Italian Friends

We were lucky enough to see my girlfriend, Carlotta, and her family while they are in the States for the holidays. Italian holidays are much longer than ours in the U.S., so they are here for a month. Can you imagine?! Lucky guys. Carlotta, Lee (her Georgia born husband), Camilla (4 yr) and Francesco (2 1/2 yr) met us in Warner Robbins at the Museum of Aviation. They are staying at Lee's parents in Sandersville (never heard of this place before they came), but it's close to Macon and Warner Robbins none the less. Dave finds these out of way places to visit with the kids and it's always fun. Zach loved all the aircraft - ranging from WWII, Vietnam, Iraq wars and more. Carlotta and I had a grand time catching up. It took the kids a while - say, 3 hours, before they actually started acknowledging each other. Oh, but when they did, it was fun and silliness. Imagine a little English speaking girl and an Italian speaking girl having fun. Not to mention, they both share the same personality (a tough one). Camilla doesn't speak around English speaking adults, but it was funny how she opened up to Olivia. If Olivia will not speak Spanish, then maybe Italian is open for discussion.

More Zach...isms

Zach was playing on my computer, which is almost his computer now, and starting talking like he always does around me. Lucky me :-) He came out with this...."Coach, let Rudolph join the reindeer games. He has 'magnificent flying". How can I keep a straight face around this kid? He also decided that he wants to "visit Mt. Everest". "It's the highest mountain, you know"? I guess it does pay to have the Discovery Channel. I think my dad needs to seriously consider what he watches around Zach - no more war movies. Oh, on that topic, you probably would not take your kids to see this anyway, but DO NOT let them watch Igor, the movie. We thought a cheap movie at The Picture Show would be fun, but Igor was not for the small set. Very dark, yes, I seem to remember that about prior Igor films, but why make a cartoon that is so dark and evil. It was funny for the adults, but not for the preschoolers. We made it through one night and no nightmares surfaced, but I still have my fingers crossed.

Warm winds blow in December

This entire week we enjoyed warm weather breaking 70 degrees. The sun did not shine much, but we decided to just go and play on Friday. Hey, it was fun Friday! Plus, we didn't get out of the house until 3:30 pm anyway. Fun Friday can include staying in your pj's for most of the day. Instead of going to see the mouse movie, The Tales of..... my kids opted to go to the playground. What a nice surprise. They played their hearts out and we all soaked up some much needed warmth. Oh, and Olivia and Zach had different scenery to play cheetas. Hey, at least they are not playing the common house cat! It's a step up.

Out of the mouths of babes

On a daily basis, my kids come up with the cutest sayings. This age is the best for the thought process to really make their comments entertaining. Zach woke me up early (very early) one morning at 5:45 am and he was playing with the washer and dryer. I told him to be careful with the knobs. There is always the "WHY" question with both kids. I said the units were expensive..."how expensive"? Over a $1,000. "Well, you know mom, these are available in stores"......and that is how my day began. Welcome to the world of advertising via Zach Pryor. At the ripe, old age of 3, this kid may just one-up his dad in the marketing world. He went on to tell me a few nights later (hey, at least it wasn't 5:45 am!), that the movie "Olive, the Other Reindeer", was 'A Classic DVD'. I promise they do not watch t.v. 24/7, but he does pick up very quickly. Although, I do not believe Olive the Other Reindeer is a classic DVD, it was cute none the less. He also told me on a car ride home one day that he would like to travel and see the Northern Lights - "you know, up in the Artic". This is in addition to him quizzing me on all the planets in the solar system. Guess who got them correct and who had to rack their brain for the answers?? Mommy needs to pull the cobwebs out.

Last night, Zach and Olivia were playing with toys in front of our Christmas tree, which is also next to the fireplace. He was very thoughtful and then said "Mom, you are going to need to move those logs before Santa comes. He cannot come down the chimney". I was trying to think of something fast so as to not commit myself or Dave to moving those things on Christmas Eve. I said, "you know, Santa can get around them, he can do lots of things. He used to get around them at Mimi and Papa's house all the time". He paused for a moment and said "Yeah, you are going to need to move those." End of story. Oh, I could just eat him up!

Olivia has been singing lots and lots of songs, mostly Holiday songs. She is totally coming out of her shell, so she'll sing in front of me now. I love the words to one of our Music Class songs: the real version - Cookabura sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he.... Olivia's version - Cookabura sits in the oh-old tree, merry merry Christmas to me..... Another favorite - Feliz Navidad; this is from the girl who told me last year "she hates Spanish and she will not speak Spanish ever". Nice, welcome to the age of five. I like it.

Lights, Magical Lights!

On our way home from the lake today, we planned to stop at Callaway Gardens to view the Fantasy in Lights. I've heard great things about this light show, but could not manage to get there years past due to having small children who were asleep when it was dark. This year, we were on! These kids can last longer than the energizer bunny, especially this weekend. Call me lunar crazy, but these kids were acting like they were from another planet on Saturday during the full moon. You could have replaced Dave and my eyes with the round likeness of the moon yesterday - we were in shock and needed reinforcements. I almost made a call to Dottie (Mimi) if my cell phone would have worked at the lake! Ha! on me. Seriously, they had a bit of energy, that's all :-) We hit Callaway mid-afternoon since our tickets enabled us to visit Callaway, along with the lights. The Birds of Prey show was amazing - for all of us! You know WHO absolutely loved it because it was about animals. We had a falcon, owl (200 lbs of force in each claw) and a vulture flying over our heads throughout this show. Well, 'over our heads' was more like, 'clipping our head with its claw/wing' and 'our' was more like 'me'! The show was held in a small amphitheater. These animals were huge and could carry off a small child or animal. We were warned and you could hear the fear in presenter's voice. So, needless to say, it was memorable (and scary)!
The Butterfly House was open as well and it was such a lovely (WARM) place to be. It was cold as a winter's day - oh yes, it is winter - and the butterflies were enjoying their huge, greenhouse full of flowers. They also had a tarantula, and two species of cockroaches. What is it about cockroaches? This is our second viewing of hissing cockroaches in a month (the first being at Bear Hollow in Athens). As long as they are in their cages and not in our house, I think I'll be fine. Olivia petted one (in Athens). Yuck!
On to the Fantasy in Lights... it was all it was cracked up to be! I was mesmerized along with the other little ones in my car and the driver (daddy) who had to be reminded of his car etiquette during the holidays. People do go slow while viewing light shows (he he). I had a smile on my face for the entire hour we drove through the lights. Music was synced to the displays and the displays were linked to the garden (flower shows, butterflies, birds, seasons, etc.). Truly amazing and delightful. Cotton candy was just icing on the cake - more like...sugar in our mouths. Brush your teeth before you go to bed and Happy Holidays!

Olivia's First Nutcracker

I did it; I waited five years to do it and it was..... almost a success. I took my little princess to see The Nutcracker this holiday. Many people take their children when they are tiny, wee ones, but I thought it best to wait and let her really enjoy it. Being the "I don't ever want to take ballet, mommy"!! type, Olivia was game for this outing. Poor girl had to be dressed by Daddy since I had been rushing from birthday party to party with one kid here, one kid there (you know the Saturday birthday story). I have to admit, he did a decent job :-) Dress on, tights on, and her hair pulled back. As Zach would say, "dress - check, tights - check, bow - check, NOW can we go to Barnes and Noble?". He runs through the list like I do (yes, sometimes I may say these these out loud and he doesn't miss a beat)! Check! Back to The Nutcracker....Olivia and I were both engrossed in the ballet, but when the Russian man in white tights appeared, I have to say we were a bit 'grossed out'. Man, it was a bit much for me to handle and I love ballets. Olivia was great through the First Act seeing that the children were on stage. By the Second Act, she was asking to go, bouncing in her chair, in my lap, etc.. The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the sound of familar music (aka Publix holiday commercial music) made her take notice. She was a trooper for hanging in there and I'm so happy with my decision to go to the Georgia Ballet instead of the Fox this year. We have time to work our way up...

