Rainy Day Fun

Yet another rainy day in Brooklyn so we decided to take charge and venture out. Morning coffee/tea/grape juice at South Side and then off to jump in some puddles and chase some bubbles. Lots of soaking-wet fun.

While at South Side, Sylvie decided she had to use their potty. Her first reaction when walking into any public restroom, no matter the condition of it, is invariably-with complete sincerity, "Oh, this is a beauuuuuuutiful bathroom." Restaurants, coffee shops, the 9th St. playground restrooms, they're all beautiful to Sylvie. Wonderfully optimistic or poor taste - you decide.

My Dinner with Sylvie

Springtime (almost) in the Park

At the first (albeit subtle) hint of spring we met up with Dave, Clio and Eleri in Prospect Park. Balls were kicked. Wood piles were climbed. Sticks were coveted. And confiscated.

All signs of good things to come once the weather finally breaks.

Sylvie's First Trip to MoMA

While April's Saturdays are taken up with her new freelance gig, Sylvie and her dad are exploring new ways to keep out of her hair. The latest became Sylvie's first trip to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). There's a new kids program on Saturday mornings which, very typical for NYC, was soldout long before it even began. But they have a workshop area that is free and pretty much open. Some very cool activities including a rubberband/peg wall, magnets, blocks, etch-a-sketches and all kinds of drawing tools. John and Riley joined us for a good time.

Another great aspect of this area is that's it's conveniently connected directly to the second floor of MoMA-proper, which you can wander into, by complete accident of course, without paying. Luckily for Sylvie, her mother's moral compass points a little straighter than her fathers.

Here are a few pics from the day. Definitely recommend it. The sculpture garden is a great place to get some of the energy out. Just DON'T WALK ON THE IVY!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Grandma!



Love Sylvie

Inauguration

Here are a few images from our trip down to DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama. An historic trip (if not an easy one). Sylvie had a good time in general. zI think history will judge it a unique and incredible trip.

The crew, from left, Todd, Todd, Suzie, Amanda, Veronica, April, Bryan

Sylvie and Will celebrating the day, before and after.

Sylvie performs her striking rendition of a Bob Marley classic.

Trimming the Tree

New Ideas for your Tree this Year

The Tree Tradition

Who goes to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center on a cold weekday night with a 2 year old? We do. Why? Tradition.

Bryan is very into keeping up traditions and for us, seeing the tree in Rockefeller Center is one of them. We've gone to see the tree every year up until Sylvie was born. This year we decided to share the tradition with her. It was crazy, chaotic and annoying, but Sylvie had fun for the whole 10 minutes we were there. Alas, another family tradition is born.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all our friends and family that we won't see this year, Happy Thanksgiving!

Cutie Pie

I realized we needed an updated photo of Sylvie for some preschool applications. I was taking some photos of her and while she was talking away, I captured this sweet moment. I'm totally loving her curls these days.

On the Eve before Election Day

It's the night before we can finally cast our votes. Many of us have been working very hard to help get out the vote and soon we will finally know who our next President will be! I don't think I will sleep tonight. I'm full of nervous energy and although all signs point to victory, I can't feel completely at ease. The road ahead will be a long and difficult one, but I still feel a great sense of hope for the future.

All the political talk around our house has definitely rubbed off on Sylvie. Some of it comes from hearing about it 24/7. She now recognizes Barak Obama's voice when she hears it on the radio or tv. She has a genuine excitement about Barak Obama, which no doubt comes from us. She also has a very cute response which we've encouraged along the way. When asked if she likes McCain or Palin, she responds, "Not so much." Here's a little Saturday morning political discussion...

Halloween

Prospect Park in the fall is beautiful. Although we haven't done any traveling this fall, we are lucky be able to experience the changing leaves right here. Sylvie's enjoyed it too!























Sylvie's favorite word this Halloween has been "spooky". Everything is spooky. In fact, my mom was talking to her on the phone the other day and she asked her if our decorations were scary and she said, "no, spooky". There is a difference.
Other funny Sylvieisms I want to mention are:
"I'm sad because I'm crying".
Followed by "See my tears?"

