UCF Couple

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T22:31:00.002-05:00

It's already Thanksgiving! Where on earth did this year go?

We have so much to be thankful for this year. We are blessed to have our home, our jobs, our beautiful daughter Bella, and most importantly each other. I have had a hard time lately learning to balance it all. Being a Mom, a Wife, a speech therapist to special needs families, a sister, and and a daughter....oh yeah and a maid!! It really is hard to juggle it all. I often find myself having "Mom guilt" not being able to do it all. But I'm slowly learning to let some things go. So what if the dishes don't get done, or if a pile of clean laundry sits in a hamper for a few days. To put in perspective I'm thankful I have a washer to even do my laundry!

We are thankful for our supportive family, our health, and the wonderful opportunities we have had to help families staying at the Ronald McDonald House this year. We are also thankful for having the opportunity to provide a peaceful setting for grieving parents to remember their children at the Central Florida Angel of Hope.

And who do we have to thank for that??? Yes, Gabriella. I am thankful she has made me a better person, even though she is no longer with us.

So remember the little things to be thankful about this Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Bencomo Family!

July 10, 2011-Happy Anniversary!

2011-07-10T20:12:00.005-04:00

Today is our 7 year wedding anniversary. We celebrated with a little weekend staycation at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. It was fun, relaxing, and nice to get away.

It's amazing how much happens in 7 years. I am thankful that I continue to have Anthony by my side through the good, the bad, and the in-between! He is a wonderful husband and Dad. So fun and supportive.

We showed Bella our wedding video today for the first time. She had a lot of questions wanting to know who certain people were and why other people weren't there. She also commented that she did not like my veil! Out of the mouth of babes!

She was so surprised to see Knightro show up at our reception as well!

All I know is that our wedding day was one of the best days of my life, and I am so happy to be spending my life with Anthony. Each new day is an adventure and we have each other to get us through it. He has been my rock and stood by my side through the bad, and is there for a great laugh with the good! He has given me two beautiful daughters and I thank God everyday he put him in my path.

Happy Anniversary Anthony, I love you!

5 years old...

2011-05-24T21:07:00.007-04:00

Today would of been Gabriella's 5th Birthday. It's really hard to believe that 5 years ago, we had our first daughter. A tiny little girl with a huge heart who has touched all of us over the years. She has made us who we are today. Anthony and I have always taken her birthday off of work so we could do something fun in honor of her. This year we decided to head to Disney. It was Bella's first official trip to the Magic Kindgom and it was a great day! The pictures speak for themselves! It was a really special day for so many reasons.

On the monorail heading back to the car, we saw a little girl with a Birthday pin on her shirt. She looked to be about 6 or 7 years old. I almost lost it when I saw her name written on it was Gabriella. That right there was a sign Gabriella was with us (She is always with us).

2010 Year in Review

2010-12-27T21:37:00.023-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-12-26T20:57:00.011-05:00

The Christmas Season has completely run away from us and left me little time to put together a Christmas card for our friends and family. So in the efforts of saving time, energy, the planet, and money, we are doing our Christmas card/letter via our blog! It's about time too that we update our blog since our last entry was August 23!

2010 has been a very exciting year for us. We started the new year with Kristen getting a new job at Florida Hospital as well as continuing her contract work with Florida Speech. Anthony continues to work at Lockheed Martin as well. Balancing work, parenting, and fun family time is tough but everyday is more rewarding than the last!

We have continued to help out the Ronald McDonald House and ended up on billboards and drop boxes at all McDonalds for their annual Share a Night campaign to help families stay close to thier sick children while in the hospital.

Our biggest accomplishment this year was bringing the Angel of Hope to the Orlando area. On December 6, 2010 we had our first annual candlelight ceremony and dedication. Approximately 100 people attended to honor and remember children who are no longer with us. We worked with an awesome team to make this happen and have Gabriella as our inspiration behind the cause.

Bella turned 2 in August and is the light of our lives. She surprises us every day and there is never a dull moment in our house. She loves talking to her grandparents on our webcam, loves Nani aka Shauna our sitter, and has taken an fond liking to our UCF Knights. Speaking of UCF Knights we had the pleasure of taking Bella to her first UCF football game which she loved. We ended up taking her to two games and is more interested in Knightro and the opposing teams mascot than the game. Although occasionally she will tune in and say "Run Run Football Player!" We are very proud of our team as we are ranked 24th in the country and our Basketball team is now 11-0 and ranked 19th. Its a great year to be a UCF KNIGHT!

We acquired Sea World Annual Passes in May and got our money's worth after having them only a month! It is Bella's favorite place to visit and Big John to Sea Lion is one of her favorite animals to visit. The polar bear is a close second as long as he's sleeping. If he's awake then she says "I'm scared!"

