Snowball Fight!

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!

Well Bundled

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

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:

Harlem Day and More

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.*

Only In New York

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.

Food, fun and friends

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...