feet in the water?  The weather was great and the temperature water was to die for. Everything was just so perfect.  We walked down the board walk and had an early dinner.  Of course I had to get my seafood fix in and enjoyed a Mango Mojito with it.  On our way home from the beach, we laughed as we listened to snoop dogg and reminisced of our high school days.  AHH, the memories.    

Day 5: I guess there really wasn't a day five in Florida.  I had to get up before the sun on Tuesday Morning to catch my flight back to Texas.  The boys were so excited to see me.  Well, Ethan and Greg were.  Dylan was a little apprehensive and would look at me and look away.  After they picked me up from the airport we enjoyed breakfast at IHop.  Then Dylan finally warmed up to give me a big smootch.  I brought back a stuffed alligator for Dylan and Ethan asked for a shark and alligator.  Cousin Gracie got Ethan a shark tooth necklace and zoo (lots of safari animals) and Angelica bought him (with her own money) a pointer.  Yes, a pointer, I'm not sure why but Ethan has always asked for one.  Ethan loves all his gifts but he especially loves is pointer.

I am very grateful that my husband was gracious enough to plan my weekend trip away under our currant circumstances.  He did an outstanding job with the boys.  I didn't receive not ONE call during the entire time!  I am also very grateful that my cousin and I are still have a very close relationship.  Even if we did absolutely nothing, we still enjoy our time together.  She was an amazing host and I appreciated every detail of the weekend.  I am very spoiled and loved!  

Acton Nature Center & Strawberry Picking

Friday the 13th Ethan and I spend the day together outside.  We drove to the Acton Nature Center to join our friends with a small hike and picnic.

Astros vs. NY

The Astros are still undefeated!  Ethan is so pumped this season.  Keeping score is not his number one priority but he definitely enjoys playing on the field with his new team mates.

And of course my little Dylan is on the sideline cheering brother on. Well, when he's not running around of course.  His mischievous smile says it all.

Baseball is Life - 2012

Yes, it seems like Baseball will be our life, at least until Ethan is no longer interested.  We are playing in Lake Worth this year.  The bright orange Astros work really well as a team, so well, that they are undefeated at this time.  Here are some pictures of my cute short stop.

Dylan is wishing Ethan Good Luck.  Then he walks away because he wants to be on the diamond.

Of course he can't open the gate, so he does the next best thing, crawls under it. 

Grandma is one of his many fans.  She loves to come and cheer him on.  Ethan is so flattered by all the attention he gets.  If you ever want to come, he would love to hear you chant his name.  "Let's Go ETHAN...Let's Go ETHAN"

Easter - 2012

We attended a Community Easter Egg Hunt in White Settlement.  The community put together a wall climbing area, Easter Bunny Pictures, Petting Zoo, and 100,000 eggs within each of the four baseball fields.  YES, there was more than enough eggs for everyone.  Plus they had this event so organized that there were two ball fields per each age group hunting every 30 minutes.


Easter was exciting this year since Dylan is walking.  Actually he is running now, but it was neat to see him observe the eggs and decide if he wanted to eat the eggs or put it in his basket.

There really wasn't much of a hunt for Ethan.  He just picked up the eggs that were lighter than others.  I think he was secretly hoping there was dollar bills, stickers or tattoos.  And out of ALL the eggs both boys took home only ONE tattoo.  Notice his attire.  Yep, he wants to dress himself.  It's been really hard for me to let go but he is definitely defining himself.

Notice the basket above and the basket below.  There were so many eggs that I went ahead and let him pick up more eggs to take home.  Now, I didn't think about all the candy that was being brought home...but it's been thrown away.  Except for the smarties which are Ethan's Favs!

We spent the Easter Weekend in Amarillo with my family.  The trips always seem so short but I loved being around my family.  When we left Fort Worth and checked the forecast, I thought it would be safe to bring shorts and short sleeves in April...to Amarillo.  Nope, early Saturday morning you could hear the wind hitting up against the windows.  Luckily for us we borrowed clothes to stay warm.  The boys ran so much that they didn't even notice the cold breeze.

And Miss Bailee got her Bday present early.  We aren't able to make her actual Birthday Party so she was really bummed.  So I thought that I could cheer her up and let her see her present early.  She LOVED her three story doll house and Monster High Dolls.  I told her if she didn't like the doll house, I'd take it back home because my boys also enjoyed the doll house.


She also lost a tooth that day.  She had lots of fun surprises this weekend.  Thanks to her dad for allowing us to have her for the weekend...since it was his weekend.

Ethan's Superhero Birthday Bash

I'm so behind on posting...but I really wanted to share my superhero birthday party that I started planning since December.  Okay, I may have been a bit extreme in party planning, but Ethan only turns five once and I want his birthdays to be memorable!

Invitations

Our menu included turkey dogs, chips, and super foods!!!  You'll notice I used newspaper instead of table cloths.  I was trying to be 'green' and yet creative since Peter Parker and Clark Kent worked at publications.

Thanks to Uncle Julian our Chef

                                                                   

                                                                         

Superman & Superboy

Here are some superheroes in front of Gotham City after they did an intense scavenger hunt in the cold rain.  The scavenger hunt around the park included clues that led them to save the missing superhero action figures.  As party favors, the kids left with capes, masks and a superhero.  

Daily Bugle was used as Clue

The first clue was to find superman in the sky.  But he was missing and they found some capes instead.

Jumping over a burning building and through the tunnel

Batman running to save his friends

The Bat Cave had Villan Vaporizer and Neon Kryptonite

The villans were vaporized

After finding their safety masks, the kids unveiled that Mr Freeze held the superhero action figures captive in his lair.  The kids had to chisel them out of the ice blocks.

Playing with their action figures

Tia Lupe & Tia Martha

Cat Woman and Super Man saying Thanks to our family & friends for coming out in the cold rain



After all this, I did forget to put up my home made banner that I made out of comic books, the superhero music I downloaded the night before, and the superman lollipops.  Oh well, it was a real treat to see Ethan.his friends and his cousins having fun!!!