biotin hair growth

TRAVEL

Feb 15
0

Our Last Vaca as a Family of Four

Posted by | TRAVEL | No Comments
Braydon and I are big on vacations. I won’t go into depth here about our philosophical views on the topic (I could go on and on and on), but suffice it to say: big vacas, mini vacas, it doesn’t matter– we’re just big on taking real breaks. We work really hard, our life is extremely intense, and we use our vacas to unwind, re-coop, and rejuvinate. Regardless of what other little breaks we’ve had during the year (and we try to take as many as possible), every May since 1996 Braydon and I have gone on an annual big vacation together (Charleston, SC for a bunch of years when we were serious budget travelers; then once things got less extreme financially we ventured outward in the world– adventure travel in the Dominican Republic, Mexico a few times, road-tripping through France, etc.). Every May since 2005, with Kyle and Owen in tow, we’ve gone on a week-long vacation as a family of four (Jamaica when the boys were 12 months old; Turks & Caicos just after they had turned 2; Virgin Gorda this past May when they were just barely 3 — On top of our love of vacas, experiencing the Caribbean together, giving the boys this early exposure to their birthland, immersing them in places so close to their roots, has been very important to Braydon and I). These May trips have been an anchor that have kept us both grounded and able to soar. I can’t articulate the value we place on these vacations, the importance of them for underlying and enabling our life as we know it. We are grateful that we’re in the position to be able to do these trips– we’re very fortunate. But there is something weirdly reciprocal in the “vaca”>=<“real life” equation that is our life… Without the “real life” part (the ambition, the grind, the achievement, the intensity, the work, the lack of sleep) the “vaca” part would not be possible– AND– vice versa. It is a whole equation, a strange dialectical formula for living. But one cannot come without the other. So, amdist “real life” we scheme and save and budget and plan for regular vacas to keep our life in synch. The kind of life we have is not for everyone, but at least so far it somehow works for us. And luckily (luckily, luckily, luckily) it seems to be working for K & O too. We thank our lucky stars for that.
—
But now I’m pregnant. Bizarrely, (my pregnancy was very unplanned), Baby Sister is due to arrive in the middle of May. So, this year, for the first time in 12 years, Braydon and I will not be able to take our big May vacation. For the first time ever in their lives, Kyle and Owen will not be able to take a big May vacation. That night in September when we found out I was pregnant and figured out my approximate due date, the obvious implications for the May Vaca were one of the first things we thought about. We were thrilled about being pregnant. But we were already dreading the fact that we would not realistically be able to bring our boys back to their Caribbean in May of 2008.
—
So, last week we left for Sand Key, Florida… squeezing in the trip right on the cusp of the 3-months-’till-due-date (I’m due exactly 3 months from today!), right at the start of the third trimester, just before things get really crazy. Our last vaca as a family of four. It was the best thing we could have done for ourselves. All four of our selves.
—
We stayed on the beach. Although Kyle and Owen were two of just a handful of kids there, it was a great, relatively family-friendly resort. The beach was beautiful and the shelling was amazing. The boys loved the pool and the huge bubbly hot tub. The weather was gorgeous for most of the time we were there. And a huge plus for us: the hotel/resort guests included lots of black folks (always a great thing for our family) who doted on K & O, complimented them on their dreadlocks and cuteness and swimming prowess, and made us feel very welcome and at home. The boys had room service for dinner every night and were asleep by their usual 6:30-or-so bedtime. Braydon and I ate fresh grouper on our room’s porch each night while the bambinos slept. We read and slept and fed seagulls and found seashells and drank non-alcoholic drinks and walked the beach and soaked up the sun and sat by the pool and played in the sand and explored the dunes and talked talked talked and did what we do best on vacation: bonded as a family. We flew home to rain and sleet and lots of ice. But our little get-away made everything seem o.k. in the world. We came home feeling balanced and recharged and deeply connected. We hope it will keep us going for the upcoming weeks as we embark on the final phase of anticipation before we become a family of five. K & O are very aware that our next vacation will include their baby sister. And Braydon and I have a sense of how much our life is about to change with the addition of our baby girl. We’re all excited about it. But we’re also a little anxious about the shifts that will take place in our family. So this trip to Florida was extra sweet for all of us.
—
(Lots of trip photos are posted separately below here, here, and here. Oh, and here too. As always, you can click to enlarge.)
Nov 04
0

