Sunny Easter

Today,  quite unexpectedly, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. The Easter Bells therefore dropped their chocolate eggs in the garden. Both Auro and Tosca were equally excited about their egg hunt (the first one for Tosca) and ,in no time, had collected all the little eggs in their plastic bags. Needless to say, their breakfast consisted mainly of chocolate...

collecting the last eggs

getting ready to open the big eggs as well

Ready!

We are ready for tomorrow! Big (Italian) Easter eggs are lined up to be opened in the morning and 2 baskets are ready for the kids to go on their Easter egg hunt. According to Belgian tradition, tonight, the Easter Bells will return from Rome, laden with chocolate eggs, which they will drop in the gardens for the children to find on the morning of Easter. I can't wait to see Auro's and Tosca's faces!

Auro's Easter Bells (he made them at school)

"Happy Easter" wishes

Italian Easter tradition: big chocolate eggs with a toy inside

Auro and I decorated some eggs to get in the Easter mood ;-)

Italian fathers

Yesterday, the 19th of March, Italian children celebrated their fathers. Auro made this at school and succeeded in making Remo's day very special.

TWO!!!

On the 27th of February, Tosca turned two! We waited for Auro to come back from school to give her her present, but her crown... that she wore from the morning. 

On Saturday, all the neighbours came by and we celebrated with more presents and a birthday cake.

Tosca and the present we got her

the cake

a little overwhelmed by all the attention ;-)

Back in time: before Tosca's Birthday

On the 30th of January, we left our rental car at Charleroi airport and boarded the plane to Bologna. I was a bit nervous to travel by myself with the 2 kids and 4 bags, but they were on their best behaviour and it was one of the most relaxing flights ever. At the airport of Bologna, my sister-in-law was waiting for us and she drove us to Cesenatico where we would stay until Remo returned from Japan. 

Walking through Cesenatico with Ginevra

The first Sunday we were there was an important one, because it was the day that Ginevra (my little niece) was baptized and I became her godmother!The little ceremony during the Sunday mass was followed by a very opulent lunch at a restaurant. Unfortunately, I didn't really manage to take any photographs of this joyous occasion, so I'm hoping someone else did and will forward me some.

A freshly baptised Ginevra enjoying her lunch

Three days after Ginevra's baptism, the first pockmarks appeared on Tosca's body. The next day she had them everywhere (her head was covered with huge blisters). She had one night of fever, so I kept her in the bed with me, but other than that, she didn't really suffer much. By the time we went back to Genoa (about 10 days later), all the lesions had crusted over and were healing.

Tosca on her first day with chickenpox

Back in time: January 2013

We started the new year in Belgium with a New Year's dinner with the whole family at my father's place. The kids discovered the fun of indoor playgrounds (They are immensely popular in Belgium!) and were over-excited outdoors as well with the heavy snowfall. 

One of the many reasons we went to Belgium this time, was because we wanted to send Auro to the kindergarten there. Equipped with a brand new backpack containing his mid-morning snack and his lunchbox, he started school on the morning of the 7th. Leaving him there that first morning, I had no idea he would like it so much. But, he really loved it and during the 3 weeks he was there, he never complained about having to get up early, made many new friends (he even managed to get a play date) and, like all the other kids, came home with the chickenpox (which didn't make him sick at all, so he just continued going to school).

Dinner on the first day of the year

Presents!!

Remo and Auro enjoying the indoor play ground in Leuven

Playground in Booischot

Lost and lots of snow...

Auro on his first (Belgian) school day

Tosca having breakfast

On my birthday, my husband sent me flowers from Japan. Tosca had to smell each and every one of them before I could put them in a vase ;)

One afternoon when Auro came back from school...

The kids and their cousin Zita in Jandrain-Jandrenouille (where my brother and his family have just moved into their new home)

Back in time: December 2012

December: the month in which we put up the Christmas tree, Saint Nicholas brought many presents and we saw the first snow covering everything with a thick white layer. In December, Auro's kindergarten organised a Christmas recital (in which Auro was present, but didn't take part very actively due to a fever that made him miss 2 weeks of school and nearly all of the preparations for the recital). 

The first snow was good enough for this beautiful snowman!

On the morning of the 6th of December, Auro and Tosca followed the trail of tangerines and chocolates down the stairs, to find that Saint Nicholas had brought them a table with chairs, a CD, a puzzle and a board game of Barbapapa!

Happy kids!

Auro's school recital (Auro is in the right bottom corner, with a white t-shirt)

There he is, trying to find us among all the parents while he should have been singing with the other kids...

Here is one girl who really enjoyed the show (shouting Wawa every time she spotted her brother).

On the 23rd of December, we put all of our Christmas presents in our suitcase and took the plane to Belgium. We had a quiet (but nice) Christmas Eve in my dad's new apartment and on the last day of 2012 we went caroling in the street where he used to live. We even stopped at the house I grew up in and met the new owners (it felt weird, but comforting at the same time knowing the house seems to be in caring hands). 

