Fairyland

Fairyland was sooo fun. Sophia could run amok with her short attention span and it was perfectly ok. I didnt have to yell dont touch this, dont climb on that, because every thing there is touchable and doable... ahh it was soooo nice.
Look at the Old Lady and the Shoe !








The first little piggy built his house out of straw.

The third built his house out of brick.

Oh look the wolf!!!


























We even made a star mobile with glitter!

The only thing sucky about the day was the more than 1 hour wait at the snack back. We went for a late lunch, so I thought that we were clear of the crowd, but I guess not. So if you go BYOB!

Going back to Cali, to Cali

Well it was Sophia's 3rd flight over seas! Going back to Cali. The air fare was cheap (usairways). but the flight totally sucked. I hate all these unclear rules and regulations that change from flight to flight. We got to the airport in plenty of time and it was all quite easy (except finding parking and the check-in desk). And then it was a sad goodbye to Max. Sophia kept calling him when we were standing in the security line. The only problem was they didnt have Sophia and I sitting together on the flight from Philly to SF, but off we went anyways. At first it was all easy, and then when Soph realized that she couldnt sit on my lap and had to have the seatbelt fastened it all went to hell in a handbasket. She cried and cried and I did everything to calm her. Luckily we bought that new magnetic drawing pad with the transparent tracings of fish, that distracted her for a while. The flight seemed endless, Sophia fell asleep after a while. Unfortunately I couldnt. I was exhausted by the time we got to Philly and of course we had to do the whole transfer the luggage 50 feet (i had to pay 5 dollars to rent one of those stupid carts because we had 2 big luggages and plus the stroller (that sophia was sitting in because there is no where to put her on the cart) plus our carry ons - the stupid security officer offered me 'help' by suggesting that i take the already cranky sophia out of the stroller and put everything on the cart including her (where on top of the luggage??). I wanted to take the stroller and whap him over the head, but since security is so dang tight and i didnt wanna be stuck in Philly, i restrained myself! And we had like a 6 hour layover. I was totally exhausted by this point. I ran around after Sophia who was in her overtired/extra energy state. I actually had to hand the poor girl off to strangers while standing in line for the bathroom because I could feel my blood pressure dropping and thought I was going to pass out. I rinsed my face off with cold water and that helped. I was cold sweating and hating it. Sophia at this point was hysterical and crying. Got out of the long hot bathroom line and stood in line at the family bathroom a few feet away. We waited. And we waited. And we waited some more. Finally a US Airways employee exits (in uniform and by herself-no sign of family or handicap) in a cloud of cigarette smoke. Eventually we got to the gate and I had to stand in line to book us seats together. And of course the flight was delayed. And of course because its f'ing US Airways, they changed the gate, so we all had to move and of course I lost my place in line (I was next). Then we waited some more. I stood in line again. And no one came to the desk to help. Then some one eventually came to the desk, and announced that we were moving back to the first gate. And Sophia was going nuts and I was in tears and there wasnt even a place to sit. It was horrible. Eventually we got on the plane, only to sit on the tarmac for another hour and a half or so. I don't even know how late the plane ended up being we had waited for soooo long. Sophia was now mega grumpy, hadn't really eaten anything (though I had offered during the course of the 6 hours, she didnt want anything) and she ended up passing out fairly quickly on the plane. But of course I had to keep her in a sitting up position until after take off. The plane was freezing and there were no blankets or pillows in our seats so I had to ask for some, but the only ones they had were used, but I had to take them anyways. Did I mention that they don't serve food on the domestic half of the flight. During the 6 hours in Philly I never had a chance to go and get food because Sophia was so cranky and the lines were so long because everyone was delayed, I didnt get a chance or find the opportunity. By the time the flight attendants got to our row, there was only nasty chips and salsa (you know like uncle bens brand - i thought they made instant white rice, not mexican snack foods) and some stale nestles crunch bits in a handy $8 snack box. I ate them anyways, my blood sugar was low and i didnt want to kill anyone. Anyways moral of the story is US Airways SUCKS!

Sophia is back

Sophia is back from the sea with her grandparents. Have been washing sheets from the houseguests and clothes from our trip and soph's trip to tuscany and praying everything will dry in time. leaving day after tomorrow for Cali.

See you when summers over

Went to say bye to Martina today.

Ciao Uncle Wii

Uncle Willie Left today...how sad and quiet the house is now!

The rant...

