We saw our favorite twins this weekend, Ella and Sophia. While Julia is visiting her family in Poland, Eric is holding down the fort. We spent about an hour at the Central Park Zoo and then went to the Billy Johnson playground nearby. The weather was perfect and we all had a wonderful time. Two weeks until we jet off to Turkey!

From our last trip to the Dominican Republic…

Adam had a great birthday party today. Thanks to all our friends for coming and celebrating with us.

We have the best friends ever. A couple of weeks ago they invited us to their home in Long Island and it was so much fun. We grilled and chilled by the pool. Our preschool boys were brave because the water was still cold, but nothing would stop them from splashing and swimming. It was a great day. We really enjoyed getting out of Manhattan and spending the day in the ‘burbs.

This year we are celebrating Adam’s birthday twice. The first time was with his school buddies and tomorrow we are getting together with our friends. It reminds me of my Mom and the story about her birth certificate. My grandparents were quite busy when she was born. My grandfather was in the military and was getting ready to be deployed to start his long years of military service. My grandmother was to follow him shortly thereafter and because they were so busy they didn’t get a chance to get a copy of my mother’s birth certificate until well after her birth. So, we think she may have been born on January 7th even though the actual certificate was issued on January 21st. Hence we celebrate both dates.

Adam actually might beat this record this year. We will be celebrating his birthday and many other birthdays in July when we finally fly to Antalya, Turkey to see my family and spend ten days soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the warm Mediterranean Sea. We can’t wait!

Each year we have a tradition to take a photo of Adam at 6:54am, the exact time he was born. He is three years old today and we love him more and more every day.

Here he is at 3 hours, one year, two years and a photo taken this morning!

My son keeps saying that he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up - and here he is in his “uniform.”

I love my son’s real smiles, it is such a joy to hear him laughing.

Most of the time he graces me with this expression.

This past weekend we went to Forest Hills to spend time with Eric and Julia and their adorable daughters Ella and Sophia. Although Eric and I work for the same company, it was the first time all of us met. It was also the first time Adam met twins and he couldn’t stop hugging them. Ella and Sophia generously shared all their toys and impressive library of books written in English and Polish. Both Julia and Eric speak several foreign languages and have had some amazing experiences - living and teaching in Japan, and commuting between Boston and New York City while Eric was completing two Master’s degrees at Harvard. Our children were well behaved and we were able to enjoy a delicious meal and engage in thought provoking discussion. We then went for a stroll to soak up some gentle fall sun and capture a few fun images of the twins at a local playground in Forest Hills Gardens.

Eric and Julia, we can’t wait to see you again to do some family portraits.

Ella

Sophia

We met our friends Emily and Scott at their beautiful pre-war home on the Upper East Side, complete with an arched ceiling that we once owned at our former coop on 72nd Street. Sutton’s one year birthday party was a blast! Adam enjoyed it too as evidenced by the tequila he poured over his head. It shouldn’t be long before he pledges a fraternity. Your intrepid baby photographer spent a good part of the evening on the ground and/or soil snapping pictures of Sutton’s family. We enjoyed meeting his grandparents and cousins. What a pleasure it was to watch Sutton start to walk.

Thanks to Sutton’s parents for lending Adam some dry clothes for our long ride down to Virginia after the party was over.

Here are two pictures: