Just having some cousin fun!

These girls are best friends! We even found out today that they like to compare underwear types - as in "Mia! I love the picture on your underwear today! It's so pretty!"


Jada is oddly obsessed with being a princess. She LOVES dressing up and wearing princess clothing- especially ones that are way too big for her! Every morning, even if she's already dressed in a shirt and pants, she says, "Mommy, I want a princess.. I want to be Princess Mia" (because Mia is notoriously known for dressing like a princess, too!)

Jada is definitely a talker! For a while there, (around when she turned 1) she wasn't speaking much at all. Then, out of nowhere, she could form sentences and identify numbers and letters. She can sing the whole ABC and count to 20 (skipping 15-19)! Woah... all this at 20 months.

Joli, on the other hand, will ONLY wear "soft pants" (aka sweat pants). And, she is completely in love with High School Musical. She can sing almost all the words - and by default, so can Jada! Jada can also sing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" and yes, she forces us to listen to it in the car about a dozen times a day!
We're so glad that Gavie has joined the Cousin Brigade! I think he's adjusting to not only being surrounded by kids but also being surrounded by girls! Tita Grace takes Gavie and Jada to music class on Wednesdays, and they are loving it! Hopefully we can get some pictures of that soon!

Let's see.... it's been a while since I really wrote down the girl-happenings!

Joli: goes to school 2x a week and she'll start 3x a week soon. She LOVES her pre-school (and so do we!). I can't believe how tall she is and how much of a little person she is! We went to the ocularist recently and all seems well - except he said that her eye socket looks like it's getting "sunken". This is pretty normal because there is no real pressure forcing the bones to grow. I have to admit I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have, but all I remember hearing were the words "little plastic surgery."

Jada: Oh, Jada. She is convinced her name is "Jada Louie". She is completely attached to me (Mama). She's FINALLY weaned (yes, much info there) completely, though. Jada works really well with Jorge - she does anything he tells her to do. Every morning, Jada says, "Mama, I want Lily." Those two are peas-in-a-pod! They love each other completely and get along so well!

Hopefully pictures from Music class soon!

We've been busy!

It's been a really busy few weeks (hence the lack of posting!). Work has picked up at a fast pace for me and Jorge has been busy with Gunplay related work!

Mari, JP and Gavie have finally joined us on the East Coast, and now all the cousins are here!

Now that all the siblings are around, it's always party time!

Jorge cracks me up...

Here's what he posted on his own website in response to our favorite, Obama, winning Iowa...

Happy New Year!

I love this picture of Jada... she always chooses the darker skinned babies whenever we play.

Joli and Mia were, by far, the most dressed up people on New Years Day.... fancy black dresses along with lots and lots and lots of lipstick!!

Each year, the Pediatric Hemotology-Oncology clinic that Joli goes to hosts a Winter Party. We love going! It's always nice to see people we haven't seen since the hospital days. For the staff, Joli looks entirely different! She left the hospital in '06 with her hair barely coming in. Last year, they saw Jada as a little baby. So, many of them commented on how much both of them have grown! It's also so nice to see some of our former roommates (you may have read about them if you've been following the blog for a few years now). Unfortunately (or fortunately?), some of them are still in treatment. Also, today, we saw a new person - someone my sister went to high school with.

By far, the favorite part of the party is the room where the girls can get manicures! This year, we brought along Mia and Aunt Jenny for some fun!

Here's Jada after her manicure. The woman said, "I think she may be too young for it." And we said, "uh, yeah, she's been getting manicures since she was 1 year old....." Jada was very still, and even at one point, she began to take her shoes off for the woman to do her pedicure! Ha ha ha!
Joli and Mia enjoying their manicures. The real treat was the woman who was doing Joli's -- she is the child life specialist from the hospital, and she hadn't seen Joli in a REALLY long time! Ashley was so incredibly helpful and kind to us when we were in the hospital! Joli really loved seeing her again!
Aunt Jenny ... the nutritionist .... scarfing down a sugar cookie with green frosting, M&Ms, gummy bears, and sprinkles that Mia made. Oh, what we do for our kids!
Okay, if this doesn't make you smile... I don't know what does......





ps.. Congrats to Baby Bennett Menghi! Welcome to the world, New Years baby!

English professor retells story of niece, wins $500 - News

English professor retells story of niece, wins $500 - News

Just like Grace not to mention yet another great article about her! Go, Grace!

Happy New Year!

Last few days of 2007
We've had a fun filled past few days here as we count down 2007.
Joli, Mia, and Mia H. all went to see Nemo on Ice. We had great seats (thanks Lola!), bags of cotton candy, and fun with our Nemo hats.

On Dec 31st, I took Jada and Joli to Chuck E Cheese so that Jorge can get some work done. We had a crazy fun time!! Jada rode this carousel about a dozen times and refused to get off.
Joli and Jada loved the slides in the small kids area. Joli was super about helping Jada up and down the slide.
Joli was big rollin' in this hydraulics truck. She loved it!

