Deleon Dynasty

Gorgeous, Gorgeous, DAY!

2009-11-03T15:20:00.005-05:00

Ok, now I feel I must go to the beach more often. I always think it is a lot of work, but now that all my kids are not afraid of the waves yet afraid enough not to go too deep and not eating the sand, the beach really is a piece of heaven. The transition from the beach to regular clothes wasn't as smooth as I would of liked especially with poor Dexter shivering, but it was well worth it. I just love how cooperative my kids are at working and playing together. I even got to record two of my favorite sounds waves and kids' laughter.

I really tried to get them to pose with the moon, but they were just too tired and wouldn't bother.

The 2's Are upon us!

2009-11-03T14:38:00.013-05:00

I really believe when the girls were 2 they really had a good notion what a birthday was. Dexter seemed a little clueless about the whole event, but I don't think we built up the day either. What can I say, too many events all at once. He was very savvy with the blowing of the candles. He is such a wonderful little guy, but I do feel he exhibits more of the typical two year old behavior than the girls, but I think they could communicate better too. He knows a lot of words and feels great accomplishment when acknowledged that he is understood. Sometimes he just can't state what he wants or I am not willing to give him what he wants and he gets himself into a tizzy. Oh well, for the most part he is a great kid with delicious hugs and kisses and a wonderful delight!

Byron wanted to get Dexter some boyish gifts. My girls as well as Dexter all took to the tools. Dexter is fascinated whenever I use a screwdriver always trying to snatch it. Maybe he'll be a handyman. A mother can always hope!

Now for an examination.

The shot hurt!

Cutting off the bandage.

Paulina is a very loving doctor, giving a kiss when she is done.

Now for a bug hunt. We're ready!

The first stone we uncovered had a big pool of water and two frogs inside. What a beginning. Paulina kept going back to the frogs that she wanted to touch, but we were looking for bugs. We saw a dog and many ducks, but we had to look a lot for the bugs.

We found a millipede! What a success! Now for a well deserved bath. Some of us were feeling itchy.

Random Halloween Moments

2009-11-03T13:47:00.009-05:00

Though I felt I wasn't really into Halloween this year (didn't put any decorations up), we managed to celebrate the season in various ways. All these birthdays so close together makes the anticipation of everything low key.

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Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-03T13:34:00.004-05:00

After examining a few pumpkins he finally found one he liked.

Busy Halloweeny Day

2009-10-25T17:09:00.009-04:00

We went to Lowes to make a Frankenstring magic trick, and then to the Bass Pro Shop for some fun events plus smores. We even did a little family shopping in between. Needless to say we came back exhausted but had a lot of fun. That Bass Pro Shop is Great- they even offer free fishing which I'll probably take them up on later.
Here the kids are making pumpkins. They also stamped some leather key chains with different designs.

Kids fished and won a prize!

Kids lassoed a bull and won a prize!

Kids went on a hobby horse race and won a prize! Also colored a pair a boots to enter free boot contest. Kept singing "These boots are made for walking. . ." while helping Dexter with his coloring.

Got the kids' face painted, but Paulina was so distraught when she saw her face. "I wanted a CROWN!" I am the only one who understood her. She wanted a crown instead of clown. The poor painter felt so bad for her. She only had red, black, and white paint so her range of images was limited. We had to wipe her face and give her a heart and spider web like her sister. She became appeased. Thankfully there was no line of people waiting.

Our finished projects.

Proud parents of our carved little pumpkin.

Ladybug Fest

2009-10-25T13:17:00.017-04:00

We went to an annual Lady Bug release. It was our first time. They released 42,000 lady bugs this year. They gave us handfuls to place on the trees to eat the aphids. A lot of kids just dropped them when they got them, so there were a lot of lady bugs crawling around on the ground. Alex took her job seriously and tried to put as many as she could on the leaves, but there were too many. So cute to see the kids expressions playing with the lady bugs. It was quite an experience.

I don't understand their passion for touching bugs, but I like their enthusiasm. Funny how they were so eager to touch the Madagascar Cockroach, but if they ever see one at home they freak out. Meanwhile Dexter was investigating the baby alligator away from the crowd.

Eating of the bugs. I was surprised the kids ate them. Paulina kept telling me she wasn't going to eat them, but she did it! Alex said they tasted like cereal. Paulina liked the grasshoppers but not the millipede. To me, the grasshoppers were good (well seasoned), but the millipedes tasted like nothing.

Got to touch a baby and adult turtle. It was cool how the webbed feet grasped onto your fingers.

Enjoyed using finger paints and markers to create bug scene. Alex loved her drawing and kept working on it even when the project came to an end.

Paulina fascinated how the ball stayed up in the air.

Love how the kids stick their tongue out when they are concentrating so hard.

At the end Paulina got a big cut on her chin tripping up the stairs. She was pretty brave about it.

