Friday, April 13, 2012

Ohio Home Leave 2012

One of the nice things about the Foreign Service is our Congressionally-mandated "home leave" in between postings, where we can reconnect with America and spend some family time. We enjoyed most of February in Ohio at David's parents' house.

We've been really busy lately (more on that in the next post) but here are some favorite pics from our time in Ohio:




Claire loved her Valentine's Day dress, judging from her beautiful smile.








my little Valentines



Having fun at Quaker Stake and Lube



tummy time!




Sledding in Grandma and Grandpa's front yard


making fried chicken--Nicholas loves to help cook!

Visiting a friend from Denison and her daughter



Claire all swaddled up, back when it still fit!


Nicholas loves his tricycle!



my cutie!

Nicholas had his first trip to the barber (and to the dentist, but we didn't get a picture of that)


up next, adventures in DC

Friday, February 3, 2012

Fun times in Colorado

Our first stop on home leave was to Colorado to visit Christy's sister Katie, her husband Jeff, and their dog Frisco. Christy's parents also flew in from California so it was a mini-family reunion. Denver is a great city for kids--Nicholas loved the Aquarium and the Children's Museum, which even had an exhibit for Claire! We are excited to learn that DC will be getting a Children's Museum in 2013. Christy also got to go skiing for the first time in 3 years (2 babies and a 30th birthday later!).

We are spending the rest of our home leave with David's parents in Ohio, and are happy to be reunited with the Moe cat. We signed a lease on a townhouse in Alexandria, VA (near Franconia-Springfield) and are now busy trying to figure out pre-school for Nicholas for next fall. It's like college--$50 per application, and they are due in January/February for the following September. Crazy!

Other projects are job-searching for David and finding a nanny, so we are still pretty busy and have a lot to accomplish before Christy starts French at the end of the month. Oh, and we will be celebrating our 5th Anniversary! It's been a pretty amazing 5 years.

Here are the pics from Colorado:

The ski resort, Copper Mountain, had a Critterland. Nicholas had a great time in the snow, and his Uncle Jeff taught him how to make snowballs!


snowbunny Claire





pretty soon Nicholas will be on skis!



but in the meantime, tubing is pretty awesome





riding the shuttle (aka "big bus!") from the parking lot to the lodge, with Aunt Katie





lunch break at the lodge, where David, Claire, and Nicholas stayed toasty warm while the rest of us skiied



snow pants and hunter's plaid. too cute! (in mommy's opinion, anyway :-) )





Christy couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day on the slopes. It was sunny, not too cold, and the snow was great!





It's been 8 years since the four of us got to ski together; last time was Christy's senior year spring break, also in Colorado





at the Children's Museum--Nicholas playing in the train exhibit





Claire got to float on her pod at The Pond, an exhibit designed especially for infants







GG and Claire






Mommy and Claire






Daddy and Nicholas fishing in "The Grove"





the best part--the fire engine exhibit! Nicholas got to dress up like a firefighter. Sooo cool!
















Nicholas with Aunt Katie and Uncle Jeff at the Aquarium





Nicholas loved to see the scuba divers go "kick, kick, kick" .... I think it's time for swim lessons!






this pretty much sums up Claire's trip to the Aquarium






Nicholas-heaven: an exhibit full of buttons and switches! We almost didn't get past this to the rest of the Aquarium






Shark attack! We got to watch them feeding, which was pretty cool.




We are pretty tired from all the moving and travelling, and are enjoying some relaxation in Ohio and looking forward to getting settled in our new home!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Goodbye, Sweet T&T

It was a whirlwind return to Trinidad; we were there for a total of 20 days. It was nice to have all of our stuff for a short period of time, but we packed out again the second week we were there. Nicholas enjoyed a few last trips to the pool and one last trip to the beach, and we loved introducing Claire to everyone and were sad to say good bye to good friends.








the trucks and dinos made it to Trinidad and back again






Claire turned 2 months just over a week ago but it seems like ages ago!




David sported a mustache for a few days but shaved for the Town Hall meeting.




Claire sporting her cute summer outfits










she has the lounging at the pool thing down pat






one last dinner at Crews Inn





Nicholas loved his mango smoothie!






our air freight-- they did cover it with a tarp, but I'm still a little nervous to see what actually makes it to Washington, DC






Nicholas loves all "big trucks" including the moving truck!







we weren't feeling quite ready for the movers but they packed us up anyway!








enjoying the beach










Claire's Aden and Anais muslin blankets were perfect for Trinidad and the warm weather























PapPap and Nicholas and Claire got matching Hawaiian shirts for Christmas!








Claire loves the swing, just like her brother did.






David and his dad got to go fishing--it was delicious!







Claire lounging at the pool again










our neighbors are the best--they took care of our house while we were gone and gave us a warm welcome!






I will miss More Vino's sushi!











Next up, Colorado!