Grimaldi's

Supposedly this restaurant is what made the Brooklyn Bridge famous. Whether or not that is true, we enjoyed some seriously delicious pizza and calzone. Whoever thought up pesto sauce for the pizza was genius especially when it is complimented with sausage and chicken and fresh mozzarella. The kids got a chance to play with the pizza dough while we waited which proved to be better then the crazy stories I tried to tell to keep them entertained while waiting for our food. Check out Tiago's face. . .I am pretty sure he was flat out confounded by my stories.




The lemons were the only thing that dampened the whole situation.

99 Cents Bargain on Happiness

For functionality, these goggles aren't going to win any awards. But the excitement these cheep googles brought to my kids has been worth every penny and more. A whole new way to enjoy our time here in Corpus Christi.

Memorial Day Mudder and other random weekend Events

Fernando was still at the hospital completing a fun 30+ hour call schedule, so it was up to me to create the memory in memorial day. Like usual, our family tried to keep the theme of the day for the activities (last year's example--this was really fun but a bit difficult to reproduce 8 months pregnant) I felt slightly bad that my activity levels for the morning meant I drove behind the kids while they biked up to the school so we could participate in our very own Memorial Day Mudder.

We made a quick diversion at the high school tennis courts since we found tennis rackets in the back. The kids loved hitting the ball around or at least chasing the balls while attempting to hit them.
Tiago thought it essential to bring his helmet just incase.




It was kind of fun watching them make up their own obstacles and challenges. I just wish I would have remembered the Nerf target guns so it could have been a little more official.




After all that vigor and vim, we decided to head to Sea World to cool off. It was delicious.


Last, but not least, we happened to stumble upon a fantastic deal on Saturday. During a date with Mia, Fernando discovered that the Panera opening by our house was giving out free food so they could train their employees. Bonus! They had a free lunch on Panera and we all enjoyed a free dinner and bagels and cream cheese and cookies and drinks. Yummo! I just wish I had dared to try the other things on their menu since it was for free. Oh well. I like what I normally get there.

When it Rains. . . .

take off your shoes and run like a wild thing up and down the streets, squealing with glee.

Afterwords: A Special Parent/Daughter Outing on the Riverwalk

When I was a little girl, our family had a tradition with baptisms of going to dinner with our parents without our siblings. It was a big deal! We decided to keep the tradition alive even though Mia's baptism date fell on the Saturday before Easter. (our family's other tradition is to do all the bunny side of Easter on Saturday and spend Sunday focusing on the real Easter stuff) Mia originally chose a restaurant that Fernando and I abhor. Not wanting to overrun her special day, but attempting to avoid heartburn (to say the least), I reminded her of Rainforest Cafe on the Riverwalk! Genius! She gladly accepted the switch much to our hidden delight.






Fernando and I were full before we even finished the appetizer that we ordered. It was called the "Awesome Appetizer Adventure ideal for two or more (warning: its huge) featuring our Chimi-Cha-Chas (yummy), with Spinach Artichoke Dip, Cheese Sticks, and Chicken Tenders Served with coconut curry sauce (double yum). If we could have, we would have cancelled our main course, but our food was already plugged into the system. Unable to avoid the advertised dessert called a Volcano, we gorged ourselves past the point of sanity. I must confess that brownies and ice cream with chocolate sauce engineered in a fancy way has always been my weakness.

For the birthday special song that this restaurant did, Mia had to wear two water cups (as shown below) to look like a bird and wave her hands up and down while they sang! Good times!

Special Day

Every birthday is special, but as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, eighth birthdays have special significance. Mia was now old enough to get baptized.

In college, my major in Human Development was fascinating (though kind of unmarketable by itself). I remember learning various theories to explain the similar human experience we all have growing up. Over and over again, the age of eight was a time when children view the world in terms of black and white, right and wrong, and have the desire to make choices that coincide with their understanding of the world. What a perfect age to make such a decision.

In preparation for the big day, we went shopping to find a perfect dress. In my mind, that meant a white dress which we found many. Unfortunately, the majority of those dresses were sleeveless and San Antonio weather doesn't really allow for a shrug to solve that problem. Just about the time we were going to give up (translation: my shopping time had expired before we went into the store, but it wasn't about me), Mia spotted her dress. I really couldn't have imagined a more "Mia" dress: feminine, delicate details, and just enough blue to make her eyes pop! After calling my sister to help me get over some strange protocol in my head that the dress had to be white (thanks Ang), we had one more important check on our list of to dos.

She also got to decide who was going to participate in her special day. Both her grandparents made sacrifices to come out which made it even more magical. Mia asked her Mama Clara to say the opening prayer, Grandma Cromar to lead the music, and I would give the talk about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. I am grateful that Fernando was able to baptize her and confirm her.

Then, after years of preparing and teaching about the importance of baptism, she was baptized. I can't explain the feelings of happiness I felt. It was overwhelming. I can't think of anything more joyous than watching someone you love make correct choices on their own. She is an amazing girl, an example to our family. We love her so much.


Several friends came to support Mia including her Vice Principal who was also her 1st grade teacher. I wished we could have taken a group shot, but we got the most important people.

It's a New Generation

Yesterday, my kids rushed downstairs too excited to tell me about the miracle they just witnessed. I will quote directly so as not to miss out on any goodness.

Tiago "Mom, you know that thing that we take to music class that plays the songs?"

Me "The CD player?"

Tiago "yeah, that! Well, Talia turned it on and music started playing with out even a cd in it!"

Me "That's called the Radio."

Tiago (still a bit confused why I haven't joined the enthusiasm to his level yet) "Mom! After a song was done, it kept playing and the people were talking so fast and funny!"

Me "Yeah, that's Spanish Radio!" (trying hard to be really excited and cover up my amusement and huge desire to just hug him for his cuteness.)

Who knew how magical a Radio could be. They listened and danced for over an hour. Then they took it outside to play and dance some more. I was pretty ok with the spanish stations since most play Cumbia, but had to find a new station once we found the classic rock. Well, that is until they started dancing to this "Cowboy" Song:



Every time the radio announcers would come on, they would burst into laughter. I love my kids!