Beach Day!

We were anxious to find a "real" beach to play on since last week's beach outing ended up being not-preschooler-friendly. When we woke up to a sunny day with no school we thought it would be just right for another try. We grabbed the picnic blanket and some sand toys and joined our friends on a jaunt to Isole Bella.

There are not many things that I can say are "relaxing" with 3 small kids in tow (especially on my own since Josh was at work), but we had a wonderful and truly relaxing time today. The kids threw rocks, searched for sea glass and tiptoed in the chilly spring waves. The moms talked, ate, and enjoyed the cheerful sounds of happy children at play. It was delightful!

Aci Castello

Took a little day trip to the town of Aci Castello last weekend. There are a string of "Aci" (pronounced Ach-ee) towns just north of Catania along the Ionian Coast and this one is known for its castello.(castle) When we set out I was envisioning a seaside picnic with the kids running around in the sand so we were surprised and bit bummed when we discovered that the "beach" was made from large volcanic rocks (oh, and it was drizzling with rain by the time we got there, too.) Anyway, we managed to sort of enjoy a picnic by the sea and since we were quite cold after eating in the rain we had a perfect excuse to stop by a little cafe for some delightful hot chocolate (NOTE: this is not just any hot chocolate - it's pretty much a cross between melted candy bars and warm pudding in your cup...YUM!!) By the time we were finished with our chocolate indulgence it had cleared up a bit and we were able to go to the castle to climb around and explore some.

Look Who's TWO!!!!

Here are a few pictures from Caleb’s little b-day party today. We had a great time having friends over for lunch and strawberry shortcake! We tried cupcakes for his actual b-day and though he loved the idea of them, he never actually ate the cupcake. Since we had our fresh berries from the market I thought strawberry shortcake was a better bet....oh yes, and of course they were followed by cannoli from the bakery down the street – even better!

P.S. We did in fact invite boys to Caleb’s party, but both families with boys were sick.

Market Day!

Fresh Strawberries in March - YES PLEASE!!!! Here are some beauties that we bought at the Scordia market today. If the kids stop scarfing them down I may just have some left for strawberry shortcake!

Stati Uniti!!

 

Aunt Emily drove all the way from Chicago to spend a few days with us - what a superstar!

 

Caleb and Grandpa Sam having fun at the Delaware Children's Museum.

 

Yay! The whole Arthur posse!

 

Boys, boys, boys...what a handful.

 

A precious visit with our Banny.

 

Hooray for cousins! I don't think Lucas ans Makari will be this serene the next time they see each other.

 

Lucas was thoroughly enjoying all the cuddles and attention from his Grammy and Granddad.

 

Cookie making with Aunt Hannah!

 

Peek-a-boo, I love you Grandma and Grandpa.

 

Josh and Caleb took a quick trip to NC to visit the Capps family. I think we'll save this pic for Caleb and Tovi's wedding slide show!

 

The Woodworth crew and some cupcake decorating fun!

 

Josh and his Delaware boys on a play date.

 

Aunt Libby and Uncle Ben in from Salt Lake City to play - hooray!!!

 

Aunties and cousins enjoying some quiet time.

 

Good morning Grammy and Granddad.

 

The cool guys - Lucas and Uncle Grant.

 

Cool guy, Take 2 - Caleb and Uncle Sam.

 

Aunt Lydia lovin' on Lucas!

 

Banny loves having the kids come for a visit.

 

Jam session!

 

Lucas and his Great Grammy.

 

Sweet memories and a wonderful last visit with our Great Grammy.

 

Our last morning in the States and we woke up to 5 inches of snow - yay!!

 

A photo op on "Woodworth Mountain"