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Keegan has been attending the Montessori school for a couple of months now. It has been a somewhat rough adjustment: many rules, a much stricter routine, lots of work, and trying to catch up to the other kids, beside, obviously, trying to make new friends.

The making new friends part is still an on-going process: he definitely has lots of friends (and once again, he seems popular among the girls), but he also has lots of disagreement and small fights with them. Oh well, boys, right? There are, after all, 24 kids in his class, (don’t ask me to name them all) so I am sure he will make lasting friendships. eventually.

One thing we can say, though, is that despite all the personal dramas, he is pretty happy there. And so are we: the progress he has been making is great. He started at the beginning of September not knowing how to read or write, and refusing to practice. By the end of October, his writing, while still uncertain, is almost at par with all the other kids. He is also much more willing to write, and getting faster and faster at it. This is the comparison between early September and end of October.

He also started reading…granted, simple, 1 syllabus words, but it is still reading. He brings a book home every week, and he seems more motivated at trying to read in general.

It interesting to see their method: they don’t focus on sight words at all. They went straight for reading and phonetic reading. It is “funny” to see Keegan getting frustrated at trying to pronounce words right. It does not seem to be any rules. Why wouldn’t  two OO always sound the same? Why do BLOOD and FOOD don’t rhyme? And I can totally feel his pain! Can anyone explain to me why don’t they??? He is definitely a lot better when he reads Italian, since letters always sound the same.

We also like the fact he gets to do a lot of interesting activities. He is learning computers, music, science. He has guest speakers. He already went to two field trips, to the Pumpkin Patch and the the natural History Museum. I could not be there, but a father posted some images. The kids learned about harvest and hunting and gathering in the old days. They even did some mud painting, using the symbols native American used. It looks like they had a great time.

painting ideograms

grinding acorns to make flour

If we forget the constant monetary request for this or that cause/event, we are really happy with the choice so far. We are still working on behavior, but I am glad that discipline and personal responsibility is also highly enforced at school.

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While I am not a huge Autumn fan, I have to say that September and October are wonderful months in San Diego. The weather is usually beautiful and summer-like, but all the tourists are gone. So, we get to extend our summer season another couple of months.

To take advantage of that, we went camping in the Palomar Mountain Area. It is only an hour away, but it is about 5,000 feet above sea level. The weather was beautiful, though, nice and warm. Keegan loves camping, mainly because he loves hanging out in the tent. This time we did not even try to put him to sleep early, and we all went to bed at the same time, after some s’mores. As always, convincing him to go for a hike was a challenge, so we actually had to lock him out of the truck, barefoot, to “convince” him to join us…and then he had a blast. He particularly likes climbing on rocks or trees. He insisted I took pictures.

I guess, this camping experience was slightly better than last year’s…at this rate, we will have fun camping trips by the time he is 18!

We also had his first, boys-only birthday party at the local Skate Park. We were not sure Keegan wanted to go because he is a couple of years younger than the birthday boy and does not own a scooter (yet, I may add), and he never tried the jumps at the park. We went anyway, though, and Keegan got to try someone’s else scooter and tried his first few rides. He had a lot of fun, and did better than expected.

Of course, he has been begging us for a scooter since then, on an almost daily base. So, I guess he will get one for his birthday. Being a morning party, we had a delicious donuts cake.

The nice weather also allows Keegan to unleash his hidden Picasso. He seems to enjoy drawing and coloring and painting a lot more now, especially when it comes to create his masterpieces on the driveway.

If he gets to involve an adult, it is even better.

tracing daddy’s body

the battle of the robots: daddy’s and Keegan’s

The zoo, or should I say, The World Famous San Diego Zoo as they like to call themselves, is always fun too. Last time we went, we saw a peacock mom and her babies waddling around the trails. Too cute!

Fall also means Matt’s Birthday. This year it happened on a Friday, and, lucky for us, it was also the Parents’ Night Out at the pool. We love this monthly event: it is cheaper than a sitter, and Keegan has a blast. We had the chance to have an early dinner in La Jolla: the full moon was rising, and it was spectacular.

The dinner was also pretty awesome, and we scored a free dessert, since I said it was Matt’s birthday (over his objections). But not to worry: since it is a high end restaurant, we did not have to suffer through any cheesy display or singing: just a wonderful free dessert.

After we picked up Keegan we had one more celebration at home. Once again, Matt chose ice cream for his trat, so I got some delicious mix from Cold Stone. Keegan helped placing the candles on and delivering the presents…

It was a fun celebration. Matt asked for a new record player, which are back in vogue, but with all the cool, new technological bells and whistles, like usb connectors. At least he can now play his old records, which have been sitting in boxes at least since we moved.

With Matt’s birthday over, we officially enter the Halloween time!

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Father’s Day weekend is here. As someone else recently asked, I wonder why Mothers only get a Sunday, while Fathers get a whole weekend, but regardless, I am more than happy to celebrate our super guy.

We started off, as always, with the party at Keegan’s school. Keegan was excited to have Matt there, and there were hot dogs, chips, fruit and drinks…honestly, mostly for the kids. Not too many adults feel like eating at 3.30pm. Ice cream, however, was a different story. They had the infamous water balloon toss, and for once Matt get out of it unscathed.

Matt had a stressful week, so he started off the weekend with some well deserved rest.

This year Father’s Day fell on the same weekends as our anniversary, so we had a double celebration. On Saturday we went to the San Diego Fair. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed spending some time outside, for once free of the marine layer that has been present most of the month.

Keegan got totally exhausted and slept almost 2.5 hours, something we have not seen in a very long time! Whataver was left of the afternoon was spent playing around and reading.

When Keegan finally went to bed, it was time for our Anniversary Celebration. We had a wonderful dinner, and reminisced about our past 11 years together. It was amazing to see how much we still think alike.

Happy 11th Anniversary to us!

On Sunday morning, Keegan got up bright and early, very excited about the day. Of course we let dad sleep, and I got up with him. We watched a movie, then we “baked” some banana chocolate chip bread/muffins. Once again, I get confirmation on how I suck at cooking. Even with a pre-made box I can create something that does not look good at all…at least it tasted OK.

When dad woke up, Keegan could barely contain himself…he was so excited. He really wanted Matt to open the gift I got from him: a funny book called Darth Vader and Son.

And of course, he also really wanted to try the muffins!

After breakfast, I called my own wonderful dad to wish him Happy Father’s Day. Well, in Italy Fathers day is in March, but it is harder for me to remember in advance, so June it is.

After some playing, we had a nice pic-nic in Mission Bay. The weather was nice, if a little windy but what else is new? We ate, then Keegan and Matt played froggy catch on the grass.

Then we all lay down in the sun, making up outrageous stories…well, since I am not the most creative story teller I did borrow  from a movie or two, but Keegan could not tell anyway. (-:

At home, Keegan went to take a nap, and I tried to catch up…He woke up pretty early, still looking tired, but he did not want to sleep anymore. So, while I finished up what I was doing, he went in the living room to drink his milk…and the house went quiet, too quiet for quite a long time. Of course I am not one to disturb the quiet, but after more than 20 minutes, I went to investigate…so I first went outside, where Matt was reading…and he had fell asleep in the lounger. Then I went in the living room, and here he was, Keegan, all wrapped up in his soft blanket, sleeping peacefully!

like father…

…like son

They were too cute!!!!

Once they both woke up we played and read books. We offered Matt to go out for dinner, but he wanted to BBQ instead, and whipped out a great dinner for all of us. What a great guy.

So happy Father’s Day to a really exceptional dad. We are lucky to have you Matt. We love you!!!!

 

 

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2012 is officially over and we are excited to welcome a new year. Since the world did not end in December after all, we will try to make the best of this new beginning. 2012 had its share of challenges and difficulties, but it also brought us a lot of great things, such as the trip to Maui, my US citizenship and my first election. It also brought some important dates, including our 10 year wedding anniversary. It is a tough act to follow, but this is exactly what I am wishing for the new year: I want a quiet year, with no big events.

2013 started well. Once again, we started the year with some cuddles with our “not so little anymore” guy. I do enjoy these moments as I know we are getting close to the moment when he won’t enjoy snuggling with us anymore. Fortunately, though, for now he is quite a softie, and loves “coccole”.

We enjoyed our last day of vacation with a visit to the Science Museum in Balboa Park.Once again we have not been original, and it was quite crowded, as it was free for residents on that day. We even met our neighbors there. It was fun anyway. We had lunch outside next to big fountain and I had to beg to get a photo of my little guy on New Year Day.

