Sarah loves trains so I decided to take the kids into the city on the train for the morning on Thursday, 6/29.  We waited for the first off peak train and got on with our giant stroller.  Surprisingly, all went smoothly!

We planned to explore Grand Central and take it from there, maybe meet up with Daddy for lunch if he was free.  Here we are taking in the view from the giant Apple store on the balcony.

We went by the whispering arch.

Blaine spotted this vehicle and wanted a closer look.  Sure enough, it appears to be a mini firefighting vehicle.

We decided to venture out into the city!  We walked west on 42nd street and stopped to take a look at the NY public library.

Then when we made it to 6th Ave I gave the kids the choice of continuing over to see Times Square, or going to see Daddy’s office.  They chose the latter.  Andrew was really busy that day but he managed to steal enough time to have a delicious lunch with us, and then also showed us his office!  The kids enjoyed the giant whiteboard, and the snacks in the lunch room.

We headed back to Grand Central for a train back to Larchmont but found that the New Haven line was experiencing extreme delays for some reason or other, and the terminal was packed with people waiting to get on a train.  They called the next train shortly after we arrived but we hung back given the crowds, and instead bought some cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery.  We got on the next train and managed to get the stroller on and get seats.  Phew!  Sarah fell asleep on the stroller ride home but managed to continue her nap after we arrived – what a champ!  Later, the kids enjoyed their cupcakes.

Here’s one more pic from June — on Friday, Blaine and I went to the library while Sarah was at camp.

While Sarah was at camp on 6/28, Blaine and I went over to the Bronx Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly installations.  We were planning to meet some friends but due to traffic and difficulty parking we ended up being really short on time and were only there for about an hour, so we only met up with them briefly.  It was still worth it to see the beautiful glass sculptures.

On Tuesday, 6/27, I took the kids to the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT.  I’d read about it on a site called weewestchester and it ended up being a great outing.  We started out playing at the playground across the street.

Then had some snack outside the museum.

When the museum opened at 10 we took a look around – it’s not a big place but there was a temporary Andy Warhol exhibit with a series on endangered animals… including one of a panda!

We also enjoyed the nature exhibits on wildlife, minerals, and fossils found locally.

At 10:45 on Tuesdays the museum runs a free kids’ tour with different topics each week.  This week they talked about sculpture, we viewed some sculptures inside and out, and then the kids got to create their own sculptures.

It was a great way to spend a morning, I wish I’d found out about it sooner.  If we ever find ourselves free again on a Tuesday morning we’ll definitely be back!  On the way out we stopped to admire these Triceratops on the hill.

That afternoon Blaine had his second swimming lesson, and Sarah and I hung out at the kids’ pool.

Sarah started her summer camp at the Larchmont Temple Nursery School (LTNS) on Monday, 6/26.  She’s in camp on M/W/F mornings, and she seems to be really enjoying it!  She was so excited to help pack her lunch the first day, she put this jar of sunflower butter (no nuts allowed) directly into her panda lunchbag.

After dropoff, Blaine and I spent the morning at the beach.

Sarah was in a great mood after camp.

We had a nice dinner outside that night.

We got back from Longport on Friday 6/16, and had nothing big planned for the whole following week.  Here are the kids on Father’s Day:

On Monday, 6/19, we went to the Bronx zoo again.  We rode the tram for the first time, and took it across the zoo to ride the monorail again!  So, a tour of the zoo’s trains.

Apparently these Mongolian wild horses are now considered extinct, because they only survive in captivity.  A quick google search turns up this result, so I’m not so sure: amnh.org

We also filled our time with lots of painting.

On Tuesday, 6/20, Blaine had his first swimming lesson at Hommocks Pool.  The kids have been enjoying this alternate venue this summer.

On Wednesday, we had our last class (ever, probably) at Groove.  Blaine’s definitely too old at this point (though they let him tag along now that school’s over) and Sarah’s schedule will be pretty full in the Fall with preschool five mornings, so I’m sad to say this was probably our last class.  We’ll miss you, Groove!

On Thursday, we met up with some friends at the beach and built an awesome sand castle.

Blaine picked this flower for Sarah from our yard because orange is her favorite color.

And on Friday, we went to a local playground to give Sarah a chance to try out Blaine’s scooter.

We also stopped to admire how all our flowers are looking after a wet spring.

