Shameless Self/Party Promoting

So of course Gabi was the main focus of her party. This, I had to remind myself as the rains came down and the winds blew my decorations to pieces. However, I did spend several months planning, and crafting our baby's first party together and I just can't help myself. So here are some photos of the "finished" product:

I created the invitations using, believe it or not, powerpoint! Even the little owl was easily put together using different shapes on powerpoint. I simply saved it as a pdf and had a local printing company print them for me. Customization to it's fillest extent!

So the cupcakes. I spent a lot of time searching and trying out recpies that were supposed to make box cakes taste homemade. None of them worked. I had still planned on making the cupcakes but was getting super stressed and running out of time. While at the local grocery store bakery ordering Gabi's smash cake, I asked about purchasing unfrosted cupcakes. That was when my biggest stress reliever happened: the bakery sold them to me for $2/dozen! I already had frosting and toppers planned so I was incredibly excited that I didn't have to bake the cupcakes myself. BIG, BIG time saver!

These toppers were so easy and fun to make! The little penant banners were simpy made with toothpicks, string and decorative duck tape! The balloon cupcakes are dum dums and a little curling ribbon. One big tip: dum dums melt, even at cool room temps! So don't put the dum dums in the cupcakes until a few hours before the party.

The treat table was so much fun to plan out! With the cupcake trays, dum dum topiaries, and apothecary jars full of colorful candy, it was easy to brighten up any table! The background took a little planning, however. It's not as easy as you might think to prop a background up behind a table in windy weather! But thanks to my parent's help, it turned out great!

Another view of our treat table.

These owl party favors were made by hand. There was no pattern used. Just good old fashioned fumbling! My mom helped fire up the sewing machine and get the owl bodies sewn together, and my teenage neices and my sister and I got to work sewing the eyes, wings, beaks and bellies on by hand. They were "rustic" to say the least!

We covered the long picnic tables with chevron and polka dot wrapping paper, which was tough to get down in the wind, but stayed on nicely once it was taped in place. The centerpieces were also taped down! They were put together with some homemade pinwheels (using scrapbook paper) and a cute lolipop as well as a framed photo of the adorable birthday girl.

An owl pinata (ordered online), face painter, and cotton candy machine rounded out the rest of the birthday fun! It was a great party in spite of the weather and the most important part was that the birthday girl had a great time!



SomeOne is One!

Yesterday our sweet Gabi girl turned one!

We celebrated her birthday over the weekend with a big party at the park and, despite the windy rainy weather, it was a great success! We were so thankful for all the help we had from my parents, my sister Lindsey, and my nieces Keeanna and McKenna.

Gabi was excited and engaged the whole time. She seemed to love every minute of it and it was obvious that she knew that everyone was there for her. She was patient with Mami as she posed for several photos and she expressed her excitement as each new guest arrived.

She was a little unsure about the face painter, so she got a little flower painted on her leg instead.

 But the other kids sure enjoyed our wonderfully talented face painter!

She also didn't know what to think of the cotton candy but soon realized that she could eat it and that it was yummy.

She had fun making a mess of her cake and certainly didn't mind being the center of attention!

Her cute little personality was ever present as well as she made silly faces while eating her lunch!



 Gabi knew just what to do when it came to opening presents. She dug right in and made quick work of getting them unwrapped. She was especially excited about the dancing puppy her nana & papa gave her. She started dancing as soon as she opened it!

She also loved her new bike mami & papi got for her. Such a big girl!

We have been so very blessed with such a sweet, silly, smart, and beautiful girl! She has brought so much joy to our lives and we couldn't be more thankful for the honor of being her parents. We love you Gabi girl!

These Feet Were Made For Walking!

Well, she did it! June 26, 2012 Gabi took her first steps! She has been standing up on her own for a couple weeks now, but when we would encourage her to walk, she just didn't want to do it. Stubborn girl just had to do it on her own terms! (I wonder where she gets that from...) Luckily, I caught in on video on my phone, but unluckily, I can't figure out how to post it on here. Here's a couple photos anyway!

