East Coast Trip 2011

We travelled east last week to visit our New Jersey family. Despite the long plane flight, both kids did really well. Luke continues to be an amazing traveller. Mia we knew would be a challenge, but she actually did better than we anticipated. They both adjusted easily to sleeping in a new place and in a different time zone and overall just did incredibly well. They had a great time visiting Grandma and Grandpa, and seeing Aunties, Uncles, and cousins. Here are some photos from our trip:

Visiting the Zyla ladies


Mia fully enjoying Aunt Michele's Italian meal ... and the special Brooklyn imports (and yes, she was in serious need of a bath when it was all over!)


Bedtime story time with Stephanie


Uncle Ernie entertaining Mia



Yankees game and our first visit to the new stadium ... pretty awesome!

Grandma and Mias' girls day together

Park time

Luke drives the boat and catches his first fish with Grandpa

Water play

One of our favorite outdoor activities right now is playing in the water. Luke loves the sprinkler, Mia loves the baby pool, and they both spend lots of time at the water table. We had some warm (um, hot) weather this week, so we spent quite a bit of time engaged in water play.

So, these kids have some serious love for their goggles

Sprinkler time! Mia is modeling her new, cute suit (thank you, Ava!)

Make note of this picture ... Luke is actually IN the baby pool! This is notable because he has a serious issue with any dirt, blade of grass, or (brace yourself) small bug that might be in the pool. If he spots such a thing, he will NOT go in. A boy after his Mommy's own heart - I completely understand!

Happy Father's Day!

I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate the many wonderful fathers in my life. My own dad, of course. My grandpa - another very special dad. And finally, the father who I get to see in action most often right now - my partner, my husband, and one of the best dads I know.

We spent the day at the pool, followed by dinner at La Milpa (my dad's choice!). How I ended up having only photos of Mia and me on father's day, I'm not sure. But, pictures of the kids with me are a rarity, so I'll take it.

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there!

The snow has melted ... almost

What an incredibly beautiful stretch of time we enjoyed in Tahoe last week. The weather was truly perfect. Quite a contrast to the weekend prior when it actually snowed. Yes, in June!

The primary reason for our trip up this time was so that Michael and I could attend the wedding of one of Michael's college friends. They had a beautiful wedding, Michael was able to reconnect with a bunch of his college friends, and we were both able to spend time with Pete, our dear friend from our years in Brooklyn.



Luke and Mia took full advantage of the weather, spending a lot of time outdoors. Mia loved swinging in the hammock. Luke could be found exploring, collecting sticks, or driving screws into an old piece of wood (a current favorite activity)


We also spent some time down at the swimming pool and adjacent playground. Of course, the kids LOVED this also.

Thank you yet again to Day and Paw for having us in your beautiful home (and for being our babysitters!). We are looking forward to at least one more summer trip to Tahoe this year.

Before I forget

A quick little update on Mia's vocabulary before I forget to add these words to her ever-growing list:

"Thank you" (used often and appropriately!)

"Here you go"

"Roo" is definitely Luke

"Day" (for my mom, usually used in "hi day")

"Hello" (in addition to hi)

"milk"

some form of "brother"

"book"

"read"

Her absolute favorite books right now, which we read very, very regularly (often several times in a row):

This one is great because it is really interactive, I read as Mia places the baby animals into their beds

Just life

Some pictures from the other day - no real story, no update, nothing fancy - just two kids enjoying a lazy weekend morning.

Some of my most favorite moments...

Sleeping angel

Preschool graduation

Luke had his end of the year ceremony at school this week. We were not only so proud of all of the progress, academically and socially, he's made this year, but also of how well he did during the performance for the end of the year. It was the first time that he willingly stood up on the stage, did the hand movements, and even sang a little bit. BIG progress in the world of Luke!

Performing (I will add a video in the next couple of days, so check back!)

Walking of the bridge to receive his certificate from Miss Tabatha

I just adore this series of pictures ... Luke was so proud of his certificate, he's showing it to all of his friends standing around him on stage.

After the ceremony we snapped a few pictures with Luke's favorite Mandala people.

First, his best friend, Christopher (who is apparently not interested in looking or smiling for the camera, no matter how nicely I asked!)

Next with 3 of the 4 teachers in his classroom - Miss Veronica, Miss Aparna, and Miss Tabatha

This one melts my heart - Luke handing Christopher an invitation to his birthday party

Mia says, "Congratulations, big brother!"