Auro and Tosca ready to sing for candy

A pit stop at the house of friendly (ex-) neighbours  (cookies and a glass of water for the children, jenever and homemade Amaretto for the adults)

After about 10 houses, the children finally overcame their initial shyness and started singing louder than the accompanying adults (notwithstanding the jenever stop we had just had). Here you see Zita (my brother's daughter) singing at the top of her lungs ;-)

And they were well rewarded!

A final toast on the old year...

Back in time: November 2012

November 2012 was the month in which Remo turned 40. He had told me many times he didn't want any party, so what did I do? I threw him a surprise party! And guess what? He liked it :-)

The day after his birthday party, however, Remo had to leave for Japan and I stayed behind with the kids. Luckily, my father and my aunt drove all the way from Belgium to keep us company a bit. About a week after they had left, my sister in law and her little girl came to stay with us.

Four candles on a small cake (on the 9th, Remo's actual birthday)

Birthday lunch at the restaurant (on the 10th of November), followed by a surprise arrival of neighbours, friends and colleagues

...with a slightly bigger cake!

 

 

 

 

 

My beautiful kids one evening during that long November month

Tosca & Auro with their cousin Ginevra

Goldilocks

Before I start on (yet another) huge update, I want to mark today as the day that Tosca had her first haircut! After today's bath, I sat her down on her step stool with a book and draped one of Remo's dirty shirts around her shoulders. About 5 minutes later, I had collected a handful of golden curls in Remo's shirt.

The walk

This is how Tosa walks!

Coffee

I have just had my midmorning coffee and I'm enjoying the momentary burst of energy that comes with it. I have also made up my mind: today I'm posting a big update to make up for the last 5 months in which I did not have the time or the energy to write. The kids have continued growing. We have gone on holidays. We have had visitors. Too many things happened that I should have written about. After reading this post, you should be up-to-date on the latest developments in the Proietti family!

June 2012

June was the last month of school for Italian kids and also Auro successfully finished his first year of kindergarten. The school held it's yearly recital with Pinocchio's story as the central theme. All the children got a part in the musical and Auro, together with his fellow freshmen, skillfully represented the waves of the sea in which Pinocchio jumps to look for his lost father.

one of our tickets to the recital

Auro as a "wave"

With the arrival of warmer temperatures, unfortunately, Tosca's slightly atopic skin developed a contagious skin infection (impetigo). Antibiotics, skin cream and nearly one month later the blisters finally started to disapear from around her ancles, legs and hands.

July, August 2012

The warmer months of July and August, we basically spent traveling back and forth between Genoa and Cesenatico. We went to the beach and swam in the river. We ate in restaurants and had people over for lunch. We also, and this was my favourite part of the holidays, spent one week in Andalo (Trentino, North Italy)... just the four of us!!

Wendy and her family visiting from Belgium (in the garden of my in-laws)

Nicholas, our Australian visitor from Japan

the swimming pool in the garden of my in-laws

the beach of Cesenatico ( Auro and Tosca with their nonna)

Tosca with her cousin Zita (visiting from Belgium)

Auro and Zita at the laghetti del guado (40 min drive from our home)

Auro all happy

mountains in Andalo

cable lift

cowboy Auro

mountain flowers

happy hikers

mother and daughter :-)

religous procession of San Martino di Paravanico

change of crucifix bearer

September 2012

In September, we went to meet a friend of mine in the city. She and her family were on a cruise and last Saturday their ship docked at Genoa harbour. A great occasion to go and see them!

However, September 2012, more than a month of having visitors, will be remembered as the month in which Tosca started walking and Auro threw the best birthday party ever seen in San Martino di Paravanico.

On the 15th of September, 2 days before Auro's birthday, Tosca finally let go of my hand and walked about the house freely. She still prefers to hold my hand when she walks, but at least we know she is capable of doing it all by herself. Let's be honnest: it was about time. After all, she is nearly 19 months old. When I found out that Remo's sister didn't walk until the age of 2 and his aunt until the age of 3, I admit I got a bit worried. What a relief that she is not all Proietti ;-) 

On the 17th of September, Auro turned 4! We went out to buy him a bicycle (he choose a red one) and the next day we sent him off to school with the invitations to his first real birthday party. Last Saturday, we set up a rented inflatable castle, prepared some tables with drinks and snacks and celebrated his birthday together with some of his classmates and all of our neighbours. The kids had the best time jumping up and down the inflatable jungle and only came out from time to time to quickly pop something in their mouth. The parents were over the moon about the inflatable (apparently nobody ever thought of putting one), because they didn't have to run after their kids and could actually sit, relax and enjoy the party. Good job, Proietti family!

Mina. Renske and Auro on the pirate ship (galeone) in Genoa

the morning of Auro's birthday

the invitation (Special thanks to Wendy who gave me the idea to put Auro's photo. We got many compliments on the originality of the invitation! And thank you, Nicholas, for taking the photo!)

the inflatable jungle

good for hours of fun!

at times there were so many children inside, we had to run to stop it from tipping over (which obviously made it even more fun!)

this little one safely remained on the outside

the birthday boy ready to open his presents

some were difficult to open... luckily there were many helping hands

"Who's present is this? Thank you!!!" (such a well mannered boy... I'm so proud of him)

undoubtedly the best part of the party for Auro

Auro and his mate Lorenzo