04 July 2014

Preemptive Independence Day - July 3rd Celebration

The 3rd of July has been long known to be the actual dawning of Independence; the evening before the signing of the Declaration is really when the magic happened -- bunch of rich dudes with great hair getting together over a couple of drinks...and then a couple more...and somewhere around 2am they went out for some cheese steaks, came back to the house and put them fightin' words to paper Declaring our Independence from Europe.
Therefore, we here on this side of the world like to celebrate the real day of Independence, July 3rd, with food, fare, and fireworks.  **Ok, everything I just said is complete BS...except the part about us celebrating Independence Day on July 3rd.  In the end it has to do with the fact that it is cheaper to do on the 3rd instead of the 4th.  Anyway, it was a pretty good event especially since the whole safety aspect is really lacking here.  You really got the full effect with ashes and char raining down on you during the show.



At least they make up for the whole 3rd of July thing by starting out the show with an all-American rendition of "God Bless America" by none other than...oh wait, nevermind...regardless, Celine Dion can still sing.




29 June 2014

All About Vicenza (About Damn Time)

As we quickly approach our third Permanent Change of Station (PCS) in three years (crazy, isn't it?), we are in the throes of bidding farewell to our Italian post. Although we have had less than a year here, we have sincerely called it home and forged some amazing friendships and memories. Our family has been under one roof more often than not since moving here, and we had the joy of bringing Josephine into the world in this bella terra. 

When we moved to Bamberg, we gave you a tour of our hotel, our home, and our city. But I realize that we never did that since moving to Vicenza. We just hit the ground running, taking trips around the country and making sure life didn't pass us by. So instead, treat this post as the remaining bookend for our European tour.

For the highlight reel, let's begin at, well, the beginning. 

Within our first month, Liam broke the ginormous tree in our yard through his powers of urination. 




So maybe it was actually the termite infestation compounded by heavy winds one night... all I know is one day our son was peeing on the tree and the next thing we know, half the tree is splayed acoss our backyard. We are still waiting for Housing to repair the rolladens, holes in the siding, and destroyed outdoor light. The personal losses included a plastic beach wagon and a poposan chair -- not too shabby, given the potential for destruction. Nice work, Son.

As you'll see in the pictures we link you to once I finish my monologue, Vicenza is a beautiful city, rich with history and culture. There is a lot about the city that I failed to explore or learn, but we certainly enjoyed surrounding ourselves with it. I didn't work as hard to educate myself about Europe as I predicted (nerd that I am). In both Bamberg and Vicenza, it seems like the best education you can give yourself is found in sampling the food, strolling around the neighborhoods, and breathing in all that is life.

We had a beautiful home and yard here, even without the tree. You'll see we replaced that hole with an awesome, unclaimed outdoor chimney we swiped from the common area. Our common area had a fun little playground where Liam learned how to do this:



We even kept an herb garden going for awhile. Liam would eat chives, basil, mint, and oregano by the fistfuls almost every day. 

The area here has a lot of opportunities for exploring, like the agriturismo where we ate among the animals. Seriously. There was a donkey in the parking lot. An agriturismo is an Italian gem that should be developed in every country. Basically, you run a farm and a restaurant together, and so long as all the food and wine you serve is grown on-site, your property is tax free. Everything was incredibly fresh, delicious, and intimate. 

We found a lake about 45 minutes from our house where Zeke and Liam hopped in a kayak, Liam played with dragonflies, and he also showed just how much debris from Andy Capp's Cheddar Fries he could smear on his rashguard.

Although Liam did not attend preschool, we made fun out of learning on a minute-by-minute basis. He would practice his letters on a little whiteboard while I worked out; we made homemade playdough together and designed tunnels and bridges. (And worms. Lots of those guys.) I think the most important learning experiences he is getting lately is his time interacting with Josie. The world got a little bit bigger when she was born -- as in, it doesn't revolve just around him. Liam adores Josephine and that relationship is going to be one of his most important and influential ones in the coming years.

When my parents visited, we showed them around the main piazza (Piazza dei Signori) and then they went out on their own with Liam the next day and got to know our town more than we ever will. I would bet my parents have spent more time in the downtown area than we have!

As everyone knows, Vicenza is the birthplace of our dear, sweet little daughter. But what you may not know is that it is the birthplace of another baby we got that same week -- our 2014 Jeep Trailhawk. When Liam rode with Zeke and my parents to the Venice airport, he made sure everyone there thought he was royalty, blowing kisses and waving from the sunroof:



We may be heading to Missouri for our next adventure, but Italy will forever be near and dear in our hearts. You can see why it's easy to love this place by checking out our pictures.

Arrivederci, mia bella Italia. Grazie mille per le memorie.

27 June 2014

Father's Day Weekend: Two Odes

The first ode is to Edelweiss.  We first met Edelweiss back around Christmas 2011. (Want a refresher?) Since that first weekend, we have traveled to that haven whenever possible. I took my parents there shortly after Zeke deployed, and Liam and I managed to hop on government-sponsored retreats there almost every month of those lonely nine months without Zeke. We used Edelweiss as our pit-stop on the move down from Bamberg to Vicenza (which happened to be Mother's Day weekend). Zeke even had a last-minute stop there on his way home from the Netherlands recently. Needless to say, it was only fitting for us to use our last available four-day weekend in Europe for a trip to Edelweiss. It also happened to be Father's Day weekend, so that was a bonus.

