......after two full days, we were unpacked and back to our routine....the weather has been amazing, which always makes for a guarenteed happy mood for all.....
....but as always, anytime I return from a good family trip, I get the post visit blues....I start to miss so many of the people I love....not that we aren't grateful for our neighbors, our church friends, or our other "family" on the other side of the Hudson River.....it's all of those people who make NYC home....
.....however, I do get in my preoccupied state of being.......happy, but a bit distant in thought......thinking about how great it would be to see my parents more frequently......I wonder about all of the "firsts" I am missing with my baby nephew.......I grin at the thought of how each of my brothers can have me in stitches within the first millisecond of saying hello face to face.......I start to long for a good conversation and a glass of wine with one of my old girlfriends.....
.......and so to get me out of the "family is so far away funk", I try extra hard to find happiness in getting back into our routine.....
......and this weekend was perfect for it.....
......meeting old friends at a new park on the Upper West Side.....
......not only does it give you the warm and fuzzies to see a family that you haven't seen in over a year, but we also found a new love for tire swings.....
.......and if you close your eyes, the tire swing is REALLY fun!.....
......Elsie's new phrase caught in action.....
...."One more minute!".....already the negotiator.....it's like pulling teeth trying to get her to come in from being outside......she's in her element outdoors.....
......Callie refusing to wear shoes.....
.......I'm just waiting for the day we get home and I realize she has removed her shoes and thrown them overboard, causing an extra 30 minute backtrack searching the city for the lonely toddler shoe.....
.......in the meantime, I just love her little mischievous grin.......hiding behind the salvaged shoe after she realized she had been caught.....her grins are intoxicating....
......Elsie wanting to jump off EVERYTHING.....
.........a family walk around the neighborhood now takes an extra 20 minutes......and about 50 jumps......every step in sight is a candidate for our little jumping bean.......
.......only a NYC girl would say, "Look! Menus!!!"........
........menus at doorsteps are a dime a dozen......anything can be delivered.....and with each delivery, neighbors and building mates are the lucky recipients of paper menus crammed under the door crack......we had to chuckle when after one of her jumping sessions, Elsie quickly realized the doorway of her step was stuffed with a few...... so maybe we should try Ko Sushi......according to Elsie, their food is "SO YUMMY"....
......a family trip to the hardware store.....
......our girl loves to shop......give her a basket and she will surely find something interesting.....even at the hardware store, she found some candles that she just had to have.......
.......and little Callie is taking it all in......
.......baking cupcakes for all of our friends in the building....
.....what's not a better way to tell our friends how much we missed them with some good old fashioned, toddler made cupcakes......with a little extra vegetable oil, a bit of double dipping and a few egg shells...... all mixed in with a little love....
....from our little baker herself....
.......a silly little moment with Daddy!!!......
....it was just a simple walk to the hardware store.....a break from Stefan's studying and a chance for all four of us to be outside together for a fraction of the day....
......and in one click, I caught one of those heart melting seconds of normal life.....a father and daughter just crossing the street......
......but this moment to me epitomizes the influence a parent has over their child.....such glee and excitement for the love and attention a daughter receives from her Daddy....and it's a responsibility that we don't take for granted one moment.....
......so in the conundrum of routine, we found a lot of joy this weekend....we are home, we are thankful for our blessings, we are living each day inspired to find the smiles, the laughter and the little memories in everything we do....
.......I'm just waiting for the day we get home and I realize she has removed her shoes and thrown them overboard, causing an extra 30 minute backtrack searching the city for the lonely toddler shoe.....
.......in the meantime, I just love her little mischievous grin.......hiding behind the salvaged shoe after she realized she had been caught.....her grins are intoxicating....
......Elsie wanting to jump off EVERYTHING.....
.........a family walk around the neighborhood now takes an extra 20 minutes......and about 50 jumps......every step in sight is a candidate for our little jumping bean.......
.......only a NYC girl would say, "Look! Menus!!!"........
........menus at doorsteps are a dime a dozen......anything can be delivered.....and with each delivery, neighbors and building mates are the lucky recipients of paper menus crammed under the door crack......we had to chuckle when after one of her jumping sessions, Elsie quickly realized the doorway of her step was stuffed with a few...... so maybe we should try Ko Sushi......according to Elsie, their food is "SO YUMMY"....
......a family trip to the hardware store.....
......our girl loves to shop......give her a basket and she will surely find something interesting.....even at the hardware store, she found some candles that she just had to have.......
.......and little Callie is taking it all in......
.......baking cupcakes for all of our friends in the building....
.....what's not a better way to tell our friends how much we missed them with some good old fashioned, toddler made cupcakes......with a little extra vegetable oil, a bit of double dipping and a few egg shells...... all mixed in with a little love....
....from our little baker herself....
.......a silly little moment with Daddy!!!......
....it was just a simple walk to the hardware store.....a break from Stefan's studying and a chance for all four of us to be outside together for a fraction of the day....
......and in one click, I caught one of those heart melting seconds of normal life.....a father and daughter just crossing the street......
......but this moment to me epitomizes the influence a parent has over their child.....such glee and excitement for the love and attention a daughter receives from her Daddy....and it's a responsibility that we don't take for granted one moment.....
......so in the conundrum of routine, we found a lot of joy this weekend....we are home, we are thankful for our blessings, we are living each day inspired to find the smiles, the laughter and the little memories in everything we do....
