Lunch in Boston with Daddy!

Mom and Syl went to the Boston Children's Museum this morning, and now we're all having lunch nearby. A mid-week treat for me!

News from "school"

Last week's photo dispatch from Sylvie's daycare brought a couple of cute vignettes. First, I can't believe my daughter is already 'playing doctor' at 21 months! The second really cracks me up though, because it is so familiar. I like that she's able to bring her home games to school and enlist the participation of her little buddies. Sorry the images and text are so small - trying to figure out (still) how to reproduce these more clearly.

Some more party shots

I got a lot of good photos of the O'Leary kids having a great time at Madeline's party. These two continue to be the best role models our little girl could have - though we're hoping Syl follows Madeline in the eating neatly department...

Happy Birthday Madeline!

Sylvie's best friend Madeline turned 4 this week. She celebrated today with a birthday extravaganza at her house, complete with balloon animals, face painting, snow cones, and a princess cake.

Sylvie was the youngest guest, but what she lacks in years she made up in enthusiasm. She wouldn't permit face painting, but arm-painting was ok by her. She even tried a whack at the pinata. She spent most of her time going up the ramp and down the slide on Madeline and Jake's excellent jungle gym. And she REALLY enjoyed the cake and ice cream.

Lots of photos in this gallery.

Holy Cousin Aya!

Congratulations to Cousin Aya on her Baptism today! She had a beautiful day for it, and her behavior matched the day perfectly - what a little angel!

Sylvie repeated her church performance of a week ago and had to go outside with Mom to avoid disrupting the whole proceedings.

Afterwards we all went to Aya's house for some excellent bratwurst. Syl tried her hand at frisbee, with limited success...

Many more in the Cousin Aya's Baptism Gallery!

Fun in Ohio

Here are just a few shots from Sylvie's Ohio adventure last week- at the kiddie amusement park (no riders over 50 inches!), the zoo, and at Great Grandma and Grandpa Halasz's house. Second cousin Kaitlin (holding Syl in the first shot) is really sweet with Sylvie and was a big help watching her at the wedding.

Many more (taken by Melissa!) in the July Gallery.

Some great shots of Cousin Aya

... if I do say so myself...

(credit to Uncle Zach for the first and last ones).

My pretty girls

Tell me I'm not the luckiest guy around.

Pooped!

After a long week of fun and a night of running and dancing, Syl is beat! We hit the road after lunch and will spend the night in scenic Syracuse. Home tomorrow.

The wedding was wonderful. Many photos and video to follow.

Vrooooooom!

Check out Grandpa's new wheels! Sylvie claims she first suggested the drop top...

Prepare to board!

Baby Aya's first time on a plane, en route to her first visit to Ohio, for Aunt Naomi's wedding! So much excitement...
I'm coming along for the ride and am *very* excited to see my baby Syl, hopefully tonight (stay awake, Sylvie!).

Zoo!

Syl is making the most of her week in Ohio. Yesterday the amusement park, today the zoo!
Melissa promises me she's taking better photos with the real camera that I can post when we get back next week. For the time being, these cell phone shots will have to do.

Apparently Syl is equally fascinated by, for instance, a giraffe as she is by a common swallow or other bird that might cross their paths. She's having a great time, in any event.

The last photo is of Syl at a post-zoo dinner with Grandma Lynne. Does she look sleepy?

Cell phone shots from the road

Melissa has been keeping me posted from the road with photos taken on her cell. These aren't the greatest quality, but they do the trick.

This first one is a very unhappy Sylvie at dinner in Syracuse after a long day in the car.

By day 2, I'm told she was in much better spirits for lunch at this rest stop Denny's. She even entertained her section with some impromptu dancing to the Beach Boys.

Here she is with the fish in their hotel in Syracuse.

Now for the fun stuff. Right now, as I type, my girls are enjoying a day at an amusement park built entirely for toddlers. Beats being at work, that's for sure! Looks like Sylvie is enjoying the cars - not a surprise. Melissa said every time a ride ends, she makes the "more" symbol (sign language). I hope she still likes her Cozy Coupe when she gets home!

Video of Kay Taylor's visit

A week late, but finally here is some video of the fun Sylvie had with her pal from DC, Kay Taylor Winthrop, when the Winthrops stayed with us for a couple of nights on their way up to Maine.

The Winthrops got in kind of late (for Syl, anyhow) - this first clip gives a good sense of how giddy Sylvie was getting while waiting for their arrival. It also shows how 'interactive' she's gotten with her playing. She's *very* fond of her 'Uncle Brendan.'

Then a playing compilation - since it was raining all weekend, this pretty much encapsulates the activity for much of the 24 waking hours the girls had together:

Finally, a little clip to show that even our perfect little girls sometimes lose their cool. Sylvie can be something of a playground brute, and was pushing Kay Taylor's buttons every now and then. Kay Taylor showed that she knows how to strike back. Happily, no harm was done - and they did get along famously 99% of the time.

Bon Voyage, ladies!

Today Sylvie, Mom and Aunt Amy left for Ohio for Aunt Naomi's wedding.  I'm going to join them this Thursday evening.  The house seems so empty!

They left around 1, and by 6pm were safely ensconced in their hotel in Syracuse, where they are staying the night.  Seemed best not to try and force the issue with Sylvie by subjecting her to 11 hours in the car, straight.  She did just fine with 5, I'm told.

Here are a few photos of the last few days, which featured a visit from cousin Aya and her posse - and, for me, the first time my niece has let me hold her without getting upset!

Off to bed now, thinking about how much I miss my girls.

Crazy Monkey Girl

The slide/mini jungle gym we have in our living room might just be the best thing we ever got Sylvie.  She's found new and different ways to enjoy it at every stage of her development.  No more is it merely, or even primarily, a slide.  Now she uses the slide mostly as a way to get up to the platform - and she's learning all sorts of new ways to climb on the jungle gym part of the thing.  The kid is almost freakishly strong and coordinated for her age.  Pretty soon she's going to start trying this stuff on the real jungle gym at the playground... yikes.  

Visiting Cousin Aya

Here's a quick clip of Sylvie's visit last weekend to cousin Aya's house.  Note Sylvie's big-girl eating, and Aya's beautiful singing voice!

Kay Taylor in the house!

Kay Taylor Winthrop, who was born just a couple of weeks behind Sylvie, has been visiting for the past couple days on her way with her mom and dad up to their house in Maine.  Sylvie has been showing Kay Taylor all of her toys.  They have dined together, played on the slide, tried their hands on the piano, and frolicked in the ball pit.    They even tried a mommy swap - but that didn't last more than a couple of seconds.

Sadly, the rains have persisted, but the gals seem content to play inside.  There have been only a couple of small physical altercations, mostly involving Sylvie asserting herself first, drawing an understandable rebuke from her new pal.  Most of the time, though, they are getting along famously.  Many more photos - and some video - to follow.