Happy New Year!

When I was a kid we would have garage parties in Puerto Penasco at my Tio Fausto's home. The adults would buy the kids decorations and let us go wild in decorating the garage for the New Year's Eve party. The adults would drink and dance the night away, and we danced right alongside them. Those were the best childhood memories I have of New Year's Eve. As time passed the tradition slowly faded and went away. We are hoping to revive this fun family event as now we have little ones and want them to have the same fond memories of these garage parties. Ma cleared out her garage, and Ma and Eric worked very hard to set-up the garage for a party. There was a full service bar, a dancing area, places to sit, and a table ready to be filled with food to feed an army. Tio purchased a pig leg and carved away for us to eat delicious Prosciutto.

Eric served as bartender, and Bella helped out as a waitress taking drink orders.

Kate did not last until midnight. Chris and I only made a little past midnight. We knew that we needed our sleep to be able to keep up with Kate later that day. I think another reason New Year's Eve and Day is so important to us is because it is Nana's birthday on the 1st and Tio Fausto and Tia Angelica celebrate their anniversary as they were married at midnight New Year's Day (they celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary). We had a blast and can't wait to do it again to ring in 2013.

Kate and Bella in the festive mood

All the Soto girls: Kate, Nana Delia, Ma, Annette, Bella, Nanalu Marilu, and Carla.

Silly Girl

Kate cracks me up. She is really starting to insist on clothing options. I have to make a show about her outfits. Like, oh put on her princess skirt. Don't you want to look pretty for Santa and wear your Santa dress? Wow, you are going to look so cool in this outfit. We need to play, let's put on play clothes. The other day I was trying on some new tops and Kate was with me in the bedroom and she stops to look at me and says, "Oh mom that is so cute!" The tag was sticking out and she says, "take the tag off". Oh-oh, I am creating a mini-me. I have a picture from summer time that I will have to find and post. She is wearing her pink bikini, with goggles, and a red sock. The other day she wanted to wear her tutu and Uggs while playing outside on her trampoline, slide and tricycle. Then she wanted to ride her tricylcle in the house, naked, with her plastic toy heels (which Chris calls her hooker heels) and then proceeded to find my phone to play a "Pussycat Dolls" song titled "when I grow up". And this, well she opted for no pants and her Hello Kitty helmet.

I go see animals

We took Kate to the Sahiti Camel farm where they house Arabian camels and other animals. It was pretty rinky-dink but it was something to do with Kate. Of course she was scared at first even though for an entire day all we heard from her was, "I go see animals?". Well, when she went to go see animals she started being "chipi" with me and wanted "hug, hug, hug" which in Kate language is, hurry up and pick me up and don't put me down.

The donkey's made us laugh...

Getting brave to feed the donkey...