The Mercer Process

Sledding

2012-01-21T15:27:00.003-06:00

Wish we had cameras with us, but Mercer and Dad just got back from a 2 hour session of sledding with our Flexible Flyer discs. Not sure we've ever had more fun together. It was our first time sledding and we managed to hit some pretty impressive speeds, twirling the whole way down the hill.

Unfortunately, our hill was a Village street and snow plows ruined our fun. Until next time, though.

Mercer's first swimmng lesson

2012-01-21T10:35:00.004-06:00

Mercer and company braved the snowstorm to get in a swimming lesson this morning. Mom enrolled Mercer in a Level 1 class, but the coaches already want to bump him up to Level 2 or 3 because he is so good in the water. Mercer had a great teacher who taught him how to kick, go underwater, and use his arms. He still needs work on floating on his back, though. All he wants to do is kick. Mercer used a noodle to swim the entire length of the pool and he also used a body board. Next week we're going to try a class with more kids and see how that works.

Mercer visits the American Museum of Natural History

2012-01-14T17:53:00.008-06:00

Mercer has finally been getting into dinosaurs lately, so we took him to the American Museum of Natural History today. We wanted him to see the dinosaur bones and how big the former Earth-dwellers actually were. We think he enjoyed it. He liked running around pressing buttons on all of the interactive computers, for sure.

The dinosaur bones in the lobby were amazing and we hadn't even bought tickets yet!

Hey, Mercer is wearing Dad's hat!!

We enjoyed a few of the dusty displays before moving up to the 4th floor, where all of the dinosaurs are now housed.

"Triceratops" means "three-horned face!"

After the dinosaurs, we wanted to show Mercer a movie at the big planetarium. He was skeptical, and once the movie started, he hated every second of it. For most of the audience, the movie was an amazing exploration into our galaxy and how stars are formed. But Mercer actually thought we blasted off into space and was whimpering the whole time, worried about our safe return flight home. Cute. We told him to close his eyes, but no matter how much he whimpered, he couldn't take his eyes off the show, either. Good stuff.

We had worked up an appetite. And since we love torturing ourselves, we stopped into Shake Shack for some burgers, dogs, shakes, and concretes. Mercer's favorite part of the day.

Look at the line for this place. Ridiculous.

New Year's at Aunt Alyssa's

2012-01-03T18:14:00.003-06:00

We were sick the whole time. Well, not Mercer. Mom and Pop were sick. We've been coughing for weeks now and this weekend, the fever finally hit Pop, who spent half of Sunday in bed watching Star Wars and reading up on Operation Barbarossa. We still had fun out in Sunbury, though, as we have the past few years. Sorry for bringing our sick to your place, Alyssa.

We took Mercer and Murphy to the park, watched movies (Tin Tin is really good), ate wings, made and ate great party food, and drank some good beers.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T14:46:00.004-06:00

Mercer had a very fun Christmas and we're just trying to get back into the swing of things. We saw lots of family members over the weekend, had lots of treats, and received plenty of toys.

Mercer prepares the cookie plate for Santa:

Bringing the milk for Santa:

Oops, almost forgot the note to Santa Claus:

Hanging the stocking:

Grandpa reads 'Twas the Night Before Christmas:

Santa came!

Glow-in-the-dark Domo and the iPod were big hits:

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T07:05:00.003-06:00

A vist to Philly

2011-12-23T14:07:00.003-06:00

Mercer and the gang spent a few days in Philly seeing some sights and making merry. We didn't get a chance to take many pictures, unfortunately.

Our room had a nice view to the west.

We played pirates in Rittenhouse Square.

Mercer during peak slumber.

A visit to the Holiday Train Show

2011-12-17T16:18:00.007-06:00

Mercer, Mom, Dad, and Grandpa visited the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens in Bronx, NYC yesterday. The mini reproductions of the local buildings were incredible, though the display was a little bit light in the train department. We wish there were more trains and more information about them. We also hear that viewing the show at night is a little more interesting because of the holiday lights. But still, the exhibit was very nice and, as always, the Botanical Gardens' grounds were beautiful.

Mercer also got the chance to plant his own wheat grass and decorate a ginger snap cookie.

A visit with Santa

2011-12-09T12:55:00.002-06:00

Mercer recovered from his stomach bug ("Mom, how does the bug get out?") in time to say hello to Santa. Mercer gave Santa some of the cookies that Mom made and Mr. Claus was very excited.

Mercer is sick.

2011-12-08T09:56:00.002-06:00

Mercer apparently has a 24 hour stomach virus that has seen him throw up at least three times since 6AM this morning. Poor little guy. Hopefully he recovers in time for a visit to Santa Claus tomorrow morning.

Streets

2011-11-27T07:03:00.002-06:00

Mercer's mind got blown when we asked him to read the letters on this street sign in New York yesterday. He immediately recognized his name and climbed up for a picture.

