Faces

It's been a while since I have bored shared with you photos of my grandtwins. Like every grandparent and parent I like to take pictures at birthday (and other) parties. Though I have been taking all sorts of photos for about 50 years, when it comes to parties, I tend to revert to pure snapshot mode - and there really is nothing wrong with that except I know I can (and should) make the most of the opportunity to do something more ... at least for some of the shots.

(If you would like to learn more about how these shots ... and shots of other children ... were taken, click here to view Gathered Images.)

This past weekend, was my daughter-in-law’s birthday party, and I had an opportunity to take some photos. Have a look ...

 

And my favorite ... he had just scored the highest he had ever scored on the
Wii basketball game he had been playing ...

I'm Outta Control!!!!

Friday Favorite - Look Out!!

Once again we join with with Thea at The Happy Shutterbug - for a Friday Favorite.

You think giving my nephew a broomstick and then telling him to swing it is a good idea - even if he is swinging at a piñata? Does my son's expression give you any clue?. (From my grandsons' birthday/Halloween party.)

A Snap, A Set and a Song - Birthday

After a wonderful week at Walt Disney World, followed by a few days to recover, it is time to join with Thea for A Snap, A Set and a Song. This week's theme is Birthday.

The Snap

This is pretty good timing for this theme as my twin grandsons just turned three at the beginning of the month.

The Set

This week we have a set of two videos. Each year for their birthday, I create a video of the boys' year just passed. Here are the videos from year one and year two.

The Song

And, naturally, we finish off with this year's video, featuring (appropriately enough) Randy Newman's You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story.

It's Their First Day

Today my grandtwins arrived at their first day of their first experience with summer camp. Just 3 months short of their third birthday, wearing their brand new water shoes, they walked to their room with their parents. The director met them at the door and said to one of them, "Hello Lukas" to which Lukas replied, "I'm two!" They proudly handed him their backpacks and sat down with the other children - never looking back.

That is how their first day in a school type setting started. Right now they are completing their first hour and mommy and daddy have the first of three hours to themselves. The boys have always been around other children so that setting is not new to them. They have taken part in library classroom settings before so that is not new either. While we won't know how the whole first day went until they come home later today, I am expecting that it will have gone well.

The boys are growing up!

Kids and Their Electronics

When I was a kid, the only electronic "toy" we had in the house was a black and white television. I suppose my first electronic toy was a transistor radio that my aunt bought for me for a birthday back in the 1950's.

When my own children were young, video games where just getting started and very few families had them. To be fair, we did have an original Pong and then an Atari 2600 system, but they were strictly for the use of my wife and myself, not the children. They were too busy with a number of bands and playing sports - not to mention spending time with their friends. When he was in college, my son did buy himself a used game system, but he never became addicted to it, and it too soon was gathering dust.

However, today video games are not confined to the television, and you can play them wherever you are thanks to smart phones, and tablets. I have to admit that even my wife and myself take time to play our games on our smart phones when things get a little slow or we are waiting for something, such as in a doctor's waiting room.

But as fun as it is for us, recently we have noticed the many very young children who are routinely playing games on electronic devices, and my grandsons are no exception. For a long time now, they have loved to see pictures or videos on my wife and my phones, but now they are also very adept at playing games on them as well. We have put a number of learning games for children of their age (2 1/2) on our phones and our tablets, and they enjoy playing with them. However, they also like playing some of the games that my wife and I have for our own entertainment ... my apologies to any of my friends who have received a short Words with Friends word that come from one of the boys.

I have learned, however, that when I give them either the phone or the tablet, that it is in my best interest to turn the wi-fi and 3G off since the boys have been known to order a $400 camera (shipped overnight and had to be returned) and a lunchbox (caught before shipping) from my daughter-in-law's tablet, and ordered a new game from my wife's.

Yet, as much as they insist on the electronics, we try to limit the time spent on them or they will want to play with them for hours on end. The television was the electronic babysitter of my youth, but smart phones and tablets seem to be filling that role for today's youngsters. My grandsons are as happy reading or being read to as using the electronic games. They also enjoy playing with physical objects as well. Now with summer right around the corner, it's also possible to get out to the playground, take a walk on the beach, go to the zoo and all of those activities which are so important and that grandparents (and parents of course) love to do with them. These are the traditional activities which they love doing as much as my kids did or we did as kids.

