Trick or Treat

Beware, the Dark Knight strikes for the first time. Avery's first Halloween!!!!! This was an absolute blast. We got to dress Avery up as............... you guessed it.............BATMAN. We loaded up the Bat Mobile and headed to a friend's house for some cocktails and trick or treating. Avery had a great time. He cruised along the neighborhood in his Bat Mobile (aka, the stroller) and just soaked it all in. There were kids galore and of course, candy galore.



Avery in his "Bat Mobile"



Daddy and Avery after a long night of Trick or Treating

Mommy pushing Avery in his "Bat Mobile"

Gettin' ready to hit the streets. Can you say "Trick or Treat"

And the Dark Knight prepares for take off!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, clear the air....the Dark Knight prepares to strike

Up, Up and Away we go........................................... TO BED!!!! Goodnight

A Day at the Marina

Living in Sarasota enables us to enjoy some fabulous scenery year-round; the ocean, palm trees, beaches, you name it. One of my favorite places to hang out while having "75 and sunny" weather is at the marina. Whether it be taking our dog there (before Avery came along) or taking Avery there for a nice walk in the stroller, it's always enjoyable. Today, Jamie, Jadyn, Avery and I loaded up a picnic and went to the marina. We walked for a bit along the waters edge, then enjoyed a picnic while "people watching." What a great day.

Avery and I right after lunch enjoying the beautiful weather and gorgeous view.

Jamie and Jadyn pose for a quick photo

A Lunch Date

Usually about once a week the girls and our babies get together for lunch. This week it was at the Ale House. Notice the sweaters, sweatshirts and warm clothing..... it has been in the 60s here. Ouch!!! But, kinda neat to get a "taste" and only a "taste" of winter weather. Below is (clockwise) Avery, looking at something other than the camera, myself, Jamie, Jadyn, Carol and Janelle. Going to lunch is always a treat since we never run out of things to talk about and always end up with a laugh or few. It is "interesting" to see how are lives have changed over the years. This is the same group of girls who used to go bar hopping together EVERY weekend and now we all sit around and talk about our children over a glass of iced tea. But, don't kid yourselves, every now and then we squeeze in a girl's night and those "iced teas" turn into "long island iced teas." However, I must mention, Carol is expecting baby # 2, so we are lucky to have ourselves a D.D who can (fortunately for her) have just as much fun sober.



Lunch at the Ale House

As Will Ferrell would say...

In the famous words of Will Ferrell himself, "We had (another) nice, little Saturday planned." Since we were given this AMAZING weather we MUST take advantage of it. So, we started our Saturday with breakfast at a little cafe in downtown Sarasota. Then, we headed to Jamie's soccer game. Next, we went to the outlet mall to see if we could catch some good deals; and of course, we did. After all this running around, we worked up a GREAT appetite, so we ended up at home for a nice "Surf and Turf" dinner, a couple bottles of wine and creme brulee. What a perfect finish to a great day.


Avery and Daddy ready to "hit the stores"




Jadyn at the soccer game, "Is it time to go? I'm gonna go ahead and load myself in the stroller."

Avery and Jadyn playing together while we watch the soccer game.

Meet "The Bresters"

Allow me to introduce you to our awesome friends Pat and Jamie. We spend lots of time together, so you'll definitely be seeing many pics of them for years to come! We have a lengthy history together that dates back to our more(innocent) college days at Illinois State University. Since those boring and uneventful days of sobriety, we have all moved to Sarasota, Florida where Pat met the love of his life; Jamie! We have experienced life's most rewarding moments together; our engagements, weddings, vacations and the births of our children to name a few! I recently had the wonderful treat of watching their beautiful daughter, Jadyn. She is a very well behaved child, too bad the same can't be said about her parents! Avery and I both enjoyed having her over, but I must confess, the flirting has already begun.


Here's Jadyn explaining to Avery the intricacies of the exersaucer!



Jadyn & Avery having a disagreement...Jaydn eventually won of course!

Avery awakening from his nap and wondering where his girlfriend ran off to???

"Is my mom here yet? Avery has wore me out."

"I'll go ahead and get in the car seat." ("eventhough its not mine and I am too old for it")

And.............Here's a pic of the infamous "Pat and Jamie" @ Hard Rock Casino in Tampa (about 4 years ago.)

Finally, Nice Weather!!!

Finally....I repeat, FINALLY!!! Some nice weather here in the sunshine state. It has been blistering hot here (as in 90+degrees for FOREVER....or so it seems.) But, this week we finally got some nice weather, actually what I call "PERFECT" weather. It has been a high of 82 and low of 65. Does it get any better. It's the weather where you turn off the air, open all the windows and play outside all day. Then, when you go to bed at night, its just chilly enough to snuggle under the covers....still with the windows open. So, the last two days, Avery and I have packed the stroller and headed to the park. He is still too young to swing and play on the slide, but he sure enjoys watching other kids play and so do I. I enjoy talking to other mother's at the park and sharing stories. It's enjoyable for both of us. Then, we come home eat lunch and play outside some more. And of course, if necessary, we squeeze in a nap. I have been doing some yard work at my leisure while Avery relaxes in his infant swing and watches me. Its the perfect time of year.

Who said "NO?" I did, that's right, Avery's mommy said "no." So, the story goes like this. We have been doing the "solid food" thing for about a month now and it has gone very well. Just like his momma, he'll eat pretty much anything without any problems. We have yet to put together his new high chair (way overdue) so we have been feeding him in his swing. A little messy at times, but works quite well. Anyhow, tonight, while eating carrots Avery kept leaning over to lick the swing. And, after doing this several times, I (mommy) politely said "no". Oh boy, was that a joke.


After hearing the word "NO" this is the response we got:


Then, all we could do was laugh, which, he then continued smiling. Better luck next time I guess.
The moral to the story: Eating their toes is much cleaner, than carrots.

A Nice Little Saturday

Well we had a nice, little Saturday planned. As soon as we all woke up, we headed to the pumpkin patch for some nice 90 degree fall weather. We saw tons of pumpkins, pony rides, hay rides, tractor rides and met up with some friends. Avery enjoyed looking at the scarecrows, 1000s of orange circles (also known as pumpkins) and listening to some country bumpkin music.


The Alcalas

Mom and Avery
Dad and Avery
Avery all by himself on a bail of hay
Avery and Jadyn (Our dear friends, Pat and Jamie's daughter)

Oh, what a nice day. It was hot out there, but still enjoyable.

Welcome

Hello friends and family. Welcome to our Blog. We have created this blog so that our friends and family (like yourselves) from all over the country can see what the Alcala Family is up to in Florida. For those of you who have lost track over the years, I will give you a quick recap: We (Rico and Jessi) got engaged on July 3, 2004 and got married July 30, 2005. We have since bought our first home here in the sunshine state where we get to enjoy the pool at our fingertips and we are a 15 minute drive to the beach. On April 10, 2008 we welcomed our first baby boy Avery Alexander Alcala. He is our absolute pride and joy and has changed our lives for the best!!! This is where you can keep up to date on our joys and adventures as one happy family.

I thee wed: July 30, 2005 Married in Mt. Vernon, Illinois


On our way to the hospital: Avery is ready to come out and play

And he is here................. let the fun begin!!!! 04/10/08 @ 7:27 a.m. The world welcomed AAA (Triple A) 8lbs 2oz