Top 15 reasons I love Crystal!

1. She always knows when I need Ice Cream or MC
2. My dogs love her more then they love me
3. Her favorite color is purple (as is one of mine)
4. She looked hotter then me on my wedding day
5. She loves to hang out with me, Victor and Alana
6. She said she'd always be there to help with Alana, and she is one of the only people that ever stuck to that
7. She picks me and Victor up when we can’t drive home
8. We have had some GREAT nights at Marie Calendars
9. She tells guys they have to go through me to be approved to date her
10. She understands why Blue Drinks are bad
11. Victor feels the need to protect Crystal like the little sister he never had
12. She sees me as a big sister and has me curl her hair and do her make-up
13. I can call her anytime of the day or night to vent about anything
14. She loves Alana as if she was her real niece
15. When I needed one more person to be in my wedding party I thought about all the friends I had and knew that in 10 years she would be the one that would still be my best friend!

Congratulations husband!!!

You are looking at a picture of the New Assistant General Manager of the Anabella Hotel! Last week Victor got a WELL DESERVED promotion at work! He is now the #2 of the hotel! Victor puts his heart and soul into anything he does and working is one of them! He is always working... whether it be at home, in the middle of the night or while we are on vacation! It's just part of who he is. He is very dedicated to anything he does and I really don't mind it! When you have a job like Victor does and tons of people depend on you 24/7, being called at 3am to come in is just part of the job. Victor takes it so well too! It's all been worth it for us! I love the people that Victor works with, they are great and love Alana and I like family which makes it even better for Victor!

I just want to say how proud I am of you husband!! I know I tell you all the time, but Alana and I appreciate everything you do for us! Every day you get up early and go into work and leave us at home tucked in our beds! We appreciate that you take the stress, and take it well, but still get up every day and go into work and don't ever complain about it! Thank you for letting me stay home with Alana every day and be here for her to watch her grow and to raise her as our baby girl! I wasn't sure I could ever be a SAHM (Stay at home mom)... but to wake up to Alana every day, it's the most amazing job I could ever have! And you make it happen for me! Alana will know when she gets older how much you did for us and continue to do for us all the time! She will be just as proud of her daddy as I am! I love you and congrats on this big promotion! You deserve this and so much more babe!

Damn TV shows!

So I have to start off by saying I watch Grey's Anatomy and it's one of my favorite shows on TV right now. This last week the show touched home all too much with a little sick old lady who died. She looked just like my grandma. I sat here and balled my eyes out when she died. It just reminded me all to well of my Grandma Rose who passed away 2 years ago this June. The lady on TV looked like her and even spoke like her. My grandma was born in Italy and came to the US when he was 3. (So I've heard that story). She lived in New York where she raised her 7 kids. My grandma was a great woman, always happy and singing songs to us grandkids. She loved Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra and would listen to their music for hours! When I was younger my Grandma Rose would take me "Galavanting"... which meant going to breakfast or riding the monorail on the outside of Disneyland. I remember she took me to see a movie once, it was a family movie my grandma thought called "Children of the corn"... why wouldn't it be a children's movie? :)
It was a week before my wedding when she passed. It was really hard for me to take. I wanted her to be at my wedding so bad. She had made it to my other 2 sisters weddings and it was sad that she didn't make it to mine. But I understand that God had other plans for her! I always feel like I never spent enough time with her or I could have done more for her. When someone dies there are always "Ifs" and "whys" but at that point it's too late for that. But she will live on with my Alana "Rose" named after her great grandma.


While I was at work, Victor sent me a text because he was at home watching Grey's later that evening. He said that it hit too close to home and that little old lady reminded him of his grandma and he missed her. (I hadn't told him about me feeling the same way yet). But it was crazy that one little old lady laying in a hospital bed dying could remind us of different people. Victor's Grandma (Mama Grande) died when she was 102 years old. Yes, you read that right. 102!! She was born in 1902 and lived through everything we've only read about in History books! Victor has always said she had the most amazing stories to tell! She outlived 3 of her husbands and had 12 kids! She owned a farm for a long time and worked her ass off her entire life! She lived with Victor for most of his younger life when he lived at home! This picture is from her 101 birthday party! She had good vision out of one of her eyes and was a feisty old lady! At this party, she got up and danced like she was 60 years old! She was an amazing woman!


Both of our Grandma's died before I had this wonderful thing called a blog so I never got to post pictures of them! So today I just want to say how much they are missed and how much everything they've created in their lives will live on with us every day!

It's bright in here!

Alana loves to wear her sunglasses all the time and does a great job of not pulling them off her face! I guess with summer and lots of Pool time coming, that's a great thing!

She wanted to wear mommy's sun glasses, she was so excited! So we traded!

Story time!

