Exercise with Dad

Together Birthday Party (Ages 5 and 3)

We used a dinosaur theme this year.  The centerpiece was definitely the cake - Dy made a cake and then put all the dino pieces together with purple cream cheese frosting.  There were a couple of toothpicks in there too, to hold it all together.  :)

The sandwiches were made using apatosaur sandwich cutters.  For activities, Kate brought over a kiddie pool for splashing around, as well as a little garden train thingy that was quite fun for the little kids.  We also did a dinosaur egg hunt!  We made dinosaur eggs by mixing flour, soil and salt and pressing mini dinosaurs into each one and then letting them dry in the sun.  They were still a bit soft after a few days of sunning, so we baked them on low heat for a little bit as well.  Those were fun, but it was all over in 5 minutes flat. 

 

Waiting for the party to start

Mina's BFFs

Opening up all the presents

Trip to Montauk

We wanted to explore Long Island as much as possible before we left, so we decided to take a day trip to Montauk with Kate's. 

It takes a while to get to Montauk, so we left early and stopped on the way at Hank's Pumpkintown in Watermill, which is about an hour away from home. The place is enormous, and apparently has it all - veggies, fruits, amusement park, water park, maze, wagon ride etc.  We didn't have time to explore most of it, but we did have a chance to pick out pumpkins, apples, get some apple cider, and play on some of the cool features they had all about. 

Afterwards, we went up a little further to Montauk harbor, which felt like living in a movie, complete with a gorgeous beach and a few pretty sailboats.  We had lunch there too, at a restaurant called Gosman's Dock, which has been around since the 40's and is known for its seafood. 

Grilled octopus- mmm mmmm!

After lunch water play

Luckily we had a spare pair of pants in the car for Rowan, who likes butterflies but does not like to be wet.

Onto the Montauk lighthouse, a national historic landmark. We didn't go up to the top but we were able to take in the absolutely beautiful surroundings.

Final stop - Gemelli gelato.  The thrill of ice cream kept the kids motivated for the entire trip, even though it was a long one.

When Mina gets a hold of the camera

 

First day of Kindergarten (NY)

Taking the bus on her own