After dropping Zac at his recruiting activity, I drove down to Salem, where we were staying with Zac’s grandma. The kids were so exhausted, and Nolan screamed the whole 30 minutes drive, but we got there safely, and got everyone in bed about 2 hours late. Zac’s grandma commented, “Wow do your kids usually go to bed that easily?” Ha! No way, but when they are as tired as they were, they both fell asleep immediately. This was a tender mercy for me, because I was stressing over how the sleeping arrangements were going to work out. And sometimes when baby (or toddler) is overtired, they have a harder time calming down. But luckily it was easy, especially since Zac wasn’t there to help me.

The next day we went to BYU’s Bean Museum, where Addie loved seeing all sorts of animals and pointing out all the ones she knew, and giving them names. Then off to Zub’s for lunch (yum!), and back to Grandma’s to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening.

Saturday we had a playdate! We went to Rock Canyon Park with some friends and family and just played on the playground and talked. I’m sorry if you weren’t able to come or didn’t know about it. I literally sent out the email on our way to the airport, so if I missed you, I’m so sorry! I did very little planning ahead on this trip. Later on we hit Cafe Rio for lunch (of course), Cami and Juli came to visit us at grandma’s, and then Kami and Matt came down later that evening. Thank you for all making the trek down to Salem to see us!! We loved seeing you and wish we could have been there longer!

Sunday we spent some time at Salem Pond, feeding the ducks and playing on the playground. Addie LOVED Salem pond. The weather was gorgeous, so we spent a lot of time outdoors on Sunday. After a big fun family dinner that night, we were exhausted and had to get packed and ready to leave at 5:45am the next morning for our flight. I told you, we are crazy!!

It was a whirlwind trip, where 3/4 of us got colds, but we are home now, and are getting back on our schedules and trying to catch up on our sleep. Next up…..a new school year. We are starting a co-op preschool with Addie next week, where I will be helping with the teaching.

Sunrise

Houseboat

We swam behind the boat.

Swimming

Rope Climbing

We waterskiied/wake boarded.

Boat

Addie

Andrea

Addie jumped in to "save" me

We went in the hot tub.

We threw rocks in the lake.

Down to the shore

Addie and Caleb

We went for 5am walks around the island (the kids were up this early almost every morning. ugh)

Bubbles

We barbecued.

In the kitchen

We slid down the slide.

Slide Trick

Sliding

Sliding together

We fished.

Austin caught this one

Caleb fishing

Zac teaching Addie how to fish with a stick

Addie fishing

Grandpa caught a HUGE catfish!

We played with our “twin” babies. (While on our grocery run to Sam’s Club, a couple of different people asked if these boys were twins. Nope, but they are pretty close in age)

Nolan and Kaiden

What a ham!

Hats

Dimples!

We loved it! We are definitely planning on doing it again sometime.

Cousins making pirate faces

Family reading time

Having so much fun!

Addie loves her pink life jacket

Celebrating with Nolan

2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks!

Honestly the rest of the weekend was great!  We went to my parents cabin for Friday night and Saturday.  We had a nice time just relaxing and spending time together, which is my language of love… (FYI).  Here are some photos of my weekend.

Out Little Model

All Smiles

Addie found the "Power of the Holy Ghost"

Addie loved playing in, on and around Grandpa’s new (’53 Ford) truck. At one point she opened a little tray on the floorboard of the truck cab and found the battery. She looked at me and said “this is the power Daddy, the power of the Holy Ghost.” I looked at my Dad and we both started laughing. I don’t know if I was more amazed at how she guessed the battery gives the car power, or the Holy Ghost reference. Apparently Addie listens in nursery. She helped Grandpa pull the fenders off and after all the work Grandpa had time to take Nolan for his first four wheeler ride. We even went for a little canoe ride in the river. This was a great weekend, a great birthday, caped by an amazing victory by my Dallas Mavericks!

