I’m probably making too much of it, but it’s true that he doesn’t get the same type of attention that used to be his by right when he was an only. Still, we’re trusting that he’ll get over it eventually.

The twins are thriving, and don’t yet seem to have realized what havoc they’re causing in the life of Louis … they’re perfectly content eating, sleeping, smiling, and just being babies. As for the rest of the household, other than sleep deprivation we’re doing OK. Work continues to be busy, and the cafe is thriving … I’m very pleased we took the plunge and expanded when we did. Having the cafe makes the store more of a destination, and I’m thoroughly convinced that the more time people spend with us, whether or not they happen to buy a toy or game that day, the more likely they’ll return to us when they’re ready to purchase.

Having a comfortable kid-friendly space to visit is a very valuable thing for parents of young children. The big chain bookstores have been creating these sort of “third-space” concepts for years, but they’re not always a welcoming atmosphere for little kids. Time will tell if it’s a winning concept for us, but so far the results look very promising.

Very cute babies, of course, and just like Louis their big brother they can scream. A boy and a girl, Jeffrey and Lily, they are the loveliest things ever, and gosh, what lungs! Strangely, Louis tends to close his ears when they “talk”.

He calls Jeffrey- “Jweffwey” and Lily - “Wiwy” … of course he can say my name and Diana’s also, but we all prefer Mom and Dad more.

More soon, I hear a baby crying.  I wonder who?

Not long ago we decided to expand the business, and so our toy store now includes a cafe. Nothing fancy … coffee drinks, baked goods, and lots of kid-friendly smoothies and drinks. The cafe special (and my favorite) is a banana cream milkshake … mmmm.

My wife is teaching at the university, and work is going well for her. But of course, before a professor gets tenure, nothing is certain so she’s having to work very hard.

Louis has stopped his screaming, but there will be more, as we’re expecting again. This time its a girl (shhh … I’m not supposed to know that), and thank God she’s fine, only half a month left now.

Lots of “interesting” art, plus some very nice stuff … we all particularly liked work by a woman who recycles newspapers by weaving it into baskets and other items. She had light shades, pen holders, even a small purse! The finished items are shellacked, or varnished, or something, so they’re lightly water-resistant. It looks like a very simple technique, but I suspect it’s deceptively simple … it’s probably an awful lot more complicated when you are knee deep in strips of newsprint and varnish.

One of our favorite street bands were playing, a band from South America who play music of the Andes. It’s very rhythmic, but soothing at the same time, with a sort of wall of sound coming from guitars and mandolins, then flutes and reed pipes over the top. They, and other similar groups, have become a real institution at many of the outdoor events around town.

Once we tired of the art fair we headed out for lunch and had my newest favorite non-Italian food … fish tacos! They are fantastic, and I can’t believe I’d never tried them before this summer. In case you’re culinarily challenged like I was, here’s a recipe for fish tacos from Mark Bittman at the New York Times (although he uses lettuce, which my Californian friends warn me is inferior to cabbage in this instance).

Right now in Venice its dry, hot, and sometimes a little rainy. St. Louis Park’s weather isn’t so different … here it’s also dry, hot, and sometimes rainy, but on the whole the summer weather in Minnesota is much nicer.

I cant believe that my toy store is selling these little desert scenes and puzzles that form a picture of a beach, but with school out for the summer everybody is buying little toys for their kids to show off when they go back.

And teachers, oh the teachers! they are streaming in like mice to cheese to buy little toys to use as prizes. Speaking of mice, i saw one in my kitchen yesterday, but i can’t bear to put traps out, because mice are so cute! But on the other hand, they might eat all my cheese …

Somehow I doubt there’s too many blogs that start with those words.

I moved from Venice, italy, to St. Louis Park, Minnesota 5 years ago, after my wife and I got married. This blog began after a long night of the baby, whose name is Louis, screaming his lungs out crying “Mama! Mama!” (yes, we think he may be bi-lingual!). It seemed sensible to find an outlet for some of my thoughts during this challenging time in my parenting life.

Work? Oh, I am the manager of a toy store in St. Paul, and my wife is an English teacher. Louis goes to preschool during the day, but we’re hoping he’ll find something better-paying soon.

Time to get ready for work now.