Fun in the Sun

Finally... a rain free day yesterday!! I was beginning to think we brought the Tokyo rainy season back with us. On warm and sunny days they turn on the sprinklers at the playground- lots of fun!




Andrew met us at the playground on his way home from work.

Connor's first water attempt (it was really cold!) There's a chance I might be the only one who finds it funny.

18 Month Old!!

Our little boy is 18 months old today! Where does the time go?! He just seems so grown up to me. He's so independent now, it almost makes me a little sad that he doesn't need his mama as much anymore!

This picture was taken over the weekend, down in MD visiting with my family. We went out for ice cream to this place where kids two and under get their own free mini cone. It was his first "own" ice cream cone (usually we share). He was a big fan!

I adore that little face!

More Giggles...

There's something about eating watermelon that really makes Connor giggle!

Crazy Happy Boy

Just dancing on the couch before bedtime.

Yes he's rockin' a mohawk!

His hair has gotten so blond already this summer!

Excuse Me!

First (maybe) successful video upload in a long time! As you will see, Connor finds "Excuse me" to be pretty funny!!

Connor pictures from this past week

Just playing.

Breakfast picnic with his boys.

Puppy always gets fed first.

Fun in the sandbox.

Followed by a quick rinse.


He LOVES watermelon!! There's something he must find funny about it because he will literally giggle the whole time he eats it.


Helping Dada with the trash, part of his morning routine. He's so strong!!

Too Cool Not to Post

Being the huge Sex in the City (the show/movie- duh) fan that I am, you can imagine how cool I thought it was that my BF Jackie (far right) got to meet Cynthia Nixon (middle) at a gala the other night!! So fun!!

BBQ on Long Island

This past weekend we drove out to Long Island for a BBQ and to watch the Belmont at Tracey and Jason's. Such a blast! The whole gang was there, Christie even drove up from MD. Connor was so much fun and on his very best behavior which made the day even more fun for us. He really enjoyed playing with their two dogs as you can imagine- I think it was the highlight of the trip for him.

The Girls:

The Guys (minus Jason and Matt).

Another great group shot, this time with the dogs Shea and Colby:

Tracey and Jason, who are due to have a sweet baby girl in September! Doesn't she look fantastic?

I caught Connor tossing his goldfish crackers into the dogs' bowls which they totally loved. I just cannot believe what a dog lover Connor is! He must have hugged Shea and Colby a million times while we were there and giggled every time they came near! Too cute.

C and I:

This was our 3rd weekend in a row on the road. Our summer is already off to a very busy start! Andrew and I sat down with our calendar the other night and realized that we already have something going on almost every weekend. How different from our past three summers in Tokyo, where with the exception of visits back to the states, we seemed never to have any plans. I know- whhaaaa waaaaa. Well we're making up for it now! This coming weekend I'm heading down to North Carolina for one of my girlfriend's 30th birthday. It will be just the girls and I'm super excited! How I love the summertime!

Congrats Smith Family!

Our good friends Melanie and Jason have a new little girl! Emerson "Emmy" Claire Smith was born on June 4th in Tokyo! Since I'm probably one of a few people that could figure out how to call Melanie in Tokyo (and it even took me a little while to remember how to do it) I got to speak with her while she was in the hospital and she sounded beyond fantastic! Melanie and Jason are already parents to Connor's original BFF Carter (who is just the greatest little kid) so we couldn't be more happy for them and their newest addition!! We hope to be able to meet her in person soon! Emmy you are just too cute!

A Garden with a View

On our drive home from the camp last weekend we stopped at a Lowes Garden center to pick up some plants for our balcony. I dream about the day when we have our own house and I can plant a real garden but for now this will have to do! It came out great and Connor was soooo helpful as you can imagine (he really is!) Now whenever we're out on the balcony he picks up the watering can to water the plants. We're growing an assortment of peppers and basil in there. Let's hope they grow!




Celebrating with some drinks after all of our hard work...cheers!

The Camp

Last weekend we rented a car and drove up to the Adirondack mountains for a weekend at the camp. "The camp" is basically a little cottage right on Great Sacandaga lake that has been in my family for five generations now! We absolutely love it up there, and since it's only about a 3.5 hour trip from NYC, we hope to be up there a lot this summer. My Mom and Gerry were up there too which made it all the more fun!
Connor exploring the grounds with his Grandma.

Connor and Andrew throwing rocks in the lake as the sun was going down. Connor spent a lot of time throwing rocks in the water that weekend!


We found a fun playground at a local elementary school that we took Connor to one morning. This kid LOVES playgrounds!!

The water was still way too cold to swim in but Connor enjoyed dipping his toes.





We finally decided just to ditch his pants.


Just relaxing with a sleepy Connor.


The next door neighbor brought over four frozen margaritas for us at happy hour, now THAT is my kind of neighbor!!!

We headed out Sunday morning and Connor slept the entire way home. He was really tuckered out from such an action packed weekend!

Memorial Day Weekend Part 2: NYC

After a long but uneventful flight back from Vegas we returned home to a wonderful home cooked meal from Andrew's Mom. It was so nice to come home to that! We got to hear all about Mom's city adventures with Connor while we were gone. Like I said before, they really had a wonderful time together!! Unfortunately Mom had to catch an early flight out the next morning. After she left we took Connor out for breakfast. They had these mini (Connor sized) cupcakes and we let Connor have one. I know, I know, cupcakes for breakfast- perhaps someone was feeling a little guilty for leaving their child behind to go to Vegas?

A few hours later we rented bikes and took Connor for a long ride in Central Park.



We set out to do the full 6 mile loop around Central Park but pooped out around mile 5 or so. We decided to cut across the park and go get ice cream instead. Connor obviously loved this part. Cupcakes AND ice cream in the same day?! Obviously guilt.


Afterwards we had Annie and John over for a BBQ out on our balcony (city style of course which means cooking chicken on our stove top grillpan but at least eating it outside). They had just returned from a wedding in the Bahamas so it was fun to swap stories from our recent travels.


A great end to a fabulous weekend!!