Katie TV tours our hotel room
Katie feeds the fish from the boat
Friday, February 24, 2012
St Maarten
Last weekend we were lucky enough to go to the tropical paradise known as St Maarten with my company. About 60 employees, partners, and kids went which made for a fun bunch. The island was beautiful with perfect weather (78 degrees with no humidity), crystal-clear water, and great beaches.
Our journey began last Friday when we left our house at the unholy hour of 4:30am and 12 hours later we were on the beach. The kids did fine during the long trip and we were all excited to stretch our legs and swim around a bit before dinner. We stayed at the Westin at Dawn Beach, which is on the eastern side of the island. Apart from some slow service, we were really happy there. It was the nicest play we've stayed on our company trips. Our room was huge! It had a full kitchen, big living room, balcony with a view of the ocean, and a bedroom and big bathroom. We soon discovered that the big room just meant that Peter had more room to run from us. And run he did. He can now move really fast and can be hard to catch at times!
On Saturday we spent all day outside, alternating between playing in the ocean and swimming in the pool. Peter was super-relaxed in the water. He would cuddle with Nancy and look like he was in heaven. He got so relaxed with me in the pool that he fell asleep! Katie did great swimming around with her vest on and even cautiously tried swimming without it. We're hoping that the next time we're at a beach she'll be swimming without the vest. Katie got her hair braided by the woman in the gift shop.
On Sunday Katie and I went on a all-day boat ride with a bunch of other people from my office. Nancy and Peter stayed at the beach. Peter got to play with another boy about his age, Mikey. Katie had a great time on the boat. She was really excited to go snorkeling but chickened out when she realized she had to put her face in the water. Instead, she was happy holding on to my shoulders as I looked underwater and described what I was seeing (there wasn't much to see). Then we sailed near the small island of Anguilla, stopped again to swim, and returned to the dock after a full, fun day on the boat.
Monday was spent on the beach and pool and then on Tuesday we had to say a sad goodbye to St Maarten. The trip back was very long and Peter was squirmy and restless.
More stories and videos to come in the next few days. Lots of photos are below and even more are here.
The traveler on her way to the plane.
Enjoying the clear blue sea.
Peter falls asleep near the pool bar.
Peter being pushed in the inflatable turtle.
Peter cuddles with Mommy in the pool.
Katie gets a "dolphin ride" from Lauren.
The beachcomber.
Katie and Mischa on the boat.
On the boat.
Katie and Mischa at the front of the boat, her favorite spot (and also the windiest).
Katie watches all the fish swim near our boat (people threw part of their lunch in the water to attract them).
The cove where we went snorkeling.
Another view of the cove.
Katie and Daddy on the boat.
The seafarer on the front of the boat.
Katie on the boat during a beautiful sunset.
The boat we sailed on.
Meanwhile, Peter plays peek-a-boo with Mikey.
Me and the kids in the sea. Peter loved bobbing up and down on the turtle on the waves.
Katie enjoys ice cream on the beach.
Peter plays with Maggie.
He needs to work on his catching.
Maggie runs for the ball while Peter stares her down. (Katie and me are in the hot tub in the background).
Katie pretends she is Jasmine in front of a fountain.
Peter liked the turtle so much he sat in it in the hotel room.
Our final night in St Maarten.
Going for one last swim before leaving for the airport.
The beach. The island in the background is St Barts, where lots o' celebrities go.
Another shot of the beach
Our hotel
On the bus to the airport
We saw this face from Peter a lot on the plane ride home. But all in all, the kids did great and made it a very enjoyable vacation.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Super Sunday
Last week I went to Atlanta to make sure my parents were behaving. I'm sorry to report that they are on their best behavior. It was great to spend so much time with them. I owe Nancy big time for being a solo parent for an entire week.
While I was away I would video chat with Katie and Peter every day. It's remarkable to think how far consumer technology has come in the last few years. Video chatting on my phone was unthinkable just 5 years ago. The phone I had back then could barely receive text messages!
