Dressin' up

On Sunday morning, I promised Elisa a little dress up photo shoot time since she saw the photos of Carolina I took last week and wanted to get in on the action. Nacho was working and I thought it might be fun to have some friends pop by to help us out. Within an hour we had Zara traipsing through the door with wigs and shimmery dresses and boas to boot. Elisa was in heaven, but posing for me wasn't her favorite thing.  She just wanted to parade around in costumes without my art direction. Oh well, once again the two year old proved a more willing subject.  I managed to get only a few photos before Elisa retreated to her room to play. Meanwhile, Zara was very eager to help out, since I think she feels very comfortable in front of the camera. We snapped away and after while I gave up and let them do their own thing. Later, after nap Elisa asked if we could take more pictures. The light was fading but I did take a few more. She was much more pleasant that time around and so I told her we'll try again on another day. My beautiful Elisa. It's always the wrong time and yet, she still lights up before the camera. She knows what she likes and being my little model isn't it. But who knows, maybe on another day. I'll keep trying.

Flushing Fun

Saturday was all about a brisk walk in a great, close neighborhood for just the kind of outing I could tolerate. We settled on Flushing, Queens after deciding that Chinese food sounded good (I'd been craving it since my birthday) and a trip to Chinatown in Manhattan was too far for these soon-to-be-tired girls. In 20 minutes we could be on and off the train in downtown Flushing and in a Chinatown that most agree rivals--if not surpasses--the one in the city. Yes, Queens has it all and sometimes it's best to really enjoy what you have nearby (and stroller-free, I might add!). So that was our goal and Nacho delivered on finding a few options for lunch which I quickly narrowed down as we arrived in the nabe. It began to snow and spit icy slush in our faces which made the decision even easier.  We opted for a place called Spicy & Tasty on Prince Street and it was both--a definite hit and somewhere I'd be tempted to take friends. There was plenty of space and the selection offered lots of dishes with nice flavors and plenty of heat if that's what you wanted. The girls dug into rice bowls and Elisa picked out all the shrimp from our lo mien while Nacho and I tried dan-dan noodles, spicy oil covered dumplings and a spicy beef noodle soup. Lots of food and a total bill of $32--a definite triumph on this lazy day.  Afterwards we wandered a bit past a few other must-try places before going back to the slushy place Elisa begged for. This time I went for the Thai milk tea slushy with bubbles, and it was deliciously creamy and chewy at the same time.  As we headed back to the train, Elisa needed a pit stop so we popped into the library which has such a nice vantage point along the main drag. A few minutes later we were on our way home and ready for a family nap that lasted until almost 5 p.m. For a cold afternoon in January, I'd say we did pretty good. 

Toddlers and tiaras

I swore when I started taking photography more seriously that I was going to keep things simple. Just me and a camera. Now a few months into it, I'm finding out that it's never that easy. Yes, being a photographer means I have a job with very few typical set ups: no office, no work wardrobe, no commute per se. But it doesn't exactly mean that I'm not finding lots of things to stock up on in the hopes that I'll use them for shoots. Case in point, in the past few weeks, I purchased lights and backdrops and started thinking more earnestly about how to shoot indoors. I want to get the kind of portraits I love seeing on Pinterest or other photographers' websites, and in order to do so, I need to dedicate some thought and practice to that. So one day this week, I grabbed some stuff and brought Carolina into the room and within minutes, she was striking a pose. Rapunzel dress and tiara included. Oy vey. What have I done? And before I could stop myself, I was editing and smiling and loving this little face underneath a silver plastic tiara. It might be terribly cliche with the pink paper and pastel haze, but it is lovely. And so is she.  What better combination than that?  Of course, hours later she was sliding into sickness and for the rest of the week, we've been recuperating slowly but surely. How deceptive looks can be. She seems the image of health and (momentary for a toddler) happiness. I guess you need pictures like this to remind you that it's possible for kids to be sweet and beautiful no matter what's really going on behind the scenes. I'll be playing more with these props and trying to get the girls together this weekend for a shoot. Yes, it's all about the (princess) bling. More to come!

Stir Crazy

After a Saturday of near constant rain but milder temps, I was going a little bonkers being indoors.  Truth be told, I think I was having one of those winter funk days where nothing felt right, I just wanted to be somewhere else, and everyone around me was desperately annoying. I even climbed back into bed midmorning and actually got left alone for a change while the girls played and Nacho manned the drink/snack/playdoh-opening stations. It was almost enough to lift the dark cloud.  But still it lingered and the girls being cooped up all day was not helping either.  So by nightfall, I was looking forward to a long sleep and a Sunday full of activity.  But even as we woke and ate breakfast on a clearer day, I wasn't feeling jazzed.  As we slowly got dressed, I could hear the strong winds blowing outside, and for a few minutes thought it might be a nonstarter.  I didn't really know what we were going to do. Elisa asked if we might go to "a park in Manhattan," and I didn't have a reason not to.  Yes, maybe a little visit to the Central Park petting zoo would cheer us up, and we could walk and visit the playground behind it afterwards.  It wasn't city living gold, but what's the saying? "Perfection is the enemy of good." All I needed was good that day. It would do just fine...

We managed to bump into some friends from the neighborhood as we made it to the zoo and that was a nice surprise. But the girls were already showing signs of hunger and crankiness before we'd started, so we hurried through to see the seals and snow monkeys before grabbing a bit of lunch. It wasn't in my plan to sit and get them overpriced hot dogs at the zoo, but it was a necessary evil which bought us more time to enjoy the park afterwards. And really, they did great sitting and eating, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself really relaxing on an outing. Not just surviving it, but finding humor and really engaging them.  Maybe because we never really had a goal for the day, I finally felt at peace. And the weekend that started off so shitty was actually getting better. I suppose we can't always have great days, or even good ones, but sometimes finding a little happiness in the ordinary is all you need. It worked for me on Sunday, and I plan to make it a habit. 

Three Lost Kings

Let me begin by saying that yes, in fact, the Three Kings did remember to visit us again. If you remember, last year was our first attempt at honoring Nacho's childhood tradition and it went well. I was really hoping to take both girls to the Three Kings Parade in Harlem this year, but with so many absences already from fun stuff, I didn't want to chance Elisa's attendance record. She's missed 9 days of school already (mostly for vacations) and the lingering threat of not passing based on a less than stellar record is enough to keep us on the straight and narrow. Besides it rained all day anyway. But back to the point here...January 6th fell on a Monday this year which also happened to be the second full day of school after our big New Year's snow storm.  That weekend we went sledding and spent the rest of it indoors while Nacho worked a long, brutish day on Sunday. It should have been on my radar to get things prepped and ready, but really I expected Nacho to pick up the slack. It was, after all, his holiday. 

So when Sunday night rolled around and we had no gift, no candy and no roscon de reyes, I was beginning to worry that we might have messed up entirely. Nacho was working late and I couldn't make it out to do secret shopping with two curious girls in tow. Fortunately, Elisa had no clue any of this was going on and she left for school on Monday without asking about the Kings' visit. A quick trip to the toy store and Nacho's pitstop in Corona and we had gifts and a cake.  By the time Elisa made it off the bus and Carolina woke from her nap, the Kings had left their gifts and all was right again. Their tardiness forgiven as fast as those candy necklaces were devoured. Yes, it's hard to feel the momentum for this holiday considering it comes so quickly after the giant bubble of Christmas/Nacho's birthday/NYE. But it's now a family tradition which means I owe it to our family to help make it happen. Or at least kick Nacho into gear a little sooner than this next year. And maybe one of these days we'll see the parade in Harlem and catch a glimpse of those camels. How cool would that be? 

Slip slidin' away

There are only a few things scarier than watching your kids go sledding for the first time. I'm not sure what they are, but I'm pretty sure there must be something. Oh man. I'm so glad we got out there yesterday before the crowds started to show up so we could play and slide and crash into the bottom of the hill. But it did take a few deep breaths and remembering that I survived years of sledding as a kid with hardly a scratch. How did I manage it? Thinking about the boulder my sister ran into made it even worse. Oh right, we didn't always end up unhurt. But still the memories fade and all you remember is how much unbridled fun it was.  So we gave it a try ourselves and took both girls out on the big hill behind 54th Street. Did I mention the slope ended in a concrete ditch with a few stumps and light poles around for good measure? Yeah, it wasn't the most bucolic of pastures for our first sledding effort, but we managed.  Considering that Doughboy Plaza is the hill for sledding in Sunnyside/Woodside, I think it was a must. And meeting up with friends to share the thrills and spills made it even better...

Sometimes I think photos don't capture the real essence of an event, but not yesterday. The smiles, the excitement (and in Carolina's case, the screams) were all there. And I was glad to be there with my camera to record it all.  After a few runs, our little girl wasn't so sure the cold was worth it. She sat in her stroller, snacking but mostly crying about wanting to go home. In the meantime, I needed to get a sled for Elisa since she was melting down about having to share (we had yet to purchase our own considering friends had extras and I wasn't sure how well the girls would do). But getting our own plastic was a must and so I backtracked to the dollar store on Skillman Ave where thankfully they still had some pretty decent sleds for cheap. Returning with our new blue toboggan in hand, I was delighted to see how well Elisa took to it without whining. She and Birdie made several runs with Nacho and it was all going so well. I was pouring spiked cider for the adults and hot cocoa for the kids. It was almost ideal except for those nagging screams. Elisa started in about Nacho shoving off with Leonardo and then she wanted her rag which was at home. Yes, as good as it was for a minute, it quickly devolved into tired, hungry, cranky kids who needed a nap. And that was our cue. We made a valiant effort to enjoy the snow and to be part of the community of sledders in Sunnyside and we achieved both.  And I'll forgive the screaming since everyone took a good nap. Winter sports for the win!