This Little Piggy...

For those who know her, it shouldn't come as any surprise that Esmé chose a pig as her Halloween costume. For my part, my reaction was mostly one of relief, I knew I could manage that with a little felt, glue, trial and error. It was difficult to get her to wear the nose, though she was willing to hold it up for some photo-ops. We attended the town parade the day before. And then hit the sidewalks for what proved to be a rather drizzly first trick-or-treating experience. We stuck to neighborhood homes, and Esmé was mainly perplexed by why we weren't actually going into the homes themselves. These were our friends after all. Couldn't we just have an impromptu playdate? She did, however, totally get the candy thing. That required no explanation on my part, oddly enough considering she's never really had any. She just got it. Candy? Oh yeah.












To view more Halloween photos, click here...

Autumn

Esmé gave Kristopher a kite for his birthday. We celebrated by taking it out for a spin.


It's been a particularly busy, yet fun, autumn here. Esmé has completely thrown herself into all the rituals... pumpkins, apples, changing leaves, etc. She's loving that she has to wear a coat now. "It's chilly, Mommy." Every time we point out a pumpkin, she holds up her thumb. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out: Thumbkin, of course. We talk about the colors of the leaves and, inevitably she suggests "Pink" as one of them. I don't argue.

She's communicating so well now, and this has made her such a fun companion. She has something to say about everything. As we drive, she loves to comment on the traffic lights. "Mommy, it's red now." and "The light is green, Mommy. It's green." Such a backseat driver.


Pizza making. She also helped Kristopher make ice cream. Yes, pink ice cream.

And she has become absolutely obsessed with the moon. About a month or so ago, Kristopher took her to pajama storytime at our library, and as they were walking back he pointed out the moon to her. It was love at first sight. She has a favorite book that's a sort of take on the "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" song where the star takes a little girl on a journey through space. Every time we get to the end where the star brings the little girl back home, Esmé cries. She gets so emotional. And all she can talk about is going up into the sky and visiting the stars and moon. Finally she asked me for her own star and moon-- in pink, of course -- so I obliged by making her little pillows in each shape. They've become favorites. And now we've now moved on to reading books about planets. She's starting to recognize them on sight, and the other day as I pointed to Uranus in the book, she declared, "That's My-ranus, Mommy!"

She's very excited about the prospect of a little brother. She talks about how the baby is growing and how we have to wait. We have some great books that have really helped her understand the whole process. So much so that anytime we mention leaving her with her grandparents, she thinks it means I'm going to the hospital and the baby is, to use her terms, "coming out."

So she went pumpkin picking at Pop and Sarah's recently. She was also able to check out the playhouse Pop built exclusively for her. Sarah made a strawberry cake which Esmé helped her ice, with pink icing, of course.

















And she also went apple and pumpkin picking with her cousins. She loved pulling the apples right off the tree and eating them right on the spot.


Ella + Esmé contemplating the shapes of clouds + the meaning of life

Roll out the Barrels...

It's hard to believe that another Oktoberfest has come and gone. And this year will be tough to beat. I'm amazed at how this celebration has grown, from our very first in our tiny Manhattan apartment with a modest six guests to the 40+ people we had a few weeks ago. Marc and Lori made the trip from Cambridge. Christy and Eric set aside wedding prep in order to share a sausage or two (or three or four) with us. Court, Kate and Chloe– so happy to have finally made Chloe's acquaintance, she's a doll– were there. The Pfeiffer-Edwards family braved the turnpike to come– Krista, my oldest friend, is a vegetarian so she gets bonus points. And then many of our newer neighborhood friends who already seem like old friends also represented. And of course, siblings, parents, a niece and a couple of nephews were all there to raise a glass or sippy cup. Plus everyone contributed to the feast which was much appreciated.

This year we had so many more kids in the mix which only added to the fun factor. We hired a face painter since sausages and Oom-pah music will only get you so far in terms of keeping the little ones amused. It seemed to do the trick.

And speaking of sausages, if so inclined, we could host numerous Oktoberfests throughout the year thanks to a miscommunication between us and the butcher. Where we thought we were ordering sausage by the link, they believed we were ordering by the pound. Nine links of bratwurst? Nope. Try nine pounds. With dozens of hungry festers, much of the larder was consumed, however the freezer is stocked to say the least. Until next year!

Esmé's Big Announcement

Cape Cod

We had a great, drama-free trip up to the Cape. The house we rented back in January was indeed the house we enjoyed this August. No trips down the stairs or to the ER. It was, all in all, very fun and relaxing. Located in Centerville in what's known as the mid-Cape, our house was perfect. An open design, it provided plenty of room for the kids to run around. And if that wasn't enough, we had a big, fenced in backyard complete with swingset. In Esmé's world this is called a park.

One of our first orders of business was to head up to the tippy-top of the Cape to Provincetown to do some whale watching and take in the town. The waters were quite choppy thanks to Hurricane Bill, and in fact the boat crew was doling out free Dramamine. Esmé and I were not candidates. Unfortunately. Though we got some breathtaking views of some massive whales, Esmé and I spent the majority of the trip in the back of the boat... where they quarantine the sick passengers. And, ironically, the smokers too. It's also where the bathrooms are located. As I'm sure you can imagine, this was not the Lido Deck by any stretch of the imagination. Poor Esmé. Whereas I was only queasy and nauseous, she was out and out sick. Losing her breakfast. Her snacks. Anything and everything in that tiny little tummy of hers. And Kristopher was the model husband and father. He held her, nobly served as a receptacle for her continuous vomiting, cleaned her up and then continued to hold her while she napped from sheer exhaustion. And as these things go, once we were off the boat, we were fine. Thankfully we also thought to pack a change of clothes, not only for Esmé, but for Kristopher as well.

