Well, we did it…we made our third trip to Hawaii in just under a year! I wish I could say that since I’ve packed for that trip so many times, I have been able to pack less and do it more efficiently. But we still checked five bags and carried on three! I guess that’s just the way it is when you’re traveling with two toddlers!

This time we went to Kauai, and it is definitely my favorite of the four islands I have visited. Upon check-in at the hotel, Anna Kate was given a beautiful flower lei and told the woman who gave it to her, “Mahalo” (thank you) all on her own. We were a bit surprised she remembered that at her ripe old age of two-and-a-half! We spent a lot of time exploring the island and enjoying local restaurants. One restaurant was famous for its “Hula Pie”…chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge sauce. We ate there three times! One day we took a trip to Hanalei Bay to see the stretch of mountains for which the song “Puff, the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary was named. Another day we took a riverboat tour to see a beautiful grotto where ferns grow out of the rocks; Connor loved the boat ride! Waimea Canyon was another great place we got to visit. The kids chose that day to be especially fussy. For the sake of being honest, I’m including a photo of the kids in rare form on our little canyon adventure. Just don’t want anyone to think our trip was perfect! Ha!

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was when my husband drove us to a public beach that was packed and finally found us a parking spot. As is usually the case with my husband, he has some kind of internal GPS or maybe just luck! He parked the car and said, “I bet if we walk through that forest area, we will come out at our own private beach.” Skeptically, I gathered up all of our stuff, grabbed a kid and began trudging along behind him. Sure enough, when the trees parted, there was our own beach, not another soul in sight! There was even a beautiful freshwater inlet that the kids could play in. I don’t know how he does it!

I must say one of the things I most look forward to when we travel is naptime! I love it when the kids nap in the cool, dark hotel room in the middle of the afternoon. It’s so nice to be able to curl up with a book or go to sleep myself while my husband goes off snorkeling or surfing. He always tells me to go to the spa or do something, but really, I just love the time to rest without having to feel guilty that I’m not doing laundry or loading the dishwasher!

The last day we were there, I pressed the kids’ beautiful white Strasburg outfits for some photos on the beach right outside of our hotel room. They turned out to be my favorite pictures of the kids…ever!

It’s been hot! hot! hot! here in NYC and besides staying cooped up in the air conditioning, there aren’t too many ways to escape the oppressive heat and humidity. If you think it is hot out in the sun, you should venture down to the subway stations and experience a stuffy heat like never before- ooof! We have been sweating it out and enjoying tons of time outside because it is virtually impossible to stay home with an active toddler. One great way we have been staying cool is by frequenting our local playground and playing in the sprinklers.

When I was a child, we had a nice backyard where my Mom would set up a baby pool and we would play in it for hours. When we were a bit older, my family joined a swim club where we would spend most of the sweltering days. Back then, we didn’t have air conditioning in our home, so being outside even on the hottest days was cooler than being inside. While I cherish all these memories, I also love to see my daughter enjoying different experiences- ones that come from growing up in the big city.

We may not have a backyard with shade from an old elm tree, but we do have lots of fun right here. No matter where you live, hope you are finding ways to stay cool!

Aren’t babies funny? Why do they fight sleep so much, when they are obviously very tired!

I often wonder what goes on their little minds…I can only imagine.

Baby’s thoughts:

*Tired eyes* Oh my eyes are feeling weird… let me open them wider…

WOW! I’ve never noticed that plain white wall before, and the light? Has that light always been there?

Why is mommy shielding my eyes. Stop! I want to see the bare wall! Why can’t I see the bare wall! *Cry*

One second later

*Laughter* You are so funny mommy! Watch, if I smile, you smile back… See!

*Laugh*  Isn’t this Fun? Do you want to play? Let’s play!

*Glance back at the light fixture* Oh good, the light is still there! I was worried it might leave… let me just stare at it…

Oh no the eye sensation is coming back…

*Looks back at bare wall* Open up eyes, Open up! Don’t Fail me Now! I want to see this wall!

Then I hear a deep baby sigh, eyes close unknowingly, and he is off to baby dreamland… sound asleep.

Babies are so sweet when they are sleeping.

We have lots of birds that build nests and raise their babies in our yard. We have had baby Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Robins and even Hummingbirds.  The latest addition is a family of Carolina Wrens.  Their home is in a birch tree outside our bedroom windows.  Each morning for the last few weeks, we have heard the mother and or father singing a beautiful song.  Unfortunately, they choose to begin this serenade very early in the morning.  Despite the early hour, their sweet song manages to blend into our morning dreams and when the time is right, it becomes our wake up call.

