It was two years ago when the twins and I last ventured into Saratoga. That visit was in the prime of summer, on a slightly overcast day when ‘The Goonies’ was playing at the movie theater there, and we made a day of it.
This past Sunday, to kick off their winter break, we had the twins overnight, and on Monday we had a day in the August place to be. It’s a drastically-different vibe than in summer, when we could have our ice cream on the sidewalk and not worry about the wind or cold, but the magic and charm was in full effect.
As they race toward their 13th birthday, I feel the rush of their childhood, like the rush of all childhood – gone so quickly, yet encapsulated in moments like this that somehow seem to last, even if it’s just in a memory, or a blog post.
They are still young enough to find new discoveries around every corner, and old enough to humor their uncle in his many requests to pause for a photo shoot.
We lunched at The Mercantile, where we went the last time we were in town. As adventurous as they may sometimes be, Noah and Emi also find comfort in the familiar, and since they enjoyed our last meal there they wanted to try it again, followed by a sweet treat at the same ice cream place. We couldn’t duplicate the sidewalk seating just yet, but as we walked along Broadway the afternoon sun felt warm, and the slightest hint of spring was on the wind.
We found gifts for Landrie and Paul, who would bring Jaxon over to our home for his first visit and a casual Filipino dinner. The twins will be thirteen years old before Jaxon even turns one – markers of time the way children often are, even under the sporadic observation of doting uncles.
And so life moves gently, and adorably, onward…
