My Baby is Seventeen!!!!

Seventeen years ago today, I gave birth to my firstborn daughter, Hailey. It doesn't seem like that long ago, but a birth certificate doesn't lie, I suppose. I remember clear as day being her age myself. How I regret not treasuring each and every moment of her childhood...getting too busy with life and things that I thought were important, when really, they were silly.
I have had the blessing of watching Hailey transform into a beautiful young lady. Yet, still, a teenager, with some of the typical teenager traits that drive a mom crazy! Smart, beautiful, determined...those, of course, are not the traits I speak of when referring to a teenager, but they are what I think of when I think of my little Hailey.

I know that there are many moms who have gone before me as their own children have changed almost overnight from a child who is being raised to a young woman who simply needs guidance before she ventures off to live the rest of her life. Still, it is difficult for me to put into words what I am feeling as her mom at this moment. Although I am proud of her, I feel a sort of tearing of my heart as it seems she needs me less and less...

                                                         Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

What it means to be Pro-life

Inspired by what my pastor preached about at church I just had to write this blog post....

"In the beginning God created....." Out of nothing, He created... That statement is so incredible and overwhelming when you think about it. God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." (Gen 1:26). Every single person was created by God in His likeness.

He knew each one of us and has a plan for all of us. : "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16)."

Many are faced with some very difficult choices, but I know without a doubt that abortion is the wrong choice. As created beings, we don't have the right to destroy helpless, unborn babies and take away their choice to live. We were created by God in His likeness and He loves each an every one of his creations. 

That being said, what qualifies a person to be pro-life? Is it standing in front of Planned Parenthood praying and holding signs? Is it voting for pro-life candidates only? Is it volunteering for a pro-life organization? The simple answer is maybe, it can mean those things, but those things alone do not make a person pro-life. If the same person who votes for a pro-life candidate doesn't help to feed, clothe and minister to the millions of children around the world who are dying from starvation or illness, then they are NOT pro-life. After all, God does not discriminate. God made every person in His likeness, no matter what color, socioeconomic status, gender or nationality that person is. We cannot stand by and save unborn babies, yet allow those already born to die because of inconvenience, greed or afterthought.

                                           
The message this past Sunday at my church was about the greatness of God, but walking out of service, I felt so challenged to get more involved in doing justice and teaching our children to do the same. Not only in the monetary sense, but in the physical sense. Not as a novel thing that we do at Thanksgiving time or Christmas, but as a way of life. Not once a year on a mission trip, but every day. Caring for those in need should be as routine for us as brushing our teeth. 


It is all centered around Christ and His love.


 

Jim Deakin: In person

Most of my readers know that I am passionate about politics and the health of our great country. The senate elections currently underway have been very interesting and very important, especially during this time in history

While I respect Senator McCain for the long time service and sacrifice he has contributed to this country, and I enjoyed J.D. Hayworth's radio talk show, neither of these men hold true to the conservative values I feel are so important. I never would have thought that I would give a "no-name candidate" a chance, but after watching the debates on Friday and Saturday night, a driving force inside of me insisted that I find out more about the "other guy", as labeled by KFYI's Barry Young. Following the debate on Friday night, I was completely disgusted with McCain and Hayworth slamming one another, while Deakin sat there appearing uncomfortable and unable to put a full sentence together without falling over his words. I was so discouraged...then, the Saturday night debate in Tucson invigorated my hope for the outcome of this election! Jim Deakin answered each question with a level of ease that was missing the night before. His answers were intelligent and made sense. In the meantime, McCain and Hayworth continued to sling mud at one another and put on quite a show!

I recently began writing for Examiner.com and thought I would ask Mr. Deakin for an interview to learn more about him and help to inform others as well. I extended the same invitation to J.D. Hayworth and John McCain and I am still waiting for their response. Mr. Deakin, on the other hand, agreed to an in person interview. Remember, all I knew of this candidate was what I saw on the debates...I had never met him before and only knew that there was another guy running. I had heard of rumors regarding another candidate taking votes away from Hayworth and even heard that Deakin was actually working undercover for the McCain campaign to make sure Hayworth lost. How ridiculous! I never did believe those falsehoods.

