Our trip to Italy

John and I were lucky enough to get the chance to escape to Italy and thank you to our parents the kids stayed home for this trip!!!  We started off in Venice - which was just amazing!!  Then we took the train and went down to Cesena, and then saw San Marino, Rimini, Florence, and Bologna.   For those of you who do not know, John's dad has been fight Leukemia for the past 9 months and John has had to step into his place (Steve is in remission and holding strong).  This has been an overwhelming situation for John as he still runs his own real estate biz.  Italy is where the Oil/foundation rigs are manufactured and so we were sent to the factory.  The rest of the trip was an awesome perk!!  Not to mention, just an amazing chance to be alone together!!!! 

San Marino

Rimini

Florence

Florence

The Duomo-Florence

On the Water Taxi 

The Rialto Bridge

US!

Venice

San Marco - Venice

Halloween - yes a little late!!

Loving the School Parade!!!

A happy  - VERY TIRED - little girl!!

Pre-school Parade

Trick-or-Treat with the Neighborhood!!!

Kaden, Colby, Lexi

Crappy BLOGGER!!!

So I have decided that I am a really crappy blogger . . . I am not one for writing tons of stuff, but I could talk your ear off!!!  So . . . I have decided that a picture is worth a thousand words and I will make an attempt to write better . . . AT LEAST you get the idea through the photos!!!  

So much fun . . .where do I start . . . ??? Here is MEXICO!!

Alyssa, Lexi, Taylor, & Annie

Kaden!!!

Lexi & Alyssa - who both lost a tooth at this moment!!!!

The girls with their favorite LISA!!

Swingin' on the balcony of our room!!!!

Kaden

All the dads got sucked into cheerleading!!

Me, Lexi & Bailee on the plane

Talk about MOMS - Yes it is me that is lossing my TOP!!!

Collin and Charity

John and Kaden in the OCEAN!!!!

John went deep sea fishing ON HIS BIRTHDAY!!!  They caught some amazing Barracuda and some sea sick stomachs!!  

My little LEXI

Goggle Man - he wore these all the time!!!

Kaden & Trent in the Kiddie Pool

Kaden 

Lexi & Emma  - Don't they look like sisters???

John and Josh - We laughed so hard we about DIED!!!  This is only one pic of MANY!!  We were out shopping in the streets of Playa Del Carmen

Lexi, Colby, & Christian at the Birthday dinner for John (all the little 7 year old girls TOTALLY LOVE Christian!!!!)

Emma & Wil, Lexi & Kaden, Bailee & Trent

The results from one CRAZY DAY!

I promised the kids that on the weekend John went hunting, we would do a "special" pre-Halloween date!  Since both the kids are Pirates, I said I would get them dressed up take them to have their pictures done and then go somewhere fun to eat like Red Lobster or Joe's Crab Shack (cuz that is where Pirates eat!!)  Well . . . I talked my girlfriend Paula (who's husband was also out of town) into going with us.  It was the two of us and 5 kids!!  About 4 hours later, here are some of the pics we came up with.  And yes . . . the 4 hours were spent just getting pictures!  

Tag - I'm it - CRAP!

Ok- this one is for Jenny - and only cause you're pregnant!!!!

6 random things about me . . .

1.  I decided to ask my kids what they thought a random thing about me was . . . Lexi says, "You dance in my mirrors with me!"  Kaden says, "You're cutie!"  See why I love these guys!!!! 

2.  We leave for MEXICO tomorrow!  We will be in the Mayan Riveria for the next week.  Then the fifth of November John and I will be traveling to Italy for a week.  John's dad has been fighting Leukemia for the past year,  so John has had to take over his dad's business.  (on top of our own - he is VERY busy)  Italy is where they manufacture the foundation and oil drilling rigs that they sale.  Absolutely no complaints!!  We get to visit Venice before going to Cesena to meet up with John's clients.  

3.  I am the PTA Treasurer for Lexi's Elementary, I sit on the parent committee for the Winner School Dance Program, and I seem to always have children with me that aren't mine biologically.  (Note to self - learn to say NO!!!)

4.  Although I do not have a job (technically)  I do all the accounting/property management for our rental properties and the ones my parents and in-laws own too.  I probably should have paid more attention to accounting in college but . . . Oh well!  I did; however, graduate with a degree in Psychology.  

 

5.  Can I say the words "hair extensions" It has been 9 years since I have had long hair and I am struggling to grow it out so - I decided to give them a try . . . needless to say I am undecided how I feel about them yet!!!  Kinda drastic!!!!  

6.  I get motion sick like you wouldn't believe.  When we go boating I do not ride in the cabin and flying on airplanes kinda freaks me out.  The next few trips will be interesting.  This is also a genetic trait that I have passed on to my daughter - poor girl!!  

Ok- I now tag both Lisa's (Bunker & Buchmiller), Ashlee, Paula, Aimee (who needs to SET UP A BLOG) Kimberly Chytraus and Sarah . . . I think Marni has tagged the rest of you!!!! 

Times have sure changed!!!

Never in a million years did I think that my children would love to wrap snakes around themselves!!!  These are some pictures from our neighbor's/friend's birthday party.  WOW - children's birthday just aren't the same any more!!!  They had everything from scorpions, spiders, turtles, and GIANT snakes- it was so much fun.  Lexi is begging me to do this for Kaden's birthday - funny how she plans it all out for him!!!

School Has Started!!!

Our little Lexi is officially a second grader!!! She loves school and learning comes very easily to her!! She made Mini Stars at the Winner School - (and thank you Lisa Bunker!!!) she is doing AWESOME!!!!   She keeps me so busy - as I have somehow found myself as Treasure of the PTA  - not my first choice of things to do but . . . reluctantly I still do it . . .  and then I am on the Parent Committee for the Winner School - I wouldn't know what to do with myself without these two kids!!!
My Kaden has started 3-year-old preschool!!  He is back at the Little Gym in his sports class - and karate too!  He has been learning a karate routine that is to music with the older winner school students and will be performing with them in Mexico in October.  He loves his "karate dance". Our family will be going and both kids get to perform and spend a week with their friends in the Mayan Riveria!!!

Time to bring the boat home!! Last Powell trip for the year!!

Last boating trip for the year!!!  We took my aunt and cousin - yeah she is the skinny one!!!!  It was fun - we had a ton of laughs!!!  

REMISSION!!!!!!

It has been a long 6 months for John's dad, Steve . . . but he is finally in remission with his Leukemia!!!!  We celebrated with a big "CHEMO" party on Saturday and we are hoping every 4 weeks that his tests will remain clean!!!  We love you Grandpa!!!!