Chasin' Mason

We've moved...

2009-07-24T15:10:00.002-05:00

...To a new virtual home, here. Please change your bookmarks so you can keep up with the adventures of our growing family -- and find out when we welcome our newest little one!

mercierstakemanhattan.blogspot.com

Ready For A Close-Up

2009-07-21T08:21:00.003-05:00

We got a good look at our Baby Bean yesterday -- 36 weeks and 2 days into the pregnancy. Bean is looking pretty good, and measuring right on schedule, though Mommy did have a slight panic when she noticed the measurement for the noggin was about a week ahead of schedule! They estimated Bean's weight to be 6-pounds, 6-ounces at this point.

Beantown

2009-07-06T08:28:00.018-05:00

We loaded up the family on the ol' Amtrak train last weekend and headed north for some Fourth of July fun and a little belated birthday celebration for the Dad-O Man. We had been wanting to go to Boston ever since we moved east ... five years ago ... and finally made it! Here's Dad-O and Mason man checking out the view from the train as we left NYC in the rear-view mirror.

Once we got to Boston, we made a bee-line for Boston Common and took a tour of the Freedom Trail from this lady. Mason, as you can see, was totally enamored with the city's historical sites.

(As an aside, the sleeping was a much better reaction than we got when we took him to see the Liberty Bell. There, he just cried. Alas, both times he was woken up way too early to hit the road!)

Here are some of the Freedom Trail sites. Rob would later go to the pub across the street from the Granary Burying Grounds to "sip a cold Sam Adams while looking at a cold Sam Adams" grave as our tour guide suggested. Since the under 21 set wasn't welcomed, Mason and Mommy went for ice cream instead!

After our tour, we headed for the harbor where we took in the sites and enjoyed some delicious seafood at Legal Sea Foods. I'm still dreaming of Rob's jumbo stuffed shrimp!

Feeling re-energized, we took a walk through the financial district and back to Boston Common so Mason could get in a little playtime. He loved the sprinklers there and we all had a blast wading in the Frog Pond. Mommy's tired feet were especially appreciative!

After a brief respite at the hotel, we hit the road again and headed to Cambridge to watch the fireworks over the Charles River. Based on some faulty intelligence from our waitress, we arrived WAY too early for the show, but landed a good viewing spot. It ended up not mattering too much, though, as we had one terrified toddler on our hands and left shortly after the fireworks started going off! At least we squeezed in a family picture first!

Sunday started off with a trip to Fenway Park. The Sox were in town, but we didn't have tickets to the game. Instead, we just took in the pregame sites and our intrepid little Yankees fan braved the hostile environment to pose for a picture with his Yankees hat in front of the field. He and Dad-O gave the hated Red Sox and thumbs down. Fearing backlash, I turned his hat around once he hopped back in the stroller, but he was fearless and turned it right back around. Luckily, no one hurled any insults at him, though a dirty look or two were directed at Dad-O and I!

After a walk down Newbury Street, we headed to the Public Garden. We had promised Mason a boat ride, so to the Swan Boats we went.

For the final leg of our trip, we returned to Cambridge and took a quick walk through the Harvard campus.

From there, it was back to South Station and all aboard the train that would take our exhausted selves home. All in all, it was a great way to spent a holiday weekend and a great mini-trip for the three of us. We're already looking forward to returning and not waiting five years to do so!

Wedding Extravaganza, Part Deux

2009-06-16T19:57:00.004-05:00

Uncle Kirty and Auntie Julie tied the knot last Friday. Once again, Mommy and Macey played the parts of bridesmaid and ring bearer, respectively.

Thursday night marked the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner -- and also the only time the WHOLE family was together. Dr. Auntie Meg's residency graduation coincided with Kirt and Julie's big day, so we took time to take a family picture (the Bean is even prominently visible!)

Friday was wedding day. After a relaxing morning of family time -- we took Mason to see Up! at the movie theater Mommy frequented as a teenager (weird!) -- followed by a nap, it was time to head to the church.

Mason was utterly mesmerized when he saw his Auntie Julie before the wedding. As Grammy said, he looked like one of those cartoon characters with stars in their eyes and just said "She's so beautiful." And who could argue!!?!?!

After refueling with some chocolate milk behind the scenes, it was time for the big game ... er, moment.

Mason showed off his professional ring-bearing skills, by practically dragging his counterpart, Evan, down the aisle. He was pretty anxious to get to Uncle Kirty, who had a surprise waiting at the alter -- a new car, which he then used to drive over Mommy's tummy as Julie came marching down the aisle.

After the I-Dos were said and the licensed was signed, it was time to party and party Mason did ...

With his uncles...

With Aunt Patty, who he drug onto the dance floor...

And of course, with his Auntie Julie...

And Uncle Kirty...

Congrats to them both! All of our pictures are here, and here's the photographer's official pics.

The Great Outdoors

2009-06-15T16:01:00.001-05:00

There was a time not so long ago when our little Mason man was afraid of the grass...poor little city kid! Not so anymore. We made sure to take advantage of Grammy and Papa's yard when we were in Colorado!

Running in the sprinklers...

Bouncing around the backyard...

Catching bugs... (though, he initially called this little ol' earthworm a snake!)

Enjoying the waterfall...

Playing with his guys at the picnic table, where we also spent many a lunch, dinner and breakfast time...

The Cool Pool

2009-06-03T15:45:00.003-05:00

Mason is undoubtedly a water lover, so we spent a couple of afternoons at the recreation center near Grammy and Papa's house chilling in the pool and this was no ordinary pool.

For starters, the water was warm and it started at a depth of 0 feet, 0 inches, and reached a grand total of 3 feet, 6 inches. It had three separate play areas -- one with geysers, one with a little spouts flowing through some pipes and the piece de resistance: a jungle gym/slide right smack in the middle of the action. Mason LOVED climbing the stairs and going down the slide right into the water. Mommy loved relaxing comfortably nearby and watching his joy without worrying about him getting in over his head.

There was also a BIG slide and on our second trip, Grammy came along for the ride so she could take him down said slide. While they both enjoyed their one trip down, Grammy was a little freaked out! Mason was all ready to go again, but Grammy was scared to death she would lose her grip on the little guy and decided not to tempt fate!

Mason kept asking why we didn't have a "cool pool" like this at our house and it will definitely be in our rotation of things to do next time we head home!

A Rockies VIP

2009-06-01T16:32:00.006-05:00

Uncle Clint and Auntie Meg treated Mommy and Mason to our second Rockies game of this trip last Saturday night and boy did we have a great time.

After indulging in a little pre-game buffet in the "Coors Clubhouse" (Mason had a bite of hot dog and two brownies, Mommy and the Bean ate considerably more!) we headed out to find our seats. Not a bad view from the front-row, eh?

We snapped a few shots before the game began and then settled in for the action.

Mason was very happy to make a new friend -- with Dinger, the Rockies' mascot, who we'd been reading about since our arrival in Colorado. His first encounter was a high-five through the netting separating us from the field.

His second a picture perfect pose.

His third, the highlight of the evening -- though we were all pretty happy with the win in the bottom of the ninth inning, you don't see this every day.

Mason, as you can see, was sporting his rally cap throughout much of the game and he was certain that it was the reason for the come-from-behind victory. In fact, it's now Monday, and he's still sporting the rally cap. He won't let us turn it right-side out for nothin'!

Did I mention that this is a great age to take a kid to the ballgame? Mason was so into the game and what was going on, as well as parroting whatever we told him to say to the batters. He shouted plenty of "Let's go, Tu-Lo!" and "Swing, batta batta, swing!" It was pretty cute -- as was he, apparently, cute enough to make an appearance on the JumboTron and to be seen by Papa on the local broadcast of the game.

All in all, Mason got all he wanted out of the game: a meeting with Dinger, witnessing a Rockies home run and especially, a Rockies win!

Great Grandparents

2009-05-31T22:34:00.002-05:00

Mason got to chill with Great Grandma and Grandpa Woodman at over dinner at Grammy and Papa's house tonight. I always treasure the time he's able to spend with them!

Hanging out

2009-05-30T13:21:00.003-05:00

Here's what Mason's been up to this week in Colorado...

Literally hanging from the doorknob while playing with his Uncle Clint -- but, Clint should have tried this trick a little bit sooner. He's a smidge too tall.

Entertaining himself in the backyard while Mommy works. We were outside all morning on Friday and he had a blast playing with his cars, running around in the grass and playing in his pool.

Playing a little ball with Papa.

Catching another rolly-poly bug for his bug box.

A quick snuggle with Auntie Meg.

Meeting the blue bear at the Denver Convention Center.

When in Rome...

2009-05-28T08:41:00.003-05:00

Since we've been in the Mile High City for the entirety of the Western Conference finals (shown here at a more toddler-friendly hour of 7 p.m.!), Mason has gotten quite into the Nuggets run. Naturally, he had to gear up for last night's (disappointing) Game 5 with a new T-shirt and hat...

Here's hoping for better luck tomorrow.

Playtime

2009-05-25T16:22:00.003-05:00

One of Mason's favorite haunts is Chuck E. Cheese. Mommy and Dad-O can only take a visit there oh-so-often, but had promised him a visit to a "Colorado" Chuck E. Cheese for a long time. We trekked there today to meet Grandma Alize, and cousins Eli and Asani.

Much fun ensued...

In Mason's words, the Colorado Chuck E. Cheese was "more awesome than the one at home because it had like a million more games." In Mommy's, it was "more awesome because it was bigger and less crowded!"

Check Me Out

2009-05-24T16:13:00.001-05:00

We took a trip to Murdoch's today to properly outfit the Mason-man in western attire. It actually started out as a trip for new cowboy boots, as his are getting too small, but turned into a whole new outfit...and a toy to boot!

Grammy, Uncle Kenneth, Aunt Patty and Mommy had way too much fun outfitting Mason in the middle of the store.

Then, we just set him right up on the counter and let the sales clerk scan him from head to toe.

May Flowers

2009-05-23T16:01:00.000-05:00

Grammy's favorite day of the year is the day she gets to plant all her annuals, and luckily Mason and I were there to partake in the activity this year.

We got up early Saturday morning to prep the soil.

Then, it was off to the garden center, where Macey helped Grammy pick out all the flowers she needed to fill her deck boxes and planters as well as finding a couple of nice hanging baskets. He was particularly fond of the deer-resistant varieties of plants, despite the fact that Grammy and Papa don't have a deer problem in their backyard.

After we had all our flowers back at Grammy's house, Mason helped Grammy cart all the plants into the backyard with his wagon.

Then we got to work. Mommy and Grammy filled up the planters, and Mason watered them in.

When we were all done...we watered Mason down. He was particularly dirty, but it was lots of fun and here are the smiles to prove it.

Ouch!

2009-05-22T15:57:00.001-05:00

A rite of passage, I suppose, here's Mason's first fat lip, picked up while playing with his uncles last night. Not quite sure what happened, except that Mason got in a fight with a metal trash can and the trash can won...

It didn't look too bad when he went to bed, but it swelled up overnight!

Wedding Extravaganza, Pt. I

2009-05-21T16:05:00.010-05:00

Macey and Mommy have been in Colorado for a full week now, and between the wedding-weekend madness, the jet lag, getting adjusted to life in the 'burbs and the remote home office, Mommy hasn't a lot of time to post!

Uncle Clint and Auntie Meg got hitched last Saturday and are off enjoying their Mexican honeymoon now.

The wedding weekend began with a trip to see the Rockies play the Astros at Coors Field. Despite Mason's best efforts -- and rally cap -- the home team did not pick up the win. We did, however, have lots of fun and Mommy got some cool sun burn lines in the four inches between the bottom of her shorts and the top of her knees.

Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner before the big day rolled around Saturday. Mason looked pretty dapper in his tux upon arriving at the church, which was in downtown Denver. There was only one slight problem, though: He arrived with one shoe missing! Papa trekked back toward the car and found it lying in the middle of the street. It was rescued and the show went on without a hitch, as Mason escorted one of Clint and Meg's nieces, Caroline, down the aisle.

Once Clint and Meg sealed the deal with a kiss, we all got ready to party. In my humble, and totally unbiased opinion, Mason stole the show (as much as he could with a beautiful, happy couple taking center stage!). Check out his dance moves:

Sweet Caroline was in honor of, well, sweet Caroline, who was pretty sure Clint was really her boyfriend and not Meg's! All the nieces and nephews had a great time dancing. We could barely get Mason off the dance floor. He didn't want dinner. He didn't want cake. Finally, it was a Capri Sun that did the trick, but then he was back out there again.

As the night wore on, he got a little tuckered out.

Then, he finally crashed on an antique sofa in the room just over from where the party was a roarin'.

As a finale, here are the official Mercier family portraits from the evening, the before and after, if you will...

For anyone interested in the entirety of the weekend's action, check out our Snapfish Album.

Colorado, Week 1

2009-05-21T15:46:00.000-05:00

Aside from the wedding excitement, here's what we've been up to since arriving in Colorado last week ...

Helping Papa plant a tree (after all, the yard had to look nice for the rehearsal dinner, no?)

Reading lots of stories, especially with Great Grandma, who should have a Ph.D. in reading to children by now, because she loves it so much! This particular book was one that belonged to Mommy and her brother's and sister when we were little, and I can distinctly remember her reading the exact same book to me on many occasions.

And finally, getting in some time with Mason's cousins, Asani and Eli. Dad-O was pretty much in heaven hanging out with his three favorite little men.

Mason also got to spend some time with his Grandma Alize, who lives near Asani and Eli, and with his Grandpa Robert, who had flown in for a day to see Asani's last football game.

Happy Birthday, Kellyn!

2009-05-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

Mason's best friend turned 4 today! We celebrated last weekend with a trip to GustOrganics on 14th and 6th (still thinking about that strawberry-pear-pine nut-spinach salad I devoured!) and a trip to see a play called Rumple Who? nearby.

Here's the birthday girl, our favorite little man, Mason, and another friend, Sophia posing with Kellyn's grandma.

Movin' On Up

2009-05-05T17:07:00.000-05:00

Mason and his buddies have been heading to karate every Tuesday night since the fall, and we hit a big milestone today! They got their first belt promotion, from white to orange.

As Kushinda, the master, explained it, they are not fully accepted into the community until they hit this mark, so it was kind of a big deal. While they're still working a lot on the basics, they have mastered the art of following directions. Here's Mason performing the technique to move on:

Officially receiving his belt:

The new crop of orange belts:

And, the entire class -- as you can see -- there's a big range of skills and age levels, but all in all they have fun each week when they meet!

Lastly, striking a proud pose with Dad-O after the festivities:

Animal adventures

2009-04-28T15:43:00.008-05:00

We had a weekend filled with friends furry, feathered and frisky. Mommy and Mason spent Saturday at one of our favorite spots, the Bronx Zoo, and then we followed that up with a Sunday at a National Geographic Family Day at Chelsea Piers.

At the zoo, we got our first peek at Moxie, the lion cub. He's the smallish one lying in the back.

And played at the new park put up near the giraffe exhibit by Tiki Barber -- who was in attendance, though Mason couldn't have cared less (like the good Cowboys fan his Dad-O is raising him to be).

We also got a look at some of Macey's other favorites, including the zebras. This trip, the kiddo was WAY into hearing all the info that the signs at each exhibit provided. It was really cute.

After an ice cream break, we headed to the children's zoo to feed the sheep, goats and all their friends and to climb the spider web. Mason climbed way above Mommy's head, but got blocked in, so I had to give him a hand getting down!

Sunday, we hit Chelsea Piers for the Nat Geo day. First, Mason was obsessed with playing in the airplane, but he perked up and got a bit more adventurous after lunch, working with Dad-O to unearth some dinosaur bones in a plaster cast.

Then, he got REALLY up close and personal with some exotic animal friends. He got to touch a boa constrictor, another snake, and a chinchilla.

We also saw a tree frog, iguana and alligator, but didn't get to touch those.

I thought it was cool when the handler demonstrated the tree frog's sticking ability by placing him on a nearby window.

All in all, we had a great time and left with a bag full of freebies, including some cool, new blocks.

Opening Day

2009-04-16T21:05:00.001-05:00

With (the new and old!) Yankee Stadium nearly in the shadow of our apartment building, it seems we're raising a budding Yankees' fan. Here's the view we see coming down the hill on 155th Street from the subway, and looking directly across the river into the Bronx.

On the left is the new Yankee Stadium. On the right, the House that Ruth Built. In the middle of the foreground is one of the Polo Grounds Towers -- a housing project built on the site where the old Giants' digs once stood.

And here is the budding Yankees' fan as he headed off to daycare the day the new stadium was christened, thanks to Mommy's friend and Yankees' fan extraordinare, Nicki, who outfitted him with a CC Sabathia jersey for the occasion. He thrilled subway riders in the evening (many of whom were coming home from the Yankees-Indians' game) by telling them he PLAYED for the Yankees and referring to the Indians as the "girls" team. Too funny...

Easter fun

2009-04-13T15:19:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a nice, relaxing Easter weekend beginning with Thursday night's big egg-coloring extravaganza. We had our buddies Kellyn, Nasira and Fatima over to help Mason do the honors.

Take a look at all those colors!

All told, the kiddos dyed 36 eggs for us and eight hands! Now I understand why we always had to dye eggs well in advance of Easter Sunday -- so the dye would be gone in time for photos!

Rob and Mason spent Good Friday together, though Mommy had to work. I'll post more about their adventure later.

Easter Sunday doubled as Mommy's birthday this year, and we had a great time. First, Mason awoke to find his wares from the "Christmas" Bunny -- as he kept referring to the Easter Bunny all day long, especially when he was excited. Like Mason said, he got toys, some clothes and LOTS of candy from that Christmas Bunny.

After mass, we headed to brunch at one of our favorite Upper Westside spots, Arte Cafe, and then to Central Park for an egg hunt of our own. The Christmas Bunny was kind enough to leave Mason 25 stuffed eggs to find.

After last year's incident, Mason was worried about other kids swiping his eggs, so we picked a sunny, uninhabited hillside to hide them on. Or so we thought ...

It wasn't other kids who got to them this year, it was a squirrel. Check out the chewed-through egg and the empty candy wrapper.

Mason still had plenty of fun, though we only came home with 22 eggs. The squirrel got a few!

Note to Christmas Bunny: Stop bringing shorts! Two years in a row, we've egg-hunted in our winter jackets!

Bean In 3D

2009-04-09T15:10:00.003-05:00

Had a follow-up to our last ultrasound today. Here's how the little one is growing. Stats are all right on for this point. Baby Bean is checking in at a full pound now. It was pretty funny as he/she was not into cooperating with us, at one point even putting its hands and feet up to block where the technician was poking around with the probe. Again you can see the preferred spot for that little hand is right in front of the face! The top one is my favorite.

New wheels

2009-04-07T22:17:00.000-05:00

Check out the daycare kiddos rockin' their new ride. It's like a stroller bus!

An Egg-cellent Adventure

2009-04-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

We trekked up to Ft. Tryon Park on Sunday for Mason's first official Easter Egg hunt. The little man came away with quite a load of eggs and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather and beautiful surroundings in the process.

Here are some scenes from the park:

And a video of the action -- apologies for the quality...the camera kind of loses focus as I chase after the little egg hunter!

Mason Being Mason

2009-04-01T15:34:00.001-05:00

Silly that is ... undies on the head ... all him and he knew it was hilarious! It's funny to see his little sense of humor developing.

Party Time

2009-03-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

We caught up with Mason's buddy Matthias last weekend for his third birthday party. Mattias and his family are friends of ours from Nursery North. It was great to see him and his parents, meet his new baby sister, Olympe, and catch up with all of our old friends.

Mason sported a cream cheese moustache:

Thanks in part to his multi-tasking -- Thomas toys in one hand, breakfast in the other:

The birthday boy:

Making like a clown, while playing with the spit balls ... seriously:

Cute little Peony poses for the camera:

The Proud Graduate

2009-03-25T11:06:00.006-05:00

Saturday was a big day for the Mason man. As you can see, he graduated the latest round of swimming lessons.

This round, we took them at Riverbank State Park, where we've been schlepping every Saturday morning since early January. There were some days where it was particularly frigid, but it was worth the effort.

Here's Mommy and Mason on our last day of class.

The little guy in action:

And, of course, videos. Maybe I'll get creative with them later and make one highlight film, but for now enjoy this trifecta!

It's a...

2009-03-17T08:40:00.003-05:00

Boy? A girl? We don't know -- and don't plan to find out, so for now, we're referring to the little one affectionately as Baby Bean. Here are our favorite pics of the little one in action from our 18-week ultrasound yesterday.

Dad-O's Favorite

Mommy's Favorite

I'm feeling pretty good, though very tired! Like I said, I'm 18 weeks along, now. The baby is growing right on schedule and due to arrive in mid-August (August 15 is the official date, for those keeping score at home.)

Mason's pretty excited to be a big brother. He's sure it's a little sister (Papa agrees based on the second pic, where you can faintly see Bean's hand draped across his/her forehead in dramatic fashion.) Though, when we told the Doctor this yesterday, and she immediately asked Mason what Mommy had in her tummy, he said a baby brother -- go figure.

Daycare Kiddos

2009-03-11T13:46:00.005-05:00

Melissa and her brave staff took eight of the kiddos to the Children's Museum last Friday night. All us mommies and daddies picked them up from there and spent a little time playing. Here are some shots from the action:

Mason, as you can see, refused to take part in the group shot. It might have had something to do with this group lining up by the door, awaiting their parents' arrival and eventual dismissal. As I was already there, he wanted to keep playing. To wit, here he is running all over the museum, wearing the fire fighter's hat he picked up sometime before I got there. Also, note the stickers on his cheeks? Well, when I took those off later that night, they left little sticker-shaped rashes that lasted all weekend. Oops!

Zachary and Lilly...

