today it hit me.

Since we have arrived in Utah I haven't been so stoked on being here. I know jet lag and an 8 hour time difference has a lot to do with it but another factor is where we are. At Ryan's parents it just doesn't feel like we're back home and it is a very big and busy city. And I have to say it, as Americans, we sure do settle for crappy food. I made tacos the other night and bought lean ground beef, I haven't had to drain fat from my meat since before we moved to Italy and a red onion is NOT suppose to the size of a softball, you lose a ton of flavor. Why do we accept our government putting hormones and antibiotics into our food? And why do we eat genetically altered produce? It loses so much flavor! A bit of a tangent? yes. Time to get back on point. Today Ryan and I drove most of his painting up to Jackson Hole for his one man show, which by the way is going to be awesome! And going up we drove through Evanston and back down we took the 89 through Logan. Jackson Hole is gorgeous, if you've never been, go! And as we were driving back home through Idaho and we were passing alfalfa fields and cow pastors, the smell, and the dramatic clouds over the mountains made me so happy to be back here! I grew up in southern California and now would hate to live in a big city again. I love small towns that have farmlands. The whole drive was so beautiful with different scenery.


Don't get me wrong, I would take a beach house any day!!!!

one of my favorite things about

Utah in the summer is the rain storms! They smell so good and the clouds are amazing.


I hope this image looks good. It looks good on the camera but the computer I'm on has a crappy screen and I can't quite tell what adjustments the photo needs.

The Brodsters Birthday

Brody's official Birthday is July 22nd and we were on airplanes so no celebration there. But as we were flying over the Atlantic i told him it was his birthday and he was excited. When we finally got to Utah on Monday, Ryan's mom threw a little b-day party for him with pizza and COSTCO cake, yum! Cousins came over and he opened a couple presents and had a good little time.

Brody with Grams

Then on Wed. we went to the zoo for his birthday. Ryan's friend works there and got us in free! The kids had a good time and Brody was excited that the animals were real. They had a really cool white crocodile and the rest was animals in cages that are too small. I'm not a huge fan of the zoo but I know the kids love it.


this little jack rabbit was one of the most exciting exhibits for these girls






Brody is now 4 and such a good lookin kid. He cracks me up and is such a tease to his sisters and also very tender hearted. His my big boy and I love him to death.

HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY BRODY!!!

we made it and it better be worth it!

It's story time so get comfy, this is a long one.
So after 3 days of "oh, you'll fly tomorrow", I couldn't handle the stress anymore so we called Ryan's mom and had her book us on her buddy passes. I got sick of cleaning the house last minute because we never knew when the unexpected call would come. My stomach was in knots and I dry heaved quite a few times. Saturday I took the kids to the pool by our house so our lives could seem normal. All we did was stay at home to be prepared to leave at any minute. We swam for 4 hours and it was exactly what we needed. Ryan's mom called us after checking the flights and said Venice at 1:40 on Sunday would be best. After cleaning up from the pool I went into the city to buy train tickets. I got there and the self service wouldn't let me buy my tickets, so then I proceeded to the ticket booth to ask a human. I wanted the train that left Florence at 6:30 am, let me rephrase that, I didn't want, I needed because it is a 3 hour train ride and I had no other choice. Well he told me I couldn't buy them because the trains were going on strike that evening at 9 pm until 8 am on Sunday. Do you recall the trip to Cinque Terra with my aunt when the trains went on strike? In my mind "effin Italians and their damn strikes!" So I call Ryan to tell him and we were racking our brains and stressing about what the heck we are going to do. He just told me to come home to hurry and gather everything together and once again hurry and clean up the house just in case we left that night and got a hotel in Venice. In the meantime he called some friends to see if they could give us a ride, but let's be honest, would you drive 3 hours both ways to take someone to the airport? Our awesome friend Eliana saved our life! She is from church and is so good to our family. Her friends, friend, works at a car rental place and got us a sweet freakin fiat station wagon for 70 euros and we could drop it off at the Venice airport! So Ryan told me, that I had to go get the car, and I was going to drive us. Problem, I couldn't find my driver's licence because when do I ever need it in Italy? Then I told Ryan he needed to go and he couldn't find his either! This ended up being a blessing because we did find them but would have come to the states without them had we not rented the car. So on Sunday we got up and hit the road. The drive was great and got us there faster than the train. I wanted to keep the car.
No excitement at the airport but they did hook us up with good seats. Ryan had a row of 3 seats in the bulk head and I also had the same about 8 rows back. THE KIDS WERE PERFECT!!!! It was such a blessing, keep in mind this was a 10 hour flight and they were great the ENTIRE time! We flew into Atlanta and the whole airport/customs was annoying but again the kids were fine. The connecting flight to Salt Lake was too full ( we were flying stand-by) so Ryan' mom recommended we go to Albuquerque. That flight left at 9:50 so the kids slept the entire flight. We got to New Mexico at 11:30pm and were planning on catching the 6:10 am flight to salt lake. Therefore, we spent the night in the airport. We grabbed 3 blankets off the airplane and the kids lounged comfortably on the seats in the terminal. Another blessing to being in NM, the chairs weren't your standard airport seats that are pretty much single chairs, they were benches with arm rests in between, so the kids could lie down under the armrest and be comfy.
They slept a good 4 hours. Ryan and I on the other hand couldn't quite slip under the arm rests and the kind of sleep we got was when you lie in an awkward position and finally fall asleep and then your back starts killing you so you wake up and try to find a somewhat comfy position. So we pretty much talked and laughed at stupid stuff because we were so delirious.
Well, the 6 am flight was full. Do I have to tell you what I was thinking? We checked out the restaurants at the airport and had some breakfast. This was wonderful because my favorite dining food is breakfast and Italians don't do breakfast. Then we just hung out, I tried to catch up on all my Hollywood gossip in the magazine store and then to my surprise I spotted my friend Theressa from UT who had just moved to NM! That was a nice surprise and made the wait much more pleasant. And she had a newborn so Cloe and Abbey were busy, and at this point Brody was asleep. Ryan and I are now on 36 hours without sleep.


