back to the ‘burgh :)

…baby luca’s first plane ride!! he was a dream, naturally. i have loved flying with the kiddos since maddalena was a baby. they are always up for the adventure, and they make the very best travel buddies.

…after we dropped our stuff off at the sweet, wonderful neighbors’ home where we were invited to stay [seriously, the loveliest people ever! they were incredibly kind to let us crash at their gorgeous house!], we ran straight over to my aunt’s + uncle’s + cousins’ house for puppy playtime and to finally meet our girl, stella!

…wine and puppies and my sis-in-law meeting her & my brother’s pup, tikka!

…we spend all year talking about cousin snuggles and games, especially with sweet bella. i mean, she legitimately taught maddalena how to play the ukulele this time! i’m still amazed. <3

…my verse!!! i keep a “be still” sign in the window of my kitchen, and i couldn’t believe it when i saw it in the window of the neighbors’ kitchen where we stayed. not that this is a rare verse to see, but because the “be still” reference was straight up delivered to me so so so so many times when i really, truly needed it in the last year and a half or so. [both the be still & know that I am God and the Lord will fight for you, you need only be still verses.] things like this just amaze me.

…my sweet little humans and my favorite old home ever ever ever… the house where my dad grew up. it’s full of so many memories, but also so many beautiful details… they just don’t make them that way anymore. 🙂

…maddalena in cousin bella heaven. rocco in puppy heaven. and i’m still cracking up that bella and maddalena were determined to get a fire going on their own before they maaay have finally had some help from the males. haha. but i totally love the independent lady vibes! i can’t start a fire to save my life.

…since i was little i have loved seeing my dad and his siblings together. [okay, actually when i was really little, it used to scare me because i would get the brothers confused and go up to the wrong one thinking it was my dad. haha.] but they have suuuuch similar idiosyncrasies. like, i don’t know, pouring a glass of red and sitting in childrens’ chairs, despite the availability of numerous adult-sized chairs. haha. and various scioscia mannerisms. gotta love strong genes.

…obsessed with these jammies i got for luca covered in my favorite herbs and spices! haha!

…more long-awaited cousin time!! gosh, i have theee best memories in this house! we always talk about the time lightning struck and fried a squirrel outside, or the morning rachel reeeeally “was looking forward to the potato paaancakes” but her mom didn’t make them haha. or the time they made us ride bikes to see some deer bones down the street, or the games of monkeyball in the basement, or the yelling out the window at random walkers, or the time we went shopping in middle school and i got a really lame shirt that said “flirt” on it, but it looked like firt. hahaaa. and also, the stash of toys my aunt gets out over at their house has in more recent years become another favorite memory for the bigger two kiddos!

…little moments around that old house. things have changed so much in recent years since my pap passed away and my grandmother developed ALS, so i really soak up these old scenes while i can!

…watching them walk hand in hand never gets old! i hope they go through life like this forever.

…we love you so much, beautiful bellbell!!!! [and all the rest of you, cousin dearests!]

…just a couple of baby naps 🙂

…doorstep photos [the five of us finally there together!], luca in pap’s chair, and family kitchen scenes

…see you in nashville, baby stella!!

…and just like that, spring break has come and gone already!!

this was the first year ever EVER that i didn’t kick and scream until we made our way down to our beloved vero… because we went north this year! for family and pup time!

it was so good to see the fam again, jump back into some of the familiar little scenes around my grandmom’s house, get to bring steven back up that way [8 years later! wowww, time.], and have everyone meet little luca, too! the two biggers and i were up in july ’17, which was such a much needed trip for me and looking back there were so many wonderful moments that i wish i could relive… then back unexpectedly for my cousin’s funeral at the very start of january ’18… then unexpectedly again for my pap’s funeral in april ’18. whew! i was definitely needing a plain ole regular return visit almost a year later.

and it’s always so hard for me to leave places that i love, you know? i never know quite when i’ll be back… or why, for that matter. i guess, when i think about it… i was always left wanting more in regards to our time there as a kid, since we didn’t live close by. but also, i expected our regular visits, and that was routine for us. so then, as an adult [??? i still question using this terminology, haha.] i think reality struck me pretty hard when i learned that you actually don’t have forever to visit your favorite people and places. time can run up pretty abruptly! or slowly, before you even realize it’s happening. so, i don’t know! that’s been kind of a thing for me.

but aaanyway! i’m so grateful for our time up there! and that it worked out for steven to join. and that my grandmom got to meet my luca. and all of those things!

also, we missed everyone who wasn’t there!! but see you next time, fam!!! thanks for everything! we love you!!!