Back from beyond

Each year we make the trip to NC in September for a little beach time, I have to remind myself that fall will be waiting for us when we get back. It really will. And so again this year, we set off on the last week of the month for  a family vacation to Emerald Isle, NC hoping to eek out just a few more days of summer. Luckily, the weather was beautiful and the temperatures hovered right around 80 degrees most days. It really couldn't have been better for lingering on the beach. With my mom feeling better--or at least more mobile, we were able to really enjoy this time together. Any doubts I might have had about taking Elisa out of school subsided, and I embraced each beautiful sunrise with a cup of coffee on the deck. Somehow those 7 a.m. wake ups are okay when you have this kind of scenery.

By the end of the week, Uncle Kent and Leroy had taken off only to be replaced by Stacey and family. I was glad to wait it out and see them again. It felt like our last visit to the shores in May was a bit hurried and we only had one beach afternoon together that time.  Getting the chance to hang out on Friday night, play our annual Trivial Pursuit game (I lost) and just enjoy a leisurely day on Saturday was great. Elisa and Carolina were both enamored of their cousins and spent a lot of time calling their names or just sitting and staring at them. We hitched a ride home with them to Raleigh on Sunday after packing up the house. It made more sense to fly out of RDU on Monday so that's what we went with and after getting bumped once, it all worked out. I'd like to say I'm coming back completely refreshed, but the truth is I've felt totally wiped out after our mad dash back to school and routines on Monday morning. I suppose this week is a good time to pace myself and plan the month ahead. October is always my favorite time of the year, so I have lots of big travel ideas. We'll see what I'm able to pull off. In the meantime, I'm just grateful we have another year's worth of memories made at the beach house. Now fall can start in earnest.

Peaceful shores

Just checking in during our beach week in North Carolina to say that all is going well. I really wasn't sure how we'd be able to pull off our annual trip to Emerald Isle, NC with Elisa just starting Kindergarten. But when I spoke to her teacher at Curriculum Night last week and told her we were heading this way she said "family is so important." I couldn't agree more, especially this year.  Nacho was able to get 5 days in a row off with a little maneuvering his schedule and so here we are enjoying some rest and relaxation together as a family.  And it's been so much easier than last year when it felt like all I wanted to do was relax and I had two kids on very different schedules who wouldn't give me a moment's peace. The girls have been playing (and okay, fighting) and mostly leaving me alone whether they are inside enjoying all the Little People my parents brought out to the house or down on the beach digging and splashing in the waves. It's finally starting to feel like their ages are meshing better and they can entertain each other without much interference. Yesterday we even left them happily coloring and watching cartoons in the house while Nacho and I headed down to the beach--something I wouldn't have dreamed of even a few months ago.  (For the record, they were both tired of the beach).  

And I guess the icing on this whole glorious cake is that they are finally sleeping in the same bed together. It's a Christmas miracle come early. Seriously, I have been biding my time for the right occasion and when I saw the layout of their room (a queen and one twin), it dawned on me that maybe I didn't need the pack-n-play afterall. The first night was kind of a disaster with Carolina squirming around until we had to throw her butt in the crib. But after napping in the big bed alongside Nacho, she was able to transition to sleeping in it with Elisa at night. And today they are napping together in my king-sized bed. It's such a beautiful thing to see. And it makes me feel like life has taken yet another great leap forward.  Because let's face it, when sleep gets easier, everything gets better.  That distant future where I could see myself hanging out with adults instead of tending to these (adorable) but needy little souls and enjoying vacation like I used to is almost here. And it's been worth the wait. 

