My baby is growing up

 . . . too quickly!

I can't believe three months of school are almost up.  This year is even more momentous because Indio is finally old enough to attend the Montessori school I teach at.  He is a "3" in a class of 3-, 4- and 5-year olds with two of the calmest teachers I've met.  There is a lot of energy in this class, especially with the Kindergarten-aged boys, and both of Indio's teachers seem to handle it all with such grace.  Of course, my kid is attracted to these rambunctious, older boys, especially on the playground where games of "Aliens and Vampires" are the norm!

Luckily, Indio also loves the classroom work and routines.  I had often thought about how my own child(ren) would be in a Montessori classroom and listening to Indio speak about the Montessori materials he uses in class brings my Montessori training from 12 years ago full circle for me.  I'm so glad we made this choice.

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Happy 38th Anniversary

. . . to the best parents in the world!  Wishing you many more years together.  Love you.

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Thankful

for so many things, especially my little family.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Gobble!  Gobble!

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A few days in paradise

landing in nassau in the rain

After being home for just over a week from camping, we packed up and headed on another family vacation . . . to the Bahamas!  Our good friends, Denise and Davidson moved to Nassau about 2 years ago and we were super-excited to see them again along with their adorable daughter, Mila.  Emil's mother and youngest sister, Addie, also joined us on our sojourn.

Much to our dismay, we landed at Linden Pinding International Airport during a summer storm. Thankfully, it was the only one during our short trip.

Indio, Emil, and Addie spent most of their days in the water -- ocean and pool -- while Emil's mom and I relaxed with music, reading material, and drinks on the beach. After a hectic few weeks, it was a much needed break.

the water was ridiculous! softest sand, clearest water.

Each evening, we met up with Denise, Davidson, and Mila for dinner.  We feasted on Bahamian specialties such as conch fritters, grouper, and rice and peas.  We were on a mission to find the best conch fritters on the island, and I have to say Frankie Gone Bananas at the Arawak Cay Fish Fry won, hands down! It was so wonderful to sit and catch up with our old friends, though it made me miss them even more.

how lucky we were to have such gorgeous hostesses: denise and baby mila!

my little mer-boy

coconuts on the beach

my sunshine

We spent one evening at Davidson's parents' house, which sits right on the water. The views from the house were mesmerizing. Imagine waking up every morning to the sound of the waves in your backyard! Of course, we also heard tales of the many hurricanes that have hit the Bahamas. Davidson's mom, Ada, cooked us a delicious West Indian meal of beef curry, coconut rice, plantains, and daal puri. The meal was completed with a traditional Guyanese dessert: cassava pone.

the view from davidson's parents' deck . . . crazy!

Though this was a vacation to a foreign land, it was a treat to feel so "at home" with Denise and Davidson and his parents. Our time with them made this trip even more special.

bahamians love canadians

the comforts of home

Our time in paradise was fleeting and it seemed like we were packing up for home just as we got used to it all. We were welcomed to New York by a huge thunderstorm only moments after we landed. It seemed fitting that our trip ended with a [meteorological] bang since it began with one too.

landing at laguardia

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Camping? Camping!

It's hard to believe it's already been just over 2 weeks since my very first camping trip! Emil, Indio and I headed north for 5 days to a KOA Kampground near Lake George, NY with 17 other friends.

I have to admit, I was not initially looking forward to spending 4 nights sleeping in a tent, worrying about mosquitos and when my next shower was going to be. Emil allowed me to back out of the trip until the very last minute, but because I really thought this would be a great experience for Indio, I sucked it up and went along. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would actually have as much fun as I did! [Up until this point in my life, camping was on my NOT to-do list!]

Luckily, KOA sites ar equipped with electricity and running water on each site, showers and flush toilets nearby, and get this, free wifi! Our friends who organized the trip also ensured that we would have the comforts of home: freshly made coffee every morning to go along with a hot breakfast, Emil's iPod playlists, and more food and drink than we could consume.

playing hide-n-seek at our site

floaty overload! [campsite pool]

Each day, we ventured off the site, which I think was key to me enjoying the trip. I don't know how much fun I would have had sitting at a campsite all day.

On our first full day we drove to Corinth Beach, where despite the cold water, the kids and dads jumped in for a swim.

That evening, we ventured to Lake George Village for delicious ice cream. [I think the chocolate peanut butter ice cream from The Pink Roof may have been better than my all-time fave: Haagen-Dazs choc pb!] We also got to see the weekly fireworks show over the lake.

shark eating goldfish while a mermaid looks on

rare family photo [+will!]

The next day, we went tubing down the Hudson River with Tubby Tubes Co.  Indio was in awe of all the tubes floating not-so-lazily down the river and loved that we stopped so he could swim in the river.

floating down a river

On our last full day, we rented a pontoon from Chic's Marina in Bolton Landing, NY and cruised Lake George for 3 hours. It took me back to my childhood when I spent a lot of time at my cousin's cottage. It took us awhile to figure out the anchor, but once we did, we all went for a swim. 

el capitan

piggy back rides are always more fun in the water

bbq chicken lunch before taking a dip

smiles after a swim

tuckered out

I am so glad that I had the chance to try camping once. Even sleeping in a tent wasn't bad [other than the last two nights when it was unbearably hot and humid]. Indio had the most fabulous time and Emil and I made more family memories together. I don't know that I'd ever go again, but at least I can say I did it once.

cozy campsite

indio was enamored with all the "big boys"

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