Bearizona

If you ever want to feel like you have gone to a modern day Jurassic Park check out Bearizona.  This new wildlife park lets you drive through and literally have bison, wolves, bears and other animals right outside your car!  We enjoyed it sooo much.  It was a little rainy that day but we got some pretty good shots.

It really was an adreline rush to be so close to these amazing animals as they roam free!  They also had a bird show and a few enclosures to see other animals like porcupines, mountain lions, beavers and our favorite - bear cubs.

It was so nice to have Michele and Paula up there with their kids.  These boys are so cool.

This little bear cub was trying to stay dry between rain showers :)





Summer Days

We are up at my parents cabin for three weeks without a computer (yeah!) but I wanted to try to keep up with my blog because when we are up here there is a lot of good memory making going on! So I am writing this on my phone and will add some pictures later. Every summer I try to spend a chunk of time up here - 2 weeks or more. I feel so blessed to be able to do it and I am convinced it is so good for the kids. We hike, play games, do lots of reading and just hang out with family.  Paolo has found a bird book and will sit on the porch trying to identify the birds he sees. Diego and some of his cousins have a fort that they built a few years ago that they keep improving.  Jules and Elise have been playing together well (for the most part) and are always coming up with make believe stories that they live out. It is a great change of pace.

Our first weekend here the Flagstaff Beer Festival was going on in Flagstaff. We had considered going but it was expensive and the kids could not go so Michele had the great idea of doing our own festival complete with beer/food pairings. We filled four growlers (translated - beer jug) at a local brewery with 4 different types of beer and everyone brought a dish to go with one of the 4 beers.

 It turned out to be so fun, delicious and a lot cheaper! My family definitely knows how to eat and drink well.

This will be sort of a quiet week with Mark and my parents gone for a few days but this weekend we have more family coming in and more good times ahead!

Back in the Saddle

I was blown away to find that my last post was from Easter!  I had a bit of an adventure a few weeks ago that took me out of commission - I got Hepatitis A.  I was pretty sick and completely shocked that I had contracted this illness but it is at times like this that you feel the overwhelming support of family and friends.  We had so much help and I actually recovered much more quickly than I expected to.  I was so ready to get back to my daily routine!

Right when I was at the peak of my illness, Diego was smack in the middle of campaigning for student council.  He was running for finance and I felt so bad because I was not able to help him very much with his speech and labels.  Well, he won! I am so proud of him for taking this on and carrying on even when I could not help him much.  Here he is at the installation ceremony.

I have been so emotional for the last week watching the 8th graders leave and knowing that Diego's class will be filling their spaces.  It does not help that Paolo just finished his Kindergarten year - where does the time go?  They had a prayer service and their 6th grade buddies were involved which was cool because Juliana is a 6th grader!  It was a special morning.

Here is the big boy getting his certificate.

Fuzzy picture but oh that face!!

Sr. Christine had them singing lots of adorable songs.

The best was when they sang "This Little Light of Mine".  He was so into it and was making us laugh with his crazy hips arm motions.  Lots of pictures with family and friends!

It is pretty awesome that my kids get to have their Aunt Stacia as their kindergarten teacher.

 

Up

Easter had a different feel this year.  I can't really explain it but for many different reasons it was a little somber.  Diego opted to play with friends instead of dyeing eggs with the kids.  Mark worked on Easter Day and I was the only one of my siblings to be at the extended family party.  There is a lot going on in the family right now and it is a little tough.  That is why I am soooo thankful for my husband.  I think by nature I am somewhat of a pessimist.  I am not resigning myself to this, just acknowledging it so I can fight it.  Mark, however, always sees the bright side.  He can take any situation and find the positive.  So I am rethinking Easter 2012 and here is the up-side:

I had three smiling children coloring eggs and being very creative - they used crayons, rubber bands, toothbrushes and tape to make some pretty amazing creations.  Shortly after they finished I got to visit with my childhood friend, Caroline, who lives in D.C.  It is always nice to see her and catch up.

Easter morning I woke up to five healthy, happy children who had all the joy of Easter in their eyes.  It was especially fun watching Ava rifle through her basket of candy and hunt for eggs.

Although our extended family gathering was small it was nice because I got to have some real conversations just because there were fewer people.  Paula brought the red eggs to do the Greek tradition of "Christos Anesti".  I actually won which means I am supposed to have a year of good luck!

The kids enjoyed time with their east side cousins.

So I think I will remember this Easter for the way it made me look up.  I truly believe that at the end of the day, happiness is a choice.  Sometimes it is a hard choice and we have to go against the way we are feeling.  But I think it is an important choice.  We are called to be Easter people, always looking UP.

Happy Birthday Paolo Joe!

What a goofball!  We had another "Golden Birthday" around our house last week.  Paolo turned 6 on April 6th and with the help of friends and family I think it will be a birthday he will always remember.  It started out with churros for his kindergarten class.  Ava came along.

For his birthday dinner, which was on Good Friday this year, we had tostadas, enchiladas, shrimp patties and nopales.  I loved seeing how excited he was about his birthday.  I hope he felt so special because he really is one of a kind.  Dirt cake, of course :)

We spent weeks talking about a birthday party with friends - what to do, how to decorate.  He settled on Star Wars and Nina Linda really came through with the decorations.  She really could be a professional party planner.

3-D decorations no less.

The kids went in the pool for a bit and then we played a few games - Jedi training.

Mark's Mom had saved an R2-D2 cake pan from when Mark was little and we used it to make Paolo's cake.  Pretty cool - that thing is probably 30 years old.  Star Wars is so timeless.

I hope all his wishes come true.  Paolo you are a happy, sweet, fun-loving boy and we are so blessed to have you in our family!!!