Archive for the ‘Celebrations’ Category

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Time Out for a Golden Birthday!

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Golden Birthday!

Not until Malachy turned 3 did we hear about the term Golden Birthday. Someone had told us that the following year would be his Golden Birthday. We were like, “Huh?” We found out it meant that you turn the age of the date you were born on. So, Malachy turned 4 on the 4th this year. You only get one! ;)

When your child has a birthday, it’s like a birthday for everyone in that there is so much preparation and anticipation. He was showered with gifts, but it also came with promises. About a month ago, Malachy and his classmate shared a vision together, and that vision was a Chocolate River.

Chocolate River!

Once again, it was something we were determined to make a reality. At least, that’s what Shien was determined to do. I actually Googled it, and Rachel Ray, one of Malachy’s favorite chefs, created one! His was going to be different, because it had to have carrot sticks! ;) Shien and him created it, and the cake tasted OH SO YUMMY! ;) One of the things about being a parent is that you’re always trying to make your child’s wishes come true! Certainly not required, but definitely a plus! ;)

Another gift that I HAD to get him was this pen that I saw at a staff development meeting. It’s called the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen, and it was just too cool to pass up. It actually records what one is writing in a notebook, as well as audio! I had it for a while but we decided to save it for his birthday. It’s a way of now being able to record some of his writing, stroke by stroke, as well as him talking live while writing. Very geeky. Very cool. :)

Malachy’s ABCs
brought to you by Livescribe

Finally, we ended the evening with a great view of the most amazing fireworks! As PoPo said, they were especially for him… ;) It is really nice to be able to share a birthday with your country! :) (America is 230 years older! ;) )

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Time Out for CAMP!

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Since I had the summer off, I decided to start a one-man Summer Camp for Malachy.  He dubbed me “Camp Dad,” and he dubbed himself, “Camp Son.”  Instead of spending over a grand and putting him in a summer program, I thought to myself, “Wait, I CAN DO THIS!”  We would have more flexibility in schedule.  We could go on a Family trip and do other fun things together.  Malachy LOVED the idea. ;)

His first request was to have a campfire and roasted marshmallows.  I don’t know what possessed me to promise him one.  As July drew near, he got more and more excited about the idea of a campfire and marshmallows.   I started to fret, and thought to myself, “How are we going to do this in the City?”  A few days before our Camp was supposed to take off, I actually did a Google Search for Campfire in Manhattan, Camfire in NYC.  Guess what?  I found one!  I found something that said, “Beach Campfire!”  It was going to happen on July 2 at Jacob Riis Park, from 7:30pm-9:30pm.  I asked Shien and she said, “Sure!”  Still, I thought, maybe it was going to be a big fire, and we wouldn’t be able to toast marshmallows.  We kept telling Malachy that if it didn’t happen at the beach, we  would toast it at home by candlelight.

At the Beach with PoPo

I called a couple of days in advance just to make sure it was for real.  I got the car from Staten Island, and we went after dinner.  As usual, I relied too heavily on GPS.  It took us through local traffic, and I was so confused because it said it was in Queens online, and we were driving through local traffic in Brooklyn.  I thought it was going to take us to the wrong place.  Anyways, when we got there, NO CAMPFIRE!  I kept figuring it was the July 4th weekend, and that they just decided to cancel it.  There were a few people around, and we walked around the beach for a little bit and decided to stay just a short while and then go home… :(

"There's A Hole in the Beach!"

I tried calling the number a couple of times that I had called 2 days earlier.  No answer.  I kept looking far off in the distance, and saw a group of people.  I decided I had to check it out to see if that could possibly be it.  IT WAS!  I couldn’t run back to tell them, because it’s SO HARD to walk fast in the sand.  I called PoPo, and told her the great news.  Malachy was SO excited! :)   He got to have his roasted marshmallows and even a hot dog!  There was some even some campfire singing; the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.  Unbelievable!  Another thing I could never have imagined.  A campfire in NYC, at the beach!  SO COOL! ;)

Toasting Marshmallows at the Beach!

First Beach Campfire EVER for all of us!

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Time Out for Amuse Bouche!

