We were up at Malga Brigolina again this afternoon for lunch, sun-time and play-time, but this time went with friends for all; we had one of our last get-togethers with Emelie, Per and Isa - they're heading home to Sweden on Tuesday. It was a beautiful day - crazy amazing views to go with the good weather and good food... just like last time. I had to had to had to post the above pic - is it not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I'm sorry if I've said that before, because this time I really mean it.
18 weeks today! can't believe we're almost half way there...
I'm going to keep this short and sweet again because I want some time with my hubs before our awaited house guests return. Oh but I've got so much more to say and write about - Hendrik has so many new words! And he knows some of the letters of the alphabet! Proud momsy writing here... Anyways, more to come soon... I swear!
at playgroup a few days ago
Tonight I called Hendrik a cutie-pie and because he's repeating so much of what we say (attention attention) he started saying "piiiieeee" which I loved, and Steve caught some of it on tape:
I might have said something about this before but Hendrik is totally stuck on the C page of Dr Seuss's ABC which goes like this: Big C little c what begins with c? Camel on the ceiling, C c c.... Which means that he'll point to the ceiling, say "cam" and the "cow" and whatever else he feels like pinning to the ceiling and then give his head a smack as in oooooh no! because that's what we started doing. The game - like many others - can go on for-ever!
We spent mucho time in the car yesterday, but were rewarded with sunshine, amazing lake views and a heaping cone of gelato - triple yumsy. Pics are all I've got for tonight - it's movie time....
picnic-lunching at a piazza in Malcesine
two happy people ... love!
happiness
auntie and uncle enjoying the lake views
in Sirmione
we drove down the east side of Lake Garda to Sirmione (A), and the took the autostrada home - solid day!
I can - or am going to - finally break the news! Steve and I are expecting baby #2, a little brother or sister for Hendrik at the end of August... !!!! I could have pregnancy-posted quite some time ago, but neither of us were really ready, or ? I'm not quite sure what it was, but at 4 1/2 months along now it might just be that we are both less exhausted. The early pregnancy energy-zap + full-time-mom duties were a handful, and Steve with his crazy busy schedule was constantly tired - PLUS, the prospect of another babe in the mix took a while to sink in. In any case, we're super excited and so so so so happy.... two! Eek. I'll write a blog one of these days with a bit more info - how I found out, when, how doing all of this in Italian has been etc etc. We're hoping to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl when I pay a visit to the doctor next Monday, so I'll try to slot it all in then. Excitement! Life is going to change quite drastically once again.
having a serious discussion on night #1 of things to do and food to eat... lists were made!
Auntie Erin and (squirmy!) Hendrik
AND, Erin and Fred are here and we're having a so-far fantastic time with them.... yaaay! They arrived on Wednesday and we've since eaten a lot of food (surprise) and hmmm they've even made it to Venice and Verona - and they've only been here for four days (it's Sunday today, right?)! It's been beautiful here in Trento too, and we've spent a few mornings in the centre, wandering and - yesterday - checking out the Handmade Chocolate Festival (Festa del Cioccolato Artiginiale) .... gulp! I spent a few hours wandering around the Farmer's Market and the Flea market (market market market) before meeting up with everyone at Piazza Fiera for the chocolate market, but with Hendrik falling asleep in Dad's arms (apparently he had one bite of chocolate and immediately passed out) I volunteered to take the little one home. But of course I wasn't about to miss out on chocolate heaven, so this morning Hen and I walked around down there and I felt like one of those super drooly dogs salivating uncontrollably as I did my rounds. I managed to come away with just two purchases: a piece of pear and chocolate strudel (eaten immediately) and a little cup of cremini which I think is hazelnut-cream and chocolate layered together in creamy deliciousness. I will try to take a picture before it's all gone. Anyways! It's been great having Erin and Fred here - I wish we didn't live quite so far away. We were talking about the upcoming summer last night (and reminiscing about a certain night at Pam and Bob's (December 27, 2008) and the par-tay we partook in in Banff after their wedding) and hoping we can get together with most of the family this summer out in Ontario. Anyways, with a day off for the working man tomorrow we're hoping to tour the east side of Lake Garda and Sirmione, a town at at the south end of the lake. Should be good! For now, that's it. I'll try to sneak in a few pics before signing off....
it was chocolate-mania... YUM
looking mighty cute in some new clothes from E&F! (and might I add that "tie" is now a part of his vocabulary - !!)
