Sixteen days.  Over two full weeks of Lauren, Gabriel, Noah, and Elias being in town.  They arrived the evening we arrived home from the beach.  Since that evening, the girls have hung out with the boys nearly every single day.  The second week Lauren worked in her office every day in Maryland and Gabriel was in San Francisco for work. While we didn’t see much of my sister or any of Gabriel the second week they were here, cousin time was still strong.

We had several meals together….Peruvian takeout (Cucos), Afghan takeout (MamanJoon), Italian (The Italian Oven), Mexican Indian Fusion (Mama Tigre), and homecooked meals at our house (grilled chicken and mac n cheese, beef tacos – twice) and Abbotsford Drive (burgers and dogs).  And one night out of the four adults at Agora.

We had a small celebration the night we got home from the beach for Avery and Emerson turning 15 since their birthday was while we were at the beach.  My parents got cupcakes from The Bake Shop.  

Harper celebrated her birthday at Andy’s Pizza and the Bowling Alley with Papa, Grandma, Lauren, Gabriel, Avery, Emerson, and the boys.  Bowling and arcade games.  We all celebrated with dinner and pie at my parents in the evening. 

There was swimming…a lot of swimming!  Though very few pictures of swimming.

There was hanging around Papa and Grandma’s house.

There were sleepovers!  I think five in total. 

There was hanging around our house.

Papa, Avery, and the boys went to The Air and Space Museum. 

A Nationals Game was had. 

There was building, soccer playing, basketball shooting, Nintendo playing, jokes, laughs, and boys fighting and wrestling.

London certainly isn’t close by, but the long visits a few times a year allow for some quality time together. We will miss them until we see them again!

First Day of 8^th!  Last year in middle school not only for Harper but for the Maddy family!

Totally forgot to update the sign to 2026-2027!  Ooops!

First Day of 10^th!  Emerson realized the 10^th grade sign had old data on it, so she quickly created a new one. 

No group bus stop pics this year.  No other parents got out of the car to take one and so I decided not to force it. 

Neither Avery, Emerson, nor Harper were excited about going back to school. They were asked to rank going back to school on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the best; Emerson and Harper gave a confident 0 and Avery’s rating was a 4.  We cheered for Avery’s 4!  

I am hopeful that the school year goes much better than their first day of school “excitement”.

10 years!  10 years of beaching with our beach family. It truly gets better each year. 

The weather was rainier than years past; however, it didn’t keep us from going to the beach.  We just shifted our beach schedule slightly some of the days.

The kids all get along.  There are no cliques, no grouping off…it’s truly heartwarming to catch the pairings and conversations – I often wonder what the conversations are about.  Not that it matters, but it does make me smile.  And Bear, everyone adores him!

This year’s house had an enclosed porch….giving the kids their own separate area to eat dinner.  This year the kids got to partake in the seafood boil….something several of them have wanted to do for years.  

We celebrated Avery and Emerson’s 15^th birthday at the beach!  A rainy morning meant the girls went shopping at Mermaid Cove and Strands. 

August 4 was a Tuesday, so it was Taco Tuesday for their birthday dinner.  

For dessert, Emerson opted for a blackberry pie and Avery opted for a homemade Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream cake, that Harper and I made. 

The fact that they are 15 is truly mind blowing.  I remember the early years of beaching with our beach family and thinking how cool it would be if we kept vacationing together.  I envisioned the kids being in high school walking to get ice-cream themselves.  We weren’t exactly in walking distance to an ice cream shop this year, but if we were, I would say we reached that milestone. 

Time was spent at the beach….during the day….

….and at night….

In the pool…

The boil…

Surfing, now an annual tradition, and one of the most looked forward to aspects of the trip….

A family outing to Southport…

New this year…game night hosted by the kids!  

I learned that I am not so hip. 

And many more memories that will always hold a special place in our heart.  We all got a little sappy this year on seafood boil night…not only was it our 10-year beach anniversary, but it was also the Brophy’s 15^thwedding anniversary (we did not go to their wedding since I had just given birth to Avery and Emerson two days prior, but I somehow feel like I was there). There was a lot of reminiscing… we have been a part of each other’s lives for over half our lives; our kids have known one another their entire lives.  We have shared momentous moments and made countless memories…our beach family.

Harper had coach Jason again for the 7^th grade basketball season though the team’s dynamics were much different than the year prior.  

Harper enjoyed the season and towards the end tried out for Thoreau’s Cross Town Hoops 7^th Grade Girls team, which she made. 

She took a break from basketball for a few months in the Spring and re-engaged this Summer at Madison Basketball Camp where the highlight was doing MJ’s I’m Bad dance routine. 

The Spring soccer season kicked off with two back-to-back tournaments, in which they played well, placing second in one, a great start to the season. 

After the first week of the official regular season, they had tryouts for the following year.  Harper had a borderline birthday and was ecstatic to find out she made the higher age group.

The season seemed to go by quicker than normal.  Twice she played Hannah Brophy!

Fall season of SMASH followed by JV Season at Madison. 

Emerson played against some of her former teammates.

This girl can crush the ball! 

Action in the field was minimal in comparison to travel ball. 

Games were two hours, so they didn’t feel rushed; Emerson often got 3 – 4 at bats each game.

The season went by quick, and she had a few months break before summer season, which was only a total of three tournaments due to some rainouts and logistics with the team’s availability.

Dance competition season started out with quite the recognition in True Talent.