Meanwhile, as you can see, Zach enjoyed his pizza and cupcake at the Young Chef's Academy birthday party. Eat up, skinny boy :-)

My Birthday, Creepy Santa & Sumo

I celebrated my 36th birthday on Dec. 5th with great friends and family. It turned out to be
'fun Friday' for us (as we all like to refer to it). We love Fun Friday, so real school, you'll have to wait. My girlfriend, Kaci, lives in Jacksonville, AL, so she sent me a beautiful boutquet for my birthday. Flowers are rare in my household, so these really brightened the day. They'll brighten all week long! My neighbor, Jill, also gave me roses for my birthday. She was sick all week, but still managed to drop off a vase of roses and a handmade card. Eat your heart out, Martha Stewart! Liz was gracious enough to invite us over. On our way, Amy, who gave me a great new bracelet, stopped by Starbucks. Turns out, Santa was there. Creepy Santa, that is.... The Starbucks drive-thru guy talked us into coming inside to see the big guy in red. Oh, it was a bad mistake. This Santa was of dark haired descent and looked like he had a rough night out with the elves and the coffee wasn't helping! The kids smiled for the camera, grabbed their cookie and ran for it. Oh, making memories daily around here. On to Liz's where I promptly had another gift to open (seriously, what would I do without my girlfriends)? It may sound corny, but I have been wanting a popcorn maker for some time, and she knew it (maybe because I spend WAY too much time with her - talking her ears off). The kids loved playing together for most of the day - they were angels. They were able to torment Quincy, the cat, and we ate, talked and ate some more. Thank you, Liz, for not kicking us out of your house, as we stayed all day.

Then on to dinner with Karen, Mike and Gavin at the Japanese Steakhouse. Our kids (including Gavin) thought this was the greatest thing ever. Food and entertainment all wrapped into one. Watch your knives when you get home, Karen. Gavin had that twinkle in his eye. He he he. At the end of dinner, you can see that I was the proud birthday Sumo girl. Hey, whatever it takes to get a gluten-free dessert!

Fly on the Wall - word meanings

Words, as discussed by Zach, Olivia and Gavin sitting at my kitchen table....

"Oh my gosh" - 'that's not a bad word'

"Darnit" - southern slang, 'not a bad word', Gavin added this one - no comment from my peanut gallery.

"Damn it" - 'that's what you say when the boat is dirty' - this one came from Zach. Hmm, wonder where he heard this one?

Then, "you die when you turn 100 years old....not when you turn 1,000"! -Gavin

"When are you going to get married?"- Olivia. Gavin replies, "never.....well, maybe when I'm 12".

And so it goes.....

Gavin is skipping school today, thanks to Aunt Jenny.

Playtime

With the kids out of preschool the entire week, we have lots of opportunities to enjoy ourselves. We headed to the Children's Museum Monday with neighbors and friends. Bob the Builder exhibit is currently there and I couldn't resist taking a photo of Zach with Bob. Zach stayed at the train station for approximately 2 hours while Olivia played with the stuffed animals in the treehouse. Hmm, imagine that! Even though it was a rainy day, we still enjoyed ourselves. Karate was a blast today too. I wish I had taken a few pictures with the kids and their (fake) sticks/weapons. I think Karate is really helping with their confidence.... or maybe they are just growing up a bit. Whatever the case is, I like it.

Vacation...and SHE SWIMS!

It took me quite a while to get back up to speed after our vacation, but now I can blog about it. We had such a great time! Kim, the lucky recepient of all her relatives, kindly let us stay at her house in Delray Beach, FL for part of our vacation. BIG NEWS: Olivia learned to swim on her own! Well, she could swim before, but she would never try it on her own. I always had to hang on to her swimsuit ruffles. She finally made up her mind to do it and wow - she jumps in (head underwater and all) and swims to the edge, steps or where ever. She even swims across the pool. She has turned a huge corner in her youngster life. Zach, on the other hand, has been swimming since last year. He's the opposite, he needs a bit more strenght, but he put his mind to it and practiced over and over this past summer until he did it. Very tenacious little guy. He even swims underwater. Of course, we'll have to refresh once summer comes around again, or maybe we'll just take a trip to visit Aunt Kim again and work on our skills during the long winter months :-) Yes, that is a picture of Zach asleep at the table while holding food to his mouth. They played hard at the beach!

We drove from Delray Beach to Duck Key, FL, which is halfway between Key Largo and Key West. It was a very cool resort with lots of kids friendly pools (and adult only pools). They had a saltwater lagoon, a kid pool with a pirate ship, with working water cannons and probably 4 more pools in the resort. Olivia made a shark tooth necklace and swam her heart out. Zach and Dave enjoyed the game room. Zach learned to play chess and checkers - somewhat! It was an interesting time teaching Olivia and Zach to play as opponents in a game of checkers. I eventually had to walk away - he he he. Dolphin girl (aka Olivia) took part in a dolphin experince where she was able to touch a dolphin, tell him to turn in circles, etc. Dave and Olivia went to this one on their own while Zach was 'supposed' to be napping.

