Tveit Cousins

Harper, Margo and I met Cousin Abby and her husband, Jer, on Monday for a hamburger. It was great to catch up with them while they were in town. It was also great to eat my second Shack Stack in four days.

A Parting Shot

I made Grandma and Grandpa take a break from packing so I could take a picture that will make us all happy for many years.

We got one with Grandpa looking at Margo.

And one with Margo looking at the wall.

One More Thing

Some last-minute play time at the park.

To Roosevelt Island

We took a ride over to Roosevelt Island on Thursday. Harper loved the tram ride over the river and next to the great big Queensboro Bridge. I loved it too.

After a picnic lunch we wandered around for awhile. That's Queens behind us.

Grandpa took a turn with Margo. She reminds me of a little goat drinking her milk.

Margo has been saying "Grandpa" since she was a few weeks old. So naturally she loved being toted around by him.

Swinging at an eerily empty playground

3/4 of the Original Clark Family. Halle, We Missed You.

And we missed the not-so-new members, Marc and Jacob. And we missed the newer members, Annie, Maisy, Lucy, Harper and Margo.

We smiled so big because we met up with my mom on the LES hours after she thought we would meet her and we did it all without cell phones. We did not do it without hope and prayer and time travel.

Shenanigans with Grandma + Grandpa

A personal belly button viewing just for Grandpa from Harper.

Makeup lessons every morning.

Naturally Margo found her place at the table on the table.

Harper flipped for joy when Grandma flipped her hair every day.

And then made some ugly faces.

My dad has been eating that Swedish crispbread for as long as I can remember. So we were sure to have some on-hand when he came to town. If this looks like a big piece that's because it is. This crispbread came in wheels as big as the tires on our car.

Taking a break from shenanigans.

A little Ice Age with Grandpa. Watching movies is not as fun at our house since we have a computer screen for a TV (and a small one) behind the chairs and couch.

One of my favorite things to do with my mom when she comes to town is visit the garment district. It's on trips like these that I feel inspired and motivated to start sewing. I always buy some fabric but I never end up making anything with it. This time was no exception. In fact it was much worse. I bought some fabric and made my mom make me a skirt before she left town. Which she did beautifully. And graciously. And kindly. And quickly! Her face in this picture is one of my favorite mom faces. I'm so glad I captured it forever.

Every Sunday at church Halle and I would sit on either side of my mom and hold her hands. We would play with her rings and her long fingernails and her soft skin. I have an imprint in my brain of what my moms hands look like from sitting through so many years of 70-minute sacrament meetings holding these hands. I was pleased to discover that by accident I had captured a nice picture of her hands. Especially doing something she does so well.

Sewing in Sunny's sweatshop.

Every single time my dad put on his sunglasses and snapped his fingers a la Fonzie I laughed hysterically. Kind of like when my dad puts on a pair of camouflage pants and asks us if we can see his legs. Or when he dances. He has a strong silly streak that is always hilarious to me.

Taking Dad Out to a Ball Game

On Monday my dad and I decided to go to a Yankees game on Tuesday. We found some $10 tickets that were advertised "next to the Bleacher Creatures." Which meant we watched a lot of fans around us get kicked out of the game for nonsense. And we watched the Yankees come back to beat the Blue Jays. Which I had to pretend to be happy about since I didn't want the creatures to point and shout very loudly at me for cheering for the wrong team.

At the game.

On the train home from the game.

In the station after the train home from the game.

Wandering on Tuesday

Margo as the letter C

At the temple on 65th Street. This is actually a really nice place to play. Girls and Grandpa ran around while we waited for Grandma to join us for quilts at the Folk Art Museum.

Harper's favorite quilt

I just learned about the quilters in Gee's Bend, AL . So it was fun to see one of their quilts at the museum. Kind of makes me want to start quilting.

Harper thought this one looked like a porcupine.

Reading books at Bryant Park

Trying to push chairs through gravel.

Tuckered out from marching around the city all day.

Patsy's Pizzeria

After that awesome haircut we lunched at Patsy's. Our pizza was perfect. As usual.

Claudio's Barber Shop

When I found out my parents were coming for very likely their last visit to New York I told my dad he needed to start growing his hair so he could get a haircut at Claudio's, an old-timey barber shop in our neighborhood. Like the good sport that he is he came with as full of a head of hair as is possible for him and on Monday morning Harper, Margo, my mom and dad, and I walked over to Claudio's for the mane event.

Since Claudio was busy when we got there my mom and I and kids walked over to the thrift store while my dad made new friends with strangers in the shop. I came back at the appointed time for my photo shoot. My dad sat in the chair. Claudio pulled out his clippers. And I couldn't find my camera. I nearly shed tears on the spot. I pulled out my lousy phone and snapped a few, not actually sure how I would retrieve them later. When it was finished and I told my dad I didn't have my camera he nearly shed tears on the spot. We found my mom and her camera and then found Claudio shooting the breeze with old-timey friends outside his shop. And then, because we had all been preparing for two months for this haircut, we actually asked Claudio if we could go back in for a picture. He graciously obliged. And we all shed tears on the spot.

And another photo. With real hair on the floor. Claudio has been cutting hair for 62 years in the same place. He came to New York from Italy. Everyone in his family was a barber. Now, after 62 years, the new landlord of his building wants to kick him out and open a Chinese restaurant. As if! The nerve!

Claudio really got into this and asked the kids to get in the picture as well. Since Margo was attached to me I got in as well. Even though he said a lot of people, too many people, come to take his picture he was very kind to us. He had probably never seen so many people crying so much about a haircut before.

Birthday Cake No. 2

My mom and dad arrived on Saturday evening. They waited for an hour at the airport while I figured out how to get to LaGuardia airport via the Queensboro Bridge and not via the $13 RFK Bridge. They were very nice when I finally picked them up. As a special treat we enjoyed a piece of the real birthday cake with a real birthday boy when we got to our place.

Harper let Marc wear her party hat for the occasion.

Giving Pushes