Birthday Time! :)

Our little Mia turned one last Thursday.  We had Zeus's brother Danny and his family come into town on Wednesday and stay through the weekend to help us celebrate.  Hooray for family celebrations!  :)

Cousins Carlos, DJ, Dahnia and Mia

Mia (12 months) and Dahnia (9 months) in their matching "snug as a bug" pajamas.

On Mia's actual birthday, we woke up to pink and purple streamers decorating the kitchen - in case you didn't guess it, the Birthday Fairy decorated the kitchen the night before for Mia's birthday.  It's a fun tradition that my family had that I LOVED growing up, so I decided to institute that tradition with our family.  Zeus had two responses to the Birthday Fairy's decorating - 1) I LOVE it! and 2) Why didn't the Birthday Fairy decorate for MY birthday.  The Birthday Fairy felt duly chastised and will be decorating for his birthday as well from here on out.  :)  

Mia in her "1" outfit on her birthday.  Such a little cutie pie!  :)

After breakfast we went birthday party shopping to stock up on things for the party where I realized that we were going to end up BBQing  for Mia's birthday in addition to the snacks and cake and swimming that I'd been anticipating.  I wanted it to be a quick and simple and stress-less so didn't particularly want to BBQ, just to have snacking food that could be put out and be done with type of thing.  Apparently the first birthday in the Hispanic culture is a pretty big deal and includes BBQing and major feeding of guests, so I was overruled and decided to just go with it, especially as it's a family tradition on his side.

Lunch at Terra Burger which had a playground and splash pad, prior to shopping at Costco across the parking lot - Mia and Paulina playing in the water.

Uncle Danny and Aunt Hilda were such sweeties and got a small Tres Leches cake for all of us to share to celebrate the actual day of her birthday along with a little balloon that said Happy Birthday on it.  We sang Happy Birthday to Mia and she enjoyed the yummy birthday cake!

DJ giving Mia her balloon.

Mia was enthralled by the lit birthday candle!  :)

Mmmmm.... birthday cake - yummy!!!

The next day we headed to Sea World with Danny and Hilda and their family as well as with Paulina who I'm watching this summer.  I was torn between staying to get the house and food ready for Mia's birthday party the next day and going with the family, but was glad that we all went.  We had a fun time hanging out in the water park.  Dahnia and Mia especially loved the shallow pool bordering the front of the wave pool that they could crawl around in and sit and splash in.  We came home happily exhausted and ready for a nap!  :)  I could shoot myself that we didn't think to take any group shots or any shots of us playing at the water park at Sea World!

Zeus took this one when we first got there and were waiting on Danny and his family to get their passes.

I got this last minute one of Carlos, Hilda, Dahnia and DJ as we were leaving the park.

Needless to say, the morning of Mia's party was a mad rush on the part of Hilda and I to get the breakfast dishes cleaned up (why oh why did we do a big breakfast on party day?!?), clear off the counters and island, and get all the birthday food out and ready while Zeus and Danny ran to get the cake and balloons.  Everything came together (thankfully) just in time for people to start showing up.  At one point I was in a mad panic because I'd poured the punch into the drink fountain, turned it on, and the light came on but the fountain part didn't work.  After plugging and unplugging it numerous times, as well as sending up multiple prayers on the fountain's behalf, low and behold it started working - thank goodness!!!  I didn't have time to frost the cupcakes or mini smash cake for Mia, but other than that, everything else was done and ready and I just decided to skip the smash cake and just give her a piece of the yummy Costco cake we'd gotten.  :)

Hailey and Mia - yes, that dark little one is Mia, sporting a tan.  :)

Valorie, Ammon, Hailey and Mia getting ready to get their bday grub on.  :)

The darling twins I tutor Shelby and Taylor and their mom Rachel.

Savannah, the twins' older sister with Mia and Shelby.  :)  Sweetest girls ever!

The infamous birthday fountain with Tio Danny, Tio Carlos, and cousin Carlos grubbin'.  :)

Mia and I with Carolyn and Maddie (who was born with the same kind of clefting as Mia) who's only one month old and so precious and tiny!  She's the same size Mia was when she was born - man how a year changes things!

A very happy Birthday Girl and her favorite mama of all time!  :)

Family photo!  :)

Mia was enthralled with the birthday flame.

