More pets to come!

Here is a picture of my new fish tank. It is 33 gallons. It is full of water and plants now, but no fish. In another week the store will test the water for me and tell me if it is ready for fish. I want to start with four guppies. They are tough and have really pretty tails. Maybe I can add a catfish too. Then little by little I can add fish.

We're back home now!

Here's a picture of one of my two new turtles! My mom's friend gave them to me because she knows I love her turtles. They were a gift for my First Communion.

Well, the vacation in the U.S.A. is over, we are home in Italy. I loved Philadelphia, seeing my family and swimming in the pool. Golf camp was fun too. One day I went to the beach with my cousin Iris and my Aunt Lori. Iris and I collected lots of jelly fish and tiny sand crabs in a bucket. I made my First Holy Communion which was very special and then had a party which was fun.

Mom says I can take some of the money I got as gifts and buy an aquarium. We looked at tanks. The one I want costs 300 Euro (more than $450). Mom says she wishes we could have brought one from an American yard sale for under $10. We have to ask and see if anyone has one they want to sell. The fish don't cost that much, but the tanks and filters do! I also got two little turtles from my Mom's friend so I bought a new tank for them. And we have the kitten I wanted, even though I am allergic. We try to keep her outside on the deck most of the time.

Next week I want to visit my cousins who have a beach apartment in Terracina until the end of the month. We might see them on Monday. I have a stomach virus for the past week and have to watch what I eat or I get pains. I'm sick of eating plain pasta! I want tomato sauce but my stomach hurts after I eat it. I can eat toast (plain or with jelly), focaccia, roast chicken and applesauce without problems. I think eggs are OK too. I had pasta with oil yesterday and then cheese and milk and I got pains again. Was it the oil or the milk? Today I go back to the safe list of foods! BORING!! Maybe Mom will make a cake. That doesn't give me problems either :).

Back in the USA...for now!

We've been on vacation in New York and Pennsylvania for about a week and a half now. We spent time at my Uncle and Aunt's house where we had a Father's Day BBQ, and time at my big brother's house, where we had another BBQ and went in the pool. Now I'm at my cousin Brett's house, with my nephew too, going to golf camp. We have a 45 minute lesson and then play nine holes. You are supposed to be at least 8 years old and Sebastian just turned seven! but they are letting him play. We made new friends yesterday and had fun, but I got sunburned. At first it was cloudy and we thought it would rain, but then the sun came out and I didn't have sunscreen. Today it is better than last night, and today I am wearing 55 sunscreen all over. And sunglasses. I hope it stays cloudy!

Our end of the year show and bake sale

In Italy at the end of the year we always have a show where every grade does a couple of dances. We practice our steps for weeks before. Last year we did a "Happy Feet" dance in penguin costumes. This year the third graders did a dance with Aladin costumes. The boys wore a vest with no shirt under it because in Arabia it's very hot and we were trying to dress up like Arabians. The girls had costumes like genies.

We did the show twice, once at school and once at Citta Bianca, a rehabilitation center five minutes from here. Last night some students did the dance a third time at Bar Zeppiere, but I didn't go. My cousin, who is in second grade, did a Pinoccio dance.

Mom baked my favorites, chocolate chip cookies, for the bake sale. We put 12 on a plate and wrapped them up to sell. She made about 100 cookies.

Well, today is the day I have been counting-down for...the last day of school! Yesterday they gave us our summer workbook and storybook. I probably won't do much work in them until I return from our vacation in New York. My brain is tired!

How we found Blackie and Brownie

One day in December 2006 I was at my grandma's house and I went to go to get the eggs. I heard a sound like "miu miu". It came from inside the hay. I was kind of scared. Then I said to my mom, "we have mice". When my mom and me looked in the hay we saw 2 little puppies, one was black and one was brown.

They were the pups of Lea, which is the dog of my grandpa. Here's a picture of them when they were two months old.

Blackie and Brownie

My dogs' names are Blackie and the other one Brownie. Their last names are "40 below" and "46 below". They are brother and sister and about two and a half years old. We sometimes go outside and play. They are always getting into trouble. Usually they go to our neighbors house and they bark at their dogs.

My Karate Class

Today at 6 p.m. I went to karate class. We start class in a line, but since we have a competition on Sunday, June 1, the teacher was talking about that. So, while I won't tell you everything he said, but anyway, today we learned a really cool technique where you do "maigheri" a Japanaese word that means kick, I think: One person kicks and the other person grabs his leg and then grabs his kimono and pushes him onto the ground and punches him in the chest (not real punching).

Then, there's this technique that we've been working on for a while for the contest. It's called taniuscidon (or something like that!). The first thing you have to do is the salute, then do the moves in the shape of an H (two punches (with walking)to the left, two to your right, then three passes of punching/walking, then do one more and say KAII, which is to express anger and then another two punches/steps to the right, then left, then another four passes, then say KAII again, 2 to the right and then say Yamee, which means rest in Japanese.

My trip to Trisulti

Today I went to Trisulti. First in the morning at 7:20 we went to the church where my Boy Scouts meet. Then we started to go to Trisulti with a whole bunch of cars. There were three "lupetti" (little wolves) in each car. I went in the car with my dad and two friends.

So, we started to go to Trisulti. It took about thirty minutes. Near the end the road was very twisty and turny because we were climbing the mountains. When we finally arrived we went to a field next to the church of San Domenico. Then we played some games and sang songs. At 10.00 a.m. we went into the church. Inside there was a bunch of cool structures and paintings. There was one where there was a group of people kneeling down before three saints, but I don't remember their names. In the front of the church, by the altar, there was a picture of a lady with two boys. In the middle there was the altar, the priest and a cross. The priest said the mass.

After that we went to the snack bar where we did a few things. First, when we got under that roof, our leader told us to get out our Caccia (hunt) notebooks, which is where we keep all our Boy Scout notes. Then we wrote then sang a song, which I recorded on a video.

Then, when the rain finally stopped, we went out onto the patio where we played "Croccodile battle". After that, one of our leaders came running to us. He said there was a deer that we (as little wolves) had to catch. They had put out "tracks" (sticky papers) that led us to the forest. Inside the forest, Akela (our leader) said that this kind of deer, if he touches you, you're out of the game. While we were walking into the woods, we heard a strange sound, like a deer, so we ran towards it. Finally we found the "deer", but it was just our assistant leader dressed like one. We ran after him, but we had to be sure that we didn't get touched. To catch him we had to get his two horns and his tail. Then one of us got one of the horns. While I was trying to get the tail, I got touched and was out of the game. Then another one of us got his tail, but by that time it started to rain again so we had to go back inside. This was the most fun thing we did all day.

So, we waited for the rain to stop. In the meantime, we took a bathroom break and ate our lunches. I only ate candy. I didn't feel hungry, but later I was starving. After that we went outside again. We played more games. In one we each had a different color tail, and we played with a ball. We played that until our parents came. I was tired to death because I hadn't eaten. I went back to Frosinone with my Dad and with two different friends in the car.

Finally we arrived back at the church that we started out in (Sacro Cuore, Sacred Heart) early in the morning. There I made my official "Promessa". First Akela called two other new members. Then he called me. I went into the middle of the circle, had to say "buona caccia (good hunt) which is our salutation. Then I had to go around the circle and three kids asked me three questions: What are the rules? (Lupetto listens to the older wolves, not to himself), What is the motto? (Do your best.) Then the final task was to actually tie a square knot. Then I went to Akela and said the Promise: With God's help, I promise to do my best, to be faithful to God, my parents and my country, to observe the laws of the pack and do a good deed to someone everyday (in Italian, of course!). Akela gave me my bandana and my badges for my hat and shirt. From that moment on I was an official Lupetto (before that I was a cucciolo, which means a pup). After that I wrote the Prometto for one of my friends who needed to say it next week. (A good deed!) Then we went home. I was really tired and hungry. But I was glad I had such a beautiful day.

An exciting tomorrow!

Tomorrow is going to be great because I'm going to Trisulti with the Boy Scouts. It is a monastary in the mountains not too far from here. I guess we will do a lot of walking. My Mom says the forest there is beautiful. At the end of the day I will be in the ceremony to get my Italian Boy Scout bandana and a star for my cap. I'm actually a Lupetto (little wolf). I'll be sure to post some pictures!

A Normal Day...

So today started out good. I went to school at 9.30, which is an hour late, because I do English work with my mother at home on Saturdays. I came back home at 1.00. I ate pasta for lunch. Then I watched TV. I studied the Promessa for the Boy Scouts ceremony tomorrow, and then wrote on my blog. That is it today and it was kind of boring. I have karate on Tuesdays and Fridays. Soon I will get a yellow belt!

My pineapple

I have a pineapple top that I'm growing. Here's how i grew it...

1. Get a pineapple , cut the top off. Eat the bottom, but leave the top out in the sun for 2 days to dry up a bit. Then put it into sand that you have in a pot, cut side down, water it and wait.

2 When you see that the pineapple has roots put it into a bigger pot. If you have it in a big pot already, leave it in the pot.

3 If you're lucky a flower will come up and it will turn into a pineapple.

good luck!