The Tortora Troop

Breast Cancer Awareness 2011

2011-10-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Arizona Dance Artistry

2011-08-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

We all know Guiliana has an extreme love for dance. She is constantly dancing around the house and stopping to dance when she hears music no matter where we are! She has been dancing every Friday in a little dance class at her school for the last 6 months or so and we have been wanting to get her into something more professional. Well now that she is 3 years old she is now ready to attend our cousin Jessica's Fairy Dust Ballet/Tap Combo class at her studio, Arizona Dance Artistry. Her class is every Saturday morning from 9:30am-10:30am. Her first class was yesterday and she just loved it. We made sure she had all of her required attire. Her required baby blue rhinestone leotard, her tights, pink ballet shoes, and her black tap shoes. She was so excited the first time she put her little outfit on. I am excited that she has shown such an interest in dancing and has found something that makes her happy and smile. I am looking forward to watching my little dancer every Saturday. We also can't wait for her little performance in November! She already has drawn quite an audience. Grandma and Grandpa, Godmother Michele, and Daddy and I all attended her first class yesterday.

Las Vegas/San Diego Vacation

2011-08-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

We took our first vacation as a family this year. Life has gotten in the way since Guiliana was born so we decided that this was the year for travel! Grandma and Grandpa Tortora, Uncle Paul, Greg, Guiliana, and I all took an 8 day road trip first to Las Vegas and then to San Diego. We originally were only planning on going to San Diego for the whole trip but my in-laws had decided that they wanted to take a detour to Vegas. It is no secret how much I love CELINE DION and so they made my dream of seeing her in Las Vegas for the second time come true!!!
We left on Saturday July 30th in the morning for our long drive to Las Vegas. The 5 hour drive actually went pretty fast. I was a little worried about Guiliana's patience for a road trip but she was so excited that it didn't seem to bother her. Plus, the mini-van that we rented came equipped with a built-in DVD player which really helped.
We stayed at The Orleans a little off the strip and it was so nice. The rooms were very big and ours faced the strip. We were in Vegas from Saturday afternoon until Tuesday morning. My favorite part of the trip was seeing Celine Dion at the Caesars Hotel. Her show was amazing and it was such an awesome opportunity to get to see her again, especially in Vegas. The rest of the time spent in Vegas was of course on the strip. We experienced most of the hotels, the Shark Reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay, and a $30 trip to the M&M factory! You can't experience Vegas without the buffets, particularly the seafood buffet at the RIO Hotel. The buffets were Greg's favorite part!!
We had a great time in Vegas but by Tuesday morning we were ready to head out to our next stop... SAN DIEGO! We did SO much walking on the strip that a long car ride sounding inviting!
The trip from Las Vegas to San Diego seemed like it took forever for some reason. I think after the hot weather in Vegas and the fast pace that comes with that city, we were ready to relax in some beautiful weather. We stayed at a hotel right in the harbor which was nice and centrally located. We weren't far from the Seaport Village, Downtown, Little Italy, Mission Beach, and Old Town. We visited 2 places a day so we were able to see a lot. We experienced a lot of the food that San Diego has to offer. Italian food in Little Italy, fantastic Mexican food in Old Town, and yummy seafood at the Seaport. We spent an afternoon at Mission Beach, and also visited Coronado and La Jolla. We walked around Balboa Park and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Guiliana has SO much fun!! She fell in love with the Beach in an instant! My favorite part of the trip was spending quality time with my family. I love the bonding that we shared. Guiliana was such a funny girl on this trip. She was always cracking us up! One funny thing in particular was that she kept asking if we were going on vacation and continued to do so for the first few days of the vacation. We had been telling her about going for so long that I think she was confused when we actually were on it.
Guiliana was so spoiled by her Grandparents!! Everywhere we went she was sure to get a little something. I adore how much Guiliana cherishes her them. I am so thankful that she has them in her life. I as well really enjoyed spending time with everyone. We all get along so great and we really do vacation well together!! This by far was one of the best vacations!!
Here are just a few of the 225 pictures that we took!!!

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Father's Day 2011

2011-08-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

A little late, I know... BUT HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

SUMMER 2011 UPDATE!!!

2011-08-13T20:46:00.001-07:00

We have been very busy these last couple of months. We have been learning to swim, celebrating our best friends birthdays, and counting down the days to our 1st family vacation. Here are some pictures to sum up how we have been spending our time.

2 HUGE MILESTONES!!!

2011-06-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

So needless to say... potty training has not been easy. Guiliana is and has been completely potty trained at school for several months now. But at home, it was a whole different story. She would go pee in the potty but refuse to poop! Well, with Guiliana, you just have to be patient and wait for her to make the decision because fighting and forcing her to do something she is not ready to does not work. So, anytime she had to poop we would offer her the toilet but she would refuse and ask for a diaper. That sounds ridiculous to put a diaper on her just for her to poop but it was the only way. One time a few months ago we refused the diaper and she held it and was miserable the whole day! It wasn't worth it to us.
So, the Tuesday before Mother's day she decided that she wanted to finally poop in the toilet for us and home and has been ever since!! We are beyond thrilled! Having to keep diapers on hand just for her to poop was something we were ready to move on from. Here we are a few weeks later and we are FULLY POTTY TRAINED!!!