A visit to the Big City with Grandpa

2011-11-26T16:14:00.005-06:00

On the way home, we stopped to visit the Big City with Grandpa. Before lunch, we stopped at Sara Roosevelt Park to build our appetites.

For lunch, we dined at The Meatball Shop, which was fantastic. Mercer had some rigatoni, but the adults feasted on meatballs; Mom had a chicken meatball hero with mushroom gravy, Dad had spicy pork meatballs on top of kale, and Grandpa had a smashed beef meatball sandwich. All great.

Thanksgiving Feast 2011

2011-11-26T15:42:00.005-06:00

A delicious feast was feasted upon this past Thanksgiving. In attendance along with Mercer, Mom, and Pop, were Aunt Vicki, MeMa, PaPa, Grandpa, Uncle Matt, Uncle Chris, and of course, Hanna.

The menu:

Turkey
MeMa's sausage stuffing
Stuffed mushrooms
French onion soup
Roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, onions)
Mashed cauliflower and potato
Green bean casserole
Cranberry and orange sauce
Apple and pecan pies
Pecan cheesecake

Fall Fashon 2011

2011-11-19T16:35:00.005-06:00

The locations: Liberty Street, Scarborough, NY; Teatown Lake Reservation, Ossining, NY; Thompson's Cider Mill, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

The scene: A day with Daddy. First, a mile-long hike at the beautiful Teatown Lake Reservation. Then, tasting fresh apple cider straight off the production line.

The clothes: Shirt: Black and blue flannel gingham by Cherokee; Pants: Brown corduroy by Old Navy; Coat: Navy blue toggle coat by H&M; Shoes: Desert boot by Clarks

Mercer at the dentist

2011-11-11T09:21:00.001-06:00

Cleaning out the phone

2011-11-06T16:39:00.004-06:00

Looking at the pumpkins at Shop Rite, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Drawing at Mommy's office, White Plains, NY

Hiking in Rockwood Hill Park, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Playground in Sleepy Hollow, NY

Last ditch nice-weather rock throwing and fun at Sparta Park, Ossining, NY

Being a dummy at H+M, Jefferson Valley Mall, NY

Autumnal car play at home, Ossining, NY

"I want to live here."

2011-11-05T18:23:00.006-05:00

Today we visited the big city. Mercer has always loved the city and today he asked if we could live there. He loves the hustle, bustle, stores, people, and of course, the playgrounds. Maybe we'll live there some day, Mercer. Maybe.

After we did some shopping at Kiehl's, we ate at Crif Dogs and then worked off the calories in Tompkins Square Park. Then it was over to the West Village to do some strolling and window shopping.

Playing the video games at Crif Dogs on St. Marks.

Mercer had a plain dog at Crif's with tater tots. Mom had a veggie dog stacked with veggies and Pop had a "Sour Dog" (half sour pickles and melted cheese).

Working out at Tompkins Square Park.

Hanging out on East 9th.

On Greenwich Ave.

Halloween with Sydney and Ryan

2011-11-05T18:13:00.003-05:00

Halloween seems like such a long time ago already, but that doesn't mean we didn't have a great time. We visited Sydney and Ryan and hit as many houses as we could before all the little feet got tired. Mercer dressed up as Superman, but it was hard to tell since he had a skeleton outfit on over top to keep warm.

First snow of the season

2011-10-30T18:17:00.003-05:00

It's still only Autumn, but we received our first big snowstorm yesterday. It snowed from late morning through the night and of course, Mercer wanted to play in it. It started out as harmless flakes, but then turned into a giant, heavy, slushy mess. Once we started hearing the pops of nearby tree branches, however, we thought it best to go inside. We surveyed the damage this morning: limbs, branches, wires everywhere.

A visit with Spongebob

2011-10-30T08:38:00.001-05:00

Mercer learns how to use the camera on Mommy's phone

2011-10-29T14:56:00.003-05:00

Mercer figured out how to take pictures of himself on Mom's phone. He took advantage, though, and as the last two images show, Mommy had to intervene.

Posing at the playground

2011-10-15T18:26:00.002-05:00

Silver Lake Park, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

2011-10-15T18:09:00.005-05:00

Pumpkin picking with Hanna

2011-10-15T06:42:00.006-05:00

Mercer went pumpkin picking last weekend with Hanna, Mom, Pop, Grandpa, MeMa, and PaPa. Emery's Berry Farm had a nice looking spread of pumpkins complete with a corn maze and hayride. Mercer didn't want any part of the corn maze, but we went on a hayride and got some treats at the country store afterward.

Once we got back home to New York, Mommy carved Mercer's pumpkin nicely.

Hayride

2011-10-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

Cleaning out the phone

2011-10-10T14:59:00.006-05:00

Here are some random shots from Pop's phone.

