A Seasonal Time Out

 

 

Two seasons diverged on a cool fall day as I sort through photos, reflecting back on our first full summer in our new home in Philadelphia and preparing to host our second Thanksgiving at 502 Woodbrook Lane.  Our summer was full with three different camps for Lila (I needed a spreadsheet to try to navigate it all), a blowout 5^th birthday party, a very special family trip to Cape Cod and Lila’s first trip to Lake Michigan.  

1st Day of Camp Cricket

Happy Camper

 

Our young camper swam, golfed (sort of), improved her racquet skills, soccer footwork, and even pulled a rabbit out of a hat at the camp magic show.  L took a vacation from camp and Greg and I took time off from work to prepare for Lila’s “High Five Hoedown” (the social event of the season) for which we needed a week on the beach to recuperate.  Over 40 of Lila’s friends and classmates put on their boots and came to celebrate her big milestone complete with entertainment, ponies, face painting and plenty of giddy up!  We were lucky to have great cowpokes like Miss Liz, who flew in from California, and Kira, who came down from NYC, to make one little cowgirl’s birthday dreams come true. 

Lila's High 5 Hoedown

PeeWee the Horse

On to Cape Cod for what has become an annual Martin vacation- this year we were joined by the Beards, Rizzos and Grama Cathy for a beautiful family beach vacation.  We swam, enjoyed fabulous ocean front picnics, lobster rolls, nighttime cocktails on the balcony, and got busted when our Jalopy paddle boat drifted into the “swim zone.”  Lila and Stella shrieked their way up and down the boardwalk, swapped fashion, and became “summer sisters.”  After a few weeks back to our routine, we were off to Michigan for our 2^nd summer vacation to see Stella’s new house and Grauntie’s house renovation in progress.  Lila also had her first trip to Lake Michigan- our little water girl has declared she prefers fresh water to the ocean (less seaweed salad). 

Cape Cod

After our summer whirlwind of celebration, varying camp schedules and travel, we greeted the first day of school with a mountain of magnificent summer memories, which left us satiated but hungry for the next course of fall routine.  Having one year of SCH under her belt, Lila bounded right into her Kindergarten class, excited to be back with her girls and to kick off another year of learning and growing, this year under the direction of the fabulous Ms. Culbert- also known as “Ms. Cookie.”

 

We capped off the official summer with a late season September visit by the Beards.  (Beth and Stella’s first trip to Philadelphia).  We watched the Cubs beat the Phils, had lunch at a beautiful farm where Stella and Lila took center stage when the band began to play, and wrapped it up with a tour of Independence Hall and visit to the Liberty Bell.  After three months of consecutive visits in three separate states, Lila and Stella firmly established their summer sisterhood—one which we hope to repeat and will always treasure.

Cubs vs. Phillies

Wyebrook Farm

Summer Sisters

 

 As most autumns go, it was a blur of school activity, after school soccer, computers and ice skating, ballet and tap lessons and lots of Temple and Eagles football.  I took on additional responsibilities at work last September which have increased my travel and have Lila asking, “Mommy, why do you work so much?”  So as this weekend came on the horizon I decided to call a time out.  We received several invites for play dates, which I declined.  Greg had both a Temple and Eagles game to attend so it seemed the perfect weekend for Lila and me to go into a bubble.  Not that we didn’t do anything- we got all of our Thanksgiving shopping done after school on Friday, did a little holiday shopping on Saturday and went to the local art museum last night for the tree lighting and to welcome in Santa (first year Lila has actually embraced the old guy).  We bumped into a neighbor at the market who was lamenting how rushed and over-scheduled they are- which made me think about the power of politely declining and saying “no.”  Lila and I have watched Elf twice, worked on her Christmas list, made smoothies and hot chocolate, and are now watching Christmas Vacation.  So on the weekend eve of the unofficial start to the holiday season we are re-charging and feeling grateful for time to do nothing— together.  Happy Thanksgiving.

 

What’s New:

We are in the “know it all” phase.  More often than not when we tell Lila something we are responded to with, “I know that.”  We look forward to the passing of this phase- though know the next phase will likely be worse.  Lila is full of questions- “Where does fire come from?”  “Where does electricity come from?”  And the more complicated sort, “Why don’t we celebrate Hanukah?”  “Can girls get married to each other?”

Lila is 43” tall, weighs 38 pounds and sports a 10.5 shoe.  She often says she is a vegetarian but had a hamburger for lunch yesterday, though after eating half of it said she was going to be a “fishatarian.”  Thanks to Aunt Beth and Uncle Jeremy for introducing us, Lila is obsessed with Pitch Perfect and performs regularly to the soundtrack.  Other favorite songs include “Fight Song” and “Bad Blood.”  Lila discovered Linda Ronstadt’s classic, “It’s So Easy” on my phone so that has become our favorite “car rock out.”  L’s favorite game to play at home and school is “going on a trip”- which entails all kinds of things getting thrown in various bags and she dresses up.  She is studying the continents in school and keeps asking when we are going to go to London.  We are eagerly anticipating many adventures for this little traveler- near and far.