Brief summary of 2007 in our family
January: Joli went with her cousins to the annual Pedi Oncology party and Jada got her first portrait done to be put up on Lolo's wall.
February: We said goodbye to Mari and Gavie as they returned back to California.
March: Joli hung out with Grammy, Ped and Pops in NYC during Spring Break.
April: Jada turned 1 year old! Joli had her in-office exam and was cleared for 1 year.
May: Jorge entered the Platinum Studios contest.
June: Liza presented at regional conference for an innovative program she initiated at work.
July: We are in Oregon for Jon and Jenny's wedding! Joli turned 4 years old!
August: Joli was a special guest at Sesame Place, and Jorge won Platinum Studio's challenge!
September: Liza was promoted to a new position. Jorge begins to be a featured guest at comic conventions. Joli started pre-school!
October: Jada begins singing clearly! We visit old friends in New York. Liza finds out she is BRCA1+ and begins lots of screening. We find out there will be another Vega (Andy and Marie) cousin!
November: Thanksgiving and the Vega family visits us!
December: Jada's EUA's have been pushed to 4 months! We're eagerly awaiting 2008 for even more great life events!

Feliz Navidad!

We had a great Christmas here in our house!

We started the night off at Lola's house making gingerbread houses....

Then, made our way over to church where Joli and Mia got to sit at the grand organ! They LOVED it!
Then, Jorge and Joli (Jada snuck in there for the picture) stayed up as long as possible waiting for Santa to come down the chimney. You can't tell in this picture, but they moved all the living room furniture and camped out next to the fire place! So cute!

While waiting to open gifts, the girls passed the time by beating up on Uncle Paulie.

After opening presents at our house, we then went for the flurry of presents at Lola's House. Jada got some new clothes for her American Girl doll that was given by the Dreizen gals!

But, no matter what, I think that Lolo got the best Christmas gift of all -- courtesy of Joli and Jada. Look at the smile on that man's face! What joy!
Happy Holidays! We're counting down the weeks until cousin Gavin comes to join us on the East Coast!!

Vacation Fun!
Jorge is on vacation this week and he brought the gals to the aquarium. They had tons of fun with Daddy!

We went to Lola Lucy's retirement party, and Mia Jewell was all decked out and ready to party. We took this picture because we want to compare it to her future prom/semi-formal picture in 14 years......
The two "Grace's" -- Grace is doing very well 2 1/2 weeks post surgery. She had her double mastectomy and reconstruction and is hanging out at our house while Alonso is in Kentucky. Thanks for all your well wishing to Grace!

Oh, Jada. She wouldn't give back Mia H.'s pink tutu skirt. She was soooo mad when we took it from her! When you ask Jada what her name is, she says, "Louie." How cute!

Happy Holidays!
(It's small on the web screen, but you should be able to enlarge it)


Happy Holidays! Here is our year in review!

Can YOUR 18 month old do this??
The TV was playing and Jada was not just repeating the alphabet, but she was often AHEAD of the alphabet! Go, Jada!





Also, as I add to this post (10 hours later), Jada is now singing "Who Said, Who Said, Icabesuppahmenan" - which is from Hannah Montana. Also, in addition to repeating the word "NO" all day, Jada also yells out "Ate" (which means "Big Sister") all day. Or, "Mama", "Dadddy", "Gordie", "Elmo", "Elmo wait!", "I want that", "I want book." and, I'm not lying, Jada can "recite" the entire "Goodnight Moon" book and spell all the letters on the cover.

It's snowing... again!

There is a whole lot of snow here in the East Coast! I'm sure Tita Mari is screaming while looking at these pictures ("Liza! Those girls look freezing!!") But, that's how we do it when it snows -- you don't have a choice but to go and play in it! Betcha can't wait to move to the East Coast, Mari!!! :)

Enjoy....!

Jada attempting to stay warm!

The girls... not sure what to make of all this snow!
Joli attacking Jorge!

Impromptu Sleepover

Due to the massive snow storm we're having, Mia is sleeping over! Here are some cute "monthly" pictures that Mia got in on, too! Enjoy!

Joli at 53 months old

Jada at 20 months! (egads, really????!!???)
Mia Jewell -- the honorary Vega -- at almost 42 months

Back home~

Hi everyone! Jorge and I are back home from a lovely trip to Miami. We celebrated our 7th anniversary there (7 years married, 11 years together!). We caught up with a few friends from both Conn and NYU, and enjoyed being surrounded by great Latino/Hispanic culture in Miami! Awesome food.....

Thanks to Grammy who stayed with Joli and Jada (and Lily) for a few days. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures, but there is lots of evidence of FUN -- cookies, beaded jewelry, arts and crafts.

For the first time, Jada slept in her own bed!


Unfortunately... so did Gordon!! ( I woke up early, early Saturday morning and found him in her bed! Guess he figured, "Someone might as well use it!")

Attempting to recover from the trip, a horrible cold, and two girls who missed their Mama, I took the girls to the Children's Museum where they had a blast!

My cute girls!

Thanks to the Dreizen gals who sent Joli and Jada 2 packages of endless fun! See the evidence below.





