New Year's Eve

2008 was a great year for our family. It was the year in which I became a U.S. citizen, Iggy got his "Green Card", Olivia turned ONE, I got pregnant again and many more wonderful things. In order to say a proper good bye to a wonderful year, we decided to drive up to Orlando to celebrate as a family. We drove up after work and arrived there at around 9pm. We checked into our hotel and then went to have dinner at Macaroni Grill. After that we went to Downtown Disney and waited for midnight to say "Happy New Year!". Olivia had a blast and so did we. We enjoyed seeing all the people cheering on the new year and celebrating together. It was such a fun night!


Now, we want to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2009 be a great year for all of us and may God always be by our side! We are happy to begin this new year with great expectations and wonderful plans as a family! Thank you God for a wonderful 2008 and thank you for letting us see another new year!

Merry Christmas!

My favorite holiday of the year is here! Oh Christmas night!!! This year is extra especial for us; not only because Olivia can grasp the concept of Christmas a little better, but also because we're expecting our second bundle of joy. I'm barely showing at 10 weeks, so I was still able to dress up for the occasion. It was a great celebration.

On Christmas Eve, we had dinner at my parents' house; we had some yummy Hallacas (Venezuelan Christmas food) and had a wonderful time with our gift exchange. Olivia got many presents, including toys, clothes and more fun stuff.

She had a blast opening presents with her cousin Erika and making a mess with all the wrapping paper. I think she was more into the wrapping paper than she was into the toys.... too cute!

On Christmas day, we stayed home watching TV and assembling some of Olivia's toys... it was a lazy day. Merry Christmas everyone!

My 27th Birthday!

Today I celebrated my 27th birthday along with my family and a few friends.

It all started yesterday with a little BBQ we had in our home; we ate lots of meat and yummy desserts. I got tons of cool gifts including a bag for my digital camera, maternity clothes, cash and a few other things... it was very fun.

Tonight Iggy took me out to Mazza, one of my favorite restaurants. I was able to eat lots of my favorite foods and had a very nice time.

The whole day was great; I got tons of phone calls and birthday messages and was happy that so many people thought of me today. Thank you God for granting me another year!!! Happy Birthday to me!

Olivia's 2nd haircut

Today Olivia got her hair cut for the 2nd time. I took her to Cartoon Cuts at the mall since her hair was so messy and long. As soon as I put her down in the chair she started to cry; she was not too happy about some lady touching her hair. I gave her a lollipop and she calmed down a bit, still looking at the lady like she was petrified of her... I couldn't stop laughing.

After a while, she started getting used to the idea of a new hair do. Once the lady was done with the haircut, she started cleaning her off and Olivia immediately took the powder brush from her hand. She was so excited to be done that she even started to clean herself up with the brush....it was really cute! Overall I was so happy with the way the haircut turned out. Olivia looks so beautiful!!

Danay & Eduardo visit us for a few days

Dec. 15th-18th

We were happy to have Danay and Eduardo visit us for a few days. They made a stop in Pembroke Pines to see us before they went to Paris to celebrate Christmas. Olivia was happy to spend some time with her grandma and her godfather; she went out with them to shop and drive around. We were also able to go out to eat a couple of times and just spend a nice time together. Although the visit was very short, we were very thankful that they came here to spend a few days with us. Thanks for visiting us! We hope you come back very soon!

My dad's birthday

We celebrated my father's 57th birthday. My dad was very happy all throughout the day and we were happy to see him that way. We went to eat lunch at "La Carreta", which a Cuban restaurant that my dad likes. It was nice to get together and talk over a nice meal. My dad got very nice presents, including some of his favorite Polo shirts and some books. We sang happy birthday and my dad ate a yummy creme brulee. It was a great meal! Happy Birthday Dad!

Meeting baby Daniela

Today we finally met baby Daniela, who was born on October 29th. Daniela is the daughter of our good friends Enzo and Connie; she is so sweet and beautiful. We spent a couple of hours at the Zarrillo home, ordered some pizzas and just watched the beautiful baby. It was great holding Daniela for a while and seeing how Olivia reacted to a newborn. At first she wasn't all that happy, but later she understood that baby Daniela was another little person. We had a great time and Daniela is just precious!

My sister's 25th birthday

Today we celebrated my sister Claudia's 25th birthday with a family lunch at the Olive Garden. My sister was very happy with all of her gifts and phone calls from family and close friends. We all met around 1pm and had a wonderful time together. My sister got wonderful gifts such as a digital camera. All the servers sang "Happy Birthday" for her and gave her a yummy chocolate cake! It was a great time. Happy Birthday Sis!... many more to come!

