Will's Two-Years

For the rest of my life, I know that I will never forget the sweetest moment. I woke up to soft caresses on my face from the tiniest finger tips, running softly across my left cheek. I turned my face to the side to see Will's pretty eyes, with his long eyelashes, staring wide at me and he laid cuddled up beside me with his head on the corner of my pillow. He continued to caress my face softly now with both hand on each of my cheeks he gently ran his fingers slowly. If I was woken up every morning to something so sweet, I wouldn't hate waking up anymore.

Will's personality is so strong; he can run the gamut from being as fierce as a dragon that blows fire in a rage, as he rolls around the floor in anger that he can't have candy for breakfast. Then he is a monkey that had one to many bananas and can't stop swinging on the branches, as he smiles and laughs hysterically while wrestling on the floor with his Daddy. Then there is the nurturing Mother bear, who like a teddy bear cuddles up next to you, or will say, " Ma lay down. " As you follow his request, he plops his special white blanket over your chest and says, " Ma you okay?" Then he pats you on the back.

Being the Mother of Will can be challenging at times. When he says, " Ma you itch?" then begins scratching your wrist in the same place as his that is scabbed up from scratching his eczema. Or the times that he Brooke is eating something and he says, " I want this one. " Points to what Brooke has, and you have to tell him that it will make him itch. Then there are the times he gets ahold of something he shouldn't eat and goes and hides in a corner and starts eating it.

But these challenging times amount to nothing when in comparison to the enjoyment Will gets out of his life. Will loves playing with his older sister. He sits on her lap many times a day and he occasionaly asks her to read him a book. Will gets tickled with joy just to see an airplane in the sky. He jumps up and down and says, " Yay airplane ma! I see it, airplane. " Will gets daily enjoyment from music. He turns on the radio that he can reach and starts dancing around the room every day. It is a ritual for him. He is adorable and entertaining to watch when he dances with a very intense look on his face.

I know that Will is a very special individual. We are so blessed to have him in our family. He makes me happy every day. I look forward to many years with such a determined, intelligent, and sweet little boy.

We love you Will and congratulations on being two-years old !

Hairy Creature on Kevin's head

Jeremy wasn't kidding when he said that Kevin's hair was like its own seprate being. Noted in his favorite thing about Kevin ( in his birthday letter ) Jeremy mentions, " The hairy creature on Kevin's head. "

This is so true. Kevin has so much hair that he can have a quarter size bald spot and you wouldn't notice because there is so much hair to hide it. He had random bald spots like this once. They grew back in, good thing for him, he was very concerned about it.

Kevin says he has been to 300 different hair dressers ( he did the math when we were talking about it ) and that not a single one could make his hair look decent. The crazy thing is that Kevin has gorgeous hair. It is one of his best features!

I can understand why they had a hard time with it. I know from experience...
You can think you have cut Kevin's hair and suddenly pick up a piece and it's like there is a Secret Garden of hair underneath all the hair, and you notice you missed a spot!

So after a year of being married and going with him to explain to the hair dresser how I thought his hair would look best, I decided I was going to give it a try and cut it myself.

One day I begged him to let me have a try at cutting his hair. Kevin hates getting his hair cut. I can see why, no one ever does a good job. It must have been so frustrating for him! So he gave in and said I could try it. I wasn't sure why, but I found him sitting in the bathtub in his underwear ready for a haircut. I wasn't going to say anything, although it seemed hilarious, I just gritted my smile, ( I wasn't going to push my luck ) I got the only scissors we had in the house, which are standard scissors, and I began cutting by imagining how I wanted his hair to look.

Kevin stared wide eyes at scissors coming only centimetres from his eyeballs. If you have ever tried to cut very thick, course hair with normal scissors it sounds like you are tearing a piece of paper....he kept asking me, " Are you sure you aren't going to cut my ear off? It sounds like you are ripping my hair."  Also, Kevin had to time me. This is just how Kevin is, he times everything he doesn't want to do. I said, " Okay I will do this, but only for five min. " and he is not kidding. He gets a stop watch and it's like a clipping race for me to see how good I can get his hair to look in five min. He must have trust in me, watching those scissors slide past his face ;)

So as I finished the cut, and I was very proud of myself because it looked the best I have ever seen his hair look, since I had known him....

