… and we haven’t had a BBQ yet! That’s right, no BBQ in August so far. We finally had a weekend with nobody coming over two weeks ago and this past weekend was just Aunty Jent on Sat. and my mother on Sunday which meant nothing big needed to be done.

I got around to doing a bunch of stuff in the house these past two weekends such as fixing the banister that Sanford broke (just kidding!), taking the new A/C in Marissa’s room and putting it in the wall, some yardwork, fixing the coat closet and more. So yes, it was productive.

And this week is Dylan’s (and Deb’s) last week of camp. Sad and Happy at the same time.

That seemed to be the theme this weekend as we continued our streak of having people over on the weekend this summer. Every weekend in July we have entertained. Not sure how it ended up that way, but it did. This weekend was a double whammy as we had Deb’s family here on Sat. and our friend Barbara and Sandford (with their kids) on Sunday.

Saturday saw an amazingly beautiful day here in NY for a family BBQ. Deb’s Aunt Claire was up from Georgia and we decided it would be a good opportunity to get several members of her side of the family together. It had been a while since we did somethign like this so it was a big deal. In addition to Claire we had Jen & Scott, Mike & Alana & Jarett, Betty Ann & Jimmy, and Mike & Cathy, along with us (Deb, Mona, Dylan, Marissa, and me). The two bigt peices of news that came out of the day is that big Mike and Cathy are engaged, and Mona and Betty Ann are talking again, though that started when Deb’s grandmother passed.

A good time was had by all and I have some pictures that I will post soon. And Jen, if you are reading this send me your pictures!

On Sunday it rained. Then it rained some more. However, this did not surprise us or put a damper on things since it seems to rain every time the Selzick’s come in from Tuscon, so why should yesterday be any different. The kids all got along great and played together on the Wii and the computer. Lilly even played Lego Star Wars with Dylan! Sandford played Wii for the first time and almost broke our ceiling fan (and his writs) while playing tennis. Everyone had fun and we pigged out on some good Chinese food (thank you Sandford!). It was sad to see them go, but they will be back, hopefully without the rain.

Well, it’s been a few weeks since i last posted an update so I figured it was time for one.

Dylan has been in camp since June 30th and is loving it. He get’s to go swimming twice a day and do all kinds of fun things. Deb has been workign part time at the camp to help defray the costs of Dylan attending full day and, well, let’s just say she doens’t love it quite as much as Dylan does. She has a group of toddlers that are as young as 22 months, which really, IMHO, shouldn’t be left at camp for 2hrs a day.

Marissa is getting steadier on her feet every day and even walked all the way around the block on her own last weekend! She can stay upright while running, at least for short distances. She has begun identifying the parts of her body like hear, eyes, nose, and toes. It is just mind boggling how fast she learns stuff. And her vocabulary is expanding on a regular basis.

On the 4th we had our good friends the Kranidis over for a little BBQ. They all got time to really get to know Marissa. I think Hope had been the only one to meet her until then to be honest. As is always the case when we get together everything was wonderful and all had a good time. How can you not with friends like these? Dylan and Elias played in the pool most of the day and then played Lego Star Wars together while the rest of us ate, drank, and had a good time.

This past weekend we played host to the Ramoindi family: Nelly, Joe, Samanth, Robert, and Jordan. It was an amazing day on Sat with the weather being about as perfect as on can ask. Jordan and Dylan played together all day long in the pool, on the Wii, and, you guessed it, Lego Star Wars. Sam and Robert also played Wii Fit, trying and succeeding in breaking the few records I had set. Now I need to go back and re-claim my crown. Sam was going to drive home but Nellie was all worried about her driving on the parkway, it was to be her first time, so I took Sam out for a quick spin on the Wantagh and Southern State. She handled them like a pro.

Dylan is also getting very creative with his Legos. He built this model of WALL-E, even though we haven’t seen the movie yet. Pretty cool, eh?

And the hosting will continue it seems with Deb’s cousin Mikey coming over this weekend, than Babs will be in town. I think the first Sat in August we have nothing scheduled, yet. Dylan’s birthday party will be the 23rd and the Saddle Lane block party the 30th.

Have a happy and safe Independnece Day everyone. And Happy Birthday America!

..come the most interesting things. Marissa has learned not only how to say “wow”, “Uh-oh”, “Oh No!” and other similar phrases, but she knows how to use them and deliver them. For instance the other day she was sitting on my lap in the living room when a passing thunderstorm causes the lights to go out for a few seconds. Just enough to turn off the TV and stuff. She turned her head and looked at me wide eyed and said in the sweetest voice “Oh no”. Deb and I both bust out laughing. She has developed a habit of delivering her lines in the lull in conversations around her. I can’t tell you how many times she has said “wow” at just the right moment and with just the proper inflection. It is amazing.

Oh, and while she can say “mama” and “dada”, it seems she doesn’t like to say “mama”. She calls Deb, Grammy and me “dada”. It drives Deb nuts and makes me laugh like hell.

She is also walking around the house like a little midget, following people, especially mommy and Grammy, wherever they go. We need to go to Stride-Rite to get her first pair of walking shoes soon. Very soon.

I have long been a big fan of George Carlin. He and Robin Williams have always been my two favorite comedians, so I was saddened this morning to find out that George has left us. He will be missed.

If you are looking for photos from Mrs. Shapiros 2006-07 Kindergarten class or Mrs. Basil’s 2007-08 First Grade class then you have come to the right place. They are all right here in these photo albums.

In addition, I have some videos from Field Day 2008 (mostly of Dylan and Emily) on my YouTube Page.

Of course, feel free to browse around the entire site it you would like.

This pissed me off. First off, I do not think for one second that Willie is the problem. Is it his fault that Heilman and Wagner have both had several really bad games? Is it his fault players get injured? Or simply don’t play well? Yes, he is supposed to manage and motivate but there is only so much a single person can do. But we can argue this back and forth for eternity as to what is and isn’t the coaches fault.

What we can’t argue about is the totally classless, spineless, rude, and inappropriate way they went about it. Firing a manager via a press release and e-mail at 3:15am ET is simply unacceptable. You don’t even break up with a high school girlfriend like that. If you want to fire the guy in in a damn plane, fly to LA, and do it in person. The ownership of the Mets just lost any creditability they had with me. This is almost enough to make me a Yankee fan…. well. Not quite, but still, you get the picture.

Shame on the Wilpons and Minaya. Why don’t they fire the GM, after all he is the one responsible for putting together the overpriced- underachieving team?

GamerDad used my story about Dylan and I playing Lego Star Wars together for his column on “What They Play”. Very cool if you ask me, to be selected along with Tony Hawk and Chris Taylor.

That is what just about everyone in the NY Metro area is screaming this week as we muddle through our first heat wave of 2008. We are in day 4 of hot and humid weather and the air conditioners are humming along at full speed. Dylan and I spent at least 2 hours each day this past weekend in the pool, which is already setting new highs for water temps at 84F. Marissa even went in her kiddie pool. Pictures will be posted soon, once things cool down.