We asked Reed to empty the silverware from the dishwasher. Since he's trying to show Santa how good he is he recruited Max to go the extra mile with him.
Warning: The following video is approximately three minutes long and is therefore likely a little boring to those of you who are not their parents. Proceed with caution.
We've been back from our trip for almost 2 weeks now and I am just now getting around to posting pictures. Our friends, the Bywaters, were in Prague doing study abroad so we decided to take advantage of their adventure and my Dad's 30+ years of employment for Delta and join them for 10 days of checking out the best of the best in Prague, Milan and Southern Switzerland.
We were there for 10 days, but it still felt like a whirlwind trip. Looking through the 100's of pictures we took is fun for reminiscing, but overwhelming when trying to create a brief recap. Here are some of our favorites.
Prague was even more beautiful than we imagined. We were in awe of the intricate detail on street after street of old buildings.
We took a train to see the Karlstein Castle. The kids loved the train, the tracks, the snow-----oh and the castle too.
After two days in Prague, we took a short flight to Milan. Here the kids are waiting for our funny European rental van. I am so sorry I don't have a photo. We definitely got a lot of funny looks. I guess a van full of children aged 6,4,3,2,and 1 is a rare sight in Italy
In Milan we saw the Duomo Cathedral. It is one of the most spectacular things I've seen in person. Just look at the awe in Max's eye...
OK...so maybe he was eyeing another pigeon to chase...but it was still awe.
The Duomo. This picture does it no justice.
We drove from Milan to Lugano in southern Switzerland. (very Italian still.) It was a gorgeous drive especially the views of Lake Como.
Once we got to our little cottage in Lugano it started to snow and didn't stop until it was about a foot deep. We couldn't drive the roads the next day so we had a fun day in the snow instead.
Once the roads cleared up we drove through a few small Italian towns. I loved it. It was so picturesque.
We took a ferry across the lake. The little towns on the lake looked straight of of storybook.
The Prague castle.
Cute park in Prague.
While it was amazing to see and do all that we did, it was even more fun to do it with great company and super tour guides to lead the way. THANK YOU BYWATER FAMILY!!!
Reed's grumpy face as we headed out the door to the airport is all the evidence needed to know it was a great trip!
What???You wish I had posted more pictures??? You are so in luck. I gave up trying to post all of my favorites and Sam put this lovely slide show together for those who are DYING to see more!
It's no secret to anyone that this presidential election process has been a long one. As lengthy as it has been Sam and I have mostly just tried to ignore it (after Romney dropped out that is.) We don't watch politics and we don't talk politics.
However, despite our disregard for the happenings leading up to this election, Reed has been very aware and by far the most politically active member of our family. I guess he's heard enough radio ads (even though I turn them as fast as I can) and been counting yard signs long enough to feel like he needed to take a stand. About a month ago he wanted to know why we didn't have a yard sign and decided to take matters into his own hands (see below).
The election has even become part of his favorite game---role playing. A couple days ago he said, "OK mom I'll be be McCain, you be Sarah Palin and Max will be Obama. As soon as he "became" McCain he got a worried look on his face and said, "I'm concerned....I'm concerned that people are not going to vote for me." He's a very observant and in-tune boy. The other day I slammed on my brakes when he shouted "STOP"! I was alarmed until he told me to turn around because he thought he saw Obama pushing a cart into the grocery store. (maybe he's not that observant after all).
No matter what happens tomorrow I'm glad I have this boy to keep me laughing.
We had a great Halloween. The weather was just right...not too cold, not too hot. (We've experienced both here in NC) Our boys enjoyed their trick-or-treating together and almost made it around the whole block before they were ready to come home and devour their treats.
Reed would not smile for me. He said knights don't smile...so here he is not smiling.
Our brave knight and lolly pop licking dragon. Few kids start their trick-or-treating with candy in their mouth, but this sucker is the ONLY reason Max has his headpiece on in this picture.
My mom made this great costume for Reed at the last minute. Reed had been talking about being a knight for months, but a week before Halloween we still didn't have anything. Thankfully my mom pulled it together for us and we received it in the mail with only a day to spare! Thanks mom!
The sneak attack.
This is how Max really felt about his costume. He SO wanted to be a knight instead. Poor boy. Maybe next year!
This past weekend we went with my mom and grandmother on a drive see the beautiful fall colors that are at their peak right now in the North Carolina mountains. I had always heard good things, but I was still surprised at just how gorgeous it was.
Our first stop was at Mt. Airy (Andy Griffith's hometown, which Mayberry was modeled after.) I am a big Andy Griffith fan--more from Matlock than from the Andy Griffith Show-- but it was still fun to stroll through the cute town. We even stopped by Floyd's Barbershop and met and took a picture with the barber that used to cut Andy Griffith's hair!
Waiting patiently outside Opies Candy Shop (Reed's favorite part of Mayberry!).
Sam--apparently telling a joke to Max.
This is what happens to your kids after you've taken a 100 pictures of them walking down a street. (They turn into posers.)
The drive was long with many wrong turns. In an effort to reach to Grandfather Mountain we stopped to check our directions about 5 times after wrong turns only to discover each and every time that we were "about 45 minutes away." No matter which way we went or for how long...we were always "45 minutes away". Thankfully we were surrounded in beauty even when traveling in the wrong direction. Here is some of what we saw along the way.
Around 5:00 p.m. we finally escaped the "45 minute" vortex that we had been held captive in and arrived at Grandfather Mountain. It was amazingly beautiful and windy---equally. I don't know if I've been in such cold wind in my life!
Apparently Reed's reaction to cold wind is laughter. He could not stop laughing at the big gusts that nearly blew him over.
At the top of the mountain they have a swinging suspension bridge called "Mile High Bridge". I didn't want to go across at first because it was SO cold and windy, but we had been talking about it for a week and Reed was determined to make it across.
In case you needed any further evidence of the wind factor...
I spent this last weekend in New York attending the blessing of my little sister's baby, Olivia Alice Lambert. It was a quick trip and I missed my boys like crazy, but I was so happy to be there for her special day.
We had only made it a few steps from their apartment on our way to dinner before Olivia shared her meal with me. Lucky for me it was the only shirt I brought. At least I had something to remember her by all evening.
It was fun to be with my both my sisters again. It's been a whole year since I've been with both of them at the same time!!!
A week ago I really needed to wash down the porch, but Reed was not too excited about losing his chalk art. He told me the only way he'd be OK with me washing it away was if I took a picture of it and put it on our blog. What does he know about blogs??? So, here is Reed's bumble bee. Later he called me out to see how enormous his shadow was and requested that be added to the blog as well. What a different world these kids live in. To think that I was in college before I really used the Internet and now my 4-year-old thinks of things every day that he "needs" to do online!
Today we chased a HUGE bumble bee around our flower garden.
Admittedly...my last post was poorly titled. Here is the REAL MR. HYDE!!
A blog, A blog...I can't believe we have a blog. Yay!!! Now I don't have to feel bad for not scrapbooking or writing in my journal. Hopefully I'll do better with this type of journal since the last entry in my personal journal went something like this. "Well..I guess a lot has happened since I last wrote. Sam came home from his mission, we got engaged, got married, graduated from BYU and are now expecting our first baby!"