In the afternoon, we played with the new toys and did scientific experiments, including Keegan’s favorite: the colorful, erupting volcano.

We started our normal routine the following day, and it was nice to begin on a short week: Keegan got to see all his friends again, and play in the gym bus and even got a private swim lesson on Thursday. It was a particularly short week for Matt and I, though, as I had my scheduled oral surgery on Friday. Everything went well, and I was pretty much out most of the day. Thanks to painkillers, though, I did not feel much pain.

Well, this does not really fit with the quiet year I am wishing for, but I am chalking this off to the past year dragging on.

On January 6, we officially closed the Holiday season with the arrival of the Befana and its stocking. Keegan was excited to find it hanging on his door in the morning, and he was happy to see the Mouse from his book he has been wishing for.

We had a nice day. I rested most of the weekend, and Matt took Keegan out to play at the park both days. By Sunday afternoon, the storm that arrived in the weekend seemed to be almost gone and we enjoyed the first rainbow of the year: I want to take it as a good sign for 2013.

We are looking forward to what this year will bring, and I am especially excited to witness all of the transformations Keegan will go through, including the start of a new school in the fall…whatever will it be.

We are wishing you all a wonderful year and sending you all our love.

Buon Anno 2013!

 

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This year we had a wonderful and long Christmas vacation: 11 days! Amazing! And even more amazing was the fact that we were all home for the whole time, since Matt took some time off. We considered going somewhere, since it is such a rare occasion we all have time off, but then we thought the most relaxing way to spend these days was staying at home, so we took a “stay-cation’. After all, many people choose to spend their vacation here, so we played tourists in our own town.

Matt planned a lot of activities, and we improvised too, resulting in a fun time for all. We started up with Keegan’s last gym class. He is now too old for that class, so it was a little bittersweet. Lucky for him, though, he got to do his favorite activities on the last day: trampoline and marshmallows pits. Everyone was super nice and said goodbye. He even got to pick an extra stamp.

After class we played outside with Alyce and Betty and we went home in time for lunch. After nap, we went to the zoo, for Jungle Bells, the nighttime Christmas celebration. It was definitely different to be at the zoo after dark, and there were many beautiful lights and music, but Keegan did not really want to do many holiday oriented activities, so we watched his favorite, reptiles, and strolled around…and of course we had to take the skyfari. Keegan posed with the Christmas Koala, and then we headed home.

The following  day we took it easy. We first stopped by IKEA (the first of our three trips to complete our entertainment center…finally) and Keegan played in the play area…with some resistance, even if he did make some friends. We bought some pieces and went home. I had lunch with Lina and Matt and Keegan napped and put together IKEA pieces. We finally put the new TV together, and it looks good. It finally starting to look like a real living room, not some temporary frat house room.

On Christmas Eve we went to Balboa park, at the Natural History Museum. It was raining, so the museum was pretty crowded, but we still enjoyed our visit. As always, we checked out the dinosaurs’ models and skeletons.

Keegan posing with a model of a Oviraptor

There was also a special exhibit on Chocolate: how it is made, its history, where it comes from, etc. It was great, and the wonderful chocolate smell pumped into the exhibits really enhanced it. Keegan rushed through it, but he really enjoyed the video showing the whole process, from cocoa beans to chocolate. I loved the over-sized chocolate box.

We got home pretty late, and Keegan was too excited to sleep long, but he was pretty good, and played on his own as we were cleaning up and preparing dinner. Matt cooked an amazing Christmas Eve dinner and we all ate together…well, Keegan did not try any of the delicious things Matt cooked, but that meant more for us: pork chops, asparagus, scalloped potatoes, spinach appetizers…yum.

Keegan was even able to stay still long enough to pose for a group shot.

After dinner, we got ready for Santa: we read books and prepared the cookies and milk, without forgetting the carrots for the reindeer.

Despite all his excitement, Keegan went to bed with not too much effort…nothing comparing with last year! Matt and I relaxed a little, and when we were sure Keegan was fast asleep we started the wrapping fest. No Christmas Story movie this time, but we played the Pandora Christmas Station, which was quite good. It was really fun, and as always, it felt we had way too much, between our gifts, my family’s and the neighbors’. However, when it was all done, it did looked beautiful.

We even made it to bed before 12…I guess not having to build anything, such a bicycle helped. Keegan woke up at the usual time and he still did his usual routine. When he got to the living room, though, boy was he excited!

Santa came!

As always, the opening was a blur, and we barely had time to stop and take pictures. I was surprised we convinced him to wait to open the Italian gifts, especially because they were the biggest ones, so we could do it “live” via Skype.

Keegan was also happy to see Santa tasted his cookies and left him a letter, commending him on being mostly good and reminding him to be a good listener in the next year.

I think this year we all got what we wanted, or most of it (Keegan is still pining after a McQueen with wings, a huge chunk of expensive plastic I refused to buy).

check out my creative wrapping…

After all the opening was done, including the stockings, I went back to sleep — my favorite present— and when I got up we had a wonderful video call with my parents, my sister and her family. Keegan was very excited to see his cousins, aunt and uncle and his nonni, of course, and he was even more excited he could finally open their gifts. Nonni sent him a huge box, which contained a very cool Palymobil boat. I felt a little guilty about it as I selected it when I was in Italy from a catalog, hoping I could bring it back to US with me. Unfortunately it was not available yet, and my poor parents had to go multiple times to the store till it finally arrived, only to discover it was HUGE. I did not pay attention to size, and thought it would have been much smaller…they did ship it anyway, and I am very grateful. Keegan really liked it. It took us a little bit to build it and place all its stickers on, but the end result was worth the wait.

The afternoon was mellow: Keegan took a nice nap, and I started organize my new closet. Then we all played with our new toys, and Matt cooked another wonderful dinner: his famous cream cheese and pepper appetizers, steak, creamed potatoes, squash, corn bread…He is such a great cook: I am so lucky.

After Keegan went to bed, Matt tried out one of his Christmas gifts: an Atari system that can be connected to the TV. It included 75 games, even if we all know the only ones that matter are: Asteroids, Centipede and Space Invaders. It even came with a wireless joystick. Pretty cool, and quite hard to find…I guess it was THE popular toy this season, and I had to run around to finally find it.

Even Keegan wanted to give it a shot, but quickly gave up, realizing it is still not as easy as it seems.

The following day was a busy one. The weather was changing, so we figured that Birch Aquarium would be a safe bet. It was quite busy, as probably many other had the same idea, but we we had a good time watching all the different tanks and playing in the tide pool area.

As we were going through the Climate Change exhibit, we run into Julia, his friend from school. What a happy coincidence! The kids were happy to see each other and they played together in the kids area.

We had lunch together, dodging the drizzling rain, and at 2 we saw the tide pool feeding, including the elusive gigantic lobster that only gets out at feeding time. It was fun.

We went home to take a nap and then we headed downtown for Betty’s birthday party at the Downtown Bowl and Tavern, just as a beautiful sunset was paining San Diego skies, and the full moon was rising.

It felt really weird to go downtown after dark with Keegan, and even weirder to go into a bar with him, but the bowling area was very nice and kid friendly. The lane had bumpers for the kids and a special stand to help them roll the ball. There were colorful lights and a full bar. There were only a few kids and Keegan felt comfortable and had fun trying to bowl, if you can call drop the ball on the lane bowling.

The adults bowled too, and it reminded me why I don’t do it more often: I really suck at it. Of course, my best hands were when we were leaving, and I scored a strike and a spare in a row. It did not compensate for all the other horrible hands I had, but I really did not care. It was a fun evening.

The next day was the Annual San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade, an annual warm up for the college bowl game. I only been there once, more than 10 years ago, and at that time I walked to it from work, so we were not well prepared for what expected us. Despite our plans, we ended up leaving later than we wanted to, so when we got downtown we realized that parking would have not been easy to find. After a few rounds, Matt dropped Keegan and me off, so we could meet Jennifer, Dave, Hannah and Natalie. They settled in a nice open space, and we could have a great view of the parade. It was great for the kids to be together, so they entertained each other before the parade started. It was really cold, so the running around helped. It took Matt more than an hour between parking and physically being able to reach us, but fortunately the parade was long and he got to see most if it. There were tens of large balloons, marching bands and other groups parading around.

shamu was my one of my favorites

Keegan loved the T-rex…

…and the Storm Troopers

The weather was quite windy, so it was difficult for the handlers to keep the balloon in the air.

Once the parade was over, we took a walk by the bay, and saw the dueling bands. We had a quick lunch and headed home. Keegan did not want to go to nap and was stalling, but I had errand to run, so I left and told him to put himself to sleep, since Matt was napping too. I was really surprised to see he really did that, and he was soundly asleep when I got back.

