Field trip surprise

Nothing quite like starting off your morning like this...

And ending it like this....

Fortunately, Elisa's trip to the Queens Botanical Gardens was perfectly balmy and beautiful on this fall morning. And we toured the gardens a bit before making sachets of potpourri from the dried herbs and flowers they have. We were just about to head back to school around noon and I could tell it was nearly lunch time because I was starving. I texted Nacho to say I would be heading home soon and then said my goodbyes to Elisa at the front door of the building on our return. And not more than 5 minutes later, Nacho called while I was driving home. I didn't answer it but when he left a voicemail, I decided to ring back at a stoplight. He was at the park with Carolina and she fell and hit her head. She was bleeding and it wasn't stopping. I couldn't get there any faster, but I was on my way. In probably 5 minutes more, I was pulling up and she was calmly sitting in the stroller covered in blood smears that soaked through her hair and clothes. It looked bad, but what looked worse was the nasty gash on her hairline on the left side. This would need stitches, so off we went to NY Presbyterian Hospital in the city. It was the only pediatric ER I've heard good things about and I trusted them with making her head wound heal properly.  

Getting there was a breeze and within minutes we had a wristband for her and were seeing the triage nurse who gave her some numbing gel and Motrin for the pain.  Then the wait began. At first she was almost in shock, but then little by little she started to talk and get more animated. By the time Nacho parked and found us, she was almost acting normal. And then it was time for the sedative. She drank it like a pro and within 10 minutes her words started to linger and she started fading out.  They lead us to the exam room and she cuddled with me in the chair. I sang and she laid against my chest. She was absolutely calm and sweet. Then she got the giggles and started asking weird questions. Nacho and I were giggling too. She wanted her friends to come to our house. Okay, sure. The stitching didn't take too long and the doctor and nurses were really great with her.  Of course it helped that Carolina didn't flinch at all. Instead she watched "Sofia the First" with me and we tried to keep her hands from roaming around with the new rubber ducky they gave her. I can't even imagine doing this with Elisa. I mean, this kid was the most serene child under duress. And true to her nature, the minute Elisa saw her after school, she started crying and screaming and refused to sit next to her in the car. Oy vey. Yes, it's all about her. Still is. 

But we made it home and I spent most of this evening monitoring Carolina and making sure she wasn't running around. The sedative made her really uncoordinated and scarily so. I just kept thinking about her falling again against the tables or hitting a toy. Ouch. Everything looked sharp and deadly. Making it to bedtime was kind of a marathon after such an active and stressful day. And the beer and potstickers I made to reward myself for another parenting job well done never tasted so good. So yeah. Our first ER visit with Carolina is over. First stitches ever are complete. Now let's hope this scene doesn't repeat itself any time soon. I'm glad Nacho was on duty if only because I think he handled it as calmly as anyone could. And I was extra glad we were there together to take her in. Sometimes you just need that little bit of support as you manage these firsts. And we did it with grace and humor. Not bad. But really, the gold star goes to Carolina. What a champ. Love that kid. Love her even more tonight.

Spooktacular Weekend

Oh, October, how I love you so. The colors pop and brighten my mood, there's always a cute dessert to make my day and then a parade of adorably dressed up kids. Yes, this weekend had it all. We started on Friday night at the AMB Halloween party where I was on duty as the photographer.  The girls were dressed as their Monster High counterparts Draculaura and Clawdeen.  They ran wild around the festivities and I barely saw them except when they were hounding me for something. And then Saturday morning came and with it Elisa's first meeting with the Daisy Scouts. I didn't get to stay (it's drop off from 9-11am) but from the looks of it afterwards, she had fun and got to color and sing songs. After that we had lunch and got ready for the SGP Halloween Party at 1pm. It helped that it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside and the kids didn't even need their coats. They marched around the track and afterwards were rewarded with one of the biggest bags of candy I've seen at these events. Not bad. They were thrilled to find out that they could eat as much as they liked. Who cares? It's the beginning of a week of gluttony that I remember and love from childhood. So yeah, they are learning not to overdue it, but for now, it's all about eating til you're sick. Good times. 

Date night by day

Since Carolina started preschool in September, the morning routine of entertaining her while trying to keep a somewhat orderly house has gone out the window. Now I have nearly 3 full hours on multiple days to myself to do whatever I want or need. At first I tried to do fun things like pedicures and get coffee with friends. And then slowly, real life crept back in and there were groceries to buy and clothes to wash. Most days, I come home and feel like I barely sit down before it's time to go back and get her at 11:30 a.m.  It isn't much time when you think about it, but it's been a real relief on the days when I had photo editing work to get done or even to schedule meetings. And for Nacho and I, it's meant the return to having a few hours a week to ourselves when he's off of work. We've even had a few coffee dates to get us out of the house for a little while and enjoy talking about all the stuff that's going on in our lives which we don't always have the time or space to articulate. It's been refreshing. And so today even in the cold damp rain, we made our way into Central Park for me to scout out some locations and then grab a delicious coffee and croissant at Zibetto's to warm up. Date night at 10 a.m.? Works for me.

