Running a marathon

Does the school year feel like a marathon to you? I am told, running a marathon is just as much a mental test as it is a physical one. Remember 5K is my running limit, I can dream of completing 26 miles.....Anyway, as we enter the home straight of the school year, my body is screaming at me to stop while I need to assert my mental will power to reach the finish.

While May was filled with sports days, choral recitals, a Brazilian wedding, having fun with the grandparents and Matilde's sleepover birthday party - oh yes we had nine seven year olds camped out in the playroom - June has been about Shenandoah camp for Isabella, a sleepover at the beach for Matilde, Music Theory exams for Isabella, and the non-stop parties. Is it possible that SO many kids were born in May and June? Of course not, but so many people disappear for the summer, they have to be crammed in before Independence day. So then there are all the gatherings with friends before they escape the Washington humidity and mosquitoes and this year quite a few of these gatherings are tinged with sadness. Gregorio and I are quasi-Washingtonian at this point (13 and 11 years respectively) and we are now witnessing  another wave of departures. We are bidding a sad farewell to some good friends, some returning to Europe, some to more distant climes.

As you can see, it is non-stop running from one event to another, so you are asking where is the mental challenge? Isn't getting myself dressed, remembering to put my deodorant on (let alone make-up) and getting to work enough? How many more lists do I need to make? I am beginning to lose track: who needs  piano books today? who needs a permission slip to go on a trip? have I bought a birthday present for the latest party? I need a babysitter for tonight? Oh darn we've forgotten to give Isabella's monthly medication. You know the list goes on.

And then there is the mental test you really were not expecting. Last week-end, Saturday started so calmly. Matilde, the party animal was all excited to attend her friend's farewell party on a pirate ship on the Chesapeake Bay. We decided to make a day of it and have crab cakes at our favourite pub in Annapolis for lunch then we'd drop off Matilde and have a wander around the port, past all the sailing boats in the sunshine. No, it was not to be! She had a complete melt down and would not dress up like a pirate, have her face painted and she certainly was NOT going on the ship. We still don't know what the reason was, we tried all the usual parental bribing tricks - in the end we forced her on the ship and off we went around the corner....and sat for an hour and half thinking we'd done the wrong thing and she would make us suffer for years to come. Yes you can imagine, she came back screaming with laughter and joy as the pirates cruised back into dock. This is Gregorio and I caught on film, summing up the energy for another bout of  "oh Matilde, you will have a great time etc!" Aren't parents great at putting a smile on?!

And talking about smiles - they are beginning to spread across our faces as we see our prize the other side of the finishing line, the marathon is almost over for the year - yes we are about to take off for Canada. We will be in Calgary for the opening of the Calgary Stampede. "The Greatest Outdoor show on earth. Where ordinary people become cowboys!" We'll see the opening parade, the Rodeo, chuckwagon races and we're going line dancing at the place where the stampede cowboys hang out - and we'll be wearing our cowboy boots!! Matilde is planning on strutting up to that famous British couple who are also going to be there in her cowboy boots and hat and saying "hey, how you doin'? We're English too!" Watch the press! From Calgary we are heading up into the Rockies to enjoy the fresh air, amazing scenery and wildlife in Banff and Jasper and then we'll drive across country to Vancouver. I'm sure we'll have a few photos and stories to share later in the summer.

Oh and Isabella is doing really well. She is a growing up into a lovely happy and considerate girl. In fact she is a saint, she went on the pirate ship with Matilde. She can now get her curly blonde locks into a pony tail. She is absolutely thrilled about this. This afternoon the Principessa had her ninth birthday party at the pool. I think a great time was had by all. Her crowning glory of the evening was jumping off the high diving board for the first time. And once you've done it once, there's no stopping you. Getting them all out of the pool was difficult. Her next MRI will be at the end of July. We'll keep you posted.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Race for Hope 2011

This year the weather was dry and not too hot - just perfect for running! Some 12,000 people, of all ages, turned out to show their support in the fight against brain tumors. Team Impavido - the Fearless ones - was out in force. The Italian grandparents had arrived and were kitted out in shorts and t-shirts ready to roll, we had toddlers (strapped into their strollers for the ride), lots of kids (some with scooters) and our leader - Isabella, proudly wearing her survivor t-shirt.

We all completed the 5K course, some faster that others (much to my annoyance, bravo Gregorio!) We even had team members running in London to show their support. The Mall was a little emptier for Peter and Janie than it had been for Will and Kate!

Race for Hope is an emotional event for us but we are happy to be a part of it. It is great to come together with the brain tumor community, not least to watch the courage and determination of the many brain tumor survivors participating.

Peter & Janie on their walk/run at Buckingham Palace

We are truly grateful for all the money that has been raised to fund research and find a cure. Team Impavido has raised over $3,000 so far but more is still coming in. Thank you all for your support to this worthy cause that is dear to our hearts.

After the event we had a fun celebration in the garden for the team - a rather typical English BBQ - we laid everything outside, it rained, we moved inside, it stopped and we moved outside again. And so the afternoon continued between sausages, a glass of pimms and a slice or two of crostata di nutella.

