Emily and Eli's Wedding in Vermont

There are definitely worst places to spend a beautiful Labor Day weekend than lakeside in Vermont.  This particular lake was in Fairlee, and the lakeside accommodations were compliments of an all boys' summer camp that has been in operation since the early 1900s.  For this weekend, however, it was the site of a wedding.  We traveled up to Vermont to celebrate the union of John's cousin Emily and her fiancé Eli.

Within minutes of our arrival we put on our swimsuits and headed down to the lake.  There was a great dock, clear water, and a lot of time to sit around and talk.  The gang was all there, including John's cousins from Minnesota and Kansas.  This set the tone for a fun-filled weekend that seemed to have every detail planned out.  Eli and Emily definitely made sure that their guests were active and entertained.

Speaking of active and entertained, Uncle Chris was in his element and ensured his nieces were full of giggles and smiles all weekend long.  Our meals were provided family style in the main cafeteria, which was wonderfully decorated with lights, as you can see in the background of the picture. We say cafeteria, but like all the buildings in the camp it had more of a rustic feel and the food was quite tasty.

We spent quite a bit of time in that building, but most of that time was spent talking as opposed to eating.  It is not often that all of the Bowes, Peltier, and Malpino clans are together, so there is a lot of catching up that goes on.  And when people change drastically over the years, like the young man to the right, such catching up is very important.

Here we see the wonderful parents of the bride, John's Uncle Joe and Aunt Debbie. Although they had tasks that they needed to accomplish throughout the wedding weekend, they made a point of getting in good visits with their family and soaking in the moment. They are truly special people and it was great to watch how happy they were for their daughter.

Unfortunately Michael couldn't make the trip to the wedding because he could not get away from Penn State, but Brendan made sure that at least one of us was looking fashionable on the day of the wedding. With his new haircut and bowtie his aunts clearly found him irresistible. And he thought he was pretty cool as well, sporting his Top Gun shades to keep the glare from hurting his baby blues.

Michael was not the only one missing, for Carrie and Matthew Peltier, along with Karen and Nate Peltier, were unable to get away for the weekend. Claire and her father Ted represented Kansas well, however, and Dan (pictured here) was a perfectly suitable escort for his daughters Lucy and Anna. Clare, Lucy, and Anna were all flower girls in the wedding, so there was no way they were going to miss it.

The ceremony itself was equal parts touching and hilarious. The officiant was none other than Emily's brother James, and he was quite masterful in providing the right touch of solemnity to go with the jokes he delivered with much charisma. James did a wonderful job, and it was also very apparent that Eli and Emily had certain things that they wanted to happen to make the ceremony their own. The setting was beautiful, the bride and groom were charming, and it was simply a great time overall.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to snap a photo of three of the four Peltier kids. As we said before, it is hard to get all the families together because all told we live in seven different states separated by thousands of miles.  It is obvious that they enjoyed the time together.

The reception was held in a barn on the premises and all the folks who put in the hours to decorate the site should be commended. It looked like it came out of a magazine, and when the sun set and you looked at it all from outside, the glow of the lights made it all look magical.

Zoey and Reese are certainly kindred spirits and we quickly discovered that they both have a love for dancing. You should invite them to your wedding if you have any concerns about getting people on the dance floor at the reception. They were spinning, jumping, and boogieing like nobody's business. Callie chose to enjoy the kid's camp that was held in a separate building during the reception. She got to watch movies, play games, and hang out without parents. Sometimes the three years that separate our two girls make a big difference.

We could not have asked for better weather that weekend, and though the wedding was done, the fun was not. We had another entire day to hang out on the lake. All the girls got more and more comfortable with walking the docks and swimming, and they also took advantage of the family around them. Nana Banana was in seventh heaven and beamed every time one of her grandkids stopped by for a snuggle.

Speaking of comfortable, Callie was leaping all over the place by the third day. We could not convince her to tread into the deeper waters, but at least she was willing to fling herself off of the dock. Slowly but surely, we are working on getting her past her water fears, and slowly but surely she is coming around.