Santa came a little early this year and with the help of Anthony's parents to watch Bella, we were able to go on a 5 day cruise. It was our first vacation in 3 years and we enjoyed doing NOTHING and getting much needed R and R. Christmas was spent in S. Fl this year with our families. Bella had her first official Cuban Christmas Eve aka pig roast! She loved spending time with her cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Was loving life with her Abi & Abu!

On a sad note we lost our 13 year old English Bulldog Jupiter while we were away on our cruise She was very old and passed away in her sleep. We are missing her very much and adjusting to a quite house minus the snoring and slobbering of an English Bulldog.

Here are some pictures from throughout the year. We hope you all have had a Merry Christmas and have a prosperous New Year.

Love

Anthony, Kristen & Bella Bencomo

Fox 35- Share a Night- Ronald McDonald House

2010-11-20T09:45:00.002-05:00

If you are looking to help the Ronald McDonald House Share A Night click HERE

Goooo Knights!!!

2010-08-23T21:19:00.002-04:00

Photos courtesy of UCFAthletics.com

We took Bella to her 1st UCF FanFest. She had a great time even though it was pouring rain (thank you UCF for having the only Fieldhouse in FL) and she was abit afraid of Knightro, but enjoyed seeing the Cheerleaders and the players.

Bella's 2nd birthday

2010-08-13T22:28:00.002-04:00

We had an awesome day at SeaWorld (pics to come soon) and the day ended with a mini cake for Bella to enjoy on her actual birthday. Shauna aka Nane brought her the mini cake for her to enjoy- which she did. She enjoyed her cake so much today that she told Kristen:"Mommy, cake delicious! Love you."

Cannot wait for tomorrow to see how she likes the birthday cake I am attempting to make for her. Should be fun.

Happy Birthday Bella!

2010-08-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

Today Bella turns 2 years old. I know for some Friday the 13th may be unlucky, but for us it's one of our luckiest days. We have decided to take Bella to Sea World today. I think the fun part will actually be that her Grandparents will get to see her experience Sea World. She will also get to feed Big John (he's a male Sea Lion) and tomorrow is her Mickey birthday party at a Splash pad. I am sure you will see lots of pictures and videos posted on here.

Where does the time go?

Happy 2nd Birthday Bella!

The Dad's Life

2010-08-04T22:20:00.002-04:00

I posted this on my Biggieville.com site but thought others might appreciate it as well. Enjoy! I wouldn't want any other life; The Dad's Life!

Bella at the Park

2010-08-04T22:19:00.001-04:00

Bella Vacuuming

2010-08-01T20:52:00.001-04:00

Bella has started to enjoy helping Mommy around the house with laundry and vacuuming. Here she is on a Saturday morning helping vacuum.

Bella making pizza

2010-07-29T19:12:00.001-04:00

Bella has become such a little cook! She loves sitting on the counter and help us stir, prep, or in the case roll pizza dough! She is at such a fun age and we are loving every second of it!

Bella's Shout Outs!

2010-07-26T21:41:00.000-04:00

Ronald McDonald photo shoot.

2010-07-22T21:49:00.001-04:00

RMH Slide Show from Cassie Meitzler on Vimeo.

We did a photo shoot for Ronald McDonald House a few weeks ago. Here is a video montage of all the families. We are in the video. Enjoy.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T12:49:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day to Anthony! He is such wonderful, supportive husband who loves us unconditionally and works very hard to provide for us! Every day is full laughter, smiles, and a lot of fun! I am very happy to have him as my husband and the father of my girls! We love you Anthony! Love Kristen and Bella!

Darryl Owens article about the Angel of Hope

2010-06-12T08:06:00.002-04:00

We had the opportunity to speak with Darryl Owens about our cause and our goal to bring the Angel of Hope. Here is a little excerpt:

"In search of an Angel for Gabriella" by Darryl Owens

Four years ago, Anthony and Kristen Bencomo learned they were expecting.

They were thrilled. Their first.

They told everyone. Debated names. Enrolled in Lamaze classes.

Kristen kept doctor appointments. Marveled at her budding baby bump. Wondered why she never felt a kick. Endured headaches. Spiking blood pressure. Nerves?

Complications. Time to deliver.

Too soon?! No choice.

Doctors performed a C-Section. Hooked the tiny thing to a ventilator. More tubes and wires than baby.

Scary.

After a dozen whirlwind days in the Florida Hospital neonatal intensive-care unit, life finally slowed to a pause.....

Click here to read the full article...

Anthony's 1st tattoo in memory of Gabi.

2010-05-30T20:17:00.001-04:00

Check out the process:

2010 will mark the 4th birthday and anniversary for the loss of Gabi. I have wanted a tattoo in her name since she passed. After much research and thought. I decided on a tattoo that had meaning behind it and something I would want to have forever.

