Mt. Charleston home

We went to Mt. Charleston on Wed. We packed our van as full as we could with outside toys and made the trek. What a wonderful place. Just smelling the pine sent my mind dancing! The house will suit our family just right. I still can't believe it! How exciting!! I'm sure I did too much hiking. I'm already sore! But I couldn't help it. It was just too perfect. Really pretty staircases Our beautiful girls! (Jessi's first time wearing pants- it got chilly in the evening up there!)
Roman was beat and Gabriel pulled him all the way across the top floor!
The "secret attic"- high hopes of finishing the attic and putting a spiral staircase off Trish's room to the "secret hideout"
Trisha's room with 2 fireplaces

Dining room view into family room
I think this is the master...

Family room (our lunch boxes etc on the floor there)
Upstairs room off the boys bedroom- will most likely be a toy room

Trish taking a rest on a neat stump...
View of our house and the next door house from the road.
Playing hide and seek looking for Gino...
Family room
Upstairs bedroom

More Mt. Charleston photos

Newly found and newly named "Castle Rock" during our first hike.
Happy kids!
This is the trail literally in our backyard- these are the little falls in the spring.
On the bridge...

Wait for me!

Mt. Charleston home

Outside of house- wreath from last Christmas when house was occupied.
View from the front of the house.
Great private drive for wheeled toys!
Gabriel on the sled run.

View from middle of sled run.

MT. Charleston: Soon to be our backyard!

Abu took these photos. Danny took the kids to lunch at the Mt. Charleston Lodge (http://www.mtcharlestonlodge.com/ )a few weeks back. He introduced them to the "Dark Side" (Gino said). The big news is...we are moving to Mt. Charleston! Danny's been working there for a while and now he will have an easy commute. Everyone is so excited. What a beautiful place! I'll get pictures posted asap. We have the keys and are getting ready for our move. Wow!

Summer ending?

Gino and Jessica after he saw her roll tummy to back for the first time.


Gabriel's favorite tree at Wild Oats.
Gino cried at the closing of her favorite store- Wild Oats- after it was purchased by Whole Foods last year. We went for photos and a last visit. Trish and I also went the final day for groceries 50% off- yipppee!

Jessi Lou is 2 months old

Jessica can roll tummy to back now! Gino was the first witness when he was watching her while I got him (our "Shaggy") something to eat. He very proudly came running to tell us the news. She can also hold herself up high when on her belly and talks and talks.
She weighs 11.8 lbs. Our EC project is going well and I am starting to catch more. I still need to buy her a potty. I'm still holding her over the pot. The children just adore her and she enjoys watching them. She can laugh now! She laughs when tickled (I found out by accident) and she is starting to laugh at smiles from time to time.

Gabriel's first day

Gabriel started the kindergarten Oak Meadow curriculum this month. He loves it! He has enjoyed every day- in his underwear! (It's his standard summer attire!) He was really cute yesterday when we were to fly around like butterflies ("B is for butterfly big and bright..). Gabriel went to the costume closet and came back wearing the bat wings Trish wore in a Halloween costume. "Bat starts with B, too" so we were bats. He didn't want to be a butterfly. He's so fun and such a little man!

Jessica is 8 weeks

25 inches 11.5 lbs and she can roll over front to back! She's a beauty!

Summer's not over in Vegas

Great $5 pool from target. Just add 3 brothers...

Still over 100 here- hot! Gosh, they had fun.

Making a whirl pool....

Jessi is 7 weeks old

25 inches
11.1 lbs

What's up with the gang...

Aby came to town. She was a huge help around the house- and great for the kids to cuddle with.
The boys have been really in to Legos. Lots of building and hopes for birthday gifts!

Gino has been finding creative ways to sleep- tee hee! He reached his goal of being able to read any book by the summer. He still needs some vocabulary help of course but those aren't the books he wants to read. He is wizard at math and loves "educational" computer games.

Aunt Tina was here. She had a cold by the end of her trip but I think it was still fun for her. She was such good luck, we didn't want her to ever leave! We all found great humor in speedwalking in the Olympics. Gabriel starts Kindergarten next Monday. He's been doing "school" for years, of course!
Abu came to visit. Here is is with the kids being goofy. He was such a big help. Lots of fun playing checkers with him.

Patricia is working on her 7th grade curriculum. She is really eager to start 8th before New Year's. She is still writing on her novel and creating daily. World History is her favorite subject (besides writing and drawing- wonderful sample above) and she is now a proud moderator on 'tween talk. She invented and made a Tae kwon Do computer game that is on disc- super neat! She is working on a puppet play of Romeo and Juliet. Her TKD instructor called her his "favorite student of all time".

Papa came to town. He had a cold (blamed Tina) and wasn't able to have as much fun as he wanted to. He wanted to take home the blue napping chair! Come back soon!

Roman slept in the guest room all night by himself. A big thing for him! Way to go, Roman! He has some books on his night stand- Spiderwick, Captain Underpants and a Lego catalog. He is working on 3rd grade and is already wanting to go to 4th. He has been practicing some typing. Still enjoys Pokemon and waterpolo.