EL SAL

While Annabelle and I were visiting California, Nathan was doing some visiting of his own.  He was on a 'guys' surf trip' in El Salvador.  He had a great time with his buddies, Drew, JD and Jason and supposedly they scored some good waves.  Not being one of the guys, I clearly have never been on a 'guys' surf trip.  If I had, I guess it wouldn't be a 'guys trip' and for that matter, would be more of a family vaca than a 'surf trip'.  Anyway, how I imagine the 'guys' surf trip' is the boys surfing 4-5 times a day with breaks to eat, nap, and drink cervezas.  Repeat.  Here are some photos from their El Sal adventure.  Looks beautiful.  I hope to one day visit on a family vacation!

I HEART PAPPI

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURES

As promised, I wanted to give an update on our California adventures.  Two and a half weeks ago, Annabelle and I said goodbye to Nathan at JFK and boarded our flight to California.  Traveling solo with a baby was slightly more challenging than having Nate with us, but we managed quite well.  Annabelle slept for almost the entire flight in my lap, while I occupied my time watching a the American Airlines movie and horrible TV entertainment that followed.  One thing about traveling with a lap infant, is knitting or reading are out of the question as both hands are likely to be occupied.  Next time I am going to download an audio book for my ipod.  We arrived safe and sound, and Aunt Ade and Papa John were there to greet us curb side.  Unfortunately, traffic was horrible back to Westlake, since supposedly it was the some of the first good weather Cali had seen in some time.  We learned quickly that Annabelle hates traffic, and let us know every time we came to a creeping halt.  She was like the movie Speed: go below 55 mph and the bomb will go off.  Regardless we made it to the Village and had a good time catching up with the family.

On Tuesday evening Annabelle and I were scooped up by Jessica for our drive down to Laguna.  Dion and Donnell's Grandma Dorris was kind enough to loan us her beach house for the week.  It is perched just above the glorious Victoria Beach. Almost every room in the house offers amazing views of the sparkling Pacific and stretches of white sand beach.  It was the perfect venue to reunite our group of college girlfriends with all of our children.  Between the six ladies, we managed to bring together our 7 children for the first time.  The oldest being Milo at 2 1/2 and the youngest, out little Annabelle, at 3 months.  You can imagine the craziness that ensued.  It was amazing to watch all of the different stages the kiddos were in and fun to see what I have in store as Annie E grows older.  The toddlers, Milo and Wyatt, ruled the roost, running around playing cars and chasing seagulls.  Donnell's twins, Paisley and Preston, were crawling about, pulling themselves up on everything including each other.  Looks like the Coulehan's will have two little walkers on their hands very soon.  Sweet Waylon and Ruby were still content playing quietly with their toys in one place, but from the looks of things that won't last long with Ruby beginning to get her scoot on.  Annabelle watched in amazement at her older friends and took to her typical eating and napping routine.  Beach time proved to be quite different than that of our past - no longer are the days of bounding off for an ocean swim or even conking out for a nap.  We had our hands full hauling umbrellas, snacks and sand toys down to the beach and then keeping eagle eyes out for the kids.  Though different, it was incredibly rewarding watching the kids enjoy themselves and each other.  At night after Donnell did her famous assembly line feeding of the babies and they settled off to bed, the adults enjoyed some quiet time amongst the static buzz of five baby monitors.

Each night we feasted on a delicious meal and relaxed with a glass of wine while we caught up with each other.  Adrienne came down for the last two nights and she Annabelle and I had a sleepover in the master bedroom.  It meant so much to me to spend time with these fabulous ladies.  I am truly blessed to have each of them in my life always offering a quick laugh, a hug, advice, and their friendship.  I miss them dearly when in New York and look forward to family vacations in future as our kids grow up together.  Here's some pics of the kiddos (from oldest to youngest, left to right: Milo (Dion's) Wyatt (Jessica's) Ruby (Dion's) Paisley (Donnell's), Preston (Donnell's) Waylon (Jen's) Annabelle (mine)...

On Saturday Adrienne and I returned to Westlake for more family time and visiting.  We joked that my mom was cooking like an Italian Grandma.  Each night was a BBQ feast with fresh cold salads and of course, dessert.   Jamie and Katherine brought over little Hunter so the cousins could get some quality time together.  They don't really interact with each other yet, but it is fun seeing them together.

On Sunday Adrienne took me to the Hollywood Bowl to see Yacht and the Chemical Brothers.  She purchased a package of tickets for the summer and this was the last concert of the season.  We did it old-school Hollywood Bowl style by packing a delicious picnic. We met up with our old family friends Jason, Jamie and Chris Fiore and had some good laughs before the show started.  Adrienne and I really enjoyed Yacht who opened, and the Chemical Brothers brought me back to those early post-college days of dancing at Cochella.  As soon as the music started our entire section stood to dance and we didn't stop until it was time to go.  It was a perfect summer night and I definitely anticipate purchasing a summer package at the Bowl when we return to California some day.  What a great way to spend an evening.

The following day our family friends, the Ledterman's came over.  Alison brought her three kids Mckenna, Lincoln and Logan.  We pulled down the Barbies from my closet for Mckenna, though I think Ade and I enjoyed dressing them more than Mckenna.  Then it was pool time - we swam and played games with kids.  Annabelle even had her first jacuzzi which she seemed to enjoy.

On Tuesday my friend Kelly came over for a tostada brunch on the deck with mint lemonade and spring greens.  We caught up for the first time in ages and she got to meet Annabelle.  Later in the week we made our way to Venice to meet Katherine and Josh's little dude, Jagger (5 weeks).  He is incredibly precious, checking out the world around him with a sneaky little smile on his face.

Other happenings included a surprise massage as a B-Day present from Ade with lunch in Santa Monica, a quick catch up lunch with Colleen, a trip to the Getty with the Czerwinski crew and lots of quality time with Grandma Diane who came down from Petaluma for a quick visit.  Mostly I enjoyed waking up every morning to the faces that I love, relaxing, and spending quality time with the family.  I also managed to sneak in a trip to the orthodontist to have my teeth fixed.  :) The trip seemed to fly by and before I knew it we were boarding the plane back to JFK. We were sad to leave, but excited to see Nathan who we missed very much.  He was in El Salvador surfing for a portion of the trip, but he was quite ready to have his girls back by the time he returned to NY.  Somehow I managed to take over 300 photos while away, so now I am busy sorting through them, which is my latest project.  Here are few other random shots from our stay...Missing California already.  We'll be back.  XO.

VANS - OFF THE WALL

As if the seasons new exactly which day Labor Day was, the weather made a miraculous change on the 4th.  Gone are the steamy days of humid heat and hello to first days of fall.  Today was gray and raining so we threw on sweaters and took off for a rainy day activity - a visit to the MOMA.  As we cruised through floor after floor of Warhol, Picasso, Van Gough and Chagall, Annie E. found her own favorite piece of art "off the wall."  With her feet elevated in front of her in the stroller, she could not take her eyes of her shoes - checkered Vans slip-ons.  She spent the entire visit kicking in amazement that those spectacular shoes were attached to her feet.  It is the little things....

BACK TO THE NYC

After 2 1/2 weeks in California, Annabelle and I returned to New York last night.  We were sad to leave behind our friends and family, but very excited to see Nathan (Pappi) who was requesting our presence at home.  One of the last text messages he sent read:  "She is huge, bring her home" in response to a photo I had emailed him.  Annabelle did, in fact, have a growth spurt while we were gone.  At today's doctor appointment she weighed 11 lbs, 6 oz.  She is officially out of her newborn clothes and ready for the 3-6 month wardrobe.  Most exciting is she has officially graduate from her sleep sack, to "big girl" pajamas with feet, to keep her toes-ies warm.  Annabelle traveled like a champ for her second trip to Cali and will be an old veteran by the time we leave for two upcoming weddings in a few weeks.  Today, following Annabelle's doctor's appointment we are both a bit tired.  Annabelle seems a bit confused by the time change and a nap is definitely on the schedule for both of us.  Then it is off to Chelsea Market to prepare appetizers for Seder Dinner tonight at Mia's.  The stacks of laundry and mail, cleaning and unpacking will have to wait for another day.  More on our fabulous trip later.  XO.

