Birthday Surprise

Yesterday was Ale's 33rd birthday, and to make it super special we planned a whole day of fun. In the morning we took him to Kneader's for breakfast. The girls had pancakes, and Ale and I shared a croissant. Yummy!

Then we headed to the Traverse Mountain Outlets for him to pick a gift. We looked for a cargo shorts but we didn't really find one. We came back home around lunch time but still full from breakfast. We gave the girls a nap, and a few hours later everybody was hungry for late lunch/early dinner.

We had a delicious meal at Rodizio Grill - a Brazilian steakhouse. I usually cook Brazilian food at home but rarely red meat (and he LOVES red meat), so it is always nice let him eat it to his heart content. Look at his happy face!

Then when we were back home he found the surprise we had set up a little before we left to the restaurant. He is a New England Patriots fan so I bought a few Pats decorations and put them together for his surprise. 

Giovanna and I baked a coca-cola cake for him. He is also a huge fan of coca-cola, and I wanted to spoil him in every way! 

It was beautiful day full of love and happiness.

Happy Birthday babe!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to the love of our lives! Today Ale is turning 33.

Our days haven't been easy lately but we have each other and our beautiful girls.

As long as we are together all is well.

Happy Birthday!

We love you.

Very Much.

Forever.

Pioneer Day Extravaganza

This year we took the girls to the Pioneer day extravaganza in Provo, UT. It is a fun place for the whole family and all activities they have are free. It was a HOT day, and because of that we just stayed for a little bit. But the girls enjoyed every second of it. They rode a pony, visited the Pioneer Museum and even danced with some native Americans.

Giovanna got her hair done and didn't put it down for the next two following days.

I don't blame her. It was super cute indeed.

Giovanna rides a bike

We finally took the training wheels off Giovanna's bike. I told her we would be doing it before school starts, so over the Pionner's holiday Ale took off the training wheels and helped her to practice. First on the grass because I couldn't find her helmet anywhere, and if she fell at least the grass would be softer than the ground. 😋

She did really great! Actually she did better and easier than I though it would be. She can keep her balance for a bit now, but if she keeps practicing I am sure she will be able to even ride her bike to school on her first day.

Good job princess! One more milestone achieved! 

Pioneer's Day 2017

Happy Pioneer's Day!

Last Saturday we had our annual neighborhood breakfast and parade to celebrate Pioneer's day. 

Pioneer's Day is such a special holiday when we are able to celebrate our brave Mormon pioneer heritage who founded Utah. It is a day to meditate about their courage and faith and how blessed we are for ripping the results of their great work. I feel grateful and humbled.

A is for architecture

One of the reasons I love summer is the numerous activities going on around the city every year. I am an outdoor person. Don't get me wrong, I love being home but I can't stay inside on a beautiful sunny day. It just doesn't feel right!

This week I took the girls to the Museum of Peoples and Cultures in Provo. Every Tuesday and Thursday of July they offer free summer classes and teach a variety of topics. Last Tuesday the girls learned about architecture in different countries and they were able to build their own projects out of straws, toilet paper rolls and pipe cleaners. 

Giovanna made one pyramid of Egypt with a few straws while Bianca glued a couple of ice cream sticks on the paper. Well done girls! They also played games and won prizes.

Happy Pioneer's Day and have a great weekend!

Cowabunga Bay

Last Monday the girls and I headed to Cowabunga Bay Water Park in Draper, UT. It was our very first time there. They also have one in Las Vegas but we have never been there either. 

My lucky girls have a wonderful dentist who cares about their smile in every way. Once a year they have this awesome patient appreciation party. Last year we got free tickets to watch The Batman Lego Movie, and this year the office arranged to close the water park for three hours just for the patients.

I don't need to mention how much we had enjoyed our time there! The water was nice and warm, and although it rained a little it didn't ruin the fun. I had planned to stay for one hour and a half the most, but we ended up staying the whole three hours. It was really fun!

Best part: all the pools were shallow enough for Giovi and Bianca swim without my help. And all the slides are also kids friendly. I even slide in one of the them with Bianca. Bianca had a blast the whole time we were there! We left a little after nine in the evening, and she was still electric. 

Watch this cute movie of Bianca dancing. It makes me laugh every time!

Temple, House of the Lord

Last Saturday Ale stayed home with the girls so I could go to the temple. I think it is really cute how he promptly offers to watch them so I can go. 

Temples are the house of the Lord. It is a place we find peace and comfort. I had a really good and emotional experience there that day. I went through session in behalf of one of Ale's ancestors . He still loves genealogy, and he is on his 7th generation. It is amazing! Way to go babe!

Then the next day on Sunday we taught the youth about how to prepared themselves to enter this holy place. I love the youth! They are wonderful and spiritual. I also love being part of this great plan Heavenly Father has prepared for us.

Click Here if you'd like to learn more about the LDS Temples. 

"Everything that occurs in the temple is uplifting and ennobling. It speaks of life here and life beyond the grave. It speaks of the importance of the individual as a child of God. It speaks of the importance of the family and the eternity of the marriage relationship". 

Gordon B. Hincley

Seven Peaks

After almost two weeks without swimming, our family went to Seven Peaks again. This year we have decided to get the pass and actually use it, so you will see this kind of post often throughout the summer!

The day wasn't so hot and the water was perfect. The kids had lots of fun, and Ale and I got so impressed with Bianca. She is not even two years old and she swims all by herself. She doesn't want any help and even dives in! She also loves the water slide. That is sure becoming her favorite!

Best part: I didn't itch! Not a single bit! 

I confess I was a little concerned about having another chlorine reaction. Last time was really scary!

Have a good week!