But my favorite part.... was on the drive home we saw the space shuttle, Endeavor, launch on Friday evening. It was amazing - huge full moon with the glow of the space shuttle flying out of our atmosphere. That was memorable.

Things he wants to know...

While making lunches and getting everyone ready Tuesday morning, Zach walks up to me and says "Mommy, what is a keeping room?" This came from a 3 1/2 year old and we do not have a keeping room, mind you. I explained the part of a house where a keeping room typically is located and what it is used for. He listened to me, thought about it and said "Oh, ok" and walked on his merry way. Oh, the way his little/big mind works. I love it that he is inquisitive!

So, today, while busy at work/play in the playroom, he looks up at me and asks "Who won Pennsylvania?" OK, I have to draw the line at that one! I am almost certain he did not see any of the election coverage....or did he? I stumbled for a minute and said, "Obama did". Again, he thought about it and said "Oh, ok". Seriously! Where did this kid come from? I told Dave about his question at the dinner table and then asked Zach to tell me who won - wondering if he was really listening.... at first he grins and says "Omar" (a friend of his in his class), then he says "Barack Obama" - granted, I did not tell him the first name today. So, yes, he gets it.

Olivia had her 5 year check up today. Everything went great (no shots! Yay!), but I wanted our pediatrician to help me bring the "read more books" idea home to Olivia. Dr. Ellerine boasts about how books make you smarter, etc. So, guess who reads me two stories tonight?! This girl has been holding back on me!! Oh, the angst they give their moms. Of course, the stories were about puppies. It's all about the animals for that girl!

Everyone is excited about going on vacation tomorrow and spending time with Daddy. We are heading to Delray Beach, FL (Kim's), the Keys and then to the lake. Sunshine, here we come.

Difference a Year Makes...

Comparing Halloween last year and Halloween this year, we saw a big change. Instead of helping our kids along the neighborhood from door-to-door, carrying their candy bags, helping with costumes and flat out carrying the KIDS, we were trying our best to keep up! They were typically 2-3 house ahead of us each way. Our neighborhood is a great place to trick-or-treat with only 50 houses and very little traffic to worry about. Being 5 and 3 1/2 years old, these kids know how to work the door(s).

Olivia woke up on Friday in a not so nice mood (she growled at me!, in a tiger/Olivia sort of way) because I was sharing a piece of her turkey bacon for breakfast. She soon realized that HALLOWEEN was actually here. Attitudes changed! I saw more smiles on Friday that I have seen in a long time. Candy day was here! She is much more of a candy freak than Zach is, but don't get me started on him. He sneaks my last piece of Dove chocolate and then taunts me (with chocolate rings around his mouth, licking his lips as he taunts me). :-)

It's all good; there is plenty of candy to go around - too much candy.

My parents handed out candy at our house while we walked (chased after) the kids. Olivia and Zach ended up going home with Mom and Dad after Halloween. Dave and I had the pleasure of sending their candy baskets with them to my parents! Enjoy Mimi & Papa! You buy them candy and gum all the time, so now let's see how they act at your house while they are hyped up on candy. He he he, the small pleasures.... Of course, my parents said the kids acted fine (do you think they are telling the truth or are they just shell-shocked?) Happy Halloween!

Aquarium days

Not that we haven't had enough Halloween fun, Amy Plummer and I decided to visit the Georgia Aquarium on Friday for their Halloween festivities with the kids. It was perfect! Very few people were there, the kids were all dressed up and even the Aquarium workers were in costume. Everyone (including the staff) was in a great mood, so you couldn't help but enjoy yourself!

Can you say, more candy please?! Yes, they had trick-or-treating at the Aquarium. Another comment....Spiderman see, Spiderman do. Parker was climbing on the rocks with Zach and he was taking it all in...

The best part of the day was in the morning when Brady kept calling Olivia "Beautiful". Her name was not Olivia, it was "Beautiful". As in, "I'm waiting on Beautiful", "Come on Beautiful", etc. Who wouldn't want to have this Rico Suave around? His mommy (daddy too) taught him well. Ah, I love that kid!

Jen Cleaver

With the thought of a rainy day ahead of us, I could only hope for some quiet time at home with the kids. Olivia and Zach were up for this, especially since their favorite thing to wear is pajamas. Fun Friday, here we are! My neighbor, Jill, watched the kids while I ran to an appointment and, after talking to my sister, took her idea of making our own pizzas for dinner tonight. I picked up a few things at the store and we were set. I know my kids love to cook, so Olivia requested to make Pumpkin soup and I came up with the idea of a sweet treat for them of Orange Sweet Rolls. Hey, what says rainy day more than cooking goodies?

Skylar came over, ate lunch with us and we borrowed The Lion King. This is the first time Olivia and Zach have seen the movie, so what a treat (along with all the other goodies). While our sweet buns were cooking, Garrett, another neighbor, came over and we decorated mini pumpkins with glitter. Ding, sweets are ready, pumpkins are beautifully decorated, I've arranged for playdates for both kids and homemade pizzas (cooked by the kids) are on tap - am I June Cleaver or what?! Garrett thought he hit the jackpot! I think my kids know better than to expect this type of behavior everyday, but it has been a fun one!

Let there be LIGHT!

Zach is facinated by the Halloween decorations this year. He saw orange lights on a neighbor's door and declared that "we need to get our Christmas lights out"! Well, after mentioning this every time we drove into the neighborhood, I finally gave in to my little boy's whim! Why not? He's only 3 for a short time. Next year, he'll be so involved in Super Heros (and candy), I'll never hear this request again. So yes, let there be light!! I also found the Halloween box (by mistake). I was looking for the light timer and I had totally forgotten that we had a huge box of Halloween decorations - thanks to Nonnie. Oh, what a time the kids had this evening. Olivia found her favorite set of rotten teeth. She's my funny girl. Zach found an old dum-dum lollipop and proceeded to tell me. I said sure, why not (knowing it was going to be gross), but he ate it anyway. Not before he mentioned the lollipop 7 times to Olivia. He wasn't trying to be mean about it, he was just curious if she had anything left over in her Halloween bag or IF by chance she would want a lollipop too. Knowing Zach, he would have split it with her! And yes....it was gross.

Speed Racer

Last weekend was a whirl wind and a much anticipated day for Zach. No, not the soccer pictures (oh joy!) or the GA Tech football game; it was the Petit LeMans race at Road Atlanta. Zach has been asking, no more than 3 times a day mind you, 'when are we going to the race?" I think if someone walked up and asked him to drive, his answer would have been a nonchanlant "yes", like THIS was meant to be.... I do not look forward to races as much as Zach and Dave, but I had a grand time that day! It was a beautiful day and the cars were amazing. Well, it did help that we were entertained at the Porsche facility and ushered around the course in a golf cart whenever we pleased, but it truly was a great race. We watched the sun set and I enjoyed watching my children run and laugh while I sat back with a glass of wine. We didn't leave the race until 9 pm. The kids were still asking for more! A true testiment to their love of cars! I think Dave will have Zach in go carts as soon as he can!

That little munchkin!

Olivia and Zach play together so well and have done so for the past year or more. Olivia was playing with playdoh a few day ago. She likes for her animals (horses, dinosaurs, lizards) to make feet print in the playdoh. Out of the blue, Zach walks up.... you can tell he was a bit bored... and says "Oli, what the heck are you doing?". His inflection was perfect and he knew he was being a funny guy. Oh, he's such a smarty pants! It was one of those moments where I stepped back to laugh and realize how funny these two little beings really are! As Olivia would say, "Laugh Mommy, it's funny"! She keeps me in check!

Joys of Childhood

Fall days are an absolute dream. Olivia and Zach took the afternoon to enjoy the good, old backyard and play. It wasn't "mommy, let's go to Kangazoom" or anywhere else. It was an afternoon of getting the slip-n-slide out for Olivia and her new horses, sidewalk chalk, sunning ourselves, reading and playing. Olivia figured out that she likes Granny Smith apples over her once favorite Washington red apples, so she helped herself to one. Zach used his imagination to play in the dirt/pinestraw and visit me every 15 mintutes to read out of his book (oh, and give me a hug). What's not to love about our afternoon? Of course, when I threw the frisbee and hit Zach in the nose, all the happiness ended. But hey, it was great while it lasted. That boy has great coordination! He throws a frisbee better than most!

