A Christmas Stay-cation

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas from the Soriano family. No fancy trips or winter travels this holiday season but a nice homely stay-cation in sunny Florida.



Who needs Rockefeller Center in NYC when you have joyous Manatees in your backyard? We made the most of our stay-cation with a large emphasis of our own local tourist attractions. Our first stop is the Manatee Viewing Center at the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida. The Sea Cows were prancing in the warm waters of electric power plant runoff with glee!



A Christmas Bricktacular at LEGOLAND Florida kicked off the holiday weekend with family and friends. My measly pre-lit synthetic fraser-fur pales in comparison to the 500,000 LEGO brick Christmas Tree towering over toy hungry kids. Call it 6 tons of peace and joy!



Real LEGO Friends without the retail markup. Lasting friendships have humble beginnings on itchy St. Augustine turf. School winter break means two weeks of well needed fun and no school morning rush hour!



Home sweet home on Christmas morning. Gifts opened by my kids with joy and disappointment. Parents relieved the holidays are half over until New Year's Day. The long and treacherous journey to the in-laws begins. Oh joy!



My soon to be 22 month old daughter figured out Christmas rather quickly. Christmas tree with shiny boxes equals Peace on Earth! Back to back Cuddleuppets commercials on Sprout TV enlightened her on the true meaning of Christmas.



Ho! Ho! Ho!, the Filipino Santa with Kirkland Signature attire and a belly full of Jollibee Chicken Joy brings presents and his Canon EOS M digital mirrorless camera to capture the never ending holiday moments.



Filipino Santa was barely clicking away the slow focusing Canon EOS M from the holiday feast induced coma. Smiles and giggles inspired a sleepy Filipino Santa to move on to one more household.



Cousin chaos part 3. A three hour visit was well spent with my niece and nephew discussing the latest high school gossip and playing Black Ops 2 mulitplayer team death match over lunch. This is the true and priceless gift you cannot box and wrap. No sappy television commercial or Hallmark Greeting card can dare to repeat this true meaning of Christmas.



You can view more bundles of joy in my Christmas 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS M paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS with EF-M lens mount adapter.



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A Labor of Love

A few words spoken rewards the thankless without expectation. The diaper changes, the sibling rivalry and the constant attention to every wanton need wanes with a simple baby babble of "Hi, DaDa!". In this family, Labor Day celebrates achievement in milestones.



The hours of preparation by my beloved wife honors the memory of marinated Pinchos of Puerto Rico. Sliced pork seasoned and skewered like Filipino kabobs over flame pleasures the palate and numbs parental headaches of child upbringing. Sounds like good medicine to me!



Growing up is hard to do these days. Academic expectations are higher and more demanding from school and parents. Homework, tests, projects and more homework can seem overwhelming to little minds with big hearts. Madeline and Jude, keep up the good school work and it will all make sense when you are adults.



Parental patience burns faster than marshmallows roasted over an open flame without adult supervision. Add a little Hershey's chocolate sandwiched between two crispy graham crackers, you have yourself a potentially sweet s'mores meltdown. Can somebody please pass "some more" virtue?



Labor Day symbolizes the end of summer but not in this household. Family trips to the beach for sunset strolls and sandy swim sessions last until the cooler weather arrives for two more months. Two very very long months of more Florida heat and humidity...



Almost 18 months old and counting for my baby daughter Serena this Labor Day Weekend. Your spoken words are growing and adorable to parental ears. The bursting charm and cuteness are as big as your never ending appetite for cheeseburgers in paradise.



You can view more corn cobs and pics in my Labor Day Weekend 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.



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Epic

Bigger than life itself. No fabled heroes on this New Year's Day but only humbled eyes capturing a chronicle of events called my family. Year 2011 has passed and the dauntless task of 2012 seems as bright as the New Year's Eve firework's display at LEGOLAND Florida.



Cousins forever. Just like Dick Clark's Times Square Ball Drop for New Year's Eve, the countdown is ticking for priceless childhood moments. School winter break converged masses upon central Florida with several theme parks closing its doors due to over capacity. We braved the traffic and crowds and hit LEGOLAND Florida with a vengeful bite of Granny Apple Fries with delightful whip cream.



Enamored by bombs bursting in air like my wife, my almost 10 month old daughter shares the same fondness for elaborate firework displays. Armed with store bought 500 gram gunpowder cakes, my brother in law illuminates the neighborhood with theme park quality fireworks. The little ones duck and cover while the adults and the local County Sheriff gaze with mouths agape.



A thousand points of light shine bright upon the best Christmas of my lifetime. "The best Christmas" may sound cliche to my kid's gift filled eyes but it is an epic truth to me.



My oldest niece meets the youngest of the Soriano family only for the second time this year. Despite this gap, my baby daughter stares deep into her oldest cousin's eyes with a lifetime of familiarity...Epic.



