Mandatory first day of school picture in front of the house

Cyra goes to pre-school two days a week. It's not very rigorous. (We applied for some better programs (a.k.a. Harvard feeders), but Cyra's math scores were a little disappointing. Maybe we'll have better luck with Lulu.*) They do Yoga, Music, Drama, and snacks. But I think it's all just a little too scary. The other day, I picked her up and she ran to me ready to burst into tears. Then she held on to my neck as hard as she could until we got home. Here's how it went:

How was school?
It was a hard day.
Why?
Because I cried at school.
Aww. Sorry. Why did you cry at school?
Because it was a hard day.
Why was it a hard day?
because I cried at school....etc.

The conversation went on like this for a while and I still don't know what made the day so hard and which came first, the crying or the "hard"-ness.

Did I mention that one of the classroom aides told me that she thinks Cyra needs a belt for her pants:



Maybe it's just too early to be sending her out into the world--totally exposed.


*I am just kidding about applying to pre-schools and not getting in. She can't even take the standardized tests until next year and you better bet her Kaplan class will prepare her for the math section... ;)

Happy Birthday Lucia

Thank you for still loving us...despite all the poking and squeezing and choking. It's hard to resist with that face.

Day at the park

The above picture demonstrates the difference between my two little girls. When we get to the park:

Cyra--stays with mommy; has a snack; tries to stay clean.
Lucia--goes into the nearest dirt pile head first. Is she doing down-dog or just trying to make sure she gets enough dirt in her hair?



Is she tenderly holding this baby doll's head or trying to find a way to dislodge it? Whatever it is, it requires focus.



And Cyra makes a friend with a cute little girl that looks a lot like Cyra. And note her silent distress as this little girl takes her horn. I think in her mind, Cyra thinks that she is hiding her annoyance.



Just look at those lips. Now another predatory "friend" has taken her other toy so notice how Cyra is sitting on top of the rest just to ward off other invaders.



And don't worry about Lulu's dirty hand trying to take the camera.







I wish I could communicate rage the way Cyra does with her eyes. It might come in handy some day. The cute little girl to whom the crusty look is directed seems not to care. I'm glad.

Dance party in the rain

Sometimes it's just raining so hard, that you have to go outside and dance (to techno music).

Falling in love...

A few weeks ago, we went walking along the west side and it was such a beautiful day with some ominous clouds for a backdrop. I was thinking that New York would have been a wonderful place to fall in love. It's just a nice setting for a romance. It's also a nice place to have a family. We stopped occasionally and just ran around the grass and watched the boats on the water and just played together until it was really late. There are times when I am sick of the city and ready to move to the warm beach or to the suburbs where I can drive my minivan to a super-target to pick up some pool toys. This was not that day.







Walking like a cat...

So the other day, I am cleaning underneath the couch and there is a little alphabet block stuck way back there so I get on my stomach and reach for it and it slides out further and Lucia is just watching me sort of adjust and try to get this thing. I reach my arm out as far as it can go under there (I think my "wingspan" is about 2 feet mind you). Anyway, I can't reach it and I am not going to try anymore. But wait, I'm stuck. I keep pulling my hand out, but it really hurts and the couch is all of a sudden squishing my arm and the couch is really heavy. But I'm not really stuck. I just need to move my shoulder or wiggle my arm around a little so I can get out, but no I'm stuck. And I just look at Lulu and she's still staring at me and now it seems that she's laughing at me. So I just start laughing and we are both laughing, but it's really not funny because I am stuck under the couch. (If Cyra were awake, I am sure she would have shown a lot more empathy). So I just stay there for a while and start to thinking how precious life is.... and limbs and long sticks that you can use to get things from under couches. And then I decided that I really needed to pull my arm out and I did and it really hurt and I got a big bruise.

I really wish I had a picture of me under there, but I thought this one of Cyra was cute and here's to hoping that she will be more coordinated and smoother than her mother.

We miss Darian and Kian

And we are going to miss summer...





And wrestling in the park...