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Our most expensive night out EVER! ;)

Malachy got to spend the night at PoPo’s, so Shien and I were able to go out for an early anniversary dinner! ;)   It’s always awesome to know that Malachy is okay with us going on a date. :)   Originally the only reservation Shien could get at Wylie Dufresne’s, WD-50, was 10:30pm!  I called at around 3 to see if anything opened up.  At first, the Maitre D told me she had something at 10pm, but then she said there was an opening at 7pm!  That was AWESOME, because we didn’t want to start a 12-course meal at 10:30pm.

Besides being the most expensive meal (FOUR Franklins! ;) ) we ever had, it was definitely the most entertaining.  Shien said it was like going to an amusement park.  Every dish that came out was another adventure into the unknown, and they all could be eaten in one or two bites!  It was like eating someone’s science experiments.

The one that was the most fun was the Everything bagel, smoked salmons threads, and crispy cream cheese. When it came, it looked like a baby miniature everything bagel!  It was actually made out of ice cream with sesame and poppy seeds spread on top!  On the side was salmon that was dried to an almost powder-like consistency and the cream cheese was like a cold thin film!  When you put everything together, it indeed tasted like an everything bagel!  YUMMY!  Two of my other favorites were the scrambled egg ravioli and the cold fried chicken, buttermilk-ricotta, tabasco and caviar. I wasn’t a huge fan of the caviar, but everything else was really tasty!  All of the dessert was really tasty.  I actually wasn’t close to full until I had all of the desserts! ;)

When we got home, we watched Sherlock Holmes, but I kept nodding off.  Still, it was a great night out!  Married for 8 years and together for 17 years to the most amazing woman!  WOW!  I am truly truly blessed! :)

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Time Out for a Happy Father’s Day!

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Being a Dad is really special. Father’s Day definitely takes on new meaning when you become a father. On Friday, Malachy’s school had a Father’s Day Bagel Breakfast. Malachy was so excited. (Me. too! ;) ) It was extra cool, because later that day, he had an early birthday celebration with a classmate, since he’s not going to be in school in July. We shared a bagel and a doughnut and some apple juice. He gave me a Father’s Day card that he made in school. ;) Very cool.

On Father’s Day, Shien and Malachy made me a Bagel Breakfast (yes, I love bagels!), took me out to Brunch, took a trip to Queens to my sister’s new place where my dad was hanging out for a bit, and then let me watch the U.S. Open (even though it was kinda’ uneventful) at my brother-in-law’s, where we had dinner. Shien gave me a canvas print of a picture of me and Malachy that she took at the Chinese New Year parade. ;)

Later that evening, I saw that another blogger commented on my site, and it’s the first one I chose not to “publish.” He commented that he was vexed about people like me who put their kid on public display, as if he were a “trophy child.” He said, “The only thing you will accomplish is producing is an overindulged child with an exaggerated view of himself by the time he hits adolescence. He will think that everything he does is special and important and will then be rendered demoralized when the rest of the world doesn’t agree.” It could have really bothered me, but it didn’t, because I know that he doesn’t get it. ;)

It’s definitely not about showing off my son to the world; he’s not an object on display. It’s about a father who is so proud to be a dad and is in awe of being a parent. It’s truly a gift and a blessing. I feel that if I don’t take the time out to stop and think, then I’ll start taking being a Dad for granted.

As for Malachy becoming overindulged and having an exaggerated view of himself one day? No way. My mom and dad taught me humility, and Shien and I are doing our best to keep him “in check.” ;)

Yummy Coconut!

Bagel Breakfast!

My Dad, My Son, and Me!

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Time Out for the Beach…

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Loving the Beach!

Loving the water!

Malachy was invited to a classmate’s birthday party last weekend to a private beach club… in Queens! :) I never even knew such a place existed in Queens. It was literally in his classmate’s backyard. This was Malachy’s second time at a beach, where he got to play near the water. Both times, if we didn’t stop him, he’d probably just run right into the ocean. ;) He LOVES the sand and he LOVES the water. I’ve never been much of a beach-goer, but he and Mommy really like it. Unless I’m playing golf, I usually prefer being indoors. ;) Never liked putting on lotion, having sand all over, and just baking in the sun with half-clothed people all around. Seeing Malachy so comfortable and enjoying himself so much definitely makes it less about me and more about him. The weather was pretty awesome, and we had a great day! :)

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