Gaang came over for a very special play date – withoutlittle brother (sorry, Sahn … non-walkers don’t count as participants). While Tobin and (our sitter) Rosie frolicked outside, Mika and Gaang got lost in activities that usually get knocked down all too quickly: first they made the little stick figures in cube worldinteract, then they constructed their own, two-storey jenga block house. Mika had so much fun with the blocks that she kept (re)constructing them long after Gaang was gone. She ended up with a table for our whole family, including Luna.
Although she joined the team already on August 22, little Nara Yuchen Selway’s arrival has only recently been announced in full detail. The pictures above were taken less than 24 hours after her birth* – it was probably beneficial that our kids kept at a safe distance. We’re smitten already and can’t wait to see Nara settling at home.
We spent well over 4 hours walking with Olivia and her mom around Bronx Zoo … and have only scratched the surface of what there is to explore. Pouring over the map (like Dora the Explorer), the kids conquered the entire ‘children’s zoo’, bug carousel, butterfly house, some giraffes, monkeys, birds, and prairie dogs. And of course the picnic area.
We’ll be back for more soon!
We went back to Carroll Park for some more runbike practice and stumbled across an end-of-summer kids fair. Mika and Tobin each won a blow-up saxophone, which had to be brought everywhere … until two jumping castles popped up around noon. Mika immediately dropped her instrument and got in line to bounce off the walls. Twice.
Mika has been pedaling away on her bike since her 4th birthday, but a quick test to remove her training wheels showed that balance has to be learned all over again with a bicycle. All the kids in our neighborhood who had runbikes instead of scooters apparently made the switch to real bicycle without training wheels. So what’s a smart girl to do?
We removed the pedals (as well as training wheels) from Mika’s bike, lowered her seat all the way, and turned it into her very own, pink (!) runbike. See for yourself how much fun she had during Tobin’s nap – and how well she can already hold her balance! Of course, we’ll need a few more days of practice before the pedals can go back on…
This one’s for the grandparents: 5 1/2 minutes of uninterrupted Tobin play time.
He’s putting the boy* (Junge) in- and out of his favorite digger (Bagger), taking a ride on said digger himself … temporarily getting distracted by my recently banged-up forehead, then moving on to testing the moveable parts of my camera.
* Both playmobil figures are little girls, but he mostly calls them boy (Junge). Just as he insists that he himself is a man just like Daddy (Mann!), while Mika is either girl (Mädchen) or child (Kind). No lack of self esteem there…
For our last one-on-one play date with Kai we went all out in a quintessential New York way: a beach afternoon on Coney Island with a visit to Astroland (Wonder Wheel!), followed by a hot dog ‘dinner’ on the boardwalk at the kids’ usual bedtime. Beaming faces all around … to say it was a success would be an understatement.
Kai, we’ll miss you in Brooklyn but you are always close to our hearts no matter where you go. Let’s hope we’ll get to see each other again very soon when you come back to visit. For now, we’re looking forward to your b’day party on Friday.
* Specifically, the Astroland amusement park was supposed to shut down but it’s running like nothing happened.
The team went back to Eton after what seemed like an eternity. This time not for the technicolor shaved ice, but for a belly full of dumplings. The first shot is courtesy of Amanda – her view from the kitchen.
It was good to hang out with you again, Kai … let’s make the most out of these last days before school starts!
This year’s most anticipated summer party, Santiago’s birthday, almost got rained out by Hurricane Bill. However, his parents were as fearless (and well prepared) as always and … the weather just had to cooperate! After a very rainy commute, we enjoyed a whole afternoon of outdoor fun and great food. Birthday boy stayed in the water most of the time and got his cake/cupcakes served poolside.
Another important reunion after our long summer break: The real Bruno came by our house for an all-day play date. The boys kept Mika (and us!) on her toes, except for the two hours they were knocked out cold at naptime. (The last two frames are taken by Mika, who loves to borrow my camera)
