Catching Up

So, we've hit the due date and I haven't had a whole lot of time to post lately. That might have to do with a little something called nesting, but I digress.

Here's what the Mercier clan has been up to in our last few weeks of only-child life...

Heading out to Staten Island to take in a (Staten Island) Yankees game with the CU Alumni group:



Pal-ing around Central Park and taking in the scenes and kiddie rides at Victorian Gardens:



Mommy and Mason took one last big "adventure" as a duo -- heading out to Prospect Park to take in the zoo:







Then heading over to the carousel for a quick spin ... and some ice cream!:



A different kind of adventure -- heading to N.J. and Ikea to get a new big-boy bed for our soon-to-be big brother:



Our first visit to the *new* Yankee Stadium:





Never underestimate the power of the rally cap. Yankees are down, Mason dons his (again) and voila ... back-to-back eighth-inning homers propel the Bombers to victory:



And last but not least ... welcoming Grammy to the city and spending a fun day with her in Central Park (while Mommy was at her zillionth doctor's appointment!)



Hopefully the next time we check in, we'll have some big news about a new little one!

Cousins and Friends

Auntie Nay and the boys came to visit us last week! Here are some of our adventures with the boys: Visiting our favorite playground for a run through the sprinklers ... or an hour of running through the sprinklers!

Mason and Asani


Eli


The video evidence ... yep, the screams belong to Mason!


After that, we met up with Dad-O and trekked through Times Square (with two strollers, and three toddlers, this should be an Olympic event!) to have dinner at Bubba Gump. Mmmmm!


The next day was filled with a photo shoot for the trio.


A ride on the Staten Island Ferry.


And a trip to Toys R Us to ride on the Ferris wheel.


We washed all the fun down with a trip to Koronets, our favorite pizza place!

Kodak Moment

I love this photo, snapped last Thursday on a ride on the Staten Island Ferry -- which Mason, by the way, hadn't ridden since he was a mere two months old. We were on board to give Auntie Nay and cousins Asani and Eli a unique view of the city (more catching up and stories of their trip to come, I promise!)

It was at the very moment I snapped this picture that Mason recognized the Statue of Liberty out in the distance. I just LOVE the pure joy reflected in his eyes, not to mention the way his hair is perfectly disheveled by the breeze in the harbor.

We've read a lot about the Statue of Liberty in our books (like this one and that one), but it wasn't until this second that he actually saw it in person.

Pretty cool, me thinks...

Showing Off Our City

Mommy's college friend Dorothy flew in for a weekend graduation and Mommy and Mason were lucky enough to steal a whole day to spend with her. Her only request: We show her some of our favorite spots in the city. Oh...that, and she wanted to go to FAO Schwarz.

Our first stop was the Carousel at Central Park.



After that, Mason pulled Dorothy all over FAO, while I chased them with the stroller and the camera.

First, the train set.



Next, the Harry Potter section.



Later, the dinosaurs (that is his *cheese* face).



After wearing ourselves out, we decided to grab some good old-fashioned NYC hot dogs and sat in the corner of the park watching the carriages and the cabs pass by. Of course, no warm-weather lunch is complete without a Mr. Frostee ... or two!



We finshed off our journey with a walk through Times Square before heading home for a little R&R. Of course, there's no rest for the wicked. We had a date with some steamy NYC pizza and finished our day in the most perfect of ways: A Magnolia Bakery Cupcake.