The Big 3-0

   My weekend started off perfect on Friday evening, with a drive through Motta Anastatia. The scenery was like it was taken right out of a book or movie. We drove through the steep and winding roads. Little, old, Sicilian men were sitting on chairs in front of bakeries and markets. It was like we were driving through a movie set. As we arrived to the steepest part of town, we witnessed a double rainbow! Breathtaking! Our destination was a castle. The kiddos were asking if princesses, princes, and dragons lived in the castle. We couldn't tell if they were relieved that there were none, or if they were saddened by the news, that no, there weren't. (we did remind them however that we could pretend, they weren't going for that either!)

Double Rainbow in Motta Anastatia

the front of the castle: notice the narrow road

A window of an adjacent buiding

Steps leading down from the castle into another part of town

The castle was beautiful, and we had the most beautiful view of Mt. Etna. I never thought that my family and I would reside on an island with a volcano, absolutely mind boggling. We hung around the castle a bit and decided to go home for some spaghetti.
   The dinner we were so hungry for, ended up being not so great! How is it that when you are in an Italian country, you have end up with a lesser quality of ingredients?  Let me answer that. You shop at the Commissary because it is convienent, and you have had no time to hunt down any quality ingredients. Someday soon though, I promise!  The hubby and I played with the kids for awhile before bed, and then the marathon of which child could stay up the longest began....with "Punk-a-butt" in the lead!!!!!

My birthday gift from the Hubby & kids

  Saturday: My 30th birthday/6th wedding anniversary!!  We awoke the next morning with an agenda. The owner of the hotel we are staying in, wanted to show us a house near the Mediterranean Sea. It was a beautiful home, with 2 stories, 4 bedrooms, but with a far drive to work for the Hubby everyday.  We'll keep it on our list, but plan to see many other homes. When we arrived back to the hotel, the kids gave me my birthday gift...pearl earrings and a pearl necklace! Awesome and beautiful. My hubby hasn't bought me jewelery in about 9 years. I believe he expected me to cry, I didn't....but I was so excited to put them on. I was distracted!  We relaxed the rest of the afternoon before grocery shopping at the Commissary. I was able to get everything on my list, so we headed back home to order pizza for dinner, our first Sicilian pizza!

4 Formaggio (four cheese) and delectable!!!

 The girl at the front desk ordered our pizza for us, it took about an hour to get here, but we suspected that would happen. The pizza was delicious. It met all of our expectations. The Hubby and I had a salad with balsamic dressing and the kiddos had a fruit salad to go along with the pizza. After dinner, the last thing on my list for our anniverary...was to find us a good Italian dessert. We found a bakery with the help of the desk, and we found a cannoli, cookies for the kids and a dessert for the Hubby. The bakery even wraps your purchases!!!  Too pretty to eat!!!  Everything was delicious! Now my day was complete!
   I can't believe that I am 30 years old and spending my 6th wedding anniversary with my hubby, who is my best friend, in Sicily! I would do it all over again, he's such a wonderful, kind, and loving man! We are truly blessed!

Our packaged Italian desserts, fresh from the bakery!

                                                             Our delectable dessert!

