Tuesday, August 28, 2012

.....the first box......

.....my neighbors have been so wonderful to drop off all of their boxes from grocery and diaper deliveries.....I had no idea the means of transporting our belongings would provide such ample entertainment for the little ones.....who needs a babysitter when I have 25 different sized boxes lying around?......

....although, after a few hours of being held hostage in several boxes twice his size this morning, Brody was over it.....the girls played peek a boo, hide and seek and magician (their favorite) all while making Brody be the one to cram into every box....


.....by dinnertime, however; he had gained some respect from the sisters and staked his territory......


.....and speaking of dinner, I am not sure what has gotten into me, but I am craving time in my kitchen this week......breakfast, lunch or dinner- it doesn't matter what meal.......I am doing it big because I am savoring it all; every last mix, chop, stir, fry or blend in my favorite place of our apartment......Stefan and I have cooked so many times in the kitchen and have had some of our best memories in the little 50 square foot space that has brought so much joy.....

.....add a little wine, some friends who are also hungry, some little girls who love to be our helpers and a 16 month old who wants to taste everything and all of a sudden, we have ourselves a feast prepared with love.....


.....this easy chicken and black bean tostadas recipe can be found here......

.....and if you are feeling extra healthy and are in a salad mood, you can throw these homemade croutons on your plate to feel a bit rebellious.....Stefan makes a mean chopped salad and then add these babies and you are good to go......for the record, he adds a secret spice recipe to his croutons that isn't listed in the recipe I included......I'd tell you, but then he wouldn't let me blog about him anymore; so I need to let you run with your own spicy concoction......his spice combinations are the real deal, though......come on over and you can try for yourself.....


.....I have lots of catching up to do on the second half of our Texas trip......all four children in Stefan's family, their spouses and the 9 grand children surprised Stefan's Dad for his 70th birthday at a quaint little lake house we rented for three nights....it was magical......it was hectic.....it made a memory he will never forget.....


.....this picture makes me smile.....

......what also makes me smile is all of your support and voting for the Top 25 NY Momma blog votes sponsored by Circle of Moms...........thank you so much for allowing your voice to be heard......you can vote once per day for another two weeks, so please rock the vote!.....

.....click here to cast your vote......

....more Texas memories to come, as long as you can peel me away from packing and cooking.....

......good night!......

Sunday, August 26, 2012

.....rock the vote!......

.....another event that drew me to tears this past week was the email I received from Circle of Moms informing me that my blog was nominated for Top 25 New York Moms.....this blog has always been a place for me to come and reflect on the everyday life of raising my three babies in the city.....it has been my outlet, a place I can arrive and let it all pour out.....and it started after one night of thankful conversation with Stefan about how much we loved our city life.....and then behold, this blog was born.....I believe I stated my love for this blog best this past spring when this blog turned two......


....above all things, blog, you are my one and only.....you are the only thing, besides Stefan, who truly belongs to me.....as mommas, we all share everything with our children and our husbands.......although I share what I write with our friends and family who choose to read you, when I sit down to document my thoughts, it is just you and me.....I can write what I want, reflect how I want and create memories through the pictures I choose to use.....you are my creative place and my sense of accomplishment in archiving the effort, work and love I strive to give my family.....

.....as much as I love giving, it feels good to arrive here and do as I please.....so thank you for that, blog.....you keep me grounded, help me to be more grateful, more thankful and more reflective......you truly keep me sane and give me quiet time in the evening to arrive and just be.....

....so minutes upon securing a temporary place to live in CT and the finality of leaving the city starting to set in, this email arrived with the NY blog nomination......and just having someone who reads this blog nominate it on my way out of NYC was a gift in itself.....I would love for your voice to be part of the voting.....just click the pink icon below this post......you can vote once a day until Sept. 12.......ironically, it's also the week we are leaving.....

......from someone who started this blog as a place to come to cherish my family; I am humbled that there are readers who come to be inspired, relate their own lives to mine or comment with their own ideas of how they savor and cherish it all.....

.....thank you.......


  

Thursday, August 23, 2012

....change.....

.....my Tuesday morning post  left me all geared up to whip up this fantastic blog post this week about our 10 day trip to Texas......typically, documenting family vacations in one blog post is long and emotional......I find it challenging to narrow down all of the pictures taken, just as it is tricky to articulate the family time and give it the real justice it deserves.....and literally, moments after I clicked publish on Tuesday morning, the whirlwind in our household began.....

