The Davis Family

Kirra's Thanksgiving Preformance

2008-12-13T21:33:00.002+01:00

Here's a cute picture of Kirra at the 1st grade Thanksgiving preformance. They all did a great job, singing songs like Mr Turkey BIG and FAT, Over the River, and A Thanksgiving Blessing.

Vicenza Nevicare

2008-12-11T23:00:00.003+01:00

In the 4 years that we lived in Italy it snowed TWICE...that's it...TWICE!!! We had fun playing in the snow, but in the back of our minds we wished that we wouldn't have lost a day of clearing because it decided to snow three days before we left.
Ms. Ginn's class went outside and had a snowball fight..I just happened to catch this after they refused to help us at the Golden Lion :)
Kirra had so much fun making the snowman, she decided to make another one! :)

Italia Bambino

2008-12-11T19:17:00.002+01:00

I took this picture of the kids outside of our house the last day we were there. The kids really do miss their Italian friends.

Top Row Left: Austin, Chiada, Ausia, Kirra, Roberto, Christian,
Bottom Row Left: Joele, Marco, Rafaele

Switzerland

2008-12-11T19:09:00.002+01:00

Here are some pictures of our last trip to Switzerland. I'm trying not to think too much about this post, because I miss these people tremendously, and I dont wanna cry.

Last trip to Venice

2008-12-04T20:06:00.008+01:00

We decided that before we left Vicenza we should take one last trip to Venice.

My kids LOVE Venice! Here they are waiting for our Train.

We went to the island of Murano.

The kids were excited to get on the boat.

Dave Wagner and Dave Christansen came with us - so here's all of the boys

We watched a demonstration on how they make the glass... I thought the entry was beautiful.

We had fun checking out the glass store. I love this picture of Christian

Kirra liked the birdies.

After Murano we went back to have lunch and hang out in San Marco square.

The kids had a ride on the Lion

And we were attacked by the pigeons for the last time

Christian actually didn't freak out this time!

One last family photo :)

Quick trip to Asiago

2008-12-04T19:28:00.004+01:00

Chad woke up this Sunday and decided that
after church we were going to go up to Asiago for a picnic.
Kirra and Christian wanted to ride this train...
but instead we just took pictures by it.

Chad loves being up in the mountains!

Kirra is MY girl! :)

Christian is trying to be like the cow in the background...MOO!

Fun on the playground

After lunch and our little walk, we went to the War Memorial

What a great place to go, so close to Veterans Day

He was impressed

Taking a little break

One last pose...

Snow Day!

2008-12-04T19:20:00.003+01:00

Yea!!! Finally a chance to just sit and blog. Chad just left to check out the Rec Center, and the kids are checking out all of Grandmas toys. So I am going to BLOG!!! You all know that I can't just start with the current stuff... so here is where I left off...

Everyone laughed about Kirra having a pet named Hopper...so I caught her out in the yard on Saturday (after I posted my tagged blog) playing with her friend...

There's the proof!!!

It is a winter wonderland outside... I got to look out the window for a few seconds while my picture downloaded and watch the snowfall...so beautiful... and did you see... SECONDS... it only took a few seconds... I LOVE high speed internet!!! :)

I've Been Tagged

2008-11-07T22:31:00.003+01:00

I'm so excited!!! I was tagged by Ashley and Lexi!!!
So here goes- 7 things about ME....
**1** My Mom was born in Rock Springs Wyoming, when my Grandma was 28 years old, and she was the first girl born in the family. It was the same thing when I was born... I was born in Rock Springs, when my mom was 28, and I was the first girl. Does this mean that Kirra should have waited to be born in Rock Springs in 2010? lol

**2** I am like a big kid, especially when I'm SWIMMING! It's no fun to go swimming and just hang out in the water. I want to play Marco Polo, do cannonballs into the water, dunk people, throw things to the bottom of the pool and race to see who can get it the fastest :) HOWEVER- I was recently reminded of my fear to jump off of the diving board (and for good reason) The first time I was going to jump off of one, my lovely brother decided to push me. I'll never forget the fear I had when that happened. And to this day, I really dont like diving boards.

**3** I love the Denver Broncos (more than I think I even know)! Yesterday while I was sitting with Chad, Shawn, and Dave eating lunch in the food court, some guy stopped by to say hello to them, and just had to mention how badly the Broncos are doing this year, and I was offended. How dare they talk bad about MY team? Being in Italy we get the games at crazy times...and I'll admit I've stayed up till 2 am to watch the game. Earlier this year, Jason was putting Austin on the bus, and mentioned that his team was LOSING, I LAUGHED and was ESTATIC because the Broncos were stomping on the Raiders. Then just tonight during the game against Cleveland, I was upset over a bad call against MY team. Who knew I cared so much about a football team?!?!

