Party at the Moore Home in Reno!

This weekend our family made a trip to Reno Nevada to celebrate ALL THREE of my brother's children's birthday's! Abel 14, Abbey 4 & A.J. 3. My Mom also came to visit both families- ours & the Moore's- Thursday to Monday. It was great to see her surrounded by all the kids.

Not only are Adam J.R. & Abagail only 11 months apart- but their birthdays are only 22 days from the other! Then- 10 days later- it's Abel's birthday-
So A.J. was born on July 31st- Abby's is August 21st & Abel's is August 31st. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Adam's birthday & his wedding anniversary are both on July 9th! Lot's of reason's to celebrate life ; )

Cassie offered to donate her time & talent in creating cakes for the kids. Abby's current stage is anything Barbie or Disney Princess, so she used her experience from making Lexie's Fairy Cake to make an Abby look-a-like Barbie cake. Of course it was chocolate cake!

A.J.'s current stage is... hmmmm... anything with wheels- any action figure- any type of sport- oh yeah cowboys & let's see.. anything boy! Cassie settled on a Batman Cake for him. She started planning this cake out a month in advance- first drawing the dimensions on graph paper, then measuring & cutting out the windows from fondant & painting them with edible sugar paint. Super cool results and an honor to be a spectator of the overall process ; )

Another stage A.J. is in includes a) refusing to potty train b) refusing to wear any type of clothing other than a diaper! NICE! Stubborn? Uh, yeah- Adam JR IS HIS NAME! So A.J. spent the majority of the party running around in a saggy diaper- no shirt- no pants- no socks- no shoes. Well, that's not entirely true... at one point during Pinata time, his Daddy told him he had to have shoes on to participate- check out the pictures to see how he worked his way around that ; ) Again- ADAM JR....

One of our gifts to Abagail was a Barbie Karaoke Machine. As an Auntie, I personally think it's hilarious to give a 4 year old a Microphone to express herself. It's a funny thing to watch Adam's daughter out talk him! Overall, it was a-lot of fun to watch the kids play & enjoy being Auntie & Uncle. Although I do believe parenting toddlers is something intended for young couples- we were absolutely EXHAUSTED when we left!

Enjoy the photos of the party below.....

Trip to L.A. August 2009

This week, the girls & I accompanied Luis on a work trip (he had to work in Orange County) to L.A. On Sunday night we had a great time with the Barragan extended family at a BBQ. It was so much fun to watch the (3rd generation?) cousins play together!

On Monday, while Luis was hard at work, we girls had the opportunity to spend some time with my Dad & my Grandfather- we had lunch at my all time childhood favorite restaurant- The Bear Pit- in Mission Hills. YUMMO! Later that evening we went to my cousin Angie's home in Sherman Oaks & had dinner at Mel's Diner on Ventura Blvd. (Food is a running theme!) Then we went back to Angie's house for the best ever home-made whipped cream on Strawberry Shortcake.

The evening was enhanced by the presence of my cousin Devin- Angie's brother- who was my partner in crime as a child! I had no idea he would be there & cried tears of joy when we saw one another! Angie is a wonderful & inspiring Mommy to her almost 4 yr old daughter, Kaitlin, and soon (next month!) she & her husband Daryl will welcome a second little angel baby into their home. My Aunt Liz, my Mom's big sis, was also there with her husband, Gary. He's so great! A gentle, kind & happy spirit. I really enjoyed watching how happy he & my Aunt are together.

On Tuesday, after a quick side trip to see my cousin David at work & a little snack at our favorite Taco place, Mi Pueblito in Pacoima- (yes MORE FOOD!) we dedicated the day to Luis' Mom in celebration of her 53rd birthday. Cassie, along with her little cousin's help, created a home made birthday cake for her Grandma. Of course- there was more food compliments of Lola! Tostada's de Ceviche- mmmmmmm.....

That night, we met the Barragan extended family, along with the Perez crew, at Mimi's Cafe for a birthday dinner celebration -AGAIN MORE FOOD!- It was evident in Lola's face, by the light shining through her eyes, how happy she was to be surrounded by her grandchildren & family...

Enjoy the photo show below!

Roscoe & Simba...

Roscoe & Simba hangin' out together on a lazy Monday afternoon....

They love each other!

Road Trip to Portland Oregon & Seattle Washington

Below is a photoshow of our recent road trip to Portland Oregon & Seattle Washington, including Cassie, Lexie & Roscoe. We traveled nearly 1,500 miles in 4 days! It was great to see the Pacific Northwest area.

In Portland we enjoyed a doughnut place highlighted on the food network channel called Voodoo Dounuts where one can find treats unimaginable, such as:

Captain Crunch Topped
Dirt (vanilla glaze and oreo cookies)
Arnold Palmer(lemon and tea powder)
Butter Fingering(Devils food, vanilla, and crushed Butterfinger)
The Memphis Mafia(chocolate chips/banana/ peanutbutter/glaze big!)
Portland Creme(raised doughnut filled with creme and covered in chocolate with two eyes)
Nyquil Glazed and pepto-bismol

And many more! Check out their web-site at: http://voodoodoughnut.com/menu.php

In Seattle we drove our car onto a ferry & rode it to Bainbridge Island. I experienced "Ferry Sickness" which is bizarre because I'm usually the one known with the stomache of steal in the family- go figure! While on Bainbridge Island we visited a Diner highlighted on the show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives by Guy Fieri , where we had a sample of Apple Pie & Chocolate Cake!

Apart from eating our way up & down the Pacific Northwest, we experienced beautiful scenery & a wonderful opportunity for quality family time together. Not to mention- Mommy completed an entire novel!