Our little family: Small and big happenings: June 2007

Happy Birthday, Noah!

Jammie and Sami had a baby boy on May 31... his name is Noah. Welcome to this world, Noah, and we can't wait to meet you!

Now I've seen it all... a venture to Coney Island

We visited grandma Kathleen, great-grandpa Jim and uncle Chris in Brooklyn over the Memorial Day weekend, and we spent a 1/2 day at Coney Island. What a ...unique place... I've never seen so many different types of people in one place, ever. What a freak show! And the place gave me a feeling of being back in the 1950s, with its worn boardwalk, sugar candy, and old-fashioned kiddie roundabouts.

Finally...we get to meet cousin Revati

Revati and Ayesha moved back from India at the end of April, and for the first time since Revati was born more than 1.5 years ago we met our beautiful little niece and cousin. Of course, the best place to socialize three kids and get them to know eachother a little bit was at the playground... imagine Shaman at such a caotic place!

Spring vacation in Florida

We took a week off at the end of April, and I was able to convince Steve to go to Florida.

First part of the trip was spent in The Keys, where none of us have been before. I tried to get camp spots but I was weeks and months too late, so the day before we flew down to Fort Lauderdale I booked a room at a family friendly resort called Hawk's Cay in the Middle Keys (mile marker 61). It was a 2 hour drive from Miami.

They have a beautiful salt-water laguna and 4 swimming pools, of which one was adults quiet pool only. They also had a dolphin center at the resort. Although we didnt pay the money to have a session with the dolphins, Anika had a great time watching them swim by.

The girls loved the place, and Steve and I had a good time as well. I also ran off for a couple of hours to get a well-deserved spa treatment at the resort, and I must say, it was excellent!

Luckily there was a lady at the beach who did girls' hair, and it was a great way to get Anika's hair out of her face the rest of our vacation!

Anika posing with her new hair do :)

It was too warm to stay in the sun in the early afternoon, so we went for a walk and we discovered a beautiful mangrove tree - perfect for a few family poses.

We went on a 1/2 day snorkling trip with the girls. The boat ride was nice and comfy, although Anika was not interested at all in going into the water...

Some luxurious homes along the channel...

Mamma and Freya relaxing after a delicious seafood dinner (see Steve's crab below). What came with the dinner was a scary/exciting view of a small shark circling the boats docked by the restaurant... Steve and Anika walked over to see it, and it was the highlight of the day for Anika.