Darla

Ivy's Graduation

2010-06-09T21:49:00.001-05:00

Wow time has really flown by this year I cant believe its the end of another school year. But this year has so much more meaning to it because my Lil Princess Ivy-Lynn is graduating. She has always been so smart & an over achiever ever since she started walking at 8 months old. She continues to be that way we always said she would be the lawyer in the family...LOL Funny that she was always portrayed as the loud-mouth have to have the last word kind of girl. I guess it worked to her advantage. We are so proud of her she got accepted into Florida International University. Way to go my lil princess.

It brings tears to my eyes to know that you are all grown up.

Ivy's Senior Prom

2010-05-14T15:26:00.000-05:00

I can't believe its prom time yet again it seems like they go to one every year whether its theirs or someone elses...LOL None the less it is Ivy's Senior prom & can I say she looked amazing like something out of a fairy tale. We went dress shopping a few weeks back and she found that one dress that just calls out your name...yea you know the I have to have dress nothing else will do dress yes that one. She had to call daddy for that one because not only was it top of the line it came with the top of the line price tag!

I did her hair & my sister did her make up she looked like a princess. Well I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

Our Christmas E-Card

2009-12-19T19:03:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T21:54:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was great this year the only thing missing to make it complete was Bianca. That is the hardest thing about her being away at college is all the holidays that I have to miss with her. It is very hard to get use to that kind of thing.

It's our 2nd Thanksgiving spent away from each other and yet it doesn't seem to get any easier. One thing I am thankful for is that she has made friends at school and they invited her to spend thanksgiving with them in their homes and that makes me happy to know that she won't be spending it alone.

This was the 3rd annual turkey that I have made on my own & I have to say it came out DELICIOUS! I am so proud of myself starting my own Thanksgiving tradition so that my children can come home year after year once they have left the nests. I really have a lot to be thankful for my husband, my children, my family & friends
I LOVE you all & thank you for being a part of my life.

Sandlot Fall Season

2009-11-23T11:16:00.004-06:00

Well our travel baseball fall season has come to an end. We finished 1st in our league with a great record 19-1 we only had one loss the whole season. There was some fierce competition out there but the Sandlot always remained on top! I created a website for our Sandlot team it is www.sandlots.shutterfly.com you can go on there to see photos, videos & read about all the accomplishments we've had this season.

Petco Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest

2009-10-29T11:40:00.002-05:00

Bianca took Louie & Lena to a costume contest @ PETCO the other day. There were tons of media there covering the event as well as the grand opening of the store. She must of caught the eye of the reporter when he interviewed her because he put her picture on the front page of the article. Click on the link below to see the article & picture.
She told me that she had a great time at the event. Louie & Lena were dressed up as a ladybug & bug catcher..LOL

Petco Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest

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It's Been A While....

2009-10-05T18:46:00.003-05:00

I know it has been a while since I posted last. I am sorry for that it's just that I have had a lot going on in my life. You know how it goes too busy for yourself. I redid my blog look to go with the holiday theme...Halloween I am going to update it from now on at least once a month. I guess this post will be kind of long as I am going to try & catch you up on what's been going in my hectic but wonderful life these past few months.

Where to start??? ok I left off at Jr's travel ball 4th of July tournament. So I guess I will start off with him. As most of you know jr joined a travel ball team over the summer. They have been playing very well together. Right now they are 8-1 & in 1st place in the league. This weekend we are going to be in a tournament in Stuart. The boys are really excited about going. I know we can bring home the trophy this weekend we've done it before & we can do it again. Jr started 2nd grade and is doing wonderful. He has a great teacher & he loves going to school. Oh did I mention he's toothless..LOL Yes he lost his two front teeth and then he lost his bottom so he has NO teeth in front. I just took him to the dentist today in hopes that he could tell me when his teeth would be growing back, the dr looked at me & said maybe for christmas...LOL

Anissa & Ivanna have been doing well in school & they are still cheering they are on Cheer Florida All-stars and practice very hard several times a week. They are planning on going to lots of competitions this cheer season. Ivy got a job she works @ Pasqualis a pizzaria as a cashier. She has been very busy with work, school, on-line classes and applying to colleges she wants to be a lawyer and we know she will make a great one since she is always arguing everything...

Nisi is learning to drive seeing as she will be turning 16 in March...oh my god where has the time gone? They are growing up so fast.

Bianca is still in Colorado...I missed her very much last month it was the 1st time she didn't come home from school. She usually comes home every quarter for a week or so but I just couldn't afford to bring her this time and that was very sad. I wanted to spend my bday with her we've never missed a bday together. I am very proud of her though she is working at a state of the art veterinary hospital in Denver, Co and she is going to school FULL time. She has been doing great! I can't wait for her to graduate and pursue her dream of becoming a wildlife vet. You can follow her blog and see what she's been up to at www.biancafeliu.blogspot.com

Me I have been just moping around the house working from time to time. Just haven't been in the mood to do much. Well that's not 100% true I have been scrapbooking away when I can..I've been working on all of jr's sports albums finished Tae Kwon Do, Basketball & almost done well not done but caught up on baseball.

I will keep you updated monthly at least and I will try & post pictures on my site.
Have a great week

GO SANDLOT!

2009-07-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

Jr had his 1st travel ball tournament this weekend and it was AWESOME!!!! Jr made a travel team called the Sandlots there were quite a few kids trying out and he made the final roster.

The team had only practiced together twice before playing at the tournament so you can imagine how nervous we were when the coach announced that we were playing in the Triple Crown State Championship Tournament...

He had a great time. We played against 2 other teams there was 2 from Miami & 1 from West Palm Beach, we were undefeated the entire weekend going into the championship game with confidence. The boys played the game like they had been playing together forever. It was such a wonderful feeling seeing Richie so happy to be a part of the team.

Here are some pictures from the tournament.
GO Sandlot!!!!

Our Summer Cruise

2009-06-23T07:16:00.004-05:00

We just got back from our cruise & it was GREAT! We visited Key West, Grand Cayman, & Ocho Rios. Did I mention we were a group of 13 yep you read correctly 13..LOL

I think that is the way to go. We had so much fun there was never a dull moment that's for sure if it wasn't one thing it was another.

The 1st night on the ship I went to the casino to feel it out and boy was it a good feeling I won $1,600 right off the bat in the slot machines I was so excited!!! Then I won another $400.00 before the night was over. That money sure came in handy. We used it to pay for all our excursions.

In Grand Cayman we went to the famous Sting Ray City. Stingray City is located in the shallow waters of the northwest corner of Grand Cayman's North Sound. It's just inside a natural channel which passes through the barrier reef. That's important to know, as it explains not only where Stingray City is, but also why it is.

Stingrays are bottom dwellers who feed primarily on mollusks and crustaceans, for which they dig in the sand, and on the occasional small fish. Stingrays naturally like shallow, sandy bottoms such as that found at this channel because that's where they find their food.

Fisherman used to duck in here, behind the the reef, to find calm water before returning to the dock. Rather than spill their beer and have sharp knives and fish guts flung about the boat while on open water, they naturally waited to return to the sound to clean and fillet their catch. Disposing of the offal was easy, toss it overboard in the shallow water, there's no one out here and the fish will eat it! It was fat city for the rays!

Well, years went by, and eventually some local divers realized that, not only were there were a lot of rays out there but you could get in the water with them and feed them by hand.

Now, over ten years later, Stingray City have hit the big time. This is not a penned up, artificial, man-made aquarium setting with captive rays like they setup in the Bahamas in 1995. This is the real thing, this is the real ocean with real animals who are free to come and go as they choose, and they choose to be there because they hope that you might just come down there and feed them. Makes sense, when you think of it, who really wants to have to grub in the sand for a living?

The locals say that if you kiss a stingray you will have 7 years good luck...I puckered up mu lips god know I need some good luck my way.

But for everyone who dares get in that water for their first time this with these prehistoric looking creatures lurking just below their toes, the adrenaline still flows and the heart still pumps. I know mine was but it is definitely a world-class experience one that I recommend you try.

Our next stop Fisherman's Reef where we went snorkeling, observing all sorts of marine life from hundreds of tropical fish to eels, turtles, corals, sponges and much more! It was AMAZING and a bit scary at times I was afraid some of the reef sharks would come over for a visit...LOL

Next up was the 7 mile beach. Grand Cayman is famous for this soft white sand beach with crystal clear water that you can see right down to your feet. It was so beautiful I had never been on a beach so crystal clear before. We rode the banana boat, jet skis we even had lunch right on the beach.

Our Next Port was Ocho Rios, Jamaica we went did a quite a few things while we were there. We hired a bus driver to stay with us the whole day & take us anywhere we wanted to go. Our 1st stop was River tubing at White River Valley. The White River is so named because the limestone rocks in its bed sometimes give the water a white, milky colour. The river runs along the border of the two scenic parishes of St. Mary and St. Ann, twisting and turning its way through the rain forest to the town of Ocho Rios where it meets the sea.

As the river courses its way through White River Valley it forms rapids known as the Flipping Rapids and Spinning Rapids. We had 2 Jamaican guys ride along with us just in case we got into trouble along the way which was a good thing seeing that Rich fell off of his tube once & had a hard time getting back on. During our trip down the river we traveled through 7 rapids (a bit scary at times..LOL) to the midway stop where we stopped to swim, drink a cold beer, and rest a bit before going back down the river or you could jump of the 20 ft Cliff & plunge into the COLD river. The depth is over 12 feet so it is quite deep. We all jumped off the cliff even the little ones jumped it was so exciting.