....for six months our apartment has been listed with a broker......weeks leading up to our listing going live, I was still fighting my husband on the idea of not moving to the suburbs and being one of the few families of five who stay in the city.....after many discussions and long talks in a quiet house after the babes had fallen asleep; I mutually agreed with him that more space, a slower paced life, a green backyard and a suburban home was what would be best for our family.....

.....so the short version of the whirlwind that blew through our home is that suddenly, we went from praying for direction for our long term family plan to praying for wisdom on making long term family decisions.....when it rains it pours and we probably talked to our broker more in a 24 hour period this week than we have in the 6 months our apartment has been active.....it has been busy and things moved fast......and so now suddenly, I will call NYC a place I used to live in 15 days......

....my heart has been prepared over the last 6 months to move.....there have been a string of events that have helped get me to a mental place to be able to say goodbye......to the point that many times I have said aloud, I can not wait to get out of here!.....a phrase no one would have believed would have come out of my mouth a year ago......truly, I am quite possibly more ready to start our suburban life than Stefan is and he was the one who has been pitching the idea since we became pregnant with sweet Brody......

....so today, as I add to my list of Moving To Dos such as of disconnecting utilities, collecting boxes, and purging our closets; not to mention my stack of a gazillion change of address forms, I am also reminded when I do many routine things in my everyday life for the last time that there is a real sadness that has crept in as this 9 year chapter comes to a close.....and that is where I will tie in my first clip of our Texas trip.....

.....nine years ago, the same lump in my throat was present when I was packing up my house in Austin, Texas......the same feeling of I could cry at any moment, the same half dread/half anticipation of the goodbyes to besties and family members alike.....the raw emotion was there almost a decade ago and it is here again today....except this time around, I know that the changes ahead will mold me and my children.....they will season my ever growing heap of experience that comes with age and beautifies us.....and for my babies, they may not fully understand it until they are going through the motions, but their future is bright.....

.....the unknown and uncomfortable steps we take in life fuel growth and when I think back to that twenty something, career ladder climbing girl in Austin, Texas about to embark on the Big Apple; well, let's just say that she seems so much younger than who I am today......sure, I was 9 years younger, but I also lacked all of the experiences that the thrilling purchase of the one way NYC ticket ultimately gave me and now I am ready to make the same leap of faith again.....

.....although, one thing I know is that the best friends we are leaving will still be around 9 years from now......just as our Austin besties are.....and although distance provides its own set of challenges, true friendship and committed family always prevail......the visits are always highly anticipated.....the gatherings are now rich with history, but also sprinkled with a newness and revival for all.....




....yes, it would be divine to be closer to family....I do envy those who drive a mile to see their Momma, brother, childhood best friend or cousin.....but we take our circumstances and mold them into the best of what we can make of them.....


....and so at our reunions, wherever they may be, we live large......









.....we run like the wind.....we go a million miles an hour when we have visits.....we pass up on sleep for one more conversation, one more glass of wine, or roll out of bed to engage in a sunrise gathering for morning coffee.....

.....or we skip a nap so we can pretend we are getting married for the 50th time in a row.....a runaway bride always makes for a good story, anyway.....


.....and when we do sleep, we do it summer style.....kid on top of kid......kids in the bed with us....kids piled in sleeping bags on the floor.....letting them all fall asleep wherever and then moving them at midnight.....anything to make it easy breezy....the perfect way to end a day packed with quality time and memory making moments.....













.....and as I start the initial phases of packing up this apartment and the sadness creeps in, it certainly isn't because I worry I will lose my friendships.....I will most definitely miss our wonderful network of friends on this block.......the sadness arrives because just as when I visit Texas or Florida, I long for home.....and now NYC will be on that list of places I used to call home.....although not the place I grew up or the place I met the love of my life; this is where I moved so my career could blossom......

.....the career I loved whole heartedly.....the one that gave me the opportunity to have the choice to stay home with what my true calling has been......NYC is where all of my babies were born.....it's where I lived when I married Stefan.....it is where he and I bought our first apartment together......it's been full of church friends, work friends, building friends and our home has had more visitors in the last 9 years than I will probably ever get in CT.....and it has all been grand.....it blew away my wildest dreams of what living in Manhattan would be like......and yes, I will miss it.....at times, I will miss it desperately......but our family is ready for change.....we are ready to take the leap that forces us to expand and thrive differently than we are used to.......




