Merilee, Lexi & Brandon = 5 days of capital F U N!!!

We were so excited to have Leonard's baby sister, Merilee and her kiddos come play with us here in AZ the first 5 days of June! We filled our days with fun and laughter. It was good to have some Zito family here...we needed it :)

I bought Brandon & Blake some color changing Lightning McQueen Cars. They were a big hit. These 2 guys are only a couple months apart in age and they hit it off like cousins should. Loud & Wild....perfect for 4 year old boys. :)

For Merilee's first dinner with us, Leonard HAD to grill up his FAMOUS and DELICIOUS New York Strip Steaks and boy oh boy they were the BEST steaks I have ever eaten....not joking! The key to grilling good steaks is...GOOD MEAT, HIGH HEAT...and it helps to have the grill master cooking it up for you too a.k.a....Leonard! :) Merilee agreed that Leonard's steaks were WAY better than Nates :) That is all Leonard needed to hear :) VICTORY!

After the AMAZING Steak dinner, we took everyone to GOLDEN SPOON.... my FAVORITE Treat place of them all. It is my Guilty Pleasure and I was happy to share it with Merilee & her kids. 

The next morning, Lexi & Brandon were thrilled to pieces that the Jeep's battery was finally charged. They were so cute together. Laughing their heads off as they drove the jeep back and forth across the yard. It was a hoot to listen to those squeals of delight and giggles. They rode the jeep til the battery was empty. aaah good times!

We took the kids to play at Makutu's Island!

Aren't these cousins so stinking cute??? ;) wish they lived closer!

This jungle play land is a kids dream place to run and explore all the nooks and crannies, slides, tunnels & aquarium. oh to be young again ;) 

Check this place out... pretty cool hu? 

this swirly slide was everyone's favorite!

After a good 4 HOURs of playing hard... i can't believe we stayed that long. Everyone was now STARVING so we had to take the fam to one of our favorite mexican restaurants...

The food was delicious as usual... I LOVE Numero Tres...2 chicken tacos & a cheese enchilada & Leonard's Favorite is Dos Tamales...green corn that is ;) and their chips and salsa is tasty too! 

Now a visit to AZ in the summer time wouldn't be complete with a few good swims at the Gordon's Resort Pool. 

The weather was nice and toasty and cooling off at the pool was the perfect place to play!

 I only took off the skin on one knee as I dove to rescue blake who slipped out his floaty fish. Talk about heart attack. It was so scary. We just arrived at the pool when it happened and I hadn't even jumped in myself yet. Good thing Blake just started swim lessons today. Sheesh!

We LOVE the Gordon Resort... it really is the ONLY thing that helps us survive the summer heat. 

Lexi & Brandon loved the pool too. It was a chilly 46 degrees when they left Montana and it was 100 degrees and climbing when they arrived. 

We also spoiled the kiddos and took them to see the last Shrek movie in 3D... I would have to say it was entertaining but not worth seeing it in 3D. Blake wouldn't even leave his glasses on. So he watched it fuzzy. Silly Boy! :)

I took Merilee to my neighborhood BFF.... Hobby Lobby and we got our craft on :) Supplies for Flower bows for Lexi and the goods to make a Hair Clip Hanger board. It was gonna be a fun craft project. :) 

We also spoiled Merilee with the delicious goodness of Paradise Bakery Sandwiches, soup & cookies for dinner one night. Can you say SCRUMPTIOUS??!!!!

Here is the finished project.....the custom made, Lexi Hair Clip Hanger Board. Isn't adorable? 

On the last day Merilee was here to play, I took her shopping and Leonard took the kids to the pool. We ended up splurging big time on new fossil purses. So bright and summery...we deserve it! right lady?! ;) 

Thanks again Merilee for all the peer pressure you put on me to bite the bullet and buy this purse! I really do love it :)

We are so glad Merilee and her kids could come and vacation with us. It was a well needed break for her. I must brag about this amazing lady... she just graduated from 4 years of Nursing school. Pat her on the back, she did it and she is my hero! Talk about dedication and major sacrifice. This pretty lady is now looking for a RN job. We'd LOVe to have her here in AZ! ;) hint hint!  She is a wonderful and caring nurse & mama. I wish her and her family well! Way to Go Merilee. We Love you like crazy! Thanks for the great visit and we can't wait to see you again! 

Blake has been asking about Brandon and Lexi everyday since they have left. He misses his cousins and wants them to come back.... ok Merilee, time for another visit ;) 

Lucky for us, we do get to see them sooner than later as our annual Zito Family Road Trip to Wyoming & Montana will be underway in end of July 2010.  Hooray!!!

* A side note about the new purse I bought. So there was a stain/flaw on the front that looked like someone spilled mustard on it and it stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I looked at this stain for a couple days & decided I couldn't get over this spot. So I went to another Dillard's in town and exchanged it with a non-mustard stained bag and boy am I happy. I even went all out and bought this cute owl wallet and coin purse...they were hooting at me to buy them.  It is the perfect set ;)

I also stopped by Ross on the way home and this fancy, ruffly pink purse jumped out in front of me & into my arms...true story... and this bargain bag begged and pleaded for me to take it home...what can a girl do??? I love to make dreams come true, so now I have 2 new cute purses to choose from! aaaah! Sweet story hu?

One Last Hurrah with a Dear Friend

Our sweet Friend Jessica is moving to Utah and it is bittersweet news for us all. We are so happy she gets to be close to her family again but DANG...Her "Friend Family" is gonna miss her and her fam like crazy. 

There is only one thing to do.... a well needed Girls Night Out filled with laughter, tears and Great Chick Flick and chatting into the wee hours of the morning. I love all you gals!

We went to see Letters to Juliet and it was soooo cute! i loved it! Perfect movie to see with a bunch of girlfriends. In fact, it was a girlfriend night for all the ladies in the theater Wednesday night. We all giggled and sniffled together. What fun. The 4 of us stayed chatting til the house lights came on and we startled the cleaning crew who were not expecting us. So we mozied on out to the truck and sat and visited for another hour or so. Our eyelids were starting to get droopy with tiredness and hubbies were calling to make sure we were safe. I GUESS we need to say goodbye. 

But first.......

I brought my camera and we NEED pics to remember. So we set it on on the tailgate of my truck and turned on the self timer and went to town being goofy and taking retake after retake.... i insisted ;)

The ladies knew the outtakes would be displayed here on my blog! hee hee hee :)

Leah, Jessica, Me & Sarah

I sure had so much fun hanging out with you awesome ladies! Thanks for the chat and memories. Friends make the world a better place. 

We will miss you Jess!

~ Spring Break 2010 ~ 6 Days of FUN

This year for Spring Break, we decided to have a "STAYcation". We stayed home but we planned something fun to do everyday together. We marked it down on the calendar and the kids counted down every second til the next ADVENTURE. It wasn't as excited as a Disneyland trip, but it was very enjoyable and we soaked in the AWESOME weather AZ offers us this time of year.

Day 1 ~ Monday, March 15th

Leonard had to work the first couple of days of spring break. The girls played with friends Monday and I did laundry. oh boy oh boy! In the afternoon we got all Girly and....

Painted our nails all PRETTY!!! That's always fun! We needed to get all spruced up so we could enjoy a dinner out at...

Our family LOVES Sweet Tomatoes and we all enjoyed a Delicious meal together. Day 1 of Spring Break! SUCCESS ;)

Day 2 ~ Tuesday, March 16th

This day started like any other. The girls wanted to go...

Shopping!!!

That sounds like fun right??? The 3 kiddos and I ventured out to look for new clothes for the girls and I was quickly reminded why I take one kid at a time for this kind of shopping. It was NOT enjoyable. Some kids I know, think that stores are where you play chase and hide and seek and pester, pester, poke, tease, argue, face pulling, whining, snottiness, ignore mom!!!....any of you experience any of these while shopping???

By the end of our short shopping experience I was feeling like this... I had to breathe in deeply and threaten and beg and plead. Everyone straightened up (I'm a softy) and I took them to enjoy a tasty treat at...

Lucky for them, I had a gift card. Hooray for free Ice Cream. I really wanted some but I was strong and held back. I am trying to cut back the yumminess. I did have a few bites though and they were scrumptious. As they were finishing their treats, the fighting resumed between 2 lovely girlies...NO YOU DIDN'T!!!! grrr girls...that really stinks cuz we were gonna see this....

