Indoor Skydiving for Zoe's Birthday

Zoe turns 11 and for each kids birthday, it's my goal to take them on an experience they won't normally get a chance to do. I always inquire what kind of activity the kids want to do. Athena wanted to see a musical with friends in March, so we organized an outing for her and two close friends to a local off-off-broadway musical.

Zoe wanted something a little more adventurous and lit up at the suggestion of indoor skydiving. Indoor skydiving is free fall flying inside a giant vortex tube that gives you all the excitement of flying without the 13,000 foot freefall. Zoe was apprehensive at first, but held a brave face and once in the vortex, did an excellent job of keeping steady and flying high with the help of an instructor.

No Zoe outing would be complete without an ugly selfie

Don't forget Louloudi

Loulou will always be my "first daughter" or my "doghter" to the groans of many. While she certainly doesn't get as much affection as she once had, she's still our favorite pup and gets adored by Astrid.

With Astrid first arriving, there was trepedation at this nosiy little bundle that meant Louloudi couldn't sleep in the bed anymore. She's come a long way since, moving from avoidance to tolerating the little ones, to actually playing and interacting with them. She is getting more walks to the playground when the kids go outside, gets to dance with us in the living room parties, and is showered with snacks by her number one fan, Astrid. Louloudi can be found inches from Astrid's high chair at mealtimes, even though we discourage her dropping the food, there's always a piece or two that goes missing.

We're usually too busy or tired from our daily kid routine to chase her out of the bed or the couch these days, so she gets a free pass more often than not.

She might not be the focal point of my photos as much as she once was, but she's always close to the action. We love her dearly still and thankful she is so gentle and well behaved around the kids that we never worry if we leave her alone with one of them on the bed or couch.

Patience is the key.

Louloudi joins for storytime almost every night

Nap Buddies

And certainly thankful for when Loulou's favorite people come to visit to give her extra attention.

And Our Family Grows

As any mother knows, the end of a pregnancy is heavy and uncomfortable. As I neared the end of having Stella, officially a part of me tried to push through the pains making sure to feel every kick and movement with a smile on my face. Stella was much calmer in the womb than Astrid, but with every wiggle, I made sure to make a mental note of how wonderful it is to be able to bring life into the world. I wanted to mark in my memory that this closeness was just a blip in our relationship and it would soon be over.

And soon over it was. After four and a half hours our little Stella entered the world. With no painkillers and a fantastic midwife, this birth was a completely different experience than Astrid. It was intense, let's not lie, but I felt much more in tune with my body this time. I knew a little of what to expect with the pain which helped through the short labor. And I will never forget the first time I saw Stella's face. As with Astrid, that is an image that I will remember all my life.

The first time I was so confused, tired and unsure of myself while caring for a newborn. This time there was much less midnight googling of "is my baby alive."  I felt more confident. It was easier to take the time to focus on the smaller joys that I seemed to miss with Astrid. The late night feedings were a time just to relax and feel that small body snuggling against mine. The little froggy legs that curled up against my chest keeping it warm were a welcome and familiar feeling. Even the little sounds Stella made when nursing and sleeping were a comfort lulling me to sleep.

Astrid is the best big sister one could ask for. She is so concerned, caring and interested in helping out this new life. She has shown herself to be so empathetic it warms my heart. She likes to help whenever asked and looks forward to waking up Stella to try to hug her. She is always covering her with a blanket, shushing and patting her back when she cries. I have the feeling they are going to be a fierce duo throughout life.

Though another addition means more work, I am so happy that our family has grown. I am so thankful that we can have two healthy children. I know that the relationship with siblings is something that you can not replicate with anyone else in life. I am so happy that my daughters will have the chance to experience that closeness and will surely grow to be fast friends in the future.

Funny Girl

Astrid has a funny streak in her. She's always up for some laughs and loves getting a laugh out of us and anyone who is watching. She's quick to wave and squeal, while not quite using her words as much as we would hope at this time, she's always able to express herself in so many ways. Here's just a sample of the times she has stolen the show.

The belly slapping dance, aka "The Nils"

Always a monkey in Daddy's lap

Mom was gone for the day, so we had lunch in the buff

Introducing her to tortilla shenanigans

Mimi's Fun House

Chocolate Goofball

A mistaken Self-Portrait

Fabulous Farmor

Farmor is the Swedish word for Father's mother, a title we share lovingly for Helene who lives in Lexington, Kentucky. While they haven't met face to face just yet, there's plenty of love already as we share a morning coffee and let Stella coo at the screen.

Stella - 3 months old

How the time flies when you have two kids. Just when it seems like you're getting a grasp on things, they turn from newborns into babies and toddlers into kids.

Stella is simply an adorable little creature if I may say so myself. She coos for mommy and daddy. Her eyes light up at the sight of her big sister who relishes in being able to help us with Stella. She stares joyously at her grandmas in the FaceTime video chats. She loves being swayed in the arms of her aunties. Warm showers. house tours (where we tell her all about things as she stares in awe) and being nestled alongside her family day and night. She's spoiled for affection these days and we're so happy how lovely little Stella is progressing.

Sisters

Found her smile

Aunt Mimi

Aunt Julie

Good little conference call attendee

Chats with Farmor

Bocce Court

We have a little mulch spot next to the house that wasn't much to look at and decided why not turn it into a fun spot we can spend some evenings playing one of our favorite games, Bocce, the italian leisure sport. Over Thanksgiving weekend, we had the wood and gravel delivered and with the help of our friends Joe Tocci, Travis Jones, Dave Goreau, we cleared the mulch, leveled the dirt and built a court frame to dump the gravel. Astrid was eager to help as well, scooping little piles of mulch and leaves into a bucket we gave her. The "boys" assembled the frame and nailed it down with rebar with the help of some heavy hitters, Joe and Dave, who hit heavy things for a living (blacksmith and carpenter). After the frame was built, we shoveled gravel for days and rented a compactor to smooth it out. Another layer of deconstructed granite atop the gravel and then a layer of oyster shell flour for the finishing touch. It's an extremely short court by Bocce standards, but it's still a challenge and going to be kiddie friendly for years to come. 

The Before

Astrid hard at work

Frame assembly

Our driveway was a gravel and granite pile for a few days. Astrid loved making little piles in the corners one scoop at a time.

The deconstructed granite after compacting

The final court of play

Jen treated us to a fantastic steak and potatoes lunch for our hard work.

Friendsgiving 2017

What has become a yearly tradition for Julie & Michelle and recently for myself, our "Friendsgiving" is one that includes the friends that feel like family. We have Alaine & Ian with their two wonderful daughters who are Zoe & Athena's age, fabulous Miss Jeffrie who is like a sister to Michelle, David Chris' brother from Los Angeles, two new additions in Travis & Joe who are good friends of mine who spent part of the summer with us in Paros, Greece.

Then there are the usual suspects of Chris & Julie and their three wonderful kids, Michelle, Jen and I with the latest additions to the family, Astrid & Stella. Toss in a couple of dogs, boxes of wine and more food than counter space, it all adds up to a fabulous long weekend of games, laughs and celebrations.

Recreating a Thanksgiving pic 9 years later

Julie barely put Stella down

Astrid rolling with the big kids

Kickball in the nearby park

Lots of big kid sitters in the house

Astrid was willing to do whatever the big kids wanted. Eager to impress

There was the hide in the closet game and some scenester pouting.

Breaking in the new car with so much room for more kids!

David getting a little baby training