Sunday, July 29, 2012

....beach bums.....

.....it's been hot and muggy and I can't quite muster the energy to hit another Manhattan park one more time....don't get me wrong, I love our parks.....but Manhattan in the summer can be stifling in the heat and the concrete everywhere doesn't necessarily facilitate a good breeze......so we go to a place that reminds me of home.....


.....twice this past week, I spontaneously packed up my brood and we headed to one of my favorite New York beaches......


....the kids play for hours in the sand and water......it pulls me back to my childhood and the memories of sandy skin and sticky, tangled hair leap to the forefront of my mind......I can't believe it has taken me so long to realize how many beaches surround us because this summer we have enjoyed several of them.....and although different from the fine, white sandy beaches of Florida, these are the beaches that will create memories my children will draw upon in their later years......and the thought that they, too, will grow up with beach filled memories; although different than mine, is all too surreal for me......




.....and I need to up the ante on our beach toys because my girl loves to try and catch the tiny fish that nip at your ankles and toes in the shallow surf.....she makes a friend who has a net every time she sees another child wading and swinging the net frantically; desperately trying to catch these fish that swim faster than the current.....



.....and over the past few weekends, we have even taken family excursions to other beaches....sometimes in New York, sometimes in Connecticut; both equally beautiful......we have escaped the concrete and transplanted ourselves to the serene and peaceful sound of the surf......even on rainy days.....because even a rainy day at the beach is better than a sunny day in the stifling hot concrete of my beloved city......






....it's not to be a downer on the city during the summer.....it still has it perks; its great escapes.....come Halloween, Christmas time or the first sign of spring as Central Park's cherry blossoms are blooming, I will tell you that there is no more beautiful place on earth.....but the beach and all of its summertime glory is sheer happiness......at least for our family......





....and when I am there, I am especially thankful for the beauty we have been given to enjoy while we live out our one shot at this big, beautiful life of ours......




.....and there may not be another soul in a 500 mile radius who is still waving the high on life, summer freak flag.....I hear talk of fall anticipation from friends......I see the fur and boots lined up in store windows.......and honestly, I love the fall like the best of them......but frankly, I am not even slightly interested in that season.....I am sucking the marrow out of this summer......



......easy, breezy, hot, salty and lazy.....we can't get enough of it.....



....leaving you with my two favorite beach bums.....xoxo.....

Monday, July 23, 2012

.....reach and pull.....

.....for the past two summers, I have been certain this will be it; the summer when either of the girls learned how to swim......even though Callie is one year younger than Elsie, she was the one I had to put into lessons as a 23 month old in the heart of winter because she would literally walk into pools fully clothed......it was so bad with her around the water, that I shamelessly waddled into the pool at 30 weeks pregnant with Callie dangling off my hip.....and I did it in a maternity bikini......since that was all I had.....just so she would learn to respect the pool.....and she did.....we no longer had to worry about her diving in full throttle, instead; she started to fear the water.....which was actually what we needed......and I hope I never have to do a swim lesson in a maternity two piece again......

....I had to break from recovering from a fast and festive weekend with old girlfriends (sans kids) and preparing for a socially tight calendar this week, just to quickly post on the progress we have been making in the pool.....this summer has been different and I can confidently say that this August, just may be the one when we ditch the water wings, the life vests and dive right in......

.....both girls are especially determined to learn to swim independently, so I signed them up for semi private lessons with one of their besties, William......I wasn't sure how it would go, as Elsie has been terrified of water on her face and Callie still has the wild, I don't need to wear my life jacket streak now that the winter lessons have been erased from her memory...... but this swim company is the real deal......they focus on swimming readiness and if your child has any sort of separation issue, they basically take your little one and politely shoo you off to the corner so they can do their business......the first lesson was too traumatic to take many photos.....all three swam....reluctantly......

.....so when lesson #2 arrived, they all strolled over to the pool confidently.......



.....and once we were pool side, their confidence dwindled a bit and they were back to clinging for their lives and scanning the outer banks of the pool looking for a familiar face......



.....eventually they warmed up, relaxed and let the instructor work with them on their water skills.....bubbles, floating, reach and pulls, kicking, diving off the side and turning to find the wall.....each little one got their own attention and it was fun to watch them gain more confidence with each minute they spent working on becoming better.....










.....and then they actually started to have some fun with it, too......





......and I think that because Brody had pool envy may have helped the big kids feel privileged to be in the water.....thankfully, Sara was there to capture some shots of the little fish because with Brody thrashing in my arms to escape and beeline for the pool side, there was no way I could have also multi tasked a camera too.......


     .....high five for William.....

....and I know these lessons wouldn't have gone half as well as they have been going if William hadn't of joined....although I don't think the girls understand that once we move, William will not be their neighbor anymore; it's possible that subconsciously, they do understand the concept.....he is all they talk about, all they want to see and swimming every Friday can not roll around quick enough at the beginning of the week.....


....and with that being said, I have already answered, five more days a bazillion times today with the question of, how much longer til we get to swim with William again?.....

....now back to unpacking, mending my hoarse voice, prepping for a big date with my love this week and a going away party with some of our best friends and neighbors.....


.....here's to loving swimming season....

Monday, July 16, 2012

......Brooklyn adventure.......

.....we have been way over do for one of our excursions.......the excursions that exhaust me to the core when they are all said and done......but it is during the reflection and the discussion for days, weeks and sometimes months afterwards that would have me doing them all over again......just to ensure that the memories are branded into my little one's minds because they are always spectacular......


.....not many people can think through their options for a play date and decide on the Brooklyn ferry for starters and a ride on the new carousel when we arrive at our neighboring borough......not to mention, a pit stop for the creamiest and most delicious ice cream on the east side of the river......




....there are certainly perks for being a curious preschooler living in Manhattan.....now that Sara has left her cave after birthing her sweet boy and I am in high gear ready to savor our last summer in the city, the adventures are back on.....there is too much to NYC than to stay in our own neighborhoods......





.....and the kids love the change of scenery.....




....not to mention that the older ones are mature enough now to ask good questions, appreciate the views around them and learn some history about our fabulous backyard......maybe they don't understand the concept of time well enough to realize that 13 years to build a bridge is an enormous amount of labor and effort, but they still give the factual stuff plenty of ooohs and aahhs as they take it all in......




.....my clan has always loved the carousels and I think of my grandfather every time I ride one, so the new ride in Brooklyn was anticipated by all of us......














.....and after several spins with Manhattan as our backdrop, we worked up an appetite......



....time to cool off, take a break, and love on our babies too......



....after enjoying the delight of ice cream in the summer, we still had time to explore before we needed to head back......the playground we found nestled around a surprising corner definitely has the best view of any park I've been to in NYC......





....no wonder my girls always ask why there are so many trees when we drive outside the city......when they play, their view is shiny steel and concrete and a sky line they have grown to love......





....but skylines, ice cream cones, ferries, new playgrounds, carousels......of course, the whole experience is grand.....hopefully the pictures will remind them in years to come that we do have a backyard of unique and cool urban escapades.....however, I know what they will remember most about their early years as city kids is their friendships......and our little love nest of a building has been the biggest blessing......


.....yes, there are days I tend to focus more on what I don't care for in our city way of living......small quarters, no storage space, no backyard to lounge in a hammock or play a good old fashioned game of tag......and my biggest gripe with three kids is that my laundry room takes 3 minutes to get to and also requires me leaving my apartment with clothes and babies in hand.....I could go on.....believe me, I could go on.......but the good has always outweighed the inconvenient in our situation.....and so today, I choose to focus on the good.....


Photography by Sara Blackburn