Milestone Alert!

Sonja lost her first tooth on Valentine's Day! She got a visit from the Ms.Toothfairy that night and still has the prettiest smile ever.

Happy Valentine's Day

This year, we let Sonja pick out her own Valentine gift, and she chose LEGGOS! Big girl Leggos, as she calls them. She and daddy already built a pretty sweet little ice cream shop.

We put together her box with Grandma and Grandpa last weekend, and yesterday afternoon the three of us formed a little assembly line and whipped out these Valentine treats for her friends at school.

Unfortunately, I'll be spending V-day in class until late tonight, but Angel is going to help Sonja make some Valentine brownies tonight, and I'll be anxiously waiting to partake as soon as I can get home.

Happy Valentine's Day to all our family and friends!

A Day on the Slopes

Tenille recently reminded me that she’s been wanting me to go skiing with her for years, and I just couldn’t let another year come and go without making it happen. Thanks to my Deer Valley hook-up (thank you, Chris) I was able to score 2 passes for her birthday. As I hadn’t skied a day in my life, I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, my mom and dad gave Angel and I two season passes to Park City Mountain Resort, so I was able to get some practice in before our big day. Turns out, I have a considerable fear of careening down a steep hill and not being able to stop, which would surely result in either severe injury or sudden death. It took some tears and a lot of patience, but Angel was able to give me quite the first lesson and I felt somewhat confident that I wouldn’t completely spoil my day with Tenille. 

Melanie, who is quite the skilled skier, joined us and I have to say, it was a day to remember. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and we had the best time laughing, catching up and enjoying some BFF-QT. The fear was definitely still there, but it got milder and milder as the day went on and by the end I was feeling like I had a decent handle on the whole skiing, and more importantly, stopping thing. But the day wasn’t about my being able to ski, or even about me overcoming my crazy anxieties. It was about sharing an experience with my friend that meant a lot to her, and it was so great. Happy Birthday, Tenille!

 

Incredible Christmas

Christmas was very special this year. Angel asked that we spend one Christmas at home instead of going to my parents’. He had a very specific vision of us camped out on the living room floor, him and I sneaking around the house playing Santa, and Sonja waking up surrounded by gifts and the magic of Christmas morning. And that’s exactly what he got. We made cookies on Christmas Eve, and Sonja wrote her letter to Santa. Then, when Sonja was knocked-out asleep, Angel and I scurried around the house, tip-toeing up the stairs, and gently placing the gifts under the tree, careful not to wake her up. We choked down Santa’s cookies, wrote a thank-you note from Santa, and went to sleep. At around 6:30am Sonja sat straight up, took one look at the tree, and loudly whispered, “Santa came! He really came!” We made her wait for coffee, hot chocolate, and cinnamon rolls to go into the oven before we opened gifts. We incorporated the traditions I had with my parents (that will always mean so much to me), and made it our own. It was incredible. 

Me in Review

Instead of reflecting on another year gone by, especially one that was such a whirlwind, I decided to reflect on... me. Self-indulgent? Maybe. But, I got to thinking... There are a lot of things some of the people I’m closest to don’t even know about me. I guess I'm just in a sharing mood.

I have a weird fascination with gore lately. 30 Days of Night, SO COOL! Zombieland, I watch over and over. The Walking Dead, I watched the whole season in 2 days. I have recurring dreams about zombies now, but what do ya do?

I love anything Judd Apatow does. I’m a major fan of every actor in his movies too! Jason Segal, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Paul Rudd, Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, I can’t get enough. And James Franco... I adore him! Even as a stoner in Pinapple Express, he managed to move me. Spiderman, not so much. 

Lately, I’m loving me some British humor. I love Ricky Gervais and Russell Brand. I like them so much that I’ve started watching the original BBC version of The Office, and I’m anxious to read Russell Brand’s autobiography.

I have a special place in my heart for The Muppets. I grew up watching Sesame Street, and have memories of Kermit’s breaking news report, “Little Bo Peep’s Sheep Have Gone Missing” and pretending like I was a sophisticated grown-up watching the news. My favorite muppet is Grover, and my favorite Christmas movie is The Muppet’s Christmas Carol (I cry every time). Jason Segal is filming a new Muppet movie that will be out next fall!  That’s almost as cool as Seth Rogen dressed up like Frida Kahlo in Vanity Fair Magazine. Which brings me to my next favorite thing…

Frida Kahlo. A lot of people know this about me, but they don’t know why.  Same with peacocks. I love the peacock feather, but I can’t really tell you why. Of course they’re beautiful, but so are a lot of things that I’m not particularly drawn to. I once read that peacock feathers represent accepting one’s own beauty. I like that. But, is that where the connection lies? Eh... Same with Frida Kahlo. I can go on and on about how amazing she was, both as a woman and an artist, but again, there a lot of exceptional women that I don’t quite have the same fascination with. Like Trekkies or weird adults who like unicorns. It’s just a part of me I guess. 

I have dreams of becoming a Wasatch Derby Girl. I started out just being curious about it and wanted to check out a game… That is until I saw Whip It, with Kristin Wiig (Another one of my favorites). It was then that I started to fantasize about inflicting pain and coming up with a kick-ass derby name. Frida Kill-O? Penelope Pain? Don't laugh. Just wait, one day I'll be black and blue, grinning from ear to ear.

I love everything coconut. Except coconut milk. 


I don’t like curry, or most Thai and Indian food. But, I love Pad Thai. 


I’ve mentioned on my blog before my interest in the Tudor era and King Henry XIII.  That’s random enough to mention twice.