Ciao Motto Anastasia

   This is our 2nd full day in Motto Anastasia.  The kids were fabulous the whole trip to Sicily. The plane rides well too! On the plane from Philly to Roma we were the only family with small children, and that is out of about 300 people! There was an older lady who was to sit next to "Lil Man", and she did everything not to sit by him. She stood near her seat, hunting down stewardess' to ask to find an empty seat to move to. Hilarious! She did accomplish her goal, little did she know, that it just gave our family more room! Daddy sat w/ "Punk-a-butt" and "Lil Man", while I sat with "Tytie". The couple beside "Tytie" and myself was a newly wed couple, on their honeymoon. Oh, the look on their faces wehn they realized they'd be sitting beside a toddler! Little did they know, he was going to be so well behaved the whole trip, the whole 8 1/2 hrs to Roma.
   About 4 1/2 hrs into the flight the kids fell asleep, til about the time we landed. We had a 4 hr layover in Roma, which was a stressful 4 hrs. Our cell that the hubby's company sent us, didn't work; we couldn't connect to the airports wireless (for some unknown reason); and the plane to Catania was going to be an hour late. We had no way of getting a hold of someone in Catania to pick us up. The hubby's boss was to pick us up.  "Tytie" fell asleep waiting in line to board the plane. we then found out while finally boarding the plane to Catania, that "Tytie" was not allowed to sit in his carseat. He would have to sit on my lap. Not so much fun, I might add! Thank goodness the flight was only about an hour and a half.
    After landing, we located our luggage, car seats, and stroller. The car seats were damaged, thanks to a particular airport, who's name I will not mention. We were finally able to get a hold of the hubby's boss via my Kindle, thank god for the 3G! So, his boss Ian walks us from the airport in Catania, to the car rental building.  The hubby came out to inform me that the travel woman from his work never made reservations. Because we had no reservations, we couldn't rent a car. In addition, the rental company's computers were down. If we had a reservation we could have gotten a car. So we put all of our things in Ian's car, and just as I suspected, no room for anyone else but "Tytie", the hubby, and Ian. I wanted to cry, and I did.  Right in front of the hubby's boss. Such a great first impression. I turned around and noticed taxis sitting in front of the airport, so for 70Euros, which is about 110USD we made our way to our hotel. We thought all was well. NOT! We also did not have hotel reservations! Damn that travel lady. Here we are in a foreign country w/ no car, nor a place to sleep!  Thank god Ian was there, because he took us to another hotel that had an open apartment! YAY!  Plus, Ian bought us some starter groceries. So, the family and I had Cheerios and bananas for dinner and went to bed at 8p. We were up for almost 31hrs. We were exhausted to say the least!
  The next day went a lot better, we made sausages for dinner and had a yummy fruit salad. After dinner, we went for a walk in the neighborhood, a stressful walk. The cars fly up and down the roads, and there barely any sidewalks, so your walking on the road! Geez! I was nervous the whole time, holding the kiddos hands and trying to keep them safe.  Today we went for a chilly swim in the pool. The pool is to die for! It reminds me of a pool you see on a travel channel, all luxurious. We are all well rested now, and on a good schedule for sleep. I am hoping for an awesome 30th birthday/6th wedding anniversary weekend here in Sicily!  Ciao! (Pics later, I promise)

Home Sweet Home

   I must acknowledge my sis-in-law, Nat, who purchased a journal for me to write in, in case I didn't get to blog in Sicily right away. Thank goodness, it was great to write some things down on our long journey. We got to go home last week for 10 days, and goodness it went way too fast. Oh, how the emotions started to flow as we prepared to leave for Sicily. I loved being at our home, and it is truly a home, not just a house. We have put so much time and love into our house. To see the kids running in their own yard was priceless. It brought tears to my eyes watching them play so freely!  You could just see the joy in there faces! It was such a big difference between being home and living in hotels all summer.
   California seems like a dream. We had such adventures in California, and now to Sicily; unbelievable. The kids have been great on all of the plane rides. The 8 1/2 hrs to Roma should be interesting. I am a bit scared of what Sicily will bring. How huge of a language barrier will exist. I can just see myself having a breakdown mid-market.  So, really this trip brings about emotions I have not felt in a long time.
   Back to home:  I know that the kids will be missing their grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, not to forget home either.  We got to have wonderful visits with almost everyone we had hoped to see! The kids got to play with their toys. Our last weekend home was warm and sunny, so the kids played outside all day, everyday! We did crafts and made cupcakes, and played with the toys they missed the most. I think they probably enjoyed their cousins the most! We were busy all week, but it was the greatest "busy" ever! The hubby and I got the yard and plants pruned and to looking like they had looked when we first left, and did some extra things outside as well. One thing I did take notice in, was how happy "Tytie" was at home, I wonder if he knew deep down this was his home...What can I say, it was hard to say goodbye again!

Arrivederci Golden Coast

   I woke up this morning nervous, maybe it was just me being anxious...i am not sure. Nonetheless, I think I really miss home, but don't quite realize it. Tons of emotions are running through me today. I know that this blog is to be more of a recollection of our adventures, but it's a great outlet for my thoughts as well. I am pretty sure that the 10 days we're home will fly by quickly. I just hope that we get to see everyone. My best friend just had her baby boy, and we have a niece on the way as well. I hope to be home for her birth. It is quite sad that I won't get to see all my nieces and nephews growing up for the next year or so, but hopefully we'll all be great at keeping in touch. Actually, with all the resources today, there is no reason we can't keep in touch! Of course I will miss holidays, and just spending time with family. Italy should keep us pretty busy too.
   The kids are so excited to get home. I think that they are understanding our time-line for home and Italy.  I want them to enjoy their cousins, grandparents, and aunts/uncles and the time spent with them while we are home. I know that they are missing some toys and riding their bikes, so the Hubby & I will make sure they get time to do those kinds of things as well.
   California has been good to us! We've had such an amazing time. We've met extremely friendly people, and the weather is to die for, really it is. It will be hard to go back to cloudy days and rain.  It's just easier to put a smile on your face if it's sunny! Our family has had the opportunity to do some many things that we would have never done if hadn't taken adventure.  The children have seen so much, and I know that they will remember certain experiences. California has made my children expand their horizons and come out of their "shells" a little. It is weird however to think that Tytie doesn't remember our house, or his room, all he knows is hotel rooms and California. Once we're in Italy there will be more stability for a longer period of time. We will continue on our adventure as long as the children are truly happy!  I will miss California, so many good times and experiences.

  The hubby and I finished packing up this morning. The only things we have left is the last bit of laundry, and our computers. We'll be up early tomorrow to get to the airport. We'll have our last "Staybridge Breakfast", and off we'll go to the airport. The flight itself will be an adventure! The next time I write, will be from PA! Until then........

Imaginations run wild

   With two full days left here in Rocklin, Ca, we've slowly began to gather up our things, dispose of some things, and send some to Sicily. Those of which we've sent, are toys! This now means that for the two days before we get on the plane to home, the kids have barely any toys to play with. This probably doesn't seem like a huge deal to some, but living in a hotel makes a big difference. Lots of boredom, especially during the week! Now, this is where Daddy steps in and saves the day, literally. You see, I believe my hubby has a much better imagination than I. He took the box the toys were originally sent to CA in (which is in no shape to be used again) and threw it down on the floor and Punk-a-butt says "we can make a house!". In no more than 10 min that box was being transformed into a lil' house fit for three!  Who needs toys! I can't believe we get to stop home before the big move to Sicily! It's coming so fast. Every time we get to move somewhere or explore new places, it a whole new adventure. It's such a pleasure to watch our kids grow within these adventures too!  I can not wait to see where my lil' explorers go next!

Old Town and Urgent Care

   Lost for words on how to describe today...we had great moments, and not so great moments! We started off the day "Skype-ing" with Aunts, Uncles, & cousins. Being able to see all of them was great! We get to talk to them on the phone, but getting to see them is a whole different experience. It's funny, sometimes the kids get all shy, like they don't know what to say and they run and hid...but I think the adults can be that way sometimes too! Sometimes the kids get all hyper as soon as we're talking to someone on Skype, and a real conversation is hard to come by between adults! But it is usually a great experience.
   Then we were off to Old Town Sacramento to take a stroll, shop, and ride the train. The hubby and I saved all of our change from the summer, and took the kids to Candy Heaven and they spent $9.58 on candy. This candy store is fabulous..they have taffy in barrels that you can sample (as long as it was eaten in the store), and every kind of candy that you can imagine...yes, really! We then had a late lunch at subway, and headed to the train station. The kiddos waited patiently in line, and got really excited when the steam locomotive pulled into the station.  Tytie's eyes lit up! We got to sit inside a passenger car, and enjoy the sites of the Sacramento River. Oh the excitement in the kid's eyes when the train blew its whistle. Tytie enjoyed the rhythmic "chugging'" of the train. We were patting our legs to the beat. I am glad that the hubby and I are able to give our kids such experiences. The kids had a great time on the train, and we ended our trip in Old Town checking out some toy stores.
   Once we got home, Tytie napped and we unwound. Dinner consisted of cold cereal and fruit, I felt bad that cereal was our dinner, but no one else complained. We were able to Skype briefly w/ the grandparents, but the kids were out of control by this point in the day. Needless to say, the conversation ended quickly.    

   I was getting everyone dressed in their pjs for the night, when Tytie got his finger pinched between the bedroom door and jam! I pulled it out and his finger was white and really flat. All of the blood had drained from his finger. The Hubby was sure it was broke, so within five minutes of him pinching it, we were in the car to the Urgent Care. Tytie was inconsolable, and they gave him some Tylenol to help him feel better. They didn't x-ray him, just taped his fingers together, and sent us home with Tylenol (w/ Codene).  As we were leaving the nurse gave all three kiddos popsicle, and that seemed to calm Tytie down. He really enjoyed the popsicle.  When we got home, Tytie went right to bed! Poor guy, there was nothing we could do for him. His blankie seemed to comfort him, but other than that, nothing seemed to work! The Hubby and I work great as a team. I was freaking out at the first sight of his finger. The Hubby stepped up and decided we needed to take Tytie  to get his finger looked at. Hopefully, tomorrow brings a better day, for Tytie!!!

