Exhibit A. Porter snatched an entire piece of pizza and is running with it.
Callum Bear was a true Bear for Halloween. I like this picture because Porter and Eli have mouths full of food.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween 2011
Through my friend Shannon, we were invited to a Halloween party this year. Porter and Eli wore their German lederhosen tees and enjoyed grabbing all the food and candy off the tables.
Exhibit A. Porter snatched an entire piece of pizza and is running with it.
Callum Bear was a true Bear for Halloween. I like this picture because Porter and Eli have mouths full of food.
Exhibit A. Porter snatched an entire piece of pizza and is running with it.Callum Bear was a true Bear for Halloween. I like this picture because Porter and Eli have mouths full of food.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Fall Fest
This year the base decided to have a Fall Fest. There was a costume parade, a hay bale maze, a pumpkin patch, pumpkin and face painting, a bouncy house, and loads of candy. Most of the squadrons had booths with activities for the kids and no matter what there was candy involved. We showed up for the end of the costume parade but there was a short line for our photo.
Porter and Eli were German men, although their hats only made the photo shoot for a second.
We saw the Robinson family: Ella was a cheerleader, Andrew a giraffe, and Henry was a parrot. This was Eli's first official "Trick or Treat". They both love to put things in and out of buckets. This was way fun for them that other people were participating in their favorite game!
After some dinner with the Smiths and Tyler treating us to some deep fried oreos--state fair style--we made our way to the pumpkin patch. Porter and Eli liked toddling around and finding the pumpkins with long enough stems to pick up. They played with Callum while Laura (an Amish woman), Tyler (a German man), Evan, and I followed them around for photos.
Porter and Eli were German men, although their hats only made the photo shoot for a second.
We saw the Robinson family: Ella was a cheerleader, Andrew a giraffe, and Henry was a parrot. This was Eli's first official "Trick or Treat". They both love to put things in and out of buckets. This was way fun for them that other people were participating in their favorite game!
After some dinner with the Smiths and Tyler treating us to some deep fried oreos--state fair style--we made our way to the pumpkin patch. Porter and Eli liked toddling around and finding the pumpkins with long enough stems to pick up. They played with Callum while Laura (an Amish woman), Tyler (a German man), Evan, and I followed them around for photos.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Festa de la Zucca
It is zucca time in Italy. Time for all things pumpkin. On a drive we saw a local festival in a nearby town so we took a few pictures of their zucca festival and market.
What a bittersweet day! We have been to the pumpkin festival in Venzone all 3 years we have lived here but this was the best year. We went early to avoid the crowds--we weren't the only ones. We ran into quite a few friends circling the small town. The square slowly filled up with people each time we made a loop around the few blocks in the walled village.
Porter and Eli did great in the stroller. They stretched their legs a few times and we were able to get a few family photos. It was cold this year, just like the years before. As beautiful as the weather is, as soon as the sun starts to go down it gets chillier and chillier.
We ate as much pumpkin food as we could get our hands on, bought the boys a sword and shield to remember this medieval festival, enjoyed the lazy afternoon, and saw the same booths/activities that are there each year. It was a such a great day!
What a bittersweet day! We have been to the pumpkin festival in Venzone all 3 years we have lived here but this was the best year. We went early to avoid the crowds--we weren't the only ones. We ran into quite a few friends circling the small town. The square slowly filled up with people each time we made a loop around the few blocks in the walled village. Porter and Eli did great in the stroller. They stretched their legs a few times and we were able to get a few family photos. It was cold this year, just like the years before. As beautiful as the weather is, as soon as the sun starts to go down it gets chillier and chillier.
We ate as much pumpkin food as we could get our hands on, bought the boys a sword and shield to remember this medieval festival, enjoyed the lazy afternoon, and saw the same booths/activities that are there each year. It was a such a great day!
Monday, October 17, 2011
What I Never Imagined.
Today was a normal day. Just a normal Monday. No big deal, but I want to write it out so I don't forget today and how normal it was. We woke up and Evan left for work. Then I got the boys up a few minutes after 7 a.m. and after changing diapers Eli walked into our bedroom and asked, "Dada?". We ate breakfast together, listened to some music, chatted about our day, and waved to the neighbor on her balcony doing laundry. Normal.
After playtime and getting dressed, we drove to base to trek around the flightline in our new stroller. We ate a picnic at the playground and then played, played, played. Normal.
Drove home while singing and chatting loudly to keep 2 tired little boys awake. Up the stairs--one by one, one by one, back-tracking, laughing, hiding. Naptime. Normal.
Eli's runny nose after naptime was full force. He had no interest in eating his banana or drinking his milk for snack. Porter was fine with this because he will always eat the extra banana. Eli spent the next hour in my lap, barely moving, not caring if Porter touched his favorite books. Not normal.
Porter played and banged blocks. Porter busted his lip. This is the third time in 1 month he has done this. He walked with a toy and fell (1st time), fell out of the Pampers box (2nd time 2 days ago), and walked while chewing a book (today). Blood was on his clothes, my clothes, and his poor little upper lip is all cut up inside. Normal, at least lately.
