Reading with Daddy

Hello everyone! We just thought we would post a few pictures of 5 month old Lily! She is getting so big and so very independent. We are loving every second with her.

Daddy reading her a book about Dinos.

And a classic...

Where did our little baby go??

Gun Lake

Hi, everybody,

Just wanted to share a few pictures from our visit with Mary, Butch, and the girls this weekend. We had a great time Friday and Saturday, but of course were sad to hear the news of Grandma Pierre's death last night. We we so glad to spend so much time Mary and her family who are courageously and patiently living life despite Butch's illness. Sending our love to all!

Ecuador!

Hanna here, not Laura, though I am once again hijacking her account.

So, an old friend of mine has a college roommate who got married in Ecuador two weeks ago, and she didn't want to make the trip alone. Naturally, when thinking about who among her friends would want to shirk all their responsibilities and trek around South America for ten days, she thought of me.



This is the colonial section of Quito at night, with the old white churches glowing all over. We were staying in the colonial area, it was an interesting place.







This is my friend and me at the equator. Supposedly if you extend your thumbs upward on either side of the line it boosts your energy. Probably doesn't work when you're mugging for the camera, though.












The Basilica in Quito. I went to the very top of the bell-tower on the left, and you can see the entire city. And Quito is not small. That tower is high up, you guys.



Behind me is the fancy entrance for political bigwigs. I forgot to mention, the gargoyles on this basilica are chock full of crazy animals: llamas, anteaters, tortoises, rams, crocodiles, etc.



The wedding was in something called a "cloud forest" just north of Quito, which meant it's like a rainforest but at really high elevation and just a little less rainy. We slept in treehouses. See right.











This was the view from our treehouse. I was pretty hyperactive the whole two days we were there. So much to see! Waterfalls, butterfly enclosures, faulty electrical generators, wedding bands with kazoos... we had a blast.



That's a waterfall behind us. We were taking some pictures of the happy couple in the cloud forest undergrowth.










Helpful tip for future brides: If you don't feel like decorating, have the wedding in a rainforest. Problem solved.

This doesn't even include the photos of our side trip out to the Ecuadorian coast, which included one day of seeing a Galapagos-alike island with blue-footed boobys and humpback whales and two days of sitting in hammocks on the beach. It was the perfect vacation to cap off my time in Atlanta.

Da Boys

One of the best perks of being home for the summer is hanging out with the nephews. I wish I could do the same with Lily. Here are some pics of Sean boy Sean and Cayrrrrub.

Celebrations and Parade Time!

And so, it was time to shave......

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It was also time for everyone to celebrate for the Penguins and Pittburgh exploded. I guess alot of energy tends to build up over 17 years, but the excitement in Pittsburgh came to a head.....pretty much the entire weekend haha. Last week, Ben and I even got to experience the high-priced magic that is attending the first home game, game 3, of the Stanley Cup Finals. Was it worth it?........................................ ........I guess that answers that.

On the day of Game 7, the city as a collective whole was quiet, nervous, and waiting for the manner in which we'd all be crying by 11 p.m. that night. After the game ended in rather dramatic fashion, fans including myself took to the streets of Oakland and the Sah'Side. Oakland was fun but otherwise unimpressive, but the Southside another matter. I've never experience anything quite like it. To get the best image of this scene, imagine Mardi Gras in New Orleans spontaneously breaking out on East Carson St. with everyone sporting Pens gear and 40 different models of the Stanley Cup being passed around for everyone to lift/kiss. I've never received as many high-fives from strangers nor have I seen as many piles of horse dung or piles of barf in my life. I was surprized, yet not very much, by the inordinate level of rudeness displayed by the Pittsburgh Police. In general, the cops actually caused the majority of the problems while everyone mostly wanted to have a good time. After the craziness of the night, I retired to wait for what became the Pens celebration concert the next night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHiqf8QNm0I

On saturday, we saw The Sounds, Paramore, and No Doubt at the PostGazette Pavillion which was an absolute blast. We wore our Pens stuff and a good chunk of the crowd did as well. Abby and I talked between acts to a couple from Cleveland who wanted to congradulate us for all of Pittsburgh's success in the past year, and we in turn congradulated them for having their own version of the Pirates otherwise known as the Cleveland Browns. The bands made many shout outs during the show to the Penguins and their fans which drew many long and loud cheers, screams......and squeels from the teenage girls. During their encore, two members of No Doubt even wore Malkin and Crosby jerseys on stage which they afterwars threw into the crowd. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8aIV2hq1GM

On sunday we visited with Grandma and Grandpa to rest a bit before the parade monday....but there was no rest for the weary as I stayed up through the night to get a good spot. I arrived downtown at about 5:40 a.m. for the 12 p.m. parade and waited on the corner of Stanwix St. it to start. Mom and I got some really good shots of the team and the crowd as the day went on. The non-cup related highlight of the day occured when the crowd began trying to throw a football to a priest in the this fourth story window above our heads. One man, now a myth and a legend answered the call that countless other could not...........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg6cG-k_DGQ

Upon waiting for hours and hours....the parade began and here are our highlight pics from the day:

School's almost over!

Is everybody else done with school, and only Rhode Island keeps them in this long? The kids have one more week. Kelly is gearing up for finals, and Brett is coasting. Looks like they don't have to make up the swine flu days after all.

Here's a photo of Brett getting his first hit of the baseball season (I didn't take this - in fact, you can see Herb and me in the background). For some reason, he just couldn't make contact this year. Then suddenly, yesterday, he got 2 hits and 2 RBI's. The night before that he was given the game ball for making two spectacular defensive plays, one in left field and one from third base. Luckily, Kelly and I had arrived from her tournament game in time to see his awesome play from 3rd. He's had a great coach this season and a good group of boys, so although they haven't won many games, it's been a positive experience. It's probably his last season of baseball, but we're glad it's ending well!

OK Penguin fans, we're expecting some celebrating! What's happening in the Burgh?

Family Visits in May

Dad and I took a couple trips in May, so I'm sending along a few family photos.  We enjoyed a couple days in Fort Wayne in early May, and went on to Green Bay for Mother's Day with Grandma Pierre.  Later, Memorial Day weekend, we went to Gun Lake for a visit with the Vaughans.  I'm sending along a few photos.  Love to all.