**4** I would rather scrub toilets than do dishes! That's how badly I hate doing dishes. And the dishes aren't as bad as doing the laundry. Laundry is evil!! It's seriously never done, at the end of the day you're still going to have dirty clothes, even if you did laundry ALL day. Its an evil process of getting it done too...Sort it, Wash it, dry it, fold it, put it away! What a pain!!! Maybe I'll be better about laundry when I get to the States... you know when it doesn't take 2 hours to wash ONE load...or when I dont have to put my shoes on, walk down 30 stairs, unlock the garage, just to get a load in the dryer! I know this isn't a secret to most of you... but did you know that I once washed one load of towels three times? This is because every time, I waited until the towels had that funny smell from sitting in the washer wet for too long... what a shame :{

**5** I'm sure you all have memories of a childhood pet... I remember my brothers dog Rambo, our hamsters- Booboo, Cheeto, Sam and Hammy, our cat Buster and my very favorite a little black dog named Scooter. With this being said... I am scared to get a family pet. My kids have been begging me to get a pet for at least the last two years. I've been happy that we live in a building that has a 'no pet policy' and that was the perfect excuse. That's until our neighbor decided to get a dog... then I had to use the excuse that we HAVE to wait till we move back to the United States before we can get a dog. Really guys...I'm more nervous to have a little dog to take care of, than I was when I found out I was pregnant. I'm sure when we finally get the little creature, it will melt my little heart. It will also be great that Kirra wont have to count on grasshoppers being in out yard to play with when she gets home from school.

**6** I dream of going on The Amazing Race! I LOVE that show - how cool would it be to race around the World, and have the chance to win a bunch of money in the end. Funny thing is... once upon a time I said I would NEVER travel outside of the United States...especially after I went to Mexico, and got SICK for three days, and came back with a huge jelly fish sting on my leg. When I was a Junior, I was offered a chance to go to Germany on a foreign exchange trip. I flat out told my teacher I never wanted to leave the U.S. again. After living in Italy for four years now... my eyes have been opened, and I'm greatful for the experience.

**7** I never thought I'd be able to think of 7 random things about little ol me, and now that I've started, I can think of a bunch of random stuff you might not know... silly things like: Growing up I was a baton twirler and walked in a couple of parades twirling a baton. I have a collection of Stamps, that I started collecting in Middle School. Once upon a time, not that long ago, I asked Chad why the weather in Hawaii and Alaska are so different when they are so close together? Why do maps have to be so darn deceiving? I refused to eat rice, broccoli, and meatloaf when we first got married, because I hated it... Honestly, it was because I didn't eat much of those things growing up...and I guess because mom didn't like it I didn't either..yea right LOL. Two of my most favorite things are DR PEPPER and the INTERNET and my TWO least favorite things are HAIR and STRESS.

So, I am tagging
Mom
Michelle
Elisa
Holly
Julie
Peggy
Becky

HAVE FUN!!!

Pocketbikes

2008-11-07T22:25:00.003+01:00

I just have to share this picture of our "menly men" After our trip to Asiago all of the guys got together to go ride pocketbikes. Really, it looks to me like these things could fit in their pocket! How the heck to they ride them!?!? HAHA

Asiago

2008-11-07T16:00:00.000+01:00

Our trip to Asiago started at the restraunt that serves the BEST calzones in Italy. We have a lasting memory from the first time we went there. It all started when Kirra spilled a little bit of her Sprite on the table, and my frustrated Chad commented "we can't take you kids anywhere"! It sounded a lot like something my Dad would say. But Chads luck... moments after he got Kirra's mess cleaned up. He bumped his own glass with his elbow, and Coke went EVERYWHERE! My sweet little Kirra pipes up... Daddy, Maybe YOU need a sippy cup! I laughed so hard that I cried! She was a pretty witty 3 year old!
After our lunch we headed over to the Ice Rink- Everyone had a blast! It was great to watch the kids figuring it out. They all did SO good... and I didn't hear anyone complain (until it was time to go home). I was a bit worried about Kirra- she did not want ANY help and fell down every two seconds. Still, she had a smile on her face the WHOLE time! My biggest fear for Christian was that he'd have bruises on his arms from Chad and I holding him up. We finished with a cup of Hot Chocolate :) The only thing that went wrong....all of my pictures from the day was deleted off of my camera :( Lucky for me it was just the ones I had taken that day! I stole this picture from Dave.... Kirra cracks me up!!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-07T15:30:00.000+01:00

Early Halloween morning I had a ghost in my house. Christian wondered in our room around 7 AM with a blanket over his head, and making some pretty erie noises. Somebody was excited!! About an hour later, he couldn't handle it anymore...Kirra HAD to wake up. After all, it was HALLOWEEN DAY, they FINALLY got their costumes that Grandma sent, and they had a way cool party planned for them. We certainly couldn't just simply tell Kirra that it was time to wake up... Chad decided that we would make use of our toilet paper, and turn Christian into a mummy. Christian was digging this idea! Lets just say it started a great day off right :D
Even though it was pouring down rain- we wasn't going to let it rain on our parade! We all got together at the church and had a BLAST!!! We had EVERYTHING from Bingo to Witches Brooms! We made masks, had a candy walk, decorated cookies, made ghost lolipops, had a ball toss, a fishing game, donuts on a string, and bobbing for apples! After these activities we ate some yummy lunch, and then had a mummy race and a pumpkin search! The kids were in heaven!!! After a much needed nap, we went Trick-or-Treating for an hour on Villagio. And ended our WONDERFUL day at Nancy's house. She spoiled us with Pumpkin bars and some of the best bread I have EVER ate, and topped it off with hot apple cider. Really- I think this is one of the best Halloweens I've had, and I think my kids would agree!

Chads Jump

2008-11-06T21:30:00.000+01:00

Thanks to our friend Dave- I got some pictures of Chad's jump from last week. Although it is insane to jump from a perfectly good airplane...
it is his part of his job.

Nursing Home Visit

2008-11-06T16:33:00.002+01:00

We had the opportunity to visit the nursing home last Monday. It was fun for the kids to dress up and entertain the elderly. There isn't really any way to express how wonderful it is to see your children putting smiles on the faces of these sweet folks. Even though the Italian culture doesn't celebrate Halloween the way we do, it is great to share our traditions with them. I really appreciate Silvia, Julie and Lexi for making this happen. It was GREAT!!

