...and we're back. It's a doozy so give yourself 30 minutes!

It must be getting old by now. You know, this same old story of "it's been hectic around here" or "we've been really busy"...but it is and has been the truth. It's been one thing right after the other. If it's not Avery's schedule then it's Sloane's and if it's not either of them then it's Anderson...and of course, if it's none of them it's Bones. Our lives are insanely busy but that seems to be just the way we like it...because when we get a little idle time on our hands, we always manage to fill them with something!!

So, I'll begin after the Royal Ascot.

Sloane had a little Fun Day at her school where she participated in a great fundraising event. They set up a little obstacle course outside the school in the nearby park and the kids were to race around lap-style and to raise money. Sloane was an insane little Lance Armstrong and kept going round-and-round to the point where I finally had to look away because I was getting the spins! The school then rewarded all the children with an entertainment show. If I'm being frank...it was put on by a complete idiot. I'm not even kidding. He had the worst sense of humor (who thinks farting noises with your mouth are funny?), and no taste (and poo-poo jokes?) and the most annoying facial expressions. I was obviously not his target audience. The kids went absolutely BONKERS for this man!!

Seriously...she threw off her jumper and pretty much forced everyone OUT OF HER WAY!!

The complete idiot that was the entertainer.
Apparently, I am a terrible judge of children's entertainment
because Sloane would have had him over for dinner!
Note the ridiculous facial expression.

Then, since Michael Jackson up and died on us (we had wicked tickets to his opening show in London at the O2), we decided to head back to the states a little early and celebrate our independence from the monarchists that I now call my friends and neighbors :)

I'm terrible at photos at night but I still think it looks cool.
Gotta love Boldt Castle in the background.

Veronica and Av on the way to the fireworks display.

It truly doesn't get much better than that...on the boat, with my littlest girl asleep in my arms!

Despite it being, as my mom likes to call it, the "summer that never was" because of the dreadful weather, we had an awesome time. The kids were troupers on the flight to NY and settled in quickly. We enjoyed the sun...when it was out and the retail when it wasn't. It was the first time that Veronica has ever been to the US...can you believe that the US wasn't even on her "list" of must visits!!! I know...such nerve. It's not like I hold it against her anything...

So there...payback for not having the USA on your list. :)

Anderson's FIRST ice cream cone. And he ate it ALL!

We went shopping, go-karting, swimming, S'mores making and devouring, had a visit from my dearest friend Michelle and then even some Dunker family visitors (Ellen & Binday...you guys rock!), boat riding, water fighting, margarita mixing....lemme take a breath....and pause for pictures...

Anderson couldn't get enough of the water...even if it was fa-fa-fa-freeeeezinn-nn-nn!

Did I mention water fights?

Veronica's first S'More!

Sloane's favorite place to be this summer...driving the Sonic with Uncle Dave!

It was awesome to have Aunt Binday and Ellen (with her nephew) stop by for a few hours!

Relax...she was just holding it for me...

...we even went to visit my nephew Harrison's new university for a weekend, took off to NYC for a whirlwind adventure and was able to catch up with some close friends, went back to Caledonia for my 15 year high school reunion (AHHHHHH 15 YEARS!), did some birthday celebrating and we had a great family dinner. In the craziness of it all we even managed to get the ever-illusive family photo of the Gribuski clan (sans Dave)...of course it couldn't have been perfect!!

Aunt Kelley and Av...the almost inseparable duo!

I'm sort of surprised that my camera didn't get walked off with after these shots!

Old friends from New Jersey...we miss you guys!

Michelle, Me and Veronica on our way to go-karts! We felt
like we were 14! For some of us (eh..hem...Veronica) it was a much longer time ago!!

Apparently, Anderson sent one of our favorite neighbors, Bonnie, an email that said

his birthday was coming up. So, what else could she do...but bake him a cake! And boy, was
IT DELICIOUS! Thanks Bonnie!!!

One of my favorite pictures of Dunker and my Aunt Sue


The Gribuski/Stoelting Ladies

Semper Fi Baby

The actual family picture!! (Please insert Dave...and for those
of you that don't know him or haven't seen him...just picture him
as the oldest one in the picture!)
Gotchya Dave!!

Just a few of the Class of '94! Doesn't look like alot but it was
about one seventh of our class!

From the river we flew to Colorado Springs in order to spend time with Matt's family and their new digs. Our busy little schedule never slowed down and we managed to squeeze in some more retail therapy (REALLY had to twist my arm let me tell ya), a little massage therapy (thanx Ann!!), we got to the top of Pikes Peak, had a little O'Malley reunion with old friends, a Chuck E. Cheese stint, a day and evening or two at the Clubs, a few dinners and an attempt at Santa Claus Land (the weather however, had other ideas in mind for us).