One of our last activities of the weekend was a quaint canoe trip. We were hoping to have a more involved adventure around the lake, but the lifeguards had other plans. They insisted we stay in sight, and despite Sarah's deepest desires we heeded their calls. The whole weekend was a blast, and we bookended our trip to the Vermont Country Deli that had delicious sandwiches and other treats. No doubt we will visit Vermont again, and we can only hope the next trip is as fun as this one was.

Picnic with the Pops - Bourbon Street style

Where August brings school bells for the girls it brings Picnic with the Pops for their parents.  This marked year eight for us, and it was a big year because we expanded the fun.  For the first seven years we purchased one table and eight of us gathered for a great evening.  But this time we bought a second table and sixteen of us enjoyed great food and great music on a beautiful evening at Keeneland.
 

Over the last four years as we have refined our menu, Sarah has been responsible for the signature drink to start the evening off right.  The theme was Bourbon Street and so what fits that theme better than Hurricanes and jello shots?  Nothing, that's what.  For some of us, including Sharon, this was their first encounter with a jello shot.  They certainly jump started the evening well.

Believe it or not, this picture was not the result of too many Hurricanes or jello shots.  However it was an opportunity to show off some of Sarah's other contributions to the evening.  Yes, with the annual Pops event Sarah now has one more reason to contribute to the coffers of Party City.

From year to year the table of eight has varied to an extent.  The Abrahams have subbed for the Muellers when they could not make it, and Tommy has never brought the same date twice.  But with sixteen chairs we were able to bring together so many people that we enjoy spending with.  You may not be able to see it clearly in the picture, but our placemats were old jazz album covers that Chris discovered at his Uncle Norman's and contributed to our decorations.

The food, as always, was incredible.  Chad Mueller went above and beyond by making enough crawfish etouffe and jambalaya to feed all sixteen of us and then some.  Susan Combs also hit a home run by bringing ice cream that we actually had to thaw because the dry ice did such a great job.  We had more than enough dessert to go around and by the time the music started we were feeling fat and sassy.

For the first time we were so impressed with our own decor that we entered our tables in the decorating contest.  We didn't win, but we were still very proud of what we had pulled off for the evening.  As the sun set and the music played on we enjoyed the tiki torches that had been incorporated into street signs indicating some of the more famous intersections of New Orleans.  It was another phenomenal year and we can't wait to do it again in August 2016.

Back to School

Before we knew it, summer was over and it was time for another school year to begin.  For Callie this meant starting 2nd grade with Miss Ward.  It would be her third year at Cassidy which means she should have taken it all in stride.  However, on that first day when Sarah took her into the classroom  Callie gave her Mom a look that said, please don't leave my side.  Sarah knew Callie would be in good hands when Miss Ward noticed what was going on, walked over, and gave Callie some extra TLC to soothe the transition.

Reese was also excited to get into the spirit of the day and posed for some very cute pictures with her sister.  Next year will certainly be difficult (for their parents at least) when the two of them will both be heading off to Cassidy.  But for this year we soaked in the moment and the possibilities that the new school year might bring.

Hiking with the Johnsons at Natural Bridge

Before the first day of school arrived and changed our schedules for the next eight months we decided to get one more hike in.  Fortunately for us, the Johnsons were up for the same thing and Natural Bridge State Park was a short drive away.  Look at all the smiling and fresh faces before the hike began.

Callie and Reese were pretty fired up to show off their hiking skills.  Although they do still have their moments, like any siblings, we have loved to see how much they love each other.  Few people can make Callie laugh like Reese can, and Callie's love for her sister overflows.  This summer also witnessed the debut of a new acrobatic display of their affection.  Nothing says I love you like I can pick you up and carry you multiple ways.

Halfway up the trail and the smiles are still fully on display.  Mason and Reese were determined to lead the way and we just had to make sure they stayed within yelling distance.  Vivid and Callie were fine with this arrangement and enjoyed walking together through the woods.  They are both old enough to not get too caught up in having to be first.

This is the entrance to the aptly named "Fat Man's Misery" portion of the trail.  You have to go through a twenty-yard stretch of trail that is a crack between two huge rocks that is at most two feet wide.  The fun part with kids and inexperienced hikers is the logjam that occurs when people are coming from opposite directions.