Time warp

Today I was invited to Elisa's class to share some of our family history and traditions.  Her teacher sent home a few letters during the past month offering for us to come in and talk about our family and I briefly composed an email in my head to answer it. But then I got another note that said Elisa would be sharing about her family on Tuesday, October 21. We were nominated first. And could I please fill out the questionnaire if I couldn't make it and send in a sample of our family's traditional food thanks very much. Never one to back down from this kind of challenge, I jumped into action trying to narrow down what we would talk about and what things I could bring in to visually pair with our history. Elisa answered that her favorite family vacation was Disneyland so I set aside our photo book from that trip so she could have something to show off. And then I thought about the food. What would it be? Nacho was off working for two days so he wouldn't be here to make something traditionally Spanish. And since it was all on me, I went with something that my mother would make: Mary's Sugar Cookies cut into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. I mean, who would say no to one of those deliciously iced creations?

But I don't think it really hit me until I was done with our presentation and taking a photo of Elisa next to the dry erase board her teacher used to illustrate our family story that I realized just what we were talking about. When you think back to the origins of any family, it starts with a love story (hopefully). And then it twists and turns and jumps and pivots into something completely new and hard to recognize at times. This is our story. Our family. Four people. Mom, Dad, Elisa, Carolina. Two languages blending Missouri and Spain. And we have traveled--to Disneyland and camping trips and many places in between. We eat popcorn with smoothies on movie night and we love to bake cookies. That's us in a nutshell. And when I started to look at how that all adds up and then glanced back at the face of my beaming daughter, it all made sense. So here on the blog I thought it would be fun to revisit our story in as few pictures as possible. I think I did pretty good. It's the kind of timeline I see and still can't believe it happened to me. How did we get here? From that summery night in June of 1999 to now. It's all there. I'm glad I got to share it with the kids even if they mostly just wanted the cookie. 

Peak in the Poconos

When my friend Jessie floated the idea of camping out at PEEC over Columbus Day Weekend, I was excited. I'd heard about these family weekend retreats before from our friends Pepa and Joan and their group of amigos. But I'd never been myself. It sounded like a perfect midway point between really roughing it with a tent and sleeping bag and a hotel in the woods. We would get our own cabin with full bathroom and heating. The food is served cafeteria-style and is all-inclusive. You select whatever activities you feel like doing and there's so much tailored to young kids that you won't ever be bored. Plus it's in an area of the Poconos just along the Delaware Water Gap that I was eager to see. With the state's highest population of black bears and a deranged sniper evading police for several weeks, I mean, what was there to be afraid of? I wouldn't classify myself as an outdoor person any more than the next city slicker who likes a little communing with nature once and awhile. But since the leaves were really starting to turn around that area, I was hoping to get my fall foliage fix combined with a healthy amount of hang time with some good friends. And that was all the incentive I needed to pack up the suitcases and car to the brim and drive off into the sunset on a Friday afternoon. 

Arriving on Friday evening was something I debated initially, but it proved to be a wise decision.  We glided out of NYC, missing most of the weekend traffic and made it to the site in just under 2 hours. Checking in first also meant we had time to unwind and get a lay of the land before everyone else.  The girls weren't rushing off to see their friends and we had a nice little stroll over to the pond as a family before dinner. The first meal was meatloaf, unfortunately, which was chocked full of mushrooms and strange meat. I took a small nibble before marking it inedible and made due with the baked potato, terrific salad bar and rice krispie treat. I wasn't going to starve. Finding food for the girls was a little trickier, but we managed. If they ate mostly fruit or cereal or carrots, I was okay with that. I also brought several Trader Joe's bags full of snacks and baked goods, so they wouldn't starve either. This time around the square dancing was switched to Friday night instead of Saturday making us a more intimate group. But the girls both loved that and Carolina even tried to imitate us, shuttling down the path as the lead couple, forming a tunnel to let others slide through and doing some line dances that even adults were having trouble with. Elisa was totally in her element and having Manuela show her the ropes helped a lot too.  

