We are home!! Yeah! :o) We had a great vacation, but after being away for a month, I am glad to be home to relax and then get organized. I have a lot to do to get my house the way I want to, but I am hoping that a little each day will get it done soon. It isn't easy with a little monster attached to you all the time.
Speaking of monsters, Kensley had her 18-month check up yesterday morning. She weighed in at 23 1/2 lbs and was 30 1/2 inches tall. She was nervous the second we walked into the dr's office and wouldn't let me put her down. Whenever the nurse or doctor came near her, she would cry. Then she had to have 2 shots which validated her fears. I was pressured into giving her a flu shot that I really don't think she needed. Oh well. She gets 6 months of peace because she doesn't have to go back to the doctor until she is 2.
I am so excited to be home and don't plan to go anywhere for a while. Stephen will be home for a visit in April (April 17-May 6) and we are going to stay home and relax this time. I have registered Kensley for a couple community classes that start next week, Tot Time and a toddler gymnastics class. I think it will be fun for her to get out of the house and make new friends. Speaking of new friends, Kensley starts Nursery this Sunday!! I am so excited and hope she stays in class and likes it.

Good-bye Italy

Our trip to Italy is now a memory in the past...We arrived in Las Vegas last night after a long, LONG journey home. Our flight from Rome to Atlanta was 11 hours and then from Atlanta to Las Vegas another four hours. It was terrible and finally over. Kensley hasn't been feeling well the last few days and developed a fever while in-flight. I, of course, packed her medicine in my checked luggage and had nothing to give her. A flight attendant gave us some Tylenol that we broke up and crumbled up in some water to dissolve and then mixed with strawberry juice and forced it down her throat. When we got back to the house, me and Kensley went to bed without even brushing our teeth! Kensley woke up several times during the night from not feeling well and the time change so I am still longing for a full night's sleep. She is adjusting a little better than our trip there, though, so hopefully she will sleep better tonight. To make matters worse, I haven't had a shower in two days because the water company thought my in-laws had moved and the house was vacant, so they turned off the water while we were gone and we are still waiting for them to come turn it back on. They said they would be here an hour ago. Even with all the drama and malfunctions, we have had a great trip especially being able to spend time with Stephen. We are already looking forward to seeing him in April. He is coming home to Mesa this time for the visit and we are not traveling anywhere! We are staying home and doing nothing. If anyone wants to see him, they have to come to us! :o)

Fountain of the Broken Boat

Kensley and Dad playing in the fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps.

Piazza Spagna

The Spanish Steps lead to the Spanish Embassy and that is how they received their name. They were designed in 1724.

Piazza Navona

We went to Piazza Navona and froze ourselves almost to death to hear the missionaries sing in the square. It was fun to visit with them, but it was the coldest night since we have been in Rome.

Church Day

We decided to make the trek to church yesterday even though we didn't understand a word of it. Stephen translated a little bit, but I missed almost all of it. After church, it was pouring rain and we had to make the walk to the bus stop without any umbrellas. When we had left earlier, it was sunny outside so we didn't think that we would need them. :o( Drowned rats once again.

La Cucaracha

The other night we were talking about what we should have for dinner when I said that I was really in the mood for Mexican food. I was kind of joking and then Stephen responded that there was a Mexican restaurant near the Vatican that he had seen recently. So, we all got excited and decided to go. I have had A LOT of pasta and pizza the last couple weeks. It turned out that he hadn't really seen the restaurant, but just the sign advertising it. It seemed silly for some reason to eat Mexican food while in Italy so we were a little embarrassed to ask for directions. So, it took a while to find while wandering the streets, but we finally prevailed! It wasn't the same as we are used to, but it was still good. It was also the most expensive meal we have had yet. I guess they can charge outrageous prices since they dominate the Mexican food market in Rome. This picture is of the bathroom there. :o)

Circus Maxiumus

This field used to host chariot races back in the day.

Bocca della Verita, Jan 12, 2008

Also known as the Mouth of Truth. This picture didn't turn out so good, but here it is. I really wanted to tell a lie to see if it would bite my hand off, but I couldn't think of one. We got caught in a huge rainstorm this day and this place was our refuge. We also took refuge in a nearby cafe while it poured and poured. The workers fed Kensley pastries to keep her from crying.

Ostia, Italy

We drove to Ostia, a place that Stephen spent a few months during his mission. It has been so long and maybe everything has changed that he didn't recognize anything. We froze to death on a beach at the Mediterranean Sea. That didn't stop us from getting Gelato afterwards, of course.

U.S. Military Memorial

United States Military Cemetary

We rented a car today and visited some sites of interest near Rome. We drove to Anzio where the Allies landed on the beach during World War II. We also visited this cemetary that is near there. We spent a lot of time wandering around and looking at the Memorial in their honor.

Sexy Shops

We have seen signs for "sexy shops" all over Italy and just thought it was kind of funny. We haven't gone inside, of course, but we are assuming it is some sort of adult store. We just think the title is humorous.

Piazza Venezia

Kensley peeking in at the gates of the monument. It is one of her new favorite things today whenever she sees something to peek through. She gets mad when we don't let her look.

Piazza Venezia

In front of the gates to the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II.

Sistine Chapel

This is one of the famous paintings by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Shhh... Don't tell anyone we took a picture! We had to be very sneaky about it because they don't allow pictures in there. There are guards walking around making sure that you don't. :o) I don't know why, but I have always liked this painting. So, I couldn't resist taking a picture of it. Last time we were in Italy, I took a picture of it and then we lost 3 days worth of pictures on the camera. It was devastating, so I am very happy that I was able to get another opportunity.

Vatican Museum

One of the ceilings in the Vatican Museum. It is hard not to get a kink in your neck from looking up the whole time. It is also hard to watch where you are walking!

Kensley and Dad

Kensley enjoying a ride on her dad's shoulders in the Vatican Museum. It was the only way to keep her from terrorizing the place! I got yelled at a few minutes earlier by one of the guards for letting her run around.

Everything for a Euro

While we were walking along the streets of Rome today, we found the equivalent of a dollar store in America. Everything for one Euro. I don't know why, but we thought it was kind of funny.

Vatican Museum

This is Stephen's favorite painting on the ceiling of the Vatican Museum.

Gelato Break

Enjoying some gelato (ice cream) after a long hard day of sight seeing.

Family Picture

Sitting in front of a fountain at the Vatican.

The Sacred Area of Largo Argentina

Some ruins in Rome near one of the bus stops. They have turned it into a cat sanctuary and there are tons of them everywhere.

The Pantheon

Piazza Navona

We wandered around some of the streets in Rome as we were walking to the Pantheon. We came across this Piazza with three fountains. This country is filled with naked men!

Chasing the Birds

Kensley loved chasing the birds around the Pantheon. She was giggling and squeeling the whole time.

Apartment Building

This is the apartment building that we have been staying at in Rome. It has been nice to have a two-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms and a kitchen instead of cramming in a hotel room and having to eat out every meal. We even have a washer and dryer that we can use for no extra charge. We are also right across from the bus stop which has been very convenient for getting around. We are getting pretty good at the bus system.

Trevi Fountain

The Roman Forum

The Colosseum

I have no exciting adventures to tell for our touring today. We went to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We did use public transportation if you want to call that an adventure. We took the bus for a longer trip than needed, but now we know the system well and won't make the same mistake again. We were packed in like sardines and I thought I might sweat to death. I was holding Kensley smashed up next to a window, standing of course. Kensley fell asleep with her nose pressed up against the window.

Casket in St Peter's Basilica

A dead Pope in St Peter's Basilica. I don't remember which one. I know it probably isn't very reverent to post this picture, but I find it fascinating that they bury their pope's in this way. I am actually looking at a dead person, sort of.

The Vatican

We walked to the Vatican in the pouring rain today. We tried to wait for it to stop raining, but it never did and we realized that if we stayed inside until it stopped raining, we might be inside for the rest of our trip! Especially because it is supposed to rain until Monday. So, we braved the storm and made the trip. This picture didn't turn out so great because it is in the rain and the dark, but you get the idea.

St Peter's Basilica

As you can see, Kensley finally got over her fit!

Kensley and Mom

Kensley threw a major fit while we were touring St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican because she wanted to take pictures with the camera. You can see her tears in this picture.

Saint Stephen's Arch

All Stephen's life his mom has been trying to find references to Saint Stephen the martyr from the Bible. He is one of the reasons that Stephen received his name because it is one of her favorite stories from the Bible. On our drive to Perugia the other day, we drove through a city called Volterra that none of us had ever heard of and knew nothing about. All of the sudden we were driving through beautiful country and climbing a hill to get to the city. It was a very old town with stone walls and buildings. We stopped to take pictures and it turned out to be Saint Stephen's Arch. It was a great find and we drove through the windy streets of the city aggravating all the locals as we hung out the windows and took pictures while in the middle of the road.

Eureka!

Luggage at last!!! We drove to Rome today and had to turn our car in at the rental place at the airport. We decided we would make it a dual purpose trip and pick up our luggage as well. It was an all-day event and a very adventureous experience riding the train back to our apartment with all of our luggage and Kensley in a stroller. There were so many people pushing and shoving at our stop that I almost didn't make it off. I freaked at the thought because I had no idea where I was. Thankfully there were some women on the train helping to push me off the stop. I didn't even have time to say thank you. I barely made it out alive. We have decided that we are definitely going to set up some sort of shuttle or taxi ride for the trip back to the airport when it is time to leave for home. We are total dorks, as most of you probably already know. At the train station, we had to switch to another track and that meant going down some stairs and up another set of stairs on the other side of the station. We had 3 big suitcases and Kensley in a stroller that we laboriously lugged down and up two flights of stairs. Everyone was looking at us that we were total weirdos and it wasn't until we got to where we were supposed to be that we turned around and saw an elevator right by the staircase! Sometimes I don't know how any of us make it a day through life.
While we were driving around Rome trying to find the apartment we would be staying in, Kensley suddenly started throwing up without warning. She was wearing her new, clean outfit and it got everywhere. It was really gross! When we got to the apartment and the guy was showing us around, I had to strip her down to her diaper and let her run around like that. We dudn't have our luggage yet so she had to wear dirty clothes again to the airport. :o(

Lost Luggage Saga Continues

Well, we are now on day 4 and still no luggage. When we realized we didn’t have our luggage on the first day, we had to rent a car seat for our rental car since that was one of our pieces of luggage. So, we get a phone call from the Florence airport stating that they received one piece of luggage and we could come pick it up… What piece of luggage did we get?? The car seat, of course. We are now traveling with two car seats, but no clothes or other belongings. We drove to Camp Darby today, a U.S. Army base outside of Pisa and bought a clean outfit from the PX. So, we will be nice and clean tomorrow. :o) We are driving into Rome tomorrow so we should be able to pick up our luggage since they have assured us that it is now sitting in the Rome airport.
Our shopping spree today took up a big part of our day as well as driving down to Perugia. I have been told that it is the chocolate capital of Italy. We haven’t seen much of it since we didn’t get here until tonight. We are staying in a hotel on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere. It took us forever to find it because it was a very confusing city to find. When we finally got the right directions, we drove up this winding hill forever and started to wonder where the heck we were going. Then the road pretty much dead-ended into this hotel with a view of the city below. There is only one other car in the parking lot, so we are pretty much one of the only guests of the place. We have nice big rooms and a towel warmer in the bathroom. :o) We didn’t want to drive back down the hill to eat, so we ate in the restaurant next door. It was a really fancy place with no other customers. We had our choice of tables and never saw another soul besides our waiter. It is funny that we are here away from other people, especially since it is a pretty nice hotel and such a nice restaurant. I found it only because it was one of the cheapest hotels when I did a search on the Internet. We wish we could stay here a little longer. We leave for Rome tomorrow where we will be for the remainder of our trip.

Florence Italy, January 2, 2008

Florence Italy, January 2, 2008

Leaning Tower of Pisa January 1, 2008

Italy or Bust!

Well, we finally made it to Italy and it was not an easy road. Kensley did very well on the flight which I was very happy about. Due to a series of unfortunate events on our layover in Paris, we missed our connecting flight to Rome and had to take a later flight. Stephen had to wait in the Rome airport for about 4 hours wondering what the heck happened to us. Then, when we arrived, we waited and waited for luggage that never came. We discovered later that our luggage was still in Paris and would be delivered to our hotel in Florence the next day. To make a long story short, we are going on 3 days with no luggage and are wearing the same stinky clothes we wore on the airplane. We have no clothes, no makeup, no brush, and no conditioner for my hair. My hair has beena complete rat's nest and took over 30 minutes for me to brush last night. We couldn't buy any new items that we needed because everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was closed due to New Year's Day. Hopefully our luggage will be delivered tonight, minus a few pieces they still can't find. We are sitting on pins and needles wondering who will be the lucky recipient of their suitcase. To make matters even worse, Kensley has not adjusted well to the time change and has spent the last two nights screaming and crying all night long. We finally just turned the lights on and she started playing. We realized that she just wasn't tired. She woke up this morning at 4:30 screaming and woke all of us up. We finally just turned on the lights and sat in our hotel room waiting for normal day hours to arrive so that we could go to breakfast. The good thing about having nothing, is it takes nothing to get ready for the day. We just put on our same stinky clothes and walk out the door. They did give us an emergency kit at the airport that contained a t-shirt to sleep in and a toothbrush. We are trying to make the best of the trip even with all these shortcomings and have visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa and spent today in the historic part of Florence. Kensley is now sleeping in our hotel room, she is dead to the world at the moment, and me and Stephen are headed to the grocery store next door that is finally opened to see if they have any items that might our lives more comfortable. Hopefully things will start looking up for us. :o)