Summertime

We had a great Father's Day weekend. The kids spent the night with Saba and Safta on Saturday while we resurrected movie night with our BFFs in San Francisco. Sunday, we drove down to Monterey (and that drive has never felt so long). The weather finally turned warm and it was good to relax and celebrate fatherhood together. Leeor is my complete opposite when it comes to these Hallmark holidays--all he wants to do is spend the day with the kids (whereas I just want to have some alone time) and it's one of the many things I love about him. He's such a good aba.
Lilit, the OG daddy's girl, as she awoke from a steamy stroller nap this afternoon. The kids and I went to the Ferry Building and the carousel at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, with a couple of stops by Leeor's office (we also brought him his PB&J). It was our first truly hot day of the summer and we came home grubby, thirsty and ready to stay still for a few hours. But it was good to get out--even though I don't work on Mondays, there is still that grunty Monday feeling that sometimes gets to me. Chucking our routine in favor of fun is always worth it, even though Avi had a massive meltdown on the walk to the BART station (I actually swore and then he told me not to say "dammit," oh, I love him so much)
Avi at one of the many fountains in the YBCA--he eventually found his way completely into another fountain and was briefly face-down in it--by choice. It was that hot.

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Movie night!! These guys are laughing because I am such a dork to insist upon photos at the Sundance Kabuki. We saw Tree of Life, which was, as another friend said today, "like a long, beautiful prayer," and could have discussed it endlessly. I'm still thinking about the movie.
Avi on his lion at the YBCA carousel. He is going through a lot lately--Lilit turning one and getting more mobile, more chatty, garnering more attention from us and also passers by--it stirs him in such a profound way.
I wish I always felt empathy; lately I have been feeling irritated and impatient with his regression, with the whining and the need to have every little thing just so. But I am also trying to make sure he gets some special one-on-one time, that I'm not always multi-tasking in his presence.
These glasses have had amazing staying-power. A gift from the BFFs for his second birthday, they inspire much commentary from folks on the street.
These two have been really, really fun lately. Their interaction is almost entirely their own, save my interference when it comes to safety ("Mommy, she likes it when I push her over and then pull her up!" and indeed it seemed she didn't mind but sheesh).
Avi noticed this bee as we approached the carousel. My city boy under the influence of our new yard, endlessly observant.
Another observation, "Mommy, why aren't there any ducks or sharks in the water right here?" which lead to a discussion about how this was nature but also sort of not. I'm so relieved when he asks a question I can answer but I fear the day when the questions get more complicated. Thank god for Google.
Lilit is beginning to pose for the camera. It fascinates me, the way these kids evolve. One day, she had no idea what it meant to have this shiny, red object appear in front of her face, make a noise, and then go away. Now she seems to know what to do. I love her toothy grin, her epic cheeks. She has been super snuggly lately. I fretted about having a second overnight away from her--I am such a different mama with Lilit than I was with Avi at this age! She also has such a different temperament than Avi, but I love how both of my kids are so affectionate. There is simply nothing better than when Lilit leans into me for a hug, or when Avi throws his spindly legs and arms around my body.
Avi had a running commentary about his time with Saba and Safta. The kids had such a blast. Avi said, "Put my butt in the sink, " because, he explained, "Saba and Safta put Lilit's butt in the sink after she pooped, Mommy."
At every milestone Lilit reaches, Avi has an upswing of jealous acting out; he is so sensitive and also instinctively able to express the depth of his feelings. I have to keep reminding myself that he is not quite 3 and a half, like when Leeor and I are trying to have a discussion with him about his behavior. I catch myself mid-sentence, some developmental theory that I read in another lifetime prancing to the fore, and roll my eyes, "This is way too much for him," I mumble to my partner, "the way we are trying to talk to him," and we all move on.

Leeor and Avi are asleep in our room. I will go join them soon but I am lingering in the semi-quiet of our home. The dishwasher is burbling and the dryer just buzzed.

I get one more day at home with the kids before I start my work-week on Wednesday. If it's still hot tomorrow, we may have to try out a Berkeley public pool . . . I already checked with Avi and he approved.

It's finally summer . . .I remember last year at this time, I had a precious, tiny newborn clamoring for space with my insightful toddler, and we suffered 7 weeks of dense fog. We complained, but it didn't seem too bad until I compare it with the sun-drenched splendor we enjoyed today. I have been intermittently pining for the past, now exalted in my memory for its ease and simplicity. But the present, even its stickiest, most unpleasant moments, is freakishly good.