spring in nyc

Since the weather was kinda crappy the last time we went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, we decided to go on a super-beautiful spring day.

Hanging out at City Hall.


Ender in his stroller... cause that's how he rolls!


Why is she so startled?


Because this creep is lurking in the forest!


Ender meeting Bamboo. Sometimes he's a little shy when he meets a new plant (he's still terrified of grass).


This is from a different day, but it's a good example of how frightened he is by grass.


Wow! This is even more fun than the stroller!


Inspired by many bamboo forest kung-fu fights, Ender tries out some of his moves!
(我的父親一樣的女孩打架)

aquanaut training

More of Ender's astronaut training... specifically how to crawl around on a strange planet, and his aquatic training.

Learning to move around on an alien planet is an important skill for the young astronaut to learn. And what better place to learn than on Mommy's & Daddy's poofy bedspread.


The little Space Monkey checking in with mission control.


The bathtub simulator is one of the most challenging portions of astronaut training.


I think you can really tell from this picture just how much he hates bathtime.


Ender loves drinking all kinds of bath water, but he likes to drink out of the spigot most of all.


Every young astronaut must learn how to take a face full of water and still hold on to his octopus before he can join the Space Corps.


Not even a bath can unpart his hair!

easter in arizona (and dc)

Amy and Ender went to Arizona to celebrate Nikki's baby shower! Since it was Easter weekend, there were a lot of fun things to do with the cousins.

Even though it's months until Ender's birthday, and most of his noble blood is too thin to qualify him for any throne, Lisa let him be the Birthday Prince!


Sienna and Ender had a great time playing together!


Hangin' with mom and the aunties!


Aubriegh and Garrett with their favorite aunt.


Ender and Grandma May catching-up on all the fun things they've done since October.


Kissing cousins... before & after.


Ender's first Easter egg hunt!
(grandma only helped a little)


His prize Easter egg!


With a group this big, it's tough to get everyone to smile at the camera at the same time.


Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the Urtons had Marianne and Brian over for Easter in DC. Since the good camera was in Arizona, you'll have to settle for a picture from the camera phone. Nonetheless, a good time was had by all!

king of the park and playground

With the weather getting warmer, we're trying to spend more time outside. We went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, which was beautiful, and we went to our local public park, which was crowded.

Ender was so excited for the Japanese garden that he wore his panda hat! We didn't have the heart to tell him that pandas are from China.


Amy wanted to introduce Ender to her favorite flower, the magnolia.


Ender tried to shake hands, but he ended up just ripping off some petals and stuffing them into his mouth instead.


Brooklyn Mallards... ducks with attitude.


Little man, little tree.


Ender took to the swings like a Brooklyn Mallard to water.


But he was more interested in watching the other kids than in swinging.


He's happy to go tumbling off of a tabletop, but he's scared to go down a gentle slope.

pantshead

Pants for a hat certainly isn't as funny as grandma's wig, but in these economic times, you have to work with what you've got.

The cleft...
Now that he's getting bigger, he's able to really open it up. It's weird, and we're getting it fixed next month.


How do you like my new pants?


I'm ready for my closeup!


Amy is teaching him Spanish.


Ender prefers to sleep with a dirty bottle, rather than a teddy bear like other kids. We don't question it, we just hope it's mildly eccentric behavior that comes with being a supergenius.