Barcelona...finally!

I think it would be difficult to explain what a good time we had in Barcelona! Let me review...street performers there just to entertain me! "Blue guy," "ups and downs guy," clowns, "silver man" and more. Every time I walked out of the house, there they were, just waiting for me! How cool is that?

And then the food! All these little plates just kept coming out...so many choices. Little fish, little octopus and squid (yes, I know I'm two, I liked them anyway), vegetables, meats, olives, cheese, so many yummy things! Wow!

And the city and the architecture. My mommies seemed to like looking at it...I liked running around playing and climbing on it. But, hey, to each their own, right?

But the best part? My auntie Robin came to see me and play with me and read and sing to me!! Make sure to check out the video of Robin and I singing the song she taught me. Robin, if you're reading this...I miss you!!





Did you know that this animal is called a Dromedary? I do, because it is the animal for the letter "D" in one of my alphabet books! Yep, a camel with one hump is a dromedary.


On our boat ride. Robin is soooo silly! Make sure to check out her sunglasses...





La Familia Sagrada



On top of the Gaudi apartment building...with La Familia Sagrada in the background. It was SOOOO much fun to play up here!



I learned how to take pictures. And then that couple you see in the background asked if they could take a picture of me! I guess they thought I was cute....



Sometimes a guy gets a little tired...


Breakfast at the market...with Pinnochio!



My new friend...she was just sitting there by herself, so I decided to be a nice guy and sit down with her. My mommies were laughing, but I think she kind of liked it when I asked her, "You are drinking your coffee?"


More tapas, please!




Did you know Robin could be this silly?

Tirana Hash

So, on Saturdays when it is nice out...meaning, Saturdays when it is not raining...my mommies and I go on an adventure. We meet up with anywhere from 10 to 40 people--expats and Albanians--and go for a hike somewhere in the Albanian countryside. (The hikes are called a 'hash', and take place all over the world--in many places it is more of a running club, but in Albania most of us hike...or get carried!). My mommies work hard carrying me...well, mostly mama Melissa, although every now and then mommy Mindy also has to help out. And me, well, I work hard entertaining everyone around me with my constant chatter and singing. I mean, it's a tough job to think of something to say for every minute of the 2.5 hour or so hike! Good thing mommy Mindy brings along enough food to keep my strength up for so much talking... So, here we are with a couple of friends during and after our most recent adventure.

What it looks like to travel with me and my stuff!!

More Venice...

Finally, a few more photos from Venice. Next stop...Barcelona with Robin!





Have I mentioned that I loved the sound of bells in Venice more than anything??!!!

Happy New Year 2008! Gëzuar Vitin e Ri!

I hope everyone had a great New Year's eve! I had a good time until my mommies put me to bed at 9:00. Yep, once again, I slept through the excitement, and woke up in a brand new year. So, all my best wishes for health, happiness, and joy for you in 2008. As for me, my new year's resolutions include playing with my toys as much as possible, continuing to earn high marks in preschool (which shouldn't be too hard as long as I keep smiling, laughing, and being charming), and...shhhh, don't tell anyone...manipulating my mommies to get everything I want, especially cookies! I could put down 'trying to post more often' as one of my resolutions, but I'm sort of a 'no stress' kinda guy.

So, for all of you who didn't get to experience New Year's, Tirana-style (which includes me, since I was sleeping), I've provided a video filmed from the balcony of our house, courtesy of my mommies! By the way, don't think the fireworks have stopped just because New Year's eve is over...I'm watching some more out the window right this minute!



and...if you didn't get enough with one fireworks video, here's a second, slightly longer one...

Quick note...

For those of you who are celebrating today, Merry Christmas. As for me, I have so much to post. I know, I know, I left you all hanging in Venice! And since then, we went on to Barcelona, came home, celebrated Hanukah, and then Heidi came to visit and we went to Thessaloniki, Greece! I've just gotten home today, and while the photos from earlier in the month will have to wait, here are a few from Thessaloniki, and from our drive across snowy Albania to get there and back!

Pigeons and puddles...

My fans have been asking and asking for my next post. So, here it is... Suffice it to say that I really like puddles...and pigeons, well, I think I like them, but I might be just the tiniest bit skeptical.

Venice is wet, wet, wet...

So, we made it to Venice...(even after stupid AlpiEagles cancelled our flight at 6pm the night before we were supposed to leave...boy, my mommies were MAD about that!!)...and it is really wet here!! Not a problem for me, I mean, I love puddles! (But more about those in the next post...)

I guess we didn't really expect for St. Mark's Square to be a lake though... But you have to hand it to the Venetians--they're pretty good at dealing with water! So, here's a little overview of what it looked like our first morning here after it rained and rained all night and the tide came in. I even heard my mommies talking about being woken up at 6am by some loud siren (air raid siren? tornado siren? Nope...just the flood siren!). Didn't bother me since I just kept right on sleeping.

Preschool!!!

If you ask me, "Levi, who do you love," I always answer "Preschool!" For some reason, my mommies always say, "But, Levi, who do you love?" I don't know what they're trying to get me say....I mean, I already told them. I love preschool. What's so hard about that? I mean, with Julia, and Egla, Eljona, and Elham, and Oscar, and Boyd, and Johannes, and Nicola, what's not to love? And I get to sing, and dance, and play games, and eat snacks (and sometimes even have pizza). And, once in a while my mommy even comes and takes pictures and videos. So, here are a few pictures from her last visit.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Okay, so I know it's a little out of character for me, but I'm going to take a break from our regularly scheduled program to tell you about an event that I didn't even get to go to. We had a really cool event at our house...except that I was exiled next door to go to sleep at Ollie's house.

My mommy's birthday was on November 3, and her friend, Elham (who is also my preschool teacher), decided to play a concert for her birthday. Elham is a concert pianist, so I knew this was going to be some concert. I mean, I get to hear her play all the time at preschool, but "Mary Has a Little Lamb" is a little different than Rachmaninoff or Chopin.

So, last night (November 3) was the concert that I didn't get to see. I know that my mommies had lots of their friends over. I know Alba and Bruna missed me. But, from what I heard today, everyone had an amazing time. So, with that, I'll let my mommy take over writing for a moment.

It's a pretty big effort to spend a couple of days transforming your vaguely disastrous house (courtesy of one two-year-old) into a venue appropriate for a concert pianist. First it involves moving a lot of furniture (and toys) out, cleaning up all the bits and pieces in the corners, consulting about the best positioning for lighting and the piano, collecting enough chairs for 30-40 people, ensuring that everyone knows that they need to arrive on time so that the (loud) door buzzer doesn't go off during the concert, and then all the usual party stuff of food, beverages, and finishing touches. But the result is so, so worth it. There's something pretty amazing about sitting 3 feet from a concert pianist playing incredible music. And knowing that all of this is happening in honor of your birthday makes it just that much more special.

The music was beautiful...some Chopin, some Rachmaninoff, and several pieces that she composed. And being able to watch someone's hands while they play...let's just say that the pieces were complicated and I am still amazed at how someone can move their hands so quickly and so accurately. So, not surprisingly, everyone (especially me) loved the evening. The concert was beautiful and, of course, there was good food, drink, and conversation to follow. As birthdays go, this one will be pretty hard to follow.