Run Fox Run

Birthday party

Among the many things I admire about Jamie’s mom is her cleverness. When Jamie announced that he wanted a Ratatouille party for his 4th birthday, she could’ve shelled out for Pixar-sanctioned Remy-ness: Remy plates, Remy napkins, Remy cake, Remy balloons, a pin-the-tail on the Remy game. But Cate cleverly granted Jamie’s wish by dressing him and his young guests as chefs, and letting them prepare their own pizzas, mix fruit salads to their own specifications, and frost and decorate their own cupcakes. There wasn’t a corporate rat in sight. And the critics, like Anton Ego, were ultimately satisfied. Above, Charlotte, Jamie, Jack and Leda dig in for some homemade pink frosting. Many more photos document the big event in the Jamie Turns 4 album.

The Ponies

Today Big Brown is racing in the Haskell at Monmouth Park, so there’s a big crowd to see the Derby/Preakness winner and his peers competing.  But the REAL race fans were there Thursday to see lesser-known ponies take a spin ’round the track.  Leda shared Uncle Gary’s affection for the grays, but her most powerful preference was for the horse/jockey combination wearing the most pink and/or purple.  Nevertheless she was the day’s big winner, picking two winners in six races.  Her selection methods at the paddock were even displayed on the track Jumbotron, as you can see in the Monmouth Park photo album.

Cleo in Summer

You wouldn’t know it from her smile, but Cleo’s cut six new teeth in the last week, with two more about to break through.  This gives her a spot of bother in the evening hours, but during the day she is sunny, playful, and still head-over-heels in love with her big sister.  She’s also fond of some other family members:

Recent photos of both Cleo and Leda, and all the fun they’ve had during recent visits with Grandma and Papa AND Grandma Jeanette, are in the July 2008 album.

Bella Piccolas + Gelato = Great times in Sicily

Sicily, it turns out, has seen everything. Everything and everyone, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Islamic so-called “Moors” to the Normans. Everybody left their mark, architecturally at least, so in two weeks we saw a bit of everything. There’s a cathedral in Palermo that has literally seen it all — it was built as a mosque and has been added onto, remodeled, and “improved” by everybody since. The ancient sites at Segesta, Selinunte, Agrigento, and Villa Casales pretty much knocked our socks off.

Yep, we did the traveling with kids thing again, once again aided tremendously by our partners in crime, Lynn and George. They were more than willing to take a gelato break whenever we needed to recharge the girls between temples. Leda picked up enough conversational Italian to order her own snacks, and corrected Papa’s pronunciation. Cleo became even steadier on her feet, perfecting the gait necessary to cruise down the beach to leap into the onrushing surf Our homes were both well-appointed and well-situated for our explorations of the island, and we even managed to see Mount Etna!

Photos are in the two Sicily albums — start with Part I to see it all in chronological order.

A Shore Thing

At the end of a day at the Shore, there are rituals. If you’re Erica, you head to the end of the dock and throw bread to a lucky duck or two, and hope the swans don’t swoop in. If you’re Rocky, you follow Erica because she has food. If you’re Leda and Cleo, you’re still savoring the taste of the crumb buns you had for dessert after dinner, tired from the sun on the beach and the wind in your face on the boat ride, and you follow Erica because she’s Erica. If you’re Toby, you’re cleaning the grill and kibitzing with Ray and Pat. If you’re the Raybird, you’re gazing out at the island looking for osprey. If you’re Jenn, you have internalized your mother-in-law’s guidance about the light at this time of day, so you rush to the end of the neighbors’ dock with your camera.

And the light wasn’t bad before dinner, either.