I came up with the idea of a pocket watch with the time 12:07 with wings and a halo. That is all I wanted. As you can see I got so much more.

I did much research looking for the right artist and luck should have it I met a guy, Michael, standing in line at the Johnny Cupcakes tour and his friend Ryan's had this awesome rooted tattoo (it is a tree and going down to the roots) and it was awesome. He told me the guy was in Orlando and he had done both of his tattoos. Through him I got introduced to Enrique Zayas at Chrome Lotus Tattoo.

Here is the rationale behind what I wanted for a tattoo:

12:07:
12:07pm was the time that Gabi was born and it was also the time I looked forward to. Every time the clock read 12:07pm it meant I had another day with Gabi. We had 12 awesome days with her. Hence the clock on the tattoo reads 12:07.

The numbers on the watch:
I looked and looked for the font of the numbers and it hit me that my dad had given me a pocketwatch that had been passed down to me on my wedding day. His pocket watch has numbers 1-12 but for the tattoo I could only do 12, 3, 6, and 9.

The G:
The G is Gabi's 1st initial.

The Wings, Halo and Pocket watch:
In my initial thoughts I had it being just a G with wings or something and I also did not want a tattoo that was just her name. So I went with the wings and halo and the watch since it has a few meanings- an angel in heaven and also that time flew bye and it wasn't enough time to be with Gabi.

The Sunshine:

The amazing part about this is that I never told Enrique that on Gabi's headstone we have: "Our Grace from God. You will always be our Sunshine." Since Kristen would always sing to Gabi- You are my Sunshine. When I saw his initial sketch, having only told him about the watch, halp and wings and saw the Sun and the Sunshine. I was blown away and asked myself how did he know.

Did it hurt? Check out the video of me and my initial reaction to it. Now I will not lie and say it was pleasant. After the outlining and his shading I was fine. It was when he started coloring that I was in some pain.

Click here to see Enrique's website.

I get to wear pants for the next 2 weeks but it will be well worth it is fully healed and the true colors come out. I know some don't like tattoos and others do. I've wanted one and glad that this was my 1st tattoo

Happy 4th birthday Gabi

2010-05-24T08:27:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday Gabi. You are 4 today. We miss you and you are always in our thoughts. Happy Birthday!
Figured what better person to sing her Happy Birthday then Bella, her little sister.

Giving Jupi a bath

2010-05-23T20:20:00.001-04:00

Bella loves helping me give Jupi a bath. Can't say Jupi loves it but a clean Jupi is a happy house. Just so you know how the cupcake shows up in the pics. Our neighbors brought over a mini cupcake for Bella to enjoy.

Our Adventure to SeaWorld

2010-05-22T21:27:00.004-04:00

We took Bella to SeaWorld today. It was her 1st time and she loved it. SeaWorld is great cause it is very laid back and who doesn't love watching the penguins!

Grilled Pizza

2010-05-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

Family Pictures

2010-05-18T07:56:00.005-04:00

At the end of March, we had the priviledge of a friend of ours, Erin Miller, to take our family pictures. They came out beautiful and I feel she really captured Bella's true spirit and personality. Thanks Erin for the wonderful Pictures.

Click HERE to see the pictures.

You can see more of Erin's wonderful pictures at her blog www.samreade.blogspot.com

Bella's 1st Popsicle

2010-05-16T20:56:00.000-04:00

Kristen made Bella some homemade popsicles with orange juice and Bella just loved them. She did really well with it too never dropping it and just had a blast. It helped that it was warm outside and there is nothing like a cold popsicle on a warm day!

Date Night!

2010-05-15T20:32:00.001-04:00

So Kristen and I like to have date nights as often as possible. It is nice to have some alone time. We decided to try out a Taco Truck we had heard about on the radio (104.1- Jim Phillips and Angel for SBK both rant and rave about it). Well it is awesome and authentic. It is near Magic Suds Car Wash on Aloma Ave. The owners are very nice and the food was excellent.

After our Mexican truck feast we decided to go watch Iron Man 2. We saw the first one the week before to get Kristen motivated to see the 2nd one and it worked. We both liked it. Good times. Look forward to our next one!

Bella loves Smoothies

2010-05-10T20:25:00.001-04:00

One of Bella's favorite things is a little fruit smoothie. And just like her mother she is a dipper. So almost everything gets dipped (even Peanut Butter in Smoothie)

Bella singing Happy Birthday

2010-05-09T21:54:00.000-04:00

Bella and her Sunglasses

2010-05-09T21:19:00.001-04:00

Kristen bought Bella some sunglasses as we were shopping around BJ's and she wore them the whole time. She still takes them off and plays with them but it is amazing how she is becoming more and more a big girl.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T17:01:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful wife and my loving mother, my wonderful Mother in Law and all the mothers that have intertwined in our life.

