::This is 6:: Camila's Birthday Letter and Photoshoot

Dear Camila, 

Over the past 6 years, the amount of physical, emotional and learning growth that you have experienced is visible every single day. You are a strong willed, gorgeous little lady who practices self-love daily. You know that you can do anything you want, a little too much some days. You and I have fighting words almost daily, but I love you like no one else. You are not your typical Daddy's girl because some days you don't want to even be around him. But, he spoils you rotten regardless and loves you more than words can express. 

You are not really your typical girl in any sense, which we absolutely love about you. 

You are VERY humorous, but you are also a little jealous when your brother tries to show you up. We're working on this with you. You love to make people laugh. You dance salsa, merengue and Cha-Cha-Cha. Pretty much anything hip-hop too, you love to be free flowing and we love seeing you come up with new dance moves. About your brother, you love him more than life and even though you guys fight every minute of every day, he loves you just as much. You are usually best friends and loving when you aren't punching each-other and shouting about something.

You know how to make us laugh, you encourage us when we are down. Literally, you have told me "Mom, you can do this." And, you encourage yourself. You are tough at times filled with self-doubt and a little too stubborn. We are working on this too. At times, I want to rid you of your flaws and tantrums, but then I think about how those little things make you who you are and I know that some of those traits will have to remain with you. 

You love creating and filming videos for your non-existent YouTube Channel, you've made so many short videos and we laugh so much with them. You don't like to be laughed at. But, your personality is just so great, sometimes, we have to laugh. You've mastered "snapchap" (snapchat). You love makeup and are the girliest of girls. Not sure where you get that from, it's not me. At all. Again, some days I'm highly annoyed because I have no clue where to start with you, but then we learn together and all is good.

You are not only funny and beautiful, you are VERY hard working and smart. We knew you'd be that girl, you want to learn and are very competitive. Which is great. You try hard to reach the same levels as your brother in school, and at times seem to exceed them. You have learned to speak Spanish, all with your own effort. You love doing school projects and making friends. You are too friendly at times and have learned that if kids don't want to be your friend, you can move on without them. 

You have always been so super sweet and loving and caring, this has only grown with time. You are amazing Camila, don't ever allow anyone to tell you otherwise, but you already know this. You are faith-filled and at times far more understanding than me. You are very impatient, like me. You want things done now and no other way. You are a busy body and I can shift you from project to project. You don't mind doing, as long as it's something you want to do. You don't like cleaning up, you are a messy artist. You are a creative and thoughtful person. 

You are strong, in so many ways. But, most importantly, you are loved. I can't wait to see you (and your brother) grow even more in days, months, and years to come. You are our Morenaza!

I pray for you to be beyond blessed all the wonderful days of your life...

Love yo'Momma, Daddy and Buh-buh!

:: Nancy's Cake Review :: The thing about life & Birthday's

::Momma Disclosure:: Post is partially sponsored, but all opinions and thoughts expressed are mine and true. 

It's been a while. 

I know. 

Here is the thing about life and well in this post about birthday's. You really can't predict the outcome. A couple months ago I thought about a great theme for Cam's 6th Birthday. I wanted her to have a fun Spa day with her friends and then a dinner at our house with family. Well. Then life happened. Right around the same time in February when I was planning all this, I had a car accident. Semi-bad and somewhat costly. I have been in therapy for about 7 weeks now. Our truck was in the shop for about a week and the same day we picked it up, it broke down. Two-weeks later we still didn't have  a car and more money was spent. Side note: Don't know how families of 4 or more survive with one car, we managed but it was hard. Kudos to you!

Then about three-weeks ago, I let go of the idea I had for Cam's birthday and decided we would wing it and just have something "small". Of course with a (big-fat) Mexican family you don't really get a "small" option but maybe a more contained group than usual. 

My Husband and I started looking into our options and went for a family only dinner at our house, which would still be between 30-40 people or maybe 60. OK, so we had a small get-together for 60 family members, cause you only turn 6 once. HA. Prior to this I was asked by a PR representative for Nancy's Cake Designs, if I would like to partner with the bakery for one of my kids' birthdays. Since Cam's was first, I did just that. During the first few days of March, I worked with Nancy and her team to design the cake and figure out logistics. The bakery is on the SouthEast side of town, thankfully my Momma lives nearby  in North/East side of Houston and was able to pick the cake up for me. But, trust me it was well worth it. Being an optimist, I told Nancy I would only have about 30-35 guests, but we had near 60. Still the cake was SO big, everyone ate cake and we even had leftovers!

