Don't you just want to eat one of them for lunch and the other for dinner?

Favorite FHE game

We actually play this game daily.



Two of us sit inside the tent and then the other one opens the door of the tent and everyone inside screams in surprise. Usually, Cyra and I sit inside and the baby comes to find us. She's getting really fast so I have to put her on the other side of the room and then run really fast to close the door before she gets there.



And they say raising kids isn't intellectually rigorous.

Jackson Heights

The best Indian and Thai I have ever eaten. I used to have a client that lived there and I used to go and meet her at an Indian restaurant and ever since, Jared and I go when we can.





Cyra was really excited to be there.

Weekend in Montauk

Dear Friends in California:



We, too, have beaches. And we can visit them anytime we want in the two to three weeks that the weather permits.



And everyone's purple lips and goosebumps just means that they are really really enjoying the "refreshing" water.

No, seriously. The water was freezing cold and I probably should have packed my down jacket for night-time. But I do love summer in the Hamptons.



That doll that Cyra is holding was given to her by a nice homeless lady on 125th street. Apparently she had just won it from a vending machine and really wanted to give it to Cyra. I have to say that I was a little worried at first, but Cyra was so happy and the lady was really nice so we thanked her and took the doll. May that kind lady never know what happened to it. Shortly after these pictures were taken, the doll's head was severed and it's insides spilled all over our car. I guess those vending machine dolls can't take a beating from a two year old.







On the beach with Lucia (while the others were battling hypothermia in the Arctic waters.





Eating a nice handful of sand.



The sunscreen ritual (that I have to watch from a safe distance because I am allergic):

Bronx Zoo

We saw all sorts of wild an exotic animals, but I think their favorite was the duck:



And the carousel:





And then, just dancing to the carousel music.









And Tiare's photo shoot:





I am glad she caught Cyra's trademark scowl.

Poetry Walk

One of Jared's pro bono clients is the Poet's House and they invited us to their annual poetry walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a lot of fun. There were various poets that did readings about the city or the Bridge in particular as we crossed it and then we ate a nice dinner in Brooklyn. And guess who was on the walk?









And there is this really cool exhibit on the Brooklyn Pier where you look into this thing and you can see London in real time and they can see you. Pretty cool

Cyra learning to swim

A cupcake date with Cyra

We went to this cute little cupcake bakery and this children's bookstore downtown and ate cupcakes. I wanted to take a picture of the top of the cupcake because it was so nicely decorated, but by the time I got the camera out, Cyra had licked the top clean:





Cyra enjoying the kids art:



Not really.

Fun and safe activities to do with kids

In all of my parenting wisdom, I thought I would share some of my great ideas with you less-good parents. Here are some fun and safe activities for your kids to do:



All you need is a nasty NYC newspaper bin. You just insert the child inside and shut the door. Endless fun. (note: my father actually thought of this game--there he is pushing the kids inside).









And for babies, I have found that the toys that are the most fun are just object you have lying around the kitchen:





(not a real knife--duh). Lucia was holding that thing in her hands the entire day and just crawling around clutching the knife and muttering "ARRRR." Last part is not true, but I think my pirate ancestry is quite apparent in this child.

Other ideas include: taking them to the playground when it's 100 degrees, taking babies to the zoo when it's 100 degrees, letting your toddler "hold the baby," letting your toddler "feed" the baby, etc.