Lots of Fall Fun!

Max and Daddy at MOMA

Why we like living in NYC Reason #212 - Tours for 4's program at the Museum of Modern Art

Max and Sono Climb the Walls

Sono introduced me to the bizarre indoor-climbing culture . . . I think I need to get a little dirtier before I go next time.

Halloween Marathon 2009

There has been some backlash to our lack of updates, so I thought we would start with Halloween and work back to my birthday.

Halloween was on a Saturday this year, so we pretty much spent the day roaming around Lower Manhattan either parading around in our costumes, begging shopkeepers for candy, or partying with the neighbor-folk. You may notice that I don't have a smile on my face in very many pictures. In retrospect, it was a fun day, but my dog costume was very hot, they didn't give me any candy, and I'm pretty sure they didn't even giving me lunch. Really looking forward to next year . . .

Sam Loves the Pool!

Celebrating Pappy's Big B-Day in Style

We get to travel a lot, but this trip was very different than the usual. First, it was Puerto Vallarta-- very beautiful. Second, we stayed in an amazing house with everything we would ever want. Third, we got to spend a few days with Pappy, Cacky, and Amy. And finally, and most importantly, we got to celebrate Pappy's 60th Birthday!

Sam's First Birthday

I'm one year old! It has been a great week of partying, first with Mommy, Daddy, Max, and Sono on my real birthday and then a big party on Saturday with Alexandre and family, Olivia/Madeleine and family, Carol and her kids, Aparna, and of course, my beloved parents and brother. A good time was had by all . . .

Sam's First Haircut

A surprising pleasant and calm affair . . . I have to admit, Max and I both look better after a few snips.

More Summer Pics

More pics of fun in the summer in NYC

Having fun in NYC

Just pics of us having fun in NYC

Trying Something New

Now that I'm four years old, I've decided to try some new things. Our neighborhood offers soccer practice every week, so I thought I'd try my foot at that ;)

Max Turns 4!

I am very lucky this year-- I got to have two parties to celebrate my 4th birthday! We celebrated on my actual birthday with the 4039 crew at the Hilberts house in Michigan and then celebrated with my friends at my party in NYC. In NYC, my music teacher Nikolai performed, and my friends Alexandre, Zabelle, Evan, Olivia, Madeleine (Olivia's sister) Chloe, Lola, Jake, Rainer, Marit, Sophie (Marit's sister), Sarina, Maya (Sarina's sister), Fasil, Ben, and Grace (Ben's sister) all danced away the afternoon. The party was touch-and-go for a minute when Mom and Dad served watermelon rather than pizza, but they recovered fairly quickly when they served the cake. We followed up the kids party with a dinner with some of our closest NYC friends-- the Bobelians, the Goh/Saint-Sauveurs, and the Kendalls. Dad's macaroni and cheese was a big hit as usual.

Summer '09 Family Adventure #5 - 4039 Reunion in Michigan

People ventured from all over the U.S. to join us in Michigan to reunite with Mommy and Daddy's college friends and to visit the Hilberts in their new home in Michigan! We started in East Grand Rapids and then headed to Courtney's parents' house in Grand Haven, right on Lake Michigan. This lake was too cold to go in as well-- I'm really not understanding how people enjoyed their idyllic summers swimming in these lakes. Anyway, we had a terrific time with the Hilberts, the Wu-Ma Clan, Edina and Zabelle, Sonali, and Rachel. We missed the Alfanos though-- maybe next time we can get the entire 4039 family together.

Summer '09 Family Adventure #4 - Colorado!

Our next adventure took us to Colorado to see Pappy and Cacky and to reunite with Mommy's business school friends. I spent a few days with Pappy and Cacky while Mom, Dad, and Sam went to Manitou Springs. They couldn't survive without me, so they came to get me on the last day.

