Jumpin Jeepers and Bubbles

Jumpin' Jeepers is one of our favorite places to go, and thanks to a Groupon, we have a reason to go there frequently! We always have fun:

This battery-operated bubble wand is one of the coolest things ever! Lots of bubbles and lots of fun:

Sometimes, things aren't so fun. Caleb had to be put into time-out for hitting. He was unhappy about it -- but then he fell asleep in the chair!

Random photo: we are doing a CSA again this summer (buying a farm share and getting fresh, locally grown vegetables each week). It is fun (and healthy!). Here, Caleb is chomping into a fresh ear of corn:

On the farm

We had a great Sunday all together: we had breakfast at a diner, we went to Avery's new school for a meet-up with some of the other new kindergartners, and then we decided to drive up to Newburgh to go to a farm to pick fruit. It was a hot day, but we enjoyed picking raspberries, plums, peaches, green beans, and peppers. We then remembered that it is our turn for our bi-weekly farm share (veggies from a different farm), so the pressure is on to eat a lot of great produce this week!

new toys

We love summer hours -- on Fridays, we get to work just a half-day. This encourages us to try to take advantage of these Friday afternoons to do fun activities as a family. On this particular Friday, we (okay, maybe it was just me) were feeling particularly restless. We thought about going to the zoo, or maybe the aquarium and Coney Island, or maybe one of the county pools, or else the Hall of Science in Queens . . . but it was pouring rain which made us a lot less ambitious. Hence, we took a trip to Toys R Us to let the kids pick out a couple of new toys. Melissa & Doug toys were buy one get one 50% off, so we got a really cool wooden school bus AND toy cupcakes to decorate. What a hit! As soon as we got home, the boys decorated the cupcakes with the markers ("icing") and we took turns singing "Happy Birthday" to each member of our family. This was actually the first time we had really heard Avery sing an entire song in its entirety and we got all sappy-happy. And then we were inspired to make real cupcakes and let the kids have at it! We had lots of extra decorating supplies leftover from birthday celebrations earlier in the summer, and Avery and Caleb were sure to use a bit (or a lot) of everything:

Happy 5th Birthday to Avery!

We can't believe Avery is 5! We remember well when he was just a baby. Here's what Avery knows about being 5: you go to kindergarten and you have to try new foods. There are a lot of new responsibilities that come with being 5. I went to his preschool class to read "Go Away Big Green Monster," complete with interactive hand puppet and matching cupcakes. I was pretty proud of my creativity, and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

On the actual day of Avery's birthday (a Sunday), we threw together a very last-minute party that turned out to be really fun! Just a couple of friends and family members, most of the same food and beverages that we had purchased/made for Wednesday evening's adoption celebration, and water balloons outside in our yard! This time, the theme (sort of) was Angry Birds. I think my Angry Birds cupcakes were even better than the Green Monster ones.

2nd parent adoption for Caleb

While we completed Avery's second parent adoption relatively early, when Avery was just 6 months old, it took us a bit longer to get Caleb's adoption finalized. Avery's adoption took place in downtown Manhattan, and we rode the subway to and from the courthouse. It was December and very cold. The judge gave Avery a lollipop. Our friend James and our minister Rosemary came with us for support, and James came with us for lunch in Chinatown afterwards. This time around, we drove up to White Plains in Westchester. It was a hot summer day. Our friend and babysitter Olivia came to lend a hand. The judge gave both toys teddy bears. We went out for burgers afterwards at a place in White Plains because we had a Groupon. Then we had a big party at our house in the evening. Lots of colleagues from the college came, some even bringing gifts! We were very touched by everyone's support.

Florida vacation, June 2012

One of the cool things about working at the college (and there are many) is the annual student for student scholarship auction. People donate and bid on all sorts of things: artwork, baked goods, and even vacations. This year, we spontaneously bid on a week in a dean's timeshare in Pompano Beach, Florida. And we had an amazing time. A friend and her daughter (Avery's age) came for a few days to stay with us, followed by Carolyn's mom and sister: