One of the fun things we did while Sittie and Giddi were here was visit an Agriturismo. It's basically a farm that has a restaurant and/or bed & breakfast where they serve you food they've grown. Agriturismo is a combination of the words agriculture and tourism. We visited Agriturismo Borgo Antico near the town of Mineo in Sicily. This is an organic farm, so all the goodies served from the veggies to the meats to the olive oil were organically grown! We went with our usual group of friends and had a very nice time. By the way, the picture in the upper right corner is of me and my girlfriend Cayla. Isn't she pretty? She's an older woman, but I don't mind!
I had my 2-month check-up yesterday. I had to get vaccinated, so they gave me 3 shots! I was in such a good mood, and I didn't cry when they got me naked to weigh and measure me, but as soon as the first needle stabbed my thigh, I let out a pretty big scream. After that I only whimpered for a few minutes, and then I was fine! Mommy and Daddy were surprised I did so well. I was pretty mellow yesterday after getting the shots, but not really fussy. I'm always such a good boy!
We survived the trip! Mommy and Daddy are so relieved. We had a great time in Germany, and I was as well-behaved as a boy could be! We surprised Auntie Tini on Christmas by telling her we were taking a trip to Bavaria in southern Germany. We stayed at Edelweiss Lodge & Resort - a place reserved especially for American military. It was so nice! It's in Garmisch - a cute little town in the Alps, not far from the Austrian border. We toured the castles of "Mad" King Ludwig and had beer and giant pretzels at the Hofbrauhaus - a beer hall in Munich. The hardest part about traveling with me was having to haul all my stuff! I was easy, though. I liked being all bundled up. I slept more than ever before. Now, of course, we're back home, and I'm not napping during the day. I guess I'm trying to catch up on my awake time! 
I went on my first airplane ride! On January 7th, Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Tini and I flew from Catania, Italy to Munich, Germany. I was crying as we were boarding, and Mommy was so nervous that I wouldn't stop! Then again, she wouldn't have felt too sorry for everyone else on the flight... we had to put up with their odors! (A balanced mix of body odor, cigarettes and stale coffee breath - YUCK!!) Anyway, I had a snack before we took off and was a very good boy for the entire flight. My ears didn't even hurt! This was the first time I had ever left Italy. I was so surprised at the differences between the two countries. I'll tell you more about Germany later. Just look at these airport pictures. The Catania airport is so crowded! Every single person outside was smoking. I didn't see one without a cigarette! Then, look at Munich's airport. It was so clean and empty! Very interesting...
I was a very good boy on the way back to Catania, too. Man! My parents are lucky to have such a wonderful baby boy! Now we'll start thinking about the long trek to Oklahoma. I'm so excited to see the United States and all my family and friends!
Yep, I can't believe it either! I'm getting bigger and more handsome all the time....
Visit Gambino! www.vinigambino.it
Yesterday, I visited my first winery! The Gambino winery is up on Mt. Etna in Sicily. Mt. Etna is an active volcano with rich soil and cool temperatures - perfect for growing grapes. Mommy & Daddy are trying to stock up on wine before the big move. If you haven't heard, we're moving to Oklahoma in April! Anyway, we took Auntie Tini up to Gambino, and our friends Mike, Jon, Chris, Gayle and Vince joined us. They (I'm too little) tasted 5 wines and had fun chatting. It's too bad I won't remember any of this when I'm bigger, but at least my parents are documenting my life in Italy!
Happy New Year from Sicily! I hope you all had a fun one. Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Tini and I went to Chris & Young's house along with Chris, Gayle and Vince - our usual crowd minus a few who were out of town. Anyway, we had a fried food festival that I didn't get to sample, and we played Balderdash - so fun! I almost stayed awake until midnight to ring in 2008, but fell asleep on Daddy. We stayed up really late, so we spent New Years Day being couch potatoes. My New Years resolution is to do my best to meet all my friends and family back home by the end of the year. Do you think I can do it???
I can't believe it! I'm already 7 weeks old! Time has been flying. Before I know it, I'll be off to college. My 7th week of life was an eventful one. I had my first cold and gave it to Mommy and Daddy. We're all getting better, though! I've been smiling a lot. Mommy caught my first smile on December 20th, and I've been smiling ever since. I tend to be a happy boy as long as I'm fed, clean and being entertained!