I get the first cup of coffee for the day . . . doesn’t the first cup of coffee always seems to be the best? . . . and make my way out on the patio.  Even these last few weeks of temperatures 95degrees and up with heat indexes of 101 and up, the morning air smells sweet and new.

The rabbits must get up with the Carolina Wrens, because the Schnauzers have their noses to the concrete patio, sniffing every inch to make sure they know where each tiny paw stepped in the early hours before we made our arrival.  Even though we live in the city, an occasional possum or raccoon makes its’ way into our yard and give the dogs a really exciting start to their day.  It makes for lots of running around with their noses to the ground, back and forth, running then stopping, trying to find out exactly where it went and what it was.

But, back to the Carolina Wrens. This afternoon when I came home, my husband was on the patio.  He loves to watch the wildlife in our back yard but this afternoon he was quite amused.  He has anxiously been waiting for the babies to make their appearance.  They have been chirping for several days.  Their house is so full of sticks, we don’t know how the mother manages to get in to feed her babies.   Yesterday, we thought they might be “stuck” so my husband gently attempted to remove a stick or two.  The sticks wouldn’t budge so he quit for fear of upsetting the parents who were watching from a nearby tree.

Today, the babies were peeking out of the hole in the birdhouse, but would not come out. Mama and Daddy were in other trees in the yard, chirping, singing, fluttering around, doing everything they could to coax their babies out of the nest.  Nothing worked.  We watched and waited, eager to see them as they made their appearance, but they never came out.  They chirped, sang and cried for the parents to come back and feed them.  Mama or Daddy even came to the house, peeked in the hole made some loud chirping noises fluttered around and then flew off in disgust.  It reminded me of how much we humans are like nature, even nature sometimes has trouble getting their young to leave the secure, safe, familiar home where they were born and all their wants and needs are provided. This parental “urging”  by the mother and father Wren lasted another couple days.

Finally, the young ones emerged from the safety of their birth home. The nest is now empty and the mornings are quiet.  The parents are now flying about the yard proudly watching the young ones spreading their wings and learning to fly.

Like the Carolina Wrens . . . parents have to sometimes “dance and flutter “, giving words of encouragement to the young ones who are about to leave the safety of their parents homes.  Don’t worry parents . . . the nest isn’t empty for long!  They come back and bring more with them.

Back to school shopping can be hectic and stressful, trying to follow the latest trends and styles for children. A philosophy that always seems to work is to use trend media as a guideline and pick and choose items that fit into the overall wardrobe. If you purchase too trendy, the pieces will soon loose their sense of style and children will not wear them over and over again.

At Strasburg, we incorporate market research for the upcoming seasons and pull concepts together for a Fall Line that is modest for school age children, keeps up with the trend, and will last through the short trends that come and go for long-term tradition.  Fall back-to-school shopping can sometimes be difficult, confusing, and overwhelming with all the latest trends. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Pick items that you and your child like together and agree on key items for a fall wardrobe, you will have your basics, your classics, and your trend setting items to pull the wardrobe together for a kick off to a great school year ahead.  This fall 2010 season will have richly saturated colors. Plum, purple, lilac, rose, magenta, dusty mauve paired with warm grey will be popular for girls. Boy’s colors will be geared towards Deep Blue, Red, and Green.  Plaids and Patterns will be making their way through the school halls this Fall Season along with bright prints. For a plaid style, look at the Milly Collection in purple, a stylish plaid pattern for cooler months of fall. The Milly Plaid Dress  is great for any school picture. The boys Milly Sweater Vest with corduroy pants makes a great picture perfect smile.

 Bold Prints are making a comeback in a big way. Try the Harper Collection for a transitional collection. You’ll love the adorable pink cardigan paired over the top of the Harper Smocked Green Jumper. Style, grace, and elegance all in one.  Sweater dresses will be a great transitional piece for the season. Our Designer’s pick is the Cameron Sweater Dress with adorable buttons to pair with leggings underneath. This is one of our favorite items of the fall season. For boys, sweater vests will be popular this season. Try the Cameron Sweater Vest with the Cameron Herringbone Cargo Pant for a back to school look that’s sure to work. 

You will see a more refined feminine look with ruffles playing a key in the upcoming season. From ruffled tops to tunics over narrow pants the season will be a playful mix and match. Our favorite pick on a tunic for back to school is the Taylor Tunic, this adorable deep hued color has embellished flowers for a feminine touch and of course, leggings to match.  Placing a cardigan over a ruffled top is a great mix and match idea for the season. Wraps will be another addition to the cardigan that is a key layering pieces.

Embellished flats for girls will have the stop and stare effects for the season with the Lucy and Sophie you have your choice of basic or metallic. Metallic will be a hit this fall season for Girls as well as Moms. (Our flats will be appearing soon, and are well worth the wait).

Style tips for back to school shopping:

Accessories can add to any outfit of the season. Try a headband, handbag, or a fun pair of shoes to dress up any outfit.

Deep Hues, comfortable layering pieces, and your own style are the best words to describe buying for the season. Just like you, your kids want to be comfortable for a full day of school.

Layer styles for changing seasons and weather, pair a plaid with a graphic. A skirt with leggings adds to any outfit, jumpers with a long sleeve knit underneath, and tunics with leggings are great layering pieces for the season.

Have fun shopping for the back to school season and remember to enjoy it. It shouldn’t be stressful as long as you remember key shopping tips!

-Your Strasburg Design Team

It is definitely the time of year for beach days if you live near the coast of Florida. We have had an absolutely beautiful summer. It is always a wonderful start to the day to take the children to the beach early in the morning and be home by 11. The children start out the day outside playing in the sand and water. I always find it amazing that no matter what the age of the child you see at the beach they are so happy with the simplicity of playing with just a bucket and shovel. From toddlers to teens, digging a hole and searching for sand critters or building a sand castle seems to be such simple entertainment at the beach. When they are hot, they can run out in the water and jump the waves. The beach is really the one place I do not see the use of modern electronic technology. Life is just back to finding the simplest things for enjoyment. Everyone is happy. Such serenity!!!!

July is a month of celebration for us as it brings our daughter’s birthday.  This year was her 2^nd birthday and we have been celebrating almost nonstop since the month arrived.  We started the celebration the weekend of July 4^th when we celebrated with one set of grandparents.  This year, we even had our own local celebration on the roof. 

Lillian was ready for her zoo/animal themed party when she woke up from her afternoon nap that day.  She had been talking about her requested chocolate birthday cake all morning and was excited to see her little friends.  She loved getting dressed in her Strasburg Children Day at the Zoo Bloomer Set.  We headed up to the roof to celebrate and it was a great afternoon, despite some rain showers that made us retreat back to our crowded apartment downstairs for cake and ice cream.

Next weekend we head to visit the second set of grandparents and celebrate once again.  Yippee for July and yeah for 2^nd birthdays!  

At 4 lbs and dropping down to 3 lbs 9 oz, our sweet girl was our BIG baby! Both children were born early due to eclampsia/pre-eclampsia. Our little Elisabeth turns 2 this week! We can’t believe how much she’s changed. She has gone from a sick, tiny baby with black hair and gray eyes, to a big sturdy toddler with curly blonde hair and hazel brown eyes like my mother. Due to my husband’s work schedule, we decided to celebrate a little earlier so that we would have the whole day together. Well, actually this was her second birthday party. My in-laws live a few hours away, so we went to visit them last week and she had a little party with them too. Our son (he’s 4 years old) has realized that birthday’s are profitable for him too! Since he’s our only other child so far, and he is so little, everyone tends to get him a present too so that he doesn’t feel left out of anything!

We decided to take them to a local historical place for a little tour and a picnic! There were several hundred acres for them to run and run! They blew bubbles, played football, and were so hungry by lunchtime that they ate that picnic lunch like it was gourmet! We followed that up with sugar cookies sprinkled with pink and yellow sugar crystals. On the way home we stopped at a tiny little place that had AMAZING ice cream!!

By the time we got home, everyone had fallen asleep in the back of the car so we changed them into pajamas and they took a nap….and they slept for 3 hours! I was starting to panic because they slept for so long. When they finally woke up, we decided to open presents! The baby was so excited to find among other things, a castle, a pink fishing rod, and a beautiful little green and white Strasburg dress with a matching white satin hair bow. My Grandmother had also sent the children a box just full of the things that little boys and little girls love to play with! Lots of stickers, coloring books, dolls, dinosaurs and even a little silver crown that said “Happy Birthday” so that everyone would know who was queen for the day.

Then it was time to get everyone dressed up for the baby’s big birthday dinner. At this stage, she doesn’t care too much about where we go to eat, as long as there is food! So we picked a little place in town and had a nice dinner. The waitress knew my husband, and when she found out it was the baby’s birthday, she brought out a giant slab of 3 layer orange blossom cake with whipped cream, oranges, and pink candles on top! It’s not the type of restaurant where they sing to you, but believe me, we were fine with that. We’re thinking about going there to get a birthday cake the next time any of us has a birthday! Yum!!

When Sarah (8 years old) and Jacob (4 years old) are expecting Grandpa and Granny, they keep a close watch on the street to see when they will arrive.  “Granny’s coming!  Granny’s coming!”  can be heard throughout the house.

Even more exciting, Sarah and Jacob each individually go to stay with their Granny and Grandpa a few times each year.  Because they go individually, each child gets a lot of intense one-on-one time with their grandparents and have been able to form even deeper relationships. 

Jacob recently had a “Granny and Grandpa” visit.  He played outside, visited Great Grandpa, visited Bass Pro, and rode his first four wheeler with grandpa.  Granny and Grandpa let him sleep in late, made his favorite foods, bought his favorite toys and books, and took him shopping for his favorite clothes.  The children are never really ready to come home after a wonderful few days with grandparents.

I can remember this special time from my own childhood.  My grandmother must have played thousands of games of Chinese Checkers and Rummy.  She always listened to me.  Even if I was in trouble at home, my Grandma loved me unconditionally.  She taught me to make crafts, and we made cereal treats together.  My Pa would sing and dance with me.  My Papa would play baseball and take me fishing, and my other Grandma had a lot of board games.   I feel so loved by my grandparents.  What awesome memories for me and for them!

So, even though I don’t like for my children to be away from me, I gladly accept the generous offer of sending Sarah or Jacob to Granny and Grandpas.  I love that they have the uninterrupted, individual attention of their grandparents.  They come home happy and look forward to their next visits.  When they aren’t ready to come home or for Granny and Grandpa to leave, I understand how they feel.  I remember how I felt when my parents told me that it was time to go home.  There’s nothing like the warmth and love of a Grandparent, and I am so thankful that Sarah and Jacob have loving grandparents who want to spend time with them.  I miss them, but I would not consider denying them this special opportunity.

Summer 2010 is here and the plans are well underway for exciting things to do involving grandchildren.  It’s a good thing my husband and I took our spring trip so we can be free to do whatever we are called upon to do. . .that’s what grandparents do you know!!

The “Big Kids” started asking last January where our “Nana Trip” would be this year.  This “Nana Trip” thing started about 4 years ago because we took a “girl’s trip”.  We went to Birmingham, AL, for a weekend of shopping.  I thought it would be fun to treat the girls to a suite at the hotel adjoining the Galleria, order room service and have lots of girl fun.  I was right, we had a great time but did I ever start something!

The boys were a little jealous so the next year we took a boys trip to Chattanooga, TN. We stayed in an authentic railroad car at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a hotel complex in a train station commemorating the history of railroads. We visited the Tennessee Aquarium, ate pizza and just had fun hanging out! The boys enjoyed playing cards in the “room” as much as anything.  They really liked staying in the refurbished rail car. . .and it was neat!!!

Last year I surprised them all with a week in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I bravely took off to Alabama with the 3 Kentucky teenagers, a tank full of gas and most importantly, Pops credit card. The 4^th teenage grandchild flew in from California and met us in Gulf Shores.  We had a great time, Kayci and I had our own rooms and the boys had bunks. . . everyone had their own TV so after a busy day on the beach and a great dinner out, there was no fussing over who was watching what! It was a wonderful trip and the kids couldn’t have been better!  Other than the fact it takes several hours to drive from Paducah to Gulf Shores, there were no complaints!  

This year it has already been difficult to fit things in to the children’s hectic schedule. . . .2 KY grandsons  will continue the family tradition of going to Philmont, New Mexico, with their father for 2 weeks of backpacking at the Boy Scout Ranch.  If it wasn’t busy enough, two sons and their families will be moving this summer!  This wasn’t a planned thing . . . it just happened!  Jobs take people all over the world and we are lucky that 3 sons will now have their families in Tennessee . . .  closer to each other and not too far from us!  It will now be easier for us to stop in the Strasburg store in Nashville’s Cool Spring Galleria!

With all that going on, I think the perfect “Nana Trip” will be just a couple days this year. . . don’t tell them, but I think we will go to St. Louis, MO, for a visit to the zoo , a little shopping for Kayci and try to catch a St. Louis Cardinal ballgame to satisfy the boys!  

As the “Big Kids” grow up and “Nana Trips” become harder to fit into their schedules . . . it’s comforting to know we have two new babies – ages 1 and 8 months who will soon start asking what the plans are for this summer’s   “Nana Trip”??? We will  keep making plans but most  important of all we will be making  memories!