Mercer enjoying the breeze of the Sprain Parkway in New York:

Posing as the advertisement in this empty frame outside of a Nordstrom Rack, White Plains, NY:

Mercer, Mom, and Pop at the Croton Reservoir, Croton-on-Hudson, NY:

Sleeping sometime before Hurricane Irene was due to hit:

With Juliana at a pizza restaurant near Millersville, MD:

Auto buds at IKEA, Elizabeth, NJ:

Getting a school haircut in Tarrytown, NY:

Ready for school, Ossining, NY:

Eating a cupcake in Mount Kisco, NY:

Helping Mom and Pop make pasta, Ossining, NY:

Getting a ride from Sydney in Valley Cottage, NY:

Eating breakfast with Pop at Bruegger's Bagels in East Syracuse, NY:

Bedtime story, Ossining, NY:

Mercer likes these songs.

2011-10-04T08:54:00.003-05:00

"Magic" by The Sound of Arrows.

"Satin in a Coffin" by Modest Mouse.

A weekend in Syracuse

2011-10-02T17:35:00.006-05:00

Mercer and Pop joined Mommy on her 4.5 hour trek north to Syracuse for some weekend work. We managed to squeeze in a little bit of fun, though. Above is a view of Syracuse University and downtown from Woodland Reservoir, which is west of the city. The weather was windy and rainy for most of the weekend, so we didn't get to walk around town like we normally do when visiting a new place.
Here is Mercer looking off of our hotel balcony in East Syracuse. For him, the high point of the trip was spending time in the hotel room and indoor pool. He also loved the hot tub, which he jumped in without any hesitation. Our hotel was in an industrial area, not downtown. We drove by the headquarters of companies like Carrier and Bristol-Myers-Squibb everyday on our way into town.

On Saturday, we took Mercer to the MOST, Syracuse's very nice Museum of Science and Technology. For some reason, Mercer became terrified upon arrival after seeing the giant poster of the T-Rex on the building. He thought it was just a movie theater showing a terrifying movie and his mood was ruined for the rest of the day. He didn't even appreciate Pop's fantastic parking spot right in front of the museum.

"OR IS IT?" A sign by the lockers at the museum. Mercer enjoyed helping with putting our jackets away, but that's about it.

The museum had a very cool dinosaur exhibit with lots of realistic, robotic dinosaurs. Here, Mercer is operating just the skeleton of a robot dinosaur on display.

In a helicopter simulator. That was about all Mercer would take of the museum. A shame, really, because it had so much to offer.

For lunch, we headed north to Dinosaur BBQ, Syracuse's world-famous rib-joint. We had been to their offshoot in Harlem, but wanted to experience the original. It was delicious. And crowded. So many popular restaurants tend to mail it in after they develop a reputation, but not Dinosaur. We ordered a rack of ribs with some sides and went to town. Mom had some great cocktails while Dad sampled some local beer from Empire Brewing. Mercer was still in an awful mood and ate absolutely nothing; not even corn bread, which he normally inhales.

After lunch, we took a drive to the aforementioned Woodland Reservoir. The temperature suddenly dropped to about 45 degrees and Pop could only stand outside in the whipping wind and rain for a few minutes to take pictures of the city.

Mercer woke up from a car nap and was starving, having not eaten lunch. Luckily, we were in Liverpool, just north of Syracuse, checking out a local park. Because right across the street from the park was Heid's hot dogs. The "i" in their logo is a hot dog, so, yeah, they have good dogs. Mercer was a happy little boy. We went back to the hotel for more swimming and questionable late-night hotel food. Pop fell asleep to the sound of steroid-fueled Yankees bats pounding the cover off of Detroit Tigers pitching.
The next morning was the day of Mom's big work event. Mercer and Pop dropped her off downtown and had breakfast, returned to the hotel and lounged about watching Spongebob. It was raining all morning, but when the bad weather passed, Mercer and Pop packed up the rental car and checked out of the hotel. Above is a picture Pop had to take. It's the office of Oberdorfer Aluminum Foundry, a company amazingly still in business given the state of their factory on Thompson Road.

Here's Mercer in the Armory District in downtown Syracuse.

Syracuse has some amazing architecture to take in. It's unfortunate the weather wasn't nicer so more buildings like these could be admired. This is Clinton Square.

All in all, a fun family road trip to Northern New York. New York, by the way, is huge. A friendly hotel worker asked Mercer and Pop where we were from. Pop responded "New York," forgetting that we still were, in fact, in New York. It reminded him of the time he asked for "American cheese" on a sandwich while in Mannheim, Germany. Anyway, it would be great to visit again someday. Syracuse reminds Pop of a smaller city set in the Pacific Northwest. It's dominated by a university and is surrounded by nature. There's a decent arts and restaurant scene with some good breweries and great people. There are plenty of smaller neighborhoods to explore and tons of old industry. Wish we had a little bit more time there and some better weather, but it's also good to be home with our feet up on the couch.

