Nonna and Papa's Place

Off to a relaxing start...watching the boats, lots of bike rides, exploring the forest and looking for animals, throwing rocks at the lake, ice cream in town, the Buffalo Museum of Science, fishing at the dock, a local block party with pony rides, and of course dinner on the patio followed by cocktail hour after the kids are in bed...yup.... that pretty much sums up the last few days at Nonna and Papa's! Having a blast!

Father's Day Adventure

Ok, this is going to sound like a commercial for the Arizona Museum of Natural History (located in Mesa) but who cares...this place was awesome. Dinosaur bones, western cultures and artifacts, a science room about light and prisms, hands on stuff along the way through every room of the musuem, panning for gold, puzzles, a play room, arts and crafts, and so much more. Carmen was free, adults $10.00 and Gianni was $6.00. The kids had so much fun so we stayed there until the place closed! The gift shop is nice too because they have a section of items that were $2.00 or less so the kids could get a bag full of stickers, pencils, and little dinosaurs and feel like we were buying them so much. What an enjoyable adventure and it was nice to go someplace new and exciting!

Our Little Boy is 5

This week has been a week of celebration. Our little boy went to bed a 4 year old and woke up a 5 year old. As we waited for him to wake up and come down to eat his birthday french toast, Abel and I had coffee and talked about the day he was born. We can't believe that he is 5 years old. Wow, how time flies by so fast.

His actual birthday was on Wednesday and of all places, he asked for dinner at Peter Piper Pizza. It was so nice to go somewhere with just the four of us. The kids ate pizza, played games, and then it was Batman Cake!



When we got home we blindfolded Gianni and were able to capture the look on his face when he saw the huge new basketball net and ball waiting for him in the driveway with a big red bow. He was so excited!

Gianni's party with his friends was today. The party was at the splash park and he had a blast. The party went off perfectly and was not too big and not too small.

Star Wars was this year's theme.

Gianni had a blast with his friends and the day was very special. To all of our out of state friends and family, we missed you today and you were on our minds. We hope that these pictures make you feel like you were there.

Ok, I know my Uncle Mike (who I can't wait to see soon) is going to look at these pictures and say, "Gosh I wish I could do all of this stuff, do these kids ever rest?" But, that is how we like it..busy. This week Gianni attempted rock climbing at the YMCA and we went to the children's museum. Today was special because Gianni was so caring and really quite protective when it came to Carmen. This summer is bringing them closer. Enjoy the pictures!

Last week we baked Jenni's awesome cookie recipe with our pal Sydney!

Block Party!

The last two nights we have truly come to love our home purchase more and more. On Saturday evening the kids were playing outside with Sydney. Very soon the street was filled with kids and better yet...their parents!

As the sun set we sat and chatted with Amy and Jeff from across the street. They are from Buffalo! Their kids are older than my two but they play so well with my little ones. We were also joined by Mark and Lupe from next door. They have two girls that are the perfect age for Gianni and Carmen. The kids played and the adults told stories and we learned a lot about the family that lived in the house before us. Mark told stories about how they used to move the families front porch furniture...and one year Mark and Jeff actually covered the previous owners car in Christmas lights. They still keep in touch with the old residents of our home but we could quickly see that this is the right neighborhood for us. They talked about the annual Halloween BBQ Party where they just cooked and partied right there in the driveway and how the tradition was started by the previous homeowner. Before we knew it it was almost 9 oclock and the kids were still playing strong!

Tonight we went out again and soon after we parked our chairs in the driveway...out came the neighbors. Jeff and his son went to the Diamondbacks game today and Jeff caught the winning ball that was hit into the stands to close the game. Mark got out his motorcycle and Carmen ohhhed and awwwed! (For those of you that don't know...she loves motorcycles...and tells us quite frequently how much she would like one!) Once again...the sun began to set and before we knew it it was 8:30pm (which is pretty late for my kids as most of you know).

These late summer night with the kids playing baseball and riding bikes on the street just really reminds me of home...like Youngstown NY home! I can't wait to fly back next week. In the mean time...we have our little block parties. The evening ended as my neightbor Amy looked at me and said, "goodnight...see you tomorrow night!"

WE LOVE THIS HOUSE!

My Gal Pal

Tonight I got to hang with my favorite gal pal Holly (we didn't look quite as good as we did the other night when this picture was taken). The guys went out so the girls stayed in and just relaxed. We talked from 2pm until 7 at night about our summer plans, goals, good times, and how we can't believe that Gianni and Sydney will be 5 years old soon. The layed back evening consisted of Rotisserie chicken and steamed green beans, followed by some sliced strawberries. It was great to hang with my girl!

Bye Bye Training Wheels!

Tonight Gianni took off the training wheels! He amazes me lately because there has been absolutely no fear of new things. Whether it is diving into the deep end in his new swimming class or trying to ride his bike like a big boy, he has been consistently making me proud over these first few weeks of summer. Go Gianni! Check out the video of him riding!

Family Time

Carmen and Daddy spent some quality time playing with each other this weekend. Oh how she loves to sneak up on him and surprise him with kisses. Of course, kisses are only given out when she wants to give them out and requests must be submitted at least 10 minutes in advance!

Tonight we went to the Diamondbacks Baseball Game and tried to cheer them on as they emerge from a huge loosing streak. The kids received free hats as we entered. You would think that would be great but for Gianni and Carmen, this game was all about the FOOD!

Let's see, two boxes of popcorn, nachos for Gianni, a hotdog for Carmen, and let's not forget the gigantic cookie that was consumed around the 7th inning! Ohh and the game would not be complete without toys, hats, and balls from the Pro Shop! My goodness does anyone go to a game to actually watch it?

Also this week we had some time to spend with each child individually. On Wednesday the boys went golfing and the girls stayed home. We painted Carmen's toes for the first time which went ok at first and then she made me take it off. Keep in mind that she then went to sleep and woke up 5 times during the night saying that she wanted the pink polish back on! We also used the hair dryer on her wavy hair and did it extra pretty! It was fun girly girl time.

Angela's BBQ

Angela had us over on Monday for a Memorial Day BBQ. We didn't stay long which is why there are no pictures of Gianni. Gianni had a little tummy trouble so we left but look at the pictures that Jenni took of Abel and I and the princess and her mommy! Thanks Jenni! They are so cute.