Getting to watch them grow up

When my kids were young, my wife and I were focused on the every day chores required when you are a parent. Items such as feeding, clothing, schooling and health were where our attention was on a day to day basis. Then, all of a sudden they were grown and with families of their own.

But now, as grandparents, the mundane chores and concerns are the province of (at the moment) our son and daughter-in-law, and my wife and I can concentrate completely on actually watching the grandtwins grow up.

This revelation came upon me last night as I was looking at some pictures of a trip to the playground we recently took. Though it is still winter, we have started to have some warmer weather and on this spring like day we took the boys to the playground.

My wife and I hadn't been with the twins at the playground since before the winter. At that time we put them on the (baby) swings and placed them on top of the small slide and stood there while they slid down ... very slowly. They had just turned 2 years old and were able to do a little climbing on some very low to the ground areas but not much else. Of course we all had a good time while we were there.

This time, things were different, of course. It is now the end of winter, and at this age children surprise you every day with new things. The twins are no different and through the winter they continued to grow up. As grandparents who are not with them every day and involved in the basics of child rearing (any more), each time we saw them we were able to see more signs of them maturing. Speech went from words, to phrases to full sentences showing lots of imagination and original thought. Number skills, letter skills and shape skills are giving way to the three "R"s - Reading, wRiting & 'Rithmetic. It's fun to watch their love of learning new things - regardless of how  basic or complex the subject might be.

Here at the playground, we really realized just how much they have grown up over the winter. All the big kids - you know, the 3 and up crowd - were climbing a chain ladder to get to the top of the big slide, so naturally the twins had to do it as well. This time, they were able to climb the ladder (on their own mind you) with one of us standing behind and spotting them ... for our own peace of mind as it turned out as no intervention was necessary at any time during the day. Reaching the top they placed themselves on the slide and down they came - with no help from the adults. And when one of the "big kids" brushed by one of the little guys and displaced him slightly, he immediately told the older child, "Don't push me, I'll do it by myself!" No intimidation here.

Although they are twins (fraternal as opposed to identical), their personalities couldn't be more different. While one is very social, one is a bit more shy. However, he became interested in what a group of older girls were doing, and climbed up to watch them. When one of the girls noticed him, she introduced herself and asked him his name. He responded and introduced himself as well, rather than keeping silent or walking away as he might have done. Again, as grandparents we can take the time to see and enjoy watching them grow up and mature.

Two year olds are innately curious, and the twins are no exception. One of the guys spotted an insect and was fascinated. When the insect managed to get away, he went looking for it, and asked his dad to help him find it. Failing in that, dad (ever the science teacher that he is) turned over a rock to discover dozens of bugs for the boys. And what 2 1/2 year old boy isn't transfixed by a colony of bugs? If there were bugs under one rock, shouldn't there be bugs under more rocks? Naturally, they had to find out, and rocks were turned over and bugs were found.

Finally, after a long afternoon at the playground it was time to head home. After about 2 hours of play, you would have thought they would be ready to get back in their wagon and ride home, but they decided that not only would they walk the 6 blocks, but pull the wagon as well. To be honest, one of the twins didn't make it all the way home, and retired to his seat in the wagon ... only to have his brother continue to pull the wagon, now with his twin as a passenger. They arrived home in this manner.

My wife and I raised our 2 children to adulthood, and as most parents, we were often so focused on the act of raising them that we weren't aware of how they were growing up day by day. As grandparents we now have this luxury ... and are enjoying it to the fullest.

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to ...

... Street! (well, that's how my daughter would say it when she was very young.)

First, a brief disclaimer. It is now summer here in New York City, and very hot. It is also a time when my wife is off for the summer vacation from school so we actually do things out of the house. And lastly, in a month, my daughter is getting married and we will be traveling down to Florida for the wedding, and there are still a few projects that I need to finish before we head down. In fact, I am just taking a break from one of them to write this. So what does all of this mean? Well, you may have noticed that it has been longer than usual since my last blog post, and will likely be so until the summer is over. Oh, if the muse moves me I will sit down and write, as I am doing now, but there might be times when there will be more time between posts than during the rest of the year. (Now on to business.)