Nana in her element...the kids LOVED hanging out in the pool!

'Sup ladies...wanna jump in my ride and go for a spin?

Uncle Bob and the girls for dinner at the Club

Aunt Betty and Nana listening intently but I'm not so
sure they're believing whatever they're hearing.

A pretty steep part of the ascent...but definitely NOT the steepest!

At the top and believe it or not, we were winded..and we just drove the car!

She's just gorgeous isn't she?!

Must have been a busy day by the pool...rough life I tell ya!

Upon our arrival back home...yes folks, we do call London home now...we managed to get the kids acclimated to the UK time zone, reacquainted them with their room and toys, get Bones from his country retreat and then we geared up for a visit from our very good friends from Jersey. Not that Jersey but our very own, New Jersey! Tom, Lucia, Melissa and Emily T. flew in after spending a couple of weeks in Scotland for a wedding. It could not have been better timing (Lucia quit rolling your eyes...I really mean it!) because it gave the girls something else to focus on rather than how tired they still were from the jet lag. What a reunion it was for Melissa and Avery. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it...tears, screams and laughter and jumping, hugging and general going-girly! (side note: they met way back in the day at pre-school and became fast friends as they had the same dress...hello? Isn't that how everyone chooses their friends?). Despite their visit being pretty short, we managed to fit it quite a bit of touristing, if that's even a word, hop into an English fire brigade truck and learn about the place Princess Diana called home...also known as Kensington Palace. We learned about the Debutantes of yesteryear, how to curtsy (put your right foot behind your left foot, briefly bend the knees with one foot forward keeping the upper body straight and repeat when the member of the Royal family leaves), how to respond to an invitation and finally...how to walk gracefully.

Emily, Melissa, Avery and Sloane "responding to a fire!" Watch out London!

Just a little growing left to do!

Sloane under the statue of Prince William III who was a sovereign Prince of Orange by birth.
Did you know he married his first cousin, the future Queen Mary II?

Avery listening intently to the explanation of the Kings Staircase (see below)

Walking gracefull? No balancing books on Avery's head!

Just one of the displays of Princess Diana's dress collection. Can
you say stunning? It was really strange to see them all there
because I remember seeing her photographed in so many of those gowns.

And I'll leave you...finally...sigh.... with some of my most favorite pics from the summer. Yes, the weather could have been better but the company and the time we were able to spend with our families could not have. To both our families...we can't thank you enough for letting us take over your house and make ourselves at home. We love you dearly and are soooo lucky to have you all!

Anderson with Papa. By far...one of my all-time favorite pictures!

This is after a day on the river...it doesn't get much better than that!

Mom & Kel...you're gorgeous. Boy did we luck out in the
genes department?!!

Doesn't matter that she's my only one...she is the most amazing
sister. Love you Kel!
HOWEVER...for those of you that are under
the impression that she is the younger one...IT'S A LIE!

Maxx and his playmate Anderson (Maxx is three months younger than Anders!)

Anderson and his incoming teeth...look to the right and you'll see the
lovely vampire tooth that emerged before all the top ones!

Nana went a little nutso with the curling iron one day. It's a
little eery how similar they look!

The Dunker girls...what's funny about this photo is that I would
have expected their poses to be switched!

Kel and Anders just chillin' on the deck...

Harrison, Anders and Sloane

Jarrett...we didn't get to see him much because he was always working.

Royal Ascot 2009

It was that time of the year again in London. The weather changes and people actually come out of their house. What's even better is that they actually look you in the eye when you pass them on the street. Somehow, sunshine has the power to make Londoners seem mildly cheerful and though it's only for a fleeting moment, they're actually glad to see others sharing the sunshine. Usually you get the cold hard stare implicitly saying "Get out of my bloody way, I'm in a hurry!" (and a note to all you future London travelers...saying "Excuse me" is not the proper term when accidentally bumping into a Brit...even if they bumped into you...you must say "Sorry"...otherwise they think you're telling them off).

Despite the majority unfriendliness of those on the pavement (that's a sidewalk for all you Americans), occasionally you may run into someone that says hello. They're generally American. Or a Canuck (Dave, that was for you!). Or German. Even FRENCH!! But hey...beggars can't be choosers and at least I get a hello back from time to time. I refuse to lose my American-want-t0-make-at-least-eye-contact-with-passersby so whenever possible I try to say hello to those I recognize and even some I don't because it's sort of fun to watch them squirm a little.

