Goodnight & goodluck

Let me just say Griffin was be-yond sleep deprivation on this trip ( but had fun along the way). After no napping for days, I thought it would be easy to get him to bed early b/c A) he was tired & B) we had to get up early to catch our flight. Wrong, so wrong. He decided he had to sleep with his sisters & the were winding him up & encouraging him. I knew how this was going to end (he has never slept anywhere but his crib) ...nobody went to sleep before 10:30 & it took him even longer to settle down once he got in his pack -n-play. But I got some cute pictures along the way!!!

Ooh ooh aah aah (at the zoo)

O

Our final day we hit the Cleveland Metropark Zoo- a favorite of mine growing up! It was just the same, except, my favorite exhibit "Monkey Island"-where i told my kids we could throw marshmellows at the monkeys...didn't really exist...the island was there, but there were mountain deer inhabiting it instead. the kids had a blast & the girls got to pet stingrays, which they loved. Kathy & I thought they were a bit slimy. Although we have Mickey, Donald & Pluto...there is nothing that compares to the real thing.

Yet, another Miley Cyrus Concert

Alert....another Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert, this time in 3-D! Aunt cathy & Uncle Chuck provided the appropriate glasses, good snacks & everyone was ready to go...b/c you just can't get enough Miley! Griff bailed & decided to watch Peter Pan with Cathy!

Family BBQ!

Lauren & Morag
Rosie, Griffin, Lauren & Noam
The kids roasting marshmellows for smores
right up Griff's alley
yummo!

The 1st night in Cleveland, my sister Cathy had my cousins & aunts & uncle over for a bbq. The weather was awesome...I forgot how "green' Shaker Heights is...I really miss that. Anyways, it was great to catch up & eat great food...my kids were digging have a large backyard to play in.

And we're off...

A bit out of order here...but last Thursday the kids & I packed up & left for a long weekend to Cleveland so that I could meet up with some high school friends. Lee was all too happy to stay at home ...he has many things on his agenda- revising his book is top of his list (and catching up on some sleep). The kids were great on the trip- when we landed and the plane was taxing fast towards the gate Griffin put his hands in the air & shout "woohoo, it's the family ride" which is what he calls a raft ride at Blizzard Beach!!!

Yes, you really can go home again

So a few months ago my good friend Jenny Kelly (I am using maiden names for this post)decided it had been too long since we had seen one another & we needed to get together...how about a weekend away to celebrate our 40th birthdays? But where to go? California? Mexico? Chicago? I came up with the excellent idea of Cleveland...both of our parents had moved away & we had not been back in YEARS. Plus we still have many friends living there & we could try to convince our girls not living there to rendez-vous. One e-mail later we had EVERYONE on board, no conflicts of dates...EASY BREEZY. Thanks to Laura, Maureen & Tim for hosting some great parties- we all appreciated your hospitality. Let me just say that saying "Time stands still"...well I half believe. First of all everyone looked the same- amazing, really the Northeast Ohio air must have done something great to us. But on the other hand it is unbelievable that 22 years have past since we all went to school together...CRAZY!!!! Everyone is just the same...Maureen & Greta still had me crying tears from laughter. And finally, I have to give kudos to Emily Sheperd & Amy Miller (me) for not only closing down The Colony the 1st night, but also being the last to leave Laura & Matt's the 2nd night. Remember, we were not known for our stamina when it comes to partying like some of our other girls....so I guess in those respects...40 is the new 20!!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

...5 kids in the tub!!!

Josie, Maija, Hannah, Sydney & Griffin had been swimming in our pool for about 5 minutes when the 1st drum of thunder was heard. What a bummer- all of the piled out quickly but decided the next best thing would be to take a bath...doesn't this look relaxing!!!! They claim they had fun, but they quickly kicked Griffin out. We are sick of the late afternoon rainstorms...but it looks like that is in the forecast for the next few days.

Dinner with Friends

Katie & Hannah came over to play for the afternoon & the kids were having so much fun making up games & obstacle courses, that they stayed for dinner...then they polished off an entire (small) ice cream cake for dessert!!! They really worked up an appetite!

Sydney & her friends donate 70 inches!!!!

