Zoo time

Well, after surviving the perils of international travel during Spring Break, I was more than ready to hang local on our first weekend home.  The weather seemed to be cooperating and I had a hunch that the crowds might be smaller some places because people were tuckered out from all that break-time fun.  I told Nacho I thought it would be a good idea to hit the Bronx Zoo on Saturday since I'd been wanting to take the girls for a while and there were brand new baby gorillas which might make for an interesting visit. It had been over 3 years since our last visit with Elisa and cousin Diego and with our zoo membership thingy, I figured we'd be able to see all of the zoos at least once. I couldn't neglect the biggest of them all.  Of course the girls were up at the crack of dawn like they had been all week. That's one thing about jet lag that you just can't shake. We're still popping awake at 5:50a.m. and some days have been better than others, but anything before it has a 6 in it is just unfair. Lately, we've experimented with turning the TV on, handing each an iPad and some breakfast and going back to bed ourselves. It actually works for at least another hour which is kind of remarkable and somehow completely wrong. Does screen time really count if I'm not awake? These are the burning questions of modern parenthood. But anyway, back to the zoo. It was a lot of fun, and the best part? NO SCREENS! 

Their first camel ride! Woo hoo! And Nacho almost did it without hesitation...almost. 

The girls did a pretty good job of showing interest in the different exhibits and taking turns climbing up on Nacho's shoulders when they needed a lift to get a good peek. In front of the gorillas with the babies, there were lots of people which made it tricky to see them at first. But eventually each exhibit opened up and we tried to be patient.  I held Carolina to point out how the gorilla had her baby in her arms. "Do you see the mama holding her baby?" I asked her.  Then a very excited Carolina shouted, "That's YOU!" which prompted me and a nearby woman to laugh. Okay, sure. That's me. Elisa was definitely enthralled with the animals and the display cases offering lots of reading materials. After our success seeing the gorillas up close, we took our cue from one of the zoo staff and headed towards the newly opened monorail (it was the first day of the season for that).  I think being at the park early really helped us here since we didn't have much wait to get on. The ride was relaxing and a good change of pace for the girls since we could see all the best animals (elephants, tigers, rhinos) from the comfort of our train car.  As we departed the station, the line to get on had grown exponentially and Nacho and I exchanged knowing glances. No, we would not have waited for that otherwise, so I guess we were lucky to have arrived when we did.  Elisa and Carolina spent half of the day pushing and shoving each other before reprimands and hugs.  When they weren't fighting, they were laughing and sharing a stroller, though. It's always hot and cold with these two.  Elisa sounded a bit bored and ungrateful towards the end of the morning, but after lunch we decided to reign it in and make our way back to the entrance.  The gift store tried to lure us in with stuffed animals and other prizes, but I held strong. Not today. Today the fun was about being together and seeing the new animals. And we achieved both. 

Spain in spring

Thank goodness the rest of our trip was completely relaxing and uneventful. It made the chaos of leaving NYC a bit more distant and easier to take. The sun shone, we had lots of time to let the girls play and run wild with their cousins. It was everything spring in Spain should be. And I miss it already.

Weekend wrap up

I'm pretty sure this post was supposed to have content with the photos. Somehow though in prepping for our last week of school before Spring Break, things got lost in the shuffle. There was much to do. Dance class followed by our ritual of viewing the puppies across the street, then pizza and ice cream for a treat on a warm spring night. Later in the week there was a school fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese that went off without a hitch. Though if I remember correctly, Carolina was in fightin' form that night--nothing like the mild girl I took there in December. But we managed. And then the week churned into weekend and we had just one day to enjoy before packing up and heading out to the airport on Sunday. We hit the park, napped and colored eggs well into evening. I was trying to milk out the last bit of pre-Easter fun before journeying to Spain. Of course, what I didn't know then was that our first attempt at leaving would hit a large roadblock in the form of Elisa's passport. I knew there were about 2 months left on it and that we'd need to renew it once we came home (in time for Amaia's wedding in June). But what I didn't know, and had never heard before, was that she would need at least 3 months of validity to even ENTER the country. Oops. Yeah, we were forced to turn around at the ticket counter and schlep back home. It was not my best traveling moment with kids. I cried, I raged. Then I just accepted that this was not meant to happen so prepare for the next step. Ugh. What a pain in the ass. 

We made arrangements to get to the Passport Agency Office downtown the next morning with paperwork and photo in hand. And even though it was a renewal of a minor's passport, both parents and child had to be present to renew which meant the whole damn family would be trekking there. Oh yes. It was a grand field trip complete with waiting in the 45 min. line to enter the building, followed by another line to get an appt. time. Followed by a little lunch before returning to wait 2 MORE hours to even be seen. If there is a hell, I'm sure it's staffed by government officials like those. But the good news is that we did it. By 3pm, Elisa's freshly minted passport was in our hands and the girls just had time for a quick nap before we headed out to the airport again. It was not the best traveling day formula for being rested and less anxious, but it worked. We made it on the flight to Barcelona (another long story, but let's just say in standby travel you take the nearest city sometimes) and after a quick flight over to Madrid on Tuesday morning, we were surrounded by family. Oh yes, that's why we do this. What a week!

Fairytale Breakfast

Tuesday morning we were treated to a Kindergarten presentation of several fairytales acted and sung by the kids at Academy of the City Charter School.  Elisa's class managed to sing out the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff which was quite sweet and fun to watch.  Of course, my tall girl was back row, center in the proceedings.  Have I mentioned how much she's shot up lately? She's towering over her friends and eating me out of house and home which must be how she's filling those size 8 clothes. But anyway, back to the breakfast. We were invited to come and watch each class present their story and then we had a nice big spread of food (we made cupcakes at Elisa's request), followed by dancing and some posing around the scenery. It was a nice way to spend a spring morning, especially after our bumpy start to the week with Carolina's doctor visit in Manhattan where we learned she had a double ear infection and my urgent care visit where I was diagnosed with strep. Hurray for antibiotics! Woo! 

So yeah, it was fun to feel better and be able to take part in such a special day for the kids. Over the course of the year, I've really come to appreciate the effort the teachers put into their classrooms and special events. The kids were bursting with excitement to parade around in their costumes and perform for us. Elisa opted for her Snow White dress and "clickety clack" flamenco shoes which were a bit over-the-top for a 5 year old. But then, that's Elisa.  When I asked the kids to pose with Ms. Z after the show, they flung themselves at her. It was such a sweet gesture. They really love her and it shows. I know we've been lucky to have Elisa at a school we liked from the get-go, but seeing how much they do for the kids and how well the kids respond is such a treasure. I know there are a lot of parents waiting to see where their kids will end up next fall, and I wish I could bring them all onboard at AoC. It's hard to feel like you have hit academic gold and not be able to spread the wealth. But since the charter system is a lottery, it really was completely random that we got in. And yet, it's hard to imagine our lives this year without such a safe harbor. I know Elisa is thriving and I am grateful for the opportunity to see it firsthand.