Summer...that's a wrap!

It's always bittersweet when summer comes to an end.. One one hand, I get very excited for a new school year and for some "me" time but then I start thinking of how much I'll miss the kids and our fun days and I get a little sad.. 

But such is life and here we are at the end of yet another fun summer, nothing short of great anecdotes and tons of awesome memories!

Let's start with June... it was such a fun month... the kids were so glad to be out of school at last so they made sure to start taking advantage of their time off right away...

The first important event of the summer was Mariana's baptism on June 11th. We had a great gathering with friends and family to celebrate this cutie's special day.  She looked so adorable with her baptism gown and the day was just filled with love and faith.  Iggy is her godfather so the event was extra special.

We spent lots of time at the pool so the kids got extra tanned... including "ghostly" Oliver.. ha!

In mid June we traveled to the Dominican Republic for a couple of weeks.  We spent some time with family including Iggy's uncle Javi and my aunt Laurita who flew in from Venezuela.  It's always great to spend time with loved ones and even better while on vacation.  

We celebrated Father's Day in DR even though they don't celebrate it until July...here's a family picture from our celebration...

My sister also joined us in DR and we all had a great time together...

 

Right after we came back from Dominican Republic we headed to Ohio to visit my brother in law and his family.  The girls had an amazing time with their cousins and it was great to see our family. 

While in Ohio, I met up with my good friend Jenn, attended a great firework display on the 4th (Red, White and Boom! in Columbus, OH), celebrated Iggy's (and Sebastian's) birthday and just relaxed while soaking in all the family time that was possible.  It was really a great trip.

On the day we got back from Ohio, I took my dad to the Paul McCartney concert and that was definitely one of the highlights of my summer.. What a great show and spending time with my dad was even better! Unforgettable memories!

We spent some time with baby Mariana, who's growing like a weed...

Lots of time in the water, including the beach and pool...

My friend Jenn and her son Maddox came to visit from Ohio (they just couldn't stay away... ha!) and we had an amazing time with them.  I love it when people visit us!

At the end of July, we headed to Orlando to meet up with some of my cyber friends from my pregnancy forum (Oliver's friends). We had such a blast and I was so happy to finally meet some of these wonderful mommies who I've been chatting with for almost 2.5 years! (Only people with cyber friends can really understand how special this was)

Mommy friends!!!!

Iggy took the girls to Universal Studios while I was "mommying" with my friends! <3 p="">

In early August, we went to the GunsNRoses concert with some friends.  Even though I'm not much of a "rocker", I had a blast and it was a great night!

My cousin Ana and her kids came to visit from Colombia.. we had a great time.. 

During our last full week of summer, we went back to Orlando to spend some time at Disney. Everyone who knows us is aware that we are self proclaimed Disney "junkies" so we just HAD to squeeze in one last visit to the mouse.  Of course the kids had a blast and we were happy to spend a few days with our great friends Elle and Lia. Here are some pictures...

The BEST firework show EVER!

When we got back from Orlando, I went to Field of Flowers with some of the school moms for a last minute "back to school" celebration.  We made some cute arrangements and had a great time. 

And we sealed our summer with some shopping. The kids had a great time picking last minute stuff and taking pictures with the #targetdog

All in all, summer 2017 was another one for the books.  I hope that when my kids get a chance to read this blog in their older years they know how lucky they are and how many blessings they are able to enjoy on a daily basis. 

Now to start another wonderful school year!

Happy end of summer, y'all! 

Potty Training Saga

If I had to pick the worst "task" required from a toddler mom, I'd definitely pick potty training. I basically DREAD this stage and hate it with a passion but I figured sooner or later I'd have to get this last baby out of diapers so why not do it NOW! The sooner the better, right!?  WRONG!

I often hear the phrase "potty training boys is much harder" or things like "you got so lucky with the girls" or more often than not, many discouraging statements claiming that 22 months is simply "too young" or that I'm being "too ambitious"..that does NOT help, people! I need some empowerment!

So, based on my past experiences, I decided to go with the "3-Day Potty Training" method, after all the author was the ONLY person encouraging enough for me to give it a go. 

The method suggests to go "cold turkey", basically do away with diapers at once and focus on the child's cues for 3 days straight; it also suggests that on day 3, it will MAGICALLY click and the child will just start going on the potty without prompting. 

The author does warn parents..."there will be LOTS of accidents", at some point she even suggests getting AT LEAST 30 pairs of undies because less than that simply won't be enough...

Boy is she right! This has been a horrendous saga for us!

It all started with Day 1 and five "accidents" within one hour; I don't think I've ever mopped my floors so much in my life (thank God we don't have carpets!)..Oliver used the potty ONCE that day and it was by some miraculous save that Iggy had. It was NOT successful. 

Day 2 seemed to bring some progress I even took the diaper off for sleeping and he woke up dry but that was false hope because very shortly after that he pooped his underwear and the mess was less than desirable to clean. 