Mercer's first email

2011-09-30T09:06:00.003-05:00

Click to see. This email only makes slightly less sense than the majority of work emails read every day.

Three wishes

2011-09-28T09:45:00.004-05:00

Last night Pop read Mercer a fairy tale involving three wishes. After we were done, I asked Mercer what he would wish for if he had three wishes. His reply:

1. A great big, giant dinosaur shirt (whatever that means).
2. A Scooby-Doo castle toy (think he means this, but I hope not).
3. A baby.

So there you go.

Sleepy Hollow sunset

2011-09-26T18:52:00.004-05:00

Pop took this just after dinner in Sleepy Hollow last night.

Apple picking with Sydney and Ryan

2011-09-25T18:36:00.007-05:00

The Edmonds' were nice enough to let us tag along on their apple picking trip this weekend. It was a bit on the warm side, but the kids had a lot of fun.

NMR: The Towers

2011-09-13T15:59:00.010-05:00

Mom and Pop moved to Bayonne, NJ in the summer of 2001 following a 1-year stint in Cranston, RI, a suburb of Providence. Pop just started working in White Plains, NY and Mom was in the process of finding permanent work. We would travel into New York City frequently for job interviews during the month of June. Mom would spend time inside various office buildings while Pop walked around outside and snapped photographs.

One free, hazy day, we decided to visit the World Trade Center with our friend Scott and take the elevator to the top. The views were amazing.

This was an amazingly detailed model near the viewing areas.

On our way home, we were able to take in lower Manhattan one last time from Jersey City.

Around three months later, Mom was working in the city when the towers fell. The ensuing confusion and fear will live long in our memories. And because of Bayonne's proximity to downtown Manhattan, there were tons of road closures in the metro area and we weren't able to return home until much later that night. Of course, our inconvenience was trivial; there were some people who would never return home that night.

The next day, Mom took the light rail from Bayonne to Jersey City to try and assess the situation. She was able to take these distant shots of downtown.

While traveling home to Bayonne the previous Sunday, September 9, the New York City skyline peeked up from under the iron framework of the Newark Bay Bridge and presented itself to us. Mom made a casual comment about how iconic the Twin Towers were and how impossible it would be to imagine the city skyline without them. The complex opened in 1973 and its imposing presence was all we knew. Never could we imagine that our future children would grow up with anything different.

Mercer's new bike

2011-09-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

Grandpa visited over the weekend and we got Mercer a big, shiny new bike. So far, so good. Mercer loves riding it everywhere, except he gets upset when we tell him he can't ride it inside stores.

A Sunday morning fish post

2011-09-11T06:14:00.003-05:00

Mercer's latest fish, Swimmy (4.0), has been with us for a number of months now, and he deserves his own post. He is a hearty and hungry fish, unlike any we've ever had before. He spends most of his time waiting by the front of the tank, near the opening where we insert his food. He gobbles everything we give him, from flakes to pellets.

He spends the rest of his free time swimming.

Mercer's first day on the bus

2011-09-09T17:03:00.006-05:00

Mercer got on the bus for Pre-K for the first time today. The bus picks him up at day care and then drops him back after his AM session at Park School is over. It seemed like Mercer was the only one excited about the whole thing, but it could've been because we were taking so many pictures. Here he is waiting inside day care.

Outside, waiting at the bus stop.

First on the bus, of course.

Mercer's first day of school

2011-09-08T17:10:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow is technically Mercer's first day of Pre-K, where the bus picks him up from day care all by himself, but today Mom took him for a practice run. Looks like things went pretty well.

Mercer gets his first school haircut

2011-09-07T17:43:00.000-05:00

It begins.

Mercer visits Juliana

2011-09-05T17:28:00.007-05:00

Mercer and the gang visited Juliana and her parents, Sarah and Dan, in Maryland this weekend. The kids had a lot of fun in the bath, pool, at the park, and during a delicious crab party. Can't wait to see them all again!

Pre-K Meet the Teacher and Bus Orientation

2011-09-02T10:09:00.006-05:00

Mercer starts Pre-K next week! Today Mom took Mercer to meet his new teacher and do some bus orientation. Doesn't seem all the interested in the bus at first, but hopefully he warms up to it. He has no choice, really.

Mercer and his friend Acalan from daycare.

Not enjoying the bus. His monkey, Chico, is helping out.

Kind of enjoying the bus.

Mercer surveys the hurricane damage.

2011-08-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

NMR: Dad goes to Washington D.C.

2011-08-21T16:42:00.003-05:00

Dad met up with fellow Phillies fans Brian, Jeff, and Scott this weekend in Washington D.C. to support the team against the Nationals. Apparently, 40,000 other Phillies fans thought this was a good idea too and turned the ho-hum Nationals Park into Citizens Bank South. Roy Oswalt and the rest of the Fightins' had a good night, winning 5-0, thanks to good defense and scoring runs playing both small and long ball.

