The Beach...Finally!

We eventually got to the beach on Monday of Memorial Day weekend and it felt sooo good to feel the sun on our skin and hear the crashing waves.

We haven't got our beach routine fine-tuned just yet, so we fumbled a bit as we tried to get out of the house with way too much stuff for an afternoon at the beach. Hosing off beach chairs, searching for beach toys, trying to remember whether the umbrella broke last summer, debating whether to use last summer's sunscreen -- all par for the course during the first beach weekend of the season.

When we eventually settled in, Lyla made it pretty clear that she will need her own beach chair this summer. She kept asking "where Lyla chair" and promptly took my seat as soon as I got up.




I had some concerns about whether Lyla would still love the beach as much as she did last summer. She has become more cautious, so I wondered whether she would get upset when she got sandy or be afraid of the water. Other than the lack of nap...she was pretty pleased with the beach itself.











Lyla got braver and braver in the water.


She took a pretty big tumble in the water and rebounded. No pictures of the actual fall because we were scrambling to pick her up...


Lyla calls the shot and decided we were ready to go home. We were all down by the water and she walked back to her chair. She that little red bathing suit in the distance?


Finally, big news to report. My parents got a slide for the pool! We tried it out after the beach. Awesome, right?










I love you, Summer.

Memorial Day 2011

I didn't think summer would ever get here but it finally did! We filled our Memorial Day weekend with family, friends and Long Beach sand in our shoes.

We spent Saturday at our good friends Dan and Liz's house, along with our friends Nick and Melanie.  Liz kept asking me "Are you sure you don't mind missing a day at the beach?"  My friend knows me so well and I would happily skip the beach to see her.   Liz and Melanie are both pregnant and due in the next few months!  They both look great.  It felt good to catch up with good friends while Lyla got to indulge in suburban bliss.  She is a sucker for a big backyard and a swingset.  And she loved playing with Kaia and Luke.


Kaia is such a sweet and funny little girl. She is going to be a great big sister!






The big hit of the day was lollipops.












Do you think Lyla enjoyed her lollipop?


Our next party of the weekend was at Dina's for Nick and Chrissy's birthdays. More on that later.

Jen & Scott's BBQ

We went to Jen and Scott's house in Westport on Sunday for a barbeque, to see their new house and to meet Madeleine! They have an amazing house on over an acre of land in a beautiful neighborhood. It was a full on baby fest -- everyone at the bbq had at least one kid in tow, most of them younger than Lyla.

It was a great chance to catch up with friends we see way to rarely and for the kids to get a chance to play. Lyla had fun playing with Kaia. Kaia is such a sweet and happy little cutie.









Kaia and Liz


Bashful Lyla


Lounging Lyla


Baby Madeleine and Jen




Catching up


Lyla climbed up on the lounge chair and stole Dan's cupcake.




A cupcake that she fully enjoyed.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend with great weather, great food and great times catching up with friends and family.

Saturday was hazy and lazy.  We actually got a late start because we went to the Yankee Game on Friday night while Lyla stayed with my parents.

We took the Yankee Clipper up to the game which is 1000% more enjoyable than taking the 4 train to the Bronx. Bonus points because it leaves from Pier 11, just about four blocks from our apartment.







It was our first time at the new stadium and it looks fantastic!





When we got to Long Beach on Saturday, we spent the day hanging out with my parents and hitting one of Lyla's favorite new parks. Her park routine is as follows: Swing, Slide, Stomp.

Swing


Slide


Stomp


And then a quick water break.


She's pretty adventurous (as we really witnessed at the end of the weekend...) and prefers the "big kid" playground over the one for people her size, so we're kind of "helicopter" parents right now, trying to step in before she tries to zip line out of the park.