Before we link you to some pictures of our fun little trip, I just need to gush for a moment... which leads to the second ode. When Zeke was at the resort during his Netherlands travels, he booked a spot for me to get a massage at Edelweiss. On Father's Day. FATHER'S DAY. He kicked me out of the room after breakfast, single-handedly wielded Josie in a sling and Liam on a swing, and just made me so proud and thankful that he is my spouse and the father of our babies. I am not cool or talented enough to make a photo montage dedicated to him, so I am sneaking this post up while he reads 1812 in the living room.

I did the math and Zeke has been at home with us for only 18 of the past 54 months. As in, 1.5 years out of the 4.5 years of Liam's little life. Not in a nice big chunk either, but in bits and pieces and breaths. But even with the deployments, schooling, and field training, Zeke has taken advantage of every single moment with his children. He and I are on the same page in our parenting, and he has never missed a beat when it comes to disciplining, loving, or laughing with his babies. It is never easy to be a parent, and I am willing to bet that it is very difficult to be a father to young children. Moms may have more work in the early years, but we also have more opportunities to feel needed, connected, and fulfilled.

And then there is Zeke.




Despite his being pulled from us so many times, he is a natural at being the head of our household. He makes fatherhood look joyful and inspiring. I have spied some of the tenderest moments between Zeke and Liam and it busts my heart. It is so important for Liam to see that men -- real men -- are both strong and tender, confident and nurturing, provoking and respectful. Zeke not only embodies all the traits I have wanted in a husband and father but also wears them well for our children to see. Liam will grow into an amazing man if he just sticks to following the guide God has given him in his father. And when she grows up and finds her future, Josephine will be so very blessed if she builds her life with a man like her daddy.

I would make 100 babies with Zeke if I knew we could afford the time and energy, just to watch him show some beautiful little monsters what a great man looks like.  Then again, I really want him all to myself again someday, so I'm thinking 100 babies is out of the question.

Zeke said on Father's Day, as we sipped our Chimay on the porch while the kiddos rested, that Father's Day isn't a big deal because it is just a made-up holiday. He's probably right. But you know what?  Every day we should be celebrating the gifts that wonderful parents bring to this world. So even though today's isn't Father's Day, I am celebrating Zeke, the amazing father to our children. Thank you for being you, Zeke.





Okay, enough gushing. Enjoy all the pics.


23 June 2014

The Universal Word For Animals

According to Liam, that word is ZOO. We have taken him to the NC Zoo in Asheboro, NC; the Aloha Zoo (for all the retarded, broken, or otherwise unworthy-of-fancy-zoos animals) in Sanford, NC; the Nuremberg Zoo in Bayern, Deutschland; and now the Cartigliano Zoo in Veneto, Italia.

The NC Zoo had just about every animal you could wish for in a zoo. They organized their grounds based on the continents from which the animals originated, which I always thought was very smart.

The Aloha Zoo had a one-horned water buffalo, a crocodile with three legs, several animals that walked with unexplained limps, and a few household pets that didn't meet the owners' expectations (who in his right mind thinks a lemur will be well-behaved?).

The Nuremberg Zoo was like the German supermarket (or Supermarkt, if you prefer). Full of all kinds of things that you want but spread out in a completely nonsensical way so you can't really find what is on your list. After three (wait, maybe four?) times there, we still could never find the alligators. We completely missed the lions and tigers one time. The bird section went unnoticed another time.

We did catch the penguins every time, and they were definitely our favorites. You can see why right here:


Now, for the Italian Zoo. All I can think about right now is Stefano, the seal from the circus in Madagascar. ("No, no, no, no, I am only average intelligence. Some say I'm even slightly below.")

They had some animals. Weird ones. Lots of birds. Tiny yard spaces for the different species. A lot of the animals looked pretty miserable. But it was an adventure, nonetheless. Liam really wanted to see snakes and lizards. We found lizards right at the end but no snakes. Lots of birds. A few camels. A handful of lemurs and monkeys. Did I mention the birds? Lots of 'em.

See the pictures for yourself!

19 June 2014

Venezia, Where Did All Our Euros Go?

We have lived in the Veneto region -- home to the world-renowned Venice -- for almost a year. However, it took us until last month to actually trek over to "the Floating City." We pulled out almost as many Euros as we took with us on our three-day trip to Roma, despite the fact that we planned on having only a day in the lagoon.

And we spent every last one of them within 12 hours.

Normally, we take you on an educational exploration of a city or town that we experienced, but because we didn't really go to Venice to learn anything, I won't bore you with details that we didn't even care about. Yes, there are some cool places if you want to nerd it up, like the Gallerie dell'Accademia, the Palazzo Ducale, the Basilica di San Marco, and the various islands of the lagoon that offer fun little cultural nuances... but we really just went to look around, chase pigeons, check out the glass blowing, eat some nice food, and ride on an overpriced gondola.

We took the train from Vicenza, which in itself was an adventure. Within the first few moments of our travels, Josephine managed to poop out the side of her disposable diaper (reason #562 why I love cloth diapers... rarely does that happen with them!). To get into the heart of Venice, we hopped on a cramped waterbus and rode around to the various stops until we found ourselves at the stop for St. Mark's Square. Along the way, Liam worked diligently to strengthen his immune system by sitting on the ground of the waterbus and holding onto our legs.

We had lunch at a wonderful place called da Roberto, a trattoria/pizzeria that was perched along one of the gondola canals. The service was amazing, our waiter looked like John Turturro, the food was perfection, and we had a nice view of a typical Venetian thoroughfare.

