Out and about

As always, we try to fill everyday with something more than the Penthouse walls and pbs*kids. Some days we are successful, other days PBS rules...

(blogging from my phone: doesn't let me post paragraphs between pics. Grrrrr)

Pic 1: We do LOVE our library. Sadly not so much for the books (in our defense, we have tons of books in our home) but mostly for their DVD collection!! In pic 1 below, our kiddos are sitting next to their best buds. From the first time we went to the village library and every time after, we have greeted these happy statue children reading some kind of ABC book with, "Hi! Emma and Ben!" During Winter, library patrons don them with scarfs and knitted hats, in Spring - fresh flowers... Apparently we are not the only family obsessed with this statue.

Pic 2: Batter Baby Bunch readers may I introduce to you, Chef Pizza! Next to statue Emma and Ben, he is one of our best friends. (We are so CLEVER when it comes to naming statues - don't be jealous, it is a talent we were born with...) It doesn't matter whether we are getting pizza or not, whenever we pass by this happy guy, the kids NEED to stop and say hello. (We did grab a slice of plain cheese pizza today - don't tell Daddy, he'll be jealous...)

Pics 3 and 4: Heritage park. We do enjoy this park because there is always a breeze and it is huge. The downfall of this park is there is always a breeze (in the off season it is freezing) and it is huge (one kid wants to play here and the other kid wants to play there...) AND rest rooms are often locked. BOO! As I have mentioned before, it truly is fun to watch my kids gain confidence from month to month on the equipment - today Ben climbed the rock wall! (Can you say, "Mama's heart in throat?") They love all things "monkey bars" - too bad neither of them can actually maneuver the monkey bars on their own - causing many a back ache for parents. Today's park fun included races (sprints) against Mommy. Mommy decided to not let the children win and ran her hardest every sprint. The children are now sleeping soundly - Mommy is sitting on the couch with a laptop on her legs wondering how she is going to make it down the hall to her bedroom (i.e. muscles beyond SORE!!!). Perhaps Daddy will carry her. (giggle giggle)

Real live Emma and Ben hanging with statue Emma and Ben.

Our second best pal in our village.

Trying hard to stretch himself taller... :)

Someday she WILL figure out the monkey bars.

Monday catch up

We are midway thru Summer now and having tons of fun. I'm getting better about taking snapshots for this memory book and I'm glad about that because I already forgot a few things until I was swiping thru my iPhone pics.

My kids love to make rock statues. We call this "July Snowman".

Our kids had NO DESIRE to go out for dinner at an Indian restaurant until they found out we were eating inside a train car. It was ALL SMILES from there on out.

They couldn't get across the parking lot fast enough.

Wearing off all the calories from the Garlic Naan - or as the kids called it, "Indian pizza".

Our Friday rainy play date. Germ4All!

At one point Em yelled to me from the 4th level, "Hey, Mom. Ben needs you!!! He's on top!" I scrambled all the way up heart beating - half from my fear of heights, half in worry for my boy. I found him all smiles as he hands me his shoe, "Mom, my shoe fell off, can you fix it?"

Today was more relaxed with turtle misters and BUBBLES in the marina.

Summer Sunday Funday

We hung out at our preK pal's family private beach again all afternoon and early evening again today. This location truly is perfect when you have young kids. It is salt water, but no waves and fairly shallow - just a fun location for all. Em did not want to kayak today, she was too obsessed with playing mermaids with her pal, Molly. Ben played the day away with his best pal, Christian who we were kidsitting. It never ceases to amaze me how long kids can hang out in cold water!!!

An inlet off the Long Island Sound. We LOVE it here.

Golden hour. The lighting was awesome.

Proof of all the fun: He passed out HARD 2 minutes into the drive home.

Jet plane goodness

Did I mention that on the trip to Florida when we landed and everyone unbuckled their seatbelts and set about in a hustle and bustle sort of way retrieving their carry on bags from the overhead bins and chatting on their cell phones to their loved ones that they had arrived safely, our beloved Benjamin raised both of his arms up in the air and in a Moses addressing his followers kind of way demanded, "SILENCE!!!" All the passengers surrounding us were stunned into silence for about three seconds until I burst into giggles (I am laughing now just remembering it) and they chuckled, too, and went about their merry ways. When I questioned him on where he learned that phrase and that tone of voice he said, "Papa Smurf." Thaaaaaanks, Gramma Lou.

