Happy New Year's Eve 2012!

Tonight, we had our good friends Dan and Christina Romanski over for dinner.  We were thrilled that Dan was going to bring his sister, Monica, too!  They were so sweet to bring our kids props for the BIG night!  The boys got awesome gangster hats while the girls got sequined eye masks.  Add to that the annoying horns I bought (what was I thinking?) and it was a wildly fun night!

We had a fancy lemon prawn pasta dinner at home and just enjoyed the minutes as they ticked away toward 2013.  We celebrate New Years Eve with the East Coast (silly string and pop its) and then whisked the kids to bed so we could enjoy some adult conversation with our friends in front of the Christmas tree.

The night was wonderful.  As we say goodbye to 2012, I am so grateful to all that it has brought us.  There have been amazing moments as well as those more painful like saying goodbye to Damien's brother, Haripal. While we don't always understand why things happen, we can only hope to learn from life's sometimes painful lessons and in turn- grow our lives in a more loving direction.

Happy New Year's everyone!  May 2013 be your best year yet!

Damien's 37th Birthday!

Well, we made it back in time to clean up the house from the crazy Christmas wrapping paper explosion, unpack the suitcases from our trip, gather all the new toys and gadgets, and have it looking nice for Damien's family to arrive for Damien's birthday party today!  Oh, and I made Damien a cake.  (I swear- sometimes I think I deserve some kind of medal.)  Yes, I just bragged about myself.  Enjoy it.  I don't do it often.

We kept the gifts to a minimum but the kids did manage to gift Damien with an awesome new 49er's chair!  We started off the morning with a delicious breakfast and then welcomed Damien's family as they trickled in from their own busy schedules!

The theme, if you will, for his birthday was a day full of Damien's Favorites!  One of the big surprises for Damien was his lunch.  Over the past year, Damien has been talking about this amazing pizza he got in Chicago from Lou Malnati's.  It's this deep dish pie that is apparently to die for.  I checked their website and they ship their pies overnight uncooked on dry ice.  While we were in Kirkland, I had them delivered to our neighbor Sam's house who lovingly stored them in his freezer until our return!

Damien was beyond surprised which was just what I was going for.  Turns out Lou Malnati's pizza is really, really good!  We paired this pizza with Damien's other favorite meal, Cluck U's atomic chicken breast tenders.  On the side, as if we weren't stuffed full with enough calories, were homemade chocolate banana milkshakes (another one of Damien's favorites).  Damien's tummy was super happy.  Many thanks to Claire and Lani who made the awesome milkshakes!

We finished off the party with Damien's favorite cake which is Nana's yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  Damien received a lot of awesome gifts from his family and his Mom made a big gift full of all of his favorite things!  I will have to talk to her about the 400 piece tub of Bazooka Bubble Gum.  My kids are going to go nuts!!!  And in turn- so will I.  Love you, Marlene!

Happiest of Birthdays to my amazing hubby.  I love you more and more each and every year.  I truly hope that we will be sitting together in our 90s reflecting on this long, crazy, colorful life we lived . . . together.  And even then- I'd love to share a slice of Lou Malnati's and split a milkshake.  You can have the cherry.  I love you and Happy Birthday!!

And That's A Wrap, Kirkland!

We are leaving Kirkland today and heading south to the Bay Area for Damien's birthday and the much dreaded return to school.  We had such a great time on this visit.  It wasn't the longest visit- but it was an awesome one!

We loved playing with our cousins, sleeping in, having Nonna prepare us poached eggies and cafe lattes.  We loved seeing Nana and Grandma.  We loved feeling the love and being showered with thoughtful gifts from our family.  Dance parties, an early birthday celebration for Damien, seeing my Dad's cousins and extended family, helping Nonna cook gourmet dinners, sledding, hot cocoa, eating Nonna's Christmas cookies, and puzzle mania (my Mom got me another dreadful puzzle for Christmas).

We are blessed beyond measure and thankful to the highest capacity that we have such an amazing family who loves and values us.  Merry Christmas to all and to us- a safe flight!

SLEDDING!

One of the major perks of living in Kirkland and is that you are a short thirty to forty minute ride from the mountains.  None of this four hour driving to Tahoe, stuff.  If I am going to the snow- I love that you can get there, ski/sled, and get back in one day.

