Coming back to Maplewood, I’m always excited to see the cousins hang out even with almost a decade between Sach and the twins. Peyts and Wavester play just as hard as they normally do but with a 2 and 4 year old in tow, and it always makes my heart so joyful. Another bonus: we weren’t expecting to see Mama Margaret but her flight was the following morning so the girls were able to spend the day with her as well! Our friend, Steph, also always finds a way to make time in her day to come squeeze us, and update me on all the things.
Kyle took us out for a Saturday of fun! We swam in the community pool which was decked out with three pools, three diving boards and three diving platforms- the tallest at Olympic height! That was just the morning. For the afternoon activity, we went to Imagine That, a place that was basically a warehouse-sized nursery. The girls were tickled! I don’t think they walked the entire time we were in there. They wanted to get to each activity as fast as they could.
Of course, we finished the day with ice cream, and I even got in a Target run. Everyone slept hard that night- time change or not!
On the Sunday of the wedding, we didn’t need to catch our train until 1pm. Kyle recommended a great playground right on a lake for our morning jaunt. The climbing structures were sailor and aquatic themed. The light rain made meant we had the playground practically to ourselves, making it an even more magical space. The initial start of our Amtrak journey found us on the floor, with all seats taken. But a friendly conductor found us a table in the restaurant car, and we spent the rest of the journey chatting with the staff while the girls colored in their books.
Being in Philly was energizing because Mike and Mel’s wedding was a reunion for all George School folks. We had a strong pre-party with the girls, doing our hair in the hotel room, dancing to ‘Who Run the World’ and getting our dresses ironed. They were excited to be at their first wedding and Saya re-enacted the ceremony with Sachi. I was excited to dance with them, but they were exhausted by the cocktail hour. The evening was a lot of me cherishing the GS crew, and catching up with so many friends. Mike and Mel looked so relaxed together, just comfortable in their space, surrounded by their family and friends.
We stayed at Tio Flop and Auntie Ang’s the next day, and Goldberg hosted a play date for the kids so the adults could hydrate, and put up our feet. We all needed a big family style meal at a Vietnamese restaurant as well. Time went too fast. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving when we see our fam again.
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