Gotcha! Take 5

Five Years!  It's been five years since we got to hold Mia for the first time.  My how time flies...  Tony and I can't get over how much she has grown and how much she has matured.  God really is good.  We are so blessed to have her as our daughter.

What a beautiful young lady....

To celebrate, we made cupcakes which Mia decorated -- we were able to share some with our China Play Date friends on Saturday and with the Tulli Two's on Sunday.

Sunday, July 18th was official Gotcha! Day -- after church, all the Tulli's met up at Trey Yuen for a wonderful Chinese meal...

and lots of love and laughter!

 
Happy Gotcha! Day, Mia!

Eat Mor Chikin

So who knew July 9th is Cow Appreciation Day?  Well at Chick-Fil-A it is!  If you show up in full cow attire, you get a free meal.  We love "the Chick" so my sister, Katie, and I planned to meet up for an early dinner -- she and I could catch up while the kiddos played.  The girlshad a great time spotting their shirts and Zach will do about anything for a free meal!  He told me he'd go dressed in costume -- that way, I'd only have to buy him one meal. :)

Can you guess what Zach and I are?

Jersey cows, of course!

Cousin Chance's costume was pretty creative too!

Mmmmm.... nuggets and chocolate milk.

And yes, the new spicey chicken is good, according to Zach.

It really was loads of fun and an excuse to dress up and be silly.

Cincy in the Summer

Our most recent adventure was to Cincinnati for 10 days -- we just returned last week.  We were there for a follow-up visit for Emma at Cincy Children's Hospital.  She's doing great... and we managed to make a family vacation out of our time there.  Zach stayed home so he could attend football practice and weight-lifting, but Ms. Elma was able to join us. 

During our stay, we went to the Children's Museum, the Cincinnati Zoo, Pioneer Days, Waynesville, IA for antique browsing and EnterTRAINment Junction...  Our hotel had an indoor pool, which the girls loved and this time, we actually managed to find some good places to eat -- thank you Montgomery Inn and Graeter's Ice Cream!

Here's some favorite photos from our trip... Can you guess where we are and what we are doing?

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day on the road gets you four smiling girls (two young and two old) and breakfast at the Big Boy. 

As much as he loves breakfast, I think Tony was most happy that all four girls were smiling!

Happy Father's Day -- Love, Daddy's Girls!

Finally!

Finally!  After two weeks of dangling by a thread, Mia's first tooth fell out.  Luckily, the tooth fairy knew we were in Cincinatti and was able to snatch the tooth and leave some loot.

Apparently, the going rate for a first tooth these days is $5.  All subsequent teeth only bring $2 -- which Mia learned only a week later when a second bottom tooth plopped right out!

The D-Day Museum

What an honor to visit the D-Day Museum with a WWII Veteran...  It was our first trip to the museum (only Zach had been previously) and I'm so glad Ms. Elma was able to go with us.   Upon our arrival, Ms. Elma was given a badge to wear in recognition of her service.  Later, she was asked to sign a special book.

At the end of our trip, we were directed to the brick honoring Tony's father, John L. Tulli, who served our country in WWII and in Korea.

God Bless America!

Pickin' Berries with the Tyson's

We had a surprise addition to our annual Tulli & Tyson Blueberry Pickin' Picnic this year... Ms. Elma joined us!  Thank goodness she's a Tulli or we'd have to rename the whole thing...

With years of experience picking berries with her sisters, Ms. Elma out-picked me and Mia, hands down. 

But Emma gave her a run for her money!

As much as we love those sweet, blue berries... our favorite part is the picnic afterwards in the shade!

Happy Birthday, Booger Man!

My baby brother turned 36!  Hmmmm... not sure how that happened since I'm 29. 

When Trey was a little squirt -- maybe 4 or 5 -- he wanted a blue cake with red dots... so Big Sis went to work. A little food coloring and some Red Hots made my little brother's birthday wish come true.

Thirty-something years later, here's wishing all his new dreams come true!

L Cubed

If one is good, two more must be GREAT... Letters that is!  At the inaugural LHS Atthletic Awards Program, Zach was awarded a letter in Football...

another letter for Wrestling...

and a certificate of Participation in Track & Field...

Along with his letter in Band, that makes him a Three Time Letterman -- not bad for his Freshman year!

Mother's Day

I tell Zach all the time, "No matter how big you get, you'll always be my baby."  I think sometimes we forget, our moms feel the same way...

Capital L

The first letter of the TITAN alphabet is L!  And much to our surprise, Zach's very first letter was in Band!  After all the Football games, Wrestling matches and Track & Field meets, we found it quite ironic that the first letter he received was at the Band Banquet. 

We are so proud of him for deciding to continue studying music and playing in the band while also pursuing his athletic interests. 

And I have to admit, it sure is nice to see him dressed in something other than sweaty athletic gear.

But even in a suit, I can count on his true self to shine through!