Dance on the Wall

Napoleon is sorry not to have a post on the blog for so long! He's had a jam-packed schedule over the last month. Check out some of Napoleon's adventures in Israel. He got to sample some Arabic coffee (gross!!), hang out a bit in the Holy Land, and practice some of his dance moves on top of the wall in Jerusalem.

Free day

A delay in one of our flights meant an extra touring day for Napoleon! Sweet!! First of all, he got put up in the local Marriott hotel, all expenses paid. He got a much needed extra night of rest, and he was pretty excited about staying at the Marriott since it is owned by the mormons.





The next day he got to ride the train into Amsterdam and bum around with some other members of the team. It was a great time! We did some souvenir shopping, walked through the flower market, ate at a restaurant, and took a boat ride. Napoleon got a little bit excited in the flower market when he saw these “starter kits.” At this point he got a little bit ornery and we had to practically drag him out of the store. After this episode, Napoleon was reluctantly relegated to the backpack. Overall, it was a good experience for him.



Later in the day we stopped in at a 24/7 prayer house known as the Tabernacle. Here we heard a little bit about the ministry there, and were even invited to spend some time in prayer for the city. Napoleon got a little bit uncomfortable at this point (remember he’s a mormon), but we’ll keep working on him.

Tour de Napoleon

A very exciting day for Napoleon began at the Paris metro. There was no mistaking where he wanted to go. This was an extra-special day, to be in the country where his name was made famous!! Napoleon might have been a little bit intimidated, though. He kept telling stories about shooting wolverines in Alaska with his 12 gauge.

One of our first stops was the Basilique du Sacre Coeur . Check out Napoleon chilling out here. Next was Tour Eiffel! This was a definite highlight. Napoleon claimed he could climb up the outside of the Tower using some of his illegal ninja moves from the government. However, he doubted that Uncle Rico could throw a football over the top. Go figure…





Napoleon enjoyed his vantage point for most of our travels through Paris. The way he was talking, though, we made sure to keep a close eye on him.

Napoleon International

That’s right, passport in hand, Napoleon is ready to take the sweetest jump he’s ever taken – over an ocean!! On October 17th, Napoleon got ready to leave the country for the first time! He’s on an extended trip that will literally take him around the world. The first day was like the longest day ever, with lots of walking in airports and an overnight flight. The first stop was Detroit, and then it was on to Paris. Napoleon almost got dehydrated from all of the moving around, but we had plenty of chapstick on hand to keep his lips from getting too dry.

Go West, Young Man

The U.P. and Wisconsin had awesome fall colors that Napoleon sat up front to enjoy. Good thing we didn't get pulled over...phew! He was enjoying reading the bumper stickers until he saw this one. He thought it should read wolverines. "Ugh! Idiots!"







The boys were getting a little squirrely as we neared Minneapolis to attend the Desiring God conference and visit friends. A quick stop at a park was just the right thing! Napoleon told Abraham he could handle the height of the slide, so down they went. Abraham loved it, Napoleon said "Well, that was a complete waste of time."






We stayed with Blake and Melody in Minneapolis...they were really happy to have Napoleon visit and really sad when he had to go...




Our last big stop was to visit Andrew and Aaron at Dordt College. The boys were impressed checking out Napoleon's adventures online. Many stories were swapped of good 'ol times at Dordt, and we even got to visit some old buddies, Kraig and Danielle! Abraham enjoyed meeting their daughter Kyriana, but Napoleon was too sleepy (or maybe just shy) to visit.




One parting shot from our journey home...Napoleon wanted to see the Mississippi River but had a bit of a hard time climbing up to the window. Oh well, maybe on your next adventure, Napoleon. Have fun, behave yourself, don't forget your chapstick, and come again sometime. B-bye!!

Our First Family Road Trip

All washed up we packed Napoleon and our things and headed north to Da Yoopers! Napoleon said the Mackinaw Bridge was flippin' sweet, eh!

FFA

Next, we headed over to the farm. We parked by Uncle David's and asked if we could borrow their wagon. He said we could. Abraham then told Napoleon that it'd be nice if he would pull him into Shupe Farm town. Napoleon graciously agreed.
Our first stop was to see the chickens. Napoleon wondered if the chickens had large talons...Abraham wasn't sure.



Of course we had to stop by the milking parlor next. Napoleon was all over that place! He couldn't resist showing off his FFA skills a bit. He wanted us to take his picture by this cow so that he could show Pedro that she had six teats or something...







Napoleon did get a bit carried away cleaning up the parlor and ended up needing his suit washed up a bit. The guys were so glad he came by to visit...he even kept a runaway calf in line for awhile. Time to rest up for our big road trip, Napoleon!