Anna and I ventured out this morning for church. We attended mass at the Antica Chiesa Maria, which is a very old little chapel. It may be old, but it's still kicking. There were so many people in attendance that the pews would not accomodate them, and so they brought out chairs. When the chairs filled one part of the sanctuary, they brought in more chairs for the other side. I think, among protestant circles, we tend to think of traditional, Roman catholicism as being very conservative, but today, I saw something different. The service itself was very conservative, but the women wore pants to church (with the most beautiful coats ever!), and a female parishoner read the scripture from the pulpit (sorry, I know they probably call it something different in the Catholic church, but this Baptist blonde can't come up with the word right this minute.) I was so surprised to see that an ancient Catholic Italian church! Go, Italia!
On the way home from church, Anna asked so sweetly for a treat. It was too early for ice cream, so I took her into a bakery for a little treat to take home for later. I keep saying it, I know, but I'm just warning the people at home. Anna is coming home Italian! She loves the sweet treats. She loves the gelato. She loves the pizza. She really, really, REALLY loves the pasta. I think we're going to have to add penne with pomodoro sauce to our rotating family dinner menu. We don't eat pasta that much at home, but I think that's about to change.
It was very cold and overcast today in Verona. Clearly, I should have listened to my friend Sherry who told me to make sure to check the weather before I left (I didn't have time!). In any event, I did manage to pack my winter coat, but I should have packed more like I was going on a ski vacation. I did not even bring a winter hat or scarf! Thankfully, I threw in Anna's hat and gloves on my way out the door. We have used them almost every day. It has been so cold here. The temperature doesn't seem like it would be that cold, but it feels colder than it reads, especially since we walk everywhere!
Once we were home from church, we stayed home in an attempt to thaw ourselves. Anna played with her toys, and we even managed to watch part of a show together on the computer. Our spotty internet service rarely allows this, so it was a treat. Late this afternoon, we were tired of our apartment walls, so Anna and I went out for a walk. We found the Italian Disney Store. This was a fun find, since it's a little known fact that I worked at a Disney Store when I was in school. Their store was much larger than the ones I have seen in the U.S. and seemed to be doing quite a big business. Disney is alive and well in Italy!
As I cooked dinner, Papa and Anna put a new puzzle together. Anna was excited because this puzzle had more pieces than the last one. Anna is not quite as good at puzzles as Amelia and Lucy, but she is learning. She is still figuring out how to put straight edges on the outside and then match colors and lines to fill the inside. She's doing pretty well at it -- she got this 64-piece one assembled (with some help from Papa). Perhaps it is not what other five year olds can do, but when you think about the fact that Anna never played with toys, assembled puzzles, colored with crayons, or did any of the things typical American toddlers are exposed to, I think she's progressing quite nicely. Even so, Anna would much rather cook the dinner, do the laundry or mop the floor. (I see several of you lining up to welcome Anna to your homes for the afternoon.) We do let Anna help with these things, but it is also important for Anna to learn to just be a kid -- to play, to laugh, and to let the adults be the adults.
Tomorrow, it's back to the hospital. I'm not sure what will be happening, but they asked us to come back, so we will come back.
All in all, a restful, serene Sunday. I hope you had one, too!
Amy
The Disney Store was a big part of our life. As our youngest little one was learning to have bowel movements on the toilet, we were so excited when accomplished, we enticed her with a disney trip. Well, the expense didn't matter because that was a major milestone in those days:)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Anna is much better than I at puzzles! So good to see her smiling face! Love you guys!