Roast 'em if you got 'em

Sylvie's Mom and Dad have been crazy busy at work this week, and we're both working most of the holiday weekend. So when the Greens called up mid-week to invite all of us to a sleepover, we almost declined. We are all glad we didn't. Always a relaxing time with the Greens, and now we're recharged and ready to buckle down (and Sylvie is ready to spend some quality time with her coloring kit... and probably the TV).

Saturday afternoon we spent an hour or two at the Walpole Tennis Club right down the street from the Greens' house.  Even Melissa got in the water!  Sylvie tried the water slide twice, but bowed out when she got some water in her nose and eyes. Zachary and Avery both jumped off the high board, setting the standard for Syl to live up to next time.

After a delicious grilled meal came the highlight of the night...

Roasting marshmallows on the Greens' very cool backyard fireplace! This was a first for Sylvie, and she's a big, big fan.

The "sleepover" part was more a success than usual... the kids actually slept all night in the same room - not without some initial friction over who was "the boss," of course. But they slept.  By the way, being awakened by a three kid sing-along of Rainbow Connection is not the worst way to start the day.

Three little stinkers at breakfast...

OK, back to work. Sigh.

OK, it's a little dark...

... but Sylvie's Dad for one was pretty impressed with her first authorial effort.

Happy Birthday Grammy!

We hope you're getting in some fun and relaxation on your big day!

Busy Weekend

Cake (party #1)

Not one but TWO birthday parties Saturday - Edward Daniels' in the morning, and Lily Cocchiarella's in the afternoon. Then we got together with the O'Learys for Mexican Saturday night. "Two birthday parties, a play date, and dinner at a restaurant... I am a lucky kid." That was sleepy Sylvie on our way home. It's nice to know she notices.

Mexican (their own mesa!)

Of course we found time for plenty of bike riding. She's a real speedster - and something of a dare devil. The trip over the Overlook Drive loop was probably a little bit ambitious, but she was excited about riding in the street (though she was also good about staying on the side).

This afternoon we gave Pax a bath... and Sylvie got hold of the hose.  She got a little drunk on the power of it all...

 Excited for some two-camera action with Melissa.... but mostly what I love about this clip is Syl's belly laugh.



Finally, here's a look at the little gallery Sylvie set up in her room this morning while she was waiting for us to wake up. These are about the size of post-it notes.

Fast Learner on the Bike!

I'm not sure anything has hit me quite so hard in the "she's growing up" department than seeing how quickly Syl is picking up the "big girl bike."  She is quite pleased with herself, needless to say...

Happy Mother's Day Mommy!

We made it home from CT before noon, where Sylvie was waiting to give Melissa her beautiful card and the jewelry that she picked out (seriously - earrings, necklace and bracelet, all carefully selected to match).  Now Mommy is going to do some relaxing while Syl and I plan dinner...

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in Sylvie's life!

4 Decades of Allison

Melissa and I drove down to CT yesterday to celebrate Allison Liggett's 40th with her. Sylvie was pretty psyched to have an over-night sitter, her "friend" Nicole (from school).

Allison's husband Jeff put a lot of thought and planning into the party - taking guests through the 4 decades of Allison's life via photos, music, and costume changes for the birthday girl. The rest of us were told to pick a decade and go with it. Melissa chose the seventies, and her execution was much-complimented. She even went so far as to bring a photo of Farah Fawcett to her hairdresser yesterday morning to get just the right "blown-out" look.

M was responsible for my "costume" as well. She consulted photo albums and garbed me as I was when I met Allison at college in the 90s. She hit it dead on. Man, I think I looked good back then...

Big Girl Bike!!

Sylvie accompanied me to the bike store today, ostensibly for the limited purpose of getting me a new tire for my bike.  "Dad?" she said in her best Angelina Ballerina British accent, "could I show you something?"

The "something," of course, was a cute little yellow "big girl bike" hanging on the wall.  Five minutes and a few minor adjustments later, here we were...

There also happens to be a brand new ice cream store next to the bike shop. So since we had something to celebrate...

 When we got home Sylvie couldn't wait to practice. She had a little bit of a hard time with steering and stopping at first, but she's picking it up fast!!

More in the new May 2012 Gallery.

And yes, we have a helmet for her...

After the show...

After the show, Madeline and Jake came over to be introduced to Sylvie's new playground.

Madeline literally flipped - Sylvie was very impressed.

Meanwhile, Grandpa Steve headed up to the roof to patch a leak. Thanks Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa flew home this morning. Sylvie will miss them, and really appreciates that they made the trip to see her in her dance debut!