The kids were SO excited to bake a cake for Daddy (possibly due to the book, “Spot Bakes a Cake”) so we decided to celebrate on Sunday the 2nd when we would have more time to prolong the festivities.

After dinner we opened presents.  Sarah was very excited to give Daddy this Thomas card that she picked out just for him.

And Blaine was excited about Daddy’s big birthday gift — an ice cream maker!

Then it was time for birthday cake.

One of our playdates with the kids from Sarah’s class.

We got a new standing board for our stroller and Blaine loves it.

Andrew watched the kids one day and I went into Brooklyn to see how Williamsburg has changed.  A LOT!  Especially the Bedford stop.  Here’s a shot from the beautiful waterfront.

On 3/26 we took a family trip to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT.  Blaine had been learning about ocean life in school and was particularly excited to see the octopus.

We drove down to PA on Friday, 3/17, to spend the weekend with family and celebrate Josie’s Baptism on Sunday.  Friday night we had dinner with Mom-Mom, Aunt Molly, Aunt Jane, Uncle Tim, Aunt Liz, and Josie.  Blaine helped with the salad.

On Saturday we got out the snowgear we’d brought and enjoyed the snow.

We even did some sledding in the backyard – there’s not much of a slope, but it was enough given the icy surface on the snow.

Uncle Tim, Aunt Liz, and Josie came back to hang out in the afternoon, and Uncle Fran and Alexis arrived from VA.

Sarah was having so much fun with this play vacuum that I had to take another picture to say thank you again to Uncle Jim for finding it in that thrift shop!

Aunt Molly helped Blaine get ready for bed.

The next morning we went to center city for Josie’s Baptism.  Blaine wanted to get upstairs to see the organ but the organist had to run off to another mass.

Sarah wore her panda suit for the occasion.

Then we all walked over to the luncheon at the Little Lion.

We drove back to NY on Monday morning, and we were so happy to see Daddy, who was back from his week in India.  Sarah loved this camel he brought her.

And Blaine got his first real legos (not duplos) – a fire engine set.  We were expecting this project to last for a few days, at least, but Blaine was so focused he finished it that afternoon.  Mommy and Daddy helped with following the instructions and choosing the right pieces, but he attached every piece himself!  We were pretty impressed at his attention span.

Here are all the pics from the first half of March.

I asked Blaine what he was painting, and he said, “a specially designed trap.”  “A trap for what?” I said.  “For a leprechaun.”

Sarah loves this new book set in China (and featuring a panda!), from Great Grandmom and Great Granddad.

Daddy was away for a week in India, and missed a big snowstorm!  We didn’t even venture outside the first day while it was coming down; instead we stayed inside and made chocolate chip banana bread.  We paid some nice men walking by to shovel for us.

We also had Blaine’s (current) favorite dinner, spaghetti and meatballs.

The next day we went outside to dig out our car, and found a thick layer of ice on top of the snow!  We could have built an igloo.

We went to Florida for the kids’ winter break, 2/20-2/27.  We hadn’t been on a real vacation since our Hawaii trip in the winter of 2015, and the kids hadn’t been on a plane since we moved, so we were all pretty excited.

We stayed at a resort called the Pink Shell in Ft Myers Beach.  We didn’t love the town (and the traffic!) but the resort was fantastic for kids.  The sand was soft and white and the chairs and umbrellas were plentiful.

They would even serve you frosty beverages on the beach.  This might have been my favorite moment of the whole vacation — Blaine playing peacefully while I sipped my pina colada.

The pools were also perfect for little kids.  They all had the gradual entry (no steps) and were heated.

Plus they had this cool splash area which kept the kids entertained for quite awhile.

We mostly had warm weather (80s) but one day it rained, so we spent the morning driving to the Sanibel lighthouse, and then going to the grocery store.  In the afternoon, Sarah napped and I took Blaine to a place called “Zoomers” amusement park, where we played endless video games and Blaine got to ride a train.

Then after Sarah’s nap we hung out by the pool and played giant connect four.

Breakfast was included so we ate at the resort restaurant every morning, and even had “breakfast with Sparky” one day.  Sarah screamed whenever he came near her.

We had a few tasty meals at the resort’s other restaurants (I especially enjoyed a shrimp and grits dish I had one night) but otherwise prepared our meals in our condo’s kitchen (and Daddy used the grill).  The condo had a screened in porch where we ate most of our lunches and several dinners.

Sunset and ice cream.

Also worth noting is that Sarah switched to a “big girl” bed on this trip.  We’d reserved a pack and play but decided that she was too big for it, and she opted to sleep in one of the two full beds in the second bedroom.  She did great, and moved right into the bottom bunk bed in her room when we got home.  We disassembled the crib a week later!

Back to FL… we had a wonderful time and were all sad to head back to the airport and fly back to the cold.

Sarah sings her ABCs:

Blaine had an appointment one Monday morning and would have been late for school anyway, so he joined us for the class at the Rye Nature Center, instead.

He was much more into participating than Sarah.  He even showed off his knowledge of nocturnal animals.

I bought some generic Paw Patrol valentines at the Dollar Tree, but then both kids wanted to make their own so we ended up with an elaborate multi-day art project involving watercolors, stamps, and lots of stickers.

Another snowstorm, and another “snow panda”, though this one looks very polar-bear-ish.

The kids loved opening their valentines from their grandparents!

Sadly, Sarah only barely made it through her school Valentine’s Day party before getting really sick for the next few days.  Here she is conked out on the couch.

We got a new dustbuster.

A few more from the end of January…

We got some snow, and Sarah wanted to build a “snow panda” instead of a snowman, so here is our attempt.

Sadly, someone walked off with our panda’s scarf, which has been part of my life since college (friends referred to it as my “grandpa scarf”).  I only hope it’s keeping someone else’s neck warm, snow panda or otherwise.

The Larchmont firefighters hosted the second annual bonfire on the beach on 1/28.  This year we went with some friends, and though it was cold, the fire (fueled by Christmas trees) kept us warm, and the live band kept us entertained by playing every song they knew with any reference to fire.

Gram and Grand-dad came to visit for the weekend, and we had a wonderful time.  The weather on Saturday was beautiful so we all went out to Flint Park for some playground time, followed by the boardwalk trail along the water for some bird-watching.  Gram spotted a woodpecker!  Then we went out for brunch.

After Sarah’s nap we celebrated Christmas again and opened all the presents that were sent to the house.  The kids loved having another round of present opening!

Sarah got a “Sarah-tops” shirt from Gram and Grand-dad which she insisted on putting on right away.

And the kids both wanted to read the Spot book immediately with Grand-dad.

The Brio train bridge and bell set, with crane train, were a huge hit!  Thanks, Aunt Suzanne, Uncle Michael, and Gabriel!

The kids also loved their new magnet tiles set from Gram and Grand-dad.

On Sunday we had waffles for breakfast and then went out for a walk.

Thanks for visiting, Gram and Grand-dad!  Can’t wait to see you again soon!

We went into the city again on 1/16 to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs.  Specifically, the kids’ faves, the T-Rex and the “Sarah-tops”.