On my way home today I made a snap decision to follow a sign on the highway promising a viewing platform. I wound my way down through Tarrytown and to the Hudson River’s edge, all the while keeping the looming Tappan Zee bridge in sight. Its successor, The New NY Bridge, is under construction and the view of it all was a fascinating sight.

Little, unplanned stops like this are one of my favorite things about traveling by car. And every time I’m on the highway I find myself day dreaming of all the other little stops we could be making, here, there and everywhere in between.

How lucky am I to have spent even a few fleeting moments with this sweet little thing and her lovely parents?

New wheels for this kid today. Now I have almost no hope of keeping up with her!

This is her first bike with hand brakes and shifter. She was a bit worried to give it a go at first. But five or six runs up and down the street cured her of any hesitations she might have had. Here’s what she had to say about it all:

I didn’t know if I was ready to try it, Mama. I thought I might just like to ride my old bike for a while until I got brave enough to ride the new one. But then I tried it and everything was easier than I thought. I was so worried about changing the gears but it was just like you said, a little ker-chunk and then it was fine. I’m so glad I gave it a try!

I love moments like this. Moments when she articulates what she is thinking and I can see the whole process working itself out. Moments when she actively recognizes her train of thought and can see herself making progress. Amazing!

A shriek,

A cry,

A cuddle,

A whimper,

Asleep.

Esme helped me package up a good number of sweet little homemade sidewalk chalks for next week’s craft fair. Far be it from me to turn down such eager and capable child labor!

We visited The Science Behind Pixar exhibit at the MOS today. It was a fascinating look at the math and computer programming and science and lighting and everything else that goes into creating a Pixar movie.

Special mentions go to the intro video which was very funny and the good mix of males and females represented in their various science and math based roles at Pixar.

We’ll definitely be going back.

Feeling thankful for this basic ceiling fan above our bed during these dog days of summer.

Esme has a bit of a reputation for sending Peter video texts whenever she finds my phone unattended. This is a still from one of those texts. I think, with just a bit of creativity, you can imagine the rest of the video!

Who knows what is being said behind those watermelon smiles!

Y Style.