Part I: Friday

Did you know dusk in the summer is 8:45 p.m.?

Me either. That is why I was at the park with my three kids, two pizzas, four blankets, sweatshirts, and a cooler at 7 p.m.

Summer is wonderful. Frozen gets shown on blowup screens in parks and you meet your friends and your neighbors and it is great. Except that QT likes to wrestle his sister on the grass and everyone has to go to the bathroom at a different time, and there is only one bathroom for a park full of kids and the line is long and there is a possibility that your 3-year-old pees on you while you are holding him, and there is a possibility that one or more of your children pull a Britney Spears and walk into a bathroom with no shoes on.

There is ice cream at 10:00 and trying to pack up by the flashlight app on your phone. There are three very tired kids crammed into the green car because the van is in the shop and you aren't quite sure how you are going to be able to pick it up the next day because of said three kids and your husband is away, but for now you are grateful that you decided to meet up with friends and neighbors because without them, there would have been no way that you would have been able to navigate the bathroom situation, chasing QT around in the dark, the ice cream, the park, the pizza.

And once again, you got to hear the majority of the movie, without actually seeing it, and it was pretty amazing when all the songs came on and everyone was singing, little kids, big kids, dads. And this is what summer should be about, big outdoor movies, late night ice cream and pizza. And sure, you will pay for it the next morning, but for now, between the bathroom breaks, under the summer sky, the music playing, the crowd singing, QT still for a moment in your lap, you are grateful for the experience and for the fact that you have friends in the crowd willing to keep an eye on every combination of kid you leave behind and you think this is good. This is good.

Busy at the Beach

I can't believe how quickly the past few weeks have gone by. Tomorrow QT will be one month old! A photo shoot will be forthcoming.

We have been busy at the beach. Here are a few pics of our most recent adventures.

This is the actual Fourth of July. Note that the Lady is missing. She had passed out in the car on the way to the BBQ and was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom, while the Little Lady and the Big Man enjoyed some mini-cupcake topped parfaits. This photo doesn't do the parfaits any justice, they were delicious and very pretty to look at, but I just had to include it to show the Little Lady's face and her little brothers apparent lack of interest.

QT just hanging out on the couch. He does have a bit of baby acne, but I am not going to stress over it.

Sailfest fireworks. This was the only time these kids sat still. They barely even watched the fireworks, they basically ran around and whipped each other with the glow sticks.

I am loving being within walking distance of the beach and being able to take little walks in the evening with everyone. Granted, QT is usually crying by the end but the Ladies are able to ride the carousel and have some ice cream.

The Ladies. About three hours after this photo was taken the Lady woke up from her bed with a high fever and then proceeded to puke all over the couch and her Dora blanket. I will give serious props to my husband for cleaning it up.

QT chillin' in his stroller.

It was super hot at the beginning of the week here. There is only one AC unit and it happens to be in the bedroom that my sister is in. We were lucky to be heading home for a night so that my hubby could play softball (yes, his injury is healed enough to continue to play) and so that we could cut our drive to LI the following day in half.

I will say that there are four things I miss about our home.

1. Central Air

2. Washer/Dryer on the main floor

3. Water pressure in our shower

4. Lionel--there really is nothing like a king-sized bed

However, after spending about 15 minutes in our kitchen/living room with three kids and a ton of stuff, I would have gladly given them all up (well maybe not Lionel--he is super soft and supportive) for a bit more room.

The next day we headed out to Long Island to visit my college roommates and have a bit of a playdate. To say that there were a few kids there would be an understatement. . . 

We are back now and today I even made it to the beach! We are waiting for the Wild Ones to arrive this evening for more fireworks and fun.