Ballet night

Tonight was the observation night for Carolina's ballet class. After one semester of sending her off every Friday afternoon, it was finally my chance to sit in on the action and see what she's been learning. And from what I could see tonight, she's been really enjoying herself and learning the fundamentals of ballet movement. I think the class skews a bit young, so it's easy to spot long, lean Carolina at the top of the height chart. Somehow she's grown up and thinned out so much in the past few months of preschool. I saw it so much clearer tonight while watching her lithe limbs swoop gracefully around. And yes, she also got a bit distracted at times. But she was definitely in her element. I think ballet suits her for now and the teachers each asked her to demonstrate the exercises for the smaller girls. So lovely to see and I really can't wait to be at the recital in the spring for the rest of the story...

Holiday party time!

Tonight was the Amazing Magic Beans Holiday Party which meant our normal Friday night routines of ballet and Spanish class went out the window. Again. Last week we had to force Elisa to go despite massive protests while Carolina skipped out on her class because she was sick. Compounding that was the fact that we also had to take Abuela to the airport. But today, I was on my own so we simplified things and honestly, it all turned out pretty good. We boomeranged from pick up at 3:30pm to get Elisa at the bus stop by 4:00pm and then back to AMB for the party after that. The kids sang and made crafts and loved all the sugar cookies with do-it-yourself icing that covered one table. I had to step in and become the cookie cop for a minute after noticing several kids bellying up to the bar one too many times. Later we grabbed our music sheets and after Elisa and Juliet practiced Jingle Bells a few times, we were off for some caroling. Before the party, I pulled Lauren aside and plead my case for not going up under the train for the caroling this year. I still have PTSD from dragging Elisa back home the night we went when we got separated from the group on the south side of the boulevard and an old man screamed at me for pulling her across the street when she was about to lay down in the middle of the boulevard in protest. Oh yeah, it was a great night. So this year being my last, I just wanted a shot at remembering this as a fun evening of holiday music. We always sing the dreidel song, Jingle Bells, Rudolph and Twinkle, Twinkle Hannukah Lights. All fun and the kids really get into the act. Ending up just down the block in front of the big apartment building with all the decorations was a success (well, except for the kids punching and pummeling the moving blow up displays) and I took the girls out for pizza at Skillman's Famous afterwards. The holidays are just kicking off in earnest and even though we're expecting record high temperatures this weekend, I'm beginning to feel a little excited. Two more weeks!

#christmasiscoming

December began just as Abuela was wrapping up her time with us. Nacho and I managed to squeeze in one real date night which meant a spontaneous trip to Dirck the Norseman brewpub in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on a Saturday night. The winds were blustery and cool and by the time we entered the joint, I saw the fireplace glowing and grabbed the nearest table. Sipping on some really divine beers was just what I needed and the food (chicken schnitzel and brisket) were both mighty tasty. I texted Soula on our way there and she and Kenny and her brother and cousin were able to join us a little later on. It turned into such a nice, low-key evening with some good people. Later in the week, we helped Mercedes finishing up her shopping for the family and she returned the favor by making some cocido, more flan and one amazing paella for our friends in Sunnyside who hadn't tasted the real thing before.  

Then on Saturday I had my first round of Santa photos at the Sunnyside Gardens Holiday Boutique. It was a beautiful, balmy 55F degree day in December and the turn out was fantastic. We had so many kids out playing in the park and lots of families stopped by to get their photo with Santa. Even my girls managed to swing over (okay, really several times, some of which were whiny and distracting) and later we realized Carolina was slipping back into her on-again-off-again feverishness. Ah yes, the joys of a warm December mean that even when you are sick, you want to run around outside with your friends. 

After my busy weekend of photo snapping, I was relieved to be off in the city one night mid-week to enjoy a little girl time. Turns out my entry in the PBS Downton Abbey screening and cast Q&A was a lucky one and I scored at first two tickets (which later morphed into a total of 5!!) to attend. Tania, Kristin, Katie and Jessie made the trek in and we were handsomely rewarded with an open bar, photo op and all the fun some pent-up Queens mamas desperately needed. It was terrific fun and I'm so glad we got the chance to do such a New York-media thing. Kudos to PBS for plying us with some large pour champagne and to Tania for sneaking in some pretzel/hummus combo packs so we weren't totally wasted on our way out the door. No, that came a little later at the sake bar in Times Square she took us to. What a perfect end to the night! The octopus balls, tempura, ramen and saucy-smothered fried chicken were all highlights. Yes, I might have gotten a little raucous a few times that night, but seriously, I needed it. Thanks again to my ladies for celebrating in style with me!

The next morning was a bit of a struggle, I won't lie. I had an ultrasound appointment in the city as a follow up to my annual exam. So drinking tons of water and hoofing it in while all modes of transportation failed me was not exactly what I had in mind. But hey, I managed. And Nacho came in to meet me and take me out for an early lunch date at Hide-Chan which is by far one of the best ramen joints I've tasted. So yeah, the flow of December is really picking up now that we approach the middle of the month. I can feel the countdown starting to tick off the days and the girls are still devouring the one-chocolate-a-day advent calendars. It also dawned on me that it was kind of now or never to get our Christmas tree up on Wednesday, so Nacho obliged and we ran to Home Depot in the afternoon before the girls made it home. All this nice weather has made it hard to feel like it's really Christmas time, but it is. And getting the lights glowing and the ornaments out has put me more in the mood. So bring it. I'm ready, Christmas. 

Circus Night!

This year we made it again to the Big Apple Circus for our playgroup holiday outing and it didn't disappoint. Prices of tickets keep going up and the concessions seemed a bit steeper than I remember, but somehow it all seemed worth it. We scored a last minute ticket for Abuela too so that made her last night with us extra special and I think she really enjoyed seeing the crazy human tricks they brought out this year. The high flying South American brothers on the whirling circle contraption was a definite highlight and the crowd actually gasped a few times as he lost his footing jumping ever longer to land on the rotating device. I caught Riley's expression as he screamed out "He's going to DIE!" for the tenth time. Yes, it was really that good. The girls were pretty great for the most part on our evening in the city and the last minute addition of pony rides was a high note to end on. It sure beat the plastic crap they usually beg for which was mercifully absent this year. I realize we'll probably replace this tradition with another since New York City really offers so many great activities no matter the time of year (but even more so during the holidays). But for now, the circus is still our speed and it was a fun evening there and back with friends in tow. Til the next one!