Who needs toys anyway

16 Months Old

This was a lovely sunny day here in Italy. All the kids were out playing and Oliver was getting in on the fun. That's the one nice thing about living in row housing, all the ready made friends. I have so many people to watch Oliver if need be.
Happy April Fools and Happy Anniversary to Jerilou and Chris who we will be seeing in less than 24 hours! Better get back to cleaning!

15 Months Old

Here are some random picture of Oliver. He's still getting bigger by the day. He loves playing soccer with Daddy, and he REALLY loves balloons.





Oliver fell asleep on the floor in his room,





















Here's the view of the mountains from our house.

Ski Trip to Panarotta

Kirby and I got to go on an overnight ski trip recently while my mom stayed with Oliver. We had a blast. There were only four other people on the trip including the trip manager so that was nice. We drove up early in the morning and got right down to skiing. It wasn't as nice of a place as the time we went before, but MUCH more beginner friendly. There was a nice little bunny trail that I was able to go on and actually get a handle on myself. I did that slope over and over and over the first day. That night we stayed at this little hotel and had a great meal and lots of drinks around the fireplace. The next day we hit the slopes and I have to say by the afternoon I was able to go on most of the runs. Granted I was still making huge zig zags and taking my time, but it was pretty fun to not feel like you are going to go out of control. One of the coolest things that happened was as we were riding up the lift I looked down on my jacket and saw these actual snowflakes. It was amazing. I haven't seen much snow in my life and I don't think I've ever seen one snowflake looking all snowflaky. They were pretty big too about a millimeter across. We are already planning our next trip!

Around Vicenza

My Mother came to visit us last month and while she was here we did a lot of exploring and she took A LOT of pictures. Here we are in downtown Vicenza. It was one of the only nice days while she was here. Oliver had a blast with the pigeons.




Piazza dei Signori, the site of the old Roman forum, with two columns dating from the Venetian period and the slender Torre di Piazza, 82m/271ft, built in 1174 for defensive purposes. (wikipedia)







Every thursday they have an open air market where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, clothes, kitchen things, and more








The Teatro Olimpico ("Olympic Theatre") is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy, designed by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio as his last work. It is widely considered the first example of covered theatre of the Modern age.

The theatre was commissioned in 1585 by the Accademia Olimpica ("Olympic Academy") of Vicenza for the eastern part of the city. Construction began that year, and the building was inaugurated on March 3, 1585, after the completion of the famous scenes by Vincenzo Scamozzi. These are the sole Renaissance structures of that kind to have survived until contemporary times, and the Teatro Olimpico is the oldest surviving Renaissance theater. (wikipedia)

14 Months Old

Here's the boy at fourteen months. He's a full blown walker now, and getting faster by the day. He is also becoming very helpful around the house. Throwing things away that he deems "trash" even if Mommy doesn't agree, helping to unload the dryer, and with the folding and then unfolding of the clothes. He loves going outside and seeing dogs and cats. He still loves Wheel of Fortune, squealing and clapping when it comes on. He'll eat just about anything I put in front of him, and his favorite activity is climbing the stairs. He sleeps 12 hours at night and takes about a two hour nap during the day. He says dada and doggy/Dozy, he says mama when he whines. He mimics everything we do and he is very good at showing you where his belly is, if you ask. He gives high fives and hugs and is a very good boy.

Ljubljana

At the beginning of December my friend Kerry and I went on a trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia (say: Loo-bee-yana) It was fantastic. Slovenia, formerly part of Yugoslavia has been a country since 1991. They have always spoken Slovenian and been Slovenian but have great pride that they are now technically Slovenia. It borders Italy and was about a 4 hour bus ride to the capital city of Ljubljana. They are very friendly and everyone speaks English as well as Italian and German. We had a great time. It was cold and rainy but that didn't stop us from having a really unique European experience off the beaten track of London, Paris, Rome etc.

A Franciscan Cathedral


A Famous Slovenian Poet








The girl in the white coat was our tour guide. She gave us a lot of info that you would never get by just wandering around by yourself.

The Dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana. Here is one of the four dragons on the Dragon's Bridge, or Mother-in-Law Bridge as it is also known.



My friend Kerry that I went with and the cool necklace that I bought there