Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Funny Photo Rejects
I love watching Adam try to take pictures of the kids. After 4 years, I would think that he would know by now that Henry will refuse to cooperate or make a funny face, Molly will run away or pout and that it is literally impossible to get a good posed shot of the two of them. The optimist that he is, he perseveres. I enjoyed watching his blood pressure rise during this photo shoot.
2nd Annual Trip to Dutch Wonderland Sept 2010
We had our second annual trip to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster PA. Henry loves rides and we were excited to get Molly in on the action this year. Such fun, we opened and closed the park. 
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Suburban Interlopers
Faced with another sweltering summer in the concrete jungle, I had to get creative. We, with a few neighborhood friends, decided to join a suburban pool club just over the bridge in Tenafly, NJ. There were quite a few other neighborhood people that happened to join as well so we always knew lots of people there. Most of the time if felt like our own club because the locals were rarely even there. I guess they are spoiled by their fancy back yards. The city slickers enjoyed all of the amenities: blue skies, green grass, lawn chairs, play ground, snack bar, 2 pools, free swimming lessons. We had such a great summer.
The highlight of the summer. Henry became a great and very brave swimmer under Adam's tutelage. On the first day of summer, he saw the diving board and his eyes got as big as saucers. He wanted to know what it was and when he was going to do it. We promised that if he learned to swim he could jump off. On the last day of the season, it was bad weather (but we were there anyway.) We asked the lifeguards if they could allow him to wear a life preserver and jump off the big board. (Swim arms and life preservers were not allowed in the big pool). The agreed to let him try it. After a bit of nerves, a few false starts and some missed photo opportunities, here is a picture of the big jump. Henry said that his summer dream came true.
Henry and Kaden making a boat in the kiddie pool
Molly modeling her shades
Henry and Molly with two of their very best friends, Kaden and Roen. The snack shack with its freezer of popsicles was obviously a big draw every afternoon. The kids would stand in front of the sign discussing all of their options. Henry would go up with the money and give the his order and then order for Molly as well.
The highlight of the summer. Henry became a great and very brave swimmer under Adam's tutelage. On the first day of summer, he saw the diving board and his eyes got as big as saucers. He wanted to know what it was and when he was going to do it. We promised that if he learned to swim he could jump off. On the last day of the season, it was bad weather (but we were there anyway.) We asked the lifeguards if they could allow him to wear a life preserver and jump off the big board. (Swim arms and life preservers were not allowed in the big pool). The agreed to let him try it. After a bit of nerves, a few false starts and some missed photo opportunities, here is a picture of the big jump. Henry said that his summer dream came true.
Henry and Kaden making a boat in the kiddie pool
Molly modeling her shades
Henry and Molly with two of their very best friends, Kaden and Roen. The snack shack with its freezer of popsicles was obviously a big draw every afternoon. The kids would stand in front of the sign discussing all of their options. Henry would go up with the money and give the his order and then order for Molly as well.My Kind of Boating
For those of you that know Adam, there are few things that he loves more than his boat. Unfortunately for Adam, he happens to live with three people that don't love it quite so much. Molly hates wearing a life preserver, she hates the noise, hates the speed etc. She is too young to enjoy fishing. Henry is coming around toward fishing, but he gets a little scared as well.
For me, I can handle about an hour of fishing. With Adam however, it is never an hour. It is an ALL day affair. Even when the passengers are literally begging to go back, he always has to do just one more run. When I had morning sickness with both kids, and would be vomiting over the side of the boat he would still stay out there. Not to make him sound like a cad, but he definitely loses perspective when it comes to his boat.
Toward the end of the summer, he came home with surprise news. He had found a private beach somewhat near his marina that where we could anchor the boat and walk to the shore. Now this sounded promising. We packed a lunch one morning and headed out. The beach he had found was in Manhasset which is the north shore of Long Island. Some of the priciest real estate in America is on the water here.
This beach was unbelievable. It was literally empty of people. It had no waves so the kids could swim, it had beautiful sand, no rocks and the most unbelievable tidal pools for us to wade in. We were even able to catch little bait fish and Adam could fish from the shore. Here are some pictures. We wound up going another time before summer ended. I cannot believe it took him so long to find something like this. I would have a much higher opinion of boating if this were the normal experience!
