The Worldly Wards

Cookie of the month: Month 8

2012-02-05T09:43:00.002-05:00

For the month of February, our little baker made heart-shaped sugar cookies. Making these cookies involved three separate rounds of kitchen time: first to make the dough, then to roll, cut, and bake, and finally to decorate. It was a busy two day bake-athon, and the results were scrumptious.

What happened to January?

2012-02-02T22:26:00.002-05:00

Where did January go? What did we do? I have no idea save what was recorded in pictures.

So, we visited the Brooklyn Children's Museum with the Williams family,

Elizabeth enjoyed a snowy day,

Henry "experienced" more than "enjoyed" the snow

He didn't like flakes on his lashes.

Henry worked on his thank you cards,

I started working again, with two eager assistants at my feet,

and we checked out the playroom at the restaurant down the street.

I apologize for the lack of videos. We have taken many videos of the kids but they aren't playing properly on our computer. We will work out this bug so we can share them with you.

Henry is 12 months old!

2012-01-23T22:06:00.002-05:00

We took a series of first birthday shots of Henry. We chose the settings to match with Elizabeth's first birthday photos. Unlike Elizabeth, Henry is always on the move so it is a challenge to get a good shot. Enjoy!

Setting 1: Naked with balloons

Setting 2: Fancy with a piano

This one makes me laugh

Setting 3: Playing in a birthday shirt

Snuggling with "Dusty"

Birthday Party!

2012-01-23T20:40:00.001-05:00

Henry's first birthday party was thrown together in about a week's time, but wound up being a very fun affair. Due to his January birthday, I decided he would have a penguin themed party. So, he had a penguin cake and penguin-themed party favors. Fortunately, many of our family and friends were able to join us, and Henry surely felt the love on his first birthday.

So, on January 22nd Henry opened presents in the morning and then prepped for the party.

At the party, Henry dined on kiwis and crudites (everyone else had paninis),

played with a balloon while smiling at Opa,

watched Elizabeth blow out his candle,

experienced trepidation at the sight of icing,

then squished an un-iced piece of cake,

tasted it,

squished it,

tasted it,

and declared it good.

The revelers looked on during Henry's taste and squish routine,

then dove into the cake while Elizabeth devoured a marshmallow penguin feet first.

Henry rounded out the evening with more present opening, including a Dusty look alike that he loves (pictures of the snuggling will be in the next post),

a ride-on fire truck,

and a piano.

Thanks to all of you for your birthday wishes. Henry is very fortunate to have you all in his life.

Birthday Boy

2012-01-22T21:16:00.002-05:00

Worried that our soy- and dairy-free birthday boy wouldn't get some decent cake? Fahgetaboutit!

Cookie of the month: Month 7

2012-01-14T18:10:00.003-05:00

Inspired by her recent trip to Mexico, Elizabeth made Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies this month. The cookies had cayenne in them, which gives them quite a kick. Initial reports actually call the cookies too spicy.

While making the cookies, Elizabeth made the mistake of licking cayenne right off her finger. Screaming, crying, and cheese eating quickly followed. Next month, we'll try something a bit tamer.

Winter Break - Playa del Carmen

2012-01-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

We had the good fortune of visiting Playa del Carmen with my parents. Our week was filled with swimming, napping, touring, and relaxing. I can confidently say that a good time was had by all.

Elizabeth had to check out all of the swimming pools at the resort. She wore a life vest and had lots of fun swimming on her own. Henry also loved the swim pools. On the last night, we did a tour of all four pools at the resort, excluding hot tubs.

We also took advantage of other amenities at the resort, such as hammocks,

face painting at the activity center,

the beach,

snorkeling,

mini golf,

and restaurants.

Justin went on a tour of Chichen Itza, where he took way too many pictures of himself. I will save you from all but one.

Elizabeth talked with the locals in downtown Playa del Carmen,

and posed on the beautiful beach there.

We also met some Mayans

while visiting the ruins at Tulum.

The views from there were amazing.