Pop took the train from New York down to D.C. This is a corridor just outside Union Station in Washington. Gorgeous station.

The view of the Capitol building from New Jersey Avenue.

Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay keep their distance from Kyle Kendrick during batting practice.

If Abraham Lincoln were alive today, he most certainly wouldn't be a Nationals fan.

Housing development and a sewage plant surrounding the stadium.

Phillies fans line up to see their heroes.

It was a great night for a Phillies win.

Pirate patch session

2011-08-17T18:33:00.003-05:00

Mercer is enjoying his coloring more these days.

2011-08-17T18:25:00.002-05:00

Mercer wrote "No" by himself

2011-08-08T10:01:00.005-05:00

This morning, Mommy wrote up a shopping list and left the list in the living room to go do something else. When she came back, she found that Mercer had written on the list. It said "No" twice and each one was circled. Mommy asked Mercer what the writing was and Mercer said "N - O, No. You can't buy all this stuff."

Pop agrees!

Mercer in his underwear running through sprinklers at Riverwood Park

2011-08-06T09:22:00.002-05:00

While playing on a playground yesterday, Mercer noticed a bunch of sprinklers running on some nearby soccer fields. He decided he wanted to take his clothes off and investigate.

Mercer and Mom enjoying hot dogs in New York City.

2011-08-01T08:53:00.001-05:00

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 6

2011-07-30T07:34:00.002-05:00

We rounded out the week by meeting Grandpa in Philadelphia for a Phillies game. We're about ready for another vacation.

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 5

2011-07-30T07:21:00.005-05:00

Most of Friday was spent in the pool, but in the evening, everyone ambled down to the local fire house for wing and beer night. It was fantastic.

Mercer and Elle.

Mercer checks out some of Elle's apps.

House rules.

The gang.

Mercer and Elle had a glow stick fight on the way home.

Summer Vacation 2011 - Sparklers

2011-07-30T07:13:00.004-05:00

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 4

2011-07-30T06:54:00.006-05:00

Thursday was the hottest day of the week, with temperatures reaching around 104. We thought it would be fun to cool down by visiting nearby Penn's Cave. At first, Mercer didn't want anything to do with a spooky cave; especially one that was only accessible by boat. But we calmed him down and he wound up enjoying himself. He helped us find interesting rock formations that looked like shark fins, the Statue of Liberty, chicken feet, and bacon.

Here is the unassuming visitor's center. We had some time to kill so the kids looked around the gift shop. Elle tried on a hamburger hat for me.

Finally...to the cave.

There were 3 or so boats going all the time; always packed. I guess a lot of people had the same idea we did. The cave is continuously around 54 degrees and the water even colder. We took a bunch of pictures, but they all look about the same. We'll spare you, but the cave is pretty great and the tour guides very knowledgeable.

Mercer looking a little upset still about the situation he's found himself in.

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 3

2011-07-29T16:02:00.012-05:00

On Wednesday, the gang took it easy. In the morning, Mercer and Dad took a ride up to Lewisburg (home of the Bucknell Bison) to visit the weekly farmer's market there. It was great to walk around and see all the local produce, handmade pretzels, and prayer stations.

After the market, we stopped off at the Shikellamy State Park overlook, which provides a nice view of the confluence of the West and North branches of the Susquehanna River.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening at Alyssa's aunt and uncle's pool. Mercer had fun playing with Riley and Elle and everyone stayed cool. Dad sampled some of Steve's great homebrew and everyone ate burgers, chicken, and hot dogs. When it got dark, we took a break from swimming and made s'mores over a fire pit.

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 2

2011-07-29T15:49:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday, Mercer, Mom, and Dad went to the always-great Knoebels Amusement Park. The last time we were there, Mercer stuck strictly to kiddie rides. This time, he was a little more ambitious, even going on a bunch of upside-down attractions.

We started out with these rockets. They look tame, but we hit some decent speeds.

The tilt-a-whirl was fantastic and turned Dad's stomach for the rest of the day. Sometimes the best rides are the old and rusty ones.

The spinning teacups didn't help our stomachs.

Mercer went on this, the Frog Hopper, about 20 times. Good thing we got the unlimited daily pass.

After lunch, Mercer enjoyed a strawberry ice cream-waffle sandwich.

We thought these boats were going to be easy, but it handled like a pig.

At this point, the sky clouded over and thunder rumbled in the distance. What better ride to go on than this thing - a giant iron lightning rod that spun around in circles? I'm amazed that Mercer wanted to go on this and he really enjoyed himself. Our ride was cut short, though, because as soon as we went around a few times, lightning struck within a mile of the park.

There we are. Mercer and Dad were holding each other for various reasons.

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 1

2011-07-24T14:36:00.012-05:00

Mercer and the gang decided to go on vacation during the hottest week of the summer. Temperatures reached 103 degrees with humidity on top of that. It was brutal, but it was a fun week regardless. Last Sunday, we headed to Sunbury, PA to hang out with Aunt Alyssa and her dog Murphy. We go to Sunbury quite a bit. We sketched out plans for the week ahead and relaxed.

On Monday, we picked up Aunt Alyssa's cousins, Riley (9) and Elle ("almost 8"), and headed to Lake Tobias Wildlife Park. We toured the park in a cut-off school bus and saw tons of different creatures: zebras, birds, llamas, deer, goats, bison, cattle, elk, and more. Mercer and the girls were even able to feed many of the animals. The park also had a petting zoo, which the kids took full advantage of.

Our tour bus.

Heated leather seats came standard!

At first, Mercer just threw all the crackers down on the ground. It took a little convincing to get him to feed the animals directly.

Elle feeds some kind of beast with horns.

The animals were quite tame and came up to the buses on cue, expecting to be fed. What a life.

Bison are incredible. Solid and massive creatures. This one on the right pooped just as we pulled up. It smelled decent in the 97 degree heat.

More deer in one place we'll ever see.

Elle feeding a baby goat at the petting zoo.

Riley a bit apprehensive about getting too close.

BREAKING

2011-07-16T20:32:00.005-05:00

NEW NEWS: Mercer has been placed in the AM class at Park School. You are in our thoughts, Ms. Hoffman.

School starts Wednesday, September 7. Know who else went to Park School?

RAVEN-SYMONE.

brb

2011-07-16T09:56:00.002-05:00

Mercer will be on vacation for the next week. Amusement parks, dogs, drive-ins, ice cream, and the Phillies await.

7/11/11

2011-07-12T18:40:00.002-05:00

Cowboy

2011-07-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

America!

2011-07-04T18:52:00.001-05:00

Mercer's people

2011-06-27T07:49:00.002-05:00

Mercer walks over the Hudson River

2011-06-26T19:09:00.008-05:00

Grandpa came up to visit today so we drove about an hour north to Poughkeepsie to take in the Walkway Over the Hudson - an old abandoned train bridge that has been converted into a great pedestrian/bike walkway. It was a beautiful day for walking and Mercer seemed to enjoy himself.

Afterward, we all grabbed some suds, sodas, and ciders at one of the best retail stores in the world, Half Time Beverage, and then had lunch at Sonic. I wish we could've taken better pictures, but someone broke our camera while we were in Boston.

6/23/11

2011-06-24T15:09:00.004-05:00

Mercer pumping gas.

2011-06-22T13:21:00.002-05:00

Father's Day

2011-06-21T06:24:00.002-05:00

Mercer and Mommy got Daddy a nice bottle of rye whiskey for Father's Day. Just what the doctor ordered. Since it was a beautiful day, we went for a long bike ride in the morning, did some shopping, and then spent the majority of the afternoon playing soccer at Pierson Park in Tarrytown.

For dinner, we went to Los Abuelos, a fantastic, tiny Mexican restaurant in our town. Dad had a cemita, pictured above. On this beast of a sandwich was sausage, ham, roasted pork, mozzarella, mayonnaise, sour cream, beans, onion, avocado, papalo, string cheese, and chipotle peppers. It was fantastic.

R.I.P. Swimmy

2011-06-13T10:07:00.004-05:00

On Friday, Mercer won himself a goldfish at the Yorktown Relay for Life event. By this morning, the fish was dead. Above is the only known photograph of the fish, which Mercer named "Swimmy."

Mercer got a haircut.

2011-06-10T14:21:00.003-05:00

Mercer's hair was finally getting too out of control, so it was time for a haircut. He jumped right into the chair and behaved perfectly the entire time. Mercer loves his long hair, but we think he knew it was time for a trim.

Mercer went to Emma's birthday party.

2011-06-10T14:16:00.004-05:00

Emma had a birthday party at a local gymnastics center and it looked really fun. I think there were more than a few parents who wanted to jump into the foam pit.

Mercer wrote Emma's name on the card but ran out of room. I think that's happened to all of us a few times.

The birthday girl and Mercer eating some pizza.

Mercer gave blood.

2011-06-10T14:12:00.002-05:00

Mercer had to give blood a few weekends ago to prepare for his entry into the local school system. It took 2 nurses and Mom and Pop to hold him down, but we got 3 viles filled. Most of the crying started when the nurse brought the rubber strap out to tie around his arm. He didn't like the looks of that thing at all.

Mercer makes a pledge.

2011-06-05T15:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday

2011-06-05T07:54:00.002-05:00

Here we have Mercer snuggled up for a long nap in the hotel room in Boston. We're not sure how he was breathing.