RATS!!! They lost their opportunity and had to earn it back by showing sisterly love to the max for the rest of the day and all the next day too and MAYBE I would take them.

PHEW!!! We made it through Day 2....along with the normal reality of sibling rivalry. gotta love it!

Day 3 ~ Wednesday, March 17th ~ St. Patrick's Day

It was an especially lovely warm day... only a few of us got pinched because they weren't wearing green...and we took the kids to see the GREEN FOUNTAIN in Fountain Hills. This town turns the water green on this fun day and we had to see it with our own eyes. We grabbed a picnic lunch and made it just in time to witness the world's largest emerald fountain.

Built 30 years ago, this dramatic landmark is a centerpiece of the town in Fountain Park. The fountain is located in the middle of a man-made 28-acre lake in the heart of Fountain Hills. One of the world's highest fountains, the 560-foot tall plume of water, shoots to the sky and is visible for many miles. It was AWESOME!!!!

The kids ran around and played, checked out the ducks and we even played a fun game of Whiffle Ball. Good times! After a couple hours of soaking up the sun we all got a bit burnt. Bring on the Tan!!! I am READY ;) By the time we got home it was time for me to take the girls to the movies... yes, they straightened up and earned back their FUN.

We were the first ones in line for the 4pm show and we were happy to get the best seats in the house. Popcorn, drinks and candy, 3D glasses... CHECK! We are ready to be amazed at the movies.

I must say we LOVED it! It was peculiar, bizarre, Splendidly odd & simply Mad...my kind of movie. I love this kind of stuff. I was NOT disappointed. In fact, this is my 2nd viewing. Leonard & I watched in at the IMAX and in 3D... LOVED it!!! I couldn't wait to take the girls. Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite Disney movies and who doesn't love that zany Johnny Depp ;) What a perfect ending to a great day!

Day 4 ~ Thursday, March 18th

Today's plan was Brunch and Bowling... I think it's the perfect combo! ;)

If you have not tried Breakfast here at T.C. Eggington's, Put it on your calendar to pay this place a visit. You won't be disappointed. The entrees are to DIE FOR DELICIOUS!!! isn't your mouth just watering yet??? We all loved our Breakfast for Lunch and we can't wait to go back again.

After Brunch we headed over to Brunswick for some good old Bowling fun! While we waited for a lane to open up, we hung out at the arcade. Unfortunately for our children they had to pretend to play the games because their parents are too cheap ;) but come on give me a break at $2 a game....major rip off and hey kids don't give me a hard time we are going BOWLING ;) They acted happy for me in the pics...good kids ;)

At Last!! Let the Bowling begin!!!

This is our 2nd adventure bowling together as a family...actually Blake's first. The last time we went bowling was 8 years ago. Carly was a little baby and we were staying with some friends in Utah. Bowling sounds fun we say...so off we go to the ma & pa alley. We weren't even there long enough to get our shoes on when Kaitlyn, then 3 years old, is curious about the bowling ball return machine. She sticks her little hand in the machine to touch the spinning belt and her hand is sucked into the machine...it was horrifying. She is screaming and getting sucked into the machine. Our friend who was the closest to her, yanked her hand out and blood is everywhere. I thought she would loose her fingers. 911 was called and off to the hospital she went to get repaired. Thankfully, she only needed a few stitches and thankfully no broken fingers. It was a very very scary experience and one I DO NOT want to repeat. So as we thought about going bowling, we talked about not sticking your hand the machine. Kaitlyn agreed to follow the rules this time and so bowling we go. I talked to Blake about it when we got there and he was so good and steered clear of getting too close to the return machine.

Now let's have some fun!!!

Blakey Boy was our first bowler. Daddy helped him out. Awwww, what a good daddy! Blake loved to step on the foul line because he liked to hear it beep. So his score was kinda low for a while. :) silly goose. Blake got bored of bowling pretty soon, so we all took turns bowling for him. with the bumpers up, his score was improving ;)

Carly was next in line and she did great. She was not a huge fan of these "Clown Shoes" she had to wear. :) but she endured. The bumpers were her friend today. :) She can't wait to go bowling again.

Kaitlyn was raring to go when it was her turn to bowl. She wanted to use the bumpers too. She did great and had fun and kept her hands nice and safe ;) PHEW!!!


