ROMA!!

So we went to Rome and it was pretty neat.  It was definently a biggie that we had not yet seen, and with May (moving month) quickly approaching we figured we HAD to check this one off of our list.  We rented an apartment just a 10 minute walk from the Collosseum with some friends of ours.  The location was ideal.  We also took two days while we were there to see Pompeii, Naples, and the Amalfi coast.  I'll post those later.

You'll have to excuse the five million bazillion pictures with the Collosseum in the background, I just couldn't stop myself.  It's such a cool back drop for pictures.  I also couldn't resist putting up this picture because of the look on Chase's face.  It just screams "sisters are annoying".  Love it.  Sibling love.

Here's a much happier little boy.

I know, I know, you think my husband is hot. 

extreme closeup.

My kids have NO comprehension of how cool their lives are.  They think it's totally normal to see the things they see and eat the food they eat (pizza in naples?  may as well have pizza hut as far as they were concerned).

While Hallie and Chase were both REALLY good on this trip, the most well behaved child award goes to.....PAIGE! She is just an angel baby.  And look at those delicious cheeks! 

Seriously, I think her neck gets tired from holding up those cheeks.

How many of us girls have dreamed about going to Rome with our best friend?  Hallie and Rhiannon like to check their dreams off of their list at a young age. 

So this spartan looking man MAY have snatched my baby out of my arms and went and stood with her for a picture.  I MAY have felt the need to bathe her in hand sanitizer when we got her back.

The kidlets just cruising around Rome.

The kids admiring the Forum.

He's taken.

Funny story about this arch ( I don't remember what it's called).  Europeans LOVE their arches.  You're not a cool city if you don't have a few arches around.  Well we read out of our Rick Steve's travel book the history of this arch, only we were looking at a different arch in a different area.  Then we realized we had the wrong arch, so we found another one and thought THAT was the right arch.  Well, it wasn't.  Third arch is a charm!  This was the one we had learned a little something something about.

Hallie in front of the Trevi fountain.

The photo album this girl already has, it's unreal. 

I am having a love affair with Rick Steve's.  I just wish I had discovered his traveling helpfulness 3 1/2 years ago!  Seriously, if you're going to travel....get his books.  And you know the audio guides you can rent at different sites (westminster abbey, tower of london, collosseum, pantheon, pompeii, the list goes on and on) well the guides will cost you 10 buck.  BUT, you can download Rick Steve's pod casts for free and listen to your ipod while you tour (and get a better tour in my opinion). BINGO.  Loved this.

Tired little girl.

The Vatican.  The husband. 

The children. 

The baby.  Yes, I had a Mom fail and let her fingernails get WAY too long, hence the scratched up face.  Isn't she the most delicious?

Above Vatican City.  (did you know it's its own country?  Smallest in the world.)

For you fellow Mormons out there...this is the site of the Rome, Italy Temple being built.  We may have had to climb a wall to take this picture....but we feel like the church will forgive us.  :) 

Up next: Pompeii.