Backyard

I know the camera phone isn't the best image but the four kids were having so much fun in their imaginative world of play that Emily and I just sat and watched them and on occassion had to pull something out of Asher's mouth. Literally overnight, Emmit and Asher have started to play together in such a way that Dennis and I are able to do our own thing in the same room and not have to run constant interferance. We have had a great hot week in Buffalo. Over the weekend we visited Lockport, NY and were not impressed but then continued on and discovered Fort Niagara State Park which was a great spot to look out onto Lake Ontario and across to Toronto. Our huge challenge here is finding note worthy hiking. Most "hikes" are just short walks with a very clearly marked trail. We miss the ruggedness of the mountains and trails that wind on for days if it suits you. I am almost done with Asher's birthday quilt and need to post that plus the new picnic quilt I made and we have been using a lot. I am also half way done with another quilt for Dennis and my bed. I have decided that we need a quilt for each season so that there is some rotating that can take place. I made my all time favorite duvet cover last week by finally following a pattern I have had for awhile now (Bust Magazine) which simply involves sewing two flat sheets together. I sewed strips of fabric to tie together at the closure. My favorite part is that the side of the duvet agains our skin is jersey! The JCC pool up North is now open so we have already scheduled a weekly spot for it.

First Day of Summer, Good news for Harriet and everyone who loves her, My Nana and Poppa's anniversary and the anniversary of Shui's Passing

There was so much I wanted to do yesterday to honor Shui but poor little Asher spiked a high fever on Wednesday and that has all but consumed me. I took him to the doctor and it is just a summer viral infection but the poor guy has been moaning in missery and hot hot hot. Dennis and Emmit decided to honor Shui by making our backyard a bird sanctuary and creating lots of bird feeders. It is amazing that overnight our backyard is home to flocks and flocks of birds. We were supposed to be camping in Alleghany for two nights with good friends of ours but instead we are staying put and Asher is showing some signs of feeling better. We also have a lot of sleep to catch up on do to nights being the worse time for the fever. I had a wonderful talk with Ann, Shui's partner, yesterday and am so thankful to have her in our lives. A year always feels so monumental in death. She has felt so close by this last year both in our waking and our dreaming. I am flooded by memories of a year ago in Summertown, TN as we waited on the precipace of Shui's earthly passing and Asher's earthly arrival. There never has been anyone else like Shui in my life and I can't imagine there ever will again as she was so unique and filled my life with such strength and opportunities and unwavering love and support. So much to celebrate yesterday including her extrodinary life that lives on in each of us forever.

Right before the monsoonlike downpour

while our friend Emily finished up making her delicious meal for our weekly meal swap, her two boys hung out with us in our backyard. Dennis and Asher walked to by some flowers to plant and just as they arrived back a huge torrent of rain suddenly gushed from the sky. The kids, popcicles and everything we could grab made it inside sopping wet and then all four kids warmed up and finished their popcicles in the tub together. Once they were all in their pj's the four kids became a marching band singing "This Land Is Your Land" at the top of their lungs while playing their instruments. These are my favorite moments of having kids and a community of great families to hang out with.

oh I almost forgot one more NYC post: Claudia and Tom's wedding with flower boy Emmit

So we have been trying to plan a trip to NYC since we moved to Buffalo two years ago and it was Tom and Claudia's wedding on June 9th that finally got us there. It was the an amazing wedding highlighted by Tom and Claudia dancing together which provided a window into their love for each other and personalities. Emmit was a flower boy and looked so stunning in his suit. He performed his duties flawlessly and I admit I was really stressed that he wouldn't since it all took place post bedtime. The musicians before, during and after the ceremony were the saving grace. We had a great time and Dennis and I are determined now to add dance lessons to our goals.
Claudia is one of my best friends from high school and seeing her and her family celebrate such an occasion together was really special.

Millcreek in Woodstock part 2

Dennis groans everytime he sees these sideways photos but I am completely inept at such complicated things and I live with an expert and anyways maybe it is a good stretch for you all to just turn your head a little! After Asher spent an afternoon chewing on rocks we noticed that he suddenly had two new teeth which brings the new total up to 6! You can even get a sense in one of the photos of how fast he is capable of crawling since I think I caught him practically in air. It is hard to keep clothes on my kids and why bother. So I think we are now caught up on our recent trip pictures. Thanks to all of you who leave comments as it is fun to read them and know who is seeing all of this.

Millcreek in Woodstock part 1

Emmit, Asher and Dennis could not stay out of this freezing cold water and often were in it as early as 6:30 in the morning. I love that Asher and Emmit have inherited Dennis's love of icy water along with my preference to tropical water. I am so glad we splurged and had this litte two day vacation from our vacation so that we could return home refreshed. We are already preparing to head to Alleghany to go camping for two nights later this week.