A few days later when we were talking about how much better his hair looked, he said, " But I hate how I feel sitting in the cold bath in my underpants ( that's what he calls them ) while you cut my hair." I said, " Well no one said you had to strip down to your underwear? Just wear your clothes! " He was like, " You are right! Why did I have to be so cold and watch Edward Scissor hands snip past my face! "

Since that day I have been cutting Kevin's hair for six years. Every time I cut it I challenge myself to do better.

And then Limitless became my inspiration for Kevin's hair...I was IN LOVE with Bradly Cooper's hair in the movie.

So we bought the movie and the new haircut ritual ( when I can convince Kevin to do it ), is too watch Limitless while I cut his hair. We even pause the movie so I can see his head in all angles. I love his beautiful hair ;)

I think I got the closest that I have yet, this past hair cut. Kevin told me I only had three min. to cut his hair, but I am getting closer to Bradly Cooper hair....

One day I will get it, maybe if he gives me longer than three min. ;) Oh and I probably need a pair of hair cutting scissors! I kid you not, I did this last hair cut, with child scissors!!!! NO JOKE...Kevin didn't want the haircut so bad that I just grabbed the scissors closest to us, and said set the timer, it is ON, Bradly Cooper hair.... I can see my mistake now when I see these pictures side by side...Next time I will get closer!

     This pic is old, but it proves why Kevin gets stopped and people say he looks like Bradly Cooper.

We love the movie " Limitless " I think for me it is the script being written like it came from the mind of a writer and the intense energy he has to reach his goal...given to him by drugs, unlike my drive, but I can relate. Kevin loves it probably for similar reasons too....

I probably wont watch the movie anymore. I am trying to learn to pace myself in all I do :)

Your Father

Brooke and Will,

                  May you never forget the expression of love that your Father gave you. Even though he is very busy at work, he came to every school party of Brooke's entire Kindergarten year, except for one.  He wanted to have a son so bad that he charted my temperature on a calendar for three months, to give it his best shot, at pregnancy sex of a male. He can be exhausted, have lots more work to do, but you will never find him on a business call while at home. You will find Kevin on the floor playing with his children, unloading a dishwasher or taking out the trash for your Mother.  As you grow I imagine your memories of your father will be quite exciting. For example like today, putting fish that you caught from the lake, into a plastic tub, with a pump attached, so that you can pick them up out of the water and hold them for a second, if you would like. I am sure you will remember rides in the wagon he made, attached to the bike. You will remember wrestling and listening to music so loud that Mommy has to turn it down every time. I know you will recognize the love your Dad has for you even more as you have children of your own. I hope you know how thankful I am that my children have such a loving father too. May you cherish the love in our home the way that I do. May you strive to always live a life that shows thanks to Father in Heaven for these great blessings.

                                                                                                                Love,
                                                                                                                        Your Mom

                                                                                           

Fatherhood

In that most burdensome moment of all human history, with blood appearing at every pore and an anguished cry upon His lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought—His Father. “Abba,” He cried, “Papa,” or from the lips of a younger child, “Daddy.”

This is such a personal moment it almost seems a sacrilege to cite it. A Son in unrelieved pain, a Father His only true source of strength, both of them staying the course, making it through the night—together.

Even as He moved toward the Crucifixion, He restrained His Apostles who would have intervened by saying, “The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”  When that unspeakable ordeal was finished, He uttered what must have been the most peaceful and deserved words of His mortal ministry. At the end of His agony, He whispered, “It is finished: … Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”  Finally it was over. Finally He could go home.

                                                                                                    Jeffery Holland

 I can surly relate at a much smaller scale what it is like to cry the words " Daddy ". They say that I smiled at him when the nurse handed me to him. They say that he held me all night for the years of my baby years, I had constant ear infections. The first words I said were " Dada." Kevin said I called for him when I was delivering Brooke. I don't remember it, but I am sure I did, I was on strange medication for high blood pressure.