Okay, so Friday when we arrived in Tuscany everyone pressured me to let Sophia go a few days early, which I later regretted. I think she would have had a great time running around Piazza del Campo and then dancing at the wedding...Everyone said the wedding would be long and not a place for kids, but it wasnt true - the wedding was short and sweet and the dinner was intimate and fun. She would have been tired, but would have had a blast. But I caved because everyone made me feel like I was being selfish and I just wanted to show her off to my friends. Of course I wanted everyone to see her, my friends haven't seen her for such a long time - but that wasn't really why I wanted Sophia to come. And then to add salt to my wounds we made a big mistake....we went to go and see her and the Nonni (grandparents) at the beach. What a nightmare that was! Sophia's grandparents are like Las Vegas - What happens with the Nonni stays with the Nonni, and I don't want to know otherwise!!! Why the hell did we think it was a good idea to go there? we could have gone to another beach....far far far away (i think another galaxy would have been enough distance). Unfortunately we had to witness what really happens when she is with them! I was really good, I didn't say anything when Nonna said that she put sunscreen on Sophia everyday (and I knew it wasnt true, because Sophia was starting to burn a little and I could feel she wasnt greasy and didnt have the occasional white streaks that the sunscreen leaves behind). I didnt say anything when I saw that just after 3 days Sophia had already noticeably put on a few pounds (I dont think she needs to be skinny but I dont want her to be exaggeratedly overfed either). Nor did I mention the fact that her teeth were all covered in plaque and had food particles in them. I did ask about them brushing her teeth and we were told a long story about how she cried and hemmed and hawed every time they tried - and then I noticed that the toothbrush was still in the package. Did I make a fuss about the fact that she never had a hat on when she went in the hot hot sun? Did I even grimace when they actually told me that she wasnt eating any veggies, gave her food off of their plates when she had the same things on her own or mention the fact that deep fried onions and potatoes doesnt count as a serving of fruits and veggies? But I did draw the line at being constantly told that Sophia never cries when she is with them (and to be made out like Max and I are bad parents- not because they never say no). I'm tired of the Nonna saying to Sophia that we are mean and bad people because we let her cry and don't give into everything she wants. I'm fed up with cuddling Sophia for 2 seconds and having her ripped out of my arms because - well only God knows why. And I didnt even explode when we were trying to wait out a temper tantrum and the Nonna kept interrupting - we kept blowing her off - especially for the fact that she kept announcing to everyone around that it wasnt a tantrum, she was just tired (it was still an F'n tantrum - tired or not). I did finally erupt when the Nonna, tired of getting blown off, went to go buy an ice cream and hand it to the kicking and screaming Sophia - making dealing with the public tantrum even more complicated! And I blew up again when Sophia yanked the camera off the table and threw it on the ground because she couldnt have something else she wanted - and the Nonna yelled at us for scolding her! AAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGG!!!! Friggin Italian NONNI!!!! Well we learned our lesson. I mean its not like stuff like this never happens. We should have known better than to come, next time we are drop kicking Sophia to their house and they can mail her back to us.

You know it really wasnt all that bad...

We really didnt have an awful time. We had some good fun too! We showed Willie the Italy has California too. And despite it being found in an area of mild climate and not too far from the beaches and water....it has absolutely nothing to do with our California. This place has about 2 houses and a scary bar - and it is near a beach, but none are actually in the town. They are another few kilometers away. And despite all the beautiful towns and scenery in the area, this place has none of its own. Its a total hole! The best thing about it - the taking pictures next to the sign!

We did finally get to Donoratico, where my sister in law Paola's parents have a house that they lend us. The beaches are lovely - there are chairs and umbrellas as far as the eye can see. There are few 'public beaches', most are private. Every few hundred feet the umbrellas and chairs change color and there is rope in between that sections off the pieces of beach to show where one private beach ends and the next one begins. In between each rope there are changing cabins, maybe a bar, some showers, maybe a bathroom, the one that the Nonni go to even has a playground and a stage. And each family pays for how many chairs they want. If you want a


changing cabin that's extra. Why would one want a changing cabin when there is the house so near by and you dont need to drag the chairs and umbrella to the beach since you need to rent them? Well most Italians come to the beach and stay for at least a week if not a month or the whole summer. Some dont have a house quite as near, and some people dont like draggin the air mattress, the kids' shovels and pails all the way to the shore every day. We dont get the cabin, just in case you are wondering, we drag everything and but we do rent a chair or 2.

