I'll just give some highlights of our time since returning home from Niagara Falls last week.
Ella and I enjoyed a fantastic mother-daughter night out with Maeve and her mom Sharon last Tuesday. We had a lovely dinner together and then went to the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. Sharon is a former ballerina who is now teaching ballet to adults. She told us of when she was in high school and used to sit way up high in the nosebleed seats at Lincoln Center all by herself when tickets were only $9. Unfortunately, we paid no where near $9 for our tickets.
Friday night was of course at The Met, however instead of joining the kids in their class, Kevin and I took advantage of one of the last evenings warm enough to enjoy the roof top bar. We saw a stunning sunset over the city while sipping wine. It's a good life.
Over the weekend I was down with a bad head cold. Ella was invited to her first sleep over at a new school friend's house and joined them the next day to go apple picking upstate. I wish I had photos to share. That left Holden and Kevin to get in some good father-son time together. They spent Sunday wandering the city, playing tourist, and visiting several LEGO stores.
Holden has started a new class this week. He and several other homeschoolers his age will be working on different volunteer projects each week and will be learning about ways that people give back to their communities. Yesterday the group visited a food pantry for the homeless and needy. We learned about who is coming to receive groceries, why they need help, where the money comes from to pay for the food, and what other services the staff there offer. We discussed gratitude at length as a group after the visit. I only wish Ella had been able to be there as well.
And an update on Ella. Yesterday morning as she was getting ready for school she said, "Mom, I really love my new school." I can't tell you how happy that made me. It's such a joy to see her so happy, making tons of new friends, feeling challenged in her classes, and continuing to love learning. She has joined the cross-country running team and the debate teams. Her first debate is in a couple weeks. Her English teacher has already emailed me to tell me that she is "a joy to have in class." She's now taking the subway home with friends and wanting to spend some of her time on the weekends with friends. I won't lie - this pulling away and independence makes me more than a little sad. Kevin and I said many times over the last few years that we knew this was the best time in our lives when our kids wanted to spend all of their time with us and our weekends were spent all together. And now we see that time coming to an end. But of course it's all the way it's supposed to be. We're both so proud of her and happy to see her blossoming so much and finding her way.
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