A little catch-up

Please excuse the extended delay.... We've been busy bees diving into summer with a trip to Sorrento,  finishing school and other fun things.... Before we dive into our recent trips to N. Italy and the USA, here are a few pix that we've been meaning to share:

E won 1st place in coloring contest. It was something her participated in with 3 other schools in the area. It was a coloring competition for the local JFC Naples base. Here was E getting recognized and receiving her prize. They thought "Ellis" was a boy's name, so they gave her the red (boys) bag w/ a boys lego set and a soccer ball. She didn't notice and was humble in her victory. 

This is E's class showing off their Van Gogh paintings. They studied Van Gogh for a few days and concluded the instruction with replicas of his artwork. \

E graduated from her international school. Is she would have stayed at the same school, she would have went on to the 1st grade. But we are taking her out and putting her into the DoD School to remain aligned with her peers. We all loved her International School and friends and she will keep these memories forever. 

E w/ her diploma. 

For Memorial Day this year we drove down to Sorrento.  We hit the beaches, walked around town and ate lots of gelato. 

The water temperature was just right and we had all the beaches to ourselves. The tourists had yet to arrive on the Amalfi coast so we had everything to ourselves. 

The area was quite picturesque with neat little shops and restaurants in the various coves.

We ate an awesome dinner one evening on the Mediterraean Sea. It was delicious sea food and pastas overlooking Mt Vesuvius and the Naples bay. 

And on the walk home, we were able to watch the sun set. 

The girls headed out to go swimming and beach combing. 

Sardines must have been in season because all the local restaurants were advertising and pushing sardines. We  decided to give them a try and they did not disappoint! 

We took another boating trip prior to our good friends moving.  We drove out to Ischia, anchored and swam in the super-blue water. 

This is our finny kid's last day of first grade! 

Gelato is the perfect way to celebrate the end of school and the start of summer!

**More to follow over the next couple of days to include our trip to Northern Italy and Switzerland.