The kids had a few days off for Easter. On her days off, Katherine made this necklace out of beads and gave it to Ms. Basha.
Ms. Basha was more than impressed and happy about her gift. The teachers and kids have to keep masks on at all times, but since they were technically standing outside the school in the open air, we snuck a picture with no masks!
Our family went on a Reformation Tour of Rome. It was very interesting. The Holy Steps are not far from our home and we had no idea that they were there or the significance in Roman Catholicism. St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, had the stairs brought back from Jerusalem after she converted to Christianity. It is said that the steps were from the palace of Pontius Pilate and were the same steps that Christ climbed during his trial.
The steps have been covered in wood to help preserve them. You are only allowed to climb the steps on your knees. Thousands climb these steps each week in hopes that the prayers that they say on each step and then getting to the top will get them enough forgiveness to last a while. There are staircases on each side that you can climb to see the things at the top of the building, which is what we did when visiting this area.
This is San Giovani church, which we have seen many times from the outside. The orange building attached to it is where the Pope used to live before the Vatican was built.
Getting some selfies on the tour.
Selfies in the park next to the Colosseum.
Hudson made a little friend on the tour :)
Kevin also joined us :) They were glad to get a seat on the metro headed home.
This was biggest pizza box! We each chose a slice of pizza, and they put it all in one big box.
group shot for the tour we were on
Hudson enjoying his piano...and Scout enjoying his new spot to listen from
Katherine and i went to the train station to pick up our friends. It was a BEAUTIFUL day! They made a spur of the moment trip to Rome, and we couldn't have been more excited!
Regan, Tara, Lauren, Kelly, Katherine, Adaya...visiting Appia park near our home...just going for a walk and catching up!
The girls...always looking for a tree to climb
We ran across the the shepherd with his sheep. We even saw him protect them from a charging dog.
When at the Sheddans...
Walking around "our' part of town...this is the tallest of the 8 Egyptian obelisks in Rome.
Just taking a short rest by the city wall while we waited for the light to change.
We were really full from lunch, but Jonathan insisted that they at least know what a supllì tasted like.
kids are never too full for gelato! Poor Katherine. she paid for the 3 scoops, but it was a new person who didn't realize she wanted 3 of the same flavor. She just ended up with one tiny scoop. She's a good sport though.
Hudson kind of gets lost behind his mask and sunglasses!
The kids wanted to play a game of Risk....it was the LOOOOOOOONGEST game EVER! They didn't finish before our friends had to go back to the airport...so they took pictures to resume at a later date. I think it's a ploy to return to Rome/get their friend to come back ;)
Tara bought these at the store. I am not a Nutella fan, but these are GOOOOOOD!
Reminiscing over old photos...my how the girls have grown up!
Early morning coffee/breakfast
They brought us some goodies to try from London. Regan and I tried the Breakfast Tea and Crumpets the next morning for breakfast. I really enjoyed the tea! it was much better than I expected.
Hudson and Tara enjoying our busy street :) ... and the sun!
Shadow got in on the people watching as well
It's the game that never ends...and 3 girls who are just competitive enough to no the willing to give in to end the game.
Our friends wanted to try a restaurant. We had plans to take them to one of our favorites...the taste is great and the price is good. However, they were closed when we went. So, we tried the next day since several things were closed due to the holiday. To our surprise, they were still closed! So we walked around and found a new to us restaurant to try.
Katherine ordered a cheeseburger and fries. She's the only one who did not order pasta.
We got a kick out of our waiter. He made sure that all the ladies got served first! First the moms then the older female kids. Boys were last. It was a good restaurant. I'd like to try it again. The portions were HUGE! The taste of the pasta was good, but not the taste we were expecting. It was a fabulous time! We walked home and said our goodbyes. They had a VERY early flight the next morning!
