Sunday, May 2, 2010

...anxiously awaiting......

.....it's been a full week of activity, lots of sunshine and exploration.....our girls have been sleeping soundly at night, triumphed by our victorious adventures.....full of anticipation of what the next adventure might bring.....
.....many things to discuss over dinner, in the bathtub, rocking in our glider as we wind the day down.....running through all of the events that will happen tomorrow when we wake.....

....it starts young.....the need and desire for us to have something to look forward to.....I am still encouraged to have my eye on the prize, my pot at the end of the rainbow.......these little somethings in life that help me through the long days, the tough weeks, the longing for someone I am missing.....

......and lately I am missing my husband......he's been studying 7 days per week for 4 months straight, traveling almost weekly, is gone before we wake........
......and although he seems to have the gift of time management down to a science, it just isn't the same when our weekend activities are we three girls minus him.....he's the prince charming for the three of us.....and his absence is always underlying in the midst of our fun.....

.....We only have 34 days to go until his test is here.....and then the studying will be complete.....

......their Daddy and my husband is the light at the end of our tunnel....our little something to keep us lighthearted....May will hold some full days ahead.....and the best ones will require a do over when Daddy can join us.....

......so to start our trial of future family dates with Stefan, we jumped in our car and cruised over to the Bronx Zoo......                    


.......Elsie had her first experience feeding animals.......at first she thought she should feed them the pellets one by one.....


......however, she soon realized that a rice sized pellet served individually wouldn't sustain the cow's attention......so she upped the ante....and she and the cow became fast friends......

 

.......and Callie fell hard for the ducks.......

 

.......or anything she could see as close as the glass would allow her.....


.....we managed to get one group photo between all of the snacks, diaper changes, runs to the big girl potty, reapplication of sun block, more snacks, hand sanitizing, tantrums, giggles, time outs for running away from the stroller, bribes and lunch....

......so much work.....but oh, so much fun.....

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.......it has turned into a bit of a family ritual that Friday nights have become Pizza nights......we make our own pizza from scratch and Elsie enthusiastically will call the family gathering to order......
"PIZZA TIME!!!!"



........and then it's time to get serious......we have a pizza to make......


........and then Daddy will become the chef......Italian accent and all.......He blares Chris Botti on the ipod and away we start.....
......of course he encourages the girls to try and test the ingredients as we go.....mozzarella previously slobbered on is the best cheese for pizza.......





.......the final result is an incredible messy floor, two deliciously happy girls, the first glass of wine to begin our weekend, full bellies and lots of laughs.....

.....it's an especially cherished evening because Stefan makes it a point to be at home for Friday dinner.....

......just another little pot at the end of my weekly rainbow.....
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.....one thing I swore when I first moved to NYC was that I would never get stagnant in my own neighborhood.....people tend to remain in their 5 block radius from where they live; as they can find anything within their circle of convenience....

.....although I understand the practicality of it, Stefan and I have never been like that.....since the day we arrived, we would jump on a bus to see where it would take us, hop off and explore an unknown pocket of the city.....no matter how long you live here, you will always find something fresh and exciting.....

......and we are still that way even after kids.....so on Saturday, I packed up the girls, met up with our neighbors and we headed down to Tribeca for the Film Festival Street Fair......

.......we even took our strollers to the belly of the city.....

......the subway....


......the first event we found was the face painting......Elsie was enchanted from the instant she saw the vibrant colors and the fairy dust......I have never seen her wait as quietly and as patiently as she did to meet Carrot, the face painter.....


.....but the quiet came to a halt as soon as the paint started to blow out of her mini torch......


.....Carrot quickly decided our lovely lady would look fabulous in blue and pink jewels.......


........and Elsie thought that was a dazzling idea......


......when Carrot handed Elsie the mirror to see her transformation, she couldn't hide her smile....she had been revamped into something between a fairy, a princess and a big girl.....


........meanwhile, Callie was ready to find some balloons and some music where she could find her groove......


.......and she was out dancing with the chipmunks in no time.....


.......our littlest one is FEARLESS.......her zest for life is extraordinary......

........and Elsie and William's blooming friendship is poignant......



......My friend Sara always captures little things I will want to remember 50 years from now......like the way Elsie's new locks curl down her back in the spring sunshine....


......and it's these little things that can also remind Stefan that he has splendid things to look forward to as well.......he also needs a greater quest to strive for other than the feat of completing his test.......

......he'll have his girls back 24/7....to remind him how much he's loved, how much we have missed him completely involved in our fun.....

.....his little something is knowing he is our everything....