Happy birthday, Alma! Happy birthday, Mom!

 

How lucky are we to have such a delightfully engaged, hard-working, kind, smart, and beautiful daughter?  Alma is a delight and we had so much fun during a full weekend of celebrating her and including others in the celebrations.  A tea party with friends, a family dinner, and a day at Longwood with family -- doesn't get better than that!

At Longwood Gardens, we also had the chance to celebrate my Mom (a.k.a. Nana to her favorite people), who shares this birthday week. We were delighted to have a full group of 17, with the Thompsons and Lachmans joining the fun. The weather was perfect for meandering around the beautiful grounds and the indoor displays, which made for a lovely way to kick off this holiday season.  

Alma, your father and I are so proud of the kind, thoughtful young lady you have become. It is a joy to have you as part of our family -- your humor makes our days brighter, your ability to manage schoolwork without any fuss (including honors classes, orchestra, and all the drama I'm sure happens in high school) makes parenting a teenager seem easy, and the love that you demonstrate to each member of our family makes us a more powerful unit.  You embody "Team Chisholm" energy -- stepping up to be your best for the group.  

We hope you feel our love, which is certainly more powerful than I could have envisioned 15 years ago when we welcomed you into our arms and hearts. You mean the world to us and we are so delighted to be your parents. 

Good thing we were outside that cold December morning to catch you as the stork flew by our house!

Back to school fun

 This year, Alma is off to high school while James is now in 7th grade.  We've had a fun launch into the school year, including a weekend visit to the National Constitution Center, a visit to Knoebles Amusement Park with James's friend Sawyer's family, a few days at Nana and Grandpa's house, a new handsome suit, soccer, biking, and cake decorating. Alma pretending to be a Gen-Z President makes me laugh so hard.  

London and Paris Olympics

Wow, what a wonderfully epic trip! Alma, James, and I didn't want to come home after such a fantastic week in London and Paris. Here’s a brief itinerary with some highlights:

Friday – After a redeye flight, land in London, take the train to our incredibly cute flat in Battersea, nap, and enjoy a picnic dinner at the park near our house.

Saturday – Bus tour of historic downtown London, the London Eye, dinner in a food market, and a boat tour on the Thames.

Sunday – Changing of the Guard with a fantastic tour guide (Lee), tour and lunch at Buckingham Palace, Wicked the Musical at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Monday – Brunch at the Pear Tree Café, walk around Chelsea, a lovely and delicious Italian dinner in Piccadilly Circus before seeing Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty's Theatre.

Tuesday – We took the Chunnel train to Paris and walked around our apartment, which was near Canal St. Martin (10th arrondissement), which was set up to look like a beach for the Olympics.

Wednesday – Hôtel de Ville for public Olympics events, shop for Olympic gear, walk to see Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, sit along the Seine near Pont Neuf, take the metro up to the Arc de Triomphe to have lunch, then see two women's quarter-final beach volleyball matches next to the Eiffel Tower (Brazil v. Latvia and Canada v. Spain).

Thursday – Stade de France in Saint-Denis for "Athletics" (track and field), where we saw the women's heptathlon (hurdles, high jump), shot put, and the women's and men's 4 x 100m relays, including USA's Sha'Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas; home for some downtime before heading to the Eiffel Tower, walking to the second floor, then taking an elevator to the top, and finally heading downtown to see the Musée d'Orsay, the Olympic flame balloon, and the Louvre Pyramid.

We had so much fun together, and I’m incredibly grateful for this time and this trip with them. Alma and James are truly the best kids — delighting in so many things while still being able to roll with the inevitable travel inconveniences. We spent a lot of time laughing and easily adjusting our plans to seize unique opportunities. 

Overall, we walked nearly 54 miles over seven days (averaging 7.7 per day, one day consisting of 10.4 miles of walking), which is hard to believe! We also almost exclusively rode public transportation, kidding that we might have visited every metro and train station in London and most of the ones in Paris.

Cannot wait for our next adventure together!

Pine Grove 2024

Year #7 in our favorite vacation spot: Pine Grove State Park

This year, we focused on the core activities and rhythms we enjoy the most: getting up early to swim in the lake every morning (usually for 3-4 hours), naps/listening to stories in the afternoon, hikes to Sunset Rocks and Pole's Steeple, an ice cream trip, and board games/cards at night.  It was classic and perfectly fabulous.