2009-10-25T12:48:00.005-04:00

Quite a crowd for the Kindermusik at the library (school out). My girls loved it though Dexter was luke-warm. He wasn't quite sure of all the activities though got into a few. Like how Paulina is trying to zip this kids jacket during the photo. She just loves helping people to dress. She constantly is snapping my snaps on my robe, putting her dad's belt on and taking his shoes and socks off.

Marching, jumping, and scarves.

Mirrors and musical instruments.

Finger Puppets and parachutes.

2009-10-17T17:23:00.009-04:00

Visited the Christmas Carol Train. We got to get a taste of the movie's 3-D preview, and I was impressed. It will definitely be a hit. I find story kind of dark for me to fully enjoy, but the imagery is awesome. Paulina was so proud of herself when she made it through the preview but freaked out when she thought they were going to play it again. Alex was eager to see it again and Dexter was fine. It was fun having the snow flakes falling all around in the movie. It is probably depressing in the North but a refreshing image in hot 90 degreed Miami. Couldn't really appreciate all the information the train had about the making of the movie with three kids in tow, but got a nice overview. Really glad we went early and beat the crowds.

Displayed models of the set and the costumes plus Dickens writing.

Videos on the making of the movie.

Here we got to explore the town via computerization, and go into different places and answer questions about the movie.

We got to Morph our faces into four of the movies characters. They will e-mail us the picture we chose.

The last on our tour was some Christmas decor.

Paulina trying to jump rope in the relay race. She took Alex's place when she backed out.

Pretty Faces

2009-10-17T17:15:00.003-04:00

Alex LOVED her face and kept going back to the mirror to make sure her make-up wasn't sweated off like her siblings. Paulina loved her big balloon unfortunately it didn't last too long. She went back in line to get another when she complained she wanted another balloon. I pretended I didn't know her. Then when her second bit the dust, she went back in line. Quite tenacious. I swear she really be-lines it to whatever she wants and gets it.

Little Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-17T15:47:00.008-04:00

Found a little pumpkin patch at The Little Farm. My kids loved interacting the animals. Dexter was giggling chasing them all over though needed reminders when getting a little rough. Paulina was excited to hear all the sounds the animals made especially the rooster and even the turkey gobbled. Dexter had his first pony ride and handled it like a pro.

Dragon Love

2009-10-17T15:08:00.002-04:00

Alexandria's 5th Birthday!!!!

2009-10-17T13:37:00.004-04:00

I was very unmotivated on what to do for Alex's BD so at the last minute decided just to have the family over with pool, music, singing, pinata, etc., and brought some cupcakes to her school. Got three birthday songs! She was shy when I had the guy at the park sing to her hiding behind the stroller. She had a good time and was pretty relaxing for everyone. She loved her cake that she picked the decorations for. I thought she would pick a more childish design, but not my young lady.

Halloween season is starting!

2009-10-06T15:51:00.006-04:00

Celebrating Halloween at the Museums. Kind of funny how they decided to design their costumes reflects their personalities. Alex wanted to make one exactly like the one displayed, and I had the help in the whole process while Paulina shrugged me off and created her red monster all on her own using her own resources.

Birthday, birthday

2009-10-02T13:26:00.003-04:00

Birds & Bats

2009-10-02T12:56:00.009-04:00

My three little chicks.

We spent our time at the Wings of Asia section. It is really nice and peaceful in the exhibit. They also have an interactive game where they compare beaks to human tools and you have to guess which bird's beak matches the tool (Alex liked it). We encountered some cool looking birds. Next time I'll take notes and remember their names. They did have charts all over identifying the birds.

When I saw this tree with all these birds on it, I couldn't help but sing- "on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . ."

My kids had fun chasing a peacock all over. We went up and down stairs and everywhere. They really wanted to see him spread his feather, but he wouldn't cooperate.

My kids love to play in the dino-pit, but they get so filthy. Luckily playing in the splash water area helped clean them up.

Today in class we learned about bats! I even wore a bat shirt and didn't even know that was the topic. After learning about them we got to see a rat (our last mammal), and then we got to play a echolocation bat game. We blinded kids to be a bat and insect and used clickers for the bat to locate his prey. Paulina was the bat, but was unable to get her food. Alex was too scared to try. Then we saw some real wild bats in the rafters. We also roosted like a bat and saw the bats on display in the Amazon section.

Yeah Play Group!

2009-09-26T21:37:00.004-04:00

Adding snacks and stories to our play group time. What else could they ask for? I think Dexter enjoys the attention from all those older girls. He was more than willing to be traced.

Otter World

2009-09-26T21:02:00.003-04:00

Great visit at the zoo last week learning about Otters. My kids are really warming up to everyone and trying to pass out papers and hold pictures up for people sharing. Even Dexter keeps going up to the teaching to give her high fives. After touching a ferret (cousin of the otter) and learning some facts, we did Otter Ethogram- observing their behavior for minute intervals and checking if they were playing, eating, sleeping, swimming, vocalizing (they are loud!), other and then graphing our results. Thankfully the otters were so entertaining and the kids were fascinated with all their activity. They actually did everything except sleep. I am actually learning quite a bit too. It's cute to hear the kids identify what the animals are when we walk through the zoo (bird, reptile, mammal).

Afterwards we go to Denny's (kids eat free day) and meet up with Daddy. I just find Paulina the most entertaining thing to watch. Hope she doesn't gross you out, but it puts a smile on my face.

Fundraiser

2009-09-20T18:00:00.005-04:00

We went to an Alzheimer's Fundraiser at Crandon Park. We won the raffle for the Gift Certificate to Red Lobster. Yeah!

We love ABUELA. Dexter kept repeating "Abuela" over and over again.

There was a beach nearby, and the kids had fun. Byron cut their time short because of the mounds of seaweed, murkiness, smell, and trash floating.

Kids still weren't ready to go home so went to the playgound afterwards with giant Slurpees. It was very busy!

Got MILK?

2009-09-19T11:44:00.008-04:00

They celebrated Milk at the Children's museum. McArthur Milk had nice give-aways of milk, coloring books, cups, milk erasers, magnets, pencils, and even a DvDs of a dairy farm. Dexter loved the cow. He kept going back to him although I could tell he made the cow nervous.

Finally Alex did the climbing wall. She always forgets to wear tennis shows or was too scared. Before we left she put on her shoes determined to conquer the wall. She flew up there in no time.

Got to love the Clifford room. This time it wasn't so crowded, so they got to really really enjoy the room to themselves.

Thought it was funny how seriously Alex took her picture creation and kept coloring even after she taped her picture up because she wanted to add flowers. Paulina enjoyed taping more than the coloring, but felt she should add more too since her sister was.

Did a milk experiment watching the dishwashing liquid repel the milk molecules. Made cute cow magnets and butterflies. My girls really liked their magnets.

Lovable Face

2009-09-18T09:46:00.002-04:00

Zoo Academia

2009-09-17T16:24:00.008-04:00

My husband thinks I am crazy and so do a few other people (well actually everybody), but I signed my kids (Alex) up for Eco-academy at the Miami Metero Zoo once a week and then classes reside at the Deering Estate. Now it is a long drive and the class is too much lecture for my little ones, but we make the most of what they can do and make the most of our visit to the zoo. The main problem is Dexter gets very cranky during class due to lack of sleep. Paulina usually falls asleep on me-she's so cuddly-but Dexter needs watching! I don't know if I'll sign up the the next 5 weeks, but I am enjoying the time so far. We touched a Hedgehog and Skunk. We learned about Giraffes and saw their skin, skull and back bone. Alex and Paulina gave a talk about a mammal and are learning to categorize animals. Below is a video of their talk. You can't hear Paulina (forgot to tell her to read loud). She says Polar Bears have white fur. They live in the Arctic. They eat seals. They are the biggest bear. (I don't where she came up with the bowing). It is a nice day. The kids are entertained seeing the animals and playing in the water parks. I do think it is a great program and this is the only year to do it before Alex is in school for a full day next year.

Birthday

2009-09-17T15:46:00.004-04:00

Great Birthday at the Little Gym. My kids had a blast. Very cool activities, and I was even surprised how Dexter followed all the directions (better than Paulina sshh). Time just flew.

Fridays!

2009-09-17T15:22:00.006-04:00

At Anniversary Park every Friday they celebrate Funtastic Friday with balloons, face painting, craft, bounce house, karaoke, kids songs, etc. Dexter was fascinated with the Balloon man and didn't want to leave his side. Paulina was racing with the boys hitting them with her flower as they did with their swords. It was very compact area for all they had and I found it very easy to lose track of all the kids. Nice to be outdoors, and the guy singing the kids songs was good.

2009-09-17T14:52:00.002-04:00

Museum of Discovery and Science. They had a robot exhibit, but the highlight was riding the Mars ride. Dexter freaked out and I got nauseous, but the girls loved it and even went on again all by themselves. Usually there is a long line, but we went the last 2 hours of the day and the museum was dead. There was a nice area across the museum. My kids loved the dogs and joked that the one dog had hair like Paulina.

Meeting Nemo

2009-09-17T14:35:00.004-04:00

I was really debating whether or not to do these character greets at Aventura Mall. I used to go every week when Alex was small but they also had the bubbles at the end of the sessions which was one of my favorite parts. No more bubbles since the new playground. Now the meet the Character is only once a month, and I really should expose Paulina and Dexter to the chaos of it all. Paulina thrives on chaos and was all over Nemo kissing his face, slapping his fin, and pulling his tail. I think her example got Dexter into the spirit of the whole event. I was pleasantly surprised that their wasn't the usual mob scene I encounter, so I guess I'll go once a month as long as they still like it. Dexter was asking " Nemo?" all afternoon. He really missed that big fish.

