We're home!

So.. we're back from Europe! I've got tons of stories to tell and tons of pictures to post..

I will slowly recount our trip in the days to come...

It was wonderful and it feels great to be home with our babies!

Stay tuned!

Wordless Monday...

Memory Thursday...

Today I will post pictures of my Bachelorette Party, which was celebrated a week before I got married back in 2005...

That was one of my last nights as a fun single gal...I had so much fun with my friends and it was definitely a night to remember...

We went to "Taverna Opa", where we drank, ate and danced on tables! fun, fun, fun!

So freaking excited!!!

2 more days 'til our Paris-Madrid trip... this is REALLY happening and I'm so freaking excited!!!

I still can't believe my dream will come true within just 48 hours..ahhh!!!

I'm busy with packing and planning and I have entered panic mode about the idea of leaving the girls behind, but I'm happy!!!! yay!

Olivia is 34 months!

My little lady is 34 months today, which means she will enter the "Horrible 3's" in a matter of 2 short months! I know I say this every month, but wow! why does time go by this fast?? mmm....not good!

Olivia is growing up way too fast... she's too smart for her own good and never ceases to amaze me with her logic and more than advanced reasoning.. it's crazy...

She tells me "Mommy, I love you", at least twice a day and it is so amazing to hear her say that...

She's extremely excited about her upcoming party (which I haven't even started on), and doesn't stop talking about the day she wears her Snow White costume (which I haven't bought)...ahhh..I'm so behind!!!

Olivia still loves pretend play and has a lot of invisible toys.. She also loves brushing and styling my hair... too cute!

Also, she has recently learned the art of "negotiation", where she puts me in "either-or" scenarios... crazy!!!!

She's doing great at school and loves participating in all craft activities and playing with her friends and teachers...

I still plan to enroll her in dancing lessons but haven't found the right ones yet... so that's another task that remains pending! oh well!

Happy 34 months little lady!

Wordless Monday...

Wordless Monday is cancelled today because I've got a lot to say about my daughter turning 34 months!
So...pictures will be posted next week! ;)

Gaby is 10 months!

Wow!!!! No way she's 10 months already! this is crazy!!! First off it's simply amazing that babies learn so much in just 10 months and on the other hand...seriously?? already 10 months went by?? I guess I have to get the ball rolling on the party planning because I'm seriously behind and this is really happening...

Ok.. here's an update...

Gaby already stands on her own and has even stood there for a few seconds at a time on several occasions... She, however, doesn't seem too motivated to take steps since she knows she can crawl a lot faster than she can walk right now...

She LOVES her sister, it's amazing how much they interact and play together now.. Gaby follows Olivia everywhere she goes...that's their favorite game!

She is such an amazing eater, there's no telling when she will close her mouth and stop eating.. it's like she's never satisfied....

She loves music, clapping, sleeping and playing in the water!
She still cries a bit when "strangers" hold her, but that anxiety is slowly going away....

There's no doctor's appointment until she's 1, so there's no weight updates at this time...that's all for now!

Happy 10 months Gaby!

My Happy Baby!

I love this video of Gaby..she's such a happy baby!!!

Memory Thursday...

I have neglected to post memories for the past couple of Thursdays so I will now resume the "tradition", by posting some pictures from May 2008, when Olivia was Gaby's age...
For some reason, some of the most awesome pictures of Olivia were taken on this particular month so it was very hard for me to pick just 5....
Here are some of my all time favorites...

I've always loved this one, Olivia's smile is just so pure and genuine... she was loving life!!

...and of course this one!! Wow... this was the first time that Olivia, Grayson and Caden met... they were only 10 months old in this picture and to think they will soon be 3!! wow! These two are some of my favorite WTE babies... (along with their moms!)

Wordless Monday...

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there...
Mother Day is such a great opportunity to honor all of those who have such a great responsibility in life and do such a great job with it...
Motherhood is certainly the most challenging yet rewarding role one can take on and I am honored to have such a privilege...
I thank God every day for my mom and my two beautiful daughters who made me a mom!
I got to spend the day with my mom and my family and it was great..
We had lunch at Outback Steakhouse and then we went shopping at Aventura Mall; my two favorite things to do: eating and shopping! ha!
Happy Mother's Day!!!

