Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Rained Out in Boston 2013

Casey, Jon, and Kevin had independent plans to go see a Red Sox game from before Casey's party was planned, and there was no way to renegotiate the date since they couldn't tell him about the party. Not that they even wanted to renegotiate the date. They all love the Red Sox, and a boys night out in Boston is pretty much heaven to Kevin and Jon.

Sadly, they were rained out, which is awful when you're specifically coming in from out of town for a game and can't come back for the make-up date. They still had some quality time together, and I even hear there is a silly picture somewhere, but it has not been shared with me.

Back home, James and I had a two-day Cuban Clous date. Thursday night after a long day together, we walked over to the main street and bought ice cream and strawberries. James walked the whole way there and back holding my hand. Pretty cute.

James- July 2013
Cuban Clou Date Night!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

James in a Toddler Bed!- July 2013

Since James turned two, he's been talking a lot more. He started saying small sentences at 23 months or so, but now he repeats anything you try to teach him, picks up people's names easily and remembers them, and formulates his own sentences. He's been singing all of Twinkle Little Star for months, and he sings pieces of other songs. He can count to 20 in English and 5 in Spanish. His Spanish lessons are starting to pick up speed.

James at the Park- July 2013
Who me?

As of the beginning of July or so, he's been able to climb everything in the park and probably everything in our home too. He can't jump off the ground, but often leaps off our furniture. Relatedly, we have started "Time Outs" where he sits in the chair in his room and reflects quietly on proper behavior (well, that's the goal anyway). There are so many more rules imposed on him now, he chants them as though he's trying to remember, "No touch, not a toy, be careful!"

James at the Park- July 2013
Climbing at the park

When he plays pretend, he often pretends he's fixing things around the house. If you ask him to help you with something, he tries very hard to do what you need. If I make popcorn he'll get the bowl for me, and if I'm dusting he'll grab a tissue and try to help me dust (whether or not I ask). He hates getting in the bath because he knows it means that bedtime is approaching, but he loves playing in the water. He especially likes playing with hoses since Michele let him water her garden in Richmond. He asks to go to the park and to the beach.

James Packing for Us 2013
Helping me "pack"

James at 2 Years Old 2013
Pretending Fudgie is jumping on him (just like the real Fudgie does)

He loves trains and airplanes and constantly points them out in real life and in books. He loves the rocking chair that Sarah and Donald gave him, and points out that the train has flags on it. He continues to be obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and enjoy a little Pocoyo, but he no longer likes Yo Gabba Gabba, Blues Clues, Dora, or Diego. He's moved on to Super Why, Curious George, Team Umizoomi, and Special Agent Oso. Attempts to get him interested in Sesame Street, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny, or Octonauts have failed. He prefers to read Dr. Seuss, Curious George, or Mickey books. He still loves to be read to and he loves to point out every illustration he sees in the book. He colors on his own or in coloring books and tells me what he drew. A recent black scribble was titled, "Monster."

James at the Park- July 2013
Up high in the park

He continues to be very affectionate, freely doling out hugs and kisses. His favorite people in the world are Mama, Dada, Grandma, and Nana. Eleanor might be his 5th choice after having recently spent time with her. He says, "bless you," when someone sneezes, and "thank you" when people hand him things he particularly likes. He compliments dinner with "yummy, yummy!" but he refuses to eat anything with vinegar. He enjoys ethnic cuisines and even sushi. He sits in a regular chair at dinner now, and he graduated from his crib to a toddler bed with guard rails.

Toddler Bed 2013
New bed! July 13, 2013

He's got a wacky little sense of humor, telling Knock-Knock jokes with no punchlines and running around chanting, "This is crazy! This is crazy!" Kevin and I laugh a lot telling stories about him back and forth. We are very much in love with this little guy, and we're proud of him too.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Casey's Surprise Party 2013

Victoria threw Casey a fun surprise birthday beach party! Casey's birthday is actually in February, but so is his daughter Laurel's birthday so often she gets most of the birthday attention. Plus, February has bad weather, and the beach is such a fun way to celebrate your birthday. So she sent a save the date months in advance and planned a big party for him with all his friends around the country.

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Surprise! Casey notices his friends are waiting on the beach!

Then, in May, Casey had an accident that put him in the hospital when he was hit on a bike by a cab driver. We were terrified and felt so lucky that he survived. Now everyone wanted to celebrate him even more. Everyone was crazy happy to be at his summer "birthday."

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Our little group of friends and kids

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Jon, Kevin, and Casey

There were lots of people there, though my photos all focus on our little group of friends. We had tons of good food and drinks, and since it was a family party, we chased the kids frolicking on the beach. Getting our kids together was one of the best parts. Laurel, Oliver, and James haven't played together since last summer. And since Ben is new to the party, Laurel and Oliver had never met him before. Granted, Ben can't exactly "play" yet, but at least all the kids were in the same place at the same time. It's a good start.

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Oliver and James enjoying beach toys in the sand

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Jon, Ben, and Kevin enjoying some beers together

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Becky taking James to play in the ocean- his favorite!

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Oliver is king of the beach

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
James can get up, but he can't get back down without Dada

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Oliver being hilarious- James started doing this at home

The beach in Swampscott is beautiful. The sand is soft and the ocean is gentle. The view is amazing. We walked along the beach and sat by a bonfire. It was a really nice way to celebrate our friend. Thank you guys for a lovely visit. We love you, Casey!