Another HUGE deal was the binky. Once again, she goes 8hrs a day at school without and has been like that since she turned ONE. But at home she always wanted it. We unfortunately got in the habit of the binky when she was just about 6 months old and had her of 8 ear infections. It soothed her. Well, it became an obsession!! Greg and I disposed the binky when she became old enough to talk with it in her mouth! She seemed to want her binky for security reasons. We can't tell you how many hours we have spent looking for it when she missed placed it or waking up in the middle of the night because she is crying for it! Well, over the past couple of months we have been trying to talk her out of it. We have been telling her that she is a big girl and that she was going to be going to preschool soon (the preschool thing was also a huge convincing factor for her pooping in the potty at home too)and that she just doesn't need it. So for the past few weeks, every morning when we came downstairs to leave for school/work she would throw it in the garbage saying "I don't need it. I am a big girl". Now the car was a place that she wanted her binky the most so making the drive to school without it was huge in itself. Of course I would take it out of the garbage and throw it into my bag because I knew when I picked her up and we drove home she would want it. So, the first day she threw it away and I picked her up from school she asked for it. I reminded her that she threw it away and she freaked out!!! So of course I gave in. This went on for a couple of weeks. So, 2 weeks ago she started changing her tune in the afternoon when I picked her up. She would ask me for it when we got in the car and laugh and say "I don't need it" and she would sit on it! But definitely still wanted it to sleep at night, Until Memorial Day Weekend. That Friday night we had come home from shopping and she lost her binky yet again! Greg and I are tearing apart the house looking for it. Guiliana then sits on the couch with her legs crossed and head cocked to the side and says "Hey guys, ya know... I really don't think I need my binky anymore. I am a big girl and I am going to preschool soon" Greg and I just about died! It was the cutest thing and her explanation went on for like 2 hours that night. We were certain that when it was time for bed she would ask for it.
So here we are One week later and.... STILL NO BINKY!!! She has never even asked for it once.
We are so proud of her for knowing what she wants and when she wants it. It can be very frustrating at times but also a good thing that she can handle her own.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-06-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Mother's day for me this year was a great one!! I was lucky enough to get a whole weekend!! It started that Friday afternoon with a party at Guiliana's school to celebrate Mother's day. We decorated cupcakes together and had a wonderful afternoon together. Then in the evening, a dozen roses from my husband. And Saturday morning another dozen!!! Later that morning Guiliana and I went to Shelby's 3rd Birthday party. While gone... Daddy cleaned the ENTIRE house for me!!! It was amazing to come home to and... he is a pretty great cleaner!! Then later that afternoon it was just me and my mother-in-law for some shopping and dinner. Sunday was a day full of taking care of mommy. I had breakfast made for me and relaxed for most of the day. I loved all of the appreciation and love I received from my family. Especially my new necklace!! Love you Greg, Guiliana, and Brooklyn (dog).
Pictures from the weekend:

Guiliana's 1st Haircut

2011-04-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

I know it may sound weird when I say Guiliana had her first haircut today and she just turned 3yrs old. But, Guiliana I don't think was ready for that whole idea until now. We had been telling her about it and explaining how her haircut would be. I have been going to my hairstylist Kristy for 13 years now who I also can call a friend. I trust her and wanted her to be the first to cut Guiliana's hair.
Guiliana was very excited about her big hair cut! She actually let Kristy shampoo her hair and she sat very still like such a big girl. Kristy said she has never had a 3 year old behave so well during the shampooing. Kristy ended up cutting off 2 inches!! It looks so pretty and healthy now. It was very straggly and stringy for awhile there. Now that she has had her first haircut we will be going back on a regular basis (or every 6 months like Mommy, when I actually find the time!! LOL)

HAPPY EASTER 2011

2011-04-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter yesterday with the whole family. We started off with an Easter Egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's and then went out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack. Today we are just relaxing, colored Easter eggs, and eating yummy food. HAPPY EASTER!!

EASTER BASKET FROM GRANDMA AND GRANDPA TORTORA

Guiliana's 3rd Birthday 4/3/11

2011-04-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAVORITE LITTLE PRINCESS!!!
(hanging out and playing with all of her new birthday presents)

Disney on Ice ~ Princess Classics!

2011-04-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Disney on Ice - Princess Classics was in town the weekend after Guiliana's birthday. She is SO into all of the princesses right now that Grandma Fran thought it would be a great 3rd birthday gift for Guiliana. She talked about this show for weeks before and she is still talking about it today!! It was by far the best one out of the last 4 that we have been too! She had such a great time! Her godmother Michele also joined us.

Guiliana's 3rd Birthday party 4/2/11

2011-04-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had Guiliana's 3rd Birthday party. When I asked her a few months ago what kind of a party she wanted she replied... " a sleeping beauty party". Well trying to find just ONE princess is impossible so I asked her if all of the Princesses could be apart of her party and she of course said sure! She does love all of them and so I knew this wouldn't be a problem. We picked out a special sleeping beauty dress online for her to wear to the party.
I wanted to make her party totally Disney Princess and it turned out great! I had asked all the girls to dress up as their favorite princess. Then as our activity I had all the girls make a special bracelet (with the help from their parents) to take home with them.
We had a ton of Princess attend! This was the first year that we invited some of the girls in Guiliana's class. It was very cute to see all the girls hang out and play.

Then later that evening all of the grandparents came over along with some family from out of town. We continued to celebrate Guiliana's birthday with dinner and ANOTHER cake!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY GUILIANA!!

2011-04-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today we were blessed with the sweetest and sassiest little girl in the world. We love you more than words Guiliana and you continue to bring so much laughter and love to your daddy and I everyday. You are beautiful little girl! HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY PRINCESS GUILIANA! XOXO

APRIL 3, 2008

APRIL 2, 2011

We celebrated her birthday Disney Princess style yesterday. Guiliana had a blast and many pictures are to come!

More of Guiliana's 3yr and Family Photos

2011-03-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

So after viewing the rest of the pictures from Saturday's photo shoot, I have narrowed it down from the 316 total to 101 of my favorites!! It is going to be a very difficult decision on which ones to frame! Here are some more... (and I apologize ahead of time for a few duplicate picture posts)

Guiliana's 3yr and our family photo

2011-03-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

Thank you to our wonderful and very talented friend Diane for taking such amazing photo's of our family. We are extremely happy with the out come. These are just some of the shots that she has edited and sent to us. I will be getting about 300 more to look at and sort through.

