05.02.10

We spent the night over Elisa and Frank's and today they drove us over to Zia's house for the barbie! All ten cousins, and their kids and their kid's kids, were there to celebrate Zia's, or in their case Nonna's, 90th birthday. It was also a nice way for John and I to meet everyone!
Everyone was SOOO excited to see John. They kept saying how much he looked like his grandfather. People were so interested to hear about what we thought of Australia compared to USA and of course poked fun at our accent. The food was plentiful and excellent as always. All the cousins took us around the property and told us stories about when his grandpa was in Australia, and when Zia's husband was still around. Not only could you literally see the four generations of family, but you could feel the rich Italian traditions right in the backyard.
They surprised everyone by brining in traditional Italian singers and dancers, two of whom were Mary and Lucy (two of the ten). Zia LOVED it and even got up to sing with them. At one point, they brought John and I to the front to welcome us to Australia and wish us well.
It was nice to have everyone together, especially considering that a lot of them haven't seen one another in some time. Even through the hustle and bustle, I did manage to get a picture of the ten cousins (minus 1! Olivio didnt come till later) and Zia.