Winter's Eve

I love the magic of NYC at Christmas time. There is nothing quite like it. Each year, the UWS hosts a Winter's Eve celebration with a tree lighting, performers and bands, ice sculptures, activities for children, delicious food from local restaurants, and Santa. From Columbus Circle clear up to Lincoln Square, the streets are packed with holiday cheer. Even the hotdog stand man decorated his cart with cheery lights! 

In the past, I never made it home from work in time to catch anything but the tail end. This year was different. Huds and I bundled up & went down with some friends. We sipped hot cocoa & listened to performers & then feasted on juicy sliders and rich, chocolately brownies. NYC festivals aren't complete without delicious food, that is for sure! The highlight of the night was Hudson meeting Santa for the first time. He was squirmy, but didn't let out a single scream. Success, I tell you! Kyle (complete with his Movember 'stache) was even able to meet up with us at the end of the night. It's officially Christmastime in the city! 

belgian waffles & mr. columbus himself

We love our little outings in the city. This time, us moms and babes were off to meet Christopher Columbus himself. Though this statue has stood in the prominent Columbus Circle since 1892, it is often overlooked and visible only as a silhouette against the sky. 

So, it was fun to "meet" Mr. Columbus in his new setting- a modern New York living room built 75 feet up in the sky, complete with a sofa, chairs, bookshelves, a TV, and even wallpaper inspired by memories of American pop culture. The iconic images on the wallpaper included Mickey Mouse, Elvis, the Empire State Building, coca-cola, McDonald's, and even hot dogs! The views of the park were so beautiful from way up high--capturing the changing fall leaves and the tall buildings that peek out above the foliage. 

We finished off our adventure with a stop to the infamous Wafels & Dinges truck, where Hudson became oh-so-jealous of my strawberries and belgian chocolate topped waffle. Don't worry, he devoured his own gourmet treat of Gerber star-shaped sweet potato puffs while we sat inside Whole Foods to stay warm. Randomly, we found ourselves segregated by gender...all four little boy babes at one table with their moms and the four little girls at another! Guess we don't want any of those boys making a move too soon...

Whit & Scott, Laura & Lily, Emily & Hudson, Mel & Lexi
Amanda & Hugo, Breanne & Kenna, Tiff & Henry

the Great Hill Pumpkin Carving

Our awesome friend Dawn planned a pumpkin playgroup this year to carve and decorate pumpkins on the Great Hill in Central Park. Unfortunately, I didn't capture a photo of all the little ones and their finished masterpieces, but I did snap this one of little Huds. He was definitely more interested in playing with the leaves and the pumpkin in its own natural form. He did look adorable with the paintbrush in hand, but we'll wait until next year for him to become our real pumpkin artist. 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our Little Owl!

Quite possibly our best Halloween. Ever. 

Kyle ran over 50 blocks home from work (still no subway service due to Hurricane Sandy) to meet up with us while it was still daylight & Huds was all smiles to see dad getting home so early. He loved flapping his wings & smiling & scored lots of candy for dad while trick-or-treating on the streets of NYC. This city is oh so friendly to all the little kiddies dressed in their cute little costumes. Funny how that made even walking along Broadway feel so "home-townish." But my favorite was probably strolling along 78th street between Columbus & Amsterdam to the cute & festively decorated brownstone buildings, where owners would sit out on the stoops, ooh and aah over the costumes & hand out candy. We saw everything from a baby snowboarder to the Empire State Building, & call us biased parents, but we think our little owl was pretty darn cute.  And brave too...he made it through his first haunted house at our friends' apartment before the night was over. Now, we've tucked away his costume & our little "night owl" has decided that as fun as owl life is, he'd rather just be a little guy and go to sleep.  And you know what? We are okay with that.  Happy Halloween!

Far across the ocean...

Okay, not really. Block Island is only about 14 miles off the shore of Rhode Island & a quick 50 minute ferry ride, and that is on the slow ferry, mind you. But honestly, after taking this ferry, I would not have wanted to take the speedy one. It was so nice to sit on the ferry, basking in the warm sunlight of the perfect day, feeling the gentle rise and fall of the waves. It felt like we were escaping to a far away, secluded island, just our little family of 3...& a few dozen other people on board. 

Hudson loved it too. He made the cutest faces as we played with him & of course, I couldn't resist an impromptu photo shoot of him in his little chambray romper, boat shoes & boat hat. I thought he looked so cute all decked out for a day at sea. He loved the boat, & he even tried to take off his shoes and just kick back and relax, just like mom & dad! And relax we did, until the slight mishap of the utter blow-out/explosion occurred just before we reached the island. Luckily, in one swift move, Kyle had the babe out of the carrier, so most of it ended up on the deck & not on him. Yes, it was that bad. All over the deck of the ferry. Good thing it wasn't our private million dollar yacht. And good thing I have such an awesome husband to help me and laugh with me in all these adventures of being parents together. 

Before we knew it, we had reached the island. All the other passengers scurried off immediately, but we leisurely walked around the boat, catching glimpses of the beauty of the island. 