Trip to Virginia

Dec 4th-7th.

This weekend we went to Virginia to visit my good friend Kim and her family. We flew to Norfolk, VA near where Kim lives. Kim and Caden picked us up at the airport on the 4th and we went home, where we met Kim's husband Brian. On Friday we went to the Virginia Children's Museum where the kids played for a while. We then went to dinner with Megan and her family as well.

On Saturday we all went to the Virginia Aquarium where we met Donna, Kurt and Grayson. What a wonderful time the kids had. That night we had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen; it was great.

Finally on Sunday we went to have lunch at Macaroni Grill and then we took the kids to the Jumping Monkey, a place where the kids could play and have fun.

It was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad I was able to get together with the wonderful ladies from the WTE board. I hope we could do it again soon!

First prenatal appointment

Today I had my first prenatal appointment and it went great! My doctor even posed for a picture! ;)
Since Iggy was so busy with work, my mom came with me to the appointment and was able to hear the good news. I was lucky enough to get my first ultrasound today and was able to see the little "flicker"... what a great feeling! The doctor said the heartbeat is looking strong and everything looks great! My due date was confirmed so for now it remains 07/23/09. I'll have my next appointment in January; by then I'll be almost done with the first trimester. I'm so excited today and so thankful to God that things are going so well with the baby!

Christmas tree is up and ready!!

Today we decorated our Christmas tree. It is blue and silver like every past year, although we were debating whether or not to add another color, we decided to leave it as is.

First we took out all our ornaments and put up the lights, which is the most boring... Iggy helped me untangle the lights and set them up around the tree. Then, while Olivia was sleeping, we finished hanging all the other ornaments and setting up the house decorations. When Olivia saw the tree, the first thing she did was to try and take off the ornaments, she even pulled one out until we said "no!". The tree turned out so beautiful.... I'm so happy it's finally up and ready! I just love Christmas!!!

We bought our Christmas tree

Tonight we went to the Home Depot and bought our Christmas tree. We bought a beautiful 6 ft tree and it was exciting to pick it out together. I'm so eager to start decorating the tree and to see how Olivia reacts to it since last year she was too little to even notice a tree. We will start decorating it tomorrow... I can't wait!

Black Friday!

We heard that the Sawgrass Mills Mall would open at midnight on Black Friday, so my cousin Carolina, my aunt Laurita and I decided to take on the adventure of today's shopping. We got to the mall at around 12:00am and tons of people were starting to arrive and fill the mall. All stores were open and the sales were literally "insane". Lines outside the stores were huge and some people were even protesting because the stores were controlling the amount of people that went in and out... it was crazy!! We walked around for a couple of hours and I was able to buy two pairs of pants for Iggy and my dream camera, the Nikon D80.... what a great deal...
In the midst of the Black Friday madness we met our friend Pechy and her mom, who were also after the great deals... It was a fun night....not sure if I'd do it again though! :) I finally got back home around 3:30am and needless to say I was exhausted!!!

Thanksgiving

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with a great lunch at my parents' house. We were able to spend time together and thank God for all the blessings in our lives. The food was very good; we had turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and all the typical food for this celebration. After the meal, we took some pictures and had a wonderful afternoon as a family.

At night we went to Martyna's house for our second Thanksgiving meal of the day... tons of food to spare as well.. It was great! What an awesome holiday!

Olivia's play date with Melissa

My friend Pechy and I decided to take the girls out on a play date. We went to a park near Pechy's house and we all had a wonderful time. Olivia and Melissa got to play together and Pechy and I were able to catch up. It was great seeing the girls interact with each other, playing in the slides and running around with other kids in the park. Olivia was so protective of Melissa and it was so cute to see how she was looking after her the whole time we were in the park. The weather was beautiful so we were able to take some great pictures and enjoy the outdoors. What a great play date!

Louis' birthday BBQ

Tonight we went to Louis' house to celebrate his 31st birthday. My parents were nice enough to babysit Olivia for us so we could have some fun tonight. The celebration was done with a BBQ at Louis' house in Aventura and it was a great party. There were tons of food and drinks; I ate so much yummy meat and we had a wonderful time with friends. Louis had a great birthday and we got to spend a night out. At the end of the night we picked Olivia up and came back home. Happy Birthday Louis!..thanks for such a great BBQ party.

