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Check out the video section! I made two new videos: Christmas and then I finally found time to do the Fall 2011 one. YouTube has been cutting the sound out of my vidoes when I use current songs. So, I found a new site that’s not as popular. So far, so good. Let me know what you think. Thursday Suzanne hosted her first coffee club. The discussion was Iran. Lots of great minds at this meeting. I’d say the conclusion was not to worry so much about Iran but a less stable country (Afghanistan) or group of people with nuclear weapons. We’ve been visiting my dad each afternoon- just popping in for a visit. He’s doing better. On Friday I had planned to go to the circus in the afternoon so we planned for it all day, early naps, low key morning. Well, we drove all the way down there and met Suzanne and parked. Turns out there was no 3:30 show. I guess it was canceled! Blah. We found a playground downtown, which turned out to be a nice thing to do. We met some friends for a BBQ dinner Friday night. We had a super low key weekend…no plans. Paddle boat ride and bike ride after a pancake breakfast Saturday morning. We ended up going to the circus that afternoon with Suzanne and Owen. The theme was dragons. It was pretty neat- a few weird things. Marly had her first lollypop, which was cute. She loved it. But, she ended up throwing it up that night. Phil offered to stay home with her- but I insisted we go as a family. He was right, she should have stayed. She’s okay today, though. I think it was too much sugar when she was over-tired. Today we went to mass and ran some errands. Mom and dad had us all over for pizza night tonight. Proof that dad really is feeling better! Tonight I’m packing up the girls, we’re headed to Miami tomorrow!

I’m trying something new with my evening routine. That afternoon/evening/twilight time is really hard for me. I’m tired by then, my kids are getting tired and hungry, the day is winding down and I try to tidy up the house and cook dinner. Everyone is awaiting the thrill of Phil walking through the door. I usually hand him a child and corral the family to the table for dinner. This craziness stresses him out after a nutty day at work. SO, I have tried to give the girls dinner and a bath before Phil gets home so he and I can enjoy a quiet dinner together. It worked a few nights this week. We had a few fun playdates this week- with the cousins, our long lost pal Robert and a happy hour playdate with the Lauries. My dad went in for knee surgery on Wednesday and was released Saturday. He had both knees replaced almost 20 years ago and the right one recently came loose. Aside from a hiccup (possible blood clot today) everything’s been good for him. Saturday was jam packed. I hosted a baby shower for my pal, Jean with a few other ladies. I think it’s always fun to be surprised with the gender. Then we went to Ellie’s buddy, Dylan’s 2nd Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday party (with a bounce house!) then we had dinner at a friend’s -the Thoresens house while all the kids played together. Sunday we had no plans, which was nice. But, after church and the Holy Name breakfast we decided to head down to the happies place on Earth. We were so excited about planning our trip on the way down, deciding which parks to do when. We got all the way to the front gates of the Magic Kingdom- denied. Uh, it was SUNDAY and we have a weekday pass! Ugh! So, we toured some of the Disney resorts and had pizza on the boardwalk. Monday (Thank you, Dr. King!!!) we hit Hollywood Studios first. It was packed but luckily we ran into the Misti crew for lunch. We hopped over to Epcot for the evening and then came home. It was a really nice family vacation- just what we needed. Yesterday we really had no plans. We hung out at the house all day..wow. We just needed to decompress. Today we had a playdate at the Lairds estate and then celebrated the Circus elephant, Barack’s 3rd Birthday. So, I did figure out how to get video off my phone! Wooo Whooo! I just haven’t had a chance to do it. I know you’re all waiting with bated breath!

