I heart NY in the summer

This summer we spent 2 weeks in New York visiting family and friends. I had been dreaming of this trip for months and it exceeded my expectations in every way. I got to watch my kids soak up attention from Grandmas, Grandpas, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, and friends. My heart was overflowing with contentment as I watched my kids beam with joy every minute we were there (not counting the trip to the ER).



We arrived in Ithaca after a day of flying. We were so excited to breathe in the beautiful crisp NY air. We headed straight to Leah and Alan's house where we barbecued and relaxed the evening away in the back yard.



The next day was spent preparing for the weekend that lay ahead. Nanny and Poppy came all the way up from Virginia to see us and have a 13th Birthday celebration for Emma. I think it was Friday...we spent the morning at the Stewart Park, had lunch downtown, did a little shopping, stopped at the amazing Alphabet Soup toy store for the kids, did a little playground playing, and then headed to the store to pick up some groceries for dinner. I guess Rilke thought we should add one more adventure to the day so when we got home she promptly body slammed herself into the foot board of the bed. Off we went to the Emergency Room (the very same hospital where Harper was born). Rilke handled it like a pro. She stopped crying by the time we had her buckled in the car. After about an hour (and seven stitches) later we on our way back home.



We spent the next couple days celebrating Emma's Birthday, visiting with our good friends Euni and Kai in Beacon, and then heading over to Westtown to spend a few days visiting Oma, Booma, Ariana, and Taylor.





Once again we we overwhelmed and smothered with love and attention from everyone. We got to properly celebrate Ariana's high school graduation with a dinner party and a battle with a slip n slide in cold 60 degree rainy weather. I'm pretty sure the slip n slide won. We also planned the ultimate play-date with lots of friends from high-school and their lovely little ones.



We returned to Ithaca with more family members in tow to spend the last few days of our vacation. We hiked and played in the water at taughanock, explored the Ithaca Science Center, ate lots of ice cream cones, counted slugs, shaved Jackson's head to match Harpers, got muddy, drank wine, painted nails, played cards and board games, watched movies, met new friends, and absolutely dreaded leaving.





Harper constantly says "Mom, can we go back to New York tomorrow?" and when I say no he says "Ok, how about the day after tomorrow?" I hate to think it will be more like 330 days after tomorrow. Needless to say we are already dreaming of next summer's visit.

I wish I had it all on camera

Today was an adorable day for the kids. One of those days where you wish you had a camera rolling to catch it all so you could re-watch it over and over. Since today is saturday I let them run into the living room to watch a cartoon after brushing their teeth. Harper was still wearing his pajamas but Rilke only had her diaper on. At some point Rilke rummaged through the front closet and pulled out her fur lined Crocs. She put them on and watched a cartoon. A few minutes later I was in the other room doing something and Rilke runs in totally naked except for one furry Croc on her left foot. She is triumphantly holding her diaper over her head saying "I did it! I did it!" It was the first time she had ever taken off her own diaper. Conincidently it was the first time she had ever used the phrase "I did it".

Later that day Rilke was yanking on her diaper as I tried to read her a story before nap time. She looked at me and said "Rilke get the pee pee's out?" I asked if she wanted to go on the potty and she said "Yes!" So I took her in there and sure enough that little peanut went to the bathroom on the potty! She was so proud of herself and the second I took her back down to the floor she shimmied right over and flushed the toilet. I have no idea where that all came from. Her first success on the potty! It was really more adorable than anything else. She is such a tiny thing and to see her swinging her little legs on the potty is about as much as I can handle. I'm pretty sure we will wait until swim season is over before we start actual potty training but I can't help but be curious about how it will go.

That same afternoon I was returning a movie and there happens to be a giant gum-ball machine in the store. Harper has admired it many times before. It's the kind where the gum-ball zooms toward the bottom of the machine on a spiraling ramp. Today I said he could get a gum-ball. This is probably the third or fourth time Harper has ever had gum. The first couple times he just didn't get it. He would chew it and swallow it. But today I could tell he was up for the challenge. The first thing he said to me was "Mom, it's Ok if the gum goes in my tummy." I explained that he should give me the gum when he was finished chewing it and I would throw it out. He said OK, bit of one third of the gum-ball, and put it in his mouth. He bit down one time and then spit it in his hand and said "Here you go Mommy, I'm all done chewing it." After explaining he could chew it some more he agreed to chew it until we walked across the parking lot to the car. Once we were at the car he gave it to me. I gave him the second third of the gum-ball. He declared he would chew it until we got to his friend Dalyn's house (about a 5 minute drive). Meanwhile I gave Rilke the last third of the gum-ball. Although giving a 22 month old a piece of gum isn't ideal, I didn't see how I would get around it. Rilke keeps a close eye on my gum chewing habbit. I chew it almost every day. She doesn't make a big deal of it but I know she watches. Sure enough she pops it in her mouth and chews away. After a while I asked her if she was finished and she adamantly says "No fank soon!" which means "no thank you". That little peanut chewed her tiny share of the gum-ball for almost 2 hours while we played at a friends house. As we were leaving I gave her the option of putting it in the garbage. So she took it out of her mouth and chucked it in the bin. My two babies share their first gum chew success on the same day.

Fall 2008

The weather probably didn't start cooling down until November. Josh and I have been so thankful for the warm days. After living through our first winter and seeing the beginning of spring I can honestly say this is the best climate we have ever experienced. Even during the coldest months you can always look at the 5-day forecast and see a high of 60. The chilly mornings remind us everyday to appreciate the warm afternoons. I always know a warm day is just around the corner.









Last October we went to a Fall Festival held at the St. Clare Monastery, where the nuns support themselves by raising miniature horses and by selling ceramics. It's a fascinating place even without the Fall festivities.



Here we are partaking in a different Fall Festival. This one was located in downtown Bryan and was sponsored by the Children's museum.



This year's Halloween was by far the most exciting one for us and the kids. It was Harper's first time dressing up and going trick-or-treating. The day prior to Halloween we went to a party with Harper's friends Ava (Super Girl) and Ruby (Giraffe). The best part of the night was when all of the kids were running around a grassy field after dark. It was probably the first time Harper had been outside playing with friends after the sun had gone down. It was just as much fun for me as it was for him. I absolutely adored buckling his sweaty little body into the car after all of that playing and talking about it the whole way home. The following night we went trick-or-treating with Valerie, Dale, and Cruz. It was a beautiful night of excitement. Choosing the houses, seeing the decorations, getting candy, meeting new people, and again being out after dark were all equally delightful. Harper tried to engage every single person answering the door in a lengthy conversation. He would have stayed and chatted with every single mom and dad that answered the door if we let him. As always it is so endearing to see him passionately tell a story to a perfect stranger.



Playing at the Central Park (TX) pond.



On an evening walk at Central Park (TX) during the holiday season. They have a paved path that circles the park. During the month of December it is completely decorated and lit up with lights.

The holiday season was really great for us this year primarily because we got to see lots of family. The visits started with my Mom and Billy (aka Oma and Booma) arriving in November. We soaked up a lot of Bryan/College Station which included many trips to the park, going to World Fest downtown Bryan, taking Harper to the Harley Davidson store, celebrating my 30th birthday together, and of course cowboy boot shopping.
Then next visit began just a few days after we said good bye to Oma and Booma. We welcomed Josh's Dad (Ja Ja) and Rosemary. The highlights of the trip included celebrating Thanksgiving, Josh getting to golf with Ja Ja, dinners out, and tons of attention showered on the kids.
We had to wait four whole weeks before welcoming my Dad (Poppy) and Dawn (Nanny). We got to enjoy some sunny December weather, check out some new restaurants, and best of all celebrate Christmas together. Harper got two big gifts for Christmas that really marked what a big boy he is becoming. First, Harper got a new bed. He moved out of his crib (which he loved) and into a twin sized bed. I am so proud of him and it is so wonderful to actually be able to snuggle next to him under the covers and read books before bedtime. I don't actually get to do that much because Josh and I generally put the kids to bed together and Harper likes to claim Daddy and Rilke likes to claim me...for now anyway. The kids are doing well going to sleep at the same time and in the same room. Some nights they drift right off to sleep, some nights the talk and make each other laugh, some nights we hear Harper informing Rilke that "It's time for sleepies! Night, night!", and some nights things escalate from fun to tears and Josh or I have to intervene and settle things back down. We are definitely making progress though. Second, Harper got a bike with training wheels (thank you Nanny and Poppy!). Harper loves his new bike and really, really loves the helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. I will post some riding photos soon. Rilke got a baby stroller, a baby, and a baby bottle. She loves pushing the stroller and jamming the bottle at the babies mouth. My favorite is when she props the baby up on her shoulder and pats its back and says shhh, shhh, shhh. Just today at 19 months old Rilke spotted and acknowledged a real baby for the first time. First she pointed it out to me, then she approached the baby, said hello, and stayed for a while to stare. It just about melted my heart.
I have to say we were on cloud nine for such a long time after seeing our family. Harper and Rilke reveled in the love and attention they received.

Finding the neighborhood park & other favorite places.

Not long after moving here we found our neighborhood park (Tanglewood). It's just a couple tenths of a mile away. It has two great playgrounds, fields, picnic areas, paved paths, tennis courts, and a splash pad. With weeks of arriving here I was at the park and on separate occasions met two lovely mamas named Valerie and Sarah. Valerie has a little boy named Cruz and Sarah has two little girls named Ava and Ruby. All of the kids range in age from one to five. I cannot express what a blessing it has been to have them in my life. I can't imagine Texas without them. Pictures of their children are sure to find their way on this blog because we are always together.




Here we are at Tangle wood (summer 2008).






Figuring out what a splash pad is.


This is pretty much the only action the tennis court sees at our apartment complex. The kids love it. They do countless laps around the net.



Before Rilke figured out how to walk she would hang on to the handles of this scooter and run. The scooter could barely keep up and it would just bounce around underneath her. It wasn't completely airborne but it certainly wasn't rolling either.



This scooter was given to Harper by the property manager here at the apt. She is a sweet person who has a son just a bit older than Harper. It is absolutely perfect for Harper. He feels safe on it which is probably his favorite thing about it.



Here we are going for a walk around another favorite place, Blue Baker. You can see the giant fountain in the middle. If the wind is blowing enough the water will mist over you as you walk by which is just perfect on a 100 degree day.



Here is Harper at the Children's Museum. We make an appearance there about once a week. There are so many different activities at their disposal it really gives me a chance to see what Harper and Rilke each gravitate towards.

Texas Arrival

So we arrived in Texas on August 1st, which was pretty much the hottest part of the summer. I'm not sure if it was the heat, the apartment, or our general surroundings but we altogether underestimated how hard it would be to complete the relocation process. After 6 months here I think we are finally starting to settle in.



Our first weekend here we headed off to Houston to visit the Menil Collection which is in the lovely and charming Montrose area of Houston.

















Rilke turned 1 just weeks after arriving in Texas!


On August 16th we celebrated Rilke's first birthday. Rilke was totally uninterested in the cake or opening presents but Harper totally embraced the idea of making her a cake and helping her eat it.



Here we are making a little trip to the bookstore so Rilke could play with the trains and pick out a book. I think she ended up picking That's Not My Dinosaur and That's Not My Truck. Oma had recently given us a book called That's Not My Tracter which was a big hit.

Summer 2008

One of my favorite summer-time activities is berry picking. There is no better sight than a 3 year old finding the perfect strawberry or a 9 month old covered in squashed strawberries. Washington Farms is the perfect u-pick farm. We went early in the morning before it got too hot and Harper and Rilke could eat berries, help us pick, and giggle at the goats on the way out.

This summer Harper took swim lessons at the Y. Here he is patiently waiting for his coach. The lessons went really well. Thanks to an awesome coach Harper became much more independent and adventurous in the pool which basically meant more fun for him.

Legion Pool was wonderful as always. While Harper was busy adoring lifeguards and schmoozing with all of the familiar faces in the pool Rilke was usually passed out on one of us. This year the pool was really Harper's home away from home. Just so I don't forget I have to mention how much I loved seeing Harper's face when he heard a long whistle. He'd wait for the lifeguard to shout "Adult swim!" and then Harper would scream the same thing from the top of his lungs, adorably oblivious to the attention he attracted. About half way through the summer Harper took a nasty spill on the concrete while getting a running start for a jump into the pool. He was totally fine but the bump on his head scared us into making a pit stop at the ER before heading home. Months later when we go to the pool he still finds it his civic duty to emphatically tell all children to "stop running!!!"

Getting in some playground time.


Rilke giving me the ol' sniffy face.

A beautiful day at the beautiful Botanical Gardens.




Another day...another playground. Here is Harper with his friend William shortly before we left for Texas.

That wraps up our summer in GA. It was a wonderful season and all together a wonderful three years. I couldn't have wished for a better town or better people, all of which will be missed dearly.