Right about the time my son was born, Children's Television Workshop (as it was called then) opened two Sesame Street themed parks, one in Irving, Texas, and one in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Although the one in Texas was only open for two seasons, the one in Pennsylvania fared much better. We didn't get there for its first summer of operation, but did in year 2. My son was a year old, my daughter was three. It was a small park then (3 acres) and had water activities and dry activities for the toddler set. There were no motor driven rides, everything was geared for the child to be active. There was a building which contained educational exhibits for the younger child, as well as sets where pictures could be taken in Ernie's bathtub, on the steps of 123 Sesame Street, or with (a fiberglass) Oscar the Grouch in his garbage can. There were banks of computers (remember, this was in the early 80's - people didn't have these things at home) with games using music, colors and numbers.

Although my son was not yet walking by himself, there were many things that he could take advantage of, and while I was climbing cargo nets with my daughter (well, I was almost 30 years younger back then), he was crawling around in Big Bird's Nest. Both of my children, along with my wife and myself, were able to enjoy all of the water activities which included a large wading pool, and a lazy river type tube attraction. All of the food served in the park was healthy food, and there were no stands selling the usual theme park fare. However you could buy a package of carrots or fruit as a snack. Even the restaurant served healthier options such as a whole grain pizza. It was just the thing you would expect from the producers of Sesame Street.

Then our children grew up and the activities of Sesame Place were a bit too childish for them, so they (and their parents) continued to get their theme park fix yearly at Walt Disney World. Sesame Place faded into our memories.

This summer my twin grandsons are just a bit younger than two years old, and my son and daughter-in-law decided that Sesame Place would be a good option for a summer day for the twins. My wife and I accompanied them there this week. And as expected, things were different than when we were last there.

In that time, the park has been operated by Anhaeuser-Busch (the beer company who operate Busch Gardens), and now by SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. As you would imagine, the focus has changed a bit away from the purely educational to a more commercial venue. However, it is still a great day with the toddlers.

Our visit came as we entered a heat wave, so the day was very hot, and we spent the early afternoon in one of the many water based activities which are still a big part of the park. This was the most baby friendly of the water areas, but still included three large sections with increasing depths, but still shallow enough in all areas for the twins to enjoy. There was water spraying and gentle waves that the kids played in, having a wonderful time keeping cool. (I have to say that I did as well - playing with the grandtwins and cooling off myself.) And unlike the visits in the 1980's, none of us came away with painful sunburns. We have all gotten smarter since then. When we were as fully saturated and cooled down as we were going to get, we changed into dry clothes and started exploring the rest of the park.

After a day of activities (the merry-go-round was a bit hit with the boys) and the necessary souvenir shopping...

... we had a reservation for dinner with Elmo and Friends. While the food was good, this was almost entirely about meeting the characters during your meal as they came around and visited with you. The boys enjoyed interacting with all the characters that they knew from Sesame Place on TV.

  

After dinner we all went to see Elmo's World Live! The boys love Elmo's World and here was Elmo in his world right in front of them!

And of course a visit to Sesame Street itself to meet up with Ernie and Bert.

And like any good theme park, the day ends with a parade.

Yes, the park has grown from 3 acres in the 1980's to 14 acres today, and the emphasis on education and healthy eating, while not entirely gone, has been changed to a more entertainment oriented atmosphere, but it is still great that toddlers have a theme park that has been created for them. There is plenty to do and characters to meet, and parents (and grandparents) can have just as good a time as the little ones. It was fun coming back here after two decades away, and I fully expect to be back a number of times with the grandtwins again over the next few years.

(More pictures from our day at Sesame Place can be seen here.)

Moving up through the generations

The other night, the family was together for the first night of Passover. (Well, almost all as my daughter was still in Florida so a little digital magic was needed for her to be in the picture.) These are the pictures that are so important to take when you have the opportunity, as there are four generations of the family represented here; My dad (1), My bother, sister and myself - and our spouses (2), our children (3) and my grandsons (4).

When I came home and thought about it though, we have been having four generational get togethers as long as I have been alive. Of course, while I was generation (4) then, I find myself in the postition of generation (2) at the moment. Of course it's the way of things, and eventually every one moves up on the family tree - but it seems to happen so quickly. So I started looking back at the journey that brought us here.

When I was a toddler, I remember visiting with my father's uncle's family. Living with them at the time was the matriarch of his side of the family, my great-grandmother. I do remember that she scared me although my memories of her include nothing but kindness from her. Yet she was OLD (remember I was a baby and then a toddler at this point), and she spoke with an accent which to me, was scary. Looking back now from my current perspective, I wish I were old enough to have appreciated her and the family history I could have learned from her. She came to this country from Russia - because she had to - think Fiddler on the Roof. My great-grandfather actually came first to get settled and then sent for her. Think of the amazing stories I could have heard her tell. I was generation (4) at that moment in time - the youngest generation on the tree. (Though I myself am the oldest of that generation.)

Moving along a bit, and staying with the Passover theme, there came a time where my grandfather would lead the seder ceremony, and we once again had four generations, though we all had moved up a bit. My father's mom had passed away shortly after my daughter was born, but my dad's father would see both of my children born and grow to school age. My son and daughter now were generation (4) and I found myself moving up the tree and was generation (3). Thanks to my brother, we have my grandfather sharing some of his memories - including witnessing the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire firsthand - on video.

Then last passover, another change came as my grandsons - born the year earlier - were now a part of the family. My grandfather had passed away more than 20 years previous, but once again we were back at a full four generations. In fact, generation (3) had also increased as my brother had another son earlier in the year. (My daughter, the first of her generation, so far is the only girl.) Generation (3) now covers a 31 year spread! And my grandsons were now generation (4). I find myself as the oldest member of generation (2) now. My dad still presides over the ceremony, but as he tires during it, that task fall to me.

Yes, it is the normal way of things, and at some point in the future (not too soon I hope) I will find myself as the oldest member of generation (1), the position my great-grandmother occupied when I was young. It will be another 2 decades from now until there is another generation (4) ... I am not in a hurry to get there.

(Update: On September 23 2013, my dad suddenly and unexpectedly passed away.)

If I had known about grandchildren ...

I'll admit it - I thoroughly enjoyed raising my two children. While they were very young it was fun to watch all the milestones such as first solid food, first tooth, first word. Of course, now with the distance of years since that time, it's easy to forget the other part of those days ... the nighttime feedings, the illnesses, the crying, and all of those dirty diapers! Of course I wouldn't have exchanged it for anything, as that is just part of enjoying little kids ... isn't it?

But then I discovered ... grandchildren! Or in my case (so far) ... grandsons - twin grandsons. Two new children in the family - and my wife didn't have the "inconvenience" of being pregnant or giving birth. I didn't have to put up with the "fun" of the personality changes of her being pregnant. We did wait through the night when they were born, but naturally, that was the fun part.

Their first year we got to see so many of their firsts, such as their first holiday (Halloween), their first New Year's Eve, and all of the developmental firsts such as the first smile ... times two!!! And while a diaper or two was changed, the bulk of that fell to their parents. Yes there was the drool, spit-up and all those fun things, but when they happened, all we had to do was hand them back to mom and/or dad. Ahh the perks of being a grandparent. And of course, we get to spoil them rotten.

At seventeen months old now, they are much more like little boys than babies, and quite a bit more interactive. When one looks into my phone case and looks at me and says, "Hi?", I know he wants to know where my phone is - one of his favorite things to play with. And how much fun is it watching the other twin trying to figure out some new feature of one of his toys? And though they are twins - albeit fraternal as opposed to identical - their personalities are so different from each other in every manner ... from what they like to eat, to how they like to play, and how they interact with other people. Be careful, or Sean will hustle you with a game of pool!

But this is such a fun age because they are constantly surprising you. New vocabulary - although the ubiquitous "NO!" has already become a regular part of how they will answer questions.

As the saying goes, if I knew that grandchildren were so much fun, I would have had them first.

When should you bring the kids to a Disney Park?

When Disneyland was less than a decade old, my grandfather and my aunts became the first in our family to visit. I remember one of my aunts saying upon their return that Disneyland wasn't for kids. What she meant was that this is not a park with just amusement park rides for the kids and nothing else. After all, wasn't that Walt's purpose for building Disneyland in the first place?

But at what age should you bring a young child to one of the (now multiple) Disney Parks? Is there such as thing as too young to bring a child?

I have heard both sides of this argument, and there are points on both sides, but I think it really depends more on the individual child than any set and fast rule.

Many people would argue against it saying that if the child is too young they will not remember it. That is certainly true, but is it important to be remembered? Again, it depends. If going to a Disney Park will be a once in a lifetime event, then most certainly you should wait until the child is old enough to not only enjoy him/herself in the moment, but be able to remember it for years to come.

