31 december: S. Sylvester

The last evening of the year we had invited granny to stay with us some days so that Momochan could have her company.
We prepared some salami and appetizers and as main dish, cotechino with mashed potatoes ;)
As aunt called us to say she has some fireworks, we decided that, as Momochan loves fireworks and we also had bought some, best was to get out before midnight and reach aunt at her house to explode fireworks togather ;)
So we did, aunt lives near but the evening was really cold, Momochan had a thick coat and a berret.
She amused so much and continuously said: more more, I want to see more !!!
HAHAHAHA
When we finally got home later it was already past 01:00 AM and once she had her pijama and milk she fall asleep in a few seconds ; )

new year :)

For the first day of the year we had organized another special lunch and granny was still here with us, Momochan is happy when granny is there even if she doesn't show :)

Momochan and granny were looking tv togather while we were preparing food, some special strudel with ham and cheese inside (normally strudel is sweet but we have found some recipes to make a salted version), tortellini in broth and something else quick to do.

bubbles again :)

Momochan loves to make bubbles so here she is today just under our house, along the street :)
Daddy and granny are upstairs inside house preparing and dressing while Momochan and I have a quick walk outside.

Momo loves to make bubbles, she made a thousands bubbles of all the colours of the rainbow, she made and I exploded HAHAHA

Waling along the street we arrived at the little bridge over the water, there were some ducks, two females and a male quacking happily, pity we didn't have some bread to give but I guess it was not time for them to eat, if it not "lunch time" you throw them food they do not give a look at, from our house we can hear the ducks, so whenever we hear we can quickly get out and take some hard bread bread shop is just under our house or eventually we have some we did not eat so we use for them :) Quick now ! we have to come home again, daddy and granny are waiting for us for lunch !

three ducks are swimming :)

san silvester :)

Granny has come to party with us, inthe afternoon Momichan and I have gone to the shop under our house to buy some "magic wands" a kind of home little fireworks that sparkle but you can hold in your hands all the time and looks like a magic wand, Momo loves them :)

cotechino and lenticchies

polenta and mushrooms

We have prepared veggies and cotechino and some starts like polenta and mushrooms, we also had salami and ham and some tartufo cheese and salami.
Momo and granny were playing with a new game we had bought to play alltogather adn Momochan was winning everytime and was loosing, Momo laughed every time, the game treated to take away some sticks from a rocket shaped thing without letting the little balls inside fall down but everytime it was my turn I was unlucky and my sticks always made balls fall !!! the winner of the game is the one who has less balls than the other.
As we have finished eating Momochan asked about lighting her magic wands, they are coloured, green, red, orange and some white, she was amusing so much but in a short time all the livingroom was full of smoke HAHAHA

Momo and her magic wand

cotechino wrapped insde a special bread

Anyway, at midnight outside in the sky somewhere in the central plaza of the town, fireworks startedand Momo started to jump and shout happily, we were running from one side of the other inside the house to see the better possible, some fireworks were really enormous, other just made noise, some seemed gold fountains and some just magic sparkling dust, Momochan loved them all :)

Around one o'clock everything was finished and Momochan was tired.
I started to put everything in order and prepare milk bottle for her while daddy helped to put pijama and granny helped in the kitchen, I was tired too and I guess when everyone touched the bed, fall in a deep sleep :)

rainy walk

Daddy is sleeping this morning so Momichan and I take a walk to our preferred coffee shop :)
As soon as we come down and get out of our building we discover it's raining ! We have to go up again to take the raincoat and Momichan's umbrella :) she loves rain and her umbrella :) luckily it doesn't rain so hard so we can easily take a walk (it is better for Momichan always to take a walk in the morning before eating time and in the afternoon before dinner time, she can take some fresh air and be hungry and a little relaxed for the meals and the nap time :)

capodanno 2012

Today is the 1st of the year and we prepare the classuc menu: zampone and lenticchie, for Momichan Ikea meatballs and veggies :)
In the glass vase there are some mustard cherries, is a tipical ingredient we use with meat or zampone or cotechino.
Momichan has been really jouzu, she has eaten all by herself without complaining . As everyday after meal she has gone bed for her usual nap and as soon as she has fallen asleep, I light on tv to see what is on and I have a sourprise: there are many cartoons today !

The first one is about the Mermaid of which I already have the two dvd, but after a few seconds I understand this one I have never seen, this one is "The little Mermaid 3, Ariel beginning" a prequel made in 2008 regarding the two films already made, it tells about the beginning when the Mermaids were smaller and there was Ariel mum, the queen Atena.

