My Big Baby and Little Baby Are Growing Up!

Pondering deep thoughts . . .

Mr. M. turned a GQ fourteen.

He played a new sport this year . . .

and made some new friends.

Gained more confidence . . .

and hopefully learned it's not all about him!

Even on rainy, grey days

life is good!

So pose like you don't care . . .

mess your hair a little . . .

and don't take yourself too seriously!

We've been tourists . . .

and learned new words, like fragola, fraise, or strawberry . . .

and someone wasn't afraid of looking like an idiot :)

Whether you're with your family in Florence . . .

or celebrating your birthday in Esher,

there's nothing like blowing out the candles on your Angelina Ballerina cake!

A new bike for a big girl . . .

and a goofy smile for Mom :)

The Old Iron Cross (in Stone)

Growing up in NJ, there was a little old man in our church ward, Bro. Melville, who used to sing "The Old Iron Cross" every January. He would recount all the bad things that happened in his life (in the month of January, if I remember correctly). You just remember people who do things a little differently; at least it kept us kids from falling asleep during the meetings :)

Anyway, it's not January, and the crosses aren't iron. Rather, they're stone and found all over Cornwall from the early inhabitants of the region. The Iron and Bronze Ages, let's say, and lots of Celtic and other cool cross action going on . . . I couldn't resist snapping pictures of them. Oh wait, most of these are rather modern but nonetheless interesting and very cool. Next post, family, I promise more exciting pictures of your grandchildren!

Simple Pleasures

In our family, simple pleasures include crepes, Sunday walks, scones, movies together, Mason finding a lingerie-clad mannequin in a restaurant men's room (wait, how did that get in here?), and frolicking on the beach . . . or rather, crashing down sand dunes. A few shots from our Cornwall adventures last week.

London BUPA 10,000 for British Heart Foundation

Love Never Dies

My husband used to tease his mom about her Broadway, and more specifically, "Phantom of the Opera" obsessions . . . and now it's come full circle. Mark, Micheline (our friend visiting from Paris), and I headed into London for "Love Never Dies," the sequel. I was doubtful it would be any good since the melodrama and cornball Andrew Lloyd Webber factor is always in danger of going over the edge. But, was I wrong, and am I becoming my mother in law? :) Try to catch it if you're in London or New York (from Nov. 2010).

Hogmanay Holiday

I've already put a bunch of photos of our recent trips to Edinburgh and Italy up on Facebook, but I figure it can't hurt to cover all the bases for my homies (a.k.a. Moms and Dads of the Stryker-Hamberlin dynasty :). So, Grandmas & Grandpas, this is for you!

We began the festivities with a torchlight procession, "Son et Lumiere" (that's Sound and Light). Everyone sauf Emma had a large torch that could've easily doubled as a weapon. Nico and Mason were especially dangerous, and I believe I have some colorful commentary on the Flip camera footage to prove it. A few fellow tourists and myself almost got singed from their efforts. We eventually made our way to the Tower where some cool fireworks were set off. Freezing, we retreated to the hotel for some rest after the train ride and day's events.

The next day we met up with our friends, the Crane's and the Whitehead's. We ventured to Camera Obscura (see black and white building above) where we enjoyed lots of cool little exhibits with trompe l'oeil and many other forms of visual stimulation. We ventured to the rooftop for lovely views of grey but picturesque Edinburgh.

During our stay we also visited the castle for a very chilly and windy evening of storytelling from its former inhabitants including Mary Queen of Scots. It was fun but I felt sorry for the narrators/actors the entire time!

Oh man, I just realized this has been sitting in my edit box for two months! I am losing the will to blog. I have to pay more attention to my family so hopefully the relatives will forgive the quarterly posting instead of the monthly one :) There is just too much going on and not enough time to do it. So, I'm signing off for a bit and living life . . .