Sam Meets Sandy

This is from a couple of weeks ago at the Cyclone game. On our way out, Sandy the Cyclone (sand--beach--get it??) was posing for pictures:

Return of the Pony Hair

Going to the Dogs

Sunday morning we went into the city and had lunch with our friend Sueli. Daddy was supposed to have a softball game but there was a problem with the fields, so our plan to go to Central Park and the zoo didn't happen. Another day...

May I walk your dog? The one looking at the camera is Leyla and the other is Precious.

Precious is not digging being walked by a toddler...

She digs in her heels to resist...

And reluctantly capitulates.


In the end, Sam didn't actually walk the dog. Precious is afraid of other dogs which presents a problem on the sidewalks of New York, and Sam just isn't old enough to hold on tightly. But she did enjoy her day of doggie heaven!

Next Stop, Broadway!

Watch out, world...Mama figured out how to take videos with the camera.

Playdate

Sam has a "new" friend. Chris lives in our building and we've spent a lot of time on the roof with him and his parents. Sunday we invited them down for dinner. They played nicely together, although about every 20 minutes a toddler fight would break out and someone would be screeching about a toy.

We brought out the extra-strength bubble machine--one that plugs in that Granny and Papa bought for Sam--and Sam enjoyed playing in the bubbles.
Chris doesn't look very happy about it, though!
Sam shows her silly side at dinner much to Chris's amusement.

It's Hot Hot Hot

It's been so hot the last few days! I detest this weather and can't wait until fall. Sunday was brutal, so I got the grocery shopping done by 8:45 and an hour later we headed to the park--I was just praying the sprinklers were on! They were and Sam and I had a great time running in the water to cool off. Daddy was playing softball so he missed all of the excitement, but they did get Daddy-daughter time on the roof that afternoon.

Ready to go!
This is my favorite picture from Sunday! The rubber blacktop behind her is steaming hot, which is ridiculous for a playground. I forgot about the news stories from last year and took Sam's shoes off and she screamed when she walked on it. Oops.
This is what I get when I ask her to show me her teeth!
She saw an older girl climb this pole to the top and tried herself, but this was as far as Sam got.
Enjoying the cool water! Even I went through the sprinker numerous times, and I didn't have my bathing suit with me. It felt NICE! And it was so hot, my shirt was dry by the time we got home.

Sammy Takes Brooklyn...Again

Yesterday afternoon I took Sam to Coney Island for a quick trip to the beach, followed by dinner with Daddy and some of our friends at the original Nathan's and a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game followed by fireworks. She did pretty well, although we left the ballpark in the 8th and watched the fireworks in the car in the parking lot because she was bushed. It was an hour past her bedtime!

I can't remember a moment so joyous for me as when we first went down to the edge of ocean and the waves washed up on the beach over our feet. Her eyes got really wide and she started laughing. She LOVED it, and she kept saying "again! again!" I wish we'd had time for her to actually be in her bathing suit getting dirty in the sand. I'm definitely going to have to carve out an afternoon in these remaining weeks to do that.

Stomping around on the sand. So happy (sarcasm) that I had the pink shoes--I had some woman say "is that a girl? I thought so because of the pink shoes but she's dressed all in blue." Seriously, lady? She's wearing a Mets t-shirt and jeans. I'm soooooooo freaking sorry my clothing choices for my daughter don't match your idea of gender-appropriate.


On the edge of the ocean. I wanted to get more pictures but it's hard to stop a toddler from running full on into the ocean (which she wanted to do) and snap shots.

Sam treks through the desert in desperate search of water...hee hee. A nice shot of her without anyone else around. The beach really wasn't very crowded, especially on the side further from the boardwalk.

Sam sits on Daddy's lap to watch baseball while Helen and another friend look on. Sam is really into baseball these days; she's always begging to "play ball" or "play catch" and she knows that when Daddy isn't around he's "playing baseball" (whether that's attending a Mets game or playing softball, she doesn't know the difference yet.

Toddler on a Sugar High: Sam's first experience with cotton candy! She loved it, of course, how can you hate cotton candy?

Sammy Takes Brooklyn

These pics were taken by Karen when we visited Prospect Park a couple of weeks ago. We had a nice afternoon strolling around, then Karen and the others went to the Brooklyn Museum and Sam and I had a nice Greek dinner with Vera. That dinner is the cause of my recent dolma kick, yum.

I LOVE this pic, wish Sam was not holding her almost-empty bag of raisins!

Sam suddenly said "Hill! I climb!"
Look at my cool stick!
Mama and daughter near Grand Army Plaza:

How Toddlers Come to Cry

I turn my back for two seconds...

Goodnight Sweetheart

I've gotten into the semi-bad habit over the past couple of weeks of letting Sam into our bed at night to watch some Noggin while Daddy is out in the living room watching baseball or the World Championship Underwater Basket Weaving or whatever happens to be on. I don't want to do it too much, but her tiny self is so cute in the big person's bed! We're still not ready to move from the crib to a big girl bed but I suspect it will be sometime in the next few months. She still hasn't tried to climb out of the crib, though, and that's as good a reason as any to keep her in there.

I have a super-cute audio file I want to post but I have to figure out how to get it in the right format. Stay tuned...

O-tay, Mama!

"Sammy! I'm going to take your picture!"
"O-tay, Mama!"
"Stand right here!"
"O-tay!"
"Say cheese!"
"Cheese!"

(Pictures taken right before bathtime, as evidenced by the pizza on her face.)

I'm a Horrid Blogger

I really don't have any new pictures--as time goes on, we're using the camera less. But I PROMISE I will take a few tonight, just to have something to post.

Sam's a handful these days, probably normal for a two-year-old. She's refused to eat a few things I've made for her lately but demands raisins and bananas on a regular basis. And we're actually joking with each other now--she thinks it's hilarious when she tells me she's going to "eat Jokie!"