Last week I was eyeing the fabulous weather forecast and dreaming of one last beach day before the end of the summer. I decided to take the kids out of school Monday to take advantage. I meant to make it to Lake Ontario beaches all summer and it just never happened. I had heard there were some beautiful Pulaski beaches so I picked out Sandy Creek State Park and we went for the day. Jeff couldn't believe we were on the beach all day. I had a hard time explaining that we didn't want to come home as early as we did! The water was shallow for ever and ever, and the perfect refreshing but not cold temperature. There were lifeguard chairs to climb and giant piles of sand to slide down and rocks to throw into the water and pile into cairns. Eventually some other families did arrive so the boys enjoyed playing with some other kids in the sand and in the water. There was lots of brother playtime, as well as times when each of them were playing by themselves. I read a good bit of my new book and got a little sunburned. The perfect last (or is it??) day of summer 2017.

Theo showing off his sand angel.

NYC and NJ weekend

 This past weekend we traveled to NYC for the first time with the boys. It was a spectacular weekend in so many ways. We stayed with Nitsan and Nimrod and their family, and Bryn went to a Women's Bar Association of the State of New York for most of the day Saturday. Jeff took the boys in to the city Saturday morning to show the boys Rockefeller Plaza and the top of the Rock, and for a visit to Times Square with Uncle Jon and Aunt Rachel. After I left my meeting they picked Bryn back up for trip #2 into Manhattan for the day. We took the Staten Island Ferry over and back to see the Statue of Liberty at sunset. Dinner was random fast food available at the ferry terminal and on the ferry and then we got to experience the amazing sea glass carousel at Battery Park. Not enough picture taking occurred but here are those we have (until Jeff uploads his).

Playground in Tenafly NJ on a hot Sunday afternoon. The babies were napping and Maayan was playing soccer.

We have a cool new mountain goat sculpture in our park to celebrate the Mountain Goat Run through our neighborhood. The boys love biking to it and gazing up at the goat.

Another bike ride, this time along the Erie Canal in Camillus, led to this hidden gem of a bridge and trail through the woods parallel to the bike path. The rest of the bike ride was somewhat plagued by whining and competition between Theo and Beckett but it was a beautiful day and the trail there is a great discovery.

Bike Riding

For my birthday this year my parents and Jeff gave me a bike and bike rack and trailer for Reed. Jeff just got his own bike back from the repair shop this past weekend so the boys and I have been going for bike rides alone. It has been absolutely joyous and a thrill to all be working together, while at the same time keeping our eyes out for waterfowl, turtles and other interesting sights along the way. We'e been biking a lot through our park but these photos are from the Erie Canal near Green Lakes. We had a totally magical bike ride and then play at the playground.

First Day of School

The day before the first day of school, I had big plans for big fun with my big boys. We took Reed to daycare and then I dropped Theo off at his very best friend Johnny's house for a playdate. Beckett had a friend over as well, and he was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately the friend didn't want to stay at our house (a combination of not liking our cat plus missing his mom and maybe some anxiety about the first day of school) so he left after a short time. Beckett was bummed for a little while, especially when we picked up Theo who was just glowing from his time with Johnny. Luckily Beckett had the great idea to go to Wonder Works at the mall. I had the idea to do the ropes course instead of the "museum," which was immediately met by excited squeals. I was dismayed to learn, once we were there, at the desk, paying for the ropes course, that because of the kids' age I would be forced to go with them. Having just experienced the ferris wheel at the Fair, I felt terror and stomach pains at the idea of doing a ropes course three flights up from the mall floor. Theo and Beckett had both done a ropes course at Diggerland with Daddy and Uncle Jon, so they knew about the harnesses and the ropes and felt the security of not being able to fall. I have so far avoided the ropes courses with the kids so my only experience was when I broke my arm in fifth grade at the Cayuga Nature Center.

The first one across at Wonder Works was absolutely terrifying but I willed my way across it. Beckett was fearless from the first moment across, and loved every minute of it. I think Theo shared some of my trepidation and was picky about which elements to cross and which to avoid, but he pushed himself a lot and felt a lot of pride for doing what he did. Beckett was very fast across and was often waiting for me and Theo to finish a level or an area. In all we spent more than an hour up on the course and the nausea did eventually pass for me but I sure was happy to get back on solid ground!

Theo and Beckett had their first day of First Grade at Syracuse Latin Wednesday. They were so excited to go to school and get back in the swing of things.

The only good thing about the boys going back to school is that Reed and I had a day to ourselves, which we haven't had since school let out in June. We did some chores in the morning but then we hit the zoo, which was wonderfully desolate. We got to hear a tiger roar and ride both the elephant and tiger (the fake ones).