A grand summer gathering on Long Island

Kathy's summer house has been filled with family this summer. Genevieve, John and their children - Beatrice, Jack and Liam - are spending the season at their house nearby. Vivien, CJ and theirs - Charlie, Austin and little Oliver - are visiting from London and staying at the Fair Play cottage. It's three-month-old Oliver's first trip stateside. 

For a few days in late July, Dan and Julie stayed with Kathy, enjoying her hospitality and the chance to meet Oliver and the rest of the gang. Robert was there for part of the time, but CJ was back working in Europe for that week. Also in the photo above is CJ's cousin Allie, who was staying with Vivien and helping watch the kids. 

Click here to see photos Dan took at the house, the beach, and during a walk he and Julie took on the nature trail at Jessup's Neck.

Easter in London: Kathy visits Vivien, CJ, Charlie, Austin

Vivien, CJ, Charlie and Austin spent their first Easter in their new hometown of London, and enjoyed a visit from Grandma Kathy.

CJ took these photos during a Saturday visit to Holland Park, blocks from their flat in the Kensington neighborhood. Kathy tells us it's one of the city's Royal Parks. "It includes the boys' favorite playground - and peacocks!"

CJ, Vivien, Charlie and Austin moving to London

Vivien, CJ and their two sons are setting off this week for London, where they expect to spend the next two years. CJ, a senior vice president at Brookfield Asset Management, is taking on a new assignment helping to expand the company's multi-family housing business in Europe.

Kensington Palace

The family will be settling into a flat in London's Kensington neighborhood (less than a mile from the palace shown here). Charlie, now 3 1/2, will soon start pre-school at a Montessori academy a short walk from home. He will turn 4 in September, and Austin will have his second birthday the same month.

CJ, who has been with Brookfield in New York for over four years, will be based in London but will also be traveling around the European Union. The company has been ramping up its investments in European apartment properties, largely by buying existing firms. He has already visited Brookfield's operations in several cities as he prepared for the new job.

Charlie celebrates third birthday

Vivien posted these photos of Charlie, celebrating on Sunday at Grandma Kathy's summer house in Noyac. "So proud of our big kid! Happy 3rd Birthday to Charlie!"

A Midsummer gathering at the bay

The last days of July brought beautiful weather to the east end of Long Island, and this flock of family members was lucky enough to all be there to enjoy it.

Dan and Julie rolled out from New Jersey for a five-day stay at Fair Play. Vivien, CJ, Charlie and Austin joined Kathy at her summer home. And Genevieve, John, Bea and Jack spent the weekend at their cottage.

Family friend Robert was also in Noyac, mooring his sailboat off Mill Creek. He and Kathy treated Dan and Julie to a sail around Noyac Bay, something they hadn't had a chance to enjoy in the past few years.

The weekend was the first opportunity for Dan and Julie to meet their new grand-nephew Austin, born last September in the midst of pandemic precautions. They were captivated by his near-constant smile.

It was the first visit of the season for Dan and Julie, and they made the most of the good weather with a hike on Jessup's Neck, a visit to a North Fork winery, and a day in Montauk, where they enjoyed the beach at Hither Hills State Park, a walk on a wooded trail and an evening concert on the village green.

Here are some photos Dan took of wildlife on Jessup's and Montauk Light at sunset.

Four weeks as a family of four

Vivien and CJ shared these photos, taking four months after Austin joined the family. Charlie, age 2, is head over heels with excitement about having a little brother!

The natural and unnatural progress of Spring

Dan writes: As May passes into June, the azaleas and cherry blossoms have faded and the first roses are blooming here at Birch Street Web HQ. Julie and I are lucky to live in a neighborhood that's very pleasant for taking walks and watching the progress of everyone else's flowering plants and trees. The early magnolias were followed by the dogwoods, and now rhododenrons are in full bloom. For "sheltering in place," this isn't a bad place.