Our next flight to try was at 10:28 but was delayed until 11:30. I was the only one to make the fight and had no choice but to go. As I walked down the ramp I started crying mostly because I was exhausted but also because after all we've been through I was leaving Ryan and the kids behind. The flight was short and I got to UT at 1:10 and waited around for the next NM flight that left at 12:10. 1:45 rolled around and there's my cute little family walking off the ramp! Again, we were blessed, because there were only three seats left on that flight from Albuquerque to Salt Lake. Well with Ryan and the kids, that made 4 people, and you can't send any kid alone unless they're 8 years old. So randomly meeting my friend at the New Mexico airport saved us, because the nice Delta guy who was trying to help Ryan get on said Cloe could go if she sat by my friend. Then at the last minute he felt pitty on Ryan and gave him the last two seats on the plane, listing Abbey as a 23 month old (which means she could be a lap child and sit on Ryan's lap) and Brody could have the last seat on the plane. Awesome! We got into Salt Lake within minutes of each other after over 40 hours of travel time. SO this story has 2 morals, first, don't plan train trips with Courtney in Italy and second, when it rains it pours but the Lord always hands you an umbrella ;)

in the mean time

so as we sit around and wait for "the call" I am totally thrown off schedule. I feel like all I do is wait. But we did get "the call" and we should be leaving friday. AND we should only have one layover!! That would be awesome. Also because it means a bigger plane. Since I have the extra time now, I think I might just head into the city tomorrow and check out the sales. No, I have not had time to do it yet and it's killing me. I know a lot of it will be picked over. I'm sure Ryan will appreciate that.
A thought I had today, "get me outta this hell hole". The reason, It is so blessed hot that a breeze does not even help. While I was walking to the bus stop and then waiting at the bus stop then stepping into the sauna (bus) and then doing it all over to come home, my thought after that one was "i can't wait to drive my suburban with the a/c and walk a max of 25 yards in the heat!" No offense to you summer travelers but you are coming at THE WORST time of year. It's miserable heat!


