Giuliana, Babies & Blankey

Giuliana has her own little entourage. And, that consists of two babies and her purple blankey. These three things go everywhere with her. And, I mean EVERY.WHERE. If we go upstairs, downstairs, outside, nap... whatever it is... you get the call for "babies! blankey!"

The babies were actually a gift to Gabby from grandma Leo and grandpa Kenny when the twins were born. Now, they are 100% owned and managed by Giuliana.

I took this photo with my phone a few weeks ago. This is what she looks like every night when she falls asleep. So, so sweet. Hugging those sweet little babies of hers.

Dan's first half marathon

After supporting me in running the San Francisco full marathon... Dan decided he would like to try doing a half marathon. I was of course VERY supportive of this... and found him a race to run within 10 minutes of his declaration! I also had a training plan whipped up for him 10 minutes later. :))

I can't speak for Dan, of course, but I think there were several reasons he wanted to sign up for a half marathon. First, he wanted a reason to HAVE to run/workout every day. He had been SO busy with work over the summer that he just wasn't taking time to exercise and he didn't like that. Second, he wanted to get back in shape. And, lastly, I think he wanted the challenge of having to run farther than he'd ever run before. And, seeing people of all ages run and finish the half and full marathon in San Francisco was inspiration.

The race I chose and he agreed to do was in 6 weeks. Yikes! Most people that have never run more than 4.5 miles would choose a race 12 weeks out... so they could get proper training in. But, we wanted to choose something in September when the weather would still hopefully be nice. And, I figured with the shorter training... he might not get bored with "running" before the race and stick to the plan.

The longest Dan had ever run before this training plan was 4.5 miles. And, he used to hate running. But, Dan finally got a taste of the runner's high... and after building up to a 10 mile run the week prior to the race, he declared he LOVED running and and his long runs on the weekends. I think I shed a little tear! Ha! Not only did he start to love running... but he also lost weight and got quite slim. Now, I usually get much leaner when training... but I also typically gain about 5 pounds. Granted, my clothes all become a little loose... I guess it's true that "muscle weighs more than fat". But, he got both lean AND lost weight. Men have it so easy - I swear!

Anway... race day arrived. We all woke up at 6:30am and left the house by 7am. His race started at 9:30am (what a great start time! I'm used to the awful 5:30-7am start times!), and we needed to arrive by 9am so he could pick up his race packet. Now, if it would have been me running the race, I would have noted the address where I was supposed to pick-up my race packet... but in typical Dan fashion, we arrived... and after spending 20 minutes of driving around trying to figure out where the starting line, etc. was, we found it. I was seriously nervous he was going to miss it. But, he pulled through! Whew!

We cheered Dan on from 100 meters after he crossed the starting line and about 50 meters before the finish line. Had we arrived earlier and gotten more acquainted with the course/town, I think we would have been able to cheer him on from a few more locations, but it all worked out and was fine. Also, it's not exactly easy to take 3 little kids with you on a race chase in a town you are not familiar with at all, by yourself! But, the kids REALLY LOVED seeing their daddy running a race and so did I!!

Dan did fantastic! Especially for this being his very first race, the longest he'd ever run, only six weeks of training and constant 25-45mph winds. Outside of the crazy winds... the weather couldn't have been more perfect for a half marathon... low 60's at the start. mid/high 60's at finish and cloudy.

Dan finished 13.1 miles in 2:06:09, which equaled a pace of 9:52 minutes per mile. I was SO PROUD of him! And, now he's looking for his next half marathon... and working on building his speed! YAY, DAN!!

Girls Trip to Wine Country!

At the end of September, I enjoyed a 4 day girls trip to Sonoma with some of my best girlfriends from college. Jess, Krysta and I did the same trip back in 2009... and we had such a great time and enjoyed the place we stayed at so much, that we decided to do it again! This time, another college girlfriend/sorority sister of ours, Tawny, was able to join us too.

We stayed at the F.airmont S.onoma M.ission Inn and Spa. It was DIVINE. LOVE that place! I could have stayed for an entire week. Each day, we had a spa treatment and indulged ourselves by partaking in the bathing ritual. We took advantage of time away from our families to work out and be lazy by the pool. We enjoyed delicious lunches and dinners out, and lots of time catching up.

Friday was our most productive day... we worked out in the morning, hit the spa, lunched out, and then hit one fabulous winery hard... I would highly recommend Bella to anyone visiting wine country. We got a private tour, we loved our wine dude, and we even got to indulge in extra tastings because we closed the place down... well, and we're SO MUCH FUN to hang with... well, and you can't really waste wine... just saying. After our visit to Bella, we spent some time doing some serious hooping on the Bella grounds. Krysta stole some delicious grapes from a vineyard that we devoured and then we hit two more tasting rooms before dinner that night. And, dinner was spectacular!

Saturday, we worked out, chilled by the pool, hit the spa and had a fabulous dinner out.

I think we overate at every meal... but it was totally worth it! It was such a great trip and so much fun to spend time with my girlfriends!

Funny things Rocco says...

Rocco is full of funny sound effects and comments. He is constantly making us laugh.

One of the common Rocco discussions in our house lately is "What do bad guys do?" And, "What do Batman and Robyn and Superman do?" I think we get these questions fielded to us at least once a day.

Gabby also knows exactly how to push Rocco's buttons. All she has to say is that something of his is pink, or that he likes pink, etc. This has created a complete pink-complex... and Rocco now must always only use blue spoons, blue bowls and blue plates. Try giving him pink, orange, green or purple... and you'll be lucky if you're only reprimanded with a scolding of "I DON'T like PINK! I'm NOT a girl... I'm a BOY!"

A few weeks ago, Gabby just commented to Rocco that his lips were pink. Rocco, of course, didn't want to hear his lips were pink and said "My lips are NOT pink". Gabby: "Yes, they are.... even my lips are pink. Everyone has pink lips. Your lips are pink too." Rocco: "GABBY... MY LIPS ARE NOT PINK!!!!" This went on for at least a good ten minutes. I couldn't get either of them to stop... they had to keep getting in the last word. Jeeeeesh!! I'm not ready for them to be teenagers yet!

Rocco really loves playing with his Nerf guns and swords. He's constantly wanting to have sword fights with whoever is in the room. He happily brings you a sword... and you'd best be ready to sword fight or a major 3 year old temper-tantrum ensues. After Rocco's third day of school, Dan went to pick him up. As they were walking out of the school, Rocco said "Daddy... can I get a REAL gun and a REAL sword?" Dan of course laughed (I'm sure he was probably proud in that manly sort of way too), and told Rocco that maybe when he grows up he could get a REAL gun and a REAL sword. But, they'd have to do some training together first. Let's hope we never approach this day and that this is just a phase! :)

Matteo's Dream Fund Benefit - SUCCESS!!

We held our very first fund raising event for Matteo's Dream Fund on Saturday, August 6th in the Bay Area. The event consisted of a dinner and silent auction. Our goals were to have 75 people attend and raise $3,000.00 for Packard Children's Hospital. Packard Children's is where Matteo was born and also had tubes put in his ears. It consistently ranks as one of our nations top children's hospitals, is a home away from home for many sick and terminally ill children, and it has also been my employer since March 2005.

We are thrilled to announce the event was an absolute SUCCESS!! Our attendance hit 78, and together we raised a total of $4,495.00 for Packard Children's. After reviewing the many options for how to direct our funds to be used, we finally decided to have our donation result in something concrete... something the kids will visually see and be able make use of. Thanks to all the wonderful friends and family who attended our benefit, the in-hospital school will receive 2 Mac laptops, 1 projector, 1 triple beam scale, 2 digital scales and 3 microscopes. In addition, the Forever Young Zone & Dialysis Center will receive $550 for new toys, art supplies and books.

While I would do anything to turn back the clock and change everything that happened on July 4th 2009, I know i can't. I would much rather spend my time holding and playing with my sweet Matteo... but that isn't even an option. I guess in a way it sort of helps the hurt to know that Matteo's name and memory live on, and that because of him, so many people came together to do something really good to benefit a lot of kids who are sick and terminally ill. And, coming from a parent who lost a child... I know that donations like this also probably put big smiles on the parents of those children as well.

