Cascina Papaveri....

I am so excited ...

We, Meigan and I, just booked our trip to The Poppy Farmhouse in Italy for Oct 2nd! My sister Frankie,

who is a Teacher/Trainer with Power Pilates will be our instructor for a 5 day stay at this beautiful plitates retreat.

I am told, along with the great exercise,

we will induldge in an endless flow of wine...

visits to local markets, swim, relax, be with girlfriends, and...

cook with the chef at the farmhouse. I know we will have the time of our lives! We plan on flying into Rome on Oct 2nd and traveling to Florence before heading to Piedmont on the 7th. If you have visited Italy, I would love to know what sites you might recommend we see... Tell me all about it! This trip is perfectly planned between the births of my 2 newest granddaughter, Mya and Layla, so no worries there!

My own instructor, Beth, better really work hard at getting me ready for Frankie!

My little buddies...

Oh, my friend Meigan has the sweetest grandbabies... Here's Danny. He can be found kissing my Molly on my sidebar. Watch for your wedding invite!
Here is his sister, Emily. Her papa Dennis calls her Mizzy.... for Miserable! Really, she is the most darling little thing... she only cries when they MAKE her do something she doesn't want to do! I know a lot of people that do that... and I don't call them names.
Or do I?

Monday, Monday...

Molly had a big birthday party on Saturday night at her new house! Her cousins were there, friends of Mommy and Daddy were there, old friends, new friends... So fun! Here's Molly smiling while we sang Happy Birthday to her!

There were presents...
and cards to read...
Beckie was happy to have the house ready for the party. They only had 3 days to move in and be ready!
Beckie's good friend from high school, who we haven't seen for a while was there with her family too!! Vanessa... or as I used to call her "Ms. Thing", with her husband Brian, son Ethan and daughter Ainsley. Such a cute little family!
This happy little boy, Cayden and his Mommy, Bridget...

Other guests included Katy Laser, her boyfriend Westin, Cooki and Bob Laser, Gary and Kathy, Aunt Sue and Uncle Mike with the whole Lesjak gang! Friends of Beckie's from school and some of Donny's buddies from work.

Don and Jenn were there with their precious boy, Mason.
Tim and Heather with their new addition, Samantha. ADORABLE!
And you know I love me some Danny Warkin... He came with his sister Emily and grandparents, Meigan and Dennis.
Thanks to everyone who showed this girl some loving on her Birthday! At one point during the party, Molly came out of the house wearing the bridesmaids dress Sarah wore at Bridgets wedding. She had a ballet skirt on her head... she twirled and twirled. A pretty princess!
Oh my...

Happy Birthday to my Brown Eyed Girl!

Three years ago today, June 25th, someone really special was born.
Her Mommy and Daddy named her Molly Carolyn. Molly had a FIRST birthday...
A SECOND birthday...
And now look who is THREE YEARS OLD. Tomorrow is the big party at the new house. We can't wait to celebrate this brown eyed gem of mine!
She is a living doll. There is no one quite like her...

Happy Birthday Molly Carolyn! Meme loves you more than words can say!!

The Long Goodbye...

We pack up the cars... we wave goodbye to Nicky! We have had a blast up on this mountain for the past week.
Nicky wishes us safe travels!
I hug my newlyweds and I cry. I always try not too... but something happens whenever I leave Tegan. Now it's whenever I leave Tegan and Kelley. I know they are happy together but I so wish they were closer to home.
It just makes me feel as empty as these chairs on a sunny summer day in Colorado.
Donny drives.. our van following Dave's ahead of us as we leave this beautiful place...
But I know I will always remember what happened right down there....on the deck at Powderhorn, in Mesa Colorado on June 19th, 2010.
Magic...
They are off on their honeymoon.... We are home in Ohio! Next trip: October! I plan to be there when that baby girl Lesjak is born in Grand Junction!

Family Feud... In-Laws vs. Out-Laws!

Our Sarah Rose is under the weather... Molly too. Fevers, chills, just feeling yucky. Sunday they spent the evening just laying around.
Meanwhile... Cayden is really walking now. He wants to go, go, go! Fingers crossed he builds some good bone density and stays up on his feet without breaking anything this time!!
Monday rolls in and Beckie sits outside with Sarah, reading a Ramona book she found here at the Inn. Sarah is feeling a little better.
Dave and I sit on the lift and wait for Tegan. Dagmara took this shot of us!
Dag, Danny, Tegan, Dave and I hike up Powderhorn to the site of the bachelor party campfire. Dagmara takes this picture for us!
Dave and Dagmara... deep in conversation. Something about lungs??
Later, Dave took these four to rent four wheelers. Donny and Beckie stayed back to be with the girls, who still didn't feel good.
They went up to Thunder Mountain Lodge and set out on the Mesa.
They came back with some beautiful pictures... they saw awesome lakes.
That night in the Bear's Den, at the Inn, we played some games together. Notice the chalk board in the Bear's Den. Scottie decorated this last Friday. The quiet please was for the motorcycle group who came and invaded our space for the night. They were really nice guys and they left early Sat and we had the Inn to ourselves again!!

Molly, Cayden and Sarah... girls are feeling better and they are reading to play.
Sarah invites Cayden to the reading bookshelf and shares a book with him.
We divide into two teams... THE OUTLAWS... Born and raised true LESJAKS!
and the IN-LAWS, those of us who became LESJAKS by marriage!
Cayden is loving this game!!
Soon after, some played Rummikub...
Others UNO!
Girls played with balloons and ran around!
I loved sitting across from Tegan and looking at this... the wedding ring on his left hand.

Staying at the Wildwood Inn has been such a blast. The longer we stayed, the more we loved it!

This is Nicky, the innkeeper. Nicky is my new BMF~ Best Mesa Friend. From the minute I met her, I knew I liked her! She made our stay so great, always ready to take care of any little thing we needed. Powderhorn is so lucky to have her! We have told her she must come to Cleveland and visit...

Look at my family....
I am blessed....