Standing on Her Own Two Feet

On June 12, 2012 our little monkey began standing up on her own without using anything to pull up on. It started out as frequent headstands. (Which was way cute because she would look at us between her chunky legs with her butt in the air and giggle!) Soon she was standing up on her own and doing it over and over and over! It's such an amazing thing to see your tiny baby grow and develop before your eyes. But why does it have to go so fast?

Baywatch Baby!

Our Family

I've had some trepidation in deciding where to start in our lives on this blog but I suppose it's probably best to start at today. This really goes against my organizing sensibilities however, so if I decide to go back and change it, bear with me!

I will start with the cutest and most interesting member of our family: Gabi! Also known as Babi, Babis, Gabi Girl, Chunky Buttie, Cute Face, Siwy, Monkey, Lover Girl, Mama's Girl, Princesita, Cachetuna, and many many more silly names we've made up for our sweet girl.

Gabi is almost 11 month old and what a personality! From birth she's been the center of attention everywhere we go and she loves it! Lately she has been pretending to be a bit shy at times, but other times she'll cough, laugh, or yell to get the attention of strangers when we're out and about. She is so close to walking, but not quite yet. She pulls herself up on furniture and cruises around the house pushing her little walking toy but has only managed one unsupported step so far. She is a busy girl who will find fun wherever she is. She loves her toys, but seems to be more interested in non-toys for the most part. She has a growing vocabulary that currently includes: mama, dada, papi, papa, nana, dog, cat, hi, ok, and bye bye and she can sign "more" and "finished". She is truly the light of our lives and she is definately Papi's little girl. She loves to laugh and will laugh whenever she hears someone else laughing, even on tv! Her favorite toy is a little stuffed owl her Aunt Lindsey gave her before she was even born. She is very affectionate and will hug and kiss her dolls and her mami and papi. She LOVES her kitties Hurley and Roxy. She spends a lot of her time chasing them around the house. Hurley is very tolerant and will take some of her "hugs" and "petting" (which are actually more like squeezing, tail pulling, and hitting) but he usually ends up running away eventually. A cat can only take so much! Roxy steers very clear of Gabi, however, she will have none of the "loves" Gabi tries to give to her kitties. Gabi is more than we could have ever imagined our child would be and we thank God every day for the blessing she is in our lives! 

Next is the most handsome member of our family: Ernesto! Also known, as Neto, Papi, and Babe.

Ernesto is a wonderful father. He spends half of his day watching Gabi by himself while I am at work and he does such a great job taking care of her and bonding with her. He loves being a father and having a little girl to tease and taunt. He is a great husband and is always doing his part around the house. He loves his electronics and is always excited about the new products Apple is coming out with. He tolerates his job at Verizon Wireless well, but he is definately looking for something that he can really enjoy. Gabi and I are so lucky, we couldn't ask for a better husband and Papi!

Last is....Me! Also known as: Mami, Babe, luckiest woman in the world...

I love, love, love being a mother. I has been the most rewarding and wonderful blessing in my life! I never knew I could love someone so much! I cherish every moment I have with my Gabi Girl and dread leaving her to go to work every day. (We're working on that.) I do enjoy my job, but I would MUCH rather be home taking care of Gabi and Ernesto and our home than taking care of executives and board members at work! I have a passion for interior design and party planning and I can get really wrapped up in either one or both. I'm always seeking fun outdoor places to spend a warm day and I've also recently discovered photography (now that I have such a gorgeous model to include in my photos!). I am truly blessed to have the fabulous family I've been given and I couldn't ask for more (well, maybe more $$ lol)!

Yay For Blogging!

I finally did it. I've joined the blogging world. I have to admit, I've always kind of thought of blogging as egocentric. I mean seriously, do you really think everyone cares about every thought you have? But I now see it as a way to document our lives as a family, so that makes me feel a little better. As if I really need an excuse, right? So this is the first of many posts that will chronicle the Garcia's and our pretty little lives, hence the title: la vida linda!