Last Week of Summer

Summer is definitely in its final moments for us, but that doesn't mean the fun has to end. This week we harnessed all the energy we could from the outdoors to make it an eventful week out and about. On Sunday we spent a good few hours in SGP hanging out while an Irish soccer tournament provided the entertainment in the form of a free bouncy house and a foot race for the kids. Everyone who participated got a medal with lovely green and white ribbon which looked so cute on these little summery faces flush with heat and sun. Since the girls haven't been in any kind of camp since we returned from Spain, it's been up to me to keep them occupied during the long, hot days that August promises. A quick run to Costco turned into a marathon shopping spree thanks to our arrival time just at lunch (but hey, where else can you eat lunch for 3 WITH dessert for $6.85?), and of course we couldn't leave without Wonder Woman costumes (though I did take a pass on Halloween candy--I mean, it's still August). The following day we did a play date in the park with Kerry and Carmen and Samarra which meant our continuous streak of celebrating August birthdays is intact. Whew! With their move back to NJ this summer, I hope we'll see them again soon. 

And then it was midweek and we were packing our bags for a day trip to Fire Island and back on the ferry. I'd been hearing about this place for a few years now from some of our playgroup crew and it always piqued my interest. This year Tania and Dawn offered to host us for the day and showed us around their digs at Ocean Beach. It was a nice change of pace from hitting the Rockaways even if the surf proved a bit rough. The big kids loved it and I just played photographer and yet still managed to get water up my nose. After a delicious dinner of grilled chicken, potatoes and salad we scooted into town for an ice cream and managed to catch the 8:50 p.m. ferry back to the mainland. It was nearly an hour home still, but a quiet ride as these tired girls passed out. Nacho was back at work the following day and to be honest I was happy enough to spend most of the day cleaning up and resting after our big adventure to the island. The girls were stirring a bit late in the day so we made our way over to Party City to shop for goodie bag items for their upcoming birthday party. After that, we made Friday all about fun starting out with a trip to the always-popular Peter Pan Donut Shop in Greenpoint, BK followed by a drop-off playdate at Leonardo's (with visiting Abu) while I took Carmen to IKEA. We shopped and talked and I managed to pick up a few things I've been meaning to get to complete the girls'  room and our front entry way. Then we finished our outing with a lovely meal at Red Hook Lobster Pound. It was just the kind of girl talk and relaxed afternoon without kids around that I think we both needed. The following day we were up and at it to get to The Arthur Ashe Kids Day at the US Open in Flushing with Carmen and family. Originally Jose and Irene had made plans to attend with their visiting friends and we weren't quite sure what they were buying tickets for since most of the kids activities are free. But then we realized there was a concert with several Radio Disney stars and others like Flo Rida and Troye Sivan and Zara Larsson for only $10 a ticket and I was sold. So off we went to grab a seat in the arena at 1p.m. and the kids were pretty excited to see the musical acts. The tennis stuff not so much. Which is why we bolted soon after things wound down out on the courts. And just like that, the last week of summer before school starts was officially over.  Oh summer, you're making me miss you already...