Well, the craziness has slowed down to a dull roar this last week... finally getting caught up with work, laundry, and general running around as usual since vacation! We had the greatest last 2 weeks ever! Firstly, Grams, Aunt Teresa, and Uncle Kurt came to our neck of the woods so that Kurt could compete in Ironman- he is truly amazing- he placed 5th in the swimming, that's right 5th out of I think over 1000 athletes... let me know how correct I am on that one Aunt T. We are so super proud of you Kurt!
So while I was busy working and getting ready for my trip, they spent tons of time with the girls and entertained them very very well! It was so fun to have them around- I wish they would all move here....
Then after that, Frankie and I headed on over to the East Coast to spend time with my wonderful sister Amy, Ryan, and my adorable nieces.. Niagara Falls is where Frankie's dad grew up and he flew over a couple of days later to attend their family reunion.... it was soooo fun to be able to spend the week with Ames- she showed us all her favorite places (namely some great shopping areas and Wegman's) We ate tons of great food and did lots of giggling... we even went to a free Peter Frampton concert! In the meantime, we spent time with the Ciccone clan- who are all the nicest, most hospitable people and were so very welcoming to us.
Bob (Frankie's dad) took us all over to the spots where he grew up in the 50s and 60s- some great stories were told! He took us down in the Niagara River gorge and we hiked down there for about 3 hours, took some amazing pictures and saw some beautiful country... that was my favorite place we went. Of course, we spent some time at the falls and decided to forgo the 2+-hour wait in line to go on Maid of the Mist- holy line! It was 4th of July weekend, so I think it was even busier than usual... but wow, what an awesome place to experience :)
So here's some pics for you to enjoy! Love you all so much
Oh good times! We have been helping my dear friend Felicia out with watching her kids while she goes back to work before school starts, so 2 days a week there is a challenge for me to find something to keep 4 to 6 (any given day brings new things and people) entertained! PLEASE let me know if you have any brilliant ideas... this week was makeover day. Now, be aware that I have never, ever been a makeup kind of girl, so I have a limited amount, but I pulled out what I had to share and let the girls go crazy with eye shadow, nail polish, etc... They had a great time and actually did a great job of skin tone matching- until it got to be later in the day and then it was just fun to spread lipstick on everyone's faces :) all in all, I think they had a good time and let me get some work done in between.. this Monday- school registration, work in between all of the extras, picnic at the park with the cool water spouts, and then off to a 3-year-old b-day party! Wish me luck!
YAY for B-DAY's!!! Our sweet, precocious, Miss Callista Bobista turned 10 a couple days ago :) Can you believe it? 10?? She had a delightful birthday.... we had a bit of a "schoolbus fiasco" so her b-day party is postponed until further notice (good behavior) BUT instead she got to have just a family party, plus she got a big bbq party at her dad's the day after- so all in all, I think she made out pretty well :) Her big present for this year is to go back to gymnastics! She is super stoked about that- evaluation is this coming weekend, so we'll see where she is placed at this point- I'm really excited to support her in this again and I think it's a great thing for her.... she had lots of gifts and phone calls and love from all around! 
Oh where to begin? So much stuff has been going on!! Let's see- here's the skinny....Mom and Dad came up to visit- they were amazing!! They power sprayed out the entire garage, cleaned, kept the kiddos entertained, visited the kids' schools, took us out for dinner, and generally were just fun to be with :) Then we had sushi night with Frankie and his sister and all the combined children- Frankie was great about helping the kids roll their own sushi, which he is a master at.. as you can see above, Teags decided to forgo the sushi and just have a good old corndog~ Next was Calli's first official haircut that she decided on as far as the style, etc (I had to stop her at the pink hair color however- ya right!) Then on to Easter~ good times had by all- the kids did easter eggs here with me, and then spent the day with their Dad up at Grandma and Poppa's- they had a great time and ate way too much chocolate.... then it became Dad (GG's) birthday- ask him to tell you about the tutu picture at the bank conference- hahaha!! We hope you had a wonderful birthday Dad!! And so that brings us to today with Mother's Day :) Oh wait- Alyx got home a few days before this!!! she is doing so great and we got her for this weekend, so she, Calli, Teags, and Phe'dra (who is Frankie's 10-year-0ld daughter) all made me a fantastically fancy breakfast of Swedish pancakes and woke me up in bed with an awesome quilt that Alyx made me, and some really great homemade cards, and also a lovely necklace that Teags made me--- oh how I loved it! I love being a mom :) And I think I love being a mom so much because I love my mom so much :) 
