W23 of Y3

 The Grand Bazaar

The middle school hosted their annual Grand Bazaar this week.  

It was so fun to see all the goods the kids made for their Countries.  They were all so creative!  

All the visitors got 200 "Weros" to use for shopping at the Bazaar.  

Some of the vendors were pretty agressive.  I felt like we were in Istanbul again! :)

I don't know about these two.  They look pretty sketchy!

All my purchases from the Bazaar

PTSA Carnival

The elementary school held their annual carnival this week.  

The scouts sold pulled pork sandwiches there to earn money for scout camp this summer.  

I spent all day cooking almost 20# of pork for the sandwiches.  We ran out of meat about 30 minutes early.  Next time we have to do 30#!

I was so busy helping the boys with their booth I never saw Whitney all night except for the one time she found me to show me the donuts she won at the cake walk!! lol!  Then she was off again!

Scout 20-Mile Hike

After working at the carnival all night these guys got up at 6am to complete the dreaded, but required, 20-mile hike merit badge!  

The initial group.  More kids joined in a little later.

Jeremy was smart and brought a bike.  The perks of being the scout master!

Looks like trouble, doesn't it?  I wouldn't want to see this coming down the street towards me!!

Taking a break!  Poor kids were POOPED!!!

Farm Party 

While the boys were on their hike, Whitney and I went to her friend's birthday party on their landlords farm.  It was an amazingly good time!!

It was also the landlord's birthday so we sang happy birthday/Aguri to both of them!

The landlord made a ton of hard boiled eggs for guests at the party! lol!

BFFs

The crazy farm animals!

The even crazier moms! 

Celtics end of the season party

We finally got around to having our end of the season party for our beloved Celtics!  

This year we had it at another one of the parent's house in Vicenza

Luckily they had a hoop for the kids!

Coach passing out certificates for each of the kids

The plaque we got for the coach

Coach Craig has coached each one of my kids in basketball since we have been here.  He is a wonderful, dedicated, caring Coach!  He volunteers to do this all while working full time for his real job.  We are very fortunate to have him in our community!  

W22 of Y3

Spring!!!

This has been a beautiful week!  

This time of year I look forward to 3 things: blue skies, sunshine, and....  gelato stores open back up!!

The kids and I (without Connor) enjoyed a beautiful bike ride through the vineyards and crops to have this year's first gelato this week. 

Of all the gelaterias that we've eaten at since arriving in Italy 2 1/2 years ago...  the one down the street from our house is STILL the best!!

Aiden's favorite part of spring is being able to start mowing the lawn again.

I went to see Beauty and the Beast with Whitney and her friends this weekend. 

The end of the weekend was also the end of the Musical that Jeremy was in.
The last show was on Sunday and then the cast and families had their traditional potluck afterwards. 

W21 of Y3

Honor Roll

Connor made the Vicenza High School honor roll for getting a 3.0-3.5 GPA for second quarter!

Good job Connor!  2 quarters in a row!!!  

I'm so proud of him for working so hard to keep his grades up and getting off to such a great start in high school, but... I'm even more proud of the man he is becoming and his character which is more than its weight in gold! The world would be a much better place if there were more people like Connor in it!  So proud of him!

Madagascar

Tryouts for the youth musical at the Soldier's Theater was this week.
They had to split the auditions up by age groups over 3 days because so many kids tried out for it!

Whitney's tryouts

She had to sing a solo from the script

Group dance that they just learned on the spot

Aiden tried out the next day

He also sang a solo

and danced!

They both got parts.  Whitney is a lemur and Aiden is a Zoo guest, Foosa, and Police Officer!!!  

So proud of them for going out of their comfort zones and trying out!  It was extremely nerve racking but they proved they could rise to the occasion and do hard things!!  Good job Aiden and Whitney!!

European Championships 2017

Wiesbaden, Germany

The kids and I skipped school and work and went to Wiesbaden on the team bus to watch the Junior Basketball games in Wiesbaden, Germany!  

Driving through Switzerland.  Lake Lucerne. Gorgeous!! 

Early Saturday morning at the hotel... ready for a fun day!

Warming up

The team with their coach!  Go Celtics!!

Opening ceremony with all the teams

The players all shook hands before the games started.  Too bad this didn't really help the sportsman ship of the games but... it was a nice gesture!

National Anthem.  Gets me every time...

Here we go!  Me - Ball of nerves.... oh my gosh!!! So exciting!  He seems cool as a cucumber!

First game was against Aviano, Italy.  Aiden started every game during the tournament.

I love Aiden's intensity.  His eyes are ALWAYS on the ball.  He is always looking for the opportunity to steal the ball.... and he usually does!

They turned the score clock off after 3rd quarter because we were winning 20-50.

Whitney kept herself occupied walking/running the track upstairs during the games. lol!

We played Wiesbaden for our second game.  We knew they would be tough to beat.

We beat Wiesbaden. 32-45!

Last game of the day was against Hohenfels.

Vicenza won. 48-26!

Undefeated after Day 1!!!!

Not sure who was having more fun... the team or the Moms!!

So proud of my little baller!!

Walking downtown Wiesbaden for dinner

We took up 4 tables!  The staff was so nice though... everyone kept commenting on how nice it was to have have decent customer service for a change after living in Italy!

Schnitzle mit pommes.... beautiful sight!

Walking home with full bellies and tired bodies after a very full day!

Day 2:  first game was against Kaiserslautern.

We lost.  Final score: 63-49
The boys were sad.  This qualified them to compete for only 3rd place. 

Third place game was against Wiesbaden... again.  

We were ahead until 3rd quarter and then the weight of the last 2 days caught up with us.
The boys were exhausted! Final score: 60-41.

Despite two bad losses and poor sportsmanship from the opposing teams and the parents.... he's still smiling!

Despite it all... they were laughing and having fun just a few hours later at McDonald's. 

The rest of the way home was quiet.  Everyone was tired and it was a long ride home.
Either way, it was an honor to be able to compete at the Championships and and experience we will all remember!
This team came a long way over the season.  Our coach really brought them together and helped each one of them improve.  They should all be proud of themselves.  I am!