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I attended Guiliana's Valentines day party at her school. We made a bag together to collect all of her Valentine's from her friends. Then we shared Valentine's donuts and milk. It was sweet. Then, over the weekend I treated my family with homemade Red Velvet and Cream Cheese frosting heart cakes.
Today, Guiliana got a lot of little goodies from Greg and I and Grandma and Grandpa. I got flowers and Chocolates delivered to work was so sweet of Greg. Greg made out pretty well too. I found the last Superbowl that the NY GIANTS were in and won on DVD. This was a very important gift as He was a part of that game and is in parts of the DVD. It turned out to be a great Valentine's day for all of us!

Victoria's Princess Birthday Party

2011-02-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Guiliana and I attended one of her very good friends, Victoria's 3rd Birthday party at the Railroad park. It was a Disney Princess party and the girls were to come dressed as their favorite Princess. Guiliana decided to attend the party dressed as Ariel. It was so cute to see all of her little friends from school have such a fun time together! I love that she has her "little" friends!

Disney on Ice... "LETS CELEBRATE"

2011-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by saying that I unfortunately forgot to charge my camera battery so all the pictures are from mine and Greg's cell phone so some came out with some funky resolution.
Anyways, Disney on Ice this year was part of Guiliana's Christmas gifts. Grandma and Grandpa joined Greg, Guiliana and I. This was our 3rd time going. The Princesses, Mickey and Minnie, and The gang from Toy Story were the highlight of the show for her. I think we may have started a fun little tradition. The Disney Princess Classics Ice show is coming the weekend after her Birthday and Since she is currently very into the Princess, I think we will be attending that show.

"Like Mother... Like Daughter"

2011-01-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

Since Thanksgiving Guiliana has expressed interest in some of my favorite things. Some examples are... Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and GLEE. She often asks for all of these and suggests we listen to Josh Groban in the car almost everyday. She is very much interested in ALL kinds of music, but it especially warms my heart that we share the love of Celine Dion! Here are some videos of some of her dancing and singing skills she learns from her weekly dance class. Oh, and also one of her favorite groups is Linkin Park, thanks to Daddy.

"Princess Sparkly... Pants"

2011-01-18T16:38:00.001-08:00

Just a quick funny! For the past 2 days Guiliana has been telling me that her name isn't Guiliana. She now wants to be referred to as "Princess Sparkly Pants" but after about 5 min she decided that she indeed is dropping the "pants" part of her new name. Hilarious!

Brooklyn's 4th Birthday 1/14/11

2011-01-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we celebrated our puppy Brooklyn's 4th Birthday. Since she is on a special diet I made her a special homemade treat, Chicken brownies. She got a new chew bone from Grandma and Grandpa and a whole lot of love from us. We love her and she such a great part of our family!

HAPPY 2011!!

2010-12-31T21:01:00.001-08:00

Christmas Card 2010 photo's

2010-12-26T14:18:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T07:47:00.000-08:00

This year the Tortora Christmas had some up's and down's. We started off Christmas Eve feeling pretty good. But when Guiliana woke up from her nap she looked like she didn't feel well. She had "sick" eyes and so I knew she was fighting something. She still seemed to be in good spirits for the most part so we decided to do our traditional "decorating cookies for Santa". Grandma, Grandpa, Guiliana, and I all decorated the cookies. Guiliana helped me make them the night before and since she helped me more this year we stuck to the traditional round cookies instead of the cut-outs. Great Grandma and Grandpa cooked a super yummy traditional Italian meal with the "7 fishes". They cooked everything and brought it over to my house so Fran and I didn't have to do anything (We have hosted Christmas Eve now the last 3 years so it has become a tradition). It was so nice and thoughtful of them. As the evening went on she developed a bit of a fever and around 8pm asked to go to bed. Over night, she battled a slight fever but woke up feeling decent. She was excited about the fact that Santa left her gifts.
So, there was ONE gift in particular that I was super excited about (except the step-stool that I made). Back in the beginning of November we bought her a Disney Princess bike with training Wheels. When asked what she wanted for Christmas from Santa that is what she kept asking for. Then in the beginning of December in school the teacher asked all of the kids what they wanted from Santa. Guiliana proceeded to say "a pink Barbie car". This was news to me!! She owns ONE Barbie and I didn't even think she was interested in Barbies. Well, as the weeks went on it seemed like this Barbie car was becoming a pretty big deal and the bike was just a phase. I knew that the Barbie cars that you can drive can be pretty pricey so we weren't going to her one and just stick with the bike. WELL... the day before Christmas Eve I ran out to Fry's Marketplace to grab a few things on my lunch hour and there it was... A PINK BARBIE BEETLE CAR that she could drive. And better yet... It was on sale for $60 cheaper than the regular price! It was practically a steal!! I ended up leaving without it and going back to work. All I could think about was how much she would just LOVE this car and I had to get it! I ended up asking my boss if I could leave just to get this present for her as I told her how important this was. Needless to say... I got the car and trying to fit the box in my little car was a nightmare. I ended up getting it in my car but knew that I would blow the surprise once I picked her up from school later that day. So, before leaving work I ended up having to take the car out of the box and shoving it into my trunk. (I am writing all of this so one day Guiliana can look back and read what we went through to make Christmas a special for her :) )
So, Christmas morning took a little while to get under way since she wasn't feeling 100%. But once she started opening her gifts she started to get more excited. At first she didn't seem that interested in the barbie car and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. But once we decided to take her outside to ride it, she LOVED it and was super excited.
After all of the gift opening she was pretty pooped out. She made out very well from Mommy, daddy, and Santa: Barbie Beetle, Cottage house she can color on and play in, baby dolls, Princess shoes, Princess dolls, tea party set, play-dough, moon dough, TONS of new art supplies, a pink princess dress, PJ's, a BELLE doll with a blanket, a Tinkerbell Table, a princess popcorn tin, and a Sleeping Beauty dress-up outfit, not to mention a stocking full of goodies.
After she regained some more strength with a quick power nap it was time to go to Grandma and grandpa's for gifts and food. They of course spoiled her too!!! They got her a princess book, a purple tutu, a remote control barbie corvette, a "little mommy" set which includes a cradle, stroller, and highchair for her babies, some leap frog DVD's, a ladybug nightlight that projects stars and the moon on her ceiling to promote sleep (this was more for me!), a Jessie from Toy story Doll that talks, and they surprised us and her with a playhouse for their yard (which Daddy had to put together).
We also all chipped in and got her Disney on Ice tickets for a show in January. Then from Uncle Chris he bought her butterfly princess wings and a matching pink tutu! It is adorable and Gules wants to wear her wings all the time. Grandma Angie got her a Dora the Explorer guitar which since she loves Music and dancing she is loving!
Christmas this year was VERY low key!!! The past few years Fran and I cook everything and we always have so many people over. This year we decided to just keep it the immediate family and to have our Christmas catered. Greg and I even went over in our PJ's!!! I liked the simplicity of this Christmas especially since Guilana was not feeling well. I am so grateful to our Family for the wonderful generosity! Guiliana is one LOVED and extremely spoiled little girl. I am grateful she has so much family around her that loves her so much. That is so important to me since it's something I wasn't blessed with growing up.
We had a VERY Merry Christmas and looking forward to a Healthy and Happy New Year!!

