Saturday, October 31, 2015

Pickles, 6 Months, Pops Birthday, Anniversary, Camping

Pickle time.  This year I really dropped the ball. We didn't have a good time to make a bunch of pickles, so we ran over when my mom and Ran were doing some and jumped in on their batch.  We were able to get smaller pickles this year and can fit so many more in the jars! This is a big deal if you are a pickle maker! :-)






 Our 3 Musketeer's!

 Giada loves to snuggle with Lorenzo in the morning when she wakes up and after school when she gets home.
 Happy Birthday Pops!

 Birthday's with Pops the last few years.The kids have grown so much, and next year we will have Stella's little sister in the bunch.

Camping at the lake is always so much fun. This year we did Labor Day instead of Memorial Day and had the best weather ever. No wind! It's so rare for that to happen. I guess I was too busy to take many photos!
 

 Thanks for coming up James...next year you will camp!




Swimming with friends, all the way into September with this unusually long warm weather we have had in 2015.


 When I saw this sweet moment, I had to capture it.  I will have to remember that they do love each other at moments when I am unsure! LOL. Fighting one minute, loving on each other the next.
 For our 9th anniversary Mike and I made a quick trip to SF.  We always tend to pack a lot in and this was no different. But despite doing a lot we managed to relax and even sleep in the next morning. We had Giants tickets that evening so we spent the morning in Golden Gate Park. I had never been and it was huge!  We went into the Flower Conservatory which surprised us both by how interesting it was inside the current exhibit. The exhibits change a few times throughout the year.

 A quick stop into Ameoba Music, what a cool store. SO many records, we bought a few more for our collection.
 Delicious lunch on the water, highly recommend if you are near the Embarcadero. We ordered quite a few tapas to share, which is my favorite way to eat. I love trying multiple dishes. 

Giants for the win.  MadBum almost pulled off a No Hitter.  The stadium was silent waiting to see how it played out.  One hit got through, but it was a shutout and a great game, he sure has some talent. 
Thanks Nonni and Nonno for watching all the kiddos!


 
My kids LOVE to play in dirt.

 6 Months. Pictures of all the kids below; Lorenzo certainly wins in the hair department.
- Enjoys eating, but doesn't love the high chair.  So far he hasn't spit out or refused any food. He makes a funny face when he first tastes it and then just eats it right up. 
-Still very easy to put to sleep; still wakes up quite a few times in the night. 
- Scoots around to get to what he wants.
- Thinks his brother and sister are so funny and cracks up when they talk to him.
- Squirmy and wants to be moving
- Loves to cuddle up with you and snuggle right into your neck and rest.
- Still loves bath time
-No teeth yet.


 Giada has been riding along with me on some of my long runs. It has been fun, it is a nice distraction from what I am doing. It is time for her to have a bigger bike! She towers over this one. 

Friday, October 16, 2015

School, Soccer & Birthdays!

School has begun! 
Gino has started his last year at Grace Preschool, hard to believe he will be in K next year.
 
Always fun to be in school with your buddy!
Big day in our house, Giada will be at school ALL day. 3:00 seems like it takes forever to arrive, Gino must ask me 10x a day if it is time to go pick her up yet; he misses his buddy.  She was so sweet to want photos with all of us before school that morning.
 
So we gradually chopped a few inches off Giada's hair to make sure she really wanted short hair.  She kept asking for it, so we really chopped it. So far she loves it.  I love it since it is so much easier to comb. She has such thick hair which is very new to me. She now ONLY ever wants to wear headbands, but that is easy and she can do it herself. I am quickly realizing the days of me being able to guide her on her hair or clothing is long gone.
 Lorenzo is catching up to the size of his buddy Drew.  They boys have had fun hanging out; AKA grabbing each others face and hair, while the girls play soccer. Giada has loved playing soccer this season.  She has quite a few of her best buddies,  and school friends on the team.  Coach Garrett has done a great job with the kids!
 Yeah! Lorezno got to meet Sara at the Paso Robles Olive Oil Festival.
 While Giada is at school we have a few adventures.  We try not to tell her about all of them, or she feels like she is missing out.  Ice cream and silly faces with cousin Stella!

 Mom, don't worry just a few bubbles snuck out!
 Big boy still has LOTS of smiles all day long.
 Somehow we missed the Avansino girls parties and Frannie's was way back in April!
 Happy 2nd Birthday Clara!
 Super fun when you show up with a matching swimsuit as your buddy!



 American Girl Pizza Party for Frannie's Birthday!


 Cookie Decorating consisted of frosting with a side of sprinkles!



Over the summer, Gino did a little soccer too! He needed a little more encouragement to get on the field but this season was better than the last.  He runs all around talking about soccer and then just wants to watch when the games come around.
 
Loves giving Lorenzo hugs even if Lorenzo is sometimes unsure about it!

Mastered the Bumbo chair, and liked the assistance of sitting upright.

 We got a couple visits in with cousin Em before she headed off to Germany.




 Yum, peas! So far he hasn't really spit food out how the other kids did.  He makes a funny face for the first bite and then eats it up.  He also doesn't care if it is warmed up and prefers it cold.  Makes it easy for me!  Eat up little man.