Pedibus

Pedibus (ped--ee--boos).

What the heck is a Pedibus?  It does kind of sound like a bad skin rash, doesn't it?  It just so happens to be a very unique new initiative our community is trying with school kids.  It translates roughly into "walking bus."

In an effort to get kids walking more, they've organized a walking route to get kids to school in the morning.  Cody volunteered to help lead the our "line" on Tuesdays.  So last week, the Pedibus started its inaugural route.  

Cody leading the Green Line into the school

We walk to school almost every day, so we thought it was a fun idea to get a group together to walk with each other.  We were both shocked at how organized it was though!  Kids and volunteer parents all got vests to wear and all along the "route" are posted signs with the "stops" the Pedibus makes.  All very official.

Signs for four of the routes' stops.

After the fact, we realized the Pedibus was a much bigger deal than we had thought!  The community (hard to translate to something in America--it almost operates as its own little town) took lots of pictures of the first day of operation and posted them on their official website (that's where these came from. . . ).

Safe at school

The irony of it is that only Cody and one other parent volunteered from our route to lead the Pedibus.  So our line only operates on Tuesdays--and there are only two weeks of school left. :)  But we're doing our part to contribute!  Really, it's all very fun.  Hannah had a great time, and I'm pretty sure Cody did too.

Happy Birthday Cody!

I need to write an abbreviated blog today. :)

Tomorrow is Cody's birthday!!  Doesn't he just get more handsome every year?

To celebrate, this past weekend we took a trip without the kiddos up to the northern region of Italy for a wine-tasting tour.  We had never been up there before, and it was like visiting a different country.  In fact, we heard far more German spoken than Italian.

It was absolutely lovely in every way.  I don't think Cody could have asked for a better weekend or a better way to celebrate his big day.

Happy Birthday to the love of my life!  I am so thankful to be bearing witness to the life God has given you.

An Italian Childhood

Our kids had a great time in America last Fall.  But if you ask Hannah, she will say, "I don't want to go back to America for a long time."  Though she likes the US, Italy is her home.  A totally normal thing for a missionary kid.  But still a little weird for Mom and Dad.

Our family has experienced all the same events during our time in Italy, but our kids are being shaped in an entirely different way than we are.  Their childhood memories will be completely different than ours ever were.  Riding trains are a normal part of life.  They go to school in classrooms where the lights aren't turned on unless it's raining outside.  Just different.

Of course, a big part of an Italian childhood are birthday parties.  We have said it before, but they are just a huge part of childhood for the kids.  We went to yet another party this weekend, and it was a fully typical Italian party.

The family of the birthday girl rented a social community center and invited every kid from class, plus all the extended family.  Birthday parties are such a big deal that there are business who provide the entertainment and activities.  This family hired such a company.  Above, the kids are playing old-fashioned tug of war, facilitated by the entertainment guy.

Sack races, using trash bags

Of course, a group of boys gathered to play soccer.  Gavin played for the entire evening.

In between planned activities, there was lots of dancing.  Here is Hannah with her friends, doing a choreographed dance they often do during recess at school.

Mostly Ben sampled the food and made sure the swing got a workout.

Food is an integral part of every birthday party.  And you usually have to feed a lot of people!  At this party, they served fresh crescentini.  Crescentini are something specific to Emiglia-Romagna (the region of Italy Bologna is in).  In fact, our friends who live in other parts of Italy have never even heard of them.  Very representative of what Italian cuisine is like--vastly different dependent on region.  

Anyway, we LOVE crescentini.  They are one of our very favorite things.  Basically, they are sopapillas that you use as sandwich bread.  You spread something similar to cream cheese on it and then top it with sliced meats.  This meat is cured prosciutto.  Then you fold it in half and enjoy!  On the sweeter side, you can also spread nutella or jams on top.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Italian etiquette is that you don't leave until the birthday cake has been cut--usually about two hours into the party.  This cake was tiramisu.  And it was good. :)

After the cake, but before the presents were opened, the entertainment crew did a magic show.  That was a first for us.  

The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed every minute of being outside.  Gavin was quite upset when we finally left at 7:30 to get the kids to bed.  "But Mom, we only got to stay for three hours!"  And truly, we were the first people to leave. 

This is where we seem to have the best ministry opportunities.  Three hours of partying leaves a lot of time to chat with the other parents.  It's what the kids will remember as their "normal childhood," and it's what we'll remember as the environment God used to teach us a lot about Italian family and culture.

The World's Newest Yellow Belt

Sorry I'm a day late this week.  We just got back from our Agape Italia Staff Conference, and I brought back a little virus with me.  I'm moving slow. . .

Just before we left, there was great excitement in the Phipps household, when we watched Gavin participate in his Taekwondo belt test.  We are proud to say we now have an official yellow belt amongst us, AND an official card-carrying member of the Italian Taekwondo Association.

