I can’t believe we officially have a teenager in the house! 13 years ago today, our lives changed for the better in so many ways, and it was all thanks to the arrival of Miss Ava Pellegrini. She is such a sweet kid with an outgoing personality, a huge heart, and a level of commitment that you don’t see in many people. While today is her actual birthday, we have been celebrating with her for the past few days. After all, you only become a teenager once.
We held Ava’s first surprise party on Friday night at a local roller skating rink. Several of her softball teammates and their families joined us and Ava had a blast. She had no idea it was coming and was so surprised when she walked in and saw everyone. The following day, one of her friends came over for a sleepover. Jessica dropped them off at the movie theater to see “Red One”, which was a big deal because she had never gone to a movie without an adult before. Yesterday was her softball team’s end-of-season party at a local bowling alley. We hung out with everyone for a couple of hours and had a nice time.
Last night we all watched Grandpa Rick and Debbie’s wedding ceremony on YouTube. We were sorry not to be able to attend it in person but were thankful to be able to watch it online. It looked like a nice event and we’re very happy for both of them.
Today started with Ava opening some presents before school. She wished she didn’t have to go to school on her birthday, but what she didn’t realize was that Jessica had been planning all along to take the day off and pull her out of school early for a special day. I thought about joining them but decided not to because I get a lot more one-on-one time with Ava than Jessica does, so I wanted them to have this memorable time together.
After pulling her out of school, they stopped home for a minute, and as luck would have it, the custom softball glove that we ordered for her a month ago arrived in the mail. The timing couldn’t have been better! She has always used my 40-year-old Little League glove for softball, which is very sweet, but it was time for her to get something bigger and better. The glove was initially designed by her when I showed her the website, but I think she forgot about it. It’s her color scheme with an Italian flag, and it even has her nickname “Lightweight” embroidered on it, which was given to her by her beloved hitting coach, Bill Madlock.
Tonight, we’re all going out with a family friend to see the new movie “Wicked”, then tomorrow Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad will be arriving from San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with us. I have a special meal planned for us on Wednesday night, then we’re all going to decorate the house and Christmas tree afterward. Thursday will be spent at Devin’s house, which is becoming a Thanksgiving tradition for us, and then on Monday, I’ll be starting my new job as a Senior Software Engineer with Old Republic Title! I’m so thankful to have the job search behind me and don’t have to wait until the new year to land something.
As is the case every year, we have so much to be thankful for. Everyone is happy, healthy, and living their best lives. My brief unemployment stint caused a little bump in the road, but we used that as a teachable moment for the kids. Overall, things couldn’t be better, and we’re all excited for the holiday season. Above all, I hope this was an excellent birthday for Ava and that she never forgets it. She brings more joy to everyone than she realizes and we’re so lucky to be able to call her our daughter.
Happy 13th birthday sweetheart. Here are some recent photos and videos celebrating Miss Ava.
Opening presents on the morning of her birthdayShe loves her new bag from Uncle Jim and Aunt BrendaShe loves all things “Demon Slayer”Ready for school
Here she is opening her new softball glove
Getting ready for her first softball game in the 14U age divisionAfter winning her first Defensive MVP awardAfter winning her first Offensive MVP awardShe won Offensive MVP for the championship games because she got on base during every at-bat
This was her first at-bat of the first championship game
Celebrating Elise’s 11th birthday in Phoenix, Arizona! Food, Concerts, Swimming, and more…
Today our sweet Elise turns 11 years old! Although Summer break is winding down, we have been staying quite busy, and as of yesterday, another road trip is in the books. We spent the past few days in Phoenix, Arizona eating delicious foods, hanging out at the pool, and attending a show by one of our favorite bands, AJR! Before I get into the details of our weekend getaway I just want to say how proud Jessica and I are of Elise. She’s growing up fast and will enter middle school in a few short weeks.
Elise has grown up a lot over the past year; she has a great crew of close friends and always seems to be busy with one activity or another. She takes school seriously and enjoys various extracurricular activities like “Girls on the Run,” drama, fundraisers, and more. Like most kids her age, she is nervous about entering middle school, but I’m proud of the way Ava keeps building her up via pep talks. Elise is also our little beauty queen; she loves makeup, skincare, fashion, and painted nails. Although summer break isn’t over yet, she has very much enjoyed her time off this year and is already referring to her birthday weekend in Phoenix as the best present she has ever received. We all love her to the moon and couldn’t be more proud of the young lady she has become!
Phoenix 2024 Road Trip
Our weekend in Phoenix was outstanding and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more Arizona visits in our future. The trip came about because AJR, one of our favorite bands, was playing Friday night in Phoenix and we knew the kids would love to go. We saw AJR last year at SEMA Fest in Las Vegas and, as far as we were concerned, they stole the show. Once we saw they would be playing nearby on Elise’s birthday weekend we knew we had to make it happen. This meant that Elise would have to forego a traditional birthday party, but she was more than willing to make that consolation.
We drove down on Thursday morning, and now that we’re conditioned to doing 11-hour drives to Grandma’s house in Colorado, the 4.5-hour drive to Phoenix felt like a walk in the park. The kids had never been to Arizona before, other than the sliver of it that we pass through when heading to Colorado, so this was a fun new experience for us. Jessica had also never been to Phoenix, and my only experience there came via a work trip years ago when I was at Amazon, so this was my first time getting to actually enjoy it.
We knew upon arriving in Phoenix that our hotel wouldn’t be ready for check-in, so we drove straight to Pizzeria Bianco. Devin told me that he hadn’t been there, but it was once called the best pizza in the country, so we had to check it out. It’s a traditional Italian Neapolitan pizza, which is our favorite, and we all loved our meal. I won’t go so far as to say it’s the best pizza I’ve ever had, but it was delicious, plus the atmosphere was nice and it was the perfect way to start off our trip. Here we are at their next-door lounge having a drink while we waited for a table.
After lunch, we checked in at our hotel, the Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak, and spent the rest of the afternoon at their water park. It was so hot outside that their lazy river was warmer than bath water, but we still had a nice time. Later that evening we went back to downtown Phoenix and had a nice sushi dinner at Harumi Sushi and Sake.
We slept in so late on Friday morning that we missed breakfast, but it worked out for the best because our lunch at the Fry Bread House was the highlight meal of the trip. I came across this place while reading an article about the Phoenix dining scene. While I had never had fry bread before, or dined at a Native American restaurant, the reviews sounded amazing, and once I saw it was a James Beard award winner, I knew we had to go. While it wasn’t a fancy place at all, the way they built burritos out of fry bread, rather than a traditional tortilla, was incredible. We all agreed it was our favorite meal in a long time and will definitely be returning next time we make it to Phoenix. Friday afternoon was spent at our hotel’s water park, and then that evening we had a big pasta meal at Babbo’s Italian Eatery before heading to the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns, for the AJR concert. The concert itself was so much fun; the kids knew the words to every song and we were so impressed with the entire production. It was so much more than your traditional live show where the band simply comes out and plays their songs. You could tell a lot of time and effort went into creating this show and we loved every minute of it. Here’s the video I made of my favorite songs from that night, as well as a few photos from before the show.
Driving home on Saturday was smooth sailing the entire way. The desert in Arizona is much prettier than what we have in Nevada, mostly because they get much more rain than we do. We loved looking at all the cacti and various other forms of plant life. It was a quick trip but we all enjoyed Arizona and look forward to going back. While the climate isn’t any different from what we’re used to, it definitely has a different vibe to it. While Vegas is fast-paced and glitzy, Arizona is much more laid-back, and I love how they lean into their old Western heritage. Phoenix, in particular, had an excellent dining scene, and that’s always a draw for Jessica and me. We’re now thinking about visiting other Arizona hot spots like the Grand Canyon, Scottsdale, and Tucson.