Though Diane and Gabi are not here with us to celebrate Mother's Day with us they are always in our hearts. I am so grateful for being blessed with such wonderful women in my life. They all have made me the man that I am and Kristen the women, wife and mother that she is.

Your strength, love, patience, kindness and so many other things that go unthanked and unsaid. Well thank you for everything.

Kristen you and I make wonderful children and you make an exceptional mother. Gabi, Bella and I are both very blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you Honey.

Thank you Mom's!

Happy Cino De Mayo!

2010-05-05T17:55:00.001-04:00

Bella meets the Mouse's

2010-03-27T23:23:00.008-04:00

Thanks to Bella's Uncle Jay, Bella was able to meet Mickey and Minnie. She was also able to watch the Mickey Mouse Clubshouse show at Disney's Hollywood Studios and then in the Animation Studio was able to meet Mickey and Minnie. Was a great day and she had a really good time. She was not to sure of Mickey + Minnie up close but from far enough away was excited to see them. Was a great 1st taste of hanging w/the Mouse's.

Bella singing w/Mommy

2010-03-27T16:37:00.000-04:00

Webcam w/Papa

2010-03-27T16:27:00.001-04:00

Bella loves her Jupiter

2010-03-27T16:26:00.001-04:00

Bella doing Piggies

2010-03-27T16:21:00.000-04:00

1Handers: The album!

2010-03-21T15:39:00.000-04:00

As you may have seen in many of our albums I take a lot of 1Handers. I decided to put all of them in 1 album. If there are any that you have that are not posted please email it to us. I am just glad Kristen loves the idea of 1Handers if not there were would be alot of just me.

Enjoy!

Here is one that allows for you to view the album:

1Handers

Pan

2010-03-20T22:24:00.002-04:00

Went to Sedano's (An Awesome Spanish Supermarket) today and we did something we don't usually do when go to supermarkets. We ate food while we were shopping. The Cuban bread while we shopped was awesome and Bella loved it! For dinner she also enjoyed Picadillo and Congri. Our little Cubish girl loves her Cuban food, just like her Mommy and Daddy.

The Library

2010-03-10T13:46:00.004-05:00

Right now we are in a little transition period with my position at the hospital so I have been able to stay home with Bella this week. We have done so many fun things together that I am so thankful for this break. I took her to story time for the first time yesterday at our local library. She loved it. We sang songs and listened to the Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani. The storyteller was so animated and Bella enjoyed interacting with other kids We went back today and checked out a few books and CD's. She is really into music now and will say "Song" when she wants one of her CD's on in the car. We are tired of Laurie Berkner so we needed a few new CD's to add to the collection. I am happy to say she is now a big fan of Raffi!
Introducing her to the library brought back memories of my Mom. Ever since I can remember, every Saturday morning my Mom and I would go to the library to check out books. I remember her having to get the large print books because she had difficulty seeing, even that long ago. I have always loved to read and I am so happy Bella has such a love for books. I am glad to see that I am instilling some qualities into Bella that my Mom taught me.
Here are a few pictures of Bella reading with her Abu (Anthony's Dad) and Papa (my Dad). And a few other pics just because!

It's time to get Physical!!!

2010-03-07T17:43:00.001-05:00

Cupcake Sliders

2010-03-07T17:40:00.000-05:00

just finished making Cupcake Sliders (their mini cupcakes cheeseburger style) on 12seconds.tv

Cutting the muffin tops off of what will be the buns

Just took the "burgers" off the grill (oven)

Through the power of some colored icing

Cupcake Sliders

Once again through the power of Twitter I saw a twitpic of these cupcakes and knew I had to try and make it. They are a little time consuming but are easy to make. It helped that I found a site that had step by step how to do it. (If your curious or want to make them click HERE)

I enjoy making my own creations but this was too good to pass up.

Bella and the ice cream cone

2010-03-06T17:42:00.002-05:00

So sad today, Bella had dropped her 1st ice cream cone @IKEAOrlando on 12seconds.tv

Bella had her 1st ice cream cone. She walked a good distance with the cone. But poor little girl had her 1st cream cone dropped and went bye bye.

Pete

2010-02-26T21:24:00.003-05:00

Bella loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She loves Mickey and Minnie but her true love is ... PETE. Yeah the same Pete who no one knows if it's a Cat or Dog (btw, it's a cat). The same Pete that is usually the bad guy when it comes to Mickey.

If we are watching Mickey Mouse Club house she wants to see Pete. If we read her Mickey Mouse Collection of Nursery Rhymes, who does she want to see every night.... PETE!

I think it's funny but also very difficult since Disney is not pimping Pete anywhere. She loves cats so that might be the reason why. However we have no idea why Pete.

Having Fun with Papa and Margie!

