Tuesday, July 27, 2010

.....it was all worth it.....

.....after I'd been in Florida for 24 hours, I finally relaxed.....


......after I think back to our most difficult travel day with kids thus far, I can now say it was all worth it....actually, it was all worth it when we walked into my Momma's house after 14 hours of travel with two sleeping babes......babes so spent that we were miraculously able to transfer them from the car straight to the bed....an event that never occurs....

......and once settled, I was able to take in my Momma's hospitality......the house smelled of lingering cooking, the lights were dimmed just right and the music was playing ever so subtly to allow our stresses to melt away......the wine poured freely, the chicken picatta and pasta with stuffed zucchini was delicious and satisfying, even at a dinner hour of 10pm.....and we were able to settle into relaxation mode at least for the night.....

.....until the next morning when I was told our bags would not be arriving for a while......Stefan and I had planned on leaving for a two night jaunt our first morning in FL to take advantage of leaving the girls with Bambi and Poohpop.....but after my phone call with Delta, it was clear we certainly wouldn't be leaving first thing that morning, as I only had the dress I wore for our travel day...the dress stained with snacks, soured milk, tears from two littles exasperated and painfully exhausted and remains of the heat flash that came over me after we had settled in our first plane only to be asked to exit back into the terminal to be rebooked on another flight......

......so it was just 20 minutes after both girls had been awake our first morning in Florida that Elsie accidentally broke a Venetian glass heirloom of Coleman's, only helping herself to Bambi's make up while we cleaned the broken glass.....and as I fretted my apologies, taking my eyes of Callie for just a moment, it was Stefan who found her standing on top of the kitchen table with Coleman's reading glasses in hand....deep breathes.....deep breathes....

....needless to say, the house was toddler proofed very quickly that morning....

.....however, the girls moved on from the start of the day chaos and breezed right into breakfast at the new table bought especially for them and their cousin Chase, who joins the party in just a few short days.....



.....and it wasn't too long before Elsie realized that Florida = poolside fun......

.....so off we went.....



......and Stefan and I did make it to Marco Island in time for sunset.....granted, our luggage did not arrive before we finally decided to leave without it, but it was at sunset that we truly relaxed....knowing the girls were in the best care possible, the two of us alone to reconnect and focus on our coupleness......and to enjoy the beauty of my beloved home state....



.....thank you, Mom, for sending me on with your fabulous dress......

.....and Stefan and I had lazy afternoons, lounging on the sand with our blackened grouper filled bellies....


.....exploring places we have never been.....enchanted paradises like Marco Island, Naples and Isle of Capri.....







.....we ate seafood at each meal, ran beaches, drank coconut infused rum drinks, listened to live beach music and simply goofed around with laughter filled moments....



.....but most importantly, took time to be reminded of all the reasons we love each other.....

....and the list is long.....

.....and our two day escapade zipped by.....


.....then it was off to get back to my Momma, Coleman and the girls....and then our drive couldn't go by quick enough....

.....however, this is only the beginning of a long, joyous time with those we love so much.....

.....so here's to a trip all ready well worth it....

Friday, July 23, 2010

....please fasten your seatbelts......

.....after a full and busy week, we are ready.....Florida is calling.....it's a trip we have had planned for ages......as we are taking the grand tour of the sunshine state to see friends, spend time with family, visit new places we haven't been and to have some R&R.....and tomorrow morning can't get here soon enough.....

.....leading up to this week, we had our first dentist appointment for Elsie.....there was so much hype leading up to it....she and I had a date to my dentist where she tagged along, just she and I..... she assertively counted my teeth with the technician.....she was even given the task of being in charge of manhandling the spot light.....and we made a very big deal of my acceptance of the token freebee toothbrush, as only Mommies who brush their teeth every day get a special toothbrush.....

.....so a few days later, she and I had another special date, just she and I, to her dentist....and all was going beautifully as she handed over our bus ticket to make our trek to 70th St.....


.....so very proud for being my helper on the bus, she couldn't resist from belting out The Wheels on the Bus at the top of her lungs......I just listened with a big grin on my face, as any time I would try to sing with her, I would get the hand in the face......

.....No Maahee, only Elsie sings.....



......and then she was tired of me documenting the bus to the dentist event, so she inquired about taking some pics of her own....and she did just that.....

.....not bad for a 2.5 year old.....


.....and we were chipper and happy all the way until it was time to lay back in the chair and open wide....

.....so there is a reason that there aren't any pictures to document the big event after the bus ride.....we counted a few teeth and decided we would try again in 6 months....

.....so after an ice cream treat for just she and I to talk about things, we came home to some summer peaches....one of the many things we are enjoying scratching off our summer list.....

.....and then she was back to her old self again....


