It Takes a Village

Lately, Lil Sippy Cup and I have become semi-professionals at doing things completely last-minute and on a whim.  In celebration of this new-found appreciation of unplanned adventuring, we decided to have a picnic on Saturday. 

Without even checking the weather, I invited everyone on Friday afternoon.  We bought all the supplies and food Friday night.  By the grace of the weather gods, the Northeast was not hit by a hurricane on Saturday, which I will safely assume is what would have happened if I had actually planned this event in advance. 

This post could easily have turned into something sappy about the importance of family.  You see, my best-friends are, in fact, my cousins.  Not guys that I just call cousins because we're so close but actual, bona-fide, shared-DNA cousins.

I remember writing in an earlier post (here) that the true measure of a man is the company that he keeps.  It's thanks to these people that I've become the man that I am.  And that Lil Sippy Cup will surely follow in my footsteps.

More pictures after the jump.  Have fun.

We went to Astoria Park, home to incredible views of Astoria Pool, the R.F.K. Bridge...

...and the Hell's Gate train trestles.

All of you who know me personally should know that I am only athletic when standing completely still.

You can believe that I made all this food by myself.  You can believe that. 
I won't stop you.

Or you could believe that Lil Sippy Cup and his mommy prepared this feast. 

Its up to you.

You can also believe that I diced these tomatoes myself to make fresh bruschetta.  You can believe that. 

But that would involve not knowing that I almost lost a thumb using a mandolin slicer to prep an apple snack this past Christmas.

I won't even try to lie about this one.  Mr. Softee made this.

What happens when your son eats only ice cream for lunch? 

He'll spend his afternoon chasing bubbles...

...and practicing his speed stacking skills with the pasta bowls.

Eventually though, he'll just tire himself out.

But will be completely re-energized the instant his Bottle Cap Cousins show up.

Then he'll break out into a spontaneous celebratory dance.

Here's Baby Chase a.k.a The Boxer. 
Or Mini Awesome. 
I haven't decided between the two.

And Cassidy, the Beauty to Lil Sippy Cup's Beast.

Little kids will sometimes have disagreements when they play together. 
This is natural.

What's more important is how they resolve the dispute. 

Anger is a transient feeling.  Love is not.

Speaking of love, it's also what keeps a crew like this together. 

I present to you the Beer Mugs.

Lil Sippy Cup and I have been on quite a streak lately.

 

With great weather and great friends, this doesn't really surprise me.