Feliz Navidad from the Licona Kids

Feliz Navidad is Salvatore's favorite Christmas song this year!

Breakfast with Santa at the YMCA

We took the kids to our new favorite family place, the YMCA, and with a few wrapped toys for donation, we got to meet and eat with Santa.  Pictures were free. No lines.  We ate stacks of pancakes, fruit, granola bars, juice and water.  Kids were so excited.  We stayed on and let them participate in their classes while we worked out, then we finished with an hour in their heated pool.  

I remember taking gymnastics classes at this same YMCA when I was young and we first moved to Fullerton.  Going back as an adult was memorable and I fully support any organization that puts family and health care first.  

Salvatore is 6

Salvatore turned 6 on Saturday and we have been blessed.  

 Here he is with his classmates, pretending to be soccer champions and holding up the trophy ball.  

 Salvatore got to wear his present, this Mexico uniform, to his party on Sunday.  6 for turning 6!

 We had a soccer party for him and we got to play soccer in the arena for 2 hours.

 Salvatore and Molly, after receiving awards at school.

 The soccer arena at the YMCA where we had his soccer party.  His team joined us and we had a great time.

We wish you the best of everything as you turn 6, my son.  We love you very much!

P.S. We love you

 With so much to be thankful for, we spent five days in Palm Springs with family, enjoying early celebrations with lots of food, shopping and hanging out.

Salvatore in front of his namesake store.

 After an amazing Mexican Buffet at Casino Morongo.

 Our own Thanksgiving meal before the real one.

 Kids playing in the park.

 Lots of shopping before the major crowds.  We also visited the Palm Springs Aquatic Center and will definitely go back when it warms up.

What is your favorite thing to do in Palm Springs?

Nutshells

Licona life and Licona time spent...

 At the beach. An amusing pelican from Huntington Beach Pier.  He would walk around the pier and try to blend right in with the crowds. It literally looked like he thought he was one of the people!

 At school. Sal is joining clubs, making friends, and continuing to enjoy his first exposure to school.

 With family.  We watched our Godson, Fernando, this 3 day weekend and his energy and love added much to our own. We have so much fun when we are all together.

 On the pier.  Fernando took our picture while waiting to eat at Ruby's on the pier.  Soccer took us back down to San Juan Capistrano and we first went to Dana Point and walked all along the jetty and collected tons of beach rocks and shells. Driving up PCH, we got hungry and David suggested this place.  Yum!

 Learning. My son is now writing sentences with joy and he reads or tries to read everything.  Valentina also loves to pen her ideas down and has scribbled on everything we own.  Sal was never interested in writing before school, so we dodged that phase of scribbles with him. Not Val. She loves to express herself that way, and while it is all just scribbles and lines, she shows great fine motor skills with her precision in her drawings.

 On Halloween. Valentina was a princess and Salvatore was a knight.  They had a blast again both collecting candy and passing it out at home.  

Loving little moments. Like when you spot TWO rainbows (look closely) the moment your grandparents arrive to say hello.  

On a Mission

Salvatore's soccer schedule had us all the way down in San Juan Capistrano for the afternoon.  With the extreme heat, a lost game, bad moods and bickering between all of us, I suggested we take a walk over to the Mission, and it was just what we all needed.

Kids got to feed the Koi.  One pebble at a time, so we were there for a good 20 minutes.  Comparing the swarming of the Koi to the swarm of ducks when you drop bread crumbs, the kids were in heaven with the attention from the fish.  Valentina was naming them based on their colors and sizes and we recorded the feeding frenzy to watch again later.

We all thought that we were pretty cool when we could toss a pellet of food directly into an open mouth!

We relaxed, reconnected, and found inspiration with every turn. 

The last time I was at this mission, I was 8 months pregnant with Valentina. 

When was your last visit?

Life in the Fast Lane

I've been so busy that blogging no longer seems like an option, or a joy.  But then I post and I do love seeing and sharing my family, thoughts and life, and I know the greatest joy is looking back on all of this, as I often do.  Like everyone else, we have been busy... 

Aunt Beth came to visit while attending a workshop and we got to have dinner with her every night for almost a week.  It was so good to see her again.  Everyone came out to watch Salvatore play soccer.  The kids asked about her the entire following week, thinking that she would come over at anytime.  

Valentina got her first haircut, at 3.4 years old.  A four inch trim straight off the bottom. Sylvia styled her hair afterward and Valentina acted and moved like a true princess the whole day.

Sal and Molly, enjoying every bit of school, together.

Family time. We have had lots of that lately and we make it a priority over anything else.  We hardly use our technology anymore and we don't like to when we are all together, and it's made a big difference in the way we interact and connect.

The jewelry business is doing well.  David loves to make these Shamballa bracelets and he can use any color bead.  The kids each wear one and both have even helped him make some for our family.

Salvatore and Molly both received awards at school for doing their personal best.  I thought that I would cry each time I saw him go up to receive an award, and I almost did...but what really got me were the strong, hard, excited claps he gave to every other name called.  

Lolo, Sita, Fred, Papá, Valentina and I got to watch the whole ceremony of awards.

Valentina is enjoying her days spend with Papá while he works.  She also keeps Lolo company while he continues to recover. Another surgery is scheduled for next week.  We've got him covered with attention, help and love.  

More Beth and Sal.  

The princess in her chair.  She even wanted to read a magazine while getting her hair cut.  She looked younger to me when it was finished.  But she also looked taller.  Anyways, it is slightly easier to brush out but it looks like it already grew a whole inch in the two weeks since getting cut.  There are moments when she looks exactly like my mom and there are other moments where she looks exactly like David's mom.  

*Also, my little brother is engaged!!!  I don't have a picture of them, but we are so so happy!!!  More to come with this new story soon....

What has been keeping YOU so busy?