Hendrik gave me the DOUBLE YUMMY sign when he ate my lasagna - best compliment ever!
West Van Highlanders! Love it!
I am going to miss seeing buildings like these .... have I mentioned that I love it here?
playing outside this afternoon - Hendrik loves it too!
1. The other day - after Steve tried Luciano's homemade lucanica (sausage-salami) and made this died-and-gone-to-heaven face - he told me that wherever we end up living we have to live next door to people like Luciano and Antonella. However, unless we want to set up camp in Vela for the rest of our lives (not such a horrible prospect, it's just a little too far away from family and friends), I don't think that's going to happen... they are one of a kind.
bottling wine
2. Yesterday Hendrik almost locked Steve out of the house; when we're on the patio we have to be sure to follow him inside immediately - he is becoming quite skilled at turning door handles and closing doors.
3. Hendrik had Nao playing all sorts of games with him, but the cutest started with fishing pasta out from under the dishwasher with a hockey stick. That morphed into letting the balloon fly up to the ceiling, an "uh-oh!" and then everyone lies down on the kitchen floor (to look at the pasta... or not). Video:
4. Did I ever mention that Nao brought two sizes of pants? I haven't asked her yet if she used size bigger but ummm I sure do feel like I could use size bigger right about now.
5. Spring is definitely here; the grass is green and trees are blooming... I love it! It just makes me a bit sad that we'll be leaving when everything is at its best. But there's no place like home, and home is family... I can't wait to see everyone!
6. Erin and Fred will be here soon... YAY! And there's sauce for a lasagna on the stove - double yay! And I'm going to go lie down RIGHT now for 20 minutes before Steve has to leave for practice... life is good...
I was thinking about taking Hendrik to a playgroup this afternoon but because of the amazing weather, decided against it... and good thing; look what was going on just down the street from us:
bus (and then two) + truck + digger/tractor + digger-in-action + rocks + another truck = boy heaven
seriously interested
And in the garden, we enjoyed spring flowers and looked for planes and I think, helicopters.
Hendrik is saying so many words these days - we were reading one of his top-rated good night books (Canada in Colours) just before bed, and he pointed out a chimney and said chimney - !! It was more of a "chimmey", but I'd say that's a pretty solid effort for an almost 16-month old muffin. He's also picking words out of our conversations and repeating them; gobble (Steve: "whoah gobble gobble down your lunch!") and hey! (Steve: "hey! you're tearing down the fort!") are two of today's such words. So mmm-hm, we have to really start watching what we say. He also is very well aware of what the word cone (as in ice-cream) means; today we were at a park that has the cutest little swing suspended from two triangular pillar things, and until he said "Mama, cone!" and made this "gnnnumm!" sound as he lurched forward and pretended to take a bite out of one of them, it didn't occur to me that they look just like upside down ice cream cones. Are we overdoing it on the gelato? No. He just likes it and so do we.
And speaking of gelato, I have to blog about the rest of my amazing visit with Nao... booooo, I dropped her off at the airport yesterday morning. We had such an amazing time together and time sure flies when you're having fun. And when you're eating good food and living in Trento. I think I just have to take it day by day here or else I won't be able to fit it all in (or remember it all).
food booths galore!
Saturday morning we had pancakes (again) which were ah-mazing, and then we took the bus downtown to check out the agricultural fair that was happening at the fairgrounds. We didn't really know what to expect other than an animal zone for kidlets; it was, in fact, a show/fair for any and all products relating to agriculture, gardening (and eating) - fun for all. Hendrik LOVED the animals (I think the cow was his favourite - we were blown away by the giant bunnies) and the tractors and the balloons, and we loved how much he loved all of those things. There were also food booths galore: foccacia, cheese, salami and speck, bread, risotto and apples (to name a few) and a lunch spot offering traditional Trentino fare. Yes of course we stopped there for lunch:
sauerkraut, polenta (cooked and stirred by a bearded man over an open fire), lucanica (sausuage) and cheese sauce, delicious!