Arizona

Posted by | TRAVEL | No Comments

I’m finally getting a chance to post photos from our trip to Arizona. We went as a tenure celebration for me. It was my gift to have K, O, and Braydon —and my parents— all in one place enjoying the good life for a few days together. It was, for me, the perfect way to celebrate. Sun, sun, and more sun. Just the best weather and company. We stayed in a glorious villa that was just perfectly set up for the six of us. And it was smack in the middle of a great resort. The place was absolutely stunning. And the many, many pools were to die for. Including… waterfalls, fountains, a “Lazy River” (a long winding ‘river’ pool that you can float on tubes on) – Kyle’s favorite, and a full-blown waterslide – Owen’s favorite. We ate great food (lots of Southwest & Mexican), drank pina coladas & margaritas (although, alas, too many of them were virgin — but, oh well), I got to take plenty of naps, and everyone just enjoyed. We took a couple of beautiful desert hikes. A major memory-moment of the trip was when Owen got ‘attacked’ by a crazy cactus called a Jumping Cholla (click here). If any of you have had a run-in with one of these before, then you can imagine the scene. Luckily another hiker had a pair of tweezers to lend us and we were able to pull all of the cactus prickers out of our boy’s belly. Not pretty and not a warm fuzzy feeling for a 3 year old on vacation. He recovered almost immediately, though, and we spent much of the rest of the trip talking about it over and over and over with K & O, who were, understandably obsessed with jumping chollas from that point onward (they’re still talking about jumping chollas multiple times a day). Another major memory of this trip was, of course, that we were there during the World Series… the BOSTON RED SOX in the World Series. We listened on the car radio as the Red Sox won it while we were heading home from the Philadelphia airport. The boys now have a deeper appreciation for all things Red Sox. Nothing can bond a grandfather and his grandsons more than experiencing the Red Sox winning the World Series together (well, at least not this grandfather and these grandsons). And I can’t finish this post without at least mentioning that having my mother on vacation with us was, for K & O, like having two vacations wrapped up into one. She obliged their every whim, including macaroni and cheese, hundreds of trips to the potty, and playing in the pool non-stop. The boys loved the airports, and the plane flights, and the rental car, and the villa bathtub, and the resort, and, and, and, and, and. They just all-around love travelling— every single part of it. It was cool for me to have my parents’ witness firsthand that special part of my boys. All in all, just a great time had by all. I’m posting about a zillion photos. I don’t expect they’ll all interest everyone, but mainly I’m posting them for my folks.

Oct 31
0

We’re Back!

Posted by | TRAVEL | No Comments

We were in Arizona for a few-day-vaca. This trip was especially special since it was our first vacation with MorMor and MorFar! All six of us flew out early Thursday morning. We returned early Monday morning. It was a fabulous trip! Highlights included hikes in the desert and mega-swimming-pools at the resort. Will post more when I find some minutes to blog. Happy Halloween y’all!!!
Jul 23
0

PA Haitian Adoptive Families Reunion

Posted by | CONSPICUOUS, TRAVEL | No Comments

Look at the look on my Owen’s face
in the midst of this fun/chaotic/healthy/happy
gang of Haitian-American kids!
Could he be any happier???

This past weekend was one of our best family experiences ever. We have had many amazing family experiences in the past 2.5 years, and this one was right up there. We spent the weekend together with 14 other families at the 4th Annual Pennsylvania Haitian Adoptive Families Reunion. Before going I thought, “Wow, only 14 other families in PA??? What a sad statement?!!!” And it is a sad statement — only about 150 Haitian kids are currently adopted into the U.S. each year… and that is not for lack of kids to be adopted… that is for lack of U.S. families adopting them. Anyway– I don’t want to get up on my soapbox about that so I’ll stop there. So, I must say: although collectively we were only 14 families from the entire state of Pennsylvania… 14 families can go a looong way. 14 families with super exuberant, happy, healthy, well-adjusted, thriving Haitian Adoptees can go a looooooong, looooooooooong. loooooooooooooooong way. And when you’re Kyle and Owen… and the kids from those 14 families are all super energetic/active/running-non-stop/happy/lovely kids… and those 14 families are all smack in the middle of an outdoorsy woodsy camp — complete with pond and playground — well, suffice it to say, K & O were in their glory.

