Last weekend we joined friends Izzy and Sammy and their parents for dinner at Five Guys (another first for the Reichmann family!) and then a concert in their neighborhood by a Rod Stewart impersonator! Ari and Alex also went to friend Gillian's 4th birthday party, their first friend to turn 4. They enjoyed the pajama dance party with Gillian and also Andrew, Darby, Jeremy and other friends.
Monday Mommy and Kira went to this summer's first concert in our favorite kids' summer series- this is our third summer going to these concerts and it's so neat to see how much has changed over the years. One constant is our "summer crew" though- friends Rina, Celia and Eliana, Izzy and Sammy, and "the other Ari." It was fun to be back with the crew even though Ari and Alex were MIA due to the fact they still had two days of nursery school classes left. We expanded our summer crew with the addition of some friends, like Andrew and his Mommy. Kira was more than delighted to have Andrew join us- she seems to have quite the crush on him and is always looking out the front window asking for him. She was especially happy to have all of his attention on her with Ari and Alex at school.
Tuesday morning Izzy and Sammy and their dog Billy came over for a playdate with their mommy, and Billy stayed behind when they left because he is staying with us for the rest of the week while his family is on vacation. So this week Ari, Alex and Kira have been enjoying having Billy around. Ari and Alex especially have been big helpers, walking and feeding Billy:
Tuesday was also the day Kira woke up from her nap and told Mommy "pee pee!" She walked into the bathroom and insisted on sitting on the potty, so Mommy indulged and was surprised when her diaper was dry but she actually did pee on the potty! She repeated this again on Wednesday so while it's probably just Kira's way of experimenting, it was still quite amusing. Tuesday afternoon Ari and Alex started swim lessons at a nearby indoor pool. Mommy thought they'd enjoy the class because they love our pool so much, but the first class was a bit of a harrowing experience for everyone. First of all, the parents are not only not allowed in the water (which Mommy knew) but are not allowed in the pool area! Alex and Ari didn't take kindly to the fact that Mommy was going to leave their side, so for the first class she stuck by them and was just happy Kira sat contentedly in her stroller. The teacher was a little gruff, which further turned Ari and Alex off, but luckily another (nicer) teacher stepped in to help Ari, Alex and another little girl who was too scared to even let go of her mommy and all three kids eventually warmed up. Mommy wasn't sure what to expect at the second class but is happy to report that Ari walked right into the water and was a happy participant in class, playing "ring around the rosie" with the other kids and the teacher, practicing her kicking and blowing bubbles in the water. Alex was still a little tentative so an assistant came in to give him a little one-on-one attention, and in the end Mommy and Kira even left the pool area to watch from the lobby and everyone was happy. Mommy hopes things should go smoothly from here on out!
Wednesday was a bittersweet day for all of us as Ari and Alex had their last day of nursery school. They had a wonderful year with their caring teachers and friends, so we were all sad to see it end but promised to get together a lot over the summer. Mommy was especially (and to her surprise) sad, probably at the realization of how quickly the years really do go by and how little time she has with children who still call her "Mommy" and still run to her for a hug at the end of class.
Thursday was a rainy day so we skipped the kids concerts but went to the Mommy and Me activities at a nearby shopping center, where the kids got balloon animals (Ari got another pink piggy, Alex got a dog and Kira got a butterfly). Afterwards, we stopped by Nana's office where the kids loved seeing the birds and fish and meeting all of Nana's work friends.
Friday our good friends Joe and Sammy came to visit with their mommy Jenn, and we all met up with Ari and Alex's school friend Laylie at a nearby orchard for strawberry picking! The kids loved finding the "good ones" and taste testing the selection. After picking our fill of strawberries (which became dessert later that night) we went to the duck lake for lunch and a quick visit with the ducks. Friday night Nana, Poppy, Aunt Lori, Uncle Sam and Ozzie came over for Shabbat dinner- Billy was excited to have a friend and the dogs got along great.
Today we took our first visit of the season to Poppy's boat (which Alex knows is named Titan but Ari has re-dubbed "Tuckie"-- short for the Yiddish word for "tushie"-- because she thinks that would be a better name). Kira was a little apprehensive at first but warmed up when we took a visit to the pool and she practiced her jumping off the side into the pool. Ari and Alex, as a testament to their swim lessons, walked right into the shallow end of the pool and showed Nana and Poppy their swimming skills! After swimming we took a quick ride out on the boat, and all three kids helped Poppy drive the boat. Kira loved buckling and unbuckling her life vest and waving to the passing boats.
So an exciting week to kick off the start of our summer, which is sure to be busy with lots of activities, friends and family!
No comments:
Post a Comment