Freddy Sends Greetings From Madeira

Lucky Freddy is in Madeira with my Mom. It's their first morning there, and so far the news is that the view from their room is spectacular and they are headed into town to find the tram.

Memory Lane

Freddy dug up an old memory card and boy did we find some cuties! We are all just dying.

Freddy is roughly Sebby's age in these and Sebby currently wears this sweatshirt and shoes all the time.

 I had forgotten how curly Freddy's hair was, especially compared to Sebby's which is completely straight. They both have the same round cheeks that I can't help but smooch all day long.

 Zita is only 5 years old here, but I swear this was a few months ago.
I had a total meltdown where-did-my-babies-go moment when I saw these for the first time. These pictures confirm what I've known all along- Sebby will eventually grow up just like his brothers and sister have :(

 These were taken pre-smart phone days so I have no video and no idea what her lines were. I do remember that she loved that shirt as the softest one in her drawer, and that she was always a little embarrassed and softly spoken at the microphone.

There are some real gems of Mooj who is not amused by his pictures and wants them "destroyed." I'll save those for his wedding slideshow. kidding. maybe. 

Kitchen Project Underway

Seb came with my mom and me to a nearby quarry to look at kitchen counter marble samples.

What started as Pai unclogging the sink has snowballed into a project that feels like a complete remodel.

Italy: Day Three

We packed for Springy weather so I was a little reluctant when it was announced at breakfast that the plan for the day would be to visit the Alps. With a small carry-on each, we really didn't have clothes for anything colder than 60f.

 Sebby had already been sick for a few days, and I had spent the whole previous night up with fever, chills, and a horrible cough/cold. I wasn't feeling very Aplsy at all. I put aside all of my reluctance and grumps to make the most of a unique family togetherness-in-travel situation. (Really that was a long winded excuse for why I look so horrible in the pictures)

We drove through an incredibly beautiful valley with castles, and waterfalls dotting the mountains as we drove closer to the snow.


We got out of the car and asked the gondola ticket guy how cold it was at the top. When he said "minus 10," I realized my open shoes and no socks, and half sleeve cardigan would not cut it.

After a shuffling of clothing, we headed up in the gondola that was built in the 1940s, watching all the while as construction men worked on the new cables and new gondola going in right next to the one we were riding in.  I hate heights. Pai then had to tell the story of the gondola in Italy that went crashing into the Alps, killing 25 people. This ride was not my best moment of the trip. 

 Freddy got this picture right at the start of our ride up. It was at that point that I was thinking "we're all going to die. I'm too young to die."

It was worth it, however, because at the top it was just heavenly snowy mountains in all directions.

Sebby had never seen snow before and Freddy and Zita had only been to the snow once before so for the kids, it was a sight to behold. 

We are a family that complains about any weather that isn't sunny and warm, so it was a great shock that we weren't bothered by the cold. We also didn't stay outside for very long, but we didn't die or get frost bite either.  

 Sebby was fine until he put his hands in the snow. He then started bawling about his freezing cold hands.

 Mooj used these old binoculars, but there wasn't much to see other than mountains and snow.

 Below shows the valley that we drove through.

 I look bundled up, but that is a borrowed, thin-as-paper wind breaker.

 We still stopped for ice cream, and then another castle visit, but Sebby is now in my lap between me and the laptop, so those pictures will have to wait for my next free moment.

Italy: Days One and Two

Off we went to Italy on the night of my birthday. We flew Easyjet with low expectations, but it was fine. It took 1.5 hours for them to bring our stroller and car seat in Italy, but that was normal for what we quickly dubbed "Italian Time." Italian time is lovely when you are on a couples getaway. It's not so lovely when you arrive at midnight with many exhausted children. 

We stayed the first night at the Milan airport Sheraton. It was the worst service of any hotel I've ever stayed in, but it didn't taint our holiday having spent only 8 hours there.

Freddy had a camera with him and took a picture of the first car to pull up in the morning. Of course it was a Ferrari, and sadly not ours. 

The ten of us squished into our two rental cars- that took over an hour of paper work to get- and then drove an hour to the castle. I don't know why I was surprised to find that northern Italy looks like a completely different country than Southern Italy. They are both spectacular. Signs of Spring were everywhere, but the mountains were still covered in snow.

The castle was so easy to find. We got off the freeway, and there it was at the end of this little road.

 A big medieval looking door slowly creaked open at the entrance after the kids rang the bell. 

They had a dapper looking porter show us to our rooms that were beyond expectation. We climbed four flights of worn stone steps to get to our room that could easily be a 2 bedroom NYC apartment.
In the above picture, you can see the tower where our room was. And below showcases the view.

I immediately regretted that we hadn't booked this hotel for our entire trip. I had visions that we would be semi roughing it in a freezing middle-of-nowhere castle. That was definitely not the case.

Before we could set our bags down, the kids were off exploring as much of the castle and its grounds as they could. I couldn't believe the setting! In the hundreds of conversations we have had about this castle, Pai never once mentioned the spectacular setting. I only knew it was "near Turin."

Having a walled-in place for Sebby to explore was the best part; I knew he couldn't escape and so I let him tag along with the big kids as they played hide-and-seek. Pai has strong memories of playing hide and seek in the same spots. I'd love to dig up pictures of Pai here as a child.

 My mom and Freddy's room was just through the big brown door below. 

Mooj and Zita had their own room and space to get a break from the little kids, which brought much happiness for everyone.

I stayed in with Sebby in the late afternoon while everyone else went exploring the little village. On their way back to the castle, they caught Seb and me peering out the window, waiting for them to come back.

The replica paintings are a little harsh on the eyes, but if one can look past those, the interior is well maintained and just as it was generations ago.

Whenever Seb would climb on the rocks, he would say "I'm climbing on these rocky mountains! I can do it!" 

A fun surprise....

It. was a big relief to be in a separate dining room for dinner. One of my biggest worries about this trip was how Sebby would do with so many restaurant meals. There are also not very many small children in Italy, but that worked in our favor. Everyone was so friendly and helpful.

That's it for days one and two.

Italy For Easter

Mooj came home to a very-excited-to-see-him family and he promptly disappeared onto the beach with friends.

The very next day (my birthday!), we packed up and flew to Italy for an unforgettable Easter.  We have been planning to do this trip before Mooj started college and time was running out. Above is a picture of the castle where we stayed, right at the foot of the Alps close to Turin. This castle was in Pai's family until recently (1991) and restored by his great great great grandfather who lived there most of his life.  Pai has been dying to take the kids to see it, but trips to the States have dominated our travel every year.  They loved everything about our tiny sliver of castle life. Our only regret is that we flew in so late that we wasted a night at an airport hotel instead of driving straight to the castle.

It's a hotel open to the public now and was truly the experience of a lifetime for us as a family.

Moojie Comes Home Today!

Freddy is busy making his favorite cake to welcome him home.