Happy Birthday Baby Lana

Wow!!... Lana is 1 year old today! She is such a wonderful bundle of joy- I can’t imagine life without her! Below is a video that was taken shortly after her birth. She is not completely cleaned off, but she is absolutely beautiful. Happy Birthday Baby Lana…. We love you!

Lana's First Steps

As promised, here is a video of Lana taking her first steps.. It's short, but very sweet!

YIPPEE!!!

Just wanted to update everyone that Lana is walking!! I'll post a video soon...

The Weekend....

Friday night was Jayce’s last basketball game of the season. I took pictures, but they did not turn out so well so I don’t have any to post.

Saturday, Jayce went to a school dance. Afterwards, a friend of his came over and stayed the night. Of course, they were up all night playing PS3 and watching movies. This is a picture I took of Jayce just before he left for the dance. Doesn’t he look so handsome?

Sunday, Jayce and I went to a spaghetti dinner where the teenagers served the parents. It was set up by the Catholic Church for the kids to be able to demonstrate honoring thy mother and father. It was a fabulous dinner! Below is a picture of me and Jayce. You’ll have to ignore my mess of hair; it was due to being at Jayce’s baseball practice prior and the wind and cold weather was awful yesterday. That is why Lana and BJ stayed home, to keep warm and cozy!

Vino!

Where do I begin?? This past week has been hectic and will continue that way until the beginning of next week. For the most part, I’ve been exercising this week and focusing on my studies.. trying to catch up from the previous week when everyone was sick. I’ve spent close to a total of 2 hours each day at the gym. To say the least, I am very sore. But perseverance is keeping me going! I do treat myself frequently to a spa-day and get a relaxation massage, it is so worth it!! My exercising is paying off. I feel great and I’m still losing weight!! My target goal is 100 lbs. currently, I’m at 105 lbs.!

I have some great things to blog about, but tonight I am relaxing and enjoying a glass of dolcino (very sweet red wine). A few weeks ago, BJ and I went to a wine tasting festival and picked up some superb bottles of vino! Below is a picture of a few of the most recent purchases. In the near future I will have to take a snap of others, just not up to it tonight.

Seriously, this wine I am drinking is incredible! (It has balance and harmony) If you want a great dessert wine or something to enjoy with chocolate in particular, then you need to try this. It is not expensive and is probably one of the better wines I have tasted. I am not a wine expert, but have become more knowledgeable since living here in Sicily.

I can’t think of a better way to end a perfect evening than to soak in a bubble bath… Ciao!

Irish Blessing

May your troubles be less, your blessings be more,

and nothing but happiness come through your door.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Mt. Etna's Snow Tip

The other day we were driving home and I had to pull over so I could get a picture of Mt. Etna. It is so pretty this time of year with the snow tip at the top!

First Wagon

A few weeks ago we bought Lana her first wagon. Today, BJ and Jayce put it together for her. Check out the pictures below......

Lana joined in to help.

Almost finished.

The neighbors came by to join in the fun!

Yeah! It's ready to ride in!

Lana going on her first ride inside the wagon!

The Warmth Of A Sunset

I came across these pictures and I thought they were too beautiful not to share. I love to watch the sunset. It brings much relaxation and warmth; it’s a very peaceful way to end the day! I hope you feel at ease when you view these. They are pictures I took of the sunset while on a boat-trip out in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

I love how the sun glistens across the water.

I love the hues of orange in both of these photographs.

Can you just feel the quietness and calmness of the sea?

Look how beautiful the sky is and how the colors are gleaming from the sun.

Are you feeling relaxed?

Serenity in its finest moment!

Art Appreciation

I’m behind in my blogging so I thought I would spend a little time and catch up. We have been extremely busy. In addition, this past week we were each battling with a flu bug of some sort. Everyone is feeling better and getting into our usual swing of things.

Beforehand, I was volunteering at the elementary school and they had this well known Italian sculpture visit the art classroom. He helped the 5th grade students by carving their initials in cut pieces of wood. The students really seemed to enjoy themselves. I’ve included a few pictures of his work.

As you can see in the photo above, there was a plethora of dust particles in the air. The picture below is a much clearer shot of him getting ready to chisel the wood.

He spent a total of 6 hours behind that bench chiseling the initials of each of the students into their own pieces of wood.

His artwork is not cheap. If I remember correctly, I believe he mentioned to a faculty member that this piece alone would cost over 6,000 euro.

The art teacher set up this room for the lower grades to visit and get a glimpse of his talent.

He was a very kind hearted individual. I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet him.

Activities Through The Years

We have allowed Jayce to dabble in about everything. In hopes that he will find his true passions and always be open to explore new things. We’ve always had the notion of him being able to figure out his own interest, not to do something just because of his friends or because his dad did so when he was younger. Nevertheless, we have always encouraged Jayce to be a his own person that is a leader and not a follower, which he has proven time and time again that he does not follow “the crowd".

Over the years, Jayce has participated in many activities and events. In doing so, it has helped shape his personal growth, creativity, and the ability to make clear conscious decisions. I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures of some the activities Jayce has been involved with over the years- *not in any particular order

This photo is when Jayce was on the cross-country track team while attending St. Patrick Catholic School.
Jayce during karate class while living in Virginia. He is so cute!

In this picture, Jayce was playing my Uncle David's guitar. Afterwards, he received is own guitar, which he currently plays.

This photo was taken for one of Jayce’s science fair experiments, which he tested to see if hand sanitizer really works. He earned a first place ribbon!!

One of the photo's from the many years that Jayce played soccer in Florida.

Jayce is quite a unique kid! I could keep going on and on….But, I’ll save more for future blogging! :P

Muah!!

Dame un beso!! (Give me a kiss!!)

Love Of Music

Everyone who knows me well knows that I love music. I have a deep appreciation for all types of music and I feel it’s because I grew up within a very musically inclined family. My family would gather frequently to celebrate anything and everything, thus leading to everyone singing or playing some sort of instrument. I don’t have any talents when it comes to music. I can’t sing or play an instrument. I’m sure if I really put my mind to it-I could accomplish it. But, I’d rather just enjoy others.

I chose the song I Cross My Heart by George Strait to be my song for Jayce when he was born. Every time I hear that song it makes my heart melt. That song would actually relax Jayce when he was a baby. After Lana was born I listened to so many songs trying to pick the perfect song for her. Today, I decided on My Wish by Rascal Flatts. Both songs express my deepest love and wishes for both of them!

Throughout my life I tend to have a “special song” with those that hold a special place in my heart-What is your song with that special someone in your life?