For me, I can handle about an hour of fishing. With Adam however, it is never an hour. It is an ALL day affair. Even when the passengers are literally begging to go back, he always has to do just one more run. When I had morning sickness with both kids, and would be vomiting over the side of the boat he would still stay out there. Not to make him sound like a cad, but he definitely loses perspective when it comes to his boat.
Toward the end of the summer, he came home with surprise news. He had found a private beach somewhat near his marina that where we could anchor the boat and walk to the shore. Now this sounded promising. We packed a lunch one morning and headed out. The beach he had found was in Manhasset which is the north shore of Long Island. Some of the priciest real estate in America is on the water here.
This beach was unbelievable. It was literally empty of people. It had no waves so the kids could swim, it had beautiful sand, no rocks and the most unbelievable tidal pools for us to wade in. We were even able to catch little bait fish and Adam could fish from the shore. Here are some pictures. We wound up going another time before summer ended. I cannot believe it took him so long to find something like this. I would have a much higher opinion of boating if this were the normal experience!
Henry and Adam swimming back out to the boat. I cannot believe how brave Henry was!
Molly awaiting her water taxi
Our picnic area. The first week we forgot utensils and had to eat our greek yogurts with seashells which felt very MacGuyver-esqe. Funny story is that Adam's very special sunglasses "got lost" at some point on the first trip. He was very upset because he had placed them just so in the beach bag and "someone" must have dropped them while packing or unpacking. I swore up and down that I never saw them. The next week that we went, I lifted up the sheet and saw something buried in the sand. Lo and behold it was Adam's glasses. Was he ever surprised!
Monday, February 07, 2011
Summer Picnic
These pictures were taken at some point during the end of the summer, 2010. We were on the Hudson River, right in front of the Little Red Light House which is featured in a children's book.
Strawberry Picking, June 2010
Since I have not posted pictures in months, I am going to attempt to catch up. Strawberry picking somewhere in NJ. Note Henry's outfit. Clearly he dressed himself.
Things I never realized
Living with young children is a unique experience. Some recent examples of our mutual education:
1) Children will talk anywhere and everywhere about their bathroom habits and gas issues. The elevator is a favorite venue. Molly has announced her accomplishments more than once in a crowded restaurant. She rarely waits until she gets to the table either.
2) For some crazy reason, I gave Molly a container of dried beans to play with. Maybe to get her to stop saying "Mommy pick me up" every three seconds while I am cooking dinner. The more dangerous the kitchen activity is the more she wants to help. Henry of course had to get into the mix. While I was not looking he decided to stuff cups full of beans down his sleeve. He was quite surprised at what happened when he lowered his arm. I have been finding beans for days.
3) It is a bad idea to allow your four year old to get your two year old dressed. We recently embarked on a drive to Long Island where we would be gone the entire day. I was not until we had left the house that I realized that Henry had made the executive decision to swap Molly's pull up for underwear. Of course I had no extra clothing with me either. She did great the entire day. She peed in every restaurant and gas station in the town of Port Washington. She decided to wait until our entrees arrived to let me know that she had just peed on the booth of a rather nice restaurant. Adam quickly learned that this meaned that no, we could not stay.
4) When your daughter announces that she is using the front of her dress instead of toilet paper, she is not kidding.
5) Your child will look at the man who sat down next to him on the subway bench and announce that "that man has a beard growing out of his nose." Oh, and that he does not like his shoes either.
6) I cannot believe how perceptive kids are. Adam recently got dressed to go out to dinner one snowy Saturday night. His boots were wet from sledding so he put on sneakers so that he didn't ruin any good shoes. Henry took one look at him in his white sneakers, jeans, belt and long sleeved polo shirt and declared: " Daddy, what are you wearing? You look like Jerry Seinfeld!" You know it is time for a makeover when your four year old is ripping on your outfit.
7) We were recently doing a puppet craft kit that we had done at Henry's co-op preschool at almost one year ago. Molly piped up with "Oh, we did they at Laura's house!" She was between 1 year and 18 months a the oldest. How the heck does she remember this?
There are so many other things but these are the crazy things that come to mind
1) Children will talk anywhere and everywhere about their bathroom habits and gas issues. The elevator is a favorite venue. Molly has announced her accomplishments more than once in a crowded restaurant. She rarely waits until she gets to the table either.