As is this self portrait of Elizabeth.

We also went to an eco park called Aktunchen, where we walked through a cave

and got to see some animals.

Before flying back to NY, we compared the back of my dad's head to Henry's. It's not fully captured in this shot, but these two have the same head shape, hairline, and birth marks.

Henry checked out the airport in Cancun,

Elizabeth posed with Snow White during our layover in Orlando,

and then we all lived happily ever after.

Better late than never . . . Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-08T16:36:00.001-05:00

Over Christmas, we finally took the time to retrieve our Thanksgiving pictures from our old camera and from my dad's camera. So, here is a quick Thanksgiving wrap-up.

On the way down to DC, we stopped off in Philadelphia so Justin could take care of some work. The kids and I spent a long and very fun day at the Please Touch Museum where Elizabeth worked in a children's hospital,

Henry steered a boat,

and Elizabeth caught up on her reading

and tried on high heels.

Once we got to Bethesda, Elizabeth and Justin went ice skating

At Opa and Grandma's house, Elizabeth helped with the whipped cream

while the guys cared for the bird.

We finished our long, ten-day, trip with a visit to the National Harbor for Justin's work.

I also found this cute video on the camera.

Coming soon, Cancun pictures!

And the children were nestled all snug in their car seats

2011-12-29T21:53:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas; I know we did. We were, fortunately, able to spend time this Christmas with all three sets of Grandparents and Elizabeth loved it all.

On the way to DC, we stopped in Pennsylvania at Longwood Gardens to check out the tree houses,

peer in the pond,

walk through the grasses,

explore the children's garden,

and check out the lights.

We spent the days leading up to Christmas hanging out at Jay and Linda's house where Opa and Elizabeth made a gingerbread house

and Billy posed for his eleven-month pictures with the tree

and with Grandma (photos courtesy of Elizabeth).

On Christmas Eve, we traveled to Kathryn and Antonio's house where Elizabeth and Grandpa set up the manger,

Elizabeth donned a dress-up outfit given to her by Uncle Edward and Stephanie (she has worn this outfit every day since),

and Elizabeth posed with Aunt Breanna (Jay and Linda were also in attendance).

Back at Jay and Linda's house, we read the note from Santa on Christmas morning,

checked to see what Santa left in his sack,

exchanged gifts with one another,

and tried on press on nails gifted to Elizabeth from Daddy (it looks so gross).

By the 26th , we were at Barbara and Bill's where we snuggled,

exchanged more gifts,

caught and thwarted a fruit bandit (see here),

admired the tree,

donned coordinated overalls (this was the best pic we got, but they are so cute),

and found a wonderful present under the tree.

Happy New Year to you all!

Henry is 11 months!

2011-12-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-12-19T22:43:00.000-05:00

It is late, so this will be quick. I wanted to get up our most recent pictures before the Christmas-craziness begins.

We have been enjoying the season by decorating a Christmas house,

attending a Christmas show,

and traveling to Manhattan by train.

In Manhattan we explored Madison Square Park,

watched a building evacuation,

checked out the windows at Macy's

and Lord & Taylor,

watched a video at the New York Public Library,

observed the ice skaters,

ice skated,

rode a carousel,

posed with Minnie and Mickey (according to E, this was the best part of the day),

and visited the tree at Rockefeller Center.

Closer to home, we looked at the crazy light displays in Dyker Heights where we posed with Santa,

checked every manger for baby Jesus,

met Rudolph,

and dozed off.

Back at home, this cute little guy

finger painted for the first time

and Elizabeth snapped photos of me cleaning Henry's mess,

Justin arriving home from work,

and herself.

Fun with the new camera

2011-12-17T13:47:00.001-05:00

Over Thanksgiving, our point and shoot camera stopped working. So, we bought a new Cannon Elph. We have had fun playing with the many features on it, especially the slow-motion movie. Go to the blog (www.worldlywards.blogspot.com) so you can view the videos. One day we will retrieve our Thanksgiving pictures from the old camera and share them with you.