So I got distracted by the camera and Mia's excitement over the candle and TOTALLY spaced and skipped the "Happy Birthday" singing to Mia.  Sadness!!!

Chocolate birthday cake - YUM!

A whole fist full of chocolaty Y U M M I N E S S !

What?  Do I have something on my face?

Good to eat AND fun to finger paint with - bonus!

A beautiful day for a pool party!  Playing with Papa and Tio Carlos, with Amali and Michelle in the background.

The Rodriguez family - Amali, Michelle and Mauro

Stephanie, Mia, Leah, and I - Mia is one week older than neighbor friend Leah.

The family that plays together stays together...  :)  

I had a BLAST at the pool with my family and friends!!!

Friends and family playing at the pool.

A VERY happy birthday girl at the pool!

Then back to the house to eat BBQ and blow out the candle one more time (with the friends who showed up later) - this time we remembered to sing Happy Birthday!  :)

Dahnia, Carlos, Tio Danny and Tia Hilda 

Carlos and DJ are ready to help Mia and her papa open presents at the end of the day.  :)

I guess after two cakes, some streamers and balloons, some party food and a few times through of singing happy birthday, our little Mia is officially ONE!!!

First Birthday Videos

Finalizing plans for Mia's little birthday party this weekend.  I can not wrap my mind around the fact that my precious baby girl is going to be one, ONE, on Thursday.  This time last year I was wondering if she was EVER going to come.  I'd been SURE that she was gong to come early and was even more bummed when my sister, who was due a week before I was delivered early and then my own due date came and went.  My little "over-baked" Mia made her grand debut five days late and with peely little hands and feet from hanging out in there too long.  :)  


In preparation for her birthday I decided to put a few of the THOUSANDS of photos we have of our little Mia to music.  These four videos were the result and I'm going to loop them together to play at her birthday.  Sorry that they are long, but what can I say? - I'm a proud mommy who's beyond infatuated with her precious baby girl.  :)  

Perfect Beauty

Isn't She Lovely

We Believe in You

(Man, I'm bummed this is blocked.  Sadness, it's a good one!)

Just the Way You Are

I can't believe how much she's grown and changed over the past year!  It was such a heartwarming trip down memory lane to look though all of the photos and choose out some of our family favorites.

We love you Mia!!!

Pre-Birthday Photos

So the other day I decided to take some photos of Mia for her birthday announcement.  I'd gotten a few bags of  clothes off of craigslist and in it was this cute little cupcake outfit that was brand spankin' new - even still had the tags on it!  The shirt was long sleeved, but I figure we were taking the photos indoors so it would be okay, even though the OUTSIDE weather here has been in the 100's.  I'm still working on the birthday announcement / party invitation, but had to post a few of the photos I was able to snap of her in her cute little cupcake outfit.  I had to use my ancient digital camera that flashes like twenty times before it takes the photos, so there were a lot of "almost" good photos before I was able to get some good ones.  For some reason I can't find the darn charger to my really nice digital Cannon.  The last time I had it, I remember thinking, "I need to put this some place safe so I'll remember where it is..."  Famous last words.  Anyways, here's the photos.  :)

Little cheezer grin.  :)

About ready to "plop" down from the couch - aka, the "hiney lean".

The tippy-toe to reach stuff mom moved out of the way for picture time.  See her little tan toots and her hair is coming in more - yay!  Man I love this little bug!

Man we love this little girl so much and to such degree that we can't even put it into words.  She's the best thing that's ever happened to us on so many different levels.  Case in point, the following conversation we had the other night as we were playing with Mia.

Me:    Do you think there's any way we could ever love another child as much as we love Mia?

Zeus:  I was just thinking that same thing today.

Me:    So do you?

Zeus:  I don't know.

