Hello From a Real Computer!

I am at the public library in Barberino on the public computer!! It is sure nice to be typing on a full sized keyboard for a bit. Today was supposed to be rainy, and we were exhausted, so we decided to have a quiet day. As the morning wore on though, we all were feeling a little cabin feverish and I could not get a certain red leather purse off of my mind, so we went for a little drive. Our destination was Monteriggioni, which I talked about on Tuesday, maybe...a little hilltop fort-castle type of deal. We had a delicious lunch and I got the red purse- my souvenir from Italy!

I wanted to do some housekeeping items now since I am on a real computer for a minute. (Would you believe that the librarian-a stern Italian in his early 60s probably-is typing on a real typewriter right now!) First of all, thank you for your prayers and thoughts for our health and safety. We have been so lucky to not have had to deal with theft or injury. Phew. Also, by some miracle we have all stayed moderately healthy through all this cold rainy weather. A few coughs here and there, and a few runny noses, but for the most part we are doing great. Here is a little individual shot of each member of our family....

J: Loving it. Loves not being at work. Loves being with all of us, and loves experiencing all this new stuff. He is an expert navigator as well. In Tuscany there are not a ton of instersections with stop lights, but mostly roundabouts. Sometimes I drive around them a couple of times while he gets things figured out, but all in all we are doing pretty well.

M: So into everything. She is interested in it all. Tired of standing in lines, and tired of pizza. Genuinely having a great time with her brothers.

G: Swings from super and excited and happy and interested, to "Please get me some gelato as soon as possible and no, I can not walk one more step." Overall a good sport, especially when his parents make sure his tummy is full, and a stroller is handy.

C: You may not recognize Carter when we come home. He is talking ALL OF THE TIME. He has the funniest intonations and facial expressions though. Even when he is driving us NUTS he is making us laugh. He has all the rest of us tied around his little finger. He, too, is a big fan of Gelato and asks Daddy for "more! MORE! MORE, Daddy! PEEEEEEASE!" Before Daddy can even get a bite in.

And Me: I was seriously unsure of what in the world we were thinking while we were in Rome. But now, I feel good (I have not cried while we have been in Tuscany!) and am really enjoying this gift of time with my family. Grandparents, we WILL be ready for some serious babysitting when we get home though. Not kidding!

I also wanted to give a couple of product reviews. Before we left I bought the DROPPS detergent packs and I LOVE them. They have been perfect for traveling- from doing laundry in the bathtub in Rome to the teeny front loader in Tuscany, they have worked great. They clean really well, yet are still mild on the skin. I will probably use them in my regular life when we get home.

Ergo- We are SO glad we bought the Ergo Baby Carrier for C. My only regret is that waited until he was 23 months old to buy it. I love carrying him in it, and it has been great for G to get to use the stroller with the amount of walking we have been doing. We mostly put C on our backs, but the other day I held him on my front (He was saying, "NO BACKPACK! NOOOOO!") and he had a great little nap.

KEEN Shoes- I bought these red, leather KEEN walking shoes before we left. I also brought a pair of Mary Jane Crocs in case it was nice (have not worn those at all). The KEENS are AWESOME. We have walked so many miles, and my feet feel great. No blisters. And they are so light weight- when it has been warmish, I have still been fine.

Welp, I think that is it for now. Thank you again for all the comments and kind words. We really do miss everyone, and love hearing from you. It is so encouraging to know you are thinking of us- we are thinking of you too!

CIAO!