I'm Three!!!

Well everyone, I'm another year older and wiser! I was lucky enough to have two celebrations for my birthday this year. First, we cut a cake with Grandma Rosa (who was visiting from NYC), Titi Betzy, Gabby, Anthony, Tio Jimmy, and of course, Mami and Papi.

I lay one on Mami while Papi and Grandma pose for a picture.

The best part of any birthday celebration: licking the spatula!

Grandma bought a brand new big boy bike for my birthday. I can't quite reach the pedals, but watch out spring!

This year, I told Mami and Papi that I wanted an all-out Diego theme, so off to work they went! I had an incredible playdate in the backyard and my friends and I had loads of fun. Mami went to town creating stations we could play in, and after pizza, we had Diego cupcakes. We got sweaty and dirty- it was a blast!

Here I am in my Go! Diego Go! party gear. Titi Joby sent me a fabulous vest with a homemade Animal Rescuer patch! It was a hit!

This was the backyard extravaganza. There's Mami on the move!

We had a huge bounce house and had loads of fun bouncing around. The Moms and Dads kept saying how tired we'd be...but we fooled all of them. Haha!

Pizza and juice for lunch, and VIP seating for my very best friend, Soleil, Jiavanni, and Christelle.

Here I am concentrating on my Picasso recreation. We painted a giant mural and decorated it with our masterpieces. What fun!

Jiavanni and I were hard at work on the mural.

My friend Christelle has been in my class at school for two years. She joined us for the party and created her own work of art!

This was one of Mami's play "stations" caleed Feed Sonia the Seal. She borrowed animals from a friend of hers at work and posted them throughout the yard.

Nina bought me an art easel! I have been painting and coloring every day.

PS. I have fallen in love with the movie Cinderella. Honestly, those darn mice are hilarious. And the music is so catchy. Here's my rendition of "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes." Another entry for America's Funniest Home Video?

Summer FUN!

This summer has already gotten off to an incredible start. At the beginning of June, Tita and Titi Joby visited from New York/ New Jersey. They brought David (who just turned five! Wow!), Michaella, and Daniel. Our cousin extravaganza began with a two-week vacation. First, Tita took us all to see Nana in Coral Springs. Mami and Papi stayed behind; I still don't understand why they would want to be alone without me that whole time. All I know is that people kept using the words "relaxed," and that Tita taught me how to say "I want you to have another baby." Mami must have thought that was pretty funny because she would laugh uncontrollably and ask me if I wanted a goldfish.

After two weeks (which just didn't seem like enough), Tita, Titi, and the cousins went back home. Since then, Mami, Papi, and I have been enjoying a typical Florida summer, especially when your Mom is a teacher. We joined the YMCA in May and I took a swim class on Saturdays for six weeks. We've been enjoying Storytime at the library, $1 Kidmovies at the movie theatre, swimtime at the pool, playing in the backyard and in the park, and learning how to ride my bike (without pushing it Flintstone-style).

I've also been busy getting healthy. A very good doctor (that loves to give me stickers) put tubes in my ears and took out my adenoids. She said that should make me feel much better. The surgery was quick, but I woke up pretty groggy. The good news was that I was back to normal after just a few hours, and Mami has had a lot less nose-wiping since then. I also have cool ear plugs when I go to the pool or the beach.

There are some goals for this summer too. The biggest one is to learn how to use the potty. I love my Diego pull-ups, the adorable "There's a big boy in this house" song, and changing things up between sitting and standing up to pee, but...well...I can't quite get it every time. I'm working on it. In the meantime, Mami seems very stressed, so I'm trying to remind her not to worry.

And the summer's not over! We have a Family Reunion in South Carolina, and a family vacation to Puerto Rico (my first trip to the island). I can't wait to fill you all in at the end of the summer.

Michaella and I enjoying a movie.

Daniel Michael posing.

Playing at the YMCA splashpool.

A visit to Lowry Park Zoo.

On the merry-go-round with Papi.

Making funny faces with Papi. He calls it "shaving" but I call it hilarious!

Helping Mami with house chores (using my own vacuum).