L & L .... We were tempted to bowl with the bumpers too, but I like competition too much. It is ON baby!!! May the best...(luckiest) bowler win :)


Brunswick is a pretty nice bowling alley. I sure love all you guys! You are the best family a gal could have ;)


And the winner is..... Yours Truly ;)....just barely. I broke 100 and I was proud. Very proud indeed!

Day 4 of spring break.... SUCCESS!!! ;)

Ps.... happy birthday Ann

Day 5 ~ Friday, March 19th

The highlight of the day for the girls was....

Leonard took the girls to play some laser tag. I wanted to go but Blake and I hung out while they played. No pictures to show but the girls said it was a BLAST and they can't wait to go. I am so glad they had fun. I can't wait to go next time.

Friday night...DATE NIGHT... Lenny & I enjoyed a lovely meal at the Pita Jungle and headed over to the Apple Store to drool at the Macs. ooooh ahhhh... I NEEED I NEED!!!! ;)

Day 5 ~ Success!

Day 6 ~ Saturday, March 20th

Before we can play, we must get some work done around here.

I don't know about your yard, but ours had been flooded with these stinking weeds. Thanks to all this very needed rain AZ has been receiving lately, has also encouraged these boogers to multiply and replenish themselves 100 fold in our yard. We all worked together and pulled weeds and got our yard looking respectable again. Yahoo!!! Team Zito for working together and getting a tough job done. I should have taken before and after pics but I didn't. Just imagine a wild jungle and now a nice trimmed and clean looking lawn.

Now it is time to PLAY!!!! Leonard brought the kiddo's to the climbing gym to get some energy out and have a good time. I stayed home and soaked in the quiet and the sun. Life is good.
Our STAYcation for spring break 2010 was filled with memory making moments.
Sad it is already over...time to back to the grind. Boooooo! Hisssssss!


a final thought to remember....
Good times with you are the Best times in my life!

I NEED to Blog about Something :)

Well, I have been having the itch to Blog...but what about??? I had NOTHING! Since Christmas, everything has been pretty low key. I recovered from my icky sickness, Leonard did get sick but passed quickly. Thank Heavens ~ But as I thought and thought...Randomness is the best cure for NOTHING... so here I go... Here is my NOTHING into SOMETHINGS and I have to include pictures cuz blogging without pictures is way to boring if you ask me. :)
The Plasma Cars have been a HUGE HIT at our house! The kiddos love riding them around. Blake has claimed the blue one for himself and has a major tantrum melt-down if anyone...CARLY... dares to ride his BLUE CAR! The screaming is oh so enjoyable. Other than the daily battles over who rides which car... they are fantastic ;)

I have been riding my bike on the trainer almost everyday for an hour. I am loving all this ride time and I love not having to worry about the snowbirds or drunks or teenagers killing me while I ride. It has been great! Although, my heart rate beats slower on this bad boy and I think it has to do with LACK of the fear of getting run over. I kinda like adrenalin! Helps me burn some extra calories... I will get back on the road one day but in the meantime, I will enjoy the trainer.

I have set up my bike on the back patio and hop on for an hour and I use my handy dandy book holder. I have been doing a LOT of reading lately and I rediscovered how much I love to read~ :) I have been so busy, that reading was at the bottom of my list. It has officially moved up the ranks in my life and I am happy :)

After a year....SERIOUSLY!!! a YEAR of reading one page at a time practically... I finally finished reading the HOST! Hallelujah!...now let me explain.... I always liked reading this book when I chose to read it, but I would choose to read it at the wrong time of day for me. Reading puts me to sleep. It is true! Instead of taking a sleeping pill if i am feeling restless or can't turn my mind off, I open up a book and it lulls my little brain to la la land. It is a blessing and a curse i tell you. A Blessing cuz I will always fall asleep while reading and a Curse because I ALWAYS fall asleep while reading. Even if it is good, down I go to sleepy land. Soooooo, I would start to read this book at the end of my day when I was tired and ready for sleep and out I go. Therefore, one year later and finally some daytime dedication and with the help of my bike trainer... I FINALLY FINISHED THE HOST! It was good, I liked it. It had a good ending and I was excited to move on to the next book on my list that has been staring at me for the last SEVERAL months.....