Day 3 was a MAJOR regression... he started crying every time we put him on the potty and didn't use it even once. We spent all day cleaning up pee puddles and hosing off soiled underwear.. it was NOT pretty. He even stopped caring whether he or not he had poo or pee on him and all he was focused on were the rewards we were handing out. (Skittles and stickers quickly became the main purpose of him even walking in the bathroom.. LOL!)

Needless to say, the "3-day" method DID NOT work this time around for many reasons:

1. We were not able to stay home for 3 days, especially considering that it was the weekend and we had church and other affairs. 

2. I was not focused enough and often took my eyes off him so that didn't work out. 

3. Our days were incredibly hectic and we were all over the place, even when we were home. 

4. We were "lazy".. I guess something about watching a half naked toddler all day was not very appealing to any of us... (oops!)

5. He might not be ready (although from everything I've read, signs of readiness can be as little as being able to communicate his needs...which he clearly does!)

Even though we haven't given up completely, I am not holding my breath.  We've been informally potty training for over a week now and it's a hit or miss, so we'll just stick to slow and steady for now.  While he has used the potty (just for pee!) on several occasions, I don't think he gets the concept and is definitely not interested in being out of diapers....at least not as much as we are!

We have resorted to pull-ups and training pants even though those go against the method we were using initially and I'm starting to question whether spending twice the money on those than I do on diapers is even worth it considering he doesn't see a difference. He has been wearing underwear at home but I still have to watch him like a hawk and spend half the time mopping puddles on a daily basis. 

So the "Potty Training Saga" is far from over.. I am both bummed out and frustrated but I want to remain hopeful that my child will decide that wearing diapers is "for the birds" and being a "big boy" is just THAT much cooler! Ha!

One of the many "lovely" accidents... ugh! He wasn't phased at all!!!

Oliver trying to score some Skittles for doing nothing! Clever boy!

If you have any good advice for potty training boys, please send it my way. I was prepared for this to be a hassle, but I really want it to be over!

Thanks to everyone who has followed my Instagram and Snapchat stories and has provided words of encouragement... they mean the world to me!

10!

My little lady is turning 10 today and naturally my day has been a roller coaster of emotions. I have been reminiscing of that exact moment my life changed forever, the day God blessed me by making me a mother and entrusting me with such precious gift. I get so emotional just thinking of the first time I held her and the way she looked at me.

Olivia is the light of my life; she is one the most genuine and loving souls I know and she fills me with so much pride. Everything she does comes from a place of love and dedication and that makes me so happy!

She is incredibly caring, well mannered, funny, brilliant and just good all around.  She is also the best arguer you will ever meet and at the short age of 10 she has the ability to confront everyone with hard and well thought out arguments to get her point across.  I really love that she is so self confident and well rounded... I'm sure these will be great traits during her teen years..

She loves traveling, reading, writing and even cooking and is really growing into a beautiful young woman, she will be starting 5th grade soon and I know she will rock it! Olivia is also the best big sister anyone can ask for and even though she loves teasing her sister Gaby, I know she means well.

So today we celebrate our big girl who is now officially in the double digits. These birthday celebrations are getting so exhausting but the girls really know how to milk the fact that their birthdays are just a day apart... ha ha!

I cannot thank God enough for the wonderful children He gave us and for always blessing us with the right experiences that allow us to teach our children to love life and to always trust in the Lord. 

Happy birthday, Olivia.  We love you so much and we hope you know how important you are to this family. Thanks for always being you!

8!

Gaby is 8 today! Time sure flies when you're having fun.. just 8 short years ago, I was in the hospital meeting my 2nd baby and getting ready to be a mom of 2 and today she's blowing 8 whole candles on a birthday cake!

Gaby is the most challenging out of my 3 children; she's incredibly sweet but also incredibly stubborn, really helpful but also really lazy, very sweet and also very sour at times.. Gaby just dances to her own beat and there's no changing her...

She is a very independent girl and most times prefers to play alone rather than in groups; she doesn't mingle without a purpose and doesn't usually get involved in trouble or gossip. At the young age of 8, Gaby is capable of formulating her own very strong opinions and very rarely does she follow people's lead if she doesn't agree; her strong character and leading personality really amaze me and I am so proud to call her my daughter. 

Gaby is also an incredibly emotional person, I have a theory that she feels 10x more what people normally feel because she can cry at the drop of a hat; her sense of humor is lacking and she really hates it when people tease her for no reason... this has proven really hard for Olivia who is a natural joker and is always teasing her little sister...

She is an amazing big sister and is so proud of her role in this family; she is a girl with a strong sense of faith and a very gentle soul. I know she will go places and I can't wait to watch her grow into a strong and willful woman. 

Gaby will be starting 3rd grade soon and she is so ready for the challenge, she really loves her school and all her friends and I know she will do amazing!

Gaby.. please know that we love you so much; you are such an important part of this family and we feel so blessed that God chose us to be your parents. 

Here are some pictures of Gaby's birthday celebrations, one with her friends and another one with the family!

Happy Birthday, little one!

