Buon Compleanno Antonio!

My little brother Antonio turns 14 today! I realize that at a certain age I am going to have to stop saying "I can't believe how big he's getting" but not just yet.

He just started his freshman year of high school and liking it so far. He's going to the same high school my brother, Scott and I went to and hopefully he has as much fun as we did, if not more. I will say that he is a very good Zio because his two nieces love him a lot, especially Miss Sofia.

Have a great birthday Antonio!

big cheesy grins are the best

Happy Half Birthday Sofia

Honestly, two and a half years old already?!?! I've said it before and I'll say it again - the time is going by too quickly. Our little princess is growing up so fast right before our eyes.

Are you my Mother?

A cute little story of my older princess...

I'm cleaning up dishes from lunch one day and Sofia is still in her chair not wanting to finish her meal.

"I want to get down!" shouts Sofia.

"Please don't yell and just a few more bites and you can get down" I say.

"Why?" asks the cute two-year-old.

"Well, it's not nice to yell and eating is good for you, so you can get big and strong."

"Why?" asks my little stinker another time.

"Because I'm your mother and I said so."

"You're not my mother."

Literally my head almost rolled off my neck I turned so quickly and just looked at her in shock. Have we already begun the back and forth that I thought would at least wait a few more years? A few seconds pass and Sofia looks at me and says in her sweetest voice...

"You're my mommy."

You don't have to ask me how much I love this little girl.

chubby cheeks

Roly Poly Olivia

my little kitchen helper

You can never have enough pizza

It's pretty common for us to eat some form of pizza if not every night, then every other night while we're in Italy. And who wouldn't want to consume that much pizza when it all tastes so good!? Whether you're eating calzone, arancini or a simple tomato focaccia, it is all so delicious you're going to want to get your fill.

One night while in Abruzzo, we went to a pizzeria in the nearby town of Campli to enjoy an evening of good company and good food. Lucky for us that we've never had to bribe Sofia to eat her meal when pizza is on the menu!

Out with family for some delicious pizza


Patiently waiting for her pizza


Daddy kisses for Sofia

cutey-pie

a walk with my girls

Since the weather has been so perfect lately, we've been trying to get out every morning for a walk. Which the girls love and works for me since they both seem to then nap better in the afternoon. Olivia oohs and aahs over everything, especially her very entertaining big sister. Sofia has been collecting everything from sticks, stones and leaves and bringing them home to keep on the patio to show Anthony when he gets home from work.

Cereal, Take 1

We had Olivia's 4 month appt. last week and were given the go ahead with giving her cereal. We started Sofia around the same time, so we thought we would give it a shot to see how she took to it. Not very well. She opened her mouth for the spoon but as soon as the cereal touched her lips, she clamped down and was not happy. The plan is to try again this weekend and if not, we'll hold off for another couple weeks. I have a feeling that once she gets the hang of it, she's going to love it!

One fish, two fish...

We signed up Sofia for swimming lesson's at the local YMCA and her first class was this past Saturday. She has been a little water lover since the beginning, but this past summer we noticed she wasn't as keen to actually get IN the water and swim around. So, we thought about a class where she would see other kids and their parents swimming around and maybe that would help her get back into the groove. A parent has to be with the child in the water and we've nominated Anthony for that position.

The class was really cute with little songs and games filling the 30 minutes very quickly. Sofia clung to Anthony's neck the entire time. She put up a little fuss halfway through but she stuck it out and that's all we can ask for from a very independent 2-year-old. Hoping she gets more confident with each week!

Market day in Campli

The small town of Campli in Abruzzo has their weekly market on Sunday. We go just about every year to market there since it's not too far from Anthony's family's house. It's also much smaller than the market in Teramo - which can get overwhelming when shopping with children.

It's fun to browse the bancarelle filled with goodies of all shapes and sizes. From shoes, shirts and socks to fruits, vegetables and cheese. It doesn't take us too long to walk the entire market even when we've made a few stops for purchases. A must every trip to the Campli market is to pick up some delicious porchetta for lunch. Purchased from the same vendor each year, the porchetta is sliced perfectly for sandwiches and it never lasts long in the house.

