Italy - Thank you for the experience!

The military has really given us a wonderful chance to travel, and for the price of a plane ticket, Madison has a week full of good memories ( and crazy memories with her dad). We wish more than anything, without rubbing it in, that we could take our family with us on these trips. Maybe someday! Madison and Rhett took over 500 pictures, here are just a few. Below: view of Florence. Madison & Rhett ran every morning, and did some "running" when they were late to the train. Madison bumped over a scooter, and was chewed out in Italian by it's owner. It all made her cry! Above - The Trevi fountain in Rome. Throw in three coins & you'll return~

Rock/Paper scissors translates in all languages. Rhett & Madison also found a ward in Rome - only four small wards in that huge city, and four sets of missionaries at church.

Lots of great food & gelato in Italy~

Rhett secretly wishes he could be a gladiator for the day! We'll make a slide show with Madison's photos. She has some really artistic ones.

Brilliant Baby

Garrett went shopping for the "Momon Prom" on Saturday, and said "enough with the white shirts. I'm going colored." After we took this picture, he said "Be sure and put this on the blog,
okay?"

We are proud to announce that Cecily is the youngest child to ever solve the Rubick's cube. It only took twenty moves after this to solve the puzzle!

The Posse has our gratitude!

This has been a wierd week - I've been having trouble sleeping and have felt more burdened than usual, like time is going very slow. I decided to get out of the house & exercized & went to an enrichment class taught by a massage therapist, and the day went better. It was really great - We learned how to do head, neck, shoulder, & arm massages and the muscle groups. I think I want to be a massage therapist! She's teaching another class where we can bring our husbands next week, and I am definately taking Rhett. This is the kind of church class that keeps on giving! I gave Cecily a massage too, and she's been more affectionate afterward - pretty cool!

I've heard from Rhett and Madison a few times. Rhett has been concentrating on the conference, but has time to spend with Madison in the evenings. Madison has expanded her world view and is taking in the culture like a sponge. She goes out with a "posse" of older ladies & military wives every day - there are about nine ladies, and they have been museum hopping & a little shopping. Madison says the hot item for tourists is the sculpture of David's anatomy captured on boxer shorts or aprons to take home. Interesting! She took pictures of Italian boys for her friends, and she said they are forward, one named "Claudio" bought her ice cream and then tried to kiss her, but I think she and the "posse" fended him off. Thanks posse! I can just picture them walking through the streets of Florence like the gangs from "West Side Story".

She and Rhett toured Rome & enjoyed it. She misses Patrick, and Patrick has called or stopped by every day just to visit with the family, drop off a paycheck, or tell us that he is missing Madison, or that he hopes she's okay as a U.S. tourist on foreign soil. He is planning on enlisting
in the Marine Corps next year. How quickly they take those high school kids and drop them right into the war zone!

went to see Garrett throw the discus & shotput yesterday. He did great, and placed third! The orthodontist put bands on his braces and he is very sore. He said he wished we would have just left his teeth alone - maybe we should have. Becca went to the strawberry patch this week, and Livi is getting ready for "colonial days".

Our Boys

Time was flown since our sweet Garrett was born right on Mother's Day - May 9th, 1993. I actually won a camera for waiting four extra minutes to have him on mother's day, but never collected it! Garrett came into the world with all women doctors and nurses, except for his dad. It has been that way ever since! He was grey, cone headed, and speckled because of a difficult trip into the world, and he had big hands& feet- which is still true He has size 12 feet! He is no longer grey or speckled, and is a very handome young man. Garrett has always been a steady presence - a sensitive and loveble boy, affectionate and true. He is funny and smart, and I can't imagine our lives without him! I feel the same way about his dad, who rocks my world!

Garett turned fourteen on the 9th, and Rhett turned 43. Garrett has not taken off his Broncos NFL cap except for bed and showering - I think it's a keeper. He also wanted and received a globe! Rhett grilled steak for his birthday dinner last night, and we are going to go to a concert - (Def Leppard/Foreigner/Styx) for his birthday. Tonight is his "order of the arrow" campout for Garrett. I think it's called "the ordeal". Rhett and Madison took off for Italy today - Madison is thrilled beyond words- actually she is full of words and ready to take on the shopping, the food, and the "good looking Italian boys" who of course will be driving mopeds and want to take her for a spin. For the rest of us, it's just chicken nuggets as usual ! Here our the pictures of our boys - Thanks for all your birthday wishes, and don't sweat it if you didn't know!

Cecily vs. the Vaseline

Little Miss Cecily found the Vaseline and put the whole jar on her hair before we found out about it. Our kids have put lots of things on their hair, but this is the first for petroleum jelly.

I have news -it doesn't come out! I tried a different home remedy every day for four days until she was greasy but not bad. We have pictures of the corn starch, baby oil, baking soda, and clarifying shampoo going in. We went with the "slicked back" look for the week.

High School Musical/ Vaseline vs. Cecily

After many months of labor, the high school performed "Meet me in St. Louis" over the weekend. Madison put in a confident and radiant ensemble perfomance. We were able to see all three nights - next year she's changing her schedule from band to drama and chorus. I think she's hooked! We'll be blogging a lot this week because I am trying to keep a record of things that are going on, and a lot has been happening!