we started having m's birthday parties at the sugar bowl in prospect park, brooklyn, when she was 5 or so. for a number of years after we moved back to manhattan, we didn't have a party in brooklyn. we had them in our building's lovely courtyard instead. however, the children outgrew the courtyard. when m turned 12, she insisted on renewing our brooklyn tradition. i didn't want to! . . i didn't want to traipse all the way to brooklyn . . with cake and salad and chips and blankets and jump ropes and water and . . no, thank you! but, as you can see, we did and we do. why? because there's magic that happens at the sugar bowl . . magic for children who become warriors and knights in search of a flag, or intrepid athletes struggling to be the first to cross the finish line in a sack race, or a fairy in the trees watching the others in a circle game . . and magic for the moms and dads who can finally lay on their backs and watch the clouds blowing over, but wonder how is it that we can be so tired and it all goes by so fast?
m's friend created a special birthday card for her this year. it has all their friends on it, and everyone had fun trying to find themselves. m is running after the blond haired figure, and her friend is with c (dressed in her party outfit, brown skort and coral seashell top) to her left, just past the tree.
m's 14th birthday party is tomorrow, so our friend (who is very much like a sister to the girls) came to stay the night and help out with last minute details. we were finishing up the party favors and needed more i-cords, so here they are busily knitting away as m and i made the cake.
after i-cords and cake making, it was time to slice the strawberries to have with the cake.
the girls worked for about three hours on the costume today. it's really coming along and looks beautiful. c is looking forward to rehearsing in it tomorrow.
every year m and i read the next harry potter book. we're up to harry potter and the goblet of fire. it's fun reading with m . . she gasps and laughs and sighs and helps make it all come alive. we've been busier this year than last . . at least m is. last year we had a lot of time to read while waiting for her younger sister to come out of dance class. this year m is helping with class and instead of reading to her, i sit with my friend cindi and knit, which i don't mind . . but m does! we've been reading at night after c goes to bed . . but it takes c a long time to fall asleep these days . . so the reading hour gets later and later and later . . until it's very early!
we went to see don quixote this evening. we got the tickets through the girls' ballet school. it was such a beautiful production, and the dancing was exciting . . we saw paloma herrera and angel corella. they were rather amazing!
as you can see, we sat at the top of the theatre! when i'm climbing the stairs, i can't look down until i sit. just looking at this picture makes me dizzy.
we started having m's birthday parties at the sugar bowl in prospect park, brooklyn, when she was 5 or so. for a number of years after we moved back to manhattan, we didn't have a party in brooklyn. we had them in our building's lovely courtyard instead. however, the children outgrew the courtyard. when m turned 12, she insisted on renewing our brooklyn tradition. i didn't want to! . . i didn't want to traipse all the way to brooklyn . . with cake and salad and chips and blankets and jump ropes and water and . . no, thank you! but, as you can see, we did and we do. why? because there's magic that happens at the sugar bowl . . magic for children who become warriors and knights in search of a flag, or intrepid athletes struggling to be the first to cross the finish line in a sack race, or a fairy in the trees watching the others in a circle game . . and magic for the moms and dads who can finally lay on their backs and watch the clouds blowing over, but wonder how is it that we can be so tired and it all goes by so fast?
