Christmas!

It was a beautiful Christmas season! They usually are full of food, family, and fun but this one felt different - maybe softer, a bit slower. I have been so aware of the passing of time and I paused a few more times this Christmas to soak it in.

Thanksgiving 2022

Monica and Andrew hosted a beautiful Thanksgiving and we had a great time! We have so much to be grateful for this fall after having a rough few months with Mia's health. We are SO excited to use this season as a springboard to health and a fresh start!

V’s 50th Birthday!

V turned 50 this weekend and we had such an easy low key celebration. We went to one of our favorite places where we know so many people and where the kids, even as teens, love getting handfuls of chocolate truffles to bring home. I made a fun trivia game to play, and V won! I love the photo of little V celebrating at McDonald's as a kid below - such a cutie and really the same spirit. He doesn't like a lot of attention and this birthday felt special in that it honored his desire to stay intimate but also felt truly celebratory. Onward and upward as they say!

First day of school!

These kiddos started another year! Mia is in 10th and Luca is in 8th. Boston is so happy at the end of the day when the kids get back from school and practice, and so am I. When I see the backpacks thrown in the kitchen and shoes kicked off, I feel like we're all back in the nest.

Last Days of Summer

The final days of our summer break have been busy. We met baby Oliver, Maui and Bodhi's human brother, and are excited to watch him grow up with the pack of dogs. I also squeezed in more fishing and Neil came to visit!

Camp!

 Luca had such a great week at camp. It truly is a special special place and he comes home a bit changed - perhaps wiser, more grounded, and with an even more open heart. Experiences in our lives do that for us, they make us richer, rounder, and fuller. While I don’t know all of the ins and outs of this magical week he gets to experience during the summers, I know it makes him grow more into the spirit he is and is destined to become. And for that I am profoundly grateful.

I do love that the camp sends out pictures because it is so fun to catch glimpses of our kids out in the world without us. Check out the video below that was on the camp’s Instagram - Luca doing what he loves best, flipping into a mountain lake  at his happy place. ❤️

Birthdays!

 Mom turned 80 this October and Mia turned 15 the same month. In an effort to catch up the blog on all of the missing events, I want to keep some of those photos here!  The blog has always been a great place for me to tab some of my favorite photos of an event.  

I'll start with Mom's 80th.  We had SO MUCH FUN.  We all contemplated whether or not to have her party at a restaurant or venue or to have it catered at home.  We ultimately decided at home was best for our large group.  Monica and Andrew hosted at their house and we all set to work decided on food, decor, etc.  It was really beautiful.  

Happiest of birthdays to Mom!

Mia turned 15 just before Nana's birthday.  

We love to celebrate birthdays.  My logic is to celebrate when life offers you an opportunity to do so.  We all know there are a lot of things in life that certainly aren't celebratory....so take a moment to do so when you can!

Mia loves great fun restaurants so we went to one of her favorite crepe restaurants down in Cherry Creek North and shopped a bit.  

And then got her driver's permit!!  She has proven to be a great driver and having her permit has been a blast!  

Washington DC and Virginia over Spring Break

 We went to Virginia and DC this spring break to visit V's mother and sister and to be tourists together.  It was such a great trip.  We rented a cute condo less than a mile from V's sister so we got to experience the quaint life of Burke, VA and visit with her and V's mother in such an easy relaxed way.  We took day trips into the city and some other spots around DC that we wanted to visit, including Alexandria, Georgetown and Mt. Vernon.  We all had a ball and keep saying what a great trip it was!

First stop was to the National Mall.  We had a gorgeous spring day, absolutely perfect weather.  I had gotten tickets to the Holocaust Museum (tickets required because of Covid) and we began our day there.  It is a haunting museum, and to be there with the kids was a moving experience.  We spent the rest of the day checking out as many monuments as we could.  It was incredible.  It was so fun walking and talking all day together.  The most interesting conversations come up as you navigate through this type of tour.  It was so fun being able to just pop into museums quickly and check out a few installations and then move on.  DC is a special place.  

We loved having our condo in Burke.  It was so nice to drive 30 minutes to escape the city and be on Lake Burke.  Mia, being a runner, always seeks out great spots to train.  This was perfect.  We could walk to Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Bruno's and also be in a beautiful serene spot for some outside time, which we always crave. 

We hit Alexandria and loved the charm of it.  We had an amazing lunch near the water and then strolled around the town.  We couldn't believe our luck with the weather.  

Mia in front of the skinniest house in America.  

Our afternoon in Mt. Vernon was gorgeous.  Again, a really well designed museum and beautiful spot.  The kids have both studied this history in school which made it all the more meaningful.  

The real highlight of the trip, and the main reason for us being there, was to visit with Nonna.  She lives in an assisted living center right near Rosemary in Burke and it was so fun to see where she lived and have every dinner all together at Roe and Bruno's house.  It felt like old times, with all of us together at Mary's house.  I love that Mia and Luca really value family time and recognize the importance of it.  Seeing cousin Lorenzo was great too.  

Foosball in the basement - This is the kind of stuff I love to see, even more than monuments - the kids being able to just hang out together and have fun.  

Georgetown was another highlight.  So fun to be able to tour a college campus!  The students were having some kind of fair outside that day so food trucks were everywhere, kids playing frisbee, groups of students gathered laying out (it was so so beautiful!!) and talking.  Both Mia and Luca asked, "Is this what college is like????"  Yup.  Pretty much!   

We walked the buildings and then walked around town.  We ended up at Georgetown cupcakes.  Obviously.  

Mia and I pretending to be students.  

Our trip was over St. Patrick's Day so we got cupcakes for everyone with that theme in mind.