2) For some crazy reason, I gave Molly a container of dried beans to play with. Maybe to get her to stop saying "Mommy pick me up" every three seconds while I am cooking dinner. The more dangerous the kitchen activity is the more she wants to help. Henry of course had to get into the mix. While I was not looking he decided to stuff cups full of beans down his sleeve. He was quite surprised at what happened when he lowered his arm. I have been finding beans for days.
3) It is a bad idea to allow your four year old to get your two year old dressed. We recently embarked on a drive to Long Island where we would be gone the entire day. I was not until we had left the house that I realized that Henry had made the executive decision to swap Molly's pull up for underwear. Of course I had no extra clothing with me either. She did great the entire day. She peed in every restaurant and gas station in the town of Port Washington. She decided to wait until our entrees arrived to let me know that she had just peed on the booth of a rather nice restaurant. Adam quickly learned that this meaned that no, we could not stay.
4) When your daughter announces that she is using the front of her dress instead of toilet paper, she is not kidding.
5) Your child will look at the man who sat down next to him on the subway bench and announce that "that man has a beard growing out of his nose." Oh, and that he does not like his shoes either.
6) I cannot believe how perceptive kids are. Adam recently got dressed to go out to dinner one snowy Saturday night. His boots were wet from sledding so he put on sneakers so that he didn't ruin any good shoes. Henry took one look at him in his white sneakers, jeans, belt and long sleeved polo shirt and declared: " Daddy, what are you wearing? You look like Jerry Seinfeld!" You know it is time for a makeover when your four year old is ripping on your outfit.
7) We were recently doing a puppet craft kit that we had done at Henry's co-op preschool at almost one year ago. Molly piped up with "Oh, we did they at Laura's house!" She was between 1 year and 18 months a the oldest. How the heck does she remember this?
There are so many other things but these are the crazy things that come to mind
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Molly, May I?
Molly is going through shall we say, a difficult phase. Her request for a snack this morning was a fine example:
Around 11:30am, she looked at me and said "I want a yogurt. A cherry yogurt. No, a strawberry yogurt." I sweetly replied, "OK, go ask Daddy, he is in the kitchen." "No, I want to go to the kitchen with you. Carry me." I hoisted her up. "No, I want to WALK!" OK, fine. Put her down. Get to kitchen. "Open the refrigerator" she demanded.
The yogurts were packed in two sleeves so I began to unpack them for her perusal. "We have blueberry and cherry. Which one do you want? " "Cherry." I grabbed the yogurt and went to the drawer to get her a spoon. All of the teaspoons were in the dishwasher so I grabbed her a plastic one. I carried Princess Molly to her throne near the couch, placed the yogurt down and waited for my next instruction (of course, there always another one.)
She starts to lather up. Uh oh. "I wanted to get it out. I wanted to get it ouuuuuut." Huh? From the refrigerator? And you tell me now? I ignored her because frankly she pulls these little stunts about 100 times per day. I opened the yogurt and put it on the table. I was not bold enough to stir in the fruit because the little lady definitely does not like that. Made that mistake before. She will do it. Maybe after she dips her fingers in it a few times to taste it or rub it on the couch or she and Henry like to dip their fingers into the little fruit well and put it on like makeup. But whatever. I have learned the hard way that you cannot unstir the yogurt.
She proceeds to wail for a good bit. I have not eaten breakfast yet so I decide to sit down and eat the yogurt. Having seen this act before that yogurt is not going to get touched any time soon. I finally pick her up, put her in her room and tell her that when she wants to stop screaming she can come out. I finish my yogurt and bring it into the kitchen. Adam inquires as to what she is screaming about (this time). I explain that she didn't want me to get the yogurt from the refrigerator, she wanted to get it. He starts to go on that it is her naptime and why didn't I just carry her back in, put the lid back on, open the refrigerator and let her go through the process of getting it herself. Um, yeah this method would work if we want to raise a little sociopath :) or if she didn't do this type of thing so often. Or if I had any confidence she would pick the opened yogurt and that we wouldn't be throwing $2 down the drain.
