Party Like A Rock Star : Celebrating 11

As it relates to birthdays, the month of April is a busy one for us.

Well, it actually starts March 22nd with ms. Ava. March 28th with my mama's.

Then its my dad on the 6th, husband on the 11th, Julian on the 12th, and my own on the 29th. 

Whew.

Here's a peek at Julian's soiree to celebrate 11. 

Please know that we were leaving for Florida early the next morning hence the delay in sharing.

What was I thinking again? 

1 Welcome to the gig {my brother created these, aren't they fun?}
2/3 the candy "bar" 3/4 decor/favors
5/6/7 photo booth fun
8 even my littlest rock star gets in on the action
9/10 cake and a {somewhat reluctant, pls notice the death grip} photo with mama

The party was a huge hit even though I didn't get many takers in the tattoo parlor.
I was actually surprised by what good sports they were about the whole thing.

Rock Stars.

On My Birthday

Today is my birthday. 

And in an ode to my younger self, here is what I wish I could have told her.

Krsko, Slovenia. My grandmother's house, circa 1973.

Enjoy your alone time. Times you thought you were "bored". 

In later years, you will be happy to go to the bathroom without an entourage.

Don't be so mean to your mama. In the morning, when she wants to make you breakfast, eat something if only to make her happy. She is just doing it because she loves you so much. 

Get out of the fashion industry. Now. It won't be what you end up doing. And the long hours are wreaking havoc on your legs. Those varicose injections? They hurt. A lot. 

Bad boys are the devil. 

Stop it with the tanning competitions already. You will NEVER be darker than your friends. And in the end, you will be the winner anyway since they will have more wrinkles than you. Ha. 

You will have this crazy idea to get a tattoo just because. Don't do it! You will regret it and then you will spend ridiculous amounts of money to get it removed. And it will hurt. A lot. 

Travel more. See the world. In later years, you will have a fear of flying and it won't be as easy. Plus, you will have 3 kids (3!! Can you believe it?!) in tow. Also not so easy. 

Don't ever drink Jack Daniel's. Even with diet coke. And even when your friends say that it is not so bad. You will be oh so sick. But it will be one of the first and last times. You learn quickly. 

Enjoy the littlest things in life. One day you will realize that they are truly the big things. The ones that are most important. Oh, and buy the shoes!

Friends will come and go, but the true ones? They will stay for the long haul. 

Happy Birthday to me.
And Happy Monday to all of you. 

Vacation 2013 In Pictures

I packed up my girls, {yes, our boys survived an entire week without us!} and headed to South Florida for a week. 

Pure bliss. 

It was so nice to enjoy the warm sun and some quality girl time.

Can't wait to do it again!

Celebrating Three

You know when you plan and plan something. 

And then it goes even better than you hoped?

That happened.  

Know that it had nothing to do with the planning. The fact that I got all DIY on everything.
{It may have had a little bit to do with Ava's ensemble. I mean, really}.
But, it had everything to do with the company. The mood of the day. 
I can't explain it.
But it was perfect.

PS - In case you're wondering, {because I would be!} the Minnie Mouse cake is by Cakes by Adriana in a chocolate with dulce de lecce caramel filling. So, so good. 
Linking this post up here

Pictures of You

If you're like me, at the start of the year, you are doing a lot of purging. 

Closet organizing. Christmas decor re-organizing.

Teddy bear condensing.

That kind of thing.

And among other things, I began to go through photos : old and new.

So many photos. The older kids as babies always make me smile. And feel a little bit sad.

The vacation pictures always make me wish I was still there.

And then, during all this reminiscing I realized something. 

I have very few photos of me with my children. 

Often times, as mamas, we are the ones behind the camera. Non?

Or else, we're the ones saying "no, no. i look awful right now." "in a minute, i just have to..."

I see hospital photos of other mamas in the with their new babes. Radiant and glowing.

I did not look like that. I did not feel like that.

I really did not want to record it.

Now, I wish I had. 

Afterwards, during the years time of so many sleepless nights, the last thing I wanted to do was be in photos. 

Heck, I'm just happy I had the energy to take photos of the little sleepless wonders.

And now, I regret it. I really do. 

So starting today, I am vowing to take more photos of both myself and my husband with our children. 

Embracing them. 

Loving them. 

Just plain old being present. 

From our family to Yours

Wishing you all a very Happy Holiday and all the best in the coming year 2013!

Last Christmas

The older I get, the faster the years seem to go by.

Another Christmas.

Gone are the braces. And the bottle. 

The wide-eyed smiles remain.

I hope they always do. 

Santa is almost here.

And we believe. 

Continued tears and prayers for the families in Newtown.