Carving Pumpkins

2008-11-06T15:30:00.000+01:00

We had a lot of fun carving our pumpkins this year. Kirra and Christian each picked out two pumpkins and decided what they wanted to carve on them. Kirra made a ghost and a bat or better known as Ghostie and Battie. and Christian made a Cat and a traditional Jack-O-Lantern face, he called them- Kitty and Happy Hal (that he said looked ALOT like Kirra with her missing teeth). Christian said he liked cleaning out the pumpkin, but the look on his face said otherwise. Kirra left the dirty work up to the rest of us. She's such a girl! :) However, she LOVED tracing the pattern onto the pumpkin. I just loved her face when she pulled the paper off :D

Letting the good times roll....

2008-11-05T21:30:00.001+01:00

This has to be one of the best days spent on post....
All of the girls got together and went to the movie! We watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants- so we made the no boys allowed rule :)

And then we met up with the guys and went bowling!!

My kids are getting to be really good bowlers!

They LOVE hanging out with their friends!

I have to say that Caserme Ederle finally did something right when they built the Arena Bowling Alley. Just in time for us to move :*(

Germany

2008-11-04T21:30:00.004+01:00

We had a wonderful time in Germany. We spent 4 days in beautiful Garmisch and a day in Munich. It was great to be up in the mountains, breathing in the fresh mountain air, and enjoying all the vibrant fall colors.

Roma

2008-11-03T21:30:00.002+01:00

Our trip to Rome was simply amazing! We saw SO much that honestly it was mind boggling! We took hundreds of pictures- so many that it took me a month to sort thru them. :) I also have a hundred stories to tell about our trip...if only I had the time to write them all down...hopefully one day I'll get back here to do that!

Here are some helpful links to use when you take your trip to ROME :)
www.litusroma.com/indexen.html The AWESOME hostel we stayed in.
www.time-elevator.it/en/index.htm A fast and fun way to get Roman History
www.aatravelshop.com/store/europe/rome-aa-citypack-guides-paperback
We picked up this book at the PX but I thought it was great because it has a fold out map, and the Top 25 is VERY helpful! Really...there is SO much to see in Rome- and it's all amazing!!!

News!!!

2008-09-22T22:31:00.002+02:00

Today was Chads last day of work for a month...Yea for leave... and yea for....
1. We have our orders!
2. They say just what we want them to!
3. We have our tickets booked!
4. We'll have a month of Leave!
5. Chad will be on TDY for ANCOC!
6. I'm on orders to stay in Colorado while he is there!
7. We already went to the out-processing brief!
8. My car is ready to be shipped Wednesday!
9. We put in our request date for our household goods to be picked up!
10. Chad made the cutoff to be promoted on 1 October!!!!

Can you say we had a GOOD Monday.... I think SO!!!

Soldier and Family Appreciation Day

2008-09-20T18:33:00.003+02:00

The post put together a nice event Thursday, for Soldier and Family Appreciation Day. The kids had TONS of fun, but the highlights were getting their faces painted and jumping on the trampoline. I think I may have had more fun on the mechanical bull...YEEHAW!!!!!

Giadas and Gelato

2008-09-20T17:54:00.003+02:00

Last weekend we went to our favorite restraunt Giada's and then to our favorite gelato place after. I took some cute pictures of the kids while we were out and about. I'm wondering if Kirra ate or wore more of her gelato... what a messy girl.

It's been a LONG time!

2008-09-20T08:23:00.008+02:00

Yes-- It has been a LONG LONG time. 4 years to be exact. Thats 1460 days since we moved to Italy. Here's a few pictures...looking back to the begining.

Here's the kids 2 weeks before we left the States.

Our first weekend in Vicenza

Kirra, on the day we got the keys to our new house.

Our first trip to Venice- sharing Gelato.

Christian, the day we moved into our house.

Halloween day at the food court.

First Halloween in Italy

Thanksgiving Day 2004

Kirra by the Christmas Tree December 5th 2004

Kirra and Christian all dolled up for a Christmas Pic

Taking pictures to send to Dad in Afghanistan- Feb 2005

Cute Photo from another Photo Op

Hoppy Easter 2005

1st trip back to the States- November 2005

4th of July 2006

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-09-15T13:14:00.000+02:00

Wishing that your birthday is extra special. That all your dreams and wishes come true… because no one else in the whole wide world deserves it more than you!

Marostica Chess Match 9/12/08

2008-09-13T20:16:00.018+02:00

The story of the Chess Game dates back to 1454.
It happened that two noblemen, fell in love with the beautiful Lionora, daughter of Taddeo Parisio, who was the Lord of the Marostica's castle. As was the custom in that time, they challenged each other to a cruel duel to win the hand of Lionora.

The Lord, not wanting to make an enemy of either suitors or loose them in a duel, forbade the encounter. He decided the two rivals should play a chess game: Lionora would take the winner as her husband and the loser would in any case join his family, marrying Oldrada, the younger sister.

The game should take place on the square in front of the Lower Castle on a feast-day with armed living persons carrying the noble ensigns of Whites and Blacks, in the presence of the Lord, his noble daughter, the Lords of Angarano and Vallonarathe noble court and the entire population.
He also decided the challenge should be honoured by an performance of armed men, fool-soldiers and knights, with fireworks and dances and sounds.