It was kina nice to get back into the swing of things this week; regular bed times, playdates. Still enjoying all the new Christmas gifts! On Tuesday we went on our first preschool tour. I think I have it narrowed down to two schools. The other is an open house later this month. The one this week was for a Catholic school, a few parishes over. The principal met us and showed us around, that’s pretty cool. I think Ellie really liked it. We’ve had many school conversations this week. I know there will be many more, I mean we’re only into preschool here! Alex came over for a playdate Wednesday morning. I taught my mom’s CCD class that night and then went late to a MOPS meeting. Thursday we went all the way to the northside for a playdate with a co-worker I had from JU. Her daughter is Marly’s age so it was more for her, but Ellie liked playing with both babies. I set it up with Suzanne for the weekend so she watched the girls on Friday and we watched the boys on Saturday so we could do date nights. Hers was way more successful than ours. We checked out the Hands on Childrens museum on Saturday morning- I just got the family pass to that on groupon. It’s a great playplace! Mass on Sunday and then I went with my parents and Suzanne to see ‘Wicked’, the musical. I read the book last October with bookclub (and you know the book is always better) but it was an amazing show! Fabulous acting and singing. It was a nice break. (I’m paying for my last two Sundays “off” though…I think even double). Phil got in a game of basketball and then we had some friends over for dinner, after the kids went to bed. It was a great way to kick off the week. This morning was a MOPS morning. I’ve been drinking my morning coffee like it’s a water bottle after a marathon. I don’t know what’s up with these girls but they are still sleeping in shifts. I was glad to have MOPS today. We did a white elephant gift exchange wearing our tacky Christmas sweaters. There was lots of post-holiday junk, which was funny. I’m skipping book club tonight, to keep the peace. At least I don’t have to rush to finish the book: “Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me” by Mindy Kaling (Kelly, from the Office). It’s a cute, funny read. I finished reading “Little Children” by Tom Perrotta and had a few fragmented, mind-blowing conversations with Tracy. I’m trying to get through Emerson Eggerichs’s “Love & Respect”, too. It’s a good time of year to read. Still no video from my phone, but I did fix my camera!

Happy 2012! Another year, new beginnings and the classic New Year resolution! I am starting out with 2 resolutions, actually. #1 to go room by room and organize and simplify my house. #2 make time for my relationship with Phil. I will keep you posted. Saying good-bye and watching my siblings fly home is always sorta depressing. We had a lot of that this past week. We hit La Nap for a farewell lunch for Matt on Tuesday, BBQ with Erik on Wednesday and then Katie that evening. Katie stayed with us a bit and was a huge help with the girls. In fact, Ellie named her pink babydoll, “Aunt Katie”. Phil and I went on a date Tuesday night to Orsay, a nice French restaurant in town while Katie took the girls to chick-fil-a for kids night. Then, I used a giftcard I had to massage envy Wednesday afternoon while Katie spent more time with the girls before her flight out. It was a great break! Thursday was sad having everyone gone, so I was happy I had planned a playdate with Suzanne and her boys that morning to the science museum. I had a nice lunch with the current coordinator and mentor mom for MOPS. I’ve decided to be the coordinator for next fall. I truly believe in the ministry and what it does for young moms. It’s really important for someone to tell you you’re doing a great job every once in a while. So, get ready for me to rock n roll the Ortega chicks next year! Friday we had an all-day playdate with some friends- I guess that’s what happens when you begin with eggnog at 10am. It was nice though, two of the girls are on maternity leave and go back to work soon. I know they enjoyed a last who-ra. Saturday my friend Erin had a brunch with a great group of gals…just to celebrate the new year. It was nice. Phil played basketball, the girls and I went to the park. That night we went to the Gator Bowl Gala to ring in 2012. I wore Suzanne’s red hot bridemaids dress from her wedding, complete with the gloves (even though Ellie said I looked like Spiderman with them). It was a fabulous party, people, food and fireworks downtown! A late night stop at Krystals and now it’s 2012. Man! On New Years day I took the girls to church and then went to a Jags game with my parents and Suzanne…2nd row, 50 yard line, oh yeah! And the Jaguars won! We had a great time. We had drinks down the street with our neighbors, he leaves for Afghanistan tomorrow. So, they had a little send off for him. Today we are just taking it easy. Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, a park and now Phil’s playing soccor outside with the girls. It’s sunny but pretty chilly. I think this week will get cold. Cheers to a fantastic new year!