With our big weekend behind us, the plan for today is to lay low at home. We might do a little swimming later, and Elise has requested homemade fish tacos for dinner, so I’m looking forward to making them for her. Oh, and one more thing, Ava and Elise are both past the 100 consecutive days mark of daily foreign language lessons on DuoLingo! I’m so proud of their dedication that I decided to get back into it and am now doing daily Spanish lessons. I figured nothing could be more useful around here than Spanish and it’s so similar to Italian that I find it rather easy. The three of us are now regularly encouraging Mom and Enzo to get on board so we can all have some type of foreign language influence in our lives.
That’s about it for now. We have friends coming to visit next weekend, then we will be visiting Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad for a long weekend in San Diego next month. Here are a couple more photos from our trip to Phoenix. Happy 11th birthday Elise, we love you to the moon!
Jessica’s birthday weekend, family activities, and a new job for Dad.
Yesterday was Jessica’s birthday and we were able to make a fun weekend out of it. On Saturday morning she ran a 5k with Elise and Enzo as part of the school running club that Elise has been involved in this year. Unfortunately, Ava and I weren’t able to be there to cheer them on because her softball team had a double-header in Pahrump that morning, which is about an hour away, but they had a great time. Here’s a photo from their race.
On Saturday, Jessica wanted to check out a hibachi restaurant near our house. We thought it would be a fun experience and that the kids would enjoy the show. It turned out to be a great time and is something we plan on doing again soon. Elise had been to a hibachi restaurant one time with her friend’s family, but Ava and Enzo had never experienced anything like this before. There was a guy seated across from us who was very friendly and offered Enzo $5 if he could catch a shrimp from the chef in his mouth. He was given three tries and this is how it turned out.
Afterward, the chef gave everyone a chance to catch a piece of shrimp in their mouth. Jessica and I both caught ours on the first try but let’s just say that wasn’t the case for everyone else. Overall it was a fun and new experience with delicious food, and the whole table sang “Happy Birthday” to Jessica.
We slept in on Sunday morning, then later I got to work on a crab cake benedict for her birthday brunch. I had offered to skip my baseball game but she told me not to, so it was important to me that I make her a nice meal. The kids had never eaten eggs benedict before but they all liked it, especially the homemade hollandaise sauce.
After brunch we went to the park to play frisbee for a bit and enjoy the beautiful weather, then I had to get ready for my game. While I was away, Jessica and the kids went out for ice cream, and by the time I got home, everyone was relaxing for the evening. Another exciting thing to come out of Jessica’s birthday was that we finalized our dates for the Colorado trip in June. As it turns out, we’re going to be gone for 11 days, which is more than originally expected but it made the most sense based on everything we want to do with Grandma and Grandpa Martin. I’ll be working for several of those days, but will still be taking a few days off as well. The plan is to leave Nevada on Saturday, June 1st, and return on Tuesday, June 11th. I look forward to writing a big update about it in June!
I hope Jessica had a great birthday, and most importantly, how much we all love and appreciate her!
In addition to Jessica’s birthday, we also recently attended a school awards ceremony at the South Point Hotel and Casino. She was nominated for support staff of the year, and although she didn’t win, it was still a great honor and clear validation that she is doing the right thing. She received an engraved plaque and we enjoyed the ceremony with friends, so it was a fun and memorable night all around.
Softball and Baseball Update
While my baseball season is just getting going, Ava’s softball season is cruising right along toward the playoffs. Her team is 7-1 and we just beat the 1st-place team in both games of a double-header on Saturday. Her improvement this season has been so fun to watch and I’m proud of how committed she is. She never turns down an opportunity to practice and never misses a team event. Sometimes it gets tricky due to other family commitments, and we have had to ask other families for help getting her to or from practice more than once, but it always works out.
It’s been a pleasure for me to help the team this season as an assistant coach and I know Ava loves having me out there. We only have two more weeks until the playoffs begin, so her season will be over before we know it, but we’re doing our best to repeat as league champions, and no matter what, we will definitely be back for the next season this Fall.
On the baseball side, I’m having a blast getting out there with the guys every Sunday. I can handle all the bumps and bruises, as well as waking up sore on Monday mornings because I love the whole experience. I’m making friends, playing better than expected, and best of all, getting to share this experience with Enzo, who is our team’s batboy.
So far, our team has played 4 games and we have a record of 1-3, which isn’t great, but it’s a brand new team and we’re still finding our way. You never know who is going to make it each weekend due to other schedules and conflicts, but it’s always a good time. I currently have a batting average of .500, which is much better than I expected to start off at. I haven’t struck out more than once in a game and yesterday’s game was the first one where I didn’t strike out at all. I’ve had a few really nice hits, including a blast over the center fielder’s head in game 3 that resulted in a standup double. The best part was reaching second base and hearing Enzo yell “Father of the Year!!!”
I have already had a scary moment as well, which was in my first at-bat of the second game. The first pitch I saw was a fastball coming right at my head. I later learned that I should have ducked away but I have never practiced this type of situation before and the ball was coming in very fast, so my natural instinct was to pull back. The ball clipped my left wrist and then hit me right in the face! I could tell no serious damage was done but it was scary for everyone, not just me. I hated the fact that Enzo had to see this happen to me in my first at-bat since he had joined the team, but it was memorable.
As expected, the guys on the team love having Enzo around and it seems clear that Enzo loves it just as much, if not more. Our team’s manager insisted on paying for Enzo’s jersey due to all the help he provides, and as I told him recently, we’re creating memories for a lifetime. Even if he never plays ball himself, he will always remember being the batboy for his dad’s team. I would have loved to do this sort of thing with my own dad but I’m glad to be doing my part to make it happen now. I’m not getting any younger, and am already one of the oldest guys out there, but I love it and want to continue playing as long as possible.
My New Job in the Sports Betting Industry
To close things off, I’m excited to announce that I have accepted a new job as a Senior Software Engineer with Unabated Sports; an industry leader in sports betting analytics! I wasn’t even looking for a new job because my plan was to continue working at my current day job until my own company, Cappers.ai, was successful enough for me to work there full-time, but this opportunity with Unabated popped up and was too good for me not to pursue.
I stumbled upon Unabated on Twitter a few weeks ago and was immediately impressed with their business model. I even sent their link to my partner Devin saying that this is exactly how I would like to see our company evolve. Later on, I noticed on their Twitter feed that they were hiring software engineers and were looking for someone with experience in C# and relational databases. As it just so happens, this is exactly what I used to build the Cappers application, so I figured I had nothing to lose by applying.
I sent them an email with my resume and talked about my experience with Cappers, then about 90 minutes later I had an email from their CEO asking if we could chat. We had a few meetings over the next two weeks and ultimately they made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. I made sure to verify with them that Cappers wasn’t going to be a conflict of interest and they were fine with it.
I’m so excited to get started two weeks from today. I know I’m going to learn a ton and can’t wait to dive head-first into their platform. I’m particularly proud of this new role because it’s a product of the initiative and hard work that went into building the Cappers site. I built that thing from scratch, have learned a ton along the way, and continue to put countless hours into it. While I haven’t been unhappy working at my current day job, which is in the healthcare industry, having the opportunity to work in the world of sports betting, which is something that I love and am good at, is very exciting. I can’t help but think that my dad would be proud. He always told me when I was a kid not to follow in his footsteps, but to me this feels like the best of both worlds.
Regardless of how things turn out with Cappers, this is a great opportunity with Unabated. Several of their founders were founders of the Action Network, which is the biggest platform out there for sports bettors, and I’m getting in as one of the first 30 employees. They are consistently beating their revenue targets and growing fast. My family has been so supportive throughout this process and I know Jessica is very happy for me to be able to take this on. I look forward to providing more updates about it in the near future.
That’s about it for now. It’s crazy that the school year is about to come to an end, and we’re excited for Elise because she will be giving a speech at her elementary school graduation ceremony, just like Ava did a year ago. We don’t have a whole lot planned in May, but June should be a lot of fun due to our Colorado trip, then Grandpa Rudd will be visiting for the 4th of July. Shortly after that will be our weekend in Phoenix, and then as soon as we get back from that our good friends the Palmers will be coming down for their annual visit.
Here are a few more recent photos. See you next month!
Visiting with old friends from SeattleI got to speak to Elise’s 5th-grade class about being a software engineer for Career DayJessica’s birthday dinnerHeading to the park on Mom’s birthday
Today marks the 9th birthday of our amazing little man! It’s hard for Jessica and me to comprehend that our youngest is just a year away from hitting double digits. Nevertheless, we couldn’t be more thrilled or proud of how things have unfolded. Enzo and his sisters are doing wonderfully, and everyone is thriving down here in the desert. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself just to believe it’s all real.
Although Enzo’s real birthday is today, we decided to have his party yesterday. In the past, we hosted his birthday parties at our house, but this year we opted for a fun morning at an indoor trampoline park with his friends. They enjoyed jumping, laser tag, pizza, and bundt cakes. The night before the party, the kids participated in a four-square tournament at school and then Enzo and Elise each had a friend over for a sleepover. After yesterday’s party, everyone was exhausted and looking forward to a peaceful evening at home.
Enzo started his day by unwrapping gifts and catching up with family over the phone. His presents included a mix of toys, a generous amount of Robux for his beloved Roblox game, tasty snacks, and new clothes. To continue our tradition of attending sporting events on his birthday, this year Enzo and I will be heading to the Celebrity Flag Football game just before the Superbowl, maintaining the excitement from last year’s UNLV basketball game outing. Overall, it was a joyful start to Enzo’s special day!
Enzo absolutely loves sushi, so I’m happy to be able to prepare it for him tonight as part of his birthday celebration. Jessica and I recently took our first sushi-making class, and we had an amazing time. We were taught how to create spicy tuna rolls, California rolls, and vegetable hand rolls. Following the class, the girls and I went on a shopping spree at a Japanese market and gathered all the essential ingredients for making sushi at home. Since then, we’ve indulged in homemade sushi multiple times, and it’s safe to say that we’ve improved with each attempt.
Lately, I’ve been immersing myself in YouTube tutorials to pick up some new sushi-making techniques. However, the best part of this culinary adventure has been sharing it with Jessica. She’s always been my biggest cheerleader in the kitchen, but there’s something extra special about tackling sushi as a team. It takes time and effort, but the satisfaction of working side by side on a new culinary endeavor and then savoring the results together brings me true happiness.
The kids are just as delighted as we are about it. In our family, there are only so many foods that everyone enjoys equally, and sushi is definitely one of them. The kids particularly love California rolls and fried shrimp rolls, while Jessica and I prefer tuna and salmon, but it’s all delicious. We’re thrilled to prepare all of those dishes and then gather for a family meal that we know will be enjoyed by everyone.
I believe that’s all for now. I wanted to dedicate this post entirely to Enzo’s special day. There’s a lot to look forward to, and I’m confident there will be plenty of updates next month. But for now, I’ll conclude by sharing that everyone is doing wonderfully. The kids are thriving at school and growing up quickly, Jessica and I are doing well at work, and we’re keeping busy with activities that make us happy. Here are some recent photos. Happy birthday, buddy!
Enzo and his buddies at his birthday partyOur first time making sushi at homeHomemade sushi, volume two!Fried shrimp rolls – homemade sushi volume three!Happy 9th birthday Enzo!!!
An update on Ava’s 12th birthday, softball, and Thanksgiving 2023.
Today our sweet Miss Ava turns 12 years old! Rather than celebrate her birthday via a traditional party, we decided to switch things up this year by holding a variety of celebrations and events, starting with the SEMA Fest concert and car show at the beginning of the month. While SEMA, which is the largest trade show in the world, has been going on in Las Vegas for a long time, this was the first ever SEMA Fest. Some of our favorite bands were playing so we decided to take the whole family for an evening of cars, motorcycle jumps, BMX tricks, burnouts, and amazing live performances by bands like Walk The Moon, AJR, and Imagine Dragons. It was an unforgettable night and Ava kept saying it was way better than a birthday party anyway.
We also promised Ava that we would take her shopping for her birthday and her request was that we go to the mall on Black Friday, which was yesterday, so again all five of us went out together for a day of crowds and shopping. She got a really cool pair of Air Jordans and enjoyed the time bouncing around from store to store.
Today, which was her actual birthday, was spent at the softball field for an end-of-season tournament. A couple of weeks ago Ava’s team won the championship for the Fall season of the Henderson Girls Softball Association’s 12U division. Before the playoffs began, her team started off by winning their first nine games in a row, then finished with a record of 10-1-1. Our first playoff game was against the only team that had beaten us during the regular season and they jumped out to an early lead.
Ava came to bat in the bottom half of the final inning with the bases loaded and no outs, down by three runs. The count was 2-0 when she drilled one up the middle, just slightly off towards the third base side. The pitcher appeared to make an impressive diving catch, but as she landed on the ground she dropped the ball. Ava got down to first base quickly, but each of her teammates stayed on their base because they all thought the pitcher caught the ball. There was mass confusion but ultimately they were able to throw the ball to each base and finished the game with a triple play.
It was a tough way to lose and Ava felt like it was her fault, but I explained to her that she did her job by getting a hit when it mattered the most. The game can be cruel at times but she had nothing to hang her head about. After that game, however, her team went on a tear by winning five games in a row to take home the championship! The final three games were on the same day, so it was a long one, but luckily Grandma and Grandpa Rudd were out visiting from Iowa that weekend so they got to see it in person.
I was so happy for the entire team and obviously very proud of Ava. The progress she made during this Fall season was incredible and she deserves a lot of credit. Most of these girls have been playing together for the past five or six years and Ava only had minimal experience with softball before this season. It was intimidating for her at first, but I love the fact that she never missed a practice, never missed a batting cage session, never missed a game, and never turned down an opportunity to practice with me at the park. She truly loves the game and has committed to working hard this winter in preparation for the next season, which begins in the Spring.
Our tournament today didn’t go like the regular season went for us, but we couldn’t have expected it to. We were facing all-star teams who had traveled from Hawaii and California to play in this tournament. Our team is not a travel team and we were the only local team even participating in the tournament. Our girls were a bit intimidated by these out-of-towners and had a hard time getting into their groove, but it was still fun. Nana came out and watched her play, plus we made treats for the whole team. Every time Ava came up to bat her teammates sang “Happy Birthday” to her, which was really sweet.
They played three games today, plus we’ll have at least two more games tomorrow, so it’s a long weekend of softball, but that’s it for the season. We already have plans to work regularly with some of Ava’s teammates during the offseason, and I’m personally going to do my best to train her for the upcoming season. It will be good for me as well because I need to get ready for my own baseball season, which begins in March.
I actually got a chance to get out and play in a baseball game last Sunday, which was really fun. I’m joining the Nevada Adult Baseball Association, which has teams in an upper level and a lower level. The guy who runs the team in the upper level is starting a new team in the lower level, but he asked me if I was available to fill in last weekend for the upper-level team because so many people were out of town for Thanksgiving. I said I’d be happy to play and ended up having a blast.
I was a bit intimidated at first because I have never faced pitching this fast before, so it took some time to get the hang of it. Guys are throwing in the 80’s so I struck out on three pitches for both of my first two at-bats. I got a nice base hit in my third plate appearance though, which felt amazing. More importantly, the guys on the team were so friendly and welcoming. Due to all the time I spend at home, I’ve been wanting to get involved in team sports again, and I feel lucky to have found such a great group to join.
One of the players on the team is a professional coach and we connected right away. Tuesday will be my first private lesson with him and I’m excited to transfer everything I learn onto Ava. I have a feeling we’re both going to come into the Spring season prepared and better than ever.
When I was a little boy baseball was by far my favorite sport, so getting back around the game over the past few months has been awesome. I’m so glad Ava is into it because we’re spending a lot of time together again, just like we used to during the hockey days.
A Lot To Be Thankful For
This was our third Thanksgiving in Nevada, but for the first time since moving here, we didn’t host it at our house. We spent the early afternoon at Nana’s place, then went over to my buddy Devin’s house for about 6 hours of food, games, and football. There was so much food I couldn’t believe it. Even though there were 15 people there, we could have easily all sat down for a second Thanksgiving dinner and still had plenty of leftovers to take home.
The weather was nice so the kids spent a lot of time playing outside. Meanwhile, Jessica and I had a great time catching up with friends. By request, I made roasted garlic mashed potatoes and stuffing, while Jessica baked three different kinds of bread and cookies! Devin had two different types of turkey, ham, and our favorite mushroom steaks for those of us non-meat eaters. He also ordered the famous coconut cake that Tom Cruise sends to everyone in Hollywood each holiday season. It came from Los Angeles packed in dry ice the day before Thanksgiving, and while I personally despise dried coconut, I’ll have to admit that the cake itself was lovely.
Before the adults made a dinner toast, I went over to the kids’ table and made sure they knew that every adult in that house was extremely thankful for each of them. We have such a great group of friends and getting to spend that day with all of them was unforgettable.
Holiday Mode
Everyone was exhausted yesterday after our Black Friday shopping mall experience, but later that evening we busted out the Christmas tree and all of our indoor decorations. The house feels very festive now, although we haven’t yet taken on any of the outdoor decorations. I’m sure those will be done soon though. The kids always love hanging their favorite ornaments on the tree and Jessica and I always look forward to the pageantry of the whole thing.
Pretty soon there will be school holiday events to attend, including Ava’s first-ever school band concert. We’ve decided to stay home for Christmas this year, but Grandma and Grandpa Martin will be coming out for a visit during the week between Christmas and New Year.
The kids are very much enjoying this little Thanksgiving break from school, but I think they’re even more looking forward to the upcoming break as we get closer to Christmas. This morning Elise and Enzo finished another session of boxing, which was very exciting for them. Although Jessica and I have encouraged them to try out some team sports, they’re simply not interested, but they enjoy going to their boxing class so we’re cool with that. School has been going well for them and before you know it, Elise will be graduating from elementary school, just like Ava did last year.
Speaking of school, Jessica’s Willy Wonka costume was epic for Halloween this year. Unfortunately, she did not repeat as the winner of the school’s costume contest, but I blame the kids since they’re the ones who did the voting. It’s been a very busy Fall season for us, filled with lots of good times and new friends via Ava’s softball team. Now that the season is over, things are going to slow down a bit, but it’s perfect timing because we’re excited to enjoy the holiday season. The kids haven’t been able to spend much time with Nana lately due to everyone’s busy schedule, but we’re going to make up for that starting now.
I think that’s about it for now. I just wanted to give a quick update, and most importantly, celebrate Ava on her special day. We’re very proud of her and it’s been exciting seeing her getting back into something she loves. To all of our family and friends who read this, we send our love and wish you a happy holiday season! Here are some recent family photos.
Elise’s 5th Grade photoEnzo’s 3rd Grade photoI love how Jessica gets a school photo each year as well. Halloween 2023SEMA Fest 2023Waiting for our favorite bands to take the stageJessica and I never intend to dress alike, but it frequently turns out that way.Thanksgiving morning, 2023Ava opening her birthday giftsAva loves anime and is obsessed with the character Nezuko from a show called Demon Slayer. Big thanks to our friends the Palmer’s for their thoughtful gifts.After her games today, we took Ava to Plant Powered for a vegan burger. The candle was a nice touch by Mom.
Getting ready for Halloween and keeping busy with lots of activities!
Halloween is always a big deal for our family. Not only is it Nan’s birthday, but it’s easily one of our favorite holidays. Elise will tell you without hesitation that Halloween is her favorite holiday, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ava and Enzo said the same thing. Jessica is really into it as well; she’s the reigning costume champion at the school she works at and is hoping to repeat this year. Last year she killed it with her pinata costume and this year she has put together an amazing outfit to dress up as Willy Wonka.
As far as the kids’ costumes go, Ava is dressing up as one of her favorite anime characters, Elise is a Pokemon character, and Enzo has a blowup chicken suit with bright rainbow colors. I’m taking the easy route and just dressing up as a baseball player, but in all honesty, Halloween isn’t as big of a thing for me simply because I work from home, so I don’t have anywhere to go in a costume besides trick or treating with the kids.
Speaking of trick or treating, I feel like Halloween has gotten even better for us since moving to Nevada because of the neighborhood we live in. I’ve never seen anything like it. It might even be fair to say that houses in our neighborhood are more decorated for Halloween than Christmas. There’s a house that builds a haunted house in their backyard each year, plus houses that give out full-sized candy bars. There’s even one house that has a cotton candy machine and spins it individually for each kid! It’s such a fun experience for everyone and we always look forward to it each year.
To make our evening even better, my Mom is coming over to have dinner and spend her birthday evening with us. She’ll also be working the front door to hand out candy while we’re out in the neighborhood. I’m looking forward to making a nice birthday dinner for her and getting some quality time. The kids haven’t been able to spend as much time with her recently due to activities and social events, so it will be great having her over.
A Big Night For Elise and Jessica
About six weeks ago Elise was supposed to go to the Ed Sheeran concert at Allegiant Stadium with one of her best friends. They got all the way to the stadium before finding out that the concert had to be postponed due to safety issues while setting things up. The concert was rescheduled for Saturday, October 28, which was last night. As it turned out, Elise’s friend’s Dad wasn’t able to make it, so they had an extra ticket and were kind enough to offer it to Jessica. She was thrilled to be able to go and of course, they had a great time. Jessica took a bunch of videos for me so I’ll be making a Vegas Showbiz video out of it very soon.
Since Elise and Jessica were having a special night, I wanted to do something fun with Ava and Enzo to keep them from getting jealous. We went to the mall and then decided to go to our favorite conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Enzo asked if we could take the long way so I decided to cruise all the way down the Las Vegas strip. I figured it would be fun because it was Saturday night, but it turned out much better than expected. First of all, the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix is only a couple of weeks away, and they’re going to be racing on the strip, so we got to see all the grandstands and other race infrastructure. I love Formula One racing and it was so cool to be driving down the same street that my favorite drivers will soon be racing on. I can’t believe they’re going to be driving 200 mph on that road and can’t wait to see it.
To make our drive even more fun and memorable, we were sitting at the front of an intersection near MGM Grand waiting for a green light, and suddenly about 15 motorcycles came up around us to get in front of me. They were ¾ size stunt bikes and the riders were doing all kinds of cool tricks while waiting for the light to change. We had no idea what was going on but they were waving to us and the kids loved it. They had their bikes up on the back wheel spinning around, then as soon as the light changed they were doing wheelies through the intersection, and some were riding while standing on their seat.
It was 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night, so it was prime time to be cruising the strip. I’m used to seeing classic cars cruising the strip on a Saturday night, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Ava was filming it the whole time on her phone and we were talking about it all night.
Activities Galore
As mentioned earlier, the kids have been staying busy with activities lately, so Jessica and I are constantly running them around. Elise and Enzo are back in their Saturday morning boxing class, and Ava has been loving her new softball team. We’ve been spending a lot of time in the fields and batting cages lately, which I love. Her team won their first nine games before losing one yesterday, so they’re off to an excellent start. The Fall season is shorter than Spring, so there are only a few games left, but I think it’s a guarantee that Ava will be playing again next Spring. She has made a ton of improvement over the past couple of months and we plan on working hard during the offseason.
I’ve enjoyed being back around baseball so much that I too am joining a team in January. I’ve been wanting to get back into some type of team sport or activity because I spend so much time at home working. While I do get plenty of exercise at home via the rowing machine and weights, it’s not the same as getting out there with people.
I thought about joining a hockey team but here’s the problem; hockey is very popular here (like it is in Seattle) but there are only a handful of ice rinks to play at. Kids teams always get preferential ice time, so if you’re on an adult team it’s not uncommon for games to start at 11:00 p.m. or later. I simply can’t make that work with my schedule, but that same problem doesn’t exist for baseball. Not only are there fields everywhere, but the weather here is conducive to playing all year long. I always loved playing baseball as a kid and wish I wouldn’t have quit, so I’m excited to get back into it. I did some research and found the Nevada Adult Baseball Association (NABA), which is a hardball league that looks really fun. I went to one of their games last Sunday and felt like I could definitely keep up. I’m planning on playing catcher and have started training for the season. Luckily, I’ve become friends with a guy who used to be a catcher in the Phillies system, so he’s going to work with me. I’ve also been watching a ton of videos on YouTube and regularly get out to practice with the kids. It’s important for me to stay active and I can’t wait to get back into a team sports environment.
Vegas Showbiz and Cappers Update
Our subscribers for the Vegas Showbiz YouTube channel are continuing to grow quickly and we’re now up over 850. Getting to 1,000 has been a goal for me since day one and I think we’ll be there in the next two or three months at most. On the Cappers side of things, I’ve been working on it for exactly a year, and we now finally have some paid subscribers! We’ve obviously still got a long way to go, but our growth is totally organic without any type of paid advertising, so it feels great to see it gaining momentum.
It’s doing well from a performance perspective as well, especially with NHL recommendations. We’re only a few weeks into the new hockey season and if you were to bet one unit on every NHL betting system recommendation our site makes, you’d already be up over 50 units! 50x on your money is insane, and there are certainly no guarantees that it will stay that way for the entire season, but there is no question that we have tapped into some successful systems and methods. I wish we could get that type of performance with football betting, but there’s too much action and the lines are too sharp to make that kind of money. The real profit, when it comes to betting on the major U.S. sports, is with hockey and baseball.
Hopefully, we can continue spreading the word and growing the business. Devin and I are both extremely bullish on our business model and feel like it’s only a matter of time before it blows up. Just gotta keep grinding in the meantime.
That’s about it for now. We’re looking forward to a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Rudd in a couple of weeks. It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is already here. I don’t have too many recent photos to share, but here are a few. See you next month!
At the 2023 Las Vegas Pride ParadeEnzo and one of his best friendsOff to another softball game!Elise and Jessica before the Ed Sheeran concertHaving fun at the “Marriage Can Be Murder” dinner showRevolving Sushi with Ava and Enzo
All about Elise’s 10th birthday, plus updates on how our Summer break is wrapping up, Vegas Showbiz getting into the YouTube Partner Program, and Cappers going live!
Today our sweet Elise turned 10 years old! I still remember the morning she was born like it was yesterday. It was shortly after 6:00 am when Jessica delivered her in a small hot tub at a birth center in Bellevue, Washington. With the music of Elliott Smith playing in the background, Elise was brought into this world and I got to hold her for quite a while shortly after. Obviously, it was an experience that Jessica and I will never forget; it’s just hard to believe that 10 whole years have already gone by since then.
As is usually the case with our kids’ birthdays, we’re spreading the celebration out over several days. Since today is her actual birthday, she started off the morning with breakfast in bed, then came down later in the morning to open presents. We went to a play center in the afternoon to let the kids get some exercise, then we went out to dinner as a family. We let Elise choose the restaurant, and luckily for all of us, she chose Chef Kenny’s, which is an Asian vegan restaurant that we love.
After dinner, we came home and did some night swimming, then took a break to enjoy a cake that Elise and Mom baked last night. More swimming and hot tubbing ensued. All in all, it was a great day, but her birthday celebrations are far from over. Tomorrow, the kids will be going to my Mom’s house for a couple nights and I know she has a few things planned. Then next Thursday our good friends the Palmers are visiting us from Washington for a long weekend.
Instead of having a traditional birthday party, Elise wanted to go see the new Barbie movie in theaters with her friends, but she wanted to wait until her buddy Miles was here for a visit. Jessica got tickets for a big group of Elise’s friends to go to the movie, but Enzo and I decided to pass. I’ll admit it does look funny but since my friend Leon will be here, I think he and I will take Enzo to do something that day while the girls are at the movie.
I know Elise still has all these fun things to come but I hope she enjoyed her day today. It was pretty much the perfect family day and I don’t think anyone will be forgetting it anytime soon. Happy 10th birthday Elise, we love you!!
The Last Few Weeks of Summer Break
Jessica and the kids have been enjoying their break this Summer, but it’s flying by and they will be heading back to school in about three weeks. We’re really excited for our friends to come down for a visit, but they all know that this will basically be the last hoorah. In addition to the movie, we’re all going to a water park one day while they’re here, so that should be a lot of fun.
We recently celebrated the 4th of July, which was also Peach and Spencer’s third birthday, by having my Mom plus our friends Tiko and Tina, plus their two girls, Helen and Beatrice, over for swimming, a BBQ, and fireworks at the park. We were spoiled by relatively cool temperatures during June but that all seems long gone. The forecasted high temperature for this Sunday is 117 degrees, which is extreme even for us. I remember it getting that hot one day during our first Summer here, but it never got that hot last Summer. When you live here you just learn how to live with the extreme heat during the Summer, but at least we always have a pool to go out and jump into.
An Update on Vegas Showbiz and Cappers
Shortly after my last family blog post, Vegas Showbiz was accepted into the YouTube partner program. They recently lowered their limits to get into the first level of the program and we qualified, so I applied and we were accepted almost immediately. Now that we’re in the partner program we’re technically able to start making money, although that hasn’t happened yet. We’re allowed to sell private memberships to our channel but I don’t think that makes sense for us at the moment. We’re also able to accept tips/donations via the Thanks button below our videos, and we’re able to sell Super Stickers, which are digital pieces of art related to our channel.
I don’t expect us to capitalize on any of these options, but I’ve definitely seen an uptick in our viewing numbers and subscribers since we got into the program. It makes sense that YouTube would start surfacing our videos more in searches now that we’re in the partner program, because the better our videos do, the better they do in terms of advertising revenue. Our big goal is still to get to 1,000 subscribers because at that point we will make it to the next level of the partner program, and at that point, you start getting paid a portion of the revenue generated from ads being viewed when people watch your videos.
It won’t be a huge amount of money, but we expect it to be enough to buy tickets to a show each month. Our plan is to reinvest the money into doing more fun things to make videos about and grow the channel that way. Although we had a lull between February and May where we were only producing two videos per month, getting into the partner program has definitely been reinvigorating. We’re not quite halfway through July and have already dropped five new videos for the month. Here’s our most recent one, which is a review Enzo and I made after visiting Fly Over Las Vegas on the Strip.
Regarding Cappers, last Friday Devin and I went live by releasing it to the world! Our main website is located at https://cappers.ai, so if you want to learn more about what we do, that’s the place to go. The web application that people pay for subscriptions to is located at https://app.cappers.ai. So far we don’t have any paying customers but I’ve made some nice progress this week.
Yesterday I messaged about 10 professional sports handicappers on Twitter; I introduced myself and offered them a free Cappers subscription. I explained that I was trying to gather feedback from established handicappers so I can fine-tune the site and asked if they would be interested. I have already heard back from three of them who are interested and one, who has over 56,000 followers on Twitter, has already gotten set up with a free subscription. Another one has 35,000 subscribers, so if I can get these guys to tweet about it, give feedback, and perhaps give a testimonial on our site, we’ll be looking good.
