July in Indiana

On July 4th weekend we hopped in the car and headed to South Bend, Indiana for a family gathering in honor of Anna Peltier's baptism. Because it is a five to six hour drive we decided to cut it in half by stopping at the Indianapolis Zoo and taking some time to enjoy the fine animals that live there. It was a hot day but we got there early and were ready to go.

We hadn't been to a zoo since last year, so Callie was excited to see all the animals, especially the monkeys. It probably shouldn't be too surprising based on our travels, but this was Callie's third zoo in her less than three years, and each one has been in a different state. Just a brief aside, it is a bit scary to us that Callie is going to be three years old in about two months. Oh my...



In any case, Callie was very happy to walk around the zoo and check everything out. We saw a dolphin show, watched an elephant get her daily bath, and attempted to run with the cheetahs. But the real highlight came when Sarah and Callie got to feed the giraffes. Check it out.



This was definitely better than the last time the two of them fed giraffes in Cincinnati. That time Sarah got too excited and Callie wasn't too sure how she felt about the whole thing. And it was very cool that it was a mother and baby giraffe who they got to feed.

Clearly we spent some time hanging out by the giraffes. There were quite a few of them and we watched them walk around and munch on the trees. All in all it was a very successful trip, especially since it tuckered Callie out so much that she slept the two and a half hours it took us to get from Indianapolis to South Bend.



Now we present the little girl of the hour, Anna, enjoying a South Bend afternoon with her parents, Dan and Carrie. The event was a great excuse for the extended Peltier clan to gather and get the new generation acquainted. For that weekend we had folks from Kansas, Minnesota, Kentucky, Vermont, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Not too shabby.




Let's take a look at the middle generation. From left to right we have Ted Peltier, John, Emily Malpino, and Dan Peltier. It's been a long time since these cousins have all been in the same place, so it's good to be able to take advantage of these opportunities. Although we weren't able to get Suzy, Katie, and Emily's brother James there for this gathering, hopefully all the cousins will be able to see each other soon.




While the above picture features some good looking folks, the picture below is truly the one that steals the show. It is the next generation of cousins, first, second, three times removed, who knows what the technical definition is. They are related and they are cute, end of story. From left to right we see Nathan Peltier (Ted's), Callie Bowes (John's), Claire Peltier (Ted's), and Lucy Peltier (Dan's).



The four kids spent a lot of time in the pool. And by that, we mean, they spent A LOT of time in the pool. It was great to see how much fun they had hanging out together.


Not only did Callie get to hang out with her cousins, but she also got to experience her first fireworks display. She wasn't too sure what to think of the snakes. However, she had a clear opinion about the colored smoke bombs - she jumped up and clapped her hands. We had to hit the road before the show was over, but we caught quite a few fireworks shows during the long drive back to Lexington. And once again, we lucked out because all the pool time meant that Callie slept the whole way.

A Monkey and a Peanut

We wanted to officially give you a belly update. It is almost week 20, which means it is almost the halfway point of the journey. The good news is that Sarah has left all of the nausea, fatigue, and heightened emotions behind her. And although the belly is certainly growing, Sarah is hopeful that this pregnancy won't result in her challenging John for heaviest person in the house.


We are also beginning what is sure to be the gradual process of preparing Callie for the world rocking event of her sibling's arrival in December. Right now Callie enjoys kissing Sarah's belly, a.k.a. Baby Peanut, and tickling it. One of the biggest issues is sure to be dealing Callie's possessive language ("My Mommy" and "My Daddy"). We are trying to warm her up to the idea of sharing...fortunately we still have a few months left to work on it.



All joking aside, Callie seems to be accepting the idea of having a baby in the house and when asked, will even tell you that Baby Peanut is in her mommy's belly. And although this is a strong sign of her understanding what is going on, she also shows she is two years old when she explains that she and John have monkeys in their bellies. So a picture of Sarah's belly also requires a picture of Callie's belly.



All in all, things are going well and we continue to enjoy the summer. Stay tuned for more summer activities and what are sure to be more belly pictures as the months go by.

A Colorado Wedding

At the end of June we hopped on a plane in Lousville and headed for the Rocky Mountains. It was time for the celebration of Suzy and Brian's wedding. And while our checked bag decided to take a side trip to Dallas, we didn't miss a beat and got up to Winter Park in plenty of time to enjoy all the weekend had to offer.


Our first event was a Bowes family dinner at Alberto's. It was good Italian cuisine and our table of twelve enjoyed it immensely. Of course the company was better than the food, and Callie was particularly happy to be in between Michael and Brendan (in Callie's terms, "my cousins!")



The parents of the bride started beaming the moment they saw Suzy and didn't stop the whole weekend long. They were impressed, as were we all, with all of the effort Suzy and Brian put into the preparations for their wedding. Indeed, our car on the ride up to the mountains contained our bags, a wedding dress, boxes of self-grown wheat grass, origami flowers, and much more. Needless to say, it was filled up with all sorts of goodies the bride and groom had put together for the occasion.




Taffy and Jay weren't the only ones beaming. Suzy looked absolutely fabulous as she walked down the aisle. It was fitting to see Suzy in a wedding dress in the great outdoors and the setting was truly beautiful. Unfortunately, the weather did not fully cooperate with the wedding plans. Although Suzy and Brian can endure quite a bit, as the rain began to fall they decided that it was best to take the ceremony inside.



It is not everyone who can say they had an outdoor-indoor wedding. And honestly, the change of venue did not disrupt the magic of the day at all. Everyone took it in stride and understood that the day was about Suzy and Brian, and the temperamental Colorado weather couldn't take that away. The ceremony was wonderful, and before you could say I do, they did, and they were married!



As you can see from this picture, Suzy and Brian make a very attractive and photogenic couple. And if you look closely into their eyes, you can also see that they are ready to dance and live it up!



The best man (Micah) and the matron of honor (our very own Katie Balestracci) gave funny and touching toasts, Suzy and Brian showed off the results of their dancing lessons, and everyone got to partake of the sundae bar. And then the party really began.


Callie enjoyed some one on one time with her Aunt Suzy throughout the festivities. Unfortunately Callie was unwilling to fully let loose on the dance floor. But she wanted to watch everyone else boogie down. It might take a while for Callie to show her dancing skills in public, which is too bad, because she does have some moves.




Although the ceremony made it official that Brian is now a part of our family, we can honestly say that he joined our crazy crew last Christmas when he made his first appearance at the annual sibling dinner in Connecticut. And we must admit that his presence helped lead to the very first sibling dinner "after party" at the Balestracci residence.



And the above pictures only provides some of the highlights from a great weekend of family and fun. We had an amazing time meeting Suzy and Brian's friends, and Brian's family in particular. It is too bad the party had to finally come to an end.


However, when one party ends you have to start planning for the next one. Pictured here, for all the world to see, is John's Uncle Tommy making a pinky-swear promise with Sarah. What is that promise, you may ask. Well, after years of dropping not so subtle hints, we decided to get Tommy and Terry to commit to a visit to horse country. Or at the very least, we got Tommy to commit to a very public promise that we will remind him of as often as possible until he makes his first appearance in the Bluegrass.

Fun in the Sun

May 2010 was a big moment in time for Callie. She successfully transitioned from her crib to a big girl bed and has enjoyed the new set up of her bedroom. Although she has been interested in using the potty for some time now, May marked the real thing. She started wearing big girl underwear every day by the end of the month and hasn't looked back. And we are happy to report (knock on wood) there have been very few accidents. Just as important in some respects, on May 31 Callie took her last dose of antibiotics. Because she had been taking a daily dose since she was 2 days old this was a very big deal. But there was also a developmental milestone in May that was not quite as positive. Callie one day at dinner told John he was a "stinky butt". The moment took a little while to sink in, but after a few giggles we made it clear that this was not exactly acceptable behavior.

All of this meant that Callie entered June with some substantial momentum on a variety of fronts. She was fired up and ready to take on the summer.


Fortunately, we had just the right activity planned. We hopped in the car and headed down to Richmond to hang out with our friends the Richters. They had the inflatable pool all ready for Callie and their sons Jackson and Eli. Callie didn't waste any time and made herself at home.




Callie really enjoyed running around with all of the boys, including her Dad. And when Jackson and Eli taught Callie how to use the sprinkler as a weapon, she was more than happy to gang up on John. From this picture you can see where Callie gets her glowing white skin. Nothing screams sunscreen like these two ivory figures.



Squirting John wasn't the only thing that Jackson and Eli taught Callie on that sunny day. We always knew Callie was a mixture of her two parents - risk-taker meets Captain Caution. Fortunately, on that day the risk-taker led the way. Take a peek at what we mean.





She didn't go the full lengths that Jackson did, but she took some solid jumps and we were quite impressed with the athleticism displayed. Overall it was a lot of fun and we hope to see the Richters again soon. In the meantime, however, June also means blueberries at Reed Valley Orchard. We didn't want to waste any time and headed up there the following weekend.





We must admit that Callie wasn't as excited about picking blueberries as she was last year. But she did have a great time pointing out all of the bugs on the ground, the beetles on the plants, and the rotting berries. So at least there was something that still sparked her interest.


And at the end of our picking session we still came away with almost five pounds of blueberries. Callie was also quick to point out that Mom picked more than Dad. But what really made the day was when we all left the main building holding berry slushies in addition to our picked produce. This year we did not have to share because we each had our own cup. It was fantastic.



The day after we picked blueberries was another special day. Callie had worked hard in daycare the previous week and was ready to show off her efforts for Dad. It's crazy to think that this year Callie is starting to grasp the concept of holidays like these and is excited to participate. Next year John expects her to prepare an entire breakfast in bed.


Our final picture is both cute and a preview of a future post. Here we see John and Callie in the airport as we prepared to head to Denver, Colorado for Suzy and Brian's big day.




The wedding post will have to wait, but it will be a good one. We have nearly 300 pictures to choose from, so get ready. Until then, have a great Fourth of July weekend.