2010-02-26T21:22:00.003-05:00

Bella loves talking to my Dad and Margie on the webcam and she asks for them all the time. Most of all she loves seeing their dog Oakie on the webcam and gets a good laugh when she sees him. Here are a few pictures from the past few months!

Abi & Abu

2010-02-26T21:15:00.001-05:00

Bella loves her Abuela and Abuelo. She calls them Abi and Abu and enjoys anytime she can spend with them. As you can see Bella's grandparents love their little grand daughter very much and find any way possible to spoil her!

Our weekend in Pictures

2010-02-21T18:47:00.005-05:00

My parents came into town and my mom had a new toy with her, a nice SLR camera. I wonder where I get my picture taking trait from (LOTI)? Here is our weekend in pictures.

We took Bella to Blue Jacket Park in Baldwin Park and had a great time.

We had a good weekend!

The day at the park

2010-02-20T15:47:00.001-05:00

My girls

Abuelo taking Bella for a spin

My mom enjoying her new camera.

1 hander

Self 1 hander

Best Buddy's

2010-02-20T15:41:00.002-05:00

Bella's 1st UCF Basketball game

2010-02-16T22:54:00.002-05:00

I think our little girl likes UCF hoops. She was all about clapping and watching everything around her.

Happy Birthday Kristen!

2010-02-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

Wishing my wife an awesome Birthday today!! on 12seconds.tv

Fun w/Mac Photobooth

2010-01-31T10:44:00.000-05:00

Trip to Jacksonville

2010-01-24T08:48:00.001-05:00

Yatzeee!

2010-01-24T08:46:00.001-05:00

Bella goes wee!

2010-01-22T07:59:00.000-05:00

Poo Poo Pee Song

2010-01-19T20:49:00.001-05:00

Bella a few days ago sang this song. Too Funny!

Mickey Pancake!

2010-01-19T20:47:00.002-05:00

We went to DownTownDisney and we bought a Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter. So I made Bella some pancakes.

Ronald McDonald Telethon

2009-12-19T00:11:00.002-05:00

Bella and the Christmas Tree

2009-12-19T00:09:00.002-05:00

Bella and Santa

2009-12-11T20:55:00.004-05:00

2008

2009

What a difference a year can make! Last year we had this happy go lucky baby who smiled at anything and everything, including the wonderful Santa at the Millenia Mall. Well this year we knew we couldn't last the long lines with our busy 16 month old so we went to the quieter Oviedo Marketplace. She was terrifed! It's all good though, this is just one of those priceless photos we will have forever!

Angel of Hope of Central Florida

2009-11-05T14:17:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone. We hope this finds all of you well. We wanted to share with everyone we knew (and that certainly includes all of you) to inform you of an important project we are working on that is very near and dear to all of us.

As you all know we have a very special Angel in heaven, Gabriella Grace Bencomo. She spent 12 wonderful days with us and blessed and graced all of us with her strong, fighting spirit. When Kristen was home recovering from her C-Section, she started researching creative ways to remember Gabi here at our home. She knew she did not want a butterfly garden, because we certainly don’t have a green thumb! She didn’t find anything she really liked until she stumbled across the Angel of Hope. To give some history: Richard Paul Evans wrote a novel "The Christmas Box" in which the main character mourns the loss of her child by spending time at the foot of a bronze statue of an angel, "The Angel of Hope". This book spent many weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and the author became besieged with requests as to the location of the statue. The story is fiction, therefore the statue didn't actually exist. However, the outpouring from grieving parents was so overwhelming the author commissioned the statue. The first Angel of Hope was erected in Salt Lake City on December 6, 1994. This movement has spread throughout the country and currently there are over 75 Angel of Hope statues across the country. There are currently 5 in Florida, but none in Central Florida. Erecting this statue in our area has become our mission.

We approached a dear friend of ours who was also the facilitator for our support group, HEAL (Helping Endure InfAnt Loss). We were certain he had heard about the Angel of Hope, but ironically he had not. Over the past 3 years, we have formed a wonderful committee of people and started and non for profit organization, The Central Florida Angel of Hope and our mission is to bring the Angel of Hope to the Orlando area.

To obtain more information about the National Angel of Hope, you can visit the author's website: richardpaulevans.com and click on "statue". You can also visit the website we have set up for our local effort: http://angelofhopecfl.blogspot.com/. Our website and facebook are updated regularly, so you can keep up with our efforts.

We are currently petitioning some central Florida municipalities to place the statue in public parks. We believe strongly that the statue needs to be accessible to all grieving parents.

