Dash...off to third grade!

Dash dislikes having his picture taken when he's not in the mood. He was grumpy here so I told him, "it's not for you, it's a gift to your parents, in the future." Also told him that if he didn't smile l would come over there and tickle a smile out of him.  That worked. :)

And yes, that's a bulldog-on-a-skateboard print on his shirt.

NYC summer

With jobs and kids, it's easy to forget how easy it is to get around Queens, and also get into the city.  Just got back from taking the boy to a park Jazz Festival on the Lower East Side. They were a bit bored. Yesterday we were at a favorite playground in Central Park.  This past week I ended up biking the kids to camps...with Hugo and I hiking into Manhattan one day as he spent part of a day at work with me.

So, we've been swimming alot...

I, too, was a fish when I was their age.  🐟🐟🐟

I sometimes forget...

...how big and boyish they are becoming...then I see it in pictures.  😀

Hi Blogger...

Just posting some recent photos (with captions).  

So old now I need two sets of classes, sunglasses (because it's too bright) and reading glasses (because it's too blurry up close). :)  Anyway, just me and the boys hanging in the park in Union Square, NYC.  We come from time to time to hit up the Farmer's Market, which is where Jen was while I was taking this picture...the boys have little to no interest in the Farmer's Market.

We are members of the New York Hall of Science.  I took Dash and his friend there the other day as they had a day off from camp.  They have an interactive digital environments exhibit, where you can point to the screen to seed various plants and "logs" behind them can be used to divert water on a digital river.  You only get 15 minutes, but I could spend an hour or more creating these environments...they have a desert, rainforest, wetland, and grassland. I can't remember which this one was.

The funny thing about this photo is that it's not accurate.  Dash merely paused for 5 seconds here...it looks like he's super curious, but honestly, there's so much to take in at the Hall of Science that no kid can stand still.

The Hall of Science had a massive playground out back.  Honestly, this is what the boys want to do...climb a giant rope web-thing.  The playground also had an awesome water-play section, but it was turned off...too bad.

Hugo has a rock collection.  As he couldn't go to the NY Hall of Science, I found a bin of small polished stones for his collection.  My dad could probably name these stones by sight.  I'd need a book.  Hugo just called them gems.

A recent photo with a long-time Hugo schoolmate.  They were classmates when they were in preschool in the city, but went to different elementary schools.  We met his family at a pool in Smithtown, and they got a chance to play together once again.  A nice reunion.

Hugo wants to see the latest Jurassic Park movie.  Once every week or two weeks (not sure which) his summer school class goes to see dollar movies...not sure if he's seen this or not, but watching the trailer, it seemed scary.