Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas Morning
Friday, September 23, 2011
Summer Travels II (Baltimore)
So Michael decided to spend some time doing some guy-things with the guys. Like seesawing:That didn't last long. Maybe it was the extra 150 pounds on the other side, or maybe he's already realizing how uncool dads are. Whatever the reason, he beat it after a few turns and left it to the dads, who showed that you're never too old to jam on the seesaw.
Fortunately, Michael and Mary's disagreement passed under the bridge and they proceeded to their dinner date, where they totally impressed each other with their impeccable table manners.Here's one last picture of Michael from a lunch we had with Megan and Jim, and Brendan, Abby and Mary. It was very kid-friendly with a play area full of dinosaurs that kept Michael more than busy while we ate.We sure made the most of our few days in Baltimore, visiting good friends, including special family friend and former landlord Chris the Plumber. On our way out of town we visited my aunt Susu in Washington, D.C., who generously made her world-famous crab cakes. It was a perfect end to a perfect visit to the DC-Balto area!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Summer Travels, Part Ia (HCSB 2011)
I wish I could take credit for this picture and the three that follow, but they are shots taken by Bryan Fisher. (There were about a dozen versions of the above picture on my camera and none of them were half as good as this one! Thanks for sharing your pictures online, Bryan!)
The next shot is actually a zoom-in of the group photo, which shows Michael beside his soul brother and potential twin, Charlie Maxwell. We couldn't get over how much these two looked and sounded alike, right down to their disapproving view of the proceedings. These two are a tough crowd.
This next picture is from earlier in the day, when we were at the pool. I love it because it looks like Kieran, the older son of our friends Meg and Marty, is spooning Michael some bubble fluid. Quite the palate cleanser, I'm sure.
And here's a shot of me and Michael from the afternoon.
Lastly, a big thank-you to Nicole and Jim for hosting us in their home, where Michael got lots of quality time with their adorable daughter Grace:
It was a great weekend trip, and we loved catching up with our friends, playing with their kids and meeting the new babies. Em is already looking forward to HCSB 2012!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Summer Travels, Part I
One of Michael's favorite activities in Syracuse was cooling off in the pool his Gaga and Papa has bought for him, and this watering can soon became a favorite toy.
In fact, he liked the pool so much, he didn't even really need his bathing suit to enjoy it. Any time is pool time with Papa!
First thing in morning...still in pajamas...no water...pool time, nonetheless!
Another classic way to beat the heat: ice cream! Or as Michael says, "Iiiiiice!" He has strong ice cream eating genes from both parents, so we were not surprised at his enthusiasm. If only we could model how to eat ice cream in sensible portions. One day when we find him eating right out of the carton, I'm sure he will say: "I learned it by watching you!"
We were happy to make several visits to Michael's Great-Gramma Dailey. Fortunately, one visit coincided with an ice cream social.
Otherwise, Michael spent his visits charming his Great-Gramma with kisses...
...and going for walks...
Our Syracuse visit also included his first boat ride, which he learned is quite different from the Bainbridge Ferry. He wasn't crazy about the life vest, but once the boat got going bump-bump-bump over the water, he was having a great time. For the rest of the visit, anytime someone mentioned a boat, he said: "Bump-bump-bump."
Another highlight of the trip was a couple of visits to the zoo. On this visit, Michael wore his elephant outfit, and so felt a great kinship with this elephant statue.
But of course the most fun was the time spent with family, reading books with Gaga...
...exploring outside with his Uncle Timmy...
...playing some tunes with his cousins...
...playing with trucks...
...or eating...
In fact, Michael has steadily become more proficient at eating with a spoon. This is about where we were at the beginning of the trip:
Pretty much, nowhere to go but up. Now he's getting good with the spoon and insists on eating ice cream all by himself. It is probably fear of wasting good ice cream that inspired him to refine his spoon-to-mouth technique.
Finally, here is a nice group photo of the family. Maybe one day, years from now, when Michael still wears tie-dyes, sandals and no pants, we'll look back at this picture and realize we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Clean Sweep
In anticipation of our trip back east, I finally got around to transferring our videos from the camcorder to the computer. We had wanted to put them on our iMac but it turns out our version of iMovie won't accept these files. Long story short, we need to upgrade from the "Tiger" to the "Snowleopard," as I learned on the phone today.
In the meantime, I was able to install on my laptop the PC-friendly software that came with camcorder and then transferred the videos. The good news for the blog is that now I can upload videos that will actually have sound, unlike the videos that were shot simply with our camera.
For example, here is one of Michael a few days ago, when he was in the mood for cleaning. He loves the broom!
Monday, July 4, 2011
More Firetrucks and the Fourth of July
He and Emily on the lookout for the parade to begin:
And after the parade, Michael wanted to check some baseball scores and wondered why his mom and dad are the last people in the country who still have flip phones. Apparently, the old-school phone ruined the look; sorry, bud.