Today Katie and I had a Daddy/Daughter day on the Mall (hint: Super Bowl Sunday is a great day to do things and avoid crowds). We started by going to the Air and Space Museum's Planetarium to see a show with Big Bird, Elmo, and their new Chinese muppet friend Hu Hu Zhu. They showed us how to find the Big Dipper and North Star and explained why we can't fly kites on the moon. Hu Hu taught us some Chinese words and told us that he sees the same stars from China that we do. Katie loved the show but I was a little suspicious of Hu Hu's motives.
After the show, we wandered around the museum to look at the planes and rockets and grabbed lunch at the cafeteria. Then we went to the outdoor ice rink at the Sculpture Garden and showed off our latest skating moves. Actually, the bad rental skates and hard ice made skating pretty difficult for both of us. We did several slow laps around the rink, holding hands, and twirled a few times. It was fun to skate outside in the beautiful sculpture garden but we were ready to move on, preferably indoors.
Katie was full of funny quotes today but two in particular happened while ice skating. She pointed to the grand Archives Building and asked what it is. "They have old photos and records there," I replied. She responded with, "Can one day I play their records in my room?" I chuckled at the thought of the Archives storing stacks of old 45 rpm records instead of important documents.
Also, she pointed to a new installation in the sculpture garden that has thirty small statues that are all headless. Of course, Katie asked why they don't have heads. I struggled to come up with a decent explanation but she thankfully did it for me: "Maybe they haven't glued them on yet." That made me smile with relief, especially after reading the real reason: the statues are the artist's "personal response to totalitarianism" and refer to "a group of children who froze to death as they were transported in cattle cars" during World War II. Yikes.
Then we walked over to the Natural History Museum (or the "Rock Museum" as we call it). Katie loved the dinosaurs and immediately identified the T Rex skeleton. She also liked seeing fossils of familiar animals like dogs, squirrels, horses, and turtles. Then we went up to the Gem collection and were wowed at the shiny, colorful stones. It reminded me of shopping at the jewelry store -- no prices listed anywhere and you're afraid to ask.
Katie got to see the Hope diamond, the most famous diamond in the world. It's a 46 karat diamond necklace that legend says will curse whoever wears it. I totally believe it. Anyone that wears a 46 karat diamond is doomed to suffer neck pains from the weight or stab wounds from thieves.
After 5 hours of Daddy Time, Katie had decided she was worn out and wanted to go home. As we walked across the Mall to get back to the car, Katie wanted to run. After a few minutes, she stopped. "Are you out of shape?" I asked. "No," she replied. "I'm out of breath."
Also, we passed a man playing a nice tune on a saxophone on the sidewalk. Katie looked at his tip jar and said, "Oh boy, everyone always wants money, money, money."
After a quick ride on the Carousel on the Mall, we went home to tell Nancy and Peter all about our adventures. Nancy made chili and nachos and I made buffalo wings. We watched the Puppy Bowl and then tried to watch the Super Bowl but Peter had other ideas. We did manage to watch most of the 4th quarter which was really exciting. We were bummed to see New York win though. We prefer that New Yorkers have as little to brag about as possible.
Our Burger Princess?
Caught taking a quick nap. Nancy had a similar experience. When she woke up, she had faint recollections of hearing the camera clicking a lot while she slept. In order to preserve household harmony, I won't publish those photos.
Smilin' Peter
Peter making a quick call on Katie's "phone"
Sending a text message
Giving Rusty a hug
Katie at the planetarium.
In front of a replica of the Lunar Lander at the Air and Space Museum.
At the Sculpture Garden ice rink
At the Museum of Natural History
Katie makes her "T Rex" face
In front of a collection of sea shells at the museum
In front of the Hope Diamond (which you can't see very well in the photo).
On the Mall
Watching the Super Bowl
Peter decides that my tummy is softer for his head than the pillow behind him.