My kids never cease to crack me up, and this new accomplishment brought with it some great new quotes. "Mom, when I'm a black belt, I'll be able to kill someone without using a weapon."  Ah, boys.  And "Mom, guess what?!  Dad says if I keep doing karate, I'll be able to do the moves they did in Tron!"  It's all about the cool factor!

For the grandparents, and those who are interested, here's a short video of Gavin's testing and certification.  It's about 2 1/2 minutes. We are so proud of our little warrior!

Buona Pasquetta!

Today is Easter Monday in Italy.  Literally, it means "Little Easter."  We asked several Italians why they celebrate it, and nobody knew why!  Today (April 25) also happens to be another National Holiday in Italy--Liberation Day.  It just so happens they fell on the same day this year, and both holidays are days off of work.  So there's lot of eating and chillin' going on today.  We did our best to celebrate appropriately with friends, picnicing on a terrace in the middle of the city.  Bellessimo!

Yesterday, of course, was Easter (Pasqua), and we had an absolutely incredible day.  We met for church in our pastor's apartment, and there was something about being in a home with 15 people who also knew the incredible power and grace of the resurrection that made it a profound morning of celebration.

After church, we headed over to our friends' house for Easter Dinner.  These are our friends I wrote about a couple of months ago, whose son broke his arm.  They live just outside Bologna in a free-standing house that has an actual yard with grass and a full-fledged swing set they brought from the States.  Oh, and did I mention they also have a grill?!?!

We colored Easter eggs, ate, hunted Easter eggs, ate, did egg races, ate, played outside in absolutely perfect weather, laughed, enjoyed just sitting together for hours and ate some more.  It was just delightful in every way.

So here are gobs of pictures of our perfect day.  Hope you enjoyed a beautiful Easter too!

Grandma and Papa send some Easter goodies from America (Peeps, anyone?), and we got the kids the traditional Italian Easter gift of a gigantic chocolate egg filled with toys.  They get pretty extravagant, and pricey, so these were our best affordable attempt!

Coloring Easter Eggs

We can only get brown eggs here, so coloring them was a bit of an experience.  We made it work somehow.

And had fun in the process!

The dads hiding the eggs. . . 

Kids are on the hunt. . .

Ben LOVED this game!

So proud of their bounty

Egg races

Drew and Hannah

With our grilled beef tenderloin, Kim fixed a tortellini dish they'd had a restaurant that had  a strawberry sauce topped with coffee grounds.  Sounds crazy, I know, but it was amazing.

Did I mention how yummy ALL the food was?  Oh my. . . 

Open for Business

About once a month, the Phipps Barbershop opens for business.  With three boys in the house, hair cuts need to happen frequently. I began cutting the boys' hair because when we first moved, we didn't know enough Italian to feel very confident going to get hair cut professionally.

And then when we went, we realized it wasn't going to be an affordable option anyway.  The cheapest haircut Cody could find was 20 Euro.  That's about $27.  And his hair needs to be cut at least every four weeks.  I was also shocked when I took Gavin to get his first haircut and found the price for kids was the same as for adults.  Gavin has some good hair, but it's not worth a $27 cut!

So we invested in some clippers, and I became a barber.

This is Gavin just before the "summer cut."  I think he's so handsome with a little bit of a longer cut, but he HATES sitting for as long as it takes me to make it look right.  So he loves when it gets warm enough to buzz it.  Yesterday was the day this year.

I have no technique.  I feel like every time I cut their hair, I make it up.

When we were back in the States on furlough, I told Cody I wanted a break from my barber responsibilities.  He went to Sports Clips a few times and fired them.  Now that I've been cutting it for almost three years, I know how exactly what he wants.  My self-taught technique seems to be working!

Ben's hair has been the biggest challenge.  Not because of his hair but because of how much he moves.  Thankfully it does grow a little slower, so this week it just got a little trim behind the ears.  Too fast to get a pic of!  

Such handsome guys!  Not bad cuts, if I do say so myself.  Especially for the price. :)

Surviving without Daddy--A Very Random Post

Cody has been in the States since last Wednesday, so my opportunities to snap some pictures and think of a blog entry for today have been limited.  Cody's back in Texas following up with some people who are interested in our ministry, with whom we weren't able to get together last Fall.  He has had a really good trip and has been deeply encouraged.

And the kids are I are surviving.

What's been going on this week without Daddy?  No surprise that there's been lots of train building.  First thing, every morning, Benjamin wakes up and starts configuring a new track layout.  He takes a train on a couple trips around the track, but really the challenge is in the building more than the using.  It then sits in the middle of his room until we take apart and put it away for the night.

Friday was an exciting day for Hannah at school.  Her teacher announced they could no longer wear long-sleeve shirts.  Making the switch from winter clothes to spring/summer clothes is a delicate dance here.  A couple of weeks ago her teacher had said they could still wear long-sleeves, but everyone had to put their hair up because all the sweat was making the classroom stink.  So I was actually really thankful for the clear direction toward cooler clothes!  