I don't know why she complains about this- it's so much fun!

Learning to make scrambled eggs with Mami. Stir, stir, stir!

Special Edition!

This is a different kind of update- a personal message from me, Diamar. Don't worry: I asked Little Ricky if I could write this time, and I got the okay.

I know that I called some of you after it happened, but many of you may not be aware that November of last year (November 16th, to be exact) was a life changer for all of us. I wanted to tell you what happened and ask for your help.

* * * * *

To celebrate my best friend Harmony's birthday, six teacher friends and I went out to dinner. We had a blast and were so thankful we had a chance to relax and have a good time!

After dropping off one friend, the rest of the group got into the carpooling mini-van (I know... a mini-van, but that mini-van saved us) and headed home. To make a long story short, the van was hit by a drunk driver and I (as well as the rest of the group) ended up in the hospital. I don't remember the accident at all, but I've been able to gather a lot of what happened from my friends. The driver ran a red light, giving the car no time to stop from hitting head on. A second car coming behind us could not veer out of the way fast enough and hit the car again, this time on the passenger side. Four of the teachers in the car had minor injuries (a fractured foot, a bruise to the head, bruises from the air bags, etc.). Unfortunately, Harmony and I, who were sitting in the back seats and did not have our seatbelts on (biggest lesson learned), were more seriously hurt.



I was thrown around quite a bit, knocked unconscious, and ended up in the trunk space of the van. I fractured my tail bone, sternum, and toe. I bruised my arm and tore my knee (with a bruise I'll never really get rid of). I was in physical therapy for my back and neck for three months and am just now ready to get back to my yoga/pilates. It took about two weeks for me to even be able to pick up Little Ricky and spent three weeks unable to work.

The worst part is that, compared to Harmony, I was lucky...very lucky. Harmony shattered her shoulder, wrist, and hip. She has needed more titanium and steel than we can count (she's our personal Wolverine), but she has come a long way. She has made it through being bed-ridden, to using a wheelchair, to getting around on a cane, to getting back to work walking on her own, to even meeting us for a date at the swimming pool.

This is the x-ray of her shoulder.

Since the accident, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has been invaluable. If you've never gone through this, it's unbelievable how much you just don't think about. In addition to regular updates, MADD helped us upgrade the charges against the driver to a felony with serious bodily injury, where he would have only been charged with a misdemeanor and a fine. MADD will be at every court date with us, and has kept us posted on a weekly basis.

To support MADD, we are all walking in their annual Walk Like MADD fundraiser. I'm asking you to support me, my friends, and MADD by making a donation to our team.

For more information about the walk, about MADD, or to make your donation to our team, check out the link below. You can search for our team under Tampa; the team name is Courage.

http://support.madd.org/site/PageServer?pagename=wp1_homepage

I know that this will be surprising news for some of you, but it has taken a while to even think about the accident without being confused, emotional, and angry. I am fine, and for all intents and purposes, back to normal...although that first day back at yoga might prove to be a comedy show. Harmony and I may need some assistance coming out of down dog. Heehee!

Love you all!

March Madness!

No...not the basketball March Madness. This is March Madness- Mami style! Mami and I have been having loads of fun, and I get home each afternoon and show her and Papi what I've learned. They say I'm like a sponge, and they seem contantly amazed at the things I've picked up. I've heard them say they have to watch themselves now, but I'm not sure what they mean by that. Here are some videos of my latest showing-off episodes:

Daisy Duck (on a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse epsiode) had her own dance for a Clubhouse dance contest. I figured I could bust a move just like Daisy. Here I am trying to teach Mami the motions. I think she needs a little work, but you gotta love a girl for trying!

Mami bought this cool card game and I love to find the matches. I do alot of serious thinking while I work, and I even mention one of my favorite books while I play. Mami gets a kick out of it and calls me her baby genius (she's so easy to please)!

This is what Mami's alarm clock has sounded like since I was born. She thought her "babyless" friends would laugh, but I think I'm much better than the usual ringing and birds. How boring! So, if any of you'd like your own personal recording, just let me know.

