Chef Miki

As you have seen before, I like hanging out in the kitchen. Over time, I have progressed from unpacking all the tupperware from the cabinets and playing in Lexi's water bowl (don't worry, to my parents' delight, I have trained a capable and motivated replacement for this role) to actually wanting to help with what is going on. Lately, I have been announcing my plans to become a chef (and no, it is not just to please my sometimes morose Papa, who is the REAL chef of the family at this point) . In preparation for this, I have been spending time in either the real or my toy kitchen. But more importantly, as a savvy business move, I have been posing for all kinds of pictures in various kitchens throughout the world (well, my world anyways). I don't know, I think I might be able to use them on my book cover (because, as I am sure you are all aware, you are not really a chef without at least a couple of cookbooks and of course the mandatory TV show. But lucky for me, redheads do well on TV- look at Bobby Flay or Mario Battali).

Miki

***Parents' note- We have high hopes for Miki. First and foremost we hope he can somehow bring his chef's palate (which certainly exists in his imagination) to more practical use at the dinner table so that he does not immediately announce he does not like something without having even tried it.

Holidays in Budapest

So as I mentioned we spent the Christmas holiday with my family in Budapest. This was my first Christmas there in 23 years, celebrated in my grandmother's dining room with the same furniture, the same interesting painted ceiling, the same christmas tree decorations (and the same cousins :-)). So needless to say, that even with poor Lili sick and in a bad mood, it was a really special time for me. We got to spend time with my grandmother (Mami), and all sorts of cousins and aunts and uncles. Miki had a great time, poor Lili more or less tolerated everything (but was not herself), Mikael ate and drank well (he is not a needy guy). We were extremely spoiled the whole time and are very thankful to all the family who tolerated us eating all their food and having our children run (or in Lili's case crawl) amok in their homes.

Santa Claus? Mikulas? Jezuska?

Yes, I know it is January but the holiday season was very busy, what else can I say? So I will attempt to do a little bit of catching up. Santa Claus is very confusing for us, we have not quite figured out how explain things to Miki yet. This is because really Santa Claus for my side of the family is the day of St. Nicholas, December 6th- this is when you put your boots in the window and you get fruits and chocolate if you have been good or virgacs-a stick to be beaten with- if you have been bad! So this occasion (without the virgacs) was called (by my Mom) little Mikulas (Santa Claus). Then, on a random Saturday, we 'met' the 'real' Santa Claus at the Embassy Holiday party. This was fun but it is always a mess-- too many kids who have eaten too many sugary snacks. And why did Santa Claus come to Rome when it was not yet Christmas? Errr... He has so many places to go, he needed to come early? Then there is Christmas- this is a whole other issue where I, at this point, have officially caved in. Gifts for us are brought by baby Jesus, but this was just too much for Miki at this point, so we are sticking with the Santa story but we celebrate mostly on the 24th. After much preparation explaining that he probably will NOT see Santa, and listening with Mikael for Rudolph's bell, which was my Grandma's bell from her childhood, it all went smoothly. Who knew lying is so much work?

So slowly but surely we are coming up with our own family traditions. For example, Mikael introduced stockings to my side of the family a few years ago and now everyone has a stocking that we tote around the world. This year we had a lovely holiday in Budapest which will be the subject of the next post, which will hopefully appear before February.

Another Birthday!

We recently celebrated another birthday.  I don't know how Mikael feels about 35.  I kind of dread it, but I have a few more months to enjoy my 'early' 30's. He appears unphased on the outside, although all of a sudden he is growing a beard. But maybe he is just lazy- it is at the stage where it does not need to be trimmed or anything, so basically it is an excuse not to shave.  My gift for him was a manbag (otherwise known as a murse).  For those doubting faces on the the other side of the ocean, this is a perfectly acceptable (and needed) item for a man and often used in Italy-- although he was not entirely wrong when he called it a 'diaper bag annex' (the extra diapers have to go somewhere!).  We had great cake made by my mom (which Miki actually ate).  The following weekend we went to Tivoli and Miki took a pretty nice picture of him (beard in development included), Lili pulled the remaining stuff on top and I was just happy that they have such a great father.  Happy Birthday Mikael!

I AM ONE!!!!

