Pre (Birthday) Party

Finally some photos from Luke's second birthday, starting with the pre-party.

After talking about his birthday for weeks, Luke woke up in a festive mood. We enjoyed "Cookie's Birthday Party" (again) in bed.

Mom and dad gave him their present first, a mini kitchen. He quickly got to work washing his hands in the sink.

After all his Grandparents came over, he got down to some more present opening

His new bear Mac, from Grandma and Grandpa Casey (bear handmade by Grandpa, suit by Grandma)

A new broom from Grammy and Grandpap Rosella

However, all of these presents may have been trumped by the arrival of BALLOONS, including a Cookie Monster Balloon Bigger than Luke.

Fun Fact: These balloons just got thrown out at the beginning of this week.

Grandpa helps Luke sort out the balloon cords

Next up: The party itself.

Here Comes Lukey Cottontail

Along with eggs, candy, and baskets, the Easter Bunny brought perfect Spring weather to Hoboken this past weekend. We aimed to make the most of it after days and days and days of rain and soggy shoes and cries of "I NEED DRY PAAAANTS" (by both Luke and Mommy most days) upon arriving home in the evening.

We got up and at them Saturday AM and headed for the park. Luke & Daddy had found some sidewalk chalk the day before, so Luke commissioned some work from Mommy. Here is probably saying "Mommy draw diamond right here." (we aren't sure where he got "diamond")

I like this one because, well, are we related or what with these expressions & our body language?

All of the running around and drawing left us all thirsty and in need of a snack

...After nap time, we headed north on Route 17 to Paramus to visit the Baldonados! (and the Swedloffs!) While Luke was really excited to spend time with young Amelia Swedloff, he made sure to spend some QT with Dr. B

He inspected the pre-egg contents of his Easter basket

Paul & Rick helped Luke & Amelia hunt for eggs

A second hunt was requested by the kids, so Paul & Rick were set to work re-hiding eggs...

...while Ann Marie instructed Luke and Amelia on how to cover their eyes...

...they didn't really listen

How cute are they? Seriously.

All that egg hunting made everyone hungry! So much delicious food!

Luke clutched his basket all the way home

And insisted on it being in his bed when we got home

When he woke up on Sunday, Mommy & Daddy sent him off in search of his basket from the Easter Bunny. He was quite excited

The fine Easter tradition of candy before breakfast was introduced (notice the cheeks)...

And he squealed with delight at the Legos from the Minnesotan contingent. I mean, from THE EASTER BUNNY. (again, the cheeks!)

The Bunny picked out some herbs for Luke and Daddy to grow

Mmmm...chocolate carrot

....and 30 minutes later, this was the scene. SUGAR CRASH!

And what is sure to be a New Easter Tradition was born: The Easter Matzo Brei (many thanks to Auntie Lisa for sharing her dad's recipe!)

After much hemming & hawing, Luke chose grape jelly for his topping

I hope we did it justice! We didn't leave a bite!

Sugar crash passed and breakfast eaten, we headed out for Liberty State Park's massive waterfront playground. Luke was sure to bring his "camera"

So maybe there were a few residual effects of the sugar high

Once at the park, Luke got right to work on the closest slide

He was beside himself when he and Daddy discovered they were in the midst of a ladybug picnic!

They carefully carried one back to show Mommy

Daddy managed to get one to transfer to Luke

One for each hand, even!

You can't tell here, but one had landed on his head. He was really proud to show Mommy

Then we broke for lunch (pb&js all around)

How handsome are my guys?

And finally, you can't really see them here, but some older kids had a bubble gun and were blowing thousands of bubbles around the playground. For Luke, this, coupled with the whole ladybug experience, made for an Easter Miracle! He's the goofball to the left of the frame

Next up: the dyeing of the eggs.

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.

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!

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