Still in the ring and still a huge dodger fan!

It was a hard year for our family. We nearly lost our dad several times. My Dad lost his brother, my mom lost her cousin, we lost a friend and we lost our cat of thirteen years, Mama. I couldn't find the motivation to build an altar. We wanted to invite our families for a visit but every time I thought about what I might do this year, I would feel deeply sad. In the end, we didn't build an alter but I did make us a nice dinner on Day of the Dead, we did light candles and said we love you Uncle Sev, We love you mama, we love you Frank and lit a candle for each person. Ava was a little bummed out that there wasn't more notice given to her and Breyne and I allowed a few tears to fall that were unnoticed by the girls. Breyne said to me, It was a really hard year but it was a really good one too. He is right. I never thought my Dad would make it to the end of the year much less dress up as Manny Ramirez for Halloween.
You just never know with my dad. His childhood nickname is Leon which means Lion in spanish. You will never hear my dad's brothers or their kids call him by his name, Joe. It's always Leon or Uncle Leon. I don't know why he has this nickname maybe it was some sort of prediction of his future. My Dad has the heart of a lion.

So Ava.......

The other day Ava came home with an award, The Citizen of the Month award. I opened her folder and there it was with her name, her principals signature as well as her teachers. The next day the teacher told me she got to select one person for this award and Ava got to accept it in front of the whole school and they took her picture for the hallway. Breyne and I gush over her and laugh and think..........leave it to Ava, the girl who has loved rules since the day she entered the world. We just got her school photo, she is poised, confident and sits high with a big grin on her face like..............."Ava Miller Future President of America" I wonder what her catch phrase will be?? Needless to say, she is doing awesome, learning so much spanish, has made so many new friends and has yet to drop one tear at the idea of being at school. In fact, she loves it!!
Ruby and I are enjoying our time together and little Ruby Lu is really a fun toddler. We take lots of trips to Amy's playground, I can sit and knit. Swork, I can have coffee and sit and knit and the park where I get to enjoy this little twenty pound fearless girl, slide down the steepest of slides.
It's October, my favorite month of the year. My favorite holidays are approaching. We were said to be the power puff girls and Breyne the professor but as it turns out, our intellect wants to be Lucy from Narnia and Ruby will be a candy corn. I have the house decorated and it looks fantastic. I have yet to build my altar, which is sad because I have the perfect space. It was a hard year, filled with loss and I think the loss has held me back from letting loose. I think I maybe taking a year of mourning the pain is still too fresh to embrace there death. I don't know, maybe it will be healing and it needs to happen but its been a thick year loss. We lost family and a friend and our dear cat Mama. I can't think of adding them to our family alter yet, it feels too sad. We will see. However, we all can't wait for Hollywood Forever, please........come with us.

I never liked Heart much until now......the end is my favorite!

Bye Bye September

September was a very big month for our family. Ava started kindergarten and turned five. Breyne had his birthday and Jenny and Felix tied the knot! Ava also auditioned to dance with The California Contemporary Ballet Company. It's been an emotional month for me. Im very delighted and very heart broken over my growing daughter. Breyne and I are blown away by our girls. I remember the second week of school, it was Monday and I had dropped Ava off at school. I cried all the way home then text Breyne, "Its so hard to drop her off and watch her walk away. I feel sick to my stomach". He replied, "I do too, I keep looking at her baby picture in my phone". The school pictures are Ava leaving for her first day. In the picture of her and Breyne, she had just told him she was nervous and he was telling her he was nervous too his first day of school. Her birthday party was a hit and that little picture of Ruby lu is her looking at her daddy's birthday cake. She calls it "happy cakey" too cute!! Jenny was gorgeous at her wedding and her wedding was beautiful. Ava did an awesome job as flower girl more photos of that to follow soon.........

