Arabella's Carnival

Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away. (Nehemiah 12:43)

Last weekend, Naomi went on another roadtrip down to LA... Torrance to be exact. We drove down to celebrate cousin Arabella's first birthday. It also happens to be Anthony's birthday, too, so a super-sized Father-Daughter festival was surely in store. Along with Tita Angie and Grandma Lily, we left the Bay Area on Friday at around 8pm and got to Torrance at about 2am. Mimi and Mama sat in the back and slept while Papa and Grandma were on a journey... not only down the I-5 but spritually as well! They talked about their faith and our Savior Jesus with open communication and the Holy Spirit present among them =)



On Saturday, we had a lovely breakfast compliments of the hotel and in the afternoon, we headed to the Carnival. From a distance we could see the giant astro jump on the front lawn. When we got to the house, we saw the face painting booth and the cotton candy machine! Guests were encouraged to dress up w/ a Brazilian or Carnival theme in mind...Grandma wore a festive costume and The Boyz were fitted in green Soccer T-shirts =)



In the backyard, not only was there tons of delicious food, but to set the mood, a Samba band was playing their instruments and singing along to Brazilian tunes. Before we got around to the Dora the Explorer pinata, two lovely Samba dancers grooved to the beat... definitely proof that this was a party just as much for Anthony as it was for Arabella! There were also two delicious cakes to enjoy. Later the Manny Pacquiao boxing fight ended the night.

From Arabella's Carnival

The next day, while Papa and the uncles golfed at the Trump Resort, we enjoyed Pink Berry frozen yogurt. Mimi was in love with the tasty delights and she was being such a sweet heart.

My favorite moments of the entire weekend had to be when Bella and Mimi were interacting together. Both babies were about to take a nap, but woke up when they realized they were in each other's presence. Arabella and Naomi started smiling at each other. They ended up wrestling playfully and it was totally a "Kodak moment." Auntie Leia and Auntie Genina grabbed their camera's and the girls were hamming it up! The Birthday Girl gently placed her arm lovingly around her baby cousin and they struck this pose for a whole minute! So CUTE!!!





The photos above are from BBM. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera at home (plugged into the charger!) Grandma Lily brought her camera, but we still have to borrow it to upload her pics. Bella's personal professional photographer was there so I will definitely add a link to those pics when its available, =)

THANKS COUSIN ARABELLA FOR A FABULOUS CARNIVAL EXPERIENCE!