I have only heard good things about this book and I was so excited read this and let me say that I LOVED The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is quite the mouthful of a title :) The Story takes place in 1945, WW2 time period about an author who becomes pen pals with a man from Guernsey, an Island off the English Channel. She learns about the hardships and trials this little island and the people who lived there faced while the Nazi's occupied their land during the war. It is written so well, In letter form. Easy to read. Easy to love the characters and you can feel what they felt. Their happiness, sadness and everything in between! I highly recommend this book! FANTASTIC! I was sad when it ended.


Next on the shelf to read was this... POPE JOAN. Completely different than the light read I just finished. This book was good and I couldn't put it down. It really got me thinking and I praise the heavens I wasn't born during the Dark Ages because MAN OH MAN the time after Christ was Crucified and the gospel was not on the earth anymore was a very dark time. Women especially were treated horribly and they had no rights. They were basically a waste of space. They were meant to be slaves to men and bear children, but only boys were celebrated and girls were thought of as junk. it was pretty sad. but this gal JOAN is one tough cookie and the only way she could learn to read, be educated and have some peace in her life was to disguise herself as a man and the world opened up to her. I have no doubts that catholics are NOT HAPPY with this book and history of corruption and wickedness that rattles their church. They would not be happy to know that a woman fooled them all and became the pope and stirred things up during 845 AD. It was a good book! I thought it was very empowering for women and basically says you can do anything you want to do with hard work, dedication and determination. Being Educated is POWER~!
Now supposedly, Pope Joan is considered a myth at least to the catholic church. But I believed she was real, I believe she suffered like crazy and she really did become the pope and did great things for her people during her time that she served. hmmm it is a mystery. read it and see what you think :)


I am currently reading Hunger Games and I am liking it! It will be a quick read and i feel suspense coming on too! Should be good!
So what have you read that you loved so I can add it to my "TO READ" List? Please do share :)





Here is some more Randomness......


On New Years Morning at 7 am we are all tucked in our beds sleeping soundly, when suddenly we were all woken with screaming siren blaring our ears and we all jumped out of bed with a fright. "NOT AGAIN!!!!!", we all say together.
Our DUMB Smoke detectors are a bit glitchy. They alarm anytime they want, setting all the house detectors off at the same time and 2 of them can only be reached with a ladder. So our ears are ringing and aching by the time the ladder is retrieved and we dismantle the dang thing to get it to shut up. Now... IF... there was a real fire or smokey danger I would be glad to be " SCREAMED" at to get up and get out! BUT, our smoke detectors must think it is a game to wake us up in a fright at all times of the days and nights as we scramble around sniffing the air and running around with our heads chopped off sensing real danger or not! Well let me tell you this game of "Playing wolf with Zito's" has got to stop. We have replaced them all with new batteries several times and we can't figure out what the heck is wrong with out alarms. SOOO, we decided to just replace them all with new ones. It was a bit pricey to replace 5 at one time, but it HAD to be done!
On Saturday Leonard and Blake went to work and put up the "New BEEPS"...says Blake. He tells everyone he know and doesn't know... that he got a new beep in his room. They look at him like WHAT???? Then I help by translating for my son!
Blake was really freaked out this last time the detectors went off. Last month in preschool they learned about fires, & Smoke detectors and... remember we toured the firehouse???!!! So he knew exactly what that alarm screaming in his ear was all about and he was panicked! Well all is good and peace has been restored within our home! With some "NEW BEEPS!" phew! ;)




Random stuff is fun! I like this post! On to another one :)

Here is our grill. We LOVE this grill. We BELIEVE this grill cooks the best steaks and salmon out there! It cooks evenly and what more could you want with a grill??? HIGH HEAT = GOOD MEAT!!! Man, I am getting hungry now....anyhow, Leonard gave our grill a very needed deep clean. it had gotten grimy, greasy and just plain NASTY. The time had come for a little lovin for our favorite grill of them all. After a couple hours of scrubbing, she is as good as new. I enjoyed my time on the porch swing reading while Leonard worked! I smiled a lot this afternoon! :) Thanks for your hard work Leonard! We Need to have a BBQ now!




~Onto some MOVIE REVIEWS!!!!~

In DEC & JAN Leonard & I have been movie watching fools!

