Revelry

Kings of Leon are coming to SLC July 19th. Oh, I’ll be there! Finally, redemption from missing out on Swell Season when they came last year.

This is one of my favorites…



I CAN'T WAIT!

Meet Milo

This was Sonja’s valentine from mommy and daddy. Now she has a kitty of her very own. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY everyone!

Homemade Valentines

As I browsed for Valentine cards and treats for Sonja’s first Valentine exchange at school, I couldn’t believe my choices! Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Mickey Mouse, etc. There had to be something that wasn’t a blatant and cheesy advertisement for Disney! I thought, Sonja and I can sit down and make something ourselves. It couldn’t be that hard, right? We bought construction paper, glitter glue, Tootsie pops, and pencils. The idea was to make a little heart flower using the sucker as a stem, and the pencil as a little bonus gift I guess. Not so easy, and not as cute as I thought they would turn out, but it was a fun little project for us to do together.

Late Nights

Working late is tough for so many reasons, but it turns into heartbreak when I have to tell Sonja. I made my co-workers feel a lump in their throat when I told her that although she would already be fast asleep, I would be sure to give her a kiss goodnight when I got home. She was so sweet and simply told me that she would be a good girl for daddy, and that she missed me. When I finally got home and trudged up to my room very tired and grumpy, I found this on my pillow. Very moved, I rushed into her room to give her a kiss goodnight just like I promised. I stayed for a long time, just holding her as I shed a very grateful and joyous tear or two. Needless to say, all thoughts of work melted away and I was simply a very happy mommy.

Snow Angels

Sonja's Big Catch!

Fish Lake 2010

We took our annual trip to Fish Lake last week, and it was incredible! First of all, we all stayed healthy this year. Second, I was definitely more prepared with actual winter gear. And third, it was BEAUTIFUL! The clear blue skies were paralleled with endless pristine white snow, and the sky-high mountains were decorated with rows and rows of frosted pine trees. It was quiet and peaceful… Well, besides our talk and laughter while the fishermen (and women) fished, and the occasional, “I got one!” and “Wow, that’s a beauty!” hollered all across the ice. Sonja reeled in two fish and Angel caught quite a few that he was pretty proud of. And, we spared no time chowing them down. They were filleted and fried by lunchtime. Nights were spent eating, hanging out in our cozy cabins, eating, and playing games... and eating. It just doesn’t get any better than that. Well maybe for me, the summer heat, a nice beach, and an ice cold Corona would be about the only thing that could top it.

Sonja catching a good size perch.



This is our "Spruce" cabin.



See my dad in the reflection?



This is Angel's proud catch for the day.



Who gets "Yugoslavia" playing Pictionary? AMAZING!

More Christmas and New Year Pictures

2009: It was a good year.

I can definitely say that we had a wonderful Christmas and a fun New Year. Santa knew just what Sonja wanted. She got a Disney Princess dollhouse, and instead of a “real Barbie make-up set” he was wise enough to get her a Kaboodle with her very own nail polish, lip smackers, and hair pretties. Oh, that Santa. He does know what’s best. Angel got his coveted Snuggie, so he can stay nice and cuddled up while he blasts the heads off of war enemies and alien soldiers in the man-cave. I got lots of jammies , movies, and… wait for it… I finally got a Wii!! It was from Sonja to mommy, so I guess she had one full piggy bank! It was my last gift, and as she excitedly put the wrapped box in my hands, “It’s a Wii!” burst out of her mouth. She just couldn’t hold the surprise in any longer.

On New Year’s Eve, we went to Clucker’s house for a bit, then brang in the New Year at home, just the 3 of us. We spent the rest of the week sledding, hanging out with family and friends, and reminiscing about the fun year we had. Here are some of our favorite moments in 2009!

Thank You Tia Carolina, Abuelita and Kids!

Maybe Someday...

On my list of things to do before I die: See Swell Season perform live. I was so close... They're performing here in SLC at the Jeanne Wagner Theater on November 28th, but sadly I will not be crossing it off my list this year. The show sold out so quickly, I never even had a chance. Someday...

Playing in the Leaves

This was just a random day during the week after work. Who could resist a big pile of freshly fallen leaves to jump into?

Random Obession: King Henry VIII and The Tudor Era

I know this sounds crazy, but I’ll explain… For a while I’ve been curious about Showtime’s “The Tudors”, secretly because I have a large crush on the actor that plays Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). I’ve heard it was “just ok”, but I decided to give it an episode or two to see for myself. I was immediately hooked. I watched episodes whenever I could, which wasn’t very often. Angel had no interest, and it’s definitely not a show for Sonja. It got to a point where I just couldn’t wait between episodes anymore. I finally stayed up all night watching practically the entire 2nd season! By the time it was over, I was completely mesmerized. I continued to look online for more about King Henry and his six wives. Then I got into Queen Elizabeth, and now I want to learn all about her! My Netflix account is full of movies and documentaries about the Tudor era. It kind of spoiled the story as far as the show is concerned, but I couldn’t help myself. I’ve had dreams about it and everything. Obsess much? What will be next, Daniel Boone? Make a movie about him starring a hot actor and I’ll be all over it.

Los Donado's 2009

For those of you that didn't see this on Facebook, here's our family pictures taken this September. Stacy, you amaze me! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for capturing our family in such a beautiful way.

Happy Halloween!

We had a very busy Halloween...

Thursday, we carved pumpkins.





Friday, Sonja had a Halloween parade at school. This is what she probably had been doing throughout her whole march, until she got to us and we told her to use a different finger. Nice.


Then, we zoomed out to Tooele for Devenee's Halloween party.





Saturday afternoon, it was back to Sonja's school for a Halloween Carnival. They had storytelling, arts & crafts, a magic show, treats, and best of all... Cotton candy!!





Then, for the grand finale, we went to Chris and Breanna's for some trick-or-treating, and more festivities. Needless to say, Sunday we were couch potatoes! Happy Halloween!!


P.S. Thank you aunt Carolina for the Halloween gift card for Sonja. She used it to buy the decorations for her pumpkin and a new Halloween bag. We love you!!