9/11/2011

Today was a day of reflection and remembrance.  Remembrance of the people who lost their lives, the brave first responders, the survivors, the nightmares, the emotional scars and the first glimmers of hope in the aftermath of 9/11/2001.  It was also a day spent remembering the many reasons we love the city we call home.

This morning we watched the memorial ceremony on tv with our hearts in our throats and tears in our eyes.  But we spent the afternoon with smiles and laughter and feelings of gratitude for NYC and our amazing community.  Cavan and his friend Cate decided to set up a lemonade and cookie stand to raise money for the Tuesday's Children Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting the children of 9/11.

The sale was a huge success and the kids stayed until the last cookie was sold and the last drop of lemonade drained from the cooler.  But with vendors as cute as these two (plus a pint sized New Yorker as an assistant) how could they fail?

Lulu, Cavan and Cate

The little assistant was eager to help but also had trouble keeping her hands out of the cookie jar.  Note the telltale evidence smeared on her face.

Customers came from up and down the block: neighbors, friends, strangers, and policemen from the precinct across the street who made sure to let the kids know how much they appreciated their efforts.  (The fact that they were selling without the proper permits was quietly overlooked.)

After tallying the day's receipts the kids will write personal letters to the foundation to send along with a check that may be small in number but is huge in love.  We couldn't be more proud of these thoughtful, bright and compassionate children.

And today, tomorrow, and forever, we will love New York City.

Fourth Grade!

It's back to school time for Cavan Shane.  This year he's in 4th grade and not only did he score a great teacher, but his good pal Dawson is in the same class!  (The jury is out on whether this is actually good news.  I guess the first report card will tell us all we need to know.)  Looking forward to another great year at Nest+m!

Resident Fourth Grader

Meanwhile, Cavan Enjoys a Thousand Island Adventure!

While his summer may not be as long as those I enjoyed in my youth, Cavan Shane certainly packs a ton of adventure into a couple of months!  In addition to trips to Southampton and Queechy Lake, as well as a birthday jaunt to Dorney Park with dad, mom and bbf Hen, he, most recently went to Papa Mama's beach house and enjoyed an exciting boat tour which, clearly, he loved!!  What better way to usher in 4th grade?

We love Cavan Shane!!  xx, Mommy

Breezy Point: Labor Day 2011

There is simply no place like Breezy.  We can't imagine any other town on earth where we'd be ok with just letting our kids disappear out the back door.  It's kind of like stepping off the canvas of a Norman Rockwell painting.  And lucky for us, our friend Jennine grew up going there and her dad Bruce is simply the most amazing host ever.

We went to see Jennine's family, including her husband Drew and their adorable baby Charlie, over Labor Day weekend and our photog friend Drew once again captured moments that we adore.  Like a dream come true we drove 45 minutes away from Manhattan and arrived in Queens to enjoy sand, surf, kids and tons of fun with our pals.

While the ocean side provides gorgeous waves, the bay side boasts an awesome playground and an amazing view of Manhattan and the Empire State Building.

Mommy and Daddy love Breezy!!  xx

Hurricane Irene (and other news)

It's been a big weekend here in NYC.  Hurricane Irene made an unwelcome visit, prompting us to clear and stow every last bit of our rooftop "garden," batten down the hatches and stock up on essentials in preparation for her arrival (including bottled water, flashlights, and... diapers).

But perhaps the most exciting event of the weekend was Lulu's first ever pee pee in the big girl potty.  (And yes, we ARE crazy enough in this house to think this warrants a post.)  Maybe she was inspired by the hours of rain, rain, and more rain Irene brought.  But whatever the reason we're proud of this milestone (and looking forward to the increase in disposable income that will result from no longer needing disposable diapers).

Go Lulu!

The Ninth Inning

My baby turned nine last week.  NINE!  Next year we'll be in the double digits.  But for now we'll enjoy this ninth inning with our little league Yankee who celebrated his birthday with a bike ride and SURPRISE a new bike!

We rode down to the Yankee store at the South Street Seaport where he got a "real" NY Yankees baseball cap ("no adjustable strap on the back Mom!") and a jersey with his fave player Derek Jeter's number on the back.

Then we celebrated with a special shrimp and steak dinner requested by the birthday boy and prepared by Greggie which was, of course, fabulous!  We actually put the cart before the horse so to speak and had cake before dinner so that Lulu could partake in the festivities.

It took our birthday boy some time to ponder his wish but we're confident it was a good one and that all this kid's dreams will come true.

In fact, one dream already did come true.  The day after his birthday mom and dad took the day off of work and took him and his best bud Henry to Dorney Park, an amusement park in Pennsylvania with amazing rides!  It was a great day and will be a fantastic memory for the kid we're all so very, very proud of.

Happy Ninth Cavan Shane!

Fashion Visionary or Fashion Victim?