You can view more photos in my New Year's Eve for 2012 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i paired with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.

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'Tis the Season to be Jolly !

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Soriano family. The hustle and bustle of gift giving and re-gifting comes to an abrupt end but this season's chaos truly wanes on New Year's day.



The spirit of Christmas is in every LEGO brick of this 6 ton LEGO Christmas tree at LEGOLAND Florida. Half a million LEGO bricks later and 30 feet into the sky, adults and kids were bright eyed and bushy tailed to this magnificent spectacle. My kids spent 30 seconds at the LEGO Christmas tree and 2 hours at the LEGO store drooling at the goodies. So much for Christmas spirit...



One more week to return unwanted Christmas sweaters, redeem gift cards for that "real" present and horde once again for the after-Christmas shopping events until the adults get back to work and the kids return to school.



My children celebrate the trifecta of Christmas Day. Opening gifts at my mother's house, opening gifts again at my in-law's house and finally opening gifts in the Soriano household. Call it the triple threat of ear to ear smiles and wallet shrinking.



Cousin chaos returns. My favorite niece and nephew came for a visit for exactly 2 hours and 45 minutes. I savored every minute and second of this rare opportunity.



Gifts come in many forms but this gift is special. Wrapped in a diaper and this year's latest baby fashion, my soon to be 10 month old daughter is truly the best present under the tree.



Christmas is all about the kids. Adults have 364 other days to celebrate. Okay, maybe 363 days including birthdays.



The towering skyline of downtown of my family holiday photo does not compare to the unseasonably high temperatures this Christmas Day in Tampa, Florida. No snowstorms and winter gridlock but just mid 80 degree temperatures for my kids to enjoy. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!



You can view more pictures shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D in my Christmas 2011 Gallery.

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A Christmas Concert

'Tis the season for holiday school events filled with itchy Christmas sweaters and uncomfortable patent leather shoes. December brings winter break for my grade school kids but not without a glorious Christmas concert before the New Year.



Sing the classics en masse. A serenade of "Silent Night", "Feliz Navidad" and "Jingle Bells" blasted through the church with a welcoming and cringing audio feedback. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a deafening tone.



Crimson blossoms emerge from the angelic light yielding overwhelming power over their parents. Flashes pop and camcorders roll during these precious captured moments.



My 9 month old daughter mimics the Christmas melodies with her high pitched squeals of delight. She will soon join her "Hark the Herald Siblings Sing".



Organized chaos. This is what Christmas looks like on the outside. Look deep into the bewildered eyes of onlooking parents in the audience and you will discover the true meaning of Christmas. (Hint: It is not Apple devices or Canon gear.)



You can view the HTML 5 version of the above video in my Christmas Concert 2011 Gallery if your mobile device cannot play flash video. There are pictures as well shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lenses.



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A Pirate Christmas

The month of December brings cold weather, Christmas joy and pirates. Pirates, Santa and his elves to be exact. My daughter's Drama Club at her school performed their musical rendition of "A Pirate Christmas" to kick off the holiday season.



My daughter loves Christmas. The decorations, the carols and mostly receiving wrapped gifts are only on her short list. Costumed in her custom elf outfit designed by my crafty wife, my daughter personified the Christmas season in a 36 minute performance.



Santa and his elves encounter a bastion of greedy pirates who lost the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of giving rather than receiving. With several song and dance routines later, the pirates learn the true meaning of Christmas with the help from Santa and his elves. Sounds like a Hallmark made for T.V. moment.



Watch out Selena Gomez! My daughter may hit the big screen soon but of course the movie requires a serious Christmas holiday plot.



You can view more in my A Pirate Christmas Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lenses.



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All Quiet on the Thanksgiving Front

Thanksgiving Day usually sparks the season of holiday warfare. With only 31 days until Christmas Day, chaos erupts with annual Black Friday shopping events, must attend holiday office parties, school Christmas pageants and the ever stressful large gatherings of family functions. This Thanksgiving Day was surprisingly different for a change. Why? I did not have cooked turkey obligations.



With relative calm and precooked Costco Kirkland Signature Honey Glazed Ham plus the added bonus of an enormous baked apple pie with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, Thanksgiving Day was quite relaxing and stress free. No messy Turkey frying with expensive $50 peanut oil for a $20 bird and no long distance traveling this year makes me a happy camper. Just Florida weather in the Fall season and three servings of Apple pie a la mode to enable my post Thanksgiving dinner hibernation.



To win battles in holiday warfare, you have to distract the enemy (in-laws and kids) with rudimentary devices like an inflatable bounce house. Despite a few head bumps and tears, a few dollars spent on a bounce house rental equals priceless enjoyment of a plate full of turkey with all the trimmings.



All is quiet on this Thanksgiving Day. I give thanks for my family, my apple pie a la mode and my trusty Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D for capturing this turkey moment.