The plane ride home to NY was a bit trickier than the ride to FL. Daddy came home a day earlier so it was me o-solo-mio. It was the last flight of the night departing at 8:05pm which was past their bedtime. Ben fell asleep during take off (phew) and Em was a miserable tired mess crying her eyes out for a good 20 minutes. (see pic below. Enlarge it. Seriously. It is RIDICULOUSLY FUNNY.)

Some funny things she said while crying:
"I miss Florida and my bug bite really hurts." (All in one thought.)
"Now my knee hurts."
"I miss Florida and Abuelita. I am sooooooo sad."

Then she needed to pee. We abandoned a sleeping Ben and hit the tiny bathroom. I made her put a pull up on in case she fell asleep. We returned to our seats and I gave her the mini DVD player to watch. Then the DVD player died. More crying! iPad saves the day!

Then in utter exhaustion with more crying: "When are we going to be in NY? I miss dada."
Whiiiiiiine.
"I have a goose egg."
"I can't do this."
"Owww."

Well it was me who couldn't listen to this any longer so I then moved a deep sleeping Ben to the aisle seat and arranged Em on my lap to sleep. It worked! Peace at last. As the plane descended, my allergies made my skull feel as though it were crushing my brain. Mostly above my right eye behind the eyebrow. It was my turn to whine and whimper "Owie." I needed a tissue so bad but none were in sight. Not even a cocktail napkin. Searing pain thru my skull. Pain incredible. Need to blow nose. WAIT!! Emma's undies were still in my pocket. I pulled them out and blew my nose into them. Aaaaaah, Temporary relief. Thank you Sleeping Beauty. Sorry I got snots all over you.

(Note to self: buy kid friendly headphones. The earbuds simply do not stay in a five year olds ears.)

Now on the ground. How the heck am I supposed to carry two sleeping children in the 95th percentile for height and weight off the plane and all the way to baggage claim? I put a bawling tired Emma in the umbrella stroller. It strained under her weight. Ben walked like a drunken soldier, but did not once cry. Daddy was there to pick us up. Our Hero. Mommy slept well that night.

Proof:

This needs to be Southwest Airlines next ad campaign!

She finally fell asleep.

Birthday, part 2

The only good part about family living so far away is we get to celebrate birthdays multiple times. Abuelita got an awesome delicious cake (moist and the frosting was creamy - not sweet!) and we sang and ate away after dinner. (Ben has not eaten anything here except some Belgium dessert waffles... So frustrating!) It was the perfect ending to a fun day filled with swimming, piano playing, pillow forts, walks around the block, feeding ducks, playing with dolls and trains and bubbles, while Mother Nature put on a good show of sun, clouds, thunder storms, and heavy rains.

Popped off her ballerina doll's feet and suctioned them to her lip!

Paella! Thanks, Abudiba!

Bubbles!

Wanna share?

Mom is such a sucker. I didn't eat dinner but still got cake! I RULE THIS ROOST.

Happy Birthday to me!

Good morning, friends!

Watch what I can do, Dad!

Daddy had the pleasure this morning of experiencing all the pool fun we have been having the past few weeks due to swim lessons. Em showed off her mad going under water skills, while Benny spent the entire morning "Cannonball!" after Cannonball after Cannonball. The water was warm and the air was not too humid thanks to an early morning Florida thunderstorm. Mommy even went under water (don't tell my stylist) AND properly swam - face in water, stroke, stroke, stroke, head right breathe, stroke, stroke, stroke, head left breathe. I don't think I have done that since I started dying my hair...

COWABUNGAAAAA!

What do we have here?

The children are sleeping in the same bed all snuggled up...we must be on vacation somewhere!!

Yep! We are enjoying our yearly July visit to Abuelita and Grandpop's house in FL. They were both studs on the plane (2 1/2 hour flight). No tears, no nothing but cooperation and sharing. Wahoooo!

Please sleep past 7am Ben. PLEASE?

Pizza, on the beach??

We celebrated Emma on her actual birthday with 17 of her pals on our village's private beach yesterday! Mother Nature blessed us with the perfect beach day, thankfully, because 17 kids inside the 900 square foot Penthouse would not have been nearly as fun!

The water was a bit cool but that didn't deter the kiddos too much from having fun. Daddy brought the pizza just before lunch which was a huge hit (one Mom actually commented, "I think eating pizza at the beach is a first for us!" - that's how we roll, people, making firsts for all we encounter!)

PIZZA makes PERFECT sense!

We love Summer birthdays!!

After pizza (and watermelon!), the kids headed back to the water WITHOUT waiting 30 minutes - rules were made to be broken!

Come for a swim!

We sang "Happy Birthday" at the waters edge and the kids happily chowed down the chocolate cake served on paper towels (the 13x9 cake was gone in minutes!) then it was back in the water to finish up the party.

Happy birthday to you... Even Ben sang!!!

 After the party we came home and Em opened her gifts. She was excited to receive lots of fun new board games, some dolls, some cute clothes, and some arts and crafts. I will attempt to make personalized Thank You notes using the following series of pictures of her and her bounty.

Happy birthday to ME!

Thanks, friends!!

Emma turns 5!

♪♫ Time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin' into the future...  ♪♫

Emsadoodleydoo turned 5 years old on Wednesday. How time flies when you are having fun!

Dear Emma of the future, You are now FIVE. You still love your blanket, "Deeit." You are a fantastic eater - you will try almost anything we ask you to - tonight when I asked you if you wanted your fresh picked green beans steamed or raw you said with enthusiasm, "RAW!" and ate at least 20 giant ones. You love your brother dearly but make sure on a daily basis he knows you are the boss. You have tons of friends - probably because you have a giant heart and can easily adapt to most play situations. You still won't let us brush your hair without a fight or put cute pigtails or a ponytail in - you have always been and continue to be our favorite blonde Cousin It! You do not have a favorite toy - you have tons of toys and play with them equally. You challenge us every day to be better parents with your wit, sass, and moxie. You are very intelligent albeit a bit lazy (i.e. can't be bothered to practice writing your letters or cleaning up your toys...), but you amaze us on a daily basis with the things you remember and the inferences you make from experiencing certain situations. You LOVE your best friend, George, and want/need to see him every day - even though the two of you sometimes fight like an old married couple.  You hate milk and struggle to ingest just 12 ounces every day - good thing you LOVE all things cheese (block, slice, stick, cottage) and chow them often to fulfill your calcium intake...

I could go on and on - but if you read these books you probably know all this stuff anyway. Emma, we LOVE YOU. You truly are our sunshine. Please don't ever change. We live for your conversation, your being, your YOUness. You frustrate us (in a great way), you make us laugh, and we are so very PROUD and blessed and HAPPY to call you our daughter. 

All before 10:30 am

Our minivan inspection was past due so we were out of the house by 8:15 this morning so we could be first in line to get it done. The plan was to forgo breakfast, pop by the deli near the mechanic, grab some bagels and dine outdoors by the inlet while the van was in the shop.

Guess what? The plan worked!! (a rare treat!)

Here's how the morning went: Emma was a beast all morning. (I threatened to cancel her birthday party at least 5 times - but we will forget about that part because the rest of the morning has been quite lovely.) We dropped off the car, hit the deli, and plopped ourselves down here:

Setauket inlet - off 25A.

To do this:

while we watched this Egret have his breakfast, too!

Where's Waldo? Look for the Egret on the left.

Ben got such joy from watching the Egret slowly sneak up on it's minnow prey, then stab at them in the water coming up with one flip flopping around in the Egret's long thin bill. He would laugh out loud with great enthusiasm at every catch!

We played around here for a bit, too:

Then picked up the minivan, came home and did this:

There are still 9 hours left in the day before bedtime. Whatever will we do?? HELP!

Sunday Funday!

What a great family day today!!

We started off the morning at Daddy's final softball game of the season - the sun was hot, but it was cool in the shade with medium humidity - a great way to relax and enjoy the morning. After the game we came home and had a quick lunch then headed over to our pals private beach in Setauket for some swimming, kayaking, paddle boating and barbequing. It truly was one of my favorite family days as of yet!

Ben fell asleep on the ride there and transferred without a hitch to the stroller where he slept for about 85 minutes before I decided to step in and rouse him. Blessedly he awoke cheerfully and only took about three minutes before he realized he was surely missing out on some serious beach fun and off he went! The kids were in the water for approx 4 hours?? Seriously, how do they do that?

Finally had to wake him so he could participate in the FUN!

Kayak Barbie!

Playing Catch-up

Busy week. Our pal, Miss Julie, continues to busy us every day with her impromptu swim lessons. Because it has been in the 90s with horrific humidity (think AC kicking on every 12 minutes hot) the chance to swim in pools has been a welcome / thankful occurrence. But, it really is so much before and after effort for a two hour time period. I may just be slightly ashamed (not really) to say that the only thing I accomplished with the kids this whole past week was swim lessons every day! Ha! The following picture is a great shot of Ben post pool time. He always passes out in the car on the way home, and I transfer a deeply sleeping child from car to bean bag chair (I don't want to put him on his bed in case he has an accident - which he has only done once but...) and he snoozes for a good 90 minutes to 2 hours - longer if I would let him, but seriously kid, WAKE UP so you are not waking up so darned early every day...

The second pic is of the HMS Bounty which was a ship that was built for the old movie Mutiny on the Bounty. It travels up the East Coast every Summer stopping in our port for tours and fun. We did not board due to a private party that was happening that early evening, but it was fun to see - more importantly to share with my kid's favorite cousins and our super duper Gramma Lou.

Out COLD.

Aaaaargh, Matey! Our motley crew.

Happy 4th of July!!

Y'all know what a sucker I am for all things Patriotic. I lived outside the USA for close to 7 years having a blast exploring foreign lands but I always held my American passport with pride knowing the freedoms it represented. When we moved from the big city to our tiny coastal village two years ago it took some adjustment on my part to acclimate to a "small town" again.  I was an emotional basket case marching in the parade with my kids today. My eyes welled up at least ten times and it took every ounce deep breathing exercise to keep them from spilling over.

Emma was extraordinary skipping alongside the elementary school marching band (the PTA marched together with the band). She handed out bubbles to all the kids in the street and simply enjoyed herself immensely being a street performer. As I watched her dancing and skipping I envisioned her twirling a baton and leading the show in the coming years. She adored the applause and stood taller with every accolade. My heart was exploding with pride.

Ben was quiet the entire time but marched the whole parade route not once asking me to pick him up or be pulled in the wagon. Stud! Did I mention it is hot and humid - 89˚ and 90% humidity?

Of course, every Fireman and Firetruck and bagpipe troupe made me cry, too. What's a matter with me?? Oh, wait, I remember. I love my life. God Bless the USA and all the women and men who have sacrificed to fight for our freedoms.

Marching with Em's elementary school.

Patiently waiting for our turn to join the parade line.

Our hot walk home up hill. The only thing our village needs is sidewalks!

Certain Expectations.

We love nothing more than watching the minds of our children sponge up knowledge then turn it around and question us on certain expectations they have gained from this knowledge.

Take this afternoon for example. Emma said, "Hey Mom, when is Aunt Niki going to have her baby?"

HUH? Does my almost 5 year old have clairvoyant powers I am not aware of? "Wait, huh, what did you ask?" "When is Aunt Niki going to have her baby?" (Those of you who know Aunt Niki must be RIVETED by this exchange.) "Ummm, what makes you think Aunt Niki is going to have a baby?" (While holding the wedding invitation I have hanging on the fridge,) "Aunt Niki is getting married in September. She needs to have a baby after that!"

I had no reply for the child. That is how it works in Disn*y movies so that is how it must be played out in life. Aunt Niki, Uncle Sean, do NOT be the ones to disappoint my child. Do NOT be the ones to show her just how cruel the world can be. Besides, you are both way too cool not to procreate and share your DNA with the future world.

Swimming lessons!

Em is scheduled for proper swim lessons this Summer but because of our travel schedules we couldn't find a class that worked until the end of July. In the meantime our pal Miss Julie is teaching the basics to beginners again. Today was our first class and Em did great. She has lots of confidence in the water and listened very well to instructions. She still doesn't want to go all the way underwater but I can see her thinking harder about it with each swim. Here is an after class pic of all the kids swimming about including Ben lounging on the green float.

Ben took a two hour nap after. Yay for swimming!

12 hours

In less than 12 hours we will be reunited with our baby bunch after 5 long days away. I didn't worry, not even once, knowing what good hands they are in with Gramma Lou and their beloved cousins, Leah and Frank. But we did miss them tremendously and cannot wait to snuggle and catch up on the week. They spent tons of time at the beach and a day at the Riverhead Aquarium. I got to follow their adventures with pictures thanks to social media (FB) and this one is one of my favorites. You can take the girl out of California but you cannot take California out of the girl.

If everybody had an ocean, across the USA...