Mercer visits Boston / Part III - Sunday

2011-06-02T18:33:00.007-05:00

Our last full day in Boston started with a walk to the aquarium. We were met by a large group of runners finishing a 13+ mile race, which was kind of fun. Suddenly, Mom and I felt very unhealthy.

The aquarium, situated on the eastern harbor of Boston was, um, not great. Mercer wasn't in the best of moods for some reason and there wasn't much to see. No dolphins, no sharks, and one seal. The cost was way too much for what we saw and it made us appreciate our local aquarium much more. Still, we saw some penguins, seahorses, and um, a bunch of other fish. The main tank in the middle of the building was cool - apparently, the whole aquarium was built around it. We did get some cool sea creature toys that Mercer will use in the bath for the next year, though.

It was a nice, hot day so we took another walk to find a place to eat. Mercer loves statues.

And bookstores.

After lunch, Mom took Mercer to the hotel pool and Dad walked to the new Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). The best thing Pop can say about the place was that the building was pretty cool to walk around and look at. The work on display inside was very poor: uninteresting people with mundane thoughts who have too much time on their hands to put their work into broad political and social contexts. Everything lacked depth, thought, and quality. The video installations were particularly dreadful. Pop felt ripped off at every turn. Amateur.

The walk back to downtown was gorgeous.

After Mercer woke up from an epic nap, Mom and Pop had a nice meal at Jasper White's Summer Shack (very touristy): cajun BBQ shrimp, baked cod, beans, corn on the cob, parsnip puree, and lots of great summer drinks. Mercer didn't feel like eating, so we headed out to the 26th tallest building in the country, the Prudential Center, to drink in a great view. We surveyed the town from 50 stories up and it was very impressive.

Downtown:

North Charles River bridges to Cambridge:

Something or other:

South Bay:

Fenway Park:

Charles River, looking south:

Charles River and Cambridge:

The next morning we packed up the family Charger and headed back to New York. We think Mercer had a pretty good time.

Mercer visits Boston / Part II - Saturday

2011-05-31T15:30:00.009-05:00

Our first full day in Boston started off right with a fantastic breakfast at Mike & Patty's, a very tiny (7 seats) shop that cooks up a mean breakfast. The place was right around the corner from the hotel in the Bay Village section of town: a quaint, picturesque neighborhood just a stone's throw from the more built-up theater district. Mercer had cheesy eggs with bacon, Dad had scrambled eggs with potatoes and bacon, while Mom had an egg sandwich with avocado.

After breakfast, we hopped on the Cambridge-bound T to visit our friend Caroline. We also toured the grounds of Harvard, where Mercer broke Pop's camera (only phone pics from here on out). What happened was Mercer was upset that Mom and Pop wouldn't let him climb on a statue so he hit Pop in the back/arm, causing the camera to drop onto the sidewalk. Fun!

We then spent some time at Curious George and Friends, a fun little store packed with Curious Georges and other various children's sundries. We picked up a book or two and headed out for a stroll. After having a picnic at JFK Park along the Charles River, it was time to say goodbye to Caroline.

We got off the T and cut through Boston Common and the Public Garden to take a stroll along Newbury Street. Mercer fell asleep before we even got there, but he did manage to see some beautiful scenery in the park.

After resting up at the hotel room (by far Mercer's favorite part of the trip; he played nonstop with the coffee maker, mini-fridge, drawers, ice bucket, and alarm clock, asking all the while: "Why is this our hotel room?"), we decided to hit Chinatown for dinner. We settled on The Best Little Restaurant and it really lived up to its name. The place was tiny, down some stairs, and had the specials posted on the wall in Chinese. Fantastic. We ordered chicken with mushrooms, eggplant with garlic and rice, pork and watercress soup, and Mercer had noodles in broth with bok choy and broccolini. We were so proud of Mercer for eating all these amazing things. After we were done, he told everyone on Hudson Street, "That Chinese place was gooo-ooood!"

After dinner, it was off to find some ice cream. Another late night for Mercer.

Mercer visits Boston / Part I - Friday

2011-05-30T16:41:00.014-05:00

Mercer and the gang fired up the Charger and headed northeast to Boston for a weekend of adventure. Mercer was up bright and early Friday morning, but Dad wasn't, so we left a little bit later than planned. Still, we arrived around lunchtime and checked into our headquarters for the weekend: DoubleTree Boston. The hotel has a decent location in Chinatown, a few blocks south of Boston Common. It was within walking distance of almost everything, as Mercer and Mommy soon found out.

After being cooped up in the car for so long, the gang went for a walk, northward towards the park, Quincy Market, and the touristy harbor area. Mercer was fascinated by the new city, climbing on every concrete structure he could find and pressing every automatic door button he saw. And as soon as he saw the green of Boston Common, he was off and running. Statues became gymnastic apparatuses and the expansive lawns were his tumbling mats.

