Happy Birthday Gianni

Today is my baby boy's birthday. Although, he isn't really a baby anymore. Tonight I was saving pictures on my hard drive and I clicked through files such as 6.16.12 and 6.16.11 and I was amazed at how much smaller he looked last year. He certainly has grown up fast. Wow....8...how did that happen?? His birthday landed on Father's Day this year so we celebrated with presents and a big birthday party on Saturday. Abel's entire family came in for the occasion. We had 10 adults and 8 children in our house so we were cozy to say the least. Gianni woke up and immediately opened his present from mom and dad; a pool, air hockey, and basketball toss table. It actually has 10 games all in one table. He said it was the best present ever!

 His party was at our new gym (Lifetime Fitness) and consisted of games in the gym for an hour before we headed out to the pool for 2 more hours of fun. The kids played kickball, soccer, and had a race on scooters. They had lots of fun and it was nice to have them be inside in the air conditioning as guests arrived.

 Our little cousin Jayda, who I swear is the most photo friendly kid I know.

Finally it was time to go outside to the pool area. The kids did some swimming for about 45 minutes and then stopped for pizza, cake, and presents. After presents it was back into the pool until 6pm when it was time to pack up and go home. Although it was hot, and windy, we still had a great time.

 Darth Vader fell over and wiped out part of the "8" on the cake. This cake was delicious and we blew through 1/2 a sheet cake. Vanilla cake with pudding and fresh strawberries. Yumm-O.

 

 Gianni loved his presents. His friends know him so well. He got a table top Foosball  table, baseball glove and bag, two Lego star wars kits, multiple Skylanders Giants, star wars guys and games, gift cards, water guns, superman lunch box, and a remote control car. He had so much fun with his friends and just as he did last year thanked me for the best party ever! I guess they keep getting better and better. I just love the happy look on his face as he plays with friends, eats pizza and opens the perfect presents. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

 

 On Sunday morning, we let dad enjoy his day as well. Abel opened up his gifts which consisted of multiple crafts from the kids, two pairs of shorts and three shirts. We made daddy Madie's French Toast Casserole (which he loves), and an egg and sausage bake, and cheesy breakfast potatoes. We also had strawberries, grapes, and honeydew to try and lighten things up. Breakfast was a hit with Abel's family and all the food disappeared.

 After breakfast it was back outside for some water gun action. The kids ganged up against Aunt Paloma who surprised us with her visit from Mexicali, Mexico.

Girls can shoot too! These three cousins played for two days straight and each tried on every dress in Carmen's dress up collection.

 
 

 The final birthday celebration was to hit the pinata of course, which we saved for his actual birthday. My kids are learning the song that they sing in Spanish when you hit the pinata, in fact Gianni was singing it tonight before bed. They really are becoming experts at pinata hitting and have some strategy. Gianni did great for being one handed!

 The birthday was a success and my kids are happy, wiped out, and asleep. Next we prepare for our summer visit to Nonna and Papa. Happy Birthday Buggaboo!



Days of Fun and a Quick Day Trip

Summer is officially in full swing. The kids actually have not been up to much these past few weeks other than lots of swimming at our new gym, which they love. On Memorial Day weekend we headed up to my parents house to check on the house and use the pool. The kids were trying to do the craziest jumps for the camera. This was their first summer weekend so they were pretty pumped!

This past week, the kids and I pretty much hit the gym everyday. They love the child watch area and they love to swim there. The weather has been pretty hot, so one day we stayed inside and went to play at Pump It Up. It is basically a bunch of inflatable rides and slides.

When at home, Carmen is still into playing doctor and plays dress up quite a bit. This week I walked into her room and caught her in full gear, taking care of her favorite patient of course, GIANNI!!!!!!! Gianni had a bottle rocket event with cub scouts this weekend (pictures on the left). They used a bottle with water and an air compressor to launch these rockets into the air. Super BOY fun!

Okay, on to the good stuff. This week Abel and I were sitting at the kitchen table talking about how it would be nice to do something different this weekend. We decided to explore the Sedona area with the kids and take a one night trip out of town. On Saturday, we left around 3pm from Gianni's cub scout event and drove 2 hours to Sedona. When we arrived, we hit an upscale shopping area called Tlaquepaque. The shops are beautiful and super fancy. I thought the kids would be bored, but they loved walking around and exploring the artwork and sculptures that were in the shops.