• Big Time – Second place, Platinum, Judges Award for Precision
• Rain to Snow – First place and Platinum
• Bring It on Home – Fifth place and Platinum
• Teen A – Triple Threat Award
• Honest, Avery’s solo – Platinum, 2^nd place in category, 10^th overall (out of 25), an invitation to Dance Wars at Platinum Nationals, Stand Out Soloist Award

Unfortunately, shin splints plagued Avery starting in February and a conservative approach (a boot) left her out of dance for a while and missing her last competition of the season. 

She healed enough to be able to get back to dance in time for the Spring Ballet….Peter Pan this year!

She finished the season strong with nine performances in the recital.   With eight dances and ten costume changes, Avery decided to invest in a dance suitcase to transport all her costume easily!

The production piece was a compilation of songs and dances from The Greatest Showman and it was absolutely fantastic!

Did I ever share that we bought a second property???  A few years ago, I got it in my head that I wanted to invest in a property that we would rent out.  Of course, we would visit sometimes and enjoy it as well. 

Well for a year or so, it was more my dream (maybe even a fantasy would be a better word…I think that is how Justin would have categorized it).  Somewhere over the course of the year, the fantasy grew on him and before we knew it, we began doing the research and exploring markets. 

In order to enjoy our property, it had to be in driving distance.  We looked at Outer Banks, Charleston, West Virginia, Richmond, and Williamsburg.  While those were all decent places, the cost of the purchase combined with all the other factors (reasons for visiting, seasonability, etc.) didn’t make sense.  One day, I thought back to our Pittsburgh family trip from a few winters prior and every morning upon sleeping on it, Pittsburgh still was the one. 

Once we decided on Pittsburgh, even more research occurred…if you know Justin and me, we are extremely analytical and rationale people, so this decision was well thought out. 

The house hunting began; we passed up many because the numbers didn’t work.  We put offers into a few that we didn’t get…with it being a second property being the highest bidder and winning at all costs was not part of our plan.  We looked at a lot of properties virtually and made a few day and overnight trips to Pittsburgh to see some places in person.  One in person trip we found our way to 4815 Dearborn Street, and we knew pretty quickly that this place had potential. It had been remodeled already and while it still needed some work, nothing major.  We put a contract in for list price and through negotiations got the price down to what we wanted. And just like that we had a 4 bedroom, 3 bath rowhome in Pittsburgh.  

From the moment we submitted the offer, everything went into fast forward…finding general contractors, plumbers, roofers, landscapers to come out to give assessments. And contractors didn’t jump to give estimates for a house that wasn’t even ours!  Between the time the offer was accepted to the closing date, we were in discussions with management companies and then designers who designed and furnished the place in just over a month!

It’s been nine months since launch date and our place is doing well.  It’s too early to say for certain as there is seasonality factor to the demand, and we haven’t been through a full year yet.  We have had a few things broken, a few things stolen, we are still learning, but overall guests are very pleased (at least the one’s that write reviews).

We have been up there three times so far…once in the snow in the winter and twice in the summer during an extreme heat wave.  Each girl has their own room, which they love!  Pittsburgh has so much to do, see, and eat and we are just getting started in our adventures.

Pictures of 4815 Dearborn, aka Pitt Vibes!

The countdown began months ago…I think the day after we got back from London, the countdown to London became the countdown to the last day of school.

Only one remains visibly shorter than me.  Harper and I are about equal.

The last day of school was a little bit of a letdown compared to years past   The girls, Amelia, and Emily went up to the elementary school bus stop to join the water balloon and super soaker celebration, but said it wasn’t the same feel this year.  Kona Ice, like years past, was a nice touch.  I asked them to take a picture, but they thought I was lame.

The girls received an invitation Wednesday for a celebratory day to recognize their achievements this year.

My parents received a similar but separate invitation too as they were a contributing factor to their achievements and success. 

Justin and I could not be prouder.  Perseverance!  Commitment!  Consistency!

Our morning hike was local…no complaints!

Afternoon chilling at the movie theatre!

Dinner was The Maple Room where Papa and Grandma joined us for the celebration. 

I kept thinking it was Saturday all day long and every time I remembered that it was only Friday, it made an already great day even more exciting.

(guest blog – Justin)

Today, Stefanie and I took off time from work to go on a hike. The weather was beautiful, but there was a twist.  We hiked Turkey Run, which we have a few times – however, they moved it!  

Stefanie was adamant that I drove to the wrong trail (which is a likely scenario), was trying to let it go, but just couldn’t.

It wasn’t until we found the stairs that she realized that it was in fact, the trail she had planned in her head.  She mis-remembered where it was though.

We had a great hike, and it’s been way too long.  We walked up on three deer who were just as surprised as we were – but then they scurried along to let us pass.

Right before we left, we headed down to the river because Stefanie said sometimes, you just have to stop and smell the rocks.

I was right, doesn’t happen often. I love you Stefanie.

This blog is a reminder that this trail is not right off 123 in Mclean, but off GW Parkway.

I still love Memorial Day Weekend and Viva Vienna, BUT as the years have passed, my time spent there has diminished.  Saturday it rained all day long and sadly very few people went to Viva Vienna.  

The crowds made up for it Sunday.  It was overcast and cool, but the rain stopped. 

Avery was supposed to dance at Viva Vienna, but they cancelled it due to the stage area being too wet. 

Emerson and Izzy went together. 

Harper and Amelia went together. 

Avery, Emily, and Mira went together. 

Justin and I walked down each of the streets to take it all in.  Then we headed home and let the girls have fun on their own. I bought some honey!

It is nice the girls can go on their own with friends (though they still require drop offs and pick-ups).  It wasn’t that long ago we would spend hours there as a family on the kiddie rides, carrying the girls, and cleaning up soft serve of their faces and dresses.