Special Day

 
 
 
 

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL!

One year ago today this little angel changed all of our lives. How lucky we are to share every single day with her......she is our precious jewel!

Our Champion Orange Belt

 

September Sunday Afternoon

 

DADDY'S GIRL

  

From 080920

Star-Crossed Lovers

 

She knows that her brother will have a meltdown if he even sees her LOOK at his favorite stuffed animal whom he affectionately refers to as his "son". He has taken his "son" to every State we've ever travelled including Italy and the Dominican Republic. This little rabbit has been around for years and is never out of reaching distance of our little/ "big" guy...Kiddie is a regular "Zelig" in nearly every picture for the past 7 years. Kiddie may have, however, met his match as the new girl on the block is eyeing him! She's got an iron grip and a real stubborn streak!

Mutual Admiration

 

Time & Energy

Boy, this posting on a regular basis thing is going to be challenging. I have promised myself that I will try to post at least once a week. Work has been extremely busy, especially this week, given the markets and the merger news so I definitely feel deprived in the time arena.

On the home front, the kids seem to be growing before my eyes. The baby will be a year old in a week and she is so full of energy. Did I say ENERGY? Well, everyone knows that there is no energy in the world like my Mr. Wonderful, a.k.a. My Whirling Dervish. He is in full swing with soccer season on top of judo three times a week. His homework is getting more and more labor intensive and complicated which requires patience and focus, two things that are definitely not his strong suit. Thank goodness I keep a calculator with me at all times! Helping him with his schoolwork is keeping me up nights…I am having flashbacks of my own fourth grade classroom and I swear I can see the ghost of Miss Brockman flying down the hallway corridors in my sleep.

The baby is walking much more assuredly and she seems to be completely following our conversations. She hates to be confined to her crib, exersaucer, walker or even her stroller. She wants to be the free spirit she was meant to be. She loves to babble on the telephone and bring it to us when it rings. She brings our shoes to us when it’s time to leave and she brings her brother’s favorite stuffed animal that is ABSOLUTELY OFF LIMITS to her (according to him) right to him without putting it in her mouth…which I consider quite a feat of restraint!

Everybody's Workin' For The Weekend.....

It was a long week despite the fact that Labor Day gave us the gift of a 4 day work week. It's always so hard coming off a great vacation and leaving all that precious relaxing (and food and drink) behind.

This week brought us back to school, back to work and back to normal everyday life (or at least what passes for "normal" around here). Judo resumed its old 3 day a week schedule, soccer practice/games are also 3 days a week, ballroom dancing lessons (which I lovingly refer to as "Dancing With The Stars" to inspire compliance from a certain macho 9 year old) are about to start along with CCD, monthly orthodontist appointments, daycare for the baby 3 days a week, and the onslaught of a slew of Fall party invitations and events that seem to line up like dominoes.

That's why the weekends mean so much to us. This weekend we'll have John's mom visiting overnight. The kids love having abuela over. It's a little difficult for me though because she doesn't speak a word of English and I don't speak a word of Spanish. We do get by with lots of charade-like antics to get our respective points across though. It's been working so far and, of course, I count the the extra activity as points for exercise.

School is Officially In Session

Well, after a whirlwind summer mostly comprised of scheduling rides to/from judo, soccer camp, golf/tennis/swimming camp, basketball camp and multisport camp; several day trips, playdates, sleepovers and movies.....and, of course, the infamous Dominican Republic trip....my respite finally arrived....School is Officially in Session!

4th Grade buckle up your seatbelt because here he comes...all 10,000 megawatts!

Was it just a dream?

 

No.......it wasn't. We've officially returned from our 4th Honeymoon in 2 years. We have already begun counting the days until we return (see the ticker with the airplane on the left!). We're getting ready for a nice long weekend to celebrate Labor Day and then for the start of school next week. Goodbye Summer!

Beautiful Boy

 

Last Day of Vacation

Another Wonderful Day

Tonight was our last night here. We ate and drank and enjoyed the show (Le Cirque). The entertainment staff really knocked themselves out for this one...fire eaters, acrobats, men on stilts, clowns......you name it.

We missed the ugly storm Gustav that passed through the island while we were here. Some folks on the other side of the island were not as lucky as it claimed several lives due to extensive flooding.

The kids are sad to leave......so are the parents! Knowing we'll be back in November though makes it much easier to leave this time.

Enjoy the photos.........notice my little Tasmanian Devil in the Zen Zone....I could just eat that child up!

Day 6

We're having a great time.....just 2 more days and we're back to reality!

Discovering Sand

 

Dominican Republic

Today is Day 5 in Paradise. It was so nice to wake up on a Monday and not dread starting the work week! It's been more than 14 months since we were here last and things haven't changed a bit........just as beautiful as ever. I wonder how time just stands still here!