Most recently, we're in what Mami and Papi are calling "potty training." I'm not really sure what those fancy words mean. All I can tell is that there's a lot of running involved, there's a sudden supply of stickers all over the house, and we've busted out some new diapers called "pull-ups." I think it's a great new game...especially when I accidentally miss the potty and catch somebody's toes!!! Heehee!

Until next time!

Big Apple...Part II

Last year, Papi and I took our first trip to New York City...just the guys! This year, we did it again! Papi had a conference to attend and I decided to hitch a ride and see Grandma, Grandpa, and my Brooklyn family.



Seeing the family was terrific! Papi and I stayed in Tio Junior's apartment so I had a television all to myself for my morning dose of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We spent the days with Grandma and Grandpa, and Grandpa shared his oranges with me. He cut them perfectly and I couldn't get enough! Titi Milin, Celi, and all of Papi's cousins had a big party at Cousin Diane's house, and I played all night long.

The Roman Brothers and Sisters

Papi and the Roman Family

The cousins pose

The Roman Men

The Women of the Roman Clan




The Hernandez Trio

The second cousins say hello

Mayra and Diane- Thanks Cousin Diane for a great gathering!

The best part of our trip, though, was this thing that Papi called "snow." It covered Grandma's backyard sort of like the grass in our yard. It was weird to step on and it kept sticking to my gloves. Suddenly, I saw them. My buddies Mickey and Minnie must have found out that I was visiting because they showed up, and we had a snowball fight! It was great.

Mickey and Minnie join the snow party!



Grandma plays with me...and doesn't even use gloves! Wow!



My first time playing in the snow. Check out the fascination!

For those of you wondering about Mami. Papi did ask her if she wanted to join us, but she said something about a "Mami spa weekend," which I didn't really understand. All I know is that she looked a lot younger and more rested than before we left. And it must have been fun for her because she mentioned something to Papi about looking forward to next year. Hmmmm!

Feliz Navidad!

In our annual tradition, the family spent Christmas in Coral Springs with Titi Hilda, Tio Freddy, and Nana. Cousin Val has a new dog named Gigi and I loved chasing her around the house. Everyone came over on Christmas Eve for dinner and, as usual, we gathered around for our Chinese Kris Kringle. Mami introduced a new guessing game that her friend Uncle Dan did with his fifth graders. Let's just say no one in the family is "smarter than a fifth grader!" Heehee!

On Christmas morning, there were tons of presents under the tree. We opened gifts and had a big breakfast. I played with my cousins Venessa, Val, Jose, and Sebastian. Papi and I made bubbles and watched the guys play baseball, although some parts didn't resemble the baseball Papi watches on tv.

The next morning, we went to the beach with Tita to watch the seagulls and play in the sand.



When we got back, I caught up with my cousin Anthony. We make great playmates!

I'm Two!!!

At the beginning of this month, I turned the big two!!! On Wednesday, Titi Betzy, Gabby, and Anthony came over for dinner and we opened presents. That Sunday, lots of my friends came over for a mouse-ka-party! Mami and Papi set up lots of toys for us to play, including a basketball hoop, and even had a Mickey Mouse CD to play the songs that I love. We had hot dogs, fruit, and Mami decorated a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake all by herself.

My cousin Anthony and I enjoying cake!

The mouse-ka-party play area (aka. the backyard with all my toys thrown around)

Mami's Clubhouse cake (she said it would be Publix next year!)

Mami stealing a birthday boy kiss

Mami and Papi with the birthday boy that refused to smile

Later in the month, I had great visits! Grandma Rosa visited for a couple of days and we took her to see Christmas lights. Tita came to spend a couple of days and we went to take pictures with Santa. Although Mami said he was the best looking Santa she'd ever seen, I was a little skeptical. I did manage to give him a high five before I left.



We met Nina, Tio and Soleil there and I stole a little kiss and some hand-holding while we walked in the park. Mami said I was a romantic!



Grandpa will visit us after the new year and I can't wait to show him my batter's stance and my pitcher's wind-up. Papi and I have been working on it for weeks.