Some of Team Impavido at the end

Life is not slowing down, now that we've run our annual 5k - We've got sport's day coming up and Isabella and the choir are singing at the British Embassy and at the end of year concert. However, she is more focused on a school sleepover this week, its all part of the latest topic on how to survive. The teachers are either mad or competing for the teacher of the year award. Matilde seems to have lots of social engagements coming up including her end of year ballet recital but she is focused on her 7th birthday sleepover - apparently we are inviting all the girls from the class for a night of fun!!

Lots to keep us busy during this last term at school. We will be back in touch when we have more news. Isabella will have another MRI at the end of July, in the meantime enjoy the spring.

Love,
Emma & Gregorio xxx
PS I have added some photos of our Royal Wedding street party  below. Our princesses are coping with their new-found fame! The girls were featured on the local news but even more exciting for them, the feed was picked up by Sky news and they were seen overseas as well! A proud Grandpa called us from Mallorca to let us know he had seen how we had celebrated the Royal Wedding.

A good week for Princesses

Isabella had her latest MRI on Wednesday. On Thursday we received the good news that the tumors are still all stable and so we move forward another three months. The next MRI will be at the end of July.

We have been enjoying the Easter holidays - basketball camp, several visits to the cinema, dinner out, some very variable weather, a lovely Easter week-end enjoying the spring time gardens, eating far too much and making up for 40 days without wine! (well almost).

This morning the English daughters joined their patriotic mother from the early hours to watch the Royal Wedding live from London. Isabella and I stumbled around in the dark trying to get the internet to work, eventually we just turned on the TV and the Italian grandmother, jet-lagged as she had only arrived yesterday, stumbled into the wedding sofa party at 4:30 am. Matilde gave the dress a big thumbs up and gave us all a running commentary about which of the carriages she had seen and been photographed in front of last summer as the Royal Procession moved down the Mall back to the Palace. At 8:30 am we were finally satisfied that the wedding was official, Kate and William had kissed not once but twice and we could go and have breakfast.

At lunchtime we joined a fun Royal Wedding street party at the British School - Principessa Isabella dressed as a relation to Queen Victoria, while Contessa Matilde from a few decades later strode confidently into the street scene with Lady Lottie and were captured on the local TV news. Their day was made. Matilde signed the poster that will be sent to the Royal couple - her phonetic spellings are still adorable.

We conclude the school holidays with the Race for Hope on Sunday. We have quite a team who will be running and walking with us. Tune in next week for some photos. It's not too late to donate. Many thanks to all those who have already done so.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Red, White and Green

It has been several weeks since I last wrote....we have been busy, so what's new?

We were skiing in Vail, Colorado during the half term week. Fantastic snow and great weather. I highly recommend a ski trip there, though our legs are not as young as they used to be, the pistes just kept going on and on. Over on the Blue Sky bowl, one nips in and out of the trees, even an intermediate skier like myself, I felt like I was in the opening scene of a James Bond movie. Magic. I will also add this family certainly employs a great travel planner. The apartment could not have been better placed. Lift downstairs, pick up the skis, drop off the kids at ski school at 9 am and hop on the chair lift and off Gregorio and I went for the day. Kids were entertained and exercised till 3:30 pm. Meanwhile we were enjoying ourselves on cloud nine, poppyfields and espresso (who invents the names of these pistes?) The highlight for the girls was that their ski instructor had taught Michelle Obama and daughters the day before!

All this after they had met royalty. Prince Michael of Kent visited their school the week before half term. Isabella and the choir performed for him and Matilde's class chatted with him. Matilde (the oh-so-English daughter) told the prince she was from Italy. I'm not offended really. This week over supper the girls have decided that they are going to marry an Italian. Of course, I would agree with their wise choice but I am not really sure why they think he has to be Italian...perhaps they are just missing papa' who is currently at 3, 500 metres in La Paz, Bolivia (the week in Vail, same altitude, was good training).

And talking of things Italian. As many of you know, this year is the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification. The Italian Embassy has launched a competition for children to design a t-shirt celebrating this anniversary....and there is a monetary prize (apparently) for the winning design. Isabella has decided she is going to submit four entries, win all four and then she will be able to buy papa' his Ferrari. Yep, we are still missing papa'. What I love is the no-nonsense approach to financing one's dreams that all children seem to have. At least, she has realised that the lemonade stand is probably not going to generate enough for a Ferrari. Matilde, as assistant to the dream project, is motivated as she knows that papa' will buy her a bunny if they buy him a Ferrari....right, dream on.....

So back to reality. Isabella graduated to a green belt in Tae Kwon Do this week. She is still very focused on this sport, which is great and calculating when she might get to a black belt. Watch out! Matilde is getting ready for her spring ballet performance. Though she continues to say "I hate ballet" Certainly regular classes are not nearly as interesting as being a bumble bee in the Nutcracker. Spring has returned to DC and we are out on our bikes again and starting tennis once more this week-end. It is all go with homework, playdates and slumber parties fitted in-between.

