Is it September already?!?

Pietro talks to his parents every weekend. They wanted to see some pics on the blog....due to laziness, I haven't been posting anything! So....what have we been doing?

Playing with Legos!

Both Pietro and I are fond of Legos too.



We have been playing with cars....ramps, crashes, accidents....all of those things have been happening around here.

One morning, we decided to wash our dirty cars.


Amedeo is an expert at wheel inspection and cleaning.


Pietro fixed the dishwasher. Isn't he domestic? I shall keep him.



And, we have had many many storytimes.


Last month, we put Amedeo on a queen mattress on the floor, since I was worried that he'd fall out of the crib. There have been some problems getting him to settle down for the night, but over all, I think it's working out fine.

We're potty trained during the day...I feel comfortable taking him out without a diaper. He seems to know when he needs to go. I have been bribing him with M&Ms for poop in the potty.

Not much else to report around here....we're gearing up for fall. I am looking forward to doing some hikes when the weather is cooler.

Checking In

On our vacation, we took a billion photographs, so I have taken only 2 or 3 in the last month. I thought I'd just give a little update to assure folks that we are still around. I have been trying to get to the pool as often as possible. Amedeo has discovered the fabulousness of an inflatable ring. I have discovered that it is very pleasant to sit at the baby pool and people watch.

We have been playing in the back yard and we're still working on the gigantic pile of mulch that still sits in our driveway. I'd say that we can finish that project up this coming weekend.

Amedeo has started to take some interest in his tricycle. I am excited about this because it is another fun thing to do that burns up energy.

We're all looking forward to the 4th festivities this weekend. I am not sure if I'll take Amedeo to the fireworks. He doesn't like loud noises and tends to turn into a demon-child after 9pm. Hmmm...I guess that made my decision for me!

What are YOU doing to celebrate Independence Day????

Last visit

This is *sniff* the last post from our trip to Switzerland. We packed a lot into our days...some of the things that we did during the last few days, we didn't take pictures. We took Nonno out to get him a digital camera. Both Pietro and Zio Enrico wanted to go to their cabin in the mountains. You can only reach the cabin on foot. Since it was the end of our visit, we had packing and errand running and such to do, so Enrico went alone while we finished up our odds and ends. Here is Enrico after he went up to the cabin and back down. He doesn't look too tired.
I think I would have been a wreck!

Next to Zio 'Rico is their cousin, Palma.



Here is another of Nonna's sisters, Zia Regina with me and Amedeo.


Look at that cute little garden! Look at that spectacular view! Amedeo was in heaven since Palma kept a big box of cars from her son. He did not want to leave.



On our trip home, we took a propeller airplane from Lugano to Zurich. Pietro took some pictures from the window.


Amedeo angelically fell asleep on the first plane. He did sleep for 3 hours on the next plane, but then, there are 6 more hours to fill. What to you do with a child on an airplane for 6 hours?
It'll be a while before I'm willing to get on another airplane again.


I want to stop and thank Pietro's parents for all of their kind hospitality. We had a wonderful time and wish that we could come every year!

ZIO 'RICO!!!

Pietro's brother, Enrico, came for a visit while we were there! He lives in a monastery called Hauterive. It is close to Bern, which is in Northern Switzerland. Amedeo calls him Zio 'Rico, but he is also known as Frere Jean Paul. We were so happy to see him, it has been 3.5 years since our last visit. Usually, we go up to the Abbey to visit him, but with our energetic 2 year old, it was best to wait until he is older. Meals at the monastery are taken in silence. I don't need to say any more...just imagine all the rules, and all the subsequent breaking of every single rule.

Zio Enrico only is allowed 4 days of vacation to visit his family a year, so we were super excited that we could plan to be in Locarno at the same time.

Amedeo loved Zio 'Rico...Nonno went to the bottom of the pile after he met Enrico.



Enrico turned out to be a natural at reading bedtime stories. Amedeo was just delighted.



