instagram on iphone

I can't get over how cool these pictures look with a little help from the filters on instagram, such a cool app, and it's free!

Vale's new hobby is to clear surfaces.. Up she goes and away goes the clutter. Don't you love the little spit on her chin? hehe.


bella durmiente..


The sleep fairy was minutes away from paying her a visit.


primas <3

Hotel Del is swell

My gf, her hubby and their A-dorable baby Ale stayed in the Nado ( as Kevin calls it) for a few nights, so naturally we had to go check it out. I gotta say, the rooms are not as grandiose as I would have expected but the hotel from the outside it gorgeous as is the view. The beach out there might just be my favorite in San Diego, never too crowded, always sunny, clean, y todo eso. Vale loved the sand, wanted to stick it in her mouth, but the cold pacific water made her tuck her feet right up as soon as she felt it.
Update: I just heard on the news that Coronado was awarded the 2nd best beach in the nation. sweet!

Father knows best... Part Deux

Everyone is always saying how, "It happens so fast," or, "They grow up so quick," and, "Before you know it...yada yada yada." And they're right. That little baby that I held on my forearm just a few months ago is growing like a weed.

Its easy to see in all the photos, or in person when you see her crawl around and try to stand up on stuff, or when you hear her talk, if you can call it that (and if you do, her first word was "dada" btw). But, a thought occurred to me today that may not be entirely original, although I dare say that I may be the first to try to describe it in this great blog-o-sphere; if I were blind (disclaimer: NOT PC), in what ways would I remember her early months in my own mind?

Obviously, I really have no idea. Now that that's outta the way, I think I would do it by sense of smell, the most powerful and memory-invoking of all our senses. And of what mystical aromas do I speak? Hmmm... for lack of a better term, her poo. That's correct, I'm talking about smelling the Deux. Eww, gross! Sure it is, but intriguing nonetheless.

When she was a fresh out the womb, up through a few months, her #2s smelled like fresh biscuits. No joke. They smelled wholesome and natural, and more than slightly like a pastry. I had to run to La Concha on a few occasions post diaper change. Following her biscuit-deuce phase, we've gone through a period of neutrality for quite some time. The diapes are nothing special to sniff. At least, in that way.

Enter this morning. Now, Vale usually has about two morning movements that aren't too far apart, and both are substantial enough to deserve their own diaper change. Each of these diapers generally shows proof of her most recently consumed foods. I'm not sure what she had last night, but that first poop this morning smelled like s**t! Cereally, that girl huffed a mean, steamy deux. That odor that I cannot describe adequately in written word, singed the inner recesses of my memory bank. Never before today had I experienced one like that, although I'm sure many more will follow :)

Yes, our little girl is growing up and I intend to savor ever moment of it, no matter how quick it may pass. And no matter how friendly or foul these memories are, I will remember them with a smile and look forward to the next.

Feliz cumpleanos cuatitas!

I can't believe my baby twin sisters are celebrating their 26th b-day today! Happy Birthday little big sisters. yikes those two are old, that must really suck, but gosh dang it I love them still. Since everyone loves pictures of babies, I dug up a few to remind them how cute they WERE! hah! My mom was very against dressing them in the same exact outfit and opted to dress them in different colored, same outfits, see the difference ;) Paola was always in purple or pink while Zenia was always in blue, yellow or any non girly color and it's a good thing because imagine how girly she would have looked in that first picture if that b-day dress was pink instead of blue. close call Zenia. I never teased her for being a kick butt tomboy, (but I might have to now that I noticed she's wearing a pink hat in her hair, wtf?) but Paola could never catch a break, I called her roseta la banqueta for most of elementary school.. what? She wore ridiculous amounts of pink and would jump rope on the sidewalk looking like a mexican jumping bean dressed as a pinata! I truly believe it was my job, as their older sister, to tease them and bully them just a bit and perhaps help them build their endurance for that type of thing later in life. But anyway, they've matured and we've gotten over that, and the most important thing is that I love my sisters dearly, most of the time..:)

Oh Marine layer!

We went to the beach on Sunday but seeing as the day was overcast


and Vale didn't want to go in the water

We resorted to entertaining ourselves on the vintage playground.

was still had a lot of fun!


Some people even had too much fun

and the wind almost took with it the baby toupe..luckily it's attached.

sarape saturday

Isn't this a sweet picture? not the part where I'm stuffing my face, more the part where Vale is leaning into me, calmly eating her teething biscuit ( although there is still no sign of her pearlies)..this moment lasted mere seconds, she is ALL OVER THE PLACE!


This makes me LOL, sit still little one, on second thought, don't, your dad and I are enjoying how much progress you're making in the agility department. Karate kick, hiiiiyaaaa!

P.S. If you're wondering, we were eating Tofu with okra and other tasty veggies. Have you cooked w/ Okra? And if so, how did you prepare it? I'd love to hear :)

B&W

A moment in time, one I'd like to freeze and enjoy for just a few seconds more before she looks at us mischievously, smiles and continues trying to open the door."But we just came from being out and about" I tell her, she wins, we go for a walk around our neighborhood, and all is good again.

Felicidades Ale

Congrats to little Ale on turning the big ol' 2! It's really cute to watch these two interact. Ale wants to pet her and get up real close, Vale wants to use her to stand up. It seems they both got what they wanted :)


Norah did a fabulous job decorating for her daughter's party, I wish I had taken pictures of all the cute hula girls, and the tiki lamps and grass skirts, you'll have to take my word for it. How cute is this pinata?

these are my g-friends and their babies, like the leis? Mrs K gave me a quick tutorial and on a recent girl's night we all ate, drank, gossiped and made leis for the party. So much fun.




This is Paty's youngest, Owen, he's a hoot, he's also got mad music abilities embedded in his DNA. His dad is Mike Kamoo from the stereotypes, remember you all voted for him a few weeks ago??? (their band won by the way, I'll be sure to share the link to the interview as soon as it's posted) anyway, Kevin caught this one of Owen giving Vale a quick how-to...She watched so intently, amazed by her friends music ability.

Gracias Steve the Foto wiz

My bff's brother in law is a photographer/videographer/computer wiz/. His pictures of Vale make me smile....

he took these stills of Valentina at Ale 2nd b-day party this weekend.






He also took these when Vale was 2 weeks old






and these..Vale was born two days later


If you wanna see more of his work or need a photographer this is his website www.stephenalberts.com

Father Nose (Touch) Best

I know that many of you have noticed a lack of posts on my (Kevin/Pops/Dad) part, as much of the posting as of late has been done by Karla. Sure these posts are packed with uber-kewt-pix and semi-witty commentary at times, but they are still missing a father's perspective; that voice of calming guidance, that shining light through the darkness, that weird smell that you're afraid to identify. Well, my peeps, I've returned. I hope (that I remember) to continue posting a "Father Knows Best" segment on this blog every week to bring some perspective to this valuable life experience of dad-ness. This is only the first installment.

What should I say to so many that have waited so long? Let me address a question that I was asked recently by a dear friend: Do you have any advice to offer a soon-to-be dad? Yes! (short answer)

...And, here is the long, drawn out answer to that question. Many people will tell you the same things (get some sleep now, $tart $aving for college, etc.), so I won't bother with that. What I can offer is some practicality to a very select group of you dads-2-be, the coffee-drinkers.

Find a way to keep your coffee hot in the morning. If you're anything like me, you drink a cup of cafe in the AM to get your day started. Maybe you go to the coffee shop, or maybe you make it in house. In any case, lukewarm to cold coffee is totally doable, but far from ideal. Get yourself a nice insulated mug, or start drinking espresso shots, maybe.

The issue is that when the little one is present, you may not have the time to savor the flavor of that morning cup at your own pace. She can keep you busy, and potentially keep your coffee from getting drank.

Here's a hypothetical. Imagine you're two sips into a fresh cup and you read signs of an imminent diaper change...#2. That's a quickie, but if its messy enough, you may be looking at an emergency booty wash with towel-down. Follow that up with a super fun tickle-time/blurp sesh, then a wardrobe change. Clock's tickin, and all of a sudden you're down ten minutes or more. Take a couple more sips...yum, still kinda warm. And then she hits you with some cryin-complaining. Maybe she's bored. Do we go for a walk, read a cuento or what??

As you can tell, there are a lot of variables involved. So, future dads, think about what I told you here. Listen to the other stuff people tell you about sleep, money, and all that, but remember your day-to-day, and help yourself along the way. Keep it caffeinated, son! Peace

b&w

Happy Saturday dear readers, hope you have a lovely one. Any fun plans for the weekend? We're going to my nephews bb game and tomorrow we're going to Ale's 2nd b-day at my friends super cool new home in Poway. I'll be sure to share a few pics from the Hawaiian themed party, Aloha!

creepy crawler

She's crawling at 7 1/2 months....good work mijita! Its actually been about 2 weeks of a little creepin (this is what the baby books call the army crawl) a little crawlig a little rolling but now she's doing just the crawl and apparently it's become too easy for her cause she's trying to walk, yes, you read it here first, she is trying to WALK! she gets into standing position all day long....it makes me nervous to see her wobbly body standing up against furniture..this usually ends in a tumble and if she's unlucky, a little bump to the baby body.






* Can you spot Rosita cheering Vawenteeeena on..???

Dave and Kristin sittin' in a tree...

A big big Congrats to Dave and Kristin for becoming man and wife and for doing it in such style. The theatre setting was so romantic, the lighting was perfect, the decorations beautiful, and Kristin of course looked stunning in her wedding dress, (Dave looked handsome too). The cake was absolutely the most delicious cake I've ever had, I believe it was red velvet and chocolate with caramel and real whipped cream...there was a taquero and I'm doing a happy dance in my head right now just thinking about the photo booth. You two are geniuses, what a fun and creative way to capture images of all your friends and family. I want one in my living room :)

The ceremony and reception was held at the Victoria theatre in the Mission

After the ceremony the whole party went outside to take a group picture, Vale caught a lift from dad, I'm looking forward to seeing that picture. I'll be sure to share if I do.


the concession stand was turned into a bar for the night..

always making friends..they had a conversation in baby screams, it was soooo cute

Happy newlyweds


first dance as a married couple


thanks so much for inviting us to your wedding..it was truly beautiful!!!!!!