pap pap

The girls usually spend one week of the summer down in Charlottesville with my family. Since I’m working from anywhere these days, I went down with them and stayed the week. We hadn’t seen everyone in-person since Sophie’s birthday back in March, so it was really nice to finally give real hugs. The week was pretty low key. Most of the activities that the girls do while down there are closed this summer, or we just weren’t comfortable doing them, so we spent a lot of time at the house and just took a couple of trips out.

One day Becky and I took the girls to Sugar Hollow, which is a beautiful hiking spot where I spent a lot of time in high school.

  • On a rock in Sugar Hollow

Another day we went to a lake that was open for swimming.

One afternoon we met up with my friend Sarah and her daughter Lexi, who is 2 weeks younger than Sophie. We typically see them once or twice a year. The girls have totally different personalities, but get along pretty well. This time they bonded over Tic Toc (if I could find an eye roll emoji I would insert it here).

Sophie & Lexi (looking at Tic Toc together). Also pictured, adorable Caleb, who is just a year.

And the rest of the time we spent at the house – playing in the yard, fishing, and just hanging out.

Sophie and Penny fishing at the lake.

Lauren lost a tooth while we were down there – her 8th tooth, and third to lose while we’re with my family. Must be a tooth fairy preferred location.

Holding up her 8th lost tooth.

We of course travel with all of the animals, which right now just included Lauren’s tortoise, Jewels, and Sophie’s parakeets, Princess and Zebra. Jewels had an opportunity to meet Vahid, and she was not thrilled about it. She kept her head in the shell the entire time.

Jewels and Vahid meet.

Lauren and Ari are pretty inseparable, and spent nearly the entire time together. At times it makes it tough for Soph because she feels left out. She and Ari also play together, but their personalities are very similar, which usually means it leads to fighting pretty quickly.

Mom also wanted to recreate a picture that she took of Dad, Becky and I about 30 years ago when we had Hannah, who is a doppelganger of Penny. Penny wasn’t super into taking direction, and we’re all a lot bigger than we were 30 years ago!

1992 vs. 2020
The whole fam on our last night there.
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On Sunday we celebrated my Nana’s 93rd birthday with a party at Doug and Vicki’s house. Nana just got back from a two month trip to Scotland, Sicily, and Greece. Not too shabby for a 93-year-old. Doug and Vicki were with her in Scotland, and then Diane and Richard were with her in Sicily and Greece. She doesn’t fly any more, so she took the Queen Mary II back and forth between New York and London.

Here’s the birthday lady. Looking dapper coming right from church to the party.

Becky, mom, and me with Nana.

 

She had a little help from the grandkids to blow out the candles.

Ari, Nana, Sophie, Lauren, Kishore, and Ashwini. What a cute crew!

More pics from the day – Becky and me, and mom with her grandkids

Earlier in the day we also went and visited Pappap’s grave at Valley Forge Park. He was buried there eight years ago, but never had a headstone. The kids and grandkids all chipped in and had one made, and it was just placed last weekend, so we all went to see it.

Although it took a while, it was really good to see and felt like good closure for everyone.

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Three days after Christmas we celebrated Lauren’s first birthday. My parents came up from Virginia and the Sharps came in from New Jersey. It was a small family get together, which was perfect right after the big holiday. It also prompted us to un-decorate Christmas and decorate for a birthday party.

Here’s the birthday girl in her special birthday hat
 This bouncer was a Christmas present, but she was still enjoying the heck out of it on her birthday. 
 Let her eat cake! Chocolate cake to be precise. She liked it too. 
 The birthday crew

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We just got home from a weeks vacation down south. Our good friends Carl & Amanda moved to Winston Salem, NC last year and we finally got down to visit them. Sophie had a fabulous time with their daughter Gianna, who is older and therefore much more fun than any of us to hang out with.

The very first thing they did when we arrived was to pull out the fancy dress clothes. Perfect for swinging… white gloves and all.

 We went for a “walk in the woods” (not quite a hike with the little ones), and Gianna was sure to show Sophie the way. Of course, she couldn’t do everything that big kids can do – like stream jumping. One day…

Before and after NC we stopped into Charlottesville to break up the ride. My dad hung the swing that was his, mine & Becky’s and now Sophie & Lauren’s in the backyard. Sophie enjoyed it very much. 
This was a week of many firsts for Sophie. Here she is tasting her first honeysuckle. 

Group shot with Grandma. 

After the second swing through of Charlottesville we headed to Shenandoah, Va. where we rented a cabin for a few days with my parents. They had a canoe at the house that Dave and Sophie went out in it a few times…. her first canoe ride. 
Dad, Mom & Lauren

Another first… Sophie’s first fish! And the only fish caught the whole weekend. With a stick, fishing hook and dental floss no less! 

And the last – and probably most enjoyable first – Sophie’s first s’mores experience (which was actually on the deck at Carl & Amanda’s house). Here’s a shot of Pap Pap giving her some instruction at the cabin. 

Me and the girls… 
What a great vacation! Relaxing and adventurous all in one week. 

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Last weekend the Coughlin clan was up for a visit and on Saturday aunts, uncles and cousins also came in for a quick hello. Lauren and Sophie loved the attention 🙂 
Becky & Lauren

Maithili is a natural…

Dan too

With Nana & Pap Pap

Quinn entertained us all with a reading of the Pout Pout Fish… in an English accent of course. 

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My Pap Pap passed away in June and so that the entire family could say goodbye, the memorial service was held just this past weekend. On Thursday we had a memorial service and reception afterward and on Friday there was a private family burial and then small get together at Nancy & Jim’s house. Although it was a sad occasion, it was also an opportunity to get together with family that we haven’t seen in quite some time. A lot of family members also get to meet Sophie for the first time.
My mom’s stepsister Kelly came with her new baby Pierce. He’s just 3 months old (and obviously very sound asleep!)

My Great Uncle Earl was in love – he was happy to hold Sophie while Dave and I enjoyed visiting with everyone.

Here’s one of Mom and Julia

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