Love is in the Air!

Welcome friends!

I'm SO excited to join Lyndsey, Brettni, Amanda, and Joy for a fun LOVE Linkup.

I LOVE Valentine's Day, and Ell and I have already kicked it off with decorating and crafts. I feel like each year I think I have all the decor I need, but EVERY year I seem to find more and more I want! 

Who doesn't love Pottery Barn Kids?! I'm obsessing over these adorable VDAY goodies.

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One of my favorite bloggers creates these amazing chalkboard prints. These are two of my favorites, and will most likely be making their way to our casa any day now!

Chalkboard Prints

One of my other favs when it comes to holidays is Paper Source. They always have the cutest banners, decor, and gifts. AND . . . can I just tell you how excited I am for Ell to pick out her Valentine Day cards for school. I've seen several on Pinterest I love, but these are so cute too. I'd love to incorporate the candy with the card, but still like the idea of a little treat bag. Decisions, decisions! I'll let Ell make the final choice, but a girl needs options right?!

Here's a taste of our decor so far. Ell and I found the wreath in the Target Dollar Spot. She picked the flowers, and we decided to add a little red yarn to it for a pop of color. She was such a good helper and it's so special because we made it together. We LOVE it!

Our banner and hearts came from Paper Source last year, and her heart is from Pottery Barn.

Well friends, I think that's it for now. Thanks SO much for stopping by. 

I can't wait to see all the fun linkups. 

FOUR YEARS!

On September 25th, four years ago, I finally became Mrs. Garcia. It was one of the happiest days of my life(until we had Ell), a day that I will never forget.

Last Year, I found myself reminiscing about our beautiful wedding day my looking through all 700 of our wedding photos. This year, I decided to look back at our engagement photos, almost 5 years ago. Gosh time flies by quickly! I still remember this afternoon so vividly. I was so happy and excited to marry this man!

Happy Anniversary my love.

I feel so grateful to have you as my husband, and know that our journey has only just begun. I am so proud of the man you are, and have loved every minute of our journey as husband and wife. Every day I am amazed by the way you love me (and Ell). You are everything I could have ever dreamed of in a husband and father. I am so lucky.

Te amo.

Three Years!

Last week, Jose and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and we couldn't help but pull out our wedding CD and reminisce about our special day. For those of you who know us, Jose and I dated for 9 years before getting married, and have known each other since high school. So, as you can imagine, I had been waiting for this day for a VERY long time. It was one of the best days of my life, and I am so blessed to have found my forever with Jose.

As I was looking through our pics, I was reminded how beautiful they are. Our friend, Courtney, was our photographer, and I can honestly say I fall more in love with our pics each time I look at them. 

Here are some of our favorites. Just J and I!

To My Love,

You have blessed my life with more joy and happiness than I could have ever imagined. I feel so lucky to have you by my side each day, walking through life together. I could not do it without you. Thank you for loving me, and for always putting your family first. The love and devotion you have for Ell and I melts my heart. I love you Jose. You are my everything!

My Dad

Father's Day is so special to me. Not only because I get to celebrate Jose, and the amazing Dad he is to Ella, but also my Dad, the greatest man I know.

All my life, my Dad has been there for me. Through EVERYTHING! When I've needed him, he's been there. And boy have there been times when I needed my Dad. 

My Dad has always been my constant supporter, encourager, rock, and strength. He is the man I can always lean on when I need someone. We have always been close, and I can truly say that he has molded me into the woman I am, and helped me know what kind of man I wanted to marry and have as a Father to my own children.

When I look at this picture, all the feelings I was felt come right back to me. It was such a special moment between my Dad and I. A moment I will cherish forever!

Thank you Dad, for all that you have given of yourself to be the most amazing father I could ever dream of. I miss you each day, feel blessed to call you my Dad, and I think of you all the time. You are my true hero, and I love you!

an unconditional love

This Mother's day wasn't quite like the rest. One very special person was missing in action. My Mom!! To say she was missed is an understatement. Although I know she is having a blast on her European vacation, selfishly I really miss her and want her home. So, this Mother's Day, I want my Mom to know how very much she means to me. I have learned so much from her and am the mother I am today because of the amazing example she has set forth for me. Life isn't always easy and we have been through a lot, but one thing is certain, we share a bond that is unbreakable and forever growing. I feel blessed every day to have her support, encouragement, and love. I love you Mom!

A few of my favorite memories with Mom. Many more to come. . . . . . . 

On Sunday, Jose and Ella made me feel pretty darn special all day. After a very yummy breakfast from one of my favorite restaurants, Jose, Ella, and I headed over to my Moms to swim. Ella has been dying to get in the water(ahwa), and it was the perfect weather for a nice, cool dip in the pool. 

My Sis and the boys were there too, so it was an added treat to be able to see her, Gar, and Gray on Mother's day. Ella couldn't have been happier!

