Yoga Joe

half lotus

down dog

Joe had his first yoga class at Hilltop yoga today. He will take an hour class every Wednesday this summer with his terrific instructor Rachel.

one more photo...

Here's a photo of Joe's class on the last day of school. What a crew!

We went to the annual CADSA family outing to the lugnuts game. This year Joe tolerated the noise and actually enjoyed being at the stadium. We stayed for a few innings and left before Joe's name was put up on the score board! He won a raffle and we didn't know until we bumped into a friend at the market this morning. That's why we call him lucky Joe.

Emma's party

Double Digits!

Emma turned ten yesterday! She spent the morning with Tutu, Papou, Joe and Chris at Jump'n Jax, and when it warmed up in the afternoon she invited a friend to go to the MSU pool for her annual birthday jump off of the 5 meter platform.

Last evening in Rome

Our last evening in Rome we walked around Trastevere (the part of Rome where we stayed. We did some shopping (I am clutching my new bright yellow bag) and had dinner at DaLucia for the final time. What a beautiful city and an all around great trip.

Rome: Day 6

Today was all about shopping and visiting our favorite places. We went to the high end shops on via Condotti at the Spanish steps and onto piazza Navonna. We also had coffee at Taza d'Oro and shopped around the Pantheon. Then we wlaked around Trastevere (I bought some handbags) and we ended the evening at DaLucia. Tomorrow we leave on a 11 AM plane.

Rome: Day 5

On day 5 we took a train out of town to see the ruins at Ostia Antica. We spent a couple of hours walking around the town that used to be by the Tiber (2 BCE-4 CE) until the Tiber moved and people moved away. In the afternoon we walked back to Vatican City and then toured the Vatican museums at night. It was fantastic to see the Sistene Chapel at night in a non-crowded room.

Rome: Day 4

This morning we boarded a bus and drove a bit out of Rome to see the early Christian catacombs. We rode the archeobus which took us past a lot of sites and happily right down the center of the shopping district! In the evening we had tickets to Borghese museum for the evening showing. The collection is amazing! We walked around the park and then had dinner at a restaurant called "Friends" that is set up to assist people with special needs to learn how to work in a restaurant. The waiters work in a team. The meal was fantastic and we were so happy to be able to support such a fantastic venture. I tried to buy a T-shirt but they were sold out.

Rome: Day 3

We lost our internet connection at the hotel so I was not able to upload photos day by day. On day 3 we got on a hop on - hop off tour bus and drove all around Rome visiting sites and getting to know the city. In the afternoon we went to San Angelo castle (where the Pope flees when the city is attacked) and then walked along the Tiber River.

Rome: Day 2

This morning we ate breakfast in our hotel and then walked downtown to purchase a Rome pass to ride the buses for 3 days. We rode into the center of Rome, looked at an archeological site in the middle of the road (where Audrey Hepburn sleeps on a bench on Roman Holiday) "The Area Sacra", saw ancient Roman apartments and then climbed the giant monument Vittorio Emanuelle II known as the Wedding Cake monument. Then we headed over to the Capitalini Museum where we spent the morning in the Renaissance wing and after lunch we walked through the ancient section of the museum with a fabulous view of the Roman Forum and the foundation of the ancient temple to Jupiter. Then we walked to the Pantheon, had an iced coffee at Tazza d'Oro, and explored the Pantheon (saw Raphael's tomb). After a nap back at the hotel we walked along the Tiber river to Vatican city and strolled around St. Peter's square. It was raining so we didn't stay long. Then back to Trastevere for dinner at Da Lucia. Finally we ate gelato at Blue Ice in piazza Santa Maria.

Rome: Day 1

We arrived in Rome on Monday morning and after we collected out bags we took a train to Termini (the main terminal) and then jumped in a cab for our hotel in Trastevere. We are staying in a small hotel on the hill in Trastevere (literally across the Tiber River) which is a lovely section of Rome across the Tiber River. After a jet-lagged nap we walked down to the main piazza and walked through Santa Maria church. We spent some time in a cafe, walked along the Tiber river, viewed St. Peter's in the distance from a couple of bridges, and then had dinner in a restaurant in the center of Trastevere. There are tons of restaurants and lots of people walking around at night. I'm so glad we decided to stay here.

2 Nights

Here are photos of Joe sleeping two nights in a row. Night #1 he is sleeping with his microphone. Night #2 he has his guitar. Rock on, Elvis!

Strawberry Picking

After the last day of school Emma, Joe, Tutu and I went strawberry picking in Dewitt! It was the perfect end to a great school year.

Joe is in First Grade!

End of year party

With his pal Marquis

Joe and Mr. Rick

LAst day of Marble School

Trip to Mackinac Island

We had a great time on Mackinac Island. This was the fourth graders class trip that combined social studies and history with a trip to mark the end of their time at Marble School. Emma is very excited to move on to the next school and I have been looking forward to it too. When I chose the music for this montage I realized that I am a little melancholy about the end of elementary school for Emma, even as I am happy to see her move ahead towards more independence. Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Trip to Mackinac Island

At 6 AM Emma and I are leaving with the fourth graders from Marble School for a trip to Mackinac Island. Along the way we will see Historic Mill Creek, Colonial Michilimackinac, Mackinaw City, take the ferry to the island, and see sites there. We have never been to the island so we expect to have a great time. Mackinac Island is located between the upper and lower peninsula. As an added bonus I will see Lake Superior for the first time!

Going to Italy, finally!

Chris and I are taking our ten-year anniversary (on our 11th anniversary) trip to Rome, Italy! We have been planning this trip for over a year and we are ready to go. As I take Italian CDs out of the library, look through guidebooks, and micromanage the children's schedule for the time we are gone, my thoughts keep returning to "Welcome to Holland." I guess the message as we go to Italy is not to over plan (yeah, right) and to stay open to all of the surprises that may find us on our trip. I made sure that there was at least one picture of Joe in this montage wearing an Italy shirt. So, the other lesson to keep in mind is humor. Back by popular demand (at least by me) is "Welcome to (Amy's) Holland."