Superheroes invade Brooklyn

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages ... Step right up and read all about it: Superheros Invade Brooklyn. Roughly a dozen caped crusaders were spotted at a late-January birthday party for a three-year-old Bay Ridge boy who at various times went by Peter [Parker], Bruce [Wayne], Clark [Kent], and Henry [unknown]. It was unclear whether the Bay Ridge native invited all the superheroes and their family members to celebrate the completion of his third voyage around the sun or whether they came to enjoy the festivities, which included a delicious birthday cake and entertainment such as watching a grown man blow up two balloons at once. Either way, the visit proved fruitful, as they were able to ward off a timely attack from the evil super villain "Super Bad Guy," who smile belied his shifty, underhanded nature, as was seen by his abnormal hording and throwing of balloons. The party ended with "Super Bad Guy" put into his place and the birthday boy stuffed with cake and snacks.

Superheroes and cupcakes ... H turns 3!

We had an eventful day yesterday, dealing with both the remnants of a monster snowstorm as well as the insatiable appetite for excitement of a newly minted three-year-old. Here is a photo safari through our day: 

Morning: Waking up to presents (aka: the German birthday)

Afternoon: After a surprise nap attack in the stroller, H woke up drunk with the need for more dress up!

Evening: The kids created polar bear mitts (to catch a velcro ball), had pasta and sausage (H's fave!) and enjoyed cupcakes. 

Cookie of the Month -- January: Lemon Crinkle Cookie

This month our child labor brought to their grandparents the favorite cookie of their Aunt Gillian: The Lemon Cookie.

These were fairly simple for the kids to make and didn't require a whole lot of clean up (other than when Elizabeth tilted the mixer ... picture below). They did, apparently, require a lot of crying from Henry, who skipped his nap on the day these were baked.

Luckily, they were also pretty tasty ... two to three bites of soft and chewy goodness, similar to the texture of a snickerdoodle, but with the bright flavor of lemon and the delicate panache of powdered sugar. They were light and soft and they walked right into my mouth.

Here are the photos. Hope the grandparents' enjoyed the treats!

Late December and early January with the Wards

As we gear up for H's birthday tomorrow, part of the prep is to clear the pictures off the camera. And, as I started clearing those pictures off I realized that I haven't updated the blog in quite a while (well, Kate also is excellent at helping me remember these things). So here are some of the 'best' pictures of non-holiday-related late December and early January events.

The Loss of tooth #1:

Dressing as princesses:

Going out in freezing cold temperatures during the polar vortex:

And coming back in and having very red cheeks:

Making and eating pasta (surprisingly simple, surprisingly delicious):

Spending six hours at the Brooklyn Children's Museum:

This is a Madagascar hissing cockroach

This is our apartment (not to scale) 

This is a beautiful batman-butterfly

Going to the Staten Island Children's Museum:

That is all ... until next time!