After Tubing we went to Dunn River Falls. Dunn's River Falls is unique. Described as a living and growing phenomenon, it continuously regenerates itself from deposits of travertine rock, the result of precipitation of calcium carbonate from the river, as it flows over the falls. The small dome-shaped cataracts are usually associated with thermal spring activity found in limestone caves. This, combined with its location near to the sea, gives Dunn's River the distinction of being the only one of its kind in the Caribbean, if not the world. It is one of the very few waterfalls in the world that actually fall directly into the sea.

We climbed up the 600Ft waterfall in a human chain..all of us holding hands helping one another on our way up. It was slippery at times, so slippery that Jorge fell back and of coarse we got that on video it was totally worth the $40.00 we couldn't leave without that...LOL

All in all it was a wonderful experience & I cant wait to take another cruise in the near future. Life is too short & we need to live it to the fullest and I want to visit all parts of the world & see things that I have only read about. The trip was extra special to me because I got to spend it with my kids. Even though they are growing up they still want to do things with their mother...I thank god for that.
Hope you enjoy the pictures that I posted of our Summer vacation 2009

Another Prom

2009-05-18T14:53:00.003-05:00

I cant believe it was Ivanna's junior prom. Time is just flying by it feels like just yesterday I was changing her diapers...LOL She went to prom with her boyfriend Zach they have been dating for over a year..hhhhhhmmmmmm a bit serious I guess. He is a senior this year and on the varsity baseball team he got a college scholarship to play ball. Ivanna is still the preppy lil cheerleader that she was 10 years ago. She has been doing extremely well in school and just made the Cheer Florida Coed Level 5 Cheer Team that is going to be on television. They are making a reality show this season on how hard it is to be a competitive cheerleader & what it takes to be the best and compete at Worlds. She was so excited about that I told her now all the world can see the drama queen..LOL.

Recovery Process

2009-04-28T12:54:00.004-05:00

I wanted to give you an update on Teddi & Chris and let all of you know how she is doing. The truth is that she will carry that pain in her heart every day, and the hole in her heart will never be filled she misses her pups so much.

Regardless of how much you cry and beg it not to, life goes on. And no matter how much you try to ignore it you are faced again with another day. Teddi has been very strong and I am so proud of her. I can only imagine reliving the images of the fire over and over again in her head wondering if there was something that she could of done to prevent it.

Teddi & Chris returned back to work and are currently trying to establish a new routine. Teddi is driving over an hour to get to work everyday. It is not easy, but it is getting a little better with each day.

The account set up to help Teddi & Chris will be open a few more weeks and we would love for everyone to make a donation before we close it out as Teddi & Chris could really use the help. Any spare change you have lying around in the bottom of your purse or in your car can be easily turned into a $1.00 to help them buy much needed essentials. It's not much but it would mean the world to them as they are with nothing. Every bit counts.

You can keep up with how they are doing on Teddi's personal blog http://teddirobertson.typepad.com

or the blog that was set up for Teddi & Chris after the fire http://forteddiandchris.blogspot.com

If you have any questions or would like to help please email us at:
forteddiandchris@yahoo.com

Teddi & Chris

RIP Buck

RIP Harley

Terrible Tragedy

2009-04-14T18:23:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone it is with great sadness that I am witting this post. My good friend Teddi, who I've known for years, just lost everything, including her 2 beloved dogs, (whom she loved more than life), in an early morning fire a few days ago that completely destroyed her home.

Teddi is completely devastated as not only did she lose her precious animals in a horrible fire she has been left with nothing but the clothes on her back. She was renting a property that had an electrical shortage and her house burned down in minutes.

The owner of the property is not taking any blame in this matter and is ignoring all of her calls as to not deal with her. The red cross put her up for 2 nights at a hotel but that is all they have done for her.

My friend Hilary set up a fund for her. The account # is 8853786017 you can walk in to any WAMU (Washington Mutal) branch and tell them you are there to make a donation to the Teddi Robertson fund you don't even need the account # if you don't have it. I know that it is a lot to ask especially during these hard financial times but anything you can donate to her would be greatly appreciated.

I know exactly how she is feeling as I too lost everything during hurricane Andrew. I was very lucky to have help from family & friends during that emotional time. We don't realize how much we have & how grateful we should be for the little things we have until they are gone. We so often take for granted a hair tie, tooth brush, shampoo, socks, etc Teddi is in need of any and as much help as possible right now as her world has just come crumbling down. She has no one & no where to turn to.

Another friend of ours Kathy set up a blog that she will be updating with pictures and events as she gets them please check it out. You can see the news story & video of her home on this blog. Http://forteddiandchris.blogspot.com if you can find it in your hearts to help out in any way I know she would be forever grateful.

