The Splendors of Sicily

My daddy's contract with the Sigonella Naval Hospital ends on September 29, 2007. That's exactly one year away- And that means that you only have one year left to take advantage of a free place to stay in Europe. Go to your local travel agent or cheaptickets.com and price airfare to Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA). You might be surpised by some of the good deals you can find. Our guestroom isn't fancy, but the sheets are clean (aside from a little dog hair) and my mom will make you coffee (Dunkin Donuts coffee of course!) every morning and she'll plan fun things for you to do and cool things for you to see- And don't even get me started on the food and wine! Of course the best thing about coming to Sicily is meeting me!

Looking forward to your visit,
Currier Quinn Balent

Scuba Diving with Daddy

My first time in the ocean!

I don't like this mask on my face and my wet suit is a little baggy.

One day I'll be a scuba diver just like my daddy.

In the Ionian Sea off the coast of Acitrezza, Sicily.

Four Months Old Today... September 19, 2006

This month I've discovered my feet and hands

and I spend hours staring at them in amazement.

I also babble a lot more now and my mom swears

that I said the word "hair" when I grabbed a hold of

her ponytail--- But we all know she likes to tell stories!

My Pal Paolo

Paolo is a good cuddle buddy---

Aside from the snoring and slobbering!

Swigonella Beer Club Meeting

This is me and my buddy Rob at another beer tasting

that my mom hosted at our house over the weekend.

Check out the Swigonella Beer Club Blog.

Aloha!

I'm starting to wear big boy (6 month old) clothes now!

At my four month check up I weighed 15 lbs 12 oz and I'm 25 inches tall.

My First Flight

We flew to Copenhagen, Denmark where we met our

cruise ship for our Baltic Sea Cruise- My first vacation!

Bon Voyage!

The Costa Magica

Baltic Sea Cruise
August 27th- September 4th

Muster Drill

On the first day of our cruise we had to

wear our life vests for an emergency drill.

I made everyone laugh in our muster

station because I'm so ridiculously adorable!

1st Stop- Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn?- We hadn't heard of it either, but with its

Medieval charm it turned out to be one of our favorite stops.

Lunch in Estonia

We found this charming little outdoor restaurant

within the fortifying walls of the city center.

Mom had salmon and dad had the wild boar.

I had the breastmilk with a couple of ounces of formula for dessert.

2nd Stop- St. Petersburg, Russia

Inside the Hermitage in St. Petersburg

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round

On a bus tour of St. Petersburg that took

us to all the major sights of this fabulous city.

Happy Hour

Every hour is happy hour on a Baltic Sea Cruise!

3rd Stop- Helsinki, Finland

In all of our travels we have never encountered

such an immaculately clean city! Here we are

at the Helsinki Cathedral- As soon as we left, I'm

sure someone washed the ground where we stood!

Watching the Sunset with Mom

Wouldn't change a thing about this moment!

4th Stop- Stockholm, Sweden

Mom and Dad had cocktails from glasses made of ice

at the famous Absolut Ice Bar where it's -5 degrees celsius...

That's why we're wearing these warm Eskimo coats!

Viking on Deck in Sweden

Dad and I wanted to take a couple
of blonde Swedish nannies back to Sicily,
but mom said, "No!"- She's no fun!

At The Swimming Pool On The Cruise Ship

The topless Swedish Chics were all over me!

Mom took me swimming for the first time!

I loved it so much - I drooled!

5th & Final Stop- Copenhagen, Denmark

Here we are at the Nyhavn Canal, lined with

brightly colored houses and busy street cafes.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue)

has become the emblem of Copenhagen

so mom and I had to get our picture taken with her.

Flying Home to Sicily

After traveling a total of 1944 nautical miles, it's good to be home!