Sunday Hike

Here are some pictures from Angel and Sonja’s hike on Sunday while I had brunch with the girls. He took her up Millcreek Canyon, on a trail that overlooked the whole city.

Happy Birthday Breanna!

Last weekend was busy, busy! Dinner at Chris and Breanna’s Friday, coffee with the girls Saturday morning, Wii with the girls Saturday evening, then Keys on Main for Breanna’s birthday on Saturday night. We were so busy that we slept in and missed Sonja’s dance class Sunday morning. Oops! We did make it to Liberty Park for a picnic. Did you know they had carnival rides there? I didn't!

Keys on Main was so much fun! Happy Birthday Breanna!!

It's Summa Time!

May is over, and June is here. It's finally time for BBQ’s, swimming pools, camping, and birthdays for all of us Donado’s. So, before I have tons of stuff to post for June, here’s a quick recap of May…

Angel participated in "A Race for the Cure" along with his kickball teammates. So proud of you!


I had a wonderful Mother’s Day.


Angel’s mom has come and gone.



Broke out the BBQ with Chris, Breanna and the kids and we watched them splash around in this awesome pool.



Sonja ended her days at Marie’s and began pre-school full-time.




We participated in a 1k marathon to raise money for Sonja’s school library. Sonja ran the whole thing! There was an AWESOME kids rock band called School of Rock that performed, a climbing wall, and more! It is an amazing school, worth every penny!








And for the grand finale, Angel and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary! We had an amazing time at the Bed & Breakfast we stayed in on our wedding night. Angel, thank you for making me laugh everyday. I couldn’t be happier!

Hot Mama

Angel asked Sonja, “What would you like to get mommy for Mother’s Day?” She replied, “Let’s cut out hearts and decorate them!” So, Angel bought construction paper and finger-paints and helped her decorate the wall in the kitchen. Then, he asked, “What else would mommy like?” She replied, “COFFEE!” So in the middle of the wall, there was a gift card for Starbucks, so I could enjoy a coffee every morning that week. She knows her mama!

Then, I opened a sweet card from my darling husband. On the outside it read “Hot Mama” and on the inside, “…Daddy Like”. It just doesn’t get any sweeter than that. Of course his tender sentiment was still hand-written inside. I love you both, my sweethearts!

Angel’s mom is here visiting, so we took her to Tooele for a BBQ at my parent’s house. My Uncle Anthony and Aunt Janet rode their Harley’s out, and we had fun using them as props in a few pictures. Angel even got to take a couple rides around the block. He looked pretty hot on that Harley! It was a fabulous day!!





And this is what Sonja made for me at school. She colored the little picture all by herself, and her teacher asked her the questions and recorded her responses. Oh, my little mamacitas! I’ll treasure it forever!!

Hardballerz Update

The Hardballers have had 5 games with 3 wins and 2 losses. Both losses occurred when Sonja wasn’t there, so I think she might be their good luck charm. They had a great time last weekend, participating as a team in Race for the Cure and later that night celebrating at the Sandbar downtown for their mid-season party.

Best of State!

We were just informed that Sonja's school, Dancing Moose Montessori, has been selected as the 2009 Best of State winner in the preschool education category. We are very proud that we are able to send her to such an outstanding school and that she is experiencing the best of the best in early education. Way to go Dancing Moose!

Welcome Spring!

These are some pictures from one of the few sunny days we were lucky enough to have last week. I took Sonja to Sugar House Park for a stroll and a bike ride with a few stops at the playground.

Go Hardballerz!

Thanks to Lindsey, el cap-i-tan, Angel is now a member of the Hardballerz kickball team! Yes, grown-ups playing good, old-fashioned, elementary school kickball. And no, they don’t resemble the smokin’ hot fox in the picture above. But, there is plenty of booze!

They had their first game last week and tied, 2-2. Sonja sure had fun cheering daddy on. Come check them out on Thursdays at Liberty Park. Go Hardballerz!

