NYC Saturdays

Our weekends aren't typically preplanned. Last minute we decided to check out a new section of the High Line (an old elevated subway rail that has been turned into a park) that just opened up. At the end there was Rainbow City, a giant inflatable place for anyone wanting to bounce and play. We had a birthday party at Chelsea Piers not too far away. On our walk over there we ran into a Trapeze School, stopped to watch a bit and then a car dealership. But, not just any dealership. Jake says he's never seen a Lamboughini, so we stopped in. Kind of funny trekking in with 3 kids, hot and sweaty and looking at sale prices advertised for $16,000 a month. We were early for the party so we took a ride on the carousel on the pier, and then bowling for the party. And to top it all off we went to Shake Shack for dinner. We came home exhausted, the kids slept well.










And now it's officially summer for us. Rachel just finished her last day of school today and we're on our way (in a couple hours) to Utah to. I can't wait to do the Fourth of July out there. It's been something I've been wanting to do for years.

Who are you?

That's the question Katelyn has been asking in her head about everybody. She's all smiles until Mom isn't around. Jake and I went on a date night on Saturday and the babysitter was fair warned that she might cry a lot. She put her in her crib with toys and snacks and she was content. Every time they peeked in on her she would start to cry. All my kids go through this funny phase. A little helper. This boy gives me a good run for my money. I'm not a fan of the age three. I struggled with Rachel at that age as well. Too much whining, crying, and tantrums and the refusal to nap only escalates the problem not to mention I don't get a break. But he also can be a super sweet little dude. His little smile and cute little voice can melt me in an instant.
A Kindergarten Grad! This girl LOVES school! She got really teary-eyed last weekend after her Music Festival saying how much she is going to miss Miss Maddy. I keep getting choked up myself that this is all coming to an end. She has a fabulous teacher that has really fostered her love of learning and reading, as well as her independence and ability to solve problems and work together. This class has grown so close too. They have a great respect for everyone in the class. It's truly amazing.
This school doesn't do caps and gowns. The students got chef hats and aprons. Their class had the special privilege of cooking with Chef Robert from Battery Place Market every Wednesday.

Here's a video of a few of their songs from the music festival and their "Stepping Up Celebration"



I'm a Mormon. Look at the advertisement the church is doing...in Times Square and even on the tops of Taxis.I'm also a dancer and this week is Dance Week here in the city, which means FREE dance classes. Ever since we learned we were coming back to the city I knew I wanted to take a dance class because last time we were here I was pregnant with Rachel. Jake has been urging me to do it and for some reason I've put it off. Probably because I'm pooped at the end of the day! But me and a friend went to the Alvin Ailey studios on Tuesday to take a Contemporary class and it was AWESOME. And yes, I wondered why I didn't do this sooner. And I'm still sore, my body hasn't moved like that in years! I love it.

A great dad. It's great to have a day to honor this guy as a father. Rachel is a daddy's girl and Tommy is a daddy's boy. Every time they hear the door knock at night they go running. They love to get thrown around and tickled and he's good at doing those things. He makes a special effort to spend one on one time with each of them. I also love watching him interact with Kate.

Oh the humidity!
Grocery shopping
Mmmmm...summer fruits!
Singing at the park
Last week we had a couple days that reached 100 degrees. By the weekend we were back in sweaters.

The other night I went for a run along the river. The sun was setting and I saw a guy rollerblading around ikea cups, a man practicing his saxophone on a park bench...there was just so much life! I got a little teary eyed and thought, "I'm going to miss it." 3 months ago I would have said good riddance to this city but right now I am loving it! (The weather really does make or break this place). I've even gotten used to living in a small space and right now it's working really well. I guess that's how it works right? Can't sit comfortably for too long...the curve ball is coming.

A Happy Birthday

Friday night Jake and Tommy went on their first Father and Sons camping trip. Tommy LOVED it. At least that's what I was told. They woke them up at 5:30 on Saturday morning for games. Yikes!Rachel was indeed jealous, so I tried to make the night fun for us girls...library movie (The Great Mouse Detective), dollar candy from the drug store, and popcorn. I think she liked it.The next morning she treated me well! She told me she would do all the "hard work" for me. She cleaned up, made breakfast, and made me a gift. She sure knows how to make a birthday girl feel special! It was so great to have that one on one time with her.
For the rest of my birthday we went to Shake Shack (of course), golfing on the pier (I happy to say that I am still undefeated since our first mini golf game 10 years ago) and out to eat at a delicious German restaurant (imagining that we were really there :)

Student of the Week

We waited for 25 weeks for this one to come. Rachel was the last but "best of all the game" the one everyone is going to remember :) As Student of the Week they get special privileges and in writing workshop all the students write a fictional story of what they did with that person and we get to keep that book. It's pretty cute. Then on Friday the family gets to come in for a half hour to share a special activity with the class that relates to our family and culture. I racked my brain for 25 weeks and in the end Rachel had the best idea... to make flowers.
Then we had Belgian waffles for a treat. I told them the that they might have sugar surprises in them and they were all excited to tell me when they found them.
Also each student has taken the baby Kangaroo "Joey" on their weekend adventures. We take pictures of their various activities and Rachel writes it all down in the notebook. Our first adventure was taking the A train to Rockaway Beach. What a beautiful day! And a great way to start off the summer. Except that Rachel still has 4 weeks of school.
Love this shot
Kate was amazing. She sat for hours on the towel perfectly content and happy to eat her puffs and graham crackers.


The kids couldn't get enough of the water. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad...still cold, but we were expecting freezing. We loved sitting back and watching them be so giddy.
On Sunday, Rachel decided she wanted to play Chutes and Ladders with Joey and then make breakfast together. She even did it all...cracked the eggs, dipped the bread, flipped the toast. All I did was turn on the griddle.
She wanted to make it like a restaurant. She folded napkins and made menus. Adorable!
For Memorial Day we were invited by a family we've gotten to know through one of Rachel's classmates to their lake house in New Jersey on the Lake Hopatcong (I don't know where Jersey comes up with these names). We had an amazing day playing, boating, and eating.


And summer is definitely here! We jumped right into it with the heat and humidity. Today it feels like 92.