Maximizing Summertime in Lexington

We always try and stay busy, but this summer's heat has made it just a little more difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. And even as the summer begins to draw to a close, we find the time to hang out with friends, have fun, and stay cool.


The best way to beat the heat is to jump in the pool. We never realized the happiness a five dollar investment could bring to our household. But there you have it, a five dollar inflatable pool and hours of smiles. Here we see Callie splashing around with Libby Gipe, the Chrisman's granddaughter.



After we took a dip in the pool we enjoyed a few pieces of fresh watermelon. Overall, Callie has spent a lot more time outside playing the yard this summer, and it has been fun to watch her enjoy the great outdoors.



Although this summer the humidity has definitely undermined our normal patio time with the Chrismans, our outdoor pool has provided new opportunities to get together and have some fun.


What should we say about a picture like this? Sassy? Attitude? Trouble? Callie has certainly fallen into each one of these categories at various points over the past couple of months. And her outfit and pose in this picture capture it all. She is a lot of fun, but she is also pretty darn feisty.






One thing we enjoy about the summer in Lexington is the Midsummer Night's Run. This year we entered Callie into the real event of the night, known as "The Fastest Kid in Town". In order to get prepared for the big evening, we bought Callie her first pair of non-slip-on, non-velcro, a.k.a. big girl shoes. She still has some growing to do before she'll fit into John's boats, but she's on her way.



Pictured here are the two runners representing Team Bowes. John has spent the summer taking Callie to daycare in the jogging stroller, so he was well prepared for the big 5K.




The question was - would Callie be ready? We did what we could to let her know how the event would go, and all signs pointed to her being excited about it.


Then Sarah and Callie got to the starting line with the other 2-year-old girls. The announcer said, "On your mark, get set, go!" At that point, Callie looked at Sarah with a frozen look on her face and started crying. You may not be able to tell from this picture, but the race turned into fifty yards of pure determination by Sarah to get Callie to the finish line without having to carry her. Our goal for next year is no tears.



Even unhappy, or perhaps especially unhappy runners deserve a prize for reaching the finish line. In this case, Callie was tickled with the prize of pink ice cream. Yes, that is correct, flavor is not the issue. Color is the key. And that is a great picture to end our post with, because John didn't look half as cute when he was done with his race.

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.

Countdown to Suzy's Big Day

The biggest event of Memorial Day weekend was the bridal shower for John's sister Suzy. It has been super cute to hear Callie talk about how Suzy and Brian are getting married in Colorado. So the event was a great way to show Callie all the bells and whistles that go along with a wedding. Callie enjoyed being in the middle of it all, and especially enjoyed any chance she had to share the limelight with the star of the show, bride-to-be Aunt Suzy.



The actual event was held at the Balestracci residence, a home normally infested with boys. But fortunately, John had arranged for all the guys to spend the afternoon at a pool party across town. So while they made themselves scarce, the ladies showered Suzy with food, gifts, and laughter.


Two of those in attendance were Alison Skonieczny Zanardi and Melanie Skonieczny Loeber. They are sisters, by the way, and not just two women who have eerily similar middle names. It was great to catch up with both of them. The focus of our conversations were pregnancy, since Melanie is now officially 12 weeks, and when we could eat, since Mel and Sarah were trying to battle first trimester nausea. It will be fun to expand the Skonieczny-Bowes clans by two this winter.


it was also wonderful to see John's cousin Emily and Aunt Debbie, pictured here with Katie. They drove down from Vermont for the event and we will also get a chance to see them in Colorado at the wedding. Emily is going to be in attendance with her boyfriend Eli, and we have already given her fair warning that he should be prepared for a proper grilling by, among others, Chris and Sarah. While they are gentle and kind about it, Chris and Sarah have a way of learning a lot about you in a short period of time.


Also making the drive to Guilford for the event were John's Aunt Pat and cousin Barbara. It was great to have them there since we don't get to see them often enough. Barb looked especially radiant on that day...wink-wink, hi Barb! (We have to give a shout out to someone we know reads the blog besides our parents!) On a serious note, it was great to get a chance to talk and hopefully the future will provide more opportunities to hang out. For instance, perhaps Ryan would like to take a look at the University of Kentucky. Rumor has it we have some good sports teams - basketball, football, baseball. We're just throwing some ideas out there.