After weaving our way over to St. Mark's Square, we decided Liam should be given free reign over the pigeons until we figured out what to do with St. Mark's Basilica. The line was short, so once Liam scared a few hundred birds, we assembled by the Basilica. We never actually went inside, though, because they wouldn't let us bring in our minuscule travel pack. Our only option was to leave the bag at a random bag drop down a creepy alley... no thank you. The Basilica looked nice from the outside, and I am 99% sure the pictures we can scrounge up online of the inside will more than do justice if we want a "glimpse."

Our next goal for the day was to make it out to Murano, the island from which all authentic Venetian hand-blown glass hails. We arrived at the island and were corralled directly into a furnace/showcase hall where a man was working with a big glob of golden glass.  As the announcer explained the glass-blowing tradition, the artist twisted, weaved, and bent that glob into a Ferrari horse. Within maybe four minutes. I have no idea how he was able to create such detail or bring out such vibrant shades of red, orange, green, blue, and purple in the piece. So awesome.




Josephine demanded ice cream next, so we had to appease her. Yes, I am already blaming the baby. We sat outside near a church and let Liam chase some more pigeons before heading back to the main part of Venice. As we waited for the waterbus, Zeke and I had the same idea at the same time: Hard Rock Cafe. They had advertisements for it in every bus station and they were a success because we wound up there for dinner. Total gluttonous deliciousness. My sandwich had BBQ pulled chicken, fried onions, fried jalapenos... glorious.

Before we could leave Venice, we had to blow 100 Euros on a gondola ride. I mean, seriously. It's Venice. It was totally worth it. Josephine stayed awake the entire ride, just looking around and taking it all in. Zeke and I got to sit back and relax for the first time all day, and Liam was beside himself, giggling whenever we squeezed under a bridge or got rocked by a little wave from another gondola. When we approached the Grand Canal, our gondolier invited Liam to his stand and had him assist in moving us through the busy waterway. Liam was scared out of his wits but managed to grit his teeth and get his bearings in time for a perfect photo op.

As the sun fell from the sky, we realized the train station was still a waterbus ride away and we didn't want to be stranded in Venice for the night. Especially since Venice had swallowed all of our money. We made it to the station in time to catch the last train to Vicenza, on which neither of our children napped. We made it home just before midnight, with two tired babies, hundreds of aching bones, pockets emptied and our heads full of fun memories. We took as many pictures as we could to memorialize our little daycation -- I hope you enjoy -- check them out!

Venezia, grazie mille for a fun day. And as for all our Euros you took: you're welcome.

09 June 2014

Due Mesi di Josephine

Our little girl. Our captivating, silly, pleasant, peaceful, trusting, beautiful little girl. Josie Famosie, as Liam decided within a few weeks of her entrance into the world. Given her Italian roots here, that nickname is perfect -- it is a spin on "Famous Josie," which she already is and certainly will continue to be.

Zeke gave you the birth story from his perspective -- which was much more lucid and external than mine -- but I will recap from my viewpoint as I take you through a quick look at the past two months.

Labor Day!
The days leading up to Josephine's birth, I was feeling contractions pretty regularly, but only for an hour or two every afternoon. I made my way to 4cm without even noticing. For the Moms-to-be and Moms-who-still-remember-becoming out there, you know that is just plain fabulous. The day she was born, I started doing slightly weird things. Not out of the ordinary, per se, but things that I knew I was doing because I wouldn't have time again for 6 months or so ("or so" being forever, haha). Things like this.

That sticker goo was not going to remove itself.
Then things started getting exciting. Contractions were every 10 minutes... then 7... then 2-4 within an hour of their starting. I had talked to Labor & Delivery earlier and they told me I was instructed to ignore the standard "wait until contractions are 5 minutes apart for an hour before coming in" rule. I was to come in as soon as they were 5 minutes apart more than like 3 times in a row. They had all decided I was not to be trusted because my tolerance was too high (what are they talking about? Riding a mountain bike to my 38-week checkup is completely relaxing).

While Grandpa Marty received his daily beating from Liam, Zeke was timing me while sipping on a glass of wine and chatting with my mom. I was somewhat oblivious to the contractions but Zeke knows me well enough to keep me in line. He told me they were coming within 4 minutes of each other and we should probably pack the car. I didn't feel like going anywhere but we finally agreed to check in to L&D and confirm we were not having a baby in our bathtub. I was still at 4cm, so they let me sneak back home (but told me not to get comfortable). My nurse/neighbor/bestie of the moment (Crystal) told me she would see me within a few hours.

So we left L&D at 2000. Contractions coming home from L&D were suddenly more vicious. Zeke strapped his TENS machine onto my lower back which made for an insane experience. Waves of electric shocks through my lower back muscles confused my brain enough not to know whether to care more about the contractions or the TENS. After about 15 minutes, I felt like Dr. Yang:



We ripped off the TENS and I awkwardly stood up and paced around the room. Well, I started to pace. After three steps my water broke. Weirdest feeling ever. Time was 2100. After confirming with Zeke that yes, that just happened, I started thinking rationally... I proceeded to the bathroom and hopped into the shower. Because that makes sense. (wtf?) As I stood there, leaning against the shower wall with the hot water beating down on my back, an image flashed into my mind -- a page from a book I had been reading earlier that day, which stated, "If this is your first baby, go to the hospital when you think you are about to die. If this is not your first, go to the hospital when you start doing things but have no idea why you are doing them."

Looks like I should get out of the shower.

I yelled for Zeke, and he helped me climb into some dry clothes. Side note: If that night was any indicator for Zeke's long-term performance, if I turn geriatric before he does, he is going to be so good to me. Love that man.

We got in the car, made it there in three contractions, and in three more contractions we were up to the door, up the stairs, and within the confines of L&D. No small talk was necessary this time; in fact, our nurse didn't get to finish "admitting" us until after Josephine was born. I was at 6cm when we got there at 2150. LTC Morgan showed up within 20 minutes. I wanted to push and couldn't stop it (it was the same involuntary feeling as when you are about to throw up, no joke). She said, "Let's get this baby out!" (Then she opened the ginormous hazardous waste bag, winked at Zeke, motioned into the bag, and quipped, "For catching the baby." Classic.)

So you can imagine the rest. Push once, push twice, push thrice, and at 2237 Baby cries, Mommy giggles, Daddy grins, and she was perfect. Tiny little perfect wonder baby.

Two Months (A Day And A Lifetime Fly By)
Josie is amazing. It took her about a week to learn to trust, but once she got there, she made her niche in this family. She will never suffer from the "ignored second child" syndrome, because she has nestled for herself a unique place that has all three of us keeping her at the top of our lists. Josephine has been a traveler from the beginning, joining us on hikes and sightseeing from Day Three and doing it without complaint (Blog entries on those adventures are coming soon). Having her for a newborn has not impeded us from doing all we want to do -- Josie has enhanced every part of our days from her first moments.

Liam is in love with her, as he says on a daily basis. He asks me regularly why she has such a cute such-and-such, naming every part of her in rotation. Josephine is fascinated with Liam (shocker), and I can tell the two of them will be a pair of besties for years to come.

Her love for her daddy is adorable. Whenever he comes home if he doesn't immediately come talk to her, she gets her diaper in a wad until he does. Then she grins, blows a few drool bubbles, and goes about her babbling.

And for me? My pretty girl is an angel. She eats well, she sleeps well, she loves being held, touched, looked at, sung to, rocked, and CHANGED. Diaper changes are some of the most fun times in this house (which works out well, considering I change her 8-10 times a day or more). She doesn't cry inconsolably. Josie will cry out to receive attention, and once I come to her, she stops yelling, looks at me... and smiles. That trademark toothless grin. Then she cocks her head, brings her ear to her shoulder coyly (how does she already know to do that??), and makes one of those perfectly adorable little baby sounds.

Josie is strong and healthy. She can hold her head up with little exhaustion, she tolerates a pretty fair amount of tummy time, she can hold her head up and even assist in the abs department if I gently pull on her arms to bring her up in a sit-up position, she can hold her weight with her legs in a standing position for a second or two, and she does this hilarious double-kick-double-fist-pump combo when she wants me to pick her up.

For the stats lovers out there, Josephine was 6lbs 11oz and 20.5" at birth. Two months later, she clocked in at 11lbs 4.4oz and 23". That is above-average growth in both arenas. Too fabulous. She isn't roly-poly because she is getting so long so quickly as well. She is just plain fierce.

And for proof of that, check out these pictures. I know that's what you all were waiting for... so for reading all the way to the end, there is your reward. The first chapter of Josie Famosie.


19 May 2014

Buona Pasqua!

Zeke and I have been adamant about raising Liam (and now Josephine) to know holidays for what they should represent... not just a jolly fat man who spies on you and breaks into your home to leave you presents or a giant rabbit that roams around people's yards pooping out candy-filled eggs. We never want our kids to be confused about what really matters. Liam knows Christmas is Jesus' birthday (and Pappy's!), and he knows more than he probably should at his age about the death and resurrection of Jesus that we reflect upon every Easter.

But as you can see from these pictures, we also never want our kids to miss out on commercial fun.

When Josephine woke us for a sunrise feeding, Zeke and I stayed up and got to work. While Zeke found some entertaining places to hide eggs and treats, I stalked him with my hand-drawn map of our yard. I mean, come on. It's Liam. He performed an archaeological dig for Christmas. Of course he is going to want a map to search for Easter goodies.

The next morning, Liam reviewed the map and said, "Hey Mommy, we never got this special treat over here."
And I was all authoritative, saying, "No, we got them all."...
"But look at the map. You didn't cross it off."
"I just forgot to mark it. I am sure we got them all." (I was now no longer sure of that... but had to maintain a semblance of omniscience for the guy.)
"Okay, Mommy. We wouldn't want to leave anything outside or it might go bad."

After this little informative conversation, Liam headed to his room to grab his Zoobs and build another amazing robot creature. Meanwhile, I quietly stepped outside into the yard. Lo and behold, a Snickers peanut butter egg was still neatly tucked in one of the hiding spots. After a day in the sun, it had completely misshapen, but it was still in perfect, unopened condition. I brought it in the house and stuck it in the fridge.

And like a good, protective Mommy, I didn't force Liam to eat the abandoned candy. I ate it. Like five minutes after I put it in the fridge. The sacrifices we parents make...  :)

I hope everyone had a Buona Pasqua -- Happy Easter, giant candy-pooping bunnies and all.

06 May 2014

Liam è di quattro anni!

Our little boy is four. FOUR. We have a four-year-old son. I still get surprised when I see a reflection of Liam and me and realize how big he is getting. Before we know it, he will be completely outgrowing me! (not like that takes much... Jess here... ha!)

So we have never thrown him a birthday party before, because I am a firm believer in letting a child decide what he wants. You can't convince me that your two-year-old specifically requested a Cabo-themed party with a three-tiered cake, iPads for party favors... so until now, we have just had a nice family celebration at home with Liam, nothing crazy. This year, he requested a party. The discussion went kind of like this:

"Mommy, can I have a birthday party with my friends when I am four?"
"Sure, hon. What kind of party?"
"Under the sea. Like with sea animals, like sting rays, and sharks, and an octopus... and a blue and green cake."
"Okay, how many people do you want to invite?"
"Oh, a lot of people. Like a lot of my friends. Like 6."