Pizza Makers

2009-09-17T14:22:00.002-04:00

Last Young at Art had Papa John Pizza as a guest. They made chef hats and practiced rolling the pizza dough. The kids were a little disappointed they didn't serve pizza for a snack. There was also play dough and cloth pizzas you could make, and a gigantic slice of a paper pizza but I was all ready to weighed down with the 3 pizza hats.

Play Group

2009-09-17T13:42:00.004-04:00

Very grateful a nice mother volunteered her place's beautiful grounds to have a weekly play group. We went on the tennis courts, racket ball court, and play ground with balls and chalk and other toys, plus bagels. Got to love watching the four three year old girls get together. They follow each other and trade snacks- quite the busy bodies. Dexter even has quite a few buddies his age though not as organized yet. Fun times and wonderful outing for my younger two while Alex is at school.

2009-08-24T15:36:00.003-04:00

Alex's First first Day of School! She was ready. Last year she wouldn't hear about being dropped off at school, but this year she was so excited. Her sum-up of the three hours---It was a little fun. She said she rather be with us, but I think she'll warm-up the more time she is there. It seemed as if the students didn't talk to each other. She described one game they played otherwise I don't know what they did. It is funny she will be doing all these new things that I won't be a part of and won't even know about. I am so proud of her and missed her with us. She is my reasonable one. The second mother who helps me keep the others in line. The one who leads them in activities. She leaves an empty hole, but I know this is her time to shine. She is reading really well now. She read all the Little Bear Stories, and Mid-way a series of Frog and Toad stories. I know she'll be great and gain confidence. Just as an afterthought. Definitely get your school uniform early. All the stores only had boys left in Alex's sizes and not too many of them left either. Glad she is too young to know the difference.

Wanna BE 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-23T00:22:00.016-04:00

Paulina turned 3. Although her first choice was Disney, we decided to try WannaDo City to celebrate. They were actresses (see video below for debut), beauticians, pilots, fire fighters, jewelers, miners, archeologists, bakers, veterinarians, and we only lost Paulina once. We also saw a Circus Act and went on rides at the Fair. Everyone had a great time. Her older cousin worked as a news anchor, lawyer, model, ambulance worker, etc. Abuelos, Byron, and Dexter enjoyed fries and shakes. I wasn't expecting much when I went in there, so I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. Alex was upset she couldn't do the modeling (was too scared at first to try). When she saw Anabella up there she really wanted to try it, but the lines were too long. Paulina seemed to have a good time- rates it equal to Chuck E Cheese and Dandy Bear. Should have done some more rides with her. The fair area was her favorite part, but she was game for anything and still talks about being a firefighter and putting the water up and down to take out the fire. She was so impressed with herself. Cute watching her pet, groom, and kiss the dog she was working on too.

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Alice comes to Miami

2009-08-22T23:43:00.008-04:00

Had a fun time at Young at Art. The Alice in Wonderland room was whimsical. They even had weird things happen when you looked through the peep holes on the doors. We starting watching the movie on the way down there. My kids really like the movie and are definitely curiouser.

Clifford comes to Miami

2009-08-22T22:51:00.009-04:00

Back at the Children's Museum. This was the most frustrating time to date there. Usually I do pretty well, but this time I lost Paulina and their cousin Jorjito. I was fuming. 4 on 1 are not great odds. Also, I was getting reprimanded about the kids climbing oh and eating. I swear it is so in their blood to climb the highest heights. Towards the end we only did art projects, so I easily kept them all contained and left on a positive note. All my kids love their Green Eggs and Plans play. It is fun to hear Dexter laughing as loud as the rest. The Clifford exhibit was really cute and kept all the kids entertained. Each member of the town had a mailbox, and there were letters to deliver to each person/pet. It was funny that Dexter went right for the tools and that all the other little boys were vying for. That dog bowl was a favorite of many too. Dexter is also obsessed with the orange trees. He was livid when the oranges stopped coming and would not leave the tree.

Nature Tots

2009-08-22T22:20:00.007-04:00

On this day we learned about the SUN. We made sparkly stars because the sun is a star. We felt the difference between a balloon filled with air and water, because the sun is filled with gas. Then we made the earth out of play dough and had the flash light shine on it like the sun would. Dexter was upset because his flashlight wouldn't work. We then made shade out of the sheet and played a little parachute. We also painted planets around our sparkly stars. Dexter was helping another boy with his. We then went to the butterfly garden and the highlight was actually touching a butterfly. I was surprised they were actually able to do it!!!

Parks

2009-08-22T22:02:00.002-04:00

Not taking too many pictures at the parks anymore but here are a few.

