Living life..and loving it

Seattle

2009-05-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

Another traveling week-end for us. This time it was only Greg and I. The kids stayed with grandma and grandpa for 3 days and we went up to Seattle. The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) had its annual meeting there so I united work and pleasure. The meeting was really good (although rather packed with talks) and Greg and I had a good time walking around the town after the meeting. The pop-corns wit garlic and truffle from Oliver Twist will be memorable for a long long time!!

One Year Older and Happy!

2009-05-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Another year has gone by so fast! I can't believe I am 45 already..oh my!! Anyway I am very young at heart and that is all it matters. My birthday week-end was wonderful: it started Saturday morning with Greg making waffles for everybody, and then the kids gave me the present they made for me: a beautiful vase with their hand prints on it and with a gift certificate for Anthropologie in it. Do my men know me or what??? Then, at a leisurely pace we got ready for our adventure. We had lunch at "Stacks" (where I ordered another waffle with strawberry!) and then we went to visit Grandma Elva at the cemetery. She died exactly one year ago and we felt it was important to go see her. I am so glad we went! After that we took off for Monterey. We arrived there a little before 5PM, checked in (by the way I highly recommend the Intercontinental Clement, right on Cannery Row and very nice!) and then while Alex was "chilling" in the room we went for a brief visit to the Aquarium (the tickets were good for 2 days, so there was no rush). Dinner was at the "Fish Hopper" with good food and lots of laughs. After a walk we went back to the hotel where we rented "Inkheart" and watched it in bed (forgot to say that we got tea and cookies to bring to the room as well!). Sunday was another event filled day. Greg got up and went to get breakfast for everybody, then we finished watching the movie and then we all went back to the Aquarium. For lunch we decided to go to the Wharf and ate at the "Old Fisherman's Grotto" where we had another really good meal. The week'end ended with a bike ride for the entire family on one buggy that generated lots of laughs for everyone. I loved every minute of the week-end!

Lake Tahoe

2009-04-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, I think by now it is well established that I am an horrible blogger. I don't know if I am too busy (I tend to believe that) or if I am too lazy and I don't make an extra effort to sit down and record the events of our lives and the emotions that go along with those. I really don't know, but the week goes by extremely fast and the week-ends we are often traveling (and I am so thankful for that as I am an avid traveler). The past week-end we went to Lake Tahoe and guess what I did?...I skied for the first time in the longest time!!! I think the last time I put skis on was probably 7 or 8 years ago, before I was even pregnant with Ryan. Well, it was the perfect day, blue sky, perfect fresh snow, and nobody on the slopes! I had the time of my life! While the women were skiing the guys went sledding with the kids, so everyone had a great time! The day after we all went for a hike (where this picture was taken). That was fun as well, and the scenery was very beautiful. We stayed at the Timberlodge Marriott Resort at Heavenly and Greg even managed to go gambling!

Easter

2009-04-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny most certainly stopped at our house yesterday and the kids had a great time trying to find all the secret spots where the eggs were hidden. It was a very peaceful day for us. After the hunt for the eggs we all went for a walk (kids on scooters) around the neighborhood and then back home for a big lunch in the backyard. The weather was perfect for an outdoor lunch! Lucas took a nice and long nap, while Greg took Ryan to the Park. I spent a couple of hours reading and totally loved it! Then we all went to see Doug and Margaret house (almost done with remodeling and it looks great!), followed by dinner at all together (Passage to India, one of my favorite Indian restaurants). Oh, how I wish every day could be Easter!

Swim Meet

2009-03-31T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have not fallen out of the face of earth, I have been extremely busy both at work and at home. Last week the kids had a swim meet and it was the first time for Ryan. It was pretty hectic but a lot of fun. Alex was great, he swam the 50 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke and he did really well. In the freestyle he got an A time and got first place. Ryan was so sweet, a little nervous for his 25 backstroke, but he went for it and got second place.

Raining week-ends

2009-03-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

I like rainy week-ends, especially if we do not have anything planned and we adapt to the weather. Today is one of those days.One of the advantages of living in California is that soon enough the sky will be blue and that will last for several months. So, with that in mind, rainy days are not all that bad for me. We went out in the morning for hair cuts, grocery shopping and a fast lunch at an Indian restaurant, but the best part of the day has been the afternoon. The noise of the rain and the feeling of warmth in the house are for me a great combination. Lucas took his nap and Ryan was at one of his friends' house for a playdate, so the silence was sovereign in the house for a while.

Oscar Night

2009-02-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

I have been quiet for a while. A lot to do at work and not enough time for fun. I will be back after today. Big Oscar night fan over here!

Week-end in Sacramento

2009-02-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

Got back last night from a little trip to Sacramento. It was a last minute idea and it worked out really well. I had never been to the State capital and we thought it could be fun for the kids to go see Old Sacramento. We stayed only one night, but it worked out perfectly. Saturday we went to Old Sacramento and visited the Railroad Museum. Dinner at Joe's crab shack followed and the crabs were awesome! Sunday we visited the Capitol and then went to the Ranch to see Auntie Neese and Uncle Dan, where the kids fed Alpacas and drove the golf cart. They loved that part!!!

When something bothers you...

2009-01-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

Change it!!!
The window behind our bed in our bedroom has been bugging me for a while. I did not like those blinds, they felt sterile and tome they made the room very uninviting. I kept looking at that window and wanting something different, I just did not want one of those curtains that was all soft and mellow. I wanted something that was going to make the room warm and inviting. well, I bought these dark brown curtains and the room changed instantly. The picture does not even show the change all that well. I am really happy with the change, now when the sun hits the room the contrast with the dark color makes it so cozy!!! Love it!

Disney Album

2009-01-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

I finished the Disneyland album. I am so reliever because I had a lot of pictures and it felt like I was going to work on it forever. I think one of the aspect of scrapbooking that I enjoy the most is the feeling of reliving a special memory. This trip has been great fun for the entire family, I loved spending time with the kids and see them so happy and easy going for once. And it has been great to live those moments again while I was putting the album together.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-01-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

We are back from a 4 day vacation in Disneyland and we had a great time (if we don't count the few times Lucas went wondering off!) and it is hard to get back into normal life, including school and work. Still very tired as we walked all the time and took advantage of the early entrance each day (meaning wake up call at 6AM!), but boy did we do a lot! The highlights would have to be Lucas loving Thunder Mountain and the Matterhorn (hands up in the air), Alex forcing me to go on the California screaming roller coaster (never again, my stomach is still upside down), all of us loving the Aladdin show and Soaring over California (both in California Adventure), lots of food (including the Mickey shaped waffles, yummy!) and simply watching the kids having a great time and being there with them.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

And even this year it has come and gone. We had a very nice Christmas at home today. It was cold, windy and rainy, basically the perfect day to spend at home. Alex woke up at 6:30AM and could not go back to sleep. Ryan followed shortly after. Greg and I made pancakes and scones and after Lucas woke-up we had breakfast all together and then it was....time to ope the presents!
This year we were so lucky because Alex is staying with us for the entire holidays, so we could enjoy the entire day all together. A good part of the day was spent assembling toys and testing some of the board games (and eating cookies!!).
all in all, a very nice Christmas.