Our main goal for these first couple of months is to get feedback so we’re ready for NFL season. Hopefully working with these established handicappers will help get us there. In addition to promoting the site via Twitter, I have also been making videos for the Cappers YouTube channel and writing blog posts for the Cappers blog. Most of the blog posts I have written are heavily focused on sports betting, but my first one was more like our origination story. I wrote about growing up in a house where my Dad ran an illegal sports gambling operation, and how he always told me to do something better with my life. I honestly feel like my tech experience combined with these experiences as a child makes me very qualified to be a founder of a company like this. If you’d like to check it out just go to: https://cappers.ai/blog/2023/07-july/01-commandments-of-sports-betting
I’m already working every day to get us ready for NFL season and I expect to be hustling for months to help build up our subscriber base. Devin and I should be starting our Vegas sports podcast soon as well, so hopefully all these things will start coming together and the site will blow up. I’m not worried about it because I know how much hard work is being done; it’s just a matter of time.
More Homemade Music
I’ve been on a roll with content creation lately and music has been no exception. I recently tried something new by recording music specifically to be used for the background of a Vegas Showbiz video. Normally, when I record music I’m trying to come up with progressive, interesting ideas and play things that sound impressive. This time, it was a different approach because I wanted something simple with an uplifting feel to it.
I was particularly proud of this one, not because it was the best playing I’ve done, but because I recorded it in an old-school way using my actual amplifiers and microphones. Normally when I’m recording music at home, I plug my guitar into my computer and use software recreations of classic amplifiers. This approach has always worked well and sounded good, but it almost feels like you’re cheating. I’m able to pick from all these classic amps from the 50’s 60’s and 70’s, then mix and match them as I please.
This time, I set up a couple of amplifiers in my bedroom closet, which is the closest thing I have to a recording booth, then mic’d them up and cranked the volume. The music was intentionally simple but the guitar solo was done in a single take with zero practice or preparation. In a strange way I was more proud of this than most of my other stuff, mostly because I was using my own physical amps and pedals to get all the sounds.
I also promised my Uncle Bob that I would make a video with the guitar he gifted me before moving back to Washington, so here it is. Again, I used a microphone in front of an amp with lots of volume, which I think is good for the soul. Playing loud feels so good!
Obviously, it’s been a busy few weeks but I honestly believe that staying busy is the secret to happiness. I’m looking forward to making more music to use in our videos, excited for the future of Vegas Showbiz on YouTube, and extremely excited about everything going on with Cappers. It’s only a matter of time. For now, here are a few more recent photos from our Summer.
Elise having breakfast in bed on the morning of her 10th birthdayElise opening her presentsElise at Chef Kenny’s for her birthday dinnerElise finally got to have a Grimace Shake at McDonaldsEnzo with a sparkler sword on the 4th of July. Love those glasses!Ava and her sparkler sword on the 4thElise and her sparkler swordFamily photos on the 4th of July are a tradition for us. Here are a few from this year.Mom and I on the 4thOur good friend and old neighbor Avery recently came down from Washington for a visit. It was a fun couple of days.
An update on Enzo’s 8th birthday, including his party at home, then our big night out at the UNLV basketball game.
Yesterday the awesome Mr. Enzo turned eight years old! Normally I like to write a family blog post on the day of our kids’ birthdays, but this time it wasn’t possible due to the big night out Enzo and I had on his birthday evening. Since his birthday fell on a Saturday this year, we were able to have his party at home on the day of his actual birthday. It was a bit chaotic, as many of his friends from school were able to attend, but he had a great time.
Earlier that morning, he opened presents from family, and that’s when I finally broke the news to him that we would be attending the UNLV basketball game later that night. Over the past few months, Enzo has grown a love for the game of basketball, and he regularly asks me if someday I could take him to a game. Once I saw that UNLV was playing a home game versus their rival, the University of Nevada Reno, on the night of his birthday, I splurged a bit by purchasing great seats for the game. I originally thought they were in the third row because our tickets say Row C, but it was more like midway up in the first level. The seats were still excellent, though.
Enzo with his new basketball and UNLV t-shirt from Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda
I’ve only been to one other college basketball game in my life, which was when Jessica and I went to a San Diego State game many years ago featuring a young Kawaii Leonard, who would later become a huge NBA star. When I broke the news to Enzo, he gave me the biggest hug and wouldn’t let go. You can see it in the video I made for his birthday. I was a little surprised at just how happy he was about it, and I got a little choked up by his response.
We arrived an hour before gametime so we could take our time walking around the Thomas & Mack Center and check everything out. We watched the teams during shoot around and went down to the court level to take a few photos. The atmosphere during the game was electric. Between the fans, UNLV students, the band, the cheerleaders, and the halftime entertainment, there was never a dull moment.
It was a back-and-forth game, but UNLV ultimately won by 6 points. We were cheering as loud as we could, and consequently, my voice is pretty hoarse today. Jessica made Enzo a sign that said “It’s my birthday” on one side and “Go Rebels” on the other. Enzo was really hoping to get on the jumbotron, and as fate would have it, we ended up on it four times throughout the game! All the people around us knew it was his birthday due to his sign, so every time the camera would start showing people in the crowd, everyone around us would point at Enzo, who was usually up dancing and waving his sign around.
There were so many people wishing him a happy birthday as they walked by, and the cutest part was that he kept count of them. By the time we left, his count had reach 20 people. As we walked back to the car he told me this was his best birthday yet. Nothing could have brought me more joy.
As far as his birthday party goes, it was a great day. As usual, Jessica deserves a ton of credit for making it happen. She always comes up with great ideas for activities, and she got a cake with his face printed on it, which was a request by Enzo. We had a piñata outside, but Enzo didn’t want to wear a blindfold, so it didn’t last long enough for each kid to have a turn hitting it. They all got plenty of candy though, so I don’t think any of them were too upset. We also set up a little photo studio in the house and had all kinds of masks for the kids to wear in their pictures.
There were more kids at the party than we were expecting, and it was getting a little crazy having all of them inside our house at the same time, so after everyone finished their cake Jessica took them to the park by our neighborhood to let them burn off energy. I’m not nearly as good as Jessica when it comes to dealing with other people’s kids, but I always love chatting with the parents. You always get to meet such friendly new people, so it really was a great day.
This is the most personalized birthday cake I’ve ever seen!
Since Enzo and I were going to the game, Ava and Elise ended up going home with Nana for a sleepover. This meant Jessica had the place to herself for the evening. I felt bad about that and would have gladly gotten her a ticket to the basketball game, but I didn’t know then that the girls would end up at Nana’s house. It’s all good, though; she worked so hard to make the house look perfect and deserved a nice quiet night with zero responsibilities.
Overall it was a great day for Enzo. I remember being about the same age when my dad took me to my first basketball game. We went to see the Super Sonics play, and I loved every minute of it. I also remember after the game, we were walking back to our car, and my dad tripped on one of those concrete bumpers they put in parking spaces to keep you from pulling too far forward. He slammed his shoulder into the bumper of another car ahead of us and really hurt himself. At that time, we lived about 30 minutes south of Seattle, and he had to drive us home in a lot of pain. It wasn’t the greatest way to end the evening, but here we are about 35 years later, and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Obviously, it was very special for me to be able to come full circle and have the same type of experience with Enzo. Luckily this particular evening didn’t result in any injuries, but you never know with our family. I’ll never forget spending the night of my 42nd birthday with Enzo at the emergency room, getting stitches in his forehead after he tripped and fell head-first during our pool party.
Before I move on, I just want to say how much I love my son and how proud Jessica and I are of him. Like his sisters, he’s an amazing kid whom I couldn’t imagine life without. Although we try not to focus too much on grades and test scores, I’m very proud to say that Enzo recently scored in the 98th percentile nationally in math. He’s literally in the top 2% in the United States for math at his age! Regardless of that, he’s just an awesome kid, and I couldn’t be luckier as a father to call him my son.
Other Family Updates
January has been a good month for us. While we had a great time during the holiday break, everyone was ready to return to their routine and see their friends again at school. Ava and Elise have been staying busy with various school activities; they continue to enjoy participating in the school choir, and they’re excited to get back into “Girls on the Run,” which is a running program held by the school for girls only. Elise did it earlier in the school year and loved it, so now Ava will join her for the Spring session.
