A Disney princess in training...

If we thought Di enjoyed her first trip to Disney at 10 months old, we were even more excited by how much our little girl reacted to her 2nd official trip to see Minnie and Mickey! This was just a quick overnight trip due to our busy schedules but we definitely packed in the fun!

Alex shows Di the monkeys

Uncle Robbie ready to catch

                        We arrived Friday around lunchtime and met our Orlando family - Uncle Rob, Aunt Caryn and cousin Alex - at the Animal Kingdom. We had a great time seeing the Festival of the Lion King show and then headed over to the Dinoland section. Diana, Danny, Alex and I went on a mini roller coaster type of ride where you sit in a dinosaur and go around and around and up and down. Needless to say, our little daredevil loved it. After some running around at the big dinosaur-themed playground, we saw Di's favorite animal - MONKEYS!- and then headed to the hotel to freshen up before an early dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. We all slept well that night!

Di in full princess mode

Smiling for Daddy on the merry-go-round

The next day we headed over to Downtown Disney which is kind of like a theme park in itself! They were having a sidewalk chalk art festival and also had tons of life size Legos on display (everything from dogs to dinosaurs to trains) outside the Legoland store. We then headed into the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique where little girls can get princess makeovers complete with hair and makeup! Di is a bit too young to have her makeup done (maybe next trip!) but walked right over to the dozens of princess outfits and picked out a beautiful yellow tutu and some bracelets to match! She insisted on wearing the tutu throughout the entire day - we definitely have a mini princess in training on our hands! Downtown Disney also had a carousel and a little train for toddlers and Di had such a blast. She kept kissing her horse on the merry-go-round!

In front of the Epcot ball

Di gets a lift from her Daddy

                            From there, we went to Epcot to enjoy the rest of our day. Diana could have seriously watched the monorail speed by the entrance all afternoon but we finally pulled her away to meet the characters. We really underestimated how excited she would be to meet Mickey and Minnie. She almost jumped out of my arms to kiss each character and I could tell when we met Minnie that she was just in awe of her and her beautiful polka dot dress. I remember feeling the same way meeting Minnie as a kid and to watch my own daughter make the same memories is pretty amazing. After the characters we headed for the rides including The Living Seas with Nemo, The Land, and Journey Into Imagination. I also went to see Captain EO - I couldn't believe they brought back the Michael Jackson film from the 80s - very cool!

Minnie Mouse!

We headed home around dinnertime and although we could have spent another few days at the parks, it was really nice to wake up Sunday morning in our own bed and have the day to regroup and unpack.  You really don't realize how tiring a Disney vacation with a toddler is until you get home!

So excited to meet Mickey!

Our Disney trip was yet another wonderful memory and we can't wait to get back again!
Click here to view all of our Disney pictures.

November pics

Hi all!

No time to write a whole entry this morning. We leave for our 2nd Disney trip with the little lady tomorrow morning so lots of packing to do!

Just wanted to share some pics from the past two weeks:

Grandma Ann turned 80 years young last week and we had a wonderful dinner celebration!

Here are some mixed snapshots of Di at the Mizner Park Green Living Fair, the Parkland Farmer's Market, at dinner with Abuelo and Uncle Alexander and Danny and me celebrating our 3rd anniversary.

More pictures after we visit Mickey and Minnie this weekend!

Halloween!

Last year, Diana was about 3 months old for her first Halloween. She really had no idea what was going on and I think she even fell asleep before we went out to trick or treat! She did look pretty cute in a black onesie with an orange tutu though!

This year, our little lady is going on 16 months and we had a blast this past Halloween weekend! Di has been pointing out all of the Halloween decorations in our neighborhood for weeks now and has tried on her costume and carried her bright pink pumpkin around all month. So in other words, Halloween was MUCH more of an event for her (and for Danny and I) this year.

This past Saturday started off with a car milestone for Di! Thanks to a (very) early Christmas gift from Nonna Linda and Grandpa Gary, we stashed Di's infant car seat in the garage and installed her new "big girl" toddler car seat! She was so excited to be facing forward and sitting up higher. I know it's cheesy but with each new stage or milestone she hits, I get a little misty eyed. As Danny and I looked back at her from the front seat, we just kind of shook our heads in disbelief at how fast she's growing up, how big she looks and how much she's changed just since her 1st birthday this past July.

On Saturday, we met my Grandpa "Rubio" and Aunt Dianita in Pembroke Pines at the always delicious Village Tavern. They come to see us all the way from Miami so the Shops at Pembroke Gardens is a great meeting place. We had a wonderful meal with them as we always do, chatting about our lives and enjoying good food and wine. Diana ate a little bit of everything and had so much fun visiting. She especially loved running around a huge fountain outside the restaurant after dinner. She squealed in delight each time the water splashed up and clapped her hands! Our little girl definitely loves to put on a show and be the center of attention.

Sunday was Halloween! We had the whole gang over including Grandpa Ron and Grandma Susie, Uncle Brandon, Nana and Poppa, Gigi, Aunt Jo, Aunt Alex and Uncle Matthew with Cousin Roman and Nonna and Grandpa. Whew! After some pizza, cupcakes and lots of singing and playing, we got Roman and Di their costumes. Roman was a pro and put his horse getup on right away. Diana took a little more convincing!


After taking a picture or two with her huge fairy tutu, she decided just to go with the wings! Hey, what more do you want out of a toddler?! She then insisted on pushing Abby Caddaby down the street in her doll stroller while wearing her wings. (Click here to watch the video) Every now and then, she stopped to do the pumpkin dance that we taught her - too cute! Thanks to Roman, Di finally seemed to get the hang of knocking on doors and getting candy in her pumpkin. Our group must've been quite a sight - all 10 of us (some holding cocktails and beer!) parading down our neighborhood street watching the kids trick or treat!

                        Di and Roman were troopers but after about two blocks the yawning started. After dumping out her candy and eating a Milky Way mini, Diana was down for the count. I'd say it was a pretty great night for the adults and kids alike!

We've had a pretty wonderful October with lots of fall fun and now we have our 2nd Disney trip to look forward to next weekend - can't wait!

Click here to view all of our Halloween pics.