Music I’m listening to now. KINGS OF LEON, KINGS OF LEON, KINGS OF LEON, B.O.B, Chiddy Bang, Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi, Foo Fighters, The Black Crows. MGMT, Swell Season, Talking Heads, always the Stones... My favorite song right now, (this week anyway) is Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi. 


That’s enough for now. I’m anxious to see what I’ll be into in 2012. Stay tuned...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

These are some cards I made for Daddy and Grandpa. Angel, you are an incredible father. Thank you for making her laugh, and helping her to become the sweet, smart, funny, and beautiful little girl she is. And Dad, I love you with all my heart! I'll always be Daddy's Girl.

Good-bye Preschool, Hello Kindergarten

Sonja graduated from preschool last Friday. I didn’t expect to be so emotional, but there I was, tearing up as she marched to the podium in her little cap and gown. As they called the names of each graduate, the school director read what they want to be when they grow up. Sonja’s response was, “A doctor, because I want to help everyone.” Doctor, Scientist, Dancer, Artist, Architect, whatever… she is destined for greatness. We are so, so very proud!

Grandma is so proud of her babitas!

My Birthday... So far.

(Card designed by Christy Baugh. I want to be her when I grow up! I am truly and forever your no. 1 fan!)

I love my birthday! So far I've been spoiled with...

•    A sweet card from my sweet Sonja

•    An EXTRA LARGE coconut latte (my favorite)

•    Homemade éclairs courtesy of Anna Burks (work homie)

•    Bagels also courtesy of my co-workers

•    Lunch at Sawadee (I <3 Pad Thai)! Again, thank you Advertising Dept.

•    Tons of phone calls, texts, emails, and a Facebook page packed with happy birthdays.

And it’s only 3 o’ clock!

Happy Ammavrsry!

How, funny, sweet, thoughtful, tender, precious, and adorable is this? Sonja did this at school, and her teacher couldn’t wait to tell Angel how fascinated she was that she did it completely on her own, without anyone giving her the idea or asking for help.  We were also blown away by her attempt to sound out such a big word, and that she thought to do something special for mommy and daddy in the midst of her fun school day. We love our mamacitas!

Back to School

It’s official! I’ve registered for classes and will be returning to school next fall. I’ll start with SLCC to get my Associates in Visual Art & Design, and see what happens after that. I’ll still be working full-time, so life might be a little rough for a while. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous… Ok, I’m A LOT nervous. Classrooms? Homework? Teachers? Grades? Ahhhh!! But, this is something I’ve wanted for a long time, and didn’t think I’d ever get the opportunity to go back. Now it’s all happening, and I’m just going to dive in. I guess I better live it up this summer, and prepare to kiss my 9 o’clock bedtime good-bye. No sacrifice, no victory, right? Thanks for the inspiration Transformers! Wow, I’m a nerd.

Aloha

Sonja learned about different cultures at school last month, and had to dress up one day to show what a particular culture wears. We chose Hawaii.We spent an evening together on the computer learning all about the Hawaiian culture. We watched hula videos looked at all the different islands, and even learned some Hawaiian words. A hui hou! (Until we meet again)

She also came home one day with her face painted and said, "Mommy, today I learned about Aberigians!" (Aborigines)

3 Years

Angel and I were married 3 years ago today.

He had a sweet card for me right as I woke up this morning, and beautiful roses and lilies were delivered this afternoon.

Angel, I'm so in love with you. You still make my heart pound just like the first time we met on the dance floor. I love you forever too!

Race for the Cure

For our annual Christmas charity, Maggie Sottero proudly raised $15,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. In an effort to continue in the fight against breast cancer throughout the year, we have decided to participate in Race for the Cure on May 8th . The department that has the highest ratio of people signed up gets lunch, dress down days, and their cars washed. The people with the lowest ratio of people signed up have to WASH THE CARS! Don’t let me end up like this…



Sonja and I will be there, and we'd love for you to join us!

Here's how you register:

1. Follow this link: http://www.komenslc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.eventDetails&eventID=501

2. Click on Register Now!

3. Enter in your personal information and then click continue to the next page.

4. On this page you will be prompted to select your participant type, your fundraising goal, and then your role. Under role you will need to select Join a Team. From there you will be able to select Maggie Sottero under the corporate section. Please note that in order for me to get credit for this event, you and whomever you sign up will need to join the Maggie Sottero team.

5. Once you have selected Maggie Sottero as your team, please continue on to the next step and follow the prompts.

If you want to pass this on to anyone else that might be interested, please do. Email me back (jessica.donado@gmail.com) so I know who is signing up for our department.

For more information about the Susan G. Komen foundation, visit www.komen.org.

Frida Bistro

I can’t believe I am just finding out about this! For those of you that don’t know, I had always been curious about Frida Kahlo, but fell in love with her and her work after reading her biography in college. Last week, Tenille saw a billboard downtown and asked me if I’d heard about this restaurant. I was moved to tears to see something dedicated to Frida right here in Salt Lake, the last place I would ever expect. The owner is Jorge Fierro, also the owner of RICO Mexican foods. I haven’t been yet, only because I think I’d like to save it for a special occasion. I especially love their slogan, “Make Love to Our Food”. Very sexy… just as Frida would have wanted it.

Easter 2010

Here are some pictures from Easter, FINALLY! Saturday morning we went to an Easter Egg hunt at my Grandma Alice’s place. Then, we went to my aunt Marie’s for another Easter egg hunt/birthday party for Greenlie. Jill had cutest little activities for all the kids! That night, we laid out Sonja’s presents from the Easter Bunny, then hid some eggs around the house for her to find when she woke up (a tradition from when I was little until I was probably 16). She got some outdoor toys, spring clothes, Princess and the Frog, and a couple other little things. On Sunday, we colored eggs and had a nice brunch. Hope everyone had a great Easter!