A season of Thanksgiving

I know that my last post was not very positive about blogging. I admire people who do it faithfully and spend time and effort to keep it updated, positive and uplifting and I don't think I could do that.
However, I feel that because I have so many good people that I love and live so far away, I need to post pictures, thoughts and events so I can share my life with them. That also means that I have to post in both languages.
In this time of Thanksgiving I feel very lonely for my family in Italy and I owe it to them to keep them more updated. I have been pondering how blessed I am to have had such a loving mother and father and a very spirited and courageous sister who is my hero for the way she has been able to handle a life of trial. I am also grateful for wonderful cousins, uncles and aunts. I never wondered if I was loved, I knew I was and I was always surrounded by great family members who reminded me of that. I am also extremely grateful for a husband that gives me so much love, respect, devotion and joy. I have had many disappointed in life especially in the last year but I can always count on Larry to buoy me up and give me hope. I feel that as long as I have him with me I can handle anything.
I know that I have been given much and I thank my Heavenly Father for that every day.
I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Well, after only four entries this summer I have decided that blogging is just not my thing. Honestly who am I kidding? I have very little time, do not own a dissent camera to take amazing pictures like some people who's blogs I really love, and I just don't have many words to describe the daily things that are going on in my life. The best part about this is that I am not even feeling guilty about quitting. I am beyond that because I do so many things that I can't possibly be guilty about dropping something. I know that blogging is a great thing to allow extended family and friends to be part of your life and I might do some of the major events although I have not yet posted our big celebration for Isabella's 12th birthday which was a big deal since she moved out of primary and into young women. So with this said, I will say that my summer has been great so far and full of good things.
My sister came and we had a great visit, my kids went to church camps and had a good time. I have had time to read, cook and enjoy good company. My garden is plentiful and I am looking forward to canning and eating fresh tomatoes. Larry and I have had a great getaway and we are planning another one soon, this time we will take the kids and have a mini family vacation.
I have 23 days left of summer vacation and then I am going back to work. I want to have time to do some things around the house before I go back but I am grateful for my job that allows me to work around my kids schedule.
I am grateful for my life and for a loving Heavenly Father that gives me blessings, even sometimes in the form of trials and I hope to be able to grow and learn from them.
Until next time......... Daniela

After a month of having extra people in my home I am back to "just " my family. It was great to have my sister, her husband and my older son visiting but it was a lot of work to feed, entertain and go places with 8 people.
We did some fun things and lots of shopping which was fun for me but I am ready to go back to my routine and enjoy my summer peace before I go back to work.
Yesterday I took the kids to the lake and enjoyed reading a good book in the shade. It was very peaceful and rewarding to me.

Larry and I went to Devil's lake in Wisconsin for a couple of days. It was a camping trip and we stayed in the park overnight in our tent. I am not a camper but this was a very fun trip. We hiked the trails, biked and went swimming in this beautiful, crystal clear lake. I am looking forward to go back with the kids, I know they would absolutely love it. It was a great opportunity for us to spend time alone and enjoy nature at its best. The weather was perfect and I truly fell in love with this park.

As I said, Isabella went to girls camp last week and she had a blast. The theme of this year was "superheroes" and our ward choose Kung Fu Panda and they had an awesome flag and cute t- shirts. She also was part of a skit where she played a nerd and apparently had a very good debut and the leaders told me that she stole the show. Who knew!!! She is so quiet and shy.
I am glad she enjoyed herself.

My sister arrived on Wednesday. She and her husband will be here for a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to spend time with them and go do fun things. This week we just went shopping and cooked together a couple of dishes, some good and some not so good. Also, Isabella came home from her very first girls camp and she had a great time. She will be in young women in a couple of weeks. Where has the time gone?? I don't have any more children in primary!!!!

We lost our dog about a month ago. We went to Utah for Spring break and left him home with relatives. After we got back he got really sick and died after a couple of weeks and we still do not know what happened to him. The vet could not figure out why he was so sick and kept trying different things.
It was a heartbreaking experience since he was our first dog and he was only 2 years old. Life without a dog is a bit easier for me since I was the one who took care of him primarily but we do miss having him around. I miss our walks terribly.

Penelope

Today Isabella and I watched a cute little five month old Boston Terrier named Penelope. My friend took her daughters to the Chicago Botanical Garden and we got to watch their new puppy. It was great to have a little dog around especially for Bella.
She has been missing Copper.

I am officially starting my blog today. I have been wanting to do so for a long time but never found the time to sit down and actually do it. I have a son in college away from home and I want him to be more included in our lives, also my extended family can keep up with our activities and look at pictures.