Us at sea

Our first glimpse of the island

Just kicking off those shoes. Maybe he has a fetish with tan feet like his mama.

Can he get any cuter?!

The explosion happened right after I clicked this photo!

Hudson in outfit #2, taking his daddy's hand and ready to explore!

Block Island Getaway: Part 1

It's been over a week since we returned from our Labor Day dream weekend away and I am still sifting through the hundreds of pictures we I took. I sometimes annoy Kyle by stopping every few minutes and snapping a picture. You just never know when you'll want that moment etched in your memory, you know? I think he might enjoy it more than he lets on though; at one point on our trip he simple said, "I remember moments when we take a picture more than moments when we do not." Cha-ching! Now, I do not feel so bad about my addiction to taking photos.

We had such a lovely weekend away with just our little family of 3. This picture was taken in our final few moments on Block Island right before we boarded the ferry back to the mainland. I love that this picture captures it so well. The ocean behind us, the picturesque harbor, our sunglasses and summer hats, our little Hudson (who honestly looks a little dazed, but happy nonetheless...he is such a trooper on all our adventures), our creamy & delicious half-eaten peach ice cream in homemade waffle cones, and the big smiles on our faces. Our day on the island was slow-paced, stress-free & simple. Simply perfect, I might add. When I look at this picture, I am instantly taken back to that moment. And I love that sensation.

More on Block Island coming up...

Our new routine

Lately, I have discovered something that makes this little guy so happy-the swings! 

He's even developed different swinging techniques:

No hands, legs extended, one hand, legs tucked in...

At 5 months old, he's got this down!

We've almost made it part of our daily routine:

Sleep, eat, swing, sleep, eat, swing. The occasional diaper change.

(If only parenting was just that easy.)

 

Hanging out at the Highline

Our city summer is quickly coming to a close. And while I love falltime in New York, part of me just wishes we could delay its arrival. Or, that we could just freeze this moment & stay in this endless summer forever-like today hanging out at the Highline, sipping on chilled limeade, watching these barefoot beauties bask in the simple delights around them. We were quite the spectacle...forget the cool views of NYC, there were 5 babies together at the same place at the same time! Wow! People even thought Hudson, Macy, & Scott were triplets. We got lots of happy stares & comments from delighted passerbys, & more than a few people (including tourists) who stopped to snap a photo of the babies together. Watch out Lady Liberty, spotlight's on something new!

I'm loving this new "stay-at-home" gig. Although Huds & I rarely find ourselves "staying" at home, we love our adventures, but most of all, I'm loving every moment with this guy. Every smile, every laugh. Maybe that's really why I don't want the summer to end. My baby is growing up too fast!

Em + Huds, Kristi + Macy, Whitney + Scott, Tiffany + Henry, Breanne + Kenna

The US Open

It was one of those days...baby doesn't sleep well, I crawl out of bed exhausted (at like 10am, mind you) & think to myself, "Today will be a lazy day for sure." At that moment, Kyle called and told me he had 4 awesome tickets to the US Open that day. Needless to say, plans changed instantly! When we stopped by Kyle's office to get the tickets, he even showed up with a huge bag of snacks for our day's adventure. Isn't he so sweet? Luckily, we had some friends who were up for a spontaneous, last minute adventure who came along to enjoy it with us.

The venue is incredible & even the flower gardens resembled tennis balls & rackets!

Hudson & Macy were born just a week apart. We joke that this was their first date, chaperoned by their mother's of course. I mean, look at Hudson's little hand...he's making his move early!

After the first match in the big stadium, we even got into the Grandstand to see Venus & Serena play. These incredible athletes were right there in front of us. Wow, they are so strong, so powerful, and so intense...nothing like my old tennis games growing up, with us pathetically attempting to hit balls across the street. It was amazing!

Even with a long train ride both ways, a lot of sitting, & the hot sun, the babes were awesome. Who knows, maybe the day's outing will inspire them to be budding tennis stars...

The Color Run

When Kyle & I showed up for NYC's first ever Color Run, we could not have been more surprised. Turns out, a few hundred thousand fellow runners showed up to join us, all in their squeaky clean white shirts. This was no ordinary race. No, this was a PARTY! My only regret was that we had to leave Hudson behind. The little guy would have loved this! And maybe it's just me, but I think he would've look stunning all covered in a myriad of colors! Maybe next year...

The only rules:
1.wear white
2. have fun
3. no actual timing for the "race" and that was that.

Check out the celebration at the starting line.

Our "Before" & "After" Shots

Me in the Blue Zone

Let those colors fly!

Our goal--get covered with as much color as possible. I think we did okay, don't you?

4th of July

how did we celebrate the 4th of july in the big city?

no early morning parades for us this year. we kicked off our holiday without a bang, by sleeping in. sometimes that is the best thing.

hudson + friends decked out in red, white & blue. so festive. and aren't those babies ALL simply adorable?!

a little Mets game action with friends (after all, what's more American than baseball?)

an outdoor barbecue

& an awesome fireworks show over the hudson river to top off the night.

and in case you were wondering, yes, my husband thought my flag shaped fruit tart was a masterpiece. 

loved our day.