We leave NYC and fall in love with Woodstock, NY

We stumbled across the most wonderful B&B/Inn called The Woodstock Inn on the Millcreek and met Karen who we hope will be a friend for the long run. We hiked, ate amazing food, wandered along the main street, listened to the rain at night and soaked up the sun while playing in the creek just beyond our deck. The hike up to the fire tower was straight up hill for 2.5 miles and along the way we passed an old building with a long history of being rebuilt as a hotel and then burning down. I think this happened twice and then it was rebuilt and then the depression hit and so here it stands with trees and plants reclaiming it. As soon as Emmit saw the fire tower he exclaimed that it went straight up to heaven! (on a side note- since heaven has been a big topic around here this last year since Grandmama Shui passed away- we saw an injured and dying squirrel the other day and Emmit and I were talking about it and Emmit told me not to sorry because the wind would blow the squierrel up to heaven to be with G-d and so Grandmama Shui could have a squirrel to watch).

The many faces of Asher at the Manhattan Children's Museum

Asher absolutely loves to have his photo snapped and his personality just shines through both in photos and in person. We are stunned that in less then a month he will be a year old.

A brief intermission on posting trip photos to say HAPPY PAPA DAY TO DENNIS

I know I am posting this a day early but Dennis and Asher are asleep and we wanted to share with you some words Emmit wrote for Papa for tomorrow oh and for the record, Dennis doesn't drive a lot and Emmit just wishes we drove more but that is what he wanted me to write. Asher also would want to add his own two cents about Papa and will do so with a ton of wet kisses and lots of "DaDaDa's" tomorrow:

I LOVE DOING ART PROJECTS WITH MY PAPA AND WASHING DISHES. MY PAPA DRIVES A LOT AND I LIKE TO DRIVE WITH PAPA BUT I HAVE BETTER KEYS. MY KEYS ARE THE RIGHT KEYS FOR THE CAR. I PLANT GRASS WITH PAPA AND I PUT DIRT ON IT SO IT WONT MELT. I LIKE GOING TO CHILDREN'S MUSEUMS WITH MY PAPA AND TO HIS OFFICE. MY PAPA PUTS UNDERWEAR ON HIS HEAD SOMETIMES AND THAT MAKES HIM SILLY. I WANT TO TAKE PUCTURES WITH CAMERAS WHEN I AM AS BIG AS MY PAPA AND I CAN REACH UP TO THE SKY. I LOVE MY PAPA SO MUCH.
Love Emmit Sascha

We walked this city until our new flip flops looked worn

Ode to our future musician

How could I pick just one is my common struggle with digital since together they all create a total sense of the moment. Emmit is and has always been completely obsessed and taken with music. He is now learning the satisfaction of listening quietly to headphones by himself and it has made early mornings and long car rides somewhat more bearable. He is currently saving up his pennies for his own Ipod which we predict will take him a good 5-10 years. He will sit and watch musicians play until we drag him away or they stop playing. I can't wait to start him on lessons but am not quite sure at what age to do it as I want nothing to interfere with his love of music. He continues to belt out old classics like "This Land is Your Land" and "Dayenu" from Passover is another often heard song. Even Asher can now sing along to both of these songs. Asher, who also seems to be increasingly following in his brothers passion, often sings himself to sleep with recognizable melodies.

Auntie Amy and her brother show us around

Auntie Amy is one of Dennis's best friends and now she has her own bambina in the oven. We can't wait to meet her in the fall. While Emmit slept in the stoller, Papa and Asher amused us all or rather it was Asher capturing the lime light with his love of the camera.

A Sunday in the Park with the cousins

We spent our first full day in NYC hanging out with my sisters and their families (one sister prefers not to have photos on the blog thus you are only seeing Hilary, Kavita and their absolutely breath takingly beautiful daughter Karishma. We are making a book for my mom of all our photos from the day since she so badly wished she could have been there. Since my sisters and I didn't grow up together like normal siblings, a day like this was especially unique and meaningful. Asher and Karishma are 6 weeks apart and are quite intrigued by each other. I will always remember this day full of our collective five kids rolling around on the grass, swinging together at the playground, reading books and forming lasting memories and bonds.

so many photos to post from our trip.....

We just returned from almost two weeks away visiting friends and family in Manhattan, Brooklyn and then a wonderful vacation from our vacation in Woodstock so here begins a few posts with as many photos as I can squeeze in of our adventures!
First some headshots of the family: