Froggies, Fireworks and Family

This weekend we spent some time with family in Peterborough.

The kids and I headed out early so that we could get in some pool time. Mike's cousin, Erin, and her son, Hutton, met us there. The kids had a blast courtesy of the many frogs that were making a home in Grammie and Papa's pool. Vinny was cracking everyone up! He wouldn't take his eyes off them and would swim right up to them. He would even put his finger on them. But as soon as they would move, he would jump right out of his skin. (Along with everyone else!) But then he would be laughing and trying to "catch" them again.




Later that day, we (Mike, Myself, Isabella, Vinny, Erin, Hutton, Reli, Lauren and Jake) all headed over to the Jaffrey fireworks. We were very happy to see "Auntie Heidi" and were able to meet her soon-to-be stepchildren, Hadley and Carter. They played some games and Isabella won a toy horn- thanks again for that Heids! ; )
After a stop to Kimballs for ice cream we headed back to get ready for the fireworks. Vinny's favorite part was looking up into the sky for skydivers. His favorite one was "Butch". We spent a good amount of the evening looking in the sky for Butch.



Isabella spent a good amout of time driving everyone nuts...

Luckily the fireworks did finally begin and they were incrediable!

Everyone had a great time!

Until the over two hours it took to leave the fireworks... though that could be a blog post in itself!

Story Land and Our First Family Camping Trip

This past weekend, we went up to the White Mountains for some fun!

We took the kids with my parents to Story Land. It was a gorgeous day and we had a really good time! Vinny is kind of at a tough age for these types of outings but he tried to hold it together as best as he could!




Isabella had so much fun on the rides, especially the Polar Coaster and the Bamboo Chutes.

And of course, she loved getting to meet Cinderella!

Afterwards we went up north a little further and spent the night at a campground in Sturbridge, NH. Sam, Michelle and "Dozer" joined all of us and we had a really nice time just hanging out around the campfire. This was the kids' (and Mike's!!!) first time camping so it was really neat experiencing that with them! We got to "break" in our tent and all got a great night's sleep!

On the way home we stopped in Tilton to do an outlet run. It is Back-to-School and fall shopping season!

This weekend we are going to take the kids to the Atlas Firework Show in Jaffrey and hopefully get in some pool time. We are getting towards the end of summer and it feels like it just began! Crazy!

Wedding, Weekend and Weeping

Another weekend flies by...

This Saturday, Mike's cousin Kyle got married to her highschool sweetheart, Pete. The wedding was in Springfield, MA and we left the kids back home. Isabella requested to stay at my parents so that she could spend some time with Grennie, her pony. She has only been riding for a couple of months and already is a "posting" pro and is able to ride around the fields off the leadline. She truly enjoys it and it is something nice that she and my mother can share. Vinny was staying at Bruce's house with Bruce, Jen and Nick. We dropped them off around 3pm and drove down with Mike's parents.

Following the ceremony (which was beautiful!) we called to check in on Vinny. Evidently he fell asleep shortly after we left the house. (As it would turn out, he would sleep the entire time we were gone! When I was little and just couldn't "cope" with something, I would pass out until it was over. Vinny must adapt the same way! Anyways, he was well cared for and was happy to see us when we came to pick him up!)

I felt like an idiot during the wedding though because for whatever reason (hormones, too many cape cods, whatever...) I couldn't keep from crying throughout the evening. I think most of it was just that while wedding symbolize love and bright futures, they also make you realize how fast life goes by. Watching Kyle and her father dance, It hit me that before we know it, that will be Mike and Isabella. I look forward to watching my children grow up but I can't lie- it is bittersweet.

Congratulations, Kyle and Pete!! Thank you, God for another gorgeous summer weekend! And Isabella and Vinny- slow down with this "growing up thing", will ya? : )

A moment only a mommy could love...

Yesterday at Target, we bought a potty for Vinny. While I have no real expectations about potty training, I decided that I at least wanted to introduce him to the potty. He will be 18 months in August and that was the same time that I began potty training with Isabella.






So this morning when he got up, I put him on the potty. I do have it in the living room so that he isn't alone in the bathroom (that could lead to a disaster!) and he was just watching Mickey Mouse. At one point he started to clap his hands which I didn't think too much of as he often does that randomly throughout the day. After about 15 minutes, he stood up and proceeded to pee all over the floor. Great.






So I got some paper towels and started to clean that up when I saw something else...

(Disclaimer: Do not scroll down if you can't appreciate a baby's BM!)

Yay!!! He was obviously clapping his hands because of this and I missed it! So proud of my little weasel! : )

Maine

Well we got back last night from an amazing week in Kennebunkport. There are many great moments from our trip but I think what we valued most was the time that we were able to spend with our family. In our day to day lives, we often miss those simple yet beautiful moments and being away from it all, we were able to soak it all in. I loved being able to walk to beaches and find "treasures" with Isabella. It was so special to watch Vinny delight in the water splashing at his feet- he must have said "Wah-wah" at least a million and one times. I relished being away from all "technology" and just "being" with my husband. It was so good to watch my mother and Vinny bond over the past few days and brought tears to my eyes when at last she had to load him into the car to go home. I loved laughing with my brothers over all the trips we took as kids and enjoyed getting to know the special women that they have brought into their lives. And I value so much the talks that I had with my father, ones that he was never able to have with his.

You are never promised any day but today and that is something that really hit me on our way home. I hope that we have many more times like these together as a family but I know that if we don't that I couldn't have asked for better memories.

I love you, guys!

Happy Birthday, Papa Rog!

This weekend we celebrated my dad's birthday (as well as that of my future sister-in-law, Michelle). Isabella informed me that his favorite cake is carrot cake. So that is what we made! Before we left the house, I had the platter sitting on the table. Mike caught Mr. Vinny climbing the chair to get at them! He wasn't too happy when Daddy explained that they were for later.

He was very happy, though, when we finally let him have one!

Happy Birthday, Dad! And thanks for just another excuse for eating cupcakes! : )

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a great holiday weekend! Uncle Nick had his 2nd annual Lastrina-Palooza party at the in-laws and it was the first time that all the Lastrinas had been together since Christmas 2008! Crazy! It was really nice! The kids had a ton of fun and got lots of swimming in. Isabella remembered how to swim from last year and has gotten so comfortable in the water. She has learnt some new strokes, how to do handstands and Grammie Reli is teaching her how to dive! Vinny is so independent- he runs right into the water and doesn't want anyone to hold onto him! It will be very tricky keeping on eye on him the next few summers! : )

Some big news! Mike will be taking a job transfer to the Minneapolis office so we will be moving to Minnesota sometime late-Spring 2011! We have very mixed feelings on this but ultimately think that it will be a good step for Mike's career and a great "adventure" for the family. The logistics have yet to be decided but it should only be for three years. At that point, we are planning on relocating to southern MA and staying put! : )

It has been soooo hot here the past few days so we have decided to get some sort of a pool for the kids for the days/nights that we are just not up for the drive to P'boro. Pics to follow for sure!