December daily 14 and 15

2008-12-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

A few more pictures of the December daily album. I am trying to keep up with every day. Yesterday was Lucas 3 birthday and today I will be working on the pictures we took yesterday. For now, here are the pictures of the pages for day 14 and 15. Have a great day!

The tree is up

2008-12-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, Yesterday was a busy day in our household. While Greg was putting up the lights outside, we were busy with opening the remaining boxes of the Xmas decorations, then we went to buy the perfect tree(remember Greg we buy a 6-7 foot tree, every year he forgets!). After lunch, while Lucas was napping Ryan and I set up our Christmas village, so cute!! Then everyone helped decorating the tree. I was pooped so we went out for dinner and then drove to San Carlos to see a street where all the houses are lit up! How fun!!

25 days of Xmas

2008-12-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

This year I have decided to record the 25 days of Christmas as per Ali Edwards idea. It takes a little bit of a commitment in particular because with the school and work going on almost all day, I have only the few hours left in the evening to record the events of the season. But it is also a stimulus to make the effort to get a little bit of magic accomplished every day, to build some memories for the kids associated with this special time of the year. Here are a couple of pages from the first days. I will keep posting as the albums develops.

As promised

2008-11-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had Lucas with the fever so we had a really quiet one at home.It was nice and I had the chance to scrap some. Unfortunately this morning I woke up with a bad (bad) cold, so I don't know how much more scraping I am going to do this week-end. I will give it my best shot!

Swim meet and Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

Last week-end there was a swim meet and we had planned to work there but did not expect any participation by Alex as he has always refused to compete during the years. On Saturday coach Tom told him that he was going to sign Alex up for the 50 free-style and the 200 breaststroke to be held on Sunday. Alex said OK. I was very surprised and happy. Well, Alex did really well (4 overall in freestyle!) and most important thing...he loved it! So I guess our little swimmer will be competing from now on!
On another note, the kids are out of school today and it is our last day of work before the holiday. I am so excited about these 4 days of rest and guess what?.... I have planned a lot of scrapping this week-end, s sty tune to see some of my work after that. For now, happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Happy Birthday RYAN!

2008-11-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful 6 year old boy!!!

Back from Ohau

2008-11-14T07:45:00.000-08:00

I know it feels like this year we have done nothing else but traveling and...I love it!!! We got back last night from what has become our yearly trip to Hawaii. This year we went to Ohau a place new for most of us. I have always been skeptical of this island because I don't like the chaos and this is what I have always associated with Honolulu and Waikiki beach. But what I have found out is the there is a lot more than Waikiki there. First of all the shopping in Honolulu is out of this world!!! But going there with a family and three boys who can't stand the stores, I was on;y able to see them from outside. Well, this would be something I can do next time. We stayed at the Ko Olina Beach Resort on the West side of the island. The resort is very nice and the beach is perfect! The kids can play safely as there are man-made lagoons that allow no wave to come close to shore. Also, if one is passionate of surfing, the North side of the island is paradise for surfing with huge waves and a lot of people testing them. All in all, it was a great vacation, just too short!!

And then it was all over!!

2008-11-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for the big day!

2008-10-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Lucas and Ryan are very excited tonight, it almost feels like Christmas Eve. It is almost 9PM and I can hear the two of them talking in their bedroom. The carving of the pumpkins just ended and after each of the boys (Alex too although he does not want a picture taken as he is wearing the mask for his teeth) carved their pumpkin. Everything is ready, the costumes are hanging in their closets and beside the arrival of the rain (expected for tomorrow) we should be ready to party!

The Warriers

2008-10-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Scenes from our household after dinner. Do I really need to say more? Look at the characters running around my house and tell me that you don't feel any sympathy for me?
I rest my case!!

A week in the life

2008-10-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

I am a late follower and although I read Ali's blog almost every day (it is refreshing and she has tons of great ideas!) I am also mentally very lazy and when she suggested to take pictures for an entire week to document our lives, I thought it was a cool idea, but I was going to be an observer. Well, after seeing her results and those of others, I have decided to give it a try. So I am doing it this week and it is really interesting, everyone should try!

First feeling of Fall and great finding

2008-10-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the very first day with the feeling of Fall here in the Bay Area. The air was crisp, the sweaters came out and the rain arrived. I know it is going to get old fast, but for now I am just loving it! In the afternoon I spent time rearranging my desk, reorganizing stuff around the house, looking at he rain while drinking hot tea and simply appreciating all my family together.This morning (still in full autumn mood!) I have decorated the house with Fall items and in the afternoon Ryan and I went out to look for more. Here are few pictures f the house and the porch.
While Ryan and I were out, we stopped at ROSS where I am always on the look out for some fun stuff to bring home. Well, today I think I was pretty lucky because I have found the cutest little wall piece. I love the color and the look of it and it has already its place on my desk, filled with all my paints and glitters that were in a drawer out of sight until today. I am so happy with my purchase!

A wonderful book

2008-10-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

For those out there who don't know, I am an avid reader. I always have one or two books on my night stand and I keep buying more and more. And I am trying to teach this love for reading to my kids so we also have tons of kids books in the house which I consider a wonderful thing. But I am digressing here. ...
My latest reading was a book suggested to me by several of my Italian friends from a Spanish writer. Oh, I almost forgot one of my pet peeves is to possibly read books in the language they have been written because I feel that there is always something lost in translation. So, when I am in Italy I buy a bunch of books written by Italian authors and the same is true for books by English authors. But it becomes more complicated when the books are written in different languages like in this particular case. So I bought it in Italy and bought it again here in the US. Crazy, uhm???

Anyway, here it goes.... the book is called "The shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Trust me this is a book worth reading, a wonderful mix of mystery, love and a hint if history. Just beautiful!!!

The end of an era

2008-09-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Paul Newman
01-25-1925 09-27-2008

More traveling

2008-09-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

Greg and I have been in this beautiful city for 4 days. Any idea of where we were? I had a conference to attend and Greg went to meet with clients. I like this routine because it gives us the chance to spend some quality time together in the evening after the working day. The kids were home with Grandma and Grandpa but Luki was sick all the time and he is still sick. It started with an ear infection that we treated with antibiotics and when the fever did not go down so Grandma took him again to the doctor and he had developed a viral infection in his throat. So today, 6 days after the fever started, we are hoping it is going to be the first day fever free. Have a great week-end everyone!!

I am a citizen of the United States of America

2008-09-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

So, I guess this is a pretty big deal. I have lived in this country for about 15 years and this morning at the Masonic Center in San Francisco, together with something like 1400 people from 101 countries all over the world I became an American citizen. Greg and I were late because of the traffic on 101, but little I knew that given the huge amount of people 10-15 minutes late actually meant being on time today! So, I went in with all my fellow immigrants to take my oath and become an American citizen. At the end of the ceremony I received my certificate and for the first time as an American I went and did the most important thing: I registered to vote! And as you can tell by the picture that Greg took while I was signing the paperwork, there is no doubt on who will get my vote this upcoming November!

The gift of time!

2008-09-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Oh the things one could do if every week-end was always a 3 day week-end! On Saturday I went shopping, on Sunday we had people over for dinner and today after a bike ride I spent some time scrapping. I have found this old picture of Ryan celebrating his 4th birthday (he is going to turn 6 this coming November) and decided to make a really simple page out of it and here is the result. I still have so much old patterned paper, I really should scrap more and get rid of the old stash so I have a good excuse to buy the new products.