This fact delights Leonard very much since I am not really a HUGE fan of theater movie watching. I like being in my pjs, snuggled up on the couch with my blankets and now snuggie ;) on my own TV and comforts of home to watch movies and Leonard LOVEs the Big Screen, Surround sound stereo blasting base and rumbling the floor and the whole theater experience. I like it but don't LOVE it and he does. Well, anyhow, we have heard good things about several movies out and have been seeing LOTS!

We really LOVED Blindside! It is inspiring, heartwarming and just plain good! EVERYONE needs to see it for sure. Yes it is a football movie and yes there are MANY of them but THIS one I think is extra special. We will for sure buy this when it is released on DVD!

Next we saw AVATAR at the IMAX SUPER BIG SCREEN in 3D! Yes, we paid big bucks to see it...$28 for a movie!!!! But I will tell you it was AWESOME! no wonder it has made a BILLION + dollars now and is still #1 in the box office! the IMAX 3D experience made this movie watching thing totally amazing! NO JOKE! We felt like we were really there IN the movie. I can get into sci-fi stuff if needed while being entertained by a movie, but this was really enjoyable. The story was good and we totally want to see this again! Save up and see this movie in 3D. You won't be disappointed and if you are....well you are just a stick in mud! HA ;)

We also saw this...INVICTUS!!! Excellent movie! I highly recommend this inspiring movie too! I learned a lot in this flick and it makes me want to study up more about the history if Nelson Mandela and South Africa! Hey, I even want to learn more about rugby and all the rules and jazz. I had a smile on my face as I left this movie. It had a great message and one that I think every person in the world hear, believe and adopt. " I am the master of my fate, I am the Captain of my soul."....love it! No EXCUSES!!! you have the choice to make your life the way you want it. you are your own master. Choose wisely!

Loved this movie...see it and change the world!

Our last movie watching parade ends with Sherlock Holmes, which we watched this weekend. I liked it. I was entertained. But I did not love it and think it stinks that every movie that come out...just about thinks they need a 2nd & 3rd or more in the same title. it BUGS! come on Hollywood, be original. you cheapskates, money grubbing people you! just be happy with the first and move on. like chipmunks 2...give me a break! Ice age 3??? pink panther 2??? you get what i mean. they just think...ohhh easy money???!!!! & most of the time the 2nds & 3rds are mostly CRAPPY! ok enough ranting!

What did you think about Sherlock Holmes?

Ok.... Last Random SOMETHING :)

It's been a couple weeks since I made splash at my gym pool! I really enjoy swimming laps and I was so excited to get back to the pool yesterday morning. I get up...out of my nice warm bed... and jump into my suit and head to the pool. Boy, I am cold! It is a brisk 55 degrees out and I really don't want to jump into a cold pool ...even thought it is heated...but I vow...today is the day I get back on my horse. I am looking forward to soaking in the hot tub after my swim. It is gonna be nice!!!!

Well, as I check in with front desk, I notice a sign that the heater is out on the pool! DANG IT!!!! I have come to swim and swim I will.... Freezing cold or not?!!! There was 1 brave soul in there swimming laps so it can't be that cold right??? WRONG!!!

I put my feet in and HOLY TOLEDO!!! FREEZING!!! but i was determined! I couldn't give up because it was cold... that's what i kept telling myself.... 2 minutes later i am up to my knees. they were going numb so a little bit further i dipped in. My teeth were started to chatter...This is gonna take forever to be fully immersed. I just take a couple deep breaths and dunk down. HOLY SMOKES... I have not been in this cold of a pool before. I figure once i get swimming I will warm up right??? well about 8 laps in my hands are numb and i kinda feel warm. I am thinking ...this is what it will feel like in the lake for the triathlon I am training for. I CAN DO IT!!! I am almost 1/2 way done, so I keep going. It is cold all 20 laps and I was definitely feeling AWAKE!!! Unfortunately, the heater in the hot tub was out to, so no warming my bones there. BOO HISSS! I am happy to get out and get home. As I am leaving the pool a lady is ready to swim, she takes one look at me and changes her mind. Come on lady...don't be a wimp! ;) It was a chilly start to the day and I feel like one brave soul...or maybe crazy????!!!

I plan on returning when the heater is fixed. I still feel cold! :)

aaahhh, I feel like I pulled it off... a Blog Post with NOTHING to SOMETHING! Thanks for reading and share some goodness with me :)