another introduction

miriam

born august 18, 2011. 7 lbs, 11 oz. 21 inches.

i think she looks a lot like simon did when he was born.

construction at the highline

i told you, we love the highline. we went back with robert's family while they were here. they had the best activity set up. there was a section to build your own birdhouse. that didn't interest simon at all. he just wanted to dive into the "real" construction.

i'm so glad nana and rachel were there to play with simon. it would have been impossible for me to get down on the ground like that since i was nine months pregnant. i know. not a single indication of the pregnancy on the blog.

rachel said there were several pictures taken of simon, not just by me. i can't believe other people had to stop and take pictures of him. he was pretty cute in his gear.

see the guys in the background of these last two pictures? i guess they thought simon was pretty cute too.

(august 13, 2011)

friends, again

remember simon's friends? he's got a few more now.

and they all sleep with him on his bed. all of them. every night.

he usually pushes them off his bed when he jumps. i guess they got to join in on the fun this time.

(august 4, 2011)

playgarden

a block away from our apartment is a hidden gem. it's a community playgarden. i've known about it for a while. we went with a friend back in the spring. i've only recently started going back. they added the pebbles and it made a huge difference. it isn't so muddy anymore, and the pebbles are almost as good as sand. and the best thing? i don't have to take toys with me because there are so many there already.

and plenty of simon's favorite toys.

(august 3, 2011)

more imagination

remember the blue blocks from imagination playground? they are being featured at the cooper hewitt design museum. they've been there for a good part of the summer. they had story time on this particular day. so we met some friends and enjoyed the beautiful lawn and great weather.

simon realized they make a great race track.

and he showed jacob how to drive the cars on the track.

and a bunch of other kids too.

we waited with kari and carter for the crosstown bus. simon has never had so much fun waiting. we were under scaffolding, or in simon's words we were in a tunnel. he and carter ran all over. and then they decided to swing.

the pictures are hard to see, but the faces are awesome.

(august 3, 2011)

garage city

(august 1, 2011)

brooklyn children's museum

this kid loves loves loves sand. granted, this was nice sand.

even when we are inside and there are so many other things to discover, this is the first place simon goes. he did end up exploring, but it took some coercing.

(july 20, 2011)

garbage dump

at any given time simon is either a fireman, construction worker or, on days like this, a garbage man. and he took everything to the dump. thank you simon.

(july 6, 2011)

chelsea waterside park

so many action shots. that should clue you in to how much fun simon had here. i liked it too. there was definitely more shade here than at imagination playground.

there are so many water features. they run along the whole side of the park. so you don't have all the kids crowded in one spot. and there is a wading pool. more than enough water to go around.

it has other features too. they just don't tend to be as popular.

but simon and ada did have a good run on the teeter totter.

i can't believe i don't have any pictures of simon in the sand. oh wait, i stopped taking pictures of that a long time ago. or else that would take up 90 percent of my pictures. i am proud of him for getting out of the sand and trying other things. i probably forgot his sand toys.

(july 6, 2011)

parade

there is a neighborhood about five to ten minutes away from our house that has the best tradition for july 4th. first, they bring out a fire truck and ambulance for the kids to climb all over. simon was in heaven.

after being on display for a while, the fire truck leads a parade of all the kids on bikes or scooters or whatever. they go up the street for a few blocks then turn around and come back. i was too exhausted to go with simon, so i didn't get good pictures of the parade. but here he is on his way back. can you find him?

here is simon waiting in anticipation.

the firefighters are hooking up the truck to the fire hydrant.

and using their water cannon to spray all the kids.

but where's the excited simon? oh, that's right. he barely got wet. the water was too cold for him. it was really cold.

what an awesome tradition though. can't wait for next time. my friend sharon also documented the event. her blog is better in so many ways. for one, she actually blogs when things happen. and her pictures are far superior.

(july 4, 2011)

imagination playground

i was really looking forward to going to this playground. mostly based on this review. and my friend was excited about it based on this, and this is how she reviewed our trip.

our time at this playground started the same as it does at every playground. simon goes straight to the sand pit. i don't mind though. at least i know where he is and i don't have to run all around the place. i just feel like he's missing out on everything else the playground has to offer. he played with the water that found its way into the sand, but didn't actually get in the water. then, like at most playgrounds, he doesn't discover anything else until we're about ready to go.

that is when he found these blue building blocks that were out in plain sight the entire time. of course he had a fit when we tried to leave, because he just discovered something really cool.

so this park has two pretty great water features, one that is adjacent to a huge sand pit. it also has a huge space to play with these blocks, and a couple other interesting things. but what it doesn't have is shade. you think you are going to this great place when it is hot because of the water and everything else. but if it is sunny change your plans and go another day. maybe the kids don't care about the heat or sun, but i certainly do. and i worry for simon. look how red his face is. i would go back though, just not at the end of june. and maybe not until september.

(june 29, 2011)