Tyler, I mean IRONMAN, wishes you all a very Happy Halloween!! Tyler was SO excited about wearing his costume for his party at school on Friday and of course wanted to continue to wear it all weekend. We took a break from it on Saturday but he's back in costume today and we're going to a carnival latter tonight for a little more Halloween fun.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tyler's adventures
While Shaun and I were away Tyler had a great time visiting his grandparents. Here are a few pictures from his adventures with them.
This was him telling Gran he was ready for a hug from Mommy and Daddy. :)
He got to help my cousin Nickie wash her car at my parents house. Good to know they are teaching valuable skills. Now if we can just teach him to use the vacuum for all the messes HE creates in my car.
Tyler is big into superheros now and Shaun's parents bought him this Ironman toy.
Practicing on the tricycle with Grandma
and a trip to the park
This was him telling Gran he was ready for a hug from Mommy and Daddy. :)
He got to help my cousin Nickie wash her car at my parents house. Good to know they are teaching valuable skills. Now if we can just teach him to use the vacuum for all the messes HE creates in my car.
Tyler is big into superheros now and Shaun's parents bought him this Ironman toy.
Practicing on the tricycle with Grandma
and a trip to the parkSunday, October 17, 2010
Europe #3: Paris
We finished up our trip in Paris. It was confusing and frustrating at times, but it was also beautiful, exciting and enlightening.
It took us awhile to find our hotel once we arrived because it wasn't on a main street, it was actually off an alleyway which now just seems very European and not at all strange. Once we got settled in it was dark and there wasn't much time to see sites so we just went out to get some dinner, explore a bit and map out our plan for the next 2 days.
There was a national strike in France while we were there so that put a few hiccups in our plans, thankfully nothing major though. We saw most of the major sites that were important to us but there is plenty left to see if we decide to visit Paris again when we're able to return to Europe on another trip.
The Eiffel Tower was awesome. I thought it was big before I saw it, it's not... it's HUGE. We were disappointed to not be able to go up in the tower because it was closed due to the strike the day that we were there, however, just seeing it up close was worth the trip to Paris even if we wouldn't have gotten to do anything else.... luckily we did do other things though.
My pictures are a little out of order, I apologize.
This is the Louvre at night. I wanted to see the Louvre more than anything else and it did not disappoint me. We saw 2 of the 3 sections there and did that pretty quickly, to see everything in detail it would take a least a day if not more.
This is a view from inside the glass pyramid at the Louvre looking out.
down the main corridor in the Renaissance section... I would think we had reached the end and it just kept going and going
pyramid at the Louvre up close.... a little smaller than I expected but still very cool
Notre Dame Cathedral the front view
The amazing thing about the outside of Notre Dame is that each side of it looks so different.
Notre Dame the side view
Notre Dame the back side
Our hotel
The Louvre from the other side during the day
The entrance gates at Versailles.
Versailles - The Hall of Mirrors 
The Gardens at Versailles - this is just one side... impressive is a HUGE understatement
The Gardens at Versailles to the back - there is so much of the estate grounds that we didn't see. That body of water in the distance in this picture is a mile long and there are gardens along the sides of it. So beautiful.
It took us awhile to find our hotel once we arrived because it wasn't on a main street, it was actually off an alleyway which now just seems very European and not at all strange. Once we got settled in it was dark and there wasn't much time to see sites so we just went out to get some dinner, explore a bit and map out our plan for the next 2 days.
There was a national strike in France while we were there so that put a few hiccups in our plans, thankfully nothing major though. We saw most of the major sites that were important to us but there is plenty left to see if we decide to visit Paris again when we're able to return to Europe on another trip.
The Eiffel Tower was awesome. I thought it was big before I saw it, it's not... it's HUGE. We were disappointed to not be able to go up in the tower because it was closed due to the strike the day that we were there, however, just seeing it up close was worth the trip to Paris even if we wouldn't have gotten to do anything else.... luckily we did do other things though.
My pictures are a little out of order, I apologize.This is the Louvre at night. I wanted to see the Louvre more than anything else and it did not disappoint me. We saw 2 of the 3 sections there and did that pretty quickly, to see everything in detail it would take a least a day if not more.
This is a view from inside the glass pyramid at the Louvre looking out.
down the main corridor in the Renaissance section... I would think we had reached the end and it just kept going and going
pyramid at the Louvre up close.... a little smaller than I expected but still very cool
Notre Dame Cathedral the front viewThe amazing thing about the outside of Notre Dame is that each side of it looks so different.
