Is there a 3 year-old in the house?

On Sunday, October 3, 2010, Callie turned 3. And this year, she not only knew it was her birthday, but she was also very excited. For the last four months she was willing to tell everyone and anyone that she was going to be three years old on October 3. She was also quick to point out that she shared her birthday with Uncle Chris.

We started the festivities on the first day of October, the Friday before her big day. We felt like official parents when we met up at the daycare with cupcakes and a camera. Callie insisted on having pink cupcakes with sprinkles on top and they were a hit. Callie and her friends assembled at the table for snack time and John passed out the goodies.


Ever since the "Tony Penza" incident of Memorial Day 2010, John has been banned from camera duties in key situations. Sarah was on the mark, however, and captured Callie enjoying her cupcake. However, the best part of the experience was when one little boy asked John to help him with the wrapper, which then snowballed into five little kids holding up their cupcakes in a silent request for similar assistance. It is important to note that John successfully handled the requests without anyone, including himself, getting too frazzled.


Later that night the real birthday surprise arrived when Nana Banana and Sport got off the plane from Connecticut and prepared to celebrate all weekend with their granddaughter. It was great to have them in town and we certainly squeezed a lot in during the time they were here. Fortunately the weather cooperated for the most part on Saturday, and after a walk through the Farmer's Market we headed to good old Reed Valley Orchard for their Fall Festival.



Callie loved picking apples, listening to music, and spending time with her grandparents. We love the above picture and it is just a glimpse into the fun the three of them had over the weekend. Callie was a particularly big fan of Nana Banana's bedtime reading and she thought Sport was, and we quote, "pretty silly." All in all, it was clearly a good time.


As we mentioned earlier, Callie was very aware that it was her birthday. Apparently so were our respective families and friends. Day after day packages streamed into our house and Callie's was ready to burst from excitement. She could barely contain herself when the time came to sit down and open up some of the boxes. The smile in this picture says it all.


Her excitement only grew when she spotted her monkey cake. This is the first year that Sarah made the cake instead of buying it, and boy did she set a high standard for the years to come. It took a lot of time and effort, but Callie's response to it made the whole thing worthwhile.





The video was a bit too long to put on the blog, so we'll have to describe the actual presentation of the cake and Callie's response to the traditional birthday song. This has never been Callie's forte, and last year she cried when we sang to her while bringing out the cake. This year was an improvement, because there were no tears. But she did not want to blow out the candles and clearly was less than enthusiastic about the singing. One step at a time. Of course, once the singing stopped her smile returned, as you can see below. Then she was more than ready to sit down and dig in.



And just like that, Callie turned three. It happened so fast. But we all know that a birthday in the Bowes house means two things. First, in two days we head to John's favorite destination, Portrait Innovations. Get ready for some cute pictures. Second, Callie better have her file ready for her annual review. Based on what we've been dealing with over the past couple of months, this could be a tough one. (Note to other young children, limit the whining if you want good marks on your evaluation)

And yes, we only have two months before we really have to shift gears and welcome the fourth member of Team Bowes.

Girls Weekend

This Labor Day weekend was different than it has been over the past couple of years. John went off to Cape Cod for the annual reunion by himself while Sarah and Callie stayed back in Kentucky. But they were not alone. Indeed, the same day John left a plane from Los Angeles brought Lauren and Ashlyn in for a visit. Unfortunately, Kate, Lauren's oldest daughter, didn't make the trip. Understandably, Lauren is not ready to travel cross country with two little ones just yet.




The weekend was exactly what everyone needed. Not only did we see the sights throughout Lexington, but the two moms also had the chance to sit around and talk for hours after the girls went to sleep. The only missing element was the wine - most likely next time both moms will really need it if they have all four little girls in one place.


One day we went to Henry Clay's estate, also known as Ashland, to picnic and listen to jazz. Callie loved hanging out with Ashlyn. She was very attentive to her needs and especially enjoyed feeding her little puffs. Everything was going so well...



Then Callie learned some of the risks of feeding a young child. In this picture we witness the aftermath of Ashlyn literally biting the hand that was feeding her. Although Callie was pretty upset, she got over it relatively quickly, and soon renewed her efforts to help Ashlyn eat the puffs. At the very least, this was good training for when she has to deal with her soon to arrive little sister.


It was great to get to know Ashlyn a little better. Not only is she adorable like her sister, but she also has a personality bigger than life. And she is not even a year old yet. The combination of Kate and Ashlyn is sure to keep Lauren and JP busy in the years to come.



In the picture above you can see Callie sporting her new California t-shirt. She is always ready to tell you that she got this shirt from Kate and she loves to wear it. You also will see that Ashlyn has a matching onesie. But what you don't see is that Kate and Auntie Lo also have matching shirts. So if you see a bunch of flowers walking your way, you'll have a pretty good idea of who it is.


As with all visits, this one was too short and on Monday Lauren and Ashlyn took off for Los Angeles even as John flew back from the Cape. Hopefully next time we will be able to get the entire families together. There will be four girls three and under, two moms, and two very outnumbered dudes. Sounds like fun!

