The downstairs...

The Living Room

Living Room

Kitchen & Eat in dining room

kitchen

office

First Day of Kindergarten

I have a Kindergartner! Isaac had his first day of school today. It was great. They start the kindergartners out slow so he only had a 30 minute class with Mom. But it was a good half hour. I LOVE his teacher, Ms. Tortorella. She's full of energy, happy, and excited. From the start she showed love to the kids but still had full control of the class. I'm very impressed. She started off with a scavenger hunt. (Isaac was stoked from the beginning.) He had to find the bathroom, water fountain, books, a pencil sharpener and write his name on the smart board. The smart board is awesome. I can't believe the technology that he is going to grow up with. Then they sat on the rug and talked about school. He was excited. I've never seen him in a school setting. I was impressed. He was respectful, friendly and helpful. I'm so excited for him. He's going to love school.

Working on his scavenger hunt.

Writing his name on the smart board.

Labor Day Hiking

Why is it that the holiday called Labor Day seems to emphasize avoiding work at all costs? At least that's what it feels like being back in New York this year. I'm on a number of deals at work right now, but they have all been pretty slow the past couple weeks, many partners and clients were on vacation this past week and those who were around made it a point to get out early on Friday to be able to enjoy the long weekend. I can't complain, because it's meant a great relaxing weekend with the family. I just never knew how "sacred" the Labor Day holiday is here in New York.

So we really wanted to go camping this weekend (the kids have been bugging Eryka all summer since we got back), but we didn't plan ahead. So we compromised and went hiking this morning. We found a state park about a 45 minute drive north and came across a cute pond with a nature trail circling the water. It was about 1.5 miles and we let the kids take their time, climbing on rocks and trees and taking small side-adventures just off the trail. It took us a couple of hours to cover the distance, and by the time we were getting to the end of the trail, the kids were tired and ready to head home. It was a great way to spend the day together to celebrate working!

Here are some pictures: