My Grandma will be missed....

My Grandma, Shirley Mae Beninato, passed away this month at the age of 75. She had pancreatic cancer that was recently diagnosed in May. She was the mother of ten children (including my Dad) whom currently range in age from their fifties to their late thirties. There are currently 28 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren (soon to be 18 any day now!).

Brooklyn and I flew to Chicago to attend her services at the beginning of August. We have a very large family and by large I mean huge! It was very touching to look around and think that we were all here because of my Grandma. She leaves behind generations and generations of family....Grandma you will truly be missed!!

Family members flew in from all over the country. Since we rarely get everyone together, we had to take a picture at the luncheon following her services (although 6 of the grandchildren and another 6 of the great-grandchildren were unable to be there).

Here are 22 of the grandchildren....

The grandchildren & the great-grandchildren....(33 of the 45 total)

The Biggest Loser

I am once again behind on blogging.....a couple of weeks ago Brian got an awesome opportunity to train the contestants from the TV show The Biggest Loser!! He was one of the six Marines chosen from Camp Pendleton by the Sgt. Major of SOI. For an entire week they filmed day and night! They are currently filming for next season, which starts in September and their episode will air on November 2nd!!

I was able to attend the crew party at the end of the week and the filming of the "Weigh In". I have never been behind the scenes of a TV show so it was really neat to see how it all works!! It was such a cool experience for Brian, and I can't wait to see the episode premiere!! We had to sign wavers stating that we wouldn't reveal any of the shows outcomes or cast members so I will post more about it along with all my pictures when the season starts.

Here is a picture from the crew party....I got to meet Alison Sweeney (the shows host).

4th of July

On the 4th of July the girls and I hung out at home, because Olivia was a little under the weather and Brian had to work. It was Brooklyn's first 4th of July and she fell asleep before the fireworks began, but Olivia and I went outside to watch with some popcorn and blankets.

It was rewarding to think of how fortunate we are to live in such a wonderful country!! The 4th of July has always been a memorable holiday for me....from watching my Dad do fireworks in the front yard and family BB Q's when I was a child, to sharing this day with my little girls and getting to make new memories. It is also special to think of Brian and his part in defending our freedom. All day I kept thinking about the marines, soldiers, and sailors fighting overseas and how thankful I am for them and their service to our country.

I love that Olivia & Brooklyn already care so much about each other!!