55

So, my dad turned 55 last week. Here are some pictures of the fam out for dinner. Fun was had by all. Happy Birthday to my dad!

My dad, the guest of honor, with some of his grandkids. He seriously is a great abuelo. My kids are so lucky.

My beautiful sister-in-law, Angie and my precious sobrina, Layla.

Jeff and Veronica

Birthday cookies!

William, just about to find out that Matt Kemp hit a walk off homerun!

Me and David.

Vanessa

Opening Day

David's Opening Day!  Ready to play some t-ball!

Let's go Braves!

David played pitcher for 3 batters...then he was banished to the outfield.  David has the red cleats.

Sliding into home!

It was HOT and after the game the socks and cleats came off!

Veronica took some pics with my camera.  Funny to see things from her point of view.

Game ball.

Catch up

Violet has been climbing up the stairs.

Free Ben & Jerry's ice cream!

Face painting and free ice cream. What more can you ask for?

Easter Sunday.

Chewing on a serrano pepper.

What!?

Love these kiddies!

Playing on the stairs.

Ice cream.

Doesn't want to sleep.

T Ball anyone?

Signed David up for t-ball. Not sure if he's as excited to play as he is to dress up like a ball player.

Those red cleats that David is wearing were my E-bay purchase of the year...paid $4.29 for them. David's favorite color is red too!

Happy Birthday David!

David turned 5! This birthday was kind of sad for me. David is my sweet and sensitive boy. He is such a sweetheart sometimes that I get sad when I realize that this may go away when he gets older.

If you don't know my David, let me tell you about him. David is my second born and only boy. He has a million dollar smile that melts my heart. He has a sweet tooth, has had one since he was a baby. As a baby, he loved to smile and would always sleep so peacefully. David always notices when I wear makeup and tells me that he thinks my eyes are pretty. He also is kind of picky about his clothing and has been known to change up to 3 times per day. David loves cars and for a while was obsessed with them. He has started on Mario Bros. and is starting to obsess about that too. He's been pretty easy to please so far. He has long eyelashes that curl just right. He is always willing to help with his sisters or just says, "okay mommy" at just the right moment. I love my David. I want to freeze time because I don't really know how long he will notice that I'm wearing makeup and compliment me or not be embarrassed to come ask for a hug when he's sad. I want my sweet boy to stay sweet. I think he's the perfect fit in our girl majority family. He's on his way to Kindergarten this coming school year and it seems like in no time he will be in high school. Happy birthday sweet David.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Jeff took Veronica to her school's Daddy Daughter Dance. It was so cute. He wore his fancy cuflink shirt and matched Veronica's dress color. They both had a great time.

Violet looks so sleepy. This is after Church, really needs a nap but she looked cute in her flower and I wanted to snap a pic.



Vanessa just hanging out.

Really? She glows!

This beautiful baby is almost 7 months and I want to stop time right now. Realizing this is my last baby makes all these little moments so bittersweet.
My Violet weighed 16 lbs. 14 oz at 6 months and still wakes up anywhere between 2-3 times a night. Maybe this is Violet's way of forcing me to be awake more so I can take it all in. A couple of Sundays ago I set Violet down at Church and she started crawling forward! She had been scooting backwards for a month but figured out to go forward. Still not smooth but she can now go towards toys or little pieces of crap on the floors.
Violet is so playful and is full of smiles. I will catch her staring at her big brother...she loves David. Everyone loves this Violet to pieces and, if I let them, will carry her up and down the stairs. Violet totally fits right into place in our not-so-little family and I am so grateful for her. I love the way Violet's eyes squint when she smiles and how she stares when we talk to her. I can't wait for the coming months to watch her grow but I will take the time each day to hold her a little longer and steal a snuggle when she allows it.

Some catch-up from 2011 and our 2012.

We had a stay-cation for MLK. We went over to the Warner Marriott in Woodland Hills (10 minutes away)and jumped on the beds and went swimming. The best part...Jeff took 3/4 kids home with him while I stayed with Veronica and got to have a "quiet" night sleep. No Violet waking in the night 3 times or a snoring hubby or an early riser demanding breakfast.




Nothing like eating an apple in the hot tub! Violet loved the water, which is good.

Cutie Violet.

Vanessa peeling her 15th cutie of the night.

The kids were non-stop on the go. This was the longest I could get them to stop for a picture.

My sister-in-law, Angie, made a slideshow for Christmas. It was fun. Had all the family over to our house for Christmas Eve. The babies are missing, they were peacefully sleeping upstairs.

Candy Cane Lane with the family. This was more of a headache ... is it ever worth it with so many little people who want to be carried and want food ALL the time? I guess this picture shows that they are having some fun.

Jeff had to say goodbye to his little car. This is his birthday/Christmas gift for the next 5 years.

This handsome guy had a birthday in December. Love him.

This was before Christmas. Decorating sugar cookies for FHE.

Jeff went fishing with some of his buddies on the night before his birthday and caught all these rock crabs and lobster and picked these avocados from a tree. We had a wonderful feast for his birthday. Happy Birthday to my hard working Jeff.

Took the girls out for a ride in the trailer.

Violet is mobil these days! Not intentionally but still mobil. She moves backwards and ends up under the couch quite a bit. Forces me to try and keep our floors clean. So far I have just let her crawl all over a dirty floor.

Vanessa loves heels. I'm glad to share.

Trying peaches. Not too big of a fan.

Swingin' at the park

Can't stand how cute she is in this picture!

My Vanessa.

Am I a bad mom for hating to push my kids on the swings when it makes them so happy? To be honest, they become very demanding and eventual meltdowns stem from my declaration that after 20 mins I will no longer push. I have left many parks as a result of swings.