Jacob and Abi Beutler Family

Jacob's brother Jared and his sister Deborah met us in Rome. We were so happy to see them, and they helped out a ton with the kids. We saved the best sites to see with them. These are all places that you read about in history books, and we got to see them.

the Colosseum...the Arch of Constantine...

On Jacob's to-do list for Rome was see some catacombs, underground cemeteries for early Christians. We went to a 45-minute tour of the Catacombs of San Callisto. We don't have any pictures of the inside of the catacombs (as it is forbidden to take photos of such a sacred place), but really enjoyed the tour, and I left with a feeling of gratitude for the early Christians.

Next up to highlight is Rome's first church, St. John's Basilica. It was gorgeous and HUGE (note how tiny Lizzie looks next the apostle Matthew's statue). The kids did not have much patience for it though (too much of a temptation for them to go wild) so we only looked around for half an hour (good thing it was free).

We also went to the Villa Borghese Park in search for a hot air balloon for the kids, but underestimated the parks' size and the time of sunset, so did not do much here, much to the kids disappointment. The park is huge, and if you don't know your way around you mostly wander around, trying to look like you know where you are going. But we did get some excellent photos, the kids got to watch some talented roller-bladers, and we treated ourselves to some fancy pastries on our way home. But still, Ben and Liz would have loved the hot air balloon.

We finally made it to Italy, specifically Rome, and had a wonderful time! We started off our holiday with a big bang and went to St. Peter's Square to witness the Catholic Pope deliver Easter Mass. It rained a lot, but that didn't stop the crowds. We listened to the Pope bless the world and to the choir sing in the majestic square, and were definitely impressed. Later in the evening we went to the LDS stake center in Rome and listened to a session of General Conference. So, a wonderful Easter Sunday (and the kids didn't even notice a lack of baskets from the Easter Bunny).

Planning on going to Easter Mass next year? Here's some advice. You will be able to get in and stand without a ticket, but you can only have a seat with a ticket. Bring an umbrella but do not bring any luggage/backpacks as this will slow you down with security. Finally, ignore the lines and just push your way through the crowds to get into the square (lines are just a suggestion in Italy, as are most traffic rules).

I can't help but mention that eating in Rome was great. Pizza/pasta and ice cream every day. Yummy! The kids thought it was cool too (notice the thumbs up from Ben and Liz and John's delight with being a big kid). The ice cream in Italy is called gelato and comes in many different flavors and consistencies. If you are in Rome and want good gelato, we highly recommend Old Bridge Gelateria (located right along the wall of the Vatican) for its excellent quality and quantity.

Our kids loved the fountains, and Rome is full of them. John especially loved getting out of the baby carrier and playing with the water. Doesn't he look big?