Jungle Island

2009-04-13T17:46:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting much since Jan shame on me!!!! Facebook has taken over my blog...LOL I have to get back in the swing of things. It has been hard juggling all the kids with cheerleading, tae kwon do, baseball, basketball & everyday household demands not to mention missing Bianca everyday. When she was here for spring break I took her to Jungle Island. I signed us up for this VIP tour that let you get up close & personal with lots of different wild animals. Well I should of know that the others would tag along...LOL I am posting some of the wonderful pics for you to see. We had a great time. The tour was only suppose to last 90 minutes and it ended up lasting 5 hours. Ryan our tour guide just took to us and kept the tour going. He was very impressed by the knowledge Bunky had on all the animals. Bianca said it was one of the best experiences she has ever had. Now that is funny because all of the animal encounters she has had is more than some people see in a life time but yet each one tops the one before...LOL check out her blog to see what shes been up to and to see all her wild animal encounters. www.biancafeliu.blogspot.com Bianca is going to make a GREAT vet someday!!!!!!!!

Pena Family Christmas

2009-01-22T09:55:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Letter to Santa

2008-12-15T19:26:00.001-06:00

December already

2008-12-15T19:23:00.002-06:00

WOW time flies I cant believe it has been almost 4 months since my last post..LOL I left to Colorado to take Bianca there & get settled in before she started at college. I have been so busy with her, the rest of the kids, remodel on the house, the monkey situation that is still going on after 2 years that I have neglected my blog yet once again. I am a terrible BLOGGER! I have been helping Bianca with her blog so all the post you see I have put them up for her. She emails me the pictures & what she wants to say & I post it...LOL You would think she would of learned how to blog by now.
Well I am going to try & keep this up to date..as there is a new year starting & I am sure there will be a lot of things to share with you.

Going Away Dinner

2008-10-02T10:15:00.004-05:00

This was Bianca's going away dinner, of coarse being the procrastinator that I am it wasn't planned until the last minute. Just a few close friends & family getting together to say goodbye. It was a couple of nights before heading off to Colorado.
Bianca didn't tell me that she was inviting a few of her friends so imagine my surprise when I saw the bill at the end of the night...LOL
We had conversation, good food, a great time & most importantly we got to spend some time with Bianca before she left.

Scrapbook Room

2008-08-19T17:30:00.009-05:00

OK, OK everyone has been asking me to post pictures of my scrapbook room so i finally got around to taking some the other day.

The room is not completely finished but it is presentable. The room will always be a work in progress..LOL For those that know me I have changed my scrapbook room so many times I cant even count. Every time I find new furniture I like I change it. My sister get all my hand me downs so she is always encouraging the change..LOL

The embellishments are in jars that I purchased at target, wal-mart & prima. I have all my ribbon, flowers, embellishments, gems, & inks sorted by color that took me forever to do. I still have baggies with items to sort they are in my MISC. bin...LOL

The furniture is all from IKEA. I LOVED the dark brown/blk look some call it espresso. I got everything to match piece by piece.

The bins are from target, Ek, & IKEA I added tags & ribbons on them to help me find my items more efficiently. As you can see there are still tags to be made.

My computer & electronic devices are along the back wall all lines up on the Ek cubes that are no longer being sold..thank god i found furniture to match :0)

My working table is big enough for 2 but i prefer to use the whole table myself..LOL When my daughter scraps she gets the fold out table and outs it catty-corner to me so that we can talk & share, boy am I going to miss her when she leaves to college next month. As you can see under the table are more bins...LOL

I made some XL canvas to hang on the wall it spells out FAMILY they are pictures of my children from the last 3 years.

I keep all my paper & embellishments in the bins. The paper are kept in plastic 12x12 paper holders each one labeled & in alphabetical order as you can see I have a ton of girl paper...LOL The stickers & themed embellishments are in the bins separated by plastic file tabs from cropper hopper.

I tried to take pictures of whatever i could to give you the idea of how i keep my scrapbook room oh & lets not forget the matching doggy bed..LOL

Here are some pictures of the room. I hope it inspires you!

