Relax or Work?

Today Nancy suggested that we have our Bible Study outside since the weather has been so nice. We had a picnic out by the play ground area. Luca and Kaitlyn had a great time and were very happy not to be couped up inside. This may become a habit of ours until the weather gets unpleasant again. Nancy's mother-in-law was in town so she joined us. It was so nice getting to know her.

I wasn't feeling well this afternoon, so rather than getting things done while my kids were napping, I sat on the couch and watched Marley & Me. I never do that, although it sure was nice. Wow!  That was a tear jerker. Luca woke up before it ended and watched the remaining 45 minutes with me. As I am sobbing on the couch, he is just looking at me probably thinking "What's she so upset about? Who said 'no' to her?". Tears running down my cheeks, I look over at him and can't help but laugh through the tears... Anyhow, dog lover or not, that was a good movie.

Nutella

My husband grew up on Nutella. His mom used to put it between two pieces of bread and make sandwiches for the kids. For him it is a childhood pastime that he wishes to pass on to his children. Believe it or not, I actually never heard of it until I met Alessandro and now, I am addicted!

We eat it with bananas, apples, ice cream, croissants and this morning Alessandro made Nutella Crepes!  They were amazing! He loves to cook on his days off and believe me, I let him!

Just a quick note about Hailey and the "growing up" process she is experiencing...usually every other Tuesday night Alessandro and I go to a marriage enrichment class taught by our friend Frank Seekins. Frank is a Hebrew scholar. He and his wife, Sally are exceptional and have been such a blessing in our lives. Anyhow, back to Hailey. My sister, Keturah watches the kids for us and Hailey loves to go hang out with her. This week, Hailey had to work. She was so disappointed!  I felt so bad for her, but it won't be the first time that a job or other commitment will get in the way of fun! If you are human, you have had this experience!

Nora had her 4 month check up today. Yes, she is actually 5 months, but I just couldn't get her in before now. Life has been so busy! She is in the 90th percentile for height and weight and 50th percentile for head circumference. She actually weights more than Luca did at his 6 month appointment!  Go girl!

A Future and a Hope

Today I was inspired by one of my favorite musicians, Bebo Norman. He reminds me of the Jack Johnson of the Christian music arena. I specifically want to talk about the album "Ten Thousand Days", although he has several that I love. This is simply a "feel good" album and I like the lighthearted tempos of the music. Yet, if you listen closely to the words, you can see the depth of what he is sharing from his heart. You can sample or purchase his music at http://www.bebonorman.com/themusic1.htm.

I have found that my days are much better, with fewer meltdown from Luca, when I get him outside for a good chunk of time. We went on a walk today and stopped at the playground. It is the happiest place on earth to Luca!!!

I got word today of a local teenage girl who committed suicide a few days ago. I was deeply saddened to hear of the news. I didn't know her, but just the thought of a young person feeling so desperate and so miserable, living without any hope of happiness, fullness of life or peace, just absolutely breaks my heart. The God I serve wants so much more for each one of His children. He loves each and every one of us and doesn't expect perfection from us. He only longs to know us, as we were created to know Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." My thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

Church at Home???

Church was very interesting today...I wish I could say it was the message, and then again maybe it was, but for me it was walking the hallways with my sweet Nora.

I had to wake her from her nap to get to church in the first place, then once we were there, she was so discontented that I missed church altogether anyway!  Now that Hailey can drive herself, I may have to skip it until it doesn't completely disrupt my baby's day anymore. I am feeling a little saddened not to be there every week, but also very content that I have come to terms with this season in my life. I guess it will be me on the couch with a cup of coffee and either Brian Houston or Joel Osteen. Both very inspirational to me!

Today I made my green chile enchiladas for Nicole and her family. I have mentioned her before. She just had her 3rd baby and he is so cute!  For those of you who find yourself praying for miracle labor and delivery experiences, this girl has them! She actually likes the labor and delivery process. I have to admit I am with her on that. She opts out of chemical pain control and has natural births with very little pushing!

When I had Hailey, I was so young that I just did what everybody told me to do without really having any opinion of my own. I got the works, IV medication, the epidural, the episiotomy, and I pushed for 2 hours on top of all that!  Having gone into the labor and delivery nursing field, I was priviledged to be a part of so many amazing births as well as some I wish I didn't have memory of. When I got pregnant with Luca, my desires were pretty much formed. Alessandro and I took a Bradley class and I became one of those patients I used to dread having!  It used to be that as an L&D RN, you were not trained to labor patients naturally. You were trained to push the epidural. It always made me nervous to have a patient without an epidural because I was not as in control of the situation as I liked to be. Well, after having witnessed  Bradley patients and others who had opted for a natural childbirth, I came to the conclusion that they seemed to recover much more quickly and all around have a better experience with fewer complications. I set out to accomplish a drug free childbirth with both Luca and Nora. My goals were accomplished and as exhilarating an experience as it was, I am glad I won't be doing it again! I have many stories about each one of the deliveries, but I will wait to share those at another posting.

Just about every night before Luca goes to bed, Alessandro plays a little game with him called "I'm Gonna Get You!" When he "gets" him, he gets "the claw". Every single time I witness this I laugh!  Laughing is so good for the soul!

Today is overcast, nice. I think the weather has finally given in to the change in season. Alessandro and I sat outside last night sipping on a couple of  homemade iced coffees and just enjoyed one another's company. We talked about our dreams, our fears, our present and our future. It reminded me of all of the times when we were first married that we would sit on our porch, eat dessert and talk. That is what we did. We didn't have any extra money to go out, nor did we have cable television. In our south Scottsdale home, which we sold 2 years ago, even with rabbit ears the picture was snow unless you had cable. We didn't have small children at the time, so we had more "down" time. It was probably the best thing for our marriage. Lots of time to just be together without any distractions. Now, we do have cable and believe me, there are times when I wish we didn't...then there are times when I feel I couldn't live without my DVR!
Tonight was Alessandro's day off so we spent the day together as a family. The day was finished off with a steak dinner (thank you Coupon Sense!) and homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

I have been told that my cookies beat Paradise Bakery, but I am not so sure because Paradise is making a lot of money off of their recipe and I spend money to make mine!

In Honor of My Husband

Today is going to be entirely devoted to my husband, Alessandro. Thirty-four years ago today his parents, Rosario and Rosemary Alu were blessed with their 4th son.

We met 5 years ago and his character has proven to be that of integrity, loyalty and Godliness. He is an amazing father and I knew that before having Luca or Nora by the way he treated Hailey. He inherited Hailey at age 12 and if you don't know what a 12 year old girl is like and you want to, just ask me! He has always given her his best and loves her as his own. As a matter of fact, he won't let anyone call her his "step daughter". She is his daughter in all respects but biological. Alessandro is a family man through and through.

As a husband, he exceeds all of my dreams and expectations. He is attentive, loving, a great provider and he always has such a positive attitude and brings light into any room he walks into. He is intelligent, funny and determined.

I love him and am so thankful that he is the person I will spend the rest of my life with.

Alessandro's Birthday Celebration

Today we celebrated Alessandro's birthday. His actual birthday is tomorrow, but he has to work all day and then teach Financial Peace University at night. So, today we celebrated with our family. Hailey was here too, but I was not given permission to take any pictures of her because she has been sick. I took her to the doctor today and my suspicions were confirmed...strep.

 It was pizza for dinner, a walk around the neighborhood...

and Cold Stone Cupcakes to celebrate with!

Alessandro was floored when he opened his gift. He has been wanting this for a long time!

A very special celebration for us!  I think God had a great idea when he thought of creating my husband!