Venice

Let me start this post by saying that I'm not bitter about the fact that Nicole, Mason, Joe and Cheryl took off last week for Venice while I stayed here and worked. Sure, it would be easy to be jealous of the opportunity to see one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the world. But, someone has to pay the bills you know - and I am glad to do it. Plus, I am very excited that Nicole and her parents were able to fully immerse themselves in the history and culture that is Venice. I can tell this trip had a profound effect on Nicole - in just a few days, she became distinctly more cultured and worldly. For example, after they had returned, as we all looked at the pictures they had taken, I asked Nicole about each of the centuries old cathedrals and palaces, wondering if she could tell me something about them. In response, Nicole would silently squint at each picture, before point to a corner of the photo and saying, "I'm not sure, but there was great shopping in this street over there." Again, I'm not bitter.
Other than shopping, the subject of most of the stories that returned from Venice was Mason (surprise, surprise). One evening, after a several course Italian dinner, desserts were delivered to the table. Mason, standing on his chair and performing for the restaurant, received a large bowl of chocolate ice cream. With wide-eyes, Mason grinned widely and said, "ooooh, big one. A big one." Unfortunately for Mason, he had been standing on his chair for a reason, and that reason also prevented him from comfortably sitting back down again. A recognizable odor soon enveloped the table, leaving little doubt about what Mason had been doing the last few minutes. Visibly agitated, Mason seemed to have an internal battle raging over whether the ice cream was worth sitting down. Mason then decided to consult the table behind him for advice. He turned and began saying "Poopie! Pooopie!" before Nicole was able to grab him and take him to the restroom.
Another interesting Mason story occurred on the train ride back to Lausanne from the Geneva airport. Before the train left, another boy near Mason's age sat down with his mother in the seats across the aisle. The boy wanted to play with Mason, and so he approached Mason's seat. Nicole reminded Mason he needed to say "bonjour" to his new friend. Mason then turned to the boy and said "Bonjour...boy." During the train ride, the boy decided to lift his shirt and show Mason that his tank top underneath featured a picture of Spiderman. Mason looked at the shirt and, clearly impressed, began saying "Spiderman! Spiderman!" while the boy pretended to shoot webs out of his wrists. Not to be outdone, however, Mason lifted his own shirt for the boy and pointed to his pale belly and said, "Belly butt. Belly butt." We are so proud.