Speaking of Spring, softball season is coming soon, and Ava plans to play again this year. She really enjoyed it last year, and we all like hanging out at the ballpark during that time of year because the weather is so perfect here. We’re also going to get Enzo back into swimming lessons soon. Even though he loves shooting hoops at home (we recently set up a hoop in the backyard), he says he doesn’t want to play on a team and would rather focus on swimming as his main sport. I’m all for it and love taking him to the pool, so hopefully, it won’t be too long before he’s ready for his first swimming team. I’m also going to encourage him to try diving, but we’ll see how it turns out.
In addition to running, Elise is really interested in trying out boxing, so we’re going to look for a gym for her. Las Vegas is known as the fight capital of the world, so we should be able to find something. We have gloves here at home, and I often hold pads for her to hit. She’s very strong, and I honestly think boxing would be great for her self-confidence.
Before Winter comes to a close, we’re hoping to do a day of skiing/snowboarding/inner-tubing up at the Brian Head ski resort in Utah. It’s only about three hours from the house, so we could do a day trip with no problem. It sounds like Uncle Brad is going to join us since he used to be a ski and snowboard instructor. I love the idea of exposing the kids to winter sports, even though we live in the desert 😉
We’re also planning our first family trip to the Grand Canyon for this year’s Spring Break. Once again, it’s only a few hours from the house, and the kids are now old enough to appreciate it, so there’s no reason not to go. Neither Jessica nor I have ever been there, so we’re looking forward to it. One of the things I loved about moving to Nevada was that it opened up so many new possibilities for road trips. There are plenty of places in this great country of ours that I’ve still never gotten to see, so we’re not wasting time checking them off our bucket list.
A Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Rudd
Last weekend we were fortunate enough to get to spend a bunch of time with Grandma and Grandpa Rudd, who were out visiting from Iowa. Rick had a work conference in Las Vegas, so they decided to come a few days early and spend the weekend with us. We went bowling one day, then Rick and I assembled the basketball hoop the next day. They took the kids out shopping and Enzo got a new pair of Nike’s that have become his new favorite sneaks.
We’re always thankful when family comes to visit, and luckily, it won’t be long before we get our next visit. My cousin Kristy and her husband Gilberto are coming to Vegas next weekend in celebration of his birthday. Jessica and I are really excited to take them to a fancy vegetarian restaurant called Saffron. We ate there last year for our anniversary and loved it so much that we made a Vegas Showbiz video about it. It’s one of those places where the food looks like art, the ambiance is beautiful, and the service is top-notch. It’s going to be a great weekend.
Wrapping Up
As always, I couldn’t be more thankful for the lives we have created. I know we’ve worked hard for it, but that doesn’t always guarantee anything. Jessica and I sometimes have to pinch ourselves because we can’t believe how everything has turned out. Ultimately though, you could take away the house, the cars, and all the experiences, and I know that we would still be very happy because we have each other. Nothing is more important to us than our family, and it’s days like this that keep everything in perspective. Happy 8th birthday Enzo. We love you so much!!!
An update on Ava’s 11th birthday, Thanksgiving, and our upcoming holiday plans.
Today the amazingly awesome Miss Ava turns 11 years old! It’s hard to believe we’ve been parents for 11 years, but watching Ava and her siblings grow up has already been an unbelievable ride. While today is Ava’s actual birthday, we decided to hold her birthday party last weekend because we figured everyone would be busy during Thanksgiving weekend.
The party was held at our home on Saturday afternoon. 17 of Ava’s friends, plus another eight adults, were all over for about three hours. Ava is a big fan of the Dog Man book series, so we used that as her party’s theme. The party included a Dog Man trivia game, a version of “Pin the tail on the donkey” called “Pin the badge on Dog Man,” sandwiches from Subway (Ava’s favorite), and a chocolate-caramel ice cream cake, per Ava’s request. She called it one of the best days of her life, which was great to hear, but no one deserves more credit for this than Jessica. The amount of work she puts into the kids’ birthday parties is always unbelievable, and this one was no exception.
Here’s the video I made from Ava’s birthday partyAva taking her turn at Pin the badge on Dog Man
Today Nana stopped by the house to wish Ava a happy birthday and visit a bit. Her birthday is exactly one month before Christmas, so it always signals the start of the holiday season. Speaking of holidays, yesterday was Thanksgiving, which we held for the second consecutive year in our new home. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make plans with family for Thanksgiving this year, mainly because Jessica and I have been so busy lately that we forgot to set everything up. Luckily, our friends Tiko, Tina and their daughters Helen and Bea were able to come over and spend the day with us.
I made roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sourdough stuffing, vegetable gravy, sauteed green beans, and a vegan turkey loaf filled with cranberry stuffing. My buddy Tiko really wanted to make mac ‘n cheese because he hasn’t had dairy in forever, along with a cherry pie. He made the most massive pot of mac ‘n cheese, along with the biggest cherry pie I’ve ever seen in my life. It was all pretty over the top but also hilarious and memorable.
Next up will be a visit from Amy, Tom, Joel, and Melanie for Amy’s birthday in early December. They’re all coming to Vegas for a little weekend getaway, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone. The kids were pretty little the last time they saw Joel and Melanie, so they’re looking forward to meeting them again. We’re all going to The Neon Museum, which Jessica has been wanting to see for 15 years. I don’t know why we couldn’t make it happen before this, but we’re very much looking forward to it.
A couple of weeks after that, we will be driving up to Colorado for Christmas at Amy and Tom’s house. We’re looking forward to sledding, driving snowmobiles, ice skating, and building snowmen. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the snow, so that should be fun and memorable. That’s pretty much it for now; everyone is doing great, and time continues to fly, as usual. We wish all of our family and friends a happy holiday season and look forward to seeing some of you soon.
For today, however, it’s still all about Ava. Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter and sister. You are more loved than you even know, and we’re all so proud of you! Happy 11th birthday, sweetheart.
Opening gifts from her good friend Miles, who lives in WashingtonAva loves her new bedspread from Nana
An update on the end of our Summer break, including a road trip to Los Angeles, plus our first week of the new school year.
Tomorrow the kids and Jessica will already be beginning their second week of the 2022 / 2023 school year. It still feels too early to me for school to be starting, but that’s how they do it here, so we just have to adjust. They did a full 5-day week last week to kick off the new year, which I think is a bit much for the first week, but they were troopers and got things off to a great start! Not surprisingly, each of them is already making new friends at school, and overall they are loving it.
Ava is in Jessica’s class and, as a 5th grader, has instantly taken on a leadership role. She was selected to represent the class in the student council, and she has already made remarks to Jessica about her increased sense of self-confidence since starting there. Obviously, we couldn’t be happier about this and just hope the positive momentum continues. This is going to be a very important year for Ava because it’s her last year of elementary school. Jessica is doing everything she can to prepare her for middle school, and having Ava in her class each day is the best way to do that.
Ava’s first day of 5th grade
Elise is off to a great start in 4th grade, although she’s so hard on herself with the way she compares herself to her peers that she would tell you she’s behind. I can heavily relate to that type of sentiment and feeling; I just hope she uses it as fuel and motivation. Jessica basically hand selected each of the kids’ teachers this year and has already spoken to Elise’s new teacher to see how the first week went. Not surprisingly, Elise did great in her first week and doesn’t appear behind in anything. Her teacher seems awesome, and Elise loved her instantly, so things look really good for Elise this year.
Elise on her first day of 4th grade
Enzo is off to a great start in second grade. Like Elise, he tends to be hard on himself when comparing himself to his peers. I think the annual change in schools has a lot to do with that for both of them, but again, he’s doing totally fine in school and just needs to get more comfortable in his new surroundings. He’s actually doing excellent in math, so we’re very encouraging of him to keep pushing in that area. There’s a little boy sitting next to him that he quickly built a friendship with, plus he and Elise both get to see Mom and Ava at different points each day (recess, lunch, special classes).
