The beginning of March and already we're wearing the green. Yes, this past Sunday we braved the cold weather to be part of the Sunnyside St. Pat's for All parade for the second year in a row. Only this time I was also attempting to take both girls by myself which can get a little hectic when I'm also playing photographer. I think I counted at least three people telling me Carolina was "unhappy" in her stroller. And at times, well, yeah, she was. But sometimes you can't let the crazy toddler out when there's so much else going on. So be it. She got her turn to taste freedom and she mostly just wanted to be held. We're in the midst of a clingy phase that I'm more than ready to say goodbye to. But whatever. We made it through and I think Elisa enjoyed her bird's eye view from the metal barricades as I weaved in and out of the throngs snapping away and trying to subdue a cranky toddler. Parades are hardly my idea of a good time, but something about this one feels very festive and intimate. We always see so many friends and neighbors and it's just around the corner from home, so it makes sense to partake. I hope these little traditions will continue to grow until the girls are older and can tell me how lame it all is.
This year we finished our parade watching with a little running around at Sunnyside Gardens Park. And what felt like abundant sunshine and warmth on a brisk March day quickly turned bitterly cold and blustery as we finally made our way home around 5 p.m. Carolina was shivering and for a minute I almost thought I heard her say "I'm cold." "Cold" for sure, anyway. She has been making more and more progress with words lately that I'm almost expecting her to come out one morning and ask for a piece of toast with her coffee. When did this all start? When will I be so used to hearing her talk that I will forget she was ever a babbling baby? Ah yes, it all happens. Another year at the parade means another whole year of life has passed us by. Maybe that's why I like revisiting these events again and again. It's marking time and helping me realize that no, life isn't stuck on repeat. It just feels that way some days. But Sunday was fun. The sun shone on the Irish and all who came out to walk in this special parade. St. Pat's for all had a great turnout and I for one am glad we were there to cheer and clap and dance. Even through a few toddler tears. Yes, I appreciate this neighborhood's sense of community more and more with each year, and it's little things like this that make it feel like my home. With talk of friends leaving our city soon, there is a very real sense that life doesn't remain stagnant. And who knows when, or if, our time will come to leave. But I hope not. Not for now. I have to make it to at least a few of the post-parade pub crawls in the future. When the girls are old enough to walk themselves to the park.
This year we finished our parade watching with a little running around at Sunnyside Gardens Park. And what felt like abundant sunshine and warmth on a brisk March day quickly turned bitterly cold and blustery as we finally made our way home around 5 p.m. Carolina was shivering and for a minute I almost thought I heard her say "I'm cold." "Cold" for sure, anyway. She has been making more and more progress with words lately that I'm almost expecting her to come out one morning and ask for a piece of toast with her coffee. When did this all start? When will I be so used to hearing her talk that I will forget she was ever a babbling baby? Ah yes, it all happens. Another year at the parade means another whole year of life has passed us by. Maybe that's why I like revisiting these events again and again. It's marking time and helping me realize that no, life isn't stuck on repeat. It just feels that way some days. But Sunday was fun. The sun shone on the Irish and all who came out to walk in this special parade. St. Pat's for all had a great turnout and I for one am glad we were there to cheer and clap and dance. Even through a few toddler tears. Yes, I appreciate this neighborhood's sense of community more and more with each year, and it's little things like this that make it feel like my home. With talk of friends leaving our city soon, there is a very real sense that life doesn't remain stagnant. And who knows when, or if, our time will come to leave. But I hope not. Not for now. I have to make it to at least a few of the post-parade pub crawls in the future. When the girls are old enough to walk themselves to the park.
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