Winter Wonderland

We had a great adventure a couple weeks ago. We decided that we wanted to see the Ice Mummy in Balzano, Italy (in 1991 a man was found in the Alps, frozen in the snow. After really looking him over they discovered that he was at least 5, 000 years old)! They have him in a cool freezer room so you can see the body--it was mummified very well by the snow and Ice. His clothes are in amazing shape, considering their age (also in temperature controlled display cases). It was very interesting. We couldn't take pictures inside, so we have no evidence, but we thought it was cool. Isaac loved roaming around and being chased by us--he set off only one alarm the whole time (leaned too far into a display--the alarm led us to him, we had lost him for a minute)
While in Bolzano we discovered that there is a big Christmas market in the city center.
Bolzano is about 20 min. from Austria. All of the signs are in both Italian and German. The Austrian influence is great in the architecture and decoration. I loved it. Our Hotel was this yellow, old-fashioned, adorable building.
The market was filled with cute ornaments and such (mostly very breakable--we only bought one cute wooden star). We mostly enjoyed it for the food--hot cheese sandwiches, hot dogs with saurkraut, struedel, hot chocolate, pretzels, chocolate, . . . YUM!
I have made the drive up that direction before and have to say that it is one of the prettiest views ever! I love the mountains covered in orchards and vineyards, with adorable old homes dotted here and there. I just look out the window and , "ohhh, ahhhh! Oh, David, look at that! Dont' you just want to live there? Can you even imagine? . . ." So charming!!

Snow Days!!!!! What?! Cesena, Italy has snow enough to play in?!

Yes. For the first time in the 3 years we have lived here there is snow to play in.

The boys were so excited they could barely stand to eat breakfast before running out there. It was freezing, and we don't have great snow stuff, so it didnt' last super long, but they sure had fun.

David was able to go out with them on Saturday and build a snowman.

Gabriel doen't remember ever really playing in snow before and he was so cute about it.

Isaac kept looking out the window and trying to figure out what this stuff was.
Talk about amazing timing--we may even have a white-ish Christmas!

Can't believe that Christmas is coming so soon. I just don't want the season to end. I keep trying to convince my children that we should wait a few more weeks to celebrate at our house--they don't agree with me!

They are watching White Christmas right now--they love this movie (Danny Kaye has become one of their favorite actors). Their favorite part is when the guys sing "Sisters", of course!

There are just so many great things about Christmas time.

Isaac is 2 years old, already?!!

Little Isaac turned 2 today.

Sometimes I can't believe that he is so big, but I also just can't really remember our before-Isaac-family. He is such a big part of our lives, it seems he must have always been here.

Isaac has so much energy. He loves to climb and explore; he seems to have no fear of bodily harm and is constantly testing the limits (we have dealt with his kind before, but it makes a difference when one's house is exclusively hard, tile flooring). This morning I had to quickly grab him when he decided to try going down our long set marble stairs, head-first--He had done this a few times on the set of 4 steps we have upstairs, and was successful, so . . .

Isaac loves books. He mostly loves to see pictures of animals inside of books. He will bring me a book "boot" whenever he sees me sitting on the couch. He just climbs up, flips through the pages for me, exclaims at every person or animal--saying "hello" for the people and generally "roar" for the animal--and when he is ready for another says, "awe done!", throws that one on the floor and goes to get another one. If no one is able to read to him, he find books just as thrilling to pull off the shelves and toss around the room--the possibilities really are endless when it comes to books!

Isaac loves stuffed animals--really anything very soft. My other boys like them now, but really didn't get into them as little boys. Isaac just can't help but squeeze and snuggle anything soft. Of course, he likes the real thing, too, and "gatto", the cat, often finds himself tackeled and laid upon by Isaac.

For his birthday today he received two stuffed kittens and the first thing he did was squeeze and breathe them in and give them a good welcome "meow". Then he took them to the cow trough we have in the kitchen, got inside with them, laid down, and used them as his pillows--he was content this way for quite some time.

Isaac loves his brothers. They each play a different role in his life, and each is important. He seems to have figured out a system of when to ask whom to play with him. Eli is his morning brother and his best outside-time buddy. Adam loves to play at job-time, and is great for monster play before meals. Gabriel is off and on all day--Isaac often grabs Gabriel during school-time and says, "Dabey! Play! Amals (animals)!" His world is a better one because he is lucky enough to have 3 big brothers to mimick, idolize, bother, and love.

Isaac, you are handsome, funny, exhausting, curious, adored, . . . and you've only just begun!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So much to be thankful for . . .