So the armed men entered the field: archers and halberdiers, fool-soldiers and knights, then the Lord and his noble court with an anxious Lionora,
who is secretly in love with one of the two rivals, her faithful nurse, noblemen and their ladies, the herold, the master of arms, falconers, pageboys, maidens, standard holders, musicians, farmers and their wives; the Whites and the Blacks with their kings and queens, rooks and knights, bishops and pawns and the two suitors who decide the moves.

Then tribulation for the victory, fireworks and music according to the Lord's orders.
This event is repeated today just like the first time, in a framework of sumptuous costumes, multi-colour banners, martial parades, exquisite elegance.
A note of unique courtesy pervades everything; it inspires the whole re-evocation of this ancient story which, from the darkness of remote times, still live today as a miracle of fantasy.

It was such an amazing time being able to go and watch this! Our family will have memories of this event for a very long time.

Remembering 9-11

2008-09-11T21:13:00.004+02:00

On this Anniversary of the Day America was Attacked,
let us take a few moments to REMEMBER.

We NEED to REMEMBER, that horrible feeling we all felt,
when the news of the Attack broke early that morning.

For if we forget, we will surely be taken off guard again.

We NEED to REMEMBER, how we ALL came together
helping our fellow man.

We NEED to REMEMBER, the Hero's

We NEED to REMEMBER the Victims
We NEED to REMEMBER those we Lost

Freedom is not Free
Never Forget

Credit to: http://home.att.net/~vetcenter/911anniv.htm

Baby Ashton

2008-09-11T07:26:00.002+02:00

My sister in law made this scrapblog of my sweet nephew, and I just had to share. I cannot wait till I get back to the States to meet him. I'll admit that I was in tears watching it... He looks so much like my brother.

Making Pasta

2008-09-09T13:01:00.011+02:00

Last Friday Julie and I got to learn how to make HOMEMADE Pasta!!
On Sunday, Lucia asked us if we wanted to come over, and there was no way we could pass up the opportunity.
So here I am making pasta from scratch!!
I was surprised at how easy it really was!

Julie looks like a pro. She already has the tools to do it at home too!

Thank You Silvia and Lucia. You guys are the best!!!

First Day of KINDERGARTEN!!

2008-09-07T22:18:00.005+02:00

Somebody is EXCITED!!!

It's hard to believe that both of my kids are in school.

Waiting for the bus. Kirra and Austin are pretty happy to have him riding with them.

Oh Boy...here it comes!!

Getting off the bus at the school... wow...maybe a little more scary than he thought.

No worries...Big Sis is there to help show the way.

Greetings from Ms. Ginn.

Best Buddies!!

Time to say goodbye... You're on your own now mom.......

Grrr....

2008-09-04T22:33:00.002+02:00

So as you can see, I'm trying to update my page...Well it's not working out the way I'd like... I'm giving up for today... and hoping that tomorrow brings better luck.

Aviano

2008-09-03T15:42:00.003+02:00

We were invited to picnic with the Aviano ward on Monday, and decided it would be more fun to go on Sunday and spend the night. So after church we packed up (again)and headed East. We had a great time. The kids had fun at the park that evening. I must admit that I was one of the kids. Kirra took a lot of the pictures that I put on the slide. Sunday morning the Openshaws treated us to a delicious breakfast, and the kids once again played at the park across the street from their house. We all had a great time at the picnic as well... We had lots of good food... played some volleyball and baseball, and got to visit with our friends from Aviano. Hopefully we will be able to celebrate Chads birthday this weekend... We were busy hanging out in two countries this weekend :) and you just gotta celebrate when you're THAT OLD :)

When Words Don't Suffice...

2008-09-03T11:57:00.002+02:00

Chad and I went to Switzerland with the Branch on Friday and Saturday. There really isnt any words to explain how wonderful it was. Thanks again to Lexi for watching Kirra and Christian so we could enjoy our trip even more.

Kindergarten Orientation

2008-09-03T09:00:00.000+02:00

On Thursday, Christian got to check out his Kindergarten classroom, and meet his teacher. (although he already knows her, because Kirra was in her class last year.) Here he is outside his class... he found his name on the balloons right away.
He was very excited and proud that he has his own cubby. It's actually Kirra's old cubby too. Ironic!
He listened intently when Ms. Ginn was talking to them. He stuck close by Trent... its nice to have a good friend when you are starting Kindergarten!
Ms. Wickern took them outside to check out their new playground. He had all good things to say about it. His teachers are stopping by the house tomorrow for a home visit, and he can't wait... More to come on Kindergarten Adventures...

Back to School!! 8/28/08

2008-09-02T16:45:00.007+02:00

Little Miss wanted to have curly hair on the first day back to school...
She was so excited before bed that she could hardly stand it. Daddy got a lot of smiles and loves when he called her Curlie Sue :)
Christian was excited for his Sissy, but he wanted to start Kindergarten on the same day....his big day is Friday the 5th.
Finally at school, checking out her new name tag and hanging up her backpack.
I think she is pretty happy that Haylee is in her class this year.
Checking out her desk. She made herself feel right at home.
It was all smiles when we left.
She was exhasted at the end of the day, but said it was great.
Ive got spirit..how bout you?!?
Waiting for the bus for the first time this year.
Ms. Romey was excited to see them again.
It is so hard to believe that she is already in 1st Grade! Where does the time go? It seems that just yesterday she was starting to walk and talk.

This blog is for Julie....