I'm on the fence.  But you gotta give the girl credit for one thing: she's creative.  Not many people would have the guts to pair a swimsuit with their brother's boxers and a winter hat. You go girl!

Cavan and His Mates

Sure three of these guys are in an amazing band that sells out upwards of 10,000 seats per venue and another is a branding/graphic design prodigy...but did that stop these cool kids from indulging an almost-nine-year-old in a friendly game of Scrabble on a Friday night?  Heck no!  And that's just one (of the many) reasons why we love these guys. 

Danilo, Andrew, Cavan, Jack and Nate

Fawn-Doe-Rosa

No, I'm not grossly misspelling Ponderosa.  I'm talking about an amazing sanctuary in Wisconsin that Grandpa Wright took us to during our summer visit.  It is home to all manner of amazing creatures including deer, goats, bunnies, elk, porcupines, miniature horses, llamas, bears, pigs, chickens, and, I'm told...wolves.

Cavan + Friends

Many of these animals have been injured and given a safe place to live and interact with animals and humans in a safe, clean and nurturing environment.   Upon entering, guests are given a bag of feed including dry food, carrots and corn (well, ok, the food DOES cost $1.50...but still...think of the animals!). Once in the sanctuary you freely interact with amazingly sweet deer, super snuggly goats and cows that, oddly, remind you of your dog back home (Peanut, I'm talking about you!).

What's not to smile about?  Food without fear of shotguns!

Cavan and I agreed that if there was one thing we could smuggle back on the flight back to the Big Apple it would definitely be this miniature goat.  We think he'd fit right in here!  Picture our morning walks: Shiba Inu, Brooklyn pit bull/boxer mutt, and....mini goat!  Only in New York folks!

Future East Village resident?

Is farming in his future?  Cavan is, after descended from farmers!  He may be born and bred in NYC but don't discount this kid's love of nature! 

Farmer Cavan

All in all it was a great day.  It's hard to say who enjoyed Fawn-Doe-Rose more, Mommy or Cavan.  But none of us regretted the layer of deer/goat/cow/llama saliva we had to scrub off of our hands and we have great memories of amazing close encounters with our furry Fawn-Doe-Rosa friends.

Cavan and Grandpa call it a day.

xx

Fishing 101: Lessons from Grandpa

Mommy and Cavan took a trip to Minnesota this summer to visit Grandpa Wright on beautiful Forest Lake.  Cavan got a crash course in fishing and (beginner's luck!) caught 17 fish in one day!  As it turns out it was lucky day for the fish too (all were thrown back, though at least 2 would've been good for dinner!).

Grandpa Wright + Cavan

Cavan soon learned that Grandpa has more than one trick up his sleeve when it comes to catching fish.  

Grandpa shared wisdom and tips on everything from casting and baiting, to reeling and trouble shooting when your line gets "all gnarled up." Watch.  Listen.  Learn.  

And voila!  Catch fish!!!  A good visit with Grandpa Wright and a great lesson in the art of fishing.

BBFFAA

For those of you who didn't come of age in the 80's that means "best best friends forever and always."

Cavan + Henry.  Long Island, Summer 2011.

Cousin Convention: Summer 2011!

If you're anything like me, you're wondering why my husband somehow forgot his shirt.  But let me explain....it was a beautiful summer weekend and we were at Auntie Lanie's dad's house meeting Baby Ellie for the first time.  We'd just walked in from a very enjoyable day by the pool and when you're lucky enough to have two beautiful girls sitting still at the same time you just smile for the camera no matter your attire!

Lulu, Uncle Greg and Baby Ellie

Ellie was charming, good natured, beautiful and sweet but when it was time to wind down only Mama knew just what to do.  

Mama + Ellie

And then, that evening we realized too late we hadn't gotten a shot of the cousins together.  Poor Ellie!  She was a trooper but decidedly non-plussed with the photo op.

Ellie, Cavan and Lulu

We look forward to watching these kids grow.  The mischief we imagine they'll get into together...not so much.

xx

The McHale's

Clover Louise & Anna Louise...

....so beautiful.  5 years short of a century apart.  Amazing!!!

I went to Southampton with Grandma and Grandpa and all I got was this...

...picture of a sand-filled, dirty-and-drying swimsuit belonging to a certain almost-two-year-old.

The camera was packed.  The intentions were good.  Alas, no photos taken.  I suppose the sign of a really good vacay is, well, no pics.  We were simply too busy to stop and pose.

Grandma and Grandpa Owings flew to NYC last Sunday and drove with us to the Hamptons Monday morning for a short, but very sweet, getaway.  The weather cooperated, the beaches were perfection and the food was 5-star (thanks, of course, to Daddy).

Now we're home wishing we had photographic evidence of a very fine week.  Guess we'll have to rely on our great memories.

Thank you to Grandma + Grandpa Owings for a wonderful week.  And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

xx
The McHales

Little League!