The gals also made beautiful bags for each of the little ones AND for me and Grace! how sweet! Shout out to Liv and Jenny!

Fun Fun Fun!

This weekend we had lots of fun! We had our monthly Dim Sum outing (the girls LOVE when we go "to China")

We had Tita Grace over for dinner prior to her bilateral mastectomy this week (note that the cake says "Breast" Wishes!)

The girls got to set up the Christmas Tree

And, this morning, IT SNOWED!! HURRAY!
Jada and Jo are reaching that "friends" stage with each other. Some cool things they do:

• They both LOVE Hannah Montana songs, and even Jada can sing along with it!
• They love hiding together and playing hide-and-seek
• They both love playing Wii with Daddy
• They always want to hold each others hands when they are outside
• Joli lifts Jada up when they are finished brushing their teeth so that Jada can spit in the sink
• Joli likes to soap and shampoo Jada when they are in the tub
• In the morning, the girls 'race' to see who can get ready the fastest -- Joli always wins but she always says to Jada "I love you Jada. One day, you'll get dressed fast, too!"

The girls are so sweet to one another. Jada's favorite thing to say is "NO!" and Joli just laughs at her. Jada is talking more and more these days. She can tell you exactly what she wants (milk, book, light, eat, egg, doggie, sleep, etc) and if Joli forgets to say "good night" to Jada, Jada will sit in bed and yell "A-a-a-a-ateeee!! A-a-a-a-a-teee!! Louie nigh-night!! Aaaaateeee!!" and Joli comes running in to give Jada a hug and kiss. Then, Jada is all set for bed.

Jada peed in the potty today!


Rock on, girl! Jada peed in the potty for the first time today! Officially 19 months + 2 days, Jada enjoyed a nice little "pee pee parade" from Jorge, Joli and me after it was all done. Jada woke up with an entirely dry diaper, so I stuck her on the toilet, gave her a cup of water to drink, and the joyous sound of tinkles soon filled the air ... followed by the rowdy noise of the "PEE PEE PARADE". Needless to say, Jada giggled with glee...!

Hurray for Jada!

Cancer and our Family
Of the 4 people in this picture:
2 have been diagnosed with and treated for cancer (Mari and Joli)
1 has pre-cancerous cells and is having a double mastectomy (Grace)
and I am at a very high risk of developing it within the next few years

My sister Grace
It's two weeks until Grace's surgery, and I can't help but feel both sad and proud of her at the same time. For those of you who don't know Grace personally, you certainly know her through this blog. Other than Jorge and me, Grace has been the most stable and constant force in Joli's life. Joli is a free spirit because of Grace. She is creative because of Grace. She is aware of feelings, emotions, love, joy, pain, and sheer freedom because of Grace. Why? Because Grace models the purest form of love I have ever seen. No matter who you are, Grace is your friend. No matter who you are, Grace is your biggest cheerleader. No matter who you are, Grace loves you.

Grace and I didn't grow up the best of friends. In fact, my memories of Grace are of me being horribly mean to her. After every mean thing I would do as a little sister, Grace would leave me a note on my bed or go so far as to drive her 16-year old self to a card store and buy me a card that says, "I know you hate me. But, I'm your sister and I love you." I still have that card somewhere.

When I had Joli and went through a tough transition time, Grace received the brunt of my exhaustion. And, yet, she still loved me and Joli more than I could ever imagine. On days when I couldn't take another trip to the hospital, Grace would stay by Joli's bedside so that I could have a break. Aside from Jorge and me, Grace was the ONLY one who went to the hospital each and every time Joli did. In fact, when Joli had her surgery, Grace was the only one who thought to bring food to help us stay nourished during the 15 hour ordeal. And, she not only brought "food", she bought the most gourmet treats we could ever have imagined!

I would actually argue that Grace has, at times, spent more time with Joli than I have. Prior to this year, Grace brought Joli to weekly music lessons, weekends at the Children's Museum, and lots of explorations to places I never would have gone - a pet sanctuary, a blueberry farm. Grace is responsible for allowing the girls to color on the walls, get soaking wet in puddles in the middle of winter, and ruined their clothing in paint. And, while I probably said things like "How could let them do that!", I should have said, "Thank you for letting them be children."

So, this is in honor of Grace -- a long over due tribute to how much I love you, how much I appreciate you, and how little I often tell you. Grace, you are a strong, brave, beautiful woman, and we are praying for your successful operation and quick recovery. I admire everything you do, everything you have done, and everything you are destined to do. I am proud to call you my sister.


Grace on Joli's 2nd birthday - just before diagnosis. Yes, she is sitting in a swimming pool fully clothed.. a typical "grace move"Grace with food on the day of Joli's surgery, Aug 2005

Grace at Joli's first chemotherapy stay, Sept 2005
Grace with Joli on the Toys R Us ferris wheel in NYC. Grace often put her life on hold and selflessly came with me for a week each year - for 2 years - so that I wouldn't be alone.

Mother's Day, 2007 - while Grace isn't a mom, she is typically found surrounded by all the nieces and nephew. It's because of her love of children that we named Jada after Grace.