A little fun when we got home

Every day I feel so lucky that this sweet little Be calls me Mama. She is my whole heart and I love her so much it hurts. Thank you Ella for making me a Mother and for teaching me so many lessons along the way. No matter what life holds, I will always be by your side supporting, loving, guiding, and encouraging you. Please never, ever forget how much you are loved!

Our Sweet Valentine

I have always loved Valentine's Day. Not because of the flowers or chocolate, but more importantly because of the LOVE! I love celebrating the love I have for both Jose and Ella. They are both everything to me and I do not know where I would be without them. 

Now when it comes to Jose and I, we have never really made that big of deal about V Day. He is always telling me how much he loves me and does so many things to prove it too. He supports me, cares for me, encourages me, and would do anything for me(us!). I don't think any amount of chocolate or flowers could replace that. 

I wanted to get Jose a little something this year that represented our love. I found this really cute Etsy shop and had a printable made that I've had my eye on. Jose loved it, and my plan was to frame it, but it didn't arrive until Feb. 14th(the first one was damaged in the mail). I think it's pretty cute, and I can't wait to find a place for it. I also got Jose his favorite oatmeal soap and loaded him up with enough Reese's to last a year! (Although it will probably only last a week. He is addicted to anything Reese's.) 

Last year Ella was just a little baby be, and didn't quite get Valentine's Day. This year, she loved all the hearts, and especially loved all the fun outfits she got to wear in celebration of heart day. Ella has been rocking her outfits all month, and I just love it. She is definitely a girly girl, just like her Mama. 

These pics aren't the best, but I haven't really been taking too many as of late and if you haven't noticed, this sweet girl will not look at the camera to save her life. She is just too busy. She has slowly started to get the idea when we say "cheese" or "queso" and will turn and look with the cutest little smile. We'll continue to work on it because I would like some pics of her actual face! 

So, there you have it. A few pics of our love on Valentine's Day. We love you Ella Catherine and are so blessed to have you in our lives. 

I hope you all had a great V Day too!

Insta Update!

Halloween fun, My favorite book, Dinner with Da, Cuteness, Tantrum Anyone?, Big Girl Chair, Sunday at the Park, TV with Da!

On our way to Ti Ti's, Football with Da(Baylor kicked butt!), Momma's Boots, Alpha/Number Fun, Eating on the Run!

As you can see, we've been busy keeping up with a very energetic little be. This week I'm off for Thanksgiving Break and I couldn't be happier. 

Happy weekend everybody!

5 Months

Ella Catherine was 5 months old on December 5th! Yes, I know, I'm SUPER late getting her monthly pics posted. But they are so worth the wait, and I have so much to tell you all about her monthly progress.

For starters, Ella hit 2 milestones this month. She can now roll over (back to stomach) and sit up on her own. It's the cutest thing Jose and I have seen. She still needs some assistance on certain surfaces with the sitting up, but for the most part she does an awesome job. She ALWAYS wants to be in the sitting position!

She also LOVES playing in her jumper. She'll spend at least 45 minutes just jumping and playing with her toys. It really wears her out. We have an active girl on our hands. 

Ella has also started eating solids. It's so fun. We've tried rice cereal, apple sauce, peas, and prunes. I'm trying to introduce something every 3-5 days. I was a little late getting started because I wanted the go ahead from Ella's pediatrician. I feed her rice ceral every night with something mixed in. She loves he apple sauce and prunes, but hated the peas. Watch and see. (Don't mind my bitchy comment at the end to Jose! It must have been a long day. It's pretty comicial.)

 

Ella also celebrated Thanksgiving this month. Her first big holiday and it happens to be one of my favorite. Ella loved spending time with her family and was an angel all day. Next year she'll get to enjoy some of the yummy food and desserts. It will be so exciting.

Let's see what else. Oh, she is still our happy, silly girl in the morning. Ella wakes up so extremly happy and ready to start her day. I just love it. She giggles and smiles while I get ready for work. She's usually up by 5:45, so she's use to seeing me get ready each day. I  love spending this time with her before I head to work. She's been sleeping GREAT! Still one L O N G nap in the morning, and a few short naps in the afternoon. She is sleeping through the night, except for the rare occasions when she wakes up for her Nuk or for a feeding. I've been trying not to feed her during the night because I know she can make it through. We've come a long way since last month in the sleep department. Mama's so happy.

Ella had a Dr's appt. mid month and she weighed 15 pounds and was 25.5 inches long. She's growing up so fast. I never knew I could love someone so much. Being a Mom has changed me forever. It's the greatest feeling in the world.

And lastly, it's time for her "Can you tell the difference?" shots!! Taking Ella's picture was super challenging this month. Ella wanted to squirm all around her rocking chair, kept puttting her hands in her mouth, and was drooling like crazy. I have a feeling it's only going to get harder. See you next month!