Anywho, he decides to go in to talk to his little angel. I think she may have hurled Strawberry Shortcake at him but I can't be sure. I give her a minute until she starts screaming "I want Mommy" knowing that the storm will soon be passing. I go in, sit on her bed and do a quick assessment to see if I can pick her up without her pummeling her little fists into me. She looked somewhat sane and we sat together for a few minutes.
I brought her out to the living room and of course she now wanted the yogurt. The cherry one. You know of course that was the last one. Through some miracle I convince her to eat the blueberry one and Adam hands her a plastic spoon. "Noooo, I want the other one. The regular one!" I just left the room because there is only so much I can take of this in one day.
Around 11:30am, she looked at me and said "I want a yogurt. A cherry yogurt. No, a strawberry yogurt." I sweetly replied, "OK, go ask Daddy, he is in the kitchen." "No, I want to go to the kitchen with you. Carry me." I hoisted her up. "No, I want to WALK!" OK, fine. Put her down. Get to kitchen. "Open the refrigerator" she demanded.
The yogurts were packed in two sleeves so I began to unpack them for her perusal. "We have blueberry and cherry. Which one do you want? " "Cherry." I grabbed the yogurt and went to the drawer to get her a spoon. All of the teaspoons were in the dishwasher so I grabbed her a plastic one. I carried Princess Molly to her throne near the couch, placed the yogurt down and waited for my next instruction (of course, there always another one.)
She starts to lather up. Uh oh. "I wanted to get it out. I wanted to get it ouuuuuut." Huh? From the refrigerator? And you tell me now? I ignored her because frankly she pulls these little stunts about 100 times per day. I opened the yogurt and put it on the table. I was not bold enough to stir in the fruit because the little lady definitely does not like that. Made that mistake before. She will do it. Maybe after she dips her fingers in it a few times to taste it or rub it on the couch or she and Henry like to dip their fingers into the little fruit well and put it on like makeup. But whatever. I have learned the hard way that you cannot unstir the yogurt.
She proceeds to wail for a good bit. I have not eaten breakfast yet so I decide to sit down and eat the yogurt. Having seen this act before that yogurt is not going to get touched any time soon. I finally pick her up, put her in her room and tell her that when she wants to stop screaming she can come out. I finish my yogurt and bring it into the kitchen. Adam inquires as to what she is screaming about (this time). I explain that she didn't want me to get the yogurt from the refrigerator, she wanted to get it. He starts to go on that it is her naptime and why didn't I just carry her back in, put the lid back on, open the refrigerator and let her go through the process of getting it herself. Um, yeah this method would work if we want to raise a little sociopath :) or if she didn't do this type of thing so often. Or if I had any confidence she would pick the opened yogurt and that we wouldn't be throwing $2 down the drain.
Anywho, he decides to go in to talk to his little angel. I think she may have hurled Strawberry Shortcake at him but I can't be sure. I give her a minute until she starts screaming "I want Mommy" knowing that the storm will soon be passing. I go in, sit on her bed and do a quick assessment to see if I can pick her up without her pummeling her little fists into me. She looked somewhat sane and we sat together for a few minutes.
I brought her out to the living room and of course she now wanted the yogurt. The cherry one. You know of course that was the last one. Through some miracle I convince her to eat the blueberry one and Adam hands her a plastic spoon. "Noooo, I want the other one. The regular one!" I just left the room because there is only so much I can take of this in one day.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Happy Second Birthday Molly!
Dear Molly,
Today was your second birthday. We had a lot of fun. Daddy took the day off and we all went out to a diner for breakfast and then to the Children's Museum of New Jersey. Henry even skipped school on your behalf.
When we got home your best friend Roen came over to check out your new dollhouse. We blew out the candles on your Dora cake early so that Roen and her brother could take some home and then we had our traditional birthday dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. We had to postpone your birthday party with your friends on Wednesday because you had a fever. I will reschedule it for next week; it is going to be a tea party theme complete with tutus, princess hats, a butterfly pinata and lots of pink cupcakes (your only birthday request).
You are such a special little girl. Not only are you as cute as a button but you are just as sweet inside. You smother me with hugs and kisses all day long. You are quick to tell people that you love them or ask what is the matter when they are sad. You are incredibly smart and love to make jokes. Your favorite game is "I Spy" and you actually play it correctly.
You are mischievous and make me wish I had eyes in the back of my head. Yesterday I found a harmonica in my purse and saw you stuffing my house keys into Henry's backpack. I am constantly catching you jumping on the couch or on your bed and you are always running around naked. For some crazy reason your daddy lets you chew gum. Now that you have stopped swallowing it, I am always finding it around the house. You know and I know that your know where the garbage can is! When you are being naughty you cannot be threatened with punishment and you are always calling my bluff. When you don't get what you want it is amazing how long and loud such a tiny package can scream.
You have not inherited my affinity for white T shirts. You insist on wearing pink or purple on top every day. You even suggested yesterday that I should wear a pink shirt as well. You refuse to wear dresses and when you opened your grandma's birthday gift you actually said "Oh no, another one?" Your verbal abilities astound your father and me. Your vocabulary is enormous and your diction is crystal clear. There are times when living with a small child that parents like to pretend that we don't understand you. You have made that impossible! Recently your dad went to lay down with you in your bed when your preference is mommy. You whispered sweetly "Daddy, I love you. Now I want you to get out of my bed."
I look at you and I cannot remember a time when you were not here. In my wildest dreams, I could not imagine having a daughter as wonderful as you. We love you sweet girl!
Today was your second birthday. We had a lot of fun. Daddy took the day off and we all went out to a diner for breakfast and then to the Children's Museum of New Jersey. Henry even skipped school on your behalf.
When we got home your best friend Roen came over to check out your new dollhouse. We blew out the candles on your Dora cake early so that Roen and her brother could take some home and then we had our traditional birthday dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. We had to postpone your birthday party with your friends on Wednesday because you had a fever. I will reschedule it for next week; it is going to be a tea party theme complete with tutus, princess hats, a butterfly pinata and lots of pink cupcakes (your only birthday request).
You are such a special little girl. Not only are you as cute as a button but you are just as sweet inside. You smother me with hugs and kisses all day long. You are quick to tell people that you love them or ask what is the matter when they are sad. You are incredibly smart and love to make jokes. Your favorite game is "I Spy" and you actually play it correctly.
You are mischievous and make me wish I had eyes in the back of my head. Yesterday I found a harmonica in my purse and saw you stuffing my house keys into Henry's backpack. I am constantly catching you jumping on the couch or on your bed and you are always running around naked. For some crazy reason your daddy lets you chew gum. Now that you have stopped swallowing it, I am always finding it around the house. You know and I know that your know where the garbage can is! When you are being naughty you cannot be threatened with punishment and you are always calling my bluff. When you don't get what you want it is amazing how long and loud such a tiny package can scream.
You have not inherited my affinity for white T shirts. You insist on wearing pink or purple on top every day. You even suggested yesterday that I should wear a pink shirt as well. You refuse to wear dresses and when you opened your grandma's birthday gift you actually said "Oh no, another one?" Your verbal abilities astound your father and me. Your vocabulary is enormous and your diction is crystal clear. There are times when living with a small child that parents like to pretend that we don't understand you. You have made that impossible! Recently your dad went to lay down with you in your bed when your preference is mommy. You whispered sweetly "Daddy, I love you. Now I want you to get out of my bed."
I look at you and I cannot remember a time when you were not here. In my wildest dreams, I could not imagine having a daughter as wonderful as you. We love you sweet girl!
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Nighty Night. Sleep Tight. Yeah, right.
Until recently, Molly was an incredible sleeper. I could lay her down awake either for a nap or at night and she would go to sleep without another peep. This was a big change from you know who so it was a remarkable surprise and very pleasant.
One day a light switched and she decided party time (for me) was over. Every night after that, without fail, she would stand in her crib and scream "Mommy! Get me out of here!" at the top of her lungs. Over and over. Forever. We are not cry it out folks, but we did ignore her a bit because she was tired and she was not crying. Just screaming. Even if we did take her out she would either run around or fall immediately asleep on my lap only to wake as soon as I put her back in her bed. I started to get a nervous tic towards bed time because it was so upsetting and she was so relentless.
