Home again, home again

Too busy catching up on backlogged TiVo to blog in earnest, but thought I'd put up a few photos from our 3-day trip to camp. Details tomorrow.

So long, summer

We're off to my family's cabin in the Adirondacks for a few days, so no posts until probably Labor Day. Here are a couple photos from the kids' last trip to the community pool, or as Carey put it, the Pinkalicious Party.

Pinkalicious Party

Lincoln's friend Charlotte celebrated her first birthday yesterday at the pool. Greta loves the book that went with the theme, insisted on wearing her pinkalicious tutu for the occasion, and was especially tickled pink that they got to decorate cupcakes. Of all the yummy options (including m&m's, gummy bears, pink jelly beans, sprinkles, and fruity cheerios), she carefully selected pastel mini-marshmallows to circle her maraschino cherry topped dessert.

Lincoln missed most of the party due to a mega-nap, but arrived in time for some poolside fun. He didn't get any QT with the birthday girl (nap times not coinciding, natch), but hit it off with one of Greta's newest friends, Emma #3!

Cowboy Linc

Last swim lesson

We'll expound upon it later, but for now here's how Greta chose to dress for her final swim lesson of 2008. Needless to say, she was a huge hit poolside.

Art in the park

Tonight Greta, Lincoln and I enjoyed the SOPAC-sponsored free performance of "Swoon!" by Australia's Strange Fruit (not to be confused with the haunting Billie Holiday performance of the same name, which until tonight I hadn't thought of since attending a Jazz History class my freshman year at Ithaca College).


With their eyes locked on the sky, my munchkins marveled as the men and women twirled, bent, swayed, and danced atop poles in the cloudless blue sky. Greta didn't seem worried about them falling, but was very concerned about how they would get back down to the ground.


For our North Carolina readers, you can catch a FREE performance as well in Raleigh this Saturday when Strange Fruit performs in Lichtin Plaza as part of Art on the Edge. Enjoy!

Beige badge of courage

Just as she did with Greta, Carey acts quickly and decisively when Lincoln bumps his head. I'm petitioning for USA Boxing headgear once he starts earnestly toddling around.

Where's Daddy?

"Shoulders" is by far my favorite way of carrying both Greta and Lincoln, but on Sunday, it wasn't so easy, as you can see.

Group photo

We conned a fellow hiker into taking our picture at the South Mountain Reservation a few miles from our house. This was post-lunch, after about a 1-mile hike from the parking lot. Left to right, and clockwise, that's Lincoln, Carey, yours truly, Ryan Gilmore, his daughter Carah, his wife Kim, Matthew Gilmore, Riley Gilmore and Greta Merrill. The Gilmores are on their annual (bi-annual?) trek north to visit relatives. They live outside Raleigh, N.C., with family in Roanoke, VA, South Orange, N.J., Rye, N.Y., Saratoga, N.Y., and Rodman, N.Y. We were stop No. 2 on their trip. It was lovely catching up. I'm truly blessed with a fantastic family. I only wish we saw more of each other, because our visits are always very comfortable and leave me wishing we lived closer.

Cousins

Riley, Matthew and Carah Gilmore arrived this afternoon, with their mom and dad in tow. I'll get a group photo tomorrow, but for now here are the two cousins closest in age -- Greta, 3 years & 4 months, Carah almost 4 years.

It's evening in Beijing

Our routine this week: Wake up at 6 with the kids, feed 'em a little breakfast, and then watch the Olympics from the night before. Crazy Carey actually stayed up until 1 a.m. to watch the pre-pubescent girls vault, tumble and swing. But she was so impressed- -- particularly by gold medalist Nastia Liukin's pink outfit -- that she let Greta watch it in the morning.

Polka

Carey dug this out of the closet for Greta yesterday, after she put on a polka dot shirt herself. Anybody know the origin of the word polka? Do the dots and the dance have something in common?

Cheshire cat

Carey can fill in more details, but this is Greta wearing some new costume she just HAD TO HAVE when she saw it at the Other Mothers consignment shop. It's a weird hybrid of Hello Kitty and Cruella De Vil. I just like the smiles.

Told ya!

Yankees 9, Twins 6.

Or as Yankees radio announcer John Sterling says: "Ball game over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win!

Now batting...

The Yankees offense needs a jump start, and Lincoln is up to the challenge. They've lost 4 in a row, but this post will serve as their good luck charm. Check back after Tuesday night's game vs. Minnesota.

The eyes have it

Gardner, Allison and Jay visited this weekend and it was all so familiar that I barely reached for the camera. Good friends are like that. Here's the one shot I like. Wish it was in perfect focus, but I like it nonetheless.

Naps... Take them where they fall, Part 2

Rob's cousin, Karin, recently posted about the fickle nature of naps/nappers. Here at Chez Merrill, Greta surprised me with a nap yesterday while I took a very short phone call to give alternate directions to Gardner and Jay, who were stuck in turnpike traffic. I was reading a story in her bedroom when the phone rang, and ran downstairs to use the computer for a new travel plan. She called from the top of the stairs and asked me to finish the story; I told her I would be right up. About 5 minutes later, this is how I found my sleeping beauty:

A quick photography lesson

Here is proof that the ancient declaration of "CHEESE!" does not really produce photo-worthy smiles when actually announced ("CHEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!") by three-year-olds.



















Fortunately, I kept clicking away and finally got a nice shot of Greta chilling by the pool with her buddy, Duncan.

Guppy kiss

He doesn't like being told what to do, but occasionally Lincoln will cooperate when we say, "give me a kiss!" When he does, we return the favor. It's unmitigated joy.

Mommy's little helper

Not a day goes by without some form of vacuuming in this house. Most often, it's the cordless Electrolux Pronto 2-in-1 that does the trick. But sometimes the cat hair, crackers and paint chips demand the Kenmore Whisper Belt with Hepa Filter canister vac. Lincoln loves those days. He helps push the canister around the floor and often tries to ride it. Last week, I had neither the time nor patience to supervise his canister vac riding, so I told him to get his own. He scooted across the floor and grabbed the Euro Baby Shark, which hasn't been charged for months and somehow landed in the kids' toy box. Maybe I should plug it in and let him go to work?

Backyard bathing

Carey once told Greta a story about it raining so hard while she and her sisters were growing up in Mannsville, N.Y., that they used to wash their hair in the rain. That happened, recently, in New Hampshire, and ever since that magical night Greta has wanted to duplicate the feat. But since it's hard enough to coordinate bedtime, we've found it difficult to also control Mother Nature and orchestrate a thunderstorm with driving rain just in time for bath.

So we make do, thanks to that genius invention -- the hard, blue plastic kiddie pool. Yesterday, Greta dunked her head in the water to get it wet, applied about 6 tablespoons of Suave Fairy Berry Strawberry, and proceeded to scrub, scrub, scrub. I told her she looked like a unicorn and together we sculpted her horn.

Temperate clime

It's probably been the best weekend of the year, weather-wise, here in metro N.Y. This shot was actually taken on Friday, but it speaks to the lovely temperatures. Low 80's with a light northeasterly breeze. Or maybe it's southwesterly. It's breezy.

Lick 'em if you got 'em