the big 1!

Our little hudson turned one yesterday & we had the perfect day together. So many laughs and smiles from all three of us. I have to post all the details because it was a day I hope I always remember. But right now, it is late, I am exhausted & this cute little guy will be up & ready to play in just a few short hours.

We love this little guy more than we could ever have imagined. He has truly made this past year the happiest one we've ever had! 

if only we could go back...

A little teaser of our St. Thomas photos. It's taken me way longer to upload and edit them than I ever thought it would. I guess visitors and a very important little guy's first birthday are a good enough excuse for that.

Right now, I just want to go back. Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful?!

winter escape: florida

Last year, we snuck away to Barbados on a babymoon right smack in the middle of January. We loved it so much we decided we needed to plan a getaway to somewhere warm every year to help us survive these bitter NYC winters. We jumped at the chance to plan a tropical getaway with our good friends the Berns & as a bonus, got to spend a few days in Miami too.

My first time ever in Florida did not disappoint! For Kyle, Florida was all work, but for Hudson & me, it was all play. We got to drive to the mall (the MALL!) while Kyle was visiting clients. I know that may not sound exciting, but the suburban lifestyle has its appeal after living in a big city without these perks! We even got to meet up with Kyle for lunch one day and then got to drive down to Fort Lauderdale and take an evening family stroll on the beach.  Even Huds took some steps (with our help, of course) and we all dipped our feet in the ocean, a must anytime you visit the beach. Huds wasn't a huge fan of the sand. I imagine that feeling the gritty & squishy sand between the toes for the first time may be a bit crazy. Don't worry. Our little guy recovered before we hit the beaches in St. Thomas. Whew!

This picture captures Florida perfectly--sunny, carefree, & all smiles!

happy valentine's day!

valentine's day 2013

Baking heart shaped sugar cookies. Blowing up red balloons & erupting into giggles chasing these balloons around the house with H. Making homemade chocolate dipped cinnamon bears. Creating Hudson's first art project for daddy- his footprints in a heart shape on a canvas. (much easier said than done.) What ensued was red paint everywhere! 2 baths for Hudson and some vigorous scrubbing later & all but one little smudge washed right away. That little stain on his high chair will forever remind me of my attempt at making my child's first sentimental holiday gift. Aww. Setting up a candlelit cabana for our dinner for two. And how can we forget the explosion. That alone will make this a valentine's we will never forget.

This year was my year to plan. I planned a scrumptious dinner of filet mignon, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, homemade heart shaped french bread, steamed green beans, fresh pineapple slices, and white grape sparkling cider with heart shaped ice cubes all to be eaten in our romantic cabana. Sounds perfect, right? Too good to be true? 

 Just seconds after Kyle put Hudson to bed & right as I was taking the tender and juicy filet mignon from the oven, it exploded! everywhere! Okay, not the steak, but the baking dish. I was stunned. There, lying on the floor among chunks and slivers of glass was my precious filet mignon- the key to winning my man's heart (okay, that is a little dramatic). Needless to say, sweet Kyle came to my rescue. We spent the next hour deep cleaning the kitchen from all the glass as the rest of our dinner grew cold amidst the flickering light of the candles. Nothing more romantic than rolling up your sleeves, vacuuming corners, scrubbing stoves, & washing every pan, dish, and piece of silverware. The good news is that along with flowers, I got a sparkling clean kitchen for V-day this year! 

Even though nothing turned out as planned, it was truly an unforgettable day. I felt so grateful for my two sweet valentine boys. My little Huds who is all smiles and giggles and reminds me to enjoy every moment of life. I don't know where this first year has gone, but a million times every day I reflect on how happy i am to be his mom. And my man, who makes me laugh and find the bright side of life, who loves me even when i manage to explode our valentine's steak and serve up chicken instead. 

I'm such a lucky girl to have these two amazing guys in my life! Happy Valentine's Day!

DC

Kyle travels frequently with his job and we were lucky enough to get to go on two back-to-back trips with him. Not only was it fun to take a trip out of the city, but we also loved getting to spend time with Kyle in the evenings instead of having him away!

I fell in love with the quaint Old Town Alexandria where we stayed. We had been there before when we came to DC for our marathon & then another time when we made a surprise visit to see my sister & her husband who were traveling in DC a few years ago, but it was just as charming as if it were the first time! Huds & I took morning runs along the banks of the Potamac, window shopped up & down the cute shops on King Street, devoured the most scrumptious brunch at Bread & Chocolate, met up with my dear friend Liz and saw her sweet new baby Caroline, and even went into downtown DC for a day to meet up with my cousin Becky. She was sweet enough to work straight through lunch so we could meet up for an afternoon stroll in the 60 degree weather to see the Mall and the US Capitol. It was just lovely. Huds & I continued our walk to see the White House & several other monuments, but decided to hit up the Lincoln Memorial as our last stop just as the sun was beginning to set. I am so glad we made it to this memorial. Hudson had been such a patient boy all day in the stroller, but I let him get out and crawl around. He even climbed up about half of the steps to the memorial! I absolutely love the pictures I took of him there.

As close as we got to meeting Mr. President.

I love the dirt smudges on his cheeks from crawling around. So cute!

This is my favorite pic from our trip! 

After our fancy dinner on King Street our last night there. 

traces of christmas

The end of the Christmas season is always a little bittersweet. 

I love the fresh start of a new year, but I hate knowing the holidays are over.  

With all the craziness of December, we finally got around to snapping a family photo by the tree--

just in time to un-decorate and toss 'er out on the street. 

And that is that. 

The holidays were magical, but now it's on to the New Year!

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...

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. 

father + son

One of the greatest parts of having little Hudson has been seeing Kyle as a dad. He just loves his little boy so much! Hudson is his little pal...

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Love, 

Kyle, Em, & Hudson

baby's first picnic

We're loving this 65 degree weather...& we're loving having Kyle get to hang out with us all day long! 

Too bad his paternity leave can't last forever.

We could really get used to having picnics in Central Park every day...