It was fun, it was busy and we walked off our lunch - through Piedicastello and around Doss Trento we went, back to our home in Vela. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur but I think we went back into the centre and wandered a bit, but came away with food only (surprise) - goods for dinner. We watched Trentino Volley suffer through a semi-final at the hands of Zenit Kazan (they lost 3-1) but enjoyed the feast on the table: ham, prosciutto, focaccia, salad, cantaloupe, grapes and cheese.
on our way home through Piedicastello
Sunday, 10:00 snack stop | far R: Hendrik in concentration mode (on a sugar packet)
Sunday was yet another fair day (Fiera di San Giuseppe) which saw the centre packed even more to the gills with people, plants, and all things agriculturaland non-agricultural alike. We definitely weren't expecting so many people or so many market stalls; we went into town to see the main square decked out in flowers, but saw everything else too: candy, clothes, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and on and on. Hendrik was very patient in his stroller BUT after a decent sized 10:00 snack (juice + panini) decided to, ahem, unload in the most awkward of places: beautiful fancy bag store Borbonese. Awooooops. The ladies were almost as nice as the bags and anyways, who cares! it doesn't matter because Nao found the cutest bag to buy; I think buying a handbag was somewhere on her list of things-to-do in Italy, behind eating eating eating and eating. We walked around until we were overcome by the crowds, and then came home for lunch and relaxation. And cinnamon buns. And a bronze medal match (won by Trentino Volley, hur-ray). And then this: at 7:00, after dinner, after cinnamon buns Nao says to me, "ummm, so, Heather... can you do gelato? do you think you can do it?" And me, after giving it some thought (and I was so full that I had to think about it), "errr, hm. Yes. Yes I can do it." Take one for the team here is what I was really thinking; I was full-to-bursting but it was Nao's last night and she wanted gelato... I wasn't about to let her down. So we balloon-rolled ourselves down the stairs and into the car and drove to Serafini. Once inside with trays of gelato before my gluttonous eyeballs, all thoughts and feelings of fullness disappeared as if they had never existed. This place is that magical! Nao had raspberry and ricotta and walnut (Hendrik dove at her cone as soon as it was in her mitt), I had choco-hazelnut-peanut butter (best flavour ever) and rum-raisin, and Hendrik had vanilla. Need I say any more?
It was a great visit with a great friend and I can't wait for the next time... yay. And I can't wait for our next visitors! Good thing because they're arriving tomorrow - Erin and Fred should be cruising just before dinner some time and we are so pumped! I love having visitors. Stay tuned!
is he not the cutest? sporting an outfit from Freddie and Shanti... love it!
I forgot to add gnocchi and cabbage-pancetta fry to the day before yesterday's list-of-gluttony; both were homemade by Antonella, and both were amazing delicious. I also forgot to add this incredible photo:
And these are worth adding too:
helping with the cupboard (dis)organization
Hendrik's first (and last?) time in a Ferrari - just outside the grocery store
loving the flowers at Thursday's market
Antonella and I went for a looovely walk on Friday morning just above Sopramonte in/on Monte Bondone, and after an easy 30 minutes, arrived at Malga Brigolina - a farm, restaurant, play-place, cheese-maker... it seemed to have it all. Hendrik loved the animals and the sandbox and the trucks and the wooden water fountain, and I loved the patio views that came with lunch. We made it back home in time for a nap before playgroup, and then we both seriously conked out last night; it was one of those morning wake-ups followed by the one-step bed make: fold the triangle of covers back over the pillow and that's it, you're done. But like I said, I was up early, and with no nap today.... I'm hoping for another solid sleep tonight. Enjoy the pics!
