Sofia the First: "The Enchanted Feast" Giveaway

I haven't done a giveaway in a while so I promise this will be a great one!
The captivating princess "Sofia the First" has a few surprises for our little ones with this her new DVD hitting stores on August 5th.
"The Enchanted Feast" is one of the most beautiful episodes yet with a special appearance by the ever beloved Snow White; these two gorgeous princesses steal our hearts throughout the episode and all little girls will absolutely LOVE everything about it.
The new DVD features 4 other episodes and comes with a small "Enchanted Hand Mirror", which will be a hit for every little girl.
This beautiful DVD can be preordered on several websites including Amazon.com and a few others.

I have a few items to give away to some of my readers including:
- 2 Sofia the First "The Enchanted Feast" DVD
- 1 Sofia's tiara and amulet set
- 1 Sofia the First plate and utensils (fork and spoon) set

If you wish to participate in this giveaway, simply fill out the form below and you will be entered into a random drawing.  The form will remain open until this Friday 08/01 at noon and winners will be randomly selected shortly after.  All winners will be contacted via email and prizes will be mailed out on Monday 08/04.  **All information provided in the form remains strictly confidential and will not be shared with any 3rd party**

Summer Break: Week 7

This week was very eventful and needless to say, very fun as well.  It was full of adventure and a lot of emotions as we parted ways with my aunt Laurita, who spent 3 weeks with us in Panama; it's always so hard to say good bye, but this time was specially hard since the girls really bonded with her. We already miss her so much and have only been apart for 2 days! :(

We enjoyed our last week in Panama and are now back at home; I'm bonding with our cats who clearly missed me very much and taking control of our home again...

Here are some pictures of this week. 

We were back at Casco Viejo in Panama, where we walked around and shopped for souvenirs and local artisan products... it was extremely hot so being outside was very challenging but the girls still posed for some cute pictures.

Here are the girls spending some time with my aunt Laurita; their connection was so amazing and I am thankful for that...I hope we can see her again very soon! :)

My sister and Erika joined us for a few days and we captured some great family moments...

On our last day, we visited Mi Pueblito, which is a small colonial village in the heart of Panama City, it showcases the 3 main and most influential cultures of Panama and features replicas of colonial, African and Indian homes; it's a great place to learn about the main characteristics of these cultures and ethnic groups. 

Here are some pictures....we really enjoyed this day trip...

This is a "Pollera" a typical outfit from Panama; our tour guide said these could cost up to 30 thousands dollars, along with all the gold jewels and head pieces... very impressive...

The girls also enjoyed some time at the park during our last day; these two sure know how to make the best of everything! :)

And these are some pictures from our good bye dinner, our last family selfie in the apartment terrace and the girls hugging my aunt goodbye...gosh saying bye is SO hard!!!

We came home on Friday and I was so glad to reunite with this cutie.  She has followed me around since the minute I walked in the house and I have loved every second of her fluffy company!

And as a bonus, here's a sneak peek of what the girls' party will look like.  I have been frantically planning their birthday party for months and they are so excited about it.  I, too, am excited and can't wait to share this special day with all our friends and family. The party will be a pink and green tennis themed celebration to take place this coming Saturday..I hope it all comes out as we have planned....  :)

And with that, we're in the last stretch of our summer break! 3 more weeks and the girls will be back in school and all will be right in the world! :)

Happy summer!!

Summer Break: Week 6

Another summer week, a few other stories to tell and even more memories made. What a fun summer we've had so far!

We're still in Panama and still loving our time here, getting to know some beautiful places and touring around the city. 

This week we visited places such as Amador and the marina (pictured below).  The weather has been "so-so".. it rains A LOT here in Panama so we've spent some time indoors as well. 

Here are the girls in some crazy ball floating in the water.  It was one of the attractions at the mall; Olivia really loved it, but Gaby.. not so much! LOL

Of course, this past week we also celebrated the girls' birthdays, but you already knew that.. Those two days were definitely the most fun this week! :)

We spent some time at the pool on the days that didn't rain and the girls (and I) had a blast swimming and enjoying the sunshine....

We continue to enjoy this wonderful view and this week we were transferred to a 27th floor penthouse after the A/C broke down in the other apartment, so the views were even better.  We now have a huge open terrace and are loving every minute of the breathtaking sights.  Love it!

This is a family selfie we took.  My mom spent a week here (she left today!) and we really had a great time walking around and spending quality time together. 

We also visited the Panama Canal, which is one of the most amazing engineering marvels in the world.  Not only is the technology incredible, but thinking of what this canal means to the world trade is seriously mind blowing.  We got to see a few ships going through the canal and even saw the Miraflores Locks in action... wow! I'm so glad we had the chance to visit this great place and the girls got to learn a little bit about its history and impact in the world. 