2008-09-02T13:49:00.008+02:00

I remember being at the pool with Julie when Lexi was in Germany- Julie was taking lots of pictures of Haylee and Trent, and she told them "I have to make sure your mom can see what we did while she was gone" So while Julie and Sean was in Germany I tried to take a few pictures of what Gavin and Jessie did at our house :)

Kirra and Jessie spent TONS of time in Kirras room playing Polly Pocket, My Little Pony's, teddy bear family, and dressing up. Dont they look pretty all dressed up. Kirras name was Princess Angel and Jessie Princess Christmas Snow.

Gavin had fun playing on the Playstation...Im glad he did, because I was afraid he would be bored...

Here is Jessie competing in our Wii Tennis match... I was impressed with how well all of the kids did... but Chad took the victory and beat every single one of us.

Christian and Gavin having a boxing match... You'd be surprised at how good of a workout this is!

For Family Home Evening on Monday night we played a game that involved finding scriptures while you were blindfolded. Because Christian had no direction it was impossible for him to find them.

Gavin had a little better luck because we told him if he was getting warmer, or colder...but it was still very hard finding them.

Jessie got to search for them without the blindfold, and we gave her some hints to help her out. We learned that it is easier to accomplish things with the help of those that love us, rather than trying to do them on our own. We also talked about why the people who love us dont want us to get hurt. It was a really fun night.

Gavin and Christian all ready to go to sleep... believe it or not, they talked and giggled just as much (if not more) than the girls.

Jessie all tucked in... I had a hard time taking a picture of her not giving me a peace sign. Good job Taylor... you've taught your sister well. GRRR :)

Chad tucking Kirra in...or something like that... He looks like a big loved stuffed animal, tucked in next to her.

Haylee, Kirra and Jessie all dressed up and looking sweet as can be.

Christian, Gavin and Trent couldnt let the girls have all the fun!

Group Photo Op of Our Very Cool Kids :)

Release the Stress 5K Fun Run/Walk

2008-09-02T12:37:00.003+02:00

Once again we participated in the 5K fun run/walk on post Aug 16th. This was our best one yet! The kids both got to ride their bikes (no accidents this time). Christian has proved that he will never need training wheels again. Now if Kirra can figure it out, we'll be good to go. For the first time I ran most of the way, thanks to Nancy's motivation. It was A LOT of fun... and that's saying a lot since you all know how much I just love to run... ha! :)

Daddy making sure Kirra is safe and ready to ride! She did 3 laps instead of two... crazy girl!

Christian was REALLY excited, and cant wait to do it again! He finished #23! Chad came in 13th...but ran too fast for me to get a picture of him.
Nancy, Jaron and I. Yes, this is really me RUNNING.... We finished at 40:33... Not bad... Not bad at all!!

Heres our AWESOME group before we headed over to Julies for an AMAZING breakfast... Man life is good!

click to see results from all of the 5Ks here www.vicenzamwr.com/sports_link.html

Parco Natura Viva

2008-08-27T17:10:00.004+02:00

Last Friday we took a trip to the zoo/safari near Verona. The safari was amazing! The kids loved every minute- except for Christian when he was afraid of being ate by the lions. Look for his picture- tightly buckled in, and intently looking for the lion to possibly jump, at any minute at his window. I couldn't help but laugh when we were stuck for 10 minutes, because a llama decided to take a little rest right in the middle of the road, a few cars ahead of us. Kirra's primary goal was to see some monkeys. We offered several times to let her stay with them, she declined, but begged us to bring home the cute monkey with the long white beard. :) Chad got a kick out of the crazy haired birds. I think if the Army didn't have such strict regulations he may have started growing his hair to match by now! Enjoy our pictures!!!

http://www.parconaturaviva.it

Camping @ Darby

2008-08-26T16:33:00.002+02:00

On the 8th we settled in at Sea Pines
for a little vacation!

We know how to camp in style!

The kids played hard...
and slept even harder!

With all the sightseeing we did... the sleep was well deserved

Pisa Italia

2008-08-26T16:32:00.000+02:00

This tower is famous simply because it leans. It stands 187 feet high and until 1990 was leaning over at about a 10-degree angle, the top being 17 feet further over than was originally intended. It was estimated that the lean was increasing by one inch every 20 years. It is a bell tower to accompany the cathedral that it stands next to. It isn't quite clear who the actual designer was, but construction was begun on August 9, 1173. Due to the fact that the people of Pisa were involved in a lot of wars, with several stops to fight, it took until 1350 to complete the building.

Our first veiw of La Torre Pendente (The Leaning Tower in Italian)

Only 5 years after work on the building began, it was leaning noticeably to the North. The lean was first noticed during construction of the third floor. During the building of the next three floors, the lean was corrected by building the floors parallel to the ground not level with the leaning building. During this phase the tower started to lean the other way. Now it was leaning to the South.

Evidence we were all there
The tower is built on unsuitable ground for such a heavy and tall building. It is only about 6 feet above sea level and built on a riverbed. The underlying ground is made up of layers of sand and clay. The layers are not even and the weight of the building has compressed them. Because the layers are not even, as the ground has compressed, it has sunk more in some places than others.

But no need to fear...Chad went to hold it up!

Several plans have been tried over the years to stop the tower from falling. Some of them have been almost disastrous. In 1934 an Italian engineer drilled 361 holes into the base and filled them with mortar. The tower promptly leaned over some more. In 1993 650 tons of lead were hung from the North side of the building to try and stop the lean increasing. For a while it worked. In 1995, they decided to try and increase the foundations under the South side of the building. They froze the ground using liquid nitrogen, to stop it moving, and then started to remove stones, so they could insert metal rods. What they didn't know was that the stones they were removing were part of the original foundation of the building. That is the nearest the tower has come to disaster. In one night the lean increased as much as it normally increases in two years. They quickly added another 250 tons of lead and decided to rethink their idea.

