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.