We have so many people to thank for the success of this event. Kathleen Hart was my partner in crime from the very start to the very end, providing constant assistance and advice. Marisa Desai and Todd Kleinheinz helped procure a number of fantastic silent auction items, and also made their own donations. Also assisting with procuring silent auction items were Julie & Ed Grabscheid, and Jody Rich. We were also so incredibly lucky to benefit from the many businesses and individuals who so generously donated everything from game tickets, to hula hoop lessons, wine, gift certificates, jewelry and art.

We are SO THANKFUL to everyone who joined us for this event... especially in what is undoubtedly a very difficult time in our nation's economic history. So - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

In addition to the above mentioned successes, we walked away with one HUGE WIN. I am thrilled to announce that Matteo's Dream Fund is in the process of becoming an official 501(c)(3) non-profit! HUGE THANKS to Julie Peterson for starting the discussion and Kate Austin for taking on and managing this pro-bono work with the help of some of her colleagues at Oppenheimer & Associates. Once again, we are acutely aware of how lucky we are to have built friendships with such wonderful people, and also how lucky we are to still have them in our lives supporting us and being so generous of their time.

In the next month or two, I will have more information about how everyone who donated items to our silent auction and/or attended our event can obtain the information needed to write-off your contributions to Matteo's Dream Fund. Please stay tuned!

Also, as a constant fund raiser for Matteo's Dream Fund, we are selling apparel! Our current inventory includes ladies t-shirts (very soft cotton, fitted... LOVE & wear mine all the time!), uni-sex t-shirts (Dan is modeling these), and fleece jackets (super-soft & thick!).

For each item sold, $10 will go directly to Matteo's Dream Fund. If you are interested in purchasing anything - please drop me a note so I can assist you: jodimartino2002@yahoo.com. Prices are as follows:
White Unisex T-shirt (Hanes Beefy T)
M, L & XL = $16.00
XXL = $17.00

Black Unisex T-shirt (Hanes Beefy T)
M, L, XL = $19
XXL = $20

Ladies Black T-shirt in M, L, XL = $25

Ladies White T-shirt in M, L, XL = $23

Unisex Black Fleece Jacket = $35

Gabby started KINDERGARTEN!

Gabby started all-day kindergarten recently - and she is in HEAVEN!

This child was beyond ready to start kindergarten... literally counting down the weeks and days since June. Every time she would talk about kindergarten... it would be followed with a very girly, high-pitched scream. So fun to see her so excited! She also picked out her new backpack, and jumped with joy the day it arrived.

There were many little steps leading up to the big day... we got our list of supplies that we needed to bring in, along with our date & time for her kindergarten assessment. At the assessment, they basically tested her reading skills, asked her to do some simple rhyming, asked her to identify her name, shapes and numbers and I think they also did a little writing. I think Gabby did really well and was able to read all the pages in the book the teacher went through with her with just a little help from the teacher on a few words.

Then, we had her orientation on the Thursday after Labor Day. (By that point... Gabby was ITCHING to be in school every day and was SO JEALOUS that Rocco had already started school.) Gabby really enjoyed the orientation... it allowed her to meet some new friends and hear more about rules, the routines and what her school day was going to be like. There are 18 boys in her class and 5 girls (including Gabby). I'd say the girls are a bit outnumbered!

Her first day of school was the next day - Friday. We drove her to school and picked her up on the first day... and let's just say she was NOT a fan of us picking her up. She really wanted to ride the bus that day. I was met with tears, instead of a hug... from a VERY, very tired and new little kindergartener. She had SUCH a great time at school though and was sad that she had to wait all weekend to go again. When Monday arrived, I walked her to the bus stop for her very first bus ride... and to say she was excited to ride the bus is an extreme understatement. As Gabby said "Mom, I've waited my WHOLE LIFE to ride the bus!!"

Gabby's all day kindergarten goes from 9:15-3:25. Her teacher, Ms. T, told us to expect our little ones to be very tired when they arrive home for the first two months. But, after that, they should be adjusted to the new schedule and stimulation. Gabby, by the way, LOVES her teacher. And, I really like her too! She has so much energy, has the kids doing neat learning projects and I love the constant communications from her via backpack mail and email.