When I was a kid, summer meant going to Longport, New Jersey!  I had not been there since the Mahoney family sold their beach house on 17th Ave in 2002, so this year we VRBO’d a house on 11th Ave to spend a week at the shore with Mom-Mom and Aunt Molly.  It always amazes me how simply being in a place can trigger so many memories.  We had a wonderful time – the beach was quiet, the weather was beautiful.  And, well, both kids got sick!  But overall, a great trip.

Sarah was really enjoying building (well, having me build) and driving sand vehicles.  Day 1: Sand Car.

We arrived on Friday, 6/9, and Blaine was sick by mid-day Saturday.  Here he is with a fever, sleeping on the couch.

He’d already been promised an ice pop earlier in the day, so here he is, sick, eating a strawberry popsicle.

The kids’ room had blinds, but still got a lot of sun.  So, we used the extra bunk bed sheets to create little tents to keep their beds darker.

The next morning, Uncle Tim, Aunt Liz, and cousin Josie came to spend the morning with us!  They’d just arrived back from a week in Ireland so we were so impressed that they managed to make it.  I think it was Josie’s first time on the beach!

When we arrived at the beach we found that Molly had picked a spot right next to something that looked like it might be the setting for a wedding.  We hoped it would be an evening wedding.  I got to work on the assignment for day 2: Sand Boat.

Alas, the wedding was scheduled for 11:30 or so.  The people started arriving, and we tried to stay out of the way.  You may also notice that Blaine was feeling better at this point.

New books from Mom-Mom and Aunt Molly!

On Monday, both kids were healthy and we had a nice time at the beach building sand trains.

That night, we went to the Ocean City Boardwalk!  It was Sarah’s first time on rides (apart from a carousel) and she was very serious about it.  Once the fire engines below started moving she carefully turned the wheel left, and looked like she was focused on keeping the engine on track.

We walked down to get some Mack & Manco (I guess it’s Manco and Manco now?) pizza for dinner, followed by Kohr Brothers.  Yum!

Then Blaine and Aunt Molly went on one more ride before we headed to bed!

The next day (Tuesday) started out fine, but Sarah woke up sick after her nap. 🙁

The next morning Sarah was still sick, so we hung around the house.  Luckily, there was a fire truck to keep Blaine entertained.

By the time Sarah was napping Blaine was getting a little stir crazy, so Mom-Mom and Aunt Molly stayed at the house with Sarah, and Blaine and I went to see Lucy, the Margate elephant.

That night we celebrated Aunt Molly’s 31st birthday with cheeseburgers, cake, and presents.  Sarah was feeling better at this point (guess it was a 24hr thing).

On our last day at the beach, this friendly lifeguard offered Blaine a ride on his ATV.  Blaine was thrilled.  We were so early in the season and the town was so quiet, everyone was so friendly.  Blaine also got several plastic police badges from passing bike cops.

Our last night we’d planned to go out for dinner but decided to do takeout, instead.  We got some yummy sandwiches and fries from the Margate Dairy Bar and Burger.  Thanks to Mom-Mom and Aunt Molly for joining us for the week!

Sarah’s been getting pretty good at hanging on this bar at our local playground.  She wanted me to take this video and then she wanted to watch it on repeat for the next few days.

Sarah’s last day of school was Tuesday, 6/6.

Blaine’s preschool graduation was the next day, 6/7.  He got all dressed up for the occasion.

I had no idea a preschool graduation would be so well attended, or I would have gotten there early to get good seats!  As it turned out we were all the way in the back, which made it ok to stand up to take photos, at least!  Blaine is seated at the far left side of the stage.  The kids sang a number of songs they’d learned through the year, and then all received diplomas!  It was very sweet.

Blaine took full advantage of the treats at the post-graduation event.  He made sure Sarah got her fair share, too.

Later that day, Sarah was invited to a friend’s birthday party, so Blaine got to tag along, too.  The kids got to learn about and see some neat animals, including this albino wallaby.

Happy graduation, Blaine!  We are so proud of you!

We couldn’t believe it when June arrived!

On the 3rd we went to an end of year picnic at the kids’ preschool.

That weekend, Sarah also decided she was ready to start potty training.  Here she is, wearing underwear, after using the public restroom at the park!  Way to go, Sarah!

Blaine enjoyed this placemat from Aunt Jane and demonstrated all the letters he learned in preschool.