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Casey thanking Victoria for throwing the surprise party

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Casey and Kevin have been best friends since they were 6

Casey's 33rd Birthday 2013
Magic hour in Swampscott

Friday, July 26, 2013

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013

For his 30th birthday, Mike invited all his awesome friends to the Cape to celebrate with his family. They came from New York and Boston in amazing numbers. We were there Friday night for some of the early festivities, grilling out and party games. But everyone stayed over and the party continued into the weekend.

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
Some of the early party people, Mike is top left, third in.

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
Ryan starting a fire, I mean, cooking delicious burgers

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
Mike's sister Megan and her boyfriend Chris

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
Wee, party games

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
Some confusion over how to act this one out

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
Everyone thinks they have this one: disco monkey?

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
The stars of the next reality show: Tractor Garage on TLC

Mike's 30th Birthday 2013
The whole group at the beach on Saturday 

Happy birthday, Mike! As everyone's presence proved, you are extremely loved!

We're not in the Saturday beach picture, because we were on the way to our third birthday party of the weekend, this time for Casey....

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013

Oh my gosh, how did Ellen get to be 6 already? I met her in the summer of 2008, when she was just 11 months old or so. By the time James was born, Ellen was around all the time trying to help with him. She has been one of his first and biggest fans. And now they play together! It's crazy.

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
James playing the drum for Ellen

Ellen's cousin Lillian was there too, and she's already 4. I see her less often because she's a visitor to the Cape like James is and they're often passing ships in the night, but this time they had a lot of time to play. It's really nice to see two super smart young girls like Ellen and Lillian interact. They seem like sisters. Of course, their awesomeness is due largely to their parents and grandparents. Lillian's mother Monica is teaching her French (with greater success than James and I have achieved at Spanish) and when the girls struggled to decide who's turn it was with the drum, Ellen's very wise mother told them to work it out on their own. And moments later they were passing the drum back and forth like they had invented the concept of sharing themselves. And singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight!"

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Lillian claps to the beat of Ellen's drum

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
Lillian's turn

We had some delicious appetizers, and I enjoyed Monica's white sangria maybe a little too much. I would have liked to sit and chat more, but Kevin and chased James for a portion of the party getting him to eat little bits of appetizer as his dinner. Also, I was taking all these pictures. Obviously.

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
Hanging out with the grown ups

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
James petting Ellen's family dog, Sarah. Behind James is Ellen's sister Linny.

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
Ellen's grandfather Dave and his sister

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
Ellen's dad Mark and his mother

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
Ellen and Lillian's grandmother Dolores asking them to please stop singing 
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" for the millionth time

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
Spying on the presents while the adults are distracted

Ellen and James spent some quality time on Saturday morning too before we left town. She taught him how to make some funny faces, and he generally copied everything she did. They also did a little swimming together. I always call Ellen his "best friend" because he's seen Ellen more and spent more time with her than with any other kid. After all, Ellen met James when he was just a month old, and this is the 15th time we've been up to the Cape since then!

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
Ellen making a funny face

Ellen's 6th Birthday 2013
James copying the funny face

Look how cute Ellen was on her 3rd birthday. And this was when I met her:

Cape Cod Summer 2008
Ellen at a year old with Grandma Dolores "Yaya"

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Cape Cod- July 2013

We got to the Cape Thursday night so we could enjoy the day on Friday. Kevin and I had a little time to ourselves in the morning, so we went to the beach really early. While we were enjoying some freedom, James was swimming in a posh new pool that Grandma got him.

Cape Cod- July 2013
Watering water cans?

Cape Cod- July 2013
This is why we call him "The Mixologist"

The beach was pretty busy for a Friday morning. We left a bit before lunchtime to get some lobster rolls at one of Kevin's favorite places, Sesuit Harbor. Later in the afternoon, we went to my favorite ice cream place, Lil' Caboose. It was super warm on the Cape, in the 90s, but we had a really nice morning.

Cape Cod- July 2013
Bayview Beach on Cape Cod Bay (the residents beach right next to Mayflower)


Cape Cod- July 2013
At Sesuit Harbor

Cape Cod- July 2013
Kevin's favorite rolls on the Mid-Cape

Cape Cod- July 2013
My favorite ice cream place Lil' Caboose

We got back after James had taken his nap, and we were excited to all go down to the pond together. James loves the water, and he loved playing at Jones Beach two weeks ago, and I had so much fun swimming with him in Follins Pond last summer

Cape Cod- July 2013
James is eager to get to the pond

Cape Cod- July 2013
James and I walking along Follins Pond

Cape Cod- July 2013
Going in deep with Dada

Cape Cod- July 2013
The two loves of my life!

Cape Cod- July 2013
Some paddling lessons

Cape Cod- July 2013
Swimming with Grandma!

Cape Cod- July 2013
Surf lessons!

Cape Cod- July 2013
James loves fake surfing

Cape Cod- July 2013
Splashing Dada


Cape Cod- July 2013
James doesn't like getting splashed back as much

Cape Cod- July 2013
I wanted to join the splashy fun

Cape Cod- July 2013
James getting yelled at for going in the water by himself-- he's fearless!

Cape Cod- July 2013
Playing in the sand with Grandma

Wow, and this was just the first part of our very long Friday on the Cape. We also went to Ellen's 6th birthday party, and Mike's 30th birthday party!
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