Swimming Lessons

Sonja started swimming lessons again at Fairmont Aquatic Center. She is the only girl in her class of 4. Hilarious! She’s doing pretty well in Level 2, although she’s a little hesitant to put her head completely under water. She’ll start Level 3 in May.

Easter: Food, Food, and more FOOD!

What an awesome Easter weekend! On Saturday we went to my Aunt Marie and Uncle Kenny’s for an egg hunt and egg decorating. For dinner we had Dutch-oven chili with the most amazing salad (it put Café Rio to shame!) and the softest, most succulent rolls. Not only did I go back for 2nds, but I had another entire plate full! Marie must have hid about 100 candy-filled eggs and with little competition, Sonja took home about half. She had so much fun decorating eggs, and some of the adults did too!

On Sunday morning, Sonja found her Easter baskets waiting for her when she woke up. She got a Princesses helmet, Princesses water bottle, Princess sandals, (do you see a theme here?) Princesses stickers, A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein, the Enchanted Soundtrack, clothes, and yes… More candy. What a spoiled little mamacitas! Then, we went to my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Mike’s for more delicious food, and yet another egg hunt. This time, Sonja had no competition and cleaned the place out. There was just enough of a breeze for my dad and Angel to get a kite up in the air, but not enough to keep us from soaking up as much sun as we could. We had fun watching Grace take some wobbly steps with her walker out in the grass, and Sonja put on a dance performance on her stage (the deck) for everyone to enjoy. It was really a perfect weekend! Happy Easter!

Obsess Much?

Everytime I try to tell myself that I’m not the BIGGEST American Idol nerd out there, they go ahead and throw me a curve ball. Quentin Tarantino, the director of my favorite movie of all-time, Desperado, and also two of the coolest movies of all-time, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2, was the guest… critic I guess you could say, as the theme of the night was “Songs from the Movies”. THEN, one of the contestants, Kris Allen, went and sang “Falling Slowly”, the Oscar winning song from the movie Once that I’ve been obsessed with since my dear friends at work introduced me, (thank you Maeve and Christy!). I mean, it’s to the point that one of things I have to do before I die is see them perform live. Yes, I was gasping and almost in tears. I have also become more and more fascinated by Ryan Seacrest. Not in a “He’s so sexy” kind of way, but in an “I’d love to have a beer with him” kind of way. (Kind of like Mick Jagger. I am entertained, but not turned on by Mick, although my boss insists on the contrary.) He’s surprisingly hilarious and just so freakin’ charming. And, he probably emerged from the womb with a microphone and a tie. At least I’m not the only poor sap that has fallen for the savvy marketing and evil ploys of the show. Katie Couric was in the audience last night! Katie Couric! Stevie Wonder was on the show a couple weeks ago. Smokey Robinson was a guest for cryin’ out loud! I bet even the President is nestled at home with the wifey and kids throwing popcorn at Paula with the rest of us.

I know there is definitely a “fanatical” side to my personality and I become a little sentimental about things, but American Idol? What tha?!

Sweet Nostalgia

I'm taking a trip down memory lane, going through Sonja's old pictures, and am finding little video clips from our camera. There's no sound, but still oh so cute!

Some of your first reactions to this photo will most likely be, “What tha!” To me, however, when I saw this in the recent issue of Vanity Fair, it was nothing short of miraculous!

For those of you who don’t know, I have adored Frida Kahlo since I read her biography in college. Some of you also may not know that I am a huge fan of Seth Rogen (well, the whole Judd Apatow crew). Not only did I love him in the obvious 40-year Old Virgin, Superbad, and Pinapple Express, but I read an interview he did in GQ and was surprisingly intrigued. Then, that intrigue turned into fascination when I finally saw the short-lived series, Freaks and Geeks. Now do you get it? AMAZING!

Check out this awesome photo series with Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler,and more in the April issue of Vanity Fair!