Category Archives: A update

Oh Hurricanes….how NY has missed you….

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I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Christmas Blizzard of 2010 really F&*$ed up NY.  I know we all know that NY was F&*$ed under snow.  But I mean more mentally.  All of a sudden it is not safe to be in a place where you can’t get emergency help!  No kidding!

I was only 5 years old when Hurricane Gloria payed us a visit, and that storm was a category 3 when it hit Long Island.  Irene is anticipated at a 1.

If the LKs were only husband, wife, dog and cat…we would be getting cozy in our PJs and riding out the storm on our couch.  But now we have A.  The little lunatic is making us prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

There are many guidelines to follow when correctly and thoroughly preparing for a hurricane here on our barrier island.  I’ve already put all of our pretty important documents up high on a shelf in a plastic box.  I’ve taken the super important docs and made sure they’re in a ziploc bag and are coming with us.  Good jewelry, coming with us.  Water bottles, check.  Food prepared, check.  (I will NOT eat canned food).  Now, to the thing that people have been recommending…documentation of the house.  I’ve been told to photograph the house from all angels in case there’s any damage & insurance needs proof!  What a better reason to show the house 8 months after move-in!  I am apologizing for the disorganized mess you’re all about to see, but this is how it is around here for now.  We’re working on it!

Lets start in the master bedroom!

Ahhh clean sheets! Irene - if you mess those up I'll be PO'd.

Our bay window. See that tree trunk out there...Mister LK is pretty scared that is one of 5 that are going to crash land on our house from the winds!

Cathedral closets

Mirror Mirror on....every wall of the hallway....show me where to enter the bathroom!

Primary colors galore!

Sink stuff...

my little dark vanity table

on our way out the door!

Holy Bathroom!!! This is the next project....for obvious reasons.

Guestroom...

We like to store things in here that we don't want touched by A since this door is pretty much always closed

I am going to have this room looking much better very soon for our friend's visit mid-September!

A's almost complete art station...with no crayons since she thinks the couch is her canvas lately!

For someone (me) who can't commit to color, I think I did a pretty good job in here!

I know the blue is tropical....and some might hear steel drums when they walk in, but I love it!

Load up the office shelves - everything important UP HIGH!

A little bit of organized mess in the mudroom! how much laundry can one family of 3 have!

this kitchen....could really use some work haha!

I can't wait to have an open layout one day...then the highchair won't be in the middle of the room!

We're really hoping our new giant windows don't break from the wind!

More piles on TOP of the furniture 🙂

Nice big empty wall space waiting for something to be hung up....what to hang ?!?!

Just the living room - watching the weather!

We've moved all things away from the windows & off the shelves in preparation 🙂

I guess it is a good thing we never hung anything on the walls yet!

See! Nothing on the walls 🙂

We hope you like our house 8 months later!  We hope it’s still here when we get home!!!

All for this…

 

A Hurricane, A Tornado & Now An Earthquake at the LK House!

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Last week Gramma had cousin S stay at her house all week!  That was pretty exciting for A & I because we haven’t really seen cousin S all summer, and Gramma brought her over for a play day with Miss A!  It was a great day.  These girls are so damn cute together.

We went out to lunch, had a dance party, watched a princess movie, had sushi dinner, took a bath & got ready for bed together.  When they left, my house looked like Hurricane A & Tornado S did massive damage!  Way more damage than the earthquake did yesterday!

Before we see the photos of the fun from our play day, I’d like to talk about yesterdays’ quake.  I know a lot of people are very shaken up, both literally & figuratively from it.  I also know that it was very mild here at my house.  For me…it was kind of fun & a little funny.  I really thought I was going crazy!  The floor wasn’t moving here, but the walls of the house were swaying back and forth.  I thought I was dizzy…but then I checked out the lampshades that were swaying, the plants, the tv, etc.  I went to call our friend E who lives around the corner to see if I was crazy, and the phone wasn’t really working.  The first person I spoke to was AG in NC and SHE FELT IT TOO!