Zoo with Cousins

2009-08-22T21:41:00.005-04:00

Another Day at the Zoo. As you can see we exhausted them! The animals were quite active. The tarantula was creeping all over his cage, and the snake slithered all around to the ceiling and plopped to the floor. Quite entertaining.

Jumping Craze

2009-08-22T21:15:00.004-04:00

We decided to try out Monkey Joes. This place just opened up and for some reason I expected to be more than just bounce houses and slides, but that was pretty much it. After 2 hours (felt like 4), I was tired and had a headache. I don't know if it was the colors or maybe sitting in the bounce house while Dexter explored the maze. After two hours of jumping my kids were pretty much done too. They had two little kid areas which Alex liked, but was too big to go on which disappointed her. I just wish there was more variety there. Too much of one thing for my taste.

Cafe #3

2009-08-22T20:14:00.009-04:00

A Latte Fun is by far my favorite. The food and variety is not that great, but they allow you to bring your own food in or at least they turn a blind eye, while the other two places advertise no outside food. They are new, so they make a lot of mistakes with your order or take a long time, but they are trying hard to work out all the jinks. It is pretty far north, but we stayed over 6 hours, and Paulina still didn't want to leave. There is a lot to do with physical activity (trampoline, slides) and mental games (puzzles, etc.) as well as imaginary play. Some people didn't like that there is a glass wall separating the eating area from the play area, but my kids were independent enough not to care too much when I wasn't around, so it worked for me. The workers were great at supervising the kids on the slides and picking up constantly all the toy items. I just really liked this place for all the ages of my kids.

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Cafe #2

2009-08-22T19:52:00.002-04:00

Cool-de-sac. I have very few pictures because my camera went out. I like this place because the food is pretty good if not a little pricey. They have many activities for older kids. Painting and art projects, make-up/dress-up, educational computer games (even I was getting into the I SPY game), legos, a small jungle gym area, and a small tot area. This place is great for older kids. I felt there was a lot for Paulina and Alex to occupy them. I wish there was more for Dexter, but he did like the Toddler area just a little small. The workers were great, getting paint for the girls and offer to apply their make-up/finger nail polish. My con is that the place is far south and going south=traffic. On the Weekend the traffic is more reasonable, but they really raise the price for entrance as compared to weekdays.

Cafe #1

2009-08-22T19:38:00.003-04:00

Cafes-eateries with play areas are becoming very popular in Miami to beat the heat and rain. My husband and I were talking about this a while back that we wish we could eat somewhere where the kids would be entertained, so we could actually enjoy a meal. Well, there are places around. Some are a little far to drive, but if you make the day of it, why not. The first one I already went to before. Cafe Bambini. The food is OK. Not many choices, but I like the kid option of picking four or five items for the ones they have listed. For my kids, I find the play area a little small. For ones with little kids, it is great, but for my almost 5 year old, I would like some more challenging options. I do have to say, my kids are good there for a good three hours, and it is pretty close.

Summer Beach Fun

2009-08-22T19:20:00.005-04:00

All kids are enjoying the water now even without expert swimming skills. It was fun to see the girls work so hard digging a hole to find two sand toy treasures. The girls did all the digging, and when they found something one of the boys would come and take it and show it to us excitedly like he unearthed it. Lots of fish and wild life around which my kids love to explore. One of our companions found a crab, and Alex was carrying it around in its bucket for a good half hour. Paulina touched a blow fish. And many were touched by huge schools of fish. Exciting day for all. Too bad I got major sun burn. OUCH!

Summer Water Parks

2009-08-22T18:49:00.003-04:00

Tried Paradise Cove and Castaway Island. My kids liked them both. At the Cove they really liked the lazy river. I found they really enjoyed the slides, but then was bored with them after a 1/2 hour, Dexter a little scared of the slides he is more into interactive water areas. Nice that Castaway had a large pool area. We hung out under the shaded waterfall, and my girls were really learning how to swim because it was somewhat deep yet the were close to the ledge. I was surprised when it was 3:00 when we left. Time really flew there.

Summer Time at the Library

2009-08-22T18:14:00.004-04:00

We been having a great summer this year in Miami. The first year we spent the whole summer. I really tried to make the most of it and explore all Miami has to offer. This summer at the library we did KinderMusic, learned about different instruments in the Central America area (loved the cigar box guitar), met Oopsy the Clown, participated in the reading program (so got free tickets to the Miami Zoo for the kids), and just a lot of fun performances. Paulina loves the puppets and when they trick their companions and do things when their not looking. Fun Times and projects.

Paulina Reading ??????

2009-07-06T14:30:00.007-04:00

Well maybe she is memorizing the words, but hey she is doing a pretty good job. I love how she points to all the words like she is a professional. We had a fun play group where the kids had to read stories to each other. At first, Alex did not want to read at all (actually she didn't even want to go because she was scared), but then she got into it and read 2 books. It was a great way to boost their confidence. Paulina is more fun to show because she is so loud. Also, if you look closely, Dexter even tries to correct her (what a smarty). We all thought it was amusing.