I am so blessed. As I have been going through photos from the last couple of months, I have been overwhelmed by the big and little things that make my life so wonderful, and for which I am so grateful. Here are just a few of the many gifts I have been given:

Amazing family:

My kind, sweet, selfless grandmother:

A love for nature--something my boys share with me:

Healthy, energetic boys (sometimes I forget that energy is a blessing)

A sweet, smiley Gabey face--who wouldn't want a basketfull of that?!

Good friends:

Dirt--it saves my life:

Sweet blond hair to add variety to our brown-haired crew:

Lack of Television programs, but joy of the occassional DVD

(like for family "haircuts and a movie night")

*this was Isaac's first haircut--just a little off the bottom

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I don't know how people get through life without it!

This is La Primaria del Ramo di Forli:

Sweet brother moments:

A House to live in--and we really LIVE in it--and a great yard for exploring and adventuring:

Obviously,

THE BOYS who make life full, challenging, unpredictable, and fun.

And a Practically Perfect husband, who takes such good care of all of us

(So glad that he fell for me):

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for all that I have been blessed with.

Halloween week--scarey!

I can't believe how fast October has flown!

We have been enjoying some of the beauties of fall--like the need for long sleeves and jackets (I just love a crisp, chilly breath of fresh air)!!

Of course October brings our traditional "Halloween" books, movies, baking, and decorating.

We start every school day with Five Little Pumpkins, which we learned from Grandma Moss and just love (we have assigned each person his/her appropriate pumpkin):

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one says, "Oh my, it's getting late!" (Mom)

The second one says, "There are witches in the air!" (Gabe)

The third one says, "I don't care." (totally Adam)

The fourth one says, "Let's run, and run, and run!" (yup. Eli)

The fifth one says, "I'm ready for some fun." (Isaac)

Then, "woooooooooo" goes the wind,

And OUT (clap) go the lights!

And the 5 little pumpkins roll out of sight. (rolling hands)

I have been trying to learn one of the Witches' chants from Macbeth, because it is so fun and perfect for Halloween: Round about the cauldron go, in the poisoned entralls throw . . .

I was hoping to encourage my kids to learn Windy Nights, By Robert Louis Stevenson:

Whenever the moon and the stars are set,

Whenever the wind is high,

All night long in the dark and wet,

A man goes riding by.

Late in the night when the fires are out,

Why does he gallop and gallop about?

Whenever the trees are crying aloud,

And ships are tossed at sea,

By on the highway, low and loud,

By at the gallop goes he.

By at the gallop he goes, and then

By he comes back at the gallop again

I would say it in my creepiest voice, hoping to really grab them.

Well, . . .Adam would cover his ears and sing every time I began the poem, because he was sick of it, but . . .he'll love it next year!

One of our favorite books/poems to read at Halloween time is the tale of The Spider and the Fly (a favorite all year, but especially fun at this time of year). There is another really cute book called Here They Come by David Costello. It is one of Gabe's all-time favorites and is just fun!

In early October the boys learned the song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". It is a marching song from the civil war (the Northerners sang it). I showed them later how it is the same tune used in "The Ants Go Marching", and we learned that one. Well, since it was coming on Halloween we decided to write our own Halloweeny version--some of the verses are a bit tricky to fit in, but the boys and I had a pretty fun hour putting it together, and Isaac thought we were hysterical. Here are the basic verses:

The Ghosts go haunting 1 by 1,

ooooo, ooooooo (scarey ghost sounds)

The Ghosts go haunting 1 by 1,

ooooo, oooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 1 by 1,

The scariest one says, "This is fun!"

And they all go haunting

down to the town

to scare all the kids!

ooooooooo (longer scarey sound to lead into the next verse)

The ghost go haunting 2 by 2, . . .

The scariest one howls at the moon.

And they all go haunting . . .

ooooooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 3 by 3 . . .

The scariest one looked right at me!

And they all go haunting . . .

oooooooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 4 by 4 . . .

The scariest one hid behind the door.

And they all go haunting . . .

ooooooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 5 by 5 . . .

The scariest one died at 95.

And they all go haunting . . .

oooooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 6 by 6 . . .

The scariest one stopped to eat some chicks.

(Adam's favorite, but you could change it to "throw some sticks")

And they all go haunting. . .

ooooooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 7 by 7 . . .

They've never made it quite to heaven.

And they all go haunting . . .

ooooooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 8 by 8 . . .

The scariest one made an old woman faint.

And they all go haunting . . .

ooooooooo

The Ghosts go haunting 9 by 9 . . .

