Tag: birthday

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Quiet Celebrations & Cozy Moments at 36

Posted on by Mama

Happy Birthday to Mommy! As Valeria would say.

Yes, yes another year has gone by and I turned 36 yesterday….yeah getting one step closer to 40. Which to be honest doesn’t scare me in the slightest surprisingly.

My birthday was great though, until the end of the night, but don’t worry we will get to that shortly.

I requested a quiet and relaxed day, just to be and spend time with my husband and Valeria. Not expecting any sort of big celebration (I don’t like being the centre of attention especially on my birthday), I tend to enjoy something low key. I received plenty of wonderful birthday wishes from friends and family which started the day. Anthony and Valeria took me out to grab Starbucks; which I wasn’t able to get my free birthday drink and had to contact customer service online; who informed me their systems are having technical difficulty and I’d receive my coupon soon. Nevertheless, didn’t ruin the morning, then we were suppose to go to the pet store but it got late (more on that story in another post) and we decided to head home to put Valeria down for a nap.

She decided to take a big, long nap which was good since her molars coming in and her growth spurt have made her super tired these past few weeks. I was able to bum around and game a little bit…I know totally nerdy, but I enjoy it! Anthony went out to grab flowers for me while Valeria slept, which are absolutely beautiful. When she woke up, we went to the pet store and then over to mom’s for an impromptu birthday dinner/cake. Pizza and cake, reminds me of childhood, sadly I paid for it later. Valeria sang a cute and priceless version of Happy Birthday along with everyone else, but she was by far the loudest and cutest. It was incredible….hums ‘Happy Birthday Mooooommmy..’

We headed home around 7 and got Valeria right to bed, she was a bit of a cranky pants. Thankfully her eyes shut and she was out like a light snoring. I, unfortunately, was bloated and my stomach was in discomfort. Gotta love stomach problems! The rest of the night was spent in bed with Anthony, sipping peppermint tea and watching a new Christmas movie that was on Netflix – Jingle Bell Heist. Really good if you want a fun and different rom-com Christmas flick.

Eventually the night ended with Anthony passed out in bed and me heading down to the living room to writhe in discomfort quietly so I didn’t disturb him. Thankfully, it eventually subsided enough for me to pass out on the couch with the Christmas tree lights keeping me company.

The perfect day….regardless of the ending.

I hope you enjoyed my little birthday recap.

Have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Making Waves at Two: Our Under the Sea Celebration – Happy Birthday Valeria!

Posted on by Mama

First off I want to say a very BIG

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY GIRL VALERIA!

How the time has flown by, you are two already and it has been such a wonderful and blessed ride with you thus far. Watching you learning, growing and discovering who you are and that incredible little personality forming, I can’t tell you what a proud mama I am. You have brought me so much love and light, even in the darkest of times. I love you baby girl and wishing you all the joy and happiness this year and beyond!!

Now please indulge me as I go over her wonderful birthday party that was held this weekend in the company of our family. We unfortunately couldn’t celebrate with my husband’s side, so she will be getting another party this weekend coming to celebrate with them, which we are very excited about.

Nevertheless, she had a wonderful time, adored the decorations/food and got to be the center of attention all day long (even though she didn’t really want to be). It was wonderful to see the smile on her face as she ate cake and opened her gifts, truly remarkable!

The theme was Under the Sea/Mermaid and when I plan, I go all out. It’s just who I am, plus I want these to be memories she will always remember. So weeks of planning, prepping and crafting all lead up to this….

Personalized Banner from Grandma
I made this on Friday night, decorated my mom’s place on Saturday night, cute right?!
Waaaaaaaaay too much food….not my idea just FYI, but all delicious! My husband the BBQ Master that day
I just thought that was funny…Made the signs in Canva
Jellyfish pull apart cheese bread made with puff pastry, a ton of cheese and herb butter….woke up early to make that one!
Fish bone pull apart Nutella bread made with puff pastry and Nutella….another one I woke up early to do that day
Sand dollar sugar cookies and sugar cookies in the shape of sea creatures (those were frosted later)…I’m not a baker, don’t judge my burnt cookies….okay judge a little..
Valeria helping mama unsafely cut the first piece of her birthday cake….yup birthday girl has to cut the first piece, tradition for us.
Her candle – since you couldn’t see it
The design on her cake, which you couldn’t see in the photo. I designed this with AI and then tweaked it to what I wanted. It turned out great!
Her dress and gifts!
She is obsessed with this tea set! I had to stop taking pictures because she needed help with opening gifts, but she got a lot. Everyone was very generous. Thank you to everyone!!! ♥
Anthony and I created a book specifically for Valeria. YEEEES….I used AI to help with the idea, but again I tweaked it to make it our own. A gift for her birthday
We used AI for the images….I’m artistic, but I ain’t THAT artistic. We had it printed through Canva as a hardcover book.

So there you have it folks! An absolutely incredible day for little Miss Valeria! I’m glad you could come on this photo journey with me….apologies for all the little captions. She was a lucky little girl and spoiled rotten to say the least, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Showered with love and gifts….not to mention A TON of food.

Hopefully one day, I’ll show her all the photos from the day and hopefully it makes her smile.

Wishing you a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao from a very blessed mama!

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Happy Birthday to My Amazing Husband!

Posted on by Mama

To my husband Anthony,

Thank you so much for being such an incredible husband, partner and my best friend. We have been through so much, not only in this last year, but in the nearly six years that we’ve been together.

You are my anchor; strong, loving, and endlessly devoted. You have the ability to make me laugh even on the hardest days, with that sense of humor that fills our home with warmth and joy. Your strength is beyond, showing up in the way you protect, provide, and standing by the people you love most. You are extremely stubborn at times, but it’s that very stubbornness that fuels your loyalty and unwavering commitment to your family. Watching you as a father is one of the most beautiful parts of my life; the way you love, teach, and cherish our daughter melts me every single day. Your my rock; the steady, loving presence that keeps me grounded and reminds me just how lucky I am to share this life with you.

Happy Birthday my love and to so many more!

I Love you ♥♥♥💋💋💋

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Happy Birthday Babe!

Posted on by Mama

This weekend was all about my husband, for good reason, it was his birthday weekend!

Saturday we went back to Hamilton to spend the day with my husband’s family and celebrate his birthday with them. His mom made homemade pizza and a wonderful Romanian dessert called Papanasi. I purchased an ice cream cake (my husband’s request) and we had a blast!

Everyone came over and we chatted and caught up with my sister-in-law and her husband on their honeymoon and they showed us photos from the trip. The kids played and of course most excited about the cake, but who wasn’t?!

Anthony received some wonderful gifts from everyone and it was a really wonderful day/evening. He was so happy at the end of the night, which in turn made me happy.

Today, Sunday, we came home and my mom planned out a wonderful steak dinner and bought him a double fudge cake. I cooked all the sides and Anthony happily grilled the steaks for us, however he pleasantly surprised by the cake and absolutely loved it!

I bought him a cool customized BBQ Apron and grilling tools, but I gave that to him early, way before his birthday. But I’ll keep the sappy love letter to a minimum here and just say:

Happy Birthday my love! It has been four wonderful years and as we always said, we’re growing old together. You are an incredible husband/father and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Even during those days when we annoy each other, I couldn’t imagine having anyone else doing that. *Giggle* But I cherish you more than you will ever know and I hope your birthday was everything you wanted and more. I love you to Pluto and back, forever and always!!

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Happy Birthday Dad!

Posted on by Mama

Celebrating my dad’s 65th birthday! We ordered pizza and had a small oreo cake. He was working all day and got home late, but Valeria got to see him right before bed which put a big smile on his face. Mission accomplished!

Happy birthday old man and to many many more! Love you!!❤

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Happy Birthday Mom!

Posted on by Mama

Celebrated my mom’s birthday. She never wants to celebrate, but I always try to make it even a little special. We got her a bird feeder stand she wanted for the yard, some flowers and a lemon cake. My brother Marco bought her dinner, she wanted pizza. My brother Anthony and his family got her a balloon, card and a neat house plant. It was sweet, simple and I hope it made her feel a little special.

We love you Mom and Happy Birthday!

Ciao!

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Happy Birthday Margaret!

Posted on by Mama

I’ve made a couple blogging buddies over these last few months and this lady is one of them. Margaret, from what I gather through our messages back and forth; is a wonderful, kind, gentle, funny, God fearing woman, who I am pleased to have met on here.

And today is her birthday!

Happy birthday Margaret!!! I hope you had a wonderful day filled with love and happiness and received everything you hoped for. To many, many more!!

So let’s make her feel extra special and wish her a Happy birthday in the comments please! And if you haven’t checked out her blog please do, it is filled with beautiful Bible verses: https://soulfood101blog.wordpress.com/

Ciao!!

Posted in Travel/Vacations

Birthday Party!

Posted on by Mama

This weekend we traveled to my mother-in-law’s to celebrate our oldest nephew’s birthday. He is turning three, man how time flies! I remember when he was born, and during the COVID pandemic no less.

He is a smart, active and playful little boy who loves cars, trucks, tractors… well let’s just say if it has wheels he loves it. My husband and I decided to get him a kids motorized riding tractor (with a remote for the parents, just incase he drives a bit too fast or far, they can stop him). We had it delivered to his sister’s home, worried if there was a delay due to shipping. Plus not sure where we would have put it in the car since there is a baby seat…

We drove down Friday night and Saturday was the party. The apartment was all decorated in Sesame Street; Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch were all in attendance all over the place. We even bought Valeria a little cookie Monster onesie for the occasion. Which was difficult to find in the first place, surprised there wasn’t more at the store. Is Sesame Street not as popular?

My mother-in-law made the cake, cupcakes and a bunch of food. We all pitched in and brought something: cheeseball with crackers, Pad Thai, schnitzel, mashed potatoes, veggies and dip, fruit with yogurt and all of it was delicious! Definitely not ideal for my diet but you know what, it’s a last hurrah for a while.

Our two nephews were running around playing, and Valeria watched intently. I know she wished she could play with them, wondering what they were doing. She is very much a quiet observer and I fear she may actually be a mini me, an Introvert. But it was cute watching her; we would hold her, standing on our laps as she watched her cousins and ever so slowly she would start leaning forward as she smiled. So cute!

Presents were opened and no surprise there was lots of excitement. The tractor was a huge success. Yay! He also got a toy tractor, a inflatable soccer ball (like a beach ball), a story time wall projector for kids and an art easel. He was a very happy little boy.

Then it was cake time and watching him sing along to happy birthday was too adorable for words! He hasnt quite got the hang of blowing out candle but almost there. It was cute watching him try and finally getting it, he was so proud of himself. It melts my heart.

Through all the party chaos, Valeria kept doing what I call mini naps, 45 minutes to an hour, and then back up. I think it was very stimulating for her to be around everyone so eventually she got exhausted from it. She was able to have her auntie read her part of a book and she seemed excited about the pictures. I think we will start reading to her daily.

Around nine o’clock, everyone started to pack up to head home. All three kids were exhausted and ready for bedtime. We said our goodbyes and off to bed we went. Valeria kept waking up and finally after the third time rocking her, she fell asleep peacefully, daddy next to her. I got to sleep on the air mattress, which to be honest, I much prefer.

Hopefully our sleepy baby girl will sleep all night and get some well deserved rest. She has had a few big adventures the last few days, this being her very first birthday party she has attended. Trust me many more to come!

Do you like themed parties for your kids? And if so, do you have a theme in mind for their next birthday? I have an idea for Valeria’s first birthday, but will need to take a deeper look into some ideas. Though that will be closer to October, so not on my To Do list yet.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!