Jordan's birthday party

Today we went to Jordan's 2nd birthday party at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. We had a blast and the party was very fun. There was lots of food and Olivia got to play around with other kids and run around the park. I also got to spend time with some old friends and enjoyed watching all the kids having fun. Jordan got tons of gifts and all the desserts and food were very yummy! Thank you Castro family for such an amazing time!...and Happy 2nd Birthday Jordan!!

The Five List

My blogger friend Susan tagged me in a little Blogger assignment, it's called the Five List and it looks like fun...
Five Things On My To Do List
1. Clean and organize the house
2. Go the the supermarket
3. Buy Jordan's birthday gift
4. Do our laundry
5. Make plans for Thanksgiving.

Five Things I like to Snack On
1. Cheese
2. Cookies
3. Chips
4. Fruits
5. Hershey Kisses.

Five Things I Would Do If I Was A Millionaire
1. Pay off our debt (it's not too much but it has to be paid)
2. Quit my job
3. Go on a trip to Paris, Australia and many other places
4. Help my parents
5. Buy a bigger house.

Places I Have Lived
1. Caracas, Venezuela
2. Alabama
3. Florida
4.
5.

Five People I am Tagging
I have no one to tag because I don't have many blogger friends, but this was fun!
Thanks Susan!

Our 3-year wedding anniversary

Today we celebrated our third wedding anniversary ("leather anniversary") and we had a great day. In the morning, Iggy surprised me with a nice anniversary balloon and a beautiful card.

We then went to have lunch at the "Olive Garden" and had a great time; we talked about our accomplishments as a couple and the wonderful times that we have spent during our married life. At night we went to a show called "CORTEO" by Cirque du Soleil, which is currently in Miami. We took the opportunity to attend the show as a celebration. It was a great show, but the best part was being together. These three years have been wonderful and we pray that this anniversary is one of many more to come!

Baby #2 is on board!

Today we found out we're expecting baby#2 and couldn't be happier about it. After being a few days late with my period, I decided to take a test (well, a couple of them!) and sure enough, I am pregnant!! We are very happy and very hopeful that this pregnancy will be a healthy and successful one. We thank God for granting us this gift, which we have longed for. My first prenatal appointment is scheduled for Dec. 1st. For now, my expected due date is July 23rd, 2009, but this will need to be validated by the doctor. I will keep updating my blog for progress on the pregnancy! Yay!

Today we welcome Jesus Ignacio

Today is a very special day for our family as we welcome Jesus Ignacio, the first baby boy of this generation.
Jesus Ignacio was born at 2pm at El Avila Clinic in Caracas, Venezuela. He weighed 8lbs 12oz and was 25 inches long; he joins his big sister Fabiola and proud parents Ana Isabel and Jhonny.
Jesus Ignacio has finally broken the mold as he is the first boy among all the girls born in the Colmenares family within the last several years. We are all so happy that he is finally here and congratulate the Teran-Colmenares family for the new addition. May God always bless the new baby and the whole family! Congrats Ana and Jhonny!

My mom's birthday

Today we celebrated my mom's birthday with a family lunch at "Macaroni Grill", one of our favorite Italian restaurants. It was a nice afternoon and we all got to spend time together; we ate, talked and took lots of pictures like we always do. My mom got some great presents including a Coach bag and some cash gifts. After lunch, the girls played together outside the restaurant in a little yard and had a lot of fun.

We then went to Dolphin Mall together to walk around and do some shopping. We enjoyed some family time and had some coffee as well. My mom had a great birthday, where she got to spend time with the people that love her....it was a great day! Happy Birthday mom, many more to come!!!

Iggy receives his "Permanent Resident Card"

Today is a very happy and special day, a day we have been waiting for and has finally arrived.

At around 3pm I went to check the mail as usual and found a great surprise; Iggy's "Permanent Resident Card" had finally arrived. After several years and very tedious legal processes, Iggy's permanent status in the US has been approved....that means no more visas, no more immigration lawyers, no more fees... Wow..what a relief!

It makes me happy to know that this journey has come to an end. My hubby is finally a Permanent Resident!!!!

Now he begins an even more exciting journey: the journey to citizenship. In about 2 years, he will be able to apply for American citizenship and hopefully will be able to vote in our next election. Congrats Iggy on getting your "Green Card"....

A new president has been elected!

The 44Th president of the United States was elected last night. It was a history making moment as tons of people were cheering on president elect Barack Obama, who beat his opponent John McCain by a large margin of votes.

