Hard at Work

Dec. 7, 2007: Today was a HUGE kids party at mom's work. Gabe seemed most interested in getting a little work done before the festivities stared, though he also loved the chipwich (but really... who doesn't?).

Plus, what a treat to have Grammy here with us all weekend! We had a great time!

Say Cheese!

Gabe is learning to take pictures with "his" camera. He is very clear about the fact that the camera is "his" and that it says "click" when the picture is taken. The whole point and shoot part of the process is still a little lost on him.

First Snow

Dec. 2, 2007: It was the first snow of the year, and luckily for us it coincided with a trip to NJ to celebrate Great Great Uncle Milton's 90th birthday. It was a fun party, and Gabe loved that there were so many yummy desserts!

Hanukkah Party!

Saturday, Dec. 1: With lots of the Miller family in town, we decided to fry up some latkes and have a little party, even though it was not quite Hanukkah yet. First mom made the latke batter, and Gabe tried his first raw potato. OK, he thought it was an apple, and we thought it would be funny to see his reaction.

Then Suzki and Pops came by! Gabe loved showing Suzki how much he loves the new menorah she bought him, and we were all happy Pops headed to the kitchen to make us some latkes!


Plus, we LOVED getting to see our cousins from California (and from midtown)!

Uncle Ben and Aunt Rachel

Friday, Nov. 30: This weekend Uncle Ben and Aunt Rachel came to New York to visit! They spent most of the day on Friday with Gabe while Mom and Dad did some work. What a fun day! It's almost Hanukkah too, so of course we had to bust out Gabe's new menorah. Plus, Uncle Ben gave Gabe some great tips for making latkes.

Thanksgiving '07

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

This year we spent a great weekend in Bethsda and D.C. with Grandpa, Grammy, Uncle Mark and Aunt Alexis, and Aunt Emily, along with other cousins and friends. We had such a great time. It was nice weather the whole weekend and we loved getting to hang out with family and friends. Plus, even though Gabe didn't really like the turkey (maybe it's because he really loves his book about a turkey?) he sure loved all the yummy desserts. For more Thanksgiving pictures, check out Gabe's Flickr page.

EIGHTEEN MONTHS!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Nov. 16, 2007: Today Gabe turned 18 months old. That's one-and-a-half for those of you who aren't great at math. We just can't believe it's here already. And he can already read!

Just kidding. He can't read by himself, but he loves to be read to ("more books" has become his favorite thing to say). He also ask us to read him his favorite books using names he's made up for them, like "Moon" for Goodnight Moon. It's awfully fun to see, though reading Goodnight Moon six or seven times a night can be, well, repetitive.

At his 18 month checkup this week he got a fabulous report. He's up to 33.5 inches tall and weighs 28 lbs. And, as usual, he recovered from his shots in about 5 seconds. Of course, it didn't hurt that the bandaid had Garfield on it, so he was happy to tell the doctor what the cat says!

All in all, we think he's pretty amazing. He's talking and walking and running and laughing and even throwing a tantrum here and there. Pretty much right on for an eighteen-month-old!

Again?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Nov. 11: Yes, we're posting another bath picture. As far as we're concerned there can't be too many bath posts! Don't you agree?

So High!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

OK, so this maybe wasn't mom's favorite activity, but they looked pretty cute, and dad was holding on tight, so we figured we might as well catch it for posterity.

Petting Zoo

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Nov. 11, 2007: Today we went with our friends to the Yankee Fair in Brooklyn Heights. There was a great petting zoo and a puppet show! Gabe loved it. He especially loved when Sadie's dad picked up the Bunny, he wasn't as brave as Sadie, who fed the bunny, but he did almost pet it. But Gabe is sort of a bunny expert - our neighbors have one and so he gets to visit Boo Boo all the time!

A Manny?

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Nov. 7, 2007: Tonight Mom and Dad had a big party to go to for Mom's work, and so Uncle Seth came to hang with Gabe. They had a total blast, and the whole next day Gabe was looking for Seth around the apartment. Did they play hide and seek or was it just a really great time? These boys aren't talking, but that's ok. Uncle Seth just has to say the word and it's Manny time!

