Bandar and Belly Dancing

Amber's husband Bandar was in town for a few weeks and we all went out to a magnificent restaurant called Casablanca to celebrate his birthday. Baba Ganoush, Hummus, Cous Cous...so many yummy foods! We ate straight from 8 through to 11:00! The belly dancer was great and even came over to our table towards the end of the evening and got the majority of the folks from our table to dance for the final song.

You'd better believe me when I tell you that three hours of eating followed by an attempt to wiggle ones pregnant belly and hips is a very fast way to major heart burn! So worth the pain though...

DL and the Mrs make it to Sicily...

As Dave pointed out on my Facebook account I have been remiss in posting anything from our visit last September. SORRY guys!

We had a wonderful time and terrific weather.

- We went out to Taormina and enjoyed a lovely day on the beach before hitting the town for some lunch and some shopping. Unfortunately the greek theater was closed.

- We were able to make it to the greek theater in Syracusa followed by a tour of the Ortigia.

- The weather was perfect for a day in Agrigento as well.

- Catania tried to evade us but Tara found a neat seafood spot that served us some very yummy plates on one late night out.

Jack travelled along on most visits and behaved very well. About once a month he'll ask me when Dave and Tara are coming back for another visit.

Hopefully you'll all enjoy a few of my favorite pictures from our time with Dave and Tara. Tara - We need another lunch date with an amazing view! Dave - Close your eyes in salt water. We miss you guys. Looking forward to seeing you this summer.

Fancy Pants...

Jack has decided that when we go to any house, at any time, it must be for a party. We were invited over to the Corey's house the other day and Jack was sure to be in his propoer party attire. He HAD to wear the tie on the outside of the sweater...always the trend setter. This is VERY much his Uncle Kurt circa '84.

Holiday break at Pucci's

We spent the afternoon at the farm the other day and just walked around and explored. We wondered off through one of the orchards and ended up in a field of clovers that were well over a foot tall filled with blooming yellow flowers. We felt like we were in our own little world and took turns being the leader through our own personal jungle.

Santa comes to Sicily

Christmas morning was wonderful! Not only did Jack sleep in until about 9 am - but we took our time opening gifts and really enjoyed the day to its fullest. I was shocked that Jack did not come running down the stairs and start ripping into gifts - but instead he really enjoyed picking one from under the tree and taking it to the owner and "helping" them to open each gift. This year he had a few more complicated gifts that need some assembly so after opening we would take a break while we put it together and we'd all play a while. I am sure that these long - quiet days of Christmas are limited... I cannot imagine two little boys being quite as calm! After a few hours of opening and playing Jack said he was "all done with presents for now" and we read some books and he took a long nap in his new sleeping bag even though there were still many gifts left to open. It's the firt of January today and we are still opening a gift here and there.

Jack LOVED his sleeping bag and his hungry hungry hippo game!!! Those were the two biggest hits this year. He has taken his own photos of each of them and I'll download some of his pics for all to see soon.

Merry Christmas to all and I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday!

Sledding on Mount Etna

Today was the first day all Christmas break where we had some sunshine and no rain so we headed up to the north side of Mount Etna and went sledding with some friends. Jack had a blast. He'd end a run and while laughing his heart out tell me how scary it was...BUT FUN TOO! We spent about two hours sledding, building snowmen, and just playing in the snow in general. It is a shame we don't live in Colorado anymore...Jack just kept asking if he could get a big shovel and dig in the snow. That kind of enthusiasm would have come in handy a few years back!