Assisi and a really full house

So while my sister was here, we decided to take a little minivacation. We stayed at an agriturismo in Umbria, just a little bit outside of Assisi ( I mentioned these before- sort of semi-working farm houses. There is a more official definition but who cares- usually it is a place in the country where you can sleep and eat and enjoy nature a bit). Anyways, we stayed at a place called Val di Boccio and had a great time, except that for some reason I decided that we should all be in a one room ( it was called a 'triple' so it did not seem so crazy at the time). However, when we arrived we found a normal sized room - very nice- with a twin bed crammed in, after which we had to request an additional twin bed and a pack and play for Lili. So basically the entire surface of the room was covered by beds. Miki liked it - he could move from Zsofi's bed to his to ours without ever touching the floor- in fact there was not even a gap. But who cares, we did not go there to sit in the room, there were lots of things outdoors.
There was a playground (yay for Miki), a ping pong table ( yay for Mama- I mean me, I know I am an eastern european nerd), plenty of wine (yay for Mikael and Zsofi) and cow poop (yay for Lexi, nay for the rest of us I would say), and ostriches (noone really liked them, they are not nice). For Lili really anything was fine.
We drove to Assisi one day- above is a family picture in front of Basilica di San Francesco d'Assisi- it is very beautiful on the outside but even more interesting on the inside with all the frescoes depicting the defining moments of his life. And considering that he is the patron saint of animals, I think the paintings had widespread appeal even for our less religious or illiterate family members. In terms of other pictures, the family picture above was the very best we could do after a ton of photos by my very patient sister- and it was not HER fault.
Also, we had one of our most awesome meals in a random Italian restaurant that looked like a wedding reception hall from 1985- who would have guessed? I can't remember what it was called but I doubt it would have a website.
All in all, it was a good time for everyone.

Full House

So we had some really fun weeks recently, with Mami (my grandmother) and Zsofi visiting. They overlapped for a few days which was really nice for everyone. Zsofi was a lifesaver, because both Mikael and I had a very busy week at work (there was a huge conference for me for which even the local metro stop was shut down, Mikael was getting ready for a certain visitor...). So she went and got the kids for us and was a super aunt all around, even when the daycare tried to stop her because she did not proper ID. So needless to say both kids got a lot of attention, and Lexi got a lot of loving ( from a slightly allergic Zsofi) and a lot of shooing away ( from a totally nonallergic Mami). Of note, it is almost impossible to take a picture of Miki these days- or rather a posed picture with a subject of our desire ( we have lots of pictures of Miki and his balloon, Miki and his Lego structure- those things HE deems worthy of a photograph)

'First meal'

So technically, Lili had her first 'real food' on May 25th, shortly after she turned 6 months. She loved it! Of course as a good parent I asked Mikael to tape it. However, instead of a nice baby first meal tape we ended up with a slightly X-rated version. I won't get into the details ( believe me, it is nothing exciting). So here is another 'first' meal the week after- the first time Miki was helping to feed Lili. It is also an experiment at trying to upload a short clip. Ciao.
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Milestone

I can be serious or I can be smiley. I am not very wordy (in speech or in writing) but I AM 6 MONTHS OLD today. That's all I wanted to say.
Lili

I am Happy!!!

This is one of Miki's favorite declarations. But today, I am happy too. I guess my parents have not forgotten about me after all. We had a great day at the beach. But especially the Mikster and I. I ran in and out of the water, chased tennis balls and even pretended I could swim ( I know it is in my genes I just have not accessed that part of my brain yet). Miki got a set of beach toys and he also enjoyed jumping into the waves. Again. And again. And again. Lili was content for the most part, playing with a blanket. She did show off her chubby legs but I don't think she is really into the strutting her stuff at the beach. Yet. The parents, well they liked it too, although seeing them lugging 2 children, all their belongings, myself (of course tugging at the leash) and lunch out to the beach made me happy to be a dog.
Lexi

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, (and future mothers)!!!!

Success!!!!

