Brooklyn Pulls Up!

Wow!! Brooklyn just can't wait to catch up to her big sister. She pulled herself up to the standing position all by herself in her playpen a couple weeks ago. Ever since she learned how to pull herself up she has been walking around holding onto the furniture and never sits still!!

6 years and many miles

We have been busy lately and I have sooooo much to blog about! In the meantime, today is a special day....6 years ago today is when Brian started his duty as a United States Marine!! Time Flies!! I can't believe it has already been six years since the day Brian's parents and I drove him to the recruiter's office where we dropped him off, said our good-byes, and he left for boot camp. He went to boot camp in San Diego, California @ MCRD for three long months!! The only contact we had with him was through letters and he was able to make a brief phone call on Thanksgiving Day! Brian wrote me a letter everyday he was able to while at boot camp and I cherish those letters. I can't wait to share them with my children when they are grown:) There is something so romantic about writing letters especially when you are miles and miles apart. In the past, letters were the only way military couples could communicate and know of their husband's well-being which also makes me feel old-fashioned, which I love!!

I was away at college when Brian went through boot camp. I remember going to the mailbox and praying that I would get a letter that day and being overwhelmed with joy when one or two or even three would arrive. As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder...and boy did I miss Brian when he was away at boot camp. Although, little did I know that was only the beginning of the many months we would spend missing one another through all of the training and deployments.

I am so proud of you Brian!! Congratulations on 6 years of your continued honor, courage, & commitment!!

Family Vacation

A few weeks ago we went on our first family vacation!! We had a wonderful time and I already look forward to our next one. It was nice to get away for a week and not have to think about anything but enjoying our time together. Brian planned the whole trip and surprised me with the idea one night. We drove up the PCH to Malibu, which is the more scenic route and it took us around 4 hours to get there. It was the most beautiful drive along the coast the entire way!! After arriving in Malibu, we checked into our hotel and headed straight for the beach. It was Brooklyn's first time in the ocean (considering the summer weather didn't arrive until late this year) and I am sorry to say she did not enjoy the cold water at all!!

Then after our stay in Malibu, we headed to Anaheim and went to Disneyland. We stayed in a hotel right outside the park. On our first night we enjoyed swimming at the hotel and going to Downtown Disney. The next day we spent the entire day at Disneyland and the girls had the best time!!

After Disney, we drove home and continued our family fun by spending the following day in Carlsbad and then ending the week with a relaxing day at home watching movies and ordering pizza!! Brian did a great job at planning every detail of our family vacation. We had a lot of fun and made many happy memories :-)

Brooklyn on the move

I have to say in my opinion it is definitely true that the second child seems to do things more quickly than the first. Brooklyn already started crawling!! While we were in Chicago the first weekend of August, Brooklyn decided to sit up on her own and then in the same day she started crawling :-) I couldn't believe it!! Although I was bummed that Brian and Olivia weren't there to witness it, I was so excited for her.


I took this video of Brooklyn when we got home from Chicago.

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!!