More time at the pool....now Olivia posing for underwater pictures!

And finally today we visited the "Bio Museo", which will soon open its doors to the public (they currently operate under limited hours).  This is such an interesting building, designed by famous architect Frank Gehry; even though we didn't go in, I did enjoy admiring the building and taking pictures. 

We will be spending another week here in Panama and going back home on Friday.  As much as I've loved every minute of our time here, I will admit that I have missed our cats dearly and can't wait to be back in my own bed. :)

4 weeks left of summer now! I can't believe school will start back in less than a month!!!!

Happy Summer!

7

Today our little lady turned 7 years old! 

Olivia has turned into such a big girl, full of life and with the most contagious happiness anyone can imagine, she is literally the sunshine of our family and we are so blessed to be her parents. 

Olivia is smart, funny, artistic, gentle, precocious, rebellious, funky, nosy, inquisitive, annoying, loud and MUCH more, all at the same time; she has taught me so much about life and love in her short life. 

Today was not short of fun and enjoyment, all in the best "Olivia" style.  

We woke her up with a donut breakfast in bed because she NEEDED to receive the same treatment her sister got on her day; she happily blew her #7 candle and recreated the picture we took of Gaby yesterday. 

Having the girls' birthdays in a row is SO MUCH FUN! (in case anyone was wondering!)

.... as well as the balloon picture! :)

We spent some time at the pool enjoying the beautiful weather; she had a blast playing with the GoPro camera and making some videos of herself jumping in the water....

..she then dressed up with her "Birthday Princess" t-shirt and proudly posed for some pictures!  I can't believe how grown up she looks in all these pictures.  She is a true beauty! :)

In the afternoon, we took her to Color Me Mine, where she expressed her artistic abilities by painting a ceramic star; Olivia REALLY enjoys all things artsy so this was the perfect day for her. We won't see the finished piece until later in the week since it has to go in the oven, but I'm sure it will be beautiful!

At night we all went out to dinner to some Mexican place and cut a tiny cake, which was really delicious.  Olivia had such an amazing day; she was very appreciative of all the things we planned for her and said this was the "best birthday ever!".  I really love how expressive she is and her positive attitude always fills me with so much pride and joy!

And because I can't finish this day without reminiscing of old times, here's the collage of Olivia through the years.  Again, all pictures were taken on or around her birthday and they show how much she has changed in the past 7 years.  

And last but not least, we would like to thank all of our family and friends for all the wonderful birthday wishes for Olivia today. She enjoyed reading all messages, emails and comments on her pictures.  We really appreciate all your love on days like today!

Happy Birthday, Olivia! We love you so much!

5

 Our funky daughter turned 5 years old today!

What a joyous ride life has been since Gaby has been in it... she is the most amazing, beautiful and loving little girl I know... with quite the defiant and "out of the box" personality...she definitely gives me a run for my money!

Gaby is dramatic, passionate, bossy, creative, sweet, tender, ferocious, stubborn, intelligent, friendly and MUCH MORE, all at the same time.  I have never met such a child and I thank God every day for gracing my life with her presence.  

I can still remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Gaby and here I am celebrating the 5th birthday of my soon to be kindergartener... time sure flies...and I am definitely enjoying it with her next to me. 

Gaby's day was as special as she deserves.  We woke her up with a donut breakfast in bed with a sparkly #5 candle, which she quickly blew with her sister next to her.  Her "half-awake" face in the picture says it al.. she was having a blast!

We surprised her with tons of balloons scattered around the apartment and she enjoyed kicking them around and posing for pictures while opening the few presents we had for her...

....her diva attitude came up right away as she posed for even more pictures with her "Birthday Princess" t-shirt that she proudly wore all day long...

Gaby opted for a "donut cake", which we improvised at home. We ate hot dogs and sang "Happy Birthday" and she blew her 2nd candle of the day. Here's our annual "next to the cake" family picture.  Happy Birthday, Gaby!

And of course, for the purpose of reminiscing (the one thing I'm a pro at!), here are some pictures of Gaby through the years; all pictures were taken around the time of her birthday or during her actual birthday, which makes for a great comparison of her sweet face over time.  The pictures are a great illustration of how much she has changed (or not!?) during the past 5 years.....

...and of course this week's fun isn't nearly over as we will celebrate Olivia's birthday tomorrow and their big party is yet to come!

Thank you to all of our friends who sent warm birthday wishes for Gaby.  We appreciate every phone call, message, email, like and comment.  Gaby had an amazing day and we continue to celebrate our blessings, which are made even clearer through our children's smiles and healthy lives. 

Much love!

Adriana