Although I can never relate or imagine the unexplainable pain that must have been involved for God, to watch his son suffer in his mortal existence, I know that God gave men the role of fatherhood, so that they could come as close as possible, to relate to his experience of a deep unconditional love for your child.

I have had the blessing of always knowing that my Father had an unconditional love for me. The dates to the zoo, museums and parks will always be cherished in my heart. The hours he sat at gymnastic classes, or meets will forever be appreciated. His Christ-like example is a part of my deep rooted beliefs. His hard work showed me what work can give you, and his love for my Mother showed me what kind of love, that I should expect from my husband.

Today my children are immensely blessed to have my Father in their life. The love he gives us continues to influence who we all are today, and who my children will be in the future.

Grandpa is always known for being silly, being warm and cuddly. The fixer of every and any problem, and the best hugger ever...

At twenty-nine years old he will still hold me in his arms and let me cry on his shoulder.

I can hardly imagine how much God loves me, because I know he loves me more than my Father does, and that hardly seems impossible to me....

The amount of energy that my Father has put into showing all of his children love is amazing to me. We are all very blessed to have him as a Father.

We love you very much Dad- Happy Father's Day



Field Day

                                     Brooke Lynne, Brooke Maddison, Sierra, Camille


Brooke had a great time at field day a few days before school got out. Will and I got to stay for the whole thing! I know the days that she begs me to stay at school with her, wont last forever...

As we were leaving I asked Brooke if she had a fun time. She said, " It was fun, but we didn't learn anything! " Ohhhhh my Brooke, I should have known she would be worried about not learning anything. That is exactly what she said when she came home from school on the first day in tears. I thought she had someone be rude to her, and the first thing that came out of her mouth, with tears flowing down was, " I thought I was going to learn in Kindergarten, and I didn't learn anything Mom. " When she was concerned she didn't learn anything on field day, I had a flash back of the first day of school, and I explained the day was just for fun, and it is good to have fun. She got over it quick...but the fact that she even thinks about that is truly a sign of how special of a child she is to have such a strong desire to learn.

 I know how Brooke feels. When I was at my first CNA course they spent over an hour talking about days we would be doing clinical and what time our lunch would be, and what the address was. After the first hour of things that could have been all put in paper and read in five min. I was feeling the same way as Brooke....like why aren't we learning anything!!??!!!!

  Brooke Maddison has to stay by my Brooke at all times. It's really cute how she follows Brookeee around...The funny part is that Brooke doesn't notice if Brooke Maddison isn't by her until Brooke M. whines, " Where were you Brooke? "

    Pass the water balloon was not Brooke and Brooke's game. They dropped it at the first pass.

                  Will was wishing he could get splashed by water too. A teacher eventually splashed him with the hose thank goodness...IT WAS HOT!!!!!

Brooke has no problem running in a skirt. She wore pants to school one day of the entire Kindergarten year. It was pajama day, and I had to convince her that she shouldn't wear her dress pajamas to school. She loves to wear dresses or skirts, but she knows how to play rough and tough at the same time. She can run pretty fast too ;)

  

 Brooke was asking when the treats time would be the whole time. She has a sweet tooth like her Mom and Dad :S

                                  Sierra, Brooke Lynne, Brooke Maddison, and Natalie

Last Day of Kindergarten

               Brooke and Ms. Lee her Kindergarten teacher on the last day of Kindergarten


On the morning of the last day of school before the highly anticipated summer, I am sure most kids were smiling ear to ear. Not my Brooke.  I am beginning to learn her passion for learning and structure, is just part of who she is since the last day of Kindergarten was a lot like the last day of pre-school. When I went to her room to wake her up the first thing she said was,             " Mommy it is the last day of school." But there was no smile. She sat up and had tears streaming down her face and said, " Mom I don't want to stop going to school. " I sat down and told her how we were going to have a fun summer full of swimming, playing with friends, and lots of time to play together." It didn't satisfy her, so the morning was full of hugs of comfort. It did help that we brought her best friend Brooke home from school with us.

Brooke mentions going back to First Grade a few days a week, at least. I am glad she loves school so much, because she has many more years of it!

