he got his wish

SNOW!

birthday swordfight

All. Day. Long.

3rd birthday

In the morning, I woke to a very quite "what?" whispered in the hallway.  With a sleepy smile I waited for the squeals of delight to follow. But they never came. He walked right through the ribbon garland I had secretly hung in his doorframe the night before, peed in the dark bathroom and returned straight to bed for another half hour. I couldn't believe it. When he eventually arose and came in to greet us the slow grin that spread across his face lit up the room. 

He turned three at home, with a few inches of snow on the ground and fresh flakes falling all day long. The presents waiting for him on the kitchen table didn't even phase him, as he was too inent on locating his version of the morning-time card that we all make for each other on our birthdays. But GiGi had sent him a card in the mail with a big number 3 on the front, and that more than sufficed. And he tore into the tissue paper and ribbons as we made coffee, thrilled to find hooks and costumes and books beneath it all.  Later in the day his two favorite neighbors came over to wear the paper hats I made (on request) and share in the shrimp cocktail and chocolate cake that John made (on request) and we all sang happy birthday and watched him delight in blowing out the candles.  It was a happy day that ended with sledding on the church yard hill across the street and several very loud swordfights. And more than a few smiles.

christmas morning

Despite an over-tired crying jag the night before (due to the late, sound-asleep return from Uncle Dan and Aunt Debbie's Christmas Eve party) Lincoln woke up excited and fresh....and, surprisingly, not too early. John had, luckily, managed to squeeze in a reading of The Night Before Christmas on the night before Christmas, and visions of sugarplums were definitely in the air. Grama and Grampa were here to share in the morning's  excitement and we were all smiles as this little not-quite-three-year-old took in the scene. He would have been perfectly satisfied to stop at the stockings. And, indeed, after unwrapping the first present under the tree--a santa costume complete with rudolph--there was no indication that any other present would see the morning light. So we all took our time, and ate chocolate and drank coffee and put the strata in the oven and enjoyed Christmas morning through Lincoln's eyes. 

hi

mad santa

"You'd better watch out. Mama."

(Or maybe he was trying to tell me he was sick of pictures and PLEASE for the love of god put down that camera Mama and let me exist in my pretend world without interruption. Thanks.)

first circus

Under a tent at Lincoln Center today for the Big Apple Circus with Pat, Kory, Frankie, Oscar, Mama and Dad.

He watched, with wide eyes. But the impression it made was unclear. During even the most daring acts, he'd frequently lean over to John or I and inquire as to the whereabouts of the clowns or the ringmaster, John Kennedy Kane. He remembered the ringmaster's name, and his costume--the tophat, the multicolored coat, the mustache--for days. "I don't have tophat like Kennedy Kane. I don't have a coat like that either." Hint hint.

It was a drizzly day in the city.  But Lincoln and his friends were thrilled to run around the fountains afterward anyway. The rain seemed to them an added bonus, and it made me smile.

camera conscious cupcake faces

cupcake

The cupcake.

The chef.

The 35 year old.

The happy result.

tree trimming, the olden days version

String light inspection, with the aid of some gentlemanly advice.

Anachronistic use of lighting technology by said gentleman.

Anachronistic use of lighting technology by John.

A few minutes later: back to the present to carefully hang ornaments.

And to play with some that have been hanging on family trees for more than thirty years. (Or as Lincoln likes to describe it: "before when I was alive back in the olden days". 

I was amazed at the joy that he took in unwrapping each and every ornament. A santa! A soldier! Ooooh a boat! Look Mama! A special sparkly egg! It is beautiful! An angel! As he carefully studied each and every ornament and then hung them approximately 32 inches off the ground, all in one spot at the front of the tree, John and I shuttled them up to the higher branches and tried (unsuccessfully) to encourage him to diversify his hanging locale. Even with our efforts, all the nutcrackers still ended up clustered on the same branch, at Lincoln-eye-height. Bearded toy soldiers with drums: his favorite this Christmas by far. 

happy, in leaves

piles, piles and more piles

With Ritik and Erin visiting this weekend, he had a heaping helping of fall fun.

toy soldier

Paper hat and epaulets made to spec on request. "Epaulets like George Washington" he demanded. And a paper hat to resemble Clarabelle Cow's turn on stage as the toy soldier in Aunt Catherine's old childhood book "Showtime for Clarabelle". An interesting pairing, but with the rest of the getup he unearthed it worked. 

on the cliff walk

at York Harbor. A little post-thanksgiving exercise.

Maine thanksgiving

Sitting down to a wonderful meal with his Z family.

The paper-bag turkey centerpiece (a cousin Pete creation) kept watch.

While cousins got some couch time with Auntie M. 

And some fun time with Grama.

The cooks kept us all out of the kitchen (here, before the cup-of-salt incident).

And Aunt Deanna set her table.

And I got a lesson in french-braiding (which I still cannot do!)

While Grampa tried his best to keep Pete's halloween hat away from an obsessed Lincoln.

And John entertained a giggling kid, a dragon and, of course, a cowboy.

We have so much to be thankful for this year. 

Family most of all. 

(And, yes, we had to forcibly peel that costume off of him before we left.) 

favorite costume of late

"The gentleman" continues its reign.

grandpop's birthday