Happy 2nd Birthday Eli!

We had a couple of celebrations for Eli. On Monday we turned a Labor Day picnic with friends into a birthday celebration. It was a beautiful day and the rocket balloons were the hit of the party!

Then today we kept things simple and had a playdate with a few friends and then tonight we had a little family "party." He loved his presents and his cake!


Happy Birthday Monkey!We love you, Eli!

Thanks Alot

Today, after being disciplined for something I can't remember, Gavin gave me a a big hug. He then asked, "Do you know who I love best?" I answered with an optimistic, "Who?" Gavin responded with, "DADDY!" I have to say I felt crushed a bit. He saw the look on my face and said, "just kidding." yeah right!

He won the lottery

Pre-k is guaranteed to all 4 year olds in the state of New York, so they say. However, the process to get him into a program in quite difficult in the city. There is a lottery system for each of the schools. It is based on where you live and if you have siblings at the same school. On top of that there were only 2 schools in our district that had half day programs. All the rest were full day and I wasn't ready for Gavin to do that. Private Preschool would have cost us anywhere from 10k to 25k, so that wasn't really any option. Luckily, Gavin got into the half day program at one of the schools in our district. It is 5 days a week from 12:10 to 2:40. Several families from our ward through the years have had a child in the program and have really liked it, so we take comfort in that. That didn't keep me from stressing over it for several months. This week I haven't been sleeping well because I have been nervous for this day to come. It arrived. He has been so excited. Here he is on his first day of school..


They told us parents could stay the first day in the letter, but then she kicked us out and told us we could stay in the doorway. I was able to meet some other parents in the class. His teacher is Ms. Santiago

His good friend Nicholas is also in his class. We were in the same Lamaze class and have regular play dates since they were born!

I didn't cry yet, but tonight I have felt a bit meloncholy and am on the verge of tears as I write this. My little boy is in school. He was ready for it. I am so proud of him.

The kid in all of us

Who needs Disneyland? For one last summer rendezvous we went to Victoria Gardens in Central Park. It is a summer amusement park in Central Park. It was a perfect evening. The weather was cool, there were almost no lines, and all the rides were geared towards the boys' age. They all loved it. Their favorite rides were the roller coaster, the swing, the slide, and the buggies.

Picnics, parks, playgrounds, and everything in between

We have spent most of our summer in the parks and at the playgrounds. The temperature has been so mild this summer and that has made an even more enjoyable summer.. Here are some pics..



Eli and Brandon.









Thanks to Abby and Gracie and Miles my boys can still enjoy lots of fun in a backyard!



We had many fun picnics by the underground train station and lots of scooter rides with Lucas.

Movie nights..

Ward playgroups..

Little Learners Reunion

Raspberry Picking

Ward Picnic

Backyard fun at Anna's

Swimsuit required

I had hoped to take a beach vacation this summer since the boys were going to be a great ages to enjoy the beach. We didn't end up going anywhere, but we had lots of staycations!

Boyd's one request for the summer was to go to Jones' beach on Long Island. Luckily we got to go their 2X. We discovered that if we leave by 9:00 AM and head back into the city around 2:00 we don't hit traffic at all

The weather and beach was so beautiful both times. The first time we went the waves were not to big and you could walk past them and still be standing and be past the break. The kids loved that. The second time we went the waves were huge. There was a huge sandbar about 50 feet off the shore that we could swim to and then be able to stand and play in the waves. We had a great time with that and the pool that it creates. There was quite a bit of sea life though. We saw lots of clams and crabs. There was one jellyfish. Our favorite part was a huge fish that had been stuck in the sandbar. You could only see its mouth and it was huge! Someone dug it out of the sand to set it free and once it got free a big ugly fish came out and scared everyone! Adeline showed Gavin how fun it is to be buried in the sand!

We also made it to the North shore of Long Island where the beaches are facing the sound, so there are very few waves. We took Lynda and Brandon with us to meet up with Monica, Abby, Grace, Miles, and their family. We had a great time. Of course I failed to get any pictures from that outing.

We tried to avoid Hurricane Bill one Saturday and drove to the Connecticut sound. We were able to swim for about an hour. The rain started and we got scared off, but it only lasted long enough for us to pack up. We had a great time anyway. Brandon was with us again and the kids had a great time.

We also made it to a Lake Beach in upstate New York. We went to visit some friends in our ward, Sariah's family. Mackenzie, Lucas, and Sam joined us. We had a great time..

We also were able to swim a few places.. Monica took us to their community pool when we were visiting them. The boys took a swim class. Gavin took one by himself while Eli and I did a mommy and me. And we took the bus up to Riverbank State Park with Lucas and company!