Today, we decided to go up and do some sledding!  We had brought some of our snow things from home and then did some supplementary shopping at Target.  We thought it would be no problem to just come up to the mountain and get some sledding tickets . . .

Until we checked the internet and showed that the day of sledding was sold out.  Dude.  Seriously?  Then we resorted to Plan B.  This plan included sledding on a great hill that didn't require tickets!  We drove up and there and . . . the parking for it was sold out so they were closing it from any new sledders.

My kids were irritated but we kept our smiles nice and big and went across the way to a great little snowy place.  It had a few cute hills and the kids had a blast!  We had such a great time because the majority of my family was there!

After a while, we decided to hike further because someone told us that there was a hidden sledding hill in the distance.  After about a ten minute hike (while pulling the kids on the sleds behind us) we found it.  Holy Smokes!  This hill was crazy!  It was super steep and you had to maneuver around trees.  I was freaked out for the kids but Damien thought it would be okay.

Okay, is an understatement!  It was ridiculously fast and awesome!  I mean, we were all cracking up it was so fast!  Gina, Damien, and I shared many laughs at the bottom of this crazy death trap hill!  OMG!!!  After about half an hour up there, we decided to turn back and head to the car.  My kids were frozen and much fun was had.  What a great trip to the mountain and how cool that we found an awesome Plan C!

Visiting Our Nana

(This was the last time that my kids and husband got to see my sweet Nana who passed away in February of 2013 .  At the time- we weren't sure if it was the last time we would see Nana, but braced for that and made sure every moment with her counted.  We miss you so much, Nana and loved every moment of our lives that you made extra special.)

Today, we went to see my Nana.  We were more than surprised to see her hair in corn rows as she has never donned this kind of hairstyle before!  Honestly, we couldn't stop laughing.  One of the nurses pulled her hair back in the braids and we seriously couldn't keep from smiling at the cute absurdity of it all!  She didn't seem to mind so we went along with it!

I am so grateful that my husband and children have gotten to know Nana.  She has been such an important part of my life since the day I came into this world!  From what I am told, she fell in love with me at first sight and loved my big, brown eyes.  She used to say, "They look like two burnt holes in a blanket!"  Interpret that as you will- it makes me happy.

Today she was pretty lucid.  The kids loved snuggling with her and letting her have as many 'Nana kisses' as she wanted.  We all tried to value each and every moment with Nana today.  Nana has been growing weaker and we all fear that soon, she will leave us.  Of course, we have braced for this for years and she has shown us that she isn't going anywhere!  Nana is truly the strongest and most determined woman I have ever met.  And in this strong willed, hard headed family of Italians- that is saying a lot!

Nana, thank you for today.  Thank you for looking at me with your own beautiful brown eyes and saying things to me through your beautiful gaze that you can no longer say with your voice.  You are and always will be in my heart.  Nana, my kids adore you.  You are the gentlest, most loving Grandmother and Great Grandmother and I am so blessed to have shared you with my four beautiful babies and husband.

It was hard to say goodbye today, not sure if it was indeed our last.  But like we always do, we sang You Are My Sunshine to you and it brought us great peace.  You are and will always be the greatest light, most warm and comforting ray of sunshine that will always remind of us of everything you represent.  My kids cried as we left you today, Nana.  They too, know that the end is near.  We love you with all of our hearts and thank you for each and everything you have done to make our lives brighter.

Holiday Dance Party

I'm not sure if it's normal to have family dance parties.  If you have a party, do you dance for over forty minutes?  Do you try and choreograph your dances?  Do family members of all ages dance with you?  Do you lift each other up and twirl around in circles?  If you answered yes to all of these questions, you might be a Sacco.

We had one heck of a dance party tonight.  Normal, I say.  Totally normal!!  It is so fun to watch the kids and adults alike dance it up!  Natalie usually plays the role as the dance coordinator.  She picks the songs, creates awesome moves, and basically- my kids just try and do whatever move she is doing!  It is so funny to watch!

After many many minutes of sweaty dancing, we ended with the classic YMCA.  I love family moments like these.  They don't cost a thing and are moments that I will treasure forever!!