After an hour or so of walking around and exploring, we decided to eat at the Oak Creek Brewery for dinner. Abel and I had the most delicious beer I have ever had. It was called Orange Blossom. It was brewed with citrus and vanilla and it was so unique. I had an enormous grilled shrimp spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, and Abel and the kids had a brick oven pizza with fresh ricotta, roasted garlic, Canadian bacon, and fresh basil. After dinner it was more fountains, coins, and wishes for the kids. Every fountain required a coin and a wish.

Let's not forget dessert. "How Sweet It Is".....yup that was the name of the shop. This little shop was filled with fresh fudge, chocolates, and ice cream. We were in there for 20 minutes before they decided on an ice cream for Gianni and a giant peanut butter cup for Carm.

After dinner we crossed the street to a Spiritual New Age shop. The kids each picked a little treasure. Carmen picked a pretty necklace and Gianni walked through and read about every stone and crystal. He picked three stones: one that calms the body, one that helps with fear, and one that opens your heart and mind. Very interesting! Each stone has 5 different things it helps with but those were the ones that stood out to us. After our little "new age" experience we rushed off to our motel that was on top of a mountain so that we could catch the sunset. We stayed at the Sky Ranch Lodge which is an older motel with little cottages, gardens, and fountains throughout the property. We found it online and it looked so sweet. Definitely old, but the view was spectacular!

This was the view from our motel. We were able to look out over the entire town. We got there just as a crowd was starting to gather to watch the sunset. They had a little cafe off the lobby and people were buying drinks and getting ready to settle down in the grassy area to watch the sun set. The kids thought the view was "cool".

As we watched the sun go down, the kids and I snuggled up near the garden where all the hotel guests were gathered to watch the sun fade away. It was very relaxing way to end the day. Oh but wait..were we done yet? Mommy the pool closes at 9pm. Okay, a quick swim in the pool and then off to bed.

On Sunday morning, we headed to McDonald's for coffee and pancakes. From there we hit a local grocery store for a big sub sandwich, grapes, and some chips. We packed our cooler up and checked out of the motel. It was off to Slide Rock for hiking and a little creek adventure.

For those that don't know, Slide Rock is a natural slide in a creek. The water has run for so long that it has made a smooth water slide for people to slide on like you would at a water park. It was a little scary and the water was 62 degrees. Carmen sat down and was ready to go. Abel and I were not in position to grab her and the next thing we knew she took off. I started snapping pictures and Abel ran to grab her from the water. She cried afterwards because she was not sure what to expect or that Abel was going to grab her.

Here are two video links of the kids sliding. You have to check it out!

http://youtu.be/_-0qLiw67NQ

http://youtu.be/q0qYx7vJCS8

Gianni kept saying, "mom I love to climb, let's keep climbing." He also enjoyed picking up stones and rocks as he walked along the creek.

Carmen is my water baby. It's all about the water for her. She was the first one in but was also the first one to dry off. Too cold!

Once the kids were dry, we walked multiple trails and "explored" as the kids liked to call it.

We left Slide Rock around 11am after about two hours, and headed slowly out of Sedona and Oak Creek. Every spot where there was an area to pull over and look at the view, we did! We also found a place to have our picnic lunch.

Our final stop before heading home was the Holy Cross Chapel. It is on top of a mountain and built into the rock. We climbed to the top and said a few prayers inside. The view once again is completely amazing.

Although we were in Sedona for less than 24 hours, it was a fun 24 hours. We would definitely go back again with the kids. Sedona was a quick, easy, and cheap little get away.

One last picture, so all of that sliding and no injuries to report. We are home for 1 hour and as I am returning from a quick run to the grocery store, Abel calls me on the phone. I can hear Gianni screaming in the background. He banged his finger on the bed in his room. Now Gianni won't let me touch it or even look at it. I figured, ohh he just jammed it. It was really swollen and puffy, but that was about it. Didn't even want to take him to urgent care because I thought, what will they do?? Splint it maybe? Doctor did an x-ray and came back in the room laughing. "Dude, how hard is your bed? Mom...you aren't going to believe it, he broke it!" I really did not think it was broken. We are supposed to follow up with an orthopedic specialist this week. Wonderful right : ) Poor kid.

Hopefully this injury will heal quickly. A big week ahead, Gianni's birthday weekend and Father's Day. Will keep taking pictures for you mom.