Faithfully Fit: ...summer love......

.....my three loves summed up in one summer sidewalk setting.....

......elated with our decision to not do any camp and keep my children at home with me has been the best choice of our summer......yes, I have a sitter whom I rely on periodically during the week.....she allows me a quick session at the gym, one on one time with one of my babes or takes them on a quick visit to the park so I can prep this apartment for yet another showing.....but really, this summer has been about me, my kids, weekends with our Daddy and our last tour of NYC before we head to the burbs......

....the only way to sum it up is to highlight some of our best adventures......so without hesitation, here have been some of our July and August best of the bests.......

.....music with Mr. Paul......

....a two minute walk to our playroom and we are a lively group who is rockin' and jammin' out with our besties.....if you can't beat the heat, get sweaty doing something fun.......

....and we've started a new trend with the scarves......babies swing and float them, little girls dress up and dance with them.....

....it's a room full of smiles, the kids burn off some energy and we Mommas actually get a few minutes to chat in between dance parties and drum sticks....

.....long weekends at Duke's Castle.....

.....for our second consecutive year, we have joined our besties for a long weekend in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at Dutch Wonderland......it is perfect for the ages of our little ones and this time, the oldest girls were tall enough for the wooden coaster.....the Daddys may have been the most excited ones about the fact that they had made it to the big leagues.....

.....and while Elsie and Madelyn rode the coaster for the upteenth time, Callie enjoyed the role of biggest sister.....she quickly got over the fact she was about an inch and a half too small for the coaster and introduced Brody to some of his first rides......

....and then she and the big girls were reunited for more thrills they all could enjoy.....

....and Brody certainly enjoyed being back in the mix with the group, too......

....even getting brave with the geese until they reminded him that he was in their territory.....

.....and we couldn't leave Dutch Wonderland without finding the princess and her dragon.....

....maybe not as thrilling as the Disney princesses, but still a highlight for my girls.....

.....enjoying our city's fine art exhibits......

.....one of the things Stefan and I discuss all the time is that we don't take advantage enough of the access to all the NYC museums......when Sara read about an exhibit that is running along Park Avenue that celebrates women, we made plans to check it out.....

.....babies strapped and in tow......

.....and I must say that the littles actually soaked it in, checked out each sculpture, asked good questions and of course posed for some snapshots.....

.....we tried to get photos from every angle to capture the coolness the exhibit.....taxi cabs racing by, rush hour just beginning, the sun passing over the last of the high rises; leaving its mark on the shiny mosaic tiles that covered each sculpture.....

.....and soon it was time to change up the scenery......Brody will only tolerate so long confined in the stroller and the sidewalk alongside Park Avenue is not the place to let him run free.....

......one big group shot and we were off like tourists......

.....summer is sweeter at Dylan's Candy Bar......

......need I say more?......

.....we promised them an ice cream sundae to share......easier said than done when there are so many options to choose from......

....it wouldn't have mattered what flavors I selected......

.....eventually I stopped fighting Brody back and let him climb right on top of the table to join the group.....in his ripe age of 15 months, he can not stand to miss out on the social scene......

.....awh, in due time, sweet boy....it all goes by too fast and before we know it, you too will be about to start Pre-Kindegarden......

......these two sweet girls were newborns who entered the world only hours apart just yesterday and look at them now......

....I don't blink for a moment because they are all changing so fast......

......Rye Beach with besties......

.....since we have been soaking up the sun as much as possible this summer, we finally convinced our good friends to join us.....

....the best part was sweet three month old Ryan hitting the beach for his first time.....once he cooled off from the trek to the shore, he sat back and enjoyed the ocean breeze and rhythmic sound of the crashing waves.....

.....he was a sight that stopped people in their tracks.....it was hysterical, heart warming, adorable and he took it all in stride.....he didn't fuss one bit......a man after my own heart......he loves the beach......

.....we made it through several snacks and ice cream to top off the day......I hope there are more like it in the month before school because it was perfect......

.....overall, the last few weeks have been just what I hoped our summer would be......spontaneous, slow, easy going, adventurous and full of little moments that I have stored into the memory bank for the crazy and hectic phases of life that will surely come again......