Warning- for those who are not parents of toddlers, this may be a bit graphic.
So we have had a major breakthrough tonight- that is- a poop in the potty(not in the bathtub as Mikael thinks the picture suggests)!!!! As some of you may know, we started hard core toilet training 2 weekends ago ( this meant we basically decided Miki was ready and took off his diapers). He caught on to the pee part pretty much after one day, with occasional accidents the first weekend, and only one accident this whole week. The #2 was another matter, and somehow he always just disappeared at the key moment. Tonight, once again he disappeared for what seems like only a couple of minutes and then reappeared and said 'I poopooed in the potty!!'. Somewhat dubious, Mikael and I went to check and sure enough, there was a very impressive specimen right where he told us it would be. He right away asked for his turtle toy ( which we bought last weekend but he was not allowed to open until this momentous event took place). That's him in the tub with the crab (Miki), the starfish (dada), and the big turtle (Mama, since it has the baby inside- as it was pointed out to us). Yeay Miki!!!! Or as he likes to say woo hoo!

What about me?

Yes, what about me? I have been a loyal member of this family for over 4 years now, but I am not sure most of you even know that. When I arrived I was THE baby of the family. I got to go to the park every weekend (and I mean real green space, not under a bench at the playground), I got to play in the snow ( Rome- what snow?), I got to go to the doggy beach, I received plenty of petting and attention from my admiring parents. Then along came this thing called Miki, a real baby or something. This was an adjustment but I still got to go plenty to the DC Arboretum (even though dogs are not allowed) and I got to play in the back yard. Then we moved to Rome. Initially this was great because we had no car, so there was lots of walking about. But then again, the Mama's tummy started to get big and I suspected it was not just the pasta she was eating. And yes, I was right, along came ANOTHER baby, Lili, and this has put almost a complete end to my walking with the family. Yes, I pull the leash, making it virtually impossible for one person to have the baby in the Bjorn, push the stroller and walk me, but come on, I am EXCITED when there is finally a true family outing. OK, I still get pet, I get plenty of early morning and late evening exercise, but it is just not the same. I HAVE gotten to go on some fun trips (I have been to Umbria, the Amalfi coast and a recent little jaunt to the former eastern bloc). Some say this is just due to poor planning on my parents' part, but I take it as a sign of love. Although on this last trip I was exposed to some serious danger called Nero (a german shepherd-rottweiler mix). Luckily, my usual docile and submissive personality reassured him of his manly manliness (not!) and all was fine- see picture above.

Of course the saving grace(s) in all this, aside from the fact that I know my family loves me, come by the name of Kathy, Patrick and Tomo. They know how to have fun!!! When they come over, I know I am about to have the time of my life running at the dogpark, chasing balls in the garden, or taking a bath in water fountains! Plus I always manage an extra meal. Unfortunately, I only have a picture of my buddy Tomo (again, another example of my parents' obsession with nothing but their REAL children, forget photographing MY friends).

That's ok, I love them all the same, I just needed to vent a bit.

Thanks for listening.

Lexi

Budapest?

Chasing chickens at my uncle's house...

Rajzoljunk!

Well, after a month delay, I am finally determined to post something. We did have a great trip to Budapest during Easter, although aside from the new faces or a random piece of furniture on a picture here or there, you will certainly not be able to tell that we were anywhere but home. Visiting family with a baby, a toddler and a dog (yes, Lexi came) means 2 things- lots and lots of food and no sightseeing. Regardless, we had a great time, stayed with Mami ( my grandmother- the proud 88 year-old great grandmother of 2) and visited with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins. Miki loved all the attention of course, and Lili was her usual happy self. Mikael sat around a lot (I suppose a lot is a relative term- that is, when he was not busy eating, drinking, running after 2 kids and walking the dog), soaking in all the hungarian he could. I, as well, ate my fare share of food (especially Mami's kalacs (chainbread) with ringlolekvar (sort of like plum preserves) from a tree in her front yard.

Amongst many firsts for the children, there was also a first for us- thanks to my cousin Krisztian- Mikael and I had a night out without the kids (while Mami and my aunt Eva graciously babyset) and we went to see a play.

Ljubljana

On our way to Budapest for Easter, we stopped for a day in Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia) and had a great time. We stayed in a little bed and breakfast, called the Pri Zabarju (it means frog) which we really enjoyed ( including Lexi- well, she probably liked the muddy field right next to it a little more). Miki quickly made friends with the staff and came away with all kinds of treats. Ljubljana is set on the Ljubljanica River and is really pedestrian friendly, with walkways on both sides of the river with cafes, restaurants, etc. So we just had fun walking around and then took the funicular up to the Ljubljana castle. It was a beautiful day, we ate outside and soaked up the sun and had dinner at the restaurant of the bed and breakfast. The next morning was a bit different- we woke up to probably 2 inches of wet snow and a long trip to Budapest...which will be the next blog... when I get to it.