Love thy mother

The weather is really bi-polar these days. We officially turned on the heat to combat the cold nights. But in the afternoon, I'm stripping off my long sleeves and jeans and opting for my trusty capris and t-shirts. Then as the sun goes down again (a little too early for my liking), my favorite fuzzy PJ pants are in regular evening rotation.

I am trying to eat healthier these days. Less fast food, less pre-prepared, high-sodium, frozen meals and snacks.

We are also potty-training.

What do these have in common, you ask?

Friends 2 Follow Friday: Sara

Welcome Sara! A fellow southern mama.

She says on Twitter, "I'm fairly certain the internet is evil." Sometimes this can be so true! It's certainly an addiction, anyway.
 
 
Blog Name?  Sara Plays House

When was your blog born - and why? My little blog was born in August of 2006, mainly as a way to keep my family updated with Avery's life. The more I wrote, the more I loved it, and I love the blogging community. It took me a good year to find my "voice". And I still go through bouts of laryngitis every now and then. Real life certainly has a way of keeping me away from the keyboard sometimes, but I've learned to be okay with that. (And embrace it.)

Intuition

Yesterday's Wordless (almost!) Wednesday post referred to our 2009 family vacation to Europe. We bravely took an 14-month old child with us. Despite getting blasted on websites like CruiseCritic.com for our irresponsible parenting and lack of concern for other travelers' happiness (thank you, jerks), we never considered leaving her home. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience we could not pass up. For us, leaving our baby girl at home was not an option.

While in Barcelona, we visited the enormous, creative, and absolutely amazing Sagrada Familia cathedral. This cathedral has been under construction since the late 1800s!

Anyone could stare at this building for hours and still miss some of the details. Words, sculpture depicting bible stories, symbolic icons, and elegant (sometimes gaudy) embellishments adorn the entire structure.

  

Always a sucker for a fabulous view, my husband convinced us to take the elevator up to the top. I did not want to go.

Eventually I caved, knowing he desperately wanted some photos from the top. So the whole family (11 of us) waited in line, paid our Euros, stored the stroller in their special area, and boarded the elevator. The small, dark, slightly frightening elevator.

Wordless (almost) Wednesday

Did I ever tell you we took Amelia to Europe when she was 11 months old?


The flight went fairly well.

The cruise was outstanding.

Our ports (Barcelona, Valencia, Nice, Florence/Pisa, Rome) were gorgeous and awe-inspiring.

I highly recommend cousins (and 5 extra adults) for major travel with a small child.




Despite most of the world telling us we were crazy...
We are so thankful to have gone when we did!

By the way, I believe Rome is the hottest place on Earth in the summer.