Busch Gardens 2008

2008-07-21T12:02:00.003-05:00

Busch Gardens was GREAT! except for the scorching 98 degrees with no breeze that we had going on. I tell you it was so hot that we couldn't even see straight, it mad the breeze from the roller coasters feel fantastic..lol Lets not mention the water rides thank god they had 4 of them..lol We went up to Busch Garden because we gave Bianca a graduation gift that entailed her being in their zoo career for a week working alongside the zookeepers, handlers & veterinarians at Busch Gardens. So we drove up on Friday and dropped her off Sat morning & continued on to the park for ourselves. We ran into her one time while Jr was getting a tattoo...lol She was getting to know the park inside & out. She has only one phone call a day & it is a night as she has a really rough schedule. Bianca gets up @ 5:00am every morning gets ready has breakfast & then works in her zoo area from 7 -12 then has lunch and goes back to her zoo area from 1-3. At 3 they go & do other activities that entail learning all there is to know about working with zoo animals. She then gets dinner around 6 then showers, free time & phone calls. There are a few field trips she will go on one is to the Busch Gardens Animal Outpost where the zoo animals are held before entering or leaving to go to another zoo, the other field trip is at Discovery Cove where she will swim with dolphins and learn about marine animals. She also gets a few photo ops with some animals and lots of hands on training. I think this is an experience she will never forget. I hope the gift we gave her measures up to her expectations. I will keep you posted on her week as it draws to a close. She has made a few friends one of them is also going to Colorado for college so i hope they stay friends for a very long time.

Sea World Trip

2008-07-12T07:09:00.006-05:00

We Went on a trip to Sea World & their new water park Aquatica. It was so much fun! We were a group of 11 yep you read correctly 11 so it was a bit hectic but all in all worth every moment. The kids had so much fun it had been a few years since we had been to Sea World the weather was great it wasn't too crowded it was just right. We woke up at 6:00 am to get to Aquatica by 7 the park opened @ 9 but we were allowed in an hour early some special we received when we bought our tickets online...lol Anyhow the new park is so popular that the gates close by 10 because they have met capacity, is that insane or what? Cant wait we are going to be going to Busch Gardens next weekend this summer is going to be jam packed with fun things for us to do all together before my baby girl goes away to college...

2008-06-21T14:14:00.006-05:00

Well June 4th has come & gone Bianca has graduated. I have been so stressed trying to get everything ready for her BIG move to Colorado. I am so nervous about her going yet i am not acting like it (at least not in front of her). I am trying to stay strong for her sake. Bianca reads alot in to my actions and i dont want her to be afraid, nervous, or second guess her decision about going out there & pursuing her dream. It seems like she will be gone for so long but time flies & in a blink of an eye they are all grown up. She will be done with her associates before i know it and be on her way back to Fl where she wants to then go to UF's wonderful Veterinarian school of medicine. At least she will be in Fl and she will be closer to home...lol I guess i am selfish i just know i am going to miss her soooo very much more than she will ever know. As out of all 5 of my kids she is the one closest to me & the one i share everything with.

Graduation

2008-05-22T15:36:00.005-05:00

CLASS OF 2008

I CANT BELIEVE IT June 4th is almost here! Bianca is finally graduating...I am so very, very proud of her and all that she has accomplished while in high school.

I look forward to seeing her become all that she can be in the future. I know her dreams of becoming a wildlife vet will come true, the talent and determination that she has will take her far in life.

This is one of the happiest moments for me.

I LOVE YOU Bianca

Bianca's Senior Prom

2008-05-20T06:48:00.009-05:00

Bianca's Senior Prom

On Saturday Bianca had her Senior prom it was a hectic day! Hair, make up, clothes, pictures...boy it was so stressful.

Bianca looked breathtaking!!! The dress was such an unusual color for a prom dress, it made her stand out in a crowd. The dress was a HUGE HIT! Everyone LOVED it & thought she was so beautiful she got compliments on it all night long... I had to keep looking at her she just looked so pretty.

All of the pictures were taken outside before going to meet up with everyone & getting in the hummer limo that was taking them all to prom. The pictures look like a professional took them but it was just lil old me. I did out do myself in the picture taking department...lol I cant believe how great they turned out but then again i had a beautiful subject.

WOW this is her SENIOR prom where has the time gone? I really wish my grandmother Mimi was here to see her she would say "Mi niña linda, preciosa" she always had a way with words. I know she was looking down upon her on that special day.

My little Bunky is growing up right before my eyes. Only 15 more days till the GRADUATION!

Jr's Activities

2008-04-25T20:53:00.005-05:00

I know i have been talking all about the girls & cheerleading and haven't been saying much about my one & only boy. Jr is in karate & baseball so he keeps himself very busy. . He is already a yellow belt hopefully next week when he gets tested he will get another stripe towards getting his orange belt.

Lil Rich is also in baseball he goes to practice 2 times a week and has 1 to 2 games a week. He has really gotten 110% better since his 1st season back in Oct of 07. All the coaches that have worked with him have said he has great potential in this sport.

Here are a couple of pictures of him in action.