Kellyn and Zion

One more shot, though not from CMOM. This one is from our usual Tuesday night trek to karate class. They're getting pretty good! I thought they looked pretty cute all bundled up and waiting on the stairs while the stroller was parked.

Snowball Fight!

2009-03-03T09:51:00.008-05:00

So, yesterday, the tri-state area was blanketed in snow, forcing NYC public schools to close for the first time in five years. Mason spent the day at daycare, but when Mommy came home we headed out of a little frigid fun. It wasn't great snowball weather, but as you can see, Mason managed to find a few hunks of white stuff to hurl at his Mommy!

Here's the extra-blurry Mom-scrambling-out-of-the-way-in-feigned-fear shot:

I exacted revenge by hurling him into a snowbank. He attempted to make a snow angel.

And here are the rosy cheeks (and runny nose) that proved it was time to head back inside for a cup of hot chocolate, a little cuddling time and a story. Not a bad gig to come home to!

Catching up with...

2009-02-23T19:06:00.003-05:00

Mason's secret twin, Malka, who we've known since they were about six months old and partners in crime in the baby room at Nursery North. We stopped by to visit Malka and her Eemah on Saturday so the toddlers could get some playtime in, and us mommies could stare at Malka's new baby brother.

Here they are giving each other a big ol' hug, while Mason tells Malka that she's his "bestest buddy."

It's so cool that even though we don't get together as often as we'd like, whenever we do, they're "bestest buddies" all over again!

Storytime!

2009-02-20T12:04:00.001-05:00

Mason's been regaling us with his favorite story for some time now. We thought it was time to share:

Well Bundled

2009-02-02T13:43:00.002-05:00

It's been frigid here in the Northeast -- though the temperature was 41 degrees when I woke up this morning, so for one day I can't complain. Anyway, the dipping temps did necessitate a crafty weekend, as a made the Macey Man a scarf to bundle himself in. Here he is after our early morning Saturday swimming lessons looking oh-so-cute.

Gymnastics Gala

2009-01-30T16:33:00.005-05:00

Mason wrapped up his session with the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation last week with a gymnastics gala at Riverbank State Park. Dad-O and I were pretty excited to see the show, as the gymnastics class was of the drop-off variety, so we didn't know exactly what the Macey man had been learning behind closed doors for the past few months.

We watched the show front and center with Kellyn's family -- her mom, dad, grandma, aunt and cousin were all on hand to take in the scene.

Here are some shots and a little video for you to enjoy!

Mason and Kellyn are the third and second in line, respectively.

Getting ready for a somersault!

The landing

Waving goodbye to their adoring fans

And, still waving. Kellyn took center stage until one of the coaches came to pluck her off the center of the mat. We got a HUGE kick out of it!

The YouTube clip:

Picture Perfect

2009-01-08T13:52:00.004-05:00

Here's Mason's official 3-year-old photo shoot. He was quite the little charmer and seemed to love the attention showered on him by the ladies at Kiddie Kandids.

Christmas In New York

2008-12-27T16:50:00.006-05:00

A couple days late, but here's what we've been up to this holiday...

Mason and Mommy baked cookies on Christmas Eve morning, while Dad-O had to head off to work. Mason, as you can see, is a good helper and always willing to test the batter.

In the evening, we headed to 5 p.m. mass and took some time afterwards to take in the beautiful nativity scene and all the decorations set up at church.

Next, we headed downtown and grabbed some dinner before our traditional stop at Rockefeller Center to see the tree in all it's glory. Here are some of our favorite shots.

On Christmas morning, we awoke to find a pile of presents from Santa on top of the pile of presents that had already found it's way to our tree thanks to all Mason's generous aunts and uncles and his Grammy and Papa.

Mason opened.

And opened.

And opened presents.

Then, we got to take our turn. Dad-O, as you can see, was very pleased with his new video game.

We enjoyed a low-key day. We spent a little time out in the lobby of the apartment visiting with the neighbors and watching Mason and their little guy play with some new toys. Later, we closed out the night with a trip to visit Melissa and Kellyn next door.

Mommy was wearing her comfy sweats all day and decided that's just about the best way to spend Christmas!

The Big Three

2008-12-18T10:56:00.007-05:00

We celebrated Mason's official birthday yesterday with a day full of family fun. Both Dad-O and I were lucky enough to have the day off so we could devote the whole day to doting on the birthday boy.

We started off with a very nutritious birthday breakfast of donuts and followed that up with opening more presents. Mason had plenty of time to play with all of them: he and Dad-O built a Lego tower taller than Mason, Mason had a ball with his new Diego Mobile Rescue Unit and then we all headed into the lobby so he could go wild with his remote-control car from Grammy and Papa.

After recharging at naptime, we headed downtown for the much-anticipated Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Mason posed for some quick pictures before we set out to find our seats.

The show did not disappoint. Afterwards, Mason said his favorite part was the arrival of the three wisemen, presumably because they were accompanied by real-live donkeys and camels (seriously, I work right across the street from the place. I want to know where they hide those animals when they're not on stage!). Of course, later, he was overheard telling his Uncle Kirty that it was the Rockettes who really stole the show. My how fast he's growing up...

After the show, we grabbed some cupcakes at Magnolia and headed uptown for one last surprise: Pizza, soda and games at Chuck E. Cheese. Mason always points it out when we pass it by, but we rarely go there. It's a special treat. Dad-O, with Mason on his shoulder walked by the door initially, only to turn around and go back, and plop Mason in front of the door -- where we were treated to a big ol' birthday smile. He was so excited.

We closed the place down and headed home, only to find our door all decorated by Mason's daycare buddies. It was so cute -- two collages, plus a card from each of his friends and a portrait of the birthday boy. Mason remarked: "This is beautiful work!"

It was that, and a pretty awesome end to his third-birthday extravaganza. We all had a great day...and will have to work real hard to top it next year!

First Snow!

2008-12-16T21:24:00.007-05:00

Winter (and by that I mean snow, we've already had our share of cold!) arrived in New York today. There were snow flurries off and on all day, but by the time karate class was dismissed at 7, it was coming down pretty good!

The kiddos were all bundled up and snuggled down in the four-seater.

Mason tried to catch some flakes on his tongue.

Kellyn was so comfy and unaffected, she fell right asleep. Maybe I need to get me one of those snowsuits!

Mason's Wild Third Birthday Party

2008-12-16T12:08:00.004-05:00

We spent the better part of Saturday with a big ol' group of friends -- both ours and Mason's -- celebrating Mason's third birthday with a Diego-themed bash.

We were lucky enough, again, to borrow Melissa's place for the shin-dig and everyone had a great time. The kids wore animal masks instead of party hats. There was plenty of food and random fun. They colored. They danced. They fought over the big ol' bowl of Pirate's Booty, which I've learned must be a children's-party staple.

Here's the big moment when Mason blew out his cake:

All of the photos from the day can be found here.

It will be hard to top the fun of the party, but Dad-O, Mason and I are gearing up for a trip to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular come Wednesday -- his actual birthday -- not to mention more presents to open.

We'll check back in after that adventure!

Tis The Season

2008-12-11T11:05:00.006-05:00

We took Macey Man to Macy's last night to visit the big guy, a.k.a. Santa. Mason was eager to see his old friend, who almost didn't recognize our little man because he's gotten so tall (or so he said.)

Mason asked Santa for toys. Nothing specific, just toys. Santa suggested some trains to the delight of Mason. Then, Santa asked Mason to leave some milk and cookies for him and some carrots for the reindeer. I have a feeling both will be happy to oblige come Christmas Eve.

After the big moment, we enjoyed the decorations in Santaland -- especially the trains...

Then took in the window displays...

Our last stop of the night was Columbus Circle, where we were treated to this light show:

Random Cuteness

2008-12-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, Mason and his daycare buddies started going to karate class. On Tuesday nights, I meet up with them to make the trek down to 135th Street for the class. They all look SO cute in their uniforms with their little white belts. Here's a couple of videos from last week's class. They're getting the hang of it a little more each week.

And, last but not least, Mason helped me get a jump on Christmas baking. We made M&M cookies last weekend. Here he is helping out -- or sampling the brown sugar that Mommy spilled.

Balloons, Balloons, Everywhere Balloons

2008-11-28T16:00:00.009-05:00

One week, two cities, two big balloon parades.

First stop, Sunday, Stamford, Conn., for the UBS Parade Spectacular, which we attended with our friends Claire and Mike, who are Stamford residents.

The big hit of the day -- you'll never guess, no really, you won't. Gumby! Mason loved the little green clap of clay.

Thomas, predictably, was also a big hit.

Come Wednesday night, we headed to the Natural History Museum to check out the big balloon inflation for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with, oh, about a million of our closest friends.

On Thursday, we joined that million, plus about 2.5 million more to watch the parade life in midtown Manhattan. This year, we watched from 48th and Broadway. Mason's favorite part (before Santa, that is) just may have been watching the antics of the cartoon M&Ms on the big screen across the street, in front of the M&M store.

There were plenty of other cool sites to see, though.

And, as a grand finale here's the kiddo's reaction to Santa's arrival on the scene.

Mason and Dad-O posed for a little Thanksgiving portrait in the middle of Seventh Avenue, which was still shut down as the parade marched further downtown toward Macy's.

We closed out our Thanksgiving outing with some delicious turkey and all the fixin's at a restaurant and then headed home for a family nap!

Road Trippin'

2008-11-17T15:10:00.008-05:00

With a full tank of gas and a cooler full of snacks, we loaded up in our ZipCar and hit the road last weekend. Our destination? A surprise visit to see Uncle Clint and Auntie Meg, who had trekked from Colorado to Baltimore to take in a little football game.

Since they weren't available until after game time, and since we don't usually have a car, we took the long route and stopped in Philadelphia for a little tourist action on our way there.

First, we hopped on a horse and carriage and took a little ride through town.

Next, we did a little sight seeing on foot. Taking in the Liberty Bell (don't ask Mason how he liked it. He didn't.)

The U.S. Mint.

And a Quaker Meeting Hall (Mason really liked the loft!)

Before seeing what our mugs would look like on a $5 bill.

Back on the road, we met up with a very surprised Uncle Clint and Auntie Meg (who was in on the surprise) in Baltimore and had some crab cakes, before heading back to the car. On our way, we found this curious sign above a gutter, which made us all giggle.

After a hotel-room football game of our own, and a little pillow fight, we all crashed for the night. Sunday started out with church and then after much indecision by all of us adults, Mason picked out the aquarium for our activity.

We -- mostly Uncle Clint -- teased him mercilessly on the way there, saying we were instead going to the Museum of Dentistry, but in the end, we stuck with the original plan and Mason saw eye-to-eye with a sea turtle, checked out some rays and sharks and had Clint and Meg to lean on the whole time.

Our last stop at the aquarium was the dolphin show, which wasn't quite Sea World, but wasn't too shabby either!

After lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, it was time to take Auntie Meg and Uncle Clint to the airport and head for home ourselves. We did make one final detour, to Philly as the cheesesteak lines were a little too long Saturday. Mommy and Dad-O indulged in the sandwiches, while Mason opted for fries and we both decided Geno's won out.

Live from New York, it's ... Election Day

2008-11-04T10:08:00.007-05:00

Dad-O was at the polls when they opened. I waited a bit longer, mostly because I wanted to take the Mason Man with me. So, here we are, at 7:30 a.m. standing in line at the polling place, waiting for our turn.

Mason pulled the lever. Hard to believe that the last time we did this, he wasn't even a twinkle in our eyes. Nevertheless, it was pretty cool to share the voting booth with him.

When Mommy and Dad-O get off work, we're all three going to go to Election Plaza and await the results there. We'll see how long we last, but I'll post updates later.

*** UPDATES ***

Here's the three of us at Election Plaza last night:

A gallery of the rest of the shots can be found here.

Overall, it was an awesome experience to be there as some of the states started to turn, and the scaffolding's rose up the side of the GE Building. We didn't last too long. We were tired, and had a tired toddler on our (mostly Dad-O's) shoulders, so we were home well before they called the race for Obama.

From that vantage point, there was much rejoicing and gleeful cheers to be heard on the streets of Harlem.

No matter which way you voted, I don't know how you can deny the significance of what just happened. It gave me a chill, and brought tears to my eyes. After all, Mason has someone who looks an awful lot like him to look up to in the Oval Office.

Hair Cut

2008-11-02T10:05:00.001-05:00

No. 7 or 8? We can't quite remember, but the kiddo is looking very clean cut and like one dapper little dude, don't ya think?

The Morning After Halloween

2008-11-01T09:28:00.007-05:00

We celebrated Halloween with our little firefighter all day long yesterday. First on the agenda was the second-annual Small Idea Daycare trick-or-treating parade extravaganza.

Mommy was greeted with a "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat..." song when Mason, Kellyn and their crew showed up at the home office to collect their goodies.

After that, we took a walk around the block, and attempted to take a shot of the whole crew before Mommy had to duck back inside to do some work, and the kiddies had a little party and a nap to get ready for the evening's festivities.

In the afternoon, we took all the kids to Hippo Playground on the UWS to participate in the Hippo Playground Halloween Parade and play in the playground a little bit. There, we met up with our neighbor Emilio, who Mommy didn't recognize because his "pumpkin head" costume was such a good disguise.

Once the crowd thinned, and we met up with Dad-O, we headed out on our own to do a little trick-or-treating. We went up and down 86th Street, which was decked out by all it's residents. In addition to the usual candy, they also handed out pizza and hot dogs. Not bad!

We even had a celebrity siting, as Elizabeth Hasselbeck was hitting up the street with her kids. By we, of course, I mean Dad-O. He told me who she was after she left us. I guess I need to watch the view more!

After wandering up Broadway, and picking up a few more treats, we headed for the subway. We had planned to trick-or-treat on 95th Street on our way home, but by that point, the little fireman was all tuckered out and just wanted a ride home!

Heading South for the Winter ... or a Weekend

2008-10-29T10:39:00.021-05:00

We just got back from a big Florida adventure, where we visited Grandpa, Grandma Julie, Auntie Ro and Uncle Reggie in the Tampa area. It was a short trip, but we made the most of it!

We flew out last Saturday, and Auntie Ro picked us up at the airport. When we got to Spring Hill, Grandma Julie, fresh off a trip to clown graduation, answered the door with her clown nose still painted on! Once Grandpa arrived, we headed to the park to play, where Mason herded us all aboard his bus.

Then, he took a long ride on the swing.

Back home, we played a bit in Grandma and Grandpa's pool. We started out throwing a grapefruit in (they float!) but by the end of our adventure, Mason was stripped down to his skivvies, and the rest of his clothes had to be tossed in the drier!

Later that evening, we went to a little Halloween fare where Grandma was volunteering on the Haunted Nature Trail. Grandpa watched the Mace man while we big kids took part in that, but there was plenty of fun for him. Our first stop was a pony ride.

Later, we took a haunted hay ride. Grandma picked us out in the crowded line from her post on the nature trail. She recognized Mason's hair as he sat on Dad-O's shoulders. So, she joined us and got to sit right up front with the driver. This was my favorite part of the night, even though I was the only one of us who got scared on the ride! Seriously...

Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa took us up to Crystal River and the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. This was REALLY cool. For starters, we rode a little pontoon boat on the Homosassa River from the visitor's center to the wildlife park. While on board, we saw a real live -- wild -- alligator!

Once we arrived back in the park, our first stop was to see the manatees. Mason was so excited when he spotted the first one, Amanda, coming in to feed on some carrots that had been left there.

After all of us posed as manatees...

We got an underwater look at some schools of fish. They were so thick that you couldn't see beyond them.

Our next stop was to visit Lu, the 48-year-old hippopotamus. You see, the park used to be privately run, and Lu was one of a bunch of *exotic* animals housed there. When the state of Florida took over the park, it was decreed that only animals native to the state could be housed there. After failing to find a suitable home for Lu, he was granted honorary citizenship and allowed to stay on.

Lu treated us to a little show. Turns out hippos like to eat watermelon. Our melon-loving Mason thought this was pretty cool. I liked the way Lu opened so wide to get his juicy treat tossed into his mouth.

Living right next to Lu are the Florida gators. This one swam right up to us.

We also got to see a ton of birds, some black bears and Katie, the possum before we headed home.

Monday we went to Orlando and took in Sea World -- something we had done on our last visit, when Mason was a mere 14-months-old. He loved it so much then, that we really wanted to get back!

We weren't disappointed, either.

We petted some rays...

Fed some dolphins...

Then watched them swim underwater...

Took in the dolphin show...

Saw some penguins -- I'm not sure who is more penguin crazy, Mason or Grandma Julie. We let the two of them get a head start on the Penguin Encounter, because we all knew they'd be in there for a while!

And, of course, what's a trip to Sea World without visiting Shamu!

We were in the splash zone, as you can see. But, Mason loved it, which made our soaking wet selves as happy as could be. That was truly worth the price of admission!

Later, we visited the sharks, sea lions and a few more fish. We even found time to pose for a family shot before we all headed home exhausted at closing time.

Tuesday was our last day in town, so Grandpa took us out to MacDill Air Force Base, which was a first trip on-base for both Mason and I. We got up close and personal with some retired airplanes and Grandpa took great joy in explaining each one's function to Mason, as well as how he had worked with them during his time in the service. It was pretty special to see. We also drove out the the base's private beach, which was beautiful. And, we got to see some planes that had just taken off overhead.

After meeting up with Auntie Ro, and grabbing a little lunch, it was back to the airport for us, and alas, back to reality.

Moving on up

2008-09-30T19:28:00.004-05:00

After witnessing a little early morning acrobatics on Sunday where Mason climbed into, then out of his crib we came to the conclusion it was time to convert -- to a toddler bed.

Trips to three kiddie stores ensued as we searched high-and-low for some cool big-boy duds (bye, bye teddy bears, hello fire-engine dogs) to deck out the bed.

After much fanfare, here's what the little man looked like Monday night when we tucked him into his new-and-improved big-boy bed:

And here's what he looked like when I went in to wake him up Tuesday morning:

Mind you, all the pillows, blankets and stuffed animals I lovingly placed on the floor to break any possible fall had all be placed in the bed sometime during the night by him. Despite leaving himself very little room, he managed to sleep through the night without sustaining any bodily harm.

Finally, just for giggles, here's what he looked like mere minutes ago, when he was standing upside down -- his words, not mine -- while we were playing trains.

Back In The Real World

2008-09-23T15:34:00.003-05:00

Mason and I had a great trip to Colorado over the past few weeks, though we missed having Dad-O along for the ride. Hopefully I'll have some time to post more later, but until then this will have to do.

For all the highlights, check out my album here.

Ready For Some Football

2008-08-29T15:10:00.004-05:00

Sports have been the rule in the Mercier House lately (always, really) and here's some proof that our little Mason Man is ready for the start of football season:

That, my friends, is Mason's YouTube debut, and here's what it looked like today on SI.com, where Mommy's friend Mallory included it in her daily Campus Clicks.

Go Buffs! Beat the Rams. We'll be watching on TV for now...but Mommy, for one, is looking forward to the West Virginia game in a couple of weeks.

Tennis, Anyone?

2008-08-23T20:19:00.001-05:00

A few years ago -- four to be exact -- Dad-O and Mommy stumbled upon the U.S. Open grounds on Arthur Ashe Kids Day, and had a great time just walking around the facility, despite not having a kid. So, we've had this day marked on our calendar for quite a while, as we looked forward to taking Mason out to Queens to participate in the fun.

Our first stop was the Nike SPARQ training court, where Mason was given a GIANT T-shirt (we're talking only feet visible if it wasn't tucked in!) and the chance to run through some drills.

Here's the highlight, hitting balls with a real, live tennis pro!

Later, we met up with our friends Aimee, Rob, Nick and Maddy. We mommies are already plotting to mold a doubles team out of this duo. Pretty cute, don't ya think?

This lady was Mason's biggest fan. He gave her a huge hug at the end of the drill.

This was Mommy's favorite drill to watch, and in case you're wondering why they're all shoeless, they're a little prickly about dark-colored soles on the nice Billie Jean King National Tennis Center courts!

After fighting (almost literally) for a table and the crowded food court, and refueling with some lunch we went to hunt for some big-name pros, and found none other than the two biggest.

First, we watched Rafael Nadal through the bushes. He's not one for the crowds, and was practicing on the very end practice court.

Later, we moved to the stands of an adjoining court and peered over the top of the fence.

As we were leaving, who did we see conducting interviews? None other than Rafa's chief competitor newly dethroned top player, Roger Federer.

Overall, not bad for a (free) day at the courts!

Firefighters Rule (Yet Again!)

2008-08-21T12:59:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday morning, Mason and I were on one of our usual adventures -- as he likes to call any jaunt into the city. After all, you're never sure what you'll encounter in this great city, and this particular morning was a perfect example.

We were heading back uptown after one of our early morning treks to Trader Joes (So worth the trek, and the best time to be out 'n about!) when we saw a firetruck parked on a curb at Union Square Park.

I pushed Macey over to it, and was explaining that it was the No. 14 engine, and a hose car, as opposed the the hook 'n ladder truck that's been a (unfortunately) frequent visitor to our 'hood lately. Our bold little Mason waited patiently until he saw the firemen, and then yelled "Hello Firemen!" to them.

Besides a friendly hello, you know what else they offered? To let him sit in the truck.

Then to push the horn! He did this three times. The first time with a big, scared jump. The second time a little less of a startle, and by the third time, he was an old pro.

Alas, after about 15 minutes (seriously, they let him sit there that long and he got lots of passersby cooing about how cool he was!), he had to climb back down to reality and let the brave firemen go on their way, but he was beaming all day about his latest adventure.

He even regaled the old church lady who sat next to us on the bus with his tale. She asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up ... he answered "A garbage-truck man!" We were both expecting him to say fireman, but, you know garbage truck men do have some pretty cool rides themselves!

