Summer Days 7/29, 7/30, and 7/31
Friday 7/29
Andrew worked from home and took the girls to the pool in the afternoon while I grocery shopped. Cheeseburgers and zuccini on the grill for dinner.
Saturday 7/30
A big day for us. In the morning, we went to a local Volvo dealership to test-drive Andrew's desired car, the XC90. It's a three-row car, much larger than our small wagon, and it's been clear for a while now that it's time for us to upgrade. So we test drove it and then L&G occupied themselves in the car dealership's kid-friendly waiting area (TV! Balloons brought to them! Snacks!) while we suffered through the ridiculous charade that is buying a new car. End result: we bought one. It's the third car of our marriage, and the first brand-new one. I hope we like it!!
L&G were freaking out during the test drive, beside themselves with excited proclamations of how much they loved the car, how we HAD to buy it, how they loved the white color (we're not getting white), how they loved being higher on the road, etc. They loved the sun roof, the AC vents, all of it. Dismayed to hear my hesitations over various things, Lucia turned to Andrew and said, "Daddy, can we count on you to buy this car?"
We'll see how much they love it when Andrew tries to enforce his no-food-in-the-new-car policy. Ha ha ha! (That's me laughing mirthfully at Andrew and his ridiculous plan, not at the kids.)
Saturday evening we gathered with some neighbors for a welcome-back party for other neighbors who'd been living abroad for the past two years. It was a fun way to end our rainy Saturday.
Sunday 7/31
Another rainy rainy day, but it didn't matter because this was my long-awaited visit to see the Diane Arbus exhibition at the Met Breuer. I went to yoga in the morning, showered, and then caught a train to the city while Andrew undertook the day's entertainment of the girls. The exhibition was interesting--early Arbus work that laid the groundwork for her later iconic images--and included one of my favorites, Xmas Tree in a Living Room. Then I walked across the park to the UWS, where I had falafel for lunch before heading back to the train, which I rode back to NJ with an iced coffee and a book. Lovely.
Andrew made an ambitious dinner--clam fritters, deep fried in a cast-iron pan on the grill, plus a plate of tomatoes and mozzarella. Even the kids liked the fritters, although toward the end of dinner Greta did say she was scared of her remaining fritter. Oh, and when she saw the fritters on her plate before she sat down, she said, "I don't want that. I'm outta here." Love that she's blossoming into such a demure, polite child.
And now the second week of our two-week at-home stretch begins.
Andrew worked from home and took the girls to the pool in the afternoon while I grocery shopped. Cheeseburgers and zuccini on the grill for dinner.
Saturday 7/30
A big day for us. In the morning, we went to a local Volvo dealership to test-drive Andrew's desired car, the XC90. It's a three-row car, much larger than our small wagon, and it's been clear for a while now that it's time for us to upgrade. So we test drove it and then L&G occupied themselves in the car dealership's kid-friendly waiting area (TV! Balloons brought to them! Snacks!) while we suffered through the ridiculous charade that is buying a new car. End result: we bought one. It's the third car of our marriage, and the first brand-new one. I hope we like it!!
L&G were freaking out during the test drive, beside themselves with excited proclamations of how much they loved the car, how we HAD to buy it, how they loved the white color (we're not getting white), how they loved being higher on the road, etc. They loved the sun roof, the AC vents, all of it. Dismayed to hear my hesitations over various things, Lucia turned to Andrew and said, "Daddy, can we count on you to buy this car?"
We'll see how much they love it when Andrew tries to enforce his no-food-in-the-new-car policy. Ha ha ha! (That's me laughing mirthfully at Andrew and his ridiculous plan, not at the kids.)
Saturday evening we gathered with some neighbors for a welcome-back party for other neighbors who'd been living abroad for the past two years. It was a fun way to end our rainy Saturday.
Sunday 7/31
Another rainy rainy day, but it didn't matter because this was my long-awaited visit to see the Diane Arbus exhibition at the Met Breuer. I went to yoga in the morning, showered, and then caught a train to the city while Andrew undertook the day's entertainment of the girls. The exhibition was interesting--early Arbus work that laid the groundwork for her later iconic images--and included one of my favorites, Xmas Tree in a Living Room. Then I walked across the park to the UWS, where I had falafel for lunch before heading back to the train, which I rode back to NJ with an iced coffee and a book. Lovely.
Andrew made an ambitious dinner--clam fritters, deep fried in a cast-iron pan on the grill, plus a plate of tomatoes and mozzarella. Even the kids liked the fritters, although toward the end of dinner Greta did say she was scared of her remaining fritter. Oh, and when she saw the fritters on her plate before she sat down, she said, "I don't want that. I'm outta here." Love that she's blossoming into such a demure, polite child.
And now the second week of our two-week at-home stretch begins.
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