Tommy and I are off on a cruise for the next week – cell phone and baby free! Here’s our sail away in New York.

We spent the last 5 days in Los Angeles with my college crew from Emory. We rented a place in Beverly Hills, went to the Santa Monica Beach, visited the science museum (where we actually couldn’t find the gigantic shuttle Endeavor and just assumed it wasn’t there despite all the signs), and ate a relaxing lunch at the Getty.  We also got to see my beautiful roommate Tammy get married to her lucky new husband Bryan – a big congrats to the bride and groom!  It was a beautiful outside wedding in the California hills overlooking the city.  (Unfortunately I was having too much fun to get any good pictures of the happy couple).

I am still in shock my little brother by another mother)is married – but I couldn’t be happier for him and his beautiful bride.  And we were pleased to be able to get baby buds Rose and Kaya together at the post-wedding brunch.

C’mon Gammy – let’s go see some birds! (At the bird sanctuary in Florida)

Kaya’s favorite current hobby is “swimming.” She loves jumping off the edge, floating on a noodle, and kicking in the water.  We flew down to Florida to visit with the Kircher family in remembrance of Great Grandpa Kircher.  Luckily for Kaya, a little pool time gave everyone a nice break.

Sad news in the Kircher family this week. Kaya’s great grandfather (my maternal grandfather) passed away last Sunday.

The things he was most proud of include serving in the US Navy, attending MIT, and assisting in the invention of the hovercraft with Charlie Fletcher.

He loved telling stories and would talk for as long as anyone around would listen. Sometimes longer 🙂

He was much loved and we are very sad to lose the Kircher family patriarch.  Kaya got to meet him as a baby (I hardly recognize her in this picture though) – she brought him an MIT hat to win his heart forever.  He will be missed.

Kaya and Tommy (and a large clan of Gangsteads) went to Tweetsie Railroad, a “wild west theme park” out in the mountains this weekend.  It looks like toddler paradise based on the pictures.

Tommy and Kaya and I all watched the sunset tonight. Except I was at the beach for a work retreat and they were in Western North Carolina in a cabin in the mountains. But it was the same sun! Somewhere out there, someone’s saying a prayer…

Looking back through the last five posts, I’ve realized one thing: Kaya is clearly a righty (rightie?)

We can’t claim to run a gender neutral household, but we appreciate when Kaya has toys other than shopping carts and baby dolls (or, notice the purse in the foreground and the stroller in the background). For example, her new toolset is very encouraged.  Unlike Mommy, maybe she’ll learn to hammer without closing her eyes.