Finally, we have a picture of the original Bowes girls. Don't they look fantastic. Unfortunately we don't have a photo from a few decades ago to compare. But trust us, they have only gotten cuter.



Katie, Taffy, and Suzy's friend Heather put on a fabulous shower and truly got us revved for the celebration to come. We are looking forward to Colorado in less than two weeks. The countdown is on for Suzy and Brian's big day!!! Don't worry, we may take a few pictures to share.

May Travels

May was a tough month for us. As we shared with you a few posts ago, the Halloran family left Lexington and headed for Salt Lake City. The good news is that they are doing great in SLC. The bad news is that they weren't the only ones leaving Lexington. At the end of the month our friends Neil and Karen packed their bags and headed for New York. Like the Hallorans, this move was because of an awesome opportunity that they couldn't pass up.

Fortunately, we had the chance to spend a weekend with Neil and Karen before they departed. We rented a cabin at Jenny Wiley State Park and got in some good old fashioned nature and relaxation time. Pictured below is part of the nature encounter - ducks aplenty.



Okay, so there are no ducks in the picture above. But we were feeding the ducks. Callie enjoyed it, once John a.k.a. Captain Caution, allowed her to walk past the large hissing drake. That's a male duck, by the way. Don't feel bad - we had to google it. This was yet another example of Sarah and John's contrasting parenting styles, because Sarah thought she might be able to tame that bad boy by riding him across the lake.


Despite the parental craziness, Callie was willing to pose with one of the signs that confirms there were actually ducks on the premises. One wonders if her willingness to pose for such pictures will diminish or increase as the years go by. We are having to bribe her more often to obtain pictures like these. (If you look closer at the picture you will see a fine pair of legs behind the sign - but you don't see the candy held behind the sign)


One of the best parts of the weekend was taking an easy hike on the lakeside trail while Neil a.k.a. The Tree Man, pointed out the variety of plant life and gave us juicy tidbits about the age, diversity, and lushness of the forest around us. At the end of the hike, we weren't sure whether to tip him, prepare for a quiz, or just get dinner ready. As you can see, we have to work on Callie's ability to stay awake in class. This behavior would not fly in Neil or John's classroom.


We will definitely miss Neil and Karen and hope that we see them soon in the future. Of course, that may be difficult as Karen will be spending the next year doing research in Israel while Neil spends several months studying the forests of Mongolia. And no, we are not making any of that up. You thought we traveled alot. At least we stay on the same continent.

Speaking of travel, the last weekend of May brought us to Connecticut for a number of events. The first order of business was John's 15th Yale reunion. Callie spent most of the weekend with Nana Banana, Sport, Suzy, Chris, Katie, Michael, and Brendan, while we lived it up in New Haven. John walked around and caught up with classmates he hadn't seen for years, while Sarah scoped out the members of her favorite reunion class, the men of '45W. Those are the guys who initially enrolled with the class of '45 and then went to fight in WWII. Though they graduated later they are designated '45W. They were celebrating their 65th and were looking good!

In any case, Callie did come into the city to hang out with us for a couple of hours on Saturday. She ran around with the other kids and took part in the little festival Yale put together. They are just trying to recruit early. Personally, John thinks she looks pretty good in the Yale hat she has on below. Although to be fair, she would probably look just as cute in a UC-Santa Barbara hat.



It pains me (John) to say that another picture that could have gone in this spot just didn't make the cut. But for the record, we do have a couple of pictures of John and Callie at the front door of the Master's House of Jonathan Edwards College. With any luck, and over Sarah's registered protest, this will be the front door to our house. Yes, Sarah is shaking her head as I type this.


The last picture for this post finds Nana Banana, Brendan, and Callie posing with the man of the hour, Michael. He had just finished playing his trombone and marching with the Adams Middle School Band in Guilford's Memorial Day parade. Everyone agreed that his band was far better than the high school band. It is also important to note that we intended to have pictures of Michael marching and playing. However, due to John's fine camera work, we ended up with multiple shots of a fine young boy named Tony Penza. He does play the trombone, but is not Michael. Such is life.

Of course there was one more very big reason for our trip. But that deserves a post all its own.