.....slipped through the cracks......

....there have been some very significant and joyful moments that did not get their fair share of blog exposure over the last several weeks.....actually, some of these moments were as far back as January, so it might be more honest to say....there are some moments that are months old that missed the blog boat, so to speak......

......some weeks are easier for me than others to ensure that I capture all of the small, yet significant events in our household.....the momentous ones are easier because there is a lot of energy around them and friends and family are waiting to see pictures of the birthday party or vacation that recently passed......but the every day moments; which are just as valuable, are sometimes more challenging to capture.....

.....there are some nights where I sit down to write and the stories, emotions and words seamlessly merge from my heart and my head to eloquently fill my blank slate of virtual paper......however, there are other nights I sit and stare at a blank white box and a flashing black cursor and feel as if this blog is a chore.....it is not often I feel that way because I truly do love this space, but occasionally I just can't bring myself to write.......and on nights like that, I close the laptop and move toward other areas of my life that might be drawing me toward them.....perhaps I pick up a book, reach out to an old friend, or have a spontaneous 45 minute chat with my husband on the phone if he is traveling on business......

.....but I always go back to see what I may have missed on evenings when I've turned away from this sweet blog, as there is so much that I forget until a picture, smell, or song remind me of something that I want to sear in my memory.....and it's my poor memory that is one of the main drivers of this blog.......it is my way to ensure that the blurry days of today in years to come can be crystal clear in the future with a few clicks of a mouse back to this space......or a few flips of pages, as this blog now has four volumes that have been printed for my family's archives.....

....a wise and seasoned Momma told me when I first had Elsie that the days are long, but the years are short.....she was so right.....this week, I was able to enjoy the special occasion of having lunch with Elsie while my other two played at the Central Park Zoo.....Sara and William joined us for our tried and true sushi gathering and for a few minutes we reminisced the days when there were four babies all born within one month of each other in the building we call home......as they grew from newborns, to babies and then moved toward toddlerhood, we would spend endless days together.....we didn't have preschool schedules......no one had speech therapy or ballet or gymnastics or french lessons.....if it was bright and sunny and our great backyard of NYC was calling our name, then we all met outside and let the day lead us toward adventure.....if it was cold and grey, then we were at one of our apartments or in our playroom watching the littles play and explore newness together......they were special times......fleeting times that are now gone, as we all have different schedules pulling us in multiple directions and there are siblings and pregnancies and moves to the burbs which have changed what used to be.....

....but for a 45 minute lunch date this week, I reverted back to when it was just me and my first born hanging out with William and his momma.....and it was sweet and special and so much easier than it was when they were 13 months old and would not sit at a restaurant table for longer than 20 minutes as they slobbered, chewed and spit out every splenda packet they grabbed from the table and then threw to the floor..... 

......four years later and those babies are all grown up......

.....doing all kinds of big kid things.....

....which brings me back to the events that have passed by, unnoticed in cyberspace.....

......our little ones have been enjoying indoor entertainment this winter, even though our winter was historically mild.....but we did have a few blistery days that brought us together to enjoy the arts of our great city......

....all of them stayed in their seats, thoroughly entertained by the Berenstain Bears, giggling ever so often and making comments above whisper level to one another about the characters......

.....and bribes work well too.....

....and the blistery cold never keeps them from burning energy and making fun times out of a set of old steps or a street corner in a new neighborhood......

....and Violet's church has had some great activities for wearing out the babes when the park is a bit too chilly....

....we've gotten crafty to enjoy some indoor time while our baby brother takes his much needed naps......

....some of the crafts were for fun and others were to showcase the beautiful life of our new three year old.....just as Elsie showcased her life through pictures last year, it was Callie's turn a few weeks ago.....she thoughtfully helped pick out different things to help her classmates get to know her better and proudly stood in front of her class to educate them on the things she loves during her week of All About Me......

