....no vacancy.....

.....we just had a family of five leave yesterday and tomorrow, we have a family of four arrive for a long weekend.......our house has bustled.....doors have opened and shut constantly, the kitchen has been open more than it has been closed, and laughter has waifed up from our basement every morning, as the six of them have made their way to the playroom while the mommas sleep til 7am......

.....the tv has collected dust, the swing set in the back yard may need to be oiled and we have probably gone through hundreds of paper plates over the course of the last week (yes, we are recycling!)......

.....it has been busy, hectic, funny, loud, sweet and chaotic, to say the least.....and we are ready to start it all again tomorrow......

......more on our adventures with visitors next week......

......the month of July had a few days that were slow and lazy......here are a few of my favorite moments  that captured the epitome of our summer......

.......Horse Camp.......

.....hardly a camp, but somehow the friend that referred this program to me referred to it as so and the name stuck.....any random day from 9-12pm, Miss Jocelyn takes 2- 5 year olds in her backyard for water play, arts and crafts and an opportunity to brush and ride the ponies.......hardly a horse camp, but the kids love to call it that and they love going to see Miss Jocelyn's horses......

.......and a bonus for me that all three of my kids fit in the 2-5 age bracket......going to the grocery store alone and hitting a spin class during this time frame does amazing things for my sanity......

.....Daddy daughter dates........

.....here is Elsie's face after I hung up with Stefan who told me he was coming home at 4:30pm to take her fishing on a random Monday night......

.....we giggled over the task of making ham and pickle sandwiches for their picnic dinner and they were off for a few hours.....

.....they did not catch a fish, but I know my girl came home with her love tank full.....

.....and I got to run the two younger ones around the neighborhood before making our own special dinner to share over a much smaller table.....

.....it is interesting to see how siblings interact with one another when the dynamic shifts......watching Callie embrace being the only big sister and seeing Brody adore her in this role gave me some good, wide grins.....

.....Mini road trips.....

......90 miles south and two states down, we popped in for a visit with old friends......our NYC neighbors are leaving the city faster than I can make all the going away parties.....

....yes, we all miss Manhattan, but suburban life for many of us has its perks......

.....we loved the 8 hours with our buds and summer just would not have been complete without an opportunity to spend some quality time with them......

....Lazy backyard days.....

.....actually, we have had a good amount of them......yes, we have had a ton of friends and family in to see us this summer, but we have also had lingering mornings, late lunches, bedtimes that would make me cringe in the fall and our fair share of fireflies caught in our fly nets.....we have resisted camp schedules, over committing and being on a time table and that has made the summer sweet......

.....we also eat watermelon everyday.....

.....happy last month of summer.....

....something about summer......

......every season I declare, this is my favorite season.....but today I made the decision that summer is really my absolute favorite....it's so free, so spontaneous, so happy-go-lucky.....

.....a season that always urges us to venture out to new neighborhoods.....a time to find hidden pockets of our island that can take us away for the day, leaving us worn from an escape that never fails to please.....

....and I love that summer is always jump started with a weekend to celebrate Dad.....a day to be reminded of the special times I've had with my own father and a day to recognize the man I love.....

.....and call it my Florida roots, but I love a man who loves the beach.....

....not to mention, a man who adores his children.....

.....and although the beaches up here are not comparable to Florida beaches in the least, they serve their purpose.....the salty air, the rhythmic sound of waves crashing along the shoreline and the seagulls coasting in the breeze......it's the same ambiance no matter where your beach is or what the coastline looks like......we take what we can during our summers and this beach graciously allowed us an entire afternoon of family togetherness......so much so that when we loaded up the car to head back to the city, we realized we had spent five hours on the sand playing with the girls......time flies when you are having fun.....

....we dug for baby crabs and squealed with glee upon chasing them as they would burrow themselves back into the safe harbor of the wet sand......we caught a few, passed them around, watched their hairy legs wiggle and then released them back to their shelter......we could have done this for days.....

.....and not to leave anyone out, Daddy dug out our own little moses basket in the sand for our little man and filled it with soft towels and shelter from the sun and wind.....

.....and before I knew it, my two favorite boys were both sleeping like babies.....

.....and it didn't surprise me that Stefan wanted his Father's Day to be spent with our family enjoying one another outside at the shore.....he is at his happiest and has his most peaceful moments in the midst of the beautifully crazed chaos of having three small children......he is completely devoted to all of us and that is a gift we cherish......

......there are many hot and balmy times ahead......

.....more birthdays in the park to celebrate......

......more opportunities for Elsie to take the group shot during outings with friends......

.....more lazy days of not wearing a watch and forgetting the cell phone so we are clueless it's bedtime while we are still relishing in the long days of summer.....

....and it's all just beginning.....

....we plan to savor it all.....