Ma's May Visit to Texas--Part One

In mid-May, we were able to have Ma--Nonna to the boys-- (Mario's mom) come visit us for two whole weeks! We, as usual, squeezed so much into such a short time! I'm breaking down the blog post into day by day snippets of our time together. This first post is week #1...we just had too many pics to put it all in one post.  Look at how much fun we had...can you come back again soon, Ma?   :)

May 16

(Ma's Birthday!!!)

We made a Sprout's run, so of course, we let the boys stop into Mardel's for a quick playtime with the trains

lunch at ChickFilA--still the boys' favorite

We wanted to do something a little different for Ma's birthday, so I had a special surprise all lined up at Cooper.  We fed the boys a quick bite to eat at Tenley's Cafe, then dropped them off in the Corrall so we could attend a food demo!  They are so fun!  Mario and I will occasionally do these as date nights.  This pic is the view of the Cooper main floor and outdoor pool from the balcony at Tenley's.

Here's Ma after the demo with Cindy Kleck, Cooper's registered dietician who leads the class.  She is so great!  She cooks and talks food and nutrition, and the class members get to watch, discuss, and eat everything she makes.  Then we get to go home with all the recipes...super fun!

Even though it was past 8:00, the boys were still in good moods on the way home.

special parfait with yogurt, strawberries and granola for the birthday girl!

We even skyped with Mario's dad while we ate our treats!

May 17

just a play day--

the boys loved the punch balloons that Nonna brought down

always playing in the rocks

 Lucas digs with his trucks

sweet boy loves that water hose

Nonna took Anthony to the park in the afternoon

He's always driving or flying somewhere different with these steering wheels

I sneaked in some reading time with the boys while Nonna made dinner

two little stinkers--still love their baths

May 18

another lunch at chickfila...the boys tried on the table displays for fun

 they are pretty good at posing handsomely

we celebrated Mario's birthday a day early by going to the rough riders game

We brought a couple of little trucks to the game, and boy, were they a hit--especially with Anthony! 

He spent a good long time scooping sand and dirt and filling/refilling his dump truck.

Lucas liked scooping the dirt too

(love how he still sits like a baby)  ;)

oh yes, by the end of the evening, Anthony had ripped a hole through these jeans!

and i thought denim was tough!  apparently not as tough as these boys!!!

lucas liked using the shovel

group shot!

 lucas did the digging thing for awhile, but then he was more interested in throwing the ball...

 ...and wrestling with daddy!!!

me and Ma

these two wore themselves out!

a fireworks show ended the evening

anthony thought it was loud, but he loved it!

lucas wasn't too sure about it all, but he felt safe strapped to daddy's back

May 19

(Mario's Birthday)

the boys had a fun morning playing outside

We had a homemade pizza and pasta lunch, then Mario even squeezed in a little nap!

 After the boys woke up we headed to the pool at Cooper for some fun and relaxation.

they loved their squirt guns that Nonna brought!

we picked up some chinese food on the way home since the kids were wiped out

and, of course, we cannot forget the chocolate peanut butter cake on mario's birthday!!!

i wish i had taken a closeup of the drawing anthony made for mario...it's the orange one.

it looks like daddy has fuming mad "crazy" eyes!  haha!

we asked what daddy was doing in the picture, and anthony said, "he's happy." (phew)

lots of sweet gifts from the entire family, and i finally got his Bible rebound...

happy 33rd, honey!

May 20

church day--

we were already dressed nicely, so we took the opportunity to grab some family pics

(thanks, ma)

these boys are growing up too fast!

oh, i just want to squeeze him to pieces!!!

loving on their Nonna

she brought some new card games to try out

Sunday night, May 20, Lucas graduates to his big boy bed!!!

We simply changed out the rail on his crib--quick and easy!

at the top of the bed are lucas' special friends--his pillow, "bunny" (the giraffe lovey), mickey, caterpillar, and he likes going night-night with his water cup.  his blue blanket went missing for a few weeks, so he has this substitute brown one.  some other "friends" are at the bottom of the bed--he loves his stuffed animals!

he was so, so proud

he made the transition very easily and most nights stays in his bed all night until about 7:15 in the morning

of course, anthony wanted a picture in his bed too!

silly boy!

May 21/22

The majority of the day on these two days, the boys had Nonna all to themselves, since Mario and I were out van shopping/purchasing.  They never slowed down!  Mario and I were exhausted by the end of the brain-draining car buying experience, and I'm sure Nonna was exhausted from having the boys all by herself for two days straight!  Here are some fun glimpses into their time together...

smoothies in the backyard

these two love hamming it up for the camera

trips to the park

lucas does all the slides now

playing peek a boo from behind the tree

love these cutie munchkins

they call this rock the "gum" rock because it has a ton of dried up old gum stuck to it (gross, i know)!  but every time they pass it they beg to climb up on it!  boys will be boys, hehe.  we do wash hands REALLY well after coming home!!!

While Mario was at a meeting, my official job was cleaning and spiffing up our old vehicles for trade-ins at the dealership.  Whew!  That's a lot of work in the afternoon heat!  Somehow, Ma found the energy to help me after she got the boys down for their naps!!!  The phrase "many hands make light work" ring so true sometimes!

Mario drives his little truck one last time--what a great truck she is...it's hard to say goodbye

I was sad to see my car go too.  It's been a great little car...and such a good reminder of where we were in life when we found out we were pregnant with Anthony. 

It also holds a special place in my heart because looking at it every day reminds me of our dear friends chris and alicia.  their generosity helped make even having a car this nice possible for us at that time in our lives.

well, there's more adventure to come in week #2!  stay tuned!!!