A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings

First Day of School 2014-2015

2014-09-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

First Day of School! First Day of School!

Libby - 5th Grade

Isaac 8th Grade

Luke - 2nd Grade

Summer Birthdays

2014-09-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Dear Libby

June 4, 2014

10!

We celebrated Libby's birthday with a Paris party. We had a photo booth, decorated sugar cookies, sewed aprons, and had lots of fun!

Happy Birthday To You

August 9, 2014

We celebrated Luke's birthday in Cedar City, and then continued the celebration back in Sprngville.

Shakespeare Festival Green Show

Trying out his birthday roller skates.

Luke really wanted to celebrate his birthday at
Bombay House with mom!

August 30, 2014

39!

I got to celebrate my birthday playing tennis with Chris, hiking with the kids, and having a nice dinner out. Pretty great.

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime? (part 3)

2014-09-12T11:43:00.001-07:00

Swimming and Hiking

We spent a lot of time this summer swimming and hiking. Another great way to enjoy our local surroundings. We got a Provo Rec Center membership and tried to go once or twice a week. The kids loved it.

Isaac spent the first 4 weeks of summer in a junior life guarding class. He improved his swimming and learned some life saving skills. It was a great first step to becoming a life guard in a few years.

Isaac went to scout camp at Flaming Gorge. Aside from exposure to chicken pox, he had a great week. He loved rock climbing and repelling and tolerated shooting shotguns and riffles.

At the start of the summer I made a list of some local hikes that looked fun and kid-friendly. We did our best to get through the list.

Hike to the Springville Limestone

Hike to the Y

Payson Canyon Grotto

We finished off our summer of hiking with a rescheduled trip to Timpanogos Cave. It was perfect weather and a nice, slightly intense hike. The cave was really interesting and I can't believe we've never done it before.

Alpine Loop

We learned all about stalactites, stalagmites, cave popcorn,
and cave bacon.

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime? (part 2)

2014-09-08T19:02:00.001-07:00

Moab in July

Seriously, we went to Moab in July!

Our great friends, the Lynns, were visiting Utah and after a lot of back and forth, we ended up going to Moab for a couple of fun days of hiking and extreme heat.

We hiked to Delicate Arch. A beautiful hike and an amazing monument, but there were times when I felt like we would actually die from the heat. We tried to sit in the shade any time we found it and drank every last drop of water we had. I'd love to do this hike again in the spring or fall, never again in July.

Hiking to Delicate Arch

Two old new/old friends

Can you tell we are hot?

Isaac and the Delicate Arch

After a night of cooling off and recovery, we hiked again on day two.

On our way out of town, we took a detour to see some petroglyphs. They were really amazing.

It was fun to get to spend some quality time with great friends. We have been friends for 17 years and even though we live far apart we are always able to pick up where we left off.

Happy Birthday America!

4th of July in Mount Pleasant

We took a quick day trip to Mount Pleasant to spend the 4th of July with the Prussos at the Palmer's cabin. We enjoyed a small town parade and a nice dinner at the cabin. Since the last time we were there they installed a zip-line. The kids had tons of fun and we only had one minor head injury.

Mount Pleasant 4th of July Parade

I love this girl.

Summer Weddings

Our friend Mallory Merrill got married in Utah this summer. It meant that we got to see some great, Chicago friends. These ladies have been so important to me and helped me grow into an adult when we first met 15 years ago.

One of our fav study abroad students also got married
this summer. It was a beautiful wedding and we were
glad to be a part of it.

July in Park City

The kids love going to Park City so we found a hotel deal and decided to take a short trip. Our original plan was to hike Timpanogos Cave on the way, but it was pouring rain and so we came up with plan B - a trip to the aquarium and a short hike to Ensign Peak in SLC.

On to Park City...

Dad cannonball

The rain stopped long enough for the kids to swim

Alpine Coaster

Alpine Slide

Luke driving his own slide for the 1st time

Strike a pose

He is almost as tall as me.

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime? (part 1)

2014-09-04T13:01:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that summer has come and gone. We didn't do a big family vacation this year but instead we had a stay in Utah-cation? A Utah staycation? Whatever you call it, we enjoyed exploring Utah and we are grateful to live in such a beautiful place.

April in St. George

In April, Anna, Max, and Fitz came to St. George for Spring Break. I wish we lived closer to these great cousins.

Trip to Zion

St. George Children 's Museum

Favorite part of Grandma's house

Isaac wasn't always the baby whisperer!