Return to J.I.

2009-07-06T13:56:00.004-04:00

When we first got our season passes to Jungle Island, I wasn't that impressed. This is our third visit, and I have to say the kids really have a wonderful time each time they go, and we always find new things that we missed. I thought it was a rip off they wouldn't let us in to pet the animals before (only from the outside), but this time when I asked if we could go in (thought we had to pay) they said you could and no fee. Good to know. Paulina is not afraid of the animals anymore either- though a goat did bite her shirt. She always comments how she doesn't cry anymore about this and that. Even she is aware she is braver and braver and less cryee-- yes! Those crying fits did/do drive me batty! Thankfully they dissipate daily.

Just for kids to feel and see first hand different animals is great. The Apes were so smart to cover themselves in the rain!

Alex loves these penguins. Who is more curious about who?

First time to catch the alligator show. Alex took this picture. Not bad!

Ok, this was the most interesting thing to Alex. She carried it around all day. She left it on this leaf before we left and gave it a big kiss.

Water Fun

2009-07-06T13:17:00.005-04:00

I love to watch the kids growing confidence in the ocean. They finally let go of all their fears and throw themselves in the waves. Dexter looks like quite the beach bum. He knows he conquered the waves!!!!!

This is a new place we found- Croissant Water Park. It is also totally free!!!! They have really fun water park area and a full swimming pool on the other side. My kids had a blast!

Our Time with Jorgito

2009-07-05T17:47:00.017-04:00

My kids' cousin, Jorgito, came to stay with us for a few days. He just fits right into the family. As soon as he came, we went to a play group, where the host's daughter shows us their garden. Jorgito finds a lady bug!

They had a fine time in the hot sun. Took a little nap to get ready for the Children's Museum.

Just a few pictures to capture his time. My kids can listen to the different countries' music for a good half hour, but people were getting upset they had to wait so long. I don't know why they love the music so much, but Jorgito did too. I had to say his favorite was the big indoor slide.

Paulina pretending to be Little Red Riding Hood. Limbo King.

I have a lot of Pictures with Jorgito and these Tinker Toys. He kept saying "Take my Picture!" He loved them and made many interesting objects. I really liked the simple design. Love his smile.

Even Paulina and Dexter were getting into it!

Great teamwork. Jorgito is moving the crane and the girls are unhooking and directing. Alex looks great as a cop. Watch out Robbers!

Jorgito makes a great fireman. Watch out Fires!

Milking the cow and shopping. This girl was so good with Paulina and so professional. She taught her to use a credit card and everything.

In the morning we made smiley face pancakes, but Paulina was the only one who wanted one. Jorgito took his plain with syrup and Alex only wanted eggs. Picky, picky!

Went to the Y. They had some sports events for the kids. Alex is a little green when it comes to games like dodge ball, so luckily she had her cousin to lean on. Too bad she didn't let go of him to have him really get into the game. He was really sweet though. He would get a ball, and give

it to her to throw. Later we all went to the pool!

We went to Jump and Gym. Paulina and Dexter were into the bubbles and puppets.

Que Rico!

My little dress-up queen/princess!

My climbing kids. Jorgito is no exception. He is quite the little monkey.

Alex is going to make a great mom. She just kept making Dexter laugh as she pushed him. It was fun to watch him laugh so hard at her. Dexter likes to play peek-a-boo house.

Jorgito was really into this lion's head is must be because it his namesake. DeLeon- of lion, so is Dexter!

Oh, this mini roller coaster was a favorite.

Paulina screamed Melody every time she sees this mural, so thought a picture was in order. Jorgito had a great idea to take a picture of us when he saw the reflection of ourselves outside so I humored him. Good Idea!

Jorgito and his Dad, Tio Rick, joined us for the Fourth of July. This is our first attempt at seeing the fireworks first hand with the whole family. Before we were scared of the traffic and they'd be too tired, but we are more confident this year (at least I was). The green grass was so nice beneath our feet. Love running around. Dexter and I coming back from riding the cars.

After the bounce house/slide, we waited for a while for the next exciting activity. It was a longwait, but Tio Rick has a great way of entertaining the kids, while Byron and I lounged on the grass with Dexter.

The wait was well worth it. I think Jorgito should get a job at the circus.

What a cutie. Always up for an adventure!

Sitting on our blankets waiting for the show. It was spectacular and it was great to see the amazement on the kids faces. Dexter fell asleep after 10 minutes into it, but it was a really fun time and the traffic wasn't bad at all, and we left quickly. YEAH! Used the sparklers at the end until announced not allowed on the grounds. Paulina got a little hurt so didn't want to try anymore. Maybe next year?

The video is the finale of the show!

