Griffin (2) & Mark (3)'s Birthday Party

Today my good friend Meg & I threw a very casual birthday party for Griffin & her son Mark. My favorite parties that I have thrown for our children have been the ones that have caused the least amount of stress (code for least preparation)- so this one ranks right up at the top. Meg & I planned this party in minutes and I think we would both agree the outcome was fantastic and we really enjoyed being with our friends. Everyone seems to be so busy, it was nice to be able to spend time with friends in a very relaxed environment. Okay, so it felt like 100 degrees and we probably sweat more than we liked to, but that's all good. Many of our friends who are beyond the toddler stage came to the party as well, which was great. Look for Griffin & Mark's Birthday Bash 2008!

Our Birthday Boy!

We cannot believe how fast these past two years have gone by!!! What a sweet, funny, lovable, expressive little guy we have. When we came in to his room on his birthday, I think he was put off by all the singing and excitement we had. We made our way to our family room where we continued our family tradition which is singing & dancing to "The Birthday Song" by The Beattles...which I think it is safe to say is Griffin's new favorite song due to the fact that we played it for him atleast 30 times...at his request. We had a fun morning at My Gym (see the picture I like to call "Look ma, no hands" above). We all went out to dinner at Chef Mickey's where Griffin ate a well balanced meal of gummy bears & sprinkles (hey you only turn 2 once). Griffin was not afraid at all of any of the characters- however, sitting down to a meal is not one of his strengths- I do not know too many 2 years who do have this ability. Happy 2nd Birthday Griffie- we can't wait to see what's in store for year 3!!!

The Breakaway

It's Lee's favorite time of year...soccer season. He LOVES to watch her play (me too). After taking a few months off, we dug out her cleats and shin guards. Josie always looks so natural to me in a soccer uniform. Her team is called the RED BULLS, and she is once again coached by Coach Chuck and his wife Honey who are always fun to be around. Her team was unable to practice this week due to typical Central Florida lightening but the kids all looked great on the field and despite what felt like 100 degree weather - they stayed tough through the entire game. A highlight for us was when Josie got the ball and broke away from the other players and ran almost the entire field and scored. I think one of the fun things about soccer and I imagine most sports that parents watch their kids play, is that it gives us a chance to shake off stress from the rest of the week by shouting and jumping like a bunch of idiots! But we're all doing it together, so who cares!!!! Updates on the rest of the season to follow.

Hooray for Girlfriends!

I spent this past weekend in Rhode Island visiting with 3 of my girlfriends from UVM. I've known these friends Eliska, Spam & Marinelli (not their true names) for exactly 21 years! The four of us have lived all over the world, experienced many joyous and difficult situations, embarked on very different career paths, and yet when we get together, for me, it truly is like coming home. I had so much fun "doing nothing". The bond I share with them is so unique and I am so grateful for their friendship.

Lee, Sydney, Josie and Griffie did just fine at home. Josie had soccer tryouts and she is with the same coaches from last season, so we know we are in for some fun (Lee is the under the radar assistant coach). Sydney made me a cake when I came home which I completely appreciated and of course was delicious. Griffin was very excited to see me and said "mom, mom, mom"...you get it- most of the car ride home. I highly recommend the girls weekend...just what we all needed!

Sun and Sand Dollars

We spent Labor Day weekend at The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs. Funny, only after two weeks of school and after school activities we were ready for some R&R. The kids had a great time, we spent alot of our days by the pool. There was a "zero entry" pool and Griffin would walk all the way in until he was underwater. After a few seconds he would pop back onto his back and start floating! So the swim lessons worked. It was weird because he would stay under for a few seconds before surfacing and I am sure a few other guests were thinking "um, hello your kid in drowning" but we have to admit, unbias as we are...we were quite impressed with his ability. Sunday morning we took a short boat ride to the resort's private island which was about 15 minutes away to spend some time at the beach. We saw a few dolphins trailing the boat in its wake and one continued to jump in the air for a few minutes. Very cool. We spent the morning at the beach- the girls buried one another, and Griffin drank the ocean water and tasted the sand (nice). The girls found dozens of sand dollars but they were all still living so they had to throw them back into the ocean. Room service, the game room, and a movie rounded out our low key weekend. We had timed our trip home to coincide with Griffin's nap home...too bad he only slept the last hour. It was great to get away and now we are back in the routine of work, school, dance, homework.