Xmas 2010 Recap

Every Christmas brings special memories especially when you have two 2-year-olds that make it interesting, exciting and fun!! It's not always fun and games and of course being a mommy is A LOT OF WORK but it's sooooo worth it and we feel incredibly blessed to have the privilege of being parents to our peanuts. These are one of the few jobs you'll ever have that its rewards far outweigh the energy put into it.

Some highlights of Cati & Val's Xmas was that they discovered the Christmas Tree, Santa, and Presents, and most importantly we talked about Baby Jesus. As a matter of fact the girls sang Happy Birthday to the Tree and at church they sang it again for Baby Jesus.

The TREE

The tree at Rockefeller Center

It was so tall she almost fell over pointing at it.

And here's Val all smiles!!!!

Cati looks a little dizzy from staring up the tree for so long..lol

And a special friend made an appearance at the Tree too.

Santa

We followed a mysterious road to see Santa...

Val was enamored with the penguins..

And dancing bears...

And we know who's ride this is!!!

And finally the moment of truth it's the old guy himself...SANTA!!!

And I hadn't had a chance to really visit with him in a while so I had a few words with old St. Nick too!

As we got ready for our annual Christmas photo we sang songs around our tree & talked about presents at Christmas.

And we showed them miniature versions of little presents.

...which they loved!

A visit to Christmas Village...

I have never been but I've heard lots of nice things. It was a pleasant little ride to this special place. And I have to admit I may have been more excited than the peanuts, probably because they had no idea where we were off too.

Almost there!!

And finally here we were.

I think the peanuts were not really prepared for the cold but it didn't bother some of us.

Some familiar sights.

It's the other peanuts.

And even our summer friends make it out in the winter for Christmas.

The lights were really pretty!

And the trains which were shown indoors were enjoyed by everyone.

One of my old time favs.

And Santa!

What cold!??!...boys are so much tougher than girls lol. Cousin Elias had a greeeeat time!

Baby Jesus

Our visit to Christmas village offered an opportunity to talk about the religious meaning of this holiday. We got to see an almost life size Nativity that helped tell the story of Baby Jesus.

You see the history of the Holy Family is a such an important part of our families. We believe that without them we would have never had our Saviour enter the world. They are our role model as a family and something we personally strive for each day. I'm sure Mary and Joseph had their ups and downs like most married couples but yet they persevered through it all and managed to raise a happy & loving young man. It was their good parenting & love that prepared Jesus to take on his ministry when the time came.

This was the first year that we got to bake cookies too! I attended this fantastic baking class and got to learn how to make cookies which I then showed the girls everything I learned. Stay tuned for a separate post on this.

For me, the holidays are always special and I love love love doing all the Christmassy stuff. The decorating, the music, the shopping, and the holiday movies all make Christmas for me. Enjoying this with my daughters is a dream come true for me. Maybe one day when they are all grown up they may not want to do all this with me but then again maybe they will because it will bring them back memories of their childhood. And maybe one day they'll continue our traditions with their own children. Tears. (must be the hormones)

Christmas Day

Finally arrived! J & I spent hours building and wrapping and finally the big day arrived. We were so excited to see the look on the girls' faces when they saw all their gifts.

And when all was said & done they were OFF to play with their new stuff.

But wait! There was a lot more at Grandma's house.

My nephews also enjoyed in the loot!!

And we got some cool gifts.

This year was special for me too because I was carrying around a little bump, a reminder of a true Christmas miracle. We are very fortunate to have our two happy & healthy girls and expecting another baby girl is nothing short of a miracle for us. We prayed and hoped for this child with all our hearts and our prayers were answered.

The Xmas Blizzard

Oh yes and last but certainly not least...SNOW SNOW SNOW!! The last blizzard of 2010 proved to be a whopper of an experience. We were able to enjoy it because well J & I were both on vacation from work and the peanuts were off from school too. And they looooved the snow and everything that comes along with playing in snow.

All night it looked like this...

And the next morning it looked like this...

And when we opened the front door it looked like this...

And the poor dogs had to go potty like this...

But finally after we dug ourselves out of the snow the fun could begin!

Next year we'll take it to the next level and take them sledding WOO HOO can't wait!! AAAAND I won't be pregnant so you KNOW I will be in there like snow-wear sledding with my peanuts....I'm sure J will enjoy staying home with our littlest peanut.

And these are the moments that make being a mom to the peanuts PRICELESS!! I wouldn't give up this job for a gazillion dollars :)

Mommy's Mis-Adventures in the Kitchen- Thanksgiving 2010

Well folks this blog has been mostly about my adventures as a mom with my beloved peanuts. But after a conversation over dinner with some good friends (~~&&NYC) I've decided to shake things up a bit around here. Part of being a mom of two picky eaters & wife of another picky eater means experimenting in the kitchen. Now if you're a member of my family, you probably don't think I can cook, but I assure you that I can. I just don't cook for all of you because you guys only like one type of food, Peruvian, that's it! If you're a friend that we've had over for dinner and/or parties you know that good food will always be in abundance at our home gatherings. And if you're my husband (hopefully there's only 1 person who can claim this) you know that I love love love cook books & watching cooking on TV and on occasion I'll actually try new things! Giada, Ina Rachel & Paula are my idols and I would do anything to spend a day in their kitchen. But since I can't I will invite them to spend a day in MINE. :) ...in my mind of course.