The public beaches are few and far in between and can be quite crowded and dirty, so we just pay the extra buck for the few days that we are there. So after building sand castles and bringing water back and forth for Princess Sophia its a long and tiring day and we go back to the house. Max's parents took us out to dinner at this place that looked like it was a hole in the wall, was mega cheap and had the best seafood!! We totally over ordered - I wanted the mixed seafood appetizer - and for 7 bucks I thought there was going to be 2 shrimps and some parsley, instead there was a big platter of various

different seafoods - octopus and potato salad, mixed mussels and clams, cold mixed seafood with olive oil, ecc. And I still had a whole platter of grilled fish and prawns (10 bucks) to eat after that. I was stuffed! Willie got the salmon/cream and pasta, Max a pizza margherita and Max's parents both got pizza napolis. It was all very good. And Sophia ate a little of everything (this is the airbrushed version of her story because I already ranted enough in the last blog entry!). After dinner we went back to the house and Willie caught a firefly. There were a couple buzzing around the area. And then we went to a bar about 20 feet from the house to have some drinks, cigs and destress from the days 'excitement'.
Well we also learned another valuable lesson tonight...dont give Willie alcohol if you are sharing a room with him. The house in Donoratico only has 2 bedrooms, one of the rooms has a double and a single, which is where we all slept - plus Sophia's crib was in there too. Beppe was already sawing logs loudly when we went to bed, and then he and Willie had a snoring duel...I think I was the one who lost! Max said he heard them...but I have my doubts....at a certain point Beppe, Willie, Max and Sophia were all having a concert! I didnt have any ear plugs, but I did prep my phone with head sets and was ready to listen to the MP3 audiobooks I had on there. The volume is pretty good on the phone, and I actually have to have it on the lowest level because it feels too loud otherwise. The lumberjacks in the beds next to me were so dang loud, I actually had to turn up the volume a couple of notches to hear what was being read and drown out the noise!!!!

Volterra

Went to check out Volterra today. It's another hill town - but this one has a some Etruscan ruins and a Roman theater to see. I was feeling really ill, so we didnt stay too long.









This is a view of the city looking out from over the ruins.












We went for a little walk around the outside of the wall and got to see some cool views of the town.

















This is the roman theater.


















And Willie's big fat head getting in the way of me taking pictures of the roman theater.












A view of the 'backstage area' as seen through one of the doors that lead into where the seats once stood.












The Etruscans were very clever people. Max says that they are the ones that invented the keystone for the archway. This is a view of one of the original archways of the town. When I have more time I'll have to Google to see if thats true or not!!

Lilli and Salvo's Wedding

The wedding was intimate. Which was nice!! We actually got to talk to a lot of people. Most of the people at the wedding we already which was nice and we've met Salvo's family before. Lilli's parents and cousins came to Tuscany for the wedding from Albania, so it was the first time we met them. Today its all pictures- i mean they are worth a thousand words right...

Today was Lilli and Salvo's wedding, they got married at the Community Building in Siena (you might recognize it from Piazza del Campo).

This is inside the building and the a view of the groom's side of the party (I didnt know where to sit, since we are friends with both sides)

The exchanging of the rings.

Throwing rice/petals and various other stuff at the newly wedded couple.

Francesca and Nanni (aka Pino and Nannu)

Fabbbio and Maria Luisa.

Max and I with the happy couple.

A toast to the guests.

Nanni doing the Magnum.

Dancing.

San Gimignano

Wow a picture of Max and I- we dont have too many of these!!!

Willie on the jungle gym-in san gimignano.

San Gimigno's towers.

Unco Wee (as Sophia says) in the door way of the old castle.

Unco Wee sticking his tongue in Max's ear!

Wedding is today, but first we went to take Willie around San Gimignano which is only about 10 minutes away. Its a really lovely medieval hill town known for its towers. We had a little lunch there and then hurried back. I probably should have stayed back and went to the hairdressers with the other girls, because we were soooo hurried and I had less than an hour to take a shower, do my hair, do a pedicure and manicure and then make-up...I wanted to cry because I didnt think I was going to be able to do it all in time. I did a shitty job, but it was grey and then dark later on, so hopefully nobody noticed too much!!

Yum Yum Dim Sum

Went to get my first fix of Dim Sum. My good little Asian baby - she likes plain white sticky rice more than risottos and hot tea in a small cup without sugar! In fact she is even more Asian than me, she is soooo into chicken feet! ack, even I cant handle that!

Auntie Laura's

Got up tooo early to finish packing, clean the house and leave to Poggibonsi in Tuscany. We stayed at Aunt Laura's...where I unfortunately forgot to take pictures. We arrived, Max's parents were there waiting for us, everyone pressured me into letting them take Sophia a day early to the beach and not going to the wedding with us (which i later regretted) and it was such a whirlwind and chaos I forgot to send everything with the grandparents and didnt get any pics of sophia and max's auntie laura, oh well, next time.
We did hang out a bit with max's cousin fabio and his really sweet girlfriend virginia. we went to visit San Lucchese and Cassero (a historic church and an ancient castle, recently restored, built by lorenzo de medici)

workin at the car washhh yeah

Sophia helps with the good ol' American tradition of coming home and washing Grandma's car!