 I met Jim and his wife Adonia at Barnes and Noble at Tempe Marketplace and spent about half an hour with the couple. He is a very warm man with a great personality and a lot of courage to put himself and his family out there for public scrutiny. He is a pro-life Christian conservative disgusted with the direction of our country and concerned for his children and now, his grandchildren. The couple recently had their first grandbaby and they are thrilled! Adonia is a very "real" woman, no acting here. She is just as passionate as her husband about bringing change to our country. Her phone rang off the hook because she was taking all of the campaign calls because with the campaign's budget, they are unable to hire any help. The entire campaign is run by volunteers.

A refreshing breath of fresh air in the political scene, most likely because he is untainted by politics as usual! Exactly what we need in Washington to represent the people! Dare we take a chance on this man with no political record to speak of? How fed up are we the people?

So, you are probably wondering by now, what exactly does he stand for? Small government and everything that comes with it. You can read more about where he stands politically and find the link to donate to his campaign at http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-57251-Chandler-Conservative-Examiner~y2010m7d22-Jim-Deakin-Who-is-this-political-newcomer.

Hailey's South Africa Trip

I have been thinking about how I could write about Hailey's mission trip considering I am not the one who went to South Africa. I thought about it and came up with the perfect solution...you will hear from Hailey herself. She came back and wrote a letter to people who supported her both financially and prayerfully.

So, in her own words...

"Thank you so much for your support as I ventured to South Africa this summer. My trip was filled with so many memories and new friends. I gained so much knowledge about different cultures, people, and most importantly God.


In the beginning of the trip I did not know why I was there, and then I realized what a privilege it was to have God use me this summer. This was truly a once in a life time opportunity as people from all over the world were there in attendance of the FIFA World Cup.

We spent most of our days in the slums of South Africa in a town named Diepsloot. I cannot even begin to explain the level of poverty that plastered this area. There was sewage running through the dirt roads, kids running around barefoot begging for water, and the stench was nearly unbearable. These people craved love more than anything.

Over 600 lives were saved during a three week time period. Their hearts are so open and they only want someone to talk to. Over the course of my trip my day out on ministry consisted of ministering to adults and for the kids we reviewed a lesson and played songs for them to play, dance, and praise to. The children were also given opportunities to accept Jesus into their lives and many did so.

The group I was with was also given the opportunity to go on a safari. I saw elephants, zebras, and I got to pet a baby lion. After the safari, a dinner was hosted for us on the mountain in the middle of South Africa!

The whole trip was a great experience and I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to go. Thank you for making yourself a part of my adventure."

Potty Training!

No, not Luca! My goal is by age three we will have that conquered! This story is about Nora, who we affectionately refer to as TiTi.
I have shared before that TiTi had a habit of having a bowel movement almost every time she took a bath. This meant for a very clean bathtub because I had to sanitize it just about daily. She has cooled off and no longer is this a habit of hers, but we almost had an incident today.
She and Luca were taking a bath together, splashing and playing away, when she took the stance and made the face.

(Yes, that is the look)

I panicked because I knew if I didn't do something, Luca was going to completely freak out! Wouldn't you?
Anyhow, I saw the expression on her face, grabbed her and sat her down on the potty, dripping wet! She did her thing, got lots of praises and back into the bath tub she went.

(Luca loves to help shampoo Nora's hair)

Ah, such sweet moments...

Keeping Sane in the Arizona Heat

I think I have found a safe haven for the Arizona summer heat. Today, Alessandro and I loaded up the kids and went over to the City of Chandler Aquatic Center. We lathered up with sunscreen and set out to spend the first half of the day in the water. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of the whole public pool thing because I tend to try to stay away from them. My past experiences with water parks and public pools have left much to be desired. In my mind, they are dirty and smelly. Alessandro, however, loves the idea of spending the day in the water for a minimal cost to us, so I decided to be a good sport and try it.
To my surprise, the aquatic center was not only clean, but so much fun! Although the temperature outside was over 100 degrees, we all stayed cool whether we were floating in the lazy river, going down waterslides, playing in the splash pad area or just sitting in the shallow water. The kids had a blast and the only time there was any crying or fit throwing was when we told Luca it was time to leave.
We may have to make this a weekly event during the hot months. It felt like we were on vacation!

I wish I had photos to post, but Hailey has the camera in South Africa. I did take a couple of pictures with my phone, but have not yet figured out how to upload those photos. I will add them later.

