After a few weeks (months?) its hard to know where to start; there has been a lot going on. There has been a lot going on, but the reason I haven’t written anything is because I have been busy planning our next big trip, and it is a masterpiece.

Just last week, Mercy graduated off of her training wheels, and is up on a two wheeler.

It was a lot of fun- she is a quick learner, and it was the same park Rosie learned just a few years ago.

Rosie came to cheer on her sis as well.

We did a fun game night at the neighbors house, and learned a fun game; it wa really nice because Mercy was able to play as well, and she almost won.

Also, Mercy is a little older these days, and having a blast with some of “her friends”- meaning she gets to do something special, and not just hang out with the little brother/sister of Rosies friends. As a younger sibling myself, that feeling is real.

We also finally reached the age where Mercy and Rosie are annoying one another. But, for the most part they are amazing friends in between.

Mercy loves to watch Rosie dance, and is getting a bit bigger to sit through parts of Rosie’s performances:

We also had a crazy hailstorm- it was the strangest thing. Just a few moments of gigantic hail- only a few of these large hailstones covered our yard. However, it was enough to crack the windshield of our car. Then I learned that insurance covers that kinda thing- except these days, replacing a windshield is not just swapping out the glass- cars are fancy and the windshield has sensors, so it took hours to finish.

What trip?

Finally, the reason I have not done any morning posts on the blog is because I have been busy planning our big 15-year anniversary trip to Italy. It has been a lot of fun to watch youtube videos, learn about the country, read travel blogs, listen to podcasts, and have the freedom to create our own custom trip. It really helped a lot this year with the seemingly endless days of snow and ice when the kids were out of school to have something fun (and warm) to look forward to.

For the trip, we are going to Italy: Rome, Capri, and even further south to Tropea, a small beach town near the “Toe”.

Rome will be busy; Capri will be Fancy; and Tropea, hopefully, will be a calm couple of days on the beach. Then, at the end of the trip, hop a short plane ride back to Rome to catch our flight back home.

The tours are scheduled, dinner reservations are booked, the rental car is waiting- the countdown has begun!