Digging

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Nov. 4, 2007: At the actual party, everyone else was watching the runners from the outside deck, but not our Gabe. He did some cheering, but mostly he wanted to play with the buckets, shovels and dirt. Luckily his friend Brendan was happy to share all his stuff.

Youngest Runner Ever!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Nov. 4, 2007: On Marathon Day here in NYC we headed up to our friends the Connellys' house to watch the runners. Before anyone hit the course, though, Gabe took a turn. We think he's got promise! Of course, it helps when there is some sort of cool truck that he can run towards. This was a street sweeper. Nice.

Blue Hat Green Hat

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

This is one of Gabe's favorite books, and he especially loves when his dad reads it to him. It's a silly story about a turkey who can't figure out how to dress correctly (think pants on his head, socks on his hands... you get the picture) and Dad usually ends the story with "and this is why we eat Turkeys for Thanksgiving." We think Gabe knows he's kidding, but I guess we'll see when it's actually time for turkey!

Monkey See

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Happy Halloween! This year Gabe had an action-packed Halloween.

On Sunday we went to the Brooklyn Heights Parade, where we saw lots of Gabe's friends. Some of our favorites were Harper the Park Ranger, Sadie the Baby Duck, and Ruby the Chicken! Then we headed over to Henry's house to celebrate his birthday. Gabe loved singing and dancing, and he also loved his cupcake!

On Halloween, we headed to the Cobble Hill Parade, where Gabe loved watching Dan Zanes lead lots of costumed kids around the neighborhood. Then, on to Garden Place! Gabe really got the hang of trick or treating quickly, and his awesome Pumpkin bag from his Cousin Bird was perfect for collecting lots of candy! He also loved seeing all the other kids dressed up, and the decorations were really great, especially the huge blow-up spiders.

Then it was home with the candy. Gabe tried a Kit Kat first, and then a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. YUM!

For all the Halloween pictures from this year, check out Gabe's Flickr page. There are just too many to post them all here!

Excessive Celebration.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 17, 2007: Gabe has developed his own celebration dance for when Florida gets a touchdown (or pretty much any time he feels like it during a game). As you can tell, this is from somewhat early in the game. Also, you can't see the whole dance, but it very closely resembles Pierre-Louis's touchdown in the first half of the game. Yup, though not pictured here, there is a flip involved. Unfortunately, still film only captures the beginning and the end!

Who is that Monkey?

Oct. 26, 2007: Today we decided to do a practice fun with Gabe's Halloween Costume, just in case he really did grow another few inches in the past few weeks. Turns out it was perfect! Bring on the Ghosts and Goblins!

Longhorn Luc

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 20: After Gabe's haircut we headed into Manhattan for a chance to see our friends from Austin. This is Luc and he turned 2 today! It was so nice to see all of them, and what fun to try out a new playground. All in all, a very busy and fun day!

Haircut

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 20: Haircut #3 was today. As you can see, this woman is a pro. If there is a lollypop in each hand and Elmo's on the DVD player, all is well in the world!

Steps

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 20: Another one of Gabe's favorite things to do is to walk up and down steps. Pretty much any step will do, and sometimes he will agree to hold a hand on his way down, though he usually prefers to do it himself.

Choo Choo

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 19, 2007: Today Gabe went to Great Neck to meet his Great Great Aunt Maxine, who was visiting from England, though as a bonus we got to see Nechama, Jaquie, Suzki, and Great Great Aunt Marilyn. Gabe was really glad to play with some of his cousin Marc's toys. Plus he got to go to the Whitney! But there's no doubt that his favorite part of the day was the time on the train (OK, it was just the LIRR, but we figure that counts!). Luckily it wasn't too crowded, and the other passengers didn't mind the sound effects. CHOO CHOO.

Jibbitz

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 19, 2007: Check out Gabe's Crocs! He got these awesome decorations for them from his Uncle Benj (and Aunt Rachel, of course!). There is a "G" and an "S" and also two Gators and a Goofy. He loves them, though we have to say they make getting from point A to point B a little more time-consuming, what with all the stopping and bending down to discuss them!

Favorite Things

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 14: We thought we'd share with you a few of Gabe's new favorite things. First, the headband has been a huge hit. Usually Gabe wears it, but occasionally he puts it on other people. It was mom's lucky day today. And this is one of the great new books he has received lately (this one is from his Great Great Aunt Esther). It's about a helicopter named Hector, and boy does Gabe love it. We read it an average of 6-10 times each day! At least all that repetition means that now Gabe can help with a lot of the words!

San Francisco!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 5-7: While we don't usually feature pictures or posts regarding other people, we figured you might be wondering why we weren't living it up in the Hamptons with Gabe and his entourage. Well, we got to spend a wonderful weekend AWAY, celebrating the wedding of our friends Deb and Frans. It was a totally great weekend, and we loved San Francisco (which is featured in the background of this picture)!

Little Pumpkin

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Oct. 5, 2007: This weekend Gabe went to the Hamptons with Suzki. He also got to see lots of family! He especially loved going to the pumpkin patch and playing with his cousin Marc and his Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Rachel (just to name a few!).

Atlantic Antic

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sun., Sept. 30, 2007: Today was one of Brooklyn's most fun events: The Atlantic Antic. It's a great street fair that runs right near our apartment, and this year Gabe was able to enjoy it a bit more than last year. It was another beautiful day here in NYC, and we saw so many of Gabe's neighborhood friends. It was quite a treat!

Still Summer

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sept. 29, 2007: Since it still feels an awful lot like summer here, we decided to hit the Promenade for a little walk... though there is no question that "flying" is more fun than walking.

Shoe Shopping.

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Now that Gabe is really walking (and running), it was time to get some new shoes! Turns out he has really wide feet, so it was off to the New Balance store to get some of their special extra-wides.

Lots More Florida Fun

The rest of our time in Florida was so fun. Gabe had his first taste of raisin challah with honey, his first shofar blowing, a chance to dance with Pops at Pops' birthday party, and, of course, his first time meeting his cousin Charlie! It was a wonderful week. There are too many great photos to post here, but check them out at our flickr site.

Gainesville!

Sept. 12: Today we explored some of our favorite places in Gainesville. High on the list was The Swamp! Gabe loved the steps, so he did some stadiums, and then did the Gator Walk. By then he had really worked up an appetite, so we went to Leonardo's for a slice. Yum.

Happy Birthday POPS!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sept. 11: There were lots of reasons we came to Gainesville for this vacation, but the biggest one was that it was Pops' birthday! Tonight we had a really nice dinner at 706, a restaurant we really love in Gainesville. And Pops shared a little bit of his birthday cake with Gabe, which made everyone happy.

Reunited and it Feels So Good!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sept. 11: Mom and Dad came back to town, and we were pretty relieved that Gabe was so happy to see us!

In the (Waffle) House

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sept. 9: this morning Gabe went with Mom, Dad and Pops to the Waffle House. It's one of our favorites, and we figured Gabe should get to share the love, but we also thought it would distract him as Mom and Dad headed off to St. Augustine after breakfast and Gabe stayed with Suzki and Pops. We're pretty sure the distraction was mostly helpful to Mom, but we sometimes pretend about this stuff to make her feel better! Regardless, everyone had a great few days apart (and together).

Splish Splash

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Gabe learned A LOT on this vacation, but one of the first things was how to say "splish splash." He said it about his awesome water table, but also whenever he went swimming with Suzki or Pops, which was pretty much every day! There's no doubt that it's an awfully nice way to live!

Vacation!

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Originally uploaded by Gabe Shanoff.

Sept. 6: Gabe and Mom headed to Florida today. Gabe was pretty excited to go on the airplane, which he now says! Plus, when we got to Suzki & Pops' house in Gainesville, there was this fabulous Sesame Street "truck" waiting there. It's awesome. Gabe loves it, and we think it epitomizes the saying on Gabe's shirt: "my grandparents don't spoil me; they're just very accommodating."