What's in a name, really?

I got this at a yard sale in NYC...yes, they do exist. 

Drew loves it.  SOMEONE in our family named him Sir Poops-A-Lot.   I have no idea why and now the name stuck.  That is why I find myself yelling, "Drew, where is Sir Poops-A-Lot?" or "You can bring Sir Poops-A-Lot with you to the library if you put your shoes on right now" or "Can you please share Sir Poops-A-Lot with your sister?".  Lovely.

Moms of boys understand

This is what Drew and Katie built today. 

This is them inside.

I know Katie looks miserable, but she WOULD NOT let me take her out.  She kept saying, "Drew, fort!". 

Then they decided to go bigger and better. 

Super Soccer Stars

Last spring, Drew took soccer with Super Soccer Stars http://www.supersoccerstars.com/index.html and loved it.  He asked if he could do it again, so we signed him up for the fall season.  His class meets once a week in Central Park and is for 3 and 4 year olds.  For everyone in NYC, I highly recommend Super Soccer Stars.  The coaches are fantastic- high energy, super fun and they actually teach the kids practical soccer skills.  Due to the threatening rain and high winds, the class was moved inside today to the 92nd Street Y. Usually his class is small, but today they combined a few different groups inside. 

Katie loves Super Soccer Stars too because she either rides Drew's scooter or plays soccer with me while Drew is in class.

Here she is practicing her throw-in technique from the sidelines.  So cute! 

Let it rain!

It was raining or threatening to rain all day and the kids were so excited to wear their "new" rain boots. Katie's flower rain boots used to be cousin Molly's and Drew's dinosaur rain boots were bought by Grandmom for less than a dollar at a yard sale in New Jersey.

 

Notice that they are both wearing their backpacks.  They want to bring them everywhere we go.

Storytime with Uncle Chris!

When we visit my parents house, Drew and Katie have their very own fantastic room.   It has a car bed for Drew and a beautiful crib for Katie. They love it!

Bedtime at Grandmom and Poppy's house always involves the same animal book, and it is usually read by me or my mom.  Tonight, the kids got a special treat when Uncle Chris stopped by after dinner and read to them from their favorite book.

One fish two fish red fish blue fish

Drew and Katie are really into everything fish right now. It all started when Granny bought Drew a fishing pole last Christmas.  Then Gram bought Drew and Katie fishing/butterfly nets. Then we bought a fish tank for our kitchen and stocked it with goldfish.  Katie says hello to the fish first thing in the morning and they both love to talk to them and take care of them.  I love the fish tank because our fish are the only "pets" I will let our family have in NYC.

We headed to the Harlem Meer at 110th Street in Central Park http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-do/sports/fishing.html on a warm Sunday to try our hand at catch and release fishing.  After we got our poles and corn (for bait) we told Drew that it sometimes takes a very long time to catch a fish and that you have to be patient and quiet.  We looked around us and no one seemed to be catching any fish so we told him again that he would have to work on his patience and just enjoy the experience.

Katie and I were running around, not being quiet at all and the boys sat down for what they thought would be a long wait.  Not one minute after Andy and Drew had put their lines in the water,  Andy called me over because he had caught a fish!! WHAT!?

Of course, now Drew REALLY wanted to catch a fish and didn't care about being quiet or patient. Lucky us, not ten minutes later, our little man caught his first fish! He was so proud!

Big fish, big smile.  

Though it knows now that is is little, it is still VERY, VERY PROUD.

One of Drew's favorite books is "Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge" http://www.amazon.com/Little-Lighthouse-Great-Gray-Bridge/dp/0152045716 by Hildegarde H. Swift.  It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.  The lighthouse and the bridge from the book are actually right here in NYC (Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse and The George Washington Bridge).  We have tried to go see the Little Red Lighthouse on two other occasions and for various reasons didn't make it.  The other day after reading the book, Drew asked me if we could try to go see it again. Andy was all for it and said that this time we wouldn't fail! 

We parked the car as close as we could to W. 181st Street and Lafayette Place, crossed a footbridge over the West Side Highway and followed a path down into a park until we came to the Hudson River.  That is where we saw our lighthouse.  And our bridge.  Drew couldn't believe it and was so excited!

We spent about an hour hanging out by the rocks, talking about the book and enjoying the view.

Of course, I made everyone take a family photo, but of course, I couldn't get the entire family looking at the same time.  Does anyone see a pattern here?

Getting lost in Queens

We recently went to Queens County Farm Museum for the opening day of their 3 acre corn maze http://www.queensfarm.org/index.html . After arriving at the farm and seeing lots of animals, we decided to enter the maze.

Along with other interactive elements, there were 9 numbered mailboxes hidden throughout the maze that held pieces of a map that would help us on our way.  Drew and Katie loved trying to find the mailboxes, running around the huge maze and getting lost. Drew was in charge of leading us through the maze with Katie right behind him and Andy and I just tried to keep up.

It was really fun, but at one point I didn't think we were ever going to make it out.  After 26 minutes of exploring and seeing lots of corn, Drew found the exit.   We all celebrated by going on a hayride around the farm and shopping at their farmers market for yummy snacks!

Hidden waterfalls in the concrete jungle

On Saturday, I decided that we were going to finally find the waterfalls in Central Park that I read about on the Central Park website  http://www.centralpark.com/photos/show/11227/waterfall.  I grabbed Andy and the kids, our double stroller, snacks and directions that said to enter the North Woods around 102nd Street.  Of course, Drew wanted to lead us using his own map, and Katie wanted to walk and pick up every rock and leaf along the way, but somehow we managed to find  the correct location.   What a secret paradise in the middle of Manhattan in a non-touristy section of the park!  We passed under an old bridge and walked through a tunnel into an area of trails beside a small stream. It was beautiful and quiet and perfect.

Maybe a little scary alone and definitely not a place to explore at night, but it was just right for a relaxing Saturday afternoon with Andy and the kids.

A family photo with 3 out of 4 of us looking.  Not bad at all!

Welcome!

Welcome to my little blog about life with my husband Andy and our two adorable children, Drew and Katie.  I hope you enjoy reading it and thinking of us!