28 feels a lot closer to 30 than 27!

I think once you hit 25, the years just kind of start to go faster. All of the sudden, here I am, married with a baby and turning 28 - where did the time go? In some ways, I feel like I just graduated college! To make matters worse, Danny is a year younger than me, so he incessantly teases me that I will be the one to turn 30 first. Very funny.

Here are a few pictures from my 28th birthday weekend. It started off this past Saturday with Danny, Di and I going to one of our favorite breakfast spots, Panera Bread in Boca Center. Then Danny and I got to do something we rarely do these days - go out to dinner by ourselves! Danny's parents came over to babysit Di and we headed to Sublime, a vegan, organic restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale - so delicious! I hadn't been there in about 5 years and Danny had never been. We had a great time drinking wine, savoring the food and enjoying an hour and a half of adult conversation. 

Sunday was just about relaxing in the morning as a family - Danny made a delicious omelet for breakfast and we hung out and watched Diana practice her new favorite activity - walking and getting into everything! Our families then came over and we had a great, noisy dinner like we always do, topped off with key lime birthday pie - my favorite!

It was so nice to spend the weekend celebrating and I'm looking forward to the coming year!

(Pictures from top, left to right: I get some help from Danny & Diana blowing out the candles on my key lime pie, Sublime restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, the delicious fire-roasted artichoke appetizer we shared, Ron with his grandog Henry, Grandma Ann, Aunt Jo & Gigi at my birthday celebration, Gary, Matthew & Grandpa Manny relax on the couch, Alex and cousin Roman hang out on our porch, Brandon & Sarah in the kitchen)

Birthday Video!

I'll be sure to post a full entry tomorrow, but thought this video was too cute not to share right away!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUBPYuUTctM

She's mobile now! Diana @10 months old...

Diana spent her 10 month old birthday at the Magic Kingdom this past Sunday and she had the time of her life! Now that the craziness of our Disney weekend has settled down and the many loads of laundry have been done (thanks to my Grandma Sally!) and we've caught up on (some) sleep, I've started to think about all the new things Diana has done just since the 9 month mark - they really change and grow fast!

The biggie is that she took her first consecutive steps last week - 7 to be exact! It started a few weeks ago with a quick one-two step and then a plop down - it didn't take long for everything to click and she's now taken up to 12 steps in a row - so cool! Unfortunately, this also means getting into a LOT more things and ongoing baby proofing and chasing by mom & dad!


Di also now has four teeth - two on the bottom and the two on the top just sprouted up. She looks so cute with two front top teeth when she gives us that big smile.

Right after she turned 9 months, she also said her 3rd word - DUCK! Over and over she says "duck, duck, duck!" when she sees the ducks out by our lake or in her "Old MacDonald" book.

I say every age with Diana is the most fun but I really do think these next few months leading up to her first birthday are going to be full of exciting adventures! Almost every day brings new things and a growing awareness of the world around her. This little person is evolving right before our eyes! We've got to get our running shoes on to keep up with her in month 11!

(Pictures from top, left to right: Diana at 10 months, her first pair of shoes, unraveling a roll of paper towels, practicing taking steps while chewing the remote control, reading her Old MacDonald book, with Mom & Dad at PF Chang's - she's already got a handle on those chopsticks!)

Diana goes to Disney

Even though Danny and I are both huge Disney fans, we weren't planning to take Diana up to Orlando until sometime after her first birthday - at this age, we weren't sure if she'd be old enough to enjoy all the overwhelming sights and sounds of the theme parks. BUT, it just so happens that Danny was invited to play in a golf tournament at Orange County National and we also heard that cousin Alex was going to be in a play the same weekend (my Uncle Rob, Aunt Caryn and Alex live in Celebration right near Disney). So we thought, why not? Let's make a weekend out of it and introduce Di to Minnie Mouse! We started preparing her, playing her It's a Small World and showing her a Minnie Mouse doll from Aunt Jo. I also spent about two full days packing. When it was just Danny and I, we'd throw clothes in an overnight bag the morning we were leaving...with a 10 month old - packing is a whole different story!

This past Friday morning, we finally got the car packed up and were on our way. I was so excited that my mom and Aunt Jo decided to join us for Di's first Disney trip! Three hours later, we checked into the Embassy Suites, ordered some Uno's pizza for dinner and got ourselves back into the car to see cousin Alex play Grandpa Joe in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He is such a natural! Alex is always involved in activities both in school and in the community and we finally got to see him in action.

          On Saturday, Danny headed out to play golf and Uncle Robbie, Aunt Jo, Grandma Susie and I took Diana to EPCOT. She had THE TIME OF HER LIFE! We really underestimated how much she would enjoy everything! We waited in line to see the characters and she wasn't scared at all - Minnie Mouse was predictably her favorite - she recognized her right away. We also went on the Land, the Living Seas with Nemo and the River Ride in Mexico. Then Grandma Susie took her in the little kids water play area and they both got soaked!! Aunt Jo left the park after that to head back to Ft. Lauderdale and Danny joined us. Grandma Susie watched little Di while Danny and I finally went on Soarin' - something we've been wanting to do for 3 Disney trips but the wait was always too long. We had dinner in the park, and went back to the hotel and crashed! EPCOT really does stand for Every Person Comes Out Tired!

