Layla and Lily turn 4!!!

Time has been flying by this summer! This is the first summer in quite some time that I have not worked....yet, it seems as though I have more time to blog when I am working! Anyhow, I must post a few pics of the twins before even more time passes by....

Layla and Liliana turned 4 years old on June 26!!! I cannot believe my babies are 4....wow. I had a bit of a struggle with this birthday. We are not having anymore kids and the twins are truly no longer babies. I know they have to grow up, but I wish they could stay little just a bit longer! This was the first birthday that the twins were soooo excited and looking forward to their special day. We had a big birthday party at the bowling alley near our house - tons of kids, cupcakes that Analisa and I made, and so many wonderful presents!! Freddy and I had given the twins their gifts from us before the party - big girl bikes. :) Wow - it felt so different walking the girls around the block as they rode their bikes instead of sitting in their strollers. :( These past 4 years have truly flown by. Although memories from the early "twin years" are definitely a little blurry, I cannot imagine not having these two wonderful little girls. They are so lucky to have one another and the two take care of each other in ways that I or Freddy cannot. Their bond is so special and I am so very lucky to be their mommy! Happy 4th birthday to Layla and Lily.......I'm excited to see what the next four years bring for my twinnies!! :)

Twins first dance recital!

The twins have been taking dance classes since August - tap and ballet! They had their first recital this past Saturday afternoon. The girls performed an adorable ballet routine - they were soooo cute!!!! Little Marti has also been in dance lessons with the girls - it has been great! The three girls did such a great job - I was very proud of all of them! They had to stay backstage in the dressing room for quite a long time without their parents - they were troopers! After the show, they were given flowers by so many people who came and you could tell they were so happy and excited!! Here are a few pics - a few from the dress rehearsal and also some from the big day of the recital. :)

We have a celebrity!

Analisa's boxing journey just keeps getting better and better! The press release which was released a few weeks ago to different media websites made it to the sports director of Univision (chanel 33, the Spanish Station here in AZ). The sports director contacted Chris and they set up a time for Analisa to be interviewed. Apparently, the director was impressed by Analisa because of her young age and her desire to compete in a male dominated sport.

The interview took place yesterday!!! It was awesome!!! They took footage of Analisa doing some of her regular training routine as well as punching the bag, mitts in the ring with Chris, etc. They also asked her a lot of questions - some were pretty tough!!! But, she was definitely on her game and gave some excellent answers!!!! She was not camera shy at all and was very, very calm. Chris was also interviewed and so was one other boxer from the gym. I hope this gives Chris and his boxers more exposure - they all deserve it!

So, the interview should be aired this coming Friday, May 14th, during the 5:00p.m. news. Analisa will be featured in a segment called "Promesas del futuro" (Promises of the Future). I'm so very proud of her - she has worked so hard this past year and deserves to be recognized for all of her hard work, dedication and commitment. I'm very happy and excited to see what more comes her way!!! :)

Analisa's first match

Well, we took quite a roller coaster ride on the day of Analisa's big first match!!! We went from Analisa being very ready and excited to not thinking her opponent was going to show up, and finally to her showing up and being quite a bit taller than Analisa! When Analisa heard how much taller she was, she got a bit scared. :( But, after lots of thought, we decided to go ahead with the match. We figured there's a first time for everything, and she might as well try....

Analisa seemed to be thinking heavily the entire day, but seemed okay with getting into the ring. Finally, the time came. The second the two stepped into the ring, everyone could tell that Analisa was just outmatched. Her opponent was much taller, bigger, older, more experienced....and on and on. Analisa tried her best and I'm so proud of her for doing so. She definitely got in a few good punches!! I was/am so proud of Analisa for trying - she gave it her all. Most of all, I'm proud of her for not giving up. It would be very simple for her to say that she doesn't want to do this any longer, but she said the opposite. She is ready to train harder, spar girls of different sizes, and prepare as hard as she can to win her next match.

And, something very good did come out of the match. When the two girls were in the ring, many members of the audience started to cheer on "La chaparrita." This means "the shorter girl" in Spanish. I later told Chris about this and he just loved it. So, Analisa has a boxing name - Analisa "la chaparrita" Lopez! I love it!! She loves it as well - :) I'm excited to see how her boxing future continues to unfold......!!! Here are some pics from the day of the match - pretty cool if you ask me!!!! :)

Analisa - Press Release!!!

I know many of you have already heard or read about this, but I am just so excited and wanted to make sure that I documented this on our family blog!!

