The drive between Rome and Florence was breathtaking with castles, medieval towns set on cliffs, rolling hills covered in grape vines, and fields of sunflowers. Our lodging for the week was a rustic Tuscan farmhouse outfitted with small apartments.
After a long day of travel, we arrived in Rome and our apartment in a small castle. We spent the first day recovering from the travel, then started exploring! Morning outings, daily gelato, and afternoon pool time was the perfect balance for our family.
Our spring was packed with sports, school, work, and kittens. We had so much fun fostering a litter of kittens from 3-8 weeks of age before they were adopted out.
We went to Monterey for spring break and took Hayley to Reno (twice) for volleyball tournaments. The kids are doing great academically and socially and we are so proud of them!
Chris and the kids wen to New York and had a great time with friends and family!
Between storms we went on adventures to Alcatraz Island, Dodge Ridge, and took 10 tweens to a virtual reality escape room for Hayley’s 12th birthday. Time flies as we are busy with school, work, swimming, and volleyball. We are grateful for all that we have!
2023 is off to a rainy start with storm after storm rolling through Northern California. We are grateful for the water and indoor cozy time.
Our family traveled to NY to spend Thanksgiving with family. The kids played in crunchy leaves, hid lego dragons in the trees, explored the field beyond Nana and Grandpa’s house and we all had a great time eating turkey and pop-overs with family on Thanksgiving.
December was spent preparing for and celebrating Christmas. We decorated the tree and gingerbread houses, baked cookies, viewed Christmas lights, wrapped gifts, and enjoyed time with family. We especially enjoyed trips the movie theater and saw Puss in Boots and Avatar: The Way of Water.
Hayley started playing club volleyball. The team had a great time at their first tournament and are learning the sport in leaps and bounds.
The weeks of fall blur together in a busy whirl of school, work, sports and friends. Halloween festivities and fostering a kitten were highlights!
Another summer has passed and the kids are back in school. They seem a bit calmer, more grown up, and more aware of the world around them. Since we were traveling during RJ and Chris’ birthdays, we had belated celebrations for them. We spent a hot Labor Day weekend in San Diego with family!
We flew to Paris but our bags were left in Munich. This led to extra shopping, waiting around, and a lot sentences ending “but it’s in the suitcase”. Less than 24 hours after arriving, we were reunited with our luggage just in time for a boat ride on the Seine. It was great to meet up with Lee and her family for sightseeing in Paris!
We flew to Munich then drove to Salzburg for a reunion with Kristel’s childhood pen pal and family. It was great to see them!
Together we explored the city of Salzburg and Hohenwerfen castle. The orderliness and promptness in Germany and Austria was palpable. We had a lazy day by the lake, riding on the paddle board, eating ice cream and swimming. There are some types of play that are universal to children.
We made it to London in the midst of a heat wave! It took a couple days for us to adjust to the time change. We stayed cool by meeting up with cousins to swim in their friend’s lake (but didn’t take any photos because we were in the water too). The weather has cooled off and we have started to explore!