Month: June 2012

One of the great things about where we live is the parent community. I mean, super annoying at times I have to admit, but also very useful. I am on three different neighborhood parent listservs and these provide a venue for meeting other parents, asking advice and/or getting recommendations on anything from a pediatrician or doula to a contractor or a barber, and, my personal favorite, buying and selling items for your kid. I have bought and sold numerous items this way. Some really fantastic things! I even got Theo’s plates and cups for free (they had never even been opened), as well as some free toys when he was a baby. Lately we had talked about getting him the ever-so-popular mini-kick scooter that pretty much every kid in Brooklyn covets. These can run upwards of $85/$90, and then of course you need a good helmet. I was lucky enough to see someone post one the other day for $15! I jumped instantly and responded and I luckily was the first one. So, a couple days later we picked it up and voila! a new scooter for Theo. Just for reference, the woman I bought it from said she received a ton of emails after me. We bought him a shiny new helmet and he is learning how to use the thing. He’s definitely a bit young and likes to push it around mostly. But, he knows the basics of pumping his foot to gain speed and we figure by his second birthday he will be able to ride it more regularly. It will be awesome when he can just scoot around the neighborhood!!

Here is Mr. This Is What I Want and I Want it Now finishing up his dinner tonight. I did manage to get him to sneak in his Cookie Monster impersonation that he was doing for me just before as he stuffed the remaining rice and beans into his mouth.

We are a part of the Prospect Park CSA for the second year. Actually, I am one of the founding members and one of the core group organizers. Basically meaning I have a job that I maintain to keep the CSA functioning and in turn I get a full vegetable share FOR FREE! That means, amazing vegetables once a week for the 6-month season. It’s completely worth it even though I get annoyed sometimes at the email inbox that I am constantly monitoring. People sure ask the same – and often bizarre – questions! Anyhow, it’s great. And the distribution site is only 2 blocks from our apartment. We pay for an additional fruit share since, why the heck not, everything else is free, right? Everyone is required to work at least one shift per season. I had mine last night and I brought Theo. I have to admit initially I thought it would be a super pain to bring him and I considered getting a sitter for him for a couple hours. Jay knocked some sense into me and we had a great time last night.

He was briefly occupied with chalk:

But mostly distracted by the delicious strawberries:

He helped me fill our CSA bags with the big, very green (mostly) vegetables and helped me check people in as they came to get their shares. There were dogs to pet, chairs to sit on (“sit butt!” is a big one these days), and, fortunately, a gate right outside of the site to feed his open and close obsession. It was a nice time for us. Should be my only shift this season but we will certainly be enjoying the fruits and vegetables for months to come. And, now he’s saying, “CSA!”, which is pretty cute.

There are a ton of playgrounds within walking distance of where we live. I definitely have my favorites. I’ve walked past this one in Clinton Hill several times and have been meaning to check it out. I finally went on Saturday morning and it made me really happy! It’s very mellow and a lot less crowded compared to our usual haunt, Underhill. The jungle gym for the little ones was super fun and Theo had a blast running through the tunnel and playing on the bridge. I’m pretty certain every playground in Brooklyn is equipped with some type of sprinkler or water-oriented fun time for the hot, steamy summer. This one is so great because the sprinkler area is just a big, enclosed space for the kids to run around and splash. Theo loves the water but he has actually been a bit hesitant with the sprinklers so far. I think it’s because there are always so many big kids playing and pushing cars and toys through them it overwhelms and intimidates him. This is our new favorite playground. I’m pretty sure Theo agrees. It’s a little further walk than Underhill (about 15 minutes) but it’s well worth it. The only confusing part is that it is named, Underwood! That’s just a doozy for Theo to wrap his brain around since he is finally saying, “un-heel!”.

Still sifting through photos from the wedding day. In the meantime, here is a cutie of the kiddos eating ice cream for dessert at our after-marriage lunch. Sam looks like he might have been drinking some of the margaritas!

We had a picnic in the park with the family. Jay’s dad arrived here that afternoon and several friends joined us for some bbq’ing and sun chasing. It’s hard to believe that we were so chilly in the shade on Sunday because today was hot, hot, hot.

We did it. Jay and I got married yesterday! We had a great little nuptial at NYC city hall. We had been secretly (sort of) planning this for awhile. Slowly talking about it, and then taking real steps… like ordering rings and picking dates! We told our parents, and we picked a date that worked well for helping out with Theo because we knew Jay’s Dad, Joe, would be in town for Father’s Day. We really wanted to just keep it private and small and just do it quickly since we kind if felt like it was more of a formality. Cori, Scott, and the kids also joined us and it was really perfect. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge taking pictures afterwards and we all went out for a Mexican fiesta, complete with balloons and crayons for the kiddos, and pitchers of margaritas for the adults. I will certainly post more pictures as soon as we get all of them from our friend who was taking them and we pick out the very best ones. Jay and I got to spend the night in a little hotel in Park Slope and we spent the evening out and about in Brooklyn, trying a few places we would never normally go for yummy food and delicious drinks. I couldn’t have ask for a better day, or a better fella to choose to share it with! We promise to have a Cleveland party next year where we can renew our vows and celebrate with all of our friends and family!

Sorry about the vertical video syndrome. I won’t do it again. This one is funny, though.