Holidays – The Mothners

Halloween 2016

Happy Halloween!

Holidays often start at our house with themed pancakes.

Max wanted to be Darth Vader and talked about it for weeks, telling anyone who did or didn’t ask (after first asking them, ‘Do you know Star Wars?’). Halloween was on a Friday, so I picked him up at lunchtime to come home and get ready for the school’s parade. As he was putting his Darth costume on, he saw his Robo-knight costume he wore for Julie’s princess birthday party in May in his closet and decide he definitely wanted to be that. Not sure what it is exactly, he just liked it when we searched on Amazon for knight costumes. I think it’s a Power Ranger?

After picking up Julie from school, we threw on her costume and went to a party at a senior center. Both kids were very friendly. When the activities director asked if any kids wanted to introduce themselves and explain their costumes, Max and Julie were eager and articulate on the microphone.

There was a guitar player that played Halloween songs on a stage (including ‘Five Little Pumpkins’ which made Max very excited because he had acted it out aat school as he let everyone know). When the music was over Julie claimed the stage for an impromptu dance performance.

Time for trick or treating! They had been practicing for days. Max decided to use the light saber from his Darth costume, further confusing onlookers.

Our block is on a hill and each house requires many stairs to access, but they still got lots of candy. Many houses gave out two pieces or more, and we had to have a talk about not asking for more if they only got one piece of candy.

Max was most excited about handing out candy (he would only go trick or treating when we assured him Mark’s friend Dave would hand out in our absence) so after about two blocks he and Mark headed home while Julie and I hit a few more houses. She loved all the decorations.

Her princess thank you curtsy. Love her hairdo, a collaboration between the two of us.

We finally made it home and she passed out on the ground.

Cinderella chillin. Halloween is hard work!

We convinced them to just have two pieces of candy that night. Max’s favorites are Butterfingers and Milky Way. Julie is into fruity chewy candy like Dots and Starburst. The next morning Julie woke up late and grouchy and screamed for a while that she wanted three pieces of candy before breakfast, but after losing that battle she and Max have been ok with one or two a day. Already talk about next years costumes…

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Happy New Year! (2016)

Some members of this family think New Years is all about watching football, others prefer parties. This year we got both with a fun PJ party with friends that got the former home in time to watch the 8 pm play-off game.

Counting down to ‘midnight’ (actually 7 pm).
Watching the care bears count down to ‘midnight’ (actually 7 pm)
Happy New Year!

The kids made glitter jars. Julie took hers very seriously and included her favorite color – all of them. We ate many yummy treats, including make-your-own pizzas (though the kids are in a boring only cheese phase) and homemade health-ish chocolate popcorn.
Party[/caption]
Fun with NYE props

One of my resolutions for this year is to keep more update with this blog – we’ll see how that goes. Julie also had me resolve to take care of her favorite stuffed dog Buttons while she’s at school – I think I got that one. Excited for 2016!

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Santa Present & Past

We love Santa. We visit him multiple times – it takes a few attempts to get a photo where both kids are at least sort of smiling (and not eating), and we had to revisit him anyway after Julie got what she originally asked for (binoculars) from Bubbe for Hanukkuh – complications of an interfaith family – and how to change her request to a Doc McStuffins doll. Max still wants a Playmobil camp site set that he saw in a catalog last spring and won't forget about.

Earlier attempts this year:

And one Santa photo from each past year.
2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

Merry Christmas to all!

Happy Fathers Day!

Today is the one month anniversary of the move to Pelham. The kids were pretty enamored with the ‘new house’ right away and kept asking if they could stay. They love wandering around the yards and going up and down the steps. Julie especially likes looking at all the different color flowers (though she does not understand why she can’t pick them all).

We all love playing baseball and soccer in the yard.

While Mark supervised the movers Friday afternoon, we walked downtown for fro-yo and a stroller nap. The main drag is quaint and small but has some cafes, a movie theater, a yoga studio (with kids yoga classes we’ve taken), and a pretty nice grocery store.

On Father’s Day, for some reason Brittney got to sleep in while Mark took the kids out to breakfast. Then we headed to a vintage baseball game at a nearby historical mansion (just across the Bronx border, so we were technically back in NYC).

Julie was more interested in books and ice cream with Daddy than the game.

I had a lot of fun explaining the rules of baseball to math-lover Max. we all loved the vintage costumes and facial hair (poor guys, it was so sunny and hot)

After the game everyone played Rounders.

Afterward Julie and I checked out the historical mansion. She found the stairs perfect for sitting on. Next year we will be wearing these dresses (and hoping for cooler weather).

Mark said it was a great father’s day, plus he got to spend time in his new basement man cave.

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Happy Easter!

We (or at least three of us) were very excited for Easter festivities this year. We had some friends over to help us decorate eggs and add some lovely blue splotches to our rug.

As eagerly anticipated, the Easter Bunny came by our apartment Sunday morning to hide some eggs. Both kids were really into finding eggs, though both stopped to open and eat the contents of plastic eggs and Julie took dance breaks with the beloved bunny Anna gave her in Atlanta.

Each egg had a letter or picture with it; together they said their baskets were in the shoe closet.

Max was excited about a book featuring his favorite planet, Saturn, but Julie was mostly interested in chocolate eggs, which she ate with one bite and now asks for every day though they have long all been eaten.

Then one of our favorite NYC traditions, the Easter Bonnet Parade. Julie was not that into wearing her hat, while Max wanted to borrow others’ creations.

She only wore it briefly while holding her basket to balance it out.

We saw some crazy hats. Julie liked one with rubber duckies, Brittney loved the Broadway-show inspired collection (can you find Chitty Chiity Bang Bang?).