Brooke's first year of elementary was awesome for her! She was in the reading program for kindergartners who could read immediately. She did great academically all together. All of the kids brought home an award that read something positive about themselves on the last day of school.  Brooke's award read, " The best future scientist ". She made lots of great friends and the fun part about it, is that three of them actually live in our neighborhood!

I asked Ms. Lee to write a page for Brooke in the children's book I bought her, by Dr.Suess. It is  called, " The places you will go" . This is what Ms. Lee wrote to Brooke:

Sweet Brooke,
There aren't enough words to say how much I loved having you in my class. This was a first for both of us. It was your first year of school and my first year at Baker. I think we made a great transition. :) Brooke you are very smart, sweet and an intelligent young girl. I know that you'll go many places in life. The sky is the limit for your dreams and aspirations! I hope you have a wonderful and enjoyable summer. I would love to hear from you and see how you are doing over the summer.
                                                                                 Love,
                                                                                       Ms. Lee

Sounds of KC

Sweet sounds of the piano are about the best attempt at sweet lyrics, that Grandpa Turano will give you. At least that's what he wants us to believe about him anyways ;) Grandpa Turano's blatant expression of his opinions, that include pointing out those that he loves flaws, is just his way of letting us know that he is actually the kindest of us all, because he accepts us even when he may think that we are incredibly stupid....

These sweet sounds of the piano that he produces are a favorite part for all of us when we visit Kansas City. will especially loves to watch him move his fingers across the keys, and he watches very intently. Brooke loved Grandpa's piano playing as a baby as well. She loved it so much infact that when Grandma and Grandpa came to visit Dallas for Brooke's first birthday, they brought her very own black baby size Grand Piano.

Grandpa's piano skills may even be an inspiration for Brooke, after we left KC this last trip Brooke asked if she could take piano many times the next week. She begins lessons this week!

Grandpa can play may songs on the piano, one of Kevin's personal favorites to hear is the album " The Sting."

My favorite is when he plays " Phantom of the Opera " songs.....

Grandma Mistretta

It was obvious to me right away that the Turano boys respected, adored and loved their Grandma Mistretta. Grandma Mistretta may have even had some influence on my catch of Kevin Turano. Good thing that her and I have a few things in common ;)  After Kevin and I had known each other about a month, he invited me to come to Kansas City to meet his family. I remember his younger brother Jeff commenting during one of those first few times that I met him, that I reminded him of Grandma Mistretta. I didn't know her at the time, so I had no idea what a wonderful compliment this was. He said, " She is little like Grandma, wears those high heels all the time, dresses up and has all the jewelry like Grandma." About a year of Kevin and I being married, I once asked Kevin what the first thing he noticed about me was. " He said my eyes, and that I always wore a necklace that matched my earrings. He said he even called his brother a few days after we had been working together and told him about me and mentioned my jewelry!!!!" This was his love for his Grandma coming out, I am sure!

It has been so nice to see Grandma Mistretta every time we go to KC, now that she lives there. I feel blessed that my children have been loved and hugged by her so much more than they would have if she still lived in New York. Will just loves her! I remember when he was just a few months old he would cry as others held him, but he always wants to go to her, and he even attempted to kiss her on the lips this past trip. He puckered up and was about to go for it, but then he got shy. That says a lot if Will wants to give lip kisses with someone, when you ask him to give a kiss. Once Grandma Mistretta gave Brooke a pin and Brooke carried it around for months in her purse. She always reminded me that Grandma Mistretta gave it her.

                                                               Rose Prizzi Mistretta
                                                                   Born 12-5-1917
                                                  Married 4-14-1940 to Charles Mistretta
                                                   Attended Grover Cleveland High school
                               Children - Dorothy Elaine, Carole Charlotte, and Martin Charles

Rose enjoys playing blackjack at the casino and is an avid reader ( one book a week )
She enjoys a relaxing pedicure and manicure each month. She enjoys eating mostly vegetables, sweet potatoes and eggplant Parmesan. She loves to dress up with matching shoes, purse and jewelry.

During our family prayer Kevin mentions Grandma Mistretta by name every time it is his turn to pray. once Brooke asked him if something was wrong with Grandma Mistretta because he prays for her everyday. He said, " No, she is just special, and I want you to remember her name. "