Wow...Good thing strong people stop by to hold it up!

At this point everyone was just about ready to give up. Then a British engineering professor came up with yet another idea. His plan was to remove ground from under the high side, instead of trying to add ground under the low side. In 1999 work began, and was done very slowly, so that the building wouldn't get a sudden shock. At the beginning of June 2001, the work was complete, and the tower had been straightened up by about 16 inches, which returns it to the position it held in 1838. The engineers believe that it is safe for at least another 300 years.

With everything safe...we relaxed and had a gelato...
But the question lingers....if they know how, why didn't they just straighten it up all the way?

I guess it is the Leaning Tower of Pisa and just wouldn't be the same if it didn't lean!

A late night stroll on the Arno...

2008-08-26T16:31:00.001+02:00

This beautiful 150 mile long river starts in the Northern Apennines flowing it's way south to Arezzo where it turns northwest; it proceeds generally west, through Florence and Pisa, to empty into the Ligurian Sea.

The Arno valley is famous for its scenery. In 1966 a great flood on the Arno heavily damaged the art treasures of Florence.

After visiting the leaning tower we decided to take a little stroll down the river.

and make a few memories of our own.

The MANY sights of Florence

2008-08-26T16:30:00.000+02:00

Firenze~ one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Our tour bus for the day

We're happy to be on vacation

My sweet Kirra

He acts like he's too cool to have his picture taken

The Duomo, Battistero, and Campanile

The frescoes on the inside of the dome.

"Gates of Paradise" at the Duomo

Church of Santa Maria Novella

Jessie and Christian watchting fish

Kirra and Charlie

Michelangelo's statue of David

All my Children ;)

We bought one of these beautiful paintings on glass.

Beach Bums

2008-08-26T16:29:00.000+02:00

On our last day we hung out at the beach...

When it was all said and done, we had to pack up and go home :*( But we had an AWESOME time!!

A night out...

2008-08-21T17:04:00.002+02:00

For those of you in the Vicenza area, you should check out the Brazilian restaurant. (if you haven't been there yet) We had a fun evening there with the Petersons and the Polenskis earlier this month.

odd photos found on my camera

2008-08-21T11:52:00.005+02:00

Kirra and Christian are always asking me if they can take pictures. Most of the time I tell them no...but recently I guess I've let my guard down. Here's some photography from my sweet children.

Happy 5th Christian

2008-08-14T21:30:00.000+02:00

Body Combat...

2008-08-14T19:56:00.005+02:00

For our Young Women's activity,
Lexi taught Body Combat.

Taylor, Julie, Antonella, Reagan and Diana

We worked up a good ol sweat,
but had a lot of fun doing it!

And with this...I've finally posted everything from JULY! WHOOOHOOO!!!! LOL

Yummy Kabobs!

2008-08-14T18:36:00.014+02:00

On the 26th we had a game day at Julies and made Kabobs!!

The Fixins
Terrilee, Julie and Kirra
Lexi and Nancy
Sean on the Grill

Chad Supervising

The final product. YUM!

And for dessert...Brownie Ice Cream Sundays

It doesnt get any better than this! GOOD FRIENDS, GOOD FOOD, GOOD FUN!!!

Welcome Home Sky Soldiers

2008-08-14T14:50:00.011+02:00

Here are some pictures of our friends who just got back from Afghanistan. It was a long 15 months, and we are glad they are home.

Kirra and Christian are excited!!
James and Kristin...

Kristin went home for the deployment...glad she is back too!

John and Amanda...

Our neighbors They are having an R&R baby:)in September:)

Jason, Holly, Austin and Jaxon...

Finally their cute little
family is complete!

And more good news....with the soldiers back...Chads job is almost OVER!!! Celebrate good times!!!!!!!

Kirra L. Toothless Wonder

2008-08-14T14:30:00.002+02:00

You may have noticed in previous blogs, that we have a cute little toothless wonder running around. Kirra has lost 4 teeth!!! We love her sweet vampire smile! Take a look at this silly girl...

Christian's Swimming Lessons

2008-08-14T13:37:00.001+02:00

G.S. All Aboard Camporee

2008-08-13T17:00:00.003+02:00

After the Summer Enrichment finale, we took off to Camp Darby for the Girl Scouts All Aboard Camporee. We spent Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday there, and had a great time. The drive wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be. We met some really awesome people. Had A LOT of fun, and really wanted to stay longer... here are our pictures...

Summer Enrichment

2008-08-13T13:49:00.003+02:00

18 July was Kirra's last day of Summer Enrichment. They had a performance, award ceremony and dessert to celebrate their achievement.

She did a GREAT job singing BAM BAM BAM The Mariachi Band. Christian was so excited to watch, he sat in the very first row.

Ms. Aeverman was Kirra's teacher.

She got to show off all of her hard work!

I think her mask had the most feathers. Pretty Cool!

The sweet stuff may have been the best part for the kiddos.