The point of this Reunion is for us in Pennsylvania to get our families together for a weekend; to share in a way that, realistically, when you’re a Haitian Adoptive Family, you can really only share with other families just like your own. It is a unique kind of family. It is special in certain ways. It is challenging in certain ways. It is miraculous in every way. It was really special to be able to talk openly with other parents who have gone through and/or are going through similar experiences as us. And it was really special to watch our boys PLAY. ALL. WEEKEND. LONG. with all these wonderful kids who have life histories so similar to their own. Kids who were born in Haiti. Kids who survived in Haitian orphanages. Kids who were adopted. Kids who know resiliency. Kids who know transcendence. I could write forever about the past weekend, but instead I’ll just let the photos do the talking. It was hard to choose just 14 photos because we have so many beautiful ones. I will leave it to you to take from these photos what you will. There is a lot to see in them. I will only say this: each of these kids have an intense look in their eyes, an intense history, an intense engagement with their world, an intense zest for life. All of these things are familiar to me because I recognize it in my Kyle and Owen too. Spending the weekend together with these families really was spectacular, invigorating, affirming, and rejuvenating… especially for K & O. For all of you reading who were there—– thank you. We cannot wait for next year.

for more, click here, and here.

(click to see any photo larger)

Jul 23
0

PA Haitian Adoptive Families Reunion – K & O’s Favorites

Posted by | CONSPICUOUS, TRAVEL | No Comments

The whole weekend was one huge highlight for Kyle and Owen, but when we try to break it all down with them (try to help them process it all — it was a lot for a three year old to take in!), it is clear from our conversations that there were three major highlights that really stood out. From Kyle and Owen’s perspectives the top three highlights of the 4th Annual Haitian Adoptive Families Reunion were: Tenting, Tabitha, and Together

TENTING
The reunion was at a campground – we tented as a family for the very first time! It was awesome. We all four absolutely loved it. I wasn’t so sure how it would go, but I never should have even questioned it — the boys are game for anything, anytime, any place. And as always, they did not disappoint. The boys were totally into it. They loved sleeping in the tent. Absolutely loved it. Both woke up (at 9am!!!) with huge cozy cuddly smiles on their faces. Today they spent a lot of time talking about “the tent!” and “sleeping in the tent!” and how “it was soooo dark in the tent!” and “it was sooooo fun in the tent!” This was our first tenting experience, but definitely not our last.

TABITHA

Or, as the boys say it, “Ta-vik-a.” Oh my goodness. The boys (Owen especially) adored her. Tabitha was one of many kids at the reunion. But for K & O, she stood out in the crowd. And I can see why. What a gorgeous, sweetheart, fun-loving, super-sporty-super-wonderful girl?!!! The boys couldn’t get enough of her and stuck to her like glue. As soon as they’d lose sight of her for a minute they’d start persistently asking, “Where is my friend Ta-vik-a???” until they’d find her again and off-and-running they’d all go. Luckily, Ta-vik-a has more than enough energy to keep up with the two of them. She’s an extroverted energy force in her own right. And she definitely kept them laughing and on their toes. As our little family was going to bed Saturday night, lying in the tent, here were Owen’s last words before he fell asleep: “Mommy, I love my new friend Tavika. I love her. She is so beautiful. She is so nice. She is black like me. She is so gentle. She is so soft. I love her mommy, I love her.” As he drifted off to sleep all I could think of was, “God help me (and all the Tabithas of the world) when this boy is sixteen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Last night, at home, when I was getting Kyle ready for bed he said to me, “Mama, I miss Tavika. Tavika is at her own house in her own bed crying because she misses me mama. I need to see her. I miss her.” All day long today the boys talked on and on about “TAVIKA!!!” At one point they even were pretending to be talking with Tavika on the telephone. I have assured them repeatedly that I did, indeed, get Tabitha’s parents’ phone number and we have plans to try to get together sometime soon.