I had envisioned something colorful and that fit our theme with Cam's birthday being, "Birthday Diva". Because, in case you didn't know, she's half child and half Diva, true story. If you follow me on "snapchap" (snapchat) then you know, she spoke one day on the subject and how her friends just call her Hollywood Diva for short. And, if you know Cam then you know, she is wild. Like no other. I don't think I could make up her personality. And, again if you follow me on social media then you know my children lack personality and imagination ::KIDDING::.

Anyway, the CAKE. It was perfect. My vision and what I sent over was embodied perfectly!

Nancy's Cakes was very professional, they messaged me, called and made sure I was very happy with how my cake details were coming along. I spoke to Nancy herself on several occasions, she is fully bilingual which helps on so many levels! And, the cake was not only perfect on the outside but the inside was equally delicious! We tried a nut flavored cake with strawberry cream filing, you guys, best choice ever. Visit her page for all the fun designs and cake options. The one cake that sold me, and if you know me you know why, was her UH cake! It's my alma mater and I love it!

FOLLOW NANCY'S CAKE DESIGNS ON:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/NancysCakeDesigns/

WEBSITE: http://www.nancyscakedesigns.com/ 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/NancysCakeDsgns

IG: https://www.instagram.com/nancyscakedesigns/

And, as for life and birthdays, no matter how far off track things can get, or how lost you might think a cause maybe. It's truly not that serious and there is always a better and fair alternative or solution. Cam's birthday wasn't what I envisioned it to be this year, but we have many more with this little Diva so we'll get it right one day!

Either way, everyone loved spending the afternoon with Miss. Birthday Diva and she absolutely LOVED being Diva for the day!!!  ::done using the word DIVA::

HUGE Thank you to Nancy's Cake Designs for making our day extra special and to our family who came and joined-in celebrating my little miracle baby!

P.S. Yearly Birthday Letter/Photo-shoot to follow..... 

::Camila turns 5!:: Cuando...Todo Cambio.

The last 5 years and Camila’s letter….

Camila's Journey Part 1

Camila's Journey Part 2

You can read about Camila's Birth at links above.

You can read all of Camila's letters HERE. 

A little more about Camila. You know the little 5-year-old sassy pants that lives in my house and has more attitude in that itty bitty skinny body of hers, than anyone else I know.

Sassy, yes. Attitude, yes. Bossy, Oh hell yes. Confident, pretty much. Capable, yep. Will she one day be taking names and kicking ass, I hope so.

I don't know where the last 5 years have gone but I am sure they are now lost in the infinite tantrums, eye-rolling and cussing; I mean me not the 5-year-old. Well her too, a little. Camila came into our lives as a surprise. Yes, an unplanned pregnancy!  ::insert gasps here:: When I found out I was pregnant again, I cried. Mostly tears of fear but they quickly became joy and happiness. I was scared senseless, though. My son was 10 months old. I had a horrible first pregnancy which ended with an even more horrible C-section. My Husband was a full-time student, working internships and traveled. I was about to be promoted to Assistant Supervisor at my job. I was sure the second baby would be the end of me, and guess what although the pregnancy and delivery were very similar, it was SO much easier the second time around.

How was Camila Isabel named? Well, there is this Mexican group named Camila, and when I become pregnant with Santiago they were a thing. Only I was having a boy and not a girl. So, when I became pregnant again and found out, this time, it was a girl, we knew Camila would be her name. Isabel? Well her Daddy is in love with Brad Pitt, I mean over the moon infatuated, will he hate me for saying this? Yeah, pretty much. But, it’s totally relevant to my story. Where was I? So he loves Brad Pitt. He also loves his movies, one very unknown to me was Legends of the Fall, in the movie a gorgeously mixed Native American/Caucasian little girl named Isabel Two grows up to become a gorgeously beautiful mixed Native American/Caucasian woman who marries, yep, Brad Pitt. She is killed in the movie and it's a horrible tragic love story. My Husband loves drama so he loves that movie and Isabel Two, so Camila is Isabel too.