I know it was not as strong here as it was in other places closer to the VA epicenter, however, I’m grateful that no one was hurt.  As we’ve seen out in Cali & down in Haiti & across the ocean in Japan.  Earthquakes can be tragic.  Here on the east coast of the US, we were all shaken…but not injured.  As people experience the aftershocks, I am going to appreciate the power of Mother Nature & this earth…try to respect her more & prepare for the real life hurricane Irene about to hit.  Here in Long Island we haven’t had a major hurricane since I was a little girl (same time we had the last little earthquake too), so I will pray that we don’t get hit with anything devastating or dangerous.

Now – check out OUR little natural disasters at work!

Lunchtime smiles with Gramma!

 

 

Dance Party!

They thought sitting here was so funny!

"I didn't push anyone!"

What mesmerizes S like this?!

A Princess of course!

(Auntie S2, please note S’s obsession with A’s kitchen you got her…loved by all!)

Hugs!!!!

Cousinly love!

Relaxing with Gramma & some Sesame Street

A being a hair stylist!

Saying goodnight 🙂

What a great day!  We can’t wait to play with Cousin S & Cousin A2 again this weekend!!!

 

 

 

Rainy Summer Day Fun!

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We had big plans to go out to the Hamptons to visit with our family this past weekend.  Big plans that were ruined by a virus and a ridiculous amount of rain.  It rained so much on Sunday that I couldn’t even leave my town.  All the roads were flooded and I thought I was going to need to get my arc out of the attic 😉

What to do when you’re dressed & ready to go at 830am…when you’ve been stuck in the house for days on end with a little virus and she’s FINALLY feeling a little normal again???

Hang out at PD’s house & wait out the storm!

Miss PD was ready to play!

They were both a little cranky, we tried to get them to relax on the couch with some Sesame Street!

When relaxing on the couch with Elmo doesn't work - we resort to anything to make them laugh and keep them not whining!

A spent some time hiding from me behind the playhouse!

And finally - Miss A the eskimo! Just had to check if the snowsuit fit! Not that I want winter to come anytime soon! But we should be prepared 🙂

The mommies even got to lay down and watch a movie while the girls napped!  The rain didn’t stop all day.  The backyard was completely filled with water & we thought about sending the girls out to swim!  We ended the day with both girls having low grade fevers again & me feeling really bad that A got PD sick.

Good news!  PD was just teething & did not have the virus!  She woke up with NO fever!!!

Thanks to the D’s for having a very nice rainy summer day with us!

Calling all Free Range Parents!!!!!!!

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I need free range friends!

There’s been a lot of discussion on the various parenting styles existing these days, there’s the helicopter , the tiger, and the free range.

It would be noble of me to say that I don’t make judgements on parents I know who fall into the other categories, it would also be a lie.  It is why I find it hard to be friends with non-relaxed parents!  I knew from way before I ever had A that I would lean more toward “free-range” than another style that is defined by micro-managing children.  I don’t even enjoy micro-managing my own life!  When A is playing with another kid & has a mother hovering over her, I feel stifled.  I also feel like if A falls down, that other parent looks at me like it is my fault.  I have to bite my tongue not to say – “hey – if her booboo is my fault, I’m ok with that”.  That whole scenario is way too much work for me!

By all means, I believe in setting boundaries for my child.  Limits that teach her what is acceptable behavior and what is not.  Rules that teach her to take proper precautions for safety, health, etc.  I know that if I ever lost track of her while allowing her to play on her own, I’d panic.  I also know she’s only 15 1/2 months old and that I have to watch her carefully now…but all of these things don’t mean she can’t play on her own, fall down, even bleed a little.  I know I did & I’m still here!

I love A more than anything in this world, and I want her to grow up and be independent.  I think that’s one of the most important things to me.  I think at this early stage, she’s pretty independent!  My need is for other moms & dads who are similar to me!  I have a few friends like this already, but not enough!

This post is a personal ad!  I’m looking for Mom friends who are ok with a little bump and bruise.  Who want to chit chat and problem solve about setting boundaries while laughing about how silly, crazy, scary, funny, annoying, amazing our kids are!  It would be a bonus if I could find a parent who wants to send their kid to sleepaway camp as soon as they are allowed to go!

Check out what happens when I leave A to walk up ahead without a leash on HER!