Donesies. I love this kid. So easy to please.

The night before his actual birthday, we let Liam open one present from us. He had asked for a black and white sting ray and a flashlight for his birthday presents, and we were happy to oblige. We let him open the ray... however, right before he unwrapped it, I told him we got him new underwear. He opened the present, saw the black and white fabric, and said with sincere joy, "OH! COW UNDERWEARS! COW JAMMIES! THANK YOU SO MUCH!"  Zeke and I just about lost it right there. Once he opened the package and saw it was a sting ray... he was even happier. LOVE THIS KID.

On the 24th, we had a weird birthday dinner... Liam wanted birthday waffles, so I found a way to modify my waffle recipe to make it suitable for a meal. Then I ruined the somewhat healthy quality of them by smothering the waffles in Nutella, Cool Whip, and frosting. He got to open the rest of his presents (the beloved flashlight, plus an awesome board game and some well-preserved Zoltron figures from my parents) and prepare himself for the weekend's birthday fun.

That weekend, for party favors, all the kids got shark bubbles, blow up fish, a goofy fish visor, a fish straw, stamps, stickers, and silly putty. Kid stuff.  I designed a kid-friendly version of cornhole: Toss The Jellyfish. I took dried split peas, bagged them in saran wrap, and covered them in construction paper that I MacGuyvered to look like jellyfish. The kids would stand on either end of the hall and try to toss the jellyfish onto sea anemones and seaweed drawn on paper plates. We also did a game of Pin the Arms on the Octopus. Oh, and of course, a party isn't a party without a piñata (another specific request from Liam).  I made a ridiculous cake covered in blue frosting, with white waves and gummi sharks and frogs. Unintentionally, Liam ended up with his own GIGANTIC piece of cake... see for yourself in the pictures here!

I already have some ideas for next year's party (assuming they fit what Liam wants)... now we just need to figure out where to live, who his friends will be, and what flavor cake he will want!

29 March 2014

Josephine Lynn Kelly - 26 Mar 2014

At 2237hrs my whole world changed (Zeke here) as a new baby girl entered into it.  Josephine Lynn Kelly has a birth story much different then her brother's; however, unique as her brother's too.  Jess found out she was pregnant the first week we arrived in Italy and kept up an amazing, healthy routine that has her now looking like she could be on the beach next week rockin' some hot bikini.  She has been and is an incredible mother and thank God I don't have to follow her act because she made it look easy.

When Liam was born, Jess was in labor for about 16 hours and finally delivered him via bathtub in Sanford, NC.  For this pregnancy she wanted to repeat the same thing (not the 16 hours, the water birth part), but unfortunately being guests of the Italian government (yeah, that's some BS - we are guests because they switched sides right before the end of WWII so they get special treatment unlike our current "occupying" status in Germany).  Sorry I get sidetracked easily.  Anyway, the only options were to have the baby on post at the small birthing clinic or in downtown Vicenza, where they are still apparently not convinced about the marvels of modern medicine or this crazy theory about germs and cleanliness.

So with the water birth option out of the question she became comfortable with the birthing clinic on post and it turns out that the staff there is incredibly awesome, AND about 84% of the nurses and doctors that work there happen to be our neighbors (actually building-mates).  Jess also became very fond of the one Certified Nurse Midwife, LTC Morgan.

She began hard labor on 26 March at about 1700hrs (I think that is still 5 pm in regular clothes wearing world).  We had some concerns so we went to check into the birthing center at around 1900hrs (Jeopardy/Wheel of Fortune time - depending on your cable lineup) but she was still only at about 4cm so we decided to go back home and labor it up in our sweet SleepNumber bed for as long as possible.  Turns out that was only about an hour because by 2000hrs she was pumping out some pretty wicked contractions.  I used my special military training to make a physical assessment of her condition...actually this is a lie...her water broke and she was crippled by the contractions every other minute so it was a no-brainer, but I figured I would justify my existence in this situation.  I did drive really fast unnecessarily though because that's what they do in the movies.  So after my Jason Statham-like driving, we arrived at the birthing center just in time...shit, this is a lie too...it only took 3 minutes to get there because we really only live about 800km down the street.  Regardless (or irregardless s'il vous plais - that's for you Mendez) we made it to the place with doctors and nurses who catch babies for a living very quickly and were admitted at 2150hrs.  The on call doctor was Jess' favorite CNM, LTC Morgan and the head nurse on duty was our upstairs neighbor, Crystal, which made Jess very happy.  Long story short - she went from 4cm to 9cm in about 90min and delivered Josephine Lynn Kelly into the world a mere 47min after walking in the doors.

 I made a little video here with the help of Bill Gates and will post all of our pics to the normal site as soon as I figure out how, since the Shutterfly peeps changed their site layout I am not inclined right now to use the Google machine to figure out the new process for posting new albums.  There are plenty of pics in the video below though.  There are all kinds of sappy songs I could've used for background music but it's getting late here and I just happen to like Jason Aldean; if we are being completely honest and transparent here, it just flat out makes me cry them happy tears like Simple Jack (in case you're wondering, this is not a real movie but part of Tropic Thunder, which is highly recommended).  So there.



This probably isn't the blog post route that Jess would've taken so I apologize for the let down and lack of grown up words.  Irregardless - Enjoy!


