Switzerland, part 1

This was our view from the hotel room in Brig.

I got lucky and caught the Matterhorn in the background on this shot. This is Zermatt, the launchpad for the premiere skiing and hiking surrounding the Matterhorn. We started our tram trip from down there somewhere and paid through the nose to stop at one of the many vantage points on the line.

I'll have to put the closer up shots of the Matterhorn in the next post.

Italy, part 2

None of these pictures can do justice to the Duomo. It takes your breath away. By far, my favorite part of Florence. They wanted to charge 8 Euros apiece to go inside the dome. We passed. We did go inside some churches in Florence that were really beautiful and moving with their artwork, but we were not allowed to take pictures inside of them.

Florence really lived up to its reputation, and then some. This is taken from the Piazza (one of at least 10 piazzas of Florence) Michaelangelo across the river from the main part of the city.

It leans even more than you would think...to the extent where you feel nervous standing to the right of it. They did have a few people climbing the tower and waiving to friends. They wanted to charge a lot of money for just 20 minutes of climbing, so we passed.

Chinque Terre is translated "5 towns." They are some of the most picturesque cliffside villages. From our hike, we could see Monterosso from above.

Where in the world is Joshua?

Trieste is really old. Here are the ruins of a Roman ampitheater.

They say life is a journey, not a destination. That was certainly the case when the train took us within 35 miles of our destination (Trieste) pictured above and said, I am sorry, but we can take you no further because the train workers are on strike. After milling about the town of Udine for about an hour, we figured out how a complicated bus change in the middle of nowhere worked (Nobody could translate the bus brochure) and got to our destination a few hours late, then got an express bus back to Udine that night to learn that the strike was short lived, so we could then go home. All part of the experience I guess.

Yes, those are french fries on his pizza. We have stories about Italian cuisine and the long break most of them have before opening for dinner.

That is Piazza San Marco and Joshua´s new favorite treat.....gelatto. He has had it at least 10 times since he hit the ground last week.

This blog only covers the first 48 hours of the last 8 days. I cannot do justice to the whole week before I get to bed tonight.

Dan

Just Another Day in Paradise

We had a 3 day weekend, which was made more fun by the presence of Marian's very best friend, Adrian. He got to spend all day with us on Monday, and Marian was delighted. We had a good time and took some pictures. I deeply mourn the lack of my lovely good camera, and must make do with the not-so-good one. Thus, I bring you..... ho-hum pictures of life this past weekend!

Delaney loves to have her picture taken. And she loves to take pictures of lots of random items around the house. Thank goodness for the delete button! Here is one of the pictures I did not delete.

Rylee thinks she is so clever these days. She has learned to take off her diaper. Unfotunately, she does it any time she is not wearing pants. Occasionally this leads to puddles on the floor, or nakey table dancing. It usually leads to her running and giggling like a maniac till I can grab her an get her diapered and dressed fully.

Well, there are so few pictures of me, I thought I should include this delightful shot, courtesy of Delaney on a photo spree!

Marian and Rylee were so cute, feeding each other marshmallows. I love it when they get along nicely!

We made and decorated mini-cakes on Monday. This is what Marian and Adrian did to theirs. Don't they look delicious?! I did discover that vanilla almond milk does a nice job in creating dairy-free frosting. It was yummy.

Callie was so excited, she couldn't hold still enough for a picture, and I took 3! She had a cute cake.

Later, we went to the park. Can I tell you how gorgeous the weather was?! It was fabulous. (And then it poured all day today and got cold. Sigh.)

We went to this park once, 2 years ago, so the kids were thrilled with it. Much fun was had by all. Except for my allergies. Flonase helps a lot, but not enough!

Delaney is Queen of the Playground!

Callie is so pleased she could climb on top of the monkey bars. They had a good time at the park. It was a fun day, but boy was I tired!

Tonight, I almost couldn't find Delaney in the mess of blankets and pillows on her bed. Such a funny girl!

Getting to Know You

Welcome to the new 2011 edition of getting to know your family and friends.

1. What color are your socks right now?

White, and they are Marin's. I ran out of socks and stole hers.

2. What are you listening to right now?

The Soup

3. What was the last thing you ate?

Brownies! Yummy brownies.

4. Can you drive a stick shift?

That's my preference, but minivans don't come with a stick shift.

5. Last person you spoke to on the phone?

My parents, on Skype. My fabulous neighbor Charity, on the phone.

6. Do you like the person who sent this to you?

Yes- I admit, this came as an email, but I don't like forwarding stuff like this. I don't mind sharing though. And I've taken out all the email and forwarding questions.

7. How old are you today?

Sadly, the kids asked me this question this week and I honestly had to do the math! Yikes! I'm old enough to forget how old I am. 36 today though.

8. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV

Does the show "Wipeout" count? If not that, I like to watch Equestrian Eventing or Show Jumping. But ask me when was the last time that was actually on?! No, I'm not a sports fan.

9. What is your favorite drink

Water. Lots and lots of water.

10. Have you ever dyed your hair?

Not yet, but I am going way too gray way too early.

11. Favorite food?

Sadly cliche, but that would be chocolate!

12. What is the last movie you watched?

Movie Night with the kids was tonight and we had a rowdy viewing of "The Last Airbender."

13. Favorite day of the year?

Christmas, although I think Jessica's choice of "the first day of school" may be a close second!

14. How do you vent?

I cry, call all my friends and my sisters and my mom, and I cry to Dan. Sometimes I blog.

15. What was your favorite toy as a child?

Toys? Hmmm..... We liked to play with Little People, but I think our pets were my favorite "toys." Poor guinea pigs, poor beagle!

16. What is your favorite season?

I like Fall because the temperature is nice, and there isn't as much rain as Spring. And the changing color of leaves and wind make me want to kick up my heels.

17. Cherries or Blueberries?

Are they fresh? Both if they are. If they come from a can, I like cherries on cheesecake and in Chocolate Cherry Cake. Blueberries are only good fresh or in smoothies.

18. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?

Always!

19. Living situation?

Fabulous! And soon to be changing. We'll be moving this summer and who knows what it will be like then! At least I'll still have the most important stuff: my sweetie pie and our 5 ankle-biters!

20. When was the last time you cried?

Yikes. I should have planned this better. I will be honest and admit I watched Howie Mandell's new show "Mobbed" last night and it did make me shed a tear. Hey, after 5 kids, the hormones are still whacked out and it doesn't take much to make me cry these days! And with Dan out of town, I can be as weepy as I want.

21. What is on the floor of your closet right now?

Some things should not be asked. I'll take a guess and say shoes, clothes, lots of dust, and who knows what else.

22. What did you do last night?

Last night was the Relief Society Birthday Celebration and I had a good time, hanging out with the great ladies in my ward.

23. What are you most afraid of?

Screwing up my kids, not doing the best I can, dying in a fire, people thinking I'm stupid or inadequate, being embarrassed.... Oh, I could go on.

24. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?

Five Guys little cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes and grilled onions. Insert drool.....

25. Favorite dog breed?

German Shepherds are my favorite, but I like anything other than Cocker Spaniels.

26. Favorite day of the week?

Saturday because Dan lets me sleep in, AND I can get a nap if I want one!

27. How many states have you lived in?

CA, UT, CO, AZ, NJ, ID, VA, NC, AR... I think I got 'em all.

28. Diamonds or pearls?

Either one works for me, but I admit to being just fine with fake. Who really needs the real thing if no one can tell the difference without a magnifying glass?

29. What is your favorite flower?

Gerber daisies

30. Favorite color?

Blue. But I like anything bold!