My special Christmas project for Guiliana

2010-12-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

The past few years I have wanted to make a step stool for Guiliana so when she was big enough she had a special one to use. Well, the last couple of weeks she has been pulling out this little cheap plastic one that is totally unsteady and hardly fits both feet to stand on. She is interested in seeing what's going on above her now. Last weekend I was doing something in the kitchen and she wanted to see. So she pulled up her little stool and sort of lost her balance. I told her I was sorry and that I should get her a better one. She then proceeded to tell me that I should get her one for Christmas! So that's exactly what I did. I bought her an already finished white one and crafted it myself. I added embellishments and rub-ons and customized it with her name. That will probably be her favorite part as She LOVES to see her name written. I am so excited to give her this special gift on Christmas. I know that she won't need a step-stool forever but I hope it's something that she will want to hold onto for a long time.

Christmas activities 2010

2010-12-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

Every weekend in the month of December we try to do something festive to celebrate the holiday season. The first weekend we went to Glendale Glitters. I have NEVER seen it SO packed. I didn't get any pictures because it was absolutely insane with people. My favorite part is the little booths that they set up to sell little knickknacks and trinkets and we couldn't even make our way to some of them. Guiliana did enjoy the lights and we did share a M&M caramel apple and some kettle corn at least so it wasn't a complete waste!
Last weekend started off with my Company Christmas party Friday afternoon/evening. All of the Doctors have kids so it always becomes a family event. Guiliana came with me this year and had fun. Towards the end of the party Santa showed up and she actually wasn't afraid. Now we aren't ready to sit on his lap but we made eye contact, waived a bunch of times and blew kisses. She talked about seeing Santa non-stop that weekend. I think next year we will finally make it onto his lap! Then Saturday night we went out to dinner and then took some pictures in front of the BIG tree at Desert Ridge. After,we took a trip to the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge to see the HUGE gingerbread house. It was AMAZING! Every year they pick a different scene and this year they created the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. That was one of my favorite movies when I was growing up so I was very excited. There was so much attention to detail. Guiliana's favorite part was the train that went around the factory. She is really into trains.
This weekend we didn't go out and do anything festive (Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a night out while Guiliana hung out with her Grandparents) but we did follow one of our traditions of creating something out of Gingerbread! This year we chose the Gingerbread train. It was A LOT easier to put together than the house we did last year as it stuck together easier and didn't fall! Gules loves creating (and eating the candy too!!) so this was a fun thing to do together. Then later in the day we went to Guiliana's friend from school's Fairy Princess party. We were asked to find some fairy wings but I wasn't able to find any. So we went to the store and she picked out an adorable purple frilly dress (meant for dress-up) She LOVES it and twirls in it and says she is a ballerina. She actually decided this morning that she needed to wear it all day today too!! After we picked out our dress it was time to get a gift for Sarah. I wasn't sure how this was going to go over... her picking out something and understanding that it wasn't for her. Well, she did great! She picked out an Ariel doll (her favorite) that she already has herself. She kept telling me this is for Sarah but I have one first. We also picked out some princess PJ's. It was adorable when Sarah opened her gifts. Gules kept saying, "I got that for you"
Things to look forward to this week: Short work week for Mommy and Daddy and baking cookies for our traditional "Making Cookies for Santa" all together on Christmas Eve. Guiliana had an option to make a plate in school and after the kids decorated it the parents could choose what they would like the plate to say. I wanted it to say "Cookies for Santa Love, Guiliana" So we are excited to make and decorate cookies and leave them out for Santa on her new plate. Guiliana also has her Christmas party this Thursday that she invited Grandpa to. ( I always attend these parties but she always thinks that when she sees me that it's time to leave! So I am going to sit this one out and see if she enjoy the party with Grandpa)
Here are all the pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Putting up the Tortora Christmas Tree

2010-11-27T20:54:00.000-08:00

One of the many traditions we have continued in our family from my childhood is putting up the Christmas tree and all of the decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Having a three piece pre-lit tree helps make this possible. Last year I hit up the after Christmas sales at Target and spent $20 to completely redo my tree for this year. I wanted it to look more kid like and girly for Guiliana. With colors including pinks, greens, oranges, blues, reds, and silver, and the best part is some of them are glittery and sparkly, it reminds me of something out of Who-ville! Guiliana was very excited to help, but with these being new ornaments we had to attach ornament hangers to each of them, she kind of lost interest during that process. She wasn't very interested in putting the ornaments on the tree, she decided that she wanted to go through the Christmas bins and play with everything. After it was all done she said "Thank you for my tree mom, it's so beautiful. You did that for me mom?" She did enjoy once it was done looking at all of the ornaments on the tree. Her first Christmas we ended up buying like 3 "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments between Grandma Tortora and I. I started a tradition with Guiliana last year. Every year I want her to have an ornament that represents her interest for the year. Last year she LOVED Tinkerbell, so her being so young still Grandma picked out and bought her a Tinkerbell ornament. We have gotten her last 2 ornaments from Hallmark so I thought we should continue that tradition. So today we had to run out for some things and decided to stop at Hallmark and let her pick out her 2010 ornament. I wasn't surprised when she picked out an Ariel ornament. I love that we started this tradition and that all of these that she continues to pick out will someday be on her tree when she grows up.
We finished our Christmas decorating with the outside today and now our house is complete. I love our house during the holidays!
Her ornament:

Love this picture! This was taken today at Johnny Rockets. Gules and I shared a chocolate milk shake.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

This was our 3rd year hosting Thanksgiving at the Tortora House. We have our family tradition of watching the Thanksgiving parade as a family and this year it was cold enough for a fire! There were 8 of us this year and everyone did their part in making it a super yummy day. I am so thankful for the family and friends in my life and continued to feel blessed everyday!

Here are some pictures at Guiliana's Thanksgiving Pot Luck for her school. She loves her Best Friend Zoe and they are so cute together!

Guiliana's love for music!

2010-11-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

We have really noticed over the past several months that Guiliana's love for music continues to grow everyday! She loves to listen to music and has her fair share of her favorite songs. One in which is "Just the way you are" by Bruno Mars and Iridescent by Linkin Park in which she knows all the words. When we are in the car, she will tell you as you browse through the stations which song she wants to listen to. She will say either, "No, I don't like" or "Leave this one on" and then ask me if I like that song too. She likes fast music and always says "I need to dance" She is in a dance class every Friday at school and I think that has helped develop her love for both music and dancing. More recently she has really started paying attention to the instruments in a song. We love Josh Groban and we were watching one of his concerts on TV. When he played the piano she was very interested. She can listen to a song and pick out the part of the piano and then make believe that she is playing it too which is very impressive. Just this past couple of days she has started listening to Celine Dion on her own, which for me is VERY special! We were coming home last Wednesday (the night before Thanksgiving) and I decided to give in and listen to a little Christmas Music (I refuse until the day after Thanksgiving usually). Well, a Celine Dion Christmas song came on and it was beautiful. I turned to Guilana and said who she was and that she was Mommy's favorite. She said that she was her favorite too, but I knew that she was just repeating me. After the song had ended she said that she wanted more "Celine Dion" I was surprised!!! We were just pulling into the house so I told her that we could listen to her inside. She loves visuals so I thought she might enjoy watching her "NEW DAY" Las Vegas concert. It is very colorful and full of special effects. Needless to say... she watched it non-stop for 2 days! I hope that her love for music and dancing continues. We see how much she enjoys it and she is quite the little dancer!
Here is a video of her that we shot yesterday morning. We caught the tail end of her favorite song!

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND 2010!

2010-11-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

We started off this weekend with welcoming some out of town visitors from both NJ and Texas. Guiliana got to meet her cousins from NJ, Amanda and Dana, along with Aunt Pat, Uncle Richie, and Uncle Vinny (who flew in from Texas). They all arrived Saturday afternoon and we all got together at Grandma and Grandpa's house in the evening after they got settled. I thought it would be fun to make SMORES with the girls and it turned out to be a YUMMY idea. Dana who is 7 and Guiliana took to each other very well. They are like 2 peas in a pod already. Oh, and on our way to Grandma and Grandpa's that afternoon Daddy and I decided to stop at the pumpkin patch right by our house to pick out a pumpkin to carve Halloween morning.
HALLOWEEN DAY.... We started Halloween off with some pumpkin carving. We left it up to Guiliana as to what was going to be carved on the pumpkin. She is very much into wanting to write her name (and picking out her name when it's written) so we thought doing her nickname "Gules" would be cute. She actually helped carve and cleaned out the "goo" for a few seconds till she thought it was icky!
After a nice long nap it was time to head back over to Grandma and Grandpa Tortora's for the Halloween festivities. We all hung out, ate dinner, and watched the girls play until it was time for Trick-or-Treating. This years costume for Guiliana was Ariel, The Little Mermaid. About 2 months ago I received a costume catalog in the mail and decided to let her pick something out. She has very much been into the Disney Princesses, particularly Ariel and Belle. I showed her a few different choices, Minnie Mouse, Tinkerbell, and then all the Princesses and she chose Ariel. I have to say I was VERY pleased with her choice as The Little Mermaid is my all-time favorite Disney movie. I got 2 years in a row! Last year she was my favorite flower, Sunflower and now Ariel :)
Amanda, Dana, and Guiliana all got ready together in Grandma's room. Guiliana looked so beautiful! She had gold sparkles and curly ribbons in her hair and it went along perfect with her Princess tiara. I have to say thanks to Aunt Pat - Gules wanted to take off her tiara and Aunt Pat told her that no one would give her candy without it on and that worked perfect!
We went trick-or-treating through Grandma and Grandpa Tortora's neighborhood and the kids made out well. Dana was a great big helper taking Gules up to the door, ringing the bell and helping her get her candy. The whole time Guiliana kept saying "I need my Dana". Those 2 had a fun time.
Last night when we got home it took Guiliana a bit to relax and calm down from the evening. When it was time for bed she REFUSED to take off her costume! Since we all took the next day off from school and work I thought that it was okay. Plus, as I see it, aren't I just getting my money's worth??? So, it's currently 10:30am on Monday and she is STILL wearing her costume! We are all headed out @ 3pm today for lunch with the family and I am thinking "Ariel" may be the one attending the lunch and not our Guiliana!! All in all, it was a very nice weekend and another successful Halloween!!!

