Spring Break back in the USA!

We had a wonderful Spring Break visiting family & friends back in the US!  We packed a lot of fun into the two weeks & left with our hearts (bellies & suitcases) full.  We visited Cincinnati, Chicago & New Orleans and had 10 different flight segments to our trip, and the girls were travel troopers.

We started our adventure with two fun filled days in Cincinnati.  We connected with some of our best friends, the girls got to have a sleepover with Sara, & we happened to be in town for the DeLacy's annual St. Patrick's Day party ... perfect timing!

Our next stop was Chicago (sadly Randall had to go to Boston for work), to visit the Schlegels!  We had such a great time in the Windy City, and the girls loved every minute they got to spend with Maddie & Moose!

It was wonderful to spend time with great friends, to get to stay in their beautiful new home & explore their great neighborhood right on Lake Michigan.  As we were driving to the airport, Maddie got tears in her eyes and said, "this is the worst part."  I agree.  Saying goodbye is never fun, but I love friendships like this where we can just pick up where we left off, no matter how much time has passed.  And the fact that our daughters have this same relationship is pretty darn special.

Then we were off to New Orleans, to visit GiGi and PopPop!  We were welcomed with delicious "New Orleans Beans" (red beans & rice) made with love by PopPop & got right into the New Orleans spirit!

Randall flew into New Orleans the next morning & the girls were so excited to get to work with PopPop in his wood shed.  They remembered a story that Randall told them about how PopPop built him a pair of stilts when he was a little boy, and it didn't take much convincing to get PopPop to built a pair for each of them.  Such fun!

That evening Omi K joined us in New Orleans!  Before we went to pick her up at the airport, Kenzie insisted on changing her outfit.  She put on a scarf because "Omi will probably be wearing a scarf."  Sure enough, she was, and I could not get enough of these 3 scarf wearing beauties!

We spent the next day down in the French Quarter.  Enjoying great food, beautiful weather, amazing people watching and best of all each others' company.

It was so good to spend quality time with Gail.  We are so proud of how well she is doing following her stroke in February & I'm pretty sure that time with her grandkids is the best medicine she can get.

That evening we went back to the airport to welcome Inken, Andrew, Grady & Emmeline to New Orleans!  My heart was so full - having so many of my very favorite people in the same place at one time - it felt like it might burst.

We spent another fun day down in the French Quarter.

The kids were very excited to go on a horse & carriage ride.  While our tour guide left something to be desired (he basically recited the name of every bar & restaurant we passed), at least I captured this adorable photo of these cute cousins :)

That evening the 3 grandparents volunteered to watch the 4 cousins, so that the 4 parents could enjoy a double date.  A fun night on the town ... a delicious meal & The Rebirth Brass Band ... out past midnight ;)

The kids woke up excited on Easter morning, claiming they had heard the Easter Bunny tap dancing in the kitchen.  After a whirlwind easter egg hunt we got ready for brunch ... you know, cause we hadn't eaten enough on this trip.

And then after brunch (and a nap) we were lucky enough to be invited to a Crawfish boil ... because a trip to New Orleans is not really complete without a crawfish boil & you know we hadn't eaten in a couple of hours.  Thanks David & Erin for including us in the amazing feast & party!

The next morning brought another time to have to say goodbye.  But before we did that we took a trip to City Park so the cousins could climb the Live Oak trees and we could all enjoy some beignets (another must for any trip to New Orleans).

Such a memorable visit to New Orleans.  So thankful to Gail & Gene for inviting my family to join the weekend of fun & to my mom, sister & family for making the trip from California to meet us there.  Love our family!

Then we were back to Cincinnati for the last leg of our trip.  We enjoyed time in some of our favorite parks (the trees were in full bloom & gorgeous), and with some of our favorite people!

And while our flight back to Geneva was a "disaster" (to quote Kenzie.  Flight cancelled for mechanical problems after spending 2 hours on the plane & another 6 hours in the airport.  Then delayed an additional 6 hours the next morning, resulting in a 37 hour journey vs. the expected 13) the trip as a whole was more than worthwhile.  It was good for our souls to reconnect with family & friends.  Only wish there had been more time so that we could have had the chance to see everyone.

While we had a wonderful trip, it also felt good to return home to Geneva.  I think we have finally all recovered from the jet lag & are looking forward to enjoying Spring in Geneva!

Ski Color!

Kenzie has been wanting to do a Color Run for some time (but until a month ago she was too young), so when I saw that Les Gets was hosting a Ski Color event (with no minimum age requirement), I knew that we had to participate!  It was a very unique & colorful experience!

A 6th Birthday Trip to London

We continued the girls' birthday celebration with a weekend trip to London.  Randall was flying back from Boston, so on the morning after Kenzie & Lexi's birthday we met him in London.  We kicked off our weekend with a pint (& cucumber water for the girls) and some fish & chips in a pub around the corner from our hotel in South Kensington.

