Friends

This weekend, we took a trip to visit some of our oldest and dearest friends - the Blabeys. Kristen and I have been friends since starting Kindergarten at age 4 - almost 30 years ago. We were in school together all the way through high school graduation and then were roommates in Boston for a while after college. Sadly for us, Kristen and her husband Tom moved back to Santa Barbara a few years ago, and being 3000 miles away is not conducive to frequent visits. In fact, as sad a fact as this is, the last time we saw them was when Henry was only a few months old - THREE YEARS ago. Kristen and Tom now have two little girls - Cyanne and Maritt - that we had never met. So, when we found that they would be in Cooperstown, NY (a mere 4 hours away!) visiting Tom's parents this week, we jumped at the chance for a visit.

We drove up and arrived Saturday afternoon. Henry and Cyanne hit it off right away, and spent a lot of time running through the yard and "hiking" with Tom and Mike:



And of course, after a long afternoon of playing they needed a bath:



On Sunday, Henry discovered his new favorite toy:



And there was a lot more running:




Cyanne worked on her photography skills:



And after a quick snack together:



We took the kids to a local farm museum:


There was a carousel:



Henry met a giant pig:



And Henry and Cyanne we able to meet and feed some lambs and goats:







They also met some oxen (this one is giving Henry the side-eye):



Then we went to a local playground where Henry became obsessed with a spider web/climbing structure:







And Maritt went on cute overload in the swing:





Then there was laughter over dinner:



And there may have been some drinking:




Today, Henry showed his love of all things Cyanne and requested to wear some of her hair bows:



And we took the kids to a local cider mill:









Where various birds were fed:






And everyone was measured:




It was a great trip, and it is so wonderful to be lucky enough to have an almost 30 year old friendship and now having our children play together.



Thank you so much to the Blabeys for letting us crash your family vacation. We can't wait to see you in Santa Barbara in September!

Death Defying Acts at the Playground

New York, New York (part 4 - damn you, chorizo)

SUNDAY

Not many pictures from today. Why, you ask? Well, the yummy dinner we enjoyed last night was, unfortunately, food poisoning inducing. Yes, our fun New York weekend was bracketed by stomach distress. I was OK - mildly nauseous all day. Gina was worse - on the couch for the morning but able to function. Mike was bad. We actually almost had to reschedule our return train for tomorrow because Mike wasn't sure he would be able to make it.

So, while Mike and Gina slept it off as much as possible, Henry and I joined Gina's Mike out for brunch. Then, we rallied our Mike and managed to get him out the door and to Penn Station.

Henry once again loved the train:



Mike went to bed at 7:30. Thus far today he has eaten half a piece of toast and slept for about 18 hours. Hopefully by tomorrow he will feel better.

Thank you so much to Gina for a great weekend and for being a stellar host! We will definitely be making a return trip soon.

New York, New York (part 3 - Dinosaurs!)

SATURDAY

Saturday was an exciting day for Henry - we went to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaur exhibits!

We started off with what is always a thrill for Henry - taking the subway:







(Doesn't he look like a seasoned subway pro?)

At the museum, the dinosaurs were VERY exciting:






After the museum we cruised Central Park for a while. Here is Henry contemplating the life of John Lennon:





Watching the rowboats with Aunt Gina:




Posing with Hans Christian Andersen:




And enjoying some public art:



We needed an A/C break at that point, so we figured what the heck - let's take the kid to FAO Schwarz.

Yes, he went on the giant piano:




Then we watched the pros do it:




That night, some of Gina's friends babysat for us so that we were able to go out for a yummy Mexican dinner....more on that later.....

New York, New York (Part 2 - zoo fun)

FRIDAY

After all the drama of Thursday night, Henry got up at his usual time and seemed totally fine. I have no idea what happened. A three hour virus? Too much excitement from the train ride and cats? Who knows.

After apologizing profusely to Aunt Gina and dropping a large load of laundry off at the cleaners, we decided that our original plan of taking Henry to Coney Island that morning was most likely too ambitious considering his potential for projectile vomiting, so we decided to go an easier route and head to the nearby Prospect Park Zoo. It is a small, very sweet little zoo.

Henry got to be a turtle:


Sit in some eggs:



Go on a giant spider web:




Visit some barnyard animals:




Watched the sea lions:


And got to ride on the world's fastest carousel:



Later in the afternoon Gina and I did some shopping and Henry enjoyed some bubble blowing:



Then, Henry beat the heat by hanging out in his underwear and brushing the cats:



The exciting news of the day was two-fold: Henry was miraculously recovered, and Mike was able to catch an earlier train and meet up with us in time for dinner!

New York, New York (Part 1 - Exorcist Toddler)

THURSDAY

On Thursday morning, Henry and I set off for our New York adventure. I love New York City, but haven't been since Mike's 30th birthday celebration a few years ago (and of course, Henry has never been). Plus, it was our first visit to Aunt Gina in her new Brooklyn life, so we were very excited for the trip.

The most exciting part for Henry was, of course, the train ride there:


The dining car held particular magic for him - many a trip was made down to get snacks.

Upon arrival at Aunt Gina's apartment, the second most exciting part of the trip presented itself - the cats:



Larry and Stella were very patient with Henry - he got LOTS off cat snuggling time in. He now calls Stella "my very best friend" and likes to discuss Larry's "wiggle waggle tail"

Since we arrived in the afternoon, we spent the rest of the day exploring Aunt Gina's neighborhood and the playground options:

There was a particularly fast slide:



After dinner, we got Henry set in his sleeping tent and to bed.

Here is where it gets interesting (warning - grossness ahead)

Right before I was about to go to bed, I hear Henry asking for a drink. He requests some milk and drinks about a full cup (since, in a lovely bad mom moment I had forgotten his toothbrush and toothpaste, so what is a little more sugar on the teeth at 11 PM, right?). Then, about 10 minutes later he starts saying his stomach hurts. He seems OK to me - I am thinking it is a stall tactic. So, I give him some water and put him back in his tent. I go in to bed a few minutes later, and literally the second I put my head down, I hear a horrible sound. Yes. Henry threw up in his tent.

Now, you may recall that Henry has thrown up only once in his three years on earth, and I didn't actually witness that event. Vomiting scares me. I tend to panic.

So, I leap out of bed and pick up Henry, who is naturally hysterical. As soon as I am holding him...you guessed it. He turned Exorcist Toddler on me. For a child who does not eat, the amount of vomit that proceeded to come out and then cover him, me, his tent, and poor Aunt Gina's rug was impressive. In my panic I could do nothing. It was horrible. When I finally got my wits together and ran him into the bathroom, he managed a third projectile which made a lovely trail throughout the house.

So, there I was, alone with Henry in a strange apartment at about 11:45 PM. Me, Henry, the house, a rug, Henry's only pair of PJs, his sleeping tent, and his lovey were covered. Oh, and there was no washer/dryer.

Sigh.

Henry was fine once I got him cleaned up. He proceeded to chase the cats about and chat with me very happily for the next hour while I cleaned everything up as best I could. His lovey presented particular difficulty - I had to thoroughly hand wash it, and then in my delirium the only way I could think to dry it was in the microwave (Hey, whatever works, right?).

At about 12:30, I put Henry back to bed and lay down. At 12:35, he did it all over again.

At about 1:30 AM, once more towels had been used, a cooking pot had been set up by his cleaned tent, and his Bear had once more been washed and microwaved...he did it again (luckily, this time he avoided a big mess , thanks to my clever placement of said cooking pot).

At about 2:15, we finally got to bed.

Ah, these are the moments we look back on and laugh, right?