Friday, May 28, 2021

May 2021 Wrap Up & School is out for the Summer


Yep. School is out...and it only reallllly began a month ago. 😂
We were just beginning to get into a groove with the kids being at school all day.  I would drop them off and hurry to Yonder Yoga for an 815am class.  Come home, shower, and piddle around the house while listening to podcasts.  I even started painting a bathroom with all my spare time, but alas, it was not enough time to actually finish LOL
Listen, I hear you I should have tons of time....but man those hours go by fast and then it's time for carpool.  After school could I do it, you ask?  No. After school the goal is to wear my kids out. PERIOD.
These kids looooove going to the belt line.  (me too!)  We always start at Krog Street Market with Veruni Napoli Pizza and zoom on down the path on scooters to the skatepark (O4W).
They can spend hours here and and always get super sweaty.  They recently learned how to "drop into the bowls" there and now want to stay even longer than before.  Im fine with it too. Great people watching and again.....worn out kids.  #goals  I know I always say that, but I need to run these kids like Border Collies.  I have the furniture chewers (not lap dogs)!  

Cinco de Mayo was Ernesto's 49th birthday! Ummm that is one year away from the big 5-0?!? 😳
We love doing/giving experiences on birthdays and the activity the kids wanted to give him was a day at TOPGOLF.  Its a huge place, open to the outdoors and you actually hit the balls from your tee inside to a huge field outside.  
See how we have a booth and table (where they deliver food & drinks) and then you take turns stepping up to the tee box? Each ball is microchipped so it will tell you the speed distance etc.  There are different games you can play...the kids liked Angry Birds.
It was a beautiful fun day! (look at those clouds!)
This year I made my mom's famous Chocolate zucchini cake...but in a bunt pan.  I drizzled a vanilla frosting, bought the birthday boy's favorite ice cream (Rocky Road) and lit the 49 candles.  
For my gift,  I got creative and painted him something. I found some inspiration online by searching "colorful nude paintings"  and came up with this.  He LOVED it!!!
But from the kids....hmmmm what to get him?!? We came up with a new heavy duty wheelbarrow and a few hot pepper plants. LOL.  I know Ernesto doesn't care about presents toooooo much, but it's nice to unwrap something! (and you can't wrap a wheelbarrow!) On a whim I ordered him one of these...
Have you seen them before?  They show them on the beach, camping, relaxing in your backyard etc. "You can take them anywhere!"   It has thousands of great reviews on Amazon, and I thought it would be handy for the champion lounger/relaxer that Ernesto is.  One end opens and you have to either run to fill up with air or ideally have wind blow right into it.  LOL It was pretty funny watching him run in our yard trying to fill it. 
You might have noticed a new deck in the video! Ernesto started building this deck on the side of our house about a year ago. 😳  Between Christmas lights and travel, projects seem to drag on at our house, but as usual, Ernesto pulled it off!  He created a beautiful usable space out of an area that was sloped and overgrown with weeds! 
We left the huge crepe myrtle that was amongst all the weeds and built the deck around it.  It blooms hot pink flowers all Summer and has the coolest leaning shape. 
Above was before the fence was up.  It still needs the black stain on the posts/top, but I am excited for what this space has turned into and where we are heading! The landscaping and laying down a walking path to the front yard will complete it. 
 The balcony is next on the list. It will be rebuilt and we'll be using a waterproof decking system as to make the below patio a "room" that stays dry!
Paloma has been taking ballet classes at TADA since last fall and danced her final recital last week.  She was so excited! Excited to dance, but I think even more excited to wear this special dress.  She also did her own make up.  (she is very well practiced at putting on makeup 👄)
OMGoooooooosh😍😍😍 She is just tooooo pretty. My little baby!
The performance, although I had to view it online, was wonderful and had me smiling.  She is in the middle of the back row at the beginning of the video (and the only girl totally blocked with that camera angle-ugh!) but then moves up to the front row...and dances her heart out! 

Mateo had a very BIG day at BMX this month.  He won his 10th race!  When you get "first place" 10 times, you are promoted from novice to intermediate level! Margie Hatfield (below) runs the Cobb County tracks where we race and she presented him with his promotion certificate and medal. 
He was SO HAPPY and PROUD!  He has found his passion and he works VERY hard at getting better.
I am super proud of both of my racers (Marcelo is right behind him with 8 novice wins!)!  They have made many friends and are always smiling when at the track! It is a great sport and Im so glad our friend Brandy invited us to come to practice one day last September. 
Cobb County hosted Dixieland Nationals, which is a huge BMX race - the biggest we had ever attended.  People came from all over the country.  We were at the track Friday,  Saturday and Sunday.  The days were long but fun.  On Saturday,  Mateo won FIRST PLACE at a NATIONAL RACE! 🏆
He was on CLOUD NINE and that made ME so happy!  The trophy was about as tall as him!
He worked so hard for that win.  It was soooooo exciting.  Here is the video.  He is the one wearing red pants and red helmet - in 2nd place - but then takes first on the last turn.  Ernesto is screaming
cheering him on the whole time which adds a lot of excitement as well. 
 
Because there were so many riders at this event, there was A LOT of waiting around in-between races. So much so,  that Marcelo missed his race on Saturday!  What?!  UGH!  He came in first place in the first race so he transferred directly to the semi-finals...but then, when it was time for him to line up for the race, he was nowhere to be found! 😡  It was so irritating and I was kicking myself for not bringing our walkie-talkies.   Oh well, what can you do?  He didn't know when his race was coming up, he was just playing and having a good 'ol time with his friends.  We did make it clear that we need to know where he is at all times ...ah hello??
The next day he stayed close to the tent and raced his little heart out.  Both of them came home with trophies that day!
In other unrelated news (but worth sharing) Marcelo had an Amazon credit from his birthday last year (thanks aunt Jenny!) and he finally spent it. You aren't going to believe the outfit he picked out. 
You are seeing correctly...those are kitty tacos on his sweatshirt with matching kitty pants. What can I say, he likes what he likes! 

We flew to San Diego Tuesday night after picking the kids up from school.  Technically their last day was Thursday...but Wednesday is virtual and Thursday was a half day, so I felt fine that they missed the last day and a half.  They had their end of year parties Tuesday, so it felt like the last day for them!  Plus the flights were a better price leaving Tuesday.  And when shopping for 5 people (and you are an Arnold) price always a consideration. 
We are here at the Espinoza's San Diego Resort......but it is under construction. A major remodel is finishing up in the main house and a HUMUNGOUS pool going in the back. We are staying with Ernesto's padres in the smaller "in-law suite" out back. This is the view from the upstairs window. 
This is really going to be an AMAZING "all-inclusive resort" on our next visit.
Pool is slated to be finished in one month, so now we are considering coming back here the last week of July so we can enjoy it!  We don't want to wait until next Summer to jump in!

We arrived late Tuesday night 1130pm, but sure enough mi mama had tostadas ready for us.  We didn't go to bed until 1am....which is 4 am Atlanta time. UGH!  Do you want to know what time my kids woke up? 630am 😭😭😭
They were so excited to see their cousins though.... I guess it's understandable. 
The first morning we all headed to Rohr Park.  There is a great playground and while the kids ran around Ernesto, Tavo and I did a quick fitty-fit workout. 
Aaaaaaaand since we were so close to TJ Oyster Bar we grabbed lunch.  Ceviche and fish tacos mmmmmm, yes please!
I love Boba, (I always get the Thai tea @ 25% sweetness) but for some reason I only get in in California.  Its just a vacation treat. 

This Summer is going to be jammed packed and I know it will go way too fast.....but BOY is it going to be FUN!!! We will be in San Diego for a few weeks with the Espinoza's, then home for 3 days, then driving to Ohio for Arnold Week at Mohican (we have three cabins rented!), Cedar Point to celebrate Marcelo's 8th birthday, back to Atlanta for a couple weeks then back up north (Pennsylvania) to drop boys off at their first BMX OVERNIGHT camp!!! Whaaaaaat???  I know!  Paloma is going to stay with my parents and mami and papi are going to have a week vacation ALONE!!!!! No idea what we are doing yet....but something! 

More to come from the west coast!  Stay tuned! 


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