(Editor's note: Inspired by this, a few too many hours of Olympic coverage in our house and his swimming lessons, Mason has declared a new career goal: "I want to be a swimmer," he tells me this morning.)

Harlem Day and More

2008-08-20T14:07:00.003-05:00

Saturday marked the highlight of Harlem Week (which is really actually a month, but who's counting?) -- at least for our family as Mason and Mommy took a stroll down to 135th Street for the Harlem Children's Festival.

There we found a pony to ride, an obstacle course to conquer and plenty of free food, gadgets, fliers, coupons and other street fair staples. Not to mention, we were able to spend some quality time with our pals Kya, Fiona and their Mommy, Sandra!

After the street fair, and a futile attempt at getting Mason to nap in his stroller, we met up with Dad-O to head to the Bronx for our friend Dionna's birthday party.

There, we met this clown:

Who later morphed into Dora:

Aside from his decidedly interesting taste in costumes, the clown could do it all. Paint faces; a pirate-boy, matey!

Mold balloon creations ...

Not to mention an array of *magic tricks.*

Cousins and Friends

2008-08-13T13:28:00.010-05:00

Auntie Nay and the boys came to visit us last week! Here are some of our adventures with the boys: Visiting our favorite playground for a run through the sprinklers ... or an hour of running through the sprinklers!

Mason and Asani

Eli

The video evidence ... yep, the screams belong to Mason!

After that, we met up with Dad-O and trekked through Times Square (with two strollers, and three toddlers, this should be an Olympic event!) to have dinner at Bubba Gump. Mmmmm!

The next day was filled with a photo shoot for the trio.

A ride on the Staten Island Ferry.

And a trip to Toys R Us to ride on the Ferris wheel.

We washed all the fun down with a trip to Koronets, our favorite pizza place!

Kodak Moment

2008-08-12T17:28:00.004-05:00

I love this photo, snapped last Thursday on a ride on the Staten Island Ferry -- which Mason, by the way, hadn't ridden since he was a mere two months old. We were on board to give Auntie Nay and cousins Asani and Eli a unique view of the city (more catching up and stories of their trip to come, I promise!)

It was at the very moment I snapped this picture that Mason recognized the Statue of Liberty out in the distance. I just LOVE the pure joy reflected in his eyes, not to mention the way his hair is perfectly disheveled by the breeze in the harbor.

We've read a lot about the Statue of Liberty in our books (like this one and that one), but it wasn't until this second that he actually saw it in person.

Pretty cool, me thinks...

Jersey Day

2008-08-04T13:08:00.007-05:00

We took a jaunt across the river last weekend to attend our friend Nick's birthday party at the Little Gym in Jersey City (Mom and Dad-O's old stomping grounds!)

Boy, did we have fun.

As you can see, Mason LOVED the gym. All that wide-open space was almost too much to handle. Unfortunately, most of Mommy's pictures turned out like this (we call him the streak!)

So, you'll have to settle for the video highlights instead:

After the party, we headed back to the Crawford-Peterson residence for some more pizza and cake, as well as present opening and perhaps most important, a dip in their swimming pool.

Here are Nick and Mason showing off their matching swimming costumes (as Nick would say!) Aimee's got good taste...she bought them both. We love our hand-me-downs.

The two boys got along famously. It was soooooo cool watching Mason follow Nick around and learn all the wise 4-year-old tricks he had to teach!

Pedal, Pedal, Pedaling

2008-07-26T16:10:00.005-05:00

Mason got this tricycle for Christmas from Grammy and Papa (and the cool helmet from Auntie Jen, but she won't admit it!) and until this week, we'd been pushing him up and down the block with the handy dandy push bar. Well, no more. The kiddo can cruise under his own power now and here's the proof.

And some more:

Let's Go Rockies

2008-07-14T16:05:00.003-05:00

Made the trek out to Shea on Sunday night to catch the Rockies take on the Mets. Unfortunately for *our* home team, things didn't work out for the Rockies. We still had a great time, and posed for this family photo to prove we've been to both NYC stadiums in their final season's of competition.

Out 'n About

2008-07-13T13:50:00.004-05:00

This weekend brought some beautiful, humidity-free weather to our area. A few things we've been up to:

River Flicks at the Hudson River Park. It was a beautiful night and the classic Wizard of Oz was playing on the big screen. Mason was very excited for the free "popcorny." We'll go back, but we need to invest in a more-padded picnic blanket and arrive a bit earlier so we don't get stuck behind the one family who brought chairs again!

Saturday found us at Highbridge Recreation center, and my friends with small children, if you haven't been...go! Olympic-size wading pool with a maximum depth of 2-foot-2-inches. We had SO much fun splashing around in there and watching Mason be able to run and jump (like a frog) and play in the water. It was some quality, free fun!

Today, Mason and I were headed to the playground. It was locked for some reason unbeknownst to us. Instead we found a blimp (or bimp, or pimp...as he called one last weekend with Dad-O) hovering overhead.

That was cool, but not as cool as the firetruck across the street, which stopped us in our tracks when we were heading to a different playground. Seems it was fire-drill time for the firemen, so there they were, practicing window rescues in the vacant building across the street. We stayed out there for a good half hour watching them run up the ladder, repel from the top and, of course, wave at the Macey man. The fun ended abruptly, though, when there was an actual fire they had to head off to! Hooray for the brave firemen, Mason yelled as they sped off, siren blaring.

The kiddo is off to nap now, preparing for our next big adventure: Watching our Rockies take on the Mets at Shea tonight!

Spontaneous Fun!

2008-07-08T20:05:00.007-05:00

A dance party broke out following bathtime tonight. Too cute not to share...

As is this photo. He later topped his ensemble (or lack there of) off with his circus hat. Too funny...

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-05T18:45:00.006-05:00

Friday brought the Fourth of July, and with it a trek downtown for us, to take in the annual Macy's Fourth of July fireworks. It was our first trek with Macey in tow.

On the way down south we ran into this:

It's a 'Statue of Liberty on Parade." They're stationed all over the city, but of course, none is more near and dear to our hearts than the Rockies. Unfortunately, she was inside the police tape, so we couldn't get any closer to take a photo with her. Nonetheless, here's proof we tracked down our hometown representative.

After picking up some food at an overpriced deli ... and more at a street fair, not to mention a new library for Mason (we love those cheap, yet good, street fair books!) we headed onto the FDR Drive with our neighbors, Chris, Asa and Emilio to stake out our spot. Luckily for us, the rain scared some revelers inside, so we had space to picnic, and for the boys to run around while we waited for the big show to start. The weather held out pretty well too, at least until showtime, when the drizzle started.

To say that Mason was excited to see the fireworks is an understatement. To say that he was scared when they started falls in the same category. The poor kid was glued to Dad-O and I for the duration of the half-hour show. As in years past, it didn't disappoint.

You can see from this later clip , Mason eventually got into the action -- at least for a time. He was almost more interested in the display going on up the East River than the one going on off *his* (read: Macy's) barge right in front of us. I guess we underestimated the boom factor.

Nonetheless, the real proof he enjoyed himself came this morning: When I asked him what he wanted, he excitedly replied "Can we go see the fireworks again?" Alas ... we'll all have to wait 'til next year...

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, How Do You Stay Cool ...

2008-06-28T14:44:00.008-05:00

When the temperature is 90+ degrees and the humidity makes your skin practically boil? For the polar bears at the Central Park Zoo, the answer was easy. Hover near-fully immersed in the water in the shadiest corner of your pen, watching everyone watch you, like so:

Penguins, Penguins, how do you stay cool? Um...that one's easy. They're of the arctic variety, and their water and enclosure is very cold. It was also very crowded as everyone lingered in the cool room for a little longer than normal. Mason, per usual, got up close and personal with one of his feathered friends, and even wowed him with his Happy Feet dance.

Mason Man, Mason Man, how do you stay cool? Why, at the Heckscher Playground, of course! We kind of discovered this playground late last year, but it quickly became a favorite. It's got this really cool series of walkways that are filled with water and connect to various places to climb up or down and a couple of slides -- which Mason learned today shoot you to the bottom at bullet-like speed once they (and he) are a little wet! In addition, there's not one, not two, but three separate sprinkler areas.

He was a little timid to start, but once he poured water over his head it was over. He LOVED it. He was running all over. Mommy ran through once with him, but a poor wardrobe choice (read: too much white) limited her to the sidelines, despite the fact that the misting sprinkler, especially, felt oh-so-good.

Once the little man was thoroughly soaked, we packed up, but, you know ... it was hot, so a little ice cream was in order to finish our day off right.

Afterward, Mommy dragged Mason to a few stores in Columbus Circle. As we were waiting in line at our last stop, he announced he had to poop. By the time we made it through the line, he was quite literally, too pooped to poop and had passed out in the stroller (where he still is, which is why I have time to write on the blog!) Success all around.

It Happened Again...

2008-06-27T11:49:00.017-05:00

So, I've let it slide. Again.

Apologies for the month-long absence from the blog. I wish I could make a triumphant return with tales of a recent trip abroad, or somesuch, but I have nothing of the like to report.

Instead, here's what we have been up to as summer has engulfed the city, bringing with it sunshine, but also humidity and heat...

Without further ado, here are some long overdue adventures with our urban toddler:

Hanging out in beautiful Central Park and enjoying our new favorite activity: duck feeding.

So far, we've discovered they like stale bread the best (actually, doesn't everyone know that?). The turtles at Morningside Park went crazy for some Veggie Booty, while stale pretzels are a little too hard to handle. Stale bread is also the least preferred food by Mason, while he has a hard time sharing the Booty!

We also checked out NY's annual Fleet Week, we got to go aboard the U.S.S. Kerasage. And. It. Was. Big.

Aboard the ship, we got to climb on everything: Looking over the edge of the boat.

Popping out of a tank (with another Dallas Cowboys fan/marine, who wanted a picture with our little Cowboy-clad cutie).

On a hover craft, which some kids had unknowingly started inflating earlier in the day, because they literally let the kids climb and play everywhere, cockpit included.

On the deck of the boat.

Climbing in and out of helicopters.

And finally watching a Canadian ship docked just upstream from us head out to sea, police escort included.

We spent Memorial Day out at Coney Island in Brooklyn (home of the hot-dog eating contest where we will NOT be next week).

We broke in our new WCS membership with a trip to the aquarium where Mason was reacquainted with the walrus.

We also saw the sharks and sea turtles. Mason even got to handle a starfish at the touch pool.

Also a highlight: Watching the sea lion show at the Aquatheatre.

After that, we headed for the boardwalk where Mason got to spend some time on the rides at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park.

Mommy was a little nervous that it was too much for her little man, but as you can see, he had a blast!

We met up with some friends, and he and Sophia loved riding the rides together.

After a brief break from the park -- to refuel with some cotton candy and Italian ices -- the whole family braved the Wonder Wheel. So fun ... and a bit terrifying, since the Ferris Wheel cars swing around as you're sailing through the air.

Some more of the views...

