The new Burch baby

What am I thinking??? We did not need another dog!

Our neighbor Debbie works at South Salt Lake animal shelter and she was going to bring a microchip home for Rico. Corey decided to go with her to pick it up and help her feed the animals on the weekend. That's all there was to it!

I said "NO, No more pets!" So we took Rico to the shelter and checked her out anyway. Corey was right - she was a great dog. Debbie let us bring her home to try her out overnight. Things were actually fine. Rico had to put her in her place a few times but now they are great friends. I think he's actually happier having someone to play with. She fits in great and she is so sweet, she loves to snuggle and thinks she's a lap dog!

We finally all agreed on the name Izzy and she's learning to come to it, she's about 6 months old.


Erika and Izzy


Corey, Paula and Izzy


Colton and Izzy


Rico and Izzy playing


They only look ferocious!!


Buddies

Paris September 08

I've been working on this post for over a month and just can't get it finished. So I am just going to add some pictures and be done with it! I'm sorry it is so long.

Paris was the last city on our tour. We spent two nights with the tour group and then an extra two nights on our own. When we got to Paris we took a nighttime city tour, it was really pretty. I wish the pictures had come out a little nicer though. The next morning we took another city tour, we basically saw all the same things as we did during the nighttime tour.

After lunch a small group went to the Palace of Versailles. We had private guide so that was nice and then we had some time to walk in the Gardens. It was very beautiful. Three Kings of France lived there, Marie Antoinette was one of the wives.

After that tour, we had the bus drop us off with some people we met from Ohio. We walked through Notre Dame Cathedral and went to the Louvre and took pictures. Then we had a fun dinner with them before finding our way back to the hotel. Erika took an instant liking to Dave. She wanted to hold his hand all day. I felt bad because they were on vacation to get away from kids and here is my child hanging all over him! He was a good sport about it though, he didn't have any girls at home.

The next morning we slept in a little and missed everyone leaving because they all had flights to catch. I took the girls down the street to find a luggage store we had passed the night before. Erika's backpack was ripping and mine was so full we couldn't stuff one more thing into it. So we ended up buying 2 new suitcases that we didn't really need. We had tried to pack very light but the backpacks were not quite big enough for everything. It wasn't like we bought a ton of souveniers or anything either.




The kids waiting in the subway station


Pantheon


Louvre


Colton and Erika at the Louvre


Corey at Luxembourg Gardens


This was a game in the park. The girls gave it a try even though the questions were in French.


Luxembourg Gardens


Riding the carousel at Luxembourg Gardens. The girls were given sticks and a man held out rings for them to try to get on their sticks as they went past. When all the rings were gone he stopped the ride. Weird!


Napolean's burial place




View from the Eiffel Tower


Next to the Eiffel Tower




Corey and Erika with Ivo and Don from Ohio




Colton on the Eiffel Tower


Erika in her new beret on the Eiffel Tower


Corey on the Eiffel Tower


View from the Eiffel Tower




The Gardens at the Palace of Versailles


Colton at Versailles


The "King's Bed". What is really funny is that the Queen's bed was larger!


Hall of Mirrors at Versailles


Statue in the street by our hotel


Versailles


Erika at Versailles


Inside Notre Dame


Notre Dame. I'm not sure why I don't have a better picture of it.


Big Head statue -- not my kid laying on it!


Arc de Triomphe




Opera House


Montmartre - There are artists all over the place around there.


Erika, Dave from Ohio, and Corey


The girls and Steven having dinner at Montmartre.


The Eiffel Tower will be blue with yellow stars, representing the EU flag, for six months. It is to mark the start of France's six-month presidency of the European Union.

Mount Pilatus Swiss Alps

Mount Pilatus is located above Lucerne, it is part of the Urner Alps. We took the world's steepest cogwheel railway to the top which was 7,000 feet. This was one of my favorite excursions. I am sure it was Colton's favorite too.

We went through the clouds and I was worried that the view would awful from the top but it was absolutely magnificent. It looks like the mountains are floating in the clouds. The guide said this was his 4th trip there this year and this was the best view he'd seen.

We took an aerial cableway down for about 5 minutes, it held several people. We then switched to the aerial gondolas which held 4 people each. The view was so beautiful. We all got a hat that was included with the excursion.


The view from the top.


This church was in the strangest place, just perched on the top of the mountain. I wonder how people get to it.


Corey


This was a hiking trail, it seems like it would have been easier to go straight up.


Paula and Erika


Colton. We climbed a lot of stairs to get to the highest peak.


This was a hotel and gift shop and where the train let us off.


Colton


Erika


Steven


The forest in the clouds.


Gondola ride down the mountain.