Baby Girl: The Sequel

What's better than one cute little daughter? Two cute little daughters! At least that is what we are hoping, because we are having another little girl. In this post we have three relatively recent ultrasound pictures of Baby Peanut. We decided to have Callie join us for the ultrasound experience so that she could get a first hand look at what was really going on in Sarah's belly. More than anything, we were hoping she would impress the doctors and technicians with her bone-identification skills.



This first shot definitely gave her an opportunity to talk about vertebrae and femurs. It was cool because the doctor who reviewed the ultrasound was the same one who had diagnosed Callie's kidney reflux three years ago. So we got to thank him and show off Callie in all of her healthy glory. But the real star of the show was Baby Peanut, and the doctor gave positive reviews of her development so far. Everything is where it should be and growing appropriately.




If the pictures were any indication, Peanut is not at all shy. The tech had no problem finding things like the foot you see above, and also found it quite easy to identify her gender. it is important for us to note that Callie was the only one of Team Bowes and others who correctly predicted that Peanut was a girl. Because she was spot on with that prediction we capitalized on her knowledge and asked what we should name her sister. Callie quickly replied, "Brother Bowes." Of course, since that time her desired name is Miss Donna Bowes, after her favorite teacher at daycare. We can confirm that neither of these names has made the short list.




It appears that Peanut is just as excited to meet Callie as Callie is to be her big sister. The tech was kind enough to point out that Peanut was waving hello and we all thought that was really cool. Our next ultrasound is in October, and at that point preparations for the arrival should be in high gear. Preparations should actually be in higher gear right now, but we have been a little slow to get moving. Overall, the excitement level is building, and Team Bowes can't wait to welcome our fourth teammate to the world. Three months and counting - almost to the day.

Visit from Grammy

Last year we met Grammy Gayle for a fun weekend in Chicago. This year we cut out the middle city and she flew out to visit us right here. It should come as no surprise that we managed to pack quite a few things into her visit/birthday weekend.

The first order of business was taking the birthday girl out on the town for a good meal. We all got dressed up and headed to Merrick Inn.



We had a great evening and enjoyed far too much tasty food. It was the perfect way to kick off the visit.


Because of the upcoming World Equestrian Games, Horse Mania 2010 has hit Lexington. Sidewalks and parks throughout the city are covered in horses painted by a variety of local artists. Although we saw several horses throughout Grammy Gayle's visit, we have a lot more to see because there are nearly one hundred throughout Lexington.


Everyone has their favorite, and this horse hits John's newfound sweetspot. Who knew that John would one day be a man who enjoyed the finer pleasures of a good Kentucky bourbon. Now he's just saving his pennies to try and buy this horse when it is auctioned off. Indeed, John is working hard to convince Sarah that it would look great in the front yard.


Callie was very excited to have Grammy in town, and the two of them spent nearly three whole days together while John and Sarah were at work.



Here the two of them pose in front of the Triangle Park water fountain, which is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in downtown Lexington. The whole morning was a whole lot of fun, looking at the horses, checking out the fountain, and visiting the farmer's market. But we were on a tight schedule and had to hop in the car to head to Paris and Reed Valley Orchard.


Blueberry season has long since passed, but the trees at Reed Valley are overflowing with a variety of very tasty apples. Callie's apple picking skills have also blossomed over the course of the past year. She was eager to get involved in the process, and it was good to have her around to get at the best apples near the tops of the trees. But the clock kept ticking, so we grabbed a few berry slushies and hit the road. We had other places to go and people to see.



For the third year in a row we had a table for Picnic with the Pops. This year was slightly different because it was held at Keeneland instead of the Kentucky Horse Park. The location may have been different, but the entertainment continued to exceed expectations.



None of our group pictures worked out quite right, but the above photo of Gayle, Tommy, Chad, and Rebecca captures the spirit of the night and our fancy table. This event yet again proved that we can get out and enjoy ourselves without our dear daughter. We can't wait for next year!


The next day we invited the Richters to join us for the Woodland Arts and Crafts Fair. Like us, Lynda and Stephen are preparing to welcome a new addition to their family. The two ever growing women decided to embrace the moment and compare bellies during some down time at the fair. The next few months should be fun because the two babies will be born just about a month apart.




No arts and crafts fair is complete without an opportunity to show off your own skills. Here Grammy Gayle checks out Callie's work with a paint brush on a community canvas. Callie seemed to really enjoy it. We just had to encourage her to avoid painting all over other people's art work. Respect for other people's art is one more lesson Callie is in the process of learning.




The final stop on the tour was the Slushie Factory, otherwise known as every little kid's dream. Callie had a mix of Orange and Cherry, which she just about inhaled. But here was another lesson to be learned. As Jackson and Eli Richter demonstrate in the photo, drinking slushies too quickly can lead to brain freeze.





As with any visit, Grammy Gayle's trip to Lexington was a lot of fun and went by far too fast. We can't wait until we get to see her again at Christmas. Not only is that less than four months away, but when she returns she'll have another granddaughter to play with.

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.