Enzo on his first day of 2nd grade
I think they were all exhausted after the first week, but the first week is always the hardest. Each week will get easier and more routine from here on out. It’s been strange having the house so quiet all day long again, but considering that I’m working, that part is kinda nice. One thing I love about working from home is that my kids get to have the same vision of me working at home that I had of my own Dad. Obviously, our jobs are a bit different, but that part doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re there to say goodbye when they leave in the morning, and you’re there to greet them when they return in the afternoon. I don’t take that for granted at all either, because it wasn’t that long ago that I was commuting an hour plus each way and then feeling bad when the kids tell me I’m barely around. Knowing that working from home is a permanent thing for me gives me a lot of peace of mind in that sense.
Wrapping up Summer break
Jessica and I wanted to make one more fun little trip to finish off our Summer break, so we planned a visit to Los Angeles for 2 nights. It actually almost didn’t happen, so let me expand on that part first. The plan was to leave at 6:00 am on Sunday, July 31st, and drive straight to Santa Monica so we could have a day at the beach. The day before that was my birthday, and since it fell on a Saturday, we decided to have a little pool + pizza party at the house with our friends.
I haven’t had a birthday party in many years, but it made sense this year, so Tiko brought both of his daughters over, plus Devin and Bridgette came. We swam for a couple of hours, then took a break to eat pizza. After finishing our pizza, people were slowly migrating back toward the pool. Most of us were just sitting around with our legs in the water, but Enzo was getting up on the ledge above the pool, jumping in, then climbing out and repeating. This is nothing new – all 3 of the kids do this regularly, but as he was running around the back side of the pool to get back up on the ledge, he tripped on the pole holding up the basketball hoop and slammed his forehead into the concrete ledge above the pool.
I didn’t even see it happen, but I heard him scream, so I ran over to him. By the time I reached him, there was a big gash on his forehead, and his entire face was covered in blood. He was screaming, and it felt like we were living in the scene of a horror movie. I picked him up and started running back to where everyone was. I think I yelled out something about having a serious problem, and I remember all the girls (ours plus Tiko’s) were in the pool; when they saw Enzo’s bloody face, they all started screaming in terror.
Luckily all of the adults jumped into action. Bridgette immediately got a towel on Enzo’s face and started cleaning him up, while Devin and Tiko took care of the girls so they wouldn’t see anymore. Jessica ran in to get her keys, and within a minute, we were on our way to the emergency room.
I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my friends, but I can’t tell them how much I appreciate them stepping up. They stayed at home with Ava and Elise while Jessica and I went to the ER with Enzo. Unfortunately, things were pretty busy that night at the ER, which is probably common for a Saturday night. Even though I had a child with a head wound in my arms, it still took nearly 30 minutes for us to get checked him checked in. I have to give Enzo a ton of credit because he did remarkably well staying calm. I guess to a certain extent, he’s used to this, having been through multiple similar situations, but he still deserves credit. It was a nasty deep gash on his forehead, but he was such a little trooper.
After getting Enzo into a hospital bed and figuring out the plan with the doctor, I sent Jessica home. I didn’t want our friends to have to stay there all night, and a lot needed to be picked up at the house. It was a very slow process, but he ended up getting 6 stitches in his forehead. I thought our trip would have to be canceled at this point, but I asked the doctor about it and received permission to go. We just had to keep the stitches dry, so no swimming or showering for a few days. I was a little bit surprised they gave him permission to go on rollercoasters at Six Flags, but they did, so the trip was back on! This wasn’t exactly how I envisioned the night playing out, but there’s no question we will always remember my 42nd birthday.
Waiting for stitches at the ERSix stitches! He’s a tough little guy.
A quick trip to Los Angeles
We got off to an early start as planned, and even with stopping for gas and food, we still arrived at Santa Monica beach by 11:00 am. We still have our beach tent from the San Diego days, so we found a good spot to set that up and then just hung out for a few hours. Enzo could only get his feet wet, and Elise isn’t that into cold ocean water, so they mostly played on the beach, building sand castles.
Ava, on the other hand, is a California girl at heart. She loves getting out there in the water, and I love watching her. It reminds me of my childhood, out there thrashing around in the Pacific ocean waves. The water is cold, and we’re especially spoiled now that we’re used to swimming in our heated pool, but she doesn’t care. She jumps into and over those waves with so much energy; I just love it.
Ava playing at the beach in Santa MonicaElise was quite the little builder at the beachEnzo had fun in Santa MonicaJessica always loves a beach day
After a few hours down on the beach, we took the kids up to the Santa Monica pier to walk around. There were all kinds of little shops, people fishing everywhere, there were acrobats and even a magician! It was a trip walking around there, but they loved it.
Family selfie near the end of the pier
After leaving the pier, we walked along the boardwalk towards Muscle Beach and Venice Beach. A bunch of people were working on different types of tightropes and practicing balancing acts. It was fun to watch, and there was a playground for kids, so we posted up there for a bit just to take it all in. There was a fruit stand on the boardwalk, so we got a big bowl of fresh fruit and sat there eating all these delicious fruits (mango, pineapple, watermelon) while we watched all the interesting things going on around us. It was a really fun afternoon. When you combine this with their experiences in San Diego during Spring Break, I think it’s safe to say that the kids get the whole California beach thing by now. I actually made a video about our day at the beach for the Pellegrini Kids YouTube channel – you can check it out below.
From the Pellegrini Kids YouTube channel
A scenic tour of Los Angeles
We took the long way getting to our hotel, which was up in Santa Clarita near Six Flags. I wanted to show the kids a bit of Los Angeles, so we ended up cruising through the UCLA campus, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and all the way down the Sunset strip. They’re used to Vegas glitz and glamour, but Los Angeles has a different vibe to it, and they were eating it up. As a kid, I always had a strange love for Los Angeles, so it was cool taking them on this little sightseeing tour.
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Monday, we spent basically the entire day at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Enzo isn’t tall enough for some of the rollercoasters (the 54” ones), but he could do everything else, so that’s what we did. Honestly, plenty of the rollercoasters he was big enough to do were still able to scare me to death. I think we were all pretty frazzled after going on X2. Except Elise, of course, because she was the only one smart enough not to go. Poor Ava started crying when it was over. Enzo and I were looking at each other all wild-eyed, like what just happened? Here’s a POV video somebody made on it a long time ago.
This was probably the scariest rollercoaster I’ve been on
By the time we left Six Flags that evening, everyone was exhausted. It was a full 8-hour day of rides, lines, and walking. We found an awesome little SoCal Mexican restaurant for dinner, crashed hard, then made our way home in the morning. As usual, we stopped at the Lenwood exit in Barstow for gas and food. As we were exiting the parking lot to head back to the freeway, we ran into our neighbors (including Elise’s best friend), who were on their way to San Diego. Such a small world.
Back to Business
I’m so glad that the trip worked out because it ended up being a big highlight of our Summer. The kids have been getting asked a lot in school about what they did over Summer break, and the L.A. trip has been one of their top things to call out. With that behind us, we’re back to our routine but still enjoying the warm weather. After last Summer’s record-breaking heat wave, this Summer has been very mild for Las Vegas standards. It’s still very warm out, but the difference between 95 and 115 is huge.
Enzo got his stitches out a few days after the trip, and he was immediately allowed to get back in the water, so we’ve been swimming a lot. I’m trying to stress to him the importance of not running too much and paying attention to where he’s going. He’s not a clumsy kid, he just gets ahead of himself because he’s running or wants to be in the lead. I’m hoping we don’t have any more injuries soon because each of the kids will soon start their new activities. Ava is going to check out volleyball, Elise is joining a girls running group at school, and Enzo is getting into more advanced swimming lessons.
The downtime for Summer was great, but I’m excited for everyone to start getting busy again. Fall, which is my favorite season, is just around the corner. I’m ready for some football and some beautiful Las Vegas Fall weather. See you in September!