Don't you hate it when you remember something when it is too late? Background: at the grocery store we have a card that gives us the sale price, like all stores these days, and it also gives you points for buying certain products. With these points you can pick items out of a catalogue. I have been eyeing the cannon powershot and have been asking Ryan if I could use our points on it. It's 3000 points plus 69 euro. We have over 4000 points. My reason is that all we have is his big old fancy camera for painting and there is nothing more annoying that photographing the kids at the park and bringing this along. So I was stoked when I found it in the catalogue. Tuesday I went to the store and asked if I could have the camera that day (you'd be impressed with how my italian has improved), he said no, it takes 3 days. So I didn't get it because I was planning on flying out today. But when i found out we were leaving friday, the smart thing would have been to go to the store and order it for our trip and have it in time. Nope, I remembered at 9:25, 5 minutes before the store closed. Yes, the grocery store closes at 9:30! could you imagine! uuuugh, I'm kicking myself!

what's up.

Ryan rides his bike everyday to and from school about 10 miles each way and at night he complains about his calves cramping. A lot of people ride bikes here and it seems very convenient and scary to ride with these crazy drivers. Yesterday as we were finalizing everything to go to Utah I had some errands to run. I find it frustrating to walk places because it takes to long when I know I could be moving faster, so I decided to ride the bike. A little history, I am scared to ride a bike, I did a triathlon last year and added about 45 minutes onto my final time because of the bike ride, I was scared to go fast. Anyways, one of these errands was to take our queen size down comforter to the laundry mat. So my first attempt on a bike in Italy was with an over sized bag hanging from the handle bars and getting caught in between my leg and wheel every time i peddled forward with my left leg. Oh and the mount and dismount of the bike I'm sure was quite entertaining, Ryan is 6'3 and I'm 5'8 and the seat is set for him. So there were a lot of tippie toes. While the comforter washed, i did other errands and on my way home with the comforter I couldn't quite get balanced while mounting the saddle and from the weight of this huge comforter, I fell in the bushes. One of those moments when you are laughing at your self and thinking "did anyone see that? seriously, that was pathetic did anyone see how funny that was?" Last night in the middle of the night I was awoken by an immense pain in my left calve, Ryan was right. What vitamin am I lacking?
As I mentioned earlier we have super cheap tickets, $350 round trip international!! So you get what you pay for. We were suppose to leave this morning and haven't, we are waiting to hear what's next. Luckily we have some people staying in our place while we are gone which helps with rent so I had to go above and beyond with my house cleaning before we left.
So I'm sitting here with a sore bum and really sore calf muscle. A spotless house, bags all packed and kids that are stir crazy.

our eager young painter

this problem dates back to when Cloe was around Abbey's age. When Ryan is painting at home, and something comes up, he leaves painting, paints and brushes in plain sight and completely reachable. Haven't figured that out yet. So like I said, when Cloe was young, Ryan was working on a portrait and Cloe got in the room and painted all over the face, yikes! But the painting was fixed. Now little miss Abbey has the same desires to paint. This isn't the first occasion, just the first photographed one. We had the missionaries over for dinner, yes again, and I went in our room to answer the phone, and I found this little girl, adding some color to Dad's commissioned portrait. Something ironic, the portrait that Cloe got a hold of is this guys sister. Anyways after talking to her, Ryan made her pose with her master piece and this is the only face she would give him. Whadya expect?

Brody and his always perfect timing

Brody is CONSTANTLY asking A TON of questions. Every question is followed by at least 5 that are about the answer you gave to the last, until you say "because, no more questions Brody!" and then he says "mom! just tell me!" At least not everyone is fluent in English but the truth is, most people in Florence do actually understand English. Anyways...
last night we had the sister missionaries over for dinner and Brody randomly asked Ryan "Dad, how come sometimes you punch me?" whaaaaaaaa?

explanation: Ryan and Brody play a pretend fight game and they punch each other

so funny!

this makes it cute......i think.

happy birthday gavin!!!!

have a special day, we will see you soon!!!
love,

Cloe Brody and Abbey

theee best!

here are the kids with their teachers at the st. james american church, were the little playgroup is. these girls are awesome!! the kids love them and so do i. when i drop the kids off and pick them up, i always end up talking for at least half an hour. i always tell them that when we are making the big bucks that they are moving to the states to be my live in nannies because I couldn't ask for more!! besides that the kids and i love them, i had to dedicate a post to them because at the end of the school year they sent me home with a folder full of my kids drawings and paintings that they did through the year AND a dvd of the kids playing and what not. there was a little part that had a song by Rafi about "i wonder if i'm growing, my mom says i'm growing" and there are pictures of my kids flashing on the screen, bring on the water works! i just love that they thought of something that will be very sentimental for my kids forever as one of their memories of italy.

