With the begin of Kindergarten, Tobin started getting a weekly allowance like his big sister. In case you are wondering: both kids get $0.50 per year of age per week. In our family, it has nothing to do with chores – they are expected to help around the house anyway. Allowance helps them grasp the concept of spending vs. saving, and get an idea of how much everyday items cost.
For Tobin, it was the first time he had $6 at his free disposal – 3 weeks’ worth of allowance! He invested $3.98 in two Hot Wheels cars, and kept the rest safely in his piggy bank.
This year, we got off to an early start on apple picking season and went in September. It was the best choice ever: no traffic, no insane crowds, and still plenty of fruit on the trees. We chose a smaller orchard than last year, and might have found our favorite place so far. Bonus points: on the way home, we could stop in Fort Lee for a fantastic Korean dinner. Another perfectly delicious day with Olivia and her family!
Note: those are not our bags … we filled just one per family, and took our sweet time to do so. In case you noticed that all pictures are grainy/blurry: i accidentally set my camera to record at max ISO (12800) all day, so every one of the pictures taken in bright sunshine came out a grainy mess, with limited color. I could fix the color somewhat, but not the grain.
Another beautiful Sunday called for another visit to the Dumbo Smorg’. This time, we teamed up with Olivia and her family, who are always up for some good eats. Among today’s favorites: braised pork- and duck buns, schnitzel on pretzel bread (never seen in Germany, but a winning combination), fresh corn and edamame with butter and sea salt, and clam sandwich (the last two dishes not pictured). Of course: the bike ride itself, kicking up pebbles to throw into the river, and soccer were just as popular as the food!
Luna quite likes people’s feet. Especially her favorite people’s feet. Mika has now officially advanced to preferred foot fetish status, which means Luna falls asleep on her feet or hangs out there for the better part of movie night. The second picture was taken in October 2002, long before we had kids…
On the 6th day of school, we visited Tobin’s classroom for the official ‘Kindergarten Welcome Breakfast’. As you can see, the kids have started to decorate their room with self portraits and other artwork to make it their own. Although Tobin didn’t get a single friend assigned into his class, he likes going to school. One of the boys already declared Tobin his “new friend”, so i am sure he will do fine.
75°F and sunny: dreamy weather for a family bike ride to Dumbo. We set up camp in the shade of a young tree at the waterfront and ate our way through the first Smorgasburg at the old Tobacco Warehouse. I love September weather in New York!
On the kids’ last day of Summer Break, we got together with Gaang and Sahn again – just like we did on the last day of school in June. Even though we didn’t bring a single water balloon to the park, the kids gathered about 5 functional strays on the floor around the drinking fountain. Due to the constraint of resources, their game strategy changed from the usual, quick “smash!” to hours of tinkering. Most popular games: the one-handed fountain, and shaping a network of little rivers on the rubber floor…
On Labor Day, we met Team Nara at MoMA to check out Century of the Child. Unfortunately, photography past the title installation was prohibited, but i captured a short (undercover) video clip of the kids having fun with Philip Worthington’s Shadow Monsters. Sung would have loved to play with Tinker Toy’s miniature “Curtain Wall Builder“…
We’re back home – and back to school. Finally, both kids are attending the same school (right around the corner) and we’re done with school tuition for a few years. Tobin was excited to start Kindergarten, and met a few of his preschool buddies in the hallways. Mika is thrilled to have two good friends in her new class already, with more friendships to come as every year.
Note: Updates from our month long trip to Germany will be inserted in the timeline below.
Please be patient.
Finally, my little travel buddies got a chance to board a plane old school, via stairs, just like their bunnies had done two years ago. Prior to our exciting transfer at CDG Airport, they had to go through the usual routine on the first part of our trip to Germany: lots of music, movies, and books. The traditional push pops after dinner. The curled-up cat nap, followed by the disoriented early-morning transfer. I am just thankful that we have moved past the stroller days and everybody can walk on their own two feet, carrying their own (little) bags.
For the first time in three years, we were able to attend Team ArandaLee’s annual birthday extravaganza, which now includes three kids. Each year, their outdoor parties set a new standard – they are spectacular fun, rain or shine. We almost did get rained out, but the steady downpour stopped just in time for piñata whacking, and held tight during mega bubble blowing, an epic shaving cream battle, and three delicious birthday cakes. Ron Lent, who graciously let me use some of his pictures (see credits), stayed until the very end and witnessed the spooky finale. Check out the last shot: his scene of dry ice rising from the kiddie pool and a hybrid super hero would have blown our kids’ minds … but they were already asleep en route to Brooklyn.
Last week in camp, Tobin made a desert fox out of paper mache. The kids had been working on various desert-themed craft projects as a group, but this little buddy came home on Friday as a surprise.