While being a working mom of twins certainly makes me very busy, I can't neglect other interests that I'm passionate about. There are things I enjoy doing & maybe one day I can make a decent living from it! But whether I can make money or not it shouldn't stop me from doing them. So I've made a commitment to myself (& my blog) to pursue these interests and share some of my adventures with those who care to read about it.

Soooo...Mommy's Mis-Adventures In the Kitchen #1

I'm not a trained chef. I can't even say that I'm a great cook. I like to say that I'm a decent cook that every now then surprises my family with something great. But here I will share with you my ups & downs in my kitchen with some of my favorite top chefs & their recipes.

Every year at Thanksgiving I think of a few dishes I want to try out. Ask J, it's no easy task for me but I do put a lot of effort into it. First I go through a list of dishes from something I've watched on the Food Network from one of my mentors (Ina, Giada, Paula, or Rachel). On occasion I have used some others for inspiration. I might also stumble upon something surfing through other blogs or my fav Cooking Light magazine. Some key dishes have been so good we've made them a tradition. Others experiments have been a big goose egg....ERRR try again :(

For dessert I usually make the pies, both pumpkin (my little brother's favorite) and sweet potato which seems to be everyone's favorite. Look how pitty pitty is my sweet potato pies :)

And we usually need to make extra for our post-Thanksgiving dinner at our house. Here's a yummy pumpkin pie that my lil bro likes because its delish but also a healthy version I got from Cooking Light magazine.

This year THIS caught my eye. Even the title of this recipe made my mouth water, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake. UMMM I know your mouth is watering too right? After reading this over & over again it sounded easy & I have to admit that it was easy, even for this novice baker.

If you look at our pictures side by side, I would say...not bad.

Here's mine...

And here's miss Sprinkle Bake's...cool huh?! Ok so her's looks a tad better but I'm sure it's the whole camera angle.

While this really was an easy recipe, nothing is THAT easy for me. So here's my Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake adventure. First off I don't do crusts. I don't know why but I have attempted a few times & it just doesn't happen for me. For my pies I go with the frozen store brand & it usually works out great. But I couldn't find any cheesecake crusts in the frozen aisle. So I walked down the baking aisle and examined every so called easy-to-make crust. After thorough analysis and about 10 minutes of my kids screaming at me, I went with the graham cracker crumbs & followed the directions on the back. It was 3 steps, how hard could it be? Done.

Back home, it's Wednesday night and the girls are fast asleep. There's no way I could do this with them up & I wanted my focus to be on this dessert. I also prepped my pies at night too. So I'm making my graham cracker crust & I realize that the box doesn't answer some of the for-dummies-questions like, what if it doesn't look like it's enough? The directions say add the butter & press into your spring form pan. Got it, but I'm pressing & it's cracking & leaving gaps. So I keep pressing & pressing & somehow this is stuff is supposed to be enough for the bottom of the pan & up the sides?? Uumm...I don't think so. Then I figure I'll make more but I don't have enough to double the instructions so how much butter do I add to what's left of crumbs about 1/2 cup? Again, there is no 1-800# on the back of the box! Seriously, if anyone from Betty Crocker is reading, here's a suggestion add a friggin phone number where newbie bakers can call with questions. And make sure there's an experienced American baker answering the line.

Anyhow, I did what I could & into the freezer it went to chill out while I made the filling. I have to say the filling went a whole lot better & it really was pretty easy. UNTIL....until I realized I forgot to get the instant espresso. AAACKK! My cheesecake is nearly done & there's a missing ingredient. So I think...do I improvise? That's never really gone that well for me. Do I substitute with instant coffee? How bad could it be? Do I just skip it? Hmmm...nope. I decided to send J to the supermarket at 11pm at night. I know, I know, BIIIIIG mistake. Ladies, never, evah, evah send a grumpy husband to the market for something he's never seen before in his life. Even with specific instructions and the indication of which aisle he should go to, he still came back with coffe grounds. Yes friends this is not instant, it's ground espresso. UGGHHH meanwhile my filling is sitting idle waiting for the final touch!!

However in his defense and as a note to his incredible patience with me he went back & called from the super market until he got the right thing. Thank you God.

At 1am out came Penelope (that's my name for my master piece) & she looked lovely. And she smelled even better. I set her gently on the cooling rack to cool for an hour.

And then I realized the recipe did not say how the heck you're supposed to get the cake off of the bottom pan. WTF?? I wasn't ABOUT to ruin my masterpiece by trying to scrape it off the friggin pan. Again people, maybe to you chefs it's stating the obvious but to people like me it's a rack-your-brain-effort to figure this stuff out. I realize I'm a college graduate but I'm a home ec dropout. So Penelope stayed in the pan. And we just placed her on a pretty dish & covered up nicely & carefully placed into the fridge until tomorrow, when we'd have to figure out how to get her to Grandma's house for dinner in one piece. I offered to take separate cars for Penelope's sake but J was not having it. MEN!

My presentation is not quite as sophisticated as Ms. Sprinkle Bakes but I think it was ok. I couldn't do the whole powdered sugar pattern & opted for a more abstract look. I think the next time I make this I'll add some vanilla cool whip which might be a nice compliment to the hint of latte in the cake.

The critics response: J is not a coffee drinker so he couldn't appreciate the spice latte bit. I think only those who have had the distinct pleasure of enjoying a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte could really dig this. But he liked it & ate his share without leaving anything behind. Translation, thumb up! And my brother-in-law asked me why didn't live closer so he could eat some more. Translation, TWO thumbs up!! :) YAY!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Every year people remind each other to remember the true essence of this holiday, being thankful. This year I didn't have to think twice about what to be thankful for, my family's health, especially these two.

This holiday will probably always be marked as the time when my little Valentina wound up in the hospital with some scary stuff. It's sad that sometimes it takes a serious incident coupled with some struggle to make you realize what is important in life. Last year my little peanut was not healthy at all. And while sometimes I wish they would slow down so I can catch my breath, I'm thankful that this year no one slowed down. Instead the peanuts were full speed as it should be.

The blackest Friday ever for me was in 2009. We wound up here in the hospital with our sick little girl. And while their dad & I spent days and nights with her we had another little girl at home wondering what the heck was going on. It seemed like it would never end and the days at home would be just as hard.

Today, we're here at home causing a raucous and trying to get our hands into everything. I know for J & I it was a very happy thanksgiving because the days of Val being so sick are way behind us. She's a walking and talking vibrant and energetic two-year-old.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving the girls painted turkeys! What? Their art doesn't look like turkeys to you? Of course it does, these are the most beautiful turkeys I've ever seen people (use your imaginations or think abstract art :) ha ha)!

And sometimes the artists can get carried away and decide body art is also fun!

We spent the day at Grandma's with some other little people and eating some yummy turkey. My nephew is quite the charmer :) And finally check out this spread that grandma laid out for the family. Very nice!

This is Cati with her lets-get-our-eat-on face.

And Val in one of her extra special moods...ahem. And daddy with his token JETS gear to ensure all the Thanksgiving vibes make for a football win!

The next day all of us girls got up early & seasoned our turkey together for our post-Thanksgiving dinner at home. As we sang to the tune of Hello Mr. Turkey. Something about saying hi to the turkey and then telling him not to run away cuz it's time to eat. Yeah a little morbid, I know. But the girls didn't mind it.

This is something I like to do because really there's never enough left over turkey. I make our own and add just a couple of side items for our dinner.

In the end there are never enough days to be thankful for all of the blessings we have and we need to cherish and appreciate the people in our lives each and every day.

Bye Bye Summa Smma-time

It's been ages since I blogged but I can't move on until I reminisce about our summer a little bit...

I live for summer & the end of it just makes me wish I had a billion dollars so I go to a place where there's summer all year round. If this ever happened then it probably would mean that my husband has either died or left me for some young chick who lives for the cold weather. He would never move to the tropics..sux for me I suppose. The only comforting thought is that my 2nd favorite time of year is approaching & the holidays will soon be here. But until then it's time to answer "What We Did On our Summer Vacation"....here's some stuff we did

The peanuts learned lots of new words this summer like...

To the beach!














This is Cati's sexy look...HA!!!




Horse-seez.. (that means carnival type rides...everything is horsey)





















For the 4th of July we made cupcakes so they became little bakers...and eaters!











We also met some new friends like Big Bird and Elmo. They were just a tiny bit bigger than we expected. Hmm.







We had a blast this summer. In just a couple of short months my peanuts have grown so much. They're turning into little bits of personality right before my eyes. I try to capture as many moments as possible because I know that if I take the time to blink I'll miss it. And I don't want to miss a thing!!!







And one last thing the girls learned this summer was..."Mommy's Belly"

The stork paid us a visit this summer & we're going to have a new baby join our family!!




We are so excited about this baby. We wanted to have another child and give the girls a chance to be big sisters. And I also wanted to see what it was like to have just ONE baby. Our plans were always to have a big family but because we're not young spring chickens anymore we thought we'd be lucky to have 2 children and now we feel incredibly blessed that we get to have 3!! We wanted and prayed for this baby for a long time and there were moments where I thought maybe it just wasn't meant to be. But if this was the case then I was overjoyed at being a mom of my two amazing daughters I know that having them was my first miracle.


I am incredibly grateful and feel like we've been afforded another not-so-small-miracle. If all goes well, Baby Martinez will be making an arrival in March 2011. And the peanuts are so very happy about it too! I can't wait for all of us to meet this baby.






And that was our summer in peanut shell :)....So here's good-bye to Summer 2010...boy was it a good one! Well miss you summer see ya in 2011.