My little man

Shay is getting to be such a big boy. 

 I finally got a picture of the inside of his school.  Although he will say "I don't want to go to school" in the morning, he never wants to leave when I go to pick him up!

Making flubber

He made art with his feet at school:


He loves cooking and eating!

Making pumpkin bread pudding recipe from his Highlights magazine



Pretending that he is making a smoothie in his "blender"



Eating with new chopsticks from Nana

He is becoming a very nurturing guy. He will tell Mila "I know you want to do that, but it's not safe" or will offer her a toy when she is crying (usually doesn't stop her crying, but it's the thought that counts, right?).

He continues to surprise me with his physical and mental development.  When we visited the playground at Union Square, he tried to climb the ladder on the tallest slide.  He got scared and asked me to get him down.  The next thing I know, he is trying again and got all the way to the top!

I told him the letters and he wrote them himself

"I made the Statue of Liberty, Mama!"

More fun and festivals as summer winds down

The weather has started to turn cooler in the last few weeks.  We have been taking advantage of Jermaine's weekends off and trying to get out as much as we can. 

Impromptu bubble party on the plaza


We went to the Feast of San Gennaro. Lots of Italian food - yum!


Street art on the way to the festival

    

Enjoying his first cannoli

When the weather doesn't cooperate, I've been taking the kids (separately) to the indoor pool in our complex's gym.  Shay is finally getting a bit more independent in the water.  He doesn't like to put his face in (kind of a prerequisite for swimming!), so it's been tough.  I loaded him up with every floatation device available, and he was really proud to be able to "swim" on his own.  Progress!





It's Your Birthday, Mama?

Shay's question at dinner, which was immediately followed by "it is going to be my birthday?" Preschoolers - so self-centered!

All in all, it was a great day. Mila and I walked to the Central Park Zoo with friends from our apartment complex. Mila was not too happy near the end if the hour+ stroll, but she perked up watching the sea lions once we for there. I didn't get any pics; I think I was so tired from walking, I forgot.   Mila eventually got tired and fell asleep.  She missed a close up of a snow leopard and a seal lion show.  I had a fun time!




Shortly after Mila fell asleep in the stroller, we headed back. I had originally planned not to walk the approximately 50 blocks back, but a cab or bus ride would have woken her so I decided to hoof it. Unfortunately, with the cacophony of afternoon traffic, she woke up at 1st ave & 53rd st, which is maybe halfway. She was not happy. Luckily, Jermaine was off early (!), so he picked up Shay from school and met us for dinner at our favorite kid-friendly sushi place.

Though the kids were tired after a busy day, they enjoyed dinner and green tea ice cream.

The biggest surprise of the day came when we got home.  Jermaine actually put some thought and effort into getting me some birthday flowers! 



First train trip

We were so excited for our first train trip to Washington DC/Virginia to visit Tio Jay, Nubi, and Maya. I headed out with the kids on Thursday afternoon. It's hilarious that I thought I could manage 2 kids, a stroller, a rolling suitcase, a backpack, and a shoulder bag of toys and good alone at Penn Station in the middle of the city. Luckily, Jermaine was on call the night before and was able to accompany us.  I'll have to add more pictures later, since I also forgot my phone in the rush to get out the door, and took pictures with Jermaine's phone until he arrived on Saturday.

No matter how much you prepare, a 3.5 hour train ride with two young kids and one adult is going to be bumpy. So I was so happy to see Jay at Union Station in DC.  We made it to his house in Falls Church, VA, had a little playtime with cousin Maya, and got the kids to sleep.

On Friday, we took the kids for a walk around the amazing lake that's right down the street.  We saw a crane and lots of other birds, and Tio Jay entertained us with stories of recent beaver attacks in the area.  There was also a nice playground that kept the kids busy for a while.

Jermaine was supposed to arrive mid-day on Saturday, but, due to a train delay, he didn't make it until late afternoon.  We visited the local farmer's market to stock up on supplies for dinner.  Then we spent the day cooking, eating, and drinking while we waited. Nubi surprised the kids with crayons that spelled out their names and had other fun shapes.  Shay created a "newspaper" that he took everywhere for the rest of the trip!
 



Mila loves Maya



Sunday was our last day in Virginia, so we ventured out to a "soft park" a few towns over.  On the way, we got a taste of life in Virgina: brick houses; tons of trees; and a few dead animals (a rabbit and a deer, complete with vultures!) on the side of the road, which was pretty new for us.  The park and playground was really fun; they even had a carousel!

After a yummy lunch from the Vietnamese deli, it was time to head to the train station.  I was so happy to have Jermaine's help on the return trip. 

We got introduced to Utz chips - yum!

All in all, it was a great trip. Fun times, great food, and a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.   Thanks Tio Jay, Nubi, and Maya - see you again soon!