The "kids and pets" function caught Henry being smiley

and Elizabeth shaking her head very fast.

Henry caught by "face detect."

Justin enjoys the "color swap" and "color accent."

I like "poster effect."

Henry is cute, captured by the "fish eye" function.

He is also cute catching a ball.

We've also decorated for Christmas ("toy camera" and "color accent")

and made Christmas ornaments.

We have taken lots of slow-motion videos. Including Elizabeth grabbing her aching-back mid-spin,

Justin beaning me with a ball,

Henry catching,

Elizabeth and I jumping,

and Henry destroying a cheerio.

Christmas Photo Preview

2011-12-11T12:09:00.001-05:00

We finally took the kids' Christmas pictures yesterday. We had every intention of editing these a bit to hide our make-shift photo studio, but we ran out of time and worked around it when ordering cards.

So, here they are, raw and cute.

Cookie of the month: Month 6

2011-12-11T12:02:00.001-05:00

For December, Elizabeth made gingerbread cookies. This was a two-day operation consisting of mixing, chilling, rolling, cutting, baking, icing, and decorating. By the end, I was tired, but Elizabeth was powered by the sugar she swiped from the dough, icing, and decorations. The kitchen has assumed a permanent state of stickiness. Regardless, the cookies were cute and reports indicate that they are tasty.

Henry is 10 months old (and a few weeks)

2011-12-04T10:29:00.001-05:00

Hello, friends and family and welcome to the blog post with Henry's 10-month birthday photo shoot. Yes, he turned 10 months old last month. (My, my you're quick!) But we were traveling and our camera broke and another excuse goes here. Sorry. We have since gotten a new point-and-shoot camera that has a few awesome features, such as slow motion and color swap. I'll show you what I mean in a future post.

Until then, here are some of the best "10-month" photos, which we took today ... which is technically still closer to his 10-month birthday than his 11-month birthday (by 1 day, I think. Feel free to double check that if you like. I used by fingers and the "30 days hath September" rhyme to remember November).

A November to Remember

2011-11-13T20:07:00.001-05:00

Going through these pictures made me realize that we have had a busy few weeks hanging out in Brooklyn.

Elizabeth experimented with food coloring, baking soda, and vinegar

and Henry played with oatmeal and water.

I love this picture!

Justin redeemed a Groupon at a Middle Eastern restaurant (so much food),

We visited with Pecos and GiGi while trying on clothing,

playing in the leaves,

checking out MOMA's art

and Materials Lab,

and cheering on the NYC marathon runners.

Our resident mermaid dined on seaweed, "starfish" made from a tangerine, and "fish" made of cut up pizza.

Elizabeth also braved the chillier temperatures.

We visited the Staten Island Children's Museum where Elizabeth played vet,

Henry went in an ant hill,

the kids seesawed together,

and Elizabeth made a pumpkin pound cake.

Then we went to Sunset Park where we took (lousy) pictures of the view of Manhattan.

Today we went to the Prospect Park zoo to feed the hooved animals

and pose for our special picture (here, here, and here).

Henry has also learned to make music! He'll be clapping soon.

Wish me luck! Justin left tonight and he will not be back until Friday evening. The kids and I are on our own.

Cookie of the month: Month 5

2011-11-10T21:02:00.001-05:00

To celebrate November and the start of the holiday season, Elizabeth made orange, pistachio, cranberry cookies. Orange cookies also happen to be Grandpa's favorite. Justin actually said these cookies were "delicious," which is quite an upgrade from his usual compliment of, "they're fine." The cookies must have tasted wonderful!

Halloween

2011-11-03T20:42:00.000-04:00

On Halloween Eve, we carved our pumpkins . . .

to resemble ourselves (from the top: Justin with glasses, Henry with a two-tooth grin, Elizabeth sticking her tongue out, and Kate looking angry due to acute lack of sleep).

On Halloween, we dressed up as Goldilocks and three bears.

Elizabeth loved trick or treating,

eating candy,

going on a pony ride,

and checking out the crowds at a local Halloween event.