Analisa has been training for close to a year now. She has sparred a couple of times and this Saturday will be her first real boxing match. Her trainer, Chris, is very proud of her and has truly prepared her for this match. Chris now has his own gym and is beginning to do a lot of marketing, PR work, etc. We are so excited that he chose to have Analisa included in his first press release. I'm soooo thrilled!!! If you get a chance, check out the information that was sent out. I'm so proud of Analisa and am super excited for Saturday. I'm nervous, of course. Not nervous that she will be hurt because I know she is well prepared and Chris would never let things get out of hand. :) But, I just want to make sure all the bases are covered and that everything runs smoothly for her. I truly don't care if she wins or loses - of course a win WOULD be great - but, I want her to put her best effort forth and show her skills.

I love this article (scroll down, on right sight click on "blog") about her - it was released on Wednesday, April 21, to various media websites. Very cool!!!! Wish her luck!!!

Analisa spars again!

Soooo, as most of you know, Analisa has been training for almost a year now. She has her amateur boxing license and now we are just trying to get her ready for an actual match. She was so very nervous before the spar. She definitely has the physical ability to do this, but is still lacking some confidence in her self. She almost wanted to leave, but something her trainer said to her made her go through with it. I'm soooo glad she did! She was amazing! The poor girl she was up against called it quits before the 1st round was even over. Afterwards, Analisa felt bad that she hurt the girl and talked to her for a second. The girl was sitting on the couch with an ice pack on her head! :( I'm proud of my daughter for going through with it and for doing her absolute best. I'm also very proud of her sportsmanship and for talking to her opponent afterwards. An actual fight may be happening very soon. I hope she has the confidence to pull it off!! I know she can do it, but she has to believe in herself. I will keep everyone posted!!! :) Here is a pic of Analisa after the spar - even if she doesn't want to admit it, I can tell she was very proud of herself... :)

Easter, 2010

Wow....time is certainly flying by. I cannot beleive Easter has come and gone...every day truly seems to go by quicker than the last. We had a fantastic Easter and celebrated it with our family at our home this year. The twins were waiting all day for Dominick to arrive and had a blast with him from the second he got here until the second he left. We had soooo much yummy food!!! The big hits were definitley the potato cornflake dish (thanks, Jen!!), the super yummy spicy coleslaw (thank you, Juliet!!) and a great cornflake/peanut butter dessert (again, thanks Juliet!). We had a great time relaxing and spending time with the kiddos....it was a memorable Easter for sure...Happy Easter everyone!

A Day at the Park.....

Again this year, I had a different spring break from the girls. I did enjoy my "alone" time while I was home and they were at school....it was nice! But, this week has been hectic. We have had to try to find different people to help with the twins every day this week. I did take one day off to spend with them and I am sooo thankful I did! I took them to the Railroad Park today and we had such a fun day. We rode the carousel several times, rode the train once, played at the playground and had a yummy lunch together. It was so fun spending the day with just us - it was great and perfect and I can't wait to do it again. Here are some pics of our fun day together....enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day, 2010!

Happy Valentine's Day, 2010!!! I know many people might feel that Valentine's Day is overrated, but if it's an excuse for Freddy and I to have an evening out alone, I will take it! :) We usually don't go out on actual Valentine's Day, but do try to get out before the holiday. This year, we went to Cheuvront's Wine Bar - we were VERY impressed!!! The meal and wine were amazing and the price was excellent! We had a great time having a nice dinner, just the two of us..... :)

Analisa went to her first Valentine's Day Dance this year. She is growing up so fast! These days, I don't think Mom is very "cool" in her eyes. Everything I like she hates! So, in order to avoid any battles, my friend Colleen took her shopping for me! THANK GOOODNESS for wonderful girl friends!!!! Colleen helped Analisa pick out a dress, shoes, and of course, fake nails for the evening! :) They were only gone for a couple of hours. Had I taken her, we would STILL be at the store trying to compromise on an outfit! LOL... Here is a picture of Analisa before I dropped her off.....she looked so beautiful!




Finally, here are some of my favorite pictures of my favorite kids - I think these pictures are very appropriate for Valentine's Day! So many pictures full of hugs and kisses.... :) Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Friends

I really, truly have the best friends ever. I don't know what I would ever do without my friends....they all mean the world to me! This past weekend I got to celebrate my friend Neyma's birthday. I've known Neyma for almost 20 years....wow! One of my oldest and dearest friends ever. We have a great group of friends that try to get together to celebrate special days in our lives....me, Neyma, Melissa, Denise and Elena. I love these girls soooo much! We laugh tons when we are together and have been there for each other through thick and thin. And, we have all depended on Neyma at some point of our lives....she is our rock!! Here is a pic of our last outing - us celebrating Neyma's bday!!! Happy birthday, Neyma!!!! I thank you for being there for me always.....can't wait to celebrate with you again soon!! :)