Happy Birthday AG!!!!

Posted on September 28, 2011 by lksquared

Dear AG,

I want to wish you a very happy birthday from all of us here at LKSquared. Every single person, animal, lunatic that lives here can’t wait for you to live here too! I hope that you get all of your wishes on your special day! If you lived here we would make you a very special birthday cake, even though it would not be as pretty as any cake you’d make!

Thank you for being my mommy’s voice of reason & shoulder to lean on when no one else understands her. Thank you for always listening to her whine about me & let out her frustrations of this stay at home mom thing! If she didn’t have a friend like you, I’d probably be embarrassed to leave the house with her because she’d be bald from pulling out all of her hair! Thank you most of all for being you! You’re awesome! I know we’re super lucky that my uncle R married you & brought you into our lives. I’ll thank him one day by saying no to 1 expensive wedding item. Maybe.

I hope this is your best year yet!

I had a talk with M before he left and told him to be nice to you on your birthday week. I hear he let you sleep in today. You’re welcome 😉

Love Always,

Miss A

We had the best visit with you & my future husband M.

Sweet Moments…

Posted on September 26, 2011 by lksquared

Here are some sweet moments between Miss A & Mr M this past week.

These 2 cuties had their share of pushing, pulling, screaming, etc….they are toddlers after all, but nothing was as good as the sweetness they both are…especially when they are together 🙂

We miss them so much already!

Best Friends …

Posted on September 14, 2011 by lksquared

My little girl has a best friend. They are adorable together. These girls melt my heart.

I hope these girls are friends forever. There is nothing better than a forever friend.

A forever friend of mine once told me I was passive aggressive. I couldn’t see it. I totally was. I’m going to try to teach A not to be that way…but it certainly is easier to be passive aggressive than confrontational! I’m also going to try to teach her to be the best friend she can be, because even though there are going to be times when that friendship is taken for granted, it is always better to be the one who gave it their best shot & loved, supported, listened …

I’m sure she’ll figure it out on her own that sometimes you’ve just gotta be a little selfish!!!

For now, they’ll take turns being pushed in the toy stroller!

My Corney Little Girl!

Posted on August 23, 2011 by lksquared

We had dinner the other night with our friends the D family. It was an extensive menu, and A did eat some chicken, lamb and broccoli.

She also ate 2 whole ears of corn. She cleaned the cobs…..it was INSANE!!

Her method was really funny! Check it out 🙂

Nom Nom Nom!

Ahhh Delicious!!!!

Rainy Summer Day Fun!

Posted on August 18, 2011 by lksquared

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!

Connecticut Continued….

Posted on August 16, 2011 by lksquared

We left off yesterday with some photos of us on the boat. The boat was great, and we all (except DR b/c she has a little baby in her belly & our Dr. told her she should stay away from lake water!) took a nice swim in the lake. It was the first time I’d been in a lake since I was about 12!

After our swim…JR went waterskiing to show us how it’s done & then it was Mister LK’s turn & Auntie E….this was fantastic! I will not waterski. So that is why I am not photographed trying!

Mister LK getting ready...

now say ONE...but just the Wha part - b/c before the N part came this!

He tried 3 times….and each time got a little better….but he wanted Auntie E to get a turn before lunch! (what a good heart!)

Auntie E hanging out in the skiis

Waiting...

Hmmm....I don't think we got to Wha here....maybe just W! Great tries though Auntie E!!!

They were great sports. Not me. I stayed on the boat!

After lunch…we met…

The real spider(wo)man!

Then Mister LK & DR went to the grocery market with AJ while A, TJ, Auntie E & I played in the living room!

A played on the chair....

She got thrown on the couch...

She tried to hide in the pillows...

When we were tired out - we had a little IPad time!

When you have no soapy bubbles, IPad bubbles will work for a while!

Dinner was great! But that meant that our last day there was coming up…

It rained all morning but in the early afternoon we got some sun & spent the rest of the day at the pool! It was fabulous!

