The Big 1-3!

 

This one will be considered special for many reasons, but for Irini the main reason will be that on this day, marking the beginning of year 13, she got a phone and, with it, the independence that goes with it. The moment she realized what the present was (and we had done a great job keeping it a secret) was a quick succession of huge, surprised smiles and "I can't believe it" followed by an overwhelming sense of emotion which quickly turned into tears of joy and gratitude. Long hugs ensued as if to say "thank you" and "I'm still here, with you". For mommy and daddy it was the end of an era of "when is the right time", "how long should we wait" or"how do we ensure that she's old enough to use it wisely"?

Irini's experience was part traditional - wake up to follow the signs to the presents followed by a birthday pancake breakfast with a pancake in the form of her age - and part different... the phone and all that it implies!  

What is perhaps less known to Irini is that 13 was her grandmother's (γιαγια) lucky number. She always spoke of it being her number with a near sense of pride because it was so often considered unlucky by the so many others. But in her choosing it as "her number" she opened the door to our looking at the world in a slightly different way, to celebrate where others perhaps were not, to recognize that even things sometimes avoided can actually be seen in a positive light. And so we hope that this big "1-3" for our daughter - the beginning of teenagerhood (is that a word?) - she will take things as opportunities for celebration. 

We wish her a life filled with the independence she deserves but also with the balance that one need to ensure that access to the world is done with care. We hope she will "be aware" as pappou used to say to his own children when they were young. Of course, back then cellphones weren't around and being aware was perhaps a bit easier to do. But if there's someone who can handle the shift in a mature and balanced way, we suspect it's this new teenager in da house!  We love you Irinouli!  Sooooo much!

The Gift of Family & Friends

It seems like the older our girls get their birthdays get elongated in time and space. This year Irini, perhaps for the first time, had a birthday that fell during a school day. This led to what is steadily becoming a typical approach in our family:  One part nuclear family celebrations and one part larger celebrations!  And, of course, as the girls get older we focus more on birthday 'experiences' rather than the stuff that seemed to be the more popular favorite when they were young. 

This year we had the pleasure of having uncle 'Eko, Olga and Alice around and we were delighted to add them to our celebrations!  Add to that our friends down from Vienna and, of course, our local friends too and you have a hodge-podge of celebratory community members from all over the globe!  For Irini the birthday meant a chance to go to a fancy hotel outside Dubai called Bab al Shams. It's a place we'd wanted to visit for quite a while, nestled in the desert beyond the southern end of the city. The hotel's infinity pool looks out over the desert in a way that one would expect to have a beach present in a strange and fascinating twist.  And the evening was one of poolside celebrations. 

Perhaps more than anything we - mommy and daddy in this case - cannot be happier with the friends that our children have chosen. Their kindness and support, their interest in similar things, their appreciating each other are all welcome parts to the growth of our own children. So though the hotel was lovely, the food was great and the experience celebratory, perhaps the real celebration was in knowing that such good friends, and the added bonus of family (especially in a pandemic) is what the real gift is. We are so fortunate. So filled with appreciation and love. Happy birthday glykoula!  

Friendship in the Moment

 

It was morning. Our day was just beginning and we were getting ready for school. In the kitchen the normal hubbub of food preparation and packing, clanking water bottles being filled and coffee mugs being covered was filling the house. Some were scuffling around getting backpacks filled, putting on shoes and preparing for school departure. 

Outside the front door sat Amalia, already ready and patiently sitting at the front step of the house. From behind her, in the hustle and bustle of the morning, Eva walked up. Eva was visiting from Vienna and staying with us while she was on holiday. She saw her friend and quietly walked outside, stepping silently across the doorway and into the world outside. She sat down next to her friend and a calm conversation ensued. 

It's not often that these moments are captured, but this one was. It was the type of moment that probably happens more often than we care to notice. But it's the totality of these moments that bring us together, as friends and as community. No directions given. No feeling of necessity. Just the calm wanting to share a moment with one's friend. 

Looking back we won't know what the content of the conversation was, but we hope that the sequence of images will reveal who we are and how we relate. The humanity involved in a simple moment of interaction.... before the gang rushes out the door to another day at school. 

May our lives be filled with many such quiet moments of friendship and togetherness. 

Just Because

Sometimes there's no reason to add a post other than to celebrate a little something. This time it's simply an appreciative husband and father, looking his wife and beautiful daughters, and realizing just how very lucky he is to be part of this journey. Though he can't stop giving hugs and kisses to them all, each and every day, he knows that sometimes it's a bit 'over the top'. Still, with every passing moment it's as if he wants them to remember it all, how it feels and what it means to be together and for love to be part and parcel of all that we do. So there. We'll just leave it here. Love. 

'Eko & Irini

 

This post was Irini's. She chose these photos to highlight a genetic conversation we've been having for quite some time. You know how sometimes you might be double jointed (which she shared with her daddy), or perhaps you have a certain characteristic that others in the family might not?  Well, in this case the characteristic is a long enough tongue to touch one's nose. No one else in the immediate family can do it. But, it turns out that uncle 'Eko can!  So the two generational tongue reachingchampions went head-to-head to celebrate their traits! The final verdict: Probably a tie but with a smattering of laughter and giggles, all welcomed!  We love you uncle 'Eko!