Summer '09 Family Adventure #3 - a reunion in Vermont

After our long journey through New England, we finally arrived at The Mountain Top Inn near Killington, VT to meet up with Nanaji, Naniji, Amit, Chris, Nellie, and Anya. We were also surprised by our Toronto family and they kept us very entertained so Mommy and Daddy could have a break too. Dad keeps describing the trip as summer camp- we rode horses (even Nanaji and Naniji rode horses), we played shuffleboard, we played tennis, we went to the lake (still too chilly to swim), and we enjoyed some great food. I especially enjoyed spending time with Anya-- I'm so happy she can finally run around with me! We also got to celebrate Nanaji's birthday and Mommy's birthday!

Summer '09 Family Adventure #2 - a drive through the Northeast

Rather than drive directly to Vermont to meet mommy's side of the family, we decided to take a few days to experience New England. We stopped in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont to experience the best spots for families when it is raining. It was chilly and raining a lot of the time, but we had a great time!

Summer '09 Family Adventure #1 - Cornwall, CT

We spent a fantastic weekend in Cornwall, CT with our friend Christine at her family's house that is 100 years old this year! It was to chilly to swim on the lake, but we had fun seeing the covered bridge, seeing Tim Prentice's art, and enjoying small town life. Thank you Christine for a great weekend!

Life is Good . . .

Sam has got a great life . . .

Sam and Dad on the Today Show

Sam and Dad made a brief appearance on the Today Show today. Its one thing for Dad to be called Mr. Mom, but in this piece they compared his Dads Group to The Real Househusbands of New York City!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Getting Around (or The Busy Body)

I have finally achieved mobility, not quite crawling, but an army ranger-like drag that gets me where I need to go. I can also very effectively climb up to tables, tricycles, dishwashers, etc. Unfortunately, I don't know how to get down which tends to cause some problems.

By the way, make sure to take note of Max's pre-haircut coif. Mommy and Daddy seem to be letting a few things slip through the cracks . . .

Springtime In New York . . .

Daddy seems to have forgotten that we still have fun even if we are not in some far off place. There's never a dull moment in our lives . . .

Max took all these pictures on his camera

Aparna and Sono gave me a camera for my birthday and I took all these pictures today.

Go West Young Family!

Two Weeks! Two States! Two Kids! Two Grown-Ups! Seven Locations! Twelve Families!

The Schneiders of NYC headed West for an adventure we'll never forget. Here are the pictures . . . more details to come!

Sam and Dad on Fox News

Sam and Dad's fifteen minutes continue on Fox News. Sam maintained his composure a little better during the Crain's New York interview.

Post #100: 6 Months +

In case you don't have it marked on your calendar, I am six months old! I've started eating-- peas, cheese, oatmeal, applesauce, blackbeans. So far, I've eaten everything they've given me. I've also started to play with Max a little more-- I'm trying very hard to be more fun!

A Winter Sojourn in Puerto Rico

We were all very ready to escape the icy tundra, so we took a quick trip to Puerto Rico!

Growing Up Fast!

A few telltale signs that I'm growing up:

1. I can roll over and back in both directions (almost at will)
2. I can sit up (until I fall over)
3. I sit at the table at family breakfast, family lunch, and family dinner (which these days is almost every day)
4. At all of these meals, I look longingly at each bite hoping someone will give me a small taste.

Am I right?

On the Road: Cincinnati

It's a rough economy and everybody's cutting back. We really wanted to visit my cousin Anya in Cincinnati, so we all drove 600 miles for a long weekend. It was a long time in the car, but it was definitely worth the trip!

Superbowl Sunday!

Our team wasn't in the Superbowl, but we still celebrated!

Its a good life!

It's been very cold in NYC, and everybody seems to be complaining a lot, but I have to say, I am really starting to enjoy this life. I love to smile. I love to laugh. I love it when my brother plays with me.

This week, I learned how to turn over! The bad news is that I don't know how to turn back, which creates some problems when I am alone in my cold, dark crib. I'll work on it for next week ;)\

Lots of catching up to do . . .

For whatever reason, Dad put his camera down after Christmas and he didn't pick it up again until mid-January. I want to apologize to my fans, because without you, I wouldn't be where I am today ;)