His 9th Birthday Celebration & A Special Letter!

Hello Everyone!! 

We would like to thank everyone from our Instagram, Facebook, Twitter channels for taking the time to wish Happy Birthday to our son!

Our son was born on September 29th at approximately 10:00 in the morning.  After twelve hours of labor, he came into this world weighting 5.5 lbs and measuring 19 inches long.  

He was small and long but it took very little time for this baby boy to put up some serious weight and his length was above the charts.

He was three months old when we celebrated our first Christmas together.   

Our baby was so chunky, long but most of all, he was adored by all!

He has always been a happy and active baby.   

At five months old, he was part of Savannah's Cutest Baby contest! 

His smile and laugh has and continues to be infectious! 

Experiencing one of Daddy's favorite hobbies at just 8 months old!  

He loved been on the boat but he loved his little inflatable boat even more! 

Learning how to crawl at nine months old, he has kept grandmother on her toes

since that day! 

Dear Son: 

     You are now nine years old... and we are so happy and proud of you!  Being a parent is not easy, at times it can be scary.  You see, children don't come with an "instruction" book that will tell us how to deal with every situation.  Therefore, we have to try our very best to guide our children in the right direction. 

    We want you to know that we love you very much and we are so proud of everything you have accomplished in just nine years.   You may think we are mean because we won't allow you to quit when a situation gets difficult.  But by not allowing you to easily quit, your father and I are trying to prepare you for the future by teaching you that you most continue to try.  We want you to be able to reach your goals even when the obstacles seem too high. 

    Remember that a lot of people loves you, Grandmother, Papa, your Aunts, Uncles, cousins, all your friends and classmates.  But most importantly, GOD loves you, no matter what, when or where, he will always be there for you.  You only need to reach for him.  

   I know you most get tired of us telling you that "you need to be more responsible" and to "pay more attention".   You see son, nothing in this life is easy or free and yes, we do know school isn't always fun, but it is very important that you learn these things, so that you can take advantage of your education, so that one day you may have good career options.

    You are smart, talented in so many ways.  Don't ever forget to stay true to yourself and always be thankful for everything you have been blessed with.  Daddy and I have tried to teach you and will continue to teach you the difference between right and wrong.  Always try to be nice and kind to others because those simple actions will define who you are, it is never worth been mean to others.  You need to surround yourself with people who are just like you.  If you are good to your friends and others then they will be good to you.  A true friend is someone who compromises, listens and understands.  If you see a friend who is making the wrong choices, speak up and tell them, if they fail to listen then do not follow them, ONLY follow your own path.  

   Don't ever try to be someone you are not, be proud of who you are. Hey, we are, so why not you!!   (just to prove a point, watch yourself in this video Daddy made for you)

   You are unique because GOD created you that way, and to us you are ONE PERFECT DUDE!

     Love, Mommy and Daddy! 

Birthday Party at Frames & Games

 The moment he discovered he was given a $20.00 gift! 

Ready to play Laser Tag!

 5D Movies! 

 

Valentine's Day Treats

      Hello Again Readers!! It’s been a while since I last posted on our blog, so let me rectify that.

      Today I will be sharing with you two easy recipes that can be used for any event. 

    

     If you follow our Facebook Page (Caramel Curlz & Swirls FB Page), then you may recall me making this sweet and fun filled treat for Ms. Bree’s 6^th Birthday Party.   I will be posting all the details of her Barbie Birthday Bash next. 

     Due to the fact that all her classmates and teachers enjoyed this treat so much, I decided to make it again.  This time the “Valentine’s Day Popcorn” was the main treat which was accompanied by “Sparkling Marshmallow Pops”.

    Both treats are extremely easy to prepare, very inexpensive and it’s guaranteed to make a hit. 

Let’s get started shall we!

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 lb White Almond Bark (Vanilla Flavored);

4 Bags of Homestyle Pop Popcorn (4 bags were enough to make 20 Valentine’s Day Bags);

Red Food Coloring (Magenta/Pink);

Sprinkles (whichever kind your kid loves).

Now, the first time I made this treat I used a large plastic bowl, which was okay but made the “clean up” process a bit difficult.  The melted almond bark becomes hard relatively quickly.  With that bit of information in mind, the second time around I used a disposable roasting pan I got from the Dollar Store. 

This is something your kids can help with. They get to use their little hands to mix the melted almond bark, popcorn and sprinkles! Be prepared, sucking fingers will happen once the mixing part is done!  In another words, this is very messy.  

I tried using a spoon to mix everything but it didn't work as expected, the popcorn would actually get stuck to the spoon, therefore, using your hands was the best advice I was giving so I’m passing this amazing tip to you!

 STEP 1:

Pop the popcorn as instructed on the bags, (Pop 2 bags at a time).

STEP 2:

Melt half a pound of Almond Bark as recommended on the packaging.

STEP 3:

 Add a few drops of the food coloring until you achieve the color you are aiming for.  Mix it well.

STEP 4:

Spread all the popcorn on your disposable pan.

STEP 5:

Lightly drizzle the melted Almond Bark on your popcorn and begin to mix; 
Do this two to three times until you reach the desired results. 

STEP 6:

DROP the sprinkles! Again, you can add as many sprinkles as you (or you little one wants).

AND DONE! 

I used Valentine's Bags that I purchased from Party City.  They come in packs of 20s and they had many designs.  I picked two different designs for the kids. 

               

 

                      Little Man's class                        Ms Bree's class

Pretty easy right!  The teachers loved the popcorn so much the first time I made it, I'm sure there were very happy to get more!! 

This delicious treat can be prepared a day or two in advance.  It approximately took two hours to prepare and filled 40 bags.  

Marshmallow Pops

These pops are even easier to make!  

You will need Wilton Lollipop Wrapping Kit

A bag of Jumbo Size Marshmallows

Left over melted almond bark and left over sprinkles!  

Perfect, do you agree?  You can modify the colors to match your birthday party theme or any special event!

Go ahead, try it and ENJOY!   

~Elena~