Tobin picked himself a new set of parents today: Gaang and Mika. ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ went all out on a fun afternoon at the BBG. They pushed his stroller, held his hands left and right wherever he walked, introduced him to multi-colored koi, ducks, bluebells, and the first water lilies. They even made sure he wore proper sun glasses! The newest addition to the ‘family’, baby Sahn, was taken care of as well.
Too bad the adoption ended right before dinner time. I could use some backup around 5 am, guys!
Today, we didn’t have to go far to get some action – the action came right to our doorstep, in form of a roaring tree chipper and 3 big, shiny trucks to haul all the fresh mulch away. An adjacent building had hired professionals to take down several dead trees, and as it appears some live ones as well. All parts were dragged right through the driveway next door and chipped in front of our building. Good thing Tobin enjoys wearing his ear protectors, so i could let him hang out for a while to observe the whole process…
We went trippin’ at Ernesto Neto’s giant, interactive, biomorphous, kid-friendly art installation which just opened at the Park Avenue Armory. Eugenie and John joined us to experience intertwined, suspended, fragrant spice clusters (clovers, ginger, etc), a labyrinth of mesh tunnels, a giant beanbag chamber, a ball pit pool, and Mika’s favorite, the flower petal rug.
We were lucky to catch Sooki and Johan at home on the first try and had a nice iChat with them. Can’t wait to visit Sweden this Summer!! Thanks for the ‘family pile’ snapshot … pictures of all 4 of us together are quite rare.
Tobin spent his second Friday with our new german-speaking nanny Rosie, so Mika and i were heading to the playground by ourselves. We were not exactly alone though: we went with a gaggle of about 10 other Choo Choo Train school mates and their parents … and Carroll Park is notoriously overcrowded to begin with. The biggest attraction today: The park got a truckload of mulch delivered, which was still sitting in a giant heap next to the garden area gates, waiting to be distributed. The kids were going nuts, climbing all over ‘Mulch Mountain’ …
We’re passing a Dunkin’ Donuts every day on our way to- and from Mika’s school. Many kids stop by daily (!) for treats, but i’ve been staying clear of it despite Mika’s frequent requests. We all know what a 4-year old on a sugar high acts like, and it’s nothing i want to deal with before dinner time.
Yesterday the stars aligned in her favor though: we had a play date with her BFF Olivia, AND it was picture day at school. I decided to grant Mika the treat of her dreams – a strawberry frosted donut with sprinkles – if she’d share it with Olivia. The girls were in heaven. They were also scooting home at lightning speed and had to sit down at every intersection to wait for their slow moms to catch up ;-)
Thanks to Mika setting great examples, Tobin generously shares his food with the people he loves. Especially with Bruno. Today we took the boys once more to the German music class in Park Slope, followed by outdoor lunch, an hour at the playground, and a nice two-hour nap in Prospect Park. The weather played along, sending steady rain only during naptime to keep the park blissfully quiet. The shades of wet spring greens were unbelievable…
Where did the time go? There are just 6 more weeks of preschool left for Mika! After the summer break she will start at PS 29 (grade K). And in September 2010, Tobin will board Choo Choo Train…
Yesterday, Tobin surprised me with adding an unprompted “Bitte!” (“Please!”) to his familiar yells for “Meeeeeeh(r)!” (“Moooore!”). Granted, i have repeated the more polite way of asking back to him many times, but he used “Bitte!” on his own account and flashed me a huge grin of accomplishment once the new word was out.
Today i could capture his new skill with the help of some fresh raspberries – a treat he usually can’t get enough of…
Ever since Tobin could sit up, he got excited when we passed the turquoise ‘1967 Ford Bronco Beach Patrol‘ in the parking lot around from our house. He’s pretty enthusiastic about cars in general (hello Uncle Joe!), but this one cheers him up no matter what mood he’s in. Today, Mika fell in love with a car as well … because it’s the first bright purple car she’s ever seen (i believe it’s a ‘2006 Dodge Daytona Charger‘?). Did i mention that purple used to be my least favorite color throughout childhood? Hmmm…
