Yo Gabba Gabba: It's Time to Dance

DJ Lance was in New York City this weekend and we *had* to be there.  I made certain to get in on the presale tickets several months ago because that's just what you do when your favorite group comes to town, right?  This Mama's not sleeping in line for any tickets, but stalking the tickemaster sight waiting for 10.00am sales to make sure her boy has big smiles was well worth it.  I could have done without the hefty price tag of seeing shows in the city but what ya gonna do.

We told Freddie midweek about the weekend plans and evidently the kid has got this show thing down pat because he flat out said he was having popcorn and a Coke, and wanted a balloon.

Off to the Beacon Theatre we went Saturday morning.  It is an amazing old theatre. 

There weren't any balloons, but what's a concert with out glow stick?  He also got the official tour shirt.

We all donned out DJ Lance glasses and waited for the show to begin.

Hans was very impressed with the colors as we waited for the show to begin.  Freddie was impressed with the popcorn.

When the house lights dimmed and DJ Lance's face appeared on a screen and his voice boomed, Hans poked out his lower lip and screamed.  It was *very* loud and very much like a concert.  

But after a little dancing in the back with Mama, Hans was set for the rest of the show in our seats in the first row of the loge.  The Beacon is tiny and the experience was much different than seeing Elmo at Madison Square Garden.  They performed all of the songs from the album loaded on Freddie's iPod, so he was more than familiar with all of them and the dances associated with each song.  You can catch he and Charlie dancing around in their pajamas in Freddie's a few times a week at least, so he's had lots of practice.

With Leslie Hall

The show, one of seven this weekend, looked just about sold out with the exception of the first two rows reserved for the "party package" patrons.  Lots of Mamas and Dadas were decked in their Gabba gear dancing next to their little fans.  It was about 90 minutes with a short intermission. 

Freddie stayed in his seat for the first half of the show.  I think he was a little overwhelmed, but more than anything he wasn't giving up the popcorn.  It was a lot to take in.  When Charlie would dance, he'd furrow his brow as if to say, "Daaaaaad....You're emabarrassing me."

Biz Markie had everyone beatboxing

He loosened up some after intermission, but still was not interested in Charlie dancing with him.  There were "big boys" there and he has an image to maintain.

We continued the fun with burgers, beers and Shirley Temples afterwards at P.J. Clarke's and a crosstown walk to the petting zoo.  A perfect day.

Apple Pie Cupcakes

A few powdered sugar lumps in my glaze.  Still tasted yummy.

One apple down, 35 to go.  Expect some apple recipes for a while.  Freddie and I enjoyed baking these together.  My favorite part...Pouring in the rum and he says "Mmmmm.  That smells goooood." 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp spiced rum
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. apple, finely diced (about 1 large apple)

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, soda, powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
3. Whisk to combine thoroughly and break up all pieces of the brown sugar.
4. Add milk, oil, rum, and vanilla and stir until just incorporated.
5. Fold in apple until just incorporated.
6. Spoon into fill cupcakes liners about 3/4 way full, dividing evenly among all liners.
7. Bake in oven until cooked through, about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean.
8. Meanwhile, make caramel glaze: In small saucepan combine brown sugar and butter over medium low heat.
9. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, stir in powdered sugar. 
10. Slowly add a bit of milk to help smooth the mixture.  

Notes:

• Try adding about a tablespoon at a time of milk to the glaze until it is at desired consistency.
• I used 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of all the spices. 
• These didn't rise well for me and were super moist.  Maybe a little too moist?  Perhaps I added too much apple and I probably should have diced it a little finer.  I'm storing them in the fridge because it is so humid here now and they were verging on gooey.
• I'll make them again, but try tweaking the amount of apple.

16 Weeks

It's Friday, but I did manage to take these photos on Thursday.  So I'm taking the liberty of posting them to Thursday.

Your brother was unable to get himself in the photo this week.  I made the mistake of taking these in the afternoon.  After he skipped a nap.  Big mistake.  Don't worry.  He wasn't locked in his room.  Just on the floor at my feet wailing because I said his dump truck was yellow.  It's a good thing I suppose, because now I know what to expect with you.

You continue to smile and giggle and charm.  You're super easy and go with the flow.  You get a low quality morning nap in the stroller, so this means your afternoon nap tends to be about 3 hours.  You're asleep not long after 5.30 each evening and up at 6.00 each morning.  You've gotten into the routine of waking up around 12.30am and then again around 4.00am.  I thought I'd try to squash that but think I'll roll with it for a while in the hopes that you just work it out, especially since we are approaching that 4 month sleep regression I have read so much about and even experienced with Freddie.

Some of what you're doing:

• Still sucking on that pointer finger.  You'll go for the whole fist when you're sleepy.
• Enjoying playing peek a boo.
• "Talking" to your brother.
• Batting at and grabbing objects dangling from your gym.  You like the cracking sounds in some of the toys.
• Rolling more often.
• Holding your head up when lying on belly to look around at things.
• Kicking to splash in the water.  This makes Freddie squeal and you think that's just so funny.

Lovin'

• "You so, so, so beautiful, Mama"
• Who Dat!
• Tiny hands in mine
• Apples
• Weekend planning
• Christmas shopping
• "You wanna be tall like me, Hans?"
• Early bedtimes
• Routine
• Leftovers

What are you lovin?

Go ahead and link up!

Scooting

Happy Birthday, Pudge

M&M jack-o-lantern's "mouth" courtesy of Freddie

Thanks for celebrating with us!  We'll see you soon.

Apple Picking

This weekend we headed north to Warwick, NY to pick apples.  It's one of those "New England-y" things I've been wanting to do, falling into the same category as wearing cute sweaters and eating chowder in Maine.

I thought we'd be wearing cute sweaters and jeans, nibbling apples in a scenic orchard on a crisp fall day.  Well, I'm still not fitting into my jeans and just as well because it was warm and humid.  So one of the four outfits that fit (and allow for breast feeding on the go) and flip flops it was for mama. 

I researched orchards on pickyourown.org, a great resource for finding places to pick fresh produce across the country.  After narrowing it down to a few places and checking out some reviews on Yelp, we decided upon Ochs Orchard.

It seems many orchards in the area have an abundance of *fall* activities in addition to just picking apples.  Think hayrides, petting zoos, corn mazes. As tempting as all of that sounded we decided, as apple picking virgins, we'd better stick with simple so when I stumbled upon a review describing Ochs as "low key" I knew that our spot.

We left the house about 9.00am, made the drive out of the city, and arrived to a bustling parking lot an hour and a half later.  Traffic in these parts is light at that time of day, and Charlie's trusty iPhone directions led us straight there.

We had our choice of quarter bushel and half bushel bags to fill with apples.  Of course we got the big bag.  I didn't drive an hour and a half for a few apples.  We also opted to rent the pole to reach the apples.  Good thing or Charlie would have had to scale the trees.  Not many apples within reach.

Up there, up there, up there

The orchard provided a map with the trees that had apples ready for picking noted.  This weekend there were golden delicious, red delicious, cortland, empire, and macintosh.  Freddie liked "reading the map" and telling us where to go.  He also liked pointing out apples ready for picking.  The kid pretty much likes being in charge and bossing you around.  We complied.

Picking apples was hard work.  Freddie asked to be carried more than once.  The Daddy happily obliged.  We should have brought the big stroller to navigate the bumpy terrain.  There were wagons to rent and next time we'll definitely pony up the $5.

There was lots of sampling to decide which varieties we liked best.  We came home with mostly golden delicious.  The fuji are some of our favorites but they won't be ready for picking until the end of the month.

In addition to apples, beans and pumpkins were ready for picking.  Freddie picked the perfect pumpkin.  He wanted a bag to fill with pumpkins and wasn't quite convinced when I explained pumpkins were a "one per person" kind of thing.  

 It was a tough decision and he considered "which one Hans would like" when making his selection.

After paying for our goods, $25 for the apples and $1.25 for the pumpkin, we headed down to the store in search of all things apple. All varieties of apples were available here along with a few varieties that aren't open to "you pick."

There's also apple cider, apple butter, apple cider donuts, honey, jams, and other produce.  

We spotted a few goats, donkeys, and chickens on the way out.  Freddie loved feeding the tiny donkey.  I suppose my days of avoiding the petting zoo in Central Park are over.  We left with a half bushel of apples, a pumpkin, a half dozen donuts, and some cider.  

The parking lot was bursting as we were pulling out.  And traffic through Warwick was bumper to bumper for miles and miles and miles.  Thank goodness we're early risers and made it and out before we got caught in that because it definitely would not have been such a great day sitting in the car with two children for hours. 