When she can walk ahead of me on her own...

She has SO MUCH FUN!!!!

And I can't get enough of her happy face!

 

 

Embrace the Camera Thursday 7.21.11

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A turns 15 months today as we embrace the camera!

Mommy & A walking to dinner for Great Grandma’s Birthday!

It is completely mind blowing & crazy how much she has grown and changed since she turned 1.  She has really been making me laugh to the point of tears the past few weeks, which is a nice change from her making me just plain cry!  Mister LK and I were discussing what her list of words is, and it is astounding how many new words she has…some of which include:

  • Mommy
  • Daddy
  • T (the dog)
  • M (the cat)
  • kitty cat
  • Doggie
  • Woof Woof
  • Fish
  • Minnie
  • Mickey
  • Elmo
  • Pooh
  • Brobee
  • Baby
  • Ball
  • Bubble
  • Balloon
  • Bobo
  • Thank you
  • Please
  • Agua
  • Bano
  • Teeth
  • Tushie
  • Shoe
  • Beach
  • Down
  • Up
  • No
  • Yes
  • Tickle Tickle
  • Cookie

She also says her BFF’s name….PD….and it’s the cutest thing when they see each other now – they hug and kiss without us telling them to!  There are some more words that I’m sure I’m forgetting but also she will repeat EVERYTHING!  She may have said “Oh SH*T” on her own the other day – Uncle C & I heard it, but we didn’t laugh to encourage her…it was hard.   Those are mostly the ones she uses on her own pretty constantly.  Cookie is huge here.  Everything is a cookie.

She can point to her belly, belly button, nose, ears, eyes, mouth & toes.  She will clean up!  This part is great!  If I tell her to clean up, she’ll pick up her toys and put them in the toy bins!  If I give her a paper towel, she cleans the floor with it!  This all makes Mommy very very happy!

I’m loving the summer so far!  We have a very busy next few weeks ahead & I think A is going to love all the stuff we are going to do!  Especially the part where she goes to Gramma’s house next weekend!!!

This motherhood thing is crazy hard, crazy sweet, crazy chaos, but most of all crazy amazingly good!  I love you A.

Move over Monet….Here comes Baby A!

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Last week was a great week!  I don’t know if it is because A’s teeth are in, and no more are trying to poke through, or because I basically ditched all plans to do anything that I “needed” to do, and only did things she “wanted” to do…but I’m sticking with our routine of playing this summer!  It is more fun for her, and for me!

To me, summer meant camp.  My earliest memories of summer involve the beach with my Grandma, but since her Grandma lives too far away to take her to the beach every day…A’s first summer memories will include beach days with Mommy!  and next year – Camp!

I’m trying to create a “camp” at home for A.  My favorite part of camp was Arts and Crafts!  Here is what our first Art project looked like….

All set up!!!
A contemplating her work so far…
Painting in action
No limits….we use our whole bodies to paint!
Miss A had to check Mommy’s painting too….
She took a break to add some color to Auntie E’s license plate!
It is always good to see your work from different perspectives…
And….the Masterpiece!!!!! Genius!!!

This was a great success!!!!  The next time we tried this was with PD….and it became more of a body art session than anything else!  Still fun!!!

Sunny Days…..Sweepin’ the Clouds Away…..

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No lie – Saturday was certainly a sunny day.  Some might even say hot as HELL.  Like really hot.  But we had an awesome time!!!

We went up Friday night so that we could be up there and ready to go bright and early.  We met my mom up there and were staying in a Hyatt Suite hotel that had 2 bedrooms & a common living area.  We decided to put A in the living room so that she could have her own little space.  This part worked like a charm!  She slept until about 730am!  Other vacations, she hasn’t slept past 6.  As for our plan to get there nice and early…FAIL.  The park doesn’t open until 10am.  Silly us.

Here are some photos of the fun we had while at Sesame Place!

First – we had breakfast at the hotel…

A insists on feeding herself now.

We got to the park around 915am just to be sure we got tickets without a line, parked with no problems….and here’s A playing outside the park while waiting!

A is thanking Gramma for taking her to Sesame Place with a BIG KISS!!! These are rare and we love when they happen!

First stop...Carousel!

Since the park opens at 10am, and A’s naptime is 10am, this ride wasn’t as big of a success as it usually is.  Miss Cranky pants wanted to hold on to Mommy….but we got a smile or 2 out of her!

We tried to get her to nap in the stroller, but she wasn’t ready.  We found some things to keep her smiling!

This block pit was a big hit!

Posing a little...

We need one of these in our house!

"I lift things up & put them down"

We went on a few other rides in the “dry side” of the park.  Then we got her to fall asleep as we walked around.  We did a little window shopping in the air conditioned stores & then headed to find a shaded area to hang while she slept.  We got a good hour nap from her & then it was lunchtime!

MMMM French fries!

A found the 1 Minnie towel in the whole Sesame park! Obviously!

We got A dressed in her bathing suit & headed for the water stuff!

A wasn't too sure how she felt about the sprinklers hitting her in the face!

Taking a walk in the wave pool with Daddy

Next on the agenda was the parade!  We went over to Main Street and found ourselves a nice comfy spot in the shade!

A waiting for the parade to start!

The parade was awesome!  The characters were so close to us, and they stopped and danced in front of us & A thought it was pretty cool!

A view from up high!

A's favorite part of the parade! Elmo! She loves this guy!

After that we went back to the pool to hang out a little while we waited for the Elmo Rocks show to start!  It was a good thing we cooled off before the show, because that show was a lot of excitement for Miss A.  She got a huge surprise when…

Yup...that's her Daddy in the show!!!!! What a good sport! (He's on the right!)

Gramma has video which we’ll have to get up here somehow!

Hip Hop Cookie got a good smile too!

Here's our family on the steps!

It was a very long, very hot, and very fun day!  I loved Sesame Street as a kid & I hope A loves it just as much!

 

Restaurant Review – Duke Falcon’s Long Beach, NY

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Sunday night, Auntie E and the LK family  went out for dinner!  A rarity when you have a cranky toddler who needs to go to bed, but we decided that since Auntie E was in London for 2 weeks, she should be treated to a nice American meal that didn’t consist of fish and chips!

We didn’t have a reservation, so they put us at a table in the back, which was FINE by me because I knew aforementioned cranky toddler would soon be too tired for dinner, and a table in the back would let us be as little a distraction to the other customers as possible!

The food was pretty good….and although they didn’t have many kid friendly options, we made it work for A.

We had some tuna tartare, some shrimp & crab dumplings and for dinner, 1 skirt steak, 1 gaucho steak and 1 lamb chops…all pretty good.  A had the broccoli and cheddar soup…here is what she thought of the meal!

MMMM cheese soup through a straw!

I don't wanna say byebye!!!!!!!

I’d go back.  I’d probably go back before 7pm so that A could eat and be somewhat normal…and we could eat slowly and not have to rush out of there so she didn’t break something!

 

 

 

Surviving Motherhood…

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Motherhood is…Just like PMS.

You’re always cranky, something always hurts, you can always cry at the drop of a hat, you can’t remember Sh*t, the little things get to you in a big way, you just want to lay in bed with the blinds closed and no noise….

but what makes it different from PMS is this…

No matter what anyone says…g-d makes them this cute as a defense mechanism.  This is love like I’ve never known before.  No matter how crazy she drives me, I still love her more than life itself.  I might be bald from pulling all my hair out in frustration, I might be completely drained and can barely move at the end of each day, but nothing I’ve experienced in my life can compare to laying in the grass with this little girl running toward me, throwing herself in my lap laughing.  I credit my survival to my friends & family.  1 friend and loyal reader I’d like to mention today…

Our NC family…A, without our commiserating almost daily about how completely insane our children are, and laughing through the “how will we get through this” moments, without your patience of a saint that I aspire to, your ability to literally do anything and find the happy in it, your ability to see situations from perspectives I don’t have, your candidness, honesty & willingness to say the things I need to hear…I’m not sure I could be the mother I am.  I am so lucky that you married R.  I can’t imagine a more perfect person for my best friend.  He’s so lucky…and really, besides him, so am I!  I needed a mother friend like you….if only you lived closer!!!