One morning we went to a playground....all of us had a good time.


We stopped again to visit Zia Armida...Amedeo is smitten with her also...she delighted in feeding him all kinds of yummy things.



See that sneaky look? Well, I told Amedeo that he needed to stop eating snacks since he wouldn't eat lunch. There was still a cookie on the table. He told me, "Mama, bug!!! On the ceiling! Go get!!!" So, I got up and took a look at the bug. When I turned around, everyone was giggling. He took the opportunity to snatch the cookie and shove it in his mouth while I was busy with the bug. I can see what the future holds...I need to get smarter.



Zio Enrico gave Amedeo a few lessons on his recorder. Maybe next year they can do a duet.


Next...more ZIO 'RICO!

Muesum of Transportation in Lucerne

We decided to take a 2 hour drive up to Lucerne to visit the Museum of Transportation. I am used to the awesomeness of the museums in DC and Baltimore, so I can be hard to impress. I was really blown away by this one! They had a huge exhibition and everything was in fabulous condition. We started off with the trains. These were all beautifully restored.



Our half pint next to a teeny tiny choo choo.



Here is one of the buildings that is part of the exhibit. I loved all the signs. If I came upon some of those on the road, I really wouldn't know what to do! They speak German in Lucerne, so that's why there are so many signs in German. My personal favorite is 'Ausfahrt,' which means 'Exit.'



Here is a neat way to display their collection of automobiles. These are a bunch of giant, steel shelves. Not impressive, huh?


Well, then this giant yellow robot thing goes and gets the cars and brings them down for you to see. It was fascinating to watch!



Pietro got to have a car crash. It is 13 km/hour. He said that it definitely gives you a jolt and gets your adrenaline pumping. Amedeo and I declined to have that experience.



They had an outdoor exhibit with construction vehicles that the kids could climb. They had smaller ones that they could sit on and drive.


Many of the exhibits were interactive. This is one of the first airplanes ever built. You steer from a sled while you watch the flight on the computer screen. I found this to be really interesting and fun. The National Air and Space Museum is okay, but gets boring after the 10th airplane. This museum really drew you in and let you experience things.



The outdoor exhibit had 200 scooters that you could ride. I tried to convince Amedeo that he should try, but he was reluctant.


Up next, ZIO ENRICO! (Guess who was a big hit?!?!?)

Visiting Zio Marco and Zia Agnese

One afternoon, we decided to visit Zio Marco and Zia Agnese. Amedeo is contentedly eating a cookie in this picture...you will see that is a theme when we go to visit relatives.

Amedeo is blissful since he is the focus of our conversation.



Marco and Agnese have 4 grandchildren, so they are well prepared for their visits...here, Amedeo is testing out a push-trike.


Who wouldn't want to come and visit them, when you can see this lovely vista from their living room?!?!?

As a side note, I feel like we are back to normal regarding jet lag. However, I am completely lacking in focus. I am not sewing or knitting or anything. I seem to have lost my forward momentum. Mostly, I find myself doing laundry, or staring at the endless internet. Mostly, I need to find an engrossing project. That will come.

We are still working on finding contractors for our window, roof and siding replacement. I rejoined Angie's List. We went on a drive this morning to check out houses with similar plans, just to see how they went about changing siding and windows. I took pictures out the window so we could compare and contrast. Our house has vertical wood siding, and now most houses have horizontal vinyl siding. Everyone seems to like a bland mushroom color for the siding. Come on, people! Soooooooo boring!!!! How about fuchsia, bright blue or yellow?

Sometimes....

...You just have to take Nonno to the playground. He was very good...no tantrums, no cane throwing, and he kept his teeth in his mouth.



We brought Amedeo also...just so Nonno would have a playmate.



Pietro had a good time testing the black and white feature of the camera.

I like this pic!



And, we rounded out the morning by attacking the birds in the park. He would start out by nicely throwing bread to them. Then he wanted to catch them. Fortunately, the birds were smarter and faster.