Cruisin

January 15, 2012 should have just been an ordinary day celebrating a certain someone's 5th birthday with a few presents and a cake. Instead, it was a full blown 2 week trail of birthday dinners, Mexican ports of call, Disney characters and presents at every stop. So much for keeping her little ego in check. Cienna is formally a diva. At 5. And I only have myself to blame.

After stops in Phoenix and Los Angeles, we boarded the Disney Wonder for our first ever cruise. It was the biggest ship I have ever seen, with multiple swimming pools, big screen televisions, beautiful restaurants and lots of fun activities for kids. Our room was very big (which was much different from what I thought it would be) and we had a nice balcony which Tony and I spent nights talking, with cocktails, while the kids slept soundly.

Bon Voyage

After a few days of being at sea, we stopped at our first port of call, Puerto Vallarta, or as I like to refer to it, "The Gates of Hell." My last trip to PV was on our 1st anniversary and it was so hot I am pretty sure I had heat stroke every day. Not my favorite trip. But that was in June and this was January and I must say...in January it is not so bad!



The next two days we spent in Cabo San Lucas which is my favorite! Having been there only 6 months ago, we were very comfortable getting around and knew where to go to shop and where to eat. The weather was once again amazing. Cabo is the best!

Cienna's Must-Have Mexican Accessory...Braids!


AJ Never Wants To Be Left Out!


Speaking of AJ, he was quite a handful on the trip. After convincing the Disney staff that even though he wasn't potty trained he didn't belong in the baby room, we were able to sneak away a few times leaving him and his sister in the "Kids Club." That worked until we received a message saying that AJ needed to be picked up. Apparently he had an "altercation" with another child and then he smacked a counselor. When I asked AJ what happened he said "The bad guy pushed me, bumped my head, pulled his shirt, he ran away." While I was not pleased that he got into it with someone, I absolutely adored the little cave man description he gave and was proud that he stuck up for himself, being that the other kid was at least a year older than him. After a few more days at sea it was time to disembark. Overall, it was an amazing trip!


Breakfast With Goofy


AJ And His Girlfriend Tiana


Pirate Night...Argh!


Jessie Signing Autographs!

Once the cruise was over we drove up to the Bay Area where we had a chance to catch up with all of our friends and family that live there. It is always a whirlwind of a trip, but well worth all of the chaos. It was a fabulous way to kick off 2012!


Great-Grandma Vi at Casa Vega in Studio City


Uncle Chris


Mamacita


Great Aunt Marion


Great Grandma Betty and Great Uncle Ray


Best Brother-Sister Team Ever!

Lindsay

My Girls!

My New Godson Garrett and His Mama Melanie

And Many, Many Wonderful Friends That We Miss Very Much!

Hello 2012!

Welcome 2012! While I didn't wait for you to "officially" get here before going to bed, I woke up very excited to see you! Each new year brings a new, amazing journey. A new chapter in your book. There are ups and downs and all-arounds, but what a ride it is. I welcome you with open arms and can't wait to see what you have in store for the Mazotti family this year.

I did not make any formal resolutions...you know, lose weight, stop swearing, no more spanking, etc....all I resolved to do in 2012 was try to be a better person, friend, wife and mother. Much like rehab, I am going to take it one day at a time. Try not to sweat the small stuff. Try to laugh more and stress less. Try to find peace within my self and know that it doesn't matter what size my pants are or how clean my house is...I am having fun just living life and being the best person that I can be.

So bring it 2012! Let's do this!

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 was, simply put, the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! And here are the top 10 reasons why (in no particular order!):

10. It was the 1st real Mazotti family Christmas. Tony's parents were able to spend their first Christmas as New Mexicans. This meant tamales and the luminarias on Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas Day at their house. We are so blessed to have them near us and to be able to celebrate many, many holidays in the future!


9. We introduced "Tiny Quinn" into our Christmas tradition. Tiny Quinn is our adorable Elf on a Shelf, who flies home to the North Pole each night to report to Santa how the kids behaved that day. Then he flies back before the children wake up and they run around the house looking for him! This also introduced the Elf on the Shelf movie and "Chippy" the movie elf. This is one of my fondest memories of Christmas 2011!


8. I received another amazing Tony Mazotti for Lilly Barrack creation! Each piece seems to outdo the piece before. I am in love....with the bracelet AND Tony!


7. Baking cookies. Tis the season to gain 10lbs easily. There is nothing like Christmas music playing while you are baking cookies with the kids. It makes me feel like a kid again (minus the extra weight around my mid-section!)


6. That moment right before you go to bed on Christmas Eve. And I mean the parents. When the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, each present is wrapped with a little bow and the twinkle of the Christmas tree lights are dancing across the room. It is in that moment that I always have a little tear. I turn to Tony and say "we pulled it off again!" There will never be a Christmas where they are 2 and 4 again. Sniff, sniff.


5. Christmas morning! The kids scream "it's Christmas! It's Christmas! Get up! Santa came!" As parents, you just seem to bounce out of bed like you had slept for a week! Never mind the coffee....it can wait! It's Christmas and Santa came!


4. Louis Vuitton. The real deal. Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my husband? Christmas 2011 will forever be the year of the LV!