The library by our house has Story time for little one's every week, so we decided with Daddy being off today we'd check it out! Alana loved it! There were TONS of people there with their kids. Alana loves to be around other kids! It's very stimulating for her and great for her development! They read books, sing songs and color! She enjoyed listening to the story sitting with Victor! I can't tell you how lucky I am to have such a great husband that wants to do fun things like this with us! Victor soaks up every second he can with Alana. It's nice when he takes a day off during the week so we can all go do something as a happy little family! And we love to take Kali with us because she's part of our family during the week!


She did some coloring and wanted to show me her masterpiece! (But she NEVER stays still for the camera)


Then she did a few puzzle's! The library is a great place to take the girls!

Her future is so bright.... she's gotta wear shades!!!

Kali got into the action too!

Another First!

Alana tried Spaghetti for the first time last night! I couldn't have staged it any better myself. She first tipped the entire bowl over onto her high chair and then proceeded to chew on her bowl as she played with her Spaghetti. Then finally after the bowl was dropped on the ground, she tried to pick the noodles up and eat them! Not sure she got any actual food in her, but it was sure fun to watch! I love that she sits at the table with us and eats dinner. I try to fix things that she can try so we can all sit and eat as a family and it's been working out really well lately! She's such a little girl already!

I think in this picture she was trying to be a Spaghetti Monster coming after me! Rrrrrrrr!

Just Another Manic Monday

Peace out yo!

Today we went to a going away party for Juan (Crystal's ex-boyfriend), he's movin to Vegas!!!! YEAH!!! So we had to go say good bye! Although I didn't get any pictures of him, Alana did meet a little boy that is one month younger then her. She wasn't quite sure what to do with him, but it was really cute to see her try to touch and hug a little person her size!



As you can tell by the look on his face in both pictures... he was a little scared. I think Alana is a little overbearing.


Me and my biggest girl!!

For Christmas, Aunt Julie, Unlce Brian and Cousin Hailey got Alana this little walker/wagon! I put it together on Friday and she thought it was cool to play with, but everytime I put her on the back to walk, she just sat down. Tonight she stood up and just started walking all around the house. She walks until she bumps into something and then turns around to me and wants me to turn her around so she can walk the other way! It made me cry to see her walk like she's just such a big girl. Sad because she's my baby but happy because she just picks up on things so fast and is so smart!

Skating Queen!

We made another trip to the skating ring and this time we took Ellie. She was really unsure at first, didn't really want to go out on the floor. We put her skates on and took them off 3 times before we just stuck her on the floor!



Jacquie and Melissa started off holding her hands.


Then she took off on her own and didn't want help from anyone! She skated the entire 2 1/2 hours and didn't want to be done even when they turned the lights off and it was over! She picked skating up so well and so fast! Before you know it she'll be lapping me!


We had such a good time and I can't wait to take her back!

Game Night!!

Every couple of weeks Crystal, Victor and I sit down for a yummy dinner and drinks and play some card or board games. So ast night after we put Alana to bed, we started off with chicken skewers, rice and Sangria!


Crystal never played Jenga, so we had to start with that game! From what I remember I was samari jenga. We played sorry, and scrabble! We had such a blast! I love to hang out with Crystal and Victor, we always have so much fun together!!!

CHEESE!!!!

Alana is cheesin it up for the camera! She had cheese for the first time today and LOVED it! What's not to love really?? I can tell Alana is going to be a cheese lover like her Auntie Crystal!


She is eating so many different finger foods these days! I haven't found a thing she doesn't like. It gets better every day... I never thought I could love her anymore then I already do, and then every day, it's more and more... the love for your daughter is the most amazing thing, I really couldn't ask for anything better in the world then what I have!


Alana takes after both Victor and I when it comes to music! She rocks out to any kind of beat she hears. When I was pregnant with her I went out dancing a few times so I know she gets her good rythem from me for sure! But she loves to move, whether it's rocking out on her bottom or standing up and trying to dance! It's so damn cute, I can't get enough of it!!

Shit to think about.......

I got this as a forward, thought it was great. I hate to forward stuff so I thought I'd share it with anyone who wants to read it. Great stuff to think about and remember every day. I know I need to be better at it!

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.
Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful
for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice is to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing.

*Remember
Free your heart from hatred
Free your mind from worries
Live simply
Give more
Expect less

Kiss me, I'm Irish!

Alana is Irish so she deserves lots of kisses today!

My madian name is Harp (From my dad's side) which is so Irish, it's an Irish beer! My mom is Pat O'Brien, not sure you can get more Irish then that! This is the one day a year that I can drink all the booze I want and chalk it up to being Irish! HAHA! Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day!

I haven't posted in awhile, I've been really busy. I started a new job. I'm the Assistant Manager at Gymboree at the Main Place Mall. I really like it there! It's a great job for being part time. But lately I've picked up an extra couple shifts, so it hasn't been really part time lately. But I still get to spend my days with my sweet Love Bug and then Daddy gets to put her to bed at night. It's been working out good for us! All the money I make is going towards our trip to New York next year!!