Back to school and normal life

2008-08-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

So school started last Monday here in California and we took a picture of the boys right before getting out of the house. This year we have a 7th grader, a 1rst grader and an almost 3 year old who thinks he is in his 20!!
It was a pretty hectic beginning and being all jet-lagged did not help at all. But it is now behind us and we are all back into the routine of every day life. For now we are enjoying this last week-end of vacation feeling and then real life will sink in again. Have a great Labor day week-end everyone!

Back from Vacation

2008-08-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I blogged. It has been a very beautiful summer for me. First my friends from Italy came to visit us and we had so much fun together. Then, right after they left our family went to Italy and we have spent the last three weeks over there. What a magic summer! The weather was excellent, blue sky all the time and I managed to see so many friends, had lunches and dinners with them and taste again the great food of Italy, from pizza to pasta with truffles and wonderful gelato. We got back Saturday night. School started on Monday. This year we have a 7th grader and a 1st grader! Everything went well and now we are back to life as usual which after all the craziness and traveling it does not sound that bad. It was a great summer, but it is nice to be back!

Finished a project!

2008-07-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Time has been very elusive recently and I have not been able to find the time to do half of the things I wanted to do, in particular scrapping. This hobby has suffered a great deal, but in the past couple of weeks working a little bit at night after the kids bedtime and during the week-ends, I have been able to complete the album for our family vacation to Vancouver. I still have the pictures from Boston and San Diego... I will get there!!! For now I am just glad that this one is done and put away!
On another note, today my 2 friends from childhood are coming to visit from Italy and I am so looking forward to 10 days of girl chat!!!!

My poor homeless child

2008-07-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

This past week-end I had a lot of work to do so Greg very kindly offered to take care of the kids so I could finish writing my grant. I really appreciated that and I happily waved good-bye to all my men (well almost ALL as Alex is still in Delaware) early in the morning on Sunday when they took the bikes to ride to the train station and from there up to San Francisco to ride the bike on Embarcadero. A big adventure for little boys!!! Well, I just had to laugh last night when, while downloading the pictures that Greg took, I saw this one. Apparently, right after lunch Lucas crashed and fell asleep on this bench in Pier 39. Greg and Ryan had to wait for more than one hour for the little guy to wake up so he could get back on the bike and from there the happy group could ride back to the train station.

Can you guess which boy hit a milestone today?

2008-06-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Boston

2008-06-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Greg and I got back from Boston on Sunday night. What a beautiful city! The last time I was in Boston must have been something like 13-24 years ago and it was a great feeling being back. I find this city so appealing. The FOCIS conference was at the Marriott in Copley Place, so in the evening, after the talks were over we were able to walk everywhere. Starting from Newbury street with the fabulous stores and cafes', to the freedom trail, the Commons and Faneuil Hall, I loved it all!! The weather changed abruptly on us, so after 1 days of mild weather, a heatwave hit the East Coast and the humidity made it pretty unbearable. But it did not stop us from going around and see all those beautiful places!

Back from Vancouver and Victoria

2008-05-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Got home at 7:30PM last night and wow, we are tired!!!! It was a very busy 4 days, filled with things to see, places to go and a lot to do. Vancouver was great, Victoria was wonderful and the weather worked with us and not against us. The kids were a lot of work most of the times, but overall a trip to remember. After waking up at 5:30 AM, we still missed our flight on Saturday morning and were put on stand-by (but with very few hopes) for the 10:59AM flight, so we had to spend a lot of time at the airport surrounded by uncertainty. Amazingly enough the 5 of us got on the plane and after a long wait at the custom we arrived to the hotel in the early afternoon. The first day we mostly drove around with the car (a huge Lincoln that the kids called the "police car") and were in ed really early. Sunday was a very full day. First we drove to the Capilano suspension bridge, perfect place to have the kids explore nature at its best. Then we went to have lunch at the Public Market in Granville Island, followed by a visit to the Aquarium. Then back home completely pooped! On Monday we got in the car by 9:00Am to go to Victoria. It is not a short trip from Vancouver as it is a 45 minutes drive to the ferry terminal in Taliesin, followed by one and half hour on the ferry to Schwartz bay and then another 30 minutes drive to Victoria. But it was all worth it as Victoria is a really beautiful town. There we went to the BC Museum (very nice) and walked around town. We missed the 5PM ferry so we did not make it home until 9:30PM. On Tuesday we stayed in Vancouver, went tot he Observatory and Gastown, had lunch and then headed to the airport. It was great, but I am also happy to be back home!!!

Hot hot hot!!

2008-05-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, it was hot this past week-end! So we packed our bags and went to visit grandma and Grandpa in Chico. It was probably even hotter there, but at least they have the swimming pool and that is exactly where we spent most of our time while there. The kids had a great time and they were so tired by the end of the day making the going to bed process a lot easier. When we got back home on Sunday night, it was already cooler down here.

Happy Mother's day !

2008-05-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here goes another year..

2008-05-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

First of all let me say that Great Grandma Elva passed away today and that makes me extremely sad, she was sweet and funny and I really am going to miss the thought of her being here on earth with us (as well as your great cookies, they were magic!). I hope you are in a better place Grandma Elva, finally without all those aches that were bothering you so much in the last few years, and please keep an eye on all of us.
On another note, today I added another year to my already pretty rich collection (jury is still out if it is a good or a bad thing!). We went for dinner to Buca di Beppo and against all odds it was fun. The place is so loud that the confusion kids make does really not a bother to anybody so I was able to relax and have a good time. Greg filmed a short video with the little Nikon camera we had brought with us, I am going to try to upload it, let's see what I can do:

Anticipating summer

2008-04-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

I am definitely a summer person. One light layer of clothing, no socks or sweaters, long days, beautiful calm evening perfect for walks, the sun to cheer up your spirit, what is better than all of this?
And the first warm days of spring, those days that make you want to get out of the closet your shorts and T-shirt, the days that seem to call out for summer and bring with them the certainty that summer is almost here..those day make me extremely happy. We had few of those days already here in Northern California and I have been loving them. I got out some summer pictures of the kids and created some pages, just to get in summer mood and I also worked on some more winter like pages (although it is California, so the term winter is a relative one) and I put them near each other to compare the feeling.

The little patient

2008-04-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

All done! Yesterday was surgery day for Alex. In and out in 2 hours. Not bad. We arrived at the hospital at 1PM, and shortly thereafter we were called in the pre-op where Alex had has baseline values checked and selected the anesthesia. By 2 PM he was in the surgery room and we stayed with him while he went under anesthesia (he selected the orange flavor for the gas). It was fast and right after Greg and I left the room. Surgery went fast in 30 minutes the doctor came out to tell us that everything went smoothly and we all moved to the post-op. Alex came out of the anesthesia pretty fast and started drinking juice and water right away. By 3 PM we were ready to go home, where my big little boy went to sleep for a couple of hours. All in all, a pretty smooth surgery and recovery.

Ahhhh!!!

2008-03-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

What is with my kids and colors????
This time Lucas did it all by himself and Alex who was sitting near him did not even notice until it was all done. Lucas was extremely happy of the results.

Little bunny FuFu

2008-03-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Someone is ready for Easter around here.. would you try to guess who that person is????
I have learnt at Halloween how responsive Lucas can be to holidays that include searching or asking for treats. In fact, in October, I got out of the house without the basket for Lucas because I thought:" he is too little too care and probably won't want to knock at nay house and stand in front of people he doesn't know". Oh well, was I wrong!
At the second house he got the hang of it and I had to run back and get his basket. After a few more houses he fell down on his face while stepping out of one of our neighbors houses and he got up right away and screamed: : "my candies!!!" and tried to collect as many as he could from the content of his basket now on the ground.
He came home today from day care with his little Easter Basket full of eggs and little candies, and he managed to open them right away and when we told him no more candies...this is the face we got!!!

Saturday morning

2008-03-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

We are all relaxing around the house for now. I have just finished a page that has been sitting on my desk for at least one week and needed some love and care to be completed. Here is the final result. The pictures were taken during our week-end in Santa Cruz. I particularly love the picture of Lucas head taken from the back with the Ocean opening up in front of him. It really shows how little he is in the context of everything else around him.
Next week is Alex's birthday, so today we are all going to celebrate it together and he gets to choose where he wants to go. Stay tuned.

Cenci

2008-03-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

Last night I received another cooking book from Tessa Kiros . This one is entitled Twelve, a Tuscan Cook Book. The name twelve comes from the months of the year and for every month there are recipes with ingredients one can find that months of the year in Italy and appropriate for the climate. I have to say it is another really solid cooking book and it the recipes bring so many memories back to my mind. So, today I tried the first recipe and here is a picture of it. These are called "cenci", and they are little pastry strips fried in oil and covered with powder sugar. They are a classical recipe from Tuscany made during the month of February.

Week-end in Santa Cruz

2008-02-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

Beautiful sunrise this morning! My dad took the picture as he is the one who wakes up early and keeps company to the 2 menaces in the family. This picture was taken this morning but right now is already raining. The place we have is great, the view of the beach is amazing and we have already spent lots of time running on the beach. The weather has not been as horrible as from forecasts, so yesterday we took advantage of every single minute of sun. Here some pictures of us relaxing. More to come.

Resting

2008-02-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

It looks like today is a good day to rest around here. Have a great President Day!

Cards

2008-02-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Usually I am not a big fun of the card making process, don't know why, maybe because I have always been one of those people who goes to birthday parties without a card (oops!) or that never thinks of buying cards and keep them in the house just because. But I have a lot of left over papers from previous projects and I thought it could be a good idea to start making some cards so when the occasion arises, I am not going to be without card anymore. This is my first card made this morning. Not sure I like it, it doesn't really reflect my style but at least is done. The good thing is that it really doesn't take much time and one goes through a lot of unused item. I may start liking the idea!!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2008-02-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

Attempting creativity

2008-02-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

After we finished remodeling the kitchen, we repainted the living room and the library. That was hte perfect moment to change things around a bit. So, I left the wall over the couch totally bare waiting for the perfect idea to pop into my head. Recently I have been all into pictures and personal memories rather than art for the sake of art. This is why in the dining room I have created a composition of sepia family pictures; they create a special warmth.

The result was wonderful, I got several different size frames and mixed them together to create balance on the wall. We all love them!
Given the successful results, I decided to give it another try in the living room. This time, I went for less personals photos but still used pictures we took and that had a special meaning to us.

So, last week I bought some very rustic frames and I used Shutterfly to print some 11x13 pictures we took last summer during our vacation in Tuscany. They represent places we have been and views that we are very fond of. Well, after playing arund with the composition on the wall, this is the result...They fit perfectly! Last night I bought a nice candle holder at World Market and I am going to hang it on the right side of the pictures. Hopefully everything will work together as it does in my head.

A take it easy day...

2008-02-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

Today I was able to carve a little time for some scrapping. I really enjoyed it. I realized I didn't even have any recent picture printed , so I looked among the most recent pictures and I have found these ones of Ryan and Lucas taken last month at Stanford. It was a beautiful sunny day! Now, Lucas and Ryan have the classical relationship anyone would imagine two little brothers may have: standard love-hate relationship. One minute they ar eplaying together and are all happy, the next one they will be slapping each other like there is no tomorrow. As the god mother that I am, I will record only the loving moments, so here is one of those!!

Fascination

2008-01-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

I am not usually a big fan of presents that involve live animals, especially when they are going to end up inside the house, but this one is in a whole different category. It is called AntWorks and it is a space age habitat for Ants. Let me tell you: in our household this Christmas present turned out to be a big winner (if not the big winner!). Everyone is totally in owe of these tiny little creatures and their ability to create tunnels and live in a group setting. It is a very neat way to study ants without disturbing their habits. Through this transparent grass we just look at them and observe their life. Really cool!! And when I say we I mean all of us including Lucas who just looks at them and looks at them......

A great finding

2008-01-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

This book was such a pleasant surprise and I really wanted to share this great finding. Few days before Christmas I got in touch with an old friend from high school. It was great to catch up with someone I knew so well and kind of lost touch for 10 years. To make a long story short, while talking about our lives and the ones of our common friends he mentioned that one of my dearest friend's wife had become an accomplished writer of cooking books during these years. Well, after that piece of information I looked into her books and I ordered her last one, Apples for Jam, from Amazon. I was really looking forward to get the book, how often can one say "I know the author of this book"? So, when the book arrived, I started reading it right away and...I totally loved it!!! The book is a wonderful combination of simple and delicious recipes (something everyone can make without having to be a cuisine expert) and little bits and pieces of family life. A melange of memories of Tessa's past and present life. I so enjoy this book, the pictures of the food are wonderful and the presentation is simply perfect! I was even more surprised when I saw the book at the local Anthropologie store few days ago, I thought the store was the prefect setting for this book (I totally love the store!!!!!).

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-01T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hope 2008 brings peace and serenity to all of us.
We spent New Year's Eve at home and waited for the midnight playing cards. Lucas went to bed sometime around 10PM, but Ryan stayed up until midnight and celebrated with us (Alex was at his daddy's this year).It was a peaceful end and new beginning.I hope this is the beginning of a great year!

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T22:35:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone out there is having a great Christmas Eve (or Christmas). All is quiet here NOW and I am getting ready to go to bed and recharge for the big day. Today it was a perfect Christmas Eve in my book. In the morning Greg took the kids to Happy Hollow, Mamma and Papa' went out shopping, I waited for Alex to get home and then I went for a run. It felt really good!!!
Lunch was very light and then Greg and I went out for a relaxing walk to the mall. The stores were all open and so many people were still shopping for last minute gifts. By 5:30PM we were back at home and mamma and I started the dinner making. Menu tonight included Penne with crab meat sauce, clams in white sauce, baccala' (both fried and in red sauce)and the fried mix of vegetables. It was all good! After dinner we all jumped in the van and went to see the Christmas lights in Fulton Street in Palo Alto, it was cute! back at home we played a mix version of Bingo/Tombola. It was fun. A good day.

Happy Birthday Little one!!

2007-12-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Look who is 2!!!

The little one

2007-12-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have added a little tree to our many Christmas decorations and I really like it. The big and real tree with the classical family decoration is always the center of the attention in the living room, but I wanted to have something else in the library to give this space the warmth and fuzziness of the season. I think this little fella is doing the job!
n another note, last night was Date Night, so Greg and I went to the theater and we saw "Dan in Real Life". It was a lovely movie, I really enjoyed it, and the family feeling of that movie s exactly what I dream for my family. Different setting maybe (Tuscany?) but other than that...bring it on!!! In the movie Dan's parents own this beautiful and warm house on the ocean somewhere in Rhode Island and the entire family meets there for Thanksgiving. Just perfect. Today we took the kids on a paddle boat ride at Shoreline and that was fun. Now the little rascals are sleeping, so it is quiet time for all!

Good Bye crib..Hello Big Boy bed!!

2007-12-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

I guess this is it, after 12 years, 3 boys, and a lot of crying it is time to say Good-Bye to our beloved crib! We bought a new toddler bed today and as the pictures show, it is already in place and ready to be broken in. Lucas seems excited, but I will know better tomorrow morning. For now the old crib is still in the bedroom, just in case! I am not sure what to do with it, I have a lot of memories associated with it,from the sign of Alex's teeth on one of the rails and the many nights I just looked at one of them sleeping peacefully in it. I guess we should donate it, but I am not ready to say good-bye yet.

The cookie monster

2007-11-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

I had to take this picture. Tonight we had monkey sitting at the island with the kids during dinner and at the end of it Ryan put half of an Oreo in front of monkey for dessert. It was perfect!

Oh...to have TIME!!

2007-11-25T21:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday night. Getting ready to go back to work after the 4 day week-end.
I feel mentally rested which is a rare feeling for me and it feels amazingly good. I have to admit that 2 days are not long enough for me, the stress of work and the need to get stuff accomplished in those 2 days make my week-ends not very relaxing. 4 days...now, that is much better!
I love to have plenty of time ahead of me and no plans whatsoever. It is so calming for my mind. We spent time with family (well, that was Greg and the kids, I was still recovering from a rather nasty stomach flu) , rested, spent time with friends, rested, cooked some great food, rested, went for bike rides, rested, did some shopping, and rested some more.
LOVED IT! I even had time to work on some pictures I had put aside 6 months ago. Yes, 6 months. I really don't have all that much time anymore. Lucas had really hurt himself badly against on the hedge of the bathroom's door frame. The bump got big and dark pretty fast, but after the initial reaction, it did not seem to bother him that much.

Belated Birthday present

2007-11-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

The table we had ordered for Ryan, made it to our house today. And we have one happy little boy!

Just another day

2007-11-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Our days overlap without a clear definition, one after another with the same actions repeated day after day. They start sometime before 7AM with getting breakfast ready for everyone, then the clothes are laid on the beds the kids get dressed, brush their teeth and out of the door. Each one of us goes to his/her daily routine, work, school, kindergarten, preschool and then at pick up time, it starts all over again. Once at home, it is bath time, homework time, dinner time, pajamas time and hopefully, without much fuss, ...bedtime.
Moment of peace and quiet are rare and few between, and if I happen to have the camera at hand when there is one, I usually tray to capture it. Last night, Lucas was going around the house with his little grocery cart , a farmer hat and a pair of star shaped sunglasses (go figure!!). I was working with Alex in reviewing his homework when I saw Lucas sitting at my desk, taking a little break and watching a little TV. Pretty awesome!!!

Post Halloween

2007-11-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

The quiet after the storm. The day started early with a parade at Ryan's school , followed by a party with cookie decoration. A full day at work and then Trick or Treating until 8PM. I am glad it is all done. Alex and 7-8 of his friends went on their own and we walked around with Ryan and Lucas (who did not want to wear the hat of his costume). Amazingly, Lucas got the gist of it really fast and loved it. He went from door to door with his little basket and was quietly (very quietly as he did not say one word!) waiting for a piece of candy. He was incredibly cute!

Rainy Day

2007-10-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

I know it is going to get old fast, but I do enjoy the first rainy days of the season. I love, love, love summer, but my favorite feeling is the one I get when I feel in the air. What I love of fall is the coziness of it. The needed rest after the bright and intense summer. I don't mind to spend hours locked in the house doing things I never get the time to do. Make soup, rearrange closets, go through my clothes and get rid of stuff I know I won't wear. Love the first rain!

We have a backyard!

2007-09-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am almost afraid to say it but I think the work at the house is all done. Inside and out, and I can hardly believe it! The yard was left for last and now is done. We still can't walk on the grass so it feels like it is teasing us but in a couple of weeks it will be all ours! It is really nice, simple and safe for the kids o be out there on their own without having to worry about getting hurt. It is going to take some time for all the plants and trees to be fully mature and cover the ground they way they are supposed to, but no complaints here. The work is done let's the fun begin!

Busy Days

2007-09-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

These are very busy times. At work I have a so much to do I don't know what is up and what is down: among the many things I had to prepare a presentation for today, I have a grant that needs to go out in 20 days and 2 big proposals to work on.
At home it is not any easier:today Alex forgot his binder on the bus but I did not know that until I drove back to the pool (after dinner) to see if by any chance we had left it there after swimming. Nothing, he thinks he may have left it on the bus on its way to the pool (why was not in the backpack in the first place, one may ask???).
But I am keeping my cool and trying not to overreact (breath Annalisa breath....)
This month I bought the September Kit of the Month and I love it!! It is so easy to use, great rub-ons, beautiful patterned paper. It is about travel and I had all the pictures from our trip to Colorado that we took in May just sitting on my desk. I felt it was calling my name, I had to get it. Really really enjoyed it. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had time to work on it all at once, rather than working on it 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, but it's OK (remember to breath...). It is almost all done, I have to add the journaling (always wait until the last minute for that one) and all my pictures from Colorado will have a home. It will take me a couple of days only to clean my desk, but that is a story for another time.

Whose feet are those?

2007-09-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Just another evening in our house. If we get through dinner without silliness something is surely wrong with one of our kids. So tonight we were all laughing watching those little feet sticking out of the pantry. And then after a little while we even got to see the head!!

September 11 (6 years ago)

2007-09-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

The memories of that horrible days will stay with us forever, the fear, the feeling of incredible loss for no reason.We travel a lot and every time we are at an airport I can' help but think about all the people who lost their lives that day, people like us just living their lives. I had this picture of Lucas and Ryan at the airport in Denver since Memorial Day week-end when we went to Colorado for a few days. I love the two of them looking at the rain (falling incessantly!) while we were waiting for some good news about our plane possible departure. The plane was delayed 5 hours because of the bad weather and the two of them had to be kept busy during that time. But there were moments like this one, when they were calm and looking at the planes sitting there waiting for clearance for departure. I remember thinking about that horrible day of September in 2001 and feeling so incredibly lucky. I hope nobody will ever forget.

Brotherly Love

2007-09-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

I wonder if a parent should recognize the signs of a devious personality to be when the forming of this personality is still in the making. I surely hope not. I want to believe that children's action are simply children' actions.
Ryan came to me tonight and with a really concerned tone of voice said" Mommy, look at what Lucas did to himself!"
Unfortunately for Ryan Lucas is right handed and it took me less than a minute to figure out that the beautiful artwork captured by this picture was not Lucas doing. Needless to say Ryan attempted to deny his own doing until I told him that the punishment for lying on top of everything else would ave been 10 times heavier. So, as a result he is in bed early. I think he understood it was a really bad thing to do, while Lucas (totally clueless) had to have his second shower today!!!

Publication in CK!

2007-08-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Wow! With all the post-vacation chaos I forgot that one of my scrapbooking pages was going to be published in the September issue of Crating Keepsakes! I received the page back from the magazine this week together with a copy of the September issue and there it was...my first page published in CK! I had pages published before, but this is my first time in CK and it is pretty exciting in particular because I really don't scrap much, so the chances of being published are relatively low. This year especially, I have scrapped very little, maybe 4-5 pages in total and one small album that I made for my parents. I plan to scrap a lot more now that the remodeling is completed, I have my space again, and Lucas is a little older and hopefully less of a bugger (wishful thinking)!
I just ordered around 100 pictures from our recent trip to Italy, so I know the material is not what is going to limit my creativity, the problem is going to be time as usual!!

Back in the US and beginning of school

2007-08-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

We left Italy on Sunday and are back in California. The trip was long (too long!) and we are still a little jet lagged and getting up very early in the morning, but that worked in our favor this morning when we had to get all the kids ready and out of the door for the first day of school. For Alex was the first day of 6th grade, a new school and a lot of changes. He went with his bike together with Hans. Can't wait to hear the report on the first day.
Today it was also a big day for Ryan, as it was the first day of kindergarten for him! We dropped Lucas off at Gizela and drove to Laurel School. It was crazy but cute! These tiny little kids were everywhere! I took a bunch of pictures and I will post some tonight when I get back home.
It is only 9:30Am and I feel ready for bed!

EDITED
Apparently the first day of kindergarten was a big hit and 6th grade was not too shabby either!

Having a good time

2007-08-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Greg, Lucas and I played tourists and went exploring two towns: Pienza and Montepulciano. Alex and Ryan decided to stay home with Nonna and Nonno. Pienza is very small but cute. We bought some "pecorino" for Nonno and had bruschetta for lunch. Montepulciano was a little of a surprise as it is so steep!!!! We parked the car at the bottom of the town and walked up to the main Piazza...oh my! It was an exercise walk with Lucas sleeping in his stroller. We were glad when we got home and rested for the rest of the day. Today is another day!

Who wouldn't want to be here?

2007-08-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

Once again we are in Italy on vacation! Having a great time. This year I have tried a new approach to fight jet-lag: melatonin. I am now a believer!!!! I have to admit I was pretty skeptical. I did some research before the departure and there were some studies that had shown some effect, but others that did not. So, I thought: it probably won't work, but let's give it a try. Well, it was fabulous! The kids slept through the night by day 2 and we were completely adjusted in 4-5 days without having to suffer trough sleepless nights. Love it!!!
As usual we are enjoying it fully, we have gone to Siena, Radda, Castellina, San Gimignano and we are planning some new places to see maybe Pienza, o Cortona, we will see). Yesterday was pool day, had a great time and even Lucas was a trooper and played in the water until 4:30. I will download the pictures later today and upload them here. Now is breakfast time and I am not going to miss it!!!

Treasures of the Heart

2007-07-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

Almost full house! Ryan is at grandma's again until Friday, but Alex is finally back and, can you tell that tonight in our house there was a very happy little boy??? Lucas took a little to warm up to Alex again, but after those few minutes, he was all over his big brother!
As child of divorced parents Alex is used to spend time away from one or the other, but I don't think I will ever get used to it. I had to adjust to his absence in the summer since he was very little, but every time he leaves I send with him a tiny piece of my heart. During his absence I keep going, but when the day of is return approaches I find myself counting days and finally the hours. It felt so good to hug him again tonight. he was so happy yo be home and we were even happier to have him back. he is still up (playing the Wii that we bought for him while he was away), and it is way passed his bedtime, but tonight I don't care...he is home and is here to stay!

I guess bread trumps all

2007-07-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Apparently I don't feed my kids enough. Considering I am an Italian mother, anyone can understand why I take this as a personal insult. After dinner and a bath, this is how I have found Lucas tonight: sitting on the chair, watching TV, and eating left over bread that we had in the basket. He wasn't just eating it, by the way he was enjoying it, it seemed to me that to him it tasted way better than the "Pasta al pesto" I had prepared for dinner. Go figure!!

Even bunnies need some rest

2007-07-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last night when I went to kiss Ryan's goodnight, I saw this little set-up right near his bed and I could not help smiling. Ryan will not sleep at night without his bunny, a couple of months ago we forgot bunny in Colorado and had to wait for the hotel to send it by mail. Ryan was pretty good in finding a substitute stuffed animal to temporarily take bunny's place while his precious friend was finding its way home, but he was very anxious until bunny finally got home. Since then, he often creates special sleeping arrangements for bunny at night, but nothing compares to last night special accommodation. So this morning, when there was enough light in his bedroom, I went in a took this picture. I thought the most tender part was the little blanket with the fold to make sure bunny's face was out in the open!!!

2 out of 3

2007-07-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Are back home. We have mixed feelings about this. While it was nice to experience our every day life without the kids, have the freedom to do what we felt on a whim, we missed their voices and their presence. It certainly was too short of a time alone, but how can you not love these two?
Alex is still in Delaware and will be there for another couple of weeks then we will be off to Italy. Can hardly wait. As the departure gets closer, Greg and I start talking about the things we are looking forward to do while over there. Mostly simple things, they go from a drink in Piazza del Campo on a hot day, a walk in one of the many Tuscan villages, or the wonderful pizza in Castellina. Almost there.

A different 4th of July

2007-07-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

It was a childless fourth of July for us this year. Well, not completely but almost....
With Alex in Delaware until the 24th, we tried a new experiment: Ryan and Lucas at Grandma's and Grandpa's for one week together. Ryan has been in Chico for almost 2 weeks now and I have to say he is doing extremely well and seems to be very happy. So, last week-end Greg and I went to Chico with Lucas and came back on Sunday night with only the two of us. If Lucas was going to enjoy his time up there, we were going to pick up both kids this coming Saturday at the family pic-nic. If things did not work out we would have met for the 4th of July and took Lucas back home. Well, he seemed to be doing fine Monday and Tuesday, so Greg and I got to enjoy some peace and quiet in our house as well as some adult dining out. On Tuesday night we even hosted a poker game and it was lots of fun. Then yesterday, the weather was beautiful and hot, and after checking on the kids, we decided to go to the beach in Halfmoon Bay. For once it was great to just lie down and soak in the sun without having to run around with the kids. How peaceful!!! We got back to Menlo Park, took showers and went out for dinner (indian-chinese fusion). It was a little eerie to be dining out during a National holiday: no many people out, or restaurants open, way too unusual. Anyway, when we got home after dinner, and while we were getting ready to watch a movie, we got the phone call from Chico. Lucas was not doing too well, grandma's words were " inconsolable". That did it for me, I did not have to wait a minute longer, next thing I know Greg and I are in the car on our way to Vacaville to meet Grandpa who was going to bring our precious package back (Ryan was happy to stay and we will pick him up Saturday as from plans). It was late, we were tired and gt back home at 1AM. For how fantastic it has been to be alone with Greg and spend some quality time together, hugging Lucas and laying him to sleep in the bed that has been empty for the past few days was... priceless!

