A Day in the Life

We took yet another trip to the lake this weekend (with the Taylors), for Jake’s birthday and for the Fourth of July. Although it is usually a bad idea to let Adelyn stay up way too late, we decided it was worth it for her to see the fireworks! Hoping the earlier rain storm wouldn’t cancel the fireworks, we hopped in the car and headed to Warrior Stadium (the local high school) to watch the show. We had to entertain her in the car, as it was already an hour past bedtime.

She is learning the "fish face"

We got there just in time! Right as we laid our tarp/blankets out on the grass, the music and fireworks started up, which was nice because I didn’t know what I was going to do to entertain the little one until they began.

Fireworks Show

I love fireworks! It was a great show, accompanied by the local radio station’s DJ.  They had all my favorites (the ones that look like glitter, and the ones that pop multiple times) and even had a smiley face. Adelyn’s reaction was definitely NOT what I expected. She got very nervous when the fireworks started booming, and clung to me with a death grip as she sat on my lap. Her little body was rigid with fear. It was so sad!

Not liking these fireworks

So I attempted to make them seem exciting and not scary, but she wouldn’t have any of it. I thought it might be the bright colors that were scaring her, not the booming, so I told her that she could look away if she wanted, and look at Grandpa. That seemed to calm her down for a little bit. Then Grandpa and Grandma decided to hold her and try to make her watch the fireworks again. Poor girl, she was not happy about it. She sat like this for the rest of the show:

She is not sleeping here (although she was so tired that she probably could have fallen asleep if she wasn’t terrified). She is sitting up, but looking down at her hands because she doesn’t want to watch the fireworks! I thought that was hilarious! Once or twice she was prodded into peeking at the fireworks, but she always snapped her head back down whenever there was one she didn’t like. I can’t believe I have such a scaredy-pants!

Two weekends ago we went up to Broken Bow with Dave and Lisa Grow and had a great time. Then my brother came into town for a week, and then my family decided to go to Broken Bow again for a few days. Addie and I went up and left poor Zac at home, since he had to work. Sorry, babe. The former weekend was spent riding 4-wheelers with the kids, wakeboarding, skiing and wakeskating on the boat, skipping rocks in the river, cooking (oh how we love cobbler…), playing games, etc. It was hot, but it was fun to have Eli there for Addie to play with. And after the boating experience, both kids were pooped and took 3+ hour naps. We had lots of fun!

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!

To Cami: Happy 30th Birthday! Thank you for suggesting a girls weekend in New York to celebrate! Although it was hard for me to leave this little one again:

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

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

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

Visiting Columbia

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!

We left Addie for 18 days to go to Europe, missing her 18 month birthday, so here are 18 things about her right now. This is mostly for me to remember, so feel free to skim.

1. She went to nursery at church for the first time on Sunday, and it was so great! No more running the halls, trying to keep her quiet, and seriously failing. She loved playing with toys with the other kids!

2. She went to the doctor last week for her 18 month appt, got 3 shots, and for the first time, she anticipated the shots and started crying BEFORE the nurse even stuck her. She knew what was going on over there, and she was NOT happy about it. Her stats:

• Weight: 23 lbs 15 oz (45%) – Yay, this is the highest percentile she’s ever been! Thanks Grandma for fattening her up a bit!
• Height: 31 In (29%)
• Head: 47cm (62%)

3. The girl TALKS! I can’t even count the number of words she says, but she just blows me away with how much she communicates. She knows the difference between “I like it”, and “no like it”, she counts “one, two, three”, she says animal sounds (“MOO”, “Ribbit”, “quack”, etc), she talks on the phone (“hello, How are ya, good” is what she says everytime I let her hold the phone)

"Hi Mom"

4. She loves SHOES. She puts my shoes or Zac’s shoes on if they are left out on the floor, and she is very particular about which shoes I put on her.

5. She has discovered bubbles. She chases them around the backyard and tries to eat/pop them. Zac just bought a bubble blower and it is awesome! Now I don’t have to pass out trying to blow bubbles for hours!