Nature Centers Rock

2009-06-19T14:48:00.010-04:00

This is a small nature center called Secret Woods with a Tot Program that was packed with so much information and activities in the one-hour period, it was definitely worth the visit and 3.00 fee.

This lesson was on Crustaceans. We started off reading about an Octopus and his body and then making one making sure to add 8 legs.

Paulina is looking at some snails the teacher brought. Alex is showing her the octopus.

Listening to hear the ocean. No crustacean living in it now!

Now we are making spirals like a snail's shell.

Using water guns to demonstrate how some crustaceans spit water in order to move. They did move some leaves around as well as splashing themselves and each other.

Painted a mollusk or some sort of Crustacean. We also colored imprints of their fossils. Even though it was very hot and sweat was pouring off me, I found the lesson to really hold my kids attention and the teacher was really great. I just wish they had it more than once a month.

Afterwards we walked the trails and hung out at this interactive center.

Dexter was attracted to the Turtles.

We were lucky in that as we were there some workers were taking snakes out to show at some other event, and they let my kids touch them. They were thrilled.

We even saw an albino. Paulina needed reminders not to squeeze.

They had puzzles and dress-up clothes.

They also had a small butterfly garden. We saw this emormous spider on our way out.

All in all a nice clean facility. Not that much for kids to do, but that lesson was top rate.

Random Moment

2009-06-16T22:55:00.003-04:00

I was just watching Byron clipping Dexter's nails and their expressions, and I just wanted to capture the moment. I don't know why it touched my heart, but it's something I wanted to remember.

My Climber!

2009-06-16T22:45:00.003-04:00

All my kids love to climb wherever they can. Since Alex is a little more skilled, she is able to go farther up the others though they try. Alex just loved climbing this swing set. She would do it over and over again, and didn't want to leave. She said, "I just love it so much". Ah, to be young again and really enjoy something that is good for your body and find it fun too. Oh, she climbs the highest on the rope in her gymnastics class too!

Outside Again!

2009-06-16T22:09:00.005-04:00

The rain has subsided somewhat, so we are in the great outdoors once more. Besides frequenting the regular parks, we hit the beach too! I went two days in a row which is totally atypical. On the first day we went to Charow Park in Hollywood, which is a really nice place with a water play area. They also have a path that leads you to the beach that a stroller can roll on! Yippee! I was all alone with my three kids, so I didn't take any pictures. Dexter started out very cranky, but at the end all of them loved the beach and water. Paulina was so impressed with herself (the first time she wasn't scared). "I'm not afraid of the beach anymore." -is her new favorite comment on her accomplishments. She started out scared though, and I had to slowly coax her in screaming, but she ended up loving it. Dexter too, who used to be scared also was splashing in the waves. It was fun to witness. I think the waves have finally become calm enough for them to really enjoy and then I get to enjoy it too. I had to force them to leave! I did manage to get some pictures (Byron came with me) on the Second day at a birthday party which was really fun. The kids once again reinforced their confidence at the beach as well as having great food and company!

Have to love all mothers with their little ones and father too!

Love that sand!

Paulina couldn't take her eyes off the cupcakes! The kids are vying for their favorite one!

Attempts at group photo! What a beautiful day with beautiful people!

You can see why Paulina had a hard time taking her eyes off the cupcakes. They were so adorable and so delicious too (cream filled)!

Rainy Day Activities

2009-06-14T21:25:00.014-04:00

It has been rainy for many days here, and so we tried to find activities inside to beat the wetness.

1) Libraries. Have to love them. Now they are all having their Summer Reading Kickoff programs. We found out about one at The Alvin Sherman Library, and had a lot of fun even if the lines for the snow cones, cotton candy (missed), and water tattoos were a pretty long wait. They did pass out candy and spray painted my girls hair while we waited and had an arts a craft table that they worked at while I continued to wait.

Finally here are the results.

My girls love mermaids. Then we went off to the game room to throw some balls- NO LINES!

Took some photos. Better as a mermaid or strong man?

This was the main act the Jiggleman. He had all the kids thoroughly entertained for an hour. He was juggling, flopping around on the giant ball, and just basically doing a bunch on nonsense but in an entertaining way. Alex stills asks about going back, but this was a one time appearance.

2) Playground inside at the mall. Always a good option.

3) Making Crafts. I am not at all crafty, but when people who are are willing to share their talents count me in. We made I Spy Bags. My girls are having a lot of fun finding all the objects in the bags.

The kids had fun dressing up and eating while some toiled away at the project.

Always changing emotions.

TV gets all to settle down.

My results! I love our bag- thanks to all for its creation.

And the best, my kids came home exhausted. I didn't even know they were asleep. I kept calling them, and when I went to check on them, I found them in this lovely state.

4) Dandy Bear- I like to debate which is better Dandy Bear or Chuck E. Cheese. Dandy Bear will have to win solely on the play area. You just can't beat kids moving around and wearing them out.

