Stairclimbing is one of Noah's favorite activities

A few days before Italy we made a visit to Arkansas

• 
  Noah's early birthday celebration and his first real dessert - Nanny's homemade peach pie!
  You mean I get to eat this whole thing?!?
  
  Noah dancing to Lawrence Welk

Water play with Uncle Dan

And lastly.....Venice

Noah sightings in Tuscany

Food

Noah became quite the fan of pasta. Especially sharing it.

Tuscany - San Gimingnano

The states has a lot to learn from the way Italy embraces children. Rather than the annoyed look we often find here when we go out to eat with Noah, in Italy the waitstaff couldn't get enough of Noah and he was privilaged to private tours of the restaurant and kitchen by in many of the restaurants and had the same treatment in our hotels. The first time Noah was wisked away by the staff at our hotel the first morning at breakfast in Rome I was a little leary, but quickly came to see it as the Italian way of celebrating children and letting them know how fabulous they are. And what kid doesn't need more of that?!?!

Some aspects of Rome Noah found less than enthralling.

Trains and babies don't mix

We found that overly tired babies combined with 95 degrees and parents that don't know Italian enough to get on the right train car and parents that don't realize that seats are assigned in trains, and way too much luggage are a bad mix.....

Rome

Italy!!!!

Our hotel in Rome