{By the way, I have been crying the whole entire time I am typing and I can't see past my tears. This is sure to be an ugly cry moment by the end.}

Dear Camila, 

The last 5 years have gone by too fast, before you were born I wasn’t sure what to expect. Now that you have grown you are exactly what I hoped you would be. You talk for days on end. You love everyone so much, until you are angry and then we are the worse family on the face of this earth. You have a fierce intensity about you, your focus at times is tremendous. Sometimes, too intense for me. But, we manage.

Your imagination is truly awesome, you have entire conversations with your friends over a fake cell phone. You take fake selfies and text or email people while you blog and “do wo-k”. You sing in the shower which we will catch on video to further embarrass you one day. Your song selections go from the Contemporary Christian songs you hear at daycare all day to Love yourself  by Justin Bieber. Who you know is Selena Gomez’ boyfriend. You have no clue what you say sometimes but you repeat it all with such conviction, you would think that you really know about Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber’s drama.

You have now been a ballet dancer, a soccer player and currently a baseball player. You love and want to do it all, until you actually have to do it all, then you are ok with quitting to do something else. You are good at baseball. You are tall, with straight tangled hair and those long skinny legs are all the rage! We love you so much.

Since you have your brother who is now in Kinder, you too want to go to Kinder and want to do homework, ride the bus and go on field trips. Because well you love Santiago so much you want to be like him and with him every day all the time. Him, not so much, except when he is trying to protect you and make you happy. In which case you guys are best friends.

You have a ton of “best” friends, who you get over daily and then become their friends again. I guess that's how pre-school and 4-year-olds roll. You would think that you are a teenager, your thoughts are deep and your drama is very real.

You are very smart and remember people names and then ask about them randomly. You are very crafty and love to learn. You are very thoughtful, and remember things like people birthdays and likes, and on their birthdays, you want to buy them everything they like. We don’t but you would love to.

You love bright happy colors like pink and purple, because you are that happy cheerful little girl. Everything about you is girly, which is beyond me, I am not really that girly. You love nail polish, make-up and pretending that you rule the world. You are strong, and brave. You fight with Santiago and have become very tough over the years, sometimes a little too tough.

You are always sick, or so you think. At school, they call you sickie-wiki. You love being pampered and babied. Yet you are very independent and have learned to do everything Santiago does in half the time. Especially the talking. That you have down packed. You are a little Diva. You love to look pretty and wear dresses but hate brushing your hair or your teeth. Even when we threaten that they will rot and fall out, you don’t care or believe us.

You are loved. No matter what. So much. By so many of us. Don’t forget that. Ever. You tell me all the time that Jesus is in your heart and that we should not be scared. I tell you to please hold on to that. This world is not easy. Some day you will have to work hard for what you want and hold on tight to what you believe in. God will be with you.

I want you to grow up to be a courageous strong warrior who will one day rule the world. I want you to be who you are. I want you to be as strong and confident as you are today. I want you to believe in yourself and not depend on others to validate your abilities. You are strong, you are capable and you will be a warrior. These are things I tell you when you come home sad that your “friends” are being mean or don’t want to be your friends anymore. I remind you that not everyone has to like you or be your friend because that’s the truth.

I am a little harder on you some days and it’s only because I want you to do well in life. We don’t sugarcoat in our home, we tell it how it is. You and Santiago are very much the same way. Honest and raw. We love it.

And, we love you too. So much. Always remember that.

Love you,

Your Momma!

:: Weekend Snapshots:: Link-Up with 3twentysix

Beautiful weekends are usually very productive for us, this weekend was no exception. My kids started little league last week, so now we have a full week of practice every week for about 3 months. Sharing with you today a little of how productive our Saturday was, and linking up with @3twentysix. 

Typically I wake up early on Saturday. I don't mind it because it gives me an extra 30 to 45 minutes before the kids wake up to get some things accomplished until the chaos hits again.  This Saturday I woke up, finished doing the dishes, started a washer and dryer load of laundry, and cleaned up the living room. Then the kids woke up, showered, we went to buy kolaches and headed to the ballpark all before 10 am. 

We didn't stop there. Ricardo's Aunt is a hairdresser and obviously, we trust her with our hair, especially Camila's. She has had a run-in with at home self-haircuts, more than once.  I was letting her hair grow out but she wanted to cut it before her 5th birthday this month. The cut was short and an instant mega Diva was created. She was only a super Diva before Saturday. Brother got a haircut too and couldn't miss out on the diva action.  Not only did Cam get a new look, she also got new shoes, you know to complete the Diva feeling. 