The second film on tv is "Mulan 2", (the following of the first) film of 2004, I didn't even knew, this one tells about the wedding of Mulan and Li Sheng and the problems about two persons totally different from each other and the efforts to build a strong union.

I would like to search and buy both dvd for Momichan and me to add to our collection so that we can see whenever we want.
The third film we have watched alltogather, Momichan has awakened in th meantime, is "Elliot the invisible dragon" a really old film showed on tv in 1977, I remember my mum at the time had bought the book I read to my sister who was 5 while I was 9 year old, Elliot was her preferred charcter. It has been funny watching on tv with my daughter, a film of my childhood 34 years old ! :)

San Silvestro

Instead of preparing another special dinner, this year we have thought to go out instead of staying home. Two days ago we have visited some restaurants in our olittle town to have an idea of the menu and the cost for the last of the year dinner. Many places have unaffordable high crazy prices even if the menus seems to be yummy and elegant. The local chines restaurant where we often go proposes an italian menu with just some little chinese things at a lower reasonable price so yesterday we have decided to make a reservation for us and for granny. Momichan is enthusiastic, she loves to go restaurant and she loves this restaurant, also she likes whenever there is granny with us so when we tell her she starts to jump everywhere inside home ! :) For the occasion she weares the new green stripe pullower (see foto) granny has given her as present for Christmas.

The menu includes champagne and panettone and also fireworks so it means we have to stay until midnight. After lunch today Momichan takes her usual nap but we let her sleep until late so that she will not be tired this evening, reservation in the restauurant is around 21.30 PM in this way it will be easier also for a small kid like Momichan to sit at the table for long time anyway I prepare her Hello Kitty rucksack (present from my sister for X'Mas) with some little story books, a colouring album and some coloured pencils.
Just after we have sit at the table and taken off the jackets, the waiter takes us water and the starts, a dish composed by a mix of smoked salmon sandwich, chinese potato rolls, a big shrimp and shells. I do not like the shells so I give to mum because she is fond of, she gives me the two chinese potato rolls because they are sweet and she doesn't like sweet potatoes. The first dishes are two: rice cooked with onions, smoked cheese and mushrooms, garganelli pasta with zucchini and shrimps. Rice is really good but garganelli pasta should have been better if just would have cooked with a little less salt.

The main course is also composed by two different choices one is fish and the other meat: seabass with herbs and veggies, shrimps cooked chinese style. The second dish is a choice of grilled meat, veal, chicken and lamb (very yummy I must say). Between one dish an the other is served some salad.
Little by little the restaurant is empting, the people who stay are the ones arrived after nine o'clock for the fireworks, families with small children little by little go away. In the middle of the ones who stay there are also our neighbours and a nother lady we often meet at our preferred coffee shop (she lives in the apartments just over the restaurant). At 11.30 we have finished eating, music is tuned up and the little chines kids sons and daughters of the owner of t erestaurant start to dance, Momichan join them and a waiter start to make baby dance with them, Momichan amuses a lot and she is really good in moving same way according to the music.

Other waiters take away the last dirty dishes and take champagne and special flute while some others outside take the fireworks and put on the ground ready to be lighted. On tv there is a program taking the countdown, there are singers and dancers and some telling jokes. On each table is taken fruits (mandarins), chokolates and peanuts.
Momichan dances while outside waiters are running to dispose other fireworks and the tv makes the final countdown: just three minutes and 2011 will be finished !!! Sampei opens the champaing bottle and purs it in the glasses, everybody counts down ... 6...5...4...3...2...1...0 ! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
Outside the fireworks starts, Momichan is enchanted, everybody in the restaurant run to the windows to see better outside, some go outside, music goes on, panettone slices is taken to tables and everybody cheeres. After a little Sampei goes to pay and when the fireworks are finished we start to go home too, we still have some fireworks we had bought three weeks ago when we still thought to make dinner at home and Momichan wants to see.

Granny is still with us, we will take her home afterwards.
At home there is nobody around, we are in our courtyard lighting the fireworks and Momichan is happy and jumps. Sky is clear and we can see Orion and many stars and constellation. After a few minutes also our neighbours come home and take the lift to go up, the rest of the building is dark, maybe many families are already in bed, some others are still outside.
I finish the fireworks, while Momichan and I go up inside home, Sampei takes granny home, when he comes back Momichan is already with her pijama in her bed and holds her milk bottle in her tiny hands.

She has amused so much this evening, so many new enchanting things for her, HAPPY NEW YEAR Momichan :)