Father's Day Recap 2015

Dear Em,
Daddy's Father's Day got off to a little bit of a rocky start. The cats have taken to punching each other recently, & at 2:30am they decided to have a boxing match between themselves & our bedroom mirror. Boxing matches in your bedroom are not really conducive to good sleeping, & Charlie & Joey's behavior is a perfect example of why we never felt the need to keep trying for more kids until we had a boy.

So, we let Daddy stay in bed as we took Papi out for a Father's Day breakfast. We went to Cracker Barrel. Papi really likes the food, & you & Nonnie really like the shopping area. I thought it would be the perfect spot for everyone, but it was insanely packed. While we waited for what seemed like an eternity, I repeated to myself over & over again that Mother's Day & Father's Day were bad days to go out to breakfast- hoping one of these days I'll actually remember & stop subjecting our parent's to the long waits & craziness that is going out to breakfast on two of the busiest breakfast days of the year.

We dropped Papi off at the airport just in time for him to catch his flight to North Carolina. We had such a fun week with him, & we're going to miss him a lot. I'm just so very thankful that we got to share the week we did & celebrate him on Father's Day.

Then you, Nonnie, & I headed to Home Depot...again...in the pouring rain. What does it say when you walk into the doors of Home Depot & the people that work there say, "back again?" Anyway, we picked up some kindling for the fire pit & the finishing touches to a special project that we worked on this week. Then we picked up a few things at the grocery store. We didn't need much for Father's Day dinner, because Daddy really wanted BBQ from Black Sheep BBQ, the one & only BBQ you can purchase out of a school bus in our town.

We let Daddy play video games while we cleaned up & got everything ready for Grandma & Papa to come over. The sun finally came out as they arrived. You happily led Daddy & Papa through a scavenger hunt that ended at the hammock we had gifted Daddy for Father's Day & the tomato plant we had gifted Papa.

Nonnie & I went to pick up the BBQ, & <whomp whomp> Black Sheep BBQ was closed for Father's Day. We quickly went to plan B & picked up steaks & sausage & ribs to grill. If Daddy wasn't going to get the exact Father's Day food he had requested, at least I could still do my best to put him in a meat eating coma. You happily played Tball & Frisbee & catch in the backyard while dinner was quickly put together.

We ate a yummy dunner outside in the sunshine, & then you played catch with Daddy in the backyard. I can't imagine a more quintessential activity for a Daddy to do with his child on Father's Day. I loved watching the two of you. You had the biggest smiles & giggles. Daddy was so incredibly patient with you & never gave up as you dropped ball after ball. You both rejoiced each time you caught the ball & each time you threw the ball right to him. You two put such a smile in my heart.

We all sat around the fire pit as the day came to an end.

It was a pretty fabulous Father's Day, & I'm glad we were able to share such a special day with three incredible & amazing Dads. We're so lucky to have three guys as supportive & loving & fun as Daddy, Papi, & Papa. I hope they know how crazy we are about them, not just on Father's Day, but each & every day.

I love you so,
Mommy

love letters

Dear Em,

"Like a small boat

On the ocean

Sending big waves

Into motion

Like how a single word

Can make a heart open

I might only have one match

But I can make an explosion

And all those things I didn't say

Wrecking balls inside my brain

I will scream them loud tonight

Can you hear my voice this time

This is my fight song

Take back my life song

Prove I'm alright song

My power's turned on

Starting right now I'll be strong

I'll play my fight song

And I don't really care if nobody else believes

Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me..."

- "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten

I wicked love fun songs that get me pumped up. That's what this song does for me right now. You & I listened to this song together the other day, & you loved it too.

Here's to getting pumped up for a fun weekend together.

I love you so,

Mommy

Our Mediterranean Adventure: Day Seven Athens

Dear Em,

* This is one of ten posts recapping our California adventure. See also Day One Boston to Barcelona, Day Two Antibes & Nice, Day Three Pisa & Florence, Day Four Rome, Day Five & Six Cruising, Days Eight, Nine, & Ten Turkey & Lots of Cruising, Day Eleven Capri, Italy, Day Twelve Cruising & Returning Home, & Your Own Adventures with Grandma & Papa. *

We spent Friday in Athens, Greece. Feeling a little more confident after having a few excursions under our belts, we decided to explore Athens on our own. We started out early in the morning with a really aggressive cab driver. He tried to sell us an all day tour, when really we just wanted a quick ride. He didn't want to take no for an answer & asked again & again. Very early on it became clear that we would need to be a little bit more assertive in Greece. The cabbie dropped us off at the Acropolis instead of the Plaka (the shopping market) like we had asked, but it ended up working out because we were able to see most of the ancient tourist attractions before they got crowded with people. 

When you see so many of the iconic European attractions in photos & on TV, it almost always seems like the fascinating, historical structures stand tall & quietly on their own. In reality, most of the sights we've seen so far have been squeezed in the middle of modern, bustling cities crowded by thousands of tourists. Athens was the city I've been waiting for. Sure, there were lots of tourists (less first thing in the morning), but the Acropolis was built high up on a hill all on its own. We had the ancient sight in front of us, with the modern city of Athens a mere blur in the background. 

We saw the Acropolis high up on a hill with the Parthenon...

Erechtheion...

Odeon of Herodes Atticus...

& Theater of Dionysus. 

Just picture ruins, many of which dated B.C., on top of a hill, surrounded by aerial city views. 

Next we headed to the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

 We took a little detour on our way to the first modern Olympic stadium (built in the 1800s), but eventually we found it.

There were sweet stray dogs & cats surrounding each tourist attraction. It made me think of your Aunt Andrea's love of animals & our cats at home. 

We had a quick walk through the National Garden, past the National Archaeological Museum. My favorite sweet-smelling, white, pinwheeled flowers lined the garden walls. There were tangerine (or maybe orange or clementine) trees, with the overripe tangerines laying on the ground below. 

While Liz & Glen stopped to check the map, Daddy & I sat & watched a couple of the videos Grandma sent us of your music concert. You did so great!!! We're so proud of you. The pictures & videos put such a smile in my heart. 

On the other side of the gardens was a bustling market area: the Plaka. There, we found aggressive shop & restaurant workers begging for our patronage. The economy in Greece is in peril right now. While most of the tourist attractions were wonderful to see, the rest of Athens was not in good shape. You could see it in the begging of the restaurant keepers.

Regardless of the pushy shop keepers, the Plaka was such a cute place to walk around. The shops were within narrow, quaint alleyways, & I loved feeling immersed in Greek culture- even if it was in a touristy area.  We did a little bit of shopping before sitting down at a rustic Greek restaurant to feast on gyros, Greek salads, bread, & olive oil. We washed it all down with chilled wine. It was the ultimate (or maybe stereotypical) Greek dining experience.

We did some more walking & shopping & touring the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum  before making our way back to the Acropolis to find a cab. By then we were all hot & tired from a full day of sightseeing & ready to head back to the ship. 

 For me, one of my favorite parts of Athens is that we did it all (or almost everything) with an amazing view of the iconic Acropolis high up on the hill.

Once we made it back to the ship, we did a little bit of swimming in the pool & relaxing in the hot tub. We chose a casual buffet dinner instead of our typical formal dining spot. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open, & Daddy & I decided it would be better to forgo the night's cruise events in favor of a full night's sleep. 

We watched the videos & looked at the pictures from your music concert again before going to sleep. We miss you so much. As great of an experience as we are having, I'm so glad we're more than halfway through our trip. We'll be home to you soon!

I love you so,
Mommy