Mercer's first email

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

Three wishes

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

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

Apple picking with Sydney and Ryan

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

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

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

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

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

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.