Christmas 2011, NYC

The little elves at 352 East 8th Street eagerly counted down the days until Christmas.

Since Cavan is with his daddy for the holidays this year we opened some presents a day early. No one complained.

Cavan showed off his cool new watch while Lulu sat on the couch reading her new Max and Ruby book.  Thank you Grandma and Pop!!

On Christmas morning Santa dropped a big bag of pepto pink Barbie toys down the chimney (or, since we really don't have a chimney he probably snuck it in via the fire escape).  Here's Lulu playing with her new Barbie convertible!

And of course a bit of spiced egg nog on Christmas morning never hurt anyone!  Yum!!

To top off a lazy, relaxing Christmas Day at home, we will enjoy salmon, trout and mahi all smoked by Daddy on the roof.  And tomorrow for Boxing Day we'll take this smoked pork butt to our friends Coby and Marianne's house for pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw on potato rolls.  Yum!  (It's no secret that I married a class A cook.  It's very, very good to be me!)

An excellent Christmas 2001 indeed!

xx

Christmas is Coming!

This time of year is amazing in NYC and we're starting to get into the spirit of things.  Last night after we got back from the beach we went to our favorite spot for Christmas trees and found another beauty.  Although we were tired (and Daddy was battling a stomach virus) we rallied and got the tree home, up and decorated.

We also picked up a little reindeer friend that the Christmas tree man's girlfriend makes out of tree scraps.  Love this little guy!

We're looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the holiday season at home.  Counting the days until Santa comes!

xx

Long Island in December

Last weekend we decided to make a quick trip to Southampton for the weekend.  It just so happened that it was Lulu's pal Julien's 2nd birthday and we celebrated at a petting zoo/farm on Long Island.

Lulu absolutely loved the goats, sheep and cows and she squealed with delight when she fed them.  She's still talking about giving the sheep "ice cream" (the feed is served in cones).  The kids also got to feed the goats milk from bottles.

Cavan and his pals Henry and Sofia loved the amazing wooden jungle gyms on the farm and despite the frigid temperature we were hard pressed to coax them indoors for lunch.

Once inside, Cavan agreed to a sit down with Santa but "only for Lulu."  I'm not sure who is bigger, Santa or Cav!

It was a great weekend that proved it doesn't have to be summer to be a good time in Southampton.

Encyclopedia Lulu.

Thanksgiving 2011: Denison, Texas

Top 10 Reasons Why the McHales Love Texas for Thanksgiving:

#10 - The Setting and Scenery are Magical (the Baby isn't half bad either!)

#9 - You can relax on the deck at night and hear a symphony of coyotes singing and baying at the moon.  Very Twilight Saga!

#8 - You get to go into the woods to choose sticks for s'mores!

#7 - Pop will let you use his pocket knife and show you how to whittle those sticks into s'mores skewers.

#6 - S'MORES!!!!!!

#5 - You go shop hopping in downtown Denison and find a perfect pair of deer antlers (cheap!). Yes!!

#4 - TACO BANANA!!!!!

#3 - There are some really awesome abandoned train cars on Main Street that no one will stop you from exploring!  So Cool!!

#2 - Grandma's Unorthodox Wednesday Thanksgiving Dinner Was Amazing!!  Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, spicy cornbread stuffing and our special cranberries (family secret).  Yummy Mom!!

#1 - Greggie was forbidden in the kitchen!  Thank you so much Grandma and Pop.  We love you!!

The Lulu Whisperer

There was but one person who could charm and beguile Miss Lulu into eating her meals in Denison, Texas.  T'was Pop!  Where Mama, Daddy, Grandma and Big Brother failed, Pop prevailed.  He's the Master of Distraction and the Prince of Playdoh and we love our Pop.

xxoo The McHales

Its All Fun and Games 'Til Two Kids Land in the Doghouse.