(18.5 hours later - I figured out the Shutterfly thing.  ALL OF THE PICS FROM THE VIDEO AND MORE ARE POSTED HERE!!

16 March 2014

Singing, Dancing, Fountains, and Pigeons

Yeah, so judging by the title of this post you wouldn't think that these things have a lot in common.  Well once you realize that it is me, Zeke here, writing this entry, you will soon realize that your first instinct was correct and there really isn't any common denominator in this random assortment of bad writing and poorly planned collection of pictures and videos.  I guess what really ties this together (like the Dude's rug in The Big Lebowski) is the fact that Liam does some funny shit so I chose to highlight that here.  Oh, if you have not seen The Big Lebowski then shame on you.  It is a fine documentary worthy of 117 minutes of your attention. I've hyperlinked it twice now, so seriously, you need to watch it; it's kind of like a prerequisite for this blog.  Ok, pretty soon Jess is going to walk in here and change the password on this blog because I've compromised the integrity of its content so I'll hurry up and publish this post.  Back to my original thought - yes, there is not a lot of commonality in the title; however, everyone likes seeing and hearing about Liam so this is focused on his antics and the things that I usually sit back and laugh at while filming.
...A few videos first.

For a while we had a repertoire of bedtime and bath time songs that lasted for about a month before he decided that he is too cool for singing, rocking, hugs, and even night lights now.  He now just prefers to check his email and send his east coast broker some final guidance before checking himself into bed and cashing out for the night.  We managed to capture 2 out of 3 of Liam's chart-toppers on video/audio so here they are below -- "The E-A-G-L-E-S Fight Song" and...


 ...The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.


The next video leads into the only semblance of a theme, which is Liam dancing, which leads into the comedy behind some of the pictures posted.  He is a huge So You Think You Can Dance fan and showcases his moves regularly when the TV is on or when Mommy is working out via Jillian Michaels on YouTube or Tony Horton's obnoxiousness on P90X.


To cover the last 2 topics of the title post, I picked out a bunch of pics from our trips around here.  When he's not burning off his excess energy with Jillian Michaels or Tony Horton, he chases pigeons.  He also has a thing for fountains and drains.  It's kind of weird, but I know I have plenty of OCD-like traits and idiosyncrasies so I figure he just needs to explore.  If you go back through previous posts and picture albums you might notice him in a lot of pictures staring into the ends of drain pipes.  No matter where it is or how disgusting, if he passes any kind of pipe, tube, drain, sewer grate, or intriguing dark hole, he will undoubtedly stop to take a glance up it.  This video below is from Piazza San Pietro, or the famous St. Peter's Square outside the amazing basilica; a dichotomy of 2 worlds and literally 2 countries.  While we waited in line to enter the basilica, Liam wreaked havoc on the flying rats of Italy / Vatican City.


The rest of the pictures are posted at the normal spot at Shutterfly.  These are not the extent of our Florence and Rome pics; I felt that Liam needed some spotlighted attention here before the baby is born.  Enjoy.  Ciao!

14 March 2014

"Defeated" DO NOT ENTER

In actuality these were a bunch of DO NOT ENTER signs in Florence and Rome that were professionally "tagged" with graffiti.  Liam was the first to notice the graffiti on the sign in Florence so once that can of worms was open, we had a mission to complete - photograph every DO NOT ENTER sign.  It's funny because he kept saying, "look there's another defeated sign," obviously meaning graffiti'd.
Here's a link to an article that describes the artists' methods of the sticker-type graffiti.  When we saw them in Rome also, we continued to photo-journal so I thought it deserved its own blog post and picture album; check out the pictures HERE.

09 March 2014

Labor Day 2013 - Cinque Terre

Yes, the title of this blog is correct - we are just 6 months behind in posting it.  Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is often seen in photos and paintings for its amazing coastline and quaint villages that blend into the rocky cliffs.  We were fortunate to see it from several points of view - walking through each of the five villages and also from our own guided boat tour.  I could tell you all about the history of each village, but more than likely someone has already said it better, in this case Wikitravel.  I will tell you, however, about our lovely digs and the awesome time we had staying in Levanto and traveling by train to the "Five Lands."  You can check out all of our photos HERE.

Day One:  We made the roughly 3 hour drive from Vicenza through the Veneto region, passing through the scenic Emilia-Romagna and Toscana regions, ending up with a breathtaking arrival to the Liguria region cliffs overlooking the famous Italian Riviera.  The Italian or Ligurian Riviera is essentially defined by the Ligurian Regional coastline, stretching from the Maritime Alps at the northern border with France down to the bustling Gulf of La Spezia.  Although there are plenty of hotels in each of the actual five villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarolla, and Riomaggiore, we stayed in the next town to the north in Levanto.  We found Levanto to be the perfect place to stay for a long weekend to visit the Five Lands.  Because Cinque Terre is a protected National Park and listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, traveling around and between the villages is mostly restricted to walking or train.  There are roads, but you should not count on your car to be your primary transportation.  For 20 euro, you can get a Five Lands day pass for the family and travel freely by train between all of the villages.  We were in walking distance to the Levanto Stazione so we opted for that route which allowed us to check out the sites by day and enjoy the slightly larger economy of Levanto at night.  Levanto is also a popular destination because of the rare sandy beach it offers to tourists. 

We shared a cottage with our friends the Rairdons for the weekend.  It was a gorgeous 4BR house that had a detached guest "bungalow" and a swimming pool.  The most impressive part was the patio and the view that overlooked the town below as well as the coastline and beach.  On our first night we went walking in downtown Levanto and found a restaurant that offered the pretty typical Italian fare so everyone was happy. 