Tie and Scarf Game @ our Branch FHE

2008-08-13T12:11:00.006+02:00

On 14 July we had our Branch Family Home Evening at our house. We had a potluck dinner and then played a game that I learned at girls camp. This is the perfect game for a group of about 10... It's simple! You all stand in a cirle and start a tie at one end and the scarf at the other end. The person with the Tie has to put it around their neck, tie it TWICE, Clap TWICE, untie it and pass it clockwise to the person next to them. The person with the scarf puts it around their neck, ties it ONCE, Claps ONCE, unties it and passes it clockwise to the person next to them. The person the ends up with both of them is out... you'll see how exciting it really is when you play :) Here our some of our pictures....
Our Group
I think all Sgt Majors should wear pink scarfs... :) Kirra is READY!
You better HURRY Chad! Sister Openshaw is on a ROLL!

Sabrina loves Ariel when her little sis isn't trying so hard to beat her!
Running away so you dont lose isn't part of the game Sean! :) Go JULIE!!

Tres Amigos

2008-08-13T10:44:00.006+02:00

While I was at Girls Camp Kirra and Christian stayed with the Petersons. One of the first things they wanted to do when I got back was play with our neighbor AUSTIN. So we took them for a picnic in the park...
We Ate...
And Played...
But Most of all had fun climbing trees...
Christian

Austin

Kirra

Young Women Girls Camp

2008-08-04T11:07:00.001+02:00

~4th of July~

2008-07-31T23:59:00.000+02:00

This 4th of July was the best one we've had here in Italy. The pictures speak a million words...

The fireworks show was great as well, but didn't include pictures, because pictures of fireworks aren't too impressing...at least mine aren't.

Look Mom.... No Training Wheels.....

2008-07-31T18:37:00.003+02:00

So there I was... mowing the lawn...
AND... Here comes Christian... "MOM--MOM--MOOOOOMMMMMM-- COME LOOK AT THIS!!!!! HURRY!!!!! So I stopped the lawn mower and found that Christian had almost mastered riding a bike without training wheels. Here's the proof....

Downtown Vicenza

2008-07-31T18:18:00.002+02:00

It is unusual for us to go downtown Vicenza... but we found ourselves there twice in one week. On the 1st of July we had dinner with Chad's friend Brad. It was an awesome restraunt real close to the square. We had an awesome time. Two days later Nancy and I went to the downtown market. We had fun shopping, and maybe even more fun eating gelato. Poor Kirra was at Summer Enrichment, so we tried to make up by buying her ice cream from Baskin Robins... Oh poor Kirra!

Festa di Davis Casa....

2008-07-31T12:23:00.004+02:00

www.sagradellerane.com
Summer time in Italy is time for the local festa. Our little town Grossa has Sagra delle Rane.... or Frog Festival as translated in English... and YES they do serve frog as a main course. Yea I know YUCK...but since this is our last year here... we had to try it. Living across the street from this is a bit crazy.... there is nowhere to park and you have noise from tons of people celebrating till 2 in the morning. Here is a slideshow of our FUN @ tha Festa!!!

On the last night they have a beautiful fireworks display... here is a 10 second clip of them from our balcony...

Ketchup.....

2008-07-30T22:47:00.004+02:00

Oh wait! I mean I need to catch up. Its been a month since I've posted anything. Although that doesn't mean there hasn't been A LOT going on. So, where to start? I guess I ended on 24 July... so we will pick up on the next day.... Kirra wasn't feeling well when she woke up, so we were hanging out in our PJ's when I caught her practicing her guitar....I thought this was pretty cute and glad I caught it on video.

Busy Day....

2008-06-24T18:06:00.006+02:00

Today was Kirra's 2nd day of summer enrichment. She is a voyager on a journey to explore music of composers and cultures, study folktales such as Pecos Bill and Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Mozart, Bach, ect. Their exploration will also take them into more modern times to meet Elvis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and MORE....
Not what thought this program would include..but Im sure she will learn a lot.. and she is already having fun.
She is still learning how to swim as well.... She is getting a lot better.
Today I taught an AFTB class... Adapting to Change. I was nervous AS ALWAYS...But got through it o.k. Christian is my buddy and helped me put together some cute handouts that said Change is good on a post it note... So that's what's going on with us. Chad is as always busy at work! Here are some pictures, because that's the best part about this blog.
...Look close...they are all bored to tears :)
...Christians new puzzle, he put together while Kirra was swimming.:)
Could she be any more comfortable in the water? :)

Hair Do...... :)

2008-06-21T19:00:00.002+02:00

Here is a picture of me with my new hair cut... :)

I'm lovin it...it was getting too long, and it's too HOT... but I dont know what to do with it since I cant just put it back everyday.

At the Park

2008-06-19T10:26:00.009+02:00

The kids had FUN at the park this morning!

Logan and Laycee were happy to be out and about.

Kirra climbed the tree....

Christian was a monkey on the monkey bars...

Haylee liked climbing up the slide best..but I only got a picture of her going down.

Trent went really high in the swing...

Day Two

2008-06-17T19:38:00.005+02:00

She's not afraid to jump into the deep end...

Christian thinks he's one cool dude!

So I'm not sure if she's made progress, but this is what she thinks about it...

1st day of Swimming Lessons

2008-06-17T09:52:00.007+02:00

Excited to be in the water...even though it's COLD

Help from Ms. Silvia

All by herself... Look at her go...

Brrrr it's FREEZING...

This is day one of 8... lets see how she progresses.

Happy Fathers Day!

2008-06-16T14:01:00.004+02:00

Army Birthday Fun Run

2008-06-14T20:17:00.007+02:00

This morning we got up early for the Post 5 K Fun Run. This is our little group after the race.

Kirra and Christian decided to ride their bikes today...

