All My Love, All My Life: October 2010

Birthday Weekend

Let me first start off my clarifying what a birthday weekend is. If your birthday falls on a Mon-Wed your birthday weekend is the weekend before. If it is Thurs or Friday it is the following weekend. Every one needs a birthday weekend, because if you have a weekday birthday it's hard to sleep in, have breakfast in bed and spend all day with your loved one.

So for my weekend I went to the Opera, La Boheme, on Friday. It was fun to dress up and spend time with a great friend. Saturday Brandon made a big breakfast, then we went to the homecoming football game on base, then had friends over for dinner. Sunday I slept in, and had a wonderful lazy Sunday morning, craving pumpkins and decorating the girl's room. That evening we met friends for bowling and it turned out they threw me a surprise baby shower/b-day party. Monday Brandon came home early from work, he cooked us a great dinner, then we opened gifts and had cake and ice cream.

Addy got frosting on her arm and instead of using a napkin she kept trying to lick it, Brandon and I were cracking up.

Helping Mommy blow out the candles

Louis Vuitton purse.

New serving platter

Lotions from Mimi and Papa

Carving Pumpkins. This is the first Halloween Brandon will spend with Addy. We are so excited.

Happy Halloween!!!

Pompeii

The last day of our trip took us to Pompeii. We took a train to Naples than caught another train to Pompeii. I am going to pause here to vent, then I will return to the trip. The subject of my vent is potty training. Like any good parent I was thrilled when Addy became potty trained, no more diapers, what could be better. Well traveling through Italy has changed my mind. No matter how many times I take Addy to the bathroom, before we leave the hotel, at any food place we stop at, she always has to go at the most inconvenient times. Such as; taking off in an airplane when the fasten seat belt sign is on, and the stewardess yells at you in Italian to sit down. Or when the plane lands and every passenger on the plane stands up in the aisle so you can't get to the bathroom. On trains with no bathrooms, only to get to the train station which has one bathroom clear across the station, so there I am 7 months pregnant running with a 3 year old, then I get there and it is a pay toilet so I am digging in my purse to find a Euro, all the while Addy is saying "I can't hold it" Not to mention the Colosseum, which has one bathroom outside the Colosseum, with a line so long that even my pregnant belly and 3 year old doing the potty dance didn't get us to the front. And lastly St Peter's Basilica which you have to leave, then get back in line and go through security again. My point, diapers may not be so bad. Then when she says "I have to go potty NOW" I could say "Go ahead, enjoy" and feel a lot less stress.

So back to Pompeii, what an amazing sight to visit. Stopped in it's track by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius around noon August 24, A.D 79, Pompeii offers the best look anywhere at what life in Rome must have been like 2,000 years ago.

When Vesuvius erupted, 2,000 Pompeii citizens suffocated under the ash, their bodies buried in volcanic debris. archaeologists filled in the holes with plaster, and were able to create molds of the Pompeiians who were caught in the disaster.

Temple of Jupiter

The Forum

After we spent the morning at Pompeii we caught the train back to Naples, then took a cab to the airport. While waiting to check in Addy fell asleep in her stroller. This is picture worthy for 2 reasons: 1 Addy never sits in her stroller, 2 Addy never falls asleep in public places. I guess a day of traveling and walking caught up with her. Thanks Phillip and Michelle for a great trip. We love and miss you.

Rome Day 3

Today we visited the Vatican Museum. It is so overwhelming, I think it would take a week to really see everything in it. It starts with an Ancient building that includes Egypt, Greece and Rome. I really liked the Egyptian statues and mummies. Addyson liked the animal statues. We all enjoyed the Greek statues. Then you walk through a long hall covered from floor to ceiling with paintings. It is so hard to really see all the details in all the paintings, but we did our best. The hall leads to the much anticipated Sistine Chapel. Words can't describe the beauty and reverence in the chapel. And when you hear about how Michelangelo spent 4 years painting the ceiling, how he painted the history of the world until Jesus, you are in total awe. This chapel is again overwhelming, I think it would take days to really see and appreciate all the details.

After nap time we went back to Castel Sant Angelo so Addy could ride on the Merry-go-round. Then we ate dinner down by the river, it was a perfect way to end our stay in Rome