Ohana "Means Family"

2008-04-17T18:00:00.004-05:00

Every year we take a family portrait and this year Bianca decided to take care of it for me. She picked out everyones outfits & drove them to the studio and had them posing for pictures. I am very proud of her she really is a GREAT daughter and a WONDERFUL BIG sister. Here is one of the pictures they look so amazing in it!!! Ohana, means family...and I thank god every day for mine.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-16T17:32:00.001-05:00

Daytona Beach

2008-04-16T16:18:00.002-05:00

Daytona Beach was our last hoorah! It was our final cheer competition and i have to say one of the BEST! The weather was great a little to great we all got sunburned..lol
the competition itself was on the beach and we had a blast. The kids really enjoyed themselves. I invited my brother along so he could see his oldest niece perform for the last time as she is a senior this year & will be going away to college in Sept. This was a very emotional competition for a lot of us as this is the last year some of the girls will compete so it feels strange knowing that Bianca will no longer be traveling with us and helping me out with her sisters. We are going to miss her but i know that she is going to be great as a vet and even though she will no longer cheer with everyone i know that her heart will always be with Cheer Fla, the coaches, the teammates & the friends she made over the years. We celebrated our last day with a HUGE team bbq on the beach on Sunday it was very cold & windy as you can see by the pictures.
Our last BIG get together will be @ our end of the year banquet at the Hard Rock!!! Boy Our we going to have fun!!!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-10T22:29:00.001-05:00

ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE

2008-04-10T17:10:00.004-05:00

Back from islands of adventure. Besides the horrible weather ALL weekend long we had a good time. All of us were together and that is what matters most! The girls competed on Sat & Sun but got to have fun at the parks in between despite the weather. We got soaked on Sat it rained all day long..lol We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on site and got to party like rock stars..they really gave us the 5 star treatment and the rooms were great, well they better be for $400 bucks a night...lol
Another advantage we had for staying on site was the fast pass access to get on all the rides with no wait especially being that this was spring break & the rides were packed with 60-80 minute waits but we just blew on by everyone...well worth it!
Here are some pictures of the fun filled weekend!

National Champions Again....

2008-03-17T21:08:00.004-05:00

We arrived back from Tampa last night at about 2:00 am. The competition was GREAT! Both Anissa's, Ivy & Bunky's teams got 1st place! Even though it was a very very long & tiring weekend the final outcome makes it all worth it.

I am so proud of my kids they really try as hard as they can and give it 110% all the time. We have 1 last competition to go to this season & it's at Daytona Beach, FL. We might be going to one other to try & win a bid to compete at the Cheer competition of ALL cheer competitions "WORLDS" were only the best of the best compete.

If we get to go compete for a bid @ Worlds we will then have 3 more competitions to go to. Since this is Bianca's last year to cheer since she is going away to college i really hope she gets to go & experience the thrill & excitement of competing among all the top teams from all of the country.

I will keep you posted and let you know if they go for the bid or not. But for now we are the National Champions!!!!!
GO CHEER FLORIDA

Tired

2008-03-07T07:59:00.008-06:00

I am sooooooooooo tired I have been on the go everyday for weeks with the girls & cheerleading. It is all worth it when you see your kids compete & then win 1st place over 15 teams and then to top it off win overall Grand Champs!!!! They are doing so great which I am glad as this is Bianca's Last year to cheer since she will be leaving to college soon. They won a few weeks back at a National in Miami and they were invited to preform the pre-game & half time show at the Miami Heat Game. They did AWESOME I am so very proud of them!

Into March...

2008-03-05T15:42:00.002-06:00

Well March is here and it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating New Years!

I am teaching the Limited Edition "Believe" word book by Bo-bunny. It is a wonderful keepsake to place your magical memories in.

There is also the "LuCkY" album a 4-leaf clover board book using the "Green Day" Collection by Reminisce. This mini album was designed & created by me so it is one of a kind you cant get it any where else...lol It really is a cute project. You don't have to be celebrating St Patty's day to create it I have photos of my family as i feel so lucky to have them in my life.

Moving right along I made a "Princess" accordion album that is so beautiful, I used the Creative Imaginations "Regina" Castle accordion book, EK's Disney Princess papers & Jolee's.

There is also a Bo-Bunny "Easter" board book, and a 2 page "Spring" layout using Reminisce Collection, and last but not least the 2 page layout "Your Just so Lucky" using Rusty Pickles "Lucky" collection.

These classes are just the beginning of a long list of creative & unique classes to come...
I am still adding pictures of the classes they will all be updated by tomorrow i need to take some pictures of the other projects.

Disney Dreams Come True!

2008-02-28T21:51:00.007-06:00

Let me just tell you a little bit about the amazing week I had. We went on a family vacation last week. We went to Walt Disney World for 5 days and hit up all 4 theme parks it was to celebrate Jr's 6th b-day. On our 3rd day we were at Epcot you can just picture this all of us arguing like the crazy cubans that we are, fighting over where we should go first and so on. We finally decided on a location the Finding Nemo ride which is so cute you really must go & see it. Well back to the story when we were about to get on the ride 2 Disney Cast Members pulled us aside & they shouted "You & your family are the winners of the Year of a Million Dreams contest!

