Happy Birthday Chloe

2 Years ago today we were blessed with the arrival of Chloe Jessica Cross.
Happy Birthday Chloe! Her birthday party is tomorrow and you know We'll have more pics to share.

Daddy Dance

Saturday night We headed downtown (Woodstock) to catch a Shenandoah concert. Caitlyn was having a great time dancing with her friends but insisted on a Daddy-Daughter dance. Daddy was happy to do it.

Dollywood

Caitlyn and Mommy enjoy some time at the Dollywood Ferris Wheel.

Chloe tees off

Chloe made her own golf game while we were on vacation and she let her own unique style shine through.

"Dada Ball. Dada Ball"

"These people need to play faster. "

"I need a rest"

"I'm telling you. Keep your head down and eye on the ball."

The race

Caitlyn and Daddy had a chance to climb into a Go Kart together andpractice our racing skills. Here we are passing on the inside track as the little boy next to us wonders how We're going so fast.

July Fourth in Tennessee

We just returned from our July 4th vacation to Pigeon Forge, TN. We have lots of pictures and video to share. Here is a shot of the obligatory family putt putt game. We managed to keep score for 1 hole before the game changed into a combination bowling, kicking, chase the ball, sweat like crazy, grab everyone's ball, hangout on the green, We've got to get out of here type game.

Grandma's Babies

Grandma was very happy to have her three grandchildren all together last week. This picture makes me laugh because it captures their personalities so well. Austen says "I can wait" Caitlyn says "I'm a princess" and Chloe says "Woohoo...a picture"

Caitlyn's Birthday

Caitlyn turned 5 on June 24th and celebrated with a slumber party. The girls spent the late afternoon dancing before settling down for movies, popcorn, & whatever it is 4-5 year olds talk about.

Rose colored glasses

More from the Recital

Caitlyn's Dance Recital

Tonight was Caitlyn's third dance recital and her group put on quite a show. Here they're dancing to the song "I Wanna be a Rockette" as part of the Broadway theme.

The Graduate

Caitlyn graduated from Pre-K today and she couldn't be more excited. She was even voted "Most Creative" in her class. Her school had a nice party and she got to enjoy the moment with all her classmates. Check out the party here.

Memorial Day

We had a great time enjoying our extended weekend. Check out the pictures from our big party.

Day 10 - Mallorca

Our final cruise day took us to Mallorca. Mallorca de Palma is a small island off the coast of Spain. The island is a great mix of old and new. We took the 100 year old train to Port de Soller to enjoy the sites, grab some Cappucino and even managed to pick up some Mallorcan pearl earings for Laura. The shot above is of the Mallorcan cathedral and was taken as we departed. This was actually the last picture I took on the cruise and one of my favorites. Check out the other sites from our visit.

Day 9 - Day at Sea

We spent day 8 out at sea, sailing from Sardinia towards Mallorca.

Day 8 - Sardinia

Day 8 brought us to Sardinia and its largest city, Cagliari. We spent most of the day wandering around the town and enjoyed the day. Check out all the pictures here.

Swim class

Caitlyn is getting ready for the summer with some swim classes. She's almost got it down and is gaining confidence every day.

Day 7 - Malta

When setting out on this journey, I looked over the itinerary and thought..."HHhhhmmm..Malta. Didn't I learn something about that place in history class?" Well, turns out Malta was the location where the Italians surrendered to the Americans in World War 2. It also happens to be home of Mdina glass, the Maltese Cross, and some of the best scenery we visited. The great weather returned and we had a day that started with a botched cab ride, a step back into medeival times, and a stroll through the streets with a stop for a cup of cappucino. All in all, a great day. See more of Malta and Mdina here.

Day 6 - Sicily

Home of the Mafia. Home of the Godfather. Home to thick crust Italian Pizza. Day 6 took us to the island of Sicily and a visit to Mount Etna, Taormina, and Castelmola. The tour was pretty laid back and the weather did not cooperate at all, it was either foggy or raining. Either way we enjoyed our visit. We stopped into Pizzeria Trattoria in Taormina for a Pizza. We asked the waiter..."Do you have the thick crust Sicilian Pizza?" Our waitor looked at us like the American tourists we were and said in a heavy Italian accent "But of course..." Well...the pizza came out like just about any other pizza. No thick crust, but Sicilian nonetheless. Apparently Pizza Hut has been pulling one over on us for all these years.
View more images here.

Day 5 - Amalfi & Pompeii

Day Five brought us to Naples & a visit to the Amalfi Coast & Pompeii. The weather was a bit overcast but the scenery was breathtaking. We visited Positano, Praino & Ravello. Our guide, Mariano, was great and we even got to have lunch at his cousin's restaurant. Some of the best Pizze and Pasta I've ever had. After a couple of bottles of wine in Ravello, we headed over to Pompeii for a tour. It is really amazing to see how advanced they were at that time (79 AD) and what they were able to accomplish. Check out the full gallery here.

Day 4 - Rome

Day Four was on to Rome. We grabbed a Taxi and headed right to the Colloseum. Last time in Rome in 1999, We didn't make it in, but that was the first thing we did. We spent the next 8 hours walking around the city including Trevi Fountain seen here. When you look at the rest of the gallery, take a look at the picture from behind Travi fountain looking out at the crowd. That's a shot you don't see often and it lets you know how crowded the place is. I swear I threw a Euro coin into the fountain and some guy caught it before it hit the water. We were lucky enough to be there on April 25th, which coincides with the Italian national holiday celebrating Mussolini's assassination. Take a look at the entire gallery.