Radio Silence

So, we have been a little busy this fall.  There has not been enough time to keep up on the blog.

I finally got around to uploading some pictures last night, and I was surprised to see the alert that we had just exceeded the 1GB picture upload limit.  To upload more pics, Google wants monthly payments.  How do you like that.

So, we are reassessing our options.  Of course, we could just starting paying Google and keep the blog as it is.  Or, we could start a fresh blog in parallel, allowing us to restart with a new 1GB limit.  But, the thing is that we are probably already outliving our platform -- the main point of the blog has been to share pictures, and we (or at least Rebecca) have already started doing a lot of that through Instagram.  The blog was never about driving traffic; but if nobody ever looks at it, I guess it loses much of its point.  And closed platforms, like Instagram/Facebook, make more sense with respect to our purpose here, which is to share glimpses of our little family with a defined group of family and friends, not the entire internet.

Anyway, we will figure it out.  In the meantime, apologies for the radio silence.

m

I want to kiss him

I love my sweet Daniel like crazy.  I just want to kiss him when I look at this picture, but he's fast asleep at the moment.  Sometimes I feel like I kiss my kids too much because I'm constantly kissing them and (gently) pinching their soft squishy legs, cheeks and buns.  But how can I resist? 

Guess who turned 1?

Daniel turned one back on July 15 and we celebrated in Central Park with close friends.  It's been a wonderful year with this little guy.  I couldn't have asked for a more delightful baby.  He truly is an angel in so many ways.  Just look at those eyes!  His celebration was one of those perfect evenings where we stayed at the park for several hours while the kids were content running around making up games and singing songs with their friends.  We had caprese sandwiches, veggies, watermelon & chips with pizza for the kids and a soccer cake and cookies for dessert.  If you want to know where you can get this cookie cutter and the pens to make them look awesome, click here, thanks to my sister, Amber!  And be sure to check out the video down below with the kids singing to Daniel.  It's adorable.  

I can't wait for another wonderful year with you, Daniel, and to see all the milestones you'll reach before your next birthday.  I love you!

Kindergarten & 3rd Grade - 1st Day of School

Today was a big day for Lillian.  It was her first day of kindergarten.  We had a few tears this morning, but overall, I think it went well.  She came home telling me all about what they did and what she said to her teacher when they went around the class introducing themselves by sharing their favorite color, food and place which are pink, strawberries and the beach.  I hope that she grows to love school and learning just as much as her sister.  Madeline started 3rd grade and is a seasoned pro.  She couldn't wait to go and had her outfit and lunch box all laid out the night before.  I can't believe how big our girls are getting!

I love our sweet girls and wish them a wonderful year ahead in school!

Boy with Hat

Their Grandpa Jennejohn

During our trip to Wisconsin earlier this month, we took the kids up to Washington Island.  Going up there is always a somewhat emotional experience for me, because we visit dad's grave and because it reminds me of my childhood trips.  But this time was particularly moving: it was the first time my children came to the island, beginning anew a tradition that has existed in our family for several generations.

There is not much time for anything these days in my life, including an extended reflection on the trip and its meaning.   For now, I will just note that I love that part of the world.  I love feeling close to dad, who I miss every day.  It was wonderful to share that with my young family.

Our visit was for only several hours and somewhat simple: we visited dad and then went to Schoolhouse Beach.  We cleared out some overgrowth and cleaned up the headstone, which was accumulating quite a bit of moss.

We spent some time talking about dad, who he was and what he did.  Luckily, there will be much more time in the future to tell them all the stories about him, and for many more visits to the island.

m

Picture of the Month

July 2012, Central Park

Picture of the Month

Wet from the spray of Fire Engine #47 of the FDNY, which provides an escort for the annual neighborhood Independence Day parade up Morningside Drive.

Twelve Years

Today marks Rebecca and my 12th anniversary.  I find that, on such occasions, one can write very little or quite a lot.  For whatever reason, I feel like the former at the moment.

I love her, and she is my favorite person in the world.

(I also love my children very much, and they are my favorites too -- they'll read this post, and there will be an uproar if they think they're being left out.)

For the record, here's the two of us at Lincoln Center last night, where we went to celebrate the occasion.

m

Trying to keep up with Lillian

A couple of weekends ago, Lillian and I went camping for a church activity.  There was a huge thunderstorm that night.  Although we stayed dry (thanks to the air mattress), the tent was a real mess.  Of course, we don't have a backyard.  So we did the next best thing once we came home from the trip: took the tent to Central Park to dry out.

Daniel accompanied us to the park.  He and Lils just horsed around in the grass while our gear dried.  It was fun watching him try to keep with her.  Below are a few pics of the two of them.  I like how she would get down on the ground with him, and how he in turn tried to climb the tree with her.

m

Picture of the Month

In the North Meadow of Central Park.