The roads were wet and it made riding hard... This is a good moment-Go Christian Go!!

Kirra did great, but had one good fall... resulting in a little first aide at the finish line.

In the end we went to visit Chad at work, and it was all smiles!

Apples to Apples

2008-06-13T22:35:00.000+02:00

Tonight was another fun night with the girls. We had a game night at Lexi's, ate pizza, chatted, played rummikub, and finished the night with Apples to Apples(The game of hilarious comparisons). For those of you that haven't played this game... You select a card from your hand (consisting of 7 green cards) that you think is best described by a red card played by the judge. If the judge picks your card, you win that round. And everyone gets a chance to be the judge! For example the judge has the card that says Smelly: fragrant, stench, reek. The cards in your hand are a person place or thing, so I'd hope to have a card that says "locker room" or "your feet" but with my luck my best card says Anne Frank. You try to guess what the judge will like best. At the end of the game we always stop drawing a new card and play only with what's left in our hand, and for the finale we read the cards we won. It made me think about adjectives I think describe me... both good and bad. I've often said that I'm a

lazy perfectionist

, and that's 90% of my problems in life. I think both of those 'qualities' are negative. When I'm thinking of myself, I often think about only the negatives, but most of the time look for the positive in others. I try to be a kind person and help out when I can, but I often feel shy.
So this is me being analytical simply because I'm tired...

Dance Recital

2008-06-12T10:00:00.005+02:00

All of hard work the girls put into learning their dances paid off last night when they preformed for their recital. It was so fun to watch. Here is a picture of the girls from our branch: Kirra, Jessie and Haylee on the front row and Charlie on the back right with her friend Kaylee Stoner.

Doesn't she look excited to preform!

She is getting a certificate, and looking confused, because they called her Kyra.

She couldn't have been happier about her flower bouquet!

Thank you Ms Silvia and Ms Naomi- they are the best!

Does Christian look proud of his sister?

Chad is proud of his baby girl.

Pictures Speak a Thousand Words

2008-06-11T20:36:00.013+02:00

I'm Back!

2008-06-11T14:09:00.003+02:00

As you see, I haven't been here in a few months. Time just seems to fly by way too fast. Many things have been happening, so here is a quick update. Chad and I finally went to the Temple. It was an amazing experience, one I'll never forget. I quit my job to be with Kirra and Christian this summer. I was called as the Young Womans President, and Chad was called to be the 1st Counselor in the Branch. Christian just finished his T-ball season. He was on the White Sox, and had an awesome time playing baseball. He finally got into Sure Start 5 weeks before it ended (That's our luck). Kirra has been working hard in Jazz dance. Her recital is tonight. We are looking forward to a busy summer. Chads summer hasnt started the way we'd like... Last Friday he was riding his bike for P.T. and a car hit him. He is doing good considering. No broken bones, but his bad shoulder is worse than before. There is no time for him to rest... he is busy preparing for the return of the Soldiers in his unit. Well that's an update, in a nut shell. I hope to do better, keeping this updated. Keep your fingers crossed :)

Conferenza

2008-03-02T22:30:00.000+01:00

Girls Day!!

2008-03-01T22:00:00.000+01:00

For the first time in too long I had a fun day out with the girls. We watched P.S. I love you, and then browsed the mall and had dinner. It was so refreshing to be out and about without the kids. I had a great time!!! Thanks girls!!!

Family Fun...... on...... Leap Day!!!

2008-02-29T22:00:00.002+01:00

Finally Friday! To celebrate the weekend we popped some popcorn and watched Ice Age The Meltdown and Daddy Daycamp. What a fun way to spend the extra day we have this year!

Bumble Bee's STING!!

2008-02-28T22:00:00.001+01:00

Our basketball team was on fire tonight! Finally I felt like all the hard work of coaching was paying off. Way to go bumble bee's!

Practice Practice Practice!!!

Shoot and Score!

Teamwork!

I'm OPEN...I'm Open!!

School Pictures....

2008-02-27T20:45:00.000+01:00

With all of the excitment of Kirra's birthday party, I almost forgot about school pictures today. Doesn't she look cute :)

Happy Birthday Kirra!!

2008-02-26T22:00:00.000+01:00

It's hard for me to believe it, but my baby is SIX!!!

We had a surprise birthday party for her at the indoor Play Park, and was she ever surprised.

What a Wonderful Day...

2008-02-24T22:00:00.001+01:00

I have a new outlook on Sundays. Previously I dreaded getting up and getting ready for church. Although I've always felt like it was where I supposed to be, and had a good feeling when I left. Recently I've been overjoyed when I have the opportunity to go and learn more about the gospel. Additionally I've really grown close to a lot of people in our branch. I feel like they are my family here in Italy. My only regret is not getting to this point in my life sooner. The perfect way to end this awesome day was to go to dinner at the Ghiz's. It was awesome! We took some pictures so as soon as I can I will post them.

International Thinking Day

2008-02-23T20:30:00.006+01:00

Today Kirra participated in the 82nd annual World Thinking Day for Girl Scouts. The Vicenza Girl Scouts celebrated by learning about countries around the world. Kirras troop had Japan- they did an awesome job teaching us how to make an origami dog. Then we got to sample foreign foods. My favorite part was seeing Kirra in her Kimono. She is so beautiful!

#1

2008-02-22T20:30:00.000+01:00

I've decided to join the crowd and start a blog here. I love keeping in touch with so many of my friends on myspace, but more and more of my friends are starting blogs on here. So here goes.... Bare with me as I figure this all out!