Man, this week just flew right by, in fact it’s already Tuesday! Last week we went to a friend’s cookie making party and coffee club. The discussion was: What are you allowed to say anymore? How politically correct is too much?  Should public buildings be able to display a nativity scene? What about private buildings?  A Christmas tree?  And how about Santa?  Is he offensive? We had a few differing opinions about the separation of church and state, but it wasn’t a very diverse group so we mainly agreed about everything. We tried out a new pizza place with our neighbors and got a quick visit from the neighborhood Santa- how cool! Katie’s flight was delayed on Wednesday night but I went over to visit with Erik late that night. Thursday I did some last minute Christmas shopping. Ellie helped me make a German chocolate cake. That night was the German dinner theme night. Suzanne made her delicious beef stroganoff, Dad made all types of brats with sauerkraut. Looking back, this night was the most fun. Everyone was in town, the kids were all wound up playing together, everyone was excited to be together, fabulous food, we played the game ‘What’. It was just great. Oh and Santa even came by for a visit! That was awesome! Friday the Kerkezi’s hosted a brunch at their house. The kids actually got in the pool for a bit. I’ve been taking lots of video on my phone but I still haven’t figured out how to get it off my phone. We had steak at mom and dad’s that night. Oh it’s so nice to be able to eat a rare steak! When I was pregnant that was a no-no. On Christmas Eve the guys went dove hunting. Phil shot his first thing! Katie and Erik took Ellie with them to Target so I got a few hours with just Marly and mom, which was nice. We all met up at 5pm mass. We were a bit late, which caused some problems. We were all together for the traditional oyster stew, we opened gifts and did the Cajun Christmas exchange. This night was explosive in family drama. I guess it was about time. No holiday can be without it. Phil’s parents got in late that night. Miss Ellie slept in until almost 8:30am on Christmas! Marly was up nice and early, though. Phil and I participated in Christmas this year. I gave him a wii and he gave me jewelry and yoga stuff (which I had been wanting). It was a really nice morning. Phil made pancakes and sausage. Phil’s parents loved spending time with the girls and watched them open ALL their gifts! Santa gave Ellie a Dora kitchen. Santa is green, you know. Marly got a few recycled toys. Ellie’s favorites are probably the Dora playhouse (thank you, Reinsteins!) and her play ice cream (thank you, Katie & Erik). Phil’s parents took Marly to mass with them. I scrambled cooking, cleaning and getting the house ready to host dessert later that night. We went to my parents for a late Christmas lunch then everyone came back over for dessert. It was a really nice afternoon- complete with a Birthday cake for Jesus. Yesterday we took the girls on a paddleboat ride and saw 2 manatees! Phil played some golf while the girls and I went on a sail with my parents and Erik. It was Marly’s first time on the sailboat! Katie babysat while Phil and I went to the Suter’s for a post Christmas party….to polish off their delicious leftovers. Phil’s back at work today. We are just enjoying a rainy, low key morning. The girls are enjoying all their new toys. Not a bad way to finish off the month. Merry Christmas, bravofam fans!

We had lots of fun this week…MOPS ornament exchange, all girls Christmas party at Bistro Aix, fab lunch with mom at the club, Disney World (I mean it is the happiest place on Earth), Birthday parties, a Kareoke Christmas party, neighborhood progressive dinner and then caroling at a nursing home today…but all of these fabulous events haven’t been able to shake it. A good friend of mine’s father commited suicide on Tuesday. She was her daddy’s girl. Geeze. There’s lots of confusion and grief running through the family. My heart goes out to them. I wish there was something I could do or say. So, please keep the family in your prayers. And a shout out to my Catholic pals out there, maybe an extra prayer for the souls in Purgatory. Thanks. I’ll post some pictures from our week when I figure out how to get them off my phone. I got a new high tech phone and there is just so much going on there, I haven’t quite figured it out. I’m super excited about all of my siblings being here in town. This will be Erik’s first time meeting Marly! And the Bravos are coming up this weekend for Christmas. We’re in for a good time, for sure! I hope you all enjoy this Christmas week…”let your heart be light”!

We’ve been participating in Advent at home, somewhat. We have a wreath and light the candles when we say prayers at night. Marly tries to touch them and Ellie tries to blow them out. Today in mass we realized the pink Advent candle is lit this week to signify Advent being half way over. What? Half way? I thought the Christmas season just begun! The week started out rough. Monday was my Birthday. We had a MOPS playdate with Santa. It was really sweet. I got a few good pictures. Mom took me out to lunch and I think I got food poisen. The girls haven’t been sleeping well so I was over tired and then I spent the night throwing up. No fun. Tuesday we had a playdate with some friends from when we lived downtown. I spent the rest of the day at Suzanne’s, which was nice. She watched all the kids for a bit so I could take a nap. We had our last small group meeting that night. I really feel like I’ve gained so much from the meetings. I’m really glad we participated the last 16 months. Wednesday I met with a property manager so hopefully some stressed will be relieved. Too many vacant houses! I went to one of those sales pitch things to try to get a pair of flights. I’m trying to visit my brother in Tahoe in February. Flights out there are so expensive! Maybe more monogramming? That’s all I’ve got. Thursday we went to a music class at Suzanne’s library. It was packed. I took some video. Gara had us over for a nice lunch afterwards. Friday we hit up story time and then lunch with some gal pals- Kat and Lauren…oh and then we ran into a circus clown! Yeah, no kidding. He was in town doing PR (that’s what I used to do!). That was a blast from the past. That night was the MOPS and POPS Christmas party. We had a great time. I think this is a good group of women. Saturday we went to the town center. It was a fun family day until Ellie had enough and threw a grand old temper tantrum. It was exhausting for the whole family. We stayed in and took it easy on Saturday night. This morning we went to mass. Ellie and I made cookies for my cookie swap tonight. It’s been dreary and rainy- good December weather, I think. So, the clock is tickin’. I’ve got most of the shopping done, fun festivities planned, all the cards out. Fa-la-la-la-la. La-la-la-laaaa!

