Aquarium Visit, Sylvia's Almost Walking, Shawn's 34 Birthday

Shawn turned 34 last night and we celebrated at Anthony's Pier 66. It's usually a safe bet with children. Both kids wanted to sit on grandpa's lap and afterward Tom, who is usually neat as a pin and quite dapper, had tomato sauce down the front of his pants. The family photo was taken at the end of a nice evening.






Sylvia is standing, sometimes unaided, and walking, always aided. The once tranquil baby is now entering her active, exploration tot phase. In my office she pulls out paper from my printer, she feels around the table top for anything she can pull off, she's now opening kitchen doors and cabinets, and in my bedroom pulled everything out of two drawers leaving a pile on the floor before she took off to another room. As she was exploring my grandmother's credenza, I realized that she is the third generation to do so. Her hair is turning a golden brown and her eyes a baby bluish-gray. She'll be one years old next month.







While Cherise worked on a pressing deadline, I took the kids to the Aquarium across the street. Andy is getting old enough to really appreciate the touching pools and spent a great deal of time there. Sylvia is just beginning to engage in new surroundings and seemed much more aware of the fish, pointing and saying "that". Andy was exceptionally well behaved and is really trying hard to gently hug Sylvia. But as you can see from the picture, his best intentions are not always welcome. Andy wanted a picture in the octopus. Right after, a young man was being photographed by his wife and Andy suddenly popped into the photo with the man. Oh yeah, the octopus with two heads. I only wish I captured the surprised look of the man and the happy smile of Andy, but alas, it's on someone else's camera.