You go to Grandma and Pop's house and fall in love with their new dog (the recently rescued and appropriately named Luckie)...

and next thing you know she's taken your bedroom and you're in the dog's room!  How did this happen??

(Disclaimer: no children were harmed in the filming of this segment.)

Good times in Texas!!

xx

4th Grade!

Cavan says that he's "not a fan" of this picture because "people on the street will mistake the twinkle in my eye for me being nice."

A true New Yorker?

(P.S. he really IS nice!)

-xoxo Mommy and Greggie and Lulu

Musica Caliente!

Last week Lulu had her first music class and she loved it!  For the first several minutes she was unsure and tentative, preferring to hang back with mama rather than join in.  But before long she was cutting a rug and stealing the show!

The class, called Music for Aardvarks, is the same one Cavan took many years ago and he still remembers many of the songs.  The kids get to experiment with various instruments and of course sing silly songs with fun dance moves incorporated into them.

All the next day she kept talking about "class" and how she wanted to go back.  We're all excited to see what this week's session will bring.

Halloweenies

We may not go door-to-door in quite the same way as when mommy and daddy went trick-or-treating as kids but it's every bit as much fun!  Instead of ringing the doorbells of the Jones, Smith and Johnson houses, we visit our beloved local retailers who doll up their windows, dress up to the nines and stockpile the candy for our little trick-or-treaters.  Sometimes its hard to tell who's having more fun, the kids or the grownups!

A local East Village shop decked out for the occasion 

(notice the tiny trick-or-treater inside).

Big Brother dressed up as (go figure) his fave Yankee Derek Jeter, while Little Sister went as the main character in her favorite book series Ladybug Girl. The resemblance is striking...makes sense that Ladybug Girl's name in the book is none other than...Lulu!

After a fun-filled trick-or-treating adventure through the East Village we arrived home to find our amazing downstairs neighbors bearing Halloween treats for the kids.  A squashy marshmallow pumpkin and Mickey Mouse lollipop delivered by our infinitely patient downstairs buddies (would you want to live underneath this family??) rounded out the loot and reminded us once again why we love it here.

Happy Halloweenie Everyone!!  

xx

The McHales

It poured last night!

So we went for a walk in our pajamas.

 And ladybug boots.

And the really huge umbrella Daddy bought to keep me dry.

-LuluMac

A birthday card for mama.

Artwork courtesy of Lulu.  A great day all around.

xx

Mama

Spooky!

The McHale Family Jack-o-Lantern: 2011.  Design by Cavan Shane Miller.  We think he did an excellent (and very spooky) job.

xx

Fall Fashion: Clover Louise Style

Who needs New York Fashion Week when Lulu is on the scene to tell you all you need to know! Miss Lu got a fabulous little denim Mexican dress for her birthday from our friend Jennine, but today she decided it just needed a little something extra to give it that je ne sais quoi.  She layered it with a long sleeved black tee, pink heart necklace and...

...black and pink star print leggings.

Later that day, while shopping for shoes for her big brother, she happened upon an incredible pair of cowboy boots!  She just had to have them!

After a very fashionable tour of the Farmer's Market, playground, and local ice cream shop, we had a very sleepy cowgirl on our hands.  Being the resident arbiter of high style is hard work!

xx

We're Halfway There!

We're officially halfway through "Grandma's Rocktober Challenge!"

Last year Cavan had a few, um, issues with remembering to write down his daily assignments and bring home all of the things he needed for his schoolwork.  To kick off the new school year Grandma came up with the idea of setting some goals for Cavan that, if achieved, would result in very cool rewards.  The first challenge?  Every day for the month of October, Cavan must remember to write all homework assignments and important test and quiz dates in his daily planner, plus bring home all materials needed to complete the day's homework.  For each day he completes this task he gets a sticker on the "Rocktober Challenge" calendar on the front door.

As you can see we have two full weeks of stickers which means Cavan is taking this challenge very seriously.  If, at the end of the month, there is a sticker on the box for every school day, Grandma has agreed to sign Cavan up for the new baseball league he wants to join.  YAY!