Leaf-peeper cruise: part 2

2011-11-02T17:24:00.003-04:00

Our third stop was in Bar Harbor, where Barbara played in the foliage

and a quiet moment with Elizabeth,

Elizabeth hitched a ride to check out the leaves,

Henry enjoyed a boat ride,

and posed on Mt. Olympus in Acadia National Park,

Justin devoured a lobster roll,

and I dreamed of a weekend spent on this island.

In Boston, the weather was rainy and H was sick, so he and I stayed on the boat. The rest of the crew checked out the science museum, with only this picture of E in 3D glasses as evidence.

Finally, we had a beautiful day in Newport, RI where we checked out the cliff walk,

Bill trespassed on the yard of a mansion,

H posed with the pumpkins,

Blue-eyes once again regretted not having sunglasses,

and E practiced reading.

And then we came home to this . . .

Snow in October and three days with no heat is enough to knock the vacation right out of you!

Leaf-peeper cruise, part 1

2011-11-01T22:34:00.000-04:00

We are back from our cruise and had a wonderful time traveling the coast to Halifax and back. Besides a nasty cold we passed around and a rainy day in Boston, it was smooth sailing.

Elizabeth loved the cruise and cried about leaving the "hotel boat." I think she mostly liked watching TV in Baba's room, eating ice cream every day, and viewing the shows at night (she loved the dancing).

So, here are pics and videos for your enjoyment.

Our first night on the boat, we crossed under the Verrezano Bridge, which is very close to home.

Then, we had a day at sea where we looked like tourists,

learned about fussball,

regretted not having sunglasses,

snuggled with Mama,

played "bunk beds,"

failed at taking a good family picture on "fancy night" (this is the best),

and figured out how to live in our cramped quarters (two kids in one shower=bath time).

The next day, we disembarked in Halifax

where we visited the public gardens,

and explored the citadel,

where E signed up for the Canadian Army.

The next day was St. John, where E checked out local art in the morning,

and we watched the Reversing Falls in the afternoon . . .

after missing nap . . .

but E was happy to be the highest person in all of St. John,

and to feed some goats,

Back on the boat, E took advantage of the empty stage to act out the performances of a juggler,

a dancer,

and a singer.

Henry is nine months old!

2011-10-22T11:30:00.001-04:00

Henry is nine-months old! He is a crawling, pulling up, smiling machine. He has cut one top tooth and the other should emerge soon. Hopefully his sleep will improve when he does because I am one tired mama.

Henry reacting to his favorite person (aka the photo-shoot interrupter).

And we are off on a cruise up the coast with Bill and Barbara. We'll be back in a week with lots of pictures to share.

Besides the Birthday

2011-10-20T22:13:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I accidentally emailed this out a bit prematurely.

So, besides celebrating Elizabeth's birthday, we also attended a harvest festival where Elizabeth painted a pumpkin,

played with playdough,

got her hand painted with her friend Emma,

and raced down a hill with her buddies.

Henry has hindered my movement,

looked like the BMOC (big man on campus),

prepared to walk,

and helped bake Elizabeth's birthday cake.

Elizabeth also practiced her dance moves.

E is three!

2011-10-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

Today, our little girl is three years old! It's amazing how much she has learned and changed in the past year. She really seems to be a kid now, and no longer a baby.

Elizabeth is constantly amusing us with her funny faces, endless singing, and amusing antics. At times, she wears me out with her constant talking, but she really is a great kid. She likes following rules and helping out others; she even corrects her friends when they aren't doing what they are supposed to.

Cautious by nature, she has started coming out of her shell more in the past few months. She warms up to new people faster, participates in her classes, and tries new things every day.

The most wonderful thing to watch over this past year has been to see her develop into an amazing big sister. Sure, she still kisses and hugs Henry a bit too roughly, but she always tries to make him happy and he loves being around Elizabeth.

So, happy birthday to our little girl. We love you very much!

It's been a festive week that we kicked off with a doggy birthday party that consisted of eating and jumping on the bed,

and paw print cupcakes.

Today began with opening presents while in PJs (however H is nude),

decorating a Pecos birthday cake,

visiting the schoolyard

with Baba,

and eating a delicious birthday cake!

Fallidelphia

2011-10-16T20:29:00.000-04:00

We are wrapping up a busy weekend that included a birthday party and a fall festival, but I'm posting about last weekend and last week when we went to a "farm" and Philadelphia. We're in the midst of a busy couple of weeks, so expect lots of posts.

So, last weekend we learned about milking cows,

went on a pony ride for the first time,

enjoyed a hay ride,

rested on a cow bench (with Ethan Williams),

checked out some chickens,

loved on bunnies,

and picked out some pumpkins.

The shirts were painted by Elizabeth!

Then it was hot, so we pulled out the pool for the last dip of the season.

On Monday, Henry had a long doctor's appointment so Justin and Elizabeth explored a new neighborhood and park. They watched some Tai Chi,

anticipated tasting the best Vietnamese sandwich around,

and then really enjoyed the sandwich.

Justin had work in Philly during the week, so the kids and I accompanied him. We saw dinosaur bones for the first time,

went on a canoe ride,

got scared when a turtle swam too close,

played on a tortoise,

dined with Opa,

tried to recreate old photos (scroll down to the Philly section),

explored the Magic Gardens

Elizabeth took this one!

and dined with Opa once more.

Cookie of the month: Month 4

2011-10-08T11:51:00.000-04:00

Continuing the seasonal cookie trend, Elizabeth made pumpkin cookies for October. Don't worry grandfathers, soon we will be out of seasonal specialties and we will start producing old favorites like chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.

Check out the intense process of making the cookies, including taste testing at every step, and concentration requiring a protruding tongue.

Falling for fall

2011-10-05T23:32:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks have zoomed past faster than a neutrino. No? OK, how about faster than the universe is expanding? (Sorry, it's been a couple of neat weeks in physics.) Anyway, here we are in October (OCTOBER!), with cool weather, crunchy leaves, and a scary movie no doubt in store for Kate and I this weekend. Ah, fall...I love you.

But you guys just want to know about the kiddies, huh? Well here's what they've been up to:

Helping pick and eat small, gnarly carrots

Pretending to understand what we're talking about

Showing Unc Ewar the underbelly of Brooklyn (it's the Transit Museum)

Saying hi to an underground kitty

Doing reverse Vulcan gang signs

Chasing some lady around the topiaries at Longwood Gardens

Being disappointed in the bad joke (Frog parking: All others will be toad)

Shrinking down to GI Joe size with mama

Jumping in the old grass

Crawling in the new grass

Wearing a baby, just like mama

Getting sunburned with dad at New Castle, DE

Blasting off into space (Note: Elizabeth is blasting off Billy too)

Wait. Who's this baby? And is that a bacon milkshake?

Determining the perfect apple at a farm in MD

Testing the produce

Trying to be sweet (again, I think Henry is trying to make the reverse Vulcan sign)

Wearing matching clothing ... but no one can match that toothy grin

Septembering what we've been up to is tough

2011-09-23T19:49:00.001-04:00

We have been

seeing the world, or at least a car ride, from Elizabeth's point of view,

jumping on the bed,

hanging out with friends (this is Felix),

checking out the sea otter at the aquarium,

smiling with the sea lions,

watching the kites on Coney Island (clearly Justin thinks the back of my head is my best side),

enjoying sippy cups and broccoli (H now eats a lot of foods; yesterday he ate honeydew, oatmeal, apples, sweet potato, broccoli, watermelon, butternut squash, carrots, and cucumber),

relishing neighborhood events that include bouncy houses and rides,

taking dance class (the first video was taken of the live feed in the studio),

engaging in hi-jinks,

packing for a trip,

bathing together (note the difference in their skin tone),

wearing out-of season pajamas (and pulling up!),

preparing birthday party invitations,

enjoying home-grown watermelon,

and turning eight months old!

He crawls!

2011-09-22T21:56:00.000-04:00

Henry is now a crawler. He figured it out over the weekend and has been perfecting his skills all week. He is also pulling up and loves the step stool in the bathroom. It's so cute to have him crawl to come see me.

We have much more cuteness to share, so look out for more posts in the coming days.

Rainy days and Labor day

2011-09-11T20:19:00.001-04:00

Besides making muffins, we've also been

learning to cut with new scissors,

impersonating family members,

playing with water inside while it pours outside,

enjoying honeydew (Henry is a much better eater now and rarely gags),

checking out hurricane damage, or lack thereof,

working on enunciating,

playing with a new ball,

and taking tons of pictures and videos of Billy,

And then we visited Maryland for Labor Day weekend and we

reenacted Elizabeth's first time in a swing,

then (8 months)

now (34 months)

smiled (as always),

dressed alike,

climbed up a tough ladder,

snuggled with Erica,

blew raspberries,

and dinned with family.

Cookie, I mean muffin, of the month: Month 3

2011-09-11T16:19:00.002-04:00

Elizabeth's "cookie of the month club" is actually formally titled "Toddler Bakery Surprise of the Month Club." So, this month we branched out and made muffins -- apple muffins with a strudel top.

I have heard reviews calling them both too sweet and not sweet enough. Elizabeth rates then with five yums, and that's good enough for me.

Come on Irene

2011-08-26T19:52:00.000-04:00

We are now waiting to see what happens with Hurricane Irene. Justin has to stay in NY for work, and the kids and I have decided to stay with him. We are not in a flooding or hurricane evacuation zone, so hopefully we'll be fine. We'll secure or bring in everything we have outside and load up on food, water, flashlights and batteries. It should be fun.

In the meantime, for the past few weeks, we have been

taking swimming lessons,

enjoying first popsicles (that's just water),

dressing up as King Henry and Queen Elizabeth,

watching a full-length movie (Ponyo) and only sobbing a few times,

trying new foods,

taking care of friends both old and new,

getting to know ourselves,

exploring the Children's Museum of Manhattan,

enjoying Central Park and apple cider doughnuts,

falling asleep after a busy day in Manhattan,

enjoying a picnic dinner at the playground,

and turning seven months old!

Henry now has two teeth and is so close to crawling!

A week in North Carolina

2011-08-14T22:24:00.000-04:00

The kids and I had the good fortune of spending a week at my parent's beach house in Emerald Isle, NC. I always love my visits there, even if they don't worked out quite as planned.

Two days after we arrived, my mom and I took the kids to the sound so Elizabeth could do some swimming (the ocean was too rough). I was wading while holding Elizabeth when I tripped and fell on a huge oyster cluster (aka an oyster rock). Somehow I managed to keep Elizabeth from getting hurt, but as soon as I looked at my leg, I knew I needed to go to the ER. At the ER, I had my wounds (four significant ones) cleaned and bandaged (not stitched since the cuts needed to weep out the dirt in them), got a tetanus shot, and a course of antibiotics. I also had to spend the rest of the week out of the water, but my parents were happy to help out.

Here are my wounds (minus one on my hip).

The oysters I fell on; it was high tide when I fell and they were fully submerged.

And some oysters up close; they are very sharp.

Besides that, we

read books from the local library,

played in the kiddie pool,

washed GiGi and Grandpa,

hung out on the beach,

visited the aquarium (which was awesome),

posed as hermit crabs,

played at the house,

posed on the roof (the first two shots were taken by Elizabeth),

tried on bibs,

loved on Pecos,

and flew back home (E took this shot at the airport).

Cookie of the month: Month 2

2011-08-12T21:24:00.000-04:00

For the month two, Elizabeth made blueberry-thumbprint cookies!

First, Elizabeth picked the blueberries.

Then, she made the jam.

Finally, she made the cookies.