Addie Helping Grandpa Fix the Truck

Nolan and Grandpa Four Wheeling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNqJD1QTtio

Addie love playing on the beach and building sand castles. Too bad she thought throwing the sand at the bucket was the best way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPe-9xQBfSQ

Our hotel had a water slide that Addie enjoyed. She wouldn’t do it unless we were going with her, but as you can see from the video she always wanted to go again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07YDiRYM8E

Zyklon B - Poison Gas used in the Gas Chambers

When the liberators arrived at the camp they found numerous evidences of the terror inflicted at these camps one of which was massive reserves of Giftgas, which translated from German means poison gas. This gas was Zyklon B, the poison gas used to take the lives of countless individuals.

Luggage packed but never used

This suitcase just one of the hundreds on display, belonged to Gertrude Neubauer, an orphan child. These bags were packed but never opened by those who packed them.

Barracks lining the road

Auschwitz I was the original camp, serving as the administrative center for the whole complex. The site for the camp—16 one-story buildings—had earlier served as Polish army artillery barracks.

Block 10 - Medical Experimentation

Each building was identified by a block number. Block 10 was the site of horrific medical experimentation.

The Fences

Surrounding the camp were miles of barbed wire fences which at the time the camp was active were electrified. I couldn’t help but think of what each barb on that fence had been through.

Administrative Offices

This building processed each new arrival to the camp.

We also visited Auschwitz II-Birkenau, which was built in October 1941. This facility dwarfed the original Auschwitz. It was massive and although very little is left, the sheer magnitude of the facility is powerful.

The Gate of Death

This gate was the entrance to the camp. Through this gate passed countless trains jammed full of prisoners, where upon arrival were inspected, sorted, and if determined not fit for work, placed in a line leading to the gas chambers.

The Bathroom

The facilities were primitive and too few for the prisoners in the camp.

A Barrack at Birkenau

Unlike Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II – Birkenau did not have brick barracks for the prisoners. They were crammed into these wooden barracks not suited for the rigors of the Polish countryside.

These tracks led people in but never out

My trip to Auschwitz was emotional and gave me a greater appreciation for the events of the past. Seeing Auschwitz is an event never to be forgotten.

Last week we went to Newport Beach because Zac was working there, and my family came out as well. For those of you who don’t know, I spent most of my childhood in Oak Park, CA (we moved to Dallas when I was 13), so I was excited get back to California for a few days. Of course the weather was cool and breezy (I broke out my long pants for the first time since March), and the traffic was crazy, but we had a good time.

We spent most of our time at the beach, where Adelyn had a little adjusting to do.

Day 1: She would NOT touch the sand, much less the water, and cried whenever she got even a fleck of sand in her shoes. She spent most of the time being held.

Scared of the water

Day 2: I talked her into walking in the sand barefoot, and Zac taught her how to build a sand castle, which she loved. But the ocean was still a source of terror for her.

Playing in the sand

Day 3: She is running in the ocean! Yay! She loves to run, and she loves water, so finally when she realized she could run IN the water and it wouldn’t sweep her away, she was LOVING it.

Loving the ocean

I loved digging my toes into the sand and soaking up the sun. And spending some time with Cami and Scott, who live in Utah. We also went to Downtown Disney, Panda Inn (LOVE LOVE LOVE this place), Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach (to roast smore’s and see my cousins and their cute kids), Fashion Island (mall), and the Block in Orange (another mall). Sounds like a lot, but it really was a nice, relaxing trip. Someday we should try out the beaches a little closer to home.

Lego Store at Downtown Disney

Smile!

A little ice cream at the end of a busy day

Listening for the ocean in a shell

Love my family

The latter weekend we spent most of our time on the water. We stayed at the Lodge, which is right on the lake, and has a boat ramp right outside the hotel. The weather was hot, hot , hot and the water was hot too, but it was somewhat refreshing. We all skiied and wakeboarded, although Scott is leagues ahead of the rest of us, we had lots of fun. Addie LOVED the boat. She got very attached to her life jacket, and was very good about keeping it on all the time. In fact, she got excited about putting it on. She mostly sat in the boat and watched everyone else ski/wakeboard, and would always tell me when someone fell down (“Scotty fall down, Mommy”, repeated over and over). She loved when we stopped for a break and all jumped in the water. She absolutely loves to swim. She has gotten over any fear she had of water, and now jumps in full force.

