Out and About

Last Friday we had to run a few errands. While Jeff went to a dental appointment, Grant and I browsed the store on base. Grant tried on a t-shirt showing his support for the Navy. It didn't quite fit him, but he was a good sport about it.



After Jeff's appointment, we went to Applebee's for lunch. As you can see, the boys were looking over the menu together. Grant wanted to order onion rings, but we told him that perhaps he could have them another day. He agreed and just had his usual--his bottle.


All in all, it wasn't an extremely eventful day, but it was fun to spend time together as a family.

I heart oatmeal!

We've begun introducing Grant to cereal and apples. He did not like rice cereal. He gave that two thumbs down. However, he loves oatmeal cereal. Definitely two thumbs up on the oatmeal. Apples were "just okay". He is still warming up to them.

Today while eating his oatmeal, he decided to grab the spoon and laugh. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say!

Grant in action

This is a video of Grant Daniel laying on the floor. He was playing on his floor gym, but he had rolled himself off the mat. He is now rolling from his stomach to his back and back to stomach. We think crawling is not too far away!

First Mother's Day

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. I always thought it would be weird to be called Mother, Momma, Ma, (or in Grant's words "ah-woo"), but it feels totally natural. I have to say...I am enjoying being a mother. It has totally changed my life, but it is a welcomed change. I never thought that I wouldn't mind that my living room and dining room are now overtaken by Grant's gear: a swing, a floor gym, a portable crib, and a diaper basket filled with diapers, spit cloths, and a few changes of clothes. I don't mind that on a daily basis Grant spits up on me or sneezes in my hair.I don't mind the poopy diapers that at times make you want to pass out. And I especially don't mind the sloppy kisses Grant gives me or the toothless smiles. I used to think that people who were always showing you pictures of their kids didn't have anything better to do. You know the ones...they open their wallets or purses to present you about 75 pictures of their precious ones. I am now THAT person. And proud of it, I might add!

We had a wonderful Mother's day yesterday. After church, Jeff cleaned up the kitchen and started cooking. We went to a potluck dinner in which all the guys were supposed to make a dish. I have to say that the guys did a great job! We ladies think they have been holding out on us! Jeff also told me that he now understands what I do on a daily basis. He informed me that he was glad he didn't have my job, but that's okay, I'll gladly take it!

So now today, I am back on the clock. A mountain of laundry is taunting me in the laundry room. Grant and I are working on feeding him cereal. I also need to mop my floors (all tile floors here in Italy!). However, it's a good day and I am proud have my current position as mother and wife.

Festivals

Sicily has a lot of different festivals, and we are trying to go to a few of them. The festivals are usually food themed such as the chocolate festival, strawberry festival, artichoke festival...you get the idea.

About two weeks ago we went with another family to the town of Modica for the annual chocolate festival. It was really neat. The hour drive there was very scenic as Modica is a town that is in the bottom of a valley. At one time there was a river where the town is situated, but now it is a neat town that carved out between rocks and valleys.

The chocolate was delcious! Chocolate from Modica has a more crumbly texture like chocolate from Mexico. It has minimal ingredients and is better for you. They add interesting flavors to the chocolate such as orange, cinnamon, and chili peppers. It was so yummy. There was even a chocolate bar that had fizzy stuff in it like the old candy from the '80s Pop Rocks. After you took a bite of the chocolate, it would sizzle and pop in your mouth. It brought back memories for me!

Since it was a festival, there were vendors of differents sort selling things such as jewelry, crafts, and other yummy foods. We had a great time! Above are some of the chocolate bars we bought: chocolate filled with espresso, white chocolate, a chocolate fizzy bar, chocolate with vanilla, and chocolate with orange.