Happy Flashback

We went to California and had an excellent time. Now Creston and Ivy have terrible colds (their first illnesses, probably harder on the parents than the babies). Rather than recount how Ivy's stuffy nose caused her to scream for the entire West to East plane trip, or how Chris was left home with two wheezing infants while Erika went back to work this week, we will share some photos that Debbie Tobey just sent from our happy July trip to Grand Lake Stream, Maine. California pictures to follow - we really did have an amazing trip and we will eventually get the photos from 4 different devices onto one computer and show them to you. Meantime, thanks Deb!

Ivy and Debbie

Creston signing the guest book

Hanging Around

This is not a travel blog. We have been doing some stuff at home. Here are Ivy (left) and Creston (right) palling around. It's been so hot, they rarely wear clothes. They're cuter naked anyway!

Ivy has turned into a gymnast. She loves to hang out by herself, and she can roll everywhere, so we have to keep an eye on her. She is particularly keen on Sammy, our dog, and yearns to get a grip on an ear or tail. Luckily, Sammy is quite sweet on Ivy, too. They are often found together, like this.

Creston likes to be held, no question about it. He can entertain himself for about 10 minutes, and then he wants some real attention. His Mama is perhaps more willing to oblige than she should be. But he's so cuddly, it's hard to resist.

We caved and bought this crazy hunk of bright plastic. Ivy and Creston love it, we have to admit. Here's Ivy on Day 1, she can hardly believe her good fortune.

Creston has discovered his toes.

Creston and Ivy still sleep in Moses baskets in our bedroom because the prospect of trudging down the hall multiple times a night isn't very attractive. But they are quickly outgrowing their baskets, so we are getting their room in order. Chris is painting a mural. We'll show you the finished product when we get there.

We have started to think about packing for San Francisco (maybe this is a travel blog). We head there in a week, for Steph and Emile's wedding. We heard it's been really cold there recently, so we pulled out some cool-weather duds to try on. The hats that Aunt Karin knit, which used to seem so big back in March, fit perfectly. Ivy likes hers. And she likes Sammy.
Erika goes back to work on September 2nd and Pops will be in charge on the home front. Let the countdown begin.

Maine

It's been a long time. We were in Maine! We had a lovely time with family, friends, dogs, chocolate chip cookies and the great outdoors of Grand Lake Stream. We managed to be in the cool woods of Maine while Brooklyn boiled like lobsters in a pot for days on end, so we felt very lucky about that.

First off, Creston has been seriously eating his Wheaties:

Ivy Carola

Melissa Dold, Kyle Cook, Lisa Dold and Carrie Widener all made the long trip to say hello and stay awhile. Here's Kyle and Melissa's baby, Harper Bea, with her friends.

Ivy took her first skinny-dip and she liked it quite a bit.

At one point Ivy and Creston were both howling for no good reason so we put them on this hammock. They stopped crying and Ivy started to chomp on her brother, which she often does try to do.

Handsome toothless Creston smile.

Infant life jackets aren't very comfortable.

Big Creston at the helm with Kerrie and cousin Cora.

No more traveling! We are pooped and staying put. Until we go to California... at the end of this month. In the meantime, if anyone has any tips on how to get 4.5 month old twins to nap at the same time, do tell.

Traveling Fools

We can't seem to sit still this summer. With Ma and Pa both at home, it is so tempting to hit the road and see family and friends while it's easy. This time we headed south to Charlottesville, VA. We both have old friends there - Chris from Outward Bound and Erika from Camp Jabberwocky -and it turns out that our friends live in the same neighborhood and know each other well! It was an excellent trip and we love Charlottesville.

This 100 x 30 yard pool was a serious hit on a very hot day. The pool appears at the end of a dirt road and it is fed by a natural spring. It was heavenly. Chris and Mercer got spanked in badminton by some hustling off-duty lifeguards and probably should have stretched before the match.

Mercer, baby whispering.
With Krista and Walker
With Grey and Walker Davis
Michael Procino performing his much-loved and much-practiced Ivy head rub.
See you after the next trip...

We're back!

Loyal Followers,

Sorry for the delay. We went away on a two-week road trip and spent the following week recovering. Actually, the whole thing was great and a lot easier than we expected. Turns out that our smallies are traveling champions. There were a few notable exceptions, like being stuck in gridlock Boston traffic with Ivy and Creston howling in the backseat, but nothing that couldn't be solved by breaking a few seatbelt, carseat, and public nudity laws. We survived.

First stop was Brockton, MA, City of Champions and birthplace of Christopher W. Simons. There we found Rylee, Ivy and Creston's sweet cousin, three weeks younger and full of charisma.

























Cousin Alvin

And Great Great Aunt Mae!











Then we headed to our 15th high school reunion in Concord, NH. Creston and Ivy went bowling, took part in the Alumni Parade, and went to a party where our classmates' band was so loud that we participated from outside the building, looking in. We were in the good company of various other babies and children and their responsible parents. Most people were too polite to ask about the story of our insta-family. Sometimes we just told them anyway. Afterall, it doesn't take long. It was really fun to show off the babies and our happiness and reconnect with people from our teenage years, even the ones we didn't really like back then. And even the ones that didn't really like us; there were probably some of those, too.

Dahni-El takes time out from killing it on the lanes to say to hello to Ivy. Doesn't he look natural?


















Chris and Ivy rallying in the heat for the Alumni Parade.

The Family

And then we hit the road again, this time bound for Newbury, VT to introduce Creston and Ivy to some important folks and celebrate the high school graduation of Aunt Sydney.

Congratulations, Sydney! We are proud of you! We'll be catching up with Sydney at Skidmore next Fall. If she's anything like her sister, Catherine, there will be plenty of college hijinks to report on.

Creston and Ivy got to meet their excellent cousin, Cora. And Cora's lovely mother, Aunt Kerrie, too.
































And then we packed up again and scooted just a tiny bit South to Grandma Carola's house in Lyme, NH. We took a stroll to the neighbor's dairy farm to say hello and buy some organic chocolate milk right from the source.
































Back in the car, we had our sights set on Boston to stay with friends and watch some World Cup Soccer. Griffy and Jas grilled for a crowd - thanks!
















Ivy and Griffy














Hooker and Ivy




















Dibby and Creston





We watched some soccer on the biggest TV known to mankind. And Sammy almost managed to eat an innocent Chihuahua during this portion of the trip. Almost. Phew. Then we stopped at The Sellittos to take in the US vs England match and hang out with Amelie.


















And, to wrap up our trip, we surprised Grand Leah by heading back to Brockton for a few nights. We forgot the little ones' swaddles in the laundry the first time through. A must have for these two to sleep. She responded by cooking more delicious food! She definitely spoils us.





































Creston and Ivy started really noticing each other during our last stop in Brockton. Here they demonstrate.




































And while the Celtics may not quite have finished the way we wanted...




















The Red Sox are on a roll!




















Next stop: Charlottesville, VA. Stay tuned!