Catching up the rest of the Family trip to Arizona

Okay, I am going to knock this out in one post because I realized that with all I have going on in life (a strong-willed 2 1/2 year old son, a 1 year old daughter, and a 16 year old daughter going to South Africa for a mission trip this summer...it would be a miracle if I finished blogging this trip by the end of the year. So, now that I have a few minutes, I am going to tell the rest of the trip right now.

Sunday, April 4th was Easter, so we took Sal, Jo and the boys to church with us and then we went to the Arizona Grand Resort.
We had plans to stay there overnight and boy, was I in for a surprise. I really should have known that it was probably not the best idea considering the ages of my kids. Trying to wrestle with their schedules and demands while trying to relax and enjoy myself and relax was really just a contradiction! Crazy times...once we got settled in the room for the night, we got everybody ready for bed. There were two queen beds and a pull out couch, where Hailey and her friend Taylor slept. Luca must have been teething because he woke up about every hour screaming and consequently, Nora woke as well. The original plan was to wake up and go to breakfast with the family, hang out by the pool and then take the kids home for their naps while everybody else went to hike Camelback. Needless to say, all I could think about was getting home, so when I woke up at 6:30 or so, I frantically began to pack bags and get everybody loaded up in the car because all I could think about was getting home and that is exactly what I did. The resort was amazing as long as you weren't there with 2 babies and no hired help! So, everybody else hiked the mountain and had a great time. When they got back, we all showered and got ready for our adult night out. Hailey babysat the kids and we were able to go out for dinner, and let me tell you, did I ever need the kid break! I love my babies, but I needed a few hours to rejuvenate. Culinary Dropout was our choice for dinner and it was delicious.

The next morning, Tuesday, we got up and made our way out to the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium and picked up Lebanese food for dinner from 16th Street Bakery. Sal originally suggested that I make Lebanese food for dinner and all I could do was laugh! I said that I would buy dinner, but if they wanted me sane, making it was out of the question! The food was delicious, but I am not sure the boys were very excited about the cuisine. They were pretty good sports about it though. Mellow night at home...very nice.

Wednesday was the day of departure, so we drove out to Kierland, shopped around a little, ate lunch, and drove around Arcadia. Good byes are always sad to me. Sal, Jo and the boys had to go home and we were really going to miss having all of that action in the house. I do love a full house!

Hailey's Adventure Begins

So, Hailey left for her Global Expeditions Mission Trip today. She is in Dallas for training at the Teen Mania Headquarters, then off to South Africa on Thursday. We got all of the packing done by Thursday, so rather than spending her last night here scrambling to gather the last few things, we were able to just spend time as a family. It was so nice. It consisted of ordering pizza from Basha's grocery store and just spending time in the backyard with the entire family and Hailey's good friend Paige. It was so nice.

We woke up early this morning to get to the airport and my friend Hannah, who has 2 little ones of her own, came by to stay with my kids so that I wouldn't have to wake them and drag them with us to the airport. Good for them and very good for us! This isn't the first time Hannah has made my life easier!
I can't tell you about all of the financial miracles we have experienced in the past month and a half. Not only did she make the half-way mark deadline, which was just under $2000, in only 10 days, but she raised the rest of it way before the deadline! Then, as with everything, there are always unaccounted for costs that you don't factor in when planning a trip like this...supplies (you should have seen the list from GE!), immunizations, spending money, etc. I found myself a bit stressed out about the spending money part of the whole thing and the surprise we got from American Airlines regarding the fact that checked baggage is no longer included in the fare. Not even one bag! Then I realized that if God had brought us this far, why would He stop now? Well, He didn't! I wasn't really surprised. He provided financial gifts through so many people who were willing to forgo the tax deduction and give the money directly to Hailey for checking baggage, spending and supplies. Thanks to all of you who contributed to make this trip happen for Hailey.
So, let me just briefly talk about the packing list from GE. It was so long! There were specific weight instructions too and I thought there was no way it was going to happen. We put our heads together and figured things out. She took a Dallas bag, that will stay in one of the team leaders dorm rooms while they are in S. Africa and then another bag that will go with her to S. Africa. Her American Airline flight allows 50 lbs per bag and the international flight, Air France, allows 70 lbs. This will allow her to make a transfer of a few necessary items along with the required 2 tubs of peanut butter and 2 squeeze bottles of jelly! The peanut butter and jelly alone weighed 10 pounds! One carry on and her personal item (her backpack) and she was set!
I am so excited for her to be a part of something so incredible...I believe that God is going to grow her through this experience and that she will touch the lives of many, making lifelong friends and memories in the process.

Surprisingly enough, I don't really feel anxious or nervous...I will miss her, of course, but all in all, I feel peace about what she is about to embark on.

Mother's Day

I know I am late in writing this, but I have had so much going on and am now playing catch up. Mother's Day was fabulous this year.

Alessandro takes over on Mother's Day every year and won't let me lift a finger, unless I have to! I don't cook, do dishes, laundry or any other form of "housework". He tries to completely take over where the kids are concerned, but naturally, there are some things that only a mommy can do (nurse)!

Dro usually has to work on Sundays, but he traded shifts with someone so that he could spend the day with us.

After a fantastic church service, Alessandro took over the kids and Hailey and I got to go out for lunch, just the two of us. We went to Oregano's and had delicious salads! I don't get much time alone with Hailey these days, so my time at lunch with her was definitely a highlight!

Once we got home, the kids were still napping, so Alessandro insisted that I nap too. It felt so good! The kids woke up and played outside in the water for a while.

When playtime was over, bath-time commenced. We put Nora to bed at about 7:00 p.m. and Hailey took responsibility for Luca. She fed him and put him to bed so that Alessandro could take me out to dinner. We went to my favorite restaurant, True Food Kitchen where I had the delicious Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad, Local Arugula, Beets, Pomegranate, Lemon, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, followed by a Banana's Foster Milkshake from Zen Burger and a walk around the Biltmore. Truly Amazing!

The only thing missing this mother's day, was spending it with my mom...I really wish she lived close by.

Thank you for a fantastic Mother's Day! I am so thankful for the family God has so generously blessed me with!

Nora's First Birthday

My sweet, sweet baby girl is already a year old and I feel like she was born just last week! Some of Nora's attributes...she is such a content baby, she loves to cuddle and be held, she has a smile that just melts me, she loves to hear her own voice (in a pleasant way), she only cries when she is teething, hungry or needs to be changed, when she is tired she starts to grab her ear, and everything she does is dainty. She was even dainty eating her first piece of birthday cake! She would grab pieces of it with her index finger and her thumb and kept herself clean for a while! Once she got a little comfortable with the taste and feel of it, it was coating her hands! So precious!

I am so thankful to Jesus for Nora, I am overwhelmed that He would choose me to steward over her life...what a big responsibility, I hope I do a job worthy. At times, I just want to freeze time. I just want to make it stop because these moments are precious and they are going by way too fast.

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

God's Protection

Friday was one of those days where I had just about every minute planned out and accounted for and in an instant, all of my plans were debunked. We went to get Hailey's passport for her mission trip to South Africa on Friday morning.  She was following me in her car and there was bumper to bumper traffic as it was 8:15 a.m. On a two lane road, with a ditch to the right of me, traffic began to move and so did I. Before I knew it, the cars in front of me slammed on their brakes, and in order to miss hitting the vehicle in front of me, I did too. Not only did I press hard on the brakes, I swerved onto the gravel to avoid collision with another vehicle. In doing so, I lost control and landed in a ditch. My little ones, Luca and Nora were in the backseat unaffected emotionally or physically. They just continued to watch their movie. Like I said, Hailey was behind me and she got out of her vehicle and in a panicked voice asked if I was okay. In her words "I thought you were dead!". She said that all she saw was my vehicle bounce up into the air and land in the ditch. From my position, in the car, it felt as though it were almost completely on its side. I thought for sure the car was crushed on the passenger's side. I called Alessandro and told him we were okay, but that I didn't think the car was going to make it. At that moment, Hailey came up to my window and told me that the body of the car was not touching the ditch. Obviously, I didn't completely believe her, but I climbed out of the car and saw for myself that there was very little damage done to the car, and it was in fact, not touching the ditch. Hailey almost rode with me and if she had, there is no telling what condition she would be in. She took her own car because we figured she would get to school faster that way. It was as if God lifted my vehicle and placed it into the ditch very strategically. I remember thinking that I wished I had my camera with me so that I could take a picture because nobody was going to believe me.
The police officers were very kind and went above and beyond. So beyond that one of them got Nora's stool on him. So gross and a very long story!
Okay, I guess I have to elaborate a little on that one. Of all days and times, Nora's diaper leaked up her back and I pulled her out of the car first, without knowing the state of her back. She rubbed against Luca's car seat and got it dirty. The officer took Luca out of the car, but left him in his car seat and he grabbed the exact spot of the soil. He was so gracious about the whole thing!
So, anyhow, the guy with the tow truck showed up and decided that if he pulled my car out himself, it would cause damage, so he called for another truck and together, they slowly and steadily lifted my car out of the ditch and because these men took the extra time and took pride in their work, I was able to drive my car away after a couple of hours.
I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to meet these 6 very kind men who were so helpful and considerate. I feel overwhelmingly blessed and grateful to the Lord for his hand of protection over my children's lives and my life.
So, my plans were thwarted and my car very slightly beat up. Big deal! I was told several times by several different people, "I hope your day gets better" and my response was, "I can't really complain about today because my kids are safe, I am alive and my car is drivable!".

National Honors Society

Last night, Hailey was inducted into the National Honors Society. I am such a proud mom! She really is an exceptional young lady. Not only is she very helpful around the house with the little ones, she holds down a job and makes good grades.

She looked beautiful, as always, at the ceremony.

I had to actually get a babysitter because Alessandro was in school and I wasn't going to miss the ceremony. I am so excited because I have known Samantha for years, she lives close by, and Luca adores her. She did a great job last night and Luca even went to bed for her! I put Nora to bed before I left the house, but she probably could have handled both kids.

All in all, we had a great night, celebrated at Grimaldi's and then Alessandro met me for 31cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins!

April 3rd Rawhide

Our Saturday was spent at Rawhide which was a blast! The highlight of this day was when Sal and Josephine had their boys "arrested" and thrown into the Rawhide jail. Poor Dominic, who is 4, was devastated! He thought it was real and cried and cried. The deputy's didn't give in...they played it out until the end. Tough guys.

April 2nd...Grand Canyon Day Trip

I haven't been to the Grand Canyon since I was a very young kid, so I don't really remember anything about it. We loaded up the two cars on Friday morning, and off we went. In one vehicle was Alessandro, Sal, Sal Jr., Jacob, Dominic and Luca. In the other car, me, Josephine, Hailey and Nora. I ask you...who got the better deal?

The Grand Canyon was beautiful! The kids did great...until it was time to head back. The video player that keeps us sane when driving long distances was malfunctioning the entire trip, so the men tell us! This usually results in Luca screaming! Boy, we are really going to have to work on that!

The most memorable part of the whole trip was in the car on our way back. The girls were in the rental car that had XM radio, so we found the 80's station and absolutely tortured Hailey! Josephine and I knew almost all of the words to almost every song and we sang them loudly! We had so much fun! Hailey kept begging us to stop and kept looking at us like we had lost it. It was great!

We were all pretty naive about the whole "day trip to the Grand Canyon" idea and thought we would be back by 8 or 9 p.m....no, it was more like midnight! We were exhausted, but all of us were glad we experienced the Grand Canyon.

Tax Day TEA Party-2010

I have to interrupt the Staycation series to share with you what I had the honor of being a part of today. If you are a tax-paying American citizen, then you know that today was Tax Day, April 15th. The day where you give the government a large portion of what you earn. Brings tears to my eyes...

Just in case you can't see the sign Luca is holding, it says "I Am Pro Choice When Talking About Light Bulbs, Not When Talking About Unborn Babies".

I had the pleasure of attending a TEA Party here in Gilbert, AZ with a couple of friends and let me tell you, I am so glad I went. With all of the negative things going around in our country, all of the taxing, bailouts, the health care takeover...the ruling that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, in a society where more value is placed on endangered animals than on an unborn baby, and tax-dollars are being spent on abortions  and Viagra for sex offenders and rapists, it was an encouragement for me to come together with people who share the views and values I hold in regards to politics and religion. I needed the encouragement because with all I read and hear about, feelings of isolation were beginning to set in, as if I were the black sheep, the minority. Today reminded me that we are not the minority, but we were the silent majority. NO MORE! A sleeping giant has been awakened and I am excited to be a part of it! The TEA Party movement is going to bring about the common sense solutions that this country needs, starting with cleaning the House and the Senate in 2010!

