Some Mommy-Preschool Action ~ Westwood Farmers Market & Rocket Fizz

Life has been significantly greater since Elle has entered our lives. One day, T is still acting out and feeling generally disgusted at the city in which we now reside and BAM! enter Elle H. and all is well in the world. She's a year older than him and they met on a big excursion to Brooklyn I took with some new friends from church. For a second I couldn't see T, and then there he was...walking on a busy street holding hands with a cute little girl with long blonde hair. What? Yep, that's how it happened. They played at the splash pad, they played at the park, they jumped on picnic tables and shared snacks. The next day Elle's mom and I got them together again, and more hand-holding and playing and friendshiping occurred. Talmage called my mom that night to tell her the good news, "Mema, I made my first real friend in New York. Her name is Elle and she's a girl!"

I've noticed a real change in T since that day, which was just about a week ago now, and I think I recognize what I'm seeing in his eyes. It sparkles, it's full of life and it's beautiful.

Hope. His happy hope has returned.

Hope that the memory of our amazing Stanford life will never leave us. Hope in today and every day that we are learning to navigate our new life. And hope in a future overflowing with many more wonderful friends like Elle.

My hope? That T doesn't fall apart when Elle starts kindergarten next week!

Speaking of school, we're doing a little thing around here called Mommy-Preschool. We might set up a co-op with some friends from church, but in the meantime I have been keeping these boys busy with activities, lessons, songs and fieldtrips. Our first week was all things A and the boys really caught on. We were in the Subway and Everett looked over and said, "Look, is an A twain!" Super proud Mommy-Preschool-Teacher moment ;)

Apple Jack Necklaces, strung and then quickly eaten by them.

A nanny of one of our new friends set up a trip to the fire station, and we were all in! And by we, I mean Mr. T and me. Evie, well, the thing is...

Evie was lots of tears and lots of covering his ears during said trip to fire station. How sad was it that he kept looking at me and sobbing, "No let dem take me to hospito!"

What? Group picture? Cue Everett's screaming and running from the firemen!

Free tot soccer and basketball in Riverside Park. The coaches were so fabulous with the kids. Two things: 1) Talmage scored 3 goals, he was really digging the whole soccer things. and 2) Everett's shooting form in basketball makes me so, so proud!

This is the trip where T met Elle and the universe was rocked, in a good way. The splash pad on Pier 6 was out of control awesome.

T and Elle in Brooklyn.

T and Elle being safe in the Subway.

And my personal favorite, T and Elle at the farmer's market in Rockefeller Center the next day!

We had a Lizzmonade in Brooklyn. It's a fruit-infused lemonade. We had the raspberry. Look at Everett's face and let me know if you think it was a puckerful drink! It was good, but it was also overpriced. Just sayin'.