Once Mercer had his fill of the eastern section of the park along Tremont Street, we strolled through Quincy Market, where some street performers were in action. This guy jumped from his unicycle to a pogo stick and did a backflip. Mercer was amazed, but not enough to tip the guy.

After walking along the harbor and tourist docks, taking in a carousel ride, we walked back to the hotel and took a dip in the swimming pool. Mercer was in heaven. We had told him there would be swimming involved on the trip; we think Mercer thought we drove all the way to Boston just to go swimming.

After Mercer and Pop swam a few laps, it was off to the Boston Children's Museum, which, as it turns out, was the highlight of the weekend. There were so many things for Mercer to touch, see, and do, and he had so much fun. Plus, the location was beautiful. Much had changed in South Boston since Mom worked her first job at Flashcom in 2001. (Yes, Mercer is wearing a Phillies T-shirt in Boston.)

Plus, the first thing you see when you walk into the museum is this thing:

It was a huge climbing structure made out of curvy, carpeted boards that twisted and turned at strange, tight angles. Mercer made it all the way to the top (about 4 floors) and all the way back down, surely stepping on a few kids' fingers and faces.

Mercer was enthralled with all of the other exhibits, as well, which included bubble-making, physics, sports, and role-play.

We also told Mercer he'd be able to stay out late for this vacation, which was his first real vacation away from home in a hotel room. After the museum, we had a late dinner at the outstanding Jacob Wirth, a German restaurant dating back to 1868 that was just up the street from our hotel. Like most establishments of this notoriety, the walls were adorned with autographs of famous customers. Pop's favorite was a note from Conan O'Brien, accompanied by his now famous self-portrait that read "Thanks for keeping my brother drunk." Mercer ate noodles with butter. Dad had a weisswurst sandwich and Mom had lobster mac and cheese.

Mercer at Castle Park

2011-05-22T16:34:00.006-05:00

There is a giant playground near Grandpa called Castle Park. Mercer took full advantage this past Saturday. It had everything a kid could want in a playground, including a misting station.

Mercer finds a waterfall

2011-05-15T11:05:00.001-05:00

Hard to see, but Mercer gets excited about finding a nice little waterfall and bridge.

Riverwalk

2011-05-14T15:05:00.005-05:00

After going to the movies, Mercer and Dad drove over to a recently completed section of Riverwalk in Tarrytown, a "planned 51.5-mile multi-faceted pathway paralleling the Hudson River in Westchester." Even though it was a little overcast and starting to drizzle, it was pretty fun. Mercer liked the walls that looked like giant steps and Dad liked the views.

Shut up, sign.

Pledge

2011-05-09T11:26:00.002-05:00

Mercer recited the entire Pledge of Allegiance this morning in between bites of his bialy. Amazing.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T06:59:00.001-05:00

Here is the card Mercer made (with some help from Dad).

Holy $*@!, Mercer knows how to use chopsticks.

2011-05-07T18:50:00.003-05:00

A day of doctors

2011-05-06T18:09:00.003-05:00

Mercer had a dentist and doctor's appointment today. He needed to get a clean bill of health for school next fall and Mercer passed with flying colors. His dentist said his teeth looked great.

Mercer's doctor gave him a clean bill of health and reiterated his belief that Mercer was going to be an athlete someday. We'll see. Mercer also got three shots; 1 in one arm, 2 in the other. A rough day for our little guy, but he did a great job.

A shiner like a diamond.

2011-05-01T17:30:00.003-05:00

Last week we discovered that Mercer had a little bruise on his forehead. It went unnoticed for a little while because of his long hair, but we finally saw it during a bath one night. It looked like a small, gray, vertical line; like gently rinsed ashes or something. The next day, it looked like the monster in the picture above. When questioned about it, Mercer said he hit himself in the face with a brick. We eventually ironed out his story; he fell on the playground at daycare and hit his head. It wouldn't surprise us if his initial story were true, though.

Mercer & Shaina, Grand Central Terminal, NYC

2011-04-24T18:47:00.004-05:00

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T07:03:00.004-05:00

In anticipation of the Easter Bunny's arrival, Mom helped Mercer dye a bunch of eggs last night. They drew some good designs on them, too: skull and crossbones, monkey faces, a bunny, a cat, etc. In sharp contrast with last year, not too many eggs were damaged.

Mercer woke up bright and early to find a trail of eggs leading to his very own treat-filled Easter basket. It has since been determined that Mercer does not enjoy Peeps or Cadbury Creme Eggs. Jelly beans are a hit, though.

Down the "fire slide."

2011-04-22T18:28:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week, a 5-year old girl from the neighborhood taught Mercer how to go down the fireman's pole on the playground. Once Mercer got a little taste, he couldn't stop riding the "fire slide," as he called it.