6. She is obSESSED with Elmo. She thinks that is the sole reason for the computer, and whenever she sees me sit down at the computer, she says “Elmo please?” So cute.

7. She loves to go on walks, and has decided that she wants to push the stroller instead of ride in it. She calls it her “Strollie”.

8. We live near the airport, so she often gets to see airplanes flying in the sky. She ALWAYS points them out and wants to watch them until they land.

9. She is becoming such a cuddler, which I love! She gives hugs and kisses to Zac and me on a daily basis. It is the greatest.

10. She is learning to say prayers, and folds her little arms and closes her eyes SO TIGHT. Now if I can just get her to do it in church, when it really matters!

11. Favorite Foods: peanut butter sandwiches, ritz crackers, olives (she loves to put them on her fingers), cereal (and she loves to drink the milk after the cereals gone), fruit snacks, and bananas.

12. Her hair is finally long enough for pigtails! Yay!

Hiding

13. She says “Hi” to everyone! Cashiers at the store, people at church, any child she sees anywhere. It’s just “Hi, Hi, Hi” all day long when we’re in public with her.

13. My dad and I went to the driving range last week, and she had a great time learning to golf. She picked up all the golf balls she could find and carried them around in her bucket the whole time.

14. This summer we will be spending a lot of time doing two of her favorite activities: Swinging at the playground, and swimming! She has discovered a love for swimming, and now cries whenever I take her out of the pool. I’m glad her fear of water was short-lived. We swim at grandma’s house, our neighborhood pool, or at apartment pools where our friends live.

She could swing for hours

15. She is still taking two naps a day! I’ve given up trying to get her down to one good nap, so two short ones will have to do for now. As long as she’s happy, I’m happy, so we’ll work with two naps.

16. She loves to play hide and seek, and her favorite spot to hide is in the nightstands we have sitting in our dining room (see pictures above).

17. She is very loving and nurturing. She gives her stuffed animals big hugs and tries to feed them and let them drink from her sippy cup. She also loves babies. She wants to hold their hands, help them walk, give them hugs, share her toys, and kiss them. She will be a good big sister someday.

18. Addie has completely stolen our hearts, and we love her so much! It is hard to express how much I love this little girl. She makes being a mommy so much fun!

We really saved the best for last. Sorrento is about an hour south of Naples, right on the coast. The most beautiful drive in the world has got to be the cliffs of the Amalfi coast, where the Mediterranean sparkles and the towns spring up out of the mountain. We had a beautiful view of the ocean from our hotel, which maybe made Sorrento my favorite place of the trip. Rome is still duking it out with Sorrento in my mind.

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.

  

  Pompeii street

  

  Chariot ruts in the road, Pompeii

  

  Original pots from Pompeii

  
  

  

  Fresco on a wall in a home, Pompeii

  

  Doorways in Pompeii

  

  Basilica ruins, Pompeii

  
  

  

  Pompeii painting, preserved in the museum

  

  Amalfi Coast/Mediterranean Sea

  

  Climbing down the steps to Positano

  
  

  

  Touching the Mediterranean

  

  City of Positano

  

  View of Sorrento and Mt Vesuvius from our balcony

  
  

  

  Trevi Fountain, Rome

  

  Overview of the Forum, Ancient Rome

  

  Ancient Rome

  
  

  

  Temple of Saturn in Ancient Rome

  

  Basilica in Ancient Rome

  

  Colosseum, Rome

  
  

  

  Can you see where the steps used to be? (Colosseum)

  

  Interior of Colosseum

  

  Arch of Constantine, Rome

  
  

  

  St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

  

  Dome of St Peters from the inside, Vatican City

  

  Ceiling of St Peters, Vatican City

  
  

  

  Michelangelo’s Pieta, St. Peters, Vatican City

  

  Ceiling detail, St Peters, Vatican City

  

  Outside St Peters on a rainy day

  
  

  

  Raphael’s “School of Athens”, Vatican Museum

  

  Best Gelato EVER.

  

  Della Palma Gelato. We went here every day multiple times.

  
  
  

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.