Our laughing little lad

2011-08-07T20:17:00.000-04:00

From our trip to Cape Cod....Henry's first giggle

Videos from Cape Cod

2011-08-05T06:59:00.000-04:00

Here are a few videos from our trip that I forgot to post....

Conversations with Henry

Elizabeth's first smores

A fun game for all

Our opportune breakdown

2011-08-03T22:14:00.000-04:00

After we left Cape Cod, our goal was to go berry picking for a few hours, have dinner, and then head back in the car around bed time for one last push home. That didn't happen.

We DID go berry picking:

But then we stopped for pee-pee and doughnuts on the way back. Elizabeth must have either been very thirsty or, more likely, defiant, because she kept drinking her water even after we told her she had enough. So, we took her water away and drove off. Thirty minutes later, Elizabeth yelled "Me pee-pee!" and we pulled over as soon as we could ... at some random park-and-ride off some random exit outside some random town in central Connecticut.

I turned off the car and let Elizabeth and Kate out. But Kate suggested that I continue to drive around for a minute since Henry was sleeping. So I turned the key and ... nothing.

Thirty minutes later, after Kate had pulled out the picnic blanket and had a fresh blueberry feast with the kids on a green patch of nearby grass, I finally accepted that I had no idea what I was reading in the owner's manual nor any idea what I was looking at under the hood. So I called AAA and became a member.

Kate and I worked out logistics and ended up spending the night in Groton, which we figured out was only two exits away from Mystic, Conn., a touristy town with huge casinos, a huge aquarium, and a delightful 'old port town' complete with old buildings, actors, and an easy, breezy, beautiful little harbor with a few old sailboats and a lot of kayakers, canoers, and yachters.

In the morning, after AAA replaced the car battery, we were off to the aquarium, which we thought Elizabeth would like the most. We then learned that the aquarium was $30 per adult, so we opted for the seaport (which was still expensive, but offered a children's museum, a planetarium (we didn't go, but I would assume they teach you about how sailors of olde used stars to navigate at night), and a few kitchy, old-towny attractions like horse-and-buggy rides, and old apothocary, schoolhouse, tavern, and a boathouse where you can help put boats together).

What a great place to breakdown!

No one is asleep here. These are 'sailor beds' in the children's museum

It was then naptime, so we got back in the car, drove a few more hours until the kids woke up outside Stamford, Conn., and then found a mall where Kate could buy all the things we never knew we needed.

We then made it home, 34 hours after leaving Cape Cod. The car is fine. And Kate and the kids are off again enjoying another beachy adventure in North Carolina. Pics to come soon.

Cape Cod

2011-08-03T21:09:00.000-04:00

We're back from beautiful Brewster, Mass., where we spent the better part of a temperate week enjoying the sand, water, and free babysitting help of family.

For those unfamiliar with Cape Cod, there are three distinct sand+water combinations:

1) Lakes. Small, large, sandy bottom or mud bottom, Cape Cod has freshwater lakes for every taste. We liked the big sandy ones that replicated ... to me at least ... a warmer version of Lake Michigan.

OK, not THAT warm.

Henry DID eventually like them

Not as much as this goofy girl

In this picture, I imagine Henry grilling burgers and not being able to properly flip a stubborn one

2) Ocean. Cold isn't a strong enough word. We only went here once and only for about a 1.5 hours. We stayed on the sand.

3) Tide pools. On the Bay side of Cape Cod, the land is almost completely flat, meaning the difference between high and low tide (usually only a few feet) can reveal as much as two miles of small and large puddles, most of which have some sort of neat marine life in it.

We don't know these people, but I liked the shot.

Also during the week, Henry had his first food - sweet potato.

Elizabeth had her first smores and played her first game of mini golf:

And here are a few other random images evidencing a happy week....

We have a new photographer ... Elizabeth!

2011-08-03T20:13:00.000-04:00

In the past few weeks, we've been training Elizabeth to take photos with our dated Sony camera ... and I think she's getting the hang of it. Here's some evidence of her photog prowess.