However, if you know that this will be just the first of many trips, why not let a young child enjoy the experience. But then you have to ask, how old are we talking about? Again you have to know your child, as well as your own tolerance for the extra care they will require. Is your child used to traveling and being in public situations, or will the theme park atmosphere overwhelm your child? Will your child be able to enjoy the characters and the atmosphere, or will it scare him/her? These are things you need to ask yourself before you consider when to bring (or not bring) them to a Disney Park. Remember also that if your child is having a melt-down, not only may it disrupt your day in the park, but the day of other guests as well.

But if your child is comfortable and happy in new situations and can handle the hubbub of a theme park with thousands of people, loud sounds and music, then why not bring them and allow them to enjoy themselves? They may be of an age where they will not remember their first visit, but they can certainly enjoy the experience as it happens.

Had it not been raining on the day my wife and I visited in 1979, my daughter would have made her first visit at 7 months old. As it turned out, she made her first visit at 4 years of age, while my son was 2 years during that same visit ... his first as well. Neither of them remember that trip, but we have been back many times since then. (Boy is that an understatement!)

Last August, my son - now the father of twins - and my daughter-in-law took those twins to Walt Disney World for their first trip. They were 10 months old at the time. They experienced attractions, parades, and food that they hadn't before. Did they enjoy themselves? You tell me ...

And no, this will not be their only trip ... they will be heading back this August as well.

It Happens Every Spring (Training)

Today life begins once again. Pitchers and catchers report to The Mets spring training facilities in Port St. Lucie, Florida. This scenario is being repeated all over Florida and Arizona this week. The disappointments of the past season - and as a Mets fan there were many - have been put behind us, and optimism abounds. Today, no team is any games behind any other. Today, all teams have won the exact same number of 2011 games ... none.

Football may have become the post popular sport in the US thanks to the NFL's agressive marketing, but what better sport to bring families together than baseball? My father's uncle introduced him to the joys and frustrations of being a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and prior to the deserting us for Los Angeles after the 1957 season, my dad did the same for me. We both continued to follow the Dodgers on TV until 1962 when the Mets were born. We didn't care that they lost 120 games that season, it was our team, and my dad and I could sit in the stands on a sunny summer day in July and August in the Polo Grounds - formerly home of the enemy NY Giants - and watch The Mets (attempt to) play baseball. Years later, when I was married and had my own kids, I would continue this piece of family bonding. Thanks to 14 years of a season plan in the 1980's and 1990's (the final season was 2000), my son and my daughter and I spent quality time together through the good seasons and bad. Those games were spent in more than watching baseball. Yes, my son and I talked strategy (he was a catcher like I was), and my daughter learned how keep a scorecard, but much more happened during those times together. We formed a bond which still exists today, as I did with my dad. What a special night that was when my grandfather, my great-uncle, my father and I were together at Shea Stadium that night in September, 1969 when the black cat walked in front of Ron Santo and the Chicago Cubs dugout.

Shea Goodbye - from our old seats

Now when I watch a Mets game, I know that my father will most likely call me from Florida during the game to talk about it ... and my son, who still lives here on Staten Island may call me as well. When The Mets played their final game at Shea Stadium, and I was able to get tickets, my daughter flew up from Florida (where she now lives) to go to the game with me. While we were there we visited our old seats where we sat for more than 30 games a year for so many years. We watched as The Mets finished a collapse which saw them miss the playoffs on that final day - that final game. We watched as the last game pitch was thrown, and as the final ceremonial pitch was thrown.

And when, the next season, The Mets moved into their new home at Citi Field, my son and I attended the first game played there - a college match. (I will admit that one parenting mistake of mine was to allow my son to root for a different NHL team than I do ... but that is a story for a whole other blog entry.)

A week later, when The Mets played their first game at Citi Field, once again Iris flew up to attend that game with me. Both were very special occasions, for more than simply the ballgame, but because it was something that we still could share. Happily that is but one of many things.

Now it is time to bring the next generation into the picture. This past summer, my grandtwins attended their first Mets game (and their first Brooklyn Cyclones game as well) for another of those 3 generation ballgames. And the tradition continues.

So here's to another baseball season - at the moment, full of hope! Let the traditions continue.