Grilling and Chilling!

We just got a new charcoal grill about 2 weeks ago. So far we have used it at least once a week! We love it! There is nothing like a mesquite chicken or a burger from the grill. We thought about getting a gas grill, but we both agreed that we loved the good old fashioned taste and smell of a charcoal grill. So far we have had chicken, steak, burgers, and corn on the cob on the grill. Yummy!

By looking at the picture above, you can see who the grill-master is! Ahhh, a man and his grill.

Summer Flicks: Part III

As you previously read in two other posts, Jeff and I enjoy going to the movies. We were excited about a couple of movies due to come out this summer. We saw his pick ("Transformers") awhile back. My pick finally came to the island: "Bourne Ultimatium." We saw it last weekend. It was fantastico!I just love spy/adventure movies. We will probably try to catch a few more flicks before we are three! Once baby gets here, it will be all about baby!

Caltagirone: Part two

Jeff and I went to Caltagirone on Saturday. As mentioned in the previous post, Caltagirone is known as the town of ceramics. We decided that we would try to venture out and find the famous ceramic staircase. After finding a perfect spot to park, we walked around the town and literally stumbled across the staircase. We were amazed at the ceramics as each stair had a different design. We did not climb the steps as there are 142 steps! Perhaps if I weren't pregnant and it wasn't in the high 90s, we would have tried. We did take a lot of pictures including this one of us standing on the steps!

Shopping in Caltagirone

On Saturday, I went to the market in Caltagirone with another friend and her daughter. Caltagirone is known for having a beautiful 142-step staircase with ceramic inlays. Although we didn't make it to the staircase for a view, we did go to the market.

Several of the towns in Sicily have great markets on Saturdays. These markets open early in the morning and run until 1pm in the afternoon. At these markets, you can find anything from fresh fruit and veggies to clothing and shoes. My friend bought a few items for her daughter who is about to start kindergarten. I bought a cute pair of shoes (that I will save for after the pregnancy) and 1 kilo of fresh nectarines. These open air markets remind of a combination between a flea market and a huge yard sale. There are some items that I probably wouldn't buy there (such as underwear!), but there are also some good deals as well (like yummy fresh fruit.)

After browsing the market for a couple of hours, we went to a bread shop (Panificio) for drinks and a snack. You can usually find paninni sandwiches there, pizza, and of course, fresh bread. Today was a fun experience. It's always interesting trying to communicate with the locals and to explore the local culture.

Getting ready for Baby

This past week we worked on setting up the baby's room. Up until now, this room was just an extra storage space. We moved all of the "extra" stuff to our guest bedroom, (which is a project for another day!)and rearranged the room.

Although the walls are bare and are in need of some decoration, the room is looking good. We have a crib, changing table, a chair, and a couple of baby toys (baby chair that vibrates and a baby bouncer).

My favorite things so far are the crib comforter outfit my mom got for us and the baby diaper bag my sis got for me. The comforter is decorated with safari animals in sage green, light blue, and yellow. Perfect for a boy!

It's starting to come together which is exciting! We still need to stock up on some other items, but this is a good start!

Enduring the heat

I heard on the news that this is one of the hottest summers on record. Whew! I believe it. Take a look at our front yard. We now realize that we need to invest in a sprinkler. Oops! The palms trees are fine, but the grass has taken a beating. Fall can't get here soon enough!

In case you haven't heard...

We had an ultra last week and found out that we are having a boy!! We were both surprised as we really didn't know what to expect! To read more about our bambino, go to the baby's website: www.totsites.com/tot/thomasbamino

The above picture is of the baby looking straight into the camera (perhaps smiling?!) with one of his arms raised in the air. During the ultrasound he moved this raised arm back and forth as if to say, "Hi Mom and Dad! I'm here!" We are going to have a ham for sure!