Almost 2 years ago Sydney, Josie & I decided to grow our hair out to donate to "Locks of Love". Josie donated last Novemeber...I am almost there...and last Tuesday night Sydney & 6 other girls from IMDP each donated atleast 10 inches of hair to the program!!! That is 5 feet 10 inches of hair combined...enough to make one wig...although as you will see in pictures the girls had all different textures & colors of hair. It was an energetic bunch, absolutely no tears & every girl was thrilled with her new look. It was so nice to say goodbye to heavy locks & welcome fresh styles. The girls looked beautiful & more importantly they felt good about their donation. We finished off the evening at Cold Stone. Way to go Sydney, Charly, Eriel, Alex, Ali, Cortney & Shannon- we are all proud of you.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Birthday Lee!!!!

We celebrated the night before
A Lee favorite from his childhood...Carvel Ice Cream Cake
A new tie to go with his new suit (which we haven't purchased yet)
Griffin gets to open a recycled gift on everyone else's birthday!
It's hard to be the last one in our family to celebrate your birthday


Lee celebrated his 41st birthday on July 11th! We started the celebration the night before with his favorite carvel Ice Cream cake & the next morning did our usual...dancing, cards & presents. At night the 2 of us went out for a quiet dinner at The Palm which was of course, very nice. It was low key- exactly what he requested. I think we can take down our birthday sign, since we have 2.5 months until September 25th...the final Lowell birthday of 2008...Griffin's.

The Last Day in Boston

At The Boston Commons
Girls in the Park- Savanna, Hannah,Libby, Sydney, Ali & Josie
3 Little Ducklings
Yeah...back in Orlando
Griffin welcomes us home!

The last day...we were exhausted & ready to finish what was a wonderful week in Boston. The girls slept in & we wondered around Boston & then headed to the airport. It was great but it feels good to be off that hectic schedule & sleep in our own beds!!!!

Celebrating an awesome week!

The girls before the banquet
Celebrating the nights big wins
Sydney & Mr. Api
Jr. 2's worked so well together
Ms. Amanda is proud of the girls

A very successful week at ADA came to a conclusion during the Banquet Awards ceremony. Everone was thrilled & then some of us went to dance (kids) & some of us went to the hotel bar (moms)!

More sites from The Duck Tour

Sydney drives the Duck
Josie drives the Duck "Not funny", according to Lee
Weird, huh!

"Quack, Quack"

Sydney & Josie ready to board The Duck
Michelle, Ariana, Sydney, Nina & Josie
Maria, Joyce, Shari & Barbara
Josie crashed...too much partying!!!
Amy & the girls

After another rehearsal, we headed out to board The Boston Duck... a car & boat tour- showing some important Boston landmarks. It was loads of fun, especially when it entered The Charles River...the girls even got to drive The Duck. We realized how close everything is in Boston- after getting around by "T"- we could have walked many places! Our driver was very funny & kept us entertained.

Dinner with more friends

Thursday night we planned on meeting up with some family's that we meet at the beach in North Carolina every August. Unfortunately, the past few summers we have missed because the trip runs our kids' 1st week of school. We were planning on all getting together early evening, but IMDP called a last minute rehearsal. Josie went ahead with her aunt & grandmother & fortunately Larry stayed behind until Sydney was finished & we went out a bit later...we stayed for a short while- we were all fading fast, but it was great to see everyone & catch up.

A little help from friends & family

Egypt had an early call time of 6:45 (ouch)
Debbie, Elaine, Larry & Marya in the audience
Amy, Pam & Michael
Sydney's supporters...Michael, Pam, Mom, Wayne, Aunt Debbie, Josie & Dani
Sydney's grandparents were not only entertained but very proud



The morning of the 4th found us waking up at 5:30 (not fun). They had a 6:30 call time & although I am getting better & hair & makeup...it still takes time. Lucky for Sydney she had many fans driving in to watch her performance. i think it was unanimous that the performance was way better than they anticipated...as pam faciciously said when it was over " not intense enough". We appreciate all of you coming in to watch & support IMDP!!! You were our good luck charms!!!

An outing to Fanuil Hall & Quincy Market

Ali, Josie, Sydney & Nina
Those hip hop moves came in handy
lobster party

Our 2nd full day had us competiting mid afternoon , so we headed out in the morning to Quincy Market & the North End. It was fun to walk around & the girls bought some things with their savings...it was the 1st time since we arrived that the girls left the hotel/convention center. Josie kept saying "Boston is so beautiful". It was also good to get their minds off the competition for awhile atleast