Tahoe Family Reunion

An amazing feat of coordination was accomplished from July 9-16: my family gathered for a reunion in Incline Village. My mom, dad, brothers and spouses as well as one of my stepbrothers and his wife. (Sadly, Sam was working in Illinois and couldn't join us.) We shared a beautiful house near the lake with my mom and Den, and brother, Greg, and his family. The weather was perfect and it was a whirlwind of activity. My favorite part of the trip was seeing all of the cousins interact. It's a shame that some of us live so far apart and I wish we could see each other more often!

The return flight was a bit of a disappointment. We had carefully orchestrated a flight from Reno to Denver that was supposed to be piloted by my brother, Rob! This was (for me, anyway) a highlight of the trip - I have never gotten to fly on a commercial flight with him and this was an amazing opportunity. Our plans were derailed by a freak hailstorm in Denver that damaged dozens of planes the night before our return. Rob got stranded in Denver, and we were forced to re-route through Minneapolis. What a disappointment!! On the other hand, it was an adventure and we miraculously arrived home just one hour later than planned. It was a wonderful trip, and we can't wait to do it again!

Here is the whole gang:


And just the cousins:


Me and my handsome brothers:


The house we rented:


Edie, Gemma and Greyson:


Edie and Greyson:


Edie and Liam (aka Crazy Hair) having tea:


Ice cream with Jordan and Liam:


The triumphant fishermen:


Isla, Liam, Edie and Gemma:

Breakfast in Bed for Edie - She is 8 today!

Chris and I are blessed to have our sweet, sensitive and joyful daughter. The changes we see in Edie as she turns 8 are big ones! She is much more self aware, thoughtful, and inquisitive and she is showing us more concrete examples of who she will be as a young woman. We are proud of her and can't wait to see what lies ahead!

Happy 4th!

It was a picture perfect day in Cotuit for the July 4th parade. Chris' parents, Aunt Kathleen, sister Carrie and cousin Jake were visiting us. It was Jake's first Cotuit parade! Edie and Jake watched the parade from the sidelines so they could collect candy, but Gemma decided to be in the parade so she could throw candy to the crowd.