85 years of heart

Happy Nanie Day! To the original vegetarian among us, to the one whose heart of compassion towards all creatures has inspired us all - we celebrate your 85 years of generous living and loving, and we wish you health and happiness for many more birthdays to come!

A good time was had by all, especially by Grandpa!

A sleepy farewell at the end of a very special evening.

And did I mention Nanie's legendary heart for animals?!  We love that about you, Mom, and we hope that our own lives will always reflect what you have taught us about passionate empathy.

twinkle-toes

She loves to twirl and sparkle. Her toes have a twinkle all their own. And yesterday, her family gathered around to celebrate the pink and taffeta of Elizabeth's dancing spirit.


The moment Elizabeth stepped onto the stage, joy overcame her illness and exhaustion, and she whirled and leapt and frolicked in the unforgettable spotlight of her little-girl dreams.


Uncle Calvin and Auntie Sharon gave Elizabeth a pink and taffeta ballerina Barbie to celebrate the occasion. I think it's safe to say it was Sharon's idea. Kindred spirits for sure.

Flowers from her Grandpa, with love to our beautiful Princess.

leos. play.

Our very first Leonberger party! There were five: Everest and Goldie, our host and hostess; Skitzy, the one visiting female; Finnigan, the 5-month-old boy; and Kazan. Yes, our numbers may have been small, but I have a feeling that, pound for pound, our five probably outweigh the combined weight of Calvin and Sharon's largest pugs.play event! And even with a mere four adults, I still have trouble distinguishing who's who in the photos!

In this picture, Kazan is the one trying to give kisses.

I'm not sure, but I think here he's the leader of the pack.

Kazan rarely has the opportunity to abandon all restraints and just race and frolic to his heart's content.  Here he is the center of attention as he takes a brief break from one of his crazy torpedo-runs.  Thank you, Jeff and Anita, for the wonderful gift of a brand new community for us and for Kazan!

super sunday morning

Grandma and Grandpa sat across the brunch table from these two bff's yesterday morning! Despite appearances to the contrary, I was informed in no uncertain terms that Michaela is NOT silly as I had suggested. Apparently this is because it is not possible to be both silly and beautiful at the same time. I think that Auntie Meghan was able to help Michaela rethink that one (which is a good thing, since Michaela had just called Grandma "silly")!  As the meal progressed, we eventually saw the table flowers make it into Elizabeth and Michaela's hair - we definitely need to add a "b" for "beautiful" to these bbff!


Nathanael was in toddler heaven. All the food he wanted. Any food he wanted. As much food as he wanted. For as long as he wanted. When he (and the other grandkids) could no longer shovel in even one more bite, Grandma supplied them with Kinder Surprises. At this point, the kids were SO STUFFED that they could barely move. Perhaps this might be an effective strategy for grown-ups to try when they want to sit a while and visit over coffee after the meal is over.  Worked for us!


It's been a long time since we've had a chance to visit with Micah. He seems to have grown up overnight! What a handsome young man! He hasn't forgotten how to engage his Grandpa in a little fisticuff play, but he kept it politely low-key in keeping with the restaurant setting.


Cara and Jon came from Montreal for Cara and Meghan's jewelry sale on Saturday.  Cara presented me with a redesigned version of the gorgeous family necklace she had made for my birthday (16 crystals, representing the birth months of each member of the family)!!!   And Meghan and Aaron contributed generously to our meal out as their birthday gift to me. This may be a record for how long one can milk a birthday!  Thanks Cara and Jon, and Meghan and Aaron.  What a super time we had with you and your beautiful kids!