Summer starts

This week feels like summer is here. The heat, the friends visiting, us getting ready for vacation.  And the sprinklers are starting to come on at the park and that means more fun in the sun for Elisa. She loves the water and can't wait for the wading pool to open (hopefully soon!). Carolina, on the other hand, doesn't get as much down time to play between meals in the stroller and hanging out waiting for us to leave. But I'm trying to change that. Today we spent a good hour roaming around the park and I let her crawl around the stage and then stand up on the small equipment in the sand box. And she loved it. Just yesterday she pulled up on the kitchen gate for the first time and her smile showed me how proud she was. Won't be long before she's letting go and taking her first steps. But for now, just seeing her start to really move around and interact at the park is fun. Baby steps. Baby steps...

Reason for celebration

Shortly after the news came that Kyle, one of our youngest playgroup kids, had been seriously injured in an accident, there was lots of discussion about what we could do to help.  The family was shuttling back and forth to the hospital so meals would have to wait, and relatives had flown in to help take care of the older boy Teo so we couldn't offer babysitting.  When I heard that Teo's birthday would be coming up just a week after the accident and the family wasn't sure they could go ahead with the planned birthday party at the park, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to step in and do something. And boy, did we. This playgroup has been the best thing that's happened to me as a mom, and it felt like we were all seeing it take on a new role. It was a go-to organizing machine with offers to bring everything we needed to the party and then some. We also had amazing help from family friend Ma Yan and neighbors Lindsey and Guy.  The biggest obstacle to our planning the birthday festivities was the will-it-or-won't-it-rain weather. But in the end, it didn't.  And the park was the perfect spot to enjoy an early summer evening among friends.

There was pizza and cupcakes, watermelon and cake.  There were sack races and parachute games.  There were puppets and a clown, and a piñata bursting with candy.  The kids ate and ran like they always do at these things. And us parents huddled around the tables enjoying the setting sun with good company.  I'm not sure Teo will remember this birthday party when he's older. And I really hope by next May this family has many more reasons to celebrate with both their boys in the park. But in the meantime, it's a wonderful feeling to know there are so many helping hands and warm hearts that are there waiting to come together and help. Sometimes in this city, you can feel awfully alone without family nearby, but not here. Not in Sunnyside. It's times like this you realize that "family" isn't just the kind you grew up with. If you're lucky, you get to make your own and sometimes friends are the best family you can have.   

Memorial Day Fair Redux

Memorial Day weekend arrived with a wave of hot, muggy weather and I started to have deja vu for the past year when we did exactly the same thing.  Friday night barbecue, Saturday at the fair, Monday walking around Manhattan. I suppose if it works, don't change it. But man, I would definitely change the weather if I could. Oh well, I suppose the heat and humidity let you know that spring is officially over. Welcome to summer 2012! And this year the fair was well organized and had something for everyone (I hope the rock wall comes back when Elisa is big enough to have a go!).  Elisa took her time and enjoyed a few runs at the bouncy castles, ate a bite of lunch and then sat through the entire clown show. It was a definite improvement on last year when she couldn't be entertained and we left after a brief look around. Seeing lots of familiar faces was nice too and we left just as the skies started to cloud up which meant we were home napping when the rain struck. 

I'm sure there is a way to enjoy Memorial Day weekend from the comfort of an air conditioned home, but then what fun would that be? We were out there sweating and walking and having a great time with friends. That's good enough for me.  

Splish Splash

Today we made it to the park after a week of solid rain. It wasn't Elisa's best day by a long shot--lots of tantrums, nagging and general whininess.  She and her friend Birdie were not playing nice and at one point, they even subjected poor Carolina to a tug of war in the swings.  It wasn't the kind of happy-go-lucky splashing I had expected and that kind of irked me. Later, Leonardo showed up (wearing his normal shoes) and suddenly Elisa didn't want to wear her rain boots.  She sat and cried for her "other shoes" for a good 15 minutes, with the kind of single minded focus I wish she'd use for making her own lunch.  Oy. This kid. But somehow we persevered and by the time we were ready to leave, she was the happiest she'd been all day. After a good long nap, she woke up in a much better mood and we even managed to make it back to the park for an impromptu evening picnic.  Walking in to find some of our playgroup pals in the barbecue area was an added bonus and the night just felt well thought out. Except it totally wasn't. I love that about our park and our neighborhood friends. Something about those Friday night barbecues last summer must have been lurking in my brain today because it seemed like a beacon had brought us all out again tonight.  And really, isn't this the first real summer weekend? If so, we're starting things off on exactly the right note. Now for the rest of the 3 day weekend...hope the rain stays away!