On Saturday, I was blessed beyond measure for a chance to take a girls trip pottery shopping.  I took the kids to my friend Kim's house, and her oldest daughter watched them while we headed northeast out of town to Nove.  There is a pottery maker there who has an outlet open to the public.  You can get ridiculous deals (and I did!!).  I got this beautiful ornate blue pitcher.  I just think it is so lovely.  And I had a wonderfully refreshing time hanging out with a couple of girlfriends all day!  A needed break I was most thankful for.  When I picked up the kids, they all fell asleep in the car before we even made it home.  I think they played outside all day.  Medicine for their souls too!

Of course, Saturday was also really warm (almost 90 I think).  So we had to begin temperature maintenance in our apartment.  This is a picture of what our kitchen looked like.  We lower our tapperellas to block the sun from making our apartment one big convection oven.  It works pretty well, but it's rather. . . depressing.

Oh, and did I mention I went dumpster diving?  These beauties were sitting next to a dumpster on the way to school on Friday, and something within me just couldn't leave them there, when they could look so fun on our balcony.  So I dragged Ben with me to help "move some trash."  It's truly amazing what treasures can sometimes be found sitting by a dumpster in Italy.

We've also made homemade donuts, played SkipBo until we're delirious, watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua (film-making at its finest), took a trip to McDonald's, had cereal for dinner, slept over in Hannah's room, and gone for gelato (twice).

We can not wait for Daddy to get back in 2 days!  We can't keep this survival mode up for much longer. . . 

Seasons

My life has never before revolved around the seasons.  

I liked them.  I was for them.  But they didn't really impact my life that much.  Sure, I had winter clothes and summer clothes.  But does having to wear a jacket a few months out of the year really change how you do life?

I suddenly realized that in Italy, how we do life literally changes with the changing of the seasons.  Winter is more than just wearing a coat to keep warm on the short walk between the car the grocery store.  It's finding a coat heavy enough to keep you warm as you walk 30 minutes to go get your groceries.  It's finding a hat that doesn't scare off my kids, because ears CAN get too cold to feel--and that's bad.  It's also finding the delicate balance between wearing layers for warmth and yet not so many that when you put on your coat you feel like a stuffed sausage.

Between November and April, by law you have to change the tires on your car to be snow tires or make sure you have chains in the trunk at all times.  And you can't drive on Thursdays at all--an effort to decrease pollution in the city.

In the winter, we find every possible active thing that can be done in 1200sq/ft of space without disturbing our neighbors.  We always carry an umbrella and constantly have wet toes.  Scarf are not used to add that little bit of extra "flair" to your outfit.  They genuinely provide necessary warmth for the exposed flesh between a coat and a hat.

And then the Spring comes!  Our neighborhood again becomes decorated with greens and pinks and yellows.  It's amazing how much more you want to smile when you see green than when you see barren tree limbs!  Of course, all of that new growth also brings lots and lots of pollen.  

No, that's not snow.

Spring brings opening the windows to get the air moving.  It then means sweeping said pollen out from under EVERYTHING.  It means gelato and afternoon trips to the park.  There is an odd sense of freedom and nakedness in walking out of the front door without four layers on.

Our meals begin to change too.  We don't need the soups and heavy pastas anymore.  Tomatoes come into season, and it's hard to figure out ways to consume as many of them as you'd like.  Our oven begins to heat our apartment a little too much, so we have to eat with window/doors open.  It's vaguely like eating outside. 

That also means we bring out our bug-zappers.  In every room we have a device that plugs into an electric outlet.  It emits a high-pitched (almost unaudible) sound that is suppose to drive away the Tiger Mosquitos that plague the area.  For those who aren't deterred by the lovely sound, we have a tennis-racket shaped thing that when you push a button and swing, electrically zaps whatever it comes into contact with.

And when summer fully arrives, the oven can no longer be used.  Meals are almost entirely cold.  Laundry is hung, exclusively, because it's too hot to run the dryer.  Every member of the family has his/her own fan pointed on them when they go to sleep at night.  We all hang out in the living room, as that's the only place our portable air conditioner will work.  Our apartment becomes a cave because keeping our tapperellas (heavy, metal, external "shades" on every window) closed is a necessity for keeping the temperature in our apartment as cool as can be attained.

We take random trips to IKEA and the mall, just to walk around in some air conditioning for a while.  Gelato is no longer a special treat--it is a necessity to provide some relief from the heat.

When Fall arrives, there is an audible exhale, as the oppressive heat begins to fade.  All that spring brought happens in reverse.

There are times this slavery to the seasons steals my joy.  But there is another kind of joy--a relief--that comes with each changing season.  We did it.  We survived.  God's creation is changing, and it's incredible.  This week my joy is full!  The purples!  The yellows!  The lush, deep green!  My open window provides a sweet coolness.  My heart is thankful for God's grace to recognize the little gifts He has painted all around me.