Friday, June 8, 2012

....rain dance.....

.....today was our second official day of the summer.....

.....there was no back and forth to and from school.....our last two lunches have been long and lazy; we have had good conversations over our hotdogs......I have actually finished my first cup of coffee the past two mornings, while my brew has still been hot......

.....and the weather has been glorious.....


....we have also been spending quite some time at a place that I pretend is my backyard......I choose to forget that I have to load the stroller, pack food and drinks, insist the girls use the potty before we leave and I ignore the part when walk three avenues east......but once I am there, I imagine I have just walked out my back door and the kids are running wild......

.....it is our urban oasis......




.....and after two graduations this week, our ballet finale and our introduction to some new gymnastics classes, we had our fill of every emotion in the book......I still get choked up at thinking about how enriching our time at Rhinelander preschool has been.....opposite school schedules for the girls is not something I would do again, but I will certainly miss the warmth and joy that the little brownstone brought my girls for the past three years......

.....I'm not quite so sure my girls realized graduation was a goodbye.......their teachers created too many other wonderfully distracting events this week for them to realize this was the end.....








.....and it was a grand party with treats, sweets and blessed chaos......when Callie got home from her circus themed ceremony, she wanted to know if she was going back to school this week.....

.....no, graduate, it's summer.....

.....time for ice cream, the beach and staying up late......

....she liked that part......







.....and she also liked the part when I told her that just because summer is here doesn't mean we still can't see our best friends.....

.....and this sweet, stylish, handsome boy has been her favorite all year......Joseph has even been making it into her prayers lately for all the people she is thankful for......Callie has a heart for this boy.....



.....and Elsie has her favorites too.....


.....her best girl, Madelyn, lives across the street.....we see her almost every day, the girls have been classmates since we started nursery school and they have graduated twice together.....I know saying goodbye to Madelyn will be a tear jerker come late summer when we bid our neighborhood farewell for the burbs....

....my throat tightens just typing it......



....our nursery school experience is more than I could have ever hoped for.....and since it's right across the street from our apartment, it will make return visits easy when we come back to the city to visit our friends....


....and since the end of the school year also brings other activities to a close, I was able to watch Callie's last ballet class this week.......I was elated to get a few pictures, since Parents Week last month was a complete bust.....


....when she doesn't think there is an audience, she is herself......our exuberant, theatrical lover of life......


....and out sweet angel, too.....





.....after finding a groupon deal I just couldn't pass up, we will be spending several days in June taking a break from the heat......

.....yet still wearing the kiddos out, which is worth every penny......







.....Brody is taking good notes from his sisters......by summer's end, he will be keeping up without a hitch......




....and in the midst of good byes, celebrations, parties, last classes, trampolines and retreats to our backyard, I found 45 minutes to run away for sushi with Sara and her new bundle, Ryan.....we felt like first time Mommas having a little lunch date as we passed a sweet newborn between us, opposed to whipping out crayons, taking breaks for emergency potty requests or asking for the upteenth time to please don't pour anymore soy sauce into your rice bowl.........he cood, smiled, sucked his paci and slept like a little champion.....I can't remember the last time she and I had uninterrupted conversation and it was so nice to take a few minutes out of the week to spend on friendship......


....not to mention, that baby boy melts my heart.....

.....and I know there will be more time for fun and festivity this summer......Stefan took the girls to retrieve all of our gear in our New Jersey storage unit, so we are officially ready for the sun.....


.....we have also spotted our first fire flies of the season.....the streets of New York do host some bright fire flies, although I could only get a shot of this one hiding his luminous glow.....


....and to add to the slower pace of the summer, the girls have been requesting time for some pampering to wind down our day.....we have been adding manicures into our nightly rituals.....


.....and I know there will be many more afternoons spent in our backyard, which earlier today provided a real life suburban sprinkler experience.....I think Brody found a hose line, pulled it a bit too hard and instead of watering the grass, this sprinkler was now angled to give us an even better reason to run under the bridges and tunnels......


....we made new friends and frolicked in the cool mist for a long time......



.....it was almost as good as yesterday when we experienced our first sun shower of the summer.....



......Elsie was dancing in the rain; however just 10 feet away, Callie couldn't understand where her rain was......needless to say, it is more fun to play in the rain, so we all moved under Elsie's rain cloud......


......and God blesses us abundantly when we enjoy His gifts.....



......enjoy your slow and lazy.....


.....enjoy your friends.....



.....find your rain dance and dance like no one else is watching.....


.....happy beginning of summer.....