The statue is approximately 4 feet tall and has a wing span of approximately 5 feet. It is recommended that it be placed on a base, usually granite or other stone, and therefore is quite impressive. The foundry that manufactures the angel produces it at cost, and we have a local monument company that has agreed to produce the base at cost and provide the labor to erect the statue, but the total expense still comes out to about $25,000. We are currently involved in fund raising efforts to purchase the statue. We currently have a time constraint in that Florida Hospital has generously offered to match our fundraising efforts through the end of the year in the amount of $8,000! This means if we can raise $8,000, it becomes $16,000, enough to purchase the statue, and then continue our fundraising for the remaining amount.

So, we are asking for your help. We need to raise as much money as we can by the end of the year. Any donation is welcome, and we ask all of you to spread the news of our efforts. We are currently planning a candlelight ceremony for December 6th, at a location we haven't yet confirmed. The location will be posted on our website, and I will contact you with that information.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We welcome everyone's help in this important effort. Thanks you!
Kristen, Anthony, Bella, and Gabriella Bencomo
Angel of Hope of Central Florida
P.O. Box 2323, Sanford, FL 32772-2323

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T11:00:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin Patch....then and now

2009-10-27T12:29:00.003-04:00

What a difference a year makes! Happy Fall!

Bella in the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-17T14:14:00.000-04:00

We took Bella to a Pumpkin Patch today. We wanted to have her see all the pumpkins. She had a great time.

Bella at the Zoo

2009-10-10T14:13:00.000-04:00

We woke up and decided - Lets take Bella to the Zoo! She loved it and it is a great little zoo. It has a kids area so Bella got to do some splashing in the Toddler pool!

The Ronald McDonald ClamBake

2009-10-02T14:09:00.000-04:00

We were asked to speak at Ronald McDonald's biggest fund raising event, their Clambake. We had the opportunity to speak with 600 people about how great Ronald McDonald has been during the time we had Gabi and Bella.

It is nice to give back to them.

Vote for Bella!

2009-09-30T18:12:00.003-04:00

Bella is competing in Magic 107.7 Most Huggable Baby contest. Please click on Bella's picture and vote for her. Please spread the word. If she wins we get a nice getaway vacation!

Not to mention she is pretty Huggable baby! Thanks.

Just in case here is the link: http://www.magic107.com/pages/hbvote2.html

Bella walking

2009-08-12T22:44:00.004-04:00

This video is the most she has ever walked.

Bella's Birthday party with Parker, Payton and Shauna

2009-08-12T22:34:00.002-04:00

Since tomorrow is Bella's birthday- she celebrated it with Parker, Payton and Shauna. She had a little cupcake and had some fun!

Birthday Girl Bella

Is it UCF Football Season yet?

2009-08-02T16:12:00.001-04:00

Looks like someone is ready for @UCFFootball ! My daughter on 12seconds.tv

Here is Bella doing the Zombie Nation chant that we do in the UCF stadium. We thought we would start practicing now! We can't wait to take her to her first UCF game this season. Don't worry not in this horrible Florida Heat. We will wait until November!

August 2009

2009-08-02T16:11:00.004-04:00

Bella August 2009

It's only the first weekend of August and we have had a busy weekend. Anthony's parent's came to visit with his Uncle from NJ. We also went to Toy's R Us to create a little wish list for Bella's Birthday. We can't believe she will be 1 in just 2 weeks. They gave her a special Birthday crown which we can't believe she kept on, and a balloon which she held onto the entire time.
We look forward to celebrating her birthday soon!
Since we are just about 1 month away from Football season we thought today would be a great day to get Bella ready! We even did the stadium "bounce".

Bella is a Geoffrey's Birthday club member

2009-08-02T16:10:00.001-04:00

Enjoyed Toys R Us today. Bella got enrolled in Geoffrey's Birthday club enjoyed it on 12seconds.tv

Bella got a special birthday crown and balloon at Toy's R Us today for celebrating her first birthday. I know it's a little early, but she loved wearing the hat and really enjoyed the balloon.

July 2009

2009-08-02T16:05:00.003-04:00

July has been pretty low key for the Bencomo's. We are enjoying seeing Bella crawl around the house and pulling up on everything. She is even walking around holding onto her push toy and furniture. Really we are just resting up for the 2009 UCF football season!
Enjoy the pictures.

Bella July 2009

June '09 Bella Pics

2009-07-18T11:42:00.004-04:00

I know we have been slacking and because of that click here to see a lot of cool JUNE Bella Pic. I promise that we will be posting more often. I will also be updating BellaOnTV soon as well (don't know that is? click here)

It's our anniversary!!

2009-07-10T07:59:00.003-04:00

5 years ago Kristen walked down the aisle to be my wife. It was one of the best things to happen to me. We have gone through a lot out 1st 5 years but together we can get through anything. Today we will enjoy a morning at the spa and spend some time with Bella. Then we have reservations for dinner. Don't think the rainy weather will mess our day up.

We had an AMAZING time at The Spa at Shingle Creek. We got Massages + Pedicures. It was one of the best massages we ever had. Check them out

After everything we were hungry for some BBQ. There is a trailer off of Narccoossee that sells BBQ called Q's BBQ.

The price was great + the food was delicious. That is the great thing about Kristen + I- we love a good whole in the wall place that serves good food.

For dinner we went to Maggiano's- It is an Italian restaurant @ Pointe Orlando. I will say it is better than Buca De Bepo. It is a Family Style type of restaurant. Lots of food and good service. We had a really nice day together.

Bella meets her Great Grandma!

2009-05-17T11:40:00.001-04:00

1st visit with Great Grandma

New Bella videos

2009-05-17T11:05:00.002-04:00

if you want to see more just look to the side and you can see a bunch of other videos or check out Bella on TV. Click here

Bella 9 Months Old

2009-05-12T21:07:00.002-04:00

Our sweet baby girl is 9 months old! She is growing by leaps and bounds and it is so fun to watch her explore her surroundings. In just a matter of weeks she has been rocking on all fours to almost crawling ( not quite yet!), and just this morning I went to get her up out of her crib and there she was standing up on her knees holding onto the crib railing! It just about gave me a heart attack! Tonight we lowered her crib and took off the bumpers. She looks so little in there now. She continues to be the happiest baby ever and Anthony and I count our blessings every day. She is a pro at eating her Gerber Puffs and loves all her fruits and veggies. We are getting ready for her cousins to come visit Memorial Day weekend and the first weekend of June she will be taking her first plane ride to Boston!
Happy 9 months old Bella Anne!

Gabriella Bencomo Day at Ronald McDonald House Florida Hospital

2009-04-28T21:50:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone,
A very dear friend of ours Amy Plank is part of the Winter Park MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group at All Saints Episcopal Church. Last month they had a huge Carnival to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. They raised over $1,000 and will be making lunch tomorrow for the RMH as well as donating pop tabs and supplies to the house. I had the opportunity to speak to the MOPS group about how the RMH house has impacted our lives twice and will always be a special place for us. Once again, this is just testimony how Gabriella continues to touch others lives and help spread the word about the Ronald McDonald Charities to the Central Florida Community.
Amy wrote this on her facebook page about the event:

What can I say about Anthony and Kristen...You would never know by the smiles and love they extend to those that surround them that they experienced a loss so great. Their sweet Gabriella was taken far too soon, however she has become an inspiration to the many people who know her Mommy and Daddy. On April 30th at Noon, the MOPS group from All Saints will provide lunch to the families staying at RMH in Gabriella's honor. Please help support the Bencomo family keep Gabriella's spirit of life and love alive by making any donation possible on this day in her memory.

Every parent has "those" days... when I do, I see the smile of Anthony, Kristen and now beautiful baby Bella and I am reminded of how precious life is, how important it is to laugh and love. They set such a marvelous example of strength and courage. What more is there to say? Share this with everyone, learn what RMH does in YOUR community and donate. Visit Anthony and Kristen's website, you will laugh, love, cry and triumph with them.

Anthony, Bella, and I think about Gabriella everyday and is still very much a part of our lives. I sometimes think what it would be live to have a two in a half year old running around the house along with an 8 month old and working full time! I know we would be loving every minute of it. This event brings alot of memories good and bad, but cherished, as we are coming upon Gabi's third birthday next month.

We are very thankful for our friends the Planks and the MOPS club, and love the fact that we continue to share our story with the community and how it has impacted our life.

More Easter pic

2009-04-17T11:19:00.003-04:00

We have more pictures from when Bella went on an Easter Hunt. Will post those soon.

Bella's Easter

(just want to see the album)

Eating like a Big girl

2009-04-17T11:14:00.001-04:00

Bella is always grabbing at things and is wanting to eat more and more like us. So she is always wanting the spoon or the bowl. It is great to see what they do when you give them a chance.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T22:41:00.001-04:00

pictures taken by Shauna

Baseball season has begun!!!

2009-04-07T21:57:00.003-04:00

It's Baseball Season!!!

Bella is excited for baseball to begin so she can show off her team colors!! Bella got this outfit from Tara, Rich and Elizabeth. She is looking forward to wearing her Sox gear this June when we go to Boston. Anthony will be going to a Sox game!

Bath time is Quacktastic!!!

2009-04-07T21:49:00.003-04:00

A great picture of Bella after bath time.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-16T19:57:00.005-04:00

Bella is a very happy Irish Baby

Well, her Daddy calls her Cubish, half Irish, half Cuban

A Wee Bit Irish!

This is Bella after too many Bottles of Guinness!

Bella's Bling

2009-03-15T07:42:00.004-04:00

With a little help from Shauna, we went yesterday to get Bella's ears pierced. She cried like when she gets her shots but it lasted a few minutes. Afterwards she was the happy girl we love, but with bling.

Princess Bella is 7 months old!

2009-03-13T17:29:00.002-04:00

Bella is 7 months old today! It is amazing how quickly she has grown. She is truly the happiest, sweetest baby. No matter how bad of a day you are having, her smile makes you forget about it all! She loves Jupiter and starts to laugh hysterically when she sees her.

These photos of Bella are courtesy of Photography By Shauna! AKA...Bella's Nanny! Shauna decided to dig into the dress up box and turn Bella into every Disney Princess known to man.

We've got Snow White, Tinker Bell (wings and all!), Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and my favorite, Cinderella!

Bella's has Original G artwork!

2009-03-10T19:54:00.003-04:00

Our friend Gary is a talented artist who dabbles in painting on his spare time. We asked a long time ago to paint something for us. Today he calls me up and says" Hey can I come over, have to drop something off" I said sure no problem and when he arrives he shows us this beautiful painting for Bella!

It is really nice and thoughtful and looks great in her room. Thanks Gary! So Bella has a G Original artwork.

Bella on TV

2009-03-09T22:54:00.002-04:00

With all the video's we take why not have it available for everyone who wants to watch Bella. So Bella now has a YouTube Channel: Bella on TV. Check it out and feel free to leave comments. We figure it would be easier to upload it and you can check out the videos all in one place. Besides pictures you really can see the Bella grow.

Bella meets Susy- 1st time in Disney Property

2009-03-08T21:33:00.002-04:00

Every time our friends Susy and Maria come into town we meet them for dinner @ Disney. Tonight was no exception. We met Susy and her friend Alex @ Portabello's for dinner. It was one of the 1st times we took Bella out for dinner later at night. We had a great time and Bella enjoyed meeting Susy and Alex. She loved all the gifts she got from the Esquijarosa's (check out the glasses). Good times were had by all!

1st time in a Floppy

2009-03-08T21:30:00.001-04:00

Bella got to sit in her floppy for the 1st time today and she loved it! This will make shopping even easier then having her in the Baby Bjorn.

Bella bath time

2009-03-08T21:26:00.001-04:00

Since Bella can now sit up we get to do so many more things with her. One of them is have her sit in the tub she got from our friend Shari. Its a big Rubber Duck and it's bill quacks. We have video that we wlll soon upload and include.

Bella fun time

2009-03-01T11:34:00.002-05:00

It feels like a photo shoot whenever we have the camera with Bella. She has gotten use to it and is always looking at it and will stop what she is doing and stare at the camera. Of course we cannot stop shooting pictures of her.

We have updated the Feb 2009 album for you to enjoy!

Bella February 2009

Bella playing her new toy!

2009-03-01T11:28:00.002-05:00

Bella got the Move and Crawl ball and we thought since she is sitting up so well not have her enjoy it.

enjoying Bella playing with her new toy: the Move and Crawl Ball. on 12seconds.tv

Bella's 1st UCF sporting event

2009-03-01T10:48:00.003-05:00

Being the big UCF sport fans that we are. We decided to take Bella to her 1st sporting event: a UCF Baseball game.

We thought since she is 6 months old and it would not be as loud as a basketball or football game and we could leave at any time if she got fussy.

Here are some pictures of her. She also go to wear her Gold Adidas Running suit that she got from her Aunt Tini and Auntie Aly.

For those keeping time- we lasted about an hour and a half or so. So we have to build up her stamina for football season!

Little Red Wagon!

2009-02-25T22:11:00.002-05:00

See the little girl in the wagon... Yep that is Bella on a Wagon ride with Parker. Kristen was in the area and drove by and saw Bella loving being in the wagon.

Bella on a swing

2009-02-20T14:51:00.004-05:00

I never get to see Bella do things during the week since I am at work. So when i get a chance to see them I enjoy them that much more. I know I am such a dad. She just love the swing.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T11:13:00.001-05:00

February Update: Happy Valentines Day!!!

2009-02-15T11:02:00.005-05:00

Bella is 6 months old and has had her 1st picnic and celebrated her 1st Valentine's Day. She is still sleeping well at night and as you can see in the pics- likes to sit up like a big girl. You will also notice- she loves to smile- I think it's her favorite.

Album View

Bella February 2009

The faces of Bella!

2009-02-03T19:12:00.000-05:00

Kristen took these on Sunday with her cell phone.

Bella's Tiny Bubbles!

2009-02-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Bella - Some January pics

2009-02-02T22:48:00.002-05:00

Bella is growing up so fast. She is starting to sit up pretty well on her own. She started blowing bubbles (YouTube video coming soon) and as you will see in the last pictures- She held onto her bottle today. What a cutie!

Album View:

Bella January 2009