When it's cold outside and you are stressed about midterm exams, it's always good to snuggle with your dog!
Katherine had really wanted to have a friend over. We asked Martina's family to join us for dinner. It's nice that we can rearrange the table to fit that many people. We did run out of regular seating and had to get a chair from the bedroom to put next to the couch. All in all, it was great!
This is the cake that they brought for dessert!
It is called mille foglio "a thousand sheets" because it has many thin layers stacked on top of each other. It was difficult to cut because I was supposed to use a bread knife, but we don't have one.
After dinner the kids wanted to play a game. We decided that Spoons was the easiest to learn since Martina had a little brother. They all had fun! Her brother actually got out, but I gave him my spot so I could take pictures and he could keep playing.
Valentine's Day...he bought chocolates in America and hid them away...
and bought these pretty flowers from the guy down the street.
Regan is taking a cooking class. One of her assignments was to cook and eat a vegetable that she has never had before. THAT is really DIFFICULT for us!! We eat just about everything and have tried so many vegetables from living overseas. We literally just walked the aisles trying to find a veggie that we had not had. This was the only one we found, zucchine tonde (round zucchini) Zucchini is a favorite, but we had never had a round one.
Thanks to Regan's class...Pasta and Greek salad...YUM! The only difference was that we could not find Roma tomatoes anywhere! Go figure. We live in Roma and can't get that kind of tomato. They must not be in season right now because I know we have seen them previously. So we improvised with other tomatoes.
Hooray! I completed 365 days of Italian language on Duo Lingo and earned a tuxedo...haha! I try to do at least one lesson a day. I still have so much to learn!!
I think someone wants to play!
Now, he wants to eat. So funny. They really aren't supposed to be at the table, but he looked so cute and was being so good as he silently begged for food ;)
Katherine had a PE assignment to "draw sport" Well, that's a little vague. This was her interpretation and I love it! She got a perfect score. The only thing that she is worried about is that the school might not give her all of her artwork at the end of the year. She wants to keep them all.
These girls got their booster shot (dose 3) at the airport! It was great...in and out with no appointment and no lines. Now they can keep going to school!!!
Well, it's not a great picture, but proud of Benjamin for volunteering to serve at the church. He gets up early and goes by himself to the English speaking church to run the PowerPoint for the songs and the sermon. He enjoys doing this!!
I', not sure why he's been more of a snuggle dog recently...maybe it's the cold floors :)
A little family fun playing Hallmark Monopoly
Regan added in after one round, so we needed a new picture!
Oh so sad...one dollar left and everything mortgaged....looks like Katherine is about to win the game.
Let's play!
Soccer practice (it's already cold outside) and then a sudden storm opened up on the girls.
It was actually a hail storm. Thankfully, it was small pieces, but still freezing cold!
Someone got new glasses that are also sunglasses!!
Yeah! She can see again :)
Regan (wearing her new glasses that are also sunglasses) and helping me hold the dogs while we drove them to my tutor's house so she could watch them for a few days while we took a short family getaway.
The puppies enjoyed exploring her yard and house.
She has three stories, each with it's own yard/patio...puppies were loving it!
Diana's aunt (zia) made these for us. It's a traditional food for Carnevale called frappe...it reminded me a little bit of funnel cakes in the taste. These are just crispier.
My good friend back in China sent me these photos of her family. This is her youngest, Dorcas (but baby #3 is due any minute)
Her husband (Daniel) taking the kids (Joseph and Dorcas) for a ride.
We are packed and ready to go! We got a kick out of the size difference in backpacks! Regan has definitely mastered packing into small spaces!! :)
Off we go!!! I took the kids out of school for 2 days and we borrowed a friend's car...this little getaway is much needed.
So, driving wasn't too bad. Of course, it's all new to me since I haven't driven in a foreign country before. We had to take a toll road, but they periodically had these rest stops to fill up, buy snacks, or go to the restroom.
We arrived in Naples and got parked. The streets are super tight/narrow. We found a parking garage and they parked the car for us. (the triple and quadruple park in most garages so you just leave them your keys and they rearrange the car puzzle inside when someone needs their car)
walking to our airBNB
So THIS is the main thing that made me nervous when driving!! This LITTLE tiny sign on the side of the road says "ZTL Attiva" meaning if you drive on this road when the sign is on you will get a really expensive ticket in the mail!!! Like 400+ euros!! And these signs don't show up on map apps and are easy to miss. Plus sometimes they are only for certain types of cars. It's quite confusing and I was worried I would accidentally drive on one of these roads, but thankfully, I did good! No tickets :)
The most adorable little advertiser ever! This restaurant was so smart to do this. The little girl was having a blast and they got free advertisement from people taking her picture and posting it online.
We ate lunch at the famous pizzeria in Naples....L'Anticha Pizzeria dei Michelle. It was FANTASTIC!
The pizzas were HUGE
Yes, each person in the restaurant got their own pizza. Each person had a choice between cheese or no cheese.
I really didn't think it could be as good as all the hype.
But I am happy to be wrong this time...
We would happily eat Naples pizza any day!
We had to split up boys and girls because the biggest table is for 4. He's almost finished with the entire thing!!
Finish! Well, close enough ;)
That is the restaurant behind us.
The domus cathedral near our ABNB.
My friend sent me this picture. The dogs joined in on her Italian lesson! hahaha!
walking the streets of Naples
Hudson. Always on the lookout for a postcard! He was actually looking for 2, one for himself and one for his class so he could tell them all about his trip.
a little bookstore that we passed
I'm not sure the story of this area, but it was a nice little piazza in the middle of town...it does have some kind of story because we passed a couple of tour guides telling about it. I tried to eavesdrop but couldn't hear well enough :)
YEAH! We like finding these types of streets. Love all of the venders selling their crafts. I know it's touristy but we like it :)
They had so many village scenes and Nativity scenes is these domes. It was fun to look at, but very expensive to buy!
Snack time. Benjamin chose a canoli
I wanted to try the Sfogliatella (Naples is famous for these) There's another picture below showing the inside.
Katherine was not in a snack mood so she took the picture for us.
Don't really know how to describe this, but it had a cinnamon taste and was very filling!!
The boys watching a movie at the ABNB before bed.
We were up early the next morning to start our journey to Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii (side note...in Italian it's Pompei...only one i....hmmmm)
Hudson said this was the most beautiful section of town! He was so happy....it was the train station.
Jonathan took some picture while I was driving. So his pictures are after mine. Toll Road
There was a wreck on the other side of the interstate. So all of their traffic was diverted into the left lane of our side.
The view along the interstate.
Hudson taking a selfie at the pizza place
The boys' pizza :)
