Saluti da Pozzuoli, Italia!!

We have been in Italy for two weeks now and have one week left. We're cramming a lot of visits to family and shopping into this last week. :)

It's just the boys and I...Andy couldn't join us this trip. Dominic is a natural Neapolitan and is having a blast hanging out with my cousin's kids and playing soccer with the neighborhood children. The language barrier doesn't seem to bother him and he's picking up a fair amount of Italian. Christian is still pretty clingy and nervous with all the new things and people he's encountering but is still having fun. He looks forward to getting gelato in the afternoon!

I wish I could upload pics but I'll do that as soon as I get home. We got to spend a week with my brother who flew down from Germany and we spent several days in Sorrento. The boys really enjoyed visiting the city of Herculaneum and hunting for skeletons. hee hee. They point out Vesuvius everytime it's in sight. They LOVED the beach at Positano and got soaked in their clothes. I had to buy a towel and dry clothes there. They enjoyed the trip to Capri and riding the funiculare and the bus over to the Marina Piccolo where we watched the huge waves (there was bad weather that day). Since returning to Pozzuoli we've mostly been visiting my relatives and getting caught up with them. I took them to the Solfatara, a volcano at the base of where my grandmother's home is, and they LOVED it. Not so much the volcano (Christian and I both got a little scorched when we got to close to one of the vents...ouch!) but climbing the smelly hills of sulfur, running through the steam clouds, and throwing rocks in the mud pits. Quite a unique experience! I can't wait to upload the pics!

Tomorrow we're going to a market because I got carried away today and bought some larger items and now have to buy another suitcase (I only brought one medium and one small one). I also want to take the boys to the fish market in Pozzuoli as I know they will LOVE that since most of the fish and other critters (especially octopus) are still alive and swimming in tubs! I also still have two uncles I haven't seen yet and another cousin I want to visit so we'll squeeze those visits in to the few days we have left.

I'll be home on the 29th and will share pics when I'm not sleep deprived anymore! LOL!

It's amazing how prayers get answered in unexpected ways. I'm still running into little problems that make me want to stick my thumbs in my eyes BUT I am feeling so much more positive thanks to the little messages, packages, e-mails, and phone calls I've received. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful support system in tough times. THANK YOU!

On to happier things. Here are some pics from our fun trip to the Dixie Dude Ranch this Spring Break. yeeehaw!!!!