The Cinque Terre-The Five Lands

 The Cinque Terre are five little towns right on the coast of the Ligurian Sea, considered to be a part of the Italian Riviera.  The towns are connected by train, and trail only, no roads.  Our plan was to go there and a have a change of pace and relax and hike the trails.  But, when I went to buy our pass to hike they informed us the trail was closed because rains the days before and that it was near the end of the season anyways so the wouldn't be opening them back up again.  I was so bummed.  But, we made the most of our first day by exploring our little town of Vernazza and visiting by train the town north called Monterosso. 

 This was the little Pension we stayed in.  It took some work to hook up with the owner since she was going to meet us at the train station and we missed our train.  But, thank heavens it is a small town and everyone knows everyone so a waiter at tracked her down for us.  Everyone in Italy hangs thier laundry.  I decided to join the fun.  We had some soggy, stinky clothes left over from our bike ride in the torrential rains in Tuscany so we hung our own laundry and joined in on the fun. 

 We expected Italy to have the best food, ever.  We were sorely disappointed.  It was very bland and boring.  We even tried to get off the beaten path and hit local spots.  But, Vernazza did not disappoint.  We had some amazing seafood.  Aram said the sardines were out of the this world but I couldn't bring myself to eat them.  But, I enjoyed some prawns instead. 

While eating dinner on our first night there we conversed with a couple from Australia.  I told them how disappointed we were that the trail was closed.  They told us they had been hiking all week despite the closure and many other were doing it, too.  The "Everybodies doing it" attitude gave me the courage the next day to brave a hike.  It was gorgeous!!!  But, I couldn't enjoy the last 20 minutes knowing there might be someone at the gate at the end patroling the hike.  I rehearsed in my mind about 20 different scripts I would tell the guard if he stopped us.  As we turned the corner at the end of the hike we saw him, I almost had a heart attack and had visions of us being held up in an Italian jail.  But, he was talking to some other hikers so we quickly sneaked by him, and then I tried to calmly walk down the hill, but I nearly broke into a sprint because my adrenaline was pumping.  I am such a dork, forever scared of getting in trouble.

Venice: City of Water

 Venice is the most beautiful, romantic, and fascinating city that we have ever visited, or I imagine exist.  Every corning you turn there is a photo op.  But without having kids with us we frankly got sick of being the subject of all the pictures. 

 The best travel advice for Venice is to get lost.  And, despite Aram being a map genius we managed to get lost.  But, no worries it's an Island, we always found our way.  But, as we got lost we found the true charm of the city away from the hoards of tourists. 

 Our lifeline was the Vaparetto (The Water Bus).  I am such a cheap person I considered just buying tickets as we needed them, but at 7 euro a pop the Venice Transit Authority forces you to buy the 24, 48, or 72 hour pass.  Best decision ever.  Venice is a dying city and the whole city is essentially a museum, and the best way to see it is by the water.  There are also lots of Islands to explore other the the mainone.  So, on our second day we branched out and explored some of the lesser known Islands. 

 The Island of Lido has a very chill, Southern California feel.  We walked along the seashore, so now we can say we have walked in the Adriatic.  It was a nice break from the crowds and tourist of Venice. 

 The Island of Burano is my favorite, it is soooooo charming.  It is a fisherman's Island.  So, instead of the ornate decaying buildings in Venice built by rich Merchants of the 13th century.  This little town is still bustling with local fishermen and their families.  It's also known for their lace.  So I splurged and bought a cute dress for Lucy, and a baby blessing dress just in case we get so lucky to have another girl!  Yes, that means I am pregnant.   It was suppose to be an Italian baby, but I guess I am just too fertile. 

 A woman making lace. 

 We didn't make it to Pisa, but turns out we didn't need to.  Burano has a leaning tower as well.  In fact, it leans at a 5 degree angle, same as Pisa. 

 Murano, is another charming Island.  That is known for it's blown glass.  The glass shops were so amazing.  I usually don't like to window shop but when you go to Murano that is the funnest thing to do. 

Because we had the earliest flight out of Venice on Sunday morning we weren't able to catch a bus to the airport early in the morning, because they don't run on Sunday.  Wish I would have figured that out earlier, before I paid for our 3rd night stay.  Because we spent the night at Hotel Marco Polo Airport and had the luxury of sleeping on benches.  I felt a bit homeless, but if it meant we didn't miss our flight, so we could see our kids as soon as possible it was worth it.  But, it made for a really long travel journey; about 34 hours in all.  So that plus jetlag has been killer. 

California

Our flight got delayed 6 hours, not fun.  We kept the boys occupied with the 3 arcade games in the airport.  We gave them each a dollar to spend on the games, and after they used up the coins Marshall said, "I like it better without money."  Thank heavens or else our delay might have broke the bank. 

Seaworld was awesome.  Sheppard and Marshall both want to be marine biologist, so you can imagine how excited they were to see the beautiful creatures of the ocean up close and personal.  Best moment of the day was when Marshall got to pet the dophin and give it commands. 

   Lucy hugs every stuffed animal in sight. 

                                                       Family Pictures at Little Corona

Lou Lou made the girl's skirts, and Lindsee made the boys.  I wish I had an ounce of their talent. 

                                                              All our cute cousins!

                                                               What handsome boys!

Lou Lou and Pampa are the best.  We were sure glad we could have one week of pure fun, and family time with them before they headed off on their international adventures. 

                                                Still in love after 9 1/2 years, not too bad.

Another magic moment was on our first night when we arrived we headed to Manhattan Beach.  The boys went crazy in the ocean.  They learned the art of being chased by the waves that lasted the rest of our trip. 

Aram and Marshall boogie boarding.  We learned that Marshall is quite the daredevil this trip and is willing to try anything.  He has such an adventurous spirit. 

Pretty in pink.  Lucy everything about the ocean, the sand, the water, and the yummy snacks (cookie?)

Tuckered out after a long day at the beach.  Catching some "Z's" on a bike ride down the boardwalk with mom and her other baby cousins.

                                                         Beware of the Sand Monster!

One unexpected highlight of our trip to the beach was a monsterous sand dune created by the beachcombers.  It was a destination in and of itself and the kids were entertained for hours playing cowboys and indians, sand monster, jumping wars, star wars, and just digging. 

                          Aunt Kelsie prepared an adorable Pirate Treasure hunt for the kids. 
                                               They loved thier booty along the way!

                                              Lucy on the Merry-Go-Round..."again."

                                                      What a bunch of "goofballs".

  The Nemo Ride.

Lucy thought this fake tree was a tiger, and everytime we passed by one she had to give it a tight squeeze. 

          Marshall and Dad on Thunder Mountain Railroad, Marshall was in roller coaster heaven. 

Sheppard at the beginning of Thunder Mountain Railroad.  There is no after shot because this was Sheppard's roller coaster hell. 

Marshall getting set for Star Tours.  He was his mom's tour guide, telling me along the way what to do; "Put on your glasses, Mom, buckle up, watch the movie."  He took it all very seriously.

 

This picture captures the essence of Sheps's and Marshall's reaction to Splash Mountain.  Look closely at thier faces, it says it all.  Although, after it was over Shep said as if he was surprised, "I liked it!"

                                                        Enjoying some cotton candy.

Pooped!

Boo Boo got a Boo Boo

One of Lucy's many nicknames is Boo Boo.  A couple of weeks ago she truly earned this grand title.  We were at Marshall's soccer game and I was holding her had as we crossed the field. She went limp so all her weight was being pulled with her right arm and I heard a pop.  I know not to pull babies from thier arms that way, in fact I lecture Aram on it at least once a month.  So, you can imagine how bad I felt when I knew I had just dislocated her elbow.  After 3 1/2 hours at Instacare, three relocations, and three x-rays later the "experts" determined they didn't know if it was back in the socket, or if it had any other problems such as a hairline fracture.  So they put my sweet little, busy body 18 month old in her first, and hopefully last cast.  With the orders to see a orthopedic surgeon on Monday.  Luckily, after that visit the Doc determined she was just fine, just in time for the beach and Disneyland!  She couldn't just get one boo boo, right?  So she added a major rug burn to her chin while horsing around in the car, and a huge bruise on her forehead by falling off our patio stairs.