Ready to Walk???

Avery is now 10 months old and is showing us VERY CLEAR signs that he is ready to walk. He is standing on his own and it is simply adorable to watch as he is so proud of himself. (Don't kid yourself, mommy and daddy are very proud too.)


"Getting my balance...then I'm goin to take the dog on a walk."

"Busted, I'm supposed to be getting ready for bed, but these toys look fun."

"Alright, balance obtained, where did you put the dog's leash, Mom?"

Our Visit to Ft. Myers, Florida

We have been without a computer for 5 days. We had it cleaned out and more memory installed so we can download tons more pictures. Anyhow, over the weekend we went to Ft. Myers, Florida to visit my grandparents. Avery was so excited to spend some QT with his Great Grandma (Nanny) and Great Grandpa.



Avery "exploring" their house. "Ooooh, all the new sites to see and oh what fun I could have with all of Nanny's breakables."

Nanny just fed Avery his snack and is snuggling with him and of course....his sniffer.

Out on the Golf Cart. Nanny and Grandpa live in a gated community where people drive around on golf carts.

Rico, Avery and Granpa....on our way out to lunch.

AAA

It has been a while since we have posted some pics of our Triple A. For those of you who aren't sharp enough to figure it out....Triple A is Avery Alexander Alcala. Now you know. Anyhow, he is becoming quite independant in regards to feeding himself.

Disclaimer: 50% of the food ends up in his mouth, 50% of the food ends up on the floor, which in turn, ends up in our dogs mouth. Gotta love a mop on four feet.


Here is our own little monkey...he LOVES bananas!!!



And........scrambled eggs for the 1st time. Daddy has already volunteered to change all diapers in the next 24 hours!!!

Yes, it take 5 fingers (sometimes 10) to get the eggs in his mouth.

Ahhh, my sniffy (AKA his blanket) He just stops throughout the day to get a good smell of his sniffy, then moves about his business.

Quick, one more sniffer stop..............

Celin Dion

AMAZING!!! That about sums up our night in St. Pete on Thursday at the Celin Dion concert. She is an awesome singer and an even more incredible entertainer. She was more than I could've imagined.

So, on a whim, I called my Uncle Bob and Aunt Lana to see if they would want to go to the concert as well (knowing they are big Celin Dion fans) and of course, who WOULDN'T want to go. So, Rico jumped online, found them some great last minute tickets. We made plans and made our way to The Forum.

Our plans were to go to Tampa/St. Pete in time to go out for a nice dinner, then head on over to the St. Pete Times Forum for the concert. However, we got stuck in traffic (rush hour, go figure) so dinner was not an option. Therefore, we ate chicken fingers and french fries at the Forum right before the concert began. We were so excited to be at the concert, we didn't let this ruin our night.

In summary, if you ever have the chance to see Celin Dion in concert.......jump on it. She is an awesome singer and an excellent performer who is gorgeous with a HOT body.

P.S. I read online where cameras were not aloud, so I had to leave my camera in the car. No pictures to show for!!! Guess you'll have to go see for yourself.

My Surprise

Tonight Rico surprised me with the best surprise yet. We are going to see Celin Dion in concert. Yep, we are headed to St. Pete Times Forum tomorrow for an evening out. We will dine at Channelside then head over and see Celin Dion perform LIVE!!! I cannot wait. I have been wanting to see her FOREVER and she is finally coming to our neighborhood. What a great husband I have and what a great night we will have together. Details and pictures to follow.

Raul Alcala

Most blog entries are exciting and happy ones. I am lucky to say that most things that go on in our lives are happy and exciting. However, life is full of ups and downs therefore, we must take the good with the bad. I am upset to have to write this, but Rico's father passed away yesterday. He is now with God in Heaven where we know he will always be excited and happy. Afterall, that's what Heaven is all about. He lived to be 70 years old and he will be forever remembered and always missed. God rest his soul.



Raul visiting us in Florida. Lexi never left his side.

Jessi and Raul on his Birthday. April 6th (a few years ago)

Raul, Matt (our friend) and Rico

Our Busy Day

Now that Avery is a whopping 9 months old, I felt he was ready to attend his first playdate. So, we loaded up and headed to one of the local libraries for "Partners in Play." There were children there ranging from 8 months old to 3 years old. Of course one of Avery's best friends, Jadyn, went as well, so he had a familiar face there. I should also mention that since Avery is all grown up, he feels that he is ready to feed himself. Well, we gave him a try at it..........





"Here ya go, son,, your own plate of dinner as you requested." Notice how clean he is.....


At the playgroup... Jadyn is ready to get comfy on a beanbag....Avery, not so sure what's goin' on yet.

After a long day, Avery enjoys a Baby Einstein movie. He's excited to see it, he wants to crawl through the T.V.

Still enthralled........

"Better grab my sniffer, (AKA his blanket) I'll probably enjoy the show even more."

Surf's Up Dude!!!

Avery has become a regular at Siesta Key Beach and he just loves it. He has quite an assorment of swimming trunks already, now we are trying to find him the most suitable surf board. Well, not really just yet. We made several trips to the beach while Mimi and Papa were here and he is attracting beach babes like it's his job. Way to go son.



Mom and Avery taking a stroll along the water's edge.


Time to get your feet wet.........

Quick photo op....."Dad, time for you to get in some of the pics. "

"Dad, if you lay real still, you can be a great climbing block for me. "

Traditions

Our family (immediate and extended family) has many traditions. And, one of our traditions is that we always attend the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida every New Year's Day. So, of course, this year where were we New Year's Day? You guessed it.....in Tampa at the Outback Bowl. This year it was between South Carolina and Iowa. We had GREAT weather, PERFECT seats (had we been any closer we would've been on the sideline), Avery was a complete trooper and of course we had a snack or two. On the down side, the game was TERRIBLE. South Carolina should've just stayed home as Iowa whooped their A**!!! Oh well, it was still a great time.




Mimi and myself while Avery takes it all in.


Just a view from our seats.

Right outside Raymond James Stadium.

The Marching Bands at half time.

Avery's 1st Christmas

Avery's first Christmas.....wow, did it ever make for a different Christmas, but a great one at that. It was so neat to be able to shop for toys and books and play Santa Claus for the first time. Although Avery didn't understand any of it, Mommy and Daddy sure did and we enjoyed it to the fullest. We had Mimi and Papa here, and Avery's Great Grandma and Great Grandpa as well. We had a fabulous meal prepared by Rico and Mimi and PERFECT weather for Christmas. What a great day it was.


Mommy and Avery discovering all the bells and whistles on his new bike.


Oooooh, a delicious Christmas dinner, Chicken, sweet potatoes and applesauce!!! "Can I have seconds please?"

Back on the bike again. "This thing is cool." ("Don't worry, there's a gate around the pool, no matter how hard I try I can't drive my bike into the water.")

Avery and Papa opening presents. "Papa, I will show you how to tear into these gifts in NO TIME."

All of the Alcalas ready to see what Santa has brought. (Notice Avery is so excited he's about to jump off the couch.)

"Whew, all that excitement of presents and more presents....I'm exhausted."