Guiliana's Halloween day at School

2010-10-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today Guiliana had a day of festivities at her school for Halloween. All the kids were asked to come in costume. I decided that I would send her today in a different costume than what we have planned for her for Halloween night. My thoughts on this is that she is a 2 1/2yr old who is going to be running around all day and eating and sleeping in this costume so I wanted to make sure it was something comfortable and if she happened to ruin it in any way that it would be okay. I ended up stumbling on a cute Butterfly Fairy costume for under $9 bucks at Frys and it worked out perfect!
The kids went trick-or-treating, painted pumpkins, and just enjoyed being dressed up and hanging out with friends. She had a party this afternoon with her class and all the parents were invited. I joined her for her party and her teacher had an activity for the kids and parents to do together. We decorated a mask and then had some yummy Halloween treats. We have such a fun weekend ahead. Out of town visitors, another trip to a little pumpkin patch by the house to pick out a pumpkin for carving, and then for Costume #2 and trick-or-treating!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last year we took the trip all the way out to Schnepf's farm but, this year Grandpa did some research and found a Pumpkin Patch on our side of town that we thought we would try. It wasn't far from the house but it certainly didn't compare to Schnepf's. We did have a fun afternoon anyways with Grandma and Grandpa Tortora, Uncle Paulie, and the Paterson family. Guiliana's favorite part (other than hanging out with Violet) was the ride on the Lady Bug Train!! She said "Weeeeeee" and "this is so cool mom" the whole time. We enjoyed some freshly made kettle corn, the amazing weather, and great company. We ended the evening with a yummy dinner at Macayos. It was a fun Saturday afternoon. But it's back to Schnepf's Farm for sure next year!!!
(We did miss our Hoover's though - next year guys!)

Susan G. Komen Walk 2010

2010-10-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today Guiliana, Grandma, and Grandpa Tortora, and I all participated in a walk for a cure. This marks mine and Grandma's 10th year and Guiliana's 3rd. She kept asking me what we were doing and I told her that we were walking for "Boobies and Ninnies"!! She got a kick out of it and continued to say that throughout the walk. Its so amazing to be apart of such an amazing cause. I plan on sharing this with my daughter for many years to come.

SUSAN G KOMEN 2009

Susan G Komen 2008

Playdate with the Barbee Girls

2010-10-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

This morning Guiliana and I invited Delaney and Libby over for a playdate. Libby made some super yummy muffins and the girls played and loved on each other while us old friends caught up. The girls had never met (well they did when they were babies but who remembers that! LOL!) and they played so cute together. All day Guiliana has been saying "I need Delaina" (that's how she is pronouncing her name) Love it! Thanks to Libby for capturing these adorable shots of our girls.

Guiliana's current interests...

2010-10-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

I always like to look back and see what Guiliana was into and at what age. She has definitely moved on from her once huge love for Mickey and Minnie and the Disney Channel in general. I am really glad that we decided to have a Minnie Mouse Birthday party when she turned 2 because she had so much interest in her at that time and it was perfect! Right now she is very much into The Princesses, particularly Belle and Ariel. She also has really gotten into Dora as well (she has picked up so much spanish from both Dora and her school. She said to me the other day... "Mama, lets vamanos!")
I am very pleased that she has found a new love for books. We have always had a lot of books for her but she never took an interest. Now she wants us to read and for her to read (make up the story) to us too. She is speaking in full sentences and she is fun to hang and chat with. She loves music (any kind really and will sing along in the car all the time) and enjoys dancing. We noticed her love for music and dancing and enrolled her in a dance class at school which is every Friday. Grandma says that she watches her dance and she pays attention and follows the teachers every move!
She knows her full name, can recognize it on paper, and can almost spell her first name. She can count to 10 in Spanish and to 20 in English and has known her ABC's for about a year now. She is really thriving at her school and is doing very well. She is learning so much. They are teaching her the days of the week, the months of the year, and they have activity/art stations everyday. Next week at school they are learning all about grocery shopping. They have to bring in coupons, ads, a shopping tote, as well as some items to "shop" for. I am very impressed with what these kids can retain at such an early age.
I love (and can dislike at times) that she has her own likes/dislikes and opinions. She definitely has become a strong willed and independent little gal.

Potty Training!!!!

2010-10-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

At the end of September Guiliana made the move to the "transition" class at her school. Its the class between the 2's and the 3's. One major part of this class is POTTY TRAINING!!! Well I am happy to say that last week she only had 3 accidents at school. We are so proud of her progress. Things were a bit rough at first. Guiliana is the type of child that if you say black, she says white! So she was going in the potty all day at school and then have accidents at home and just plain refuse to use the toilet! But yesterday was our first GREAT day both at school and at home. She started the morning off by actually peeing in the potty before we left. She had no accidents all day at school. Then last night we went out to eat and shopping and she peed twice in public restrooms, once at grandma and grandpa's, and they before bed. I think we are well on our way to a diaper/pull-up free household!
**just for documentation purposes... her first poop in the potty was 8/31/10!!**

AZ stay-cation 2010

2010-10-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to take advantage of our 3 days off for Labor Day weekend and enjoy a stay-cation at the Pointe Tapatio Cliffs resort. The weather was nice and they have a large shallow pool area for the little ones. We checked in a little after noon on Saturday and left Sunday afternoon. We spent so much time in the pool and had some great quality family time, just the 3 of us.

SUMMER 2010

2010-10-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! So I think this is the longest I have gone without blogging! Needless to say, Guiliana is keeping us quite busy and exhausted lately!! We had a very nice summer. It included lots of swimming and relaxing with friends and family, home renovations, and a stay-cation. I am going to sum it all up with some pictures.

Guiliana finally got her new bed and is FINALLY sleeping in her own room!! She LOVES her room now and Daddy and I are happy to have our bed back too.