After haircuts, my Husband wanted us to go see the Ostrich and Camel races at the Sam Houston Race Park if you have not been to the race track I recommend it. Very family friendly, good food, great fun and adult drinks -lots of adult drinks. We had fun, the kids always enjoy the races, until their favorites lose. Camila doesn't take losing to lightly. We don't like to lose. 

Santiago was uber excited because this weekend they had food trucks, him and I binged watched the Great Food truck race one weekend and when we arrived he was thrilled! He said "MOM, this is a challenge!!! A food truck challenge!!" And, it was, we couldn't decide what to eat, the kids went with pizza and my Hubby got us a Brazilian sandwich and fries from the Churrasco Truck. Everything was good! And, don't forget the adult drinks, Margaritas for sure!  

I even got the cutest ostriches for the kids! It was a good Saturday for us all. Filled with lots of fun, some tears, and minimal tantrums- for the parents that is!   

We also stayed busy on Sunday when we attended a family birthday party, visited my in-laws and ate some crawfish at our new favorite local restaurant, Crawfish N'More.  Phew! 

What did you do this weekend??

:: Camila's Birthday Surprise:: by Houston Events Galore #ad

::Momma Disclosure:: {This is a compensated post in collaboration with Houston Events Galore. All opinions and statements expressed below are my own and true and honest.}

The night before her 4th Birthday Camila said "Mom tomorrow is my birthday, surprise me and have all my friends over." I think the pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. Thanks to Houston Events Galore, I not only surprised her but her entire school! I was beyond happy to be able to make my little loves day! 

I might have cried a little during my photo editing. My little baby. So beautiful. So Thankful. So sweet. I truly think that every little girl should be treated like a Princess. And, if you too want to surprise your little darling loves, then read on. Today on the blog I am featuring a local Houston Momma who's passion is so bright and shines through her work. 

Crystal and her crew over at H.E.Galore, are so talented and definitely fulfilling a beautiful purpose. The dreams created and fulfilled, were so evident on March 25th, when Elsa flowed into the hallways of our daycare. As you can see, Crystal is not only a gorgeous Elsa but a passionate entrepreneur. From the details in her appearance to the amazing "show" that she exhibits. She not only brings her character to life but she also engages with the kids and truly makes them feel as if they are in a magical kingdom. For this day her beauty and soft spoken voice helped her embody the princess EVERY girl wants to be these day. 

She then provides an actual real life coronation. See for yourself and learn more about Crystal's business in today's shop feature:

::About Houston Events Galore::

Lucia Cortinas & Crystal Velasquez are the Founders of Houston Events Galore.

Lucia is the creative brain of this business She brings almost 20 years of experience when it comes to décor, arrangements, and centerpieces. She truly loves it! She has a gnat for decorating and can spot beauty and art out of chaos. 

Crystal is the entertainer. She is a singer at heart and has been performing in front of large audiences since she was 7 years old. She loves the art of being able to channel a character and bring them to life but most importantly she loves to be surrounded by children.

Together we wanted to serve our community in a positive manner and share the love of our work. 

We started this business out of love {as cliché as it sounds}. We truly love what we do but most importantly we truly enjoy it. Our inspiration and motivation comes from our very own homes. We have children who range in age as young as 10 months and as old as 20 years old. They are the reason why this form of entertainment came about.  {Connect with us on Social Media} 

Website: www.houstoneventsgalore.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/houstoneventsgalore/Twitter: https://twitter.com/EventsGaloreHouFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Houstoneventsgalore
 
{Current Offers}

We are currently offering $25 off of every package. Effective June 1st our rates will go up!

{More fun facts about Houston Events Galore founders}

We are both bilingual. 

I tend to be the most creative late at night when the house is quiet and the entire world is asleep {unless you're awake like me}. I immediately get up and go to my office {which is my garage, lol} and jot everything down because I don’t want to miss a thing. 

As funny as it sounds lately our favorite saying is “Let it go”.  You can easily get worked up over something not going your way or a deal falling through… instead of allowing the negative thought to overtake you and discourage you… we just tell each other "Let it go", well I sing it lol.