Jasmin's 30th Birthday

To continue our very busy Saturday, we attended Jasmin's 30th Birthday party, which was a Hawaiian themed party celebrated at her house...
I've known Jasmin for over 10 years so it was great to spend some time with her and some old friends while eating tons of delicious food and having fun....
All of the food was home made and of course Hawaiian themed... very good!
We were at the party just for a couple of hours, but it was still great...
Jasmin was really happy to be celebrating her 30th birthday and we were so happy to be there for the occasion...
Happy Birthday Jas!

Alessandra's Birthday Party

Today we attended Alessandra's 1st birthday party at the Diaz's home...

Ale is Isabella's younger sister and Isabella is Olivia's best friend; she turned 1 on May 6th and the celebration was held today...

The party was very fun and the kids had an amazing time playing together, eating and breaking the piñata...

Olivia hung out with her BFF and Gaby played with other babies... My niece Erika also came with us and she had so much fun too...

The food was amazing and the cake was so delicious....Ale got tons of presents and enjoyed time with her friends...

It was great! Happy Birthday Ale!!

Pool time

It has been incredibly HOT lately so we decided to spend some time at the pool today...
Both girls were so happy to be able to take a swim and I was happy to see them enjoy the water and the sunny day...
Gaby spent most of the time in her float (drinking pool water) and Olivia made attempts at swimming with her daddy... it was great... an awesome way to spend the morning...

Mother's Day @ Olivia's School

Yesterday was a special day at Olivia's school since the kids had a special surprise for all mommies in anticipation to Mother's Day...
The celebration started with a Belly Dance class for the mothers, in which they all got to dance in a circle and have fun with the music... I wasn't in the mood for dancing, so I just stood there and watched others enjoy the lesson....
After the "fun" class, the kids had a special surprise, where they hid in the classroom and came out screaming "SURPRISE!"... then they walked up to their respective mothers and gave us a handmade gift.. it was cute....I got the sweetest hug ever!
They ended the surprise by singing a special song titled "I love you so much"... it was cute... and although Olivia was crying during the much anticipated performance (don't ask me why, I don't think she even knows), I got teary eyed and very emotional! Ahhh! I love being a mommy, especially on days like yesterday!!!

Party planning!!

So! it's on! Party planning that is!... At Olivia's request we will have a Snow White themed birthday party...

First she was set on Cinderella, but now she wants Snow White... she told me that she had decided on this particular theme since she likes the idea of having the Seven Dwarfs with their princess..

We have been looking at party supplies and ideas and searching everything on the internet.. She loves seating with me and looking at party invites and favors.. it's so much fun...

Because their birthdays are so close (July 16th and 17th), both Olivia's and Gaby's will be celebrated on the same day... The party will be held on July 17th at an indoor baby gym, where the kids will be able to fun free without worrying about the heat...

We're in the early stages of party planning, so any ideas are welcome. Right now, we're looking for personalized invitations and favor ideas for the kids... any suggestions??

Wordless Monday...

Welcome baby Sebastian Winter!

Welcome baby Sebastian Winter, who made his appearance yesterday at 12:55am. He weighed 6lbs 7oz and was 20in long. He is the son of my good friend Eva and her fiancee Fitz, who live in Tampa, FL. He joins his big sister Sophia and completes the Stevens family...what a joy!

I hope to be able to meet him very soon!

Welcome to the world baby!!! We all love you very much!

...and we're going to Madrid!!!

Yeap! that's right! We have added a destination to our little Europe trip.... and I'm so freaking excited...

Not only will I get to visit a new city but I will also get to see my longtime friend Marianna, whom I miss very very much! We will be in Madrid for 3 days, in which we will tour the city as much as we can and spend a wonderful time with friends!! Ahhh!! can't wait!

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Since my in-laws were in town this weekend, we decided to visit The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, located in Delray Beach. For a while, I had been wanting to visit this place since I had heard so many wonderful things about it... Let me tell you.. it was awesome!!! So beautiful and such a great place to take the kids since they can run around free and they can't really do any damage! ha ha!! Olivia had such a wonderful time with her grandma and her godfather and we enjoyed the scenery so much...
Gaby also had a blast strolling around... it was a great Saturday outing....