ROMA!!

On July 15, 2014 at around 5pm, we got a phone call that we were being sent to Rome on a 6am flight the next morning, with instructions to be at the airport at 3am.  I had just spent the day at the visa bureau getting the kids and my visas and it just so happened that on the same day, our shipment from the US arrived at our house. It had been 11 weeks since the kids had seen their toys and bikes. It really was Christmas in July.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of this event......but the house looked like a bomb had gone off and the children and hubby were oh so happy.  All I could really think about was that I had 10 hours to get dinner for the family, the house back into some sort of  "order" and to get our family packed for an uncertain amount of time.  It was all going really well until around 9pm when our power went out.  No lights, no air conditioning and yes, I'm still pregnant. At that point we called it quits on the packing, scheduled a taxi to pick us up at 2:30am, and hit the hay!  

Of course we were excited to be heading to Rome since Byron and I have special memories of living there for a quarter while he studied architecture at U of Washington.  We couldn't wait to show our kids around the ancient city and take them to our favorite gelato shop!  Turns out that given their ages of 6 and 3, they were more impressed with the gelato and pizza than the Pantheon and the Colosseum. We can't wait to take them back again when they have a better appreciation for the "cool" stuff.  We did what the Romans do best and we walked them around the city and showed them all the places that we used to visit as well as where we used to live.  By the time we were done Benji liked to inform everyone that "Everything in Rome is very very old!".  

One of our first nights into Rome was for a company dinner at Alfredo's where Alfredo was invented! It was delicious and fun to be out on the streets of  Rome with everyone!

                                                         

                                                            Piazza Navona by night. 

                                                              And let the walking begin!!

Piazza Navona by day

                                                                                  The Pantheon!
                                                       The kids response "this is a really big bulding!!"

Cooling off in one of the many fountains that are found throughout Rome!

decisions, decision....

We had A LOT of opportunities to try different Gelato's and Pizza's during our stay!

This is the building that we used to live in....up at the blue shutters.

Oh the things you see in Rome.

Of course we spent a lot of time poolside!