01.10.12
2011 in 50 pictures
{Click on any photo to see the full image}
10.17.11
Benjamin Lee is here!
Allons enfants de la patrie… a new révolutionnaire has arrived! Benjamin Lee was born on Bastille Day, July 14, weighing in at 8 pounds even. He is named after my grandfather, Lealon, who married my grandmother on Bastille Day in 1950.
10.31.10
Halloween Festivities & Kid Crafts
We’re getting excited for trick-or-treating tonight! But the festivities have been going on for a couple of weeks. Highlights:
Halloween fun at friend Vivian’s second birthday.
Pumpkin-carving party last Saturday
A ghost craft Jax and I did last night:
I asked if he wanted to glue black “eyes” on, and he enthusiastically asked for several, attaching them to the bottom.
Jax made this cute spiderweb at preschool.
The two of us made this bat last night. Tracing around his hands is something Jax loves to do, and he practiced cutting to make the border.
09.20.10
Cock-a-doodle-TWO!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Jax’s second birthday at Muscoot Farm. Over a dozen other kids along with their parents joined in the fun. Since my talented sister, Monica, was in town, as well as my mom, the baker extraordinaire, we went a little crazy with the crafts and decor. Some people go to the gym or watch movies. Us? we stay up until midnight gluing felt to make a farm scene and devising ways of creating frosting of varying shades of brown “dirt.” Poor Jax.
Here are the craftastic highlights!
The invitation (created in minutes on kodakgallery.com using a July 4th template):
First, we had a craft table set up where the kids glued fuzzy balls of various colors to sheep silhouettes cut out of cereal boxes. We also had paper glasses to embellish with feathers.
Then it was time for the pre-lunch hayride!
We kept lunch simple by ordering party heros from the local Italian deli. Twelve feet of sandwich, three feet each of four kinds. Even 40 people couldn’t get through half of the sandwich slices. Now we know.
{Sources: animal plates, recycled plastic plates, wooden silverware, recycled napkins}
The cake:
Yes, there is a huge problem of scale here. Where you see the little tractor was supposed to be a wooden “2″ in place of a candle. I forgot the number and we had to improvise. Cake Wrecks here we come!
We tried to have many activity options for all the kids. In addition to the craft table, I made a farm scene out of felt, with removable animals the kids could rearrange.
Of course, we also had a mini farmer’s market. It turned out to be a hit with the kids to grab a market bag and “shop”:
I made the canvas market bags out of a drop-cloth I bought at the hardware store and some ribbon from the craft store. I made 16 in all, but with one drop cloth probably could have made another 16. They are really, really easy to make using these instructions. The most time-consuming part was attaching the handles, and I think that was because I went overboard reinforcing them. I would estimate they took about 8-10 minutes each.
Inside each favor bag was a little wooden tractor from Etsy seller TnTWoods, which is based in Wisconsin and wonderful to work with (we created a custom order of 16 toy tractors.)
Highlights from the festivities:
…and a very happy birthday boy!
08.16.10
Party Planning for our Toddler
In these couple of semi-less-hectic weeks before the semester begins I’ve decided to plan Jax’s second birthday party. Last year’s theme worked out well for a baby who was mainly interested in things that moved and were brightly colored. This year, Jax has provided us with so much inspiration, since he is old enough to express his likes/obsessions. So what is he into these days?
~Farm animals: The noises they make, the hay and grass they eat, the fields they hang out in.
~Barns: He is exceptionally excited about the barn-shaped tool shed our neighbors have in their backyard.
~Gumby: Who would’ve thought? We tried to make it to age 2 without any TV, but I know I’m not the only parent who’s had to accept that The Plan doesn’t always work out in reality. Sometimes keeping the kid safely away from boiling water and hot oil in the kitchen takes priority. Why Gumby though? Of all the kid shows on Hulu, this is the one that stuck. “I want to watch Gumby and Pokey” is the evening dinner-prep hour request.
~The Farmer’s Market: For the past couple of weeks, every other sentence that comes out of Jax’s mouth is “I going the farmer’s market.” Literally. He’ll be playing with his firetruck and have the little fireman say “I going the farmer’s market. See you ater.” He’ll have the baby pig tell the daddy pig that he’s “going the farmer’s market.” When asked for specifics, Jax tells us he’s going to get cucumbers and tomatoes. It’s crazy sweet.
~Garbage Trucks: This has been an obsession since April, when Grandpa Ron took Jax out onto the balcony of their Florida condo to see the garbage truck collect the garbage. His passion for “wabage” and garbage trucks hasn’t waned. When we go out for ice cream, I swear the most exciting part for him is throwing away everybody’s napkins.
~Tractors: When we were in Ohio in June Jax got to play with Seth’s matchbox cars from when he was growing up. There is a tractor in the collection and it’s a favorite. Keeping it in my purse has made certain outings a tad more manageable.
So given these interests, and the fact that there will be other children there with parents who may not have introduced them to Gumby yet, and who may not find it socially acceptable to spend two hours pretending to throw away napkins, can you guess what the theme will be?
