Adah's birthday

This has been a good year for me. I have traveled a lot visiting friends, family and going to Rome. Elsie is an amazing little girl who keeps surprising me with her knowledge and understanding and Will is also great and a huge support to me. We are healthy and happy

Will and Elsie did a great job helping me have a fun birthday. We did our traditional treasure hunt for my present and then had some dessert...brownies and ice cream. Elsie had a roll which she decorated and then got a candle to blow out too! It was a good time.

Thanksgiving Turkey

I made a cute turkey a few years ago out of  a large styrofoam ball and some yarn. The idea is you write the things you are thankful for on the paper feathers that then get glued to popsicle sticks and stuck into the turkey. The turkey is in front of Elsie with a light brown yarn head and a dark brown body. It is a fun tradition. 

Backward day

Elsie's school had backward day and this is what we came up with. A cute shirt backwards and a hair due that has the braids starting from the back and going forwards. I always forget to photograph her first thing before school so her hair is always all messed up by the time I think of taking the photos!

Sponge mopping

Elsie found these big sponges under the bathroom sink one day and wanted to mop the floor with them.  I said sure why not and then the fun began...water everywhere.

Decorating for Christmas 2012

Not much to say other then we had fun decorating for Christmas. This year we had a little problem with the Christmas tree lights and so only half of our tinny tree lit up and stayed on and the other half blinked on and off. It was pretty annoying. 

Elsie had the tree and lights up when we got home form Rome. She and grandma had put them up but grandma would not let her decorate it with out us.

ABC's

Sunday in Pompeii and The Amalfi Coast

The last day in Rome was another amazing one. We actually left Rome and drove south to Pompeii. Here is the last email I sent my family

"Today was a lot of driving. We drove down to the coast about 2 hours south of Rome to see Pompeii. It was amazing. Parts of it are believed to be there for at least 300 years before Christ was on earth. Maybe more I can't remember. Any way it is old and the volcano erupted covering it with ash in 79 AD where it sat until discovered in 1748. We saw lots of rooms and court yards and the government buildings and baths and a few plaster casts of the people who lived there. A man discovered that if a whole was found in the ash and they poured plaster in then dug around it the whole was actually where a body used to be so it showed the whole body. You could even see some of the bone preserved too. Then we set off for the coast on the Amalfi coast/peninsula. We drove on every windy and thin roads down the cliffs to a town called Position and ate there. I was feeling pretty car sick but did ok. Then off again to another part of the coast and we walked around for a bit and ate some supper rich and creamy geloto.  But after we got back in the car and went a bit I had to throw up! Yuck. Anyways I ended up 
throwing up one more time I guess I had too much food and driving! But I am better now."

Pompeii was so interesting. It amazed me how intricate even their floors where. Also just the amount preserved and how well in-tacked it is is great.  

On the Coast eating sea food (I had a pizza). The restaurant we ate at was right on the beach. The town is set on the edge of a cliff. You actually have to walk about half way down because the roads end. The walking path was pretty steep but nice.

Will had room service the last night as we got in late and could not get to a place to eat. I had some bread as my tummy was still a little queasy.

Saturday in Rome

Here is what I wrote to my family on Sunday. I guess i ran out of time on Saturday to write.

"Yesterday we went to the Vatican City tour we were signed up for. It was first thing in the morning and lasted 3 hours. It was pretty amazing. The Sistine Chapel was interesting to be in. To think that Michelangelo painted it after only being a sculptor was amazing. The guide taught us a lot of things so that was cool. 

After the tour we wandered around and ate some yummy pizza and gelato and then we walked over to the Castle Sant' Angelo to see where the popes used to live. It is right next to Vatican City and it is connected by a wall with a pathway on top of it. We saw an exhibition which was dedicated to the pope and so saw some interesting textiles the popes once wore. 

After that we just wondered around and went back to one particular square to see how it looked at night. We got to eat gelato four times. One time it was not very good but the other ones where great. We got home early so we went down to the spa and sat in the steam room and in the hot tub after that. Then over to the pool and hot tub by the pool. It was fun and relaxing."

Saint Peters Basilica and other photos from the Vatican City museums. And no you are not permitted to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling you see is one in the long halls of the museums in Vatican City. 

Castle Sant' Angelo you can see the wall going towards Saint Peters Dome below.

There was some sort of rock concert going on by the river and the Castel. Sadly there were only a very few people watching.

Will got this idea to get a straight razor shave while in Rome. We finally found a barber and he sat down for the shave and then a face massage. 

 A fun toy store near Barberini Square.