Back to the beach

Saturday, we're jetting off to Edisto Island for a family vacation. I'm so excited! I can't believe it's been almost ten years since I was last in South Carolina. I hope the Island is as beautiful and relaxing as I remember. I'm really looking forward to lounging in the sun, collecting shells, swimming, and building sandcastles. I'll be sure to take tons of pictures.

Our busy weekend

It was a fun & busy weekend at the Myers/Cole house. On Friday night, Matt got back from his trip to Japan. It's so nice to have him home. The only bummer is that all of his trip pictures are super boring... Just hotels and train stations. I think that other than conference rooms, that's pretty much all he saw of the country. It looks like his company might be getting some work there, though, so I'm sure he'll be back. Maybe next time he'll take me with him? I'd really love a chance to see Japan, even though he'd probably be so busy that I'd essentially be living out the plot of Lost in Translation. Minus the affair with Bill Murray, of course. Unless I actually run into Bill over there. Then all bets are off. (Kidding, Matt!)

On Saturday, we had some fun family time at Matt's company picnic. It was 100 degrees outside, and brutally hot at the park where the picnic was being held. The playground equipment was virtually unsuable, as the sun had turned all of the surfaces into hibachi grills. The park itself was beautiful, though, and there were tons of other fun things to do. We were all situated inside a huge, shady bandshell type building, so it was easier to stay cool. There was a little water play area right outside our building, and Frankie had a blast running through the sprinklers and fountains. The park also had a gigantic sandbox inside the covered area, so when she got tired of the heat she had a nice shady place to play. Matt's company had also organized some kid's activities for the day, and the face painting was especially a hit. (Frankie got her face painted like an owl.)

On Sunday, we had a really productive house-project day. We woke up early and went to the garden center to buy a bunch of bushes for the perimeter of our yard. When we got home, we worked hard clearing out all of the weeds and general awfulness that's been there since we moved in. It was so hot that we had to attach a mister to the hose to keep us cool as we worked. It was really productive, though. We managed to change this:

To this:

And this:

We still have about six juniper bushes to plant, because the heat eventually got to us and we had to pack it in for the day. But still, great progress.

After hanging out in the a/c for awhile, Matt and Frankie went back outside to assemble our new patio swing. Verdict: I love it! It makes the space so much more shady and comfortable. In fact, I'm thinking of bringing a cup of coffee out there as soon as I post this...

When Frankie was in the bathtub Sunday night, we got quite a surprise:

She lost her front tooth!

It wiggled and waggled and twisted until it was eventually pointing straight out like a Narwhal tusk. Then... pop! It was gone. She was thrilled, and wrote a cute little note for the tooth fairy that night. I'm excited for her, but I'm not quite sure I was ready for that front tooth to come out. I didn't have a chance to say a proper goodbye to her old baby smile. Now, she's such a big girl... Guess I have to face it: She's definitely growing up. The new smile is adorable, though. She looks like a mini hockey player. Or a roller derby girl.



Chicago Trip Pictures

Family Vacation

Dad and Olga have been so great about coming out to see us in Colorado. Since Frankie arrived, they've been out about twice a year to visit. After five years of them diligently coming out here, we decided it was high time we flew out to visit them in Indiana. So, tomorrow... off we go!

We're going to fly to Ft. Wayne and then drive over to my grandparent's house on Lake James for a few days. I haven't been to the lake house since my grandfather passed away a few years back, and I'm already bracing myself for what will undoubtedly be a flood of memories--- All happy, but bittersweet since I miss grandma and grandpa so darn much.

We have plans to watch fireworks over the lake, eat fabulous summer veggies on the screened-in porch, and just generally be lazy while listening to the sound of boats on the lake, wind in the trees. Lake James is one of my favorite places on Earth, and I'm so glad I'm going to get the chance to see it again.

After that, it's off to NW Indiana. We'll stay in Valparaiso for a few days, and make as many day trips into Chicago as we can manage. I'm dying to show Frankie the Museum of Science and Industry. I hope she loves it as much as I did when I was a kid. I'm really looking forward to seeing the look on her face as she explores that fabulous old building. I've heard a rumor that we're also going to take a Chicago architecture cruise on Lake Michigan, and hop a double decker bus tour across the city. Sounds perfect to me.

 

Bike Tyke

Frankie's gone from being deathly afraid of bicycles (as in, she'd literally cry if we suggested getting her a bike), to being absolutely in love with her big-girl bike. Once we talked her into giving bicycles a try, she took to it instantly. It only took her a few minutes before she learned to zoom around the neighborhood like a pro. Now, she practically lives for our daily rides around the neighborhood. She's so speedy, I can barely keep up with her!

If we let her, I think she'd ride her bike all day until she collapsed from fatigue. Then she'd take five minutes to regroup, after which she'd beg me to take her swimming.

My life in pictures

Ah, summer. The weather has been so beautiful here, and the scenery from our living room and back porch is absolutely sublime. Everhything here is green, shady, and quiet. It's like living in the country, with all the conveniences of the city just a few minutes away.

Frankie has been learning to ride a bike, and it's so nice to have a safe place to ride with her. There's hardly any traffic in our subdivision, and I feel like it's a much safer place for her to play than our old house on Meldrum used to be. The neighbors have been consistently great, too, letting Frankie use their swingsets and play with their dogs. Every time Frankie goes outside, she seems to come back in with a plate of some sort of freshly-baked goody from the folks next door.

The sunsets out here are so beautiful, the remind me quite a bit of the views from the Kirkborough House in England. Instead of the sea, we have the mountains. I often sit on the couch in the evenings, watching the sun go down behind the mountains and trees. It's blissful.

Every weekend, we're hard at work on some sort of house project. I'm proud to say that I've kept the plants I bought for the patio alive for over a week. I'm not sure that all of them are going to make it-- Beware all who encounter my black thumb! Still, some of those little guys are looking pretty darn good. Even my hanging baskets are alive...a minor miracle.

I thought I'd post a few snapshots of some of the things we've been doing round these parts. Just thought I'd show off the progress on the house.

Rec room before: White walls, brown floors. Cold, bleak, and boring.

During: Color on the walls, but still cursed with brown floors. Nothing matches, which drives me crazy. It's a bit of a mish-mash.

After: A vast improvement! I actually *like* spending time down here now.

Art room before: The yellow walls are an improvement, but nothing can look decent with that awful floor.

Art room after: Still not perfect, but much better.

Patio before: Welcome to Weedville

Patio during: The great clean-up.

Patio after: Ahhhh... Oasis!

Patio Progress

We had a bit of a rain delay, but Matt was still able to finish laying the patio stones this afternoon. Lookin' good!