07.14.10
July
It’s been too busy to write, and I have a feeling the rest of the month will be more of the same. Don’t you hate blog non-updates like that? I’ll be back eventually, but in the mean time have 2 months (to the day!) to my defense, am teaching an intensive summer course, have some awesome friends visiting, and am spending every spare minute I can possibly grab to cherish my dear family and friends. The best is that I get to chase this wonderful little boy – from the sand to the ocean to the river to the aquarium to the carousel to the dirt in the flower beds.
“I swim in the ocean.”
“I make a firework.”
Seals at the New England Aquarium
Carousel in Boston
06.14.10
Heritage Crafts Day at Van Cortlandt Manor
The rain couldn’t keep us from having a picnic by the river and then checking out the Heritage Crafts day at Van Cortlandt Manor. The event showcased crafts like dying wool, making butter, working with tin, blacksmithing, and open air cooking. It seems all we do each weekend is visit some sort of historic farm or museum! When you’ve got a toddler who gets excited about a haystack, and you’ve got a membership to Historic Hudson Valley, it’s really a no-brainer.
Walking down the hill to the picnic grounds.
Throwing stones into the river.
The blacksmith demonstration.
Was the sausage in the foreground there as decor or was it their lunch?
Playing the triangle.
Abercrombie & Fitch pose.
Jax interrupted his run to the hay to point out the “airplane sky” he probably thought didn’t fit in with the 17th-century surroundings.
New favorite game: jumping or falling down objects or stairs to be caught. He’s very trusting!
05.25.10
April Florida Trip
When we heard Seth’s parents and sister were headed to Florida for a week, we decided to join them for part of their vacation. There is so much to do there which makes a great place to meet up. Highlights of our trip were a waterslide park, trips to the beach, and a full day spent in Key West (my first time there), where we visited Hemingway’s house and of course indulged in some Key Lime pie. We loved the laid-back atmosphere of Key West and would love to return for a longer stay. But we were also satisfied with taking it easy in the sand and walking along the boardwalk in Hollywood Beach.
Thanks for all the fun, Ron, Carol, and Renée!
Ice Cream Sandwich
Can you spot the baby frog? There were teeny, tiny frogs *everywhere* on the beach at the lake near Seth’s parents’ place… and tadpoles in the water!
Fun with Aunt Née
Snack Break
Ernest Hemingway’s House
Southernmost Point of the continental U.S.
Train Excitement
The trip back from Key West
05.20.10
May Festivities
May has always been special to me, since my birthday is the 13th. But now with Mother’s Day as well, I have another great excuse to celebrate spring! What have we been up to?
Playing soccer in the backyard:
One Saturday, while the boys did this:
I did this:
These table linens were embroidered by my great-grandmother. My aunt Diane gave them to me on our last trip out to California. That table cloth in the back was Seth’s grandmother’s. I was able to get them looking crisp and new by pre-treating decades-old stains with OxyClean and then drenching them in sunshine after washing. These are so special to me, and I’m glad they add a touch of history and elegance to our meals today!
A tag sale benefiting the local historical society was held almost literally in our backyard, at our neighbor’s. Knowing the neighbors and having seen their awesome 1920s house, I knew the stuff would be good. As predicted, I came away with many treasures, including this 22-carat-gold-plated china set made by Limoges USA (I know, American Limoges?!), from the 1920s:
I’m almost embarrassed to say how much I paid: it would have cost more to see a movie in New York City.
I also picked up the most cheerful vintage recipe box:
and a pretty bowl, which I assume to be crystal because it weighs four tons:
Ah. I live for tag sale season.
Jax grew me a Mother’s Day gift at preschool:
He loves watering it and sometimes dumping out the excess water when it gets a little full.
Jax helped Seth mow the lawn on the morning of Mother’s Day:
For lunch that day we treated ourselves to delicious Mexican food. The table-side guacamole preparation was captivating:
While not a huge fan of the taste of guacamole, Jax did enjoy the cheese quesadillas and refried beans:
A big, quesadilla-filled smile!
For dinner that evening, we used one of my great-grandmother’s white tablecloths:
Seth gave me the beautiful rose plant I’ll be enjoying for months. It has since sprouted even more blooms.
Jax helped me open my Mother’s Day gift, a necklace with a charm that says “jax”:
Last weekend we used my birthday as an excuse to get together a bunch of local families with Jax-aged kids we’ve come to know. We had a picnic that lasted something like five hours, with friends coming and going all afternoon. It was great!
I have been so spoiled for my birthday and received many wonderful gifts that I so much appreciate. I now have Martha Stewart’s Craft encyclopedia and some great movies I’ve been meaning to watch and now can. There are also new treats from France and some fun new accessories I’ll be enjoying well beyond my birthday. So sweet!
My present to myself was finishing the last chapter of my dissertation. Now on to a summer of editing and rewriting, interspersed with many more picnics and some short trips to see friends and family. Happy times!