Dexter doesn't look quite sure he is having fun.

Dexter likes this one, but Alex is bored. Inside the Dinosaur.

The play area is really fun and they try to put areas for the bigger and younger kids. It does get crazy though.

5) Chuck E. Cheese- It is much closer. I think the games and pizza are better. It is probably cleaner also, but my climbers prefer Dandy Bear.

Their special pizza was actually pretty good.

My girls actually practiced some skills at these games and did pretty good. Who knew? They do grow up fast.

Dexter didn't want to leave this game. This was like a real roller coster moving all

over the place.

6) Inside play areas. More and more are popping up all around. In Miami's heat and rain, it's a nice option, but I still prefer the great outdoors. Thankfully the rain has passed for a bit.

7 is a Lucky #

2009-05-28T00:05:00.002-04:00

Joshua's big day. Turning 7. I can't believe it! Swimming, dancing, games, pinata, oh and a Dog to play with. My kids were in 7th Heaven.

Til We Meet Again

2009-05-27T22:52:00.008-04:00

Trista and Ty's farewell to Orlando. It was the perfect send off in a wonderful park we frequented on a gorgeous day. What turn out! What a wonderful Family! It was great to befriend someone in a similar situation to mine (3 kids all close in ages) and to witness her never ending enthusiasm for all she did. A great ring leader to opening us up to activities. I know what ever life brings them, they'll have a lot of laughs and joy.

Love getting dirty in the sand!

Great food and conversation!

Isn't this the most beautiful tree and so climbable!

My cupcake model!

This is a REAL man- swings all the kids!

Boys and Trains are a great combination.

Trista is definitely taller. Did Alex stop growing?

More cupcake models.

Croquet anyone?

Paulina had fun saying "Yeah!" when she made it, and "AHH!" when she didn't.

Big girls still need their daddies!

A Day at the Museum

2009-05-27T22:01:00.008-04:00

Back to the Museum of Discovery and Science. Nice to have Byron along this time to help me with the kiddies. We even attempted to take the kids to the IMAX film Night of the Museum second installment. I don't know what tempted me to do such a thing (maybe the fact it was IMAX and we were at a museum), but the film was fun even though I had to watch the second half trying to entertain Dexter (so wouldn't cry) sitting on the floor at the top/back of the theatre. He fell asleep the last 5 minutes of the movie (typical). This is the first and probably last time for a year or so, we'll pay for a movie for the whole family. I usually go to the free movies in the summer and last only half way through usually (so I knew what I was getting myself into). Paulina (much better than last summer) and Alex did great. I did find the movie inspiring and witty. We had a good time at the museum too. Below are a few highlights.

Alex was much better than her dad or I manipulating this electronic arm. I think the next generation is going to be awesome.

Mixed emotions in the plane.

I just have to show my kids constantly climbing. This was a huge lobster! Scrumptious!

Frolicking. It was hard to get them to leave. Alex said this part was her favorite of the whole day. Don't need much to keep kids entertained-just God's Good Earth!

Always giving mommy flowers. How SWEET!!!!

Below is a demonstration of their acrobatics.

Bye Cari-You'll be Missed

2009-05-27T21:33:00.002-04:00

Cari had a brief visit to Miami for business, but he made the most of his visit. On his last day, we met up for breakfast. He had a successful trip. Hopefully he'll be back soon.

Spring Ballet Recital

2009-05-17T15:37:00.005-04:00

Alex's first performance. Even though the whole thing was less than 2 minutes, a lot of prep went into this recital. Alex was getting bored in ballet but after this event she renewed her enthusiasm. I have to say they made the ballerinas feel very special calling each one up and giving them flowers and a bag of chocolate pretzels. Alex adores her flower and wants to carry it around and dance with it- Paulina too. Plus they had some yummy snacks at the end. Well they do look adorable. Paulina was crying again because she wasn't a part of it though you can hear her try to sing herself into the show- too bad I had to shush her.

Deleon-style Mother's Day

2009-05-17T15:09:00.007-04:00

We pose for photos.

We Swim.

We play with the hose.

We climb. We play in dirt.

We ride. We play ball.

We find flowers for mommy and a duck laying on broken eggs in the bushes.

We eat and get pushed around.

What else could you want?

Perfect Party Place

2009-05-17T12:51:00.007-04:00

A great time at South Pointe Park for Juliana's BD. The park was gorgeous and artistically redone. We were impressed.

Happy BD! A new BIKE!

Cute Cupcakes! Two Great Moms!

I love this picture. My girls look like deep What scenery!

thinkers.

What scenery!

Our party down below! Our portrait of Paulina.

My little artists!

Speedy Gonzalez wannabe. My handsome son loves sweets!

Girls all over the place! Keeping Cool! Love to climb. Hard to keep track of.

Abuelos amor!

Our Wild Car Ride Home!