Back to the 'Burbs

We're back in the 'burbs this weekend to wish Prababcia a belated Happy Birthday and to say Bon Voyage to Dziadek before his trip to Mexico. But wait, before we get to the weekend recap, guess who's been hanging out with me and Everett all week? AH-BOO!! That's right, Ah-Boo's back in town. We've been too busy playing that we haven't even taken any pictures with her!

Before Dziadek left for his big trip, he had some chores to do so I decided to help him mow the lawn. It's the first time that I've done this particular chore. I think I'll leave it to him next time.

Since Everett's getting a bit older and getting the idea of playgrounds, I decided that it was time to show him the playground near Babcia and Dziadek's house. He doesn't look amused...

But Everett wasn't old enough to enjoy the new place Daddy and I checked out - Smith Kids' Play Place in the Park in Philadelphia. It includes a 6 acre playground with lots of fun play equipment for the under 10 set.

There was even a big boulder for me to practice my climbing skills! Like my new hat?

As if that weren't enough, there's also a 24,000 square foot playhouse! There were toy trains, bigger trains to ride in, a kitchen and building blocks. I'm putting together a very intricate structure here. Maybe I'll be an architect?

Baby in a box

Yep, here it is - the requisite "baby in a box" blog...

Juno's done it, and Jasper's done it. (And as a matter of fact, Jasper keeps doing it)...

So I figured it was my turn to do it, too...

And you know what? I think I do it best!

Musical Interlude

And now for a musical interlude...

Old Friends, New Friends

This afternoon, Jasper and I went to go meet a new friend - Vivian! She's visiting from the Twin Cities in Minnesota and is on a very special pre-kindergarten trip with her Mommy. We had planned to meet up on the High Line, since that's one of Jasper and my favorite places in the city but the afternoon thunderstorms derailed that idea. So, instead, we met up in Chelsea Market for some gelato and snacks. Jasper looks a little annoyed because he really wanted to go up on the High Line...

You see, Vivian's Mommy and my Mommy are old friends from college even though they didn't technically go to college together. They actually studied together for a semester in Florence, Italy. Apparently, I was in Florence last year but I don't remember it. (BTW - look how little gao-gao looks in those Italy pictures!). So despite the fact that we were trapped indoors, Mommy and Chelsey had a good time catching up. Hope to see you again soon! Maybe our next midwest adventure will be to the Twin Cities?

Dziadek...

Thank you for coming ooooooooooover!

Picture of the Day

I've decided to go on a bit of a diet - can you tell?

Oh yeah, and here's another one - a grandparents/grandkids shot. Babcia and Dziadek are in town, but don't seem to like having their picture taken up-close anymore, so this papparazzi shot is the best we could do...

New Teacher

Remember how last year, my teacher Beth came over to our house for a playdate before school started? Well, guess what? Now that the school year is over, I have a NEW teacher next year. Her name is Edi. She came to visit with me the other day and we had lots of fun. I can't wait until school starts!

Urban farmers

Look what we found on our balcony when we got home from the Hamptons on Sunday -

Yes - the tomatoes that Jasper and I planted at the start of the summer and have been diligently taking care of ever since have ripened to perfection!

We weren't expecting them to be ripe until August, but I guess that the very hot July fooled them into thinking it was time to turn red. Jasper and I were both very glad, of course, since we've been patiently waiting to pick our tomatoes off the vine while Mommy and Daddy chided us every day that it was "not yet" time to pick them. Well, today it was finally time - yay!

And mmmm-mmmm, are they sweet...

Who says you can't be a farmer in Brooklyn? Mommy's whole job is actually to show people in Brooklyn that you can grow healthy vegetables here (or to at least convince them to buy and eat healthy vegetable from nearby farms.) All Jasper and I need now is a bigger patch of land than the few containers we have set-up on our balconies, and we'll really be cookin'!

A perfect end to a great weekend

So today it was time to return home to Brooklyn from our great Hamptons long weekend. But before we hit the road, we made one last stop for lunch in Southampton - at Sip 'n Soda, a local institution for over 50 years.

As you might have noticed in the window, Sip n' Soda is famous not just for its breakfasts (and lunches - the reason we were there, after all), but also for their home-made ice cream. And the great news? It's egg-free ice cream! Which of course meant that Jasper could have a little dessert after lunch - which was very welcome on a hot day like today -

And the even better news? Since the ice cream was egg free, Mommy and Daddy allowed me to have a few licks of this wonderful stuff for the very first time! I got to pick my own flavor. Since I'd never had any of the flavors featured today before (or the foods they're derived from), after much deliberating I selected strawberry, based on the color...

So the very best news of all? It looks like I'm OK to eat two new foods - ice cream (at least the egg-free variety, for now), and strawberries!

Weekend in the Hamptons

This weekend, Mommy, Daddy, Everett and I decided that it was time again to leave the hustle and bustle of the City behind us and get away for the weekend. But where should we go? Why not the quintessential New York summer escape - the Hamptons! I know, it sounds all swanky and posh. You see, my friend Leonie and her family invited us out to their house to hang out. Once she mentioned a backyard pool, I was running to pack my bags and grab my swim trunks. Leonie and I are great friends from school and we miss seeing each other at school and on the playground. It was good to catch up.

Not only do they have a pool in the backyard but they also have a covered sandbox! While we were waiting for lunch to be served, we retreated to the sandbox to build mountains and sand castles.

Finally, it was the main event - swimming!! I got to practice my swimming with a variety of different floatation devices. Not only was I sporting my inflatable swimsuit but it wasn't quite enough to hold all 36 lbs of me so I got to try out swimming with a noodle.

Then, Leonie and I decided it was time for a boat ride. Who better to help motor us around than Mommy!

The last and final thing - swim floaties! I saw Leonie swimming around with them so I wanted to try them too. Apparently, the combination of the inflatable swimsuit and the swim floaties were enough to hold me up.

It gave me so much confidence in my swimming abilities that I decided go jumping into the pool all by myself - no one to catch me. Check me out!

Meanwhile, Everett spent some time on the patio hanging out with Hugo, Leonie's little brother. He's about 2 months younger than Everett and they got along really well, sitting there, babbling and drooling on each other. Then Everett decided that it was time to get into the water.

But then a little while later, he decided that he was all done and ready to say goodbye.

Maybe I did my cannonball a little too close to him.

Oopsy. Then it was time for everyone to get out of the pool and enjoy a little sorbet with yellow frosting and sprinkles. What a great way to end the day.

While Jasper's away...

Jasper has been going to summer camp this week, so I though that all of you - as well Jasper, of course - would like to see what I'm up to all day when my big brother isn't here...

First of all, I don't see any need to be stuck in my crib, when Jasper's big bed is so much more comfortable for napping...

And sucking on Jasper's bunny's ear is soooooo soothing - no wonder Jasper won't let me go near his bunny when he's home...

After nap, I like to enjoy a good snack - but not the plain "baby yogurt" I usually get. No, this week I've discovered Jasper's stash of "Yo' Kids" squeeze yogurt tubes.

Strawberry is my favorite.

Then, it's playtime! I just love jammin' on Jasper's beloved guitar - I hope I'm not strumming it out of tune...

Oh, and the choo-choo trains, those magnificent trains...

Jasper never lets me touch these when he's around, but since he isn't around, well, who could help themselves?

Ah, finally, the end of the day and a chance to relax. Mommy and Daddy usually closely monitor Jasper's TV consumption, but since he's not here, there's nothing to monitor. So it's all TV all the time - I even get to control the remote!

What do you think, Jasper - a guy could really get used to this, huh?

I guess it's like Daddy said - there's a new Sheriff in town...

... though he has a striking resemblance to the two other Sheriffs that run this place...