Halloween Part 1

 Halloween day got off to an exciting start.  The SF Giants won the world series and there was a planned parade downtown, there was excitement in the air all over the city.  Early in the morning it began to rain and it was the perfect moment for DaddyQuique to finish up some last details on the twins' costume.

 The twins had a Pajama Party at school and wore their PJs.

 They were super excited, it was something very different from their usual routine.

 After lunch the twins dressed up. Ada was Minnie Mouse Red Riding Hood and Navi was a green Ninja - he was thinking more of a Ninjago ninja, but it looked more like Reptile form Mortal Kombat.

DaddyQuique got in on the fun as well. And there was more to come later that day.

Pumpkin Carving Time

 One more day 'till you know what.  The twins are very excited.  They skipped their after school playtime today to come home and carve their pumpkins.

 They each drew what they wanted to carve and with a little moderation from the daddies they had their pumpkins.

 The results... Navi's pumpkin is an Angry Bird and Ada's is sort of like a princess.

Ada and Navi cannot wait to show off their costumes tomorrow.

Special Guests

Nonna and Grandpa came over to visit the twins.  Ada and Navi were excited to see them as well as Sofia. Ada and Navi were very excited to show Nonna they new games and toys that keep them busy.

The Early Bird Gets The Worm

 This morning the twins were the first ones at school.  DaddyQuique volunteered for morning playground duty and needed to be there early.

They had the whole play area to themselves for a few minutes yet they did not know what to do.  It was only until other kids started arrived that they began to play.  Navi followed the boys and Ada joined the girls.  Once there was a large mix of kids the sexes combined to played together.

A Few Overlooked Pictures from Italy

DaddyQuique found some more pictures of Italy on his phone and thought he would share.

Here Ada and Navi enjoyed an afternoon at a playground in Valdobbiadine before the adults went for an aperitivo.

Navi and Alberto enjoyed a popsicle, which was an English word that Alberto was proud to learn.

Ada eating a giant pizza in Jesolo.

It was a meter long pizza, Cate's mom's favorite pizza restaurant in Jesolo.

Ada and Navi played a lot in Eleonora and Federico's play room.

And finally, pictures of food.  Here's Navi at the famous Gatto Nero restaurant in Burano.  He loved the pasta with clams, which he ate at many different restaurants.

Decorating For The Season

 Over the weekend the twins found a little time in their busy schedule to decorate for Halloween.

 They wanted to make the house scary, but the Halloween decoration box was limited to last year's left over decor.

So with a little brainstorming with DaddyQuique they came up with their center piece, a mummy.

Venezzia (Part Two)

 The one thing Ada and Navi looked forward to while in Venice, besides the gelato, was going to Piazza San Marco and chase the piggione.  By luck Ada found a piece of bread and they were able to feed them.  DaddyQuique brought hand sanitizer with him that day.

 The gondolas in Venice are really expensive so the next best thing as the traghetti. For only 2€, it's not as fancy as the gondolas, but a gondola none the less to help you across the Grand Canal.

 One day the Lopezjones' headed to the beach.  Who knew there was a beach in Venice?  The Lido had a free beach that the twins loved playing in.

 Food choices were minimal, but not bad tasting.  Acqua Frizzante is always the drink of choice for Ada and Navi.

 Venice is beautiful, but the amount of tourist during the day can be such a buzzkill. The best moments were when we were away from the crowds and the twins were free to walk around on their own.

 Federico and his dad joined us one day for an outing and gelato.

 They stopped at a few tourist spots, but all the twins wanted to do was play.

 So we found a campo and brought out the soccer ball.

 Ada and Navi really enjoyed Italy.  They loved it and when they came back home were very happy to share their stories of Italy with their friends and teachers.  Upon their return they both got big hugs from many of their friends.  The teacher's said they were missed.

 Thank you to Michele and his family for hosting us in Venice.

And mille grazie again to the Zancaner and De Faveri relatives for hosting us. The Lopezjones' can't wait to see you again, ci vediamo alla prossima volta!

Venezzia (Part One)

 The Lopezjones' finally made it to the lagoon.  One of the best ways to come into Venice is by Taxi, water taxi that is.  Ada and Navi were so excited to be on a boat navigating through the canals and even the grand canal.

More family greeted us in Veince.  PapaJason's cugino Michele Codemo (brother of Francesco from our first days in Italy) and his wife Stefania played host and guide to the city.

Navi was excited to have a playmate, Federico who was also 5 years old.

And Ada was happy to follow around Eleonora who was more than twice her age, but both happy to play together.

 The twins stayed in their own apartment near the Codemos located in the neighborhood of Dorsoduro. It was a nice area full of locals and many bridges and canals away form the tourist.  They were very comfortable in their apartment with their own room, the one and only thing missing was a TV for down time.

On their first full day in Venice it rained, which meant museum day.  Venice had a wonderful Museo Di Storia Naturale/Natural History Museum and both kids enjoyed it, they even got to see Stefania who works at the museum.  Afterwards they were off to find Gelato, which was easy to find - they are everywhere in Italy!

A Lot More Of Italy

 One last big family reunion was in the city of Mestre.  Maria and hosted us for dinner and invited many family members who lived right in the neighborhood.

 She loved taking pictures with the twins and commented how pretty Ada was with her big eyes.

 

 On the next stop the Lopezjones' were on their own in the medieval town of Asolo.  This picture of Asolo was taken by DaddyQuique, cugino Luca had a light weight plane and took both daddies on a flight in the area (one at a time, the plane was a two seater).

 DaddyQuique loved this well preserved quaint town.

 Ada was excited to hike up to the castle at the top of the hill.

 

 Sadly it was closed that day.

 

 But the pool at the hotel did not disappoint these two.

 Everyone enjoyed Asolo and fell in love with its charm.

 Before leaving the mainland and heading into the islands in the lagoon Renata hosted the twins for lunch.  They loved her garden and played for quite a bit.  Ada loved her flowers.

 One last playground before heading into the last stop of their vacation.

More Of Italy

 One day the twins went to see a walled city, Citadella.  The city inside is surrounded by a wall...

And a moat.  There's also a playground with in the moat and the wall.

 Much of the dinner at Cate's house were with many family members.  Here is Ada and Navi with their many cousins having dinner.

 Another day the twins and their cousins made it to the beaches of Jesolo.

 All the kids had so much fun getting in the water, even though it was a bit cold.

 Navi loved to eat, so one day in Basano Del Grappa he has a pizzetta for morning snack.  Exactly what it sounds like, a pizza.

 At the Ponte Vechio (Old Bridge), Ada was having major attitude problems.  As you can see from this picture.

 But later on she changed her mood.  Here she is with Cate.

 For lunch the twins met up with Bruna and ate at her children's cafe, the food was great.