Whadaya think? Should we start exploiting her already?

A very hot weekend

2011-08-03T20:04:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago, as the heat dome was spreading its magically oppressive powers over the East Coast, our childless friends Phil and Erica bussed up from Baltimore to get their fix on kids. And boy did they ever. We all met at the Queens apartment of Mike and Amanda (mutual friends), where four kids under three worked their cutest smiles and coos to get exactly what they wanted out of us unwitting accomplices.

Mostly, the toddlers (Elizabeth and Ethan) got to play fun games and eat calorie-rich food and the munchkins (Henry and Wesley) got to be held and kissed.

Henry cooled down in the pool:

Elizabeth and Ethan got cool toys and ice cream:

Mike impressed no one with his GRRL power (pronounced "girl" not "grill")

I was ecstatic to have some embarrassing "bath with friends" photos of Elizabeth

And the babies were passed around like a cough at a daycare:

Comparison time

2011-07-23T15:20:00.013-04:00

In an effort to determine who will get the lion's share of the inheritance, we hosted a competition a few weeks ago. Henry at 5 months and 21 days vs. Elizabeth at 5 months and 21 days.

Here is Henry's (poor) attempt to get his toys on the floor.

Compared to Elizabeth:

And here is Elizabeth's doll doing a better job than Henry:

And Elizabeth helping her doll:

An unrelated video of Elizabeth's daily mess in the bathroom sink and her elaborate explanation:

And also from the vault, Elizabeth at about six months old. What were we thinking?

6 months old!

2011-07-22T22:16:00.001-04:00

It's amazing the difference six months can make. In that time, I (Justin) probably got four haircuts and a suntan. But that's about it. Here are the changes to Henry in the past six months.

Just born:

One month ("Awake")

Two months ("Smiling")

Three months ("Holding head up")

Four months ("Interacting with the world")

Five months ("Learning about separation anxiety")

Six months ("Sitting" ... and "developing a personality")

This is Kate's favorite picture from the shoot

MOOBS!

BONUS: Here is a picture of Elizabeth at one year and Henry at six months. Cute, eh?

ANOTHER BONUS: It's amazing what a little photoshop can do!

Hot town, summer in the city

2011-07-21T14:16:00.000-04:00

We've been very delinquent posting blogs because we've been so busy with visiting grandparents. So, in the past few weeks we have

crossed the Brooklyn Bridge,

celebrated six years of marriage,

harvested the back yard,

enjoyed said harvest,

dressed ourselves (notice the shoes),

improvised swimwear,

worn truthful bibs ("This is what handsome looks like),

drawn outfits on the goose (we do this everyday to match Elizabeth's outfit):

enjoyed the sprinklers at the playground,

picnicked in Prospect Park,

tried on some old glasses,

milked a cow at the zoo,

recreated a favorite shot (here and here),

searched for something very important (a pacifier for a doll),

looked cute,

painted,

wiped out,

and taken naked pictures of each other.

It's been a great summer. We have one more set of visitors this weekend, a handful of doctor's appointments, and then we are off to Cape Cod and North Carolina for two beach vacations (YAY!).

Be on the lookout for a very cute video post coming soon.

Cookie of the month: Month 1

2011-07-09T00:09:00.000-04:00

For Opa's and Grandpa's birthdays (July 5 and 8 respectively), Elizabeth decided to give them each a membership to a cookie of the month club . . . a cookie of the month club where she makes the cookies.

For this first month, she made lemon cookies to celebrate summer.Check out the cuteness!

Invasion of the grandparents, round 1

2011-07-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

We are very fortunate to have all three sets of grandparents coming to visit us in the month of July. This weekend, Fourth of July weekend, Jay and Linda came to visit. So, this weekend we

visited the aquarium,

went on the rides at Coney Island,

hung out in the backyard,

went to the playground,

and attended the Bay Ridge Fourth of July picnic,

where Henry looked like a Hank,

and Elizabeth ran through the sprinklers

and went in a bounce house.