I had been waiting for my first birthday for a long time, you might say my entire life!  Finally the day arrived and I could not wait to start celebrating!  I have been to many other birthday parties this past year and it was time to have a party for ME.  It was a small, exclusive affair (just the parents, the brother, and Agi mama) and I enjoyed every moment of it, even though I was a bit sick.  I especially liked opening my present from Papa and Agi mama- I will try to have my Mama attach the video.  I loved the homemade chestnut cake ( yes, I am a gourmet cake kind of girl- I was born in Italy after all).  I also want to thank everyone who desperately wanted to be here (who wouldn't want to come to my party) but could not make it, and everyone who sent lovely gifts.  And I especially want to thank Miki, who had a 103 temperature and still insisted on getting all dressed up in his Ferrari vest for my party. You are a great big brother!  Of course, I should not forget my parents, who brought my awesome little (or maybe not so little) bum  into this world.  I can't believe it I am now ONE!  I am NO baby ( but you can still call me Lili Baba).

Birthday Girl Lili  

Halloween after all...

Yes, we are a few holidays behind around here.  We did not think we were going to have Halloween this year since we were in Egypt at the time. Lucky for us, the annual Embassy party was postponed due to the weather. Miki's costume fit from last year, we reincarnated the bee for Lili and off we went.  Miki was so excited and was yelling 'trick or treat' ( in fact he was yelling 'trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat'- which, by the way, they taught him at the italian daycare) right until we got to the first car ( it is actually a trunk or treat) at which point he said no more, except a barely audible thank you after he got the candy... We went to a few cars and then he was off running around and screaming with the other kiddos.  I stole all the peanut butter cups for myself ( I can't remember the last time I had those), Mikael had a bunch of M & M's so it was a good night for all.  We are such mean parents but I think this is the last year we can just take his candy like that, so we had to take advantage of the opportunity.

Ciao!!

I just wanted to say hello! Check back soon for an update on my B-day! I am a big girl now!!!

Lili

Egypt- Relaxing in Sharm

The final installment of our Egypt trip was the real vacation part. We went to Sharm el Sheik, a resort town on the Red Sea and met up with Grandpa and Nana for some fun in the sun. Ok, it was more like fun wherever we could find shade wearing 10,000 layers of sun screen for our paler than pale skins, but that did not detract from the fun. The weather was beautiful ( in the 80's) and we stayed in an all inclusive resort, which a few years ago I would have never done, but things change. Convenience now outweighs adventure, and I am not ashamed to admit that we never even left the grounds the 3 days we were there. We could snorkel right off the beach which was great. Miki loved all the different pools and all the attention from the grandparents, Lili loved all the food ( especially the melons at breakfast) and it was just nice and relaxing after hectic Cairo and a much needed respite from life in general.

The Queen that I am

Everybody knows that I am cute and opinionated. At daycare, I am now called regina (queen). At home I do not get treated like a queen even though I demand it. But finally in Egypt, I got the attention I deserve. Everybody loved me. Everybody wanted to hold me, touch me, kiss me. I acted cool, like any celebrity would- sometimes I gave a little smile just to make people happy. But secretly I enjoyed every minute of it. My parents are usually good natured about these kinds of things, but I think this was a bit much for them- they just don't understand- I am the queen (of what, I don't know yet) and getting attention, wanted or unwanted, is just a part of life. At one point a policeman had to interfere to disperse a crowd of girls- I was cool as a cucumber, smiling for their cell phone cameras and all, while my parents were slightly overwhelmed and helpless. What can they do, they were not meant for this life... but I still love them.
Regina Lili

Egypt-Cairo

On our second day we went to the Egyptian Museum. Of course with the kids and the crowds this was like a mad dash to try to see the most important things such as the Tutankhamun (aka King Tut) Galleries. He is really mostly famous for the fact that his tomb was found almost completely intact in 1922. There is a photograph of one of the rooms in the tomb which really struck me- it is a room filled with furniture, beds, and all other things he may need in the afterlife- it almost looks like someone's attick (except for the fact that everything is gold covered or bejeweled). We actually walked to the museum from our hotel ( highly recommend the Marriott Hotel on Zamalek Island- formerly the Gezira palace) which was an experience- at one point a police officer almost got hit buy a bus as he tried to hold up traffic for us to cross the street.
The third day was sort of our religious pilgrimage- in one day we went to the Hanging Church ( so called because it is built on top of a Roman fortress) and the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo and the Mosque of Mohammed Ali in the Citadel. Miki really enjoyed the shoeless aspect of the mosque- there was an internal courtyard where he just ran and ran and ran. Lili liked the rugs inside of the mosque and the mosque visitors liked her ( more on this later).
The third night was the wedding, which was a Coptic Christian ceremony- very beautiful. Unfortunately we are too old to party with the Egyptians- we left the reception about 1:30 ( to get back to the hotel at 3 am, and have the kids get up at 6:30) just as dinner was getting served and the party was getting started :-(.
Then we spent a day recovering and meeting up with some friends and left for Sharm el Sheik the following day.