zjlw

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I hadn’t noticed until this year exactly how interminable Halloween is. The pumpkin rivals Santa Claus for that guest who just won’t leave. The parties. The preparation for parties. And don’t forget the parades before the preparation for the parties. Of course, always being in costume does have its benefits.

Costume on. Hands immediately to hips (they never left them). Heroic. Yes, ready to, “Save the cheerleader. Save the world.” Kev, you watch too much silly TV.

Tallulah is getting along quite nicely.

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Say hello.

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Nonagintennial. Not a word that you hear every day. Of course, most of us give up the ghost long before we reach it. The Internet says it works for a 90th anniversary and since I like the sound of it, we’ll use it for my Grandfather’s birthday this year. What is an appropriate gift for a 90-year old? 89 birthdays have come before it so redundancy is almost guaranteed.

If you are not a Yankees fan then saying Farewell to the Cathedral probably doesn’t mean very much. In my grandfather’s case, seeing one of the last games in the old stadium is pretty significant to a die hard Yankees fan from the days that it meant something (”That bum Ruth didn’t even get a hit when we saw him play”). So my father bought tickets for as choice a pair of seats as you could find, had a chauffeur bring Grandpa and Annette to the stadium in style and even threw in a couple of tickets for Zoe and me so we could escort them both home.

The only thing missing? A win. Probably the only time my dad was ever sorry they lost. Pretty significant for a die hard Brooklyn Dodgers fan.

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Mom, Dad, Bri and Mel flew in the following week for the birthday bash. We see them once or twice a year. Max. Unsurprising that we tried to pack as much into the three or four days as possible. Avon-by-the-Sea and some serious waves, a birthday, apple picking. Because we still had an ounce or two of energy when the last nuclear Trotta left the building, the kids followed the visit up with two or three fun-filled evenings of nightmares and wet beds.

Grandchildren have been the impetus for behavior in my father I never thought I’d see. His first video game? There was more but I don’t think he’d ever forgive me for outing him on the snuggles. Wait, sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Dancing to Neil Diamond? I really should NOT have said that. Thank goodness there’s no video….

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Jake is a victim…  again… of second child syndrome. Birthday on July 14th and when do we manage to post the pictures? Almost two months later. You know, if we forget to send him to college we could save a considerable amount of money.

Lee left me with the kids for a magnet-free weekend to meet her new nephew Joshua.

Lee crossed the halfway mark. Her father came down to take the kids off our hands for the weekend, allowing us to celebrate her 40th with style. Howard set us up in the lap of luxury and Ed and Julie helped us pretend we were still child-free and could eat and drink our way around Manhattan; dine with Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Ben Stiller and families (no kidding. seriously. two tables away.) at Nobu, partake of the selection at the Brandy Library, mangi Italian at Bar Pitti and brunch at Prune and Kitchenette. All in all, kinda like an Irish wake.

To prove we’re not hedonists, we spent 5 minutes strolling around the recently redone MOMA. See? Cultured.

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Our last hurrah of the Summer, we spent many days on a Rhode Island beach under azure skies before continuing north for our annual Canadian adventure.Ottawa is nice, but does the area warrant so many visits? Sorry Ottawans, but not so much. There’s a reason we’ve ended up in Ottawa every year since Zoe was an infant: The people. Zoe and Jake enjoy our time there as the kids are coming close to outnumbering the adults. We counted 13 at Kev’s barbecue. It was crazy. There was food. With sparklers. Did I mention food? And many thanks once again to Mr. and Mrs. Heginbottom for the magnificent time in Wakefield. The dearth of pictures our proof of how entertaining it was.

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The last post was really depressing. What a relief we decided to mix it up during this year’s Independence Day holiday. The previous two were already way too monotonous. First July 4th, then Hempels in the Hamptons and then Rhode Island beaching. Better. Ok, that’s not Rhode Island. Technically it’s Massachusetts. But really, what’s the difference. Rhode Island is just a large county of Massachusetts, no? Worcester is actually a hair bigger. Bracing myself for the hate mail.

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Jake has proven he is absolutely insane. I don’t mean the average kid’s “I just ate paste” insane. I mean the “I am intent on drowning myself, being dragged out to sea and sinking to the ocean floor” kind of insane. The order is unimportant. I waded out and stood between the boy and the abyss. He still managed to get knocked over and pulled under by a “BIG ONE!” I lost sight of him long enough to break into a cold sweat. You can’t catch him if you can’t see him. Cough up water, brush off sand, rinse and repeat.

Can someone explain why he can shake off a near death experience but being toweled off after a bath is like taking a hot poker to his eye? Right. A control freak. Where did he get that from?

Yeah Kev, skate egg case. What Coop said :)