Day 8 - Our Day in Ostia

On Sunday after we disembarked from the ship we took a taxi to Ostia where we spent the day with Cyril's cousin Jenii, her husband Mario, their 2 girls Analisa and Sienna, and Cyril's Auntie Margie. They live in London but they vacation in Ostia for the month of August. We were glad we planned our trip so we could meet up with them in Italy. The last time Cyril saw them (and I met them) was 14 years ago when they visited Calgary.

We had such a wonderful day! We spent the entire day at the beach where we played with the girls, ate gelato, walked along the beach front shopping area and marina, had the yummiest Italian food, and of course just talked and talked about everything. It was nice to catch up and get to know them better. Analisa and Sienna were so much fun and so sweet. We only wished our kids were there too! It was such a wonderful visit we didn't want to leave, but we had an early Vatican tour the next morning.

Thanks Jenii and Mario for everything!! We wish we lived closer so we could see you more often. Eating Italian food just hasn't been the same!!!

Day 6 and 7 - Crete and Last day at Sea

We had a very short day in Crete. We had to be back at the ship by noon so we spent the morning walking around on our own. We toured a Venetian Castle called the Koules Fortress. It is on the harbour walls and was built in the early 1500's. It was great because we were pretty much the only visitors there. It was neat to think of all the battles that would have taken place there. Cyril really enjoyed it! We also went to an archeological museum and walked around the town for a bit before heading back to the ship.

Back on the ship, we decided to try out Johnny Rockets for lunch. The food was a little greasy but we had a fun time. Cyril even got up to dance along with the staff as they did "Stayin Alive!"

The next day was our last day which was at sea. We spent most of the day packing, exploring the ship, relaxing and getting caught up on sleep. We also watched the Ice dancing show which was amazing! We had to be up early the next morning as we disembarked at 7:30 am. Overall we really enjoyed the cruise and especially loved all the amazing sites we were able to see during the week. It always goes by way too fast!

Day 5 - Ephesus, Turkey

I learned so much during our day in Ephesus. It was so cool to be walking down the same streets that the Apostle Paul walked on 2 thousand years before! The grand theatre was exactly that...GRAND! I felt so small standing there picturing the thousands of people crowded in to hear Paul speak. It was very humbling to realize how these people lived so long ago and the amazing structures they built with much less technology than we have today. I am really greatful for the opportunity to travel to these biblical monuments and experience the gospel in such a different way!

Day 3 & 4 - Day at Sea and Athens, Greece

Athens was so amazing! I didn't know much about Acropolis and the Parthenon ahead of time but I was fascinated by the magnitude of the structures. It amazes me how they could have built these buildings over 2000 years ago.

We had a tour of the Acropolis in the morning and then spent the entire afternoon on our own exploring the city and ruins. It was extremely hot! It felt like about 40 degrees celcius. We drank tons of water but by 2 pm I thought I was going to faint. We decided to go find a cafe to take a break and have some lunch. We had souvlaki but were a little disappointed. We thought the souvlaki here in Canada is better.

After lunch we both felt much better and enjoyed the rest of our site seeing and shopping. We got back to the ship just before 6 pm. We had such a great day!

Our European Vacation! Day 1 & 2

For our 10 year anniversary Cyril and I decided we wanted to do something special. Cyril looked into all sorts of possible vacations and we finally decided on an eastern Mediterranean cruise. He booked everything about a year ago and planned the entire trip. I didn't have to worry about a thing because he was so well prepared (I always leave everything to the last minute) and the whole trip went flawless. [Except for a little problem with our memory card and we lost a whole day's worth of pictures!]

The only thing that was not sure was how our 3 kids would do without us for almost 2 weeks. Between my sister Krista, who had them during the week, and my mom who had them on the weekends, they were well taken care of. They even spent a whole day with Lolo and Lola who took them to Chuck E Cheese. Thanks everyone for all your help!! Krista said Holton didn't cry or fuss at all and the girls barely even noticed we were gone. Cyril and I missed them alot but we had so much fun on our own. It was definitely nice to get away and spent some 'real' time together without having to change diapers, do dishes, or make dinner!

To make things easy we stayed overnight at Rachelle and Matt's house so Matt could take us to the airport without having to wake up the kids. We left very early on Aug 16 with Jaidyn crying at the window as we drove away! A nice start to our trip!! When we called from Toronto to check on them, they told us that all was well and Jaidyn was totally fine. She just couldn't let us leave without making us feel extremely guilty!

The trip to Rome was very long and we were so happy to arrive at the ship. It was an 8 hour time change so we were both exhausted.

Our itinerary was:
Rome, Italy
Messina, Sicily
Day at sea
Athens, Greece
Ephesus, Turkey
Heraklion, Crete
Day at sea
Back to Rome where we spent 3 days before flying home.

We had such an AMAZING trip and saw so many wonderful sites. I really liked Athens but we both really enjoyed Rome and especially the time we spent in Ostia, Italy with Cyril's cousin Jenii and her family. They live in London but spend the summer in Ostia. The last time we saw them was 14 years ago! We loved playing with their 2 girls and just hanging out at the beach. It was so nice getting to know them better. And the food was SO YUMMY!!!! Eating Italian food in Calgary just won't be the same! I miss it already!!!

Cyril and I are back from our trip and we had such an amazing time! I am working on the slide show but we have over a thousand pics to choose from so it might be while. I'm going to break it down to a few days at a time so it won't be so long. Check back soon!

10 Years!!

Yesterday was our 10th Wedding Anniversary! It has been a wonderful 10 years but the time has flown by so fast. It seems like yesterday that Cyril and I were working together at Safeway and how excited I was to see him each day. I remember thinking how cute he was and how nervous I felt around him. When my friend Jacinda told me he liked me, I was so excited! He soon asked me out and we have been together ever since!!
We have definitely had our ups and downs but I wouldn't change a thing. Cyril is such an amazing husband and father. He does so much for me and our kids and wants the very best for each of us. He always makes me laugh and brightens up my day. My heart still skips a beat when he looks into my eyes! I am so lucky to have found a fantastic, loving, hardworking, one of a kind guy who loves me for who I am. I love him more and more each day and look forward to the next 10 years of marriage! Thank you Cyril for being such an example to me and our kids! I love you more than I could ever say!!!

Happy Anniversary to the Love of my Life!

Here are some of the highlights from our wedding day...it was such a wonderful day!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

So much has been going on the past few weeks so here is a summary...

We went down to Raymond for Evan's blessing last Sunday. It was a nice blessing and a beautiful day. We had a family dinner on the church grounds and the kids had fun playing outside. We are so lucky to be close to family so we are able to attend all the important family events.

The girls are finally done dance! They had their recitals last week which were really good. The girls were in the same 5 numbers together (2 ballet, 2 jazz and 1 tap). They did really well and they had so much fun. They are going to miss all their dance friends over the summer but are looking forward to the time to relax. It won't be long until they are back at it again!
Holton just turned 2 last week in the midst of the girls recitals. Cyril took him to Let's Play on Monday (his actual b-day) while we were at the dress rehearsal. They had a fun time but Cyril could tell he missed his sisters. Jaidyn's class had a zoo field trip last Friday so we decided to tag along. Uncle Tran came with us and we had a fun couple of hours. There is a new baby gorilla that is only 3 weeks old and he was SO cute! He was probably less than 10 lbs and looked just like a human newborn only hairier. It is definitely worth checking out! On Saturday we went to Calaway Park since we didn't do much for Holton's birthday. It was a beautiful day. Our friend/cousin Rachelle came out for a few hours with her son Tobias who is a few months younger than Holton. The 2 boys had a blast on all the little rides and we got a kick out of them as they waved each time they passed by us. They were so cute. The highlight of the day was that Mateya was FINALLY tall enough to ride the roller coaster! YEAH! She went twice with daddy and loved it (I didn't even get any pictures). Jaidyn now looks forward to when she can join her big sister!
We were finally able to have a party for Holton on Sunday afternoon. All he wanted for his birthday was a "Thomas cake" and so I made him one. I think it turned out pretty cute. He got some Bob the Builder vehicles, some new Thomas trains, some new shirts and shorts, a Thomas placemat and a Nerf gun. He was so happy and plays with his new toys all day. Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOLTON!! We love you so much!!

I was lucky to be able to babysit Tobias for 3 days because his dad was in the hospital. It was a bit of a scare but he is doing much better now. He had some virus which caused swelling in the brain. Rachelle and Matt were on the way to our house for Holton's party but ended up dropping off Tobi and heading straight to the hospital. Since I already had Tobi, I offered to keep him for as long as they needed me. He stayed 2 nights and we had lots of fun having him around. He is a great kid and very quiet...totally opposite of my crazy boy. Holton and him played well together and it was nice for them to have time to bond. The girls really enjoyed having him around too. We even went to the Family Fiesta picnic at the school on Tues. It rained all morning so they had it inside the school. It was chaos but the kids all had fun. I am so glad I don't have twins!

This picture I just had to add!!

The girls are now done school. They both had pretty good report cards. Jaidyn is sad to be leaving Kindergarten but is also excited to go to school for the whole day next year. Mateya is happy to be done but will miss her friends over the summer. Thanks to Miss Murphy and Senora Herperger for the wonderful year! Now it's time to have some summer FUN!!!

On top of all this craziness, my amazing husband has been busy landscaping our backyard. He has worked really hard and it looks great! We can wait until it is totally finished. Great job Cyril!

First Camping Trip of the Year!

We went to Mount Kidd this past weekend and as usual it was rainy, wet and cold...but we had a blast! We roasted hotdogs and marshmellows, went for a walk to the candy store, played games, ate smores, and the kids explored. Their favorite part was collecting all the worms around our site to put in their bug jars. I think we ended up with 40 or more worms. YUCK!!!

Collecting worms! Smores! Yummy!

Cheesiest smiles ever!Roasting one more marshmellow before we head home!