.....long live summer......

......just before the weather turned sporadically chilly, as it usually does in September; we crammed in one more hot beach day......this wasn't your ordinary beach day......our beloved William made the drive up from the city and joined the rest of us NYC transplants for suburban, long live summer fun.......

....this picture slays me, as the entire day was full of sweet moments like this....

......inherently, the children may have known this would be one of the last full days to frolic on the beach before we are geared up in our wool and hoodies to pick apples and pumpkins......they savored it and they savored it real good......

....and it truly amazes me every year how September can hold a beach day and a boot day all within the same week, when August had us melting......the week before our family trip to the Hamptons this year, we shook down the end of summer with several friends who made special trips to see us......

....eleven years ago when Stefan was just beginning to become important in my life, Becky and I shared a cottage in downtown Austin, Texas.....there were five of us in that little house and we laughed, threw parties, danced and laughed some more.....there was never a dull moment and I am truly thankful for that phase in my life that was free, fun and easy......fewer and farther between, our visits are not as frequent as we'd like, but we make the most of the time we can get.....

      ....love your little finger in the bottom left hand corner, Elsie.....

....and our four girls, virtually the same age, play and laugh and sing and share and make believe just as you would image ten years prior that you and a best friend's children would someday do.......

.....and Brody fully in the mix this visit, made for a new dynamic.....the girls adoringly included him in everything and he relished in the attention......

.....so before fall arrives in its radiant and warm glory and I declare that it is my favorite time of year, I need to repeat for one last time during this season that summer is fabulous, too.....

.....the lazy, easy and slow days are long and they linger; but I welcome the longevity of them......friends drive and fly and pop in off trains for spontaneous visits and we hardly sleep when they're here and use the time to its fullest.....we eat well thought out meals that we cook together, drink cold beverages with splashes of fresh fruit and spend endless time outside.....and just before we start to take for granted the freedom of the season, fall is upon us begging us for structure and school routines and we welcome those too.......

.....but not before we honor one last sweet, summer day......

.....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....

.....the wasp's nest and lover's lair.....

.....wasp's nest.....

.....it is a term invented by my brother who has used it several times in the last 11 weeks since he and my sister in law added their second baby in two years......he usually refers to it when the house is buzzing with noises that are not soothing or comforting and the home is anything but a sanctuary of relaxation.....

....lover's lair.....

.....one of our favorite books, Mama's Kiss, refers to the lover's lair which is the cave where the family of bears live.....it's always nurturing in the lair where the hugs and cuddles are endless.....

.....our family has had a bit of each circumstance this week....always making for a good balance to keep this Momma sane because the lover's lair always makes up for the wasp's nest.....

     ...a glimpse of a sweet sisterly moment.....

     ....William....too much time has passed since we last played! 

.....and watching the kids together at this festival still made the event worth it considering I lost my second born for a good 5-6 minutes at the end of the day.....it was past the point of, hold on, she was just here.....and after scouring the area and looking under the tables, I quickly realized she wasn't anywhere near us......

.....the street festival was coming to a quick close and the girls insisted on using their last tickets......lo and behold, the bake sale table was selling treats for 1 ticket each so I let my girls have at it.....every other parent there had the same idea because within a matter of minutes it went from us having full reign of the left overs to a table that was swarming with kids and flailing hands.....both of my girls fell victim to the sea of sugar starved preschoolers and I was nudged and elbowed away from the table in a matter of seconds....I asked both of the girls to make their way around to the back of the bake sale tables and I would be right behind with stroller in tow......I reached behind me to spin the stroller and when I turned and started surveying the crowd to spot my two babes, I could only make out Elsie's head.....

.....I won't go into the details of the horrible minutes of looking for Callie.....several parents started to catch on after my calm demeanor turned to slightly concerned, quickly accelerating into sheer panic.....they all jumped in to help......one Mom taking Elsie's hand and guarding our stroller and several other parents joining me in running up and down the street screaming Callie's name.....all I remember are the terrible thoughts that danced in my head interrupting my prayers for her safety.....

....and then my eyes landed on her little body sprinting faster than I have ever seen her run with sheer panic on her face....and I will never forget the embrace once I reached her because in her ripe two and a half years, she has never scared me more and I would venture to say this was her most vulnerable moment.....she genuinely thought Elsie went one way when she had gone another; sobbing, I couldn't find Elsie, Momma.....I just couldn't find her.....and I only took my eyes off her for 10 seconds.....

.....I shook the whole way home and once we arrived, Daddy jumped in so I could have a few moments to recover.....

....the wasps had gotten me good.....

   .....even Brody had a chance to play with pumpkins.....plastic ones, but still festive.....

.....and I did what I do when I want to hunker down and dig my heels in the sand.....I wrapped my apron around me, asked Callie to help me wash pumpkin seeds and felt extra thankful for having my daughter by my side.....I savored the afternoon with my family and was fully present.....my lover's lair right in my own kitchen with my entire tribe safe and sound.....

 ......Elsie wanted a scary pumpkin and Callie wanted a surprised pumpkin.....can you tell whose is whose?

.....not to say the wasps didn't visit again shortly after..... 

....as if I hadn't learned my lesson of what can happen in 10 seconds, I left the girls fully clothed in the bathroom while the water filled the tub so I could grab Brody out of his high chair and bathe the three together after dinner....upon returning, both of the girls had undressed and hopped in the tub, taking with them every dry towel in our apartment....

.....I had to grab the camera to change my perspective on this scene because I was immediately filled with frustration and defeat as I wondered how I was going to get all of the laundry done with Stefan out of town and a heap of 10 soaking towels sitting in my tub.....not having access to washers and dryers in my own apartment has become more of an issue as our family has grown and with a traveling husband, I can not leave the kids in the apartment at night to do laundry in the building next door to ours....however, the camera always changes my state of mind.....after a few clicks, Callie looked at me seriously and said, I juss wanted da tub to be comfy, Mommy.......and with logic like that, it's almost impossible to stay frustrated.....

.....and as I said before, for every moment of entering a wasp's nest......

.....there is ten times the joy to be found in lover's lair.....

....signing off to hibernate with my cubs....