Marina di Ragusa

We were able to get away for a little vacation a couple weeks ago.  We decided on Marina di Ragusa. We had heard great things about it and it was close, only two hours away.....so off we went.  

We had a bit of a rough start.  We got there just fine, but when we arrived, our apartment that we were rented was much smaller than we anticipated.  I, being the optimist that I am, decided there was no way it was going to work and that we should stay one night instead of the five we had planned.  But, Jason kept calm and said we just needed to wait and see.  Sullivan ended up napping and sleeping just fine.  It was a little cramped, but we still had a great time and enjoyed the trip.  

The piazza for the town was just a block away from where we were staying.  There was lots of shops and places to eat right there.  We, of course, ate a lot of gelato, arancini, and pizza.  Luckily, Jason thought to bring the kids scooters and skateboards.  Every morning we went to the piazza and the kiddos rode around.  In the evening it was much more crowded, but mid-morning was perfect.  

They would start at the top and ride down to where you can see the ocean.  

These old men thought it was pretty funny.  It was cool to see the same group of old people gathered each morning having breakfast together.  I know that this will sound like a stereotype, but so many of the Italians we meet, especially the senior citizens,  LOVE kids and are so happy to interact with them.  Benny and Sullivan get crazy amounts of attention when we're out.  We get stared at....a lot.  We're American, we're loud, and we have four kids.  We've had more than a few people approach us and hold up four fingers in amazement.  One old man even clapped for us after we affirmed that they are, indeed, all ours.  

Lucy is getting crazy-good at the ripstick.  

Happy Sullivan on a walk we went on before bed.  

On one of the evenings, this man was doing this amazing painting while a beautiful song about Christ was playing (the song was in English....I don't quite get that, but oh well).  He did it all in six minutes or less and all with his hands.  He did one color at a time.  Amazing.  

And, of course, the beach.  We a majority of our time playing in the sand and water.  Our apartment was right across the street, so we took turns taking Sullivan home for naps and meals.  

Lucy and Graham are body boarding on the left.  

The living space in the apartment was outside.  The patio had a table, chairs, and some benches to store some of our stuff.  Inside, there was a tiny kitchen, two bedroooms and a really small bathroom.  Luckily, we were blessed to have great weather, so it wasn't a problem.  Had it rained...we would have been in big trouble.  

Right after we blew up the baby's floaty, Benny put it on his had and said, "It's a fiesta!  It's a fiesta!"  Imagine him saying it in a funny Mexican accent while he dances around.  So funny!

We were surprised to find a park up the street to play at.  We really have only come across one other park since we've been here in Italy.  The one we found in Catania was crazy lame and depressing.  This one had a fun zip line that the kids liked.  

This is us with our friends and neighbors, the Cardona family.  They were staying down the coast about 30 minutes and came to spend an evening with us.  They had stayed at our apartment just a month before and were the ones that told us about it.  They showed us all the good places to eat and where to get the best stuffed crepes and arancini.  

Benny loved the coin operated rides.  He got creative after Mom said, "No more".  

This was Jason's chosen mode of transportation.  He rode the long board while pushing Sullivan in the jogging stroller.  As if we weren't drawing enough attention already.  

Great trip!

Lido Las Vegas

Our neighbors told us about this little beach only 20 minutes away from our house.  We decided to give it a try and had a great time.  Here in Italy, the beaches have these things called Lidos.  A typical lido has beach chairs and umbrellas for rent and little changing rooms and showers available, too.  They usually have a little cafe where you can get drinks and snacks.  The fee is usually 10-15 euro/day.  We try to find little beaches that are next to the lido, so we don't have to pay.  This beach was right next to Lido Las Vegas....hahaha!

We got this fitted sheet idea from Pinterest.  It didn't last long, but it was nice to have a little place to put him to put his sand exploration off for a bit.  I love Benny in the picture above.  He's got his bag of Goldfish and I'm pretty sure he was dancing when I snapped the shot.  

No California style waves here in Sicily, but the kids still have fun getting the body boarding on.  

Sully shows all the signs of being a sand-eating boy.....just like his brothers.  Gross, I know.  

Sully-Man 8 Months Old

Oh, this boy!  Such a smiley guy.  He'll actually be nine months old tomorrow, but these pics are from the day he turned eight months.  

This guy is Mr. Social.  He smiles and laughs so easily.  Everyone comments on his big smile and it seems we hear all the time, "He's such a happy baby!"  He LOVES his brothers and sister and looks for them everywhere we go.  He doesn't mind riding in the car because he gets to watch Benny and Graham close up and buckled in.

Like, Benny, he is an early, early riser.  He's up every day between 5:45-6:15, much to our dismay.  But, he goes to bed for the night around 6:30 or 7:00 and sleeps through without a problem, so we can't complain too much.  He doesn't like to nap much, but I think a lot of that is because of his social personality.  He doesn't want to miss a thing.

He's crawling like a champ and has started pulling himself up with help from the furniture.  His knees and feet are always dirty because of our awesome tile floor that he crawls around on all day (reminding me that I need to mop).

We love our little guy!  Such a charmer!

Last Days of School

Lucy Goose graduated from elementary school this year.  She's on to sixth grade and Sigonella Middle School.  Of course, there had to be a ceremony and luncheon to celebrate the occasion.  

When did she get so big?  She looks so grown up in this outfit she put together.  She has become quite the fashionista as of late and loves putting together new combos.  Many of the teachers at the school have pulled me aside to tell me how much they love her style and fashion sense.  

Graham's teacher this year was Mrs. Zak.  She's a little rough around the edges, but she is a fabulous teacher.  The first two months of school, every prayer that Graham gave included something like this, "Please bless that Ms. Zak won't yell at us anymore" or "Please bless that Ms. Zak will be nicer."  She really is a sweet lady, just a bit of a yeller.  You'd think he'd be used to it.....his mother is anything but soft-spoken.  

Lucy loved her teacher, Mrs. Perkins. I feel like Lucy is ready for middle school because of this lady. She was tough at times and asked a lot of her students, but Lucy thrived and rose to the challenge.  

Lucy signed on to participate in Battle of the Books this year.  The students read a handful of books and study them together.  Then there was a competition against the middle school kids to see who knew the most about each book.  There were trivia questions that they were asked.  It was a lot of fun to watch!  

 This is one of her multiple iTouch selfies that she took on the bus to school.  

So proud of this girl!

Splash 'n Dash

The base here in Sigonella put on a fun race for the kids last month.  It was a duathlon called The Spash 'n Dash.   

We were new to the swim scene last year, but now this is old news.  At the beginning of meets, the swimmers get marked with their events and the heats they are in.  Here's Lucy's arm before the race.  I wish I could tell you what they all mean.....I've never been one to do the marking.  

Go, Lucy!  

We even talked Graham into doing it!  

Here's Lucy before her big start.  

Jason ran with Lucy.  She was not a happy camper at the end......so tired.  

Graham did a great job!  He's a great runner!  He doesn't like it, though.  This guy choses not to compete most of the time because he doesn't like to lose.  Not sure what to do with that.....

So proud of my kiddos!

Random Acts of Rays

Lots of little things going on around here.  Summer is upon us and I'm doing my best to ensure the survival of all of my kiddos.  They need protection from me.....they are making me crazy!!!!  

Benny learned to ride his bike without training wheels!  He looks so cute on his little Spiderman bike.  It only took him about five minutes.  It helps that his little feet reach the ground when he's sitting on the seat.  

I love watching him ride around like a champ.  The first week he started, there was a lot of yelling.  Things like, "Benny!  You HAVE to stop at the stop sign and look for cars!"  We had a few close calls.  

Sully is up and crawling like a champ, too.  Loves to climb on whatever he can.  Luckily, he can't do stairs yet.  We need to put up some gates before that skill is mastered.  

These cute kids put together a little training program that they did for a few days.  They ran a half mile and then rode a mile.  Too cute.  Graham insisted he's not a runner, so he only did the bike part.  

These two superheroes are my morning wake-up call and breakfast buddies.  Every morning around 6:00 am, we hear little Sullivan calling for us.  Benny is never far behind and usually by that point, he is in bed with us.  Good thing they are cute.  

This is a common occurence here in Sicily.  Sheep.....lots of sheep.  It's interesting watching the shepherds lead them from one field to the next.  

Like I said before, summer is here in full swing.  We have quite the hood full of kids, so that makes for some full days of play.  This was a waterfight day followed by lunch on the carport.  Good times!

Lucy and I escaped for a girls night out a couple weeks ago.  We went to our favorite gelato shop and chatted for a while.  It was nice having some quiet time with just the two of us.  I need to do this more often with each of my sweeties.  

Poor Lucy had to get four teeth pulled last week in preparation for braces.  She had the brackets put on weeks ago, but not the wires yet.  Right after the teeth were out, we walked down the hall to the orthodontist and he put the wires in.  Youch!  Quite the day for sweet Lucy.  We LOVE her dentist!  Brook Jones is in our ward and he's just about the nicest guy we've ever met.  He gave us tons of gauze to help with the bleeding, but as we were leaving the base, there was a security drill going on and they wouldn't let us off.  Lucy was hurting and her entire mouth was numb.  Her saliva was mixing with the little bit of blood she had in her mouth and she was slobbering it all over the place.  It It looked much worse than it was with all the bloody spit (gross, I know) and she was miserable.  We headed back to the clinic and Dr. Jones loaded us up with more cloth.  We finally made it home and she rested for the remainder of the day.  She's still hurting, but getting much better.  

So, this laminated sheet of paper is my attempt at structure for the summer.  You would think I was pulling off their fingernails with the amount of weeping and wailing I get every morning when I remind them to start on their list.  Take a second look.....breakfast and getting dressed are on it....how hard can it possibly be?

Wish me luck!  Only 8 more weeks of summer!