Comic Con Cruise

We were invited to attend Fan2Sea, the first Comic Con set on a cruise ship!  Alex worked, and the kids and I got to play.  So much fun!

Bye bye, Grandma Jane!

 At the airport, Penny asked me what kind of airplane we would be taking, and I told her that I didn't know.  When we arrived at the gate, we saw our pilot checking in, and I told her that he would be a great person to ask.  He ended up going onto the plane, getting Penny a card about the 717, and a pair of wings for each kid (*sidenote: 3 years of Classical Greek and it only just occurred to me why Delta's logo is a triangle).  He told Penny that he was going to give her a quiz about the 717, and that we should stop by the cockpit on our way onto the plane.

Goofballs in an airport (with wings!)

When the Captain tells you to stop by, you listen.

Milo loved pointing out the window and telling me everything he could see.

Milo checks in to the ship

Since Milo is a pro at cruises, he started asking for ice cream on the way to the airport

If you zoom way in, you can see Alex hosting the first event of the cruise!

The kids asked me to teach them how to play basketball, and I told them I wasn't sure I was the right person to do that...and then I sunk three free throws in a row.

Not how soccer is supposed to work

Milo was definitely not allowed in Penny's fold-down-from-the-ceiling-required-a-ladder-to-get-in-there-bed

Mini golf is a must on cruises

We lost Milo at sea. But then we found him.

Between Comic Book Club sets was the one and only performance of the Penny & Milo Show.

You can see Cozumel in the background of this photo

Milo loved this fish shower by the kids' pool.  He also named the hose in our room's shower Hosey, and declared it his new best friend

Sunrise on the high seas

This is how you play shuffleboard, right?

If you have any ideas about how Penny can live on a waterslide, she would love to hear them 

Next time, we have to pack some costumes so we can cosplay with everyone!  It was a wonderful and much needed vacation, and we hope there's another one soon!

Big boy bed!

Milo has been getting excited about converting his bed, so this afternoon while he and Penny were watching TV, I turned his crib into a toddler bed. At first he was not at all psyched, but we climbed in together, and he quickly was jumping in and out, asked to change into pajamas, and has been having the best time since! He's such a big guy!

Happy New Year!

Well, gosh, it's really time to get out of 2016, isn't it? These kids we've got are amazing, and that's about the only thing that's kept us going through November and December.
Besiudes being the last night of the year, tonight was also the last night of Chanukah. We lit our candles against the darkness, and I hope that spirit stays with us through the upcoming year.

Might as well look sassy while we're fighting the good fight. R2-D2 necklace was tonight's present.

After putting Milo to bed, Penny decided she wanted to stay up with us to watch the ball drop. She was getting herself a glass of water, and asked if I wanted anything, and poured me a glass of egg nog. She helped Alex prepare a cheese & cracker plate "Like fancy grownups have. Like at a bar." took out her lap desk and drew a self portrait and wrote me a letter about how excited she was to watch the ball drop. We are all hanging out on the couch right now and I truly could not be happier.

Resolution time! Milo will continue to work on his potty skills, and recognizing letters of the alphabet. Penny has resolved to eat more healthful food, and keep trying new things. Alex is going to try to be on his phone less. I am going to try to not wear socks or underpants that have passed their useful lives, and to return to blogging more regularly.

We thank you all for being part of our lives in 2016, and we hope to see more of you in 2017. Let's all take care of one another. We love you.

Potty training!

It is the week between Christmas and New Year's, and we are off of work and school.  Milo has expressed an interest in the potty, so for the last few days he's been pantsless at home, and potty training has begun in earnest!  We've got pull ups, we've got big boy underpants, we are GOING FOR IT.
Also, non-related, Milo is staggeringly good at jigsaw puzzles.  It's truly remarkable.

No photos of the pantslessness, and he has declined to have a photo taken is his undies.  Suffice it to say that he has been wearing his Batman tee shirt with attached cape for the past two days, and spending a lot of his time "flying" around the house.

Penny's Pirate Mini Golf Party!

When Penny woke up this morning, this doll was waiting for her. Its name is Penny, it has fabulously long hair, and Penny has been wanting it for about six months.  She may have been slightly excited about it.  

There is a fabulous place near us called Shipwrecked, which is an indoor pirate themed miniature golf place.  As soon as I heard about it, we took a day trip (during the summer when it was unbearably hot outside) and we knew it would be perfect for Penny's birthday.  They welcomed us, and Penny immediately got into the pirate mood

 The kids were all gathered, and they watched a video with effects - basically, you're hunting for treasure as you play mini golf.

The designers are all theatre people, so scattered throughout are token-operated effects.  The lighting in all four golf rooms is awesome, and the whole place is super fun for everyone.

 You are legally required to serve pizza at Brooklyn birthday parties.

 Are you wondering whether I made a fabulous cake?  I did.  It has rainbow-order chocolate coins around the outside because that's how I roll.

 Oh, did I mention Penny asked for there to be both pink and purple polka dots inside this cake?

It was a really fun time, and now Penny is

SEVEN!!!

Dear Penny

So for a while there, I thought this whole reading thing that you've been doing was an elaborate prank, but I now know for sure that you can really, truly read.  And clearly you love it.  It is a whole year later, and there are piles of books everywhere.  When you wake up in the morning, Milo passes you a blanket from his crib to sit on and you grab some books and read to him.  It is the most amazing thing in the world.

Right now, I call you Toothless, as both of your front top teeth are missing, and show no signs of coming in anytime soon.  Apparently, in the morning, I am no longer able to call you Little One, and will only be able to refer to you as Kiddo, because six is still a child, but seven is a full blown kid.

You started the violin this year, and your teacher gives you the exercises other kids won't do because they're too hard; you think they're fun.  Your tumbling is getting better by the week.  Every evening while I read to Milo, you either read your own book, or you take out a composition notebook and write - you've written poetry, lists of things on your mind, and options of treats to bring in to your class - you decided on Ring Pops.

Every year, I think it's as good as it can possibly be.  I think about how charming and funny and kind and helpful and loving you are and can't imagine that there's more, but then there is.  You are unfolding and revealing and blossoming at such a pace that it's making my head spin.

Penny, I love you to the moon and stars and back and the moon and stars and back one hundred million billion infinity thousand times.  I am looking forward to doing even more awesome stuff with you in your seventh year, and can't wait to learn what you have to teach me.

Happy birthday, big girl. 

Tumbling

Penny had a tumbling performance today, and they ask that we not take video or pictures during the performance, so you're going to have to believe me when I tell you that this place does their "Student Concerts" right.  It's a mix of ages and disciplines - this semester we had Tumbling I & II (Penny's in II), Modern, Creative Movement, and Boy's Movement.  All of the kids are tiny and adorable and work so hard - and none of the presentations are over 5 minutes.  It ends with a Community Dance, and it's really a delightful thing.  Again, I apologize to my parents for everything I put them through, performance-wise.

Here is Penny immediately after her performance:

At our post-performance lunch, enraptured by the television:

Receiving a milkshake as big as her head:

And correctly enjoying her milkshake, while enraptured by the television.