Some of our family members have decamped to their Noyac houses -- Kathy to hers, Genevieve, John, Bea and Jack to theirs -- where they can continue to work remotely and in somewhat more pleasant isolation.

Shanna, Rick and Lucy are safe at their New Jersey home, where this lovely family portrait was taken.

Likewise, Vivien, CJ and Charlie at their home in the Garden State. And yes, there was Easter this year, if not traditional Easter gatherings.

Dan and Julie have been having weekly get-togethers on Zoom with Julie's parents and a cast of family members that varies from week to week. Christine and Jamie, Andy and Shannon, Cathy, Christopher, Stephanie, Lisa, Elizabeth and Rebecca have all participated from time to time. This shot is from late April.

We hope it won't be too long before we can see each other in person again. But in the meantime, let's all stay safe and well, and keep in touch as best we can.

Vivien, CJ and Charlie preparing for new arrival

Vivien writes: "We have some exciting news - Charlie is going to be a big brother! We are expecting a baby boy at the end of September. We are very excited!"

Pop goes the confetti	Hooray!

Vivien used a blue confetti popper to give the news to Charlie that a boy is on the way (click either image to see the video). The "gender reveal" might have had a bigger audience if not for the current social-distancing restrictions, and 19-month-old Charlie seemed puzzled, but seemed to catch on that it was a happy occasion.

2019 Christmas family snapshots

We hope everyone in our extended family had a wonderful Christmas season. Here are just a handful of photos from the holidays. We'd love to post more if you send them our way (birchstreetweb@gmail.com). Happy New Year to all!

Lucy's first Christmas, with mom Shanna and dad Rick

Charlie with cousins Bea and Jack

Christmas on the Cape with Nolan (aka Capt. America) and Josie

Josie's first Christmas

Bea and Jack with grandma Kathy

Andy and Shannon with Julie and Dan on Christmas Day

Christine and Jamie playing with a Christmas gift from Julie and Dan

Holiday season family gatherings begin

At least two big family gatherings took place on the Saturday before Christmas. Kevin and Kathy hosted the annual Yonkers Christmas party, which featured the first appearances by the family's newest members: babies Lucy and Jack, and Owen's bride, Ellen.

(Click images for larger view)

Meanwhile, Bonnie and Jay hosted their annual Cape Cod gathering of their extended family.

Christine and Jamie joined Jamie's mom and stepdad, sisters and cousins and other relatives in the festivities.

Charlie receives sacrament of Baptism

Charles Joseph, son of Vivien and CJ, was baptised on Saturday, Feb. 9, at Our Lake of the Lake in Verona, N.J. A large gathering of relatives and friends attended the ceremony.

The celebrant invited children in the congregation to "help" him bless the water in the baptismal font.

Here's Charlie with his parents just after his encounter with the water of baptism, as his godparents - C.J.'s sister Sara May and Vivien's brother, Patrick, look on.

After the ceremony, the gathering moved to Palazzo Restaurant in Montclair for a wonderful reception. Five-month-old Charlie seemed to thoroughly enjoy meeting so many friends and family members!

The Yonkers Christmastime Party, 2018 Edition

The Yonkers branch of the family held its annual holiday gathering Dec. 29. Kathy hosted this year's party at her home. Above, everyone posed for a group portrait, another long-standing tradition.

The crowd included the newest family member, Charlie, the almost-four-month-old son of Vivien and CJ, seen sitting with mom as dad stands behind them. To their left, Beatrice also sits with her mom, Genevieve, with her dad, John, standing behind.

The rest of the roll call: Left to right in the front, Andy and Shannon, Kathy and Robert; seated, Rick and Shanna; standing, Dan, Kevin and Kathy, Christine and Jamie, Kevin, Brien, Roger and Mary, Julie. Absent this year was Kathy's son Patrick, who was on a trip to Ireland with his girlfriend, Kelsey.

Here's just a handful of more-candid photos taken by Dan (click on them for larger views).