Colors

Whatever the color, whatever the style, whatever size of clothing, cuteness is an essential part of a successful girl's identity.

See-Through Transport

What do you get when the clothes have all been washed and the hamper sits alone and empty? With a little ingenuity and some good old-fashioned fun, it turns out you can have a whole bunch of great times! Laurence tried the hamper on Irini for size, and she took off to the races. Laughter is becoming a bigger part of each and every day.

Driving Miss Irini

Irini has, over the past month or two, discovered what fun it can be to tug on a round wheel and watch it turn, be it in a stationary "real life" car or a coin-operated machine. It doesn't seem to matter what it's made of, what it looks like, if it is a convertible truck or a sports car. It doesn't matter what color it is or where it's made. When it comes to driving wheel she is a natural! Is this her first foray into the world of automotive zealousness? Can it be that her uncle Scott's fascination with cars and trucks is starting to rub off on her? Perhaps it's the fact that her father once daydreamed of becoming a world-class Formula 1 driver until he realized the cost of purchasing a go cart was prohibitive. But costs and reality don't stand in her way. She is a natural talent, whether it's on her own, or with company!

Waking Up (Weekend version)

When Irini wakes up she starts to look around her bed. Realizing that no one is there with her she begins a slow, but ever increasing, moan/cry/yell to gain the attention of her parents sleeping away in the other bedroom. She cries only for as long as it takes for one parent to open his/her eye (usually just one), recognize that daylight has, in fact enveloped the room, and clumsily clamors out of bed. The following few moments have to do with trying to keep from tripping on one's own feet, not ramming into the corner of the wall or bumping one's head into a half-shut door. Around the corner, and closer to Irini's room one can't help but wake up by the increasing volume of a small - but rapidly developing - pair of lungs. Finally, the long-anticipated arrival of a smiley face, two strong hands and one swooping movement gets Irini up and out of that confinement and into the world.

The parent described above is usually mommy. She takes Irini back around the hallway, past the same doors and corners, back into a now-brightly lit bedroom, and drops Irini onto the queen-sized bed. Daddy shifts a bit with the weight of his daughter landing on the mattress, but doesn't move otherwise. Irini, now recognizing that immediate and desperate actions are necessary to wake this slumbering parent, moves slowly at first, with a snicker eaking out of her lips. As she takes a step or two, and gets closer to her target, she can no longer control herself... her feet move swiftly (albeit in very small steps to keep from falling over on the sinking mattress) and, with a flop and a thump, lands right on daddy's chest, his arm, even his head sometimes. Daddy, knowing what is coming, and having begun his espionage mission for the morning, has a counter-attack planned, but has waited patiently this entire time, waiting for "the plop". As he feels her body shift forward and her weight plunge into his belly, he pulls her over to her side on the mattress. What ensues is a "take no prisoners" tickle session with little regard to the peaceful surroundings outside our window, filling the room with laughter and giggles. Mommy soon descends as well, in a bundle of joy and laughter and love. What a start to a day? Any day.

When Time Flies...

Wow. It's amazing how, once somebody gets caught up in family life, and there is addition of the professional routine and whirlwind weekends, how little time there is to actually sit down and share thoughts, stories, adventures. The plan - when we came back to KL - was to write a whole series of posts that would highlight the summer events which included, but of course were not limited to, Irini seeing Kate again, and meeting Patsy (and seeing Leanne) in Bogota. Of course, one could not forget the multitudes of people, the extended "Brownie" family events, or the people, friends old and new that returned to our lives for a coffee and a smile or an ajiaco and come pan de bono. The summer also included the passage through Athens "the second time around" where we reacquainted ourselves with Athenian summers, but this time with some quality Scan Clan time, a delightful addition of Ralph (and Peter with Vika and Vasil with Sofia) well as a two night stint in Porto Heli with Stelio, Maria and Mikaela.

Wow. It seems like so long ago, and yet the memories are still very vivid. The sitting by the water just outside Porto Heli, eating some Greek Salad in a taverna. The watching of Irini and Sammy, Vincent, Erika and Anna playing on the sand of Schinias beach where even Irini could walk in half a kilometer and still only be up to her waist in water. :-)

Thinking back, it was a warmly eventful and wonderful summer. Time has flown, but it's that exactly what provides the indication of just how good it was? Wasn't Irini's hair just a little shorter when we flew off in June? Wasn't she a little quieter? Weren't we a little thinner? Either way, the summer has now moved into the eternal warmth of equatorial Asia, and our lives have, predictably, turned into teaching, coaching, grading and then maximizing all possible time with Irini. Life is still good, but certainly involves more paperwork now.

We are hopeful that, in the coming weeks, we will be able to reminisce of the summer and add a couple posts with pictures that make us all look beautiful. But until then, we move on and live life a little more each day.