little mr. giovanny ~ "my gym" fun

seriously? who doesn't enjoy a little tumbling fun? especially during the formable toddler years? the interaction tailored for our favorite little ones are phenomenal and the reaction received from

our little hearts are breathtaking!

my hubby's, cousin's, first-born son (did you follow that?), giovanny, had his 3rd Birthday party at My Gym in Rancho Cucamonga this past weekend and to say we had a good time, is way below the standard when describing your experience at such a place. we not only celebrated a super-fantastic boy's birthday, but we did so as kids ourselves.

we sat in a circle around the red, well, circle and followed the gentle requests of the instructor. i finally was able to show off my skills at "head, shoulder, knees, and toes" to others. jorge and aly have become immune to my performances already. i know! tragic!

this was also, aly's first time at participating in games and activities with other children her age and the brilliant sparkle in her eyes, when she finally woke up, was beyond priceless!

here's the birthday boy, fully enjoying with uninhibited laughter as his day progressed:

all smiles here in these two photos:

the kids, contemplating their next moves:

aly's first encounter with the ball pit (pure joy for mom & dad!)

here's little sean, peeping over an overgrown, green obstacle:

one of jorge's cousins also brought her puppy-dawg and there were many takers in volunteering to puppysit sparky as the children played inside. sparky's (human) parents are also the proud owners of sparky's pet grooming, now serving 3 locations in the westside. we've brought both of our furkids there and they came out sparkling and shiny, smelling sweet enough to eat (of course not really eat. hello!).

check them out and make an appointment. they have nothin' but sheer love for your pets!

they were told to do "funny" faces for this next shot... clearly, some have practiced this! job well done!

let me explain this next one because i don't normally take shots of the back of cakes, especially one so yummy and scrumptious as this one was. but everyone was asked to go to the lobby (clearly, behind the cake) so that the celebrant and his mommy, daddy, bro & sis were the only ones in front of the cake. hence, the back of the cake shot! so here it is. the super mario brothers cake.

 may i add, it was definitely super! hit me up if you want a cake like this! another one of jorge's cousins made this cake, among many others, and she does an exceptional job on each cake's details,

finger-lickin' taste, and presentation!

http://lovingheartscaptured.blogspot.com/

{sneak peek} ~ gym time = fun time & sparky the dog

it's the little things

yes, it's these pint size moments in which i cherish the most. of course the grandiose moments, like the first steps, first words, first bowl of spaghetti; these moments are obviously important. but the little things, like her infatuation with balloons, carrying around doggie treats while we walk our furkids, rearranging stools at the breakfast bar; these are the times when jorge and i step back and sigh. she's developing into her own little person and it becomes evident to us, on a daily basis, that our baby will one day be on her own. all we can ask and pray for now is the tools and guidance from above, to be the parents aly needs us to be.

but for now, we happily settle on the little things that make aly.... aly.

my {little} christmas joy

Christmas is a time to celebrate our Savior's miraculous birth. It's also a time to remember the greatest "Christmas Gift" given to us from our Heavenly Father.

This time of year is made even more special to us because of our little gift. A miracle in her own right because she is one of God's own creations. This was our first year seeing Christmas through a child's eyes and exuberance. She has yet to understand the true and unabashed meaning of Christmas. She willlearn that it is not only about neatly wrapped presents, sitting gingerly under a brightly lit tree. Nor is it a time where a jolly, plump man with flying reindeer, will ever so gently, slide down our chimney, expecting freshly baked goodies with ice cold milk to wash them down.

She will come to know the true meaning of Christmas through praise and worship of our one living King. She will know the honesty one little Baby brought on one night announced by heavenly hosts and proclaimed by prophets long before His birth. She will know Jesus as her Savior and Lord. She will know His love and the Hope He brings to us all. She will know Life and Life will live in her heart.

more than just once

i can't help posting more than 1 blog a day. sometimes i'm just in the mood to share. share. share. share. and with this little face, sharing is definitely caring!

when did my baby become such a little lady? check her out with her stylin' boots! of course i had to!! why should i be the only one to sport boots in the family? besides, the weather calls for it. in fact, it begs for it. it begs us all to wear and rock the boots! i'm just starting her out at a young age.
she'll thank me later on. i'm certain she will. i know she will.

yes, baby. mama's done taking a ka-billion pictures of you. today. just for today.

there will be plenty of more days to take more photos of you!

photos taken with handy-dandy, iPhone.

little group of little hearts {christian, curtis, ari, & aubrey}

here they are!! my little group of supa'stars! coxing? nah! nudging? absolutely not! bribing? forget about it (think godfather I, II, & III combined)! this is the most fun i've had with a group of little rascals and i can't wait to do it again... that is, if they'd have me! they worked it out for me without hesitation! they had me running around, following them, trying not to miss a beat. we had suggestions for them, but they surpassed all expectations and, well.... see for yourselves...
be forwarned... the cuteness factor is is waaaay in the red level of the applaud-o-meter! and there are lots of photos cause how do you limit these? really? how? i wanna know!

they are real... i poked at them, and yes, they are, in fact, fo' real!!

models? no! but, they should be!!

here's more of them... working. it. out!

watch out ladies... christian's gonna melt your heart!

i love this next one!

and really... they were having a good time! don't be fooled by curtis' expression. no child was harmed in the process of this shoot!

see... good times!

here are some solo photos of each of them:

wait for it. wait for it.      CUTE ALERT! CUTE ALERT!

this next one was master minded by mah-man and main squeeze. i guess this is how he sees things when girls or women talk to each other...

i believe christian, was not acting in those photos. (snickering***)

at such a tender and young age, curits already knows how to work.it.out. must be in their dna!

the girls are gorgeous, bright-eyed, sweet-natured, and fullof life! the boys are lady magnets and breath-stealers. i love them and hope they had as much as a good time as i did!