In addition to adjusting to a new school schedule, Gabby also is involved in swimming, gymnastics and dance. Dance class started last Monday. She's in a tap & ballet class that she really enjoyed last year with the same instructor. Swimming class is on Sundays. And, she's in an invite-only developmental gymnastics class. The class is twice weekly, from 5-7pm, and they work those girls hard. Seriously. I watch them, and wish I was out there doing all the strength training, stretching and fun gymnastics moves with them. I hesitated a bit with the advanced gym class for several reasons... I was worried about Gabby adjusting to all day kindergarten, and thought a twice weekly, 2 hour class would be too much for her... and maybe for us too (with having to taxi her there & back), especially with having two other little ones at home. But, the Level I coaches started telling me that Gabby was getting bored in class and needed more of a challenge. They said strength-wise and skill-wise, she was more than capable of handling the invite class. So, I caved... and enrolled her in that class. Honestly though.... she is MUCH happier in this new, more difficult class and it so far hasn't been too difficult to juggle with everything else. It definitely messes up dinner on Tuesday nights, as Rocco's gym class starts when Gabby's does... it just ends an hour and 15 mins before Gabby's. But, I now send the kids off to they gym with PB&J sandwiches, milk and that seems to work fine. Then when they get home, they usually eat a second dinner.

Gabby is LOVING all of her activities. I would say it is a toss-up between dance & gymnastics for her favorite activity. Swimming is not really an option in our house... we feel strongly about the kids having to learn to swim for safety reasons. But, the other activities are up to the kids. As long as they are having fun, it isn't making them too tired or impacting school/homework (which is the top priority!), then we'll support them in whatever.

Gabby seems to have grown-up so much lately... in a kindergarten sort of way. And, I also had to go through her closet again recently - she's growing so fast! Very tall & lean (making it really hard to find pants that are long enough but not falling off of her). And, she happily does her homework each night and looks forward to our half hour of reading. She is also really starting to get confident with her own reading and will often attempt to read books to her brother and sister now. Super cute to see! We are SO proud of her... love her to bits!

Rocco Started Preschool!

Rocco started preschool the day after Labor Day and he was SO excited!

Last winter, he was not looking forward to school one bit. We'd try talking to him about it and he would get mad and tell us he didn't want to go to school. We would tell him all the fun things he would do at school... and he would ignore us.

But, oddly enough, by the end of summer, he was full of anticipation for his first day of school. He would tell us all about what he was going to do at school and how he'd make his OWN friends (friends, that Gabby wouldn't have), etc. It's amazing how several months in the life of a 3 year old can make such a difference on their perspective and interest in something. It is also interesting how time changes their need for social interaction and their own friendships.

I imagine Rocco also developed a need/want for his own friends because he is much more aware of how Gabby has created friendships. And, he truly enjoys the friendships that him and Gabby have built with our neighborhood kids. The kids in the neighborhood are constantly playing together and going from house to house. It's really cute and sort of reminds me of my childhood neighborhood.

In addition to starting preschool, Rocco is now also enrolled in gymnastics and a swimming class that does not include a parent or his sister (both are once a week). He truly LOVES both classes!

I tried on several occasions to have him try gymnastics back in the spring, but he wouldn't even participate for 5 minutes. Now he really enjoys going to gymnastics and really looks forward to class. He even likes to show off and do somersaults at home and flips on the trampoline. He seems to do really well at the beginning of each class... he listens and follows instruction, doing exactly as the coach instructs. Then, I seem him start to get chatty with the coach, and other kids. And, by the end, I see him diving and jumping and rolling onto the mats like he's fighing some sort of superhero battle while he's waiting in line for his turn to do something. He's such a little clown! Last week, he was waiting in line, diving and doing somersaults. I saw his coach say something to him (her back was to me, so I don't know what she said) and then Rocco got up and I heard him say "I have another brother and his name is Matteo!", and then he dove back into another somersault. Ii was so strange... gave me chills and warmed my heart at the same time. Love that Matteo still lives within him.

Rocco and Gabby were in a private swim class together through the spring. Then, when July hit, I decided to enroll them in a different program, where they would each be in classes relevant to their level of swimming. This was Rocco's first class without a parent or his sister and I was expecting it to either be a complete disaster or something to build on. Well, in his first swim class he was frozen still and had his head down for the first 10 mins. But all of a sudden... it was like a switch went off, and he started having fun. He started talking and responding positively to the instructor, and when we went home, he was so proud to tell his sister and daddy all about his instructor and 2 new swim class friends.... even though they didn't really say a peep to each other. Last week... he talked the teacher's ear off and the teacher looked at Dan almost as if she was needing Dan to get him to stop talking. Silly Rocco... he's such a crack-up!