Obama will become the first ever African-American president and he will enter the presidency with many tough challenges and a long road ahead. He has made many promises and we all must hold him accountable at his new job. I must say that although I did not support Obama, I hope he can make the changes that we need to get the country back on track and I hope that he can have the wisdom to guide us in the right direction.

Last night was a very special moment and all eyes are now on new president elect Barack Obama... let's hope he makes the right choices for all of us. Congrats new president!

Election Day

Election day is finally here. McCain vs. Obama, it's on!

After several months of political campaigns, the day is finally here; Americans will elect the next president of the United States. By tonight, we will know whether it is McCain or Obama who will lead us during the next 4 years.

Since very early in the morning, poll sites have been open for people to cast their ballots. Everyone is very anxious about the results and what will come after this election.

Everybody has something to say about today's election and news channels have been reporting every single development regarding the presidential race up to today. Let's hope that whoever wins will make the right choices for America. One thing I'm sure of is that no matter who wins today, this election will make history!

Olivia used the potty today!

Today we bought a little potty for Olivia to start to introduce the concept of peeing in the restroom rather than the diaper...
I put the potty right next to the toilet and sat her on it... As soon as she sat down, she started to pee and started to look down in the potty to see what was coming out of her... it was too funny...
I, of course, started clapping like a maniac and celebrated her big accomplishment.... She looked at me like I was crazy and then started laughing... it was too cute!
I'm so proud of my daughter today, she's turning into a little lady...

Halloween

Today we celebrated Halloween and we had tons of fun. The day was great because we got to spend a lot of time together and even went to a party with friends after the treak-or-treating portion of the holiday....

Olivia was dressed up as a Flamenco dancer, with a dress that her grandma Danay bought in Spain before she was even born...it looked so cute on her and she even added the personality to the outfit. We all went trick-or-treating at Sawgrass Mills Mall, where there were many other kids in costumes... Olivia's cousin Erika and friend Melissa also came along for the adventure...they had a blast walking around the mall getting candy from all the stores....

At night, Iggy and I went to a party at a friend's house... We dressed up as well; I was a Gothic Witch and Iggy was a rocker. There were many fun costumes at the party and we got to laugh at everyone being silly and enjoying the night... We danced a bit, ate some and then came back home. Overall it was a very fun day and a great celebration....

"I Voted"

I never thought I'd say that... "I voted"... I feel so proud....

For some people, election time might be something trivial; an event that happens every four years and often plagues the media with campaign advertisement and candidate rivalry stories... For others, it may be entertainment as politics become the main topic of conversation among friends and family, often leading to disagreements which you never thought existed...
It is a time when some become aware of their beliefs and often develop ideologies based on daily life...others are not even aware of who's nominated to be president and don't really care about politics or even who wins the election..(yes! it's possible)...
For me, this election has become a major event in my life; not only because I am now mature enough to understand the consequences of bad politics and erratic decisions, but also because it is the first time that I am able to vote in an election... therefore the first time my voice will actually be "heard" by someone....
I received my voter's registration card in the mail, right before I left for my trip to Venezuela... I kept in a little box, next to my computer, eagerly waiting for the day I could go out and show it to someone...
Since early voting has already started in Florida I decided to go out and vote yesterday... I went to the local library and stood in line for about two hours...
I talked to other voters and saw many people campaigning outside and after a long wait I presented my dear card and picture ID and was given my ballot.... I entered the booth with it in my hand.. and there I was, ready to make my choice and make my voice be heard... I grabbed the pen and filled in the bubble for "my" candidate and just like that I VOTED!!!
It was quite an experience... I want to do it again!!!!
On my way out I got my "I Voted" sticker.... I felt like a kid with a new toy... what an awesome day!!!

Welcome to my new blog...

After giving it a lot of thought I have decided to start a blog as a way to share my thoughts and inspiration. I often feel an immense desire to write and express myself with words and find it very interesting to try to put down all of my feelings and emotions, so I have started this page in an effort to compile some of my writing and personal experiences.

I have always admired the beauty of writing and I am often amazed by the power of words and stories, so I think this blog is going to be a fun experience for me as a writer, as well as for anyone who visits this page.

This is also going to be a page where I can write about my life, as a world of my own. I will share stories about the things we do as a family and how we celebrate special events among many other things, which are intended to help everyone see the beauty of life and the power of love.

I hope you will enjoy every story that I post on here....