There were a couple of thousand people gathered in Gilbert to rally together for the common good. The party got started with prayer (that's right...people came together and began their political event with prayer and too bad if that offends anybody!).
There were some very creative signs held by some very diverse people.

JD Hayworth (John McCain's opponent) was a participant in the TEA Party event, among other conservative politicians. There were Pro-Life groups, 2nd Amendment Rights groups, and the most impressive to me...the Teenage Republicans Club (TARS). Sheriff Joe Arpaio spoke about all of the government waste along with cracking some jokes about himself too. Go Sheriff Joe!

He is doing a great job, and just because I think so, does not make me a racist. One of the signs I held today said "I Am Pro Legal Immigration". You see, my grandfather, Ted Karam, my father-in-law, Rosario Alu, and Joe Arpaio's parents came to America from other countries, legally. They worked hard to learn english and make something of themselves. The key words are "legally" and "work". Novel, huh? I am not against people coming to America because of the great country that is was (we are going to have to reverse some things to redeem what Barack Obama has done to America), but I am against people breaking the law to do it.

Another thing, why do people feel entitled to other people's money? We should all be generous to the causes we feel called to be generous to...that is NOT the government's decision. It is a private decision. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" (Karl Marx) is absolutely wrong. I can't even get into that one right now because this post would be pages long!
Bottom line...
We must take this great country back and let freedom ring!

Night 1, April 1st

Arrival time was at about 9:30 in the morning, which means that Sal, Josephine and the boys had to get up at about 3:00 a.m., St. Louis time. Guess who made those travel plans!!!

Sal Jr.'s birthday celebration was to be that night at the Rainforest Cafe, but Alessandro had to work that day, so we didn't meet until about 6:30 p.m., which is 9:30 p.m. St. Louis time. You can imagine how exhausted the boys were!

So, we arrive at the restaurant and there appears to be a very long line to get into the restaurant, but we are told it is only a 20 minute wait. We take a look around and notice that over half the tables in the restaurant are empty. Hmmm, long line, empty tables...staff cuts maybe??? Who knows.
Anyhow, a little side note for you so that you can understand the whole week...I don't go out much. With the ages of my kids, it is just too hard to eat out, especially because Nora doesn't have any teeth and I am still making all of her baby food, and she has to have it warmed. No cold food for sweet Nora! She'd rather not eat. So, by the time we get to every restaurant, she is so hungry and she lets me know it. The restaurants won't microwave the food because of health code violations, but they bring out a very hot bowl of water that I can submerge her food container into and at the Rainforest Cafe, it worked perfectly and quickly. I had a very happy baby!

                                   This is my nephew, Sal Jr., do you see how tired his eyes are!!!
So, Jacob is practically sleeping with his head on the table and Sal Jr., bypassed his birthday dessert because he was so exhausted! We had them bring out the sundae anyway and sing happy birthday, but promised his big birthday dessert another night.

Family in Town

Wow, I can't believe how much time I let pass since my last post! Life has been so busy with kids and family, let me fill you in.

We had Alessandro's brother and his family in town for a week, so we jam packed a lot of fun filled adventures for their boys. In a sense, we got a staycation out of the deal. I had Alessandro home from work for 6 days and we got to see things in Arizona that we had never made the time to see! Sal, Josephine, Sal Jr., Jacob and Dominic all stayed with us for the week and we had a blast!
So here are the accomodations...Nora in her playyard, in our closet, Sal and Josephine in her room, our nephews in a big tent in the middle of the living/playroom area. So much fun! Luca would wake up so happy to have boys to play with because they gave him so much attention.

I am going to write an overview of the week and then as the days pass, I will enter more detailed posts of each adventure.
While they were here, we celebrated Sal Jr.'s 11th birthday, saw the Grand Canyon, went to Rawhide, stayed at the Arizona Grand Resort, hiked Camelback, had an adult's only night out, went to the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium, and spend some time in North Scottsdale (shopping!!!), much to the boys dismay!

Stay tuned! More to come, and I promise you will find amusement in some of our adventures!!!