Happy 18 Months Ruby Lu

On the 17th, Ruby turned 18 months. We have a family tradition of the four of us having dinner and cupcakes on the girls half birthdays. We also give them a couple of little presents, its a sweet deal. This year, our party was a bit bigger. With the year being so rough for Papa and Grandma, we invited them in on it and they invited Auntie Lisa and Gigi. It was bigger and fun and Grandma did the cooking, score!
Ruby enjoyed some snacks with Papa and Gigi while we prepared dinner. Ava played on the computer and Auntie Lisa and Dada did a little of everything. It was a fun day at Grandmas house.
At her 18 month check up, Ruby is weighing 20 pounds 7 ounces. Her height and weight is in the 10 percentile. She is a lucky girl with a very fast metabolism. Her favorite things to eat are sugar and condiments. Yep thats what you read, sugar and condiments! She'll eat the healthy stuff too but she will ask for a cookie several times a day and if she catches you dippin something, be prepared to share.
Our blossoming firecracker, loves her grandma, mama, dada, sister and animals. She also adores Ava's friends Lulu (who sadly moved but Ruby says her name all the time) and Carmela. Ruby calls her Karma. :) She loves the Boo Bahs, shoes, Paint, preferably on her body, mouth and hair and babies.......!! She might hit and kick but she also hugs and kisses a whole lot! This little chicken in soooooo easy to love!!!!!
I forgot to mention purses. She loves to hold a purse blow a kiss and say bye bye baby! She's used to me running out to get Ava. Ruby can say many words and her favorite sentence is "there it is." I love it, when she likes something she will say "der it ish" so cute!! She often says side for outside, cookie, muk (milk) leths go (lets go) and "go?" for where did it go. She makes these adorable little expressions like her hands up in air and says go?go? or her hands over her mouth with her jaw dropped open, for when she drops something like.....oops! When I am holding her and she wants to walk, she says "cock, cock". Just typing this gets my blood going. Our little chicks have my heart beating heavy and hard. Lucky us.

More really deep thoughts by Ava Miller

Its dinner time, we are eating breaded chicken, broccoli with scallions and rice. Ava looks up at Breyne and I with a piece of chicken on her fork. "Why do animals have to die just so we can eat dinner? I want chickens alive and fish swimming in the ocean. I don't want to eat them anymore ( she's fighting back crying now) I only want you to make me tofu for meat." We explained to her that as long as she's young she's going to eat meat from time to time because we do but we will definitely give her more tofu when we can. She wasn't fully pleased but her mind was eased a bit and she refused to eat anymore chicken that night.
Ava Miller, Environmentalist/Philanthropist/Animal Rights Activist.............

Ava's growing up.....

I've been cleaning out my house. Donating what I can, throwing away what I should. The other day I came across this canvas I had started painting way before Ava, probably around seven years ago. I should have taken a before and after picture but didn't. Basically it had a green back ground, face and black poofy hair. I got a hold of her this weekend and pretty much repainted the whole thing, back ground, skin, hair, the only thing that remained the same was the eyes. I am going to give this to Ava for her birthday.
Im really happy with the way she came out. I tried to style her up to Ava's wild imagination. Colored hair of course and its gotta be her favorite color, purple. Lots of jewelry and little tokens that say Ava at this age, the bangs, the chicken scratch five on the t-shirt, the jewelry and teenager fashion flare. I feel its the happy medium as I have been battling those horrible Bratz dolls. I don't even like the super slutty barbie dolls. What happened to little girls being little girls? Ava and I have an agreement, she can play with baby bratz and angel bratz, they are actually kinda cute. I still say no to the hooker bratz. I mean parents do need some guidelines after all. She seems quite pleased knowing she can have that kind if she wants. Its really a win win situation because we pretty much avoid target now, and if I go, I am saying no to toys. It's so crazy, she always got a toy when we went to target and we went all the time! I am putting a stop to that bad habit, I donated so much money in those target toys.
I'm happy with my painting. She's a fashion girl which will make Ava happy but she doesn't look like she belongs on Sunset. ;)