Living, Loving, Learning

Sooooo, I got my nose (re) pierced while on vacation. I actually had it done by the AHHHHMAZING Bearded Lady of Provincetown . I had heard about her skillz and fame when I had been there last summer. She is kind of a celebrity around town and last summer Sara and I saw her walking down the street with her sweet doggie, Peg, and nearly crashed the car out of excitement. We would not have been as excited if Lady Gaga had been walking down the street, I think. The Lady was a riot, fun and full of attitude. I don't think she liked us so much at first, she was a tough nut to crack, but by the end I think she loved us right back! Leo and Bruce did a great job of watching the shop and playing with Peg while Sara videoed me. Here are the videos. I will warn you, they do show me getting pierced. There is no blood, but it still might not be something you want burned in your brain. You've been warned. I wanted my nose pierced for so many reasons. First, I love the way it looks, it makes...

One morning the Moms volunteered to stay home with the wee ones and 3 of us couples went on a whale watching trip. Bruce was the most stoked about this I think. It was what he wanted to do to celebrate his birthday that week. When he was a kid he wanted to grow up to be Jacques Cousteau. We had a beautiful morning and the hour boat ride out into the ocean was peaceful and relaxing. The seas were smooth and a few of us took a motion sickness preventatives and no one even felt the slightest bit ill. We were lucky enough to see Minke whales, Humpback whales, seals and jumping tuna. We were especially thankful for one young humpback who spent about 20 minutes playing all around our boat. It was an amazing moment to be apart of. Just think, that goes on all day, everyday, and if we are lucky we can witness it once in our lifetime! We made some great memories that we will carry with us forever!! After the boated docked again in Provincetown we were able to have a nice lunch, jus...

One of the most incredible times we had on vacation was the night of the full moon when we went down to the beach to watch the sun set, moon rise and have a bonfire. The kids had a great time and were perfect until 10:30!! We were amazed. The beach offers them seemingly endless amusement. Lottie also loved the beach! She loves to dig and relished the ability to do it anytime, anywhere. She also made several pals on the dog-friendly beach. Here she is playing with a puppy very similar in look and size with her. This was such a great week to socialize her with so many new people, animals and circumstances. She is growing up to be a fantastic dog! Granny, Alethia and Lucy Sara and Anthony The tribe Still in love....

One day we took a nice walk through a gorgeous golf course, past a cute lighthouse to a point overlooking the ocean. It was a great place for some photos. Of course, one person was always looking crazy in every picture of our family. Alexis and her super rad S.O. Jay....Love him! This is the first chance we had to meet him and we were so happy to do so. He is a wonderful dude and he fits right in with the tribe. AND, he is fantastic with the kids, both of them are still talking about him. The Amors. Again, so hard to get a good picture with two little kids! This was Alethia during her picture protest. Sooooo cute!

The Amors came for a quick weekend visit. We were soooo excited to see them and meet 19 mos. old Masami. Although it was a quick visit, we can't wait to spend more time with them at the Cape in July and here in August. I had to show you how the kids were passing the time while waiting for the Amors to get here...too cute. First things first! Alethia jumped out of her car and after a quick hug asked me, "Auntie, do you have any toys here?" And with that, they were off for a marathon play session. Day 1 they split up and Lucy and Masami played musical instruments while Griffin and Alethia played house. It feels so good to get the chance to get to know these precious babies!

So, firstly, I have to brag on my sister, Jessica a bit. Look at this gorgeous quilt she made for Lucy. She even embroidered the names and birth dates for all the "Christinas" that we have info. about. What a sweet, sweet treasure to gift my daughter with. It is almost to special to use, but what a shame that would be if Lucy never cuddled up with it! I am so thankful to all the women that took their time and put their hearts into handmade gifts for Griffin and now Lucy. Jessica has really been an inspiration to me in recent months. With her encouragement, I have been getting back into creating - something that is so vitally important for my soul. I always feel truly me, truly happy in my skin when I am using my hands to create something. The quilt block club has been so fun. The themes have been interesting and the monthly commitment forces me to take the time that I might otherwise miss. I don't think I have posted any of my squares since March - here is what I've d...

There are a couple of action shots from this morning for you. It finally feels like spring around these parts. We have had a really busy week, so to squeeze in some family time, the three of us headed over to our local greasy spoon (in this case "The Stuffed Bun") for some breakfast and bonding. Afterward, Bruce headed off to class and Griff and I headed to the park. Our local library is in the same complex as the park and it happened to be the first day of their yearly book sale. (and as Stephen Colbert informed me, national library week). We struck gold. Griffin and I were some of the first people in the door and walked out with 2 bags of books for $8!!! I feel like I have one a prize...with as much as we read around here, this will really save us a few bucks for a while. So, here are a few more Germany pictures for you. Here is our Step-Dad, Mark holding his little grand baby. And here is the best dessert of all time, a favorite in Germany, affectionately know (real transl...

One of my favorite places in Europe is Heidelberg and I was lucky enough to go back a second time. I am not alone here as it was a favorite haunt of Victor Hugo and Mark Twain and today is a huge tourist area. It is an awesome college town that is overlooked by the beautiful Schloss Castle on the hill. This Gothic/Renaissance style castle was first built around 1300. Through the years it has suffered through fires, wars and arguing royal families. Behind us in this photo, you can see how half the tower has been blown off by an explosion and still lies there, upside down, supporting the moss. I took a ton of pictures there but I will but up my favorites here. The castle ground were lovely but the weather was awful. We spent most of the day tramping about in 3 inches of very cold slush. Here are a few views of Heidelberg from the front of the castle. OK, so there is a little story about this footprint in the ground. As the legend goes, one day the King decided to take his buddies out for...