Elena of Avalor Piñata

Last year I threw a Princess Elena birthday party for Giovanna's 6th birthday. Many people have asked me where I bought her Elena's piñata. 

Now, while there must have plenty of beautiful Elena's piñatas out there, they are probably very expensive too. So since I had the cupcake piñata from Bianca's birthday (yes, I saved it!), I decided to transform it into princess Elena.

Here is a little tutorial in case you have a cupcake pinata around your house and would like to transform it into a princess too:

First rip out the crepe paper as much as you can from the cupcake. Since you will be using the top of the cupcake as the base, leave the crepe paper as it is to give more support when you put the candies in.

Next, start to cover the cupcake with red crepe paper. I used regular glue since crepe paper is so easy to work with.

Then, add some layers to make it look like a real dress. The first layer needs to be long enough to cover the white part of the piñata:

Once the bottom is ready, it is time to start working on her body. First I printed a B&W Elena to test. I resized on Microsoft Word a picture I found on the internet. It has to be a good quality picture, otherwise it won't work when you resize it. Also, when cutting it, make sure to cut all around her hands so you can glue the crepe paper on her dress. Like this:

Next, cut a card board to glue your Elena printing to make her nice and thick. I used a piece of one of our old moving boxes. Remember you have to print your Elena as a double sided image!

Once the printing is attached to the card board, set it aside. Grab the lid. At this point you can decide if you want to cover your lid our not. It doesn't make difference since the dress will cover it anyways (I only realized that after I had already cover it, so...). 

After covering it (or not), attach a rope to the top of the lid by making two holes on it with a screwdriver or anything you have in hand.

Now, grab your Elena printing already attached to the card board and glue it to the lid. Use hot glue gun to glue it. Then glue the last layer of her dress starting from her waist, and going all around.

Your Elena piñata is almost ready!!! Put the candies in it and don't worry about being too heavy. We put A LOT of candy and held it just fine! 

For the last part, my super husband placed four cable tie around the piñata to hold it really good. You can use three or even two if you want the kids to knock it down faster. Ours took a while!

And that was my final result. I can't wait to see yours! Feel free to post a picture of your pinata in the comments bellow, or if you have any questions about this tutorial.

I hope you like this tutorial and have lots of fun at your party!

Tea with the Queen

Summer is a busy time. Fortunately there is always a lot to do and see. I am still learning how to get around in Utah County but last year when we were living in Alpine we found out about American Fork Steel Days. Throughout the whole week residents and non-residents can enjoy picnic and movie in the park, tournaments, parade, fireworks and much more.

Part of the festivities is the Mother-daughter Tea with the Queen where girls of any age join Miss American Fork for an afternoon of tea, pictures, nail painting, and face painting. I thought it would be the perfect place to take my girly princess Giovanna.

Both of us had a lovely time. I am grateful for times like this where I can share with my child how wonderful it is to be a woman, the finest creation of Heavenly Father. We are sure special!

Bianca had a playdate with daddy while Giovi and I were at the tea. I can't wait for next summer to bring her! She will absolutely love it!

Fairy Garden

This month the Central Utah Gardens will be offering free class every Wednesday for kids between 5 and 11 years old. Each week they will talk about a different topic.

Today Giovanna learned how to make a fairy garden. She loves fairies and got really excited to make her own. She learned the first step to make a fairy garden is to decide where she will keep it - inside the house, outside on the shade or sun. Determining where she will place the garden is crucial to pick the right plants and flowers.

Then she needs to pick the material- pot, dirt, plants and flowers, fairy house and, of course, fairies.

She learned how to place them in the pot and how to take a good care of it, watering and giving them enough light.

It was super cute! Besides, she loved having a "mommy and Giovi time".

Information for the next classes

July 19th: Water Science, 10am-11am

July 26th: Be Water Smart, 10am-11am

The classes are held at the outdoor amphitheater.

Central Utah Gardens

355 W. University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058

Gratitude

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others".

Last Saturday our family started a new tradition. Every day each one of us will say something we are grateful for. It's been only a few days but it has been already a really up lifting experience! Listening to my 6 year old saying she is grateful for her life, for temples, and for the gospel of Jesus Christ has been teaching me a lot.

Gratitude is an amazing thing. Sometimes we are so caught up dealing with problems of our daily life we don't stop to think about all other great things we should be thankful for. But once we start thinking about everything good we have, our life becomes much more happier and fulfilling. 

I have to thank a dear friend that in one of our conversations shared a personal experience about gratitude and made me realize I have more than a thousand reasons why I should be grateful. 

Today I am grateful for these two girls who light up my world with their laugh, their love, and their pureness. I am grateful for them today and always.

"The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life". 

- Pres. Joseph F. Smith

New hairstyle

For a long time now I've been saying I need a haircut, so this weekend I decided to get it done. When I lived in Salt Lake I had this professional who used to take care of my hair, but since I moved to Utah county I couldn't find anyone I like. It sounds silly, but it is harder than you think to find someone who really knows how to cut a curly hair. Because of that I decided to give a try and cut it myself.

I was scared because I had never cut my hair myself. But you know, they grow back after all. First thing I did was to check some video tutorials to not screw up so bad. I also took pictures of the whole process.

 First I cut it just a little with my hair dried to test. When I realized I wasn't so bad with the scissors, I did it with my hair wet. I brushed it into a ponytail at the top of my head, then I cut it!

To actually see some results we have to cut a good amount of hair, otherwise it won't show any difference. For my bangs I tried to part my hair into a triangle.

 I really like the final result!

If you want to try it too just make sure you have the proper scissors to cut your hair. I saw some girls cutting their hair with kitchen scissors and it was really scary!