Sunday, March 28, 2010

Cooking with Luke: Biscuits!

Daddy's not the only one who cooks with the cutest sous chef in Hoboken. After a loooong Sunday nap (by Luke, not Mommy, alas), Luke helped Mommy make the Stewart family biscuits.


He's become a pro at pouring, dumping, and stirring - and letting everyone have a turn, too! And the granola bar project and his varied experience in mixed media like Play-doh has made him a champ at rolling out/pressing dough. We've also been trying to get his demonstration of strength on film for 2 weeks now - to no avail. This is also the first time we've seen him count in such a long sequence all at once. Sure, he's missing nine...


After the biscuits were safely delivered to the oven, Luke set out on his own baking agenda


Want to guess how much flour was on him vs. the floor? It was a dead heat.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Grammy

Luke's Grammy Rosella is celebrating her 39th birthday today.
We failed (again) to get our present in the mail on time, but this should tide her over!



Happy Birthday, Grammy!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Fun on the Equinox with Captain Lobster

Per the previous post, it was gorgeous in Hoboken yesterday. Dry, sunny, clear and warm. Once Luke finally accepted his shorts-clad fate, we headed out on a morning excursion to see the geese and ducks, who have returned from their southern winters, and to go to a park.

Luke was excited to get to take his new soccer ball out for some real throwing and kicking (last weekend's torrential rains & high winds prevented this from happening)


He climbed all over the jungle gym.

And went down the slide (the observant will note that his scraped up shin may lend credence to his "no shorts" assertions)

He is noted for his dismounts from the slide (action photo courtesy of Daddy)

After his nap, we intended to head out to the light rail for a "choo choo" ride, but Luke decided he'd rather go to another park and for a walk...so we wound our way up to the Stevens Tech campus and their lookout high above the Hudson. Luke was fixated on the canon

His recent carousel experiences had him convinced he was "riding" it

Daddy stopped talking about the physics of canon firings in the 18th century long enough to pose for the Picture of the Week (tm)

All of the crazy fresh air and sunshine had us all ready for dinner, so we tried a new waterfront restaurant - where Luke showed off his barback skills

Ensuring a clean dining surface for his pizza

"I cleeeeean it."

Tidiness and decorum were abandoned, however, upon the arrival of his food. He was telling Mommy that the pizza goes "here"

Then he told Daddy

It wouldn't be The First Warm Day without a frozen treat for dessert! And lucky for us, Rita's was giving out free Italian ice (though Luke called it "ice cream")! We started him out with classic cherry

He tried some of Mommy's black cherry & vanilla custard combo, too

He carried the damn cup all 14 blocks home, refusing to admit defeat - even after we dumped out 1/2 of it). He would not get into his bubble bath until he took another lap

Forcing it

Its watery, cherry-chunked remains, spoon en route to mouth

Finally done with his "ice cream," clean, and snuggled, he fell asleep with his hobo's assortment of treasures. The stuffed friends stay the same (Cisco the dog, big monkey, Daniel the lovey, and Cookie Monster), but the books rotate. The balls are a new addition, as is the blanket, which he has rediscovered just in time for summer

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring Has Sprung

It's 70+ degrees in Hoboken, but Luke is not quite ready to give up his winter gear. We have twice had to dissuade him from donning his winter jacket (even Toddler Whisperer Ms Keli had to let him learn the hard way on that one), and he was not a fan of putting on some shorts this morning.


Clearly, we are the meanest parents EVER.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Cooking with Luke: Don't Make A Mess

After Luke had so much fun making muffins with Daddy, and after he really enjoyed making banana bread at school, Luke and Daddy continued their cooking streak this past (rainy rainy) weekend. Their biggest project was to make granola bars (or, in Luke's parlance, "gro bars") from scratch.

He was really into this project.



I love how he thinks he's getting away with sneaking a taste...again and again.



And finally...pat pat pat

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Lukey Gloverhands

The other night, Luke was "washing dishes" in his kitchen. When it was time for dinner, he insisted on leaving his gloves on. I guess he didn't want dishpan hands?