Our home went through some changes both inside and out. We had the outside painted and landscaped over the summer and just with-in the last month we had all three of our bathrooms completely renovated. I have before and after pictures of the outside. The bathrooms were just finished and now have to be repainted so pictures of the bathrooms should be available soon. We have been in our house now for almost 4 years and with all of the changes and upgrades we are excited to stay at least 5 more years.

Gardening with my favorite Gal!

Some fun "cell-phone" shots from the last couple of weeks. The first one was taken tonight at Johnny Rockets.

4th Of July Weekend 2010

2010-07-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to score a 4 day weekend for the 4th of July this year. My office decided to close the Friday before instead of the Monday after. To me this didn't make any sense but I was going to reap the benefits and make it a 4 day weekend. I had 2 very important things on my agenda for this weekend. 1. To spend as a ton of time with my baby girl and 2. to get Guiliana back into her "big girl" bed. I feel both were very successful!! Gules and I started off our mini-vacation Friday morning with taking Greg to work. He works downtown and was meeting his dad after work for the Dodgers/DBacks game so we figured they could just limit their trip to one car. Then Gules and I took a trip to Desert Ridge to meet Michally and Bella for some coffee and playtime in the water fountains. It was a very nice morning. So nice to just relax for a minute and spend time with my baby girl and our friends. After a few hours of play we came home to relax until it was time to head out to see Guiliana's 2nd movie in the theater... Toy Story 3. Grandma came over to spend sometime with us while Daddy and Grandpa went to the baseball game and we decided to invite Debra and Kendel to see it with us. Guiliana sat through the whole movie and enjoyed it very much. She sat like such a big girl while she ate her red vines and popcorn. Grandma just bought her a Buzz Lightyear and Woody dolls which she just can't seem to put down!
Saturday we just relaxed and rested up from our long work week and we knew that 4th of July was going to be a long and fun day so we wanted to save our energy. We spent the day snuggling and watching movies.
Oh and on a side note... Her first night of sleeping in her room went very well. She has been sleeping with us for the longest time due to her constant ear infections (I know, I know... its been over a year since she had her tubes and no infections we just haven't broken her of it yet). I wanted her to feel safe and secure her first couple of nights so I slept in there with her on my blow-up mattress. So far she has slept 4 nights and taken 1 nap in her bed and I think she is use to the idea.
4th of July was a fun day. We headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Tortora's house for our traditional pool time and were going to be joined by Grandma Angie, Great- Grandma and Grandpa Tortora, and the Hoover family. The girls had a blast swimming, playing, and chatting together. We ate so much yummy food!!! We had an assortment of ribs, hot dogs, turkey burgers, hamburgers, a few different salads, chips/dips, and corn on the cob off the grill. Then for dessert we had some homemade cookies, ice cream, watermelon, and blueberries. We spent the day enjoying each others company. We ended the day by watching the Macy's fireworks show and then a live show that we are able to see from just walking distance from Grandma's and Grandpa's. It was a great day and spent exactly the way the 4th is meant to be celebrated. Family, friends, and great food. I appreciate my in-laws always opening their home to us for these get togethers. Its always a great time!!!

Julian Joseph Hoover 6/21/10

2010-06-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

So after much anticipation, JJ Hoover finally made his arrival Monday, June 21, 2010 @ 1:15am!!! Michally had been keeping me updated on her progress and I knew that when they finally broke her water around 10pm and she was 4cm dilated that I might as well head to the hospital. She had asked if I wanted to be in the delivery room and I thought what an amazing thing to witness. I myself had a c-section so I felt that in some weird way this experience would help me overcome what I thought I had been missing. Boy was I right!!!! I am glad I had gotten to the hospital when I did because she has been progressing 1cm just about every 15-30 min!!!! Watching a life come into this world was truly the most amazing thing that I have ever witnessed!!! It was such an honor to be there to share this with someone that I love so much! Michally was so amazing and held in there like a champ! JJ is a beautiful baby boy and I feel so much love for this little man. I think I formed a bond with him because I watched him enter this world. Michally, I am so grateful for this experience. Thank you for letting me be there with you. I love you lots and will always protect and love this lil guy!! And Bella too, I adore her and I know Guiliana does too!

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

We have started a tradition in the Tortora family where we celebrate father's/mother's day the day before as we like to spend the whole day enjoying ourselves without having to go to work the next day. This year Grandma had a class for work that day so we started later in the day. Earlier that afternoon Guiliana let daddy rest at home and watch the METS and we went to a birthday party at Peter Piper. Then later that afternoon Great Grandma and Grandpa had us over to their house for dinner.
This year Guiliana colored coffee cups for all of the important men in her life. Daddy, Grandpa, and Great-Grandpa. Then we filled them with their favorite candies. Dinner was very yummy and we really enjoyed some good quality family time. I love that Guiliana is blessed with so much family that loves her. She is one lucky girl!!!
Sunday (father's day) was a very up in the air day. Michally was scheduled to be induced and could be called to check into the hospital as early as 12 midnight Sunday. So not only had we been waiting for a call all night but we decided to hold off on any major plans since at any moment I could be leaving for the hospital. Well as of 7am Sunday she hadn't received a call so I decided to make Greg a nice breakfast. He loves to lounge around so that is what we decided to do for the day. Turned out that Michally didn't get called to the hospital till 5pm that evening. I figured since things were going to take a bit that I would make sure Greg had a special father's day dinner. We ended up ordering from his favorite resturant and enjoyed a nice little family dinner. It overall was a very nice day. Greg made out well this year. He got a new high-tech phone that he has been dying for and some very special handmade gifts from his favorite little girl. We are blessed to have him in our lives!!! He is an amazing daddy and husband! We love you and hope you had the best father's day!!! XOXO
P.S....... tried to get some pictures of G and Daddy but she wasn't having it!!!

