DUMBO

Today - Dumbo in the afternoon and happened upon this merry-go-round that I had heard about. It was beautiful, but sad that it is not working or ride-able. We played at the super nice playground, went to the farmer's market, walked to the promenade, and took pictures of Olafur Eliasson's waterfalls. Then we made a mad dash to the car just as the torrential downpour (size of golfballs) started.

new developments

1. pushing your walker around by yourself and going around corners, into different rooms, and backing up when you walk straight into something (as opposed to standing there moaning when it would happen before)

2. having a full blown temper tantrum when you couldn't play with the remote

3. showing a clear preference for these shoes (too big) over the sandals that fit you

prickly toy

I love this little wooden toy, from Canoe.

favorites, grapes and watermelon

happy birthday, Uncle Michael!

Today is your Uncle Michael's birthday. When I told you that you said, oh, can you tell him a couple of things for me?:

1. I love it when you push me around in the little truck that used to be yours. Now I want to be pushed around all the time and I cry when I'm not being pushed around. Mama is not too happy about that.
2. Thank you for rocking me to sleep that one time you and Auntie Gwyn babysat and Mama said it was going to be fine but then I woke up and was screaming and wouldn't stop for 1/2 hour. You were really nice to rock me on your lap and then you were stuck in the chair in my room and didn't want to move me so I'm sorry about that. I won't do that again.
3. I'm so glad you just live about 30 blocks away and we can see you in the park and stuff. I'm lucky for that.
4. Thank you for being the best uncle ever!

Happy Birthday, Michael! We love you!

love this picture of you from today:

log-rolling! chopping! pole-climbing!

I thought it'd be fun to take a little trip with you to see the Lumberjack World Championships, and Daddy got all excited when I mentioned it. Then I told him it was in Wisconsin and his face fell.

future crayon project

Even though you aren't coloring with crayons yet, we're totally doing this someday:


{from Our Yellow House blog}

summertime

Pretty soon we'll be going upstate to spend the week in Saugerties at this house:



It is a farmhouse built in the 1850s on a quiet country road with a little stream, some gardens, a mountain view and open space.

I'm so excited I can hardly wait. We're going to have the best time. My goal - to get you to crawl in the *gasp* grass on your bare hands and knees.

saturday beach day

Saturday was a perfect beach day. We drove to Long Beach with John and Jose. It took you about 4 hours til you were comfortable enough to let a single toe touch a single grain of sand.

word of the day

Today's Old Farmer's Almanac Word of the Day is biddy. Your great-grandpa used to call your great-grandmother that sometimes. I guess 'cause she's part Irish.

This picture is from when you were about 3 little weeks old. You're tiny, buddy. And your hair is so dark!

strawberry pickin'

This weekend your cousin Sammy picked strawberries in Massachusetts. I wish we could've been there picking them too! And then making strawberry-rhubarb pie, my favorite.


{picture from smittenkitchen.com}

y is for....

Brett, Bryan, Hayden and Gael gave you a wonderful book for your birthday. It's Alphabet City by Michael DeFeo, who created silk-screened posters and then wheat-pasted them up in the streets of New York to illustrate the alphabet. The 'Y' page is my favorite.

Thank you Collins-Ericksons!

i know it's a little early....

...to be thinking about Halloween, but how amazing are these costumes from John Derian!?


Peter Pan!

A Yankee!

kickin' it hip hop style

Father's Day, spent the afternoon at The Gate on Fifth Ave.

little hands

I should've known better than to leave my magazine within reach of your little hands.

baby's first drawing

For Father's Day, we gave Jon your very first ever drawing, which I framed for him. I think it's beautiful.

wow

Tonight I watched in amazement as you finished your chicken dinner, then proceeded to devour an entire apricot. Then you had a couple of crackers. Then you had about 5 little strawberries. Then half a thing of sweet potatoes.

You must be going through a growth spurt.

daddy's second father's day!