We look forward to celebrating the successful completion of "Grandma's Rocktober Challenge" because we're sure he will succeed.  And then it will be on to the next "Grandma" challenge!

Go Cavan! Looking forward to some serious skill building in 4th grade!

Columbus Day 2011: The Bronx Zoo

Lulu and Daddy had such a great time at the Central Park zoo recently that they decided a tour of the Bronx zoo was also in order.  It just so happened that Cavan had the day off from school for Columbus day so off they went.

Everything from tigers and elephants, to gorillas, giraffes and gorgeous birds were enjoying a beautiful Indian Summer day.

Cavan and Lulu take in the view.

Looks like one wild animal escaped his cage!

At the end of the day Lulu decided it was all too much and crashed in her stroller.  Big brother decided to climb up on a camel and enjoy a final view of the Bronx zoo.  By all accounts it was a great day and everyone slept very, very well that night.

Happy Birthday to Lu!

On October 5th Lulu turned 2!  She started the day off modeling her birthday outfit.  Lulu has developed a fondness for tutus and, naturally, a day as special as this would require one!

When Cavan got home from school the real festivities began.  On the menu for dinner?  Pizza of course!  Followed by a pistachio birthday cake from our fave local bakery Sugar Sweet Sunshine.  No one makes a better cake than Sugar Sweet!

The birthday girl admired, then blew out, her candles (with a little help from mom).  What did she wish for?  You'll just have to guess because the birthday girl's not telling!

After cake it was time to play.  While daddy kept her busy, mommy and Cavan quickly piled a big bunch of presents outside the bedroom door.  Surprise!

Lulu got so many wonderful gifts.  And while the glove, bat and ball set from big brother was a very close second...

...the runaway, hands down favorite of the day was definitely a miniature version of Lulu's stroller that she pushes her baby in up and down and up and down the hallway.

Happy Birthday Lulu.  We love you ladybug!

-Mommy, Daddy and Cavan

An epic morning at The Central Park Zoo.

Lulu insisted that Daddy take the morning off Monday to continue our Animal Edification Series.  This stop was Central Park's Zoo.  We were both overwhelmed by how beautiful and lush it was right here in the middle of Manhattan.

We strolled through the paths and saw penguins, a polar bear sleeping in the distance, a quick glimpse of a snow leopard, a ton of birds and this little guy…a red-tailed panda watching us slowly pass by.

Then we came out of the trees and passed by the snow monkey habitat on our way to see the seals being fed.  Lulu couldn’t stop giggling at their bark as the trainers tossed them buckets of little fish.

With the morning almost gone and an exhausted couple of kids (big and little) we hiked over to the petting zoo where Lulu and Daddy pet a huge black angus, some sheep, an alpaca or two, two pigs, and, of course, THE GOATS!

What an amazing moring!

Lions and Tigers and Elephants, Oh My!

The last week has been maelstrom of congestion, traffic, frustration and muck thanks to a 9/11-related terror threat, a Presidential visit, a United Nations session and, well, Mother Nature's contribution....heavy rain.

On Saturday morning we decided a good old-fashioned museum visit would be just the thing.  Lulu had never been to the Natural History Museum, and with 5 or 6 visits under his belt Cavan was feeling like quite the tour guide.  We started at the elephants.

And then Big Brother pointed out the virtues of the stately ostrich.

After visits with birds, giraffes, bears, reptiles, gorillas, Plains Indians and the Hall of Biodiversity we were all ready to call it a day.  Rainy weekends aren't so bad after all.

Update: 9/11/2011

A package arrived this weekend from the Tuesday's Children Foundation.  Inside was a t-shirt, magnet and handwritten note addressed to Cavan thanking him for his efforts on 9/11/2011.

We love our Cavan.

A warm September morning in the McHale household.

Love my girls!  -GMac