Magic Kingdom was on the schedule for Sunday. We did the stroll down Main Street and both Grandma Susie and Uncle Robbie bought her a Minnie Mouse outfit. Although Di enjoyed It's a Small World, she was more impressed by Buzz Light Year and the spinning car we were in - I think I finally have a partner in crime to ride roller coasters with me!

It was so neat to see Disney through our daughter's eyes. I remember by parents taking me on some amazing Orlando vacations and now that Danny and I have a family, I can't wait to start our own traditions. We're already looking ahead to our next trip, probably in the fall when Diana is a little older. What a great vacation!

Pancakes and a clean garage - a perfect Mother's Day indeed!

So now I get what all the fuss is about on Mother's Day - us moms are a hard working bunch! Moms really do 'do it all' and we do it with unconditional love. I was very excited to be a part of the mommies club this year and although I think about it every day of the year, I looked at little Di and thought once again how she has changed our lives in the most special and amazing way.

Mom's day started pretty normal - walking the dogs, putting on coffee, changing diapers, etc...then Danny and Diana got to work in the kitchen, making me the most delicious Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. What a treat! Breakfast is usually a cup of coffee and a granola bar so it was very nice to have an actual sit down breakfast as a family (even Stanley and Henry enjoyed a bite of fluffy pancake!) Next up was my gift - one of them anyway. Danny (and Diana!) made me a Shutterfly mom's day album with about 75 pictures of me and little Di and a poem that he wrote - it was adorable! It really did bring tears to my eyes. I know I'll have many more Mother's Days but the first one is very special. I was blown away by how much time and effort putting together the album must've taken my wonderful hubby.

By lunchtime, the chaos began! One of the things we've been trying to do since moving in last summer was clean out our garage - it had gotten so cluttered in the months that we've lived here that I couldn't even get to things on the wall opposite the garage door. I told Danny that nothing would make me happier than an organized and CLEAN garage for Mother's Day. I think it's a woman thing to actually enjoy the all day organizing process!! Our families arrived and we all rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Danny's parents, my mom and Brandon, Grandma and Aunt Jo all helped us pull everything out, clean and organize. What a job! I am so thankful to everyone - I can now find everything I need to get to including toys, suitcases, Diana's stroller and my car even fits now - if that isn't a Mother's Day gift, I don't know what is!!

After the all afternoon cleaning frenzy, Matthew, Alex & Roman arrived and we grilled veggie burgers and hot dogs and sat down to eat together. A perfect end to a perfect Mother's Day!
(Pictures: Top: Danny, Diana, Stan and Henry cook up breakfast for mom Bottom: My mom in our very clean and organized garage)

Next up...we head to Orlando this Friday for Diana's first trip to Disney World : )

One busy weekend!

Danny is doing the long-distance MBA program at UF which means he only has to be up in Gainesville for a few days every couple of months to take finals. It just so happens that one of our busiest weekends coincided with his 1st semester finals - I was a bridesmaid in my friend Lisa's wedding AND two of my closest friends from Pine Crest, Lindsay and Vivie, were in town from Cali and Chicago respectively and were coming over for Sunday brunch. I was bummed he had to be away!
Diana and I helped him pack up his suitcase early Friday morning and he headed out to try and beat rush hour and make it to Gainesville by lunchtime. My mom arrived a few hours later to spend the weekend as super grandma and babysitter! Aunt Jo, Grandma Sally and Uncle Brandon also came by at different times during the weekend to help watch little Di while I was busy playing bridesmaid!

The girls met up at the hotel on Friday afternoon for a little pre-wedding toast. After a quick rehearsal at the church we headed to Umberto's for a delicious Italian dinner. On Saturday, we all met at the hotel at noon for pictures before heading over to Saint Anthony's Catholic Church in downtown Fort Lauderdale (Fun fact: It's the longest aisle in a church in all of Miami and Fort Lauderdale). It was really special to see Lisa, or "Lu" as we call her, walk down the aisle and get married -after all, I've known her since we were 14 years old! After the ceremony, we took a party bus to the reception at the Heron Bay Marriott in Coral Springs - such a beautiful night! I was truly honored to be in the wedding party.
Today is Sunday and Diana and I had visitors! Vivie lives in Chicago and was down for a whirlwind wedding planning weekend with her mom (she gets married this September). She hasn't seen little Di since she was about 3 months old and even though she could only stop by for an hour, it was nice to catch up. We barely had time to put on a fresh pot of coffee when Lindsay and her husband Mark rang the doorbell. Lindsay was my partner in crime in high school and now that she lives out in California, I get to see her once a year if I'm lucky. It was my first time meeting Mark (he's a great guy!) and I got to see Lindsay pregnant! They are so thrilled to be expecting a little boy this fall!

Danny is making the drive back from Gainesville as I write this - all his finals went well and he's pretty happy with his grades. I'm proud of him for juggling school, work and our family and getting through semester #1! Diana is napping and I'm enjoying the first quiet half hour I've had all weekend. We all need some sleep tonight! (PICTURES Top: Di pulled things out of Danny's suitcase as he packed them! Middle: Me with the happy couple Bottom: Lindsay met Diana for the very first time)