The scariest one stopped to rattle the pines.

And they all go haunting . . .

ooooooooo

The ghost go haunting 10 by 10 . . .

When the sun comes up they'll be gone again.

And they all go haunting . . .

ooooooooo

Halloween is a chance to laugh at the spooky,

to try something creepy,

(Adam with a shrimp scampi we used in our dinner that night--colored hair and eyes added)

or to feel a nice little chill go up your spine--like when we wonder what really happened to Icabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Always nice to have another reason to celebrate!

Life back to normal?

Okay, it always takes me a little while to get back into the swing of things after visiting family in the states. But this time, it is just a bit crazy.
There have been some interesting things to alter the speed of transition, like:


#1--an injured David, trying to recover from the 4-wheeler accident on the dunes in Idaho. This is a true trial for him (and me). He broke 3 ribs, cracked his sternum, cracked his pelvis and bruised a lung--all recoverable, but painful. He has never been incapable of helping with so many of the everyday things in our lives, nor has he ever been in significant pain for a long period of time. He is trying to be patient and let things heal, but doesn't enjoy this more inactive life-style.

(this is a picture of where David went over--look close and you can see 2 little tire prints, against the sky, on the top of the hill)

He still hasn't gone into work, but has been working at home on the computer and on the phone. We try to be quiet during his business calls, but even when he is shut away in a remote room, voices carry! It's all about humility this fall, eh David?

#2--my closest friend here, Angie MacDonald, moved back to the states just a week after our return. She has been a saving-grace for me here in Italy. We will really miss our long, fun Miss Angie and Kenny days. The MacDonald's became family, so we will see more of them, but we miss them.

#3--a pregnant Rebekah. Okay, so we've done this before, but never without Daddy coming home most evenings and taking over so mom can run to the toilet and then to bed. And never with an Isaac--he makes things interesting (kind of like an Eli, but with more night-time sleep issues).


(Isaac loves to play in the bidet!)

We are excited for our new addition--all the males in the family are hoping for a baby girl, so mom has decided to root for the underdog and talk up another boy!

Thank heavens for pretty good little boys. They have jumped right back into life as they know it, full of toy animals, home-made games, wrestling, and hours spent in the huge field of dirt!

I have to say that I don't know what we would do without Eli right now. He has proven to be the greatest of helps with Isaac, most appreciated when mom just needs a rest. Isaac loves him and often wakes up asking where Eli is, "Li? (lie) Li? Li?. . .Li!!!"

(David and I always end up singing, "Li, li, li..pom...li, li, li, li, la-li, li, li ... li, li, li...pom...li, li, li, li, li, li, li, la-la-la-la-li". You may not recognize this without the melody, but it is a great part of one of the great Simon and Garfunkel songs).

Anyway, I've just made my life sound rotten, but we are doing pretty well, all said. As I wrote this, I have easily seen the flip-side of these "trials":

#1--I have had the opportunity to recognize all that David really does for me on a daily basis in his usual, very capable, state.

#2--In Angie MacDonald I have made a life-long friend--the kind that really does only come around very seldomly, and my kids have earned a sort of 3rd grandmother (she spoiled them rotten).

#3--I am hopefully going to have the chance to see another one of Heavenly Father's spirits join our home--always wonderful and interesting! I have seen my boys' sheer joy at the thought of having another brother or sister. When we told them Iwas pregnant, they just kept saying, "Is it really true?" and Eli said, in the sweetest, most tender manner, "I always knew I wanted another brother or sister, but I am just so glad!!"

Life sure is great for stories, and that is what I like the most--good stories to tell.

The Incomparable Grandpa Von

Happy Birthday, Dad!

We just recently got back from our yearly visit to the states--a chance to make more memories to live on throughout the year!

Our time was very short with the Callister clan, and my kids were very bummed to have to leave without more adventures with cousins and GRANDPA VON!

Most grandpas are wonderful, but there has always been something extra special about Grandpa Von. He has energy and an adventurous spirit, which helps make him fun, but he also has such a a sweet and thoughtful way. My boys all adore him.

Eli got to live in the same house with Grandpa Von for the first 8 months of his life, and has been hooked ever since--though he has always lived at least 2,000 miles away. Adam and Gabe were won over quickly, and Isaac is following in the grandpa-von-fan-club tradition.

It is easy for me to see why my children adore him, since I have my whole life!

But I thought that I would share a couple of examples of the sweet man that my dad is, and how he stays strong in their hearts and thoughts, even from thousands of miles away.

My dad works for Wells Fargo bank and so my kids have Wells Fargo wagon banks and wallets (we love to sing The Wells Fargo Wagon Is A-comin' Down the Street, from The Music Man).

Well, this year, he sent us a Wells Fargo Calendar. Each page has a couple of Cowboys driving the Wells Fargo Wagon pulled by a large team of horses through different scenery. It is fun on its own, but my dad took it a step further and added words to each image-- drivers exclaiming, horses talking, aliens or bigfoot or a hidden person in the distance making some simple little remark. He uses at least one of the boys' name on each page and they love it! I just have to smile as I picture him at the kitchen table with this calendar in front of him thinking up what to write.

*In case you can't read what he wrote here--the man next to the driver is saying, "Adam, please slow down, you are scaring me!" and one of the horses asks the other, "Why do we have these things over our eyes? I can't see you. Can you see me? Maybe they don't want us visiting with each other."

The other thing that he is good about doing at least a couple times a year is sending notes to my boys in the mail. They love to get the letters from Grandpa Von and read the individual letter to them. So far it has always been written on a notepad stating:

From the desk of ..... Von (though he has added Grandpa on top of the Von)

I keep these notes for the boys and know that they will always be a special reminder of their Grandpa and how he was willing to take time to think of each of them specifically.

These are just a couple examples of my sweet Dad. My heart is so warmed and grateful when I hear my kids praise him. He is a wonderful example of all I dream they will become as men.

My Dad drove to the airport with us when we were heading back to Italy, in case we needed extra help (David was hurt while we were in the states and I thought I might need extra help getting to the plane with the boys). Eli rode in Grandpa's car and stayed pretty close to him until we said good-bye at security.

It was so hard for Eli to say good-bye.

I was emotional, but trying to be the strong and collected mother--with 4 little boys and a husband getting wheelchair service, I felt that I needed to look like I was okay.

Eli did his best to be discreet, but he was sobbing. I could hardly look at him because I just wanted to bawl along-side him. Here was my tender-hearted boy leaving his favorite person on this planet (he loves his parents and brothers, but . . .), knowing it would be a long time until they met again. I was grateful for the man who inspired such a strong adoration, even if it made departure extra hard.

Thanks Dad.

Gabey turns 5!

Gabey-goo.

sweet thumb-sucking cuddler

Makes mom melt.

I can't believe that he is 5!

Of all my children, he is the one that I would just like to keep in compact form, so I can always have him near me:

-asking to come to the grocery store, when everyone else wants to stay home with Dad.

-telling me I am pretty and he loves me

-ready at any moment to have a story read to him

-climbing into my bed in the morning for some snuggles before starting the day

-making up poetry like:

Once there was a Raccoon and he met a

Ibex and then they met a

Iguanadon and then they met a

Allasaurus and then they met a

Amabeledon and then they met a

Diplodocus and then they met a

Liopleridon and that was the end.
(all real creatures, mostly prehistoric)

The day before his birthday I told him that he just needed to stay 4 because it fits him so well. He let me know that he was going to be 5 (there is something so magical about that whole-hand-age), but he said, "Don't worry, Mom. I will still cuddle you up!"

Gabe's jungle-themed party

Gabe says, "The best thing I got for my birthday was my Ibex, and my favorite thing we did is adventuring to find animals . . .but not real ones, toy ones!"

Beauty through Eli's eyes

The other day Eli runs into the house exclaiming, "Mom! Mom! You have to see this bird that Gatto killed!"

Now, Gatto (the cat who has adopted us) kills numerous birds, lizards, mice, moles, etc., and loves to leave them on the porch as little gifts. I have seen many, and was in the middle of something, so I was going to decline the new opportunity.

Then Eli went on, "It is the prettiest bird you've ever seen. It is all red with a blue belly."

We don't have birds like that here, so I got up and went outside to see it.

This is what I saw:

It is a pretty ordinary bird--the kind that are always lying dead on the front porch. It is sweet and so I would have felt sad that it was killed, but I wouldn't have thought much more of it, since it is just one of the many little brown birds in the yard.

Eli is color-blind. He wasn't trying to trick me into coming out. He truly saw something beautiful in this simple little bird.

I often wonder what Eli sees and feel sad for lack of color in his world. I am such a color nut--it makes me so happy to see bright, happy colors. But this day I learned a sweet, touching lesson--Eli doesn't see what I see, but maybe sometimes what he sees is better.

That little bird was acknowledged and appreciated by Eli in a way that, perhaps, no one else could appreciate him.

Maybe we should all be a bit more "color-blind" at times.

Thanks, Eli.