At the top, and the fatigue has begun to set in for at least one member of our intrepid crew.  It is highly possible that she is being a bit over dramatic. Nevertheless, it's another good picture and Reese was happy to play it up as soon as she noticed she was getting a reaction from her parents.  However she perked right on up when we mentioned trail mix and other snacks.

The Johnson family make for excellent hiking companions in case you are ever in need of some.  Emerson seemed to enjoy the girls' hiking backpack and fell asleep for at least part of the trip.  Hopefully he was asleep during the last part when John took a wrong turn and made the hike down longer than it should have been.

And then there is the Bowes family.  It is not every day that all of us will be in the mood to create a sweet memory through the magic of digital photography.  More often than not Callie is the one reluctant to smile or even show her face.  Oh well.  It was still a great way to wrap up a very active summer.

More Summer Fun

Not all our summer fun was organized.  A lot of the time our days were just filled with goofiness.  Callie and Reese love to be silly and find numerous ways to express that silliness.  They are good at entertaining themselves, but also do a pretty decent job of entertaining us at times.  This picture is just one small slice of that ability.

Of course even if we aren't traveling it doesn't mean that others aren't.  Sharon and Chris were gone for three weeks over the summer, with two of those spent in Spain and France.  They tacked on an additional week in Scotland visiting their son Matthew and his family.  Although we did not get to spend time with them on their patio while they were gone, we did get to hang out with Chris's Uncle Norman, who is one of the sweetest guys around.  He was gracious enough to allow all four of us to visit and to pose for a picture with all the girls.

Reese definitely enjoyed a little lounging this summer.  At the slightest hint of sun she asked to have the pool filled with water so that she and Callie could take a dip or just cool their feet.  Now, as our dedicated readers know, this pool cost us $5 back in August 2010.  You will notice that at this point the top ring no longer inflates, so we are down to a two-ring pool.  It is kind of fitting for our two-ring circus lifestyle.

Despite the fact that Reese changed daycares in early spring, some of her friends did well to keep in touch and asked Reese to come and play at Gattitown.  Gattitown is essentially Chuck-E-Cheese without the robotic singing animals.  So it's crazy.  But Reese had a great time with Allie, Aidan, and their little sister, and that is what really matters.

Although we didn't buy a community pool pass this year, we did get in several pool days, which meant the girls continued to work on their swimming skills.  There was a lot of improvement overall, but it definitely solidified the desire of John and Sarah to get the girls into swimming lessons.  By summer 2016 the girls will be swimmers if we have anything to do with it.

Ballet Under the Stars

For the past three years we have loved attending Ballet Under the Stars in Woodland Park to see both the pre-show performance of the kids and the professional ballerinas.  Well this year it was a different story entirely because Callie was part of the pre-show event.  She tried out in May and was selected to be one of the chefs in the Little Mermaid production.  This meant that she had rehearsals from the end of June until the shows in early August.  And it also meant she would have to be there each of the four nights the show went on.

We had high hopes that her good friend Lydia would be in the same routine, but unfortunately this didn't pan out.  Nevertheless, they still got to spend a lot of time together backstage.  We think you will agree with us that Callie looks pretty cute in her chef outfit.  However, we must share that this costume brought her to tears because to her it was far too simple and plain.  I guess this is what the Diana Evans recitals do to a young dancer.

Another wonderful part of the whole experience was that we got to watch Katherine, the daughter of one of Sarah's colleagues.  Katherine has been in Ballet Under the Stars for four-plus years at this point, and this time around was one of young Ariel's sisters.  She did a wonderful job and both Callie and Reese were a bit taken with her.

Katherine went out of her to make Callie feel comfortable during the rehearsals and performances.  And Mary Beth, Katherine's mom, made Sarah and John feel extremely comfortable every night as well.  It is a tradition that you can lay out your tarps and blankets to reserve a spot in the grass seating area for each performance.  To get the prime spots you have to put out your blankets before noon for the 7pm performance.  And every one of the four nights we had the pleasure of sitting next to Mary Beth and her husband Everett.  And we were always front row center.