this isn't the best picture because the kids had just been at a 3 hour b-day party and were pretty tired!

a LOVELY day in Viareggio

Oh how I LOVE the beach!! And for so many reasons. I love to swim in the waves, I love being half naked, feeling the warmth of the sun and the heat of the sand on my feet! And now that I have kids I love it even more because of how much THEY love to go to the beach. I love the excitement they get when they know the beach is near, I love how they can't wait to play in the sand and how they start playing in it the second we step foot on it, while Ryan and I try to juggle the crap and find a spot. I love their sandy cheeks cause their suits never stay on their bums. I love watching them swim and get trashed by the waves and when they get out of the water and they are cold, I love watching them roll in the warmth of the sand. Oh Ryan, when will you buy me a beach house so we can do this more often? How could I forget to mention the kids sleep like rocks after a fun day at the beach.



We went to Viareggio which is on the west coast (west siiiide!) and took the train. It was an hour and 20 minutes ride and we kept telling the kids, "this is what the airplane will be like but much longer!" We went with Annie and Elliot and had the best time. I love the beaches here, though I'm still true to my southern california roots. I had such a good time that this is the best elimination process I could do with the photos.




my blue eyed beauty on the train

Abbey just finished doing her "trick" of swinging on the arm rests


Brody trying to not act excited

the gorgeous Annie with cute little Elliot. Yes, I went to the beach with a skinny girl ;) Aren't the clouds amazing, just made the day all that more perfect!


Abbey the puppy


this is where he spent most of his time


Annie, Cloe and Elliot enjoying the waves


what's a beach trip without burying the kids?


nice hops Clo!

rolling around after their last swim, the wind started to pick up a little so this made a perfect blanket

4th of July

is obviously just another day here in Italy. We made dinner plans with some friends and the day before, I realized it was going to be the 4th of July. We attempted to make is a 4th of julyish as possible, minus the fireworks. We had hamburgers and hot dogs (grilled in a pan on the stove), potato salad, red white and blue fruit salad, chili dip, guac dip and of course the ole' american flag cake. Unfortunately these are the only photos I took. I planned on taking a picture of the setup because Cloe helped me make the flag "table cover" and I totally spaced in the chaos of our a/c. (they left about 10 minutes before our friends arrived.) But we had a great time hanging out and were up too late. But that is always a good sign of wonderful company when you look and the clock and say "holy crap it's already 11:00!"

and a photo of the jimmy rig

yes, that is a tube going through the wall from outside and draining into the bath tub!

these italians!

so we are very fortunate to have a/c in our apartment. But the annoying thing is, water drips from the condensation so we have to empty buckets everyday. Our landlord decided to change it so that we wouldn't have to empty the buckets, i think that's what he said. So right now, while my kids are taking a nap, I'm sure Brody isn't because all he wants to do is steal the tools, 2 guys are here changing the system. I know one of them is a painter because he was the one I talked to to get the paint colors to touch up the walls. But I listened to them (not understood) argue in the bathroom for 10 minutes while they decided where to make the hole in the wall. I know this whole process is totally being jimmy rigged and i also find it very humerus. Just thought I'd share my nap time adventure today, enjoy your 4th of July!!

talk about small world!

this picture is of one of my good friends here in Florence, Annie and her little boy Elliot. But the crazy thing is, last time we were here back in 2003 I met her at the internet point that she worked at and we would always go to (thank goodness we know have internet in our house!). She had just moved here from Wisconsin and was a fashion designer trying to get a job as an illegal ;) Sooooo, now we move back and I join the American mom's group and at the first mom's nite out she mentioned how she first worked at a cell phone place (you could also rent cell phones there). I put 2 and 2 together and it turns out she remembered me and now our kids go to the same pre school! crazy.
But the purpose for even taking this photo is because I have to show off how amazing she is. She is in the process of starting her own children's line of clothes and as you can imagine is always dressed very cute and fashionable. Yesterday at a birthday party she was sporting this cute summer dress and when I asked her about it, "oh, I made it yesterday during Elliot's nap". Oh, really? you mean that's ALL you accomplished during nap time? you should be ashamed of your self!(I'm being very sarcastic) are you kidding me!!! all I did was laundry and mop floors and she is making adorable clothes!