We also went golfing one morning. Broken Bow has a beautiful golf course that is always empty, so we played 9 holes one morning before it got too hot (haha, yeah right). Scott’s clubs are up in Utah, so my dad brought him a few of his clubs, but didn’t have an extra golf bag, so he brought a box. It was pretty funny looking. I took pity on him and let him share my bag. We had a great time, although I think my dad was the only one who ever got a par.

Also a great find in Broken Bow: Papa Poblano’s for dinner. Great Mexican food!

We had a great time, and we’ll be back soon!

But she had a great time with her Daddy, and I had a great time with the girls!

Our hotel was close to Times Square, so we were probably there every night, just doing some shopping, eating, shows, shopping, and eating.

Times Square

We went on the “Top of the Rock”, where you take a trippy elevator ride up 65 flights to the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It has a great view of New York, except on foggy/smoggy/hazy days like this one. Maybe all days in New York are this way, but oh well. We went on the NBC Studio Tour, and saw the set of SNL and some other shows. I can’t believe how small the sets are in real life! Their magnifying cameras are amazing! My favorite part was the gift shop, where I wanted to buy every $25 t-shirt there. But alas, the anticipated shopping trip to H&M that followed was worth forgoing the “Michael Scott Paper Company” shirt.

On "Top of the Rock"

View of foggy New York

30 Rock!!

After our NBC Studios Tour

Stained Glass at St Patrick's Cathedral

We went to St Patrick’s cathedral, Trinity church, and Riverside church, which are all beautiful, and remind me of Europe in a lot of ways. But they are here in America! The stained glass is breathtaking.

Hot Dogs

Metropolitan Museum of Art

I had to get a hot dog from a hot dog vendor. It’s just a New York-ish thing to do, right?

Then on to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There was an exhibit on fashion, which is totally Cami’s thing, and Picasso, which also floats her boat (she was a humanities major). I liked the Monet’s the best. Then we wandered Central Park, and watched people play frisbee, eat lunch, and watch the boats on the pond.

This sandwich is bigger than her face

We love Broadway shows! We saw “In the Heights”, a modern love story about growing up in Washington Heights, which I really liked, and “West Side Story”, which I was a little less impressed with. I think there is just too much snapping and dancing without singing in that one. Juliana’s high school version was more entertaining for me.

In the Heights = two thumbs up!

Matchy matchy

We took the boat to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was hot and muggy this weekend, so it was nice to get out on the water. We only climbed the pedestal of the statue, but that was enough for us! We had a great view of New York Harbor. Ellis Island is a historical monument. You walk in the building and can just imagine what it was like for immigrants to wait and wait and wait to be processed, always in fear that some little thing would make them “ineligible” to stay here, only to be sent back to their homeland. The museum is simple, but creative, and there are quotes and recordings from people who came through here. I really liked it.

On the boat to the Statue of Liberty

There she is!

View of New York from Liberty Island

Grant's Tomb

Next it was up to Columbia. My dad was going to school at Columbia when Cami was born, so we visited the University, as well as Riverside Church and Ulysses S. Grant’s Tomb, which are nearby. We also saw Cami’s first home, a tiny apartment on Riverside just a few blocks from campus. My mom regaled us with Cami’s birth story as we walked to the hospital where she was born. If I moved to New York, I would want to live on Riverside. It is so beautiful, and less crowded than where we were staying.

Doors of the beautiful Riverside Church

Riverside church's tower

Visiting Columbia

Cami's namesake?, next door to the hospital where she was born

Lunch at Penelope

What a great trip! It was quick, but we managed to squeeze in tons of stuff. My camera battery died one day, so the other stuff not pictured here includes:

• FAO Schwartz
• H&M shopping extravaganza
• Central Park
• Dinner at Stardust (most fun restaurant experience EVER)
• Shopping on Canal Street
• Wall Street/NY Stock Exchange
• Ground Zero

Let’s go back soon!

Favorite Sorrento things:

• Shopping and walking around town. Sorrento is small compared to the other tourist towns we visited. It has shops and restaurants and gelaterias (very important), and not much else. We walked down to the pier, we shopped, we ate, we watched the sun set from our balcony.
• Pompeii – an ancient city that was covered in ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. The town was buried and preserved until the 1700s, when excavations began. It was amazing to walk the streets of this city and imagine what life was like back then. This city was at its height during Jesus’ lifetime, so although I’m pretty sure Christ never visited Pompeii, I’m sure the lifestyle was similar.
• Along with that, we went to the Archeological Museum in Naples, which has artifacts from Pompeii that survived – paintings, frescoes, mosaics, dishes, silverware, vases, statues, etc. Unfortunately the Mosaics room was closed, but we got to see everything else. It was neat. Although it’s too bad we had to go all the way to Naples to see it. Naples is kinda rough…
• Amalfi Coast drive. Wow. So beautiful. We took a bus, which wound around the cliffs of the coastal mountains in a one lane highway, squeezing past cars and mopeds going the other way. Scary. But it was really beautiful, especially Positano, where we walked down to the beach and stuck our fingers in. The beaches are really pebbly there!
• Pizza in Naples. I wanted to go to the famous L’Antica da Michele pizza place, but the only day we were in Naples was Sunday, and they were closed. But the pizza place across the street was open, so we grabbed some pizza there, and it was delish! I love my American Pizza, but Italian pizza is so yummy! I swear their tomatoes are different than ours.

Roma – The Eternal City, The City of Love, etc

• Rome is seriously magical. We got there in the afternoon, ate dinner, and then walked around Rome until it got dark. Rome at night is another world. The lighting is all orange light, so that it resembles torchlight. So Rome honestly feels like an old city, since there are no LED screens or florescent lighting anywhere. you feel like you are walking through ancient Rome. We saw St. Peters, Castel Sant Angelo, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona that night.
• Ancient Rome – the Imperial Forum, Arch of Constantine, Palatine Hill, Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus. This is where Rome began and was ruled. The Senate where Julius Caesar was killed, the Temple of Vesta, the Temple of Saturn, the Via Sacra (Main Street), the Basilica (governmental seat), the church where Peter the Apostle was (maybe) imprisoned, the COLOSSEUM. It’s all here. Right smack dab in the middle of modern Rome. We spent all morning here, taking audiotours and learning all about the beginning and end of the Roman Empire.
• St Peters/Vatican City. This was an all day event. St Peters Basilica is the largest Catholic church in the world, and probably the most decorated. It houses Michelangelo’s Pieta, and multiple works by Bernini, including the altar and the huge brass canopy over the altar. It also houses the tomb of St. Peter, and the tombs of many Popes. It is so ornately decorated, you really have to see it to believe it. We toured the Vatican Museums as well, and ended in the Sistine Chapel. I feel like Michelangelo and I should be friends at this point, as now I’ve been to his hometown, his tomb, and all of his greatest works. Great job on the Sistine Chapel, buddy. Really, it is amazing. To think that he literally craned his neck to paint a ceiling for four years, and on fresco! It is almost emotional. Once again, you have to see it to believe it. It was so beautiful, we stayed in there for a half hour just looking and looking.
• Catacombs! We went to the Catacombs of Domitilla, and did some underground hiking. This is where the early Christians buried their dead, instead of cremating them like the Romans did in that time. This was a sacred burial, because they were buried near family members and martyrs for the Christian religion. Romans did not treat Christians well at that point in time. Now, there are no bodies there, just holes in the walls. But what I liked were the frescoes and writings that have survived all these years.
• We were SO EXHAUSTED by the end of our trip, that we spent a good portion of time in the hotel spa and relaxation room. At first I was worried about wasting time that could have been spent sightseeing, but as one of our reasons for this trip was to just be together, we decided this was a worthwhile usage of time. We missed our little girl a lot, but to just be together, without any responsibilities, was refreshing.