American in Cyprus: A Little of This and A Little of That

Can't say we have taken too many adventures in the last couple of weeks. We have had several rainy afternoons that have limited our small road trips. Two weekends ago we went to a new to us beach area located outside of Larnaca and referred to as Saint George beach due to the close proximity of it to the church of the same name. It is more like a cove area with large rock formations jutting into the water. Alex had a great time mastering some rock climbing and Sofia enjoyed wading knee deep into the water. They also worked together to use the sand to make a "cement" wall. I collected many shells since they aren't that easy to find on the beaches here. We used them for a craft project later in the week. If it seems we spend a lot of time at various beaches, we certainly try! The coastline in Cyprus is beautiful and varies with the different regions of the island. We are trying to take advantage of it all while we are here. After the beach we also stopped briefly to see the church. It is very well maintained with lovely gardens.
In other news, Alex is thrilled that two boys have moved into the house next door to us. They have played together every day for the past week and a half that they have been here. Finally he has some boys his age to play with on a regular basis. As a bonus, they speak primarily English. It has been really funny to me to hear Alex translating between these boys and his cousins who speak mostly Greek. Just goes to show how quickly he has learned the Greek language.
This past Sunday was the memorial day for Grandma Electra's sister. Her sister, Demetris' godmother, was killed in a car accident when in her early twenties. In the Greek Orthodox church it is customary to honor the deceased each year on the anniversary of their death. A close family member prepares a special type of food to take to the church the night before the memorial along with special loaves of bread. The dish is a combination of blanched almonds, golden raisins, pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds, and cooked wheat. I'm probably leaving something out. The ingredients are arranged in a a pattern of the cross and family members stand outside of the church at the conclusion of the ceremony and hand out small bags of the food. During the ceremony the priest will pray for those that have died.
Today I saw my first snake since being in Cyprus. Cyprus is somewhat famous for having a large snake population. Not my favorite attribute of the island, but since it has taken this long for me to see one I can't complain too much. I was taking a walk at the Athalassa park and luckily saw it just as it was slithering away from the path. Don't think I will be taking that trail for awhile.
I saved the best news for last as my pregnancy continues to progress smoothly. She is growing at a healthy rate and I am still feeling fine. Today we actually moved a crib into our bedroom. It is still plenty early, but I think grandma was anxious to do it. Seems so odd to have a crib here! I'm sure the time will be here before we know it.