European update

I figure it's probably our turn by now, so I'll take a crack at it. Like usual, we've had a lot happen since we last posted. In the time since I last posted, I got my family back, we took a vacation and stopped in Nice, France, Florence, Rome and Naples, Italy and Tunis, Tunisia. You've probably heard enough on our family blog, so I won't go on too long about it, other than we discovered how much fun it can be to vacation with our kids. We were a little worried about keeping track of the two of them on a giant floating hotel, worried about sharing a small cabin space, and worried about enjoying the ports of call with two little youngsters. Well, it turns out they do great. They're such great vacationers we're already thinking about what we might do for Christmas with them - we're thinking Paris or maybe Germany again. Of course, I was fantasizing about our vacation plans forgetting that we'll now have an infant in the mix. Well, nothing better than training him up from the start to be a good vacationer.

Speaking of vacations, we just can't get enough. At the end of June, I took three days off and we headed to a little resort town outside of Alicante called Benidorm. The kids had tons of fun and we got great tans hanging out by the pool and at the beach. We weren't planning on taking a vacation, but I had already taken the time off so Eryka could go to girl's camp. She elected not to go since she had started having some labor cramps and there weren't going to be any leaders at the camp with a car to be able to get her to a hospital in case of an emergency.

As a whole, June was really a nice month for me. I closed a couple of IPOs at the beginning of the month and had some Summer Associates to help with some of my work, so I was actually able to come home before dark several days in June. Of course, I'm not sure how much that's worth when it stays light here until 10:30 during the summer.

We have hired a full time helper. The lady that has been coming on Saturdays to clean for us quit her full time job because the family she worked for (actually really good friends of ours) are getting a divorce and she was getting caught up in the middle of it (such as, for example, the wife kicking the husband out and telling the helper not to let him in the house or let him take the kids, while he pays her salary - you can only imagine how it was for her). It's really fortunate for us, because she's great with our kids and such a good worker, and she's a much better bargain full time than part time.

Plus, it was great timing now that Eryka is in pre-term labor again (she's not due until September 10 and she was 2 cm dilated and 30% effaced at her last visit). Our kids must be super-anxious to join our family since this has happened with each of them. I can't blame them, we are pretty happy together. Anyway, Eryka's doctor has her on weekly visits now and she is a little more willing this time than last to put herself on bed rest because she'd rather not have anyone spending too much time in the hospital.

So in the next few months we probably won't be having too many Teddy Bear Picnics in the park (see below) and no more last minute vacations, but we'll be sure to find other ways to keep ourselves entertained.