From Barrow to Vegas and back

Hello friends!

I guess I should start by saying - Happy New Year!  Happy Valentine's Day!  I didn't realize how long it has been since I wrote on the blog.

To catch you all up on the last 2 months of the Valerio lives, I'll start with our trip to visit mom in Las Vegas.  My sis and her hubs flew down and we all met up with my cousin Cheri and her family down from Idaho, as well as my cousin and Aunt who live down the street from my mom in Henderson.  What a difference a few thousand miles south makes!  We went from 2-3 hours of twilight to 11 hours of 80 degree sunshiny bliss!  Hello long walks outside without a 50 lb coat!

Amaury touching grass for the first time in 5 months!

He also got lots of kisses from his Auntie Kath

He loved hanging with his cousins!

He was curious about his "sister" kitties.  

And of course - he loves his Grandma Ree!

 Jose and I got to enjoy ourselves too.  Thanks to Grandma Ree's babysitting, we had plenty of nights out.  Our first date was paint night.  You show up, order some beers and mahi mahi tacos, and the artist leads you through how to paint a masterpiece.

Don't be jealous of my work as an 'artist.'

No proper trip to Vegas would be complete without a walk down Freemont Street and the Strip.  Fun!!

Amaury and I stayed an extra week to enjoy more time with mom (and the sunshine!)  We came back to Barrow to the sunrise the next day.  The sun was up for about 20 minutes the first day, and now (almost 1 month later) we have about 7 hours or more of sunshine!  It's amazing how the sun lifts your spirits and brings a renewed sense of energy.