Curious George Rules The Day

Curious George is one of our favorite shows at the Hutchings' house. When George builds a boat Luke wants to build a boat. When George makes a bird house* Luke wants to build one. And lastly, when George puts together some dinosaur bones so does Luke. It's a cartoon and activity all in one.

Mom & Luke's "boat". Granted, this is not my best work.

Luke's "dinosaur". Pretty creative if you ask me.

*bird house not pictured.

P.S. I have been known to delete cartoons off the DVR that show an activity I'm not willing to do that day. I'm sneaky like that.

Paul

My first crush Paul Newman passed away this Friday. I'm not usually gaga over movie stars, but this man has been my crush for a very long time. I've always loved older movies and loved watching his films. Some girls had pictures of New Kids on the Block or Brad Pitt in their rooms. Not me. Who could compare to Paul? Generous, fun & the best looking movie star there has ever been.

Hip Hip Hurray!

Hero's was in top form last night. Two hours, a little gruesome, and fantastic! I'm so excited! I can't really relate to people who don't watch TV.

On the Lookout

Recently I've become infatuated with the idea of hiring a magician for Halloween. I've really only seen two magicians put on a show. One was a big production (David Copperfield) and the other was a guy (I wish I could remember his name) that was hired for a party at a cabin up Hobble Creek Canyon. I wasn't impressed by Copperfield's big stage tricks, but I was fascinated by the guy at the cabin. So, can anyone recommend a magician in the Salt Lake area? Please leave a comment or email me if you've seen one that is worth a call. Thanks!!

Sick, Sick, Sick

The last few days I've been down-and-out sick. I'm coming out of my funk as of today..thank the heavens. That's what I get for trying to be more "go with the flow" and not sterilizing the entire area of the plane we sat in on the way home. Dirty rotten germs! Being a germ freak is still the way to go.

He's a Travelin' Man

Lucas has been fascinated with transportation for awhile now, but after this trip it has become an obsession. He loved the airplane, trains, metro, boats, cabs, and buses that we were on. He didn't really get the idea that after our 10 hour plane ride that we were somewhere else. He keep asking if his cousins Isabelle & Ava were coming. After we got off the plane yesterday we asked him if he wanted to go home and he said "No! More airplane!". Sheesh!
Luke was a great little traveler. I was dreading the traveling part with a 2 year old, but he completely surprised me. We were on an especially turbulent airplane and most people were holding on to their seats and wincing. Luke had both hands in the air and was laughing and saying "woooooo! weeeeeee!". If we could only all enjoy a flight like an amusement park ride. What a cutie.

On the subway in Paris

On the double-decker bus in London

In a black cab in London. They have built in car seats. So great!!

On a row boat at Versailles

Chillin with his hot dog & sippy cup. All he needs is a remote.

One of the great nights we had included a carousel ride under the Eiffel Tower, watching the Tower's flashing lights, and then topping it off with a pistachio gelato (something we all had almost every night).

Another obsession was formed when we visited the Tower of London. On display are quite a few coats of armor & wooden horses. We purchased Luke's Halloween costume for this year in the gift shop. As soon as we got home Luke insisted on a horse for his knight.

Dad obliged.

Thanks for making this trip so fun Luke. You are the greatest little boy. We love your fanastic personality and your spunk. Love you more than the mountains!

What A Kid's Airport Bathroom Should Look Like

Sometimes I get so tired of finding a decent place to change my child's diaper or, even worse, trying to get him to use a nasty adult toilet. I've been known to encourage Luke to just go in his diaper when the only option is Hepatitis B infested bathroom. I'm also annoyed when, let's say, a resteraunt doesn't offer a place to change a child, but then gives you dirty looks when you change him out side with a blanket on the lawn. No one was born potty trained. And as the book says "Everybody Poops!" I have to control my rage at that point. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when we saw this bathroom ajoining the ladies room at the Charles de Gaulle airport. Well done! Luke even decided he wanted to go potty on the mini-toilet while we were there.

New Family Pictures

We just left London this morning and now we're in Paris.....I'll post some more pics later, but for now I just got an email from Haley Anderson who took our family pics.  You can check them out on her website.  She took the pictures around my family's farm so they mean a lot.  I'm so excited about seeing them.  Thanks Haley!

Bernd & Isabelle's Wedding in Germany

Friday was the beginning of our friends Bernd & Isabelle's wedding. We attended the welcome dinner at the restaurant they met at that night. Most of the events took place in Isabelle's hometown of Landforden. Saturday morning they were married in a beautiful old Catholic church with a reception afterwards at her parents castle called Gut Bamhoff. I can't tell you how beautiful everything was. It was a-mazing! That night there was a formal dinner and reception and then an Oktoberfest luncheon the next day. I've never seen anything like it. I've had so much fun. Congratulations to Bernd & Marie-Isabelle Wendeln!! Thanks for sharing your special day with us!

Gut Bamhoff
Luke playing balloon soccor with a proper German woman. She was a good sport.
They hired a circus to entertain the kids. Not pictured is the guy walking on stilts & the kids tent full of games and food.  Crazy!
Jared & me at the formal dinner & dance.

Holland

We spent 3 days in Holland last week, most of them a blurry fog of jet lag, but amazing none-the-less. We rented bicycles and made our way around the amazing city of Amsterdam. Everyone bikes here! I loved the fact that in the morning you could see men driving their bikes with their suits on with two kids in their bike seats on back. The city is flat and the climate is perfect for riding around. I felt like an awkward American most of the time wobbling around with my bike handlebars. These people have been riding downtown in herds since they were small and they ride inches apart from each other. It reminded me of a flock of birds. We even saw a couple riding together with the boyfriend's hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. Cute. We ended up going to the Van Gogh Museum and riding a boat down to the center of town. I have a lot of Dutch blood in my family and everyone always tells me how "Dutch" I look. It was fun to see where a lot of my ancestors come from. I would love to spend more time in this great city.  Thanks to Holly for all the suggestions on what to do.  P. S.  I still don't like mayo with my fries. =/

Luke hanging tough on the flight. The DVD player made flying a dream!
The big new cheese Luke has been sporting. Notice the stroller in the background. The airport in Amsterdam lost it. It's our last photo of it. If you see it please call.