One more time....

   Well folks, our time in California is winding down. We made the trek to Sacramento once again, back to the place our adventure began. (kind of ironic) The kiddos said good-bye to the kind woman who gets breakfast ready @ the hotel every weekday morning. It was truly very sweet! The kids were great in the car the whole trip, I guess they expect to be in the car for at least six hours. We got to see beautiful mountain ranges, desert terrain, tons of farm land, orchards, and aqueducts. I am absolutely glad that we are lucky enough to go back home before we're off to Italy! The kids are so excited to see the house, relatives, their bikes, and toys that we didn't send out to CA.
   On another note, being here feels like "home away from home". The kiddos remembered being here in June. It was neat to hear them point out things they remembered, like the pool and where we would play in the evening. Our room is just one floor up from the room we stayed last time. We're on the 4th floor, and the windows don't open! AAAHHHHH!!!! I might go insane w/out fresh air when we're in the room. Oh well, I can suck it up for the last 11 days here in California. (The hubby warned me not to use this blog to complain, "no one will read it", I can complain about the windows right!?)  I do hope that our last days in Cali are beautiful, and eventful! I also hope that we make to downtown Sac and ride the train. We didn't get to do that the last time, and the kids really wanted to, so maybe we'll surprise them!  Okay, its off to bed now...buonanotte!

Proud Parents

   As the days here in Cali are coming to a close, I have to reflect on what my children have accomplished this summer. (This is all despite the fact that it is 2:30am, and I should be sleeping. ) Punka and Lil Man have learned to swim! They swim the length of pool, over and over again; following the hubby and I. It's simply amazing. We started off in June just getting them to dunk their heads. We bought them vests to free up their arms, so we could teach them the basics. In about 2 weeks, Punka & Lil Man were swimming w/out them! It's amazing how proud a parent can get. I mean, to watch these children swimming about freely in 5ft of water is incredible. They can swim above water and under water. Their skills get better and better every week. They can even swim to the bottom. The hubby and I sit in amazement.We taught them well, and they are great swimmers!
   As for the youngest, Tytie, just this week, he started to jump in and go under water holding his breath 90% of the time...simply amazing. He reminds me of how daring Lil Man was @ his age. Tytie is learning how to say a bunch of words, climbing like a fool, and understands everything! He is such a comedian too! You would think by the third child you would believe how fast they grow up, but its mind boggling. All of the kids are learning so much: Lil Man can now write is name, legibly; Punka is starting to read; both Punka and Lil Man are learning colors/numbers in Italiano; Tytie learns new things everyday, and is going to be 15mo old tomorrow...i know all this learning will continue, and I can't wait to see what my children learn next!  We are so blessed to be on this adventure, who knows what's around the corner waiting for us!

Letting the kiddos run free

     Today was not off to a very good start, both boys having melt-downs all morning...makes for a tired Mommy. But, as soon as the Hubby got home @ 3pm, all the stress goes away. I know that most of the melt-downs are probably due to boredom. It's just to damn hot to be outside for more than an hour outside, especially where there is no shade at all. On a good note, everyone went swimming after daddy got home, and that made all 3 kiddos happy! We ate hamburgers and hot dogs (compliments of the Staybrige), overcooked, but for some reason they still tasted good! After dinner, off to the park we go! The kids get soooo excited to go to the park because there are other children there. There are not many children staying here @ the Palmdale Staybridge. So, as soon as we get them out of the car at the park, you can tell their ecstatic....kids to play with!!!!  To sit back and watch them interact w/ other kids is fantastic, to say the least. I love watching them run around with children they just met. My fears of them being anti-social are slimming. It makes me smile from ear to ear, to see them having such carefree fun!  I hate to tell them that it is time to go. Punk-a-butt always says that she wants to stay and play with her friends. I have to say, that it breaks my heart to pull them away from having such  fun, away from the hotel!
     Yesterday we made a paper chain, 28 links long, to count down the days til we "visit" home. I despise saying we are visiting home, but that's what it will be. They are longing for their cousins, and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends. Ten days @ home will be great for them. But, I can say that they are also excited for Sicily, and meeting some new friends there too!

Just beginning

Hi! Just beginning this blog. I need to determine what I want to accomplish here. I think I want to share our adventures with everyone. But, I also want them to see the ups and downs of our travels, as well as see the world with us! I am also doing this to keep track of the many things we are able to do and see. We are truly blessed. So, here it goes!