OMG they missed the train!!!

Willie, Matt, Casey and Patrick went down to Naples for their last stop of the trip. Casey and Patrick have a flight out of Malpensa today at 8.30....they decided to cut it close and train it straight from Naples to Malpensa. Unfortunately they cut it too close and there were no more trains going to the airport by the time they got in (the last ones leave at 11) and they caught the last metro coming towards Cologno Monzese - or so they thought...unfortunately it was a train going to Gessate (the other part of where the trains fork) - luckily Willie thought fast, and they got off at Cascina Gobba (the stop right before the tracks fork)...unluckily it was after 1 am and there were no more taxis to be bound....luckily it was close to the house and I know the road so I went to go get them! (but first i had to take out sophias car seat - leave it in the stair well and then go and get them because with 4 other people and 4 other large backpacks and 4 other small backpacks we werent all going to fit). Called taxis for C and P for the next morning/2 hours later, since it was now 3 am-ish, called it a night and went to bed. They now owe us a big fat dinner when we get to San Diego!!!!!

Pietro's Birthday

Today was Sophia's friend Pietro's birthday party, he is turns 2 too. We went early to Fra and Paolo's house to help set up the party. Unfortunately Sophia decided not to sleep, so by the time all the kids started coming over she was tired and grumpy and tantrum-y. But she had a good time anyways and ate LOTS of focaccia!!!!! Then we went to Nanni and Francesca's house to have hamburgers and hot dogs...they live just a couple of hundred meters away, on the 7th floor. Of course the elevator was BROKEN!! but we had fun and ate lots of junk food and the boys play WII...who wants to be that Max will complain about his elbow hurting tomorrow on the drive down to Tuscany.

Making Pietro's presents

This is Sophia's first week of 'summer vacation'. We pulled her out of the preschool because friday we are leaving to a wedding in Siena, after that she will remain in Tuscany with her grans and stay at the sea. We made bday presents for her friend Pietro. Which was good because we didnt want to start the vacation time off with just Dora and the Backyardigans. Sophia was such a good girl. She drew and painted the whole time. I can see she gets her creative genes from the her mommy's side of the family. But her attention span is much better than mine!!! I had to take breaks and do other things, she just kept going and going. Eventually we made a special little present...I hope Pietro likes it. He has a lot of clothes and toys already and so I wanted to do something different. The picture came out much better in my head, but since I havent painted in such a long time I was struggling with using the paints (in fact I had started off in oils and just abandoned the project because the whole thing looked like a war with paints instead of the night sky...oh well). It was a long day because then after we went to Vulcano to shop for a dress for Lilliana's wedding (and shoes and makeup and everything else) and then we came home. Sent Sophia to bed and watched the beginning of Project Runway (3rd season) while I made some jewelery to go with the dress and a necklace and bracelet for Simona's bday. Crazy! Tomorrow will be another full day because we need to get stuff done for my permesso di soggiorno (the green card here...yes we are still working on it!!!) and last minute stuff for the wedding.

San Giacomo B-days

This weekend we went to the San Giacomo house to celebrate the 3 birthdays (Irene (Max's mom), Sophia and mine). And we were supposed to celebrate Irene's 80th birthday with her friends on Sunday with a big lunch. There was prosciutto and melon, lots of salamis, hams and cheese from Tuscany. And then Irene made polenta and cinghiale (boar). Molto buono! But....Irene didnt tell anyone it was her birthday and the party ended being for Sophia. (I was kind of mad about that because she didnt even tell us that the party was not for her...Max thinks she doesnt want people to know her age, she should just lie like we do in the Ng family).

...But we know the truth. We gave her a matching purse and shawl. Every one did a little something for the present. I crocheted, Sophia decorated the wrapping paper and card and Max wrote the card. (Sophia is wearing a hooded beach towel the her Auntie Paola and Uncle Ale gave her)




After lunch Max and I went for a walk. San Giacomo is beautiful at every season. In spring there are beautiful flowers that carpet the hills...which i always pillage and plunder from the wild and bring home to shove in tiny Ikea vase in our tiny sad apt. Here they will stay until the wilt and eventually start to rot and the smell is so awful that I will have no other choice than to finally get rid of them. Just so I can pretend to bring some of that wild beauty back into our crampy little Milanese home. But they arent wilted and smelly yet, so I am still enjoying them (well except for the pollen and petals that keep falling off).

(the pictures are quite annoying to upload and then trying to place them where you want them to go is all together another frustration....sorry)