Thanks for checking in. I'll try not to be so tardy with the posting. It can be my July resolution...

Birthdays, Birthdays Everywhere!

2008-05-20T12:12:00.010-05:00

So, three weeks ago, we had our friend CC's party. Followed by Kellyn's pony-ride inspired party a week ago as well as her daycare party the following day, where all the kiddos got to wear these colorful headbands, which did their best to tame the Mason-man's hair.

The latest addition to the birthday club was 2-year-old Roger, who welcomed us to his family's East Village store for a little celebration on Sunday.

The original plan called for an outdoor party at Roger's favorite playground, but rain put a damper on the celebration. The boys didn't seem to mind as they put on their party hats and danced on the sidewalk.

After posing for a picture with Roger's mom, Jojo...

The boys headed inside to share some snacks and a delicious chocolate-raspberry cake.

By then, the rain had let up enough that we made our way to the park for a bit of fun.

We're looking forward to a repeat visit somewhere down the line!

Showing Off Our City

2008-05-18T13:05:00.005-05:00

Mommy's college friend Dorothy flew in for a weekend graduation and Mommy and Mason were lucky enough to steal a whole day to spend with her. Her only request: We show her some of our favorite spots in the city. Oh...that, and she wanted to go to FAO Schwarz.

Our first stop was the Carousel at Central Park.

After that, Mason pulled Dorothy all over FAO, while I chased them with the stroller and the camera.

First, the train set.

Next, the Harry Potter section.

Later, the dinosaurs (that is his *cheese* face).

After wearing ourselves out, we decided to grab some good old-fashioned NYC hot dogs and sat in the corner of the park watching the carriages and the cabs pass by. Of course, no warm-weather lunch is complete without a Mr. Frostee ... or two!

We finshed off our journey with a walk through Times Square before heading home for a little R&R. Of course, there's no rest for the wicked. We had a date with some steamy NYC pizza and finished our day in the most perfect of ways: A Magnolia Bakery Cupcake.

Pony Ride Videos

2008-05-15T10:28:00.002-05:00

As promised ...

And one more ...

A Really Big Day

2008-05-13T13:31:00.010-05:00

Sunday marked Mother's Day, Auntie Jenn's birthday and the day before our best friend Kellyn's birthday, which could only mean that we headed out to Brooklyn for a party in her honor.

First on the agenda: pony rides!

Birthday girl Kellyn got first dibs...

... but it wasn't long before Mason got his turn upon Chip, the little black pony. A video post will come later (trust me, Mommy was a little paparazzi-esque in capturing his first ride.)

As you can see, the helmet kept falling down over Mason's eyes. It didn't seem to bother him, as he was smiling from ear to ear for his whole ride.

Sisters Kaya and Fiona got a chance, too...

As did Hope -- aboard S'mores, who Mason comically was chiding to "cover your mouth" when the horse started coughing.

After lunch, we headed over to nearby Prospect Park and spread out a blanket for a picnic...

Followed by some playtime...

And some cake. The kids took some swipes at it, and turns frosting each other's noses. It was pretty funny!

After that, it was time to make the long trek back into Manhattan.

Only In New York

2008-05-09T13:21:00.001-05:00

Last Tuesday night, just as we dared to think about getting our little Mason man wound down and ready for bed, something happened that had the exact opposite effect. We wound him up, thanks to this scene on our street:

Why is there a seemingly endless supply of firetrucks and firemen on our block, you ask? There was a fire in the building next door to us. I've still yet to quite get the details on the whole affair, but it seems the top floor of the building was wiped out in the ordeal.

While we'd never wish this on anyone -- and it's worth nothing that everyone was OK, it was only material things that were lost -- you can imagine how excited our fireman/truck crazed son was at the site.

His excitement, however, maybe have been eclipsed the next day, when I snapped this photo with my phone. The firemen, back on the scene to inspect the damage (I think) were nice enough to invite a mesmerized Mason to sit in the front seat of the firetruck. He was beaming, and couldn't stop talking about it.

I love how these guys are SO friendly to Mason. I can't tell you how many times we've passed a truck on the street and they've waved at him or how many times there's been one parked in a station or elsewhere when they've taken a few minutes to say hi and comment on how the little boys are always their biggest fans.

Bilingual Babies

2008-05-07T17:00:00.003-05:00

Today marked the final chapter in our 10-week Spanish playgroup. With Melissa's help, Mason and his buddies from daycare would make a weekly Wednesday-morning trek down to Chelsea to spend an hour making new friends and learning Spanish as part of their Hola Playgroup.

Here are some shots from the action:

Classes always started out with a song welcoming everyone to the group and each of the kids got to pick out an instrument to rock out with. Mommy was lucky enough to be able to hop on the train and meet up with the group to take part in the classes.

A great way to spend my lunch hour, no doubt.

Here, Mason and his friends point out vegetables. Each week, the class would focus on a different theme and included an introduction to that theme, a song about the topic, some sort of group activity, a puppet or slide show and an art project before some open group play.

Mason waits for the art supplies to make their way down the table to him -- but mostly, he would participate in the art only until the toys came out. We have more than one half-finished project from this class. He was pretty obsessed with playing with the trains, or the pop-up bus/tent ... not the paint, glue and markers (after all, we don't have a pop-up bust/tent at our house.)

Class is ending, and Hope, Mason and one of the other little girls pile on Veronica's (or 'Nica, according to Hope) lap to give her a hug and say "gracias" before we head back to the train.

With the session over, we're trying to work out something for the summer and convince our new friend Veronica to move her class uptown for the fall. For now, the Spanish CD we bought from the class is on constant rotation!

Catching up with...

2008-05-05T12:51:00.001-05:00

... Our old daycare friends (a.k.a. our Nursery North friends) in honor of Kevin, Marianne and Celeste who are fleeing the city for San Francisco at the end of the month.

The original plan was a Central Park picnic, but the weather had other plans for us so Shelli, Narda and Malka were kind enough to invite the whole lot of us into their home. There was a ton of good food, and lots of great friends all of whom we've known since the kids were infants. They started in one classroom together with a very special teacher, Barbara, who made a surprise appearance. We had to remind her that she, in fact, wasn't working. But, she couldn't help herself.

She got us to sit in a circle, then taught us the songs she sings daily during Circle Time at daycare and then read the kids a book.

She even did a little dance when the kiddos found the keyboard and started jamming.

Let's Go Ankees!

2008-05-01T10:40:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know, or haven't had the pleasure of visiting us, our apartment is just across the river from the South Bronx, and thus Yankee Stadium. If you walk three blocks up, to the corner, you can see the Stadium in all it's glory, so Mason has become well-acquainted with it, and will point out Yankee Stadium when we come home from the subway, or head to the park. So, imagine his joy when he was told we were actually going to go to Yankee Stadium. He's been before, but not in a year, and the last time we were there, he spent most of the game bundled close to Mommy, and napping on her chest.

After Dad-O called to tell us he'd snagged some free tickets to the Yankees-Tigers game, Mommy gathered Mason (and bundled him up ... it always seems to be cold when we go) and we made the trek across the bridge to the Stadium to meet Dad-O.

Unfortunately, the Yankees lost ... or should I say *Ankees* as that is what Mason kept referring to the team as. Curious that he can say *Yankee Stadium* but on this night -- and the following day -- he could only talk about watching the *Ankees* play. At one point, he looks toward the scoreboard and proclaims "Oh no, mama! The Ankees are wooooosing!" They were, they did 6-2 but the night was a memorable one.

As this is the final season at the Stadium, we thought we better commemorate the moment, and had the friendly couple behind us snap this photo, just in case we don't get an opportunity (read: free tickets) to go again.

Another highlight: spending the whole walk there, and much of the game singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with him, only to have him proclaim that he didn't like the song, and would we please stop singing -- smack dab in the middle of the seventh-inning stretch. He recovered, however, to serenade Melissa with the song the following morning at daycare and has been singing it ever since.

How Time Flies...

2008-04-30T13:33:00.003-05:00

Saturday, Mason and I went to the Central Park Zoo to reconnect with some old friends (the penguins, puffins and polar bears) as well as to sign up for a yearly membership. Of course, no trip to the zoo is complete without a walk through the Children's Zoo, where I snapped this picture.

Oddly similar to this picture (minus the Dad-O holding Mason inside the shell) which we took in October of 2006.

I guarantee we'll have more turtle pictures from future trips to the zoo.

Shark Attack, And Other Tales Of A Family Outing

2008-04-28T10:07:00.001-05:00

Question: Where can you get up close and personal with the third-largest mammoth fossils ever found, fly to Colorado and back in the course of minutes, see a Galapagos tortoise, play with blocks and stuff your face with some good food just after escaping a shark attack with a lobster on your head?

Answer: National Geographic Channel Family Appreciation Day. Thanks to Dad-O's cool hookup, we did all that and more on Sunday at Chelsea Piers (where Mommy and Dad-O both worked for a time upon arriving in the Big Apple).

First stop? The big green screen, where Mason posed for this picture. Don't worry ... we didn't endanger our son for the sake of memories. Neither the shark or the lobster is real.

These very simple blocks (with a simple name, that already escapes me) provided endless entertainment for Mason and all the other kiddos. Mommy and Dad-O had a blast building things for Mason to knock down as well.

After eating a bit of food, Mason took some time to pose with this mammoth fossil, which we learned was found on a golf course in Ohio a few years back, and is part of the third-largest mammoth ever discovered. We also got to see the animal's tusks and some fossils from saber-tooth tigers before Mason was given a hunk of mammoth bone to keep.

The flight simulators were another big hit. Mason couldn't be bothered to put on the virtual reality glasses, but had a blast pushing the buttons and playing with the controls. Him and Dad-O went for a long flight -- all the way to visit Grammy and Papa while Mommy snapped a few photos.

Also on hand for the festivities were a group of exotic animals. I guess we were too busy touching them to take photos, but we saw an armadillo, the aforementioned tortoise, a fox, a bird and some millipedes. We also painted a Terra-cotta planter, and filled it with some bulbs, we picked out a piece of crystal and turquoise to take home with us.

We also met this guy. He twisted a mean balloon animal. Mason took home a penguin and a monkey that were both very cool and far ahead of your usual balloon poodle!

On our way out, Mason got one last gift. A NatGeo backpack filled with some too-cool-for-school supplies. Now that's a cute advertisement.

Surprise, Surprise

2008-04-24T09:23:00.004-05:00

Yesterday marked Melissa's birthday, and all of us daycare mommies got together to throw her a little surprise party. It was no small feat pulling it all together and keeping it quiet when I was at her place twice a day!

Luckily, the weather held out for us and we were able to party on the sidewalk -- other option was our apartment, and you all know how small it is for three of us!

We tried and tried to get a picture of Melissa with all her charges, but this is the best we could do...

Here, the Mason-man shows off his crown. Resident artist/Kaya and Fiona's mom Sandra was charged with the decorating and making the party hats for everyone.

This look...well, we saw it a lot, from a lot of different kiddos -- it is the universal sign for "Oh, No! My balloon got away and is floating up, up, up into the sky!"

This is what Mason did all night -- eat cupcakes. I can count at least three different ones from the sequence of photos on my camera. He kept finding friendly adults (read: not mommy) to give him more sugar, I guess. Smart kid...

Here's the surviving crew -- Kellyn, Fiona, Kaya and Mason, who along with their mommies outlasted all the other party goers.

The most entertaining moment of the night? Undoubtedly when we gave them the cooler full of ice and told them to wash their hands in it (a ploy to buy us some clean-up time). They did that, and then proceeded to dump all the ice, cup-by-cup onto the sidewalk. It was all fun and games until Mason nearly pelted some cops with a cupful of ice and the pile caused one biker to come precariously close to a spill.

Under the Big Top in the Big City

2008-04-03T20:38:00.012-05:00

We ventured out to see the Greatest Show On Earth on Wednesday night at the World's Most Famous Arena.

It was a first for all three of us -- neither Rob or I had ever been to the circus. We arrived early for the much-advertised all-access pre-show. At first, it was a little disappointing, but Dado picked up a tip from a staffer that the elephant hadn't made her pre-show appearance yet, and would be momentarily. We followed his directions to step up to the rope and were *this* close to Kelly Ann, the elephant when she emerged from the curtains.

We got a lesson on Asian elephants and watched her paint a picture -- which was given away to a lucky winner during the show. We don't know exactly what she painted, but she did shake her head when someone in the crowd suggested it was the sky...

The Mason-man, needless to say, was quite impressed. He would have been satisfied with the circus experience had we left at that moment -- little did he know what was in store for him.

The crazy motorcycle riders were a highlight of the first half of the show. At one point, they had SEVEN motorcycles/riders inside this steel sphere.

We found ample entertainment for the mid-show intermission:

As you can see, our kid...he likes cotton candy. It's a good thing, too, we spent $12 on the snack. Lucky for us, it came with a Seussian-looking top hat. Another lucky break: We had plenty of wipes to clean up this mess!

The second half of the show featured the tigers (kind of a letdown):

As well as the much-anticipated elephants: Totally worth it, for the reaction from Mason as well as the cutness of the baby elephant in the troop, who literally skipped out of the arena. It's the one looking straight toward us.

And, the grand finale:

We had a great time, and no doubt we'll hit it up again when it loops through here next year!

Food, fun and friends

2008-04-03T20:10:00.007-05:00

A few photos I pulled off the camera from last weekend for all of you to enjoy:

Hanging at the park with Nasi, Fa and Kellyn. Nasi and Fa are Melissa's goddaughters, who we visited in D.C. over Easter and they joined us all back in NYC for their spring break.

Two of our friends from Nursery North shared a birthday party last week. It was pretty cool to get together with everyone -- as most of the invitees all started out in the same classroom when they were just months old. Hard to believe they're two now!

The birthday boy, Matthias, and girl, Celeste.

Forget about the snacks on top of the table, Mason and his secret twin Malka had loads of fun just playing under the table.

Sharing a birthday kiss.

Mason was pretty happy to have someone else's (brand-new to him) toys to play with for a bit.

And last, but certainly not least, cute little Peony. Too sweet for words...

Swiper no swiping, and other Easter tales

2008-03-27T20:04:00.007-05:00

Our D.C. holiday swung on through Easter Sunday. We spent Saturday night with Melissa's mom in Bethesda, Maryland. After rising early to see what the Easter Bunny left (lots of candy and some cute plaid duds) we headed off to church. After mass we had brunch with the family, we send the boys out to hide eggs for Kellyn and Mason.

Good thing we planned for a small army of egg hunters...

We hid eggs in the apartment courtyard and once they were all (59 of them to be exact) hidden, Rob called us to bring the kids and their baskets down to do some searching.

Apparently we weren't the only ones who wanted to hunt Easter eggs. One of the neighbor boys, who we didn't know, decided to join the problem. A couple of problems: He was about 4x the age and size of our 2-year-olds, he didn't ask any permission and he didn't really play fair -- trying to snatch eggs the little ones dropped from their brackets, or taking hints from the adults and running to grab the eggs before the little ones could.

All told, I'm sure his little swiping routine bothered us adults far more than it bothered the kids, who had plenty of fun collecting and recollecting their eggs.

One last thought: Doesn't it look just a wee bit odd to see these cuties searching for eggs in their WINTER coats?

Doin' the District

2008-03-24T19:40:00.012-05:00

Easter weekend found us on a bus, headed down the Jersey Turnpike for a quick trip to Washington, D.C. The trip down was pretty uneventful, thanks to a nap-time departure and the sleep-inducing vibrations of the road. The trip back was a bit more ... um ... disastrous. A four-plus hour bus trip (darn tunnel traffic!), plus a toddler who had not napped was enough to test any one's patience. Nonetheless, the trip was definitely worth it.

We headed south on Friday and spent one night in D.C. with a friend of our friend, Melissa's, and followed that up with a Saturday-night stay at her mother's house in Bethesda, Maryland. Sandwiched between was one crazy day as we attempted to see as much of the city as we could. Granted, it's not large, but we only brushed the surface of what we would have liked to see. Don't worry D.C. friends, we'll be back ...

Our Saturday started with a trip aboard a DC Duck -- ours bore the moniker "Duck Soup," which we much preferred to the "Sitting Duck" (below) we passed as we began the Potomac River portion of our trip. The Ducks are WWII era vehicles which have been restored to guide tourists around the city -- including a half-hour cruise in the river.

Among the sites we saw the Capitol, the various monuments, a very distant glimpse of the White House and the Pentagon as we exited the highway. It was a fun -- albeit cold (open-air vehicle + speeding down the highway) -- way to see a lot of sites at once.

After recharging with some lunch at Union Station, we headed back out with two goals: to give our sleepy toddler a nap and see the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution at the National Archives. Meeting up with our DC buddies Jess and Becca was a great bonus. Having Jess' Blackberry and educator's nature in line was us was even more of a bonus as she entertained us by looking up fun facts about the documents and exhibits. For example, who knew that they're housed under bullet-proof glass and lowered into a vault that can withstand a nuclear bomb at night? We also caught a glimpse of the Magna Carta as it was the last weekend of a special exhibition of it at the museum.

Our next stop was the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (which the Garrison sisters informed us was a major part of their childhood!) It will probably be our first stop next time, however, as we arrived just a half hour before closing time. We still saw some cool stuff -- including the Lunar Lander -- and Mason woke up in time to proclaim one of the airplanes looked like Jay Jay.

We finished off the day by wandering along the National Mall toward the Capitol. This was probably my favorite part of the day as we entertained ourselves by feeding the ducks in the pond out front. They cleaned out our snack supply: donuts from breakfast, a chocolate-chip scone and a cereal bar. The last didn't work too well. They're too sticky to launch...

We'll leave you with a couple more pictures of Mason Doin' the District to keep you entertained until next time. Enjoy!

Cracked Up

2008-03-17T21:19:00.003-05:00

Toddler learning how to undress himself. Hilarity ensues. The payoff is precious.

We're Cracked Out!

2008-03-17T20:50:00.007-05:00

Now, in other parts of this fine city, cracked-out means something entirely different than it did at the Mercier house on Friday night. But, I can assure you, our version of cracked-out was totally innocent. We spent the evening painting Easter eggs with Mason and Kellyn. Cracked-out is what Kellyn dubbed Rob's dropping of an egg (thus, cracking it) and what the kiddos would scream anytime another egg was dropped thereafter.

All told, we painted 18 eggs. Seventeen of them survived the actual painting process -- though judging by the nearly all-blue one I ate for lunch today after the shell was removed (see video below...I'm pretty sure there's a connection), I wonder if we shouldn't have been more judicious in catching those cracked-out eggs before they hit the dye.

Mason, as you can see, really liked the act of cracking an egg.

Kellyn was a bit more dainty with hers, preferring the paint-by-brush technique.

And when we finished up, they were both in need of a bath...especially Mason, who was doing his best Incredible Hulk imitation.

Now I know my A-B-Cs!

2008-03-07T11:25:00.002-05:00

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

2008-03-04T22:00:00.009-05:00

For a while Mason has needed a haircut. However, because Mason's Mom likes his curly hair, it took a while to get to the point where his inability to see overtook his shaggy-haired look. But the time had come. He was starting to look like a hippie:

You can tell Macey's hair is getting long when you wash it and you can create extreme hairstyles. Our favorite is the Sanjaya (for all you American Idol fans), also known as the USC.
I've got to say Mason sure does handle getting his haircut better now than he did in the past. Before, we needed to make sure we cut quick, because after he knew what we were doing he'd freak out. Now, he takes it in stride and just watches the video we have playing for him, this time it was Curious George. He even looked at the locks of hair falling and kept cool (and it is, was a lot of locks).
Well now there has been a transformation, our our little surfer boy has changed to a debonair, dapper little guy. But his hair grows fast and it's only a matter of time before we start debating when haircut number six comes. If Mom has her way, it won't be for awhile or at least until his hair is close to his eye level.

Not Quite Ready For Nathan's...

2008-01-29T09:39:00.001-05:00

Mason had his first real New York City hot dog (not cut up into teeny-tiny pieces or anything) as we walked through Central Park on Saturday. Quite a cute site, him all bundled up, sitting on the park bench and eating it from both ends.

We had grand plans of attending this family friendly event in the park, which turned out to be a dud aside from the free carousel. Mason loved the carousel. Good thing it was free, because we rode it three times. Once on the giraffe, once on the zebra and once on a good-old-fashioned horse. He also got a elephant-shaped balloon from one of the clowns before we left the crowd behind and headed for the great outdoors.

Aside from amusing us with the aforementioned hot-dog eating moment, he was a riot as he toddled all the way across the park -- we're talking the whole width of the park, people. A big deal for a kiddo who only wants to be carried or in his stroller.

He was a chatter box the whole time. Talking to the "big fluffy squirrels" he knows from his This is New York book and pointing out the horse-drawn carriage while making horse noises (and imploring Mommy and Dad-o to do the same).

All in all, just a simple day in the park, but so much fun seeing it through his eyes.

The Out of Towners

2008-01-20T07:50:00.001-05:00

Our string of family visitors continued this month with Uncle Kirt and Auntie Julie (since they set the date, she's officially an Auntie!) We had so much fun with them. It was all pretty low-key. They did a little sightseeing during the day, taking some time out to drag Mommy out to lunch on a couple of occasions. At night, we all hung out -- going to our favorite pizza place, buying funky fun hats in Chinatown and being serenaded by some old Italian gentlemen on our quest for a good Little Italy meal. It worked. We ate there and it was delicious. Mason LOVED the bathroom there, and announced on numerous occasions that he had to poop. He did...once, but the rest of the time he mostly wanted to play. In the bathroom. Maybe he has some Uncle Kirty in him -- remember those Port-a-Pottie days?

They had to leave on Wednesday, but Mason is still talking about the fun he had while they were here. Most especially, he loved riding the Ferris Wheel with Uncle Kirty at Toys R Us and seeing the dinosaurs with Auntie Julie (at the Natural History Museum). He even recorded this little diddy for the two of you...

