Summer's End....

Well, what a great end to the summer. We really have had a wonderful month. It all started with a visit from Kale's friend Grace who stayed with us for a week. Despite Kale getting sick, we had all sorts of fun playing in the kiddy pool, going to the butterfly pavilion, traveling to Pearl and even managing some art projects. Dinnertime was the best with the two toddlers at the kiddy table eating their respective meals, and sometimes dipping into the neighbor's. Tom, Atreyu, Kale and I all made it to Newport as well where we had a brief visit with Grandma Ann before she had to leave for San Fran. Newport is always wonderful for us land-locked folks. We were able to breath in the ocean air and enjoy the nostalgia of a much older town. Ali came to visit and I had the best time seeing my oldest and dear friend. To finish of the trip we took our own personal island-hopping airplane from Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard with Luis, the pilot. The flight was especially spectacular because of the perfect weather. We could see everything! It happened to be a busy weekend on the islands and as we would approach for landing we were able to see at least three other small planes circling the air around us, WOW! I don't know about the kids, but Tom and I really soaked up the luxury of this experience. Tom and I dropped Atreyu off for the first day of second grade and are very pleased to report he loves the new school year and his teacher. Then, to polish it all off, Kale and I went for a girl’s week in SF to visit Grandma Ann. We thought she would need help after her hip surgery, but not at all she was sprightly as ever before we left to come home to Boulder. Labor Day is tomorrow and signals the very end of summer for me. Hope everyone enjoys the fall and winter to come!

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ALASKA

HOLY GUACOMOLE, BATMAN! Tom, Kale and I just got back from Alaska. How immense and incredible this place is! We were so lucky to see everything we did while we were on our cruise in Southeast Alaska. We boarded the 34-passenger National Geographic/ Lindblad cruiser in Sitka and disembarked in Juneau. For one whole week we traveled the coast of Alaska by boat sighting some really spectacular wild life and some incredible geography. On the list are- Orca whales, humpback whales, dolphins, Sea Lions, Otters, Puffins, a Brown Bear (swimming!,) bald eagles, lots of banana slugs, glaciers, rain forests, mountains, waterfalls, and ocean. One of the most amazing things I will remember always was a group of humpback whales we spotted bubble-netting. For those of you who don’t know (and I surely didn’t before this trip,) bubble netting is when a group of 5 or 6 non-related whales form a group using the specific skills of each whale to maximize their feeding. This group works collaboratively underwater; starting with the flash of fins to blind the fish, a call that will herd the fish, and a ring of bubbles to trap the fish, thereby creating an immensely dense ‘net’ of fish- and the feeding begins. The whales swim below the bubble net and close together in a tight ring with their mouths gaping wide open they will rise to the surface collecting the dense pool of fish. Amazing! Whales are the only other known mammal, besides us, who form long lasting non-related bonds. Incredible!!! They will use each other’s talents to maximize their feasting in Alaska when the fish are in peak, however, once the feeding season is finished they will part paths and travel independently back to warmer waters for the winter, not to be seen until the following summer when these same whales will reunite in Alaska. They will do this year after year. The only thing that might top the bubble-netting whales was how wonderful it was to see the family again and what a superstar traveler Kale is! GREAT TRIP!

June

June has been busy so far! Kale and I had a special ‘girls only’ trip to Orcas to visit Grandma Libby. It did rain while we were there but that didn’t stop us from hitting all the great spots- Darville’s, Rose’s, Orcas Hotel, Olga’s cafe, Turtleback Mountain, and Crow Valley Pottery. It was tough to leave the boys for the week, despite that, we had a wonderful time with Libby. Back in Boulder we have kept ourselves busy. Atreyu has wrapped up school for the year and is ready for all of the summer fun. We have been biking around town, swimming, gardening, hiking, and had lots of play dates. Atreyu will start soccer camp next week and Kale has started gym class. Last weekend we spent the day strolling around Pearl Street for Father’s day and Tom got a mountain bike! Yay, we will be able to bike around town as a family. Later this week I will be hosting a baby shower for my friend Lindsay, I decided on a potluck theme- BRING ONE, FREEZE ONE, with the idea that everyone will bring a dish to the shower and freeze one to bring to Lindsay and her family in their first month home with baby when things are too hectic to cook! Later this month Tom, Kale and I (unfortunately Atreyu can’t make it) will be going on an Alaskan cruise with my family. I sure hope I come back with some amazing photos to upload. Talk to you then!

MAY

HI ALL! We are jumping into spring full force! In the last month many activities have sprouted in Boulder- the farmer's market has reopened, people are in the parks, outside dining is booming, and even the tulips are in full bloom on Pearl. We have enjoyed many great activities this past month. One great visit to Haystack Farms in Boulder where we met the new kids, or baby goats- one even managed to pull Kale's hat right off her head because it thought the flower design looked so tastY! We visited the Earth Day Festival where Atreyu got to go rock climbing and meet some raptors. We even munched on some solar-powered fresh baked cookies, yum... Kale has discovered a passion for the tire swing on our block so each day includes a walk down and a swing. We have planted our flowers and veggies for this summer and sprouting has begun! And, the kids and I went for a lovely visit to North Carolina where Mom and Neil seem to be enjoying the beauty of country living. We had a great time, although I think Atreyu had the best of all- boating, fishing, swimming, and camping- everything a seven-year-old boy would love! It was sad to leave all the fun behind but great to get back home to Tom. And, as always, lots of soccer. Unfortunately in my last game on Sunday I tore two ligaments in my ankle, so no more activities for me. Boo Hoo. I guess I will just have to lead the cheering squad for the next couple of months. Check in with us to see how things are going next month!

We've made it to Spring!

Tom and I recently picked up some seeds for our pots, we are going for a wildflower mix this year and hoping that a few flowers will actually make it from seed to bloom. Cross your fingers! We are now starting to notice our garden and it has come to our attention that it has been completely destroyed by our dog, a.k.a. "the digger." Obviously we are anticipating a busy summer. Other than that, we just wrapped up a week with our friend's baby Grace. We had the pleasure of watching Grace while her parents were away on a business trip. It was a lot of fun to have Kale's best buddy here with us, and better yet, she survived us! Finally tonight is date night- Tom and I have not made it out for a date in over a month and we are definitely over-due for some adult conversation and good food! Good to keep up with everyone!

Happy Birthday Kale!

We had a wonderful birthday for our big one-year-old girl! We are so happy to have celebrated with our closest friends and family in Colorado. Of course being born in the year of the pig I decided to bake a cake in the shape of a pig- can we say oink! We also had a terrific Easter. Of course Atreyu found all of the eggs in no time at all. Thanks Easter Bunny! Otherwise, life is going well here for us. Kale has been practicing walking, she can stumble across a room and come crashing into our arms- we are sooo proud! Atreyu has begun spring soccer and was incredibly brave to play last weekend on an especially cold Saturday. The weather has been variable, but we have enjoyed many nice days this past week. Kale and I have been out for several bike rides and hikes. What else- I have been busy with a new hobby, knitting! While it sometimes seems somewhat archaic- an at home mom who knits, I have truly been enjoying my new pastime. Tom is still busy settling the affairs of his mom's estate and we are hoping that will come to an end soon. Tom and I have started our spring soccer teams and have been grateful for the activity after a long winter. Unfortunately for the bad news, we have to find a new home for our dog Finn. Finn has been a big part of our lives, we have loved him for 5 years, but we have now decided we can no longer manage to take responsibility for him- he continues to escape! Hopefully he will find greener pastures (literally,) we are looking into candidates in Wyoming. That's it for now. Thanks for checking in!

Hi all! We just celebrated Atreyu's 7th birthday this weekend. Boy did we have fun. We started the day with Donuts (his request) and wouldn't you know that there is not one donut shop in Boulder. Post donuts we headed to the bowling alley where we had a party with several of Atreyu's classmates. They all had a great time goofing around and thanks to the bumpers they actually all managed to get a spare that day. After some cake and ice cream (and presents!) we returned home. Later that evening, Atreyu, Seth (his cousin,) Tom, and I all left for Denver- we were headed for MONSTER JAM. Big Success! The boys loved it- huge and loud trucks crushing cars and doing stunts, WOW! As for the rest of us things are moving steady. Tom is jammed with work and sorting Dinah's estate, and of course the ongoing soccer. I am looking forward to getting back to some of my activities now that Kale has recovered from a nasty cruddy cruppy cough that she has had for a week. Hope everyone else is doing well!

Hi Everyone! Here we are starting the New Year. We are all doing well and happy in Boulder. We are shifting from a sad time. Tom's mother, Dinah, recently passed away. We were fortunate to spend Christmas eve with Dinah, Mike (Tom's brother,) Christy (Tom's sister) and her family and my mom and Neil. We had a wonderful dinner followed by some lively dancing (inspired by Ann of course!) Christmas day we headed to Dinah's and had thousands of gifts to open. We had a tremendous dinner with Mom and Neil while they were in town. All in all the holidays were great. Soon thereafter, though, Dinah's health declined and shortly after she was admitted to hospice and on January 6th she passed away. We had a lovely funderal service for her with many great friends and family in attendance. Thank you everyone for your condolences.

Tom is busy with work at Xilinx and having a great season with his indoor soccer team Seven. Atreyu is having a great time in the first grade and becoming quite the accomplished reader. He has now started to read the Magic Tree House series and very proud of his independence in reading. In fact, if he is not in his room creating a lego masterpiece he is in his tent reading. Atreyu will be having his 7th birthday on February 9th and we are all very excited. Kale is doing great as well. She is now crawling all over and able to throw her hands up in the air whenever prompted ("Touchdown!") Kale is also approaching a birthday- her first! As for me I am very busy keeping up with the kids and learning how to navigate my new breadmaker.