The Little League Yankees season is coming to a close but our slugger has loads of accomplishments to add to his stat card.

The team!

Awe, hell!

I couldn't decide which one was cutest, so here are both.

A pretty typical night at The McHale's.

We still can't figure out the construction hat, but oh well.

These Boots Are(n't) Made for Walking.

Guess it runs in the family.  I liked wearing my dad's cowboy boots and now Lulu likes wearing mine.  Looks great but not so conducive to mobility.

Lesa in Dad's Boots.  Circa 1973?  (Nice shag carpet. Wow.)

Lulu in Mom's boots. 2011.  (Better carpet.)

And You Thought Sinks Were for Washing Your Hands.

fun.

Our friend Rachel Antonoff is really, really great.  But according to Cavan the best thing about Rachel is her boyfriend Nate.  It just so happens that Nate is the singer of a fantastic band called fun.  Cavan started listening to them and quickly became obsessed.  Like, knows-every-word-to-every-song-and-everything-about-every-band-member- (especially Nate) -obsessed.  Come to our house and he'll show you every video the band ever made and, if you're lucky, he might even construct a microphone out of tinker toys and perform some fun. songs for you.  We arranged for Cavan to meet his idol and they were instant friends.  Cavan sang some of Nate's own songs to him and before you knew it they were playing Candy Land together.  Now that's cool!

Cavan and Nate

Cavan with his tinker toy microphone singing to Nate with his backup singer Rachel.

The McHale's Love Rachel and Nate!

Sunday Brunch and an Explosion of Babies

Lesa, Jennine, Simona and Jen.  We met over a decade ago when we were all single girls living in the big city and working at one of the most well known beauty PR firms in the city.  A crazy boss and crazy lives brought us together and we've been friends ever since.  The expense accounts and crappy studio apartments have long since been replaced by great husbands and, apparently, lots and lots of kids.  Sunday brunches may not be held at the latest, hottest restaurant and the conversation may revolve around sleep patterns and runny noses instead of the latest Marc Jacobs collection but none of us would trade it for the world.  Ladies and gentlemen....our Little New Yorkers:

Harlow Levin, Presley Levin, Oscar Lihn, Gray Levin, Charlie Lavyne, Lulu McHale, Ceci Lihn.

Lulu was particularly enchanted by one of Harlow's toys.  Charlie's dad was there to capture the fascination.

A mouthful of bagel and hints that naptime might be approaching.  A fun Sunday Brunch indeed.

The McHales by Drew Lavyne

We went to go visit our friends Drew and Jennine and meet their beautiful new baby boy Charlie.  Not only did Lulu come away from the visit with a great new pal, but we came away with some great family photos courtesy of Drew's cool camera.  Thanks Drew!  We look forward to many happy playdates with the Lavynes!

Daddy and his very serious (and teething) Mini Me.

Yes, even daddies have noses!

A rare shot of a camera-shy mama and baby Lu.

The Blizzard of 2010 - An Epic Tale of McHale Adventure

We were lulled to sleep by flurries and awoke to a window half obscured by snow and wind whipping the flakes into MOMA worthy sculpture.

We opened the door to reveal a snow fossil.  The imprint of wood in snow.  That stayed put.  Like an icy child safety gate.

The base of a "snurfing" run or an alternate view of the police precinct? You tell us.

We decided to bundle up and brave the elements.  Lulu chose leopard.

And Cavan, Mommy and the dogs discovered the street was better suited to walking than the sidewalk.

Daddy + Lulu = Sugar Sweet Snowshine.

The 'hood.  Looking down Loisaida.

A snow angel testing out her wings.

The big news of the day?  A city bus grounded for 14 hours. Skidded, swerved and....stuck.

Mama and Lulu survey the scene.

As does big Brother Cavan.

The sun shines over the disabled bus as workers (on the opposite side of the vehicle) work to clear snow and traffic and allow the tow truck to clear the scene.  The bus driver is tired.

A giant, shiny orange snow plow pitches in to help.  St Nicholas Carpatho Church stands stoic in the background making sure all is well.

 We retreat to Tompkins Square Park where Cavan engages in snowball warfare. A battle ensues.

But Mommy captures the soldier and forces him to hug and pose for the camera.

Meanwhile our snow leopard battles a runny nose.

Mommy and Cavan found an unfettered batch of snow covered ground that we decided to adorn with snow angels.

Cold, tired and hungry, the crew returned to home base for hot chocolate, marshmallows and doughnuts (with white powdered sugar according to Cavan's lips).  The sustenance of champions.

Once the chill wore off we decided to check out the roof and turn the guard dog loose.  (If you guessed that she's embarrassed by the argyle sweater, you've guessed right).

We didn't last long out there (it was cold!!).  But long enough for Lulu to spot something funny...

The end.