Today Katie and I had a Daddy/Daughter day on the Mall (hint: Super Bowl Sunday is a great day to do things and avoid crowds). We started by going to the Air and Space Museum's Planetarium to see a show with Big Bird, Elmo, and their new Chinese muppet friend Hu Hu Zhu. They showed us how to find the Big Dipper and North Star and explained why we can't fly kites on the moon. Hu Hu taught us some Chinese words and told us that he sees the same stars from China that we do. Katie loved the show but I was a little suspicious of Hu Hu's motives.
After the show, we wandered around the museum to look at the planes and rockets and grabbed lunch at the cafeteria. Then we went to the outdoor ice rink at the Sculpture Garden and showed off our latest skating moves. Actually, the bad rental skates and hard ice made skating pretty difficult for both of us. We did several slow laps around the rink, holding hands, and twirled a few times. It was fun to skate outside in the beautiful sculpture garden but we were ready to move on, preferably indoors.
Katie was full of funny quotes today but two in particular happened while ice skating. She pointed to the grand Archives Building and asked what it is. "They have old photos and records there," I replied. She responded with, "Can one day I play their records in my room?" I chuckled at the thought of the Archives storing stacks of old 45 rpm records instead of important documents.
Also, she pointed to a new installation in the sculpture garden that has thirty small statues that are all headless. Of course, Katie asked why they don't have heads. I struggled to come up with a decent explanation but she thankfully did it for me: "Maybe they haven't glued them on yet." That made me smile with relief, especially after reading the real reason: the statues are the artist's "personal response to totalitarianism" and refer to "a group of children who froze to death as they were transported in cattle cars" during World War II. Yikes.
Then we walked over to the Natural History Museum (or the "Rock Museum" as we call it). Katie loved the dinosaurs and immediately identified the T Rex skeleton. She also liked seeing fossils of familiar animals like dogs, squirrels, horses, and turtles. Then we went up to the Gem collection and were wowed at the shiny, colorful stones. It reminded me of shopping at the jewelry store -- no prices listed anywhere and you're afraid to ask.
Katie got to see the Hope diamond, the most famous diamond in the world. It's a 46 karat diamond necklace that legend says will curse whoever wears it. I totally believe it. Anyone that wears a 46 karat diamond is doomed to suffer neck pains from the weight or stab wounds from thieves.
After 5 hours of Daddy Time, Katie had decided she was worn out and wanted to go home. As we walked across the Mall to get back to the car, Katie wanted to run. After a few minutes, she stopped. "Are you out of shape?" I asked. "No," she replied. "I'm out of breath."
Also, we passed a man playing a nice tune on a saxophone on the sidewalk. Katie looked at his tip jar and said, "Oh boy, everyone always wants money, money, money."
After a quick ride on the Carousel on the Mall, we went home to tell Nancy and Peter all about our adventures. Nancy made chili and nachos and I made buffalo wings. We watched the Puppy Bowl and then tried to watch the Super Bowl but Peter had other ideas. We did manage to watch most of the 4th quarter which was really exciting. We were bummed to see New York win though. We prefer that New Yorkers have as little to brag about as possible.
Our Burger Princess?
Caught taking a quick nap. Nancy had a similar experience. When she woke up, she had faint recollections of hearing the camera clicking a lot while she slept. In order to preserve household harmony, I won't publish those photos.
Smilin' Peter
Peter making a quick call on Katie's "phone"
Sending a text message
Giving Rusty a hug
Katie at the planetarium.
In front of a replica of the Lunar Lander at the Air and Space Museum.
At the Sculpture Garden ice rink
At the Museum of Natural History
Katie makes her "T Rex" face
In front of a collection of sea shells at the museum
In front of the Hope Diamond (which you can't see very well in the photo).
On the Mall
Watching the Super Bowl
Peter decides that my tummy is softer for his head than the pillow behind him.
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