Played together while I got dinner ready. Porter had a moment of "you've been spending too much time holding Eli" so I held him and we did dishes together. Eli played by himself. Not normal.
Dinner was spaghetti meat, veggies (for Eli), and applesauce. Normal.
After-dinner playtime is cut short after I realize these two little boys were not gonna make it to 7 p.m. Eli had no interest in taking a bath. Not normal.
Pajamas and bedtime routine. Normal.
As I took their bath towels back to their hooks, I saw myself in our bathroom mirror. It's cold weather so I switch between fleeces for my daily wardrobe. Today's fleece was black and I saw little shimmers as I walked. Upon closer inspection I realized my shoulders are smeared with Eli's runny nose and traces of Porter's bloody lip. It took me back to last winter when my fleecey shoulders were smeared with spit-up and milk from a long day of nursing and burping. And I thought, how could this possibly have gone by so quickly. There is not a lot that was easy in the beginning but each day the hard stuff became Normal. And today, 16 months later, I feel like it was yesterday. I used to change the daily fleece when the shoulders became too much to bear--too much spit-up, the smell got to me, it had been 3 days. Today I looked at my fleece as a sign that it was a good day. Eli took comfort in my shoulders and rested in my lap. Porter needed a hug after re-injuring his lip. Those smudges were my own personal signs of love.
After playtime and getting dressed, we drove to base to trek around the flightline in our new stroller. We ate a picnic at the playground and then played, played, played. Normal.
Drove home while singing and chatting loudly to keep 2 tired little boys awake. Up the stairs--one by one, one by one, back-tracking, laughing, hiding. Naptime. Normal.
Eli's runny nose after naptime was full force. He had no interest in eating his banana or drinking his milk for snack. Porter was fine with this because he will always eat the extra banana. Eli spent the next hour in my lap, barely moving, not caring if Porter touched his favorite books. Not normal.
Porter played and banged blocks. Porter busted his lip. This is the third time in 1 month he has done this. He walked with a toy and fell (1st time), fell out of the Pampers box (2nd time 2 days ago), and walked while chewing a book (today). Blood was on his clothes, my clothes, and his poor little upper lip is all cut up inside. Normal, at least lately.
Played together while I got dinner ready. Porter had a moment of "you've been spending too much time holding Eli" so I held him and we did dishes together. Eli played by himself. Not normal.
Dinner was spaghetti meat, veggies (for Eli), and applesauce. Normal.
After-dinner playtime is cut short after I realize these two little boys were not gonna make it to 7 p.m. Eli had no interest in taking a bath. Not normal.
Pajamas and bedtime routine. Normal.
As I took their bath towels back to their hooks, I saw myself in our bathroom mirror. It's cold weather so I switch between fleeces for my daily wardrobe. Today's fleece was black and I saw little shimmers as I walked. Upon closer inspection I realized my shoulders are smeared with Eli's runny nose and traces of Porter's bloody lip. It took me back to last winter when my fleecey shoulders were smeared with spit-up and milk from a long day of nursing and burping. And I thought, how could this possibly have gone by so quickly. There is not a lot that was easy in the beginning but each day the hard stuff became Normal. And today, 16 months later, I feel like it was yesterday. I used to change the daily fleece when the shoulders became too much to bear--too much spit-up, the smell got to me, it had been 3 days. Today I looked at my fleece as a sign that it was a good day. Eli took comfort in my shoulders and rested in my lap. Porter needed a hug after re-injuring his lip. Those smudges were my own personal signs of love.
Friday Night Lights
October 14, 2011
Tonight was the Homecoming football game for the Aviano Saints vs. Vicenza (I think). It started out great--but in the first half we were down by 3 touchdowns, so we left at halftime. It was still a fun Friday night. It was just starting to get really cold, the hamburgers were yummy, and the boys had a fun time cheering--even if it was for the other team sometimes!
Tonight was the Homecoming football game for the Aviano Saints vs. Vicenza (I think). It started out great--but in the first half we were down by 3 touchdowns, so we left at halftime. It was still a fun Friday night. It was just starting to get really cold, the hamburgers were yummy, and the boys had a fun time cheering--even if it was for the other team sometimes!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Pordenone Apple Fest
Or what was left of it.
We finished off Sunday afternoon with a trip to the Pordenone Apple festival. Well, we must have been late because it was the end of riposo, nothing was open, and there were no booths set up with all things apple. We did see the remnants of a marathon and the postings from the times, but no apples. We settled for feeding the boys their snack, apples oddly enough and eating some excellent gelato. Then we let the boys toddle all over the empty squares.
We finished off Sunday afternoon with a trip to the Pordenone Apple festival. Well, we must have been late because it was the end of riposo, nothing was open, and there were no booths set up with all things apple. We did see the remnants of a marathon and the postings from the times, but no apples. We settled for feeding the boys their snack, apples oddly enough and eating some excellent gelato. Then we let the boys toddle all over the empty squares.
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