And so it begins…the holiday season! I love it! My favorite time of year! I had lots of fun things to do all week. We had a MOPS Monday where we learned how to make centerpieces. Okay, let me just say we voted on speakers at our retreat this summer. I was rallying to get the gals to vote for a prominent Jacksonville woman; Donna Hicken, Delores Weaver (could have been awesome this week), Santhea Brown…but no, instead learning to make centerpieces rocked the vote. Moving on. We had book club out this month. Drinking margaritas while discussing “The Untold Story” by Monica Ali. Great way to kick off the week! Tuesday we had coffee club at MOCA. The topic was “Why has the U.S. not elected a woman for President or Vice President? Great Britain, Pakistan, India, Chile, Liberia, Uganda and Germany, to name a few, have all elected women to lead. Why not here?” It was an awesome discussion and a great location! We finished our chat on “Searching for God Knows What” in small group that night. It’s made me question a few things about our way of life: we’re very judgemental and we care way too much about what other people think. Wednesday I watched Owen and Alex all day. Suzanne and Jason went on an overnight get away to celebrate their 7th anniversary. We had a great time. Ellie truly loves her cousins. I had a MOPS steering meeting/dinner that night. So, we haven’t been sleeping so well in the Bravo house. Ellie was potty trained but has recently decided to regress a bit. I’m trying to figure out why. I feel like it’s more of a behavioral thing. Not sure, but it’s only at night. Thursday we had a playdate with the Lauries. Those are always fun! Friday we did the library toddler power hour and then did some Christmas shopping. That night we had my Birthday party. Wooo Whooo! We had a Mexican dinner with the best margaritas and then went clubbing. It was a fabulous night, although I’m still feeling it. Yesterday we took it easy. We went over to our rental house and did yard work- uck. I hope we can find a tenant soon! Ellie and I went on a paddleboat ride and saw the manatees up close. It was so cool. Suzanne came over and watched the girls while we went to our wine club meeting- holiday theme. Today we went to baby William’s baptism. Yahoo! Another Catholic pal! We went to dinner with some long lost friends- the Bentons and caught up. Now, Phil and I are just relaxing and watching the hangover. I’m trying to bribe him to write out some Christmas cards. Seasons Greetings!

It’s this time of year when I think about all I’ve been blessed with and how grateful I am. Phil has helped me over the years to keep the holidays simple, and to remember what it’s really all about. We had a nice Thanksgiving week. On Monday I helped watch the Kerkezi boys. Alex came with us on a playdate to a cool new park with MOPS. I filled up Ellie’s pool (added some boiling water to warm it up). They loved it! Mom and dad resumed their Monday night pizza night after their travels. The principal from the school I grew up in passed away recently. They had a memorial service for her this week. Sister Josephine had an impact on so many lives, it was amazing to hear all the wonderful stories from past students. Aunt Susan and Bill came in for the holiday. Suzanne had us all over for a brunch. I made a frittata that was pretty good. I peeled 26 potatoes for the big dinner. I made the mashed potatoes, a pumpkin pie (using the pumpkin we carved from Halloween) and a key lime pie (Ellie juiced the limes). Phil made the sweet potato casserole (with marshmellows). We went over to mom and dad’s. The Kerkezi’s were there along with my cousin, Natalie and her kids from Orlando. Aunt Susan and Bill and then two priests- Fr. Vic (our ‘ole fav) and then the new guy, Fr. Kiran. We hosted dessert at our house later. It was a really fun day. The kids had their own table, it was super cute- mom even made their own fun mocktail which they drank out of hallow apples. It was great to catch up with everyone and eat fabulous food! The day after Phil had to work so I took the girls to the town center for some black Friday fun. We rode the train and had lunch with friends. My friend Kelly came by en route back to DC from a visit in south FL. Kelly and I were best friends in 3rd grade, we’ve kept in touch ever since. Phil took Ellie to a friend’s BBQ, we stayed and had a great visit. She left first thing in the morning to drive back home. We got up yesterday and picked out our Christmas tree and decorated the house. I know it’s pretty early, I used to wait until after my Birthday to decorate. But, last year we started this early and I like it. We went to the Landing last night for dinner and to watch the boat light parade. We got a great table on the water so we could watch FSU BEAT the gators! and the boat parade, too. Afterwards they had amazing fireworks. It’s been a while since I saw the Jacksonville firework display. It was awesome- especially the firework waterfalls off the bridges. Ellie loved it, too. (Marly was asleep by then). This morning we went to mass and then to lunch and playdate with the cousins and Ellie’s favorite pal, Riley. It’s another beautiful day here. I really do have so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving, thanks for reading!