We are already beginning to plan our summer holiday. Another Canadian extravaganza is in the pipeline.  I am turning a significant age this year and will not grow old gracefully. We have decided to do something different and are heading to the Calgary Stampede "where ordinary people become cowboys" at the largest gathering of cowboys in the world - rodeos, chuckwagon racing eat your heart out! And of course, buying a pair of cowboy boots will be de rigeur.

Isabella's next MRI will be at the end of April so we will update you in early May if not before on what we are up to. The Race for Hope in DC takes place on May 1st - let me know if you wish to join the team - walkers or runners accepted and sponsors for this great cause to end brain cancer are greatly appreciated.

I am continuing to pursue several leads to get Isabella's book published and more widely distributed to the brain cancer community and beyond, but it is a slow process. Meanwhile, I am making great headway in creating photo books for the girls from when they were born. Yes we have rather a lot of photos, I've made it to the end of 2009.

Hope the green shoots (financial and botanical) are springing up with you. From a crisp but beautifully sunny day in DC - somewhat similar to 11 years ago today in London. Happy anniversary, Gregorio!

Lots of love,
Emma xxx

All Stable

We received an email this evening: all remains stable with Isabella's tumour. We were getting increasingly anxious as the days went by so much relief in the Impavido household this evening. Waiting for medical results doesn't get any easier. We will see the doctors on Thursday morning for full details and learn when the next MRI will be.

Otherwise all is well. We are keeping busy with work and school. Isabella is getting close to testing for the next belt in Tae Kwon Do. And when she is not playing the piano or singing in the choir her newfound favourite past times are knitting (her grandmother taught her over Christmas and papa's scarf is coming along very nicely) and cross stitch. She is up early at the week-ends and retreats downstairs to sit in perfect tranquility knitting or sewing. Meanwhile Matilde is still doing lots of ballet, but the regular classes are nothing like as exciting as The Nutcracker. She is currently rehearsing a singing and dancing routine with her friend for the upcoming school talent show.

We have been skiing a few times locally this season but we are really looking forward to a trip to Vail Colorado.

May 1st is the date we plan to run 5k again in the Washington DC Race for Hope, more news on that in due course.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Yes Isabella had an MRI last Friday. All went smoothly. We are still waiting to hear the results. No news is good news, right? We have appointments at Children's Hospital on February 10th, so we'll update you when we hear.

A Bumblebee, a Grandfather and a car

Not all three were together at once but they all featured in our busy week-end last week.


Matilde was on stage at the Warner Theater in Washington Ballet's Nutcracker as a bumblebee last Saturday. Despite her very brief appearance on stage, there have been several months of week-end rehearsals run with military precision. The professional ballerinas and the flamboyant artistic director  created hours of fun and entertainment for the aspiring little girls. There are some 90 kids from the ballet school in each show (and there are five different casts). Parents have lived in fear of getting a rehearsal time wrong, let alone being late or forgetting one. Meanwhile Matilde is in awe of the big boss in charge of the Nutcracker running up to him and hugging him - to which he replies "ciao bumblebee Matilde!"


Matilde is at the beginning of the second act, as the sugar plum fairies are finishing their dance and there is a slight change in the music, on skip these four little blue and yellow bumblebees, to much laughter from the audience. They then proceed to wiggle their bottom (their stingers!). Hilarious. In my unbiased opinion I would have to agree with the Washington Post's review:

The students from the Washington School of Ballet are delightful, and there is no end to their cuteness. 


We had seen a preview performance at a small theater in South East Washington during the Thanksgiving week-end but last Saturday the theater was packed, the full set was up and the excitement backstage was palpable. I volunteered to help keep the younger ones entertained while they waited for their turn to get dressed and made up - an ulterior motive to get a photo. And here are some.

bumblebee make-up

the bumblebee dressing room.

Meanwhile out front was Grandfather Peter, loving every minute. Grandfather-of-the-year award truly goes to Peter. Despite the snow in England he had flown in the night before to see his granddaughter on stage (and returned to London on Monday). More impressive still, he had only got arrived back in London from a trip to India the day before that. Between them, Peter and Janie have seven children and ten grandchildren who reside in Scotland, England, Frankfurt, Australia and Washington DC. Between last week-end and the end of January they will have visited them all, in all of those places - some of us are lucky enough to receive a royal visit twice! 

patiently waiting backstage for their moment!

There are about four more shows in which Matilde stars. The Italian grandparents will have the pleasure of watching our prima bumblebee at Christmas.


And the car? Well in short, my mommy-van is no more, it was sandwiched between an SUV and a Fedex truck from behind on Saturday morning. The girls and I were very shocked but we are now totally fine. All those times I have sounded like a broken record "have you got your seat belts on?" were worthwhile. And as a result, I may never have to say it again, they are now very quick at fastening their belts.


As we approach the Christmas period we are grateful for many things. 2010 has been a good year. Isabella's health remains stable, she is full of energy. Her hair is growing, thick strong and very blonde. Both girls are doing well at school and are very happy. We have had some wonderful adventures this past year: skiing, Disney World and our European extravaganza. I am sure that 2011 will bring new adventures and surprises. Until then we are happy to celebrate the season with friends and family here in DC. The next MRI will be the end of January. We will update you then, if not before!


With very best wishes to you all.
Buon natale,


Emma & Gregorio. xxx