Thawing Out

2008-01-02T16:31:00.002-05:00

Mason and Mommy were lucky enough to make yet another visit to Colorado to close out 2007. We landed in a snow storm, waited for at least an hour to find our luggage and were on our way to Grammy and Papa's house.

What did we find there? 18 inches of snow. A house full of Aunts and Uncles and yet another stack of presents for Mason to open.

We spent our long weekend doing a lot of relaxing. A lot of eating and working out Mason's brand new snow suit:

On the sledding hill...

While building a snow man...

While Papa pulled him around on the sled...including helping him *get air* by flying off the retaining wall in the front yard, making Mommy very nervous...

Tackling Uncle Clint...

And being plopped in the snow banks...

As you can tell, he loved the snow. We all got cold and wanted to go inside, but he was toasty and warm and hard to coax in. He helped Papa shovel the snow, then Papa sent him in the front door, only to watch him toddle straight for the back door and back into the elements.

Christmas, Mason Style

2007-12-25T19:09:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends out there in cyber space. What a day it's been! Mason has definitely gotten the art of wrapping-paper shredding down!

Before the presents, though, there was a visit to the Christmas Eve Vigil at our Church, St. Catherine of Genoa. Complete, of course, with a trip up to the altar after mass to see the Nativity. Unfortunately, Baby Jesus hadn't made his debut yet (not until Midnight Mass!) so we'll have to see him next week. Mason did get a kick out of seeing all the animals, naming them off (Camel!) and making noises (Baaa!).

After that, we headed downtown to see the tree. Mommy had been avoiding it, even though it's mere blocks from her office, so we could all see it together -- a tradition we started last Christmas Eve. Mason was SO cute. We told him we were taking him to see the BIG Christmas tree, and all the way there, every tree he saw, well, he thought that was it. When we finally saw the big one, he wouldn't take his eyes off it. Pretty impressive!

We also took in the Snowflake Show at Saks Fifth Avenue before heading home and then over to the neighbors for a party where the gift opening began with some Cars action figures, which, you can guess Mason LOVED.

After reading The Christmas Story and 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, we tucked Mason into bed and waited for Santa Claus. He slept soundly (Mommy couldn't, she was too excited) and it's a good thing, because he needed his energy to open the pile of presents he received:

The aftermath:

The first ride on the new trike -- it was nice enough to go 'round the block!

Now, it's off to eat the Christmas lasagna...

Tis The Season...

2007-12-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

Mason and I headed up to the Bronx Zoo on Tuesday night with our friends Melissa, Kellyn, Ti'lur and Diamond to take in the annual Holiday Lights display. Here's what we saw:

A well-bundled Mason making a silly face for the camera.

Santa's helpers readying for their journey.

The lights.

Two hungry toddlers helping this mommy eat some popcorn.

There as more to it than that, but the camera was a little tough on the dark night! We got some nice up-close viewing of the monkeys in the Monkey House, saw the sea lions and took a walk through the butterfly garden while reciting "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" as we passed all the light-up illustrations from the book. With Christmas carols piped through the speakers, and snow still on the ground, it was a great way to spend a not-too-chilly December evening!

We Have A 2-year-old ... Officially

2007-12-18T21:58:00.000-05:00

Mason's birth-week celebration continued Monday with the celebration of his ACTUAL birthday. Dado took the day off to spend with the birthday boy and after a taxing few hours of TV-watching, book-reading and nap-taking the boys met up with Jess and I at Chuck-E-Cheese's on 125th Street to properly celebrate.

The highlight for the birthday boy? Well, aside from carrying his newly acquired Thomas balloon around with him (note to self: that was a good kid locator) everywhere, he loved what all kids love: putting the coins in the games, pulling the tickets out of them and, of course, shoving them in the ticket-muncher machine.

Oh, and one more joy: interfering with skeet-ball games by climbing on the lanes, snatching balls and throwing them -- overhanded -- up the wrong lane. Ahhh, the joys of toddlerhood.

We finished off the night with another round of cupcakes. Last year Magnolia. This year Buttercup Bakeshop. Both delicious...

Start Your Engines, It's Party Time

2007-12-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

With Mason on the brink of being a 2-year-old (officially) we threw him a little party this past weekend at the daycare. Mommy did lots of work to prep for the shin-dig, but it was well worth the effort when Mason walked in, looked around in awe and said "My birthday party? Thank you for my party, Mama!" It was also well-worth the effort to catch up with some old friends, some new friends and some kid friends we don't get to see as much as we'd like.

Without further ado, here are some of the sites from the day. If anyone has pictures they'd like to share, feel free to send them my way. I was too busy partying to actually take many!

Mason is currently obsessed with the movie Cars, so it was only fitting we adopt that as his party-theme...complete with a Lightning McQueen customized cake. Kaaa-Chow!

The birthday boy was a gracious host, taking time to help Mommy and Dado greet his guests and he even wore his customized "2" hat for a time. After getting his fill of cheese sticks, mini pizzas, booty and even a little bit of broccoli, Mason decided to take dessert serving into his own hands -- by climbing up on to a chair adjoining the dessert table and promptly licking one of the cupcakes stacked there.

We took the hint, and started serving after a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday for him and his secret twin Malka.

One slice of McQueen cake, two cupcakes and some ice cream later, he wore off his sugar high and hit the floor. Literally...

After spending the afternoon and evening recovering from our party hangovers (you can see all the fun here), Mason had some unexpected guests arrive to wish him happy birthday as Grandpa and Auntie Ro arrived after a L-O-N-G day of travel with smiles on their faces and a present in-hand.

What we've been up to...

2007-12-16T16:45:00.001-05:00

Dumping a few pics from last weekend in here:

Mason and Kellyn do the American Museum of Natural History. They got a kick out of growling at the lions and yelling at the zebras, but, as always, the dinosaurs stole the show.

Mason... Santa, Santa... Mason

2007-12-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well, 'tis the season, ho ho ho and all that other good stuff. It's Christmas time and we had to let Mason get a taste of the holiday season. While I was shopping for Christmas presents at Macy's on Wednesday, December 12th, I noticed the line for Santa Claus was pretty short. After talking to the attendants, they let me know that on weeknights there are not as many people that visit “Santaland” and if you did want to visit Santa Claus it was the best time to do it. I told Jody about this and we both thought it would be great to get Mason in front of Santa, especially if it wouldn't take half the day.

So, the very next evening, we hoofed it down to 34th street. Jody, Macey and I met at "The World's Largest Department Store." Before going into the store, we had a chance to look at the window displays they had facing the Broadway side of the building. There was one of a sled going along a roller coaster, an aerial view of Macy's, Santa Workshop and some other cool dioramas. Macey loved them all! Afterwards, it was time to head on up to meet the Big Man himself. When we got up to the 8th floor, there was a short line, but nothing too bad. What made it better is that there were all kinds of interesting things to look at:
talking trees, polar bears and Macey's favorite... trains.

When we finally got the front of the line, I've got to admit we were a little nervous. You see, for a while we've been talking up Santa to Mason, however as recent history suggest Mason and certain characters have not seen eye to eye. He wasn't very friendly when he met Elmo, didn't even want to meet with the kids in caveman outfits and bumped his head trying to get away from Curious George at the museum. So, as we got close we didn't know how he'd react. But when he turned the corner and saw Santa, he smiled and gave him a huge hug. He was excited and could hardily get his words out. After visiting, Santa gave him some crayons and we were on our way. However, before we headed home, we got a chance to see some more displays on the 34th side on the building and saw an interesting one. The diorama had a courthouse, bearded old man and a bunch of letters... "A Miracle On 34th Street" how apropos.

Macy's with Macey

2007-11-26T15:43:00.000-05:00

OK, so we're averaging one post every 25 days this month. Forgive us, but we've been busy. Grammy and Papa came for a visit. Then, Uncle Clint was here. Now, the holidays are upon us. Without further ado, Macey would like to wish you (a belated) Happy Thanksgiving. Here's how we spent the time:

Wednesday afternoon, Macy's Big Balloon Inflation:

We made the pilgrimage to the Museum of Natural History which is bordered by 77th and 81st Streets and it was here that all of the Macy's balloons were blown up the night before the big show. The only one we actually got to see measurable progress on was the Energizer Bunny. It was also the first one we saw and for some reason or another, Mason adopted it as his favorite.

Dado and Mason say cheese (literally) in front of Pikachu, while we swapped cameras with another family to capture all of us in one shot before heading home for the night. After all, we had to be up awful early on Thanksgiving Day!

6:30 a.m. to be exact. We drug ourselves out of bed and awoke Mason with promises of seeing the big balloons again. BUNNNY!?! He says. Yes we say. He's happy to come along. We take the train to Columbus Circle, and wander down Broadway until we find a perfect viewing locale. And we wait. And wait and wait. A good two hours before the balloons arrive. Mason is antsy, but happy as can be when the parade starts.

He spent most of it perched on Dado's shoulders. Over and over we here "Look!" as he points out some balloon or float passing along. He LOVED it. It was well-worth the lost sleep to see how happy he was watching everything pass by.

The biggest reaction to the parade may have come to the Sesame Street float ("Look Mama! A Big Bird!) or the array of horses who passed by ("Neighhhhhh! A horse!") It was definitely an experience we won't soon forget -- and hope he won't either.

The weather was beautiful. We had a great group of families around us (save the one dad who tried to use his kids to cut in front of everyone. We had some words with him). So, with that, we'll leave you with some pictures. My personal favorite (always has been, always will be) is Santa Claus. I especially love the shot of the tail-end of the parade snaking down Broadway in front of us once it had passed.

We closed out the day by wandering the streets with all the other parade goers. We ended up at Bryant Park where we grabbed a table and relaxed in between chasin' Mason. He loved watching the ice skaters there -- and tried to hop onto the ice more than once. I guess we need to practice up so we can take him soon. After that, we wandered over to the restaurant where we had reservations only to discover it was closed, and was not, in fact, the right one. Luckily we were only a couple of blocks away. We stuffed ourselves with food and then went home to watch Dado's Cowboys pick up another win.

All in all, it was a great Thanksgiving!

Chasin' Mason

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The Great Outdoors

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A Rockies VIP

Great Grandparents

Hanging out

When in Rome...

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May Flowers

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Opening Day

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An Egg-cellent Adventure

Mason Being Mason

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First Snow!

Mason's Wild Third Birthday Party

Tis The Season

Random Cuteness

Balloons, Balloons, Everywhere Balloons

Road Trippin'

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Hair Cut

The Morning After Halloween

Heading South for the Winter ... or a Weekend

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Back In The Real World

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Harlem Day and More

Cousins and Friends

Kodak Moment

Jersey Day

Pedal, Pedal, Pedaling

Let's Go Rockies

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How Time Flies...

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Surprise, Surprise

Under the Big Top in the Big City

Food, fun and friends

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Doin' the District

Cracked Up

Let's Go Ankees!