We’re sitting out here on the porch thinking about grilling burgers and watching the manatees. I’ve been seeing them out here a lot lately. I used to identify them by the swirl circles they make in the water, but now I actually SEE them- a fin here, tail there, maybe a nose! It’s so cool! We’ve had a decent week. The MOPS meeting on Monday entailed a speaker on organization, specifically how to simplify the season. To be honest with you, I could have done the talk. It was nice to have a morning “off” though. We met some friends for a playdate on Tuesday at a place called “Doing Dishes” where you choose an article and have the kids paint it. Then they fire and glaze it. Very expensive but they look awesome. The girls did their handprints on a coffee mug for a Christmas gift for someone so I’ll show a picture later. We hosted small group and had a pretty good conversation about relationships with God. I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch on Wednesday but I ended up taking Ellie to the doctor- she dislocated her arm. I wasn’t in the room when it happened unfortunately so I really don’t know what she did. The doctor said it was pretty common and just popped it back. It was sore for a few days but she’s back to normal now. While we were there I had them take a look at Marly because she’s been congested for so long. Turns out she had some fluid in her ear so now she’s on an antibiotic. It was nice to leave there and have the girls back on the high road to good health. A MOPS friend had a child in the hospital working on breathing issues so we brought her dinner one night. And my pal, Lauren who had baby Luke a few weeks ago got a Bravomeal this week. She seems to be adjusting to her 2nd boy very well. I taught mom’s CCD class this week, since she and dad were cruising the Caribbean on a friend’s sailboat. I know that is NOT my calling. We did some worksheets and their prayer circle, which was cute. We had a playdate with the Purple group at chick fil a- but I was the only one from my group there (not cool). We still had a great time though. Great chats about adoption, since two of the moms in purple have each adopted 2 kids. November is National Adoption month, by the way. I did steaks on the grill one night this week, with sweet potato fries. Friday we hit up the downtown story hour and ran into lots of our friends. We actually made it 2 hours! Ellie even painted a turkey at art time. We met Katherine and Dean for lunch to catch up. Friday night we had a family dinner out for sushi and then Phil picked up my parents from the airport (he likes to drive my mom’s car and tease everyone into thinking it’s his). We went over to the Suter’s for a night cap and speed uno with the Leens. I’m really horrible at that game. I honestly don’t even know how to play. We probably stayed too late because Saturday morning came early. Off to the zoo with the Kerkezi’s. You know, I’ve been drinking instant decaf coffee in the mornings since we’re out of the regular, good stuff (and you know how I try to only hit up the grocery store once a month) I think that’s what it must be. I didn’t realize how much I need that jump start in the mornings. Well, Ellie threw a horrible temper tantrum on the way out of the zoo. I was glad Phil was there to carry her out kicking and screaming. It’s no fun doing it by myself with Marly in tow. That night my pal Erin saved us by hanging out with the girls while we headed down to St. Augustine to celebrate Bill’s 35th Birthday. Very classy party- live music, catered low country boil, even M&Ms with Bill’s picture! Another late night, though. I took the girls to church this morning and sat with the Leens. Yeah, I love having church friends now! Then we went to my high school friend, Petra’s house for a playdate. Her mom made a great lunch. We were able to meet all Petra’s really cool, doctor/mom friends. Amazing group of gals! I’m excited for the holiday season. There’s so many fun things to do with kids- I love it!