Camp Celebration and The Cake

MLM had a few busy baking days.  First up was the celebration at camp.  This didn't require any baking, but it did require assembly in an un-airconditioned kitchen.  One layer was ice cream and one layer was Cool Whip, so I sweated out the preparation hoping nothing would melt too quickly.  After this sweaty kitchen experience and seeing how well the Cool Whip held up, I'm no longer surprised at the urban legends which claim it's only one chemical away from turning into styrofoam.  But it is kosher and gluten-free enough to be used with this group.  

Parfait:  marble pound cake (or macaroon for the gluten-free guests), ice cream, strawberries, cool whip, strawberry garnish topped with an Elsa/Lightning flag crafted by MLM one late evening.

Turning my attention to the homefront, I returned home to whip up the second culinary treat of the day, this time with fewer chemical additives.  Not only was it A+A's bday, but Karly was coming to join us!

And yes, there were a lot of strawberries.  Our kids seem to like them in their cakes.

Thanks Betty Crocker Bake-N-Fill!  Vanilla cake, chocolate pudding filling, topped with fresh sweet cream and (more) strawberries.

Happy (Belated) Birthday!

We've had so much fun this summer that there hasn't been much time to blog.  Part of that fun was celebrating the A-team birthday not once, but six separate times!  Hey -- when you're five you're one whole hand old.  It's a big deal.  I'll break it into a few posts so you can experience all of the fun we did.

First up:  we went out for dinner the night before their birthday.  Not only did we discover that the kids like quesadillas, but we also discovered how much fun it can be to celebrate a birthday in a restaurant.

Before dessert arrived at the table, we learned just how much Tate loves eating beans.  Determining his favorite food these days is a close call:  it's between beans and cucumbers.  Both are hoovered up so quickly it's both amazing and amusing.

Bouncing Tate

Tate loves to bounce in his exersaucer, so I thought he'd love the bounce house.  While I'm not sure if he loved it, I will give him lots of credit for keeping his lunch in place.

Kitchen Toys

Are there any mothers out there who have not handed a mixing bowl to their baby while they attempted to cook dinner?  I didn't think so.

BDPS: Morning Routine

Each morning Amanda handles the preschool camp prep with a smile.  Everyone is happy.  I'm not sure how she does this, but I'm not asking questions.  Amanda sent me a photo to prove that all is well while I'm in the office:

BDPS: Hangin' with Kate

The citizens are thrilled that Kate is their teacher again this summer.  Here are two great photos of the kids with Kate:

In awe of Bonaparte the Magician

In awe of the selections at Mo's ice cream truck

BDPS: Tumblebus

There's always a party when the Tumblebus rolls in to town:

BDPS: ha-ya!

Karate lessons were courtesy of Mr. Alan a few weeks ago.  Amanda reports the kids came home rather energetic that afternoon ;)

BDPS: Dr Seuss

Dr Seuss is a childhood standby.  Not only did they read lots of Dr Seuss stories, they got to act out some of them too!

BDPS: Pinata Party

Ay caramba!  It's a pinata party at BDPS!

BDPS: Musical Instruments

Can't get music lessons like these in our home, that's for sure.

BDPS: Wiggles and Giggles

The kids love it when Miss Joyce comes to camp:

Salem Willows

Tate and Amanda joined me at the all-staff outing up at Salem Willows.  What a fun place!  We'll definitely take the kids back later this summer.

Helmet Heads

You can never be too careful.  Here we see Adam and Ashley sporting their helmets while blowing bubbles.  What good role models for Tate!

Labbers

Here we see the citizens sporting the latest in Media Lab fashion:

Weekend Fun

We had one more very chilly day in July.  And then it got hot!  But when it was cold, we bundled up and took Tate to his first highchair experience at Bickford's.  Then we took a nice walk outside.

Chck out both of my teeth!

Cawn on da Cahb

If ya mix ya Noo Yawk and Bahstin accents, you wind up with cawn on da cahb (corn on the cob) for dinner. And Tate just loves it!

Getting Closer

We're getting closer and closer to crawling.  

Spoiler alert:  There's a backlog of videos, and needless to say, this one is a little old.  As of today's date, Tate has been doing a very serious commando-type crawl for at least 1.5 weeks.  Fort Knox (aka "The Gate") has been returned to its prominent location in the kitchen.  Hatches have been battened down.  We're ready for ya, little guy!

BDPS: Tales about Tails

Some furry friends came to visit the Kohavim a few weeks ago:

To Rockport We Go

It was a beautiful day, so Tate, Amanda and I headed off to Rockport for lunch.  It was unseasonably cold, so Amanda headed out to Bearskin Neck for a quick glance at the Atlantic while Tate and I hunkered down and kept warm.  We managed to amuse ourselves:

Mommy, if I'm old enough for solids, then I'm old enough for coffee.  Gimme.

Y'know, this canopy isn't doing much to keep me warm.  At least my fingers will be warm.

You wanna nibble on his foot?  It's quite tasty!

Tate in the Tank

Ah yes, the other rite of passage in our home:  learning how to entertain oneself in the play yard.  Tate seems to enjoy it so far.  We'll see how long that lasts.

For the record, we're still working on the "goodbye" wave.

America's Birthday

As our loyal readers have noticed, Mama took a little bit of a break for a few weeks.  It is summer, after all.  So let's go back to where we left off:  America's birthday bash.

First stop:  Lexington Lions Carnival.  We've been there before and it gets better each year because the kids are able to go on bigger rides.  This year was even more fun because our cousins joined us.  Here's a clip of Adam, Ilya and the famous slide.

Meanwhile, Tate and I relaxed in the shade of a big ol' tree.  It was a very humid day.  As much as I love going to a carnival, I secretly think I got the better end of the deal.

And if that wasn't exciting enough, we all had ice cream for dinner!

Last, but certainly not least, Amanda and I had a chance to catch the fireworks in Lincoln, MA.  It was an outstanding experience!  Below are the two clips I recorded to share with her family.