After a wonderful summer of auntie, uncle, cousin and grandparents’ love, the kids are back in residence! Queue soundtrack…

Top Of The World (1973 Remix)CarpentersFrom the album Love Songs

Such a feelin’s comin’ over me 

There is wonder in ‘most every thing I see

Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes

And I won’t be surprised if it’s a dream

Everything I want the world to be

Is now comin’ true especially for me

And the reason is clear, it’s because you are here

You’re the nearest thing to heaven that I’ve seen

I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation

And the only explanation I can find

Is the love that I’ve found ever since you’ve been around

Your love’s put me at the top of the world

Somethin’ in the wind has learned my name

And it’s tellin’ me that things are not the same

In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze

There’s a pleasin’ sense of happiness for me

There is only one wish on my mind

When this day is through I hope that I will find

That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me

All I need will be mine if you are here

I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation

And the only explanation I can find

Is the love that I’ve found ever since you’ve been around

Your love’s put me at the top of the world

I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation

And the only explanation I can find

Is the love that I’ve found ever since you’ve been around

Your love’s put me at the top of the world

SONGWRITERS: JOHN BETTIS, RICHARD LYNN CARPENTER

📸 Emily Hogan

Siblings at the fair! Precious to see Lake’s arm around Lady Kitty on the roller coaster! Summer fun times with Nana and Baba are coming to a close today. We can’t thank Nana and Baba enough for the gift of all these perfect days and memorable experiences together. ❤️

Camp NanaBaba also included as a finalé… a Robin Hood production. Lake made his own guitar and ran back and forth through Nottingham Forest beachfront. Nana played the ocarina from the attic along with the hats and cape. Nana reported, “The kids looked so great.” As an addendum, Lake did a Robin Hood archery show and shot both arrows about 25’. Great work thespians! Bravo! Bravo!

Coming into the final week of NanaBaba Summer Camp at the Lake. Has this Summer whizzed by for you too? A review of some of their fun exploits with photos by Nana. A perfect Summer at the Lake with lots of cousin time and full of NanaBaba activities… it’s all that Lake hoped for. And Lady Kitty was along for the ride… and to beginning to learn how to swim! Well done team, all around!

Looks like these four are having plenty of good fun! NanaBaba Camp Activities are in full swing! Look at that swimming train… and Lady Kitty says, “I do it!”

Well done! Thank you to grandparents extraordinaire, NanaBaba!

It really doesn’t get more Summertime siblings than this photo by Nana. Due to the extreme graciousness and seemingly boundless energy of NanaBaba, the kids get to enjoy a Summer of freedom at the lake place. This is their dream as well as a lifetime dream of mine especially to have my daughter spend her Summer there at the age of two. I was also two when my older brother and I spent a month at the lake cabin alone with our grandparents for the first time. It became a annual tradition for the next 13 years and built many warm memories, and remains my happy place.

There’s nothing quite like the love between grandparents and grandchildren. ❤️

Many many thanks to Lynn and Duane for carrying the tradition torch and hosting Lake and Lady Kitty for their best Summer experience! So special!

These kids came back to the lower 48 today! We had a short and sweet meeting at the airport. They were dressed in fleece jackets and had to quickly adjust for the heat! Bye bye cold rainy Alaska— hello heat wave!

After spending a week with Lady Kitty glued to him, Michael said, “now I know what it’s like to be you, Tolle!” As far as appendages go, she’s a really lovely one.

Then he continued, “I’ve had plenty of time to observe her this week I’ve concluded… she’s a lot like you, Tolle.”

“Oh?” Of course I want to hear more. To me she’s confident, funny, strong, grounded, keenly observant, and pragmatic.

“She likes to hold hands.”

Yes she does! And with that quick turnaround the kids are off to The Lake with NanaBabaa!

A perfect moment, I’m glad I spent it with you!

Lake and Lady Kitty are with Michael in Alaska while I hold down the home-front. Specifically they’re in Ketchikan visiting Michael’s sister Kendra, her husband Simon, (who’s from Liverpool), and their two boys who are a bit older than Lake. They’re a lovely family, funny and relaxed and there are toys everywhere. Lake has been looking forward to this cousin time for weeks. (And Michael his sister time). It’s a wonderful scene.

Lady Kitty reports on air travel. Plane. Uh. Up. Down. Up. Down. Uh. (They encountered turbulence.) As they deplane immediately Michael senses there is less going on in the air. Notes of ocean and trees on the breeze are noticeable.

Michael needs earplugs so a trip to the store is in order. Lady Kitty beelines to the shoe aisle. She starts trying on shoes.

Uh. Too big. Uh. She opens boxes, evaluates and tries different pairs on.

She takes the pink sparkly boots she walked in wearing and lines them up on the shelf. She’s found the perfect new pair instead. She’s ready to go. The whole takes 15 minutes.

“We bought her the shoes. We had to.”

This weekend Lady Kitty astounded us with the sweetest proclamation.

“I wuv you, Mama,” she said, quite out of the blue.

Lady Kitty had clearly been working up to this, and she looked absolutely chuffed with her success.

“I wuv you, Mama,” she said again. Then stood back to bask in the glory of what she knew would be a well received statement. She was not wrong. I was ecstatic. Soooo in love. Not even having the Duchess of Cambridge wear my navy Alessandra Rich polka dot dress to Wimbledon on Sunday felt better (and that was pretty exciting). Not even in the same league.

The love did not stop there.

“I wuv you, Bro Bro.”

“ I wuv you, Dada.”

“I wuv you, Mama,” she said it again and again. We were all over the moon! And she was too! She delighted in delighting us. Love is not a sum zero game, she knew.

We love you too, Lady Kitty! We do! We do! A most perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with you!

In the wee hours of this morning we were all piled in high in mama’s fluffy white bed in our Deer Deer pajamas. Lady Kitty had woken up early and I brought her into my bed for Mama Milk and snuggling, then Lake joined us and we were all cuddling, playing around and giggling. Lake sang us this song:

“Lady Kitty is like heaven on the world. Lady Kitty is like heaven in the world. Lady Kitty is like heaven in the world.”

Truth from the mouth of babes. Wishing you a very lovely Summer, with your own glimpses of heaven! A perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with you.