Celebrating 17 Years of Marriage

Pretty happy to have spent the past 17 years with this guy!

Family Racquetball

June in St. George

We went down to St. George again to celebrate Margo's 30th birthday.

Happy 30th Birthday Margo!

Life Comes Back

2014-03-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Then when it seems we will never smile again,

life comes back.

A couple of years ago I found the quote "Then when it seems we will never smile again, life comes back." on a magnet. I'm generally not a quote person and certainly not a magnet quote person but it struck me (so much so that I regret not buying the magnet!).

It has been four years since we lost our son Matthew. I still haven't figured out how to come to terms with the loss of someone we never really met (even though we got to hold him), someone we have no memories of other than the experience of his loss. We have no pictures with him, no clothes he wore, no toys he played with. We have a little box we got from the hospital with molds of his hands and feet and his unbelievably small footprints.

I've learned that there is no best way to mourn, grieve, or heal. It seemed right for us to once again release balloons as a sort-of memorial to him, and so we did. I no longer want to curl up in a ball on the floor of my closet and cry, and so I don't. This year I felt sad, but not heartbroken. That is not to say that I understand what happened or why this happened to us. I can't even say that I've learned an important lesson or am better for having gone through it. For now, I just know that there was a time when it seemed like I would never smile again but life has come back.

You Say It's Your Birthday

2014-03-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it. Even though I have been there for nearly every one of his 4745+ days on earth I still can't believe that Isaac is 13 years old. In part because I can't believe that I am old enough to have a 13 year old child; but even more because it seems to have gone by so fast. Most seems like a blur. I feel
like I can only remember a very small percentage of it, and frankly some of that is not worth remembering.

Isaac spent the majority of the few months of his life being fussy. Fussy sounds much nicer than it actually was. He cried, screamed, and shook his fists in the air. We would walk him back and forth down the hall of our apartment - back-and-forth, back-and-forth. We would drive him around until he fell asleep in his car seat (did you know you aren't supposed to let babies sleep in their car seats anymore, glad we didn't know that then). We would never take him out after 6pm because that is when things got really bad. In addition to being difficult when he was awake he was also opposed to sleep. Some nights I wouldn't even bother going to bed. I'd just lay on the couch with him in his cradle. It didn't seem worth the effort to get into bed when the amount of sleep I'd be getting was so insignificant. I often had the thought that it was entirely possible that this would never end. People tell you it is a phase, he'll grow out of it. What do they know? I knew it there was no reason to believe that he wouldn't cry for the rest of his life and I would never sleep again.

I haven't slept much since (after the first few years it wasn't really Isaac's fault anymore), but he has stopped crying and grown into a remarkably funny and talented young man. He is a whiz on the piano. He plays by ear and memorizes everything. He loves to ski and would be perfectly happy if winter lasted most of the year (I have no understanding of that whatsoever). He is smart. He has done a fantastic job catching up in 7th grade after being home schooled for 3 months. He has a great sense of humor. Honestly, he comes from parents who both have great senses of humor (one better than the other) so it's not really a surprise. Through his interactions with study abroad students (see some of their great advice below) he has seen what can come if you survive the early teen years.

I expect we will have plenty of teen angst and our share of trouble in the years ahead, but for now I couldn't be more pleased with Isaac and the young man he has become.

Celebrating with cousins.

His "Teen Survival Kit"

I asked our study abroad students to give Isaac their best advice for surviving the teen years. Here is some of what they had to say:

* Don't let fear hold you back.

* Listen to your parents.

* Don't share your gum.

* Don't be afraid to love things, even when not caring seems cool.

* Do what you love no matter what.

* At some point your friends are going to notice that Libby is a babe. If for no other reason, have good friends.

* Be friends with the nerds.

* Speak your mind and state your funny observations.

* Be nice to everyone.

* Find something you are passionate about.

* Have a bar-mitzvah so the ladies know you are a man.

* Be yourself.

Season's Greetings

2014-02-14T09:35:00.003-08:00

Since it is mid-February I decided it was finally time to take down the Christmas cards. Each year I leave them up longer and longer. I'm not sure why. It probably has to do with how it makes me feel connected to people that have been important to us over the years. (Mind you, I only had one undergrad psychology class so the real reason could just be laziness.) In my day-to-day life in Springville, Utah it is easy to forget that we have lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Paris. Getting Christmas cards from our friends from all these places reminds me of that and I like having that reminder up for as long as possible.

Type 1 Diabetes Sucks

2014-01-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

Note: I don't like the word sucks, however, it was the most appropriate and still polite descriptor I could think to use.

Last month was the three year anniversary of Libby being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Living with diabetes has been difficult to say the least. Libby has done a remarkable job dealing with the daily tasks of managing this frustrating disease.

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the body attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. As a result, Libby cannot get energy from the food she eats. So long as there is no cure, she will live with this disease for the rest of her life. Unlike type 2 diabetes, it cannot be managed with diet, exercise, or oral medication. Every day, Libby pricks her finger 8 to 10 times to test her blood glucose level. Chris and I also check her while she sleeps, trying to keep her blood sugar regulated during the night. Libby must count the carbohydrates in everything she eats, and much of her food must be weighed or otherwise measured.

If Libby’s blood sugar gets too low, she risks fainting, seizures, coma, and death. If her blood sugar stays persistently high, long-term complications include blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and nerve damage. Type 1 diabetes is extremely complicated. Even when we do our best to count carbohydrates and calculate insulin there is no guarantee that Libby's blood sugar will react in the way we would like.

We've come to terms with the extra work it takes to keep Libby safe at school, the lunchtime (and sometimes other) calls, the extra supervision during physical activity (like dance, soccer, and skiing), the conversations with her friend's parents so that she can safely play at their houses, the nighttime blood sugar checks (although I HATE these), the mood swings related to high blood sugar, the extra screening at airport security, and the many other complications and precautions that we have to deal with on a daily basis.

What I haven't come to terms with is the possibility of life-threatening complications. Friday morning I had to take Libby to the emergency room. Her blood sugar had been high for a couple of days and was not going down (as it should) with insulin. Friday morning she started to feel sick. I checked for ketones (a chemical produced when there is a shortage of insulin in the blood and the body breaks down fat for energy) and after an extremely frustrating 30 minutes trying to get an answer from our doctor's office (which I never did) I loaded up all the kids and headed to the ER (they didn't have school). Chris was teaching a class and we weren't able to get a hold of him. Isaac called the History Department on our way to the hospital and in his calmest voice said "This is Isaac Hodson. My dad is Chris Hodson. I need to you to go find him and tell him we are taking my sister to the hospital." I'm not sure his calm phone voice meant that Chris got an equally calm message while he was teaching that his daughter was in the ER.

After Libby threw-up and nearly passed-out in the waiting room, they got us checked in and starting running a few blood tests. Libby had mild ketoacidosis, which is mostly treated by injecting more insulin and giving her fluids. We spent a few hours in the ER and then we were moved to the pediatric floor. They wanted to monitor Libby until all her levels got back to normal. Seven and a half hours later she was stabilized enough that we were able to go home.

Libby was a champ. She was brave throughout the entire day. She knew that going to the hospital was the best idea when I was trying to decide what to do first thing that morning.

None of it is fair. I wish Libby could experience a normal childhood. I wish that she didn't have to think every time she ate, that she didn't experience variations in her blood sugar that made it hard for her to learn at school, that she could have the freedom to play that other 9-year olds have, and that someday this could all be over.

Keeping entertained in the ER. The social
worker brought Libby and ipad loaded with
games which kept her very occupied

Hospital chicken nuggets, yum!
Libby got to keep the cute pillowcase and blanket.

December 2010

Video

2014-01-04T20:49:00.003-08:00

One of our fantastic study abroad students, Morgan Akana, made this video. It made us all home sick for Paris! Check it out. http://vimeo.com/83111919

Joyeux Noel

2014-01-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for Christmas was rushed this year. In a continued effort to do we tried to find time for as many Christmas related activities as we could.

The diabetes clinic at the hospital puts on a Christmas breakfast every year. We've learned that drug company sponsored events have the best presents!

If it weren't for the "butt bomb" behind Luke this
would be a pretty good picture.

Decorating Christmas sugar cookies.

Every year the kids get a Christmas ornament. This year I wanted to have something special from Paris. We looked around for the last couple of weeks in France to try and find something besides the plastic Santa climbing the Eiffel Tower that seemed to be a favorite at the souvenir shops. We found a little shop that had macaroon ornaments and after going back to the store twice we bought the last box. Gratefully, I had packed them in a suitcase full of clothes to keep them from breaking which meant they weren't in the luggage full of souvenirs that we lost on the train in Aix.

It may be a little cheesy, but the Spanish Fork lights have become a tradition.

We took a trip to Salt Lake to see the lights on temple square. It was really cold and really crowded, not my favorite combination, so we did a quick walk through. Libby likes to say that the temple square Christmas lights gave her diabetes. It was our trip to the lights 3 years ago when we realized something was wrong with Libby. She had to go to the bathroom at least 5 times on temple square and then twice on the side of the freeway on the drive home.

Before seeing the lights we had pizza and
gelato. Not the best choice on a cold night
but it was really yummy!

We (really just Chris and I) were having museum withdrawal since it had been over a month since our last museum visit. We went to the Springville Art Museum to see the Christmas Lamb exhibit. The Springville Art Museum is in a beautiful building and has some interesting exhibits. When we were looking for a place to live it was one of the things that made us believe Springville would be an oasis in Utah County. While that turned out not to be true, we still like the museum.

We continued our Christmas Eve tradition of food and crafts with our Prusso cousins. This year we decorated Christmas trees and made snowflakes and had Indian take-out. Yum!

Libby 2 and Libby 1

Later that night we read the Christmas story from the Bible and opened a new Christmas book "C'etait La Veille De Noel" which Chris read to us in French.

I'm attempting to read in French.
Chris puts up with my horrible pronunciation because he likes
my pouty French woman face when I make the eu sound.

We normally do Christmas pj's but I decided
to do Christmas socks this year.

Christmas morning Chris's parents came down from Logan to spend the morning with us. And once again our kids were all spoiled well beyond what they deserved.

Libby was introduced to One Direction by
a number of study abroad students.

Most of the souvenirs that the kids had picked out in Paris were in our now infamous piece of lost luggage. I had put a few things in other bags but they each lost an Eiffel Tower which was special to them since we saw the Eiffel Tower every day. While we were in Italy one of our study abroad students who had gone back to Paris picked up a few things for us (including Eiffel Towers) to surprise the kids on Christmas.

Christmas afternoon we headed down to St. George to spend some time with my family and enjoy some warmer weather.

Grandma's trampoline gets a lot of use.

The kids like to take walks in the area near my mom's house.
A new development is starting that will put an end
these little hikes.

Playing "In A Pickle"

Learning how to use Libby's loom.

"Suspend" was a big hit.

We bagged about 50 bags of leaves.

We went bowling with my dad and the step-cousins. You know you have a family of really bad bowlers when I am the big winner (some people thought it shouldn't count since I used bumpers, but I tried to make the point that it takes more math skills to get a strike with the bumpers than without).

Just missing Max and Fitz.

Isaac is acting as Santa's helper, drawing who gets
to open the next present.

Grandpa, Isaac, and Owen.

A cut-throat game of Uno.

On New Year's Eve day we hiked around Pioneer Park which is by the "Dixie" sign that overlooks St. George. It is always a little stressful with my kids who think they are parkour experts. It was a really nice day and everyone had fun.

At Pioneer Park there is a section known as the Narrows (not the Zion Narrows) or "Fat Man's Misery." Isaac, Libby, Luke, Owen, Sam, and me all squeezed through.

Owen at the top and Isaac at the bottom of
"Fat Man's Misery."

Luke

For New Year's Eve dinner we had appetizers and crepes. It took me about 2 hours of straight crepe making but it was worth it. We had ham/egg/cheese (jambon/fromage/oeuf) and ratatouille savory crepes and butter/sugar/cinnamon (beurre/sucre/canelle) and nutella sweet crepes. We even had one French crepe mix that we brought back from Paris. Tasty memories.

Overall it was a pretty great Christmas and New Year's.

Saying good-bye to cousins is always hard.

No idea what is going on here.

There is no try, only do.

2014-01-02T19:24:00.001-08:00

I realize (after googling it) that the actual Yoda quote is "Do or do not. There is no try." But there is no try, only do works better for me. I hear from my historian husband that changing quotes around to suit your needs it totally legit.

One of my personal epiphanies in France was that I have spent way too much of my adult life worrying about what other people think and being afraid to be myself. On our last night with the study abroad students my advice to them was to take something they had learned while in Paris and let it change them. Don't come home and fall into the same routine and the same habits. Be different, be better for having lived in France. And so I am trying to accept my own challenge and DO more of what feels right to me and allows me to be myself.

STEP ONE: Wear pants to church.

Last year a group of Mormon feminists sponsored a wear "Wear Pants to Church" event. Who knew a seemingly simple act (women wearing pants to church) would create such an uproar. I was a little disgusted and frightened by the negativity that many Mormons expressed for those women who would consider such a disrespectful act. So . . . I chickened out. After church I looked online saw pictures of the many brave women in pants (including my sister) and wished I had been more courageous.

This year I put on my new European attitude and my dress pants. Libby wanted to be a part of the pants party and seemed to have none of the fear that I had.

For me, wearing pants was a way to DO something. I've been frustrated for years at the gender inequality at church and I was grateful to have some way to show that not everyone who faithfully attends church is satisfied with the way that women are treated. I'll admit, however, I was glad we were sneaking out early to go to a mission farewell so that I wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

What I learned: being true to yourself for an hour at church is pretty great.

Doing my best to raise little feminists.

Back To Life, Back To Reality

2014-01-02T13:22:00.001-08:00

Now that we have been home a month we have settled back into the routine of work and school (and groceries and housework and on and on). We got home late the night before Thanksgiving. My mom and brother and his family had come to our house and got it ready for us and prepared Thanksgiving dinner. We were feeling jet lagged all weekend but it was nice to have a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and to see our family again.

It's no Eiffel Tower but it is a pretty amazing view.

Friendly Family Football game

Libby took this one and only Thanksgiving
dinner picture.

8:21 PM bedtime. Gotta love jet lag.

After Thanksgiving the #1 priority was to get the kids back in school for my sanity and their safety. They all had a good first week back and seemed to be happy to be back in a classroom setting while still appreciating all the hard work their mom put into home schooling (at least that's what I like to believe).

Libby's first day of 4th grade.
Luke's first day of 1st grade.
Have you ever seen a Christmas wreath
in a first day of school picture?

Isaac's first day of junior high

Home

2013-12-10T16:02:00.001-08:00

After years of anticipation, months of planning, and 90+ days of studying abroad it was all over and we were heading home.

Except for a minor incident with a produce smelling dog in Atlanta we had easy travels; as easy as 25 hours of traveling can be.

I'm not sure how to finish my posts about our experience in France. It was all at once magnificent, exhausting, frustrating, remarkable, and life-changing. I've been asked over and over again this week if I'm happy to be home. I usually say yes. But if I am being totally honest, I wonder how can this ever be home again.

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” -Ernest Hemingway

Study Abroad Wrap-Up By, Luke

2013-12-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

I got to spend three months in Paris. I met lots of students. I really liked doing things with them. They are all really nice and fun to play with. My favorite dessert was a pistache macaroon (that is French for pistachio macaroon). We lived by the Eiffel Tower and got to see it every day out our window. I'm glad I went to Paris with my family and got to see lots of churches, gardens, and museums. I hope I get to go back someday. -Luke

Catherine and Me

One Direction movie in 3D with Kate and Sarah.

My audience.

We only had 2 students that were boys (plus Isaac and me).

A cold night in Cassis.

Noelle and me.

In Rome I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain
so that means I'll go back to Rome someday.

Study Abroad Wrap-Up By, Libby

2013-12-09T19:00:00.001-08:00

Me in front of the Eiffel Tower.

I really miss Paris a LOT. I had so much fun with students and with my family. I really miss the Eiffel Tower. It made me so happy to see it every day. The day we left Paris we woke up at 6:30 in the morning while it was still dark. We drove right by the Eiffel Tower and you could not see it, which made me so sad to not see the Eiffel Tower on my last day!

I really enjoyed being with the students. They let us play with them in their hotel rooms. It made it a great experience.

Me with the students in their hotel room. We have matching shirts!

Almost the last day in France!!

Saying goodbye.

This week when I got home I went into my room and saw the picture I have or our entire group in front of the Eiffel Tower, it made me miss Paris so much! We had a great time! I hope we can go back again.
-Libby

So sad I miss paris!!

Study Abroad Wrap-Up By, Isaac

2013-12-09T18:27:00.002-08:00

Well, we are back in Utah. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like we left. We are getting back on a regular schedule and going back to school. It's a lot different than home schooling. I want to thank my mom for doing such a great job home schooling and having awesome lessons. I also want to thank my dad. He would always love to hear what we had to say. He helped me with school, French and lots of other stuff. I want to thank Libby and Luke for being so nice to me even if I wasn't very nice to them. They would always be interested in what I wanted to show them.

I will have a lot of good memories of Paris. Every once in a while I will say "bonjour" or "merci." But I think one of the things I will miss the most is the students. We would always have a fun time together. On the buses, at our apartment, or at church. We spent a lot of time with them the last week and it was awesome. At night we would go to their hotel rooms and play cards.

I learned a lot on the trip too. I learned a ton about the French culture and language. I tried to practice learning French a little too. I'm really glad that I got to go to Paris. It's something I will remember for the rest of my life. -Isaac

Playing pterodactyl with students.

LOL

A good picture of my mom.

The students staring at Mont Saint Michel.

Luke and me at Luxembourg Gardens.

Touching the top of the Eiffel Tower.

BYU Paris Study Abroad 2013

Rome (Day 6)

2013-12-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

The Colosseum! We'd seen it from the outside but now it was time to go in. I was glad we had gone to the smaller arena in Nimes and listened to the graphic audio guide. It gave us a good background on what went on in ancient arenas. The Nimes arena held 24,000 people, the Colosseum held between 40,000-70,000.

The floor is gone so you can see the underground tunnels.

Ancient recycling.

It was fun to see how much Chris loved
being in Rome.

After the Colosseum we walked to Saint John Lateran. This site was the home of the papacy before the 14th century. Now it is the cathedral of Rome and one of four "mother churches" of the Catholic church. Nearby are the scala sancta which legendarily are the steps leading to Pontius Pilate's chambers. Pilgrims come to visit them but can only climb the stairs on their knees. We wanted to see the stairs but the area was closed.

These doors were originally on the building that
housed the Roman senate. They were moved to
this site (probably not this church) by a medieval pope.

Libby was very proud of taking this picture.

While we were walking we passed by this shop that apparently sells clothes and items for priests and nuns.

Isaac being a good big brother and giving
Luke a ride. You can see Luke's multiple
layers in an attempt to keep warm.

We went to the Santa Maria in Trastevere
again while mass wasn't going on so that we
could look around.

Final Italian Pizza

After pizza came limoncello. . .

Our final gelato. This shop had some unique flavors. I had chocolate rosemary and lemon, honey, ginger which honestly tasted a little like soap. Everyone else made better flavor choices.

Ciao Roma!

Rome (Day 5)

2013-12-05T16:45:00.002-08:00

Monday was the first sunny day and we wanted to take full advantage of the dry weather and spend the day at Palatine Hill and the Forum. On the way we stopped at church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin to see the Bocca della Verita or mouth of truth. The legend says if a liar puts their hand in the open mouth it will be bitten off. We had seen it in Roman Holiday the night before and wanted to try it ourselves.

Luke was nervous to put his hand in by himself.

Circus Maximus
An ancient Roman chariot racing stadium.

A Roman aqueduct.

First we went to the Palatine Hill which was a residential and civic center in ancient Rome.

A great view of the Colosseum.

The Roman Forum was originally a marketplace. It later evolved into the religious and political center of Rome.

Luke took a spill on the cobblestones and
broke his coccyx. Not really, but he
did eat it pretty hard.

There were lots of orange and lemon trees.

When I saw my face in the above picture it reminded me of how often I felt impatient with the kids on our travels. I can imagine I just said one of the following: "stop fighting; give me the camera; I have no idea where the nearest bathroom is; we don't have any more snacks; I only brought one pair of gloves for you if you lost them you're out of luck; we just ate; the water bottle is empty and I don't know where we can refill it; etc., etc.,"

But now as I'm sitting at my kitchen counter typing this I wish I would have been better at letting all that go and enjoying the moment in Paris and the moment in Cassis and the moment in Rome. After being home for only a week it is hard not to feel like we never left. Sometimes I have to convince myself that it wasn't all a dream.

We arranged to meet a couple of our students who were also traveling in Rome. See, I knew we'd see them again soon.

Rome (Day 4)

2013-12-04T20:44:00.003-08:00

Sunday in Rome was the perfect time to do a tour of churches, which was pretty easy to do with a church on every corner. First, we walked through the Piazza Navona, an oval plaza built over a Roman racetrack.

Piazza Navona

We also made a stop at the Trevi Fountain. According to legend if you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain you'll return to Rome. This was the most crowded area we experienced. The streets were so crowded that the pedestrians were walking in the streets making it hard for cars to get around. It gave us a taste for what Rome must be like in the summer.

Trevi Fountain.

We decided to try roasted chestnuts.
Isaac liked them. The rest of us thought they
were pretty gross.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Of course we also had gelato.
We opted not to pay the extra 5 euros to eat
inside the shop but instead ate in the freezing cold.

This was an interesting model at Sant' Ignazio.
The large middle section was surrounded by models of
churches from all over the word.

Sant' Ignazio

The Pantheon was a Roman Temple that was converted to a Christian church in the 7th century. The dome is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

Dome and oculus.

The Spanish Steps.

Church at the top of the Spanish Steps.

Everyone taking pictures.

Before heading home we stopped at a church close to our apartment to go to mass. It was nice to have the option to go to mass at all hours of the day (including 5:30pm). Santa Maria in Trastevere is a beautiful 12th century church. It may have been my favorite in Rome. Mass was interesting in Italian. Isaac wanted to make sure we stayed for the part where you got to shake hands with people, which we did.

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Every night we came back to the apartment, did a little school work, ate dinner, and watched a movie. Sunday night was my turn to pick. So here we are watching Roman Holiday in Rome. Pretty great.

Rome (Day 3)

2013-12-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

It was another rainy day in Rome so we decided we should try and do as much as we could indoors. We spent the morning at the Capitoline Museum (Musei Capitolini). It was a really nice museum and a good way to spend a rainy day.

Just walking by some Roman ruins on the way
to the museum, no big deal.

The Capitoline Wolf

.

View of the Forum from the Capitoline Museum.

The Capitoline Venus and Luke.

The museum had a large section about Archimedes. It was one of my favorite parts of the museum. They had models of different inventions like the Archimedes Screw, The Claw of Archimedes, and the branch with singing birds.

Branch with singing birds.

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum
on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

I love that Luke always had to have a pad of
paper and pencil with him so he could draw.
Sometimes he drew something from the museum
sometimes he drew other random things.

When we left the museum it was still raining so we sought shelter in a nearby church.

This is the only picture at the church not too dark to post.

No idea what Luke is doing.

Another rainy walk home.

Rome (Days 1 and 2)

2013-12-04T18:30:00.003-08:00

Technically we've been back in Utah for a week. Back to school, back to snow, back to real life. It's been an adjustment. I think we are all slowly getting over jet lag and enjoying some time apart from each other. Three months of constant contact was a bit much at times. The kids all enjoyed their first day back to school (more on that later). For now, I'm going to backtrack to our week in Rome.

I'm not sure a week of travel after our previous week of travel which was after 3 months of study abroad was the best idea. We were all pretty tired and starting to feel ready to go home. We decided to take it easy the first day, rest, and make our plans for the week.

Short flight from Marseille, France to Rome, Italy.

After a terrifying 2 1/2 hour taxi ride to the airport that included incredible traffic and a driver that kept falling asleep, we miraculously made it to the airport on time and alive. We had a couple issues with security. Libby had a full pat down and there was some discussion of how much juice we were allowed to carry on, which was only a problem because we had to carry on a piece of luggage we planned to check but found out we were only allowed to check one bag each. Phew. Once we were on the plane things went much more smoothly and we easily got through the airport in Rome (we'd heard horror stories about Italian airports) and took a taxi to our apartment.

Waiting (with all our luggage) for the landlord to
bring the key to the apartment.

Narrow street near the apartment.

We found a little neighborhood restaurant and had some delicious pasta. I'm sure they thought we were strange (or just American) to just order pasta which is served more like an appetizer. But we were too tired to care and it still cost 50 euros (once you added the water and bread, which is apparently not free in Italy).

We picked up some groceries and got settled in the apartment. We learned from our trip to London that it worked best to eat breakfast at home, pack snacks, get lunch while we were out and then come home for dinner. By dinner time everyone had their fill of walking and ancient sights and the kids needed some down time to hang out and rejuvenate for the next day.

Libby and Luke's room. Isaac got the pull out couch.
The apartment was very nice and roomy.

On our first full day we walked along the river to Vatican City, about a 30 minute walk. It had rained the night before and the river was overflowing. We even saw some minor rapids.

We had prepared ourselves for a long wait at the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's. As you walk up to the museum there are people all along the sidewalks asking you to sign up for their private tour to avoid lines. We decided to chance it with the line and were thrilled to find no line - we kept thinking there must be a line somewhere but there wasn't. We had also heard that seeing the Sistine Chapel was frustrating because of the crowds and the effort of the guards to push people through quickly. One of the benefits of visiting Rome in late November is that we avoided most of the crowds (but not the rain). The Sistine Chapel was very crowded (it reminded me of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles) but we actually found room on a bench and spent a few minutes just sitting and enjoying. The rest of the Vatican museum was pretty amazing as well.

After the Vatican museum we had our first real Italian pizza for lunch. Yum!

After lunch we went to St. Peter's Basilica. We had to wait in line in the rain for about 40 minutes. It is impossible to capture in our amateur pictures how amazing the basilica was.

First (of many) Italian gelato.

We had a very wet walk home.

South of France (Day 7)

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On our official final day in France we wanted to do some hiking in the famous Cassis calanques. We bundled up and headed out with a group of 7 students (see, I knew we would see them again soon). The hike was beautiful and it was one of my favorite things we did while in the South of France. I was again thinking how I'd like to come back when the weather was better.

Good morning Lukie.

Getting our first view.

A group of our students were on this
sight seeing boat. I guess that's cool if you want
to be lazy while you sight-see.

Trying to find shelter from the wind.

We hiked out for about 2 miles and then stopped at this
great spot for a snack and decided to head back.

We ate lunch back in Cassis at the docks. It was a nice long French lunch.

Isaac's smoked salmon crepe.

Later that night Isaac and Chris went out to the beach to collect some Mediterranean sand (rocks). We said more good-byes before settling in our room to pack-up and try (unsuccessfully) to get some sleep before getting up at 6am to catch our 7am cab to the airport.

Au Revoir!

South of France (Day 6)

2013-11-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

We spent our last two days in France in Cassis. Cassis is a small town on the Mediterranean famous for its cliffs and calanques (inlets). It is a popular tourist destination in the summer. In late November it was eerily quiet. A lot of the shops and restaurants were closed and we seemed to be the only people wandering around. It was a beautiful area and we really enjoyed being on the Mediterranean and hiking along the calanques. But it was cold! I would like to go back sometime when the weather is better.

Because of the narrow streets, our bus had to drop us off about a half mile from the hotel. That wouldn't have been a big deal if we didn't have 12 pieces of luggage to take with us. We had some helpful students who had packed lightly and were able to take an extra bag, but I still ended up with 2 backpacks and 2 suitcases and Chris had a 50 pound duffel bag on his back. I think if we ever travel like this again we are going to do our best to figure out how to do it with minimal luggage.

Within a few minutes of checking into the hotel, some of the students were changing into swimsuits and planning to swim in the Mediterranean. I had packed our suits on the off chance we'd have good weather. We didn't. But the kids begged us to let them get in. Isaac was mad we didn't let him actually swim but the tide was really strong and I had no desire to have to go in after him. A few students swam out which made him jealous and me nervous.

I thought I'd be okay in a skirt and not have to
put a swim suit on but I got pretty soaked.

The sand was more like small rocks and was
really painful to walk on.

Chris doing his best to stay dry.

Me giving up any hope of staying dry.
The brave swimmers are behind me.

Libby trying to dry off and warm up.

After going back to the hotel and getting dry and warm we did a little sight seeing around Cassis. Our favorite spot was on the back side of the lighthouse watching the big waves come in.

Even though it was actually the second to last night of the program, we had our closing dinner.

One of our students took this and it
captures Luke's entire study abroad experience.

Saying good-bye to good friends.

Back at the hotel Chris and I both had some final thoughts for the students. We thanked them for being such a great group. We knew we were doing study abroad for at least 2 years. That gave me a lot of time to plan ahead and think about potential problems (which we were aware there could be many). It was such a relief that we had no major problems and that our students were friendly to each other and kind to us and our children.

This was the beginning of the long good-bye. Since it wasn't really the last night we saw everyone the next day and had to do lots more good-bye-ing. It was kind-of like the last night of girl's camp. People were crying and writing each other notes and taking lots of pictures. It was all amplified since we all had neighboring rooms in the hotel. We finally had to get our kids into the room and close the door and lock them in so we didn't have to say good-bye any more. Enough all ready, we'll see you tomorrow and then back in Utah in a few weeks!

Thanks to my sister-in-law Natalie and her graphic design skills for putting this together.

South of France (Day 5)

2013-11-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

We had one more day in Aix en Provence. We spent the morning doing school work and then walked through town and went to a small Natural History Museum. We made dinner in the hotel and tried to relax before heading to Cassis the next morning.

7th grade math.

1st grade reading (with 7th grade math on my lap).

Natural History Museum

Isaac and Libby were invited to their first college party.
They played lots of loud, BYU-type games.
Luke came with me to pick them up and got in the picture.

There are these dog silhouettes on the sidewalks. I am not
sure what they mean but there was dog poop EVERYWHERE
in Aix. Apparently picking up your dog's poop is not a thing here.

This was the sign on the bathroom door of a restaurant we ate at.
I guess it is funny if you speak French.

U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

U.S.A! U.S A.!