.....it's why I love having no schedule this summer.....I packed swim suits, beach cover ups, sun block, tons of snacks, extra changes of clothes and even PJs for both girls......just so we could have options once we got up to CT..........options....a girl has always gotta have her options....
.....and as I was multi tasking- chatting on the phone with my Momma and packing for our day, my Mom asked.....didn't you just see Cristen and her family on Saturday?......and the answer was, yes, but we just can't get enough of them......
.....so we were out the door at 9:40 am......and we were home for dinner to see our Daddy.....and it was a beautiful, active, lazy day.....
......their neighborhood park lent some good old fashioned fun.....I haven't seen a see saw since I was 8 years old.....my girls loved it, especially when there were two big girls on the other side, giving my littles a good bounce at every teeter.....
......and Caitlin and Elsie were up to their usual joyous and gleeful dispositions when they are together.....
.....everyone was having such a good time......
.....and this park was so laid back with the perfect set up for toddlers.....besides a mad dash to the potty, this was the first park I have been to with both of my girls that had a design where I could watch both of them from a distance.......they were safe.....far enough away to feel independent, but close enough for me to intervene.....and Cristen and I could actually hang out, talk and catch up......score!
......even if it meant interrupting a conversation to sing several verses of Wheels on the Bus.....
......we wore the kids out.....
.......and let them have their long awaited treat of the Dora shaped ice cream the girls chose themselves.....with eye balls of gum that almost forced Cristen and I to crack a tooth trying to bite them out to avoid a choking hazard.....
.....finishing off a a great day with a walk through downtown New Caanan......
.....for those that haven't been there, it's the quaintest, most charming town I have seen in a long time....with small boutiques that made me yearn to pop in and splurge on amazing shell made chandeliers, fragrant pillar sized candles that would look fantastic in my bedroom or the red and white strapless casual cotton dress that would be the perfect patriotic, yet sheik outfit to wear for the Fourth of July.....
.....but strollers wouldn't fit....probably a good thing....I had two tired gals that needed a bath and bed.....and I didn't need to see something that I just had to have.....
......but Caitlin and Elsie did have time to run into Cristen's backyard so we could take home some of their gorgeous hydrangeas.....what a perfect token to take back home....
.....when the kids were sound in their beds and the house became quiet, I went out to the hall to throw some trash down the shoot and I couldn't help but take notice of Cristen's old front door.....the door that I knocked on several times a day many months back.....the door I could always hear our friends just a few feet away having their family time and being the lovely people they are......
......tonight the door was dark....with neighbors we now rarely see.....and that pit in my stomach came back.....the one that put me in a bit of a funk for a week or two after we said goodbye that one Sunday morning......until I walked back inside my nest and laid my eyes on a piece of CT we brought home with us today.....
.....the pit lifted and I smiled at the day we had and the days to come.....
....thank you, Cristen for your hospitality, your friendship and for the beautiful children you are raising....we love our visits with you....xxooxo.....but still wish you lived next door!......
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......I just couldn't end the day without making a tribute to my brother, Kirk, on his 32nd birthday.....you are an incredible family man, someone who lights up the room with your humor and passion for life, a deep thinker, a sensitive soul and I thank God that He has given you another year of your life to do good and wonderful things....
Happy Birthday, brother.....or in our home, you are Uncllllle Kuuurk.....
.....I love you.....
