Sunday, September 21, 2008

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium

Jennifer was quite emotional as we drove by her beloved Yankee Stadium on the evening of the final game at the storied landmark. She made sure to point out the event to her boys, hoping this would be a fond memory for them as well.

Hectic Chinese

Jennifer has been dreaming about Chinese food for months now. The problem is that she has been spoiled by the food at Grand Sechuan in Manhattan (9th Ave at 24th St). We can not find anything comparable in Westchester. So, we made a pilgramage to the City.

Originally, we would go here with our friends Greg and Lisa. Then friends Penelope and Doug would join us as well. Over time, our families have grown, so now the trip involved 11 people. It makes for quite a hectic time, but the food is still wonderful.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Development Alert: William Walking

William took his "13 steps" this weekend and is now an offical walker (lucky us!).



This is not video of his first steps. That video was a but dark, but can be found here.

Labor Day in Kent




Even though Tristan's friend Rory has a luxurious in-ground pool (up behind the barn), the seem to truly enjoy the simply pleasure of a $4 inflatable puddle. What you can't see in these public pictures is that both boys are in their "all together". They would taking running starts from across the yard and flop into the pool.



Another adventure this weekend was fishing at Kent Falls. This time, mommy caught a fish. Not quite enought to feed everyone, but it brings a special kind of satisfaction.



Breakfast is always a great way to start the day. William seems to be enjoying himself.



The weekend wrapped up with an impromptu picnic in downtown Kent.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Acceptance Day at West Point

Today was A-Day...or Acceptance Day...for the Class of 2012 at West Point. Jennifer's cousin Mike is now officially a member of the core of cadets at our nation's prestigous military academy.





more video

The symbolic ceremony starts with the Point's upperclassmen lined up on the parade grounds. Then the fouth class cadets march into the ranks of the their fellow cadets. Much pomp and circumstance follows. Bands play. Anthems are sung. Flags are presented.



Tristan and William had a grand time exploring the grounds of West Point. They particularly liked the cannons, mules and...




...water fountains.



After the parade, we were able to meet up with Mike. We ran into his mother and grandmother along the way.



Since his family is in California, we expect to be seeing a lot of Cadet Mike over the next four years. He is a welcome addition to Paynecentral. Everyone is very proud of Mike.

Friday, August 22, 2008

There's poopy in my potty!

Ok, this may not be the most appropriate topic for a public website, but it is a major subject lately here at Paynecentral.

Several months ago, Tristan show significant interest in his new potty. This interest faded quickly and it has been a struggle to get the whole potty training thing underway. Lately, the prospect of being able to wear "Lightning McQueen" pullups seems to has spured some renewed interest in the potty. But despite a lot of potty-sitting, there has been no action.

But that changed today. Tristan announced he needed to go potty...and off he went. William had some issues of his own, so Jennifer had to go upstairs to care for him, leaving Tristan on the first floor to do his business.

"Mommy! There's poopy in my potty!" was the announcement that greated Jennifer upon her return. Tristan was standing by his potty, glowing with pride, pointing... "and there is wee, too!"

So far, this has been an isolated incident, but our dreams of becoming a one-diaper family are (hopefully) on their way to realization.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Role Reversal

This afternoon, Tristan was taking his nap a bit too seriously, so we had to wake him up. To this end, Tom litterally pounced on the poor unsuspecting boy, bouncing the bed around him repeatedly. Once Tristan started to come to consciousness, Tom pronnounced "I'm up! I'm up!", mimicing T's typical morning decree. Almost immediately following, Jennifer (with William in tow) joined in the fun, repeating a stream of Tristan-isms:

- "Lemonade, lemonade, I want lemonade"
- "I'm up! I'm up!"
- "Want bolonga...in my hand"
- "Car movie, car movie!"
- "Ka-chow!"
- "No way, mom"
- "I want to watch froggies on your 'puter"
- "Too cold. Very windy, daddy!"
- "Puffs!"
- "Is this a buzy road?"
- "Pollywog in a Bog song"
- "Pretzels!"

Needless to say, Tristan was still in a daze...and exceedingly confused. This actually lasted for the rest of the afternoon. So our little trick backfired. Note to self: the wrong side of the bed includes bouncing above it!