Saturday Morning

2007-06-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

It was a long week. So glad it is Saturday. At work I managed to send out a development plan and I have given the other proposal to the editor, so the bulk of the work is done. Next week we just have to format all the individual parts and submit it. Feeling relieved about that. At home, let's see Alex is gone to the beach and won't be back until sometime around July 24. Called him once and he was already ignoring me because of the excitement. I guess that is the way it is supposed to be! Yesterday was Ryan's last day at Applebee preschool and today is going to Chico for one week. We are going next week-end. Today we are taking it easy. Ryan is enjoying a movie, Lucas goes from room to room playing. I love the relaxed atmosphere of a non-working day and even more the feeling that summer is here and the days are long and full of promises.

LA DONNA CANNONE

2007-06-16T21:55:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite songs of all times

Writing

2007-06-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am writing a big proposal that is taking all my time. I should be out of the woods toward the middle of next week. I will be back then.

DONE!!!

2007-06-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

We have a kitchen and we are using it!!!
I am so ecstatic about this. I totally love my new kitchen and all the space we have added to the the house. It has been a long 5 months, but it was definitely worth it. Last week-end I have stayed up until 1AM every night moving stuff back in the new cabinets and slowly emptying the boxes that for the past few months were everywhere in the house.
The difference is huge! I still can't get over the amount of space that it is now available in the old living area. We have moved things around and

created a library where the old dining room was and the kids love the new area with all the books. We still have to find a carpet and few more things to complete the area, but that is actually fun for me!

Back from Colorado

2007-05-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

We got back yesterday from a 4 day week-end in Colorado. It was tiring but I think a big hit with the kids. We arrived in Denver really late on Friday night ( I think it was around midnight there), then the adventure started. Greg and Ryan went to the rental car location while Alex, Lucas and myself waited at the airport for almost one hour. When Greg got the car he could not find the right way to come and pick us up so when we all got into the car was almost 2AM. The kids fell asleep almost immediately (actually Lucas had been asleep all along in his stroller) and we started driving toward Vail. we made it to the hotel (Sheraton Montana Vista in Avon) at around 4AM, and Greg and I were total zombies!! Too bad Lucas decided it was time to wake up and he did not fall asleep again until 5AM (so while the rest of the family was comfortably asleep I stayed up with him). On Saturday morning, the kids were up by 8:30Am (what is wrong with them????) and I woke up with a huge migraine (maybe due to lack of sleep?). Greg took them out to have breakfast at the local Denny's while I tried to get few more hours of sleep. In the evening we went to visit Vail and loved it. It is a vary cozy village with neat little shops and cafes. Really liked it. Sunday it was decided (not by me) that it was an activity day, so we rented bikes and rode to Edwards on a bike path near the Eagle river. We stopped at a kids park on the way there and back and had lunch at the Riverfront while there (great craw fish soup and spinach salad!!!). The ride back to the hotel was long and painful, the kids were dead tired even if in the trailer and Lucas cried all the way back. And what it felt like a nice flat ride on the way to Edwards, turned out to feel like a series of insurmountable hills on the way back. That did it for Sunday!! That evening we took a stroll in beaver Creek which is another nice (but a little fake) village in the area. Monday we drove to Aspen (about 2 hours) and the highlight of the day was going up to the summit with the "gondola". There was still snow up there and the kids got a kick out of that. We drove back through Independence Pass and the views were amazing. On Tuesday we packed our stuff (and forgot bunny who will follow by mail!!!) and went to Breckenridge on our way to the airport. Another cute little village in my opinion. We did not spend much time there, and I would definitely go back, but we had a taste of it and liked it. Oh, and we also had a taste of the crepes sold in a tiny little place and they were good! One would think the adventure is over when you are on your way to the airport, but that was really not the case for this trip. A storm of rain, then snow and finally hail (this one really impressive!!) accompanied us to the airport and caused our plane to leave 3 hours later. But all is well what ends well and we are back home now with a bunch of new memories to remember and share among ourselves.

#1 reason....

2007-05-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

to buy expensive shoes.....
.......so that the kids can play dress up and go around the house and completely ruin them!!!
And believe me, he feels pretty good about himslef when he wears my shoes. For some reason completely unknown to me, these are his favorites!! At least the child has a pretty good taste.

OUCH!!!!

2007-05-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

If we go by his face in these pictures, one would think he is as good as new, right?
Trust me when I say that today that bump (or should we call it horn given the size!) on his head, is way smaller than yesterday right after the unfortunate accident. Lucas is going through a period of frequent accidents to say the least. His forehead has acquired this funky look after one of his many attempts at running without looking. Yesterday morning during what we thought was going to be a peaceful Sunday morning, he stumbled into the "roomba" (our robot vacuum cleaner) and banged the head against the edge of the bathroom door.
Big drama for a little while, but today everything seems to be forgotten!
ON TO THE NEXT CRISIS!

Moving along

2007-05-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

We are getting there. The appliances are all in, the granite is in place and the hardwood floor has been sanded. I can see my kitchen coming to life in front of my very own eyes. I have finally chosen the color for the walls, but I don't think the painter will come in until everything else is done.The tiles for the back splash will go up this week. Greg is so excited about his new coffee machine, he can't wait to use it for the first time. I think this moment during constructions is when it gets really tough, because we can see it, we can almost believe it is there, but there is still so much to do before everything is in place and working and every day feels like one month.
But it is OK, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I can be patient (that may not apply to every member of our family).
I am looking forward to having more space in the house, to get rid of boxes that right now are everywhere in the house, and to restock my kitchen with nice supplies, dishes and linens.
I am also looking forward to have the library completed (we bought a nice bookcase that should arrive any day now) and I have chosen the colors for the walls, so as soon as the dining table gets out of the room we can start creating our new library.
I better go, the kids are asleep and if I am lucky I may have one hour to do something I like

Fun in the heat

2007-05-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

The past two days it has been very warm in the Bay Area, with temperatures in the 90s. Personally I love it! It reminds me of the summer that is to come and the time we will spend in Italy. Furthermore, I love the shed the winter layers, going around with a shirt and a pair of shorts is how I could spend every day of my life and be happy. My kids seem to embrace the last feeling very literally, they love to shed ALL the layers of clothing possible, down to their underwear (or diaper, as in the case above). This was Lucas last night.......... totally loving it!!

Was it Mom's birthday today?

2007-05-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

I know, hard to say with all those mouths blowing candles,uhm?
Well, the numbers on the candles kind of give it away anyway!
Greg surprised me with calling Grandma and Grandpa down for a baby sitting impromptu (thank you guys!) and the two of us went out for dinner (by the way, if anyone wants to know a great restaurant in Mountain View, let me suggest XHAN, great food, really wonderful flavors!!) and after we got back we had cake (cheesecake, my favorite!) and opened the presents all together.The house is still a huge mess and the celebration had to take place on top of a bookcase, but those are details!
Also, I did not get to blow out the candles once,not even after they were lid three times (I believe Ryan was the one who got to them first each time), but when one is turning 43, it doesn't really matter, does it??
It was a good day.

It's beginning to look a lot like..

2007-04-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

..a kitchen! This is the way it looked at the end of working day today. Still a lot to do but the idea is turning into reality. Greg thinks there is a lot of yellow, I think that once the granite is in place and I finally make up my mind for a color for the walls, the yellow will not be so overwhelming. We will see.