Fall = Football

Fall is a wonderful time in the South. We love college football and it loves us! If we must leave the laid back lake lifestyle and fall into a regular schedule that preschool dictates, then GA Tech football is a nice reward. It worked out for my friends, Amy and Liz and their husbands, to tailgate and go to the game with us this Saturday. Again, we had amazing weather, babysitters cooperated and schedules aligned. It's rare for all of this to happen! Here's to tailgating....

Saturday was a busy day for us; our neighbor's youngest daughter turned two. They had a petting zoo in their backyard. Olivia was in heaven. Zach attached himself to the sheep and kept saying "feel how soft she is". Oh, how sweet they are! Olivia was so gentle with the animals. This is somewhat shocking after her incident with a cat in the neighborhood last week. She tied the poor cat up with a jump rope - note, not by the neck, but it's hips, so as to not choke the cat, then tied the other end to our back door so she could go use the bathroom. She didn't want him to leave! After several hours of being toted around, tied (gently) and examined, the cat finally scratched her and bit her.... TWICE! Enough already, leave the cat alone! So, this time, she was much more gentle with the animals.

We finished the day off with a Braves game. It was Porsche Family Day, so we enjoyed the remainder of the evening with the Porsche group. Needless to say, Sunday was boring compared to a day like this!

Speaking of Sunday, our kids (especially Zach) must get the 'days of the week' thing. After dinner tonight - Sunday - he asked Dave if it was time to watch the Simpsons. This is something the kids do with Dave - not me, so Dave was impressed. He asked Zach what day it was and Zach (of course, being a little smarty pants) said "It's Sunday - time for the Simpson's, Dad". Ahh, that kid! I read books to them, Dave watches football and the Simpson's with them.... you get the picture.

Olivia's a whole handful old.....Five!

There is nothing like a monumental birthday of your oldest child to make you stand up and take notice. Olivia turned 5 on Thursday, September 18th. The time leading up to this birthday was fabulous. She was so excited and very proud that she was actually turning 5. So excited, that she tore pictures (neatly) of animal sets out of the Toys R Us catalog and taped to the back of her door. She said she "likes to wake up to them". Well, you guessed it, she recieved so many beautiful animal toys, books, minature animals for her birthday and they are all loved. With those books come.... reading! I am so excited that she is finally showing promise in this area. I love to read and I, of course, want my kids to love it as much as I do.

Ariel came to visit and entertained us for Olivia's party. The girls were amazed with Ariel and the boys were in love! You can't beat a beautiful day with friends and family to celebrate your little girl turning five!

Summer at the Lake

Our family disappeared this summer. We had good reason; our first summer at our new lake house. We were totally disconnected from technology (for the most part) and enjoyed every minute of it. The only things we thought about were frogs, butterflies, lizards, fish, boating and enjoying our friends. The beaches provided great entertainment and wildlife....well, maybe the snakes were not really the fun part, but we endured. Thanks to everyone that made our summer wonderful! Here are a few pictures to help us remember....

Finally....a Lake House!

Well, we've been working on it one way or another for the past 2 1/2 years, so we finally found "the lake house". We closed on a place on Lake Martin, close to Auburn, AL on Friday. I cannot express how excited we are! We've wanted a lake place for us to relax and enjoy the water (especially Dave, the boat lover that he is), but we also wanted to have a place for the kids - to create memories. I hope this lake house serves us well..... Good times, here we come. We have memories to make.

Dave also searched and searched for a boat and found the perfect one. It's a 2003 Cobalt, 24' and it's a nice one. I have a feeling Zach may be driving more than Daddy. Zach loves to be the captain, so I cannot wait to see how this summer turns out! Olivia just wants to catch lizards and frogs, hmmm, imagine that! She's very excited to see the wildlife this place has to offer. We have plans to take our bug catcher and all the essential tools for the insects. They have their fishing poles ready as well.

Dave and I, on the other hand, are furiously working in the free time that we have (don't have) to figure out furniture, moving a dock, and all the other goodies wrapped up in home ownership. Luckily, Dave is home for most of May, so at least he will not be jetsetting off to Europe until June. Unfortunately, he will be traveling most of June, so we'll have to take plenty of pictures for him.

We are very, very happy and grateful for our new place. We cannot wait to enjoy it!