The Mandrola Family: 2 x 2

Well, seems as though I like to update the 'ol blog every 2 months, so here's what we've been up to this past April and May:

But first some photos from the vault...came across these few mixed amongst some other shots. This first one is from way back in March when we visited the Reagan Library with my parents. It had poured all day, but right as we were about to leave, the clouds parted and we had the most gorgeous view of Simi Valley-so clear that we could see all the way to the ocean...though hard to see in the photo, we could see the Pacific shimmering as the sun set upon it. Stunning.

I knew I had this somewhere! Vinny and Pat the Hammer helped Daddy put together the big boy bed right before Vinny turned 3.

Back to Vinny's Birthday, here he is sporting his "cool sungwasses" from Gramma and Papa...along with the kitchen we gave him, which apparently the grandfathers both agree is a sign of "a different era."

Found this one on Ant's phone, this is our view from our cottage in Sonoma with the Prathers back in the beginning of March. I had to include it since this scene just brings me peace. Ahhh...

Found this one on his phone too...this was from an afternoon out and about for lunch in Old Town Monrovia.

And here's that Easter table scape I was searching for! Not as elaborate as Gram and Papa's, but still I was proud to carry on our family tradition with Vinny.

And now I think I am back on track with April and May escapades...

These made it to Facebook a while back. Still makes me laugh! Gotta love Costco!

Not sure what led to this fun-coma, but I remember Anthony carrying Vinny in from the car and changing him into pajamas without ever disturbing his stone cold passed out slumber.

One day we'll all look back on Pinterest and laugh about all the crazy crafty projects it inspired us to collect and then do nothing with. But here is one that I pinned and completed! A $15 lamp and shade from Goodwill, plus another $15 of fabric and embellishments equals one really cute lamp for Vinny's red, white, and blue room.

Aww, preschool nap time. He sleeps like this all the time.

Waiting in line for Toy Story Mania at "Mickey Park."

Getting excited for the ride! Turns out, Vinny did not love the "pinny" motion of the ride and may be potentially ruined for all rides that spin, bump, or go up and down. But we have one more trip to Disney planned before our summer blackout days, so we'll see...

Out for frozen yogurt...

Late afternoon beach day at Hermosa Beach.

Vinny refuses to even let the ocean touch his toes, but play in the sand all day? Sure!

My absolute favorite...

Time to Climb!

Our neighbor's church held their annual Fiesta Carnival fundraiser early this month, and to no one's surprise, Vinny wanted nothing to do with the rides. But after lots of coaxing, Anthony finally got him to climb up this net to get to the curvy slide. This was a big deal!

You can see him turing around to give me the thumbs up signal on his way up the climber. Not sure where he got the idea, but I sure like his confidence! He did this at the carnival, too. We hadn't been to Library Park in a long time, so it was really great to get out one afternoon to play!

A New Found Field Trip!

We recently discovered the Aquarium of the Pacific, Vinny's new favorite place to visit.

Checking out the sting rays.

And the horseshoe crabs.

These two guys amaze me. I am one lucky girl.

Though that's an enormous sea ray right there, Vinny was referring to the "Big Sharks" in this tank. He loved the sawtooth shark the best.

Finding Nemo! (and Dory, too!)

And Crush, the sea turtle!

Though not impressed with the new penguin exhibit, Vinny did enjoy making a penguin craft and showing it off for a picture " to send to Gramma." I love how he understnds how I text pictures to my mom. Now every time we take a picture, he reminds me "to send it to Gramma."

Jellyfish are soothing to look at...in a tank.

Grateful

Boppo came out for Mother's Day Weekend, and while we didn't make it to Mulholland Drive, we did manage to get in a breakfast at the track. Here's Vinny sporting a pretty good face wound. One can only jump off the patio steps enough times before one face plants. Happy to report it healed up well, with just a small scar.

On our way out of the grocery store, Vinny was able to swindle a couple coins out of Boppo's pocket to play the claw game. Hmm, and all this time I thought it was broken...and the little guy fell for it every time. Let's see how this goes the next time we go shopping. Could get ugly.

