Charlene's Last Day

After six years and seven months, today is Charlene's last day.

We are moving to California on July 31.  I'm happy to have found a new spot for Charlene, with another lawyer at my firm. 

Charlene loves our children and they love her.  The hardest part of this move will be separating them.

Despite our best efforts to explain things, I know that on the second or third day of living in California Rosemary is going to ask, "When does Charlene get here?"

That's going to be a hard conversation.  And Tess will miss Charlene without any way of knowing why she's gone.

We are deeply thankful for more than six great years of having Charlene care for our kids.

Telephone

Kitchen: Will you accept a collect call from the bedroom?

Kinda Reading

Kinda Crawling

Camps

School ended last week.  Ms. Kaufman dedicated one of the final days of class to "Camp Read."

The kids of 101 spent the day reading at Inwood Hill Park.  Silas had a ball.

Silas is currently reading (and loving) James Marshall's hilarious "Fox" series of chapter books.

More pictures from Camp Read are here.

On Monday of this week, Silas began Camp Yomawha.  He looked so old getting on the bus!

Camp Yomawha is an outdoor day camp run by the Washington Heights Y and located in Orangeburg, N.Y. (half an hour away, across the Hudson).

Lots of Silas' friends are going.  He had a good first day.  And all he lost was his camp t-shirt and water bottle.

Tess, Tweeted

Tess was Tweeted for her six-month birthday.  She is indeed deliciously chubby.

LBI FD

For Fathers' Day, a photo of me and the kiddos, from our weekend trip to Long Beach Island.

The rest of the LBI photos are here.

Field Day

Silas' sisters crashed P.S. 278 Field Day festivities.

Thanks to our friend David for this picture.

Thanks to Charlene for this one.

Liam!

The kids' newest first cousin visited us last week -- Liam!

Uncle Pete and Aunt Theresa were here for a few days.  The kids had a great time together.

Rosemary and Silas' verdict:  "Liam is cute."

I took a couple of the inevitable couch portraits.