Another first happened this weekend. Carolina made it to her first sleep over birthday party. First sleep over, period. But the fact that it was combined with a party to celebrate her BFF Kira's 6th birthday was just icing on the cake. With Elisa, her first sleep over happened at age 6 during a sleep over for the Girl Scouts at the Parish Center. I didn't chaperone and felt mildly guilty the whole night. But she made it through and I was happy that so many other moms I knew were staying as well just in case she needed help. Fast forward a few years and Carolina and Kira started planning a sleep over somewhere in the middle of UPK last year. I wasn't completely opposed but it did seem a tad early. So when this party invitation came through, I figured it was time. Carolina showed no signs of anxiety and I suppose our Hamilton invite last weekend where the girls went without me was a forerunner.
The only real kicker was what I was going to do with Elisa during her little sister's night out. She had attended two Girl Scout sleepovers, but had never had one with a friend. So I thought perhaps this was a chance to host her BFF Birdie since they wouldn't be bothered by a third wheel. I got the clearance from Amanda and away they went planning their evening together. It went through several stages including one where they ordered sushi and went to a movie, but in the end, they were mostly just happy to get McDonald's and hang out on the fold out couch. Yes, this was a girls night IN and I think they had a blast between their fashion show (in at least 4 parts) and their late night run to the deli for ice cream. Elisa and Birdie have been friends since my first meeting with the playgroup at 4 months, but it's taken most of that time for them to find their groove. Somehow here we are with 3rd graders who made it through a whole evening of fun without getting upset or hurt feelings, and were all giggles going to bed at 11pm and waking up at 7:30am to watch videos and eat cereal together. They exceeded my expectations so I'm looking forward to more of those fun nights.
The rest of our Sunday was picking up Carolina and dropping Birdie off before setting out for the Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay, Long Island. This is where I took Nacho for a sailing class a few years ago. And we promised we'd be back...some day. Well, the time has come and Nacho is all gung ho to take the intro sailing course this summer. And why not? He's got the time and now the money and I think it's great he has something he is so passionate about. He never ceases to amaze me in that regard. This time we asked José and Irene if they wanted to join us since the center was having an open house and we could check out the area and grab lunch. They were game, so we met up out there and had a walk around and visit with the bay wildlife on display before making some fantastic buttons and heading out for park and burgers. The kids were happy and we were content so it was a win-win kind of day. Driving home in the early rush hour on a Sunday night also turned out okay since both girls slept a good part of the hour-long drive and I was finally able to bathe them before starting the new week. So yeah, all these new adventures were a fun way to end the weekend and I have to say I think we'll be back out there and on a boat in no time.
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