We're so proud of Rocco! Preschool, gymnastics and swimming classes... all by himself!

The ZOO!

We went to the zoo with very good friends of ours – Sofia, Giovanni and their mom & dad.

The kids had a great time running around and checking out all the various animals. They really enjoyed the cockatiel exhibit/experience which essentially allowed them to enter the “cage” of dozens of cockatiels and feed them from sticks and also hold them or allow the birds to land on them. Rocco was surprisingly really good at staying still and luring the birds to his food stick. Several times he had birds walk up his arm. It was so much fun to see him relaxed and connecting with the birds in such a calm way. He’s usually so loud and physicial – it was almost like watching a different child. Gabby was probably a bit too eager to get the birds to land on her, so she didn’t have as many land on her as she would have liked. I felt a little bad for her… but every child has to learn the lesson of patience, I guess. Giuliana also really enjoyed looking around at the birds… but she didn’t feed any. They also had a great dinosaur exhibit… you know, the only zoo in the country where they have dinosaurs.

CaLiFoRnIcATion!!

We had a great trip to California at the end of July and beginning of August. The trip was planned around two major events... me running the San Francisco marathon and our first benefit for Matteo's Dream Fund.

We were gone for a total of 11 days, including travel time (since we drove). Yes, we are that crazy family. Financially, it made the most sense and was much smarter to drive. I couldn't believe how much it was going to cost us to rent a suburban sized vehicle... we couldn't find anything for under $1,800.00 for 8 days. Add air tickets for 3 adults and 2 children (we brought our au pair) and that added at least another $1,000.00... and then we still needed hotel rooms on top of that! Driving saved us oodles of money!! But seriously... what was with the sky-high car rental prices over the summer!?

Also, because we needed to drive... this was the perfect time to invest in a bigger family vehicle, which we have been in need of. I LOVED the mini-van... no really, I did! Sliding, touch-a-button-to-open-doors being my very favorite feature... closely followed by the low chassis for ease of loading kids, and ease of parking it! But... it just wouldn't cut it for this trip with 3 adults, 3 children, and luggage for all! So, we ended up getting a used 2008 black Yukon Denali XL. And, it's been fabulous and perfect - love it. Still miss the mini-van a tad bit, but can't imagine not having all the extra space now.

The only challenging part of driving meant that we wanted to do it over night... leaving home in the afternoon and Dan and I driving throughout the night. Both of us ended up being sleep deprived. The unfortunate extra challenge was Giuliana once again battling a fever on the drive down and us having to stop at the ER in Medford, OR, after being directed to do so by our pediatrician.

Gabby traveled really well in the car with very little complaining - would totally do this with her again. Rocco spent most of the drive down (when awake) asking if we were at the beach yet. He loves the beach! He slept pretty good... but on the drive down and back, he did have one wake-up where he started crying hard because he wanted to be stretched out in his bed. Poor 'lil guy! Giuliana did not travel very well at all! When sleeping, she would wake up every couple hours crying and frustrated that she was in her seat. On the way home, 3 hours into the drive, she had a major meltdown after spending 45 mins on repeat, saying "mamma! out! mamma! buckle! out!" So, we had to stop for a little while, get her some food, and we were able to distract her enough to get her buckled up again and driving. It was torture though hearing/seeing her so upset to be stuck in the car seat! UGH!

We arrived the day before the marathon. Giuliana was still battling a virus with a nasty fever, and I caught a 1.5 hour nap to prep for the marathon the next morning, while Dan and Maria took the kids over to Fisherman's Wharf. We spent the night in 2 hotel rooms located right on Fisherman's Wharf. We had a fantastic Italian dinner on Columbus Ave the night before the race, and played at the "new since I lived there park" at Washington Square Park in North Beach (my old 'hood!). Dan and I of course loved hanging out in our old neighborhood... reminiscing about how we'd go out to dinner almost every night... just walking to any one of hundreds of yummy restaurants. The nostalgia hit hard - that was such a great, carefree time in our lives!

