Greek Festival 2015

Last weekend, at the behest of our real estate agent, we took the kids to the Port Jefferson Greek Festival. It was interesting! We navigated our way through a maze of flea market and promotional tables, and at the back was a fair with rides.

We bought a bunch of ride tickets thinking that I was going to ride everything with James, but at the first ride I was told- no adults allowed. Oh sadness. So James went on his first real ride alone. He looked nervous, but he claimed it was fun when he got off and he asked to go on the next ride.

Getting off his first ride. Checking that the ground is still there.

We found one we could do together- the Ferris Wheel. Definitely not a scary ride until you start visualizing all the ways your 4-year-old might escape the ferris wheel. I held on tight.

Ferris wheel fun!!

We are in the one on the far left- you can see us!

Next James went on another solo kids ride but this time he was psyched. He watches a cartoon called My Big Big Friend and said the ride looked like that. He had his own big friend and flew around on him.

Big elephant friend

Flying!

Miranda thought it was a bunch of BS that she couldn't go on any rides and gave us the poutiest face to express her displeasure. By now we had run out of tickets anyway, but we were pretty sure James didn't want to hear about that. So we lured him away from the ride with Greek diples (honey rolls pronounced dip-less) and cookies.

Diples are my new favorite food!

Munching on honey cookies

Miranda is 16 Months 2015

Oooh boy, we're having full-blown toddler meltdowns here this month. Every. single. day. She's probably teething. She already has 4 molars, and 7 front teeth (8th in the works) but I think she's getting her canines too. She's probably also having crazy growth spurts because she's outgrowing a lot of stuff. She's size 2T and nothing smaller. She's sleeping poorly at night, and napping even worse during the day.

She adjusted well to the new house for the first week or so, and she seems to love all the space to explore inside and outside, but she just can't handle disappointments of any kind. She rules everything. But we're starting to burn out on tantrums-ville. I just lie her down gently when she's having one now and walk away. I call it parenting.

Going up and down steps= fun

Singing and clapping together

Sprinkler run!

Just going on a little indoor picnic

Walking with Dada in Port Jeff

She LOVES books. James did too, but this seems more somehow? She brings us a never-ending stream of books all day and we feel compelled to read them to her, especially if she brings us different ones. Her favorites are Potty, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Dora and the Rainy Day, the Belly Button Book, and ¿Dónde está el ombliguito? But this list isn't exhaustive.

Pretending to read out loud.

She's kind of the boss of James. She's kind of the boss of all of us. She's so deeply uninterested in the word "no" that she hasn't even bothered to learn to say it. She says yes, but just shakes her head no when she doesn't want something. Mostly she communicates in other ways. She understands a lot of what we say and makes herself very understood too. 

Going for a drive.


They are buddies still.

Oh hi.

One new thing, is that James will start preschool after Labor Day. In an effort to make him feel more comfortable we enrolled him in his school's summer "camp" program for three weeks before school starts. James is psyched. Miranda, however, hates seeing James and Dada go off somewhere without her. She sits at the door like she does when we put her shoes on to go out. James thinks she should be able to go because there are kids her age at his school in the daycare rooms. He pretends to be at school at home and tells her to go back to her "center" when she's bothering him.

Girls' time on James's first day at "camp"

Miranda doing "the Draper"

• Miranda is 15 Months 2015
• James at 16 Months 2012

First Date Night in New Town- August 2015

We have lots of new places to explore! About a week ago, while grandma was here to watch the kids, we ventured out on first date night here. I liked the sushi place we found, but I love love love the place we went to for drinks on the waterfront. I think it was called Wave. It's friendly and the view is beautiful.

Post-sushi dinner at our new localrestaurant

Outdoor bar

Sunset on the waterfront

Date night was great!

Cedar Beach- August 2015

Grandma, Kevin, James, Miranda, and I went to the beach and it was actually fun! We had the lowest possible expectations that we'd spend the entire trip trying to keep Miranda from jumping into the ocean by herself and having tantrums when we tried to hold her or something equally horrible (she's very independent). Haha, but really, Miranda spends most playground trips trying to run out of the playground into the parking lot. (James was our good baby it turns out.) She was actually a little scared of the ocean and happy to stay away unless I held her. When she was on the beach she shoveled sand into a frisbee very happily! James was also good! He enjoyed both the ocean and the sand and followed all our rules! We might even go back soon.

Just getting comfortable.

Girls in the shallow end, boys on the deep end.

Grandma made me so happy by taking these photos!

Fun!

Life is good.

The beach is rocky, but we have a rake.

Making it rain on the castle.

Check out Grandma's chair. Apparently canopy chairs are the trendiest thing on the beach and lots of people had them. Pretty smart and no umbrella installation needed. Miranda's shorts-on-the-head look is less stylish but easily achievable.

Loves Grandma

My hands and my heart are full.

One little asterisk is that to get the five of us in our sedan I had to sit wedged in sideways between the two car seats. I love how the kids both acted like I was making them uncomfortable. What age does that self-awareness thing kick in? Oh, 25? That's too bad.

I make it look good.

Grandma Visits- August 2015

Grandma visited! It hasn't been a month since her last visit but she was eager to see the new house, and we were happy to have her come back. More than happy. James was downright ecstatic.

Day 1: Playing on deck with Grandma- our little cheapo pool is holding up!

Day 2, Kevin and I got to run some house-related errands while the kids had a blast with grandma.

Day 2: Scored ice cream off ice cream truck with Grandma

Miranda steals James's cone

Day 3, we went to one of our local beaches for the first time. The kids were actually good! (Beach post later.)

Day 3: Beach with Grandma

Beach love.

Grandma and Kevin also went to see Kevin's job place and went for drinks that night. No fun date night pictures available.

The following day, she had a fun afternoon with James. She took him shopping and then rewarded his patience with treats at Friendly's. She also watched the kids while we went out for dinner which was really nice.

Day 4: Sundae at Friendly's

Before she left on the 5th day, she got to walk around Port Jefferson, take the kids for smoothies. And when she left she took the ferry to Connecticut! We're psyched to try it ourselves on the next Cape Cod visit.

Day 5: At the library

Fun at the library

Goodbye Smoothies

Thanks Grandma! See you soon!

Nana Visits- August 2015

Mom and Bob came to visit the new house. Saturday we relaxed (by which I mean Bob and Kevin installed the air conditioner mom bought us). We grilled out for dinner, and so we had our first little dinner party in the house, seating six people around the dining table. This is huge because we used to have to eat in different rooms at our old place (kids in the kitchen, adults in the living room sans table).

Dinner party

Other side.

Night time snuggling.

Reading the next morning

Sunday we actually made it out of the house for some Port Jefferson walking, shopping, and eating.

Back at the PJ Ice Cream Cafe because why not?

Girls' Club

James, Nana, and Bob enjoying some ice cream

A little shopping at Port Jeff Motorcycle

A little stroll with Dada

Family picture on the dock

Reading Miranda's current favorite book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Miranda thinks it's hilarious

Thanks for visiting Mom and Bob, and thanks for the air conditioning!