Halloween in the NYC with the Bergen Kafkas

It's the first time the girls are getting to go out trick or treating in NYC. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. Where else can you get this kind of density. It made the haul very heavy in a short period of time. We started out the night in our own London Terrace with Jake in tow as well. It is nice that our divorce is so amicable that we can do holiday events as a family. Then we hopped on the subway and headed to the upper east side to check out the scene with friends Sophie and Jonah (and my friend Anita). Their building is a real halloween wonderland, including concerts (a little wierd though) and floors completely transformed for the holiday. As it was getting later, the subway home was even more entertaining. Amazing and strange creatures all around, looking completely aprapos in the subway somehow.

Next year...the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade.

Ah, those were the days

This Halloween is likely to be a bit different than the days when we partied it up in the Castro. For those who can't tell, that is Steve on the right.

My very own home grown Country Bumpkin

This is Aleksander in September aged 20 months joining in with the Morris Dancing at my friend Beth's wedding. He loves a good dance and song and is quite handy with a stick. The Morris Dancers were so impressed with him that they let him take his mini dancing stick home with him. Since then we have seen quite a few Morris Dancers at various country events near us and he gets really excited every time. He is very much his Daddy's boy on that one - a real mini Country Bumpkin!

Capital Pumpkins

I grew up in what is considered the "Pumpkin Capital of the United States" or more humbly, the "Pumpkin Capital of Northern California". This past weekend we immersed Samuel in his pumpkin heritage.

SAMUEL GIGGLING

SAMUEL GIGGLING
Samuel here you are sitting on the futon in your new reading room and Mommy is reading Bang! Bang !Who’s There? to you. After she turns the pages Mommy tickles or pokes you and you giggle. In fact you giggle in anticipation before Mommy even turns the page. Mommy pushes out the animal tab and you gently push it back.
Love Grandmapa

Daddy and the Rascal Raccoons

Samuel your Mom’s blog about the raccoons in your wading pool reminded me of when your Daddy was almost two years old . We went on a walk at the Fernwood Nature Center near Niles Michigan. Your Daddy was walking on a boardwalk when two young raccoons appeared and started to follow us. They were running around us and we found them fun to watch. Then they discovered the cords hanging down from your Daddy’s blue jacket and started batting at them with their front paws. Grandpa had to put Daddy on his shoulders to keep the raccoons from climbing up on him. The raccoons continued to follow us all the way back to our car and tried to climb into the car. We took some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and threw them to the raccoons and while they were busy eating the sandwiches we were able to get into the car.

Love grandmapa

Introducing Benjamin Ellis Kafka

Hello all. As you may have heard, we've rolled out a new version. He's awesome. If you'd like every photo we've ever taken of him, we understand. We do, too! Ping us at pakafka AT gmail DOT com and we'll set you up. But if you're just looking for the highlights, we understand, and we won't be offended. We'll try to accommodate your needs at bencindypeter.wordpress.com.

The Scene of the Crime

We had some unexpected nocturnal visitors two nights ago. Samuel woke up at 1am on Tuesday and while I was putting him back to sleep I heard a loud noise that I could not readily identify right outside his window. I naturally assumed it was the child thief that I always hear in the middle of the night coming to steal Samuel (because let's be honest, who wouldn't be lurking around in our suburban town breaking into houses specifically to steal little boys who wake up multiple times in the night. I think I read too much Roald Dahl as a child).

The unidentifiable ruckus was followed by the sound of splashing water and the clicking of plastic toys. As any reasonable person knows, child thieves do not swim in kiddy pools, so I peered out the window to see three fluffy tails sticking out of Samuel's wading pool. Baby raccoons were frolicking in the water and playing with the baby toys. They were so boisterous they managed to spread the toys halfway around the yard.

I sent Steve to scare them off. When he opened the sliding glass door, two of them scurried a couple of feet away, but the mama showed up and seemed to be about to mosey into our kitchen. Steve shut the door and left them to their devices. They became fans of Steve's footwear, and he now needs a new pair of flip flops. I regret not being awake enough to take pictures at the time but here are some before and after shots.

Welcome

Welcome to the family blog. We look forward to reading about what is going on in the lives of our family.