Going Where the Fishes Go

We're now the proud parents of a 21-month-old who spurts out 12-word compound sentences: "I go poop in the potty, and I go tinkle in the ocean!" Isabelle announced this morning.

My friend, Kristen, asked me today, "Is she fresh yet?" If you consider it fresh to put the toothpaste tube in your ear when we say, "Don't put it in your mouth" (she'd eat the whole tube if we allowed it) -- then, Yes! Isabelle showed off her kilt to her friends yesterday (and I got some nice video of it before a very last minute trip to Seattle), and is still talking about the train that scared the daylights out of her last week when it passed behind her school with its horn blaring. "Choo choo coming," she says morning, noon and night with a very worried expression on her face.

Memorial Day 2009

The picture to your left is the one that will appear in an upcoming Caline For Kids ad!

Phenonmenal Memorial Day weekend! Starting with the Big Band Dinner Dance in Gales Ferry for The Academy of St. Therese (the school Grami started). The 16-piece String Of Pearls band includes... on the trumpet... Howard Brundage! Grampi is one of the newest members of the band, and they perform every Wednesday at Cherrystones Restaurant in Old Lyme. It was amazing to see him on stage again! All the musicians - including drummist Dick Campo - donated their time to the event, and all the sisters believe these were really two shows wrapped into one! Grami did an amazing planning job, and while Isabelle and Mommy danced (and filmed), Daddy was enjoying Jay Maggi's wedding in Western MA.



Boating season is officially here! "I'm the captain!" Anika announced. All the girls got a turn at driving! Isabelle is no wuss, and she went for her first swim of the season in Hadley's Harbor (along with her first two tinkles in the ocean and first fall-from-the-swim-platform). It was awesome hanging out with Anika, Uncle Mommy, Uncle Matt, Oliva, and another Uncle Matt! We wish Elli, Auntie Brita, Uncle Jerry and Heather could have been with us!

We had hoped to boat to MV on Sunday, but the fog was insane. So, we hopped on the Island Queen for Oak Bluffs (halfway there we crossed from rain, fog and cold to sun, clear and 70s! Sushi, carousel, ice cream, bike ride (i.e. naps for the girls), sand bar... in that order.

We're so excited about Uncle Sean's new southern Cal lifestyle in Hull! He needs flood insurance--love that!

Open for the Season

The Chart Room is open for the season! Isabelle enjoyed her first quahog of the summer (surprisingly served in a cardboard shell), and the never-disappointing baked stuffed lobster hit the spot. It was great seeing Chris, Geni & Co. (and thank you, Sully, for my new ego-boosting last name).

















In an effort to catch up on all the blogs I've been meaning to post over the past couple weeks, I'm going to give a "best of":

Isabelle sat on a stump at daycare, and so much sap seeped through her clothes that her butt cheeks got stuck together. She has started screaming "I love you" at various cadences, will fart on purpose to get a laugh, demanded her little piano be brought upstairs to be next to our new piano that arrived this week, and enjoys setting the table. And thanks to Nana's recent trip to Scotland, Isabelle is now sporting her very own kilt!




"What's the harm in letting her taste a little pinot grigio?" we asked ourselves. We knew she wouldn't like it since she'd already rebuffed chianti on the flight to Istanbul. But this time things were a little different. "Yum. That was good," she declared after her first--and last--sip of white wine.











We spent Mother's Day at Harkness Memorial Park in Waterford, CT - a favorite spot growing up. Isabelle had a blast with all her CT cousins--especially with flying kites and flying blankets, and learned how to swing a baseball bat!




Happy First Birthday, Sam Sullivan!! The marguerita and sippy cup theme was great!
And Isabelle had her first ride in a "big girl" swing.

Television Debut

Last night Isabelle looked down at the two pickles she was holding and said, "Two more pickles, and then all gone!" (As told to me by Daddy, as I'm still in Toronto at HOT DOCS pitching "The Promise of Freedom.") She and Daddy were on their way to a Meet the Candidates Forum for anyone running for office in Falmouth (Dennis is running for town meeting). Isabelle seemed to impress consitituents, and made her television debut on FCTV which ran the event live.