Pictures from Sweden

September 30, 2015 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

Susanna and her dad by his camp on the lake.

Susanna's sister, Sofia, setting up flowers at the church the day before her wedding. — Susanna’s sister, Sofia, setting up flowers at the church the day before her wedding.

Susanna, beautiful as always, ready for Sofia's wedding (and of course, 4 months pregnant). — Susanna, beautiful as always, ready for Sofia’s wedding (and of course, 4 months pregnant). Sofia had to fix Susanna’s hair the day before the wedding after declaring that the hair cut she got here before the trip looked like a 5-year-old had cut it. Rebecka added that she thought that Susanna had cut it herself. Both honest as only sisters can be.

Sweden_Grandparents — Hanging out with Susanna’s grandmothers (Ruth and Kerstin) in traditional dresses (Värendsdräkt) from their region in Sweden. Time for the reception and drinking to begin.

Weekend Pictures

September 29, 2015 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

This weekend was pretty busy. On Saturday we had Ben’s birthday party at a local park (Sawmill Park). It was a perfect location for a game of capture the flag. And with only 6 kids at the party, there was a lot of running. Even without a large turnout I think it was one of the better birthday parties that we have thrown.

Ben hanging out waiting for the party to start

The weather this weekend was perfect, not too hot and a nice breeze.

And more hanging out on the rocks at the park... — And more hanging out on the rocks at the park…

On Sunday, Susanna took Ben to the Drunken Pallet in New London for an afternoon of paining. Will and I took the afternoon to motor/sail the boat from the mooring on the Niantic River to the boat launch on the Thames River.

The weather was perfect for sailing with a good breeze on Long Island Sound and the tides were with us. The trip took about 4 hours, plus time to retrieve the boat and unstep the mast. We didn’t get much sailing done this year. With a new family member next summer and lots of family visiting we won’t put the boat in the water next season. If things work out we will sell the boat and in a couple of years look for a bigger one. I think having the boat in the water every summer is a bit much right now – I have too many things I like doing in addition to time on the water. Anyway, Ben has a power boat that we need to finish up and try to get in the water one of these summers.

Enjoying the motor down the Niantic River (photo by Will Curtis)

…And It’s a Girl

September 29, 2015 ~ Chuck ~ 1 Comment

A beautiful picture of the baby on her way.

Today we got good news. The baby is looking good and the ultrasound went very well. We could also tell that the baby is no longer an “it” and is now a “she.”

We expect that in mid-February we should have a new member in the family, Isabella Louise Curtis. Will and Ben will get a new baby sister and the dogs will gain a new human to pull ears, tails, and other private body parts. Of course, ultrasounds aren’t 100%, so if “she is a he” (as Ben would say when he was little) then we’ll have to start the name game again.

Overall it has been a busy month and I haven’t found time to write in over a month. The past 5 weeks spanned a trip to Sweden for Sofia’s wedding, the boys returning to school, Susanna returning to work part-time, and a trip to Hawaii (yes, work is tough.) Hopefully as things calm down this fall I can catch up on posts and add pictures from the trips.