Hans was a good sport and fell asleep not long before leaving.

The traffic entering Manhattan, forking over $12 in tolls, and Hans deciding he had enough of the car was just about to make me wonder if this New England-y stuff was for the birds, but Freddie, who jabbered the entire car ride there and back, burst out "Thanks for picking apples.  I had a great day.  Picking apples was fun."

Yes.  It was fun, my dear.  It was a great day.  Now we need to figure out what to do with all these apples. 

Tips for next trip:

• Leave early.   Really early.  The traffic is absurd in the afternoon.  Leaving the city after 9am may mean having to sit in traffic for hours.  I'm not exaggerating.
• Wear sneakers with your cute sweater.  It's hard work picking apples.  The ground is uneven and sneakers would make  life easier.  And I'm not usually one to sacrifice style for comfort so heed this warning!
• Rent the wagon!  It's worth the $5.
• Definitely get the picker on a pole for $2.  So many trees were picked over and there was little within reach.  We could have filled our half bushel bag picking from low branches but I think the higher fruit was better quality.
• Lots of people brought picnic lunches.  I'm not sure we'd be able to handle the traffic if we left later with the rest of the crowd though.

15 weeks (and 3 days)

Late again.  Sorry, Hans.  Getting back to a routine and getting some photos in has been a bit tricky.

Big news this week is that you went 9! days without pooping.  And now you seem to be making up for lost time.  Three poops or more a day means I've had to pull the Boudreaux's Butt Paste out of the medicine cabinet.  Sigh.

Not only do you smile but you laugh.  A lot.  I love tickling your tummy to hear that giggle.

Looking at Dada

Apparently Freddie is more amused than you are

Your brother is another sure way to get a laugh out of you.  He loves you and you obviously love him too.

You're still sucking your fist to soothe yourself to sleep but you've become fond of just one finger in your mouth.

You're a lovable little guy.  Can't get enough of you.

Vocabulary lessons

Freddie loves to try out new words and phrases.  It's funny to hear what he picks up on and how he works them into his dialogue.  This week he's working on "Do me a big favor" as overheard by me on the plane to someone reaching in the overhead bin, "What's up?' origin unknown, and "Darn" as said by Gammie I believe. 

Today a conversation went something like this:

Freddie, sitting on the potty:  MAMA!  There's something on my penis!

Mama, sitting in the rocker nursing Hans:  Um, can you climb down and come in here and show me?

F, holding up his penis, pointing to his testicles:  Here. LOOK!  

M:  Oh, those are your testicles.

F:  My te-te-les?  Darn it!  I need a new penis.

Goodbye NOLA

• Goodbye duckies
• Goodbye one lone swan
• Goodbye scooter rides in the park
• Goodbye cousins to chase
• Goodbye rides in Papi's truck
• Goodbye Taco Bell bean burritos (no onions!)
• Goodbye beignets
• Goodbye rumbling "car street"
• Goodbye mosquitos buzzing
• Goodbye sweaty hair 
• Goodbye big slides
• Goodbye museum
• Goodbye Whole Foods and Target

See you soon!

(We say our goodbyes as we fly away.  I love it, even if it makes me teary)

Children's Museum

Serving Papi some lunch

Freddie's imagination is boundless.  He needn't any props to activate play, but a few never hurt.  And what better props than what the Louisiana Children's Museum has to offer.

Freddie loved cooking and serving in the resturanut, as well as shopping in the groccery and playing in the houses.

The museum offers many, many areas for imaginative play.  Freddie gave eye exams...

Where's Waldo?

Mama loaded barges...

Mama and Hans loading the ships with cargo

And we all road the streetcar. 

Freddie calls it a "car street" kinda like when he's cold he gets "bumps goose"

 But they could have spent all day in the little houses.

Ava can play house too.

Freddie had the grandest meltdown in his 2.5 years of living when it was time to leave.  It was by far his favorite activity in the 2 weeks we were there.  I know next time to get there when they open and stay until they close. 

Brave

Oh, Papi.... someone is calling you.

All three piled up.  I wish I had my good camera to capture the facial expressions!

Freddie offered to hold Papi's hand to help Papi be brave.  That made me giggle.  Papi probably wouldn't have been as brave had the "bouncey place" (as named by Freddie) had any other patrons.  Maybe next time he'll make it down solo.  Or at least with only Ian to hold on to.