3. Your door is always open at Christmas. People drop by, friends hang out, and you may even get an unexpected family member on your doorstep at 10pm! Tony's brother Chris flew in on Christmas night to surprise his parents. And boy were they surprised! After visiting for a day he joined us at the cabin for the rest of the week, where he spent lots of time playing "Uncle" to Cienna and AJ. And he even got to partake in our 1st snowmobile rides!


2. Snow angels and sledding. Christmastime favorites. The memories that we are making with our kids will last them a lifetime. I thank God for all of the good times we have had and the good times we have in store!




1. The best friends and family. Whether it was our neighbor bringing over a fruit platter, my grandmother sending cookies, my mom helping me wrap gifts, or my friends saving my sanity with play dates, Christmas makes it easy to recognize the important people in your life. There is nothing like going to your mailbox seeing that you got more Christmas cards than bills! Christmas 2011 I am sorry to see you go....but I can't wait until 2012!

Sweet Justice

Something very exciting happened for the Mazotti family last Friday. We got some sweet justice. Some well deserved sweet justice. And it's about time.

Friday morning Tony called me at the house and said that he thought that he had just spotted the rims and tires that were stolen off of our Escalade last June. He was all amped up, telling me to get all of our paperwork and get ready because he was going to come and pick me and the kids up. After dragging my feet and thinking "what are the odds" about a hundred times he showed up and chased me around the house telling me to get in the car. We drove passed Trillo Tires on Central and sure enough....one of my rims with the tire was on proud display right out front! We pulled in, acted like we were interested in the rim and starting asking some questions. They first told us that the set of 4 would cost us $3000. Then they went down to $1600. Tony asked to see the remaining 3 rims and they told us that they would have to go get them from their other shop a few blocks away. Very shady.

So I jumped back in the truck and called the cops. After they arrived they explained to us that it would be very difficult to ID our rims no matter how much paperwork we had. But they did not bank on us having the rims that we had. With only 350 sets created in the world, each set came issued with a certified letter of authenticity and a number associated with the rims. Ours were set 28 out of 350. About 6 cop cars and an undercover agent showed up and sure enough....the back of the rim was stamped with 28 of 350! There was no denying that these were our rims. And the cops told us that they had NEVER been able to secure rims for someone before. They said that many times they come back and say "yea, those are probably yours but there is nothing that I can do about it." But instead for us, they wheeled the rims and tires back to our truck and loaded them up for us!

The best part? Because this tire shop had been in trouble before for buying stolen rims and tires in the past, they were required by the city to get a driver's license of the guy who brought them in. They couldn't tell us who he was but assured us that they would find him and arrest him for possession of stolen property. And we may even get so lucky as to get some more of our stuff back!

Christmas came early for the Mazottis! Holla!


Back Where They Belong!

Mazottis in New Mexico

About a year ago we discovered that Tony's dad has a cousin who lives in Socorro, NM, which is about an hour south of Albuquerque. Once a year, Arnold Mazotti and his wife Christina travel to ABQ to sell their organic green chile at the local co-op. Well last week we made the trip down to see them and the Bosque de Apache Wildlife Reserve in Socorro.
In typical Mazotti fashion, we had to eat before taking the 7 mile drive through the reserve. Food is always a priority with this crowd. So we stopped at the Buckhorn Tavern, which is famous for it's green chile cheeseburger. It has been featured in Sunset magazine (one of my favs) which had this to say:

"The best roadside burgers are big and brawny and take-no-prisoners. Exhibit A: the green-chile burger at Buckhorn—a patty as big as a big rig’s hubcap, sizzled on the griddle, then appliquéd with onions, cheese, pickles, and more. But it’s the finishing touch of chopped New Mexico green chiles that lifts Buckhorn into the burger pantheon."


It Was Amazing And Worth Every Calorie

After filling up on burgers we started our drive to see the beautiful birds at the Bosque de Apache reserve. We got a little more than we bargained for....when Tony spotted a bobcat! It was awesome!


Here Kitty Kitty!


Me Spotting Them Spotting Something


This Picture Doesn't Do It Justice


The Beautiful Cranes

It was a lot of fun to visit with family and see such a beautiful place. A great way to kick of Christmas break!

Short and Sweet

This year Thanksgiving was enjoyed with my mom and in-laws at our house. It was so fun to have our parents at our home for the holiday. We split the cooking and cleaning responsibilities and it made the day so much easier. I actually got to watch some football!
We have so much to be thankful for. I could go on and on and on naming each and every reason. But instead I would just like to say that I am very grateful for all that we have. I try everyday to keep life in perspective. At times it can seem like you are being kicked when you are down but comparatively speaking....this life is amazing!
I hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving like we did. I am looking forward to what the rest of the holiday season has waiting for us!


Three Generations!


Everyone Stop Eating and Say "Cheese!"


Hates Olives But Loves Olive Fingers!


Never Misses An Opportunity To Dress Up!

Progress...South Fork Style

Last week we completed the 1st phase of our "garage" addition at our cabin. It has taken roughly 6 months to get to this point and we are super pleased with the outcome!
Come spring, it will be stained to match the cabin and after electrical, plumbing, carpet and fixtures are added it will be not only a garage and storage area but also a sleeping quarters for all of our guests!

And since I am planning on spending a month with the kids in South Fork next summer (with Tony coming and going) I expect lots and lots of company (hint, hint!)


It Went From This....


To This!