Katie, Alyssa, and Azure visited last weekend. We all went into the city on Saturday and enjoyed what was surely the last bit of summer weather.
But first, we had to walk to the store on Friday afternoon to get some snacks.
Then off to Starbucks for a well-deserved treat.
No more treats, Mercer. You can just play with that Peanut M and M's bag. ("OK, Daddy.")
Daddy dropped Mom and the girls off on Canal Street to do some illegal handbag shopping. Pop and Mercer drove up to Chelsea and parked on 17th street, where Mercer became fascinated with a Cesspool truck.
Checking out the sights on 17th street.
We went to the wonderful
Books of Wonder, where Mercer discovered the enchanting nature of revolving doors and the tin man from Wizard of Oz. Daddy bought two amazing books that have been in heavy rotation since the weekend:
What's Wrong With This Book? by Richard McGuire and
The Robot and the Bluebird by David Lucas.
It was time for lunch. Mercer wanted pizza, so we headed to Two Boots on West 11th. Other than spilling a bottle of soda, Mercer did an OK job of eating. He loves pizza crusts.
Dad promised Mercer a cookie if he ate all of his pizza. He didn't.
Ten minutes after we left, Mercer turned around and said "I want a cookie."
The ladies love a man walking down the street with a cute toddler. What they love even more, we found, is a man pushing a cute toddler while he eats a cookie the SIZE OF YOUR HEAD.
We waited for Mommy and the gang on 45th street as they finished up lunch. Pop told Mercer it wasn't wise to hold money out in the open like that.
A quick visit to Stew Leonard's in Yonkers was in order.
Mercer and Alyssa. Aww.
Trying to make a getaway in Katie's car. No luck, though.
Here's a rare glimpse of Mercer and Mommy reading just before sleep sets in. They're reading a spooky, silly parody of Goodnight Moon (which is actually a terrible book), called Goodnight Goon. Mercer loves goons.
But first, we had to walk to the store on Friday afternoon to get some snacks.
Then off to Starbucks for a well-deserved treat.
No more treats, Mercer. You can just play with that Peanut M and M's bag. ("OK, Daddy.")
Daddy dropped Mom and the girls off on Canal Street to do some illegal handbag shopping. Pop and Mercer drove up to Chelsea and parked on 17th street, where Mercer became fascinated with a Cesspool truck. 
Checking out the sights on 17th street.
We went to the wonderful Books of Wonder, where Mercer discovered the enchanting nature of revolving doors and the tin man from Wizard of Oz. Daddy bought two amazing books that have been in heavy rotation since the weekend: What's Wrong With This Book? by Richard McGuire and The Robot and the Bluebird by David Lucas.
It was time for lunch. Mercer wanted pizza, so we headed to Two Boots on West 11th. Other than spilling a bottle of soda, Mercer did an OK job of eating. He loves pizza crusts. 
Dad promised Mercer a cookie if he ate all of his pizza. He didn't.
Ten minutes after we left, Mercer turned around and said "I want a cookie." 
The ladies love a man walking down the street with a cute toddler. What they love even more, we found, is a man pushing a cute toddler while he eats a cookie the SIZE OF YOUR HEAD. 
We waited for Mommy and the gang on 45th street as they finished up lunch. Pop told Mercer it wasn't wise to hold money out in the open like that.
A quick visit to Stew Leonard's in Yonkers was in order.
Mercer and Alyssa. Aww.
Trying to make a getaway in Katie's car. No luck, though.
The first baby item that Pop bought as news of Mercer's impending arrival spread was a book called Polar Bear Night. The book had caught Pop's eye awhile back mostly because of the art, by Stephen Savage, who also does a lot of work for the New York Times. The tones are so cool and textures so rich, you just want to jump into the polar bear's world. 