Tuesday, July 13, 2010

.....memory lane.....

....this week we took a trip down memory lane.....on Monday, we grabbed our friends and walked due west.....back to the area that Stefan and I last lived as married without kids.....and I gave my children as we call it in my family,  the roots tour.....

....we spent half the day in the Upper West side....and when we found our old apartment, I had to take a moment to admire the place that gave us so much....

                                                                         January 2005
.....our old brownstone.....

.....the one I had dreamed of living in since watching my first episode of Sex and the City.....the stoop with the curved steps, inviting me, my glass of wine and my cell phone down on a summer night for a chat with an old friend......the prewar feel the instant the heavy wooden door opened into the squeaky foyer........the big bay windows that overlooked our charming, tree lined street.....

                                                                          Spring 2005

......the apartment that Stefan's brother, Mikael, had offered to come to NYC for the weekend so he could help us move..... only realizing what he had gotten himslef into when the blizzard arrived on moving day.....

                                                    January 2005

                            January 2005

......we loved that apartment....

......and I remember it like it was yesterday.......we were lazily waking up on a Saturday morning....it may have been 9 or 9:30am....an hour that now feels like noon in our home.....and Stefan looked over at me and said,
..... I'm ready to have a baby.....

.....and with that, and many discussions more about what neighborhood to raise a family; we were gone from our quiet little neighborhood and the rest is history.....

......and as soon as the girls and I got home from our journey through the old married without kids neighborhood, I sent Stefan an email with this picture.......


.....and below the picture I wrote.....

.....we had a great life back then, but we have a better life today.....
.....Your girls love you.....

......and part of what we loved about the old neighborhood was the majestic architecture of the American Museum of Natural History.....it's one of the best spots of the neighborhood.....it's full of interesting exhibits, it draws tourists and locals alike, has been the setting for Hollywood movies and is the hub for watching the Macy's Day Parade balloons inflate for their journey in the sky....not to mention it's simply a beautiful building to admire....

......but one of the secret gems of this special place is the outdoor terrace.....it's a nook off the side of the planetarium space theater and you can't find a backdrop for children's play like this anywhere.....






......and whoever says that the person behind the camera is missing the action or not living in the moment, they are wrong....


.....watching our children play and frolic like human tadpoles was absolute enjoyment.....and they giggled and jumped and rolled and trapped water for over two hours.....





......and then they slowly tired out......

....running turned to lounging.....


.....and lounging turned to leaning....and then leaning turned to lovin'.....


.....and then Callie let me know she was done.....



.....and off we went to refuel the tanks......the pizza joint Stefan and I lived in for 18 months during our time on the west side.....

......our girls have no idea how many times their Mommy and Daddy have sat at the exact booth, alive in conversation, enjoying our feast.....


......shortly after to fall into a pizza coma.....


.....and as I strolled out of the neighborhood and back to the east side, I was so thankful that Stefan and I made such remarkable memories on the other side of the park.....we relished in the married without kids phase and enjoyed lazy mornings, travel, and spontaneity.....basking in all of the moments of togetherness, not realizing at the time we were building a foundation.......one that would anchor a stable and robust home.....one that could weather the elements of child rearing, yet still treat our marriage as a priority that thrives independently of our children....

                  July 2005

.....of course there are still the days that the snapping and barking get the best of us......the nights that we can't talk because we are comatose with exhaustion and have nothing left for each other.......or the days that both girls are clinging to my leg whining simultaneously and I look at Stefan with the I didn't sign up for this part of motherhood look, yearning for a night out when we only had to remember who was carrying the apartment keys.....

....but at the end of the day, I know that our history is what helps ground our present......and our present will fortify our future....and there will be good times, hard times, fun times, and sad times....but they are our times.....and they are in God's hands.....


.....and we are thankful....


Thank you, Sara, for taking so many beautiful photos on our day out! xxoo