PETER PIPER:

GIFTS:

Michally's 30th Birthday

2010-06-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

June 14, 2010 marked Michally's 30th birthday. Since she was just a week away from delivering her baby boy they decided to keep things low key with a dinner at the Macaroni Grill. It was a fun evening with friends and yummy food. Then after dinner, Guiliana and I decided to wait outside for everyone. I wanted to to take some pictures of her and asked if she could pose by the flowers. She responded with "Mama, how about by the door?" and then continued to pose by it. What a lil sassy pants huh??

Random day of Fun!

2010-06-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa Tortora's house swimming in Guiliana's new pool. She wasn't fond of the Giraffe pool that we bought her a few weeks ago so Great-Grandpa Tortora let us pick out a new one, his treat! Well needless to say... the new pool was a hit! So we swam, snacked, and then headed off to Desert Ridge for some dinner, water fountains, and Ice Cream. It was a very nice day. We had some good quality family time.

Guiliana's 1st Movie

2010-06-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took Guiliana to her very first movie. She has recently showed interest in the SHREK movies (we own the first 3 so we let her start watching those). She is very good at sitting through a whole movie or show that she likes at home so we thought we would give a movie at the theater a try. Well she did great! She sat in her little booster seat with her snacks and didn't move till just about the last 10min. She got a bit antsy, then lost her shoe, which caused a bit of upset... But all in all, it turned out great!

A sweet bond

2010-06-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some sweet moments that I captured between Brooklyn and Guiliana. They really share quite the little bond.

Bella's 2nd Birthday

2010-06-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

May 28th marked our best friend Bella's 2nd birthday. The Hoover Family celebrated with a party for friends and family. Even Grandma and Grandpa Tortora and cousin Michele joined us for the celebration. The party was tons of fun!!! There was a 30ft water slide that Guiliana and I had a lot of fun on. Her favorite part was the big pool attached at the bottom. HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY BELLA!

GOING ON A BEAR HUNT!!!

2010-05-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Right now Guiliana just can't get enough of the song "Going on a Bear Hunt". Tonight I video taped her singing it. Its a bit long but worth the wait. ENJOY!!!

Carson's 2nd Birthday

2010-05-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

Today one of Guiliana's friends Carson, celebrated his 2nd birthday with a party at Imagination Ave. It is like a little town. There is a place for dress-up, a school, a grocery store, even a lil Home Depot!! Guiliana's 2 favorite parts were the Truck she drove all around and a pair of pink dress-up high heels. It was a very cute place and great for Toddlers!! Guiliana had a great time seeing all of her friends today. She also showed me how she learned at school to drink out a "big-girl" cup! She is growing up way too fast!

Playdates and Fudge pops!

2010-05-23T22:10:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, We went over to Steve's house to watch the SUNS game. The Hoovers were also there so the Gules and Bella got to hang out and play. Well, Uncle Stevie gave the girls fudge pops and it was a FUNNY MESS!!!

Yesterday while the boys had their "game-night" Gules and I went to the Hoovers house for a . Valerie and Shelby also came. We got so lucky that it was such a beautiful day out. We ate lots of yummy goodies and chatted while the kiddies played. We brought our pool and the kids enjoyed it.

Greg's 31st Birthday

2010-05-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

May 18, 2010 marked Greg's 31st birthday. We started it off by going on a mommy and daddy date last weekend. We had an amazing dinner at PF Changs and then saw Iron Man. It was nice to have some alone time and I enjoyed eating a full meal without any interruptions :)
On his actual birthday, Guiliana and I baked Daddy a cake and I let her frost and decorate it herself (the outcome was pretty messy but, the thought was so cute!) She also made daddy a card. We got him some new sandals and a METS shirt (that we gave to him a few days earlier so he could wear it on our date).
His birthday celebration finally ended yesterday with a Sports/Game night with the guys at our house. They had 2 TV's going!! One for to watch sports and the other to play video games. It was quite cool!!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

I was made to feel extra special this Mother's Day. Mine started on Friday when I received 2 dozen roses and chocolates at work. Greg signed the card from him, Guiliana and even our doggie Brooklyn. It was such a surprise and really made my day! Guiliana made me some very special Mother's day gifts at school that were
very sweet. Those are the greatest gifts!
Saturday we have a tradition of spending the day at Grandma and Granpa Tortora's house. We swim, eat, hang out and enjoy each others company.
Sunday morning Daddy got up with Guiliana and let me sleep. I think that I have forgotten how, because I knew they were awake and I only seemed to make it 10 more minutes in bed! When I came downstairs Guiliana gave me a little box. Inside was a beautiful sterling silver, oval link bracelet. There are 6 ovals total and each oval there can be a name engraved. I showed this bracelet to Greg what seems like over a year ago and he remembered that I loved it. He had His, Guiliana, Brooklyn, and me all engraved. I just adore it! Guiliana and Daddy made me breakfast, eggs, Cinnamon rolls, and coffee, and we all just lounged and relaxed. Later that morning I went and had an hour massage which was terribly needed! Then it was back to more lounging! We all watched Avitar (beautiful movie) and snacked! It was a great weekend. I was treated very well! Thank you for making me feel so special.
I just adore motherhood and couldn't image my life complete without my little girl. She brings so much joy (and some hard times too!) to our lives. I am so blessed that I was given the ability to have a this precious little girl. It truly is one of the most amazing gifts! I look forward to many more years filled with LOVE! XOXO

GIFTS THAT GULES AND I MADE FOR GRANDMA AND BOTH GREAT-GRANDMA'S

Her Purse

2010-05-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

So funny story... Last Saturday we went out to dinner to celebrate Great Grandma and Grandpa's Wedding Anniversay and Great Grandma's birthday. Before we left I grabbed my purse and Guiliana said "Mama, Nana purse?" (she is now referring to herself in the third person, it's actually quite adorable!) So, I grabbed a small one that I never use, filled it with her keyes, phone, and camera and we were on our way! I love how girlie she is becoming especially since I am so girlie myself! Two weeks ago we painted her toe nails and she gets so excited everytime she looks at them :)