Next stop......USA!!

...but first a quick look at our trip to the Island of Corsica after a week of perfect weather and beautiful beaches. This was Susannah's first beach trip and the first time to get into the ocean...well the Mediterranean Sea. A full-size blog installment with all the pics and details is coming soon. But here are a few highlights......

Here's where we stayed, absolutely gorgeous Olmeto Plage.



Susannah had the chance to lounge by the pool all day and take her first dip, which she liked.


Having uncle Hollis and aunt Kristy there made the trip even more special and we loved hanging out with them all week. Here is a typical French vacation dinner.

Hiking the beautiful shores of Corsica.

Hanging out with Uncle Hollis.


Next stop....The USA!

C'est Finit!!!

IT'S FINISHED!!! After 5+ months of interviews and research and 100+ pages of writing......in French, Peter turned in his memoire yesterday. Needless to say, Susannah and I are beside ourselves with pride.


How best to celebrate such an accomplishment? I think a sunny island vacation to Corsica fits the bill. We leave tomorrow morning so stay posted for pics of Susannah taking her debut dip in the Mediterranean.

6 months!!

Susannah, you have already been here with us for half of a year. How is that possible? Time is flying by, and even though you have been quite a handful these past few weeks, (waking up 2 or 3 times a night; Mommy really hates growth spurts!!) it breaks my heart to think that these sweet baby days are going to be over before I know it. Your little personality is starting to really shine through,

and even though sometimes that means that you are rather demanding of your mommy, it also floods my heart with joy every time I see you laugh or squeal in delight.


Since you no longer have a crib or your bla bla doll, we can't do a 6 month comparison picture, but here are the stats. Height: 26.5 inches, weight: 17 lbs. This puts you in the 50th-75th percentile for both. Here are some other shots from the past month. You are sitting up so well. The doctor was quiet impressed yesterday and called you "sportive". Of course, your mommy loved that. You are doing so well with your sitting up that you don't like your frog bouncer anymore. So we feed you on the couch. All I have to say about that is good thing we are donating this sofa before we move because it is already covered in carrot and pear stains.
Mommy wasn't very smart and only left out one bib when the movers were packing. Considering the mess we make at every meal, this was very poor planning. (this is the clean face before the storm.)


We also invested in some age appropriate toys for you and you LOVE them. Your favorite is this block pyramid with a hidden rattle ball. Of course, you want to eat the rattle.
You also love to knock over the pyramid.


We went to church this weekend to say goodbye to everybody. You wore this adorable outfit that your Aunt Susan gave you. You were so cute, I have to post several of the pics.





In honor of your 6 month birthday, Daddy and I decided to have a picnic of all our favorite french things. It was really muggy out though, so we decided to do it indoors. :) You wanted to try everything and kept reaching for all the food. I can't blame you though.....look at this spread.

We had what our french friends told us was the absolute best Cotes du Rhone, some goose rilletes (sort of like a pate), olives and tapenade, our favorite camembert cheese, cereal baquette, apple slices, my favorite butter cookies, some special sausage from Peter's favorite sausage vendor, and, despite the current e.coli scare, raw veggies. Yum is all I have to say.


Well Susannah, words can't express how much I love being your Mom. The last 6 months have been by far the most challenging of my life, but watching you grow and learn is the most amazing experience. I love you and thank God for entrusting us with you. I can't wait to see what the next 6 months will bring.

Stockholm marathon

Well, our time is winding down here in France. Whitney and I are sad about leaving this amazing place, so in order to distract ourselves we trekked up to Sweden for the weekend and Whitney's final European roadrace before returning stateside.

After a long travel day via a budget airline and multiple bus and rail transfers we made it to Stockholm. Luckily the race didn't start until 1130am on Saturday, so we were all rested up for the big race. When we ascended out of the Stockholm metro the vibe of the crowd was electric and catching. Unfortunately Whitney was still battling a cold, but she pushed through like always. Of course, she did have some beautiful inspiration.

After Mommy went off to the start and we watched her set off on her 26.2 mile adventure, Susannah and I had some time to check out Stockholm's 1912 Olympic Stadium.

As I rolled Susannah into this hallowed arena, which has seen almost 100 years of great scandinavian and world athletes she was obviously inspired.

The runners actually finish the marathon on the track, but Susannah and I had the place all to ourselves at the beginning of the race.


We finally caught up with Whitney at kilometer 15 (mile 9). Despite her cold, the drizzle and cool temps she was keeping her pace.


We were planning on meeting Whitney again at 29 kilometers, but she had already kicked it in high gear. At 31 km she was already feeling better and was rocking a great pace. She finished in 4:29, her second fastest time ever for a marathon. Pretty amazing considering she devotes most of her energy to our little 6 month old bundle of joy! I was extremely proud and Susannah was extremely excited to have her Mommy's pretty smile back. We forgot to take pics at the finish because Mommy was nice enough to share her post-race beer and hotdog with me.

The next day we woke up to a windy and rainy Stockholm, so first stop was the indoor photography museum on the quay across from the city.



After we finished the cool exhibit one of us had some milk, while others opted for capuccino. Then we walked out to clearing skies and set off for the Archipeligo festival and the Vasa Museum.

Of course, being in this beautiful city on the Baltic Sea we went with a ferry trip over to Djurgaden island.

Apparently someone is a big fan of boatrides!

Despite running 26 miles the day before Whitney was a big trooper at the archipeligo festival..

Of course the food from the Baltic states, including tasty candies always helps..

Stockholm's perch on the water has made it a home to mariners for hundreds of years. A testament of this is the Vasa museum. The museum houses a Swedish warship that sank in Stockholm harbor on her maiden voyage in 1628. She was finally raised in 1961 and sits 98% fulled refurbished in a museum in Stockholm. Unbelievable to see.




At the end of our sightseeing day we somehow found ourselved in a white tablecloth restaurant, but we were ready for some Swedish food and Susannah seemed to be content with her few toys that we brought along.

Nothing beats a hearty meal of Swedish meatballs after a marathon.


Things were going well and Susannah was idling quietly on the bench next to Mommy unti we ordered dessert. Then the mood began erupting as Susannah had officially reached the limit of her sightseeing. Luckily we brought the old stand-bye, "The Hungry Catepillar" and that kept her occupied while we downed the desserts and headed for the hotel.


Ahhhh....much better...

Overall, we had a great trip and Susannah and I couldn't be prouder of Mommy's great marathon finish! Stockholm was a great way to start winding down our adventures in Europe.