I decided to experiment and put her to sleep in Henry's trundle bed. They both loved it and it seemed like the perfect solution until the second day. They always give you one day of hope where you think it might work right? After that it was like herding giggling cats trying to keep both of them in bed and get them to go to sleep. Molly was really the instigator after a few days. Henry is without his nap due to preschool so he is falling down tired by 7pm. To keep wild girl in bed and let Henry sleep I would now have to lay down with her. Forget poor daddy. Only Mommy will do.
Laying down with Molly is a torturous event for the most part. She is not happy unless she has you pinned to the wall or the bedrail. She insists on being face to face. While she is staring you down refusing to sleep, she enjoys jabbing her fingers into your mouth, clawing you in the face or tickling your face very lightly so that it is almost painful. You cannot threaten her. I say, "Molly shut your eyes or else I am going to leave." She starts screaming "You get out of my bed NOW!" trying to wake Henry. As soon as you get up to call her bluff she starts crying "Mommy lay down with me pleasy pleasy." This goes on forever as the dirty dishes are congealing in the kitchen and my favorite shows are going unwatched.
She probably isn't tired because she naps so late. If she doesn't fall asleep on the way home from dropping Henry off at school I can forget about her napping. She wanders around like a drunken soldier until she can't take it one more second and she passes out. Usually 5 minutes before we leave to pick him up. I then have to strap her sleeping body to me in the carrier to Henry's school. She wakes about an hour later and is totally wired at bedtime.
The silver lining is that she is hilarious to lay with. She does funny things like lick her palms until she falls asleep. Once she was shoving her hands into her mouth over and over. I inquired as to what she was doing and she said she was washing her hands in her mouth. Another time she was scrubbing her hair furiously. She told me she was washing her hands in her hair. Better her hair than mine because that is one of her more painful tricks! Today she was laughing away tickling her own belly. She has also started telling me that I am her best friend or saying "Mommy you are such a good mommy." Those moments make all of the sleep shenanigans worth it.
One day a light switched and she decided party time (for me) was over. Every night after that, without fail, she would stand in her crib and scream "Mommy! Get me out of here!" at the top of her lungs. Over and over. Forever. We are not cry it out folks, but we did ignore her a bit because she was tired and she was not crying. Just screaming. Even if we did take her out she would either run around or fall immediately asleep on my lap only to wake as soon as I put her back in her bed. I started to get a nervous tic towards bed time because it was so upsetting and she was so relentless.
I decided to experiment and put her to sleep in Henry's trundle bed. They both loved it and it seemed like the perfect solution until the second day. They always give you one day of hope where you think it might work right? After that it was like herding giggling cats trying to keep both of them in bed and get them to go to sleep. Molly was really the instigator after a few days. Henry is without his nap due to preschool so he is falling down tired by 7pm. To keep wild girl in bed and let Henry sleep I would now have to lay down with her. Forget poor daddy. Only Mommy will do.
Laying down with Molly is a torturous event for the most part. She is not happy unless she has you pinned to the wall or the bedrail. She insists on being face to face. While she is staring you down refusing to sleep, she enjoys jabbing her fingers into your mouth, clawing you in the face or tickling your face very lightly so that it is almost painful. You cannot threaten her. I say, "Molly shut your eyes or else I am going to leave." She starts screaming "You get out of my bed NOW!" trying to wake Henry. As soon as you get up to call her bluff she starts crying "Mommy lay down with me pleasy pleasy." This goes on forever as the dirty dishes are congealing in the kitchen and my favorite shows are going unwatched.
She probably isn't tired because she naps so late. If she doesn't fall asleep on the way home from dropping Henry off at school I can forget about her napping. She wanders around like a drunken soldier until she can't take it one more second and she passes out. Usually 5 minutes before we leave to pick him up. I then have to strap her sleeping body to me in the carrier to Henry's school. She wakes about an hour later and is totally wired at bedtime.
The silver lining is that she is hilarious to lay with. She does funny things like lick her palms until she falls asleep. Once she was shoving her hands into her mouth over and over. I inquired as to what she was doing and she said she was washing her hands in her mouth. Another time she was scrubbing her hair furiously. She told me she was washing her hands in her hair. Better her hair than mine because that is one of her more painful tricks! Today she was laughing away tickling her own belly. She has also started telling me that I am her best friend or saying "Mommy you are such a good mommy." Those moments make all of the sleep shenanigans worth it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)