Settling In

 

“We’re growing up, way way up, making our way with hopes and dreams making our way in the world today….”

Lila’s Pre-K class wound up the school year last week with an assembly full of song and photo montage which left barely a dry mommy or daddy eye in the auditorium.  In this busy season of culmination, Lila and I have been talking about “happy cries.” ESPN called last weekend one of the all-time great sports weekends- full of victory and history on the track, court and rink.  Between Lila’s Pre-K farewell and American Pharoah thundering down the home stretch I had my own weekend of a lifetime, overflowing with happy tears.

 

Blue and Gold Day



We are closing in on the one year mark of our new Philadelphia life, and as with any time of great change it has been a year of both happy and sad tears, transition, celebration and loss.  We are grateful for the friendships we all have begun to cultivate, a house that feels more like a home every day and the place of confidence, sisterhood and learning that has nurtured Lila at SCH.  As we look back on the school year we marvel at the depth of experiences these young girls shared- taking the train into Center City to visit City Hall, studying Jazz, Ezra Jack Keats, Martin Luther King, learning Mandarin, hikes in the woods, hatching chicks and all of it captured in weekly blogs and photos by Mrs. Daley. 

Lila, Mrs. Daley and Olivia



Lila and her SCH Sisters Victoria and Alexandra

“We are family and we’re a tree our roots grown deep down in history from my great, great grandfather reaching down to me we’re a green and growing family tree…”

 

While Lila has grown up so much this past year she had to grow up in a way we wished could have waited a bit.  Our fall, while filled with new beginnings, was sadly darkened by the loss of Greg’s Dad in October.  Lila and Pop Pop had a very special relationship and both of their faces brightened when around one another.  Before we moved down to Philadelphia, when we would come to visit, Pop Pop was the one who usually fell asleep with Lila in the big bed and then they would wake up together for Pop Pop’s soft boiled eggs. SCH’s theme this year was “gratitude,” and as difficult as it was to say goodbye to Pop Pop, we are grateful for the time we had, and especially for the last few months of proximity we shared.  Lila and Pop Pop were able to share dinners on our patio, drawings in her room and morning eggs, many times when which she would eat hers and finish his.  As Lila grows we begin to see her genetic seeds take shape, and for a voracious appetite and so much more we have Pop Pop to thank. 

Lila and Pop Pop Celebrate his 80th Birthday

“I see trees of green red roses too, violets of blue for me and you and I think to myself what a wonderful world….”

Maybe it’s the lazy days of summer, but after more than a few speed bumps of transition I am slowly finding my sea legs, sinking into a slower pace and recognizing the beauty that accompanies full presence. Greg, Lila and I have begun to take evening walks full of discovery, and I have a few mommy friends whose company I would choose even if our girls didn’t share a classroom, but the fact that they do makes happy play dates for all.  I find ways to squirrel away special moments with Lila- whether it is rushing her out of bed so we can be early birds at the Garden Club flea market (we got some great stuff), manis and pedis at Cocoa Blue, sharing a cookie at the Night Kitchen, milkshakes at the Trolley Car Diner or exploring our little piece of the Wissahickon Creek, which flows down at the end of our road, we are finding our favorite spots together.

Happy Hour at the Trolley Car

 

I look back on these blogs and am grateful to have the reminders of our journey, I recently spent hours downloading and organizing over eight months of photos and while daunting, I was grateful to for the trip down the memory lane of our foundational year- first holidays celebrated with family around the dining room table, first blizzards and first blooms, first trips to the ER (once for Grauntie – broken wrist and once for Lila-  a minor burn- both of them have healed beautifully like the tough girls they are) all in the first year of our first house.  Things are looking a lot different through the door we all first walked through last July- there is new paint, furniture, flea market finds- all which add layers and depth, but what really makes us most at home is the year of moments captured in these walls- happy and sad and for those we are truly grateful.

 

What's New:

I have lapsed in my blogging so feel the need to quickly capture the “Lilaisms” which may not hang around much longer.

“Talentines Day,” “Plano” (piano), “Lellow” (yellow), "Baseball Roundup" (baseball game)

Lila is 41.5” (just a ½ inch shy of the 42” Reese’s category at Hershey Park), 35 lbs. and wears a size 9.5 shoe.  She is very fashion conscious- we continue to have a very difficult time getting out of the house and I am frequently critiqued on my choice of attire. Wish us luck!  As Lila continues to be exposed to more food options her sweet tooth continues but she still understands the importance of “good food choices” even if her first choice is usually a “special treat." 

Favorite Songs:  "Roar" (She's got the eye of the tiger...), "Shake it Off", "Uptown Funk" (Uptown funk you uh...)

The song lyrics in this post were all part of the magical Pre-K farewell. Here are links to two of songs- Lila is that small little head 3rd from the right in the top row- while the faces may be hard to see the pitch is just perfect.

https://youtu.be/s6VM5X726uQ

https://youtu.be/0U2zDoMXjAs