Is it summertime?

I think Elisa has asked me that every day for the past three months. And now I can finally say yes.

Beatin' the heat

It's been a pretty mild New York summer so far, but last week ended on a brutally hot note. Three days in a row in the upper 90s and we were looking for a place to cool off. Fortunately, our friend Lisa who moved out of the nabe recently for greener pastures in Long Island offered a respite with not one but two kiddie pools and some shade, iced coffee and bagels to boot.  I threw in one squirmy octopus sprinkler and some water guns and the day was a success...

I know we don't have the benefit of a backyard with our apartment life, but thankfully with friends throughout the area who do we can enjoy a few days like this. Something about pulling the hose out and hooking up the sprinkler instantly reminded me of my midwestern roots.  Summertime was always about the backyard and the waterworks that you could bring out when it was a scorcher.  Of course, I also remember killing a lot of grass with all that flooding, but we tried to go easy on Lisa's beautiful yard.  And proximity is so convenient on a day like this where running back inside to cool off for a few minutes helped us all.  It really was so nice to go from the pool to the playroom in the basement without batting an eye. The kids don't get to do a lot of these playdates now because of preschool and other commitments so it was also fun for that reason.  Hard to believe they are all close to turning 4 already, and that our summer birthday season is just about to kick off.  So bring on the heat, I suppose, and let's keep the kids cool and entertained with a good soaking. Nothing like a bit of water to make it all more bearable. 

California Wrap Up

I realized glancing at the blog that I didn't properly sum up our trip out west and especially the part of the visit with my sister's family.  It was great seeing them again since it really felt like it had been too long.  In fact, the real reason we made the trek this summer was not to visit Disneyland, but to see my nephew Jordan graduate from high school. As much as I love California and the West in general, it wasn't an easy trip flying cross country with two young kids especially since Carolina is entering that awkward stage of wanting to be mobile. All. The. Time. I think back to Elisa and how much harder it was to travel with her from about 12-24 months.  After she turned two, I think something clicked and she was a little easier to entertain on the airplane without moving around constantly.  But before that, it was just keep her safe and try to keep her quiet.  I couldn't guarantee she wouldn't kick your seat or pull your head rest. It was a matter of picking my battles and trying to contain her on top of my lap as much as possible. And to some degree that's how Carolina and I passed the time on the way back. We were separated from Nacho and Elisa and that made things a little tricky, but fortunately I got her to nap for almost 2 hours total. It was of course in fits of sleep punctuated with screaming outbursts (even for Carolina it was loud).  But in the end, we managed to get there and back and like I said before, I'm so glad we made it. The travel really was hard, but it was also very much worth it. Seeing the look on Jordan's face as he crossed the stage and being part of that special day was very heartwarming. He's grown up right before my eyes and it's exciting to see where the next adventure will take him. 

I suppose the time out west was also a reminder to myself that this is really the hardest time for us as a family to go and do things. We are still so limited by naps, packing food and drinks, constantly reigning in behavior and worrying about bedtimes that it makes enjoying the trip almost secondary.  I definitely had moments of real relaxation but it wasn't easy.  When we're visiting I want to make sure we're not a burden on anyone else, and yet, there are times that the tantrums and the tending to a baby aren't pleasant.  Child rearing is hard work and it's constant.  But the thing that keeps me going is that it will only get better.  I sound like a parenting PSA, but really I'm pretty sure this travel stuff with kids will only get better with age and practice until the point that I actually start to like it again. What? Is that too optimistic? No, but seriously, sometimes I see our life flash forwarding a few years to when Elisa and Carolina will interact more and keep each other occupied.  And I think about how much I look forward to that time.  Even if it means keeping the peace, at least I won't have to be so physically involved in their every movement.  As a mom I've often said I should promote my own style of parenting called "Detachment Parenting" in which you do as little as possible to promote and encourage independence at all times. And I'm kind of joking. Kind of. But really, what I want are two little people to whom I can relate and share these kinds of adventures with and I think that's just around the corner.  Until then, I'll persevere and keep planning new outings in the city and get ready for our trip to Madrid in August. Because if anything, summer is about traveling and being with friends and family, and we're only just getting started!  

Father's Day again

It's funny what a day devoted to your status as a parent can bring.  For moms, it mostly brings flowers and small gifts or offers of breakfast in bed. For dads, well, it kind of depends. I hate to say it but with Nacho working again this year, it was just another day on the calendar especially after we had just made it back from California. He mockingly joked "where are my donuts?" as he left in the morning, but we both knew any recognition would have to wait.  And the truth is, his day-in day-out hard work and dedication to our family are often overlooked. I'm the one at home running the show most of the time and he's the one traveling back and forth without so much as a complaint.  He makes it easy to forget that he has what can be a stressful job with a lot of responsibility.  He really is so good to us, and if I don't tell him every day, at least now I'm acknowledging it.  It's also true that over the last year I've really enjoyed watching him mature as a father.  Several weeks after Carolina was born I remembering running some errands and leaving the girls at home with him. It was only after this outing that I realized I hadn't questioned for one minute what they were doing or how Nacho was handling things. I was confident in his abilities with both the newborn and the three year old, and it was a kind of peaceful disregard that washed over me. I was out on my own and it felt good.  And he made that possible.  It was so different from the aftermath of Elisa's birth and my constant nagging about all things baby-related.  Now, as he likes to say, he's a "certified father" and the results are palpable.  He may not have received a bouquet of flowers or the best donuts in Brooklyn as gifts on Father's Day, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind. We have many more years ahead to make it up to him and I look forward to trying again next June. We love you, Papa. 

Disneyland dreams

Many times during our trip to Disneyland I thought about things I would tell other friends about our trip, especially those with kids. I thought about the little things I would do to make it more bearable or to try to pace yourself. And I thought about all that I didn't know about Disneyland. How little research I did before the trip and how I kind of think we did okay despite that. I lowered my expectations of what we would see which I think made it easier to just enjoy what we did see.  Not that I didn't get a little panicky by the end of Day 2.  I was filled with anxiety about how our final day would go and if we would be able to get up early and hit the ground running since we hadn't been pushing ourselves on the first two days.  But by Day 3, things really did come together.  We made it to many more rides than I expected and Nacho and I both enjoyed a few moments of indulgence that made up for all the waiting and tending to the kids.  As I've said before, this wouldn't have been the ideal time for us to try a theme park, with Carolina not even walking and Elisa not even 4.  I still think the ideal age for this kind of park is probably somewhere between 6-9 years old.   But with Stacey and the gang leaving California soon, the chance to do a grand family vacation at the original Disneyland was ending. We summoned our strength and in the end, I can only say that Disneyland was a total success. It wasn't that we did everything so efficiently or saw everything there was to see. But sometimes it's more about enjoying what you have and I definitely did.  By the time we walked out of there on Friday evening, I was happily exhausted and satisfied.  Getting up and getting home the next morning was a cruel end to our marathon week, but it felt good to get back to our home and our routines.  Traveling with kids isn't for the faint of heart, but I'm always so glad when we do. We did it. We made it to Disneyland clear across the country. We survived our very first family vacation (i.e. staying in a hotel) and we even had fun. Pretty good in my book. And if Elisa doesn't remember any of this in a few more years, at least we have the pictures to prove it.  And of course, I have the memories of her spinning in the tea cups until she was dizzy or getting anxious before every ride telling me she only wanted "to look."  She was her usual high and low with nothing in between. And that is just what I'd expect in the happiest place on Earth.

Since I took too many photos to possibly post here, visit my FB page to see our whole trip. 

Disneyland Adventure!

What have we been up to since we left Stacey's house in Twentynine Palms? Oh...nothing much...