View from the Green Stroller

We finally have Rosemary's kid camera in working order, and she finally allowed me to get close enough to it to point out what buttons to push. Here's a walking tour of South Brooklyn and a visit to the ATM, documented from 2 feet off the ground. I wish I'd snapped a picture of her self-selected outfit today: hot pink sweatshirt, brown suede knee high boots, and cotton candy pink track pants (don't ask), which you can see in the "Knees" series towards the bottom. Styling.

My favorite:

Plus there's this bonus clip of life at home. Not sure when it's from tho, maybe last year sometime? The camera dates it as November 1911, but I don't think it's THAT old.

Halloween Wind Up

We spent the weekend with friends in Connecticut, where we made an apple-centric outing to Maple Bank Farm in Roxbury. It's one of the oldest farms in the country, dating back to the 1700s, and the family who runs it has done so for 9 generations. They had about 12 different types of apples there right then, heirloom and not, all yummy. We didn't do any apple picking or pumpkin patching, but the farm stand and its surroundings were so pretty it felt good and autumn-y. Here's Rosemary with her sweet buddy Bea. R completely refused to put down her hot spiced cider for the photo.

In this one she agreed to put the cider down but only because she wanted to eat her apple instead.

Back at home in Brooklyn, we just carved our pumpkin today and are treating it like (I recall hearing) the eskimos treat whales they've hunted, making use of its every part. Here's a little pumpkin lid printing from this morning.

Later on today we'll cook up the pumpkin seeds. She's been looking forward to making them the way they did at school, or I guess just one of the ways. They made both the usual savory style but also sweet ones using cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar (she gave me the recipe). Then they took a poll and made a chart of which kind each kid liked better. They did this last year too and R categorically refused to try them. Progress!

Carved pumpkins below - R made the faces, grown ups did the carving. Jason (handiwork on right pumpkin) clearly has the smoother touch, though I don't think we'll be winning any family pumpkin carving contests just yet. Grinch standing by (not stealing Halloween).

Grandma Nancy!

Here's Rosie getting a helpful hand frog jumping from Grandmama Nancy, who came for a quick but wonderful 3-day visit. (Plus an unknown little onlooker)

Ballet Class

Rosemary started ballet classes a few weeks ago and oh WOW did she take to them. She looks forward to them every week. There was one week in there when we had an extra make-up class to do and she was thrilled. I think she would follow her lovely teacher, Miss Marie, dancing off a cliffside. She is not alone. Every 3 year old in there is completely enchanted. (I have heard recently that Miss Marie is a former Disney Princess, which explains a lot.) They watch her very closely and follow her every move.

Grown ups aren't allowed in class. There's one viewing window where we all line up, the short ones among us (me) on tippy toe. This video was taken through the window, so you can't really hear her class, just the mama small talk.

It's hard to pick her out in this video, what with everyone in their matching tutus. She is in the dead center, closest to the foreground, and turns around to look at the camera partway through.