Because of our prime real estate in the seating area we tended to get lots of visitors.  And the cool thing is we got new sets of visitors every night who sat with Reese to take in the spectacle of it all.  This is one of the cutest pictures we got of Reese and Harper giggling as the Kiss the Girl routine played out on stage.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the Little Mermaid, part of the story has a chef trying to cook a crab named Sebastian who is one of Ariel's friends.  Here we see Callie's perfect "surprise" face as she and the other cooks realize that Sebastian has escaped their grasp.  Callie did a great job all four nights and seemed to get more and more at ease as the performances went on.

Sebastian was played by one of the high school ballerinas who was extremely talented and very nice about taking pictures with the little ones.  She and the other ballerinas had once been in Callie's ballet slippers, for it was not abnormal for some of the high schoolers to have been a part of Ballet Under the Stars for ten years or more.  We are pretty sure Callie is going to want to do it next year.  And we are looking forward to hanging out on a blanket under the stars for four nights enjoying the show.

Fourth of July weekend

With John back in town and summer in full swing, we wanted to get in some good quality family time in the great outdoors.  The first step was Raven's Run and some hiking trails along the Kentucky River.  We were happy to be together and loved exercising all those muscles we had built up in Yosemite.

Next up was a trip downtown to check out the Fourth of July celebrations.  The walk from we parked the car to the festivities took us by one of our favorite pieces of public art in the whole city.  It is the coolest mural of the Abraham Lincoln statue from the Lincoln Memorial and has sparked Reese's fascination with our 16th president.  She can tell you quite a bit about him, though it is mostly about how he died.

The girls couldn't get enough of their dad the entire weekend, though the blueberry sno-cones gave him a run for his money.  There was a lot going on in the streets of Lexington, and one vendor was even giving away ears of roasted corn.  Everyone was out and about enjoying the day that fortunately was not as hot or rainy as days of independence past.

The parade itself made us question whether or not we should make it a priority in the future, but the company always makes the afternoon fun.  We had a pretty good corner spot with the Johnsons and all the kids had a good time soaking in the experience.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

We got back to Lexington late Tuesday night.  Callie's dance recital was Wednesday night and the Music and Arts Camp performance was Friday afternoon.  So it was only fitting that very early Sunday morning John left town for three weeks to participate in a seminar on Native American History in Washington, DC.  Life is never dull.  It was not easy being separated for so long, but the opportunity was one John couldn't pass up and Sarah was willing to support.  Besides, with the wonders of modern technology John could send Reese a picture of her favorite president.

Because of the timing of the seminar, John was in DC for Father's Day.  He was also in DC for his 10th wedding anniversary, but that's another story that doesn't have as many cute pictures.  All kidding aside, modern technology is a very helpful tool.  The pictures we sent back and forth were great, but even better was the ability to use face time on our phones so we could actually see each other when we talked.

The girls did great while John was gone.  Callie had a variety of summer camps she attended and Reese enjoyed the summer at Central Christian Child Care.  Through Central Christian she also got to take swim lessons at the YMCA one week which motivated her to move quickly each morning when it was time to get ready.  With that being said, the girls did ask every day, "How many days until Daddy gets back?"

And their Dad was missing them quite a bit as well.  He spent his days talking about Native American History, researching Native American History, and talking some more.  In the mornings he went for runs to the Lincoln Memorial or around the reflecting pool by the Jefferson Memorial. Spending time in the heart of DC is pretty darn cool, especially when you have a lot of friends who have settled in the area.  John managed to connect with all sorts of people for drinks, lunch, dinner, and some Women's World Cup soccer viewing.

Life is often defined by perception.  Or, as someone once said, we see the world as we are and not as it is.  For Reese, the world is defined by her perspective on it.  So when at her school she is asked to answer the following question:  "If my Dad were a superhero he would be..." and she answers Camping Man...we just have to ask, what world is she living in?  If you look at the answers she gives to the questions it would appear that none of them relate to camping.  Yet in the very last questions it would appear that Reese remembers her time at Yosemite fondly.

John also made sure that he took advantage of being in the heart of DC by visiting many of the museums that line the National Mall.  And at the National Gallery of Art he saw a number of Degas paintings of ballerinas.  He had to take pictures of them to send to Callie.  She appreciated the pictures, but Sarah and John know that it will be much better for her to see them in person.  And while DC is a great place to be, it will be that much better when all four of us can visit together.