.....and this week, the girls also enjoyed raiding Momma's closet....how, of all my accessories, Callie found my special scarf that Stefan bought me when we were in London, I have no clue.....

.....the girl's got good taste....I'll leave it at that....


.......my baby girl also got her first shiner after crashing into her sister during playtime....


....it's much better now, but I had to take an iphone picture after it happened to show Stefan I wasn't exaggerating when I said she had a swollen welt under her eye.....

.....and after a hectic initial beginning of the week, we slowed it down to start packing for our two week jaunt....

......one of the great things about dragging the car seats into the house to bring on our trip is that they serve as comfy places to squeeze in a Backyadigans before bedtime......Daddy thought of the idea and the girls were thrilled with a new seat in the house....


.....good idea, babe.....that actually gave me 20 minutes to shut and seal four suitcases filled with flip flops, sun hats, aprons to bake with our Bambi, water shoes, sundresses, and some new cooling mist spray I found on sale for $2.....

.....besides gearing up for the hot and steamy weather, the laughter filled times with our family, and the reuniting of old friends; I am anxious to make some memories with my girls.....

.......I can't wait for them to smell the Florida air that is distinct the instant you step onto the jetway that leads to the airport terminal.....the way Florida hair feels after a day at the beach.....the smell of Bambi's house after she has labored, cooked and cleaned for days; anxiously anticipating our arrival, the perfect  example of graciousness....the sound of our Pops's loud, hearty and generous laugh.....

......and I know we will take many photos that will resurface in the years to come such as one like this....


.....I'm not sure where my Dad found it, but he emailed it to me just days ago.....and it made me so  excited to take my girls and my husband back to the place I love the most......some of the most precious memories I have......home....

......so here's to making new memories....

....tomorrow we are off.....

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

.....summer's blaze burns fast.....

.....I'm still loving summertime....I start to flutter just a bit when I look at the calendar to see that we are almost into August....it seems as the more fun we have, the busier our days are.....and when days are busy, they go by quickly.....and I'm just not ready for the month of July to pass.....this summer has been euphoric....

.....and with all of the beach, sand and water filled days, there have also been play dates, visits with special friends, and for the last several days; our home has been filled with giggles, laughter and toddler bliss.....


......and with hot summery days, toddler jubilation comes in the form of strawberry ice cream from Brooklyn's best....and our adult form of delight comes with lots of salt.....half frozen, half rocks.....


.....and it's a guarantee for me every time I am with Stefan's Mom and sister.....we laugh.....and we laugh hard......like when not one of the three little girls would wear the pink flowers I bought them so they could enjoy matching NYC accessories.....

.....so the Mommas, Aunts and our dear Mimi wore them and we posed proudly.....


.....and accessories are novelties our girls like....especially ones that they can choose themselves....they tore apart the toddler section of H & M when their Mimi said she would take them out to buy them each a little treat.....



.....even Zander found an umbrella that he was fond of.....


......and Callie looked picture perfect with her new headband on that Mimi bought her.....


.....and when we weren't shopping to escape from extreme heat, we were smack dab in the middle of it....


......and since Callie has walked the Brooklyn Bridge before, she knows it's a place for snapping photos.....so she decided to mimic us and take a few of her own......


......and after crossing the bridge, we explored Brooklyn for a while.....


.....until exploring turned into a game of good old fashioned tag, you're it......




.....followed by a cool and creamy treat.....



.....and even the Texans thought it was too hot to walk back over the bridge to Manhattan.....so we took a water taxi....and it's doing things like riding water taxis that make me love having visitors.....not only do we have the chance to spend quality time with our loved ones from afar, but we are nudged a bit out of normalcy.......because without our family in this past weekend, we would have never hopped on a water taxi on Saturday afternoon.....



.....but we are so glad we did....


.....and between all of the meals, sunblock applications, snacks, diaper changes, stroller parades up and down flights of stairs, tantrums, teething, good sharing and not so good sharing, the whole visit was filled with laughter.....





....excitement and zeal.....




.....and lots of love....





.....so when our family left earlier this week and Daddy headed back to the office, we were left with a quiet, almost silent house....and a thunderstorm.....

......and what are three girls to do in order to lift our sad spirits?......


....indulge in some sweets, of course....

.....and Elsie insisted on wearing a sun hat with her apron before we started to make our oatmeal raisin cookies.......



.....watching these two bake together with their messy mixtures added a whole lot of sunshine to our home....


.....so I guess we needed the sun hat after all....

....and a broom, a mop, several sponges and some soapy water.....


.....two dozen cookies have been eaten just days post baking, so we are feeling much better.....

......we are missing our Mimi, Aunt Linnea, and our two sweet cousins, but know that more family time is just around the corner.....

......and when it's all said and done, it's family that is everything.....

.....we love you guys.....thanks for making the trip to see us.....