God works in mysterious ways..

A week ago we received the awful news that Iggy's childhood tennis coach, Julio, had suddenly passed while teaching a tennis clinic in a sports club. 

Apparently he was going about his usual coaching when a fulminant heart attack killed him on the spot.. he was 54 years old and full of energy and love for life.. Julio was loved by many and will be terribly missed by everyone that knew him. 

Julio was very special to our family.. not only was he the first tennis coach Iggy ever had, but he had also been coaching our girls for almost 2 years; he had the kindest heart and the most beautiful soul...

But as much as this post is about Julio it is also about the mysterious ways God works and how He is present in everything we do, even when we don't suspect it. 

See.. Julio died on Wednesday 06/28 and we had a trip planned for Friday 06/30 and because our flight was scheduled to leave in the early morning hours, we weren't going to make it to his funeral, which was scheduled for Friday from 9am to 6pm. 

Iggy was really bummed out about not making it to the funeral because he felt like he needed that "closure" and wanted to say a proper goodbye and also give his support to Julio's family. He sent a message to Julio's son apologizing for not making it to the funeral but he still didn't feel right.

Friday came along and we headed to Ft. Lauderdale airport at 6am (via Uber) only to find out that our flight had been cancelled and the airline was doing everything possible to either fly us with another airline or just reschedule our flight for another day...all we had to do was wait.. who knew for how long... 

As we waited at the airport, I thought of Julio's funeral and I felt that maybe this cancellation was happening for a reason... I asked Iggy to find out where the funeral was taking place and it turns out it was somewhere in Miami (for those of you who don't know, Ft. Lauderdale is about 35 min from Miami, so we were pretty far out) so attending the funeral still wasn't an option. 

After waiting almost an hour at the airport, we were given the option of flying out of the Miami airport at 2:30pm; the airline offered to shuttle us down to the airport so we agreed and we arrived in Miami around 9:45am and quickly checked in for the flight..

With more than 3 hours to spare we decided to map the directions to the funeral home and it happened to be within 5 miles of the airport.  We called an Uber and arrived at the funeral home just in time for the memorial; Iggy was able to say goodbye to Julio and spend some time with his family...he got the closure he desperately needed and everything just happened at the right time.. 

To think that so many things had to happen for Iggy to attend this funeral really says something about the way God works... our flight being cancelled, us being re-routed through Miami, the new flight being scheduled in the afternoon to give us plenty of time to spare, the funeral home located in Miami (weird considering Julio lived way north) and the time when everything was happening.. we were really meant to attend that funeral and I feel so blessed to have been able to say goodbye to Julio but especially for Ignacio mourning his loss the way he wanted. 

We will forever be grateful for knowing Julio; for feeling his love and dedication and for understanding and valuing his legacy. We feel blessed that God granted us the opportunity to say goodbye to him and we will forever miss him. 

Rest in Peace, Julio. We love you so much!

Last Day of School

It's always bittersweet when a school year ends...I find myself reminiscing about my kids' early school days and even the baby years..lots of emotions running through my heart..usually nostalgia and a huge sense of accomplishment...

This year, though..it has been SO different because I am SO GLAD it's over. 

While 4th grade was an amazing year for Olivia, where she flourished in all areas and excelled academically thanks to her incredible teacher who we LOVE (she even got invited to an advanced math program for next year, where she will skip 5th grade math and go straight to 6th grade lessons...yay Olivia!), it was an incredibly "off" year for Gaby who struggled so much with the horrendous teacher she got.  My poor child was the victim of one of the WORST teachers we've ever come across and I will never forget this year...sadly because of how bad it was and how much Gaby regressed both academically and socially.

It's hard to explain exactly "why" this teacher was so detrimental to Gaby because there are SO MANY reasons; this person was cold, detached, a poor educator, a person who lacked compassion and empathy and someone who simply (and very obviously) doesn't like children. She very clearly favored certain students (and their mothers) and her work ethic was incredibly poor.  Gaby started the year off with certain strengths in many subjects and she basically "lost" those strengths this year due to lack of encouragement and poor guidance. I was amazed at how poorly the school handled all the complaints that were made against this teacher and I certainly hope the administration will increase their expectations regarding teachers and the way things are done in the classroom. 

If it wasn't because I love so many things about the girls' school, I would have pulled Gaby out halfway through the year, but something told me we should stick it out and hope for a much better 3rd grade...I must say though, this is probably the last chance I'm giving the school.  

So, as this school year ends I am choosing to leave the bad and take the good. I am happy that my girls continue to grow in faith and I am proud of the wonderful young women they are becoming. This year I learned that I am my children's best advocate and that I must always speak up no matter what. I learned that my kids are stronger than I give them credit for and their intelligence never ceases to amaze me.  Gaby was able to work through her struggles and was very vocal about overcoming her fears with our support. Olivia learned the importance of true friendships and the value of working hard for what she wishes to achieve. 

They are ready to take on 3rd and 5th grade, but first....YAY FOR SUMMER!!!!