Waking up on Saturday morning, we knew there was some drizzle still lingering in the area but that didn't stop us from forging ahead with the canoeing at 9 a.m.  We got our life vests on in the steady drizzly mist and just before pushing out onto the lake, it cleared up. Well, at least enough that we managed to stay dry out of the water as well.  The girls were calm sitting together in the middle section of our canoe, as Nacho worked as our rudder and I tried my best not to get worked up about turning in circles. I think we both understood the dynamics of paddling, but with different intentions and so I had a few times I felt a bit undermined. But otherwise, it was a terrific initiation into family canoeing.   The lake was still, the winds light and we were able to circle around the pond several times before giving the girls the heave ho and setting out one more time on our own.  Ah, that was nice.  Shortly after the boats were docked, it was time for our hike along the Scenic Gorge Trail. By the time we set off, the Andersons and Lefers had joined us and we were starting to really immerse ourselves in the colors of this beautiful season. The smaller kids mostly wanted to ride along on the trail which was fine. It was a 2 mile long loop that took us along a small stream and through some really gorgeous forests. Watching Oliver and our trail guide unearth some amazing little creatures was also fun. The bright red salamander was my favorite even if I opted not to touch it. As I would find out several times throughout the weekend, it was hard to be a dirt-under-the-nails kind of girl when I was trying to keep my camera clean. But in the end, the photos won out. And I'm pleased with the results...

As Saturday wore on, we decided to enforce family nap time so the girls could get a little breather before the evening's animal show. Around that time we found out that Nacho would have to work on both Sunday and Monday meaning his time was going to be over sooner than we'd hoped. I wasn't willing to pack it all in for myself and the girls just yet, though. So we decided to get him to a train station and I would stay put with the car and leave on Monday morning as planned. Yes, once again, the anecdotal stories about IOE training proved false and the company called Nacho on the 5th day of his mandatory 4-day off period. Other stories told of 2 and 3 weeks off, but not for us.  How nice.  Luckily, we were surrounded by good friends who helped me pick up the slack and enjoy the rest of our time there.  Joan drove Nacho to the Port Jervis, NJ train station and I had lots of extra eyes and hands leading the girls around for the next two days. There are times I feel bad that Nacho misses out on our lives and this was definitely one of them. After being without him for the prior 6 weeks, I suppose I felt I was owed this weekend together. But it wasn't meant to be. 

The girls took it all in stride and I love them for that...even if they did test my patience a bit on our waterfall hike on Sunday morning. Elisa was in one of her defiant streaks and that attitude anytime is bad, but especially when you are teetering on some rocky trails overlooking giant cliffs. I did my best to use my threats sparingly, but I used them. And by the time we were done with that first adventure of the day, it was off to lunch and muckraking.  Elisa was so keen to catch a critter but she had no desire to soil her fingers or clothes. And Carolina just wanted to get close to the action without getting dirty either. So I obliged them a few minutes of wading out and slinging the silty, murky mud and leaves and such back to shore with the net.  But even I wasn't too happy about getting my hands all gross when I had my best camera slung around my neck.  After about 45 minutes I could tell the girls were exhausted and done with the bugs, and I knew I wouldn't survive the dinner and campfire that evening if we didn't all nap. So again we piled in our cabin for a late afternoon siesta, and this time I joined them. It was lovely.

Our last evening at PEEC was kind of bittersweet for me. Right after dinner we let the kids run wild in the main lodge and even took in the Ecozone demonstration about the beaver dam and bat cage.  The kids donned lights and crawled through the entrance on hands and knees to see what a real one would be like.  I had been so excited to hang out around the campfire with all of our friends on the final night, but it didn't work out that way.  Several packed it up and left on Sunday before nightfall, and the rest were either too tired or only made it down for one quick s'more before bedtime. It didn't help matters that we were a little late getting down to the site in the pitch dark and I was actually spooked for a good minute wondering where in the hell everyone was if they weren't at the fire pit I presumed it would be at.  The faint singing coming from behind the cabins on the lower campus seemed to beckon us, so I raced ahead of the girls to make sure we were on the right path. And sure enough, there in the middle of a forest-hidden amphitheater, there was a blazing campfire and a singer with guitar. I could just barely make out the Lefers as they huddle near the benches.  Carolina wasn't interested in anything but the chocolate, while Elisa half-heartedly roasted several marshmallows. And I tried to make my own melty mess of a dessert but opted for a quick and cold barely browned s'more just so I could say I did and then get on with enjoying a song or two before sprinting back up that hill in the freezing darkness. Packing up on my own was also a total buzzkill, so maybe that's why I left in kind of a funk. Oh well. It all started out so well, but even the amazing foliage and family time couldn't last forever. We loaded up on Monday morning by 9 a.m., had one more breakfast and then we were off. And I was happy to be heading home. Just how camping should end.