Where was I going with this? Oh yea...I supposed to be writing about the Royal Ascot this year. So while we may not all get along on the pavement, you're guaranteed to have a good time at the races. Specifically The Royal Ascot. Perhaps it's the copious amounts of alcohol that lends to the overall joyousness of the occasion. Or maybe it's the general camaraderie because you're probably all going to pick the wrong horses and lose your shorts. The more I think about it...it's definitely because of the alcohol. If you're interested in trying some of the Ascot fare, make a pitcher of PIMMs No. 1 and you'll get a little dose of England in it's refreshingly old school form. Here's the recipe...(www.thedrinkshop.com will deliver if you're just dying to try it)

Take one slice of orange, lemon, apple, cucumber
per person and one sprig of mint and
add to two parts lemonade to one part Pimms.

I went with some friends two years ago and had a really good time. We laughed, we drank and I even won a bunch of money...it was fabulous. So this time around, I thought maybe it was time to spread the cultural revelry to other parts of my family. Matt jumped on board (okay, maybe he was pushed and prodded) and then we decided to let Avery join in the fun. We would have liked to bring them all but in the end decided against it. Anders would have just been an anchor (harsh...yes, but you all know it's true!) and Sloane would have managed to get herself onto the track and run over by the horses...then we would have felt bad. So, it ended up, just the three of us.

We had a spectacular time. Avery dressed up to the nines and even had her own high heels and a fascinator (head piece that's sort of like a hat but generally much smaller and just a clip in).


Matt was incredibly dapper in his morning suit (top hat and tails to my American friends) which I convinced him was the mandatory dress code for our tickets. SUCKER!!! To be fair, he checked online before the day and learned that it wasn't mandatory but he didn't even mention that he knew better until after race day. SUCH a gentleman, don't ya think?

Avery heading into the races

My enormous hat...in every sense. I LOVE IT!

Well, Avery managed to score one of the best seats in the house, wave to the Queen, choose a winning horse and get her picture taken by a professional Ascot photog because she was so freakin' adorable! Matt and I managed to get blisters on our feet and lose all our money on crummy horse choices but we wound up with some memories that will last a lifetime. If you ever get the opportunity to go, you should jump at the chance...it's well worth the horrendous traffic, jubilant drunks, the rain (if it's typical London weather) and ultimately, the immediate drain on your resources.

We were REALLY close to her Majesty The Queen

She looked fabulous by the way..

Avery's winning horse: Bronze Cannon!

I say Ta-bay-go...you say To-bah-go...

It has been ages since we arrived home from our amazing Tobago holiday. But it's about time I blog about it. I've already posted 60 photos on my Facebook page, but I'm going re-post many, if not all of them here. Why duplicate you ask? The simple answer: because I can. Just thank your lucky stars I'm not putting all 650 on here because that is how many I came home with. And that WASN'T including Veronica's!

So, if by chance you find yourself bored out of your mind...check out the other posts I've finally published. Or if you happen to be one of those that is hating us because you're jealous just keep this in mind -- we're going back next year. (tee hee!)

Day 1 and upon arrival...the girls immediately threw all their stuff on the floor, found their bathing suits and proceeded to investigate the pools. There were three and each became quite endearing in their own unique way. The smallest was the hot tub which was never warmed up because there was absolutely no need. It was perfect for the girls to play in and was fun because it backed up to the koi pond. The second, one of the infinity pools was used the most frequently as it was the perfect depth for both of the little dippers. The third was also an infinity pool but was pretty deep and therefore much cooler than the others. It was perfect for cooling off after baking in the Caribbean sun.

Pool number 2 and our gazebo overlooking the semi-private beach we called ours.

Day 2 through the end is a bit of blur now. There was sun, swimming and really lounging about. We were in charge of our own breakfasts and lunches but dinners were taken care of by our house manager Rena.

The picture in the sand is supposed to be Veronica
(trust me guys...she's MUCH cuter in person!!)

The bat cave where our little friends would sleep all day...no,
not the girls...literally bats that would swoop in to the house (it had no walls)
and visit us while we'd eat dinner

The house from the beach...I just can't wait to get back there!!!

Day 3 through day 8 was pretty much a blur too (especially since it's now July and I'm finishing up this post). All I can really say is that it was spectacular and the kids are desperate to return. It truly was heaven on earth and we had an absolute blast. We didn't even leave the house except for food and some new Havianna flip flops. It wasn't worth missing what we had there...all of it to ourselves and all of us together. How can you beat that???

Ron with Anders

Me right after my terribly wonderful massage out on the gazebo overlooking the ocean.

One of my most favorite photo's I think I've ever taken. It encapsulates every ounce of our holiday in it.

This koi in the massive pond surrounding the front of the house.

The meditation room (with no roof).

The view one evening out our bedroom.

The ultimate holiday experience. Poor Anderson...but I couldn't help myself...can't wait to show these at his rehearsal dinner one day!!

The main hanging out space...if I look at this picture long enough, I can still remember the sound of the ocean below and the smell of the air around us. This place was definitely a zen-like experience!

Anderson looks very rested and relaxed after an incredible vacay!

...you know we did.
And we can't wait to do it again.