back to scuola

For the past 2 weeks I think I have been counting down the days to Luca's first day of school. He is a little man that needs to stay busy, and mainly outdoors. I think we've made about 25 paper airplanes, following YouTube tutorials in 6 different languages. Ella still requires a 2-3 hour nap, and with a restless Luca, we were running out of ideas. The day has finally arrived, and I'm kind of melancholy, I admit. By the end of the summer Ella has become more than Luca's little shadow. They play constantly together. Whether it's whipping up pasta in the kitchen, building forts, playing "mama and daddy," washing their bikes outside, washing the chalkboard wall inside, dragging home more sticks to add to our collection near the front door, drinking bubble water, building lego towers and dinosaur robots, playing "I spy something...." 

Dropping him off today, it made me wonder why I wanted it all to go by fast. Looking at this photo, makes me realize how quickly they grow up, there's only a few more magical summers like these.

seeing Big Brother off

(Thank you Grandma for the "new look", and zio Carmine for the Spiderman backpack!)

Luca's words of wisdom?

chalk board and the green river

boxes of fun

where could Ella be??

washing bikes

Happy Even After

This weekend some of our dearest friends got married in beautiful Castiglione delle Stiviere in Mantova. Maria Chiara and Carlo were some of our first italian friends. Maria Chiara was there to help Mark pick out his groom suit while I was still living in LA, and Carlo and Mark met way back when they were both doing an internship at Pininfarina. Here are some highlights from the weekend:

testing the swings at the hotel's outdoor bar

The giant yellow serpent makes for a great race track

friends ready to party

and these friends too

Duomo at Castiglione, site of the wedding

following the bride and groom to the Convento dell' Annunciata

let the party begin

the ex-convent makes for a romantic setting

Little man Senne

freshly sliced prosciutto, bufala mozzerella, fried dough, shrimp, and oysters.....are a few of the appetizers.

The bride takes a moment to play with Ella and her balloon

the princess is ready to eat.

seated amongst goblets and friends

this is a 3 fork meal

Happy Even After....gelato from San Pe!

tired kiddos crash at 11:30pm....right after the cake is cut.

After party from 2:30am-6:00am...Mark and I made it part of the way.

Luca, Ella and Senne...i vicini lontani come together

passaggiata with the Doekes in Solferino

Italy Beyond

We've been milking all that we can out of summer. And when you have first time visitors it makes it that much more fun. Mary & Tucker Hughes stopped in one week after we got back from Sweden. Giving us just enough time to do the laundry, clean the house, and set the itinerary for their visit. Fortunately Mary is a fellow "Beyond" excursionist, and Tucker an Army Officer so we figured they were up for some rugged outdoor adventures. Click on the link below for the complete story:

Italy Beyond Album