Anthony and I celebrated 13 years of marriage that weekend, too. He sent me beautiful flowers and we dined at Mario Batali's Osteria Mozza in West Hollywood. It was a treat. Sooooo delicious!

If that wasn't enough, Anthony took us to the Hotel St. Regis in Laguna Beach for Mother's Day brunch. Holy Moly. This was unlike any brunch I had EVER eaten. And the view just couldn't be beat. Talk about living the high life. We were dining with the beautiful people, that's for sure. Of course it was obvious that their beauty was purchased...funny how one's face could be so perfectly sculpted and her legs couldn't be more lumpy and old looking. Oh, plastic surgery. You are funny. But I digress...

Our meal was amazing, and the venue was perfect. But the day was bittersweet. Joan was heavy on our hearts. Bill had given me a necklace that Joan wore faithfully, a bear that reminded her of Anthony since his college nickname was "the bear." I made sure to wear it close to my heart on Mother's Day for her. Well, when Vinny spotted it, he lifted it off my chest and said, "Hey, this Mommo's bear."

And we worried he would have no memory of Joan. Not so.

After our late brunch, we headed up the PCH to a beach to play in the sand. It was a beautiful day. Another reminder of how blessed I am to be Vinny's mommy. I thought I would never take any minute of it for granted, but I'd be lying. The truth is, there are days that I just never anticipated. Temper tantrums? Whining? Time outs? No way, never gonna happen with this little angle, right? Ha! But on this day, I was reminded of how awesome he is, and how happy our little family unit makes me. Nothing else matters.

It was cold, but at least the sun was shining!

Pockets make Vinny very happy!

Sold!

While here in California, Bill got a call that his house had a serious offer on it, so he went back to AZ early to take care of business. Sine everything seemed to be moving so fast, I hopped in the car with Vinny the next weekend to help him pack up some things. We made a lot of progress, but all that packing works up an appetite. So he had to take a break to dunk Oreos in a glass of milk with Vinny. Babci will be excited to hear this news, since that is a tradition at her house!

We rarely have opportunities to visit pals when we go back to AZ, but Bill was sweet enough to babysit so I could wish my dear friend and former teaching partner, Jen, a found farewell before she and her family move to Indianapolis. Happy trails friend!

Summer Vacation Kick-Off!

And finally, the latest in our California Adventures...The Lafkos swung by for a Memorial Day weekend visit before they head over to Disneyland. We'll meet them there Thursday night for one last visit to the Happiest Place on Earth before the summer crowds infiltrate. How cute are these two???

Off to the beach.

Anthony got this tip...mistake number one. While we did avoid the massive holiday weekend crowds and impossible parking, the location was, well, different. You'll see in the pictures that follow. Didn't take Vinny long to settle into the scene. He knows how to relax.

Leah wasted no time getting comfy in the beach chair, too! Sweet girl!

The rocky beach was not ideal for Vinny's favorite ball game, but it was surely good for collecting "ice cube rocks."

So when they say one day California is going to fall off into the Pacific and Arizona will be beach front property, this may be why...check out those cliffs right behind us! And yes, we had to haul all our $&!+ back up the hill, too...you'll see...

Up we go...

Awww...

Okay okay, the view was pretty amazing. And yes, this would be one of those "moments" where we shake our heads and ask, "We really live here???" Yep. Not too shabby.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Boomer is not shy. He wasted no time making friends with Marty.

Ant and Marty manned the Memorial Day grill while kelly and I took the kids to the Zoo.

The LA Zoo markets the elephant exhibit like no other, yet we hardly ever see them out and about. So we were pretty excited to see this one up close!

Just like Papa, reading the map (yes, really reading the map and pointing his finger along the path) before we head to our next stop, the monkeys!

This morning on the way to preschool, Vinny said, "I love Evan." Just 3 months apart, Evan was Vinny's first buddy. A woman sitting near us at the chimpanzee habitat asked if they were twins. Nope, but two peas in a pod? Maybe.