The majority of our stay was spent exploring Cape Cod's wide range of beaches and lobster rolls. Neither disappointed. One of the beaches was so deep it seemed as if we had to walk for miles before reaching water. Another had the most exquisite seashells there for the taking. The lobster rolls were equally varied. Some were simply lobster meat tucked inside a hot dog roll. Others also featured mayo and celery to varying degrees. All of it, the beaches, the lobster, was wonderful.

Here are some highlights...
























More can be viewed here...

On turning 2...

Esmé's birthday was a great success which is a relief considering how much we had built it all up for her. For weeks leading up to the big day, Esmé made her wishes very clear. She wanted a cake. This cake had to involve a pig. And it better be pink. Well thanks to Sarah, the Girl was not disappointed. She produced a veritable work of art that tasted as magnificent as it looked.



















The party was tons of fun. And we couldn't have pulled it off without the generosity of our super neighbors and friends– Cynthia, Tara and Sofia. Without their yard we would have had a lot of sweaty, uncomfortable people crammed into our tiny garage. The celebration would have definitely been compromised.

The little ones swam. Crafted. And had an all around good time. The grown-ups seemed to enjoy themselves as well. Esmé received so many wonderful gifts, she's enjoying getting to know each one. Here are some highlights from the day, starting with the unveiling of her new kitchen in the morning...





















































































































To see more photos from the day, click here...

Mile High, Revisited

So we made it back to Denver last month. And what a different experience it was traveling with a nearly two year old versus a nine-month old. Being the thrifty folks that we are, we decided against getting Esmé her own seat on the flight. We just made it as children two and up are required to have their own seats. Fortunately the seat next to ours was never filled, so for the outgoing trip we had the luxury of three seats. We decided this would be the perfect moment to introduce Esmé to Elmo. The portable DVD player proved invaluable, and Esmé was taken with the red beast the first moment she laid eyes on him. All in all she was a good traveler, and we received compliments on her behavior from surrounding passengers, something I always consider a good sign.

The Oxford Hotel has become quite the home away from home for Kristopher, and the place couldn't be warmer or more accommodating. They treated us like old friends and treated Esmé to all sorts of stuffed animals as well. They keep a birdcage in their lobby, and Esmé grew quite attached to the two birds who call it home. She still asks to go see them sometimes.

Since we arrived on the weekend, our first order of business was to take a day to go to the mountains. Something we missed out on last time around. We headed out to Breckenridge, a beautiful ski resort town nestled in the Rockies. In addition to taking in the town, its playgrounds and farmer's market, we were also able to take a short hike to some spectacular views. We also enjoyed a super lunch at Relish, a place recommended by one of the stand operators at the farmer's market, she even introduced me to the owner. And yes, if you click through, that was our view.





































Even as the weekday began, we were still able to do some sight-seeing with Daddy. On Tuesday he had to head out to Boulder for business. We tagged along and took in the sites. We visited a playground that was in the most spectacular setting. With mountains rising up all around and a babbling creek nearby it was nothing like our playgrounds at home. Boulder also features a pedestrian-only shopping avenue, Pearl Street, that's full of all sorts of amusements including boulders (of course) for climbing and water features that kids are encouraged to explore. We had a terrific lunch at a place called The Kitchen that features almost all locally sourced cuisine.




















































Back in Denver we had plenty with which to amuse ourselves. One day we visited The Children's Museum of Denver which was super entertaining for us both. There was room after room of fun stuff to do. Here's Esmé dabbling in some gardening. There was a train room that kept her quite busy. Some arts and crafts. And finally, what was I believe her favorite part, a room just for dancing.




Another day we hit the zoo. The Denver Zoo is quite impressive with a huge selection of animals all in a beautiful, easy to navigate setting. Esmé had a great time.































We also spent a lot of time exploring the city itself. Denver also has a pedestrian-only street that is closed to cars, though they do have a free shuttle bus running the length of it in either direction. Esmé loved this bus and every time she saw it, she insisted we climb aboard. Often feeling worn out from the heat, altitude and a lack of sleep in general, I often acquiesced because it was a perfect (and free) way to keep her amused and rest my weary feet.

The food was great. The local food movement is alive and well in the Mile High City and we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Potager one night. Esmé wasn't as taken with the food as she was the Mr. Potato Head the waitress brought over for her amusement.



Esmé napped really well which meant I spent a lot of time in a dark hotel room. Though I was glad she was getting the sleep she needed, this was not the easiest part of the experience for me. Especially since I wasn't sleeping well at night. I became quite acquainted with those four walls, that's for sure.

Before we knew it, it was time to return home. Esmé was suffering from a low-grade fever which definitely mellowed her out for the flight. Again she was a champ and very well behaved, and after a few days back in her own element she was feeling just fine.