Day Two:  We trekked down from our cottage in the cliffs to the Levanto Stazione (train station) and for a very reasonable price spent the day checking out each of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre.  There are several paths with varying difficulties that one could take to walk the entire national park.  It could take a couple days to do so, but be aware that some of the paths are often closed due to landslides.  Liam was a champ hiking up the narrow roads and climbing staircases through vineyards.  We found a great spot for lunch in Manarolla right at the mouth of the sea; we all had different menu items and sampled some of the indigenous Cinque Terre wine.  As we made our way back to Levanto, the three of us took advantage of some late afternoon beach time and followed it up with some pizza and finally some music courtesy of Jess on the patio back at the house.  Jess also killed her first scorpion as it was creeping towards Liam's makeshift bed on the floor.  It was kind of scary to think that he almost got a healthy dose of scorpion venom, but good old mom saved the day. 

Day Three:  Our last full day was spectacular.  All seven of us chartered a boat and saw Cinque Terre the best way possible.  The views from the sea are amazing and you get a totally different perspective on each village.


 Liam obviously enjoyed the boat ride as you can tell from the video.  We docked in Vernazza and had yet another excellent lunch.  After some more afternoon beach and pool time back in Levanto we had a reservation later that night at Osteria Tumelin, which in my opinion is the best overall Italian food we've had since being here. 

*NOTE on "Italian Food": A common misconception is that all Italian food is made-from-scratch favorites that we get at some of the nicer Italian restaurants in the states.  What I've learned is that although there are restaurants, trattorias, pastaccerias, bars, and whatever else they are called at every corner, they are all pretty average and every menu is very predictable. What is interesting is pizza here in Italy.  Back home you can always hear someone in the northeast talk about how they are the only place with "real" Italian pizza.  If you go to 3 different pizza places on the same block (and that is definitely possible), all 3 places will not only have different pizza but it will vary so much that you wonder if pizza really originated here.  And for the most part, it is all very average.  I am now an even bigger fan of Americanized Italian food and pizza because just like everything else in the world, we added a little bit of freedom and awesomeness to make it better.
  
Now that my rant on Italian food is over, let me digress back to my statement that the food on our last night in Levanto at Osteria Tumelin was truly incredible.  The cuisine on the western coast of Italy is very different from what we had become accustomed to.  Seafood dishes dominated the menus and you could taste the freshness of the local specials.  Even after sharing several bottles of wine with my buddy Steve, I can still recall the magnificence of that meal.  Buonissimo!

We packed up and headed back to Vicenza the next morning but even writing about it now - 6 months later - I realize what a great time we had and what a beautiful place to visit.  I would recommend Levanto as a staging area for any Cinque Terre vacation and am very interested in checking out the rest of the Ligurian coast down to the Gulf of La Spezia.  Ciao!

02 March 2014

Dinosaurs in the Flesh and Bone (Dinosauri in Carne e Ossa)

We ventured to nearby Bassano del Grappa to visit the Dinosauri in Carne e Ossa, or the Dinosaurs in the Flesh exhibit.  Actually, this was the second trip because the first time we made the 45 minute drive we were unable to locate the museum.  This was partially due to the address being published incorrectly in the flyer, but it's also kind of funny because had we turned our heads 20 degrees to the right instead of blindly following the GPS, then we would have seen the life-size Dinosaurs in the open park area.  The weather was bad that first day so we'll chalk it up to a poor visibility issue; however, we easily found the exhibit today and despite having to rely on our limited interpretation and translation skills it was still an educational trip.
It consisted of three floors and an outdoor exhibit area of all different sizes and scales of Dinosaurs and Liam walked away with some new Dino figures - since he claimed that he really loves the Baryonyx and needed it to complete his Velociraptor family.  In short, it was a fun day and a cool place.  We also drove through a little town called Schiavon.  Although not the origin of the Italian surname, Schiavoni, it represents the important family name from the Venetian Republic that originated from the the ethnonym or slur for "Slavs" in old Italian.  These descendants of present day Croatia settled into the Veneto region and are found throughout central and southern Italy today.
All of the day's pics are posted HERE!

25 January 2014

Juliet Drop Zone

There is a little patch of land approximately 100KM north of Venice where you can regularly find people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes by the hundreds.  Juliet Drop Zone (DZ) is where the 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducts its airborne insertion training.  A common misconception is that being a Paratrooper is so much fun because you get to conduct parachute jumps on the Army's dime.  Well...like a lot of other things that would otherwise be a good time, the Army has a tendency to remove the fun aspect.  The fact that static-line parachuting involves an often painful opening shock caused by jumping out of the side door of an aircraft traveling at 130+ knots combined with the inevitable ground contact creates a situation that pretty much guarantees some level of pain and discomfort.  That being said, there is no greater deterrent to world tyranny than highly trained Paratroopers that can deploy, insert, organize, and fight under the cover of darkness.  Bottom line - within 18 hours of an enemy country initiating a severe hostile action, an entire brigade or even division of lawn darts can be raining down on them, which can be rather unpleasant for the enemy.


Although gravity does most of the work, it takes quite a bit of training and proficiency to execute large unit airborne operations with follow on combat missions.  I recorded this video and pictures from the DZ on 15JAN while fulfilling the role of Drop Zone Safety Officer (DZSO).  On this particular jump we dropped about 500 Paratroopers during hours of daylight and darkness.  The DZSO is responsible for setting up the DZ and coordinating all of the ground operations to include medical coverage, parachute recovery, and communicating weather and conditions to the Air Force pilots. 

The orange VS-17 panels on the ground are arranged in a "code letter" that points along the azimuth of flight for the aircraft.  This lets the pilot know that he is dropping on the correct DZ along the correct direction of flight.  The final confirmation occurs as the aircraft is approximately 2KM from the lead edge of the DZ (1 min before green light) when the DZSO gives the wind readings and transmits "clear to drop" to the pilot.  

It is not the nice soft landing that occurs in movies or while skydiving with steerable parachutes.  Thanks to the new T-11 parachutes we now fall at 18ft/sec instead of the extremely painful 22 ft/sec that came with the previous T-10D model. 

What am I complaining about though?  Despite all the agony, pain, and suffering associated with an airborne operation we are well compensated to the tune of $150 extra per month.  I'm pretty sure that's only about $23 more than what it was 55 years ago so maybe that just makes us stupid.  Don't go spending it all on some fancy record player...
Check out the rest of the pics HERE.

Dino Excavation!

One of the biggest hits for Christmas this year was a Smithsonian T-Rex excavation kit (thank you, Grandpa Marty and Grandma Bobbey!).  Right out of the box it is a pretty cool plaster/stone cast that you chip away with the supplied Paleontologist tools to reveal dinosaur bones that are ultimately assembled into a full skeleton.   But if Liam really wants to be a Paleontologist he needs to realize that prehistoric fossils are not simply pulled out of boxes found under Christmas trees...you gotta get dirty and dig for them.  On 27 DEC, we got some perfect dinosaur digging weather so I (Zeke here) buried the bones in the backyard and sent Liam out exploring to find the excavation site.  Of course we didn't send him out in the wild alone and unprepared; he had a full day's supply of water, MREs, and his hard hat.  I also gave him the technological advantage that we enjoy so much in combat - the ability to see into the invisible spectrum of light (specifically thermal and IR), a device acquired from hypothetical unsanctioned activities in distant lands.  So, armed with the same vision capabilities as the Predator (from the 1987 classic film) , Liam began his hunt.



He scanned the yard vigorously from different vantage points in order to locate the distinct heat signature that is only given from  miniature Tyrannosaur bones.  Once located, he used his specially engineered fossil rake and shovel to unearth this beast.

**Admin note -- I realize that the item he dug up in the yard looks like a package of uncut heroin; however, the aluminum foil was necessary for the thermal effect.  We are in no way involved in the opium game.**



After the initial retrieval and clearing of the site, we moved indoors and set up our workstation (and yes, Liam took his pants off. He has been in a no-pants kind of mood lately. Whatever.).  We chipped and dusted, chiseled and cleaned, until all the bones were revealed and assembled into a perfect little T-Rex skeleton!  Not only was it fun-filled educational experience; we were later contacted by the real Smithsonian Museum because it turns out that the skeleton Liam discovered was actual size.  The Westminster Kennel Club has also been beating down our door.  Something about genetically engineering the newest fad in pet breeds.







Liam is now fully convinced there are other dinosaur skeletons in our backyard. Namely, a velociraptor is rumored to be hanging around somewhere.  Be sure to check out the rest of the pics HERE.


15 January 2014

Buone Feste e Buon Natale!

Liam is one lucky guy. He has experienced a few all-American Christmases (creepy department store Santa sittings and all); he has marveled at the splendors of the Deutschalnd Weihnachten (minus the Glühwein... Mommy didn't want to share); and now, he can check "Rock the Buon Natale in Italia" off his Bucket List.

The overseas curse did strike again, as we are awaiting at least one more batch of presents for Liam, but this Christmas was spectacular. According to Zeke and me, the best Christmas ever, hands down. We are all peaceful, happy, content, and blessed. And together! Having our family nestled under one roof is a beautiful, rare treat for us, given the pace of the past 7+ years.

So what happened this Christmas? We caused some trouble at a book exchange/cookie decorating party hosted by our friends, the Kovics. We also continued with our tradition of making pasta from scratch on Christmas Eve. I prepped the pasta dough, Zeke and I rolled it out, and Zeke used the sheets to make an amazing lasagna and a crazy good batch of tortellini. I *tried* to help make the tortellini, but ultimately, I was best at the task of folding it and then passing it to Zeke to do the twisty magic. The most amazing part of it all? No cursing. No sweating. No crying. Just quick and easy, pasta-making brilliance. For those of you tracking our pasta history (and that Fruit Barton incident), you know how violent our scratch cooking can quickly turn. But since moving to Italy, every single culinary attempt has been absolute poetry -- and Christmas was no different.

Christmas morning opened with presents and breakfast, followed by an afternoon and evening with the Khalils, some of our dear friends with whom we have established another tradition: sharing food and fun on Christmas.

Liam didn't wake until close to 0930, and when he did, he had completely forgotten about Christmas, little tiny baby Jesus, Santa, presents... everything. He went straight to the kitchen for his daily bowl of oatmeal. We managed to capture on video the surprise and sheer joy of a child embracing the wonder of this blessed holiday. Enjoy! (And yes, he does say, "Is it Christmas??" after seeing Santa's bootprints throughout the room. Too perfect.)




Also, as always, here are some snapshots for you to peruse. My favorite? The explosive excitement on Liam's face when he sees that SANTA BROUGHT HIM A BAG OF SKITTLES. No joke. I mean, Liam appreciated everything he received, but that cackle and grin over a bag of Skittles? Priceless.

Buon Natale -- Merry Christmas -- and enjoy the pictures!