Me:    Yeah, me either.  I think all mom's must love their first kid more than all the rest.  (This was said with a big grin, because I'm the oldest kid in my family.)  :)

So I get the bright idea to call my mom and ask her, since I'm pretty sure she loves me the most - seeing as how I'm the first and favorite child.  :)  I told her the conversation Zeus and I had just had and how we were wondering if we'd ever be able to love another child as MUCH as we love Mia and how now I TOTALLY get why I'm her favorite.  My mom laughed.  She LAUGHED!  How rude.  I knew that what would come after the laughter could not be good, and I was right.  She went on to try and disabuse me of the notion that I was the favorite.  How rude!  :)  She reassured me that when that new little one comes and you hold them in your arms, you have that same kind of overwhelming love for this new little life that you had for the first.  Then she said I had to believe her because she'd done it seven times and felt the same kind of love for each one of us.  Although this KIND OF put my mind at ease a little with regards to having another child one day, I was totally knocked off my "I'm the oldest favorite child" pedestal, and I must admit that it stung... just a teeny tiny bit. (Though part of me still secretly believes it - just don't tell my mom... or my brothers and sisters...)  Man do kids just open your heart to so much love!!!  This last photo's my favorite of the bunch:

  My sweet baby girl in her cute outfit and pink toenails.

She's so so stinking cute I can hardly stand it!!!  :)

Oh, and yeah, she really is that cute and she really is that sweet and we really are SO blessed to be her parents and have her as part of our little family!!!

The past few weeks... in photos.

Hey there.  :)  Just chilling.  Waiting for visitors...

My cousin Sami came for a day last week with her darling kiddos and we were able to spend a little bit of time together before they flew to Cali.  Here are her kids enjoying a rare treat - TV!  :)

Then Zeus's friend Eddie came with his family for a few days.  Here's Mossimo entertaining Mia.  :)  He was so cute with her.  I'm bummed we didn't get any group shots!  I'll have to get copies of the ones Eddie's wife Teresa took.

Mia and Katerina enjoying their pancakes. 

Mossimo and Paulina blowing up floaties for the pool.  After swimming we drove into Lockhart to eat at the wold famous Black's BBQ.  YUM! 

Paulina and Katerina rode with us and fell sound asleep on the way there while Mia happily played in the middle.  :)

Zeus and I had beef ribs - YUM!!!  This is a photo of Zeus holding both our ribs.  :)

The city building in Lockhart was gorgeous!

Mossimo, Paulina and Katerina peeking in the air conditioned car at Mia.

Last week a package arrived in the mail for Mia.  We were so excited to open her first birthday package!!!  Even though it came early, we just couldn't WAIT to open it up.  :)  Thank you great Uncle Harold and great Auntie Charlotte!!!  I could not find any charged batteries for my camera so I had to settle with cell phone photos, so please forgive the photo quality.

Must perform customary pre-opening pat down of package.  :)

Wowza, it opens just like a book!  My favorite!

The bag's as big as me!

... and comes with yummy gift wrap paper - my favorite!

Oh my!  Anything else?  :)

What mom, YOU have the card???

It looks like more paper!  Must. Lick!

Ok, MY turn to hold the cute card mommy.

Thank you.

Mia styling in her cute new clothes!

So many cute new outfits... what shall I wear next???

Hmmm... let's do THIS top, with THESE pants...  

Man we love this little turkey!!!

Who, me???

Mom, did I read you this page yet?  This reading stuff is serious business.

  

I think I need a snack now after all that hard work... yummy, yummy veggie straws!

We also had friends over to join us for swimming.  The neighbor girl Natosha came over to play with Paulina and my friend Valorie came over with her two little cuties to keep Mia and I company.

Mia and Hailey sharing the stroller on the way over - reclining seats can hold two small children.  Who knew?  :)

 All packed up and heading to the pool, but where's Ammon?  Oh, he's already at the corner!

My little bathing beauty at the pool in her pink tutu swimsuit.

Hailey and Mia had a great time floating in their floaties and crawling on the top step of the pool.

My friend Lori was in town for a work thing and got out early enough that she was able to join us at the pool. What a fun treat!

Mia keeping an eye on Lori in the pool so she wouldn't get scared, and apparently planning what they would wear once they showered up after the pool...

They decided on yellow tops and dark jean bottoms apparently!  Twinners!

On Saturday, the neighbor girl Natasha invited us to a family friend's first birthday party over at the park across the street.  After lunch and after running lunch to papa at the hospital (he forgot it when he left for work in the morning) we headed over.

Mia in her high chair - all excited to go to her first birthday party ever.

Natosha got a birthday hat for Mia to wear...

Mia was NOT a fan.

Looks like I can cross "birthday hats" off the list for Mia's own birthday party in a few weeks!  lol