....she even pulled this year's Easter dress off the hanger and may have even thrown in a pretty please when she asked to wear it.....and I jumped at the opportunity to say yes as those bright, blue eyes waited for my answer......she was so excited about this project and desperately wanted to wear her favorite color and be fancy for her presentation.......

.....mission accomplished.....

.....her favorites on display were avocado rolls, pirate booty, the Disney princesses, dancing, being a big sister and a little sister, ballet class and her ability to take any dress, slip it on and make it spin....... 

....and her fabulousness was displayed all week in class......

....she is blooming and it has been so incredibly joyful to watch.....

......and it's not only me who watches....

....baby brother enjoys keeping a close eye on what his big sisters do for fun......

....he spends two hours a week at the ballet and tap studio and is so patient while waiting for the girls to have their lessons.....we try to keep it interesting for him, though......we tried some trial classes of modern dance and I must admit that the live entertainment of three and four year olds dancing to bongos was quite entertaining......

.....but watching Brody has been entertaining too......especially as he tries new foods, learns how to use a sippy cup and makes all kinds of happy and silly faces in our kitchen.....there is something about a kitchen.....it is the true heartbeat of a happy home.....

.....and we've had a lot to celebrate now that we are four days into spring.....

.....these are the beautiful magnolias that we enjoy on our charmed tree lined street.....and we've been stopping to appreciate them......even if it means being late to our destination......because like the early days of Elsie's infancy and the freedom with our building friends during that time, the blooms will be gone in the blink of an eye......

.....but they are always a seasonal reminder that spring is here, that fresh newness is around the corner and that life is to be celebrated.......

......and there are two men in our home who have spring birthdays......

......our new dollar store around the corner just opened in perfect time to treat Daddy to some hand selected choices by his girls.....it was thrilling for Elsie and Callie to hear me say, you may select anything you want in this store for Daddy......anything......

.....and after much excitement and euphoric squealing, Elsie had to deliberate between the I heart NYC coffee mug or lavender oil scent sticks......and the sweet aroma won Elsie's heart.....

.....and Daddy's too.....

.....and since summer is approaching, Callie was determined a women's size 9 flip flop was a much better choice over the imitation Disney princess comb......

.....and they were just perfect.....

.....and so was our family party.....

.....and not to directly reveal his age, but we did sit down and name the 38 things we love most about our Daddy.....

....and there were some sweet and hilarious sentiments.....

......don't ask about the cake.....my oven broke in the middle of baking, so we took what was cooked and plopped it on the plate with a side of frosting......baking has never really been my thing.....

.....but it was all good and now our littlest man has his turn at being the center of attention very soon.....with spring in the air, we only thought it would be proper to choose a theme to accompany our fantastic weather......

.....here's a sneak peek......

.....the specific details have been blotted out to avoid a mad rush to our playroom in the quest for sand dollars, nautical flags and sailboats, but you get the point.....

.....so, we are loving any reason to celebrate around here......

.....and as nice as it was this week to reflect and envy the lazy days of being a momma to one wonderful child, it has been an honor and privilege to have now done that three times.....and yes, busy and much less care free; but my days are even fuller and bone deep gratifying......just the way God intended it for my life and my plan......it may be different for other families, but we are in a place we are meant to be for our little party of five......

......and I don't dare blink, as there will be so much that I will miss......

.....the core......

....yesterday was a day I watched her and acknowledged I have a little girl.....not a toddler, but a new four year old who is exercising her own independence, asserting what she likes and what she doesn't and coming into her own, just as God has intended for her.....

.....she hasn't taken the tap shoes off since yesterday.....

....again, as noted before, our neighbors who live below us are counting the days until our apartment sells......

....time will tell if this is just a new activity or a passion that has been sparked because I have never seen her so head over heels about practicing her new trade......

....and when she isn't tapping and clicking away on our hard wood floors, she is experimenting with some new styles......Daddy has had three weeks of travel on his schedule and on his last trip the girls awoke to new knee socks under their pillows as a token that they were thought of at some airport in a distant place.......

.....and since then, Elsie has also decided to add some flair to her feet because she will no longer wear shoes that make a pair......she wants to mismatch.....and she calls herself, Miss Mismatch......proudly......

.....Callie, on the other hand, sleeps, eats and plays in either a princess costume or the red hand me down tutu that used to be Elsie's......I have to pry it off her for bedtime and I stretched the truth when I told her that her teachers will not allow children to bring toys into class and that her school categorizes tutus as toys.....

....it's kind of true....

....she will not wear a dress that does not spin like a princess.....she rips off jeans.....won't wear leggings that aren't pink or purple and she boycotts any dress or skirt that has a slim cut....she has gone from rocker/tomboy style to enchanted girly girl over night and I am having to carve more time out of our day to plan for negotiations on the wardrobe......I usually let her run with most of her ideas.....

....she is my budding spirited, zealous, funny and extraordinary love child....there is no one like her.....

.....and so we usually look like this on most days.....

....and I say it out loud at least once a week that as fun as girls have been, God blessed me so fully when he gave me a son.....because sometimes on challenging wardrobe days, it's so nice to know the road ahead with Brody will be a totally different path.....

....my man was digging the train station at FAO Swartz on the last wet and rainy day we had.....and as a first time Momma of a boy, I learned all about the difference between going the Thomas the Train route or the Chuggington route....apparently, it's a big decision on what toy trains you select for your boy.....who knew?.....

....but what I do know is that no matter what, anytime I set out with a friend on a mission to get out of the apartment, opposed to sitting inside on a cold, rainy day; I feel like a rockstar......the kids had off of school on Friday for a teacher planning day and Julie and I decided to set out to the toy store since the weather was going to be dreadful.....and when the rain started blowing sideways, we each stared out our windows and resisted the urge to send a text canceling.....

....I'm so glad we stuck with the plan, even through most of us were soaked before we even arrived.....when kids are in a toy store, anything goes.....especially one of the greatest toy stores.....ever.

.....just a little play date at a place tourists wait hours to enter during Christmastime.....I'm not taking anything for granted on these final months in the city.....

....and despite all of the moving parts right now, I am also feeling very present....

.....and a lot of it has to do with sleep....it's been 9.5 months, but we are finally at a place where we are sleeping for 10 hour clips....I would have never believed anyone who would have told me it would take as long as I was pregnant to get my baby to sleep through the night.....clearly, my girls spoiled me....

....but I would do it a million times over....

....and I came to this blog tonight with only a small group of pictures....I had no clear message in my mind  to write, but I can't help but feel so very much at home with this post.....as the whole reason I started this blog was to capture every moment because I knew they were passing faster than I could catch.....I wanted to remember everything.....

....and I have certainly been very emotional since announcing the move and the reality sets in....I can well up in an instant just watching my children at a park that we have been to 1000 times because I always want to remember how much we love that particular park and how much joy it has brought my girls.....and although I swallow large lumps in my throat daily because the end is near, I also appreciate the rawness of feeling so much.....it's the exact emotion that inspired me to blog and it is a powerful surge of determination and drive to suck these moments dry......

....a wise women with three grown boys watched Stefan and me at a birthday party this weekend.....it was a party of mostly adults, but we chased after our children, ensuring sticky hands were kept to ourselves and pretty glass bowls and vases were only looked at, not touched.....she lovingly watched us and acknowledged the work that this party was causing for us; since most guests enjoyed gourmet olives and spread brie during their adult conversations with each other.....but she said something that resounded with me as we watched our three young children sit in a circle and laugh at each other....she said, it's a lot of work in the phase with three young children, but the greatest thing about this phase is that they are all yours right now.....you aren't sharing them with anyone or anything and all they want and need is you.....

.....Amen, wise woman....and thank you for acknowledging that it is hard....because it is.....really hard....but it's the beauty of this time we will remember in our wise old days.....and her comment leads me back to the core of this blog....

....savoring every minute of this wild and wonderful ride....