Mercer and the extended family

Top row, left to right: Dominick, Alyssa, Hanna, Mercer
Bottom row, left to right: Tyler, Giovanni, A.J.

Top row, left to right: Jill (mom), Chris (pop), Tyler (on lap), Andrew, Vanessa, Uncle Chris, Hanna
Bottom row, left to right: Aunt Becky, Mercer, Uncle Matt, Giovanni (on lap), A.J., Allison, Dominick (on lap), Nick, Alyssa (on lap)

Mercer with a bat

Christmas morning. Mercer. Bat. Pinata filled with candy.

Kid Art

Interesting article in the Times today discussing the art children bring home from school:

After careful consideration, Jessica Hanff has found the ideal spot for the art that her 4-year-old daughter, Elisabeth, brings home from preschool: the trash can.

The piece takes a look at the different types of parents (hoarders and curators), how important it is to keep kid art, and what the process of drawing actually means to children.

Mom and Pop fall into the category of keeping only the "best" of Mercer's illustrations. We think everything he does is great, but there's only so much room. Mercer doesn't even make all that many drawings and we're still swimming in them. We keep the best stuff in a box and toss the rest. This has been on our refridgerator since Mercer brought it home in 2008; I love looking at it every day:



Mercer knows it's his, and him seeing it everyday in a prominent spot reinforces the idea that we think his hard work is important to us. Or not. But he does know that behind the door showcasing his artwork there are Super Hero ice cream pops to be eaten.

Mercer visits the Maritime Aquarium with Sydney and Ryan

Mercer met up with Sydney and Ryan at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT today. The kids found all of the non-Aquarium attractions more exciting than any of the fish, seals, or turtles, but the shark tank, meerkats, and otter exhibit (above) were all hits.

Rolling pennies around the big yellow thing. This took up about 80% of the visit. (Way in the background is a pretty great seal exhibit that went largely ignored.)




The kids loved this thing where you whisper into the small end and it comes out louder on the other side (where Mercer's feet are hanging out).

Sydney gives us some attitude.

Waiting patiently for the toy boat workshop that never materialized.

Ryan arrives on the scene.

Mercer's ice cream

"Purple mango with sprinkles, frosting, chocolate, and candy inside."

Sign me up.

Editor's note: It's not real ice cream. It's a plastic toy boulder from one of his play castles and some kind of conical toy thing.

Walking through the snow and into the park

We're supposed to get some more snow overnight. Maybe 5 inches or so. In anticipation, enjoy this video of Mercer and Dad walking to our favorite local park taken after last week's snowstorm. On the other side of the icy Hudson River, Hook Mountain and the surrounding highlands looks like it got dusted with confectionary sugar.




Update/Now on YouTube:

NMR: A day off

Mercer had school yesterday but Mom and Dad's offices were closed for the holiday. We decided to go out and see an early movie, Blue Valentine. The acting by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams was fantastic, though some of the plot was a little thin. Overall, a really good movie.

After the movie, we had a late lunch at Tarry Tavern in Tarrytown. Porcini ravioli for Dad and crab mac and cheese for Mom. Very good stuff. Then we had to do some food shopping and before you know it, Mercer was home from school. Mercer and Dad played "Superheroes" which is basically lots and lots of roughhousing, horseplay, and shenanigans. Dad made turkey chili for dinner but we were still too full from lunch. Mercer had hot dogs and later on, Dad had cereal and Mom some toast. Exciting!

Mercer gets his Jack Frost on.

"Get my Jack Frost on!

That's enough!

OK, let's go. I want to go home."

If you're having trouble viewing this video, click here: http://www.vimeo.com/18767905

Sunset over the Hudson

A decent sized snowstorm hit our town last night and gave us between 8-12 inches of snow. Our offices were closed so we kept Mercer out of school and had a lazy snow day. We dug the car out and played in the snow, but mostly we relaxed and watched cartoons.

Cabin fever set in around 4:30 so Mercer and Pop drove to a local park along the Hudson River in time to watch the sun set. Also: it was wicked cold. Got home and made some naan bread pizzas.

Brick circle

I think it's only a matter of time before Mercer is featured on The Sartorialist.

Lunch with Juliana

We caught up with our friend Sarah and her adorable daughter, Juliana, for lunch today. Mercer helped Juliana drink water and showed her his Mobigo games. He could learn a thing or two about eating everything on his plate from Juliana.

Snow day

Mercer and his (Pop's actually) monkey, Chico, in the snow today.

Waiting for our order at Sonic

Murphy

Aunt Alyssa has a cute dog named Murphy. Remember? He and Mercer love to cause trouble, but they also tire each other out.

NMR: Sunbury at night

The Susquehanna River; construction vehicles nearby


The Flood Zone car wash


Stairs that bring you up and over the flood wall

Abandoned building

Train tracks near Aunt Alyssa's house

Cemetery near Aunt Alyssa's house


Aunt Alyssa's house

Linden Street

Papa's garage (with Charlie parked in front)