AJ looking handsome with his bucket!

Seriously, TJ is one of the coolest kids I know!

Cool & Handsome - and he knows it too!

Look alikes...

All the kids waiting to catch some bubbles!

Our amazing host & hostess!

Thanks so much to the R’s for inviting us for a fantastic weekend! We had such a great time as always & we can’t wait to see you all again soon!

A Great Weekend in CT!

Posted on August 15, 2011 by lksquared

Connecticut. A far away land, rarely visited by South Shore Long Islanders was invaded by the LK Family last weekend! Our very generous friends the R’s invited us up to their summer house for the weekend and we had a blast! It was so relaxing and certainly one of the most beautiful houses I have ever been to!

I will let some of my photos tell the story of our trip!

Our first morning waking up in the isolation of this beautiful lake house.

Beautiful House...

Tito and I hanging on the dock during our morning walk...

Daddy & A walking down to the quiet lake.

walking back to the house for breakfast!

Even though the afternoon was a little overcast, we still enjoyed a great afternoon on the boat!

You know it's gonna be a great ride with A is driving!

A little nap on Mommy for the boys!

So cool!

Handsome TJ! He loves the camera!

AJ plays hard to get, but I got him!

Brothers!

This love affair went on all weekend!

There are a ton more photos of this weekend, so we’ll be breaking it up a little! Tomorrow we will see Mister LK & Auntie E waterNOTskiing. Wish I had video!

Calling all Free Range Parents!!!!!!!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by lksquared

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!

Raising Awareness for a special guy…Daniel Bobis

Posted on July 27, 2011 by lksquared

If you haven’t heard about this story via the news or social media, let me make sure you hear about it here…

Here is the info from the Facebook page that was set up for the search & rescue:

Surfing early Sunday in Sumatra Indonesia, Daniel Bobis went missing. His leash broke and they found his board and he has not returned. His Wife, Friend, and Father along with Local and Globe Aid are searching for him.

A donation fund to aid in the search for Daniel Bobis has been created. Funds will be allocated to any resources that will support the search including helicopter rental, local manpower, travel expenses, etc. All donations will be given directly to the family. Time is of the essence. Thank you for your support in these crucial hours. To donate, log in to PayPal and send funds to dannybobisfund@gmail.com

I can’t stop thinking about his wife and the heartbreak she must be going through. It must be unbearable. I wish there was more I could do, but sadly, there isn’t. There is something amazing about the community I live in though. There has been an outpouring of support and love for this man who some of us never even knew too well. Everyone is praying.

The rabbi who married us spoke at a vigil held on the boardwalk on Sunday night. He said everyone should go out of their way to do an extra deed of goodness and kindness everyday, something caring, and that gd will look upon that as something incredible & help bring Daniel home. “Something out of the ordinary brings about something out of the ordinary” Daniel made a huge impact on the lives of so many young minds here and I think that I will take the Rabbi’s advice & do something out of the ordinary everyday to do my part to impact his life and the life of his family.

If everyone who reads this blog did something out of the ordinary today, maybe even donated to the PayPal fund, we could make an impact too…

If you have a blog of your own that you can get info about this story out on, our community here in Long Beach, NY would be ever appreciative.

If you are a Facebook member, please search for Daniel Bobis Info & like the page…

Verdict at the LK house…

Posted on July 6, 2011 by lksquared

4th of July weekend was a LOT of fun!

We had our friends DF & “the M’s” sleep over with their TOO CUTE FOR WORDS little muchkin CM. I want to eat this boy. I might have eaten this boy when his mom wasn’t looking….or she was….she knows how delicious he is! Look at this …

EDIBLE CM!

We hung out at home for a while & had a little BBQ!

Daddy MM & Baby CM

We waited until the sun went down a little to take a stroll down to the beach with the kids. CM had never played in the sand before…but A made sure he had lots of fun with it!