Now before i tell you what prize we won i have to go on the record for those of you who don't personally know me. I am a HUGE i mean HUGE Disney fanatic...i am not kidding i love anything and everything Disney. So you can imagine my reaction when we won!!!! The prize we won was so fabulous i couldn't believe what i was hearing i had to have them repeat it twice..lol This particular prize is given out only once a month and there is only 12 total to be given out we were the second family to win the prize this year. I felt so totally honored I was 1 of the lucky 12!!!

We won 45 minutes of private time with 18 of Disney's greatest characters. They arranged a private area for all the characters to meet with us later on that afternoon. This was so incredible the kids were excited (not as much as I was...lol) We got to see all the Princesses and their handsome Princes and lets not forget the Fab 5 Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, & Pluto but they weren't alone they brought Chip & Dale and Donald's girlfriend Daisy along!

The area they took us to was decorated so lovely they had a beautiful enchanted backdrop that had the castle in the far back it was a picture perfect setting. Not only did we get one on one time with all the characters we were given autograph books signed by all of them & not just with their signatures but little sayings to each of us it was very nice. Along with the autograph book came a professional photographer for the whole time we were there. The photographer was snapping away and taking tons of pictures. Then to top it off FREE 5x7 coupons to get the photos that were taken of us was that not great? I couldn't believe it i never win anything some would say i am down right unlucky.

WOW this was a great gift. I am so glad we won, oh did i mention that the prize was for your average family of 4 but they allowed all 13 of us yes you read it correctly 13 of us to participate which i thought was wonderful all in itself.

I don't think i will ever experience anything as great as that for as long as i live, i know i am a grown up but i still feel like a little kid inside especially when I'm at Walt Disney World.

NEW START!

2008-02-06T10:52:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone,
This NEW YEAR has started out to be a GREAT one! Starting the new year with lots of changes in my life all for the better.

I will keep you posted as all the New Year resolutions transpire here are a few...

*New job (DONE)
*Loose weight (in the process)
*Mommy makeover surgery
*New car
*New wardrobe
*Win my monkey lawsuit (hopefully soon)

Please keep checking back you never know what is going to be going on next...

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-27T15:53:00.000-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2007-12-24T14:45:00.000-06:00

Here is the picture I used for our Family Christmas Cards this year & wouldn't you know it one of them had to be "MIA" Alexandra wasn't here for the photo. I made the cards a few days before x-mas so she missed out on the photo op I told her she needed to be home.
The kids were like hurry up mom they couldn't stand & pose for 1 picture for me but let it be for their my space pages & they will pose all day long.
Anyhow I want to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

10 Year Anniversary!

2007-11-29T00:01:00.000-06:00

Well our 10 year wedding anniversary has come & gone. It seems like just yesterday that we met thanks to our BESTEST friend "Ile". I cant believe how time flies. Though the years have brought us many difficult and troubled times they have also brought us many happy & wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. No matter what curve ball life throws our way we always seem to make it through as long as we have each other. I want to share with you some pictures from our 10 yr wedding vow renewal. I hope to have many more to come...

I'm Back!

2007-10-10T11:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have not been up to date with my blog shame, shame, shame on me...lol

I have been so busy with my online store, family, and work oh and did i mention all the after school activities.

Well just thought i would update everyone and i will be on top of my blog from here on out i sure missed it! Thanks for checking out the blog and look back for future updates.

Talk to everyone soon
Darlene

Ringing in the New Year!

2007-01-02T09:17:00.000-06:00

The phrase a picture is worth a thousand words is so very true especially for this very special night. There's nothing like ringing in the New Year with people you care about old & new. I was with my children, husband, brother & some of my very close friends. We all had so much fun, I havent danced like that in years. Everyone was so happy & having a great time with one another. What is that saying? "Out with the old and in with the NEW!" that couldn't be more true. I have had some up & downs this past year god only knows but I am looking forward to this New Year with hopes that it will bring lots for joy and prosperity for me, my family & friends.
Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas 2006

2007-01-02T09:04:00.000-06:00

We went down to spend Christmas eve with our families in Miami. Most of our day was spent driving visiting all of our families in different houses. Christmas Day we spent together at home. After lots of thought we decided to start our own family tradition and start having Christmas Eve at our house it is just way too much to juggle going to see all of both our families and the kids families all in 1 day! I also wanted to start the tradition by celebrating it at our house because as the kids get older and start to leave home I want them to be able to have something to look back on as well as something to share with me and their children as they get older. I love the time I spend with my family and that is why I am going to start our very own Christmas Eve tradition next year. Here are some photos that we took on Dec 24th & 25th unfortunately my camera died and I dont have many pictures to share.

Almost over....

2006-12-26T15:51:00.000-06:00

Wow I cant believe that Christmas has come & gone already. The only thing to look forward to once New Year passes is the The CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) Winter show in Anehiem California. It goes on from Jan 28th through the 31st.

There are going to be over 3,500 vendors at this show. Not only is there going to be so many vendors at this function but Martha Stewart is going to be a keynote speaker at this event. All of us (EK elite customers) were invited to meet with Martha and have her speak to us about her new line that we got a sneak peek at in Las Vegas last month,before she launches to everyone else at the show.

There are going to be a ton of workshops to take with new products to use as well as learn information on all the latest products that will be coming out next year.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year...too

Christmas Cards

2006-12-19T08:32:00.000-06:00

Every year I take a family well (my kids) photos to make a christmas card to send out to family & friends. But every year it seems to get harder & harder to top the last card and to get the kids all together and actually pose for the camera, now if it was for thier myspace pages well thats a different story they have no problem doing that but for me to take dorky pictures they are totally against it!
This year I was pressed for time and I knew if I wanted them sent out before christmas then I would have to make them simple. Simple can be good, I made the kids pose in front of a blank wall, that was a task in itself and for everyone to be looking at the camera and smiling verses making funny faces or crying yes even my big girls cry over how they look..lol
I then digitally enhanced the photo by cropping and pasting them to a unique background and then added the text and whala the front of the card was made. Now making the rest was a piece of cake right I mean the hard part was done.
This is the picture I used for my christmas cards and since they still had to have that hand made feel I only made a few 12 to be exact. I sent an email to the rest of my friends & family that didnt get to recieve the actual card.
I just thought I would post a picture of my kids and send everyone that visited my blog christmas wishes.

Finally!

2006-12-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

Finally my online Disney scrapbooking store is finally up & running. I am still adding products but for the most part it is ready 2 go! Please stop on by and check it out I think it is a great place to shop & find all your Disney & theme park scrapbooking needs.
I will be updating the site daily until all the merchandise I want to put in is done.
Can you believe christmas is right around the corner, it seems like yesterday that we were trick or treating!
Chat with you all soon
Darla

Ek Contest

2006-11-17T20:33:00.000-06:00

I'm going to EK Extravaganza in Las Vegas with my boss and she asked me if I would make a layout to enter into a contest that they're having while we're there. (I was a bit nervous but agreed to do it) It could only be a 1 page spread, had to tell a story as well as be interactive and if that wasnt hard enough you were only allowed to use EK products but that wasnt the hardest part it was incorporating all of the 10 items they asked you to use all together! Boy did I have my work cut out for me. All & all I think it came out really cute. It's my son with one of our dogs Buster. They are buddies and I just thought these pictures went well with the theme PUPPY LOVE! I mean just look at the pictures they speak for themselves. Well wish me luck we leave for Vegas on the 28th when I get back on Dec 2nd I will have to let you know if we won.

Mickey Not so Scary Halloween Bag!

2006-11-17T20:30:00.000-06:00

I finally finished my MNSSHP mini bag album in between swaps. Everyone that went on the trip wanted me to make them one, so I did and sure enough mine was the last one to get done..lol
I made the mini album out of the Bo-Bunny Fright Night Collection. I used all the pattern paper from that collection along with the cardstock stickers. I added some Halloween Disney Jolees to give it that magical Disney feel. Inside the pockets of the bags are more photos that I mounted on Bo-Bunny matching cardstock. I inked the edges with fluid chalk and added fastenator staples with cordinating ribbons to pull them out of the pockets with. Everything came together so nicely I think. I can't believe Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Check out my slide show of the project!

Mickey's Not So Scary Album

2006-11-17T20:17:00.000-06:00

Mickey Not So Scary Halloween Party!

2006-10-31T13:41:00.000-06:00

This is my 4 year old son Richie & his fiancee Rebecca at the Mickey Not So Scary Halloween Party! They went dressed as Capt.Jack Sparrow & Elizabeth Swan. The funny thing is they picked out the costumes all by themselves how cute is that! I photoshop'd the Pirates ride background & their pic together to make it all match. Everyone LOVED their costumes at the park they wouldof won best costumes if there would of been a contest.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2006-10-31T12:37:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone is having a spooktacular day! I just got back from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party we had a blast! I am frantically trying to finish up my online store for the most part it is done just tweaking some odds & ends and finishing up adding product. I am already at 1,000 + items and climbing. Can you beleieve there are that many scrapbooking items for Disney & other theme parks I sure cant. I hope you all enjoy shopping at my store!

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

2006-10-15T18:15:00.000-05:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Almost Done!

2006-10-15T15:07:00.000-05:00

Hi, Just wanted to update everyone I am almost done with my Disney online scrapbook store. Just need to finish up a few files and tweak it a bit & then it should be good to go.