House Update

2007-04-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

As I have said before the house expansion/remodeling is moving along. I took few pictures and looking at them I see that we made giant steps since the beginning, but when you are without kitchen for an extended period of time, every step feels too little and too slow. Even the kids have started complaining about the lack of kitchen. Nobody wants to go out for dinner anymore, we are so sick of it!!! I know, it sounds spoiled, but it really isn't!
There is something nice about eating homemade food, with fresh ingredients. The week in Hawaii was so great from this standpoint, I even baked cookies just because I could.
I think the hard floor should go in soon (maybe before the end of the week, yeah!) and the kitchen cabinets are going to be delivered this Saturday, so next week is going to be a major week in terms of changes. The kitchen should start looking like one and hopefully it will be functioning soon.
I like the way it is shaping up, the windows and door are in and there is already a lot of light in the room (the skylights help as well) and I think at the end is going to be beautiful...we just need to wait!

Back home

2007-04-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Spring Break in Maui!
It was nice to be away (not to mention having a kitchen!!) and spend some quality time all together. We did not do too much, mostly pool or beach, but Lucas is still too little to do much more. We did go to Hana though which was an interesting (to say the least) experience. Going was my idea and everyone made me feel horrible about it because it turned out to be rather painful to drive for all that time withe the 3 kids in the back of the car. The way I see it, now it is on the been there, done that list.
It was the first time Lucas was at the beach and he absolutely loved it! He was absolutely peaceful sitting on the sand and playing with his buckets and shovels. He also loved to be in the water and the waves did not scare him at all. Ryan was a little scared of the big waves but he loved Kapalua Bay because the water was much calmer and kid friendly. Alex simply comes to life when he is in the water, and it is a pleasure to see him swimming and diving like a little fish.
But we are back home now. The work at the house is still going on, the cabinets for the kitchen will be delivered this Saturday, so we are getting closer to see the final product, but I think we are still at least one month away. Not easy but I am thinking about the final result and hanging in there. Have a great Monday everyone!

He is 11 already!!

2007-03-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

I had to go to a conference in San Francisco today. As I was there listening to the talks, I looked at my watch and for a few minutes, my mind left that room and was transported to a rainy Tuesday morning 11 years ago, when I was bringing to the world my first born. Alex was born at 10:50AM, 11 years ago and I still can't believe how fast time has passed.
I made it back home around 6:30Pm and we went all out for dinner and then celebrate with cake at home. The real celebraiton took place yesterday. We all went to Alcatraz and it was an umbelievably beautiful day in the city. Alcatraz was a big hit with both Alex and Ryan. All in all, a great family day!

Whose feet are those?

2007-03-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Good Monday morning.
Ryan woke up at 6AM and Lucas followed a little after. The day started way too early for my taste. So I am sitting here drinking my tea (while trying to wake up!!!) and thinking about some of the positives in having kids (because waking up every morning at dawn does not classify as one in my book!!). I was looking at some pictures I have in my computer and these captured my attention. Ryan and Lucas were playing behind the curtains in the old kitchen and I took few pictures. I guess this should do it.
Hope your week started beautifully!

Still Breathing (barely!!!)

2007-03-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

I know I know, I have been completely missing in action for a while. But there are plenty of good reasons for my silence. At work it has been crazy: new projects starting one after another, presentations needed to be given, and I had to complete the performance evaluations for all my staff. As if that was not enough, the kitchen is GONE!!!! Yes, we have been living without it for one week now and life at meal time is interesting to say the least! And, last but not least, in the past few days I have suffered a severe inflammation in my right eye that kept me as far from the computer as humanly possible. If these are not good reasons, what is?
Anyway, the house remodeling is going well, hopefully in a couple of months it will all be over. Yesterday I took few pictures, but I am not sure they show the extent of the changes that are taking place. Anyway, here is a collage.

Today I had the chance to complete one page I had on my desk for something like one month. I had this idea of comparing pictures of Alex when he was little to more recent ones, just to have the different expressions through the years. I selected the pictures and then they sat on my desk forever. Today, sick of looking at them, I finally put together a page. Going to bed now!

Update on the house remodeling

2007-02-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

The construction is moving along. We still have our kitchen (I think we will have it for one more week) so we have not been affected too much by the remodeling YET. It starts to show more of the final product and that is the exciting part. In this picture, on the left there is the new kitchen door that will take us to the backyard, on the right there is the big window that will sit over the sink.
It has been a little over one month since the beginning of the work, probably another 3 months before the end (I know I am a very positive and optimistic person!!) of the project. I can't wait to have my new BIG kitchen and say good bye to the one we have.
Have a great Friday everyone!!

Happy Birthday Greg!

2007-02-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Greg.
We are all coming home so we can celebrate together!!! We love you!!
Mom, Alex, Ryan and Lucas

EDITED-

And indeed they celebrated!!!

The child did not take a nap today!

2007-02-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

The worst kind of days are usually due to a combination of several factors taking place just about at the same time. Today was one of those days in our household. It rained all day and that did not help because it kind of forced us in the house all day. Lucas has his bottom very red so he has hard time sitting and he has been walking around like a zombie all day long (anything to not sit down). At nap time, when we thought we were going to catch a little break, he refused to sleep, with consequences not at all desirable. He had a miserable day and his parents along with him. All around not a poster child all day long. While I was making dinner, I tried to put him in his high chair hoping it was not going to be too painful and this is what I have found 10 minutes later. I guess it was not so bad after all!

Love the week-ends!

2007-02-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

I think it is time for me to buy another scanner. I have been struggling with the one I have for a while now. It leaves marks on all the pages I try to scan and the results are less than satisfactory. I would like a printer and scanner in one to save space but at the same time I would like them to be capable of scanning and printing large format pages and I believe there are no all in one scanner/printer for a 12x12 format out there that are not fr professional use (therefore very bulky).
Anyway, the title of this post is about how much I love to have the time, during the week-ends to sit at my desk and play. I still dream of uncountable hours all for myself without the many interruptions, but I guess we all have to take what we can and one hour (maybe 2) during the week-ends are all I get nowadays. And I have to make do.
Today my goal is to clean up my supplies and organize them by color, let's see if this approach will make it easier to find what I need. And remember that will need to be done in approximately one hour!
Have a great Sunday!

Today I played!

2007-01-28T22:01:00.000-08:00

Today I've stolen few moments out of the day to relax and work with some of the many pictures that have been sitting on my desk for an incredible amount of time. I have to say it felt good. I did not have hours ahead of me, so I decided to use the elements of a kit because the kits contain supplies that usually complement each other and today that was going to be perfect for my needs. The kit I used was from Jenni Bowlin Studio. Did I mention how much I enjoy Jenni's kits? They are well thought and nicely put together. At times a little of a stretch for me because they can contain romantic and retro elements that are definitely out of my comfort zone. But that is part of the fun, isn't it?
So I found these pictures of Lucas taking off his socks (a very common event with him) and I played around. The page below is the result. Now I am ready for bed. Have a great night everyone.

So sick!

2007-01-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have been sick for the past 3 days. And when I say sick I am not using this word lightly. I have caught this stomach virus that is going around (I think I got it from Lucas) and it has brought me to my knees.
It is a Norovirus and it really, REALLY, kills your stomach,together with robbing you of all your strength and energy. I hope today is the last day because I feel totally useless.
Read more about this nasty bug here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus-qa.htm