Kinder-status

This week I attended Curriculum Night at Elisa's school.  I don't remember having this as a kid, but basically it was a nice way to meet her teacher more in depth and hear what they are studying. It kind of helped fill in the gaps (since Elisa tells me nothing usually) and show me how their days are arranged.  From looking at the class schedule, I can tell there is a good mix of subjects (Social Studies, Literacy, Art, Music, Chorus, Science, Story, Math, Library/Tech, and Choice), and they begin every day with a Morning Meeting. As her teacher Ms. Zuckerman explained, they are really working on building their classroom community with games and name recognition and fun activities, and she said that the kids have really started to show signs of this and are using each others' names more now.  The fact that they have two full-time teachers in the class of 26 kids makes me feel like there's also a good sense of direction and authority to keep the peace. She mentioned a few times that the kids are so excited by the letters they are learning right now, and I have seen this with Elisa during the homework assignments. Yes, we have homework. In Kindergarten. But honestly, it's only 5-10 minutes of work followed by a suggested 20 minutes of reading. So I feel lucky that this school has a very age-appropriate concept of what kids should be doing after hours. She might have been a little reluctant at first, but within a few minutes, Elisa was happy to show me how well she could make her letters or color the pictures. I think it's good practice for the future when homework really will be independent and have consequences.  For now, though, I just like having an excuse to sit and talk to her at the table. I think we both do.  

These were pictures of work I saw in the classroom and hallways at school:

As Ms. Zuckerman explained, we will likely see things from their work in the Art room that are much more nuanced and creative than their other efforts. She said it's because they are learning to sit and concentrate and really observe objects before they draw them. And she was right. When I saw Elisa's drawing of a lion hanging outside the classroom, I didn't think it could be hers. She never draws like that at home. But it was and when I asked her about it later, she beamed with pride when she described how to make the tail and the lion's mane. She is learning so much these days about herself and what she's capable of, and I'm so happy for her. And likewise with the bus, we are completely happy with the bus schedule and operation to date. The morning driver is almost always pulling up at 7:41 a.m. and the afternoon drop off might be a tad later than 4:17 p.m. but that's okay. It's working out well and I couldn't have predicted how smoothly it would all be going just 3 weeks into things.

(First night of homework and Elisa and I weren't sure what to think.)

So that's it. Kindergarten has begun in earnest and it's required lots of little adjustments but nothing crazy so far. I feel enormously lucky that we have had good friends to make this transition with, but mostly, that it has been a soft landing at a school we've grown to like more and more. No place is perfect and no method is the best, but for us for right now, the fact that Elisa likes school and is excited when Monday morning comes around is a good thing. She'll even show you how she walked down the halls when she got to be line leader.  It was fabulous. 

Family Pass

In June I bought a family pass membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society which operates the NY Aquarium and other zoos around the city, and we used it to visit the aquatic life at Coney Island.  Since then we've only used it one other time--to check out the zoo at Central Park in July--but I have a feeling this will come in handy over the next few months. The girls were in a particularly awful mood that day as we started our visit. Elisa was bouncing off the walls running ahead and Carolina wanted nothing to do with the animals. She was shrieking her way through the exhibits and her voice echoed off the walls of the rain forest. I was getting looks from other parents at a zoo, which is when you know you're in trouble. We realized after a few minutes inside that our best bet was to just get out of there quickly and take a walk around. 

 (This is Gus, the beloved polar bear who passed away recently. He was old and tired. Good for him.)

Making a bee line for the seals and then the petting zoo was exactly the right move. We got to liberate the kids from the enclosed spaces, and they were happy to feed and taunt the animals with food pellets. Considering this was Carolina's first time really feeding them, I was amazed at how eager she was and how much she loved their tickley tongues. She managed to pull back her hand a few times because she was laughing so hard, which the goats and sheep didn't really appreciate. But man, was it hilarious to watch. Her whole body seized up in a fit of giggles and big sister Elisa was right there watching and telling her how to do it better. Later we grabbed some ice cream and walked over to the Billy Johnson playground with its enormous slide. The girls loved having turn after turn speeding down it and climbing back to the top. Nacho even helped do a family slide and the girls could't have grinned any bigger. Somehow we salvaged what started off as a rough day, and knowing we had the zoo pass and could leave at anytime without really wasting it was a bonus. I think we'll be using this again soon.

Fête Paradiso

When I first heard about Fête Paradiso coming to Governors Island this summer, I thought, "Wow! That sounds awesome..." followed quickly by, "...but I bet it will be full of single hipsters from Brooklyn and I'll hate everything about it." You see, Fête Paradiso bills itself as the world's first traveling festival of vintage carnival rides and carousels from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and uses language like "a French film miraculously come to life" to describe the atmosphere. I mean, how horribly pretentious, right? But still, the images I saw from the press release were absolutely beautiful and my interests were piqued enough that I knew I had to see it for myself. Would it be enjoyable for young kids? I didn't know. But I was feeling optimistic and so I decided it was worth a shot. Luckily, Nacho was up for the day trip as well, since it would be a one-hour ferry ride each way to the island and we didn't exactly love our first ferry ride this summer. But oh, what a difference a few months made. This time, we made it to the Hunter's Point stop bright and early (9:54 a.m. to be exact) and the new waterfront park was open and welcoming. We took seats up top under the covered deck on a perfectly gorgeous day and the girls were amazing. They sat calmly through most of the ride, taking turns laying down on Nacho's lap. And when they needed a change, they sat with him on the side  looking out over the water and pointing at other ships. Carolina screamed "BARCO!!" (Spanish for boat) more times than I could count and we were loving this peaceful start to the day.

We made it to Governors Island around 11 a.m. and it was like a little jewel box just waiting for us to discover it's hidden charms. The girls spotted the FIGMENT NYC exhibit on the open lawn and took off running. And who could blame them? The wide open green space was such a perfect place to let them roam free and get their land legs after that boat ride. I skipped adding photos of this part of our trip, but there was a mini golf course, tree house and plenty of cool, funky sculptures and things to explore. After about 30 minutes, we decided to wrap it up and head over to the carnival to get all Frenchified. And what a treat it was. Everywhere you looked, there were beautiful, ornate carnival rides and little antique touches to the signs and set up of the event. There was French music wafting through the air, vendors with cotton candy (or barbe à papa), and a full French bistro courtesy of Le Gamin. 

After getting situated with tickets, Nacho took the girls on Le Dragon, a beastly looking mechanical ride.  In hindsight, this might have been a mistake, but they went for it. And surprisingly, all three managed to refrain from puking even after it switched directions mid-ride and finished on a reverse loop.  I was watching Carolina squeal with laughter and Elisa holding on tight as they chased the dragon's tail faster and faster. It made me so happy to see them enjoying the rides since that was the whole point of the day. We listened to the organ music from a vintage machine and then made our way over to the swinging boat rides which Carolina didn't love as much (no doubt because her father got a little overzealous with the pushing).  The crowds were just starting to swarm around midday, when we bumped into some friends from Sunnyside who had made the trip out.  We all ate lunch and let the kids hang out for a bit before joining forces to hit some more rides.  And I have to say that even though we were there on a Saturday afternoon, it never felt hectic or overwhelming. The lines were completely manageable (usually waiting one turn), and though the day started off cool, there was plenty of shade when it did warm up.  There was something fun for all of us and that made it pretty damn near perfect.

By 3 p.m. we were verging on collapse with Carolina so I decided it might be wise to catch the next ferry home. After a short wait, we boarded around 3:30 p.m. and had made it back to Hunter's Point shortly after 4 p.m. Of course, naps were beginning to look like they were out of the question for both girls--a truly rare occasion--so once we made it to the new park at HP, I gave in to their demands to run around on the new turf. Nacho summoned the energy to run and play and tackle them both, and watching it all from the sidelines, I realized how lucky I am to be part of this wacky family. We managed to have a big day out in the city with both kids and kept everyone fairly happy, intrigued and well fed throughout. It reminded me of an article I read recently about a family in New York City. The mom was recounting how her young daughter had seen a special performance piece live and during the show, she turned and told her mom that she loved "being me." That is to say, the girl recognized how fortunate she was to be living her life in this magical place and she loved the life she had. It's something I feel every so often too, especially when I get to experience something that's really unique to this city.  And that's how this day on Governors Island felt to me. I loved being me that day. It was a great experience seeing Fête Paradiso and being able to dance and play among its beautiful scenery for an afternoon.  I have no idea if it will return to NYC next year** or ever again, but I really hope so. I will definitely be back.

**Fête Paradiso on Governors Island runs through September 29th, 2013. Hurry!