TOGETHER
When you ask the boys what their favorite part of the “Haiti Reunion” was they say “together! the slide all together!” I know what they are talking about because I happened to see this happening and ran over to take some photos of it. A ton of kids were all riding down the playground slide together one right after another over and over and over. They’d purposefully make a huge big pile-up at the bottom… all laughing hysterically and dramatically the whole time. It was priceless. I’m glad I caught some photos of it because it really truly was K & O’s top highlight of the entire weekend. And from the photos you can see why…

Jun 04
0

Virgin Gorda Photos I

Posted by | TRAVEL | No Comments
On the beach on the island of Tortola, waiting for the ferry to take us to Virgin Gorda. The boys couldn’t help themselves from putting their feet in the water while we waited. Who could blame them? So I rolled up their pants. And they got soaked. Could there be a better start to a great vacation?!
*
The four of us on the “ferry” (i.e., really a very small boat) to Virgin Gorda.
*
First morning. The boys woke up, stumbled out of the villa, stripped down, and went straight into the villa swimming pool.
*
Friday night we went to the famous Beach BBQ at Leverick Bay. Virtually the whole island goes to this (tourists and locals all), to eat BBQ ribs and listen to “island music.” Kyle and Owen had an absolute blast. The highlight (I think for everyone in attendance, not just our family) was when K & O went up to the lead singer of the band and requested that they play the song “Stir It Up” by Bob Marley. The band was very impressed with the boys’ working knowledge of all things reggae! And, of course, they played it right away and the boys danced center-stage for everyone to see.
*
Savannah Bay Beach. Savannah Bay is a perfectly pristine white sand and turquoise water beach. Other than some local families, we were the only ones there… which is par for the course on Virgin Gorda. Rarely did we see another human being on any beach we were at.
*
Savannah Bay Beach.
*
Savannah Bay Beach.
*
Owen.

Apr 15
0

“Go Diego Go” to NYC we go!

Posted by | TRAVEL | No Comments

Heather found out about “Go Diego Go! Live” a while back and I got tickets for all of us for Radio City Music Hall. The date of the glorious event was today – and we had a lot of fun. Our family loves this kind of thing.

But first, it’s important to remember that Diego has become a favorite in our house – from the Diego T shirts to the echoing strains of “Egimo, Egimo” with fist held high in the air, running forth to do good things. Note that “egimo” and said action is twin speak for the opening song lyrics “Diego” and the fist held high is pretending to be Diego as he swings through the jungle on a vine to rescue an animal in trouble.

Heather and I got up early today to get everything ready for us to leave at 8:30 (since Diego was at 11). In a rare and surprising occurrence, the boys slept until 8:15 when we finally decided to wake them. I am sure tomorrow they will wake a 6:30. We piled into the Blue Car and off we went. It was raining about an inch an hour, but we made decent time. We went through the Holland tunnel and the boys counted as many taxis as they could on the way in. “Hey Owen – ANOTHER TAXI!” “Hey Kyle, that was a LONG Bus!” “Look, a mini cooper!” (they never fail to find the mini cooper in the crowd). And “where’s the parking garage?!?! – Papi – over there!!!”

We arrived at Radio City with time to spare. That might be since we sprinted from the parking garage to RCMH hopping over puddles. In fact, there was just enough time to change diapers and buy a “Go Diego Go” spinning light thing (see picture above). The boys chose that over a stuffed baby jaguar and it was a good choice. The spinning light thing did not disappoint.

In the hall, we watched the “real” Diego (read: a way to explain why this Diego is a human and not a cartoon character) and his sister Alicia go on a mission. They had to save Baby Jaguar’s growl form the Bo Bo’s so he could start carnival at the great pyramid. Dora made a special visit via raft and hot air balloon and brought the crown. For those of you who have no idea what any of that means, we’re happy to lend you the videos to get up to speed.

Kyle sat on my lap and Owen sat with, on, under and near Heather. Both boys were loving it and had their normal reactions to extreme stimulation: Kyle sat on my lap, sucked his thumb, stared, completely absorbed, and clicked his spinning light thing at times of extreme delight (and occasionally wiggled his bum to the music), Owen stood up and jumped, sat down, threw his spinning light thing on the seat in front of us, interacted with the folks on the stage and stared at the production, entranced. I can’t imagine two little boys having more fun with their mommy and papi, or a mommy and papi having more fun with their twin two year olds.

After the show ended, we headed back to PA – it was raining only about 3/4″ an hour. We stopped at McDonald’s for a late lunch and sprinted inside (literally this time) to hysterical baby boy laughter at the site and bouncing of all the running. Kyle sat on Ronald’s lap (the big plastic Ronald sitting on the bench) and we gathered ourselves after a morning of serious fun.

When we came home we wound down with a nice bath and some play time. The boys played with Thomas and Thomas went through both the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. Both boys were asleep by 7 PM.

Our family really loves these kinds of things.