Alana update... She is learning new things, retaining more of what we say, every day!! She knows all kinds of words and hand gestures. When she is all done with something, she lifts her hands up and waves them just like I do when I say all done. She waves hello and good bye, she kisses on command. She is such a jaberwalky!! It's so fun to watch her grow more and more every single day! She speeds around the house now crawling, I find myself having to chase her and make sure she's not getting into anything every second of the day! She'll be walking soon. She stands and walks anytime she has anything to hold on to. Her first birthday will be here before you know it! June 3rd she'll be 1. We are having her first birthday party on the 6th of June, butterfly themed, so save the date for us!

2009 Babies

Alana takes such an interest in my phone. I assume it's because I always have it, check my emails and text and call people on it. I also try to get her to talk to people on it, but she doesn't perform very well. Victor said ever since I was pregnant that she'd come out texting... Well here it is. She turns it on so it lights up and starts using her thumbs like she's typing on it! HAHA! That's my daughter! I'm taking bets on how old she'll be when she talks her daddy into getting her one of her own.

Crawling

Alana is so close to walking these days I figured she was going to bypass crawling all together. But in the last 4 days or so she's picked it right up and now crawls all over, like she's been crawling for months, then she pulls herself up and stands every chance she gets!

Don't shake hands, shake penis's... They are cleaner.

**Warning** Adult Content

What better way to spend time with Best friends then in Vegas BABY?? We meet up with our Best Friends from Colorado to celebrate. Ashley's birthday is 2 weeks after mine, so it was a fun way to celebrate both of our birthdays!


We visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Meseum and took tons of funny pictures! The girls with Hef!


David couldn't resist with Jenna. He made everyone in there laugh pretty hard!


I gave Tiger some pointers!

Victor and Ashley were sitting with Simon talking about how horrible that singer is. Crystal agreed and David tried to sit on Ryan's lap.... We were sober too... weird!

It's always nice to share a great choice in President with best friends!

You may not believe this.... but we were lucky enough to see Vanilla Ice at the Night Club we went to. I was sooooo excited!!! I was such a fan a long time ago and who wouldn't love the chance to see him these days???? We got up really close to him and I got some great pictures! It was so much fun! ICE ICE BABY!!!!

He poured water all over us in the front!

GO NINJA, GO NINJA GO!

9 months in and 9 months out!!

That's right, Alana is 9 months old now! 3 months away from being a whole year old!!! CRAZY!!! It's crazy to think about 9 months ago I still had her in my tummy and 9 months later she's army crawling around the house and talking up a storm. She says all kinds of baby words. Ma Ma, Da Da, La La, Ba Ba and tons of other words that we cant really make out but she sure talks a lot. Still pulling herself up on anything she can, the table, the couch, anything in her reach. She tries to let go and stand by herself, but she's not there yet. She walks along the table holding on for dear life! No "real" crawling yet. But she Army crawls everywhere and has NO problem getting anywhere she wants to go!

Rollin into 29!

For my birthday on Saturday night we went to the Skating ring in Orange. We had SOOO much fun!!!! There were lots of spills but no major injuries I'd like to report! Thank you so much to my friends and family that came out and skated with me who cleared their schedules because it was my birthday and that was important to them.

Alana got all dressed up for me!


Jacquie and I kicked butt like we'd been skating every week! (And it's been YEARS)


My niece Hailey learned how to skate and did so well! I was so proud!!


My friend Judy came out to skate, she's a pro!

My two niece's.

My friend Anda and her boyfriend Brian drove from LA to party with us! Thank you guys, it means a lot!!

Crystal finally showed up after a loooong day of working, she never fell, but was close!!!

Me and my Crys!!!!

I accidently made Hailey fall and she was holding onto Jacquie and so Jacquie ate it and I felt HORRIBLE!!!! But not horrible enough to stop laughing and take a picture! HAHA! Sorry JQ!!

After they kicked us out of the skating ring (kicking and screaming, I wasn't ready to go!!!)... we went to a bar in downtown orange for a few drinks and some dancing!

We had such a good time and I'm up for skating again and again!! It's super fun, cheap, close and great exersice!! Thank you guys so much for a great night!!!

This is the first year in the last 4 years that I celebrated my birthday without certain friends because they were "busy" this year... cause they didn't know my birthday was Feb 28th like every year?? They all made other plans without me on my birthday. I know we all get busy and have had lots of things going on but really? Yes I'm bitter about it. How in the world after so long of doing it every year do you all of a sudden make other plans on my birthday when it's on a Saturday night? That's really not cool and I don't appreciate it! But I guess I'll just get over it and know where I stand in our friendship! BLAH!

Monday morning we are going to Las Vegas BABY to celebrate for a few more day. My BFF in Colorado is meeting us there and we plan to drink, dance and party again! Ashley's birthday is in 2 weeks so we are celebrating both of our birthdays in VIVA!!! More stories and pictures to come!