The Shore

Last weekend, we made it to the Jersey shore for the first time this season.   Aunt Cara was there from Canada for her annual visit, and Julian got to play with his dear cousins Leo (3 1/2) and Flora (16 months.)  

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

Julian was not particularly enamored of the sand.  His favorite beach activity was eating Cheerios with Flora.  (In this photo, Julian has on his Daddy's hat.  That's right - it's not even big on him!  That's because Julian's head is in the 97% percentile - yowza!)

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

Julian and Daddy with the iconic Longport, NJ water tower in the background...

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

The kiddos and the crabs...

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

Sunset on the bay...

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

Playing in the yard...

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

From The Shore, Part 1: Beach, Crabs, and Backyard

Spring Friends

Here's Julian hanging out with a few of his friends: longtime pals Thaddeus, Annabel and Rebecca... and new neighborhood pals Daphna and Mira.

From Spring Friends

From Spring Friends

From Spring Friends

From Spring Friends

Friday night on the Hill

This is Julian's favorite place to hang out: the park.

From Friday night on the Hill

We met Daddy there after work on Friday. Julian decided to station himself at the end of the slide so he could see the kids go by. This little girl slid down, took one good look at our handsome boy, and then started kissing him. (Really, who could resist?)

From Friday night on the Hill

From Friday night on the Hill

From Friday night on the Hill

From Friday night on the Hill

It was too nice to go home, so we had dinner nearby at Banana Cafe. Julian ate his own bowl of black beans. It's amazing how far he opens his mouth for the good stuff.

From Friday night on the Hill

From Friday night on the Hill

Mother's Day and more

We woke up in Philly on Mother's Day, and Glo Glo cooked us a nice breakfast before we hit the road to come home.

From Mother's Day and more

From Mother's Day and more

From Mother's Day and more

The next day, we welcomed John's Uncle Orlando and Aunt Lissa for a visit (all the way from Santa Fe!) It was the first time they met Julian, and it was fun for everyone.

From Mother's Day and more

From Mother's Day and more

From Mother's Day and more

Philly trip

Apologies for the lag in posting... we have been busy and little bit sick (both baby and Mommy) but we're all better. We had a nice trip to Philadelphia during the first weekend in May. It was John's 20th high school reunion, and we visited the school with Julian (who wore his tiger outfits - the GFS mascot.) Julian loved the library's children's room.

From Philly trip May 2011

From Philly trip May 2011

We also met up with John's close friend from childhood, Andy (and his wife Sonya, and their kids, Billy and Zia.) It was lovely day to sit in Rittenhouse Square.

From Philly trip May 2011

From Philly trip May 2011

Julian loved spending time with his Glo Glo and Zayda... and he developed a special relationship with the doggie, Rosie. He fed her constantly, so she stationed herself under the highchair at all times. Here he is preparing to throw Rosie a snack.

From Philly trip May 2011

Julian racked up more birthday gifts, including the Wild Things (book and stuffed characters.)

From Philly trip May 2011

One Year Ago Today

Julian on May 5, 2010. Same crazy baby, just 1/4th the size! THEN: 5 lbs., 5 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long. NOW: 21 lbs., 7 oz. and 29 1/2 inches long. He's been working hard!

From Julian - So Big!

Birthday Party!

Julian's 1st Birthday Party was on Sunday, May 1st. First, the executive summary:

I'm cool with the hat and the bib.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

I have mixed emotions about 20 people singing to me.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

But I DO. NOT. LIKE. THIS CAKE.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

The cake-anger was certainly related to the fact that Julian was super-tired. He neglected to take a morning nap for perhaps the first time in his life. By the time we did cake at 12:30, he was running on fumes. Immediately post-cake, he conked out for a nap with Pop-Pop in the backyard.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

There were many highlights of the day. Julian had fun opening gifts and playing with friends.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

He had fun playing with Grandma and Pop-Pop, and practiced his wave as people flowed in and out of the house.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

He was fascinated by his sandbox from Zayda and Glo-Glo.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

And he loved his new maracas.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

The decorations were a hit, though he only really began to love the balloons about 3 days later.

From Julian's 1st Birthday Party

As you can probably tell from looking at the whole album, he still wasn't feeling 100% - but had a nice day, with lots of friends and mounds of new toys, clothes, a new stroller and more. It was a special memory (from the sweet excitement to the mid-party napping) and we loved hosting a big to-do for our special boy.