Emanuela

Meet Emanuela. Isn't she a doll? Yes, she is very sweet, but let me tell ya, she has a mean kick that sort of blew Graham away...


She lives just a hop, skip, and a jump away from our house, and she has become Graham's good friend. It's funny, because they can't really talk to each other, but they manage through broken Italian and English, sign language and interpretation from Emanuela's older sister. They seem to get along just fine.

Emanuela lives with her mom, dad, and older sister. They all live right above Emanuela's grandmother, grandfather, and aunt. A typical Italian way of living. Her aunt first came to babysit Graham back in October, and the family has sort of adopted us since then. They are always willing to help babysit, they are always around for a nice visit, they make the very best cafe, and they like to cook for us. I am going over to their house on Wednesday for lunch. I will try to take more pictures of the family, but right now, I'd like to focus on Emanuela.

At first, she was very shy and stand-offish. After several encounters with her, though, I have started falling in love. She is very sweet and always greets me with kisses. She loves Graham and is very good at sharing her toys with him. She draws pictures and writes letters to me when I visit her. She always expresses much appreciation when I bring Graham over to play with her. She told her mom that she is determined to learn English so that she can really play with him. I told her mom that Graham and I need to learn more Italian!

Emanuela is kind, loving, and helpful. I was visiting the other day, and for some reason, their cafe maker exploded and shot espresso all over the kitchen. Within seconds, she had a wash cloth in her hand helping us clean up. Ah! I just love her!

Being in the military means that you often make friends with people just in time for them to leave town. It can be really frustrating and makes me not want to put in the effort to create relationships. Luckily for us, Emanuela and her family are not in the military. They have lived here since the beginning of time, and they will definitely live here as long as we are here. I look forward to watching Graham and Emanuela's friendship grow as they grow and learn to speak one each other's languages.

Bellissima!