A DAY AT THE GETTY VILLA!

Hi Friends!

We had a fun-filled day yesterday in Malibu at the Getty Villa! The hardest part was getting up so early in the morning. The kids were more motivated than us. Cameron got up at 7 a.m. and began waking up all of us. The kids were up and ready and dragged Bill and me out of bed by 8:00. We left around 9 a.m., and after a quick stop at the bank -- we set off for Malibu. We made good time and arrived at the Getty Villa around 10:30.

We started at the gift shop. I know -- it doesn't seem like the obvious starting point. But when Cameron went with his class, he bought a golden statue of an Egyptian bird god. The other kids had Christmas money and couldn't wait to see what they might buy. Molly bought a very regal silver Egyptian necklace. Isaac bought 2 statues -- one of Rah, the sun God, and the other of an Egyptian Pharaoh. He also bought a plate, bowl, and mug set with Egyptian pictures on them. (In fact, right now he's using them to eat breakfast!) Nate bought a large marble statue depicting two angels. And Cameron bought a small piece of pottery.

We sent Bill and Nate back to the truck in the parking area to store these treasures. That way we wouldn't have to carry them with us throughout the museum. And then we set off to explore the museum which is huge and houses all kinds of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artifacts. It even has a real mummy which is in remarkable condition. The architecture and gardens are amazing and set up to look authentic. All of the kids were really into it. We explored the entire museum and stopped to eat lunch at the cafe. We stayed until about 3 p.m. and stopped at McDonald's on the way home for ice cream snacks.

We did a lot of walking at the museum, and after our early wake-up call -- we were all pretty tired. Bill and I took a nap when we got home. Bill got up after an hour or so and was a productive citizen. I, on the other hand, decided to listen to my body which just needed sleep. So, I ended up sleeping from 4:30 p.m. yesterday until 10 a.m. this morning. But the good news is that I woke up feeling rested, which is unusual for me!

Isaac, Cam, and I were the first ones up this morning. I made the boys some eggs for breakfast and we watched Tom and Jerry on TV -- a real classic. Nate, Bill, and Molly just got up and joined us. Bill is on the phone with the landlord as we are having problems with our water heater. The hot water keeps going out and it's a really fancy computerized water heater. So, we need to have someone here who can read the code and fix it.

I know Bill is planning on grocery shopping today, and Cameron has some homework to do that he's conveniently left for the last day of Christmas Break. And the house is looking a bit trashed after the long weekend, so I think we need to tidy up before starting back to school and our regular routines again tomorrow!

Until then...
Much Love,
Michele