The following day we decided to go to Legoland. I had a nasty sinus cold, but nothing some good drug can take care of. Obviously we picked the worse day ever: I have never seen Legoland so packed. However, we got a discount coupon we needed to use that gave us access to the park and the Legoland aquarium, and also a free ticket to use before March…so we will be back in slower season. The aquarium turned out to be a great idea, since it was basically empty, and Keegan enjoyed watching the fish interacting  with the Lego features.

peeking out from the underwater bubble with daddy…

and alone…

one of my favorite sea creatures

Legoland itself, though, was a mad house. We only made it to one ride, the Fairy Tales Brook, as Keegan did not want to wait in line…good luck at Disneyland! He did not even want to go in the snow area. He “raced” in the cars area though…

… and we watched the Star Wars replicas (this is the cantina, completed with music)…

…and posed next to the tourist caricature, since that was exactly how we felt.

It was a long morning, so we stayed home after nap, and tried to figured out the living room arrangement, which brought us to two more trips to IKEA in the next two days, but we finally got a workable solution.

On December 30 we went to Seaworld. The weather was again hard to predict, forecasting rain, but we brought our rain jacket, and it only drizzled for a few minutes. The real storm broke loose after we got back home. It was not too crowded, at least not compared to Legoland, so we got to enjoy the Dolphin Show, and the Sea Lions show. We played in the play area, and finally Keegan got a chance to play with snow. Seaworld’s snow zone is a lot better than Legoland’s: no lines to play, and the line for the sleds is quite short. Keegan was finally old enough for sledding, and he went up and down many, many times.

We also built a mini snowman and enjoyed a snowballs fight.

Ready…

set…

go…

On the way out, we checked out the Christmas decorations: the Christmas tree, the giant sleight, the real reindeer enclosure.

We even got the chance to see some of the “animal ambassadors”: an Eurasian Eagle Owl, and a sloth, which, to my surprise, was very active. Keegan really enjoyed seeing the animals and asking questions about them. I loved seeing the sloth, and Keegan got to feed her a carrot, after a couple of failed attempts.

December 31 was a beautiful, clear day, so we decided to celebrate the end of the year by taking a hike at Torrey Pines. Keegan was not too keen at the idea, and did a good amount of whining, but we tried not be bothered by it. It was beautiful, and we tried a couple of short paths we never hiked before. The views were unbeatable.

This photo capture his whole attitude during the hike

We had lunch overlooking the ocean and headed home. Keegan napped and when he woke up, we decided to say goodbye to 2012 by watching the last sunset of the year at the beach. So, we headed to Pacific Beach, and made it just in time, as the sun was plunging into the ocean.

We walked to the tide pools, but it was getting too dark, so we just played around, run and enjoyed the beautiful colors of a San Diego sunset.

We left when it was already dark.it was the prefect way to close a perfect vacation. We really enjoyed playing tourists and having so much time to spend together was a real gift.

After Keegan went to bed, we had a nice dinner, and waited the end of the year watching Blade Runners, a movie we both love…even thought it may have been a little too slow for the occasion: we were both so tired, it was hard to wait till midnight. But waited we did, and we were able to cheer the beginning of a new year.

Goodbye 2012!

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What a great Thanksgiving weekend we had. This year Thanksgiving came really early: in fact, November 22 is the earliest it can ever fall on.

The celebration, as always, started with Keegan’s school party. It was a nice, relaxing event I got to socialize with some of the other parents, and had some of the delicious potluck food. The kids played and run around and had a blast.

We left after lunch. Keegan had a very short nap, and I relaxed in the warm sun on the deck. In the afternoon, Keegan and I worked on some Thanksgiving craft. We put together some paper turkey, to collect our thankful thoughts. Glue was everywhere, especially on my hands, but it was fun. Matt got home early and we filled in our turkeys and hung them in the kitchen. Keegan’s was thankful for: food, home, us, school …but no toys!

Thanksgiving morning, Keegan and I did some more crafts (!), played with bubbles on the deck and read books. I actually convinced him not to watch TV…I was very proud of myself.

All this activity made me tired, and  I took a wonderful late morning nap when Matt woke up. In the afternoon Daniele, Gaia and Daniele’s friend Angela came over for dinner. The kids played well together, even if you start noticing the age difference a little. Dinner was wonderful as always, and Matt did a great job.

Dinner was pleasant, and Keegan made sure it was entertaining, asking embarrassing and totally inappropriate questions such as:

“Angela, will you spend the night at Daniele’s?”
“Angela, will you marry Daniele?”
“Angela, why aren’t you married?”

Quite funny, even if we all blushed a little.

At night we did some intense shopping…of course on-line. You could not pay me, well us, enough to brave the crowds on Black Friday, as it was this year, Black Thursday. We ended up buying a new tv, to replace our 12 years old monster….about time. I am telling you: there is nothing like on-line shopping. I have not been in the mall for serious shopping in years, and I love it. Plus with many sites offering either free shipping, or free ship-to-store, there is really no reason top go out and struggle with busy stores. Now of course we need to buy the new entertainment center and set everything up…for now it sits patiently  in the kitchen.

The next day, we were invited at Jennifer and Dave’s house for their annual Thanksgiving dinner, which is always on Black Friday. It was really nice. Keegan and Hannah played wonderfully together,they even shared the iPad peacefully. Keegan liked to pay Angry Birds Rio.

and Keegan overcome his fear of big dogs, a little, and warmed up to the three large dogs that were there. And I have to say they were quite scary, as they liked to jump up at you. I had bruises on my leg from their “effusions”. However, he played with them and gave them treats.

While the children played, us adults talked and had a delicious lunch. Jennifer cooked a 20+lb bird, and it was a sight to behold.

Jennifer posing with the huge bird

Dave carving the beast

check out all the trimmings

Jennifer’s dad baked three delicious pies and the kids helped him rolling out the dough and decorating the crust.

The kids ate at the counter…and not surprisingly Keegan barely had anything. “Baby” Natalie was the best eater of all.

We went home in the evening, exhausted and in a food coma…but it was all worth it.

Even thought the official Thanksgiving celebration itself was over, we still had a full weekend to enjoy, and enjoyed it we did. Saturday was a beautiful day and so we went to the beach. It was cooler now, but still warm enough for Keegan to play in the water…well, with his wetsuit. He loved it, and had a lot of fun.

The beach was beautiful, and the sand was sparkling with golden grains of sand. After the ocean, Keegan built castels and wrestled with dad. Nothing different from our ordinary day at the beach.

Later that evening, our sitter came and we left for our date night. We watched a movie, Flight, and picked up some great food to enjoy at home ( it was a long movie, and we did not want to spend a fortune)

On Sunday we headed to the zoo, and got to see lots of cool animals. Keegan enjoys the bears and the reptiles. He skipped his nap, but he played on his own for his nap-time as he was supposed to…yeah!! So i got to do some Christmas shopping and relaxing.

So, all in all it was a great weekend: we relaxed, ate lots of great food, visited with friends, and had fun. As an added bonus, with all these activities, the weekend felt really long, in a good way…what more should we ask for?

Well, we really feel blessed and are thankful for everything we have and for all the wonderful people in our life.

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I know, I know, it is getting old, and yes I say this every year, but Fall in San Diego is exactly why I am glad I live here. Yes, we don’t have as many trees that change colors (boo-oh) but what we do have is intense blue sky, shining sun, and a cooler version of summer. Who can ask for more?

This month started out  really warm, and even the ocean was an unusual 68 F (20 Celsius), so we spent some time at the beach. Keegan swam and splashed around without fear. I am very happy he loves the ocean and he is not scared. Hopefully he will soon start body-boarding.

charge!

However, winter is visiting San Diego too, so, since Keegan is loving getting into the water, we bought him his first wetsuit. We got a Spring wetsuit just to minimize the hassle of putting it on. It is a little big for him, but hopefully he will fill it in by next spring.

For now, he uses it as a dress-up suit, or as a Spiderman suit. At least we get some use out of it.

Since days are getting shorter and shorter, we have to resort to indoor activities. What is better than practicing golf in the living room??? Obviously, this was not MY idea.

Keegan was also Star Of The Week at his preschool in November. This has nothing to do with merit, but it is on a rotation base. It is a cute thing: each kid gets to be Star Of The Week. It entails having your photos and favorite things posted on a bulletin board, telling the class about them, and most importantly, being the “line leader”, and directing the other kids all week long. Of course, Keegan promptly got sick on the Monday of “his” week, but fortunately he recovered quickly enough to enjoy the rest of the week.

We are now looking forward to a somewhat quiet and relaxing 4 days holiday for Thanksgiving. And the weather forecast is again sunny skies and warm temperatures. We are definitive thankful for that.

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We had another presidential election. It has been a brutal campaign, and we were all glad to see it ending, even if we were spared the most relentless marketing attacks: nobody really cares about California focusing instead on swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania or Florida. Still, we were submerged by mailers and we could not escape the negativity.

This election was also very important for me because it was the first election for which I was eligible to vote. Very exciting! I waited till the late afternoon, because I wanted to bring Keegan along, so he could see how the whole process worked. Well, his only comment was: “This is so boring!” (-:

He did not even want the sticker.

To add insult to injury, once home, I told him I wanted Barack Obama to be re-elected, and he took one glance at the paper, and confidently said he wanted the other guy to win, because he had a nice smile (?!) This goes to prove how far a stubborn 4.5 year old would go, just to contradict his parents!

Election night was a little more tense than 4 years ago, when we headed to the polls, already knowing who won. Furthermore, I was worried that I would “jinx” the results. I know, I am totally superstitious. I tracked the results till 10.30pm, when concession speech arrived. I was actually amazed by the result: I was surprised to see how many of my candidates/propositions went the way I wanted.

The following day, even Keegan came around, and dropped his opposition.

Now, let’s hope that our leaders will be able to put aside all the partisan bitterness and bickering and actually come together to bring us all a better future. And we sure need it.

Good luck Obama!

 

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Since we were in Italy, we had to concentrate all our Halloween activities in two weeks, but I can honestly say that Keegan has not been deprived. We began the day after we got back from our trip, by decorating the house, inside and out. We hung bats and banners inside, made door hangers in the sleepless mornings in which jet lag was waking Keegan up well before dawn, and created fun foam pumpkins. We added window decals and attached large spiders to our wall. And of course, we hung our ghosts from the tree in front of our house.

The first major event, thought, was Kenzie’s Halloween Party. Keegan had been looking forward to it since we were in Italy. Kenzie actually moved the party to October 20 so Keegan could be there. How sweet! Some of Keegan’s friends from school were there: Elliott, Van, Julia, Rozelin, and even Keegan’s old teacher in the infant room, Ms. Georgia. All the kids were showing off their costumes. The masks only lasted a couple of minutes, though.

There was a bouncie and many game stations set up for the kids to play and win prizes.

Event the food was spooky.

At the end of the party, Keegan was full, exhausted and carrying a bucket full of prizes. What more can you ask for?

The following week, we went to the Pumpkin Patch. This year I prepared in advanced, and got a coupon for 50% off the rides. Julia came with us, with her mom and her little brother Ivan. Keegan was happy to have a friend with him. He immediately went to the giant slide, his favorite since when he was 3. He is now the perfect size for it, and he still enjoys it a lot.

The little train ride, however, is now passe’. Good thing it was a free ride.

The petting zoo was a big hit this year, and all the kids enjoyed petting the animals — mainly goats and chickens — and feeding them. Man, it is true what they say about goat eating anything. One of them tried to eat Julia’s mom’s skirt.

After the rides, we actually looked at the patch and picked out our pumpkins.

We have learned our lesson: this year, we did not carve it too soon, since, in San Diego, a carved pumpkin lasts only a couple of days before molding…at least at our house. So, instead, we bought some pumpkin stickers and decorated it this way, till it was time to carve it. This also allowed us to add three faces to the same pumpkin.

We actually carved it only on Sunday night, three day before Halloween. It was the perfect timing: by November 1, white mold was forming, and turned into massive black mold by November 2.

Keegan’s school had a carnival, and for the first time in two years, they held it at night. All the kids were dressed up, and there were various games set up in every room.

with his new teacher, Ms.Jill

Keegan and his friends, however, were more interested into running around and playing with each other. It was quite a site, as they were all dressed like some sort of super hero: Batman, Iron Man, Captain America, Ninja, Darth Vader (well not really a super hero).

It was a fun event. The weekend went by quickly, and we made sure to keep the Halloween theme going with spooky hamburger and themed plates and napkins.

Halloween finally came. Keegan went to school all dressed up, and all the kids got to run around for most of the morning in their costumes.

I met him at 10.30 for the annual Halloween Parade around the block. Even if only 2 establishments gave them candies, the kids had a blast. Some of the houses in the neighborhood have pretty elaborate decoration, so it is always fun to check them out. No masks allowed for the parade, out of safety concerns.

After the parade, the kids played outside for a while, then they got inside, read a book and got ready for lunch. Some of the parents helped out setting up the potluck meal.

The lunch included “hair and eyeballs” (=spaghetti and meatballs), bread, fruit and spooky desserts.

With some other parents, I stayed though lunch to help out and to serve out food and sweets. I loved the little witch’s hats.

I picked up Keegan in the afternoon, and we went home to get ready. Kenzie and her family came Trick or Treating with us, and we also met up with Jada and a couple of other kids from the neighborhood.

I am ready to get some candy!

This year the kids were really independent, and were running from house to house. It also felt like the number of children going around the neighborhood exploded since last year. I am not sure where all these kids were coming from, but I know I run out of candy for the first time ever since I lived here. I remember years when we did not even have 1 single trick or treater. It is nice to see the change. Both Matt and I went around with Keegan, so we left a bowl with candy outside the house. We were obviously not the only ones.

I really like Dante’s quote on the door, quite appropriate for the occasion, even though I doubt it was meant to be a literary reference, as demonstrated by the pirate flag below it: All Hope Abandon, Ye Who Enter Here” (lasciate ogni speranza o voi ch’entrate).

We saw some amazing decoration and effects, but my favorite was the pumpkin representing Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas that our neighbor had out. Maybe we should try to do it next year.

Once again, the kids were exhausted and were begging to go back home. The buckets were heavy and when it was all said and done we netted more than 4lb (2kg) of candy. Keegan immediately categorized them and grouped them, and then picked his favorite ones to eat in the following days — we always put a limit on the number of candies he can keep.

This year, however, we have found the perfect solution for all this excess candy, which usually ends up either in our belly or thrown away. We brought all our booty to our local dentist, who offers a Candy Buy Back program: the candy get sent to the troops, and the dentist will give you $1 per pound as long as you bring in also a non perishable food item for the Food Bank. It is a win-win-win solution. Keegan made $4 for his piggie bank. He was pretty excited about that.

It was a great Halloween for all of us, and  now we are gearing up for the crazy end of the year time: Thanksgiving, Keegan’s Birthday and Christmas. As always, I promise myself I will not get stressed out, and I will be done with my shopping by the end of November. Will I succeed? It never happened before, but there is always a first time. And if it does happen, then, maybe this is really the year the world will come to an end. (-:

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After a few rough days of adjustment, we have started our routine as we got home. And we immediately got busy celebrating. We started with Matt’s birthday. While he is not much of a birthday guy, we still wanted to celebrate the special day that brought him into our lives. I actually got him to go out for lunch— a rare event — and we enjoyed a leisurely meal at Sammy’s Pizza. When he got home from work, the real celebration, the one that Keegan was looking forward to, began. Sure there were presents and cards, but most importantly…there was ice cream as for Matt’s request! As always, Keegan was the designated Candle Man…and ice cream taster.

We also had a couple of fun parties: Kenzie’s Halloween Party (more on this later) and Alyce’s Birthday party.The latter was held at a park, on a beautiful, warm fall day. Even if it was only a couple of days before Halloween, it was not a costume party. There was a jumpie, though, and lots of food. Keegan was actually a little shy, as always when he does not know most of the kids. He did manage enough courage to bounce around a bit, and of course to eat all the frosting of the cake.

There was also a huge piñata, in the shape of a mermaid. I have to say that watching the kids whacking the poor mermaid was somewhat disturbing, especially when the banging brought dismemberment. Keegan proudly cut her arms off…

So it was a very busy return to normal. All these fun activities helped us getting back into the swing of things, and mitigated the sadness for leaving our family and friends behind in Italy.

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Our yearly trip to Italy happened in the first weeks of October this year, a little later than usual. In fact, like most of our trips this year, almost did not happen at all, since my mom had to have foot surgery and we were not sure when they would schedule it. However, all went well, and as “luck” had it, the operation was set for the day after we left. Keegan was really looking forward the trip this year, and had been telling everyone for weeks he was going to Italy to visit his nonni.

I had hoped Matt could join us this year, so we would have had the chance to celebrate our 10 years anniversary with a couple of days alone, but unfortunately work was too busy for him to leave. I guess our trip to Maui was our celebration…and who can complain about that? Keegan is now old enough to be easier to travel with, so I was not worried this year. For the first time, we traveled “light”: 2 carry-ons and two personal items. The car seat was checked in and I really tried to pack light. Keegan was a big help, and he loved to carry his pirate bag (Simona’s baptism gift) himself. In fact he did not even want me to put it on the cart, not once, from beginning to end.

The flight went well overall. I definitely still like this British Airways flight: it leaves at night, it arrives at night, it stops only in London (no picking up bags in the States), it has personal entertainment system with movies, and it arrives at Linate Airport, only 20 minutes from my parents’ house. This was the first year Keegan did not have the car seat on board, so sleeping was a little more challenging, but we managed. The fuzzy socks and blanket helped a little.

We both watched movies and caught some sleep. The layover was made even longer by an annoying delay, including, more than 4o minutes sitting on a plane while they changed tires… seriously. We finally made it to Milan, an hour late. Keegan warmed up to his nonni quickly, and immediately tried to help pushing the bags’ cart.

The first night was, as expected, difficult. Keegan slept a couple of hours and woke up. I had him sleep with me, even if sleep is an euphemism. The following nights, we figured out that it would be probably easier to let him sleep with my mom, something that both of them apparently enjoyed it somehow. It was definitely Keegan’s dream, since he often asks us to sleep with a “real person” instead of his sleeping buddies. We mad it very clear, however, that it would only happen in Italy. Therefore, the following nights were a lot better for him, and he woke up a few times, but adjusted in a week or so. I, on the other hand, had a really hard time with jet lag. Fortunately I brought a good book with me, which kept me company during the sleepless nights.

The first day was busy already. Loredana came to visit us in the morning and brought an awesome Batman sweatshirt that Keegan tried right away.

Keegan really likes Loredana, and she responds to his affection. After this trip, I am sure he will like her even more, since she gave him, not one (like I got) but three reflexology massages, “massaggini” as he called them. He almost fell asleep on the first one: it was amazing to see him this relaxed! After that, he would scream and demand “massaggino!” every time he saw her. I tried to learn the best I could, since, even now, he asks for it. And I better do it right: he remembers everything, from the mood, to the moves and even to the sound effects she was making, and he corrects me if I get it wrong.

goofing around

Keegan also enjoys spending time with Lori’s daughter, Francesca, and again, the feeling is mutual, even if she is now 10 years old. We played together, and enjoyed Keegan’s favorite ice cream, Luk.

Francesca’s favorite holiday is Halloween, so we brought her some Halloween fun. Even if it is getting more popular in Italy and we saw plenty of pumpkins and decorations, you can’t beat the abundance of Halloween stuff here.

are you scared yet?

The afternoon of the first day we also had other visitors: zia Cinzia and the cousins came to visit. Keegan was so excited! He missed them a lot. Fortunately, even as they approach adolescence, they still enjoy playing with him, and cuddling him, and he was soaking every ounce of the attention. One of his favorite game is to pretend to be a baby, so Naraiana was carrying him around as he “cried”. I obviously don’t enjoy this kind of game, having lived the real baby phase, which was not really the most fun time in the world.

The cousins spent lots of time together. Keegan loved to go to their place, 4/5 linked houses that open on a common yard. Cinzia’s place has a small yard, where they grow different fruit trees, and right now is was grape season. Keegan helped pick the fruit…but no wine making or grape stomping.

The yard also has a small play area, and Keegan was showing off, swinging on the monkey bars, and climbing on the slide.

One Friday night, another of Keegan’s dreams came true: a sleepover with his cousins. He was so excited! Of course they slept in different room, as they actually needed to sleep since they both had a game the following day, but it did not matter. We had dinner all together, with Cinzia and Sandro, a nice fancy dinner, with crystal and silver utensils. Keegan immediately asked for a different glass, fearing he would break the crystal. How cute. We were even able to eat in peace, as Keegan went to play after he was finished, while waiting for dessert.

Then all the kids donned their PJs, mainly to convince Keegan to go to bed…even then he did not make it to bed till 10 pm at least.

check us out in our fashionable pjs

I am so high, I can teach the sky

He was so happy they could play in the morning when they got up. And they were very nice, taking turns playing and studying. Saturday was my “day off”. Keegan went to watch both of his cousins’ games (volleyball for Nara and soccer for Samuele) and I had lunch with a friend and went shopping, and then simply relaxed alone, enjoying the peace and quiet. Keegan had a great time (and my parents were exhausted). He was even able to catch a short nap in the car.

One time, we also got the chance to enjoy an outdoor lunch at their house. It was a beautiful sunny day, so it was great to eat and play outside.

For me visiting Milano, of course, also means meeting old friends. There is really nothing like rekindling friendships that are decades old. Even if we only see each other once a year, and rarely communicate during the year, despite the miracle of technology, we always pick up where we left off. I guess I cram more social life in these two weeks, than I do in many months. It is great to see how our lives are evolving and getting to know each other’s families.

Simona and Francesco are two of these people. I met Simona when I was in preschool, pretty much at the same age Keegan is now. I don’t remember much of that time, but I do remember Simona and playing together. Mom also remembers her, as the girl she swore she would NEVER invite over again, after our first earthquake-like playdate. And here we are, many decades later, having our kids play together. We went over one evening for playing and dinner. Last year, Simona was pregnant, and had her third child. This year we saw Margherita walking and talking.

Keegan took this pictures of us…he is getting better.

The kids played and we chatted. Keegan even got to watch How To Slay Your Dragon, and our hosts, graciously, let him watch it in English.

While the weather was decidedly cooler than on other years, and grayer, it was still pleasant. Not that you could tell from the way people were dressed: we definitely stuck out, Keegan especially, as he strolled around in short sleeves, while every one else was wearing a jacket. But really, except for a couple of days, it was not that cold, regardless what the calendar said. During these mild Autumn days, we took the chance to explore some of what Milano has to offer. Food and treats were probably his favorite things about Milano (and again, who can blame him?). Keegan was also somewhat bewildered by some of the things he saw, heard and smelled in Milano.

1) Parking. Also called “Sosta Selvaggia”. He constantly pointed out and noticed all the cars/motorcycles parked on the sidewalk or in wrong areas. I do have to say that I also notices a much higher enforcement: I actually saw policeman writing tickets to cars parked  in the wrong spot. And it was not even the most egregious examples.
2) Smoking. He noticed and smelled any cigarette, and loudly complained about it, reminding me how bad it was to smoke. As a good Californai boy, he was asking me why people in Italy smoked so much.
3) Ambulances. There is an abundance of ambulances in our neighborhood, and every time one passed, Keegan would stop and say how sorry he was for the person being taken away because he was sick. I did appreciated his empathy.
4) Noise. Since the arrival at the airport, Keegan remarked how loud Milano was.
5) Tagging. He was amazed by how much tagging there was and wondered why would people do that. I guess I have to give this to him: I never understood it either. Tagging in Milano does not even spare playgrounds.

5) Subway. One of Keegan’s favorite things was to ride in the subway. He loved it and he was surprised at how it sometimes travels underground and sometimes above ground. He enjoyed watching the tunnels and stations. However, Keegan likes the subway assuming that:
a) it is empy
b) he can sit down comfortably

Well, good luck with that in Milano! Granted, traveling at odd hours helped, but he would last a day in a normal routine. I still remember having to push to be even able to get in in the morning on school days. Or feeling claustrophobic on warm summer day,when there was barely space to walk.

a nice uncrowded train, and Keegan riding peacefully

With that, Keegan really enjoyed Milano and we visited some of its best places. One of Keegan’s favorite is  the Giardini Pubblici, a large park, pretty close to us. He usually enjoys the Merry Go Round and play structures, but this year we went on a weekend and it was really crowded. It is funny how both of us were taken a little aback. Keegan, however, did not want to play on any traditional structure, and felt intimidated by the crowds (nothing compared to Legoland or Seaworld on a bad day, mind you) but he “warmed” up with a nice popsicle. I just HAD to keep him company.

He then discovered many places to climb around, and hidden rocks that lead to different paths. And then he was climbing and running and climbing again. A nice workout, for both of us, since I had to follow him.

climbing trees is serious work

I have to say that some of the climbs were impressive, and it gave me hope for our future hikes.

Giardini Pubblici is also where the Natural History Museum is, another of his favorites, just like it was one of mine. It is cool to see all this huge scenes with embalmed animals in their environment.

And then, of course, there is the dinosaurs’ room. I still love this room, with its huge Triceratops and the T-rex and Stegosaurus’ bones.

We also visited tourists spots. Knowing how much Keegan likes the subway, one afternoon, we proposed a trip to Piazza Duomo, so we could ride a while and change trains. Now this backfired somewhat because 5pm is rush hour, which meant crowded trains. He complained the whole time how much he hated crowds. In any case, we made it to Duomo, and brought our Flat Stanley with us, to fulfill his assignment from school.

waiting for the train in our home station

on the train

in Piazza Duomo

Keegan was fascinated by the Duomo, “the big church” as he called. I guess I still am too; no matter how much I dislike Milano, I find the Duomo and the area around beautiful. Keegan wanted immediately to go inside and was amazed at how big and beautiful it was, and of course at the beautiful window. He was somewhat scared by the burning candles but posed in front of the memorial for Carlo Maria Martini, archbishop of Milano — and one time papacy contender — that recently passed away.

Notice Keegan’s clothes compared to everyone else…

Then we moved to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, il Salotto Di Milano (Milano’s living room). I had to take him to the Bull’s Shield and make him spin on the Bull’s Balls. I just had to, touristy or not. It is supposed to bring you good luck, and we can always use some, and many people must believe this, since that area displays a visible indentation. (-:

We even met Cinzia, by pure luck, and we spent some time together in a bookstore, where, of course, Keegan got two new books.

One other great thing about being in Italy is all the food treats (focaccia, pastries, gelato) he gets to eat, as well all the attention from adults and kids, and of course all the presents. This year’s bootie included: clothes, books, Lego sets, cars, Batman characters, shrinky dinks and a fun plastic mecchano-like toy, a gift from zia Cinzia.

He enjoyed them all, even the Cars Watercolor Book I thought he would never look at in a million years. But I guess, he is not as adverse to coloring and painting as he used to be. And my mom, who is being doing quite a bit if painting and watercolor herself was a great mentor, even lending him her own, expensive watercolors.

He got presents till the last day: Birgit, my mom’s friend, came by to bid us goodbye and brought him a GeoMag Panel, a magnetic building toy, which he loved. Nonni have a similar set, and now he has his own to take home.

The best part of all, though, was visiting with Nonni. They are really his best friends and playmates, and he enjoys spending time with them immensely. They are always ready to play, and to invent new and exciting games, and they have all the patience we, his parents, don’t have. They would make him laugh all the time and squeal in delight, they would even chase him around, despite their aches and pains. And of course they would read and create fabulous stories for him.I t was great also seeing all my old toys come to life again, in a completely different way.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to nonni, then,, not only because I got to take a much needed break, but also for making him feel so loved. It is really a special bond they share, and it is a joy to see them interact and love each other this much.

For as fun as being away was, though, Keegan missed San Diego, his dad and his friends. Thanks to my trusty iPad, Skype was actually easy and painless, so we were able to talk and see each other once a week, when the time difference allowed it. Keegan loved showing dad all his new toys and telling him about all his adventures.

As for his friends, we sent a couple of pictures, including one with a message for them, saying how much he missed them. It was so cute, and his teacher printed the picture and posted in their classroom.

at school, on its bulletin board

And just like that, these two weeks flew by, as always way too fast. It was already time to say goodbye. We took our annual group photos, as always somewhat of an ordeal but a great memory.

Then we had to say goodbye to the cousins.

On the last night, a chilly October night, we lit up the fireplace and enjoyed each other’s company one more time.

Keegan was very sad to leave, and so was I. We only hope it will not be too long till we get to see each other again, in Italy or in San Diego. The memories we made, though, will accompany us in these long months.

The return trip was again, overall pretty good. We had a difficult hour or two, when Keegan was way too cranky to sleep, but he finally settled in and so did I. We were able to see the beautiful Alps, and even London, with his new constructions and Big Ben. We watched movies, ate, played and we made to San Diego on time.Getting the US passport was definitely a great thing, as it drastically cut the time we were in line for immigration check. It felt nice!

Matt was waiting for us at the airport. It was so great to see him, we both missed him lots, and it softened the sorrow for leaving so many people we love behind. What really helped Keegan were the gifts waiting for him at home: a Batmobile and the Penguin character.

Now we are slowly getting back to our routine. Nonna had her surgery and she is recovering home and doing well, considering. We already had the chance to Skype once and Keegan got to play with her some more, and to show her his new Batman Halloween costume. Keegan’s jet lag has been painful, as always, but now, a week later, he is back on track. I got a nasty cold, but starting to feel more like myself again, and ready to start work, later  this week. Good thing I left a few days after the trip to recover, because between sleeplessness and the cold I would not have been able to do much.

We are definitely grateful we had the chance to take this great trip: we both had a great time, and I got a lot of rest and me-time. Thank you again Nonni, for the warm hospitality and all you did for us during our trip.We are looking forward to next year’s trip,: it will be somewhat different since, with Keegan starting school, we will have to go somewhat during the summer. It will be a new experience (better stock up on anti-mosquito sparys, since we got eaten alive this time, and it was October). Regardless, it will be wonderful to be all together again.

 

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Every year we try to get some photos taken, more or less professionally (meaning without spending as bundle), since we don’t really have lots of pictures all together. This year, one of the moms at Keegan’s school was looking for some families to shoot for her portfolio(=free session), so we took advantage of the offer.

We met with Fatima, who turned out to be Italian, born and raised. It was quite funny, actually, since we did not find that out till half way though the shoot! And I have seen her at school many times before, and never suspected she may be Italian. Funny. Anyway, we met in Mission Bay, in a very windy, but sunny day, and we spent about an hour shooting.We started out by the water, on a large pedal boat, and then moved to the grassy area.

I am posting some of the images, which turned out very nice. Thank you Fatima.

some of the shots were family portraits…

… some of the shots were all about Keegan…

… and some of the shots were more fun…

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Gloomy skies have arrived, so it must be summer here in San Diego. It is always interesting to hear about how hot is in the rest of the country, when is grey and cool here. Well, we get our summer in September/October, in time for fire season.

Anyway, when the marine layer finally burns off, we do get to enjoy summer and with it a lot of fun activities. Summer, of course, for Keegan meanly means WATER FUN. There are so many opportunities to get wet in San Diego.

We went to Seaworld, and for the first time, we actually skipped the animals and shows and went straight to the rides and games, the wetter the better. We met with two of Keegan’s friends from school, Julia and Kenzie, and since Julia wanted to try the big Atlantis roller coaster, Keegan went along too. He barely met the height requirement. Well, it was an experience: it is an actual, adult roller coaster, starting with a big drop, landing in water (and getting totally soaked). Then the car is lifted up by an elevator, and down you go through very fast turns and twists. Granted, we were in the first car, the scarier one, but Keegan was not too happy during the ride. He did not cry but he did not want to try it again, even though he kept on saying how fun it was. It reminded me of the log roller coaster we did in Italy.

watching Julia come down the big jump

We were soaked, on a chilly, grey morning. I did not planned for this, but fortunately I had a change of clothes for Keegan. I even splurged on the $5 drier not to have to walk all day with wet pants. Then we headed for the kids area for some rope climbing.

We finished the day with another big soaker: the shipwreck rapids. It was really fun. This was the first time I went to Seaworld and  I really went on the rides.

More traditional methods to get wet abounds, of course. It is amazing how rarely we go down to the beach, even if we are 10 minutes away. Between the crowds, no parking, and all the stuff we have to lug, we often get discouraged. Plus, it is not all that fun when it is overcast and chilly, a common weather by the coast in early summer. The rare days the stars align just right, we do have a great time.

father and sun watching the waves (or checking out the babes?)

Of course it is a lot easier to bring the water at home, and Keegan had plenty of fun splashing around in various water vessels.

dinosaurs pool with dad. Who is having more fun?

Hannah’s and Natalie’s pool

slip and slide at Kenzie’s house

Unfortunately Kenzie, one of his best friend, left school in May. It was very sad, and we have been trying to get the kids together as much as possible. They get along so well, and even if they are not at school together, they still consider each other as the future spouse.

Seeing how much Keegan liked the slip and slide, we got our own, and invited Hannah and Mila over to try it out. It was a great success, even if the meaning of “slip and slide” got lost somehow. It was more of run and jump in the pooling water at the end.

Oh well, the important thing is that they had fun. And fun they had: no fights, and almost no injuries.

Even Father’s Day celebration involved water: the dads are paired up and they have to throw a water balloon to each other, in many outrageously difficult ways, and try not to drop it. Poor Matt got drenched.

Of course summer is not only splashing around. There are many other fun activities going on. Usually Torin’s birthday party kicks off the season. It is always a fun event. This year the theme was Lego and there were many, many Lego styled items: Lego pizza, Lego cheese and crackers, Lego flavors and decorations.

And of course, Lego cake.

Another fun, annual summer event is the San Diego County Fair, better known to us as Rides Galore, since we really don’t do much fair-related activities, and go straight to the rides.

This year is the theme was Out Of This World, which is great theme for us, since Keegan is really interested in anything space related.

 

In fact, we even went to the airspace museum once and got to listen to a real shuttle astronaut, who kindly posed with Keegan.

Colonel Sherwood “Woody” C. Spring

We went to the fair on Father’s Day, and we explored some of the animals pens, the famed piglets race and swim, and the space exhibit. It was pretty interesting: they even had an “alien” spaceship.

All of this, of course, was just a “side dish” to the main event: the rides. This year we planned better, and bought a wristband, valid for unlimited rides. This was a good idea, since we made up the price of the wristband with the first ride, that Keegan rode 10 times! 10 times, at 4 tickets per ride, at 75 cent per ticket…you do the math.

Another great thing, this year, was that he was tall enough for almost all the rides, so we did not have to go with. When all was said and done he probably went on 50 rides, at least!

He went down the Goliah slide, the only ride I would have not minded riding.

… and many, many car, trucks, and assorted vehicle rides…

Despite our fears he would not ride as much since he did not have a friend with him, Mr. Social Butterfly did not lose any time making new friends while waiting in line to find riding partners.

He went on dragon spinning rides, roller coaster rides, canoes rides…

…they even had the Bruco roller coaster he liked so much from Italy.

…and he rode on any other rides imaginable. The only ride I had to accompany him in, was the ferris wheel, which for some weird reason really fascinated him. I find it pretty boring, but it did offer a nice view of the fair.

We left exhausted past 2pm. It was fun, but I am glad the fair comes only once a year.

Summer or not summer, there is always time to spend quality time with mom and dad. Dad is usually great for wrestling matches, climbing and building.

engineers at work

Mom, on the other hand, is great for book reading and cuddles. In fact, Keegan reprimanded me before because I did not pick him up from school in my PJs, since, according to him, I look better in those, because they re a lot softer and better for cuddles.

Well, summer has just began, and I am looking forward to more fun adventures in the months to come.

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As I mentioned before, 2012 is a year of big anniversaries. One of them, is the 20 year anniversary of my arrival in San Diego, on September 9, 1992. It seems impossible it has been so long: soon I will have lived here longer than I have lived in Italy.

I do miss my family and friends, A LOT, and I do miss some things about Italy, such as l’aperetivo, well designed & affordable furniture, vacation time and socialized medicine — yes, I am a bleeding liberal, at least here in the States, since in Italy, I am considered more on the right…imagine that.

However, I never, not even once, regretted my decision, for as hard as it has been at times. I love San Diego and would not trade this city for anything. And I have always felt I belong to two countries (or maybe to none…but this is different story).

SPOILER ALERT: following is a bitter recap of the immigration path for a LEGAL alien. Feel free to skip it if you like.

During my past 20 years I had to deal with the “wonderful” immigration department on many, many occasions. I think I tried almost any available visas: tourist, prospective student, full time student, temporary worker, full time worker.

Despite 10 years in which I resided here legally, paying out of state tuition, being forced to get health insurance (funny how nobody talks about this health mandate, since it is for “foreigners”), paying taxes, getting social security income withheld (without being eligible for receiving any of it) and being a law abiding person, I was never eligible for residency automatically. I spare you how difficult it is to get residency through work, or even as an outstanding professional.

Only my marriage allowed me to become an official, legal alien with parole papers (meaning I can leave the country and come back while I waited for my card): who came up with these denigrating terms? I finally got my green card, which is not green at all, after submitting to a background check, a joint interview with Matt and a medical exam that made sure I did not have HIV, a condition which would have disqualified me. Well, after all this is understandable I really did not want to have anything to do with immigration again.

END OF BITTERNESS

It has been so long, the department changed its name: I still never remember the new one. I am obviously not the only one: INS is still really high in Google searches. No surprise: which is easier to remember?

from INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services)…

to USCIS.

However being a resident is still not a permanent condition and so, as the big anniversary approached, and with an important election looming, I figured it was a good idea to become a citizen. After all this time, I was actually surprised at how quickly and efficiently the process went.

I applied at the end of January, dropping a nice, fat check, and swearing not to be a Nazi, or a communist or a drunkard, or a drug dealer or an illegal immigrant smuggler, basically proving of being of sound moral character (seriously!). Within a couple of weeks I received a confirmation text and email. Amazing! What efficiency. After more fingerprinting, I prepared for the civic exam, which was ridiculously easy: you are given a booklet with 100 questions/answers and they will choose 10 to ask you. As long as you answer 6/10, can write and read a sentence in English you pass. By the way, anwwer this one: how many voting members does the House have in 2012?

Despite being very preoccupied by Matt’s health, the exam went well. It was ironic they asked me who the USA fought in WW2. My answer? Germany, Japan, and Italy, for a while, before we switched sides and joined USA. The inspector laughed, and while the answer was not in the book, I still passed. By the way, I am sure more than the many Americans could not answer the majority of these questions.

Test your knowledge with these online questions.

So the day finally came for the naturalization ceremony. Matt graciously agreed to come with me to witness the momentous event. I am sure he regretted the decision as soon as we saw the huge line sneaking around the building, as we arrived, at 7.40 am, 20 minutes early. Fortunately, though, the line moved faster than expected: in fact when we were all seated, we had to wait a good half an hour, till 10 am for the judge to appear. To make matters worse, Matt was “relegated” to the balcony, so he had to sit and wait: we should have brought a book. At least I had my smart phone.

We all received our info packet, which included the oath of allegiance and of course a small American flag.

After a few speakers dealing with the technical stuff, such as how to register to vote, and to get a passport, the judge finally arrived and we got started. We began with the flag presented by ROTC kids (no comment), then the American Anthem. Then, there was a video message from the President: I guess I am glad I waited, otherwise I would have had to sit through Bush’s message, and that would have totally ruined the moment.

Then Bonnie Dumanis, San Diego District Attorney (and mayor candidate) spoke, and finally the judge. She started with calling out all the nations represented in the room: there were 680 people from 75 different countries. I could not see any other Italian, but guess which country had the most representatives???

After that, she just gave a congratulatory speech and then we all recited the oath of allegiance. The whole ceremony was over in about 30 minutes. We then lined up some more, to get our certificate. And that was it.

20 years of waiting and it was all over. I guess it felt very anticlimactic. Nor I felt any different…and since I still have my Italian citizenship (both US and Italy support dual citizenship) I will still criticize both countries equally. (-:

Matt went back to work, and I went back home (I took the day off) and resumed my normal life. Since it was only a couple of days before memorial Day, Matt was able to find some very patriotic red, white and blue flowers, completed with the flag and he brought them home to celebrate me. What a sweetie!

So now I am a “real” American; next step: a US passport and registering to vote (nor that my vote matters in California).

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2012 brought an unusual amount of special anniversaries: our 10th year wedding anniversary, my 20th year anniversary since I arrived in USA, and both of my parents will be celebrating round numbers birthdays. So, since my mom always wanted to go to Hawaii, my dad felt this would be the best year to do so to celebrate together all this big dates. What an amazing gift!

WARNING: this is a mammoth post (2233 words at last count)! Feel free to skip to the pictures.

Even if we only had less than three weeks to plan it, and we were not even sure we could leave due to Matt’s health, my trusted travel agent found us a great package for 5 nights in Maui, at an amazing condo-resort, Honua Kai at North Kaanapali on the West coast.

We packed in a rush the night before, and we left by sunrise with a direct flight to Maui, ironically from Alaskan Airlines. Thanks to our trusted DVD player, Keegan was good during the flight and even we had the chance to enjoy a movie or two. We landed early in the morning (Maui time). We were greeted by the wonderful, warm, and drizzly air of Hawaii. Keegan was excited and a great help, carrying his pirate suitcase and penguin backpack.

We immediately went to rent a car, well, a minivan. For as much as I despise them, it did come handy, with 5 people and lots of bags.

We stopped for a satisfying junk food meal: Keegan’s — and my parents’ — first McDonald’s fare. Of course he loved the nuggets, fries and shake.

Since it was too early to check, but it was also Keegan’s nap time, we had the brilliant idea to drive west passing for the rugged north shore (follow the link for a great article describing the trip). We knew it was twisted and narrow, but we would have never imagined it would become a 1 lane, 2 way of traffic road, over soaring cliffs, without any guard rail to protect you from the abyss.

In fact, as we discovered on our return, most rental companies forbids you from driving that road, and that there have been plenty casualties there. Well, nobody warned us, and the maps were not very useful. I did wonder why no sites or guide mentioned that route.

So, we started the grueling, and nerve wracking 2.5 hour drive. Matt was nothing short than AMAZING. Despite the less than 5 hours of sleep, and the long flight, he maneuvered that mammoth like a pro. This also meant he had to back up, TWICE, on a curvy, almost dirt road with no protection. I stared straight into the abyss, and it was not fun.

On the plus side, half of the road was two lanes, and Keegan slept the whole time.

The view was indeed incredible, and in retrospect, I am glad we got to see it. We only took one photo, as we did not dare stopping since we did not want to wake Keegan up.

So I grabbed some images from the aforementioned article, showing some of the views we passed on the way.

Seabird Sanctuary

Kahakuloa Head (see map)

Nakalele  Blow Hole: finally a two lanes road! (see map)

Honolua Bay (see map)

click on the map to see it full size

The funny thing is that we ruled out driving the Hana road to kill time because we thought we would have been too tired for it…and then we found ourselves on a much harder road.

We finally made it to the Condos, by 2pm, just as Keegan was waking up. We had to wait almost an hour, but fortunately we could sit in the beautiful outdoor lobby, and watch at the ocean or explore the resort-like grounds. We were all tired and cranky, especially, ironically, Keegan, who was the only one who got a two hour nap, and it was not easy to entertain him.

Finally, we were allowed into the apartment and all I can say is WOW!!! It was three bedroom three baths, but this does not even start describing it. Two of the bedrooms were master bedroom, with a huge tub+ shower bath, and all rooms had king size beds. The kitchen /living room/dining room was immense. There was even a washer and drier. The whole place must have been a 1,000 sq. Incredible!

the kitchen: can I have one like this at home? Please?

the non-master bedroom (or Keegan’s room)

The balcony was overlooking the courtyard and had a full ocean view. In fact, the main image on the resort’s site could have been taken from our room.

We rested a little, then we headed to the beach, which was steps from the hotel. We learned that this particular beach is actually a wonderful snorkeling spot: how convenient is that? It was drizzling, so we saw the first of many beautiful rainbows. (even some full double rainbows, man)

Finally Keegan was in a good mood, so he jumped in the water and played. He even checked out the pools. After a great dinner at the Hotel restaurant and grill, we all crashed out very early: there are three hours difference, after all. Of course, sleeping was a challenge for Keegan, our “born traveler”. He acted out and did not want to go to bed. Then he proceeded waking up at 3.30am (Maui time), and after an hour of attempts we gave in, and let him get up. We set him up with the DVD player and went back to sleep for another couple of hours.

When my mom woke up, Matt and I left and went grocery shopping and rented snorkel gear. We were finally ready for 5 days of fun at the beach! So we all headed out to the ocean. It was sunny and beautiful. We did some snorkeling: it is amazing how close the reef is!. Even Keegan tried his gear on.

Not that he would really try to actually snorkel, mind you, but hey, baby steps…It was amazing: I missed Hawaii. After the beach, we explored one of three swimming pools; Keegan’s favorite one was the largest one that featured 2 small grottoes with waterfall, and most importantly a water slide.

He was excited to be barely high enough to be able to use it. Even I tried and I have to say it was pretty fun.

on the lanai (balcony)

After lunch we all crashed, even Keegan (even if with some difficulties). He woke up cranky, and after a few minutes, he simply retreated to our bedroom and crashed out again. So cute.

We planned some fun activities for the next few days and reserved our spot for a zip-line tour. So exciting. I was surprised Matt wanted to do it, since he does not like heights as much, but he was excited too.

We went to the beach late, played and waited to watch an amazing sunset.

We had a mellow evening, and enjoyed the fresh night air from our lanai (balcony).

The night went better, and Keegan woke up at 6. We again set up the DVD player and we got a couple more hours of sleep. After a quick trip to the beach, we headed to Lahaina. It is a nice, tourist town (nothing to do with the rowdy Lahaina bar in Pacific Beach). Right in the middle of the town, there is Banyan Tree Park, named after the famous, huge tree.

Keegan’s picture of us

After a quick tour of the court house, we headed to the docks. We scheduled an hour on the Reefdancer Boat, a glass bottom boat that would take us to the reef.

On the way, we got to admire the coastal view.

Once we got to the reef, we could watch the fish, and divers were swimming by the windows showing different specimens: our favorite one was the octopus.

Matt and I even spotter a sting ray floating by. After the boat ride, we were starved and stopped by the closest restaurant, where Keegan had his fill on fries and chicken nuggets.

After a well deserved rest, Matt and I went off on our own to do some snorkeling at Black Rock. In retrospect we should have just walked from our hotel…when we finally made it, it was raining, but sunny, so we still got into the water. This weather actually gave us a wonderful rainbow, and it was great to come up to the surface and watch it arched over the mountains. We saw amazing fish, and a sea turtle.

That night, Matt and I had a date night, and we went for a romantic dinner in the same resort we stayed last time we were in Maui, before Keegan was conceived.

The next day was a beautiful sunny day, with no trace of rain. So we went to the beach first for some play in the sand.

Matt and I left around lunch time and went to our zip-line adventure. We chose the canyon zip-line, since it was the closest one and offered nice views of the coast. It had 8 different zip-lines.

getting ready for the first zip-line

ready, set, go

now is Matt’s turn

a couple of the zip-lines

After a few of the lines, we stopped to have lunch at a beautiful vista, where we could admire a 360 panorama.

It was really a fun adventure, and really not scary at all. I would definitely do it again next time I am in Hawaii.

When we got back, Keegan was still sleeping. When he got up, we  went to do some shopping with my parents and had dinner at the famous Hula Grill. The food was great and they even had hula show.

we had to buy at least one flower lay

a romantic shot…maybe not romantic but a cute one.

The next day, the last full day, it was a little cloudy, but this did not stopped us or Keegan. He brought some of his favorite toys with him, and he lined them all up ready to play.

Soon, another rainbow appeared and with it the sun.

We spent most if the day in the water. We started at the beach, and did some snorkeling right there. It was a great day: we saw lots of different fish, and turtles. Amazing. Then moved to the pools and tried a new one as well as one of the hot tubs.

After lunch, Matt and I went for another snorkeling adventure, at Holowalu, on Highway 30, Mile 14. The view was amazing: lots, and lots of fish, and I followed and swam with a couple of turtles. It felt like being inside a movie. The reef was really close to the surface, which made for great snorkeling, but that also meant we got stuck in a few inches of water. It was a little scary, especially because we got separated, but we were able to come back on shore. What a great spot for our last snorkeling adventure.

When we got back to the condo, there was still time to play on the beach with Keegan and my parents, and of course to take some postcard-like pictures.

Matt and Keegan did some amazing building

What a magical place: we will miss Maui.

We spent the evening packing, but we had more fun before we had to catch our flight. The next morning, we left around 9 and we took the easy road toward the airport. As always Keegan was full of energy and ready to go.

We stopped for pictures at a viewpoint on the way to Maalaea Bay.

Our destination was Maui Ocean Center. What a great aquarium! It was nice to get to see all the fish we looked at while snorkeling up close (and not foggy or blurry). I even got to take a picture of my favorite fish. This fish is very elusive, so it is convenient to get it in a tank.

We also saw a pretty cool octopus that was moving graciously around. fascinating.

We saw also plenty of other ref dwellers, but no Dori or Nemo: there are indigenous of Hawaii.

What? no Nemo or Dori? Well, at least they have Scar.

Keegan listened to an informative talk about sharks and we watched turtle feedings.

Another great feature of the aquarium was the tunnel tank: a tunnel is dug inside a huge tank containing all sort of sharks, rays and other fish. Contrary to the one at Seaworld, you can actually sit and watch them slowly swim by all around you. Magical.

Unfortunately, it was soon time to go. Even in Maui the airport experience is not a pleasant one. The computers were down, so it took even longer than usual, but we finally got on board. The flight went well. Keegan watched 3 whole movies…we were too exhausted to argue.

We arrived in San Diego in the evening, and I have to say that, at least on the way back, Keegan did not suffer the jet lag too much.

So it has been an incredible trip, and getting back to our normal life was not easy. But I know that the wonderful memories of Maui will accompany us for many months to come. We are deeply grateful to nonni for this great present and we did treasure every moment.  We really needed this vacation after the stressful months we had.

MAHALO!

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