It's all about the accessories

I just recently started working back up at the restaurant and really do enjoy the few hours I get out of the house to myself. Granted, it's getting out of the house to "work" but it's not really work if you enjoy it so much, right? Walking out of the house the other night on my way to work, I allowed Anthony to take a picture. Since I didn't want to be in the picture by myself, I grabbed the nearest accessory...a sweet little 4 month old! Olivia is becoming quite used to the click of the camera so she was more than happy to oblige.

Tummy time with Sofia and Olivia

Fun in Maryland

We were in Maryland this past weekend for a quick visit with the family since a friend of the family was in town. The time went too fast, as usual, but the girls did get A LOT of attention and I am sure loved each second of it.

Even though the one is 28 and the other almost 14, I can't get over how big my "little" brothers are getting. First off, they're both taller than me. Secondly, Antonio just began HIGH SCHOOL! When did that happen? Scott is getting married this coming spring and I am just so happy for him and Chaela. So crazy at how much is going on with them right now and how fast the time is going!

Flying with Zio Antonio, not quite sure if she liked it or not


Sofia watched Nonno Nicky mow the grass from the safety of the front door



Not happy about the sound the weed-wacker made


Safe from the lawn mower with Nonna Lisa


Being silly with Zio Antonio


Getting some snuggly time with Nonno Nicky


Just hanging around with Zio Scott and Zia Chaela


Half asleep and "waving" bye to the camera

4 months old today!

Our little Olivia is 4 months old today! We've been taking the same picture every month with a big duck in the nursery but I decided to hold off on showing the slideshow of them just yet. There's only 4 to go through anyway. Instead I wanted to show this cute little picture on my baby on her belly! I think she's starting to get tired of the camera...already!!!

We go this Thursday for her next well-baby visit and so we'll see how she's grown in the last month. This past weekend she had a handful of legitimate rolls from belly to back which was very adorable. She's not a big fan of being on her belly for too long so I think she's mastering the roll to get away from tummy time. One smart cookie!

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze

up on the roof

One of my favorite places at our house in Italy is up on the roof. Whether it's to go up there to hang the clothes on the line with my mom, take a book to read or just sit in the silence, it's perfect to me. At night it's the best spot to watch the fireworks during Festa della Madonna or even just to take in the millions of stars you can see overhead.

It seems as if Sofia thinks it's pretty cool as well. After getting a shower one afternoon, we headed up to take in the sun and warm breeze on the roof. She giggled with the wind and pointed out all the cool things she saw on the neighbors' roofs. Looks like our little girl is going to appreciate this part of the house just as much as her mommy does too.

Cugini

More cousins! The girls had a great time with their cousins Claudia and Davide who are so good with them - patient, attentive AND they color too! Hopefully next year we can spend more time with them because I know both girls would love every second spent with their family.


Olivia meets cugina Claudia for the first time


Davide lets Sofia "comb" his hair


Claudia is a favorite already!

like she's heard the funniest thing ever

Trip to the zoo

This past weekend we had pretty incredible weather and we took advantage of it by heading out to the zoo one morning. It was Sofia's second visit to America's First Zoo and Olivia's first time there. And being the good 3.5 month old, she slept just about the entire time! Cousin Simon joined us as well for his first visit and he had a great time people and animal watching. I think he's looking forward to the time he can visit and run around with his big cousin Sofia!

One of our first stops - the giant tortoises!


Uncle Dan and Simon


Big kisses for Sofia!


Checking out the cheetah


The girls and I



Now, we are going to have to make a point to remember to take this same picture once a year with Anthony and Sofia! We will start the same tradition with Olivia as soon as she stays awake the entire trip to the zoo!!!

Oct. 2008 visit to the zoo

Sept. 2009 visit to the zoo