For a while there, I was thinking this was Daddy's first Father's Day. Then I realized it's not. So for Second Father's Day, I know you wanted to tell him some things so I promised you I would write it down so we wouldn't forget:

Dadadada,

1. I love it when you chase me around the room even if you are tired from a hard day at work. You say, "I'm gonna get you! I'm gonna get you!" and then I giggle and try to crawl away really fast but I keep turning around with a big grin on my face.
2. I love it when you read me bedtime stories, even though I don't really concentrate yet and would rather pull the books off the shelf one by one til I am sitting on a big pile of books. But trust me, I love hearing your voice read all those stories to me. And I will start listening soon, I promise.
3. I love it when you stretch in the morning and you let me crawl all over you, even when you are upside down and I am in the danger zone because you can't see where I am. But I know you would never put your legs down on me and crush me, because you love me so much and I know you will never hurt me.
4. I love it when I am in bed in the morning and I crawl over to your side and pull the blanket to the side and you say "Oh, Good Morning!" and I am so happy to see you first thing in the morning. I grin to show you my seven little teeth and to tell you how happy I am to see you too!
5. You haven't been wrastle-ing with me lately, usually because you get home late, and when we try and wrastle a little, mama says "don't get him all riled up! he's going to bed soon!" and she says it like I'm not right there and can't hear everything she's saying, but maybe this weekend we can catch up.

Love, Jackson

Jon, you are the best father I could ever have imagined. Jackson is the luckiest little boy on earth. We love you - Happy Father's Day!

81 today

This afternoon we made it to Kate's awesome deck and you hung out in her semi-inflated pool. It was a nice little visit.

{photo from flickr}

only 3 more days.....

til Father's Day. To celebrate, maybe we'll make this, one of your dad's favorites:



{recipe here}

cute

I feel like I should get this for you simply because it's called Little Peanut Jackson Williams Tee. That, and it's really cute.

{from shop with love}

baby's first forking!

Last night I watched you spear a piece of watermelon, pick it up and put it in your mouth. And, as I have many times before, while watching you do something for the very first time, I though to myself - genius!

happy birthday, uncle jamie!

This weekend we went to Jamie's birthday bash in Connecticut. You were a lee-tle cranky, but that might've been because it was 95 degrees out but felt like 105 in the shade. We took you in the pool but that didn't seem to help much. What did make you happy was going up and down the Cohen's stairs:



Anyway, it was a great party. And, for some unknown reason, you really love Jamie.



Happy Birthday, Jamie. You don't look a day over 39.

chipping away at the to-do list

Today I finally (it's June) put away your winter hats for the year.

you have your mama's ankles!

Straight from your great-grandmother, Laura Malcotti Alberetti! Nana was born in Parma, Italy in 1909, and died in 1986. What I remember most about her were her loving hugs. She made the best gnocchi, and cookies, that I have ever tasted. Aunt Lauraine just brought some cookies for your birthday party, but no way was I sharing them with the guests. I promptly hid them away and have been enjoying them ever since. About a month after you were born, Aunt Lauraine sent me a box of those cookies. It was a day when I was sad and lonely, and those cookies were a gift from God. I might have eaten half the box as soon as the postman dropped them off. Then I hid them in the freezer trying to make them last a little longer, but that didn't stop me. They didn't last long.

When you are older I will make them for you.

cute t-shirt!

Love this little shirt. {No, that's not Jackson. Or a friend of Jackson. Just a cute little guy modeling the shirt}.

And oh my gosh, how cute are these:


(from Tiny McSmall)

baby's first teeth-brushing

You really like your new tooth brush. I had to pry it out of your hands tonight.

best nickname ever

Today your grandmother, Momma Milott, sent Daddy a text message referring to you as "little sir scrumptious." I love that.

the aftermath

I think I'm finally done cleaning up from your birthday bash. I thought there was something nice about this picture of the table at the end of the party..

thank you, aunt abigail and steven!

Today you got a package in the mail, and you gleefully tore the wrapping paper off two presents to unveil the CUTEST little wooden toys I've ever seen.

Thank you, Moses! Proper thank you to follow in the mail, but I think you can see by the look on Jackson's face how delighted he is!