When asked who she would vote for, we get an enthusiastic "Brock Obama!"
When asked do you like John McCain or Sarah Palin, she responds, "Not so much". (with no influence from her parents of course).

We had a great Halloween. It feels like we did a lot since there were so many activities in our neighborhood the weekend before. The carnival in Prospect Park had a real small town feel to it. They had all your traditional games like throw the ball at the milk bottles, spin the wheel, throw the sandbag in the animals mouth, etc. It was perfect for toddlers. Sylvie was so happy walking around with her tickets, deciding which game she would try next. Of course, they always gave her a prize which made it even sweeter.

The next day we went to the Prospect Park Zoo and Carousel. They also had a spooky Halloween theme, all of which she loved. On Friday, hootenanny had a Halloween disco party which was so packed, we left after about 15 min. And on Halloween, Sylvie got to be a butterfly. We hosted a party for our friends. Missed the parade again, but it was worth it.

Just Plain Fall Fun

Our friends Ifor and Kirsty were in town this weekend visiting from London. We hosted a nice brunch for them and celebrated Kirsty's 30th B-day. I must have been busy, because we don't seem to have any pictures from that day. If anyone has some, please send my way!

We also had a nice day at the park yesterday. Bought some delicious tomatoes, apples and pears at the farmers' market on 5th ave. Its nice to have some family time after working on the apartment for so many weeks. The leaves are changing and it's starting to feel like autumn is here!

Climbing

Sylvie has been really into climbing lately. For a child who was a bit challenged in the mobility department early on (we think mainly due to her lovely big belly), she's really come a long way. Her latest achievement is climbing up the biggest ladder at 9th Street that leads to the spiral slide. This ladder is particularly challenging because it goes from climbing straight up to a curve where you walk as though you are just holding on to a handrail. It's high and I got a little nervous the first few times she did it. Now that she's got that ladder down, I've noticed she wants to practice her climbing skills everywhere, including places she really shouldn't.

Here she is getting busted climbing on the couch. I guess by her expression, she thought it was worth getting caught.

Nana & Papa Come to Brooklyn

My parents, Sylvie's Nana and Papa stayed with us this past weekend. It was a big deal since they are the first to stay with us with our new place pretty much done. It finally feels like our place and it was nice to share it with them.

Sylvie had an amazing time with her grandparents. It was as if no time had really passed since she last saw them, even though it has been about 3 months. I could see the excitement in her eyes when they arrived. For weeks she has been talking about showing them her new room!

Friday morning we went to the playground and grabbed some pizza for lunch. I often go to the playground and see other grandparents playing with their grandchildren and long for Sylvie to have that. There is a special pride I can't describe when you see your parents interacting with your child and discovering all the things you think are so special about them. It is so much better than just telling them about it. I could tell Sylvie was proud to show them how she can climb the chain ladder and go down the spiral slide all by herself.

Bryan met us after work at Cafe Steinoff for dinner. We were all in the mood for some serious comfort food with the autumn chill in the air. Later that night, Bryan and I took advantage of the available babysitters and went to IKEA for a late night date.

Saturday we went to Red Hook ball fields at the request of my parents. They heard about the amazing Latin American food vendors there. Totally great discovery. The food is great and inexpensive. I personally loved the pork and cheese Pupusas, fried plantains and the grilled corn on a stick (with everything including chili which is HOT)! If you haven't been you should go, but go soon since I think they are only there through October. Got to watch some soccer too.
http://events.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/dining/reviews/23unde.html

We continued our tour of Brooklyn's finest with a trip to Fairway. That night, Bryan and I tried to go to a movie but they were sold out so we went to Beer Table instead while Nana and Papa put Sylvie to bed.

Sunday we made a great breakfast and home followed by a trip to the Children's Museum. This is the perfect place to go on a rainy day, or any day for that matter. Sylvie was completely overwhelmed in a good way and totally stimulated. There is so much to do there and it is free on the weekends if you get there before 11 am!
http://www.brooklynkids.org/



Sylvie carved a pumpkin, sang some karaoke, and read lots of stories with Nana & Papa. It doesn't get much better than that!