We then strolled towards Kensington Gardens, enjoying the sunshine!

We checked out Kensington Palace and the girls were excited to play at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground ... although Kenzie was quite disappointed that Price George & Princess Charlotte weren't playing outside even though the sun was shining (we only later found out that they were actually skiing in the French Alps ... too bad we just missed each other).

Then we were off to The London Eye and took in amazing views of the city on this beautiful day.

That evening we went to see The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre, as we had surprised the girls with  tickets for their birthday.  It was such a fun show, and I can say that all four of us thoroughly enjoyed it.  After the opening act, Kenzie was sitting on the edge of her seat in awe, and whispered, "Woah!  I mean .... this is just the coolest thing ever!"  The costumes were pretty amazing!  Such a special treat!

After a good night's sleep we were ready for another day of exploring London.  We hired a private tour guide for the day and our first stop was at Westminster Abbey.  It is such a beautiful church, which has so much history ingrained in it.  Jeff told us countless stories that were just fascinating.  Kenzie & Lexi enjoyed following the Children's Trail especially given the incentive of earning a golden (chocolate) coin if they completed it.  At one point a verger let the girls sit in the special choir pew and helped them answer a question on their scavenger hunt (later Jeff told us, that he was the one who did a cartwheel down the red carpet following Prince William & Princess Kate's wedding in the Abbey out of sheer excitement, and was then severely reprimanded for it).

After we left the Abbey we walked over to watch the Changing of the Horse Guards, before heading to the Tower of London.

The girls really enjoyed the Tower of London, especially searching for Merlina, the top Raven (previously named Merlin, but renamed once they discover that he was a she).  Jeff told us she would be wearing a pink bracelet so they were on the lookout the whole time, but it turns out that she had chewed off her bracelet.  But we found her anyway having a conversation with one of the Beefeater guards.

Lexi's favorite part of the visit was seeing the Crown Jewels.  We had read about them and she was so excited to see them in person!  Unfortunately no photos allowed.

That evening we walked down Brompton Road and did a little shopping before heading to an amazing Indian restaurant for dinner.

On Sunday morning we went to Mother's Day brunch (March 6th in the UK, so had to celebrate since we were there) near the hotel and then made our way to Saint James's Park and Buckingham Palace.

The girls enjoyed playing hide and seek in the Park and then we lined up to watch the changing of the guard.  

The sun came out just in time for the changing & it was the perfect way to wrap up a wonderful weekend in London!  

Such a quick trip, and so much we didn't see.  We will surely be back and next time we will have to make sure that we coordinate our schedules better with the Royal Family, because Kenzie really wants to have a playdate with George & Charlotte ;)

I would highly recommend both the hotel we stayed in & Jeff, our tour guide.  We stayed at The Pelham, a boutique hotel in an old townhouse in the heart of South Kensington.  It was a terrific location and a great deal for a luxurious stay with a very London feel.  We booked our tour through DGA Tours and were very happy with Jeff.

Celebrating SIX with a twirl at the ice skating rink!

Kenzie & Lexi turned SIX on March 3rd and we celebrated the Friday before with a party at the ice skating rink in Carouge.  After a week of rain, we were extremely lucky to get a bit of blue sky & sunshine just in time for the party.  The girls had a blast celebrating their birthday with their friends & I loved preparing this special day for them (and even survived my first attempt at making a fondant cake)!

Kenzie, at six, you continue to make us laugh each & every day.  You have the most creative mind & are constantly inventing & building new things and coming up with funny stories.  You are extremely strong willed and will accomplish anything you put your mind to (sometimes to the chagrin of your parents).    You love running & football (soccer).  In the second term you are the only girl in your grade playing soccer, but it does not phase you (you didn't even realize it until your sister pointed it out).  I love watching you hold your own with all the boys.  You are strong, loving & have a huge heart.  We love you to the moon & back and can't imagine our lives without you.

Lexi, at six, you continue to be our sweet, tender hearted girl.  You are compassionate, considerate and generous.  You are so smart & curious and ask me a 100 questions a day. You love gymnastics and turn anything and everything into a jungle gym.  You love animals and you really wanted a puppy for your birthday (you still miss Tobi like crazy).  You still like to snuggle and will grab my hand through out the day and give it 3 squeezes (signaling "I love you").  You melt my heart.  We love you to infinity and are so blessed to have you in our lives.

While you are each so unique, and have your own interests, you are best friends.  Nothing makes me happier to see you love & support one another!

Happy 6th Birthday, Kenzie & Lexi!  I can't believe my babies are "more than one hand!"  I am so proud to be your mama!