Notre Dame the side view
Notre Dame the back side
Our hotel 
The Louvre from the other side during the day
The entrance gates at Versailles.The frustrating and confusing part of our first day is Paris began on the way to Versailles. We started by taking the wrong train, then we corrected our route and when we KNEW we were on the right train it stopped at a stop it shouldn't have.
As it turns out they were rerouting the trains, with no notice in any language, because of the strike. We figured this out only after talking to some people after we got off the train. Versailles was also closed that morning but by the time we got out there they had opened so we did end up and get to take the tour and were happy we had walked out there.
Versailles - The Hall of Mirrors The chandeliers and painted ceilings were amazing throughout the chateau and especially in this special hall that spanned almost the entire back length of the house.
The Gardens at Versailles - this is just one side... impressive is a HUGE understatement
The Gardens at Versailles to the back - there is so much of the estate grounds that we didn't see. That body of water in the distance in this picture is a mile long and there are gardens along the sides of it. So beautiful.I have a lot more pictures of course. I tried to pick the best ones of all the highlights for these posts. If you'd like to see more I'll post them on facebook.
Europe #2: Brussels
We did a quick stop in Brussels, spending just one night on Sunday and then exploring a little before we set off for Paris on Monday afternoon. We stayed near the square area so that we could easily walk to the places we wanted to see.
The architecture in Brussels, particularly in the square is incredible. There is so much detail in buildings from top to bottom.
Built much more recently than most of the buildings we saw in Brussels, this is a shopping area which is basically a fancy walking alley, but it was an impressive sight.
This is an odd but very popular attraction, the little boy statue is what many call one of the most overrated attractions in Europe. Countries from all over the world send little costumes for the statue to wear. Much more impressive were the chocolate likeness of this little guy displayed in many of the chocolate shops there.
One corner of the impressive square
This is a wider shot of the square... being there in some ways makes you feel like you've step back in time. Only foot traffic is allowed in the square and there are a few cafes scattered around here among museums and government buildings.
The largest building in the square the details on this building were amazing.
The architecture in Brussels, particularly in the square is incredible. There is so much detail in buildings from top to bottom.
Built much more recently than most of the buildings we saw in Brussels, this is a shopping area which is basically a fancy walking alley, but it was an impressive sight.
This is an odd but very popular attraction, the little boy statue is what many call one of the most overrated attractions in Europe. Countries from all over the world send little costumes for the statue to wear. Much more impressive were the chocolate likeness of this little guy displayed in many of the chocolate shops there.
One corner of the impressive square
This is a wider shot of the square... being there in some ways makes you feel like you've step back in time. Only foot traffic is allowed in the square and there are a few cafes scattered around here among museums and government buildings.
The largest building in the square the details on this building were amazing.Saturday, October 16, 2010
Europe
A few weeks ago we found out that Shaun was going to have to go back to Germany for work.... that next week.
Shaun and I have been trying to plan a vacation for the two of us to Europe for a couple of years. Luckily with this opportunity coming up for him, I was able to take some time off work and meet him after he was finished with his work so that we could finally have that vacation.
I met him in Amsterdam where we stayed for 2 nights, then we traveled by train to Brussels for a night and then on to Paris for 3 nights. It was a fast and busy trip but he had a wonderful time and are so thankful that we were able to go.
Below are some pictures from Amsterdam and I will follow up this post with some pictures from Brussels and Paris as well.
Amsterdam was great... very laid back, friendly, diverse and beautiful. They have more canals there than Venice does and those make for some of the best views to see.
This is the train station. It's being refurbished but is still a cool building to see.
We took a canal tour on one of the boats and were able to see a lot of the city that way.
The "I Amsterdam" sign in front of one of their large museums.
Shaun griding some hops at Heineken.
Shaun and I have been trying to plan a vacation for the two of us to Europe for a couple of years. Luckily with this opportunity coming up for him, I was able to take some time off work and meet him after he was finished with his work so that we could finally have that vacation.
I met him in Amsterdam where we stayed for 2 nights, then we traveled by train to Brussels for a night and then on to Paris for 3 nights. It was a fast and busy trip but he had a wonderful time and are so thankful that we were able to go.
Below are some pictures from Amsterdam and I will follow up this post with some pictures from Brussels and Paris as well.
Amsterdam was great... very laid back, friendly, diverse and beautiful. They have more canals there than Venice does and those make for some of the best views to see.
This is the train station. It's being refurbished but is still a cool building to see.
We took a canal tour on one of the boats and were able to see a lot of the city that way.
The "I Amsterdam" sign in front of one of their large museums.We went to the Van Gogh museum which I enjoyed very much. We also did a tour of the Heineken brewery which was fun.
Shaun griding some hops at Heineken.
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