The marathon was Sunday. My family and Maria all got up at 5am and walked two blocks north to cheer me on 1.5 miles into the course - what troopers! LOVE them! After the race, we went back to the hotel, kids napped, I cleaned up and then we went touring and grabbed some yummy food in the Marina (also an old haunt of ours). We took the kids and Maria to Lombard Street and the Golden Gate Bridge. Then, we bbq'd with Kathleen's family at our friend's Sara & Brad's beautiful home in Noe Valley. We spent the next 2 nights there... it was SO NICE of them to allow us to stay at their home while they were on vacation! Thanks again guys!!

On Monday, we drove up to Stinson Beach and spent the afternoon soaking up the sun, digging in the sand, jumping waves and just relaxing. We had a great lunch at a little cafe right off the beach. It was a perfect day!

On Tuesday, we went to a park for the kids, did a picnic lunch, and then hit Venice Beach in Half Moon Bay for more playing in the sand, water and soaking up the sunshine. Dinner was Mexican food in Pacifica.

On Wednesday we headed down to our hotel right on the main strip in Los Gatos. Wednesday night we went to our good friend's and old neighbor's home, Jody & Andy. It was super fun to catch up with them, and spend time with all the kids together. Dan worked on Wednesday and Thursday. And, I spent Wednesday and Thursday prepping for the Matteo's Dream Fund benefit... there was LOTS to be done so it was like a full time job! It was SO GREAT staying in downtown Los Gatos though... seriously, truly LOVE that town. And, loved walking around town each night and hitting different/favorite restaurants of ours. Maria watched the kids during the day and took them over to Oakmeadow Park on the train, carousel and all the play equipment. They also played in the fountain in Los Gatos's town square park.

Friday, we took the kids and Maria to Natural Bridges beach and Santa Cruz beach & boardwalk. Then, we went to Kathleen's house that night... her mountain neighborhood has a bbq every Friday night during the summer with great food and volleyball, boccie ball, parks for the kids, etc. It was a fun, relaxed night hanging with good friends.

Saturday was our event for Matteo's Dream Fund!! It was a total success and you can read more about that here.

Sunday, we spent the afternoon with our family.... Leo, Kenny, Trish, Todd and Courtney and it was fabulous! We've really missed them SO MUCH since we've lived in Washington. It's brought me to tears at times... I truly miss having them/family near us and being a part of the kid's lives. The kids have really missed them too, so it was such a great afternoon of quality time together. Trish made a super-delicious dinner (as always) and we caught up with everyone's lives. So fun!!

Monday, we headed home... we had to rent a small trailer to get us home because Leo & Kenny had been babysitting 5 of our very large plants ever since we moved! Also, we ended up having a lot of extra Matteo's Dream Fund "stuff" to bring home.

Oh... and on our way home, we unknowingly stole a gas pump line @ 4am from a gas station in Washington!! It was hilarious! Dan had been driving since we left at 2pm on Monday afternoon. We stopped at a gas station. I took Gabby in to go potty. Dan started pumping gas. Dan came in and browsed for snacks. Then, I browsed for snacks and told him I could drive. He agreed because he was exhausted and went out to the car. I paid, went out to the car, jumped in the drivers seat and took off. We were probably 4 or 5 miles on the Interstate and I saw something sparking in my side mirror... something was hanging off the side of the truck. What? So, I asked Dan if he noticed that earlier. I couldn't figure out what it was. Dan thought it was a chain from the trailer. No.... couldn't be.... not from where it was hanging. I looked closer in the mirror and realized it was the GAS PUMP LINE!! OMG!! Sparking EVERY time it hit the road!! I started laughing so hard as I realized what it was... Dan was SO upset and did not think it was funny one bit. I couldn't stop laughing and I started slowing down so we could pull over and remove it. I couldn't help but wonder what the couple cars who were now passing us thought of this.... total crazy white-trash people, right?! OMG... soooooo funny! Still can't believe this happened. Obviously, I never checked the gas pump before I got in the car. I guess I figured that since Dan started pumping the gas, he would finish it! Especially since he was in the store browsing for food! Slight communication problem there, eh?! That was the funniest story from our trip... will definitely remember this forever! HA!