Last week Jon, Cecile, and I joined my family in Lake Placid, New York. I cannot express how nice it was to trade in the sticky D.C. humidity for some crisp mountain air. Cecile and I flew into Burlington, Vt., on Tuesday and Jon joined us on Thursday. The scenic drive to and from the airport is really something else: there are old barns and pebbly rivers; grassy hills roll into mountains; and clouds rest on their peaks. It's lovely.
^^Don't you love all the wild flowers? I clearly couldn't help myself.^^
^^A puzzle piece for breakfast? Yum!^^
Each year my parents rent a large house and put up everyone under one roof. This year the headcount was 12! Crazy. Cecile must have been pretty excited to be with so many aunts and uncles and friends, because she was up with the dawn every day. (Like, 5 o'clock a.m., people.) At least the sunrises were beautiful. Also beautiful: Lake Placid's adorable little alpine village, site of the 1932 and 1980 Olympics.
^^Up early, down early ;)^^
^^Aunt LoLo takes the wheel (before taking the ice).^^
^^Nanne ... like a pro.^^
^^Cecile is standing and cruising and bumping into everything these days. She's such a dare devil. Please don't call Child Services over that cheek nick! Yikes.^^
If you asked Cecile, she'd tell you the best feature of this year's house was the hammock. You all know how she likes a good hammock ;) Because baby girl was getting up so darned early (yeah), she needed extra pampering to get her through those evening hours. That's where the 24 extra hands came in, well, handy.
^^Tired girl makes for a sad mama!^^
^^Uncle PJ (and bunny) help out.^^
Phew, those views are breathtaking, no?? And I love the woodwork everywhere. It brings such a warmness to every building.
^^We are very into learning the parts of the face these days :)^^
But the biggest news BY FAR from this trip is that my little brother Brendan recently proposed to his girlfriend, Laura! :) :) :) I am THRILLED. We couldn't ask for a better match for my brother and I am very much looking forward to having Laura (Aunt LaLa?) as a sister-in-law. She's such a class act. I wanted to take a snap of her hand, but then I figured it was tacky. Trust me; you would have said yes, too ;) Way to go, B. And congrats to both of you! xx
...