SUNSET ON THE CITY

Last night I met some friends for drinks to celebrate my friend Steven's birthday.  We met on the rooftop of a new hotel in Hell's Kitchen called Ink48.  The sunset was incredible and even more amazing was the reflection of the sunset off the buildings.  This was taken with my iphone so the quality is not fab, but you get the idea.

MONTAUK 2010

Last August Nathan and I discovered a small town on the northern most point of Long Island called Montauk.  Past the pretentiousness of the Hamptons, Montauk is the working man's beach town with a surf culture that reminded us of our sunny summers in Cali.  We spent a long weekend there last year however, so did Hurricane Bill, bringing stormy weather to the beach town.  I also happened to forget my suitcase that trip (who does that, right?), so out getaway was less than ideal.  This year we decided to try again and planned for our first family vacation con bambino. The hotel we stayed at last year was strategically located at Ditch Plains, the premier surf spot in Montauk.  Unfortunately it was sold out for the summer, so I searched Craig's List for a potential rental.  I came across one that looked promising and risking potential Craig's List fraud sent the owner our deposit check.  Sure enough, the owner was good to his word and when we arrived to the condo, the key was under the mat, clean sheets on the bed, enough towels to dry an army, and a decorative motif of lighthouses (East Coasters love their lighthouses!).   The condo was situated just over the dunes from the ocean with a nice wooden deck overlooking a sprawling green lawn and a heated pool.  From our deck we watched the neighbor kids play tag and in the evenings catch fireflies.  It was definitely a spot that families return to year after year reminding me of vacations to Balboa with the Fiore's as a kid.

We slid right back into the beach culture, enjoying the simple things that used to be part of our everyday life in Newport.  We barbecued each night - taking in the smell of the coals heating up and later the food cooking.  I took the opportunity each afternoon to go for a run on the beach, loving the feeling of the cool ocean breeze and watching the setting sun cast a silver sheet over the ocean.  I had forgotten about the extra workout you get only-on-the-sand and how you use those special muscles to launch from each sinking step, not to mention the necessary sprints around the white foam water of the rising tide.  We walked into town for ice cream cones from the fudge shop and ate chowder on the docks.  We also snuck in one really long session of extreme Smashball while Annie E. watched from the shade.  She sat totally alert in her chair, loving the clack of the ball hitting the rackets and seeing her parents run around like wild animals. In the evenings pulled on long sleeves (a first for the summer), sipped chardonnay on the deck and played highly competitive games of Scrabble.

Aside from all our activities, it was just nice to be together and hang with our girl.  She is getting so big and is noticing everything around her.  She loves to try to stand on her newly chunky legs while we support her under the arms and sitting "like a big girl" with her dad.  Her hands are now constantly flailing for her mouth and the drool along with bubble blowing has begun.  Her hair is filling in in the front and appears to be coming in blondish and slightly curly.  We are both curious to see how her hair will end up in the long run.  Her toothless smiles that are more frequent every day lead me to believe she is a happy baby and we are loving watching her discover the world.  Here are few pics from our Montauk adventure...

THE GREATS

At the beginning of August we took a last minute trip to California to attend the celebration of the life of Nate's Aunt Susan.  Although we wished we could be there under happier circumstances, the trip did include some silver linings.  One of which was Annabelle was able to meet the whole family, particularly exciting was getting to meet her Great Grandmas.

Great Grandma Irene

Great Grandma Jean

NURSERY RHYMS

An old friend from high school, Christina, recommended I check out the following site featuring fabulous rooms for kids: www.ohdeedoh.com

So cute.  Love the way they tell you who resides in each space, their age, a bit about the child, and give the location and room dimensions.  Great inspiration for some day when Annabelle finally gets a room to call her own. 

Nadia's Room, Age 5

Caroline's Room, Age 11

Osianna Olivia's Room, Age 1 Month