.....it is time for us to grow in new ways and with new beginnings.....

.....and you better believe we will make the next 15 days the best of NYC living yet.....

....time to soar, baby.....

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

.....we're baaackkk.....

.....we are climbing out from under 6 suitcases, 3 car seats, a stroller, a carry on cooler of meds for our littlest one who caught strep on the way home, 2 diaper bags and 2 pink backpacks full of broken crayons and pretzel crumbs from in-flight activity......we are all a bit tired from a late night flight that had us sinking in the sheets at 1am this morning......but we closed our eyes with smiles....grateful for ample time with family and best friends......

.....and it was sweeter than we imagined......





.....more to come....

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

...summer love......

.....my three loves summed up in one summer sidewalk setting.....


......elated with our decision to not do any camp and keep my children at home with me has been the best choice of our summer......yes, I have a sitter whom I rely on periodically during the week.....she allows me a quick session at the gym, one on one time with one of my babes or takes them on a quick visit to the park so I can prep this apartment for yet another showing.....but really, this summer has been about me, my kids, weekends with our Daddy and our last tour of NYC before we head to the burbs......

....the only way to sum it up is to highlight some of our best adventures......so without hesitation, here have been some of our July and August best of the bests.......

.....music with Mr. Paul......

....a two minute walk to our playroom and we are a lively group who is rockin' and jammin' out with our besties.....if you can't beat the heat, get sweaty doing something fun.......




....and we've started a new trend with the scarves......babies swing and float them, little girls dress up and dance with them.....





....it's a room full of smiles, the kids burn off some energy and we Mommas actually get a few minutes to chat in between dance parties and drum sticks....



.....long weekends at Duke's Castle.....

.....for our second consecutive year, we have joined our besties for a long weekend in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at Dutch Wonderland......it is perfect for the ages of our little ones and this time, the oldest girls were tall enough for the wooden coaster.....the Daddys may have been the most excited ones about the fact that they had made it to the big leagues.....



.....and while Elsie and Madelyn rode the coaster for the upteenth time, Callie enjoyed the role of biggest sister.....she quickly got over the fact she was about an inch and a half too small for the coaster and introduced Brody to some of his first rides......



....and then she and the big girls were reunited for more thrills they all could enjoy..... 






....and Brody certainly enjoyed being back in the mix with the group, too......




....even getting brave with the geese until they reminded him that he was in their territory.....




.....and we couldn't leave Dutch Wonderland without finding the princess and her dragon.....



....maybe not as thrilling as the Disney princesses, but still a highlight for my girls.....

.....enjoying our city's fine art exhibits......

.....one of the things Stefan and I discuss all the time is that we don't take advantage enough of the access to all the NYC museums......when Sara read about an exhibit that is running along Park Avenue that celebrates women, we made plans to check it out.....

.....babies strapped and in tow......


.....and I must say that the littles actually soaked it in, checked out each sculpture, asked good questions and of course posed for some snapshots.....





.....we tried to get photos from every angle to capture the coolness the exhibit.....taxi cabs racing by, rush hour just beginning, the sun passing over the last of the high rises; leaving its mark on the shiny mosaic tiles that covered each sculpture.....






.....and soon it was time to change up the scenery......Brody will only tolerate so long confined in the stroller and the sidewalk alongside Park Avenue is not the place to let him run free.....



......one big group shot and we were off like tourists......



.....summer is sweeter at Dylan's Candy Bar......

......need I say more?......





.....we promised them an ice cream sundae to share......easier said than done when there are so many options to choose from......



....it wouldn't have mattered what flavors I selected......



.....eventually I stopped fighting Brody back and let him climb right on top of the table to join the group.....in his ripe age of 15 months, he can not stand to miss out on the social scene......




.....awh, in due time, sweet boy....it all goes by too fast and before we know it, you too will be about to start Pre-Kindegarden......


......these two sweet girls were newborns who entered the world only hours apart just yesterday and look at them now......



....I don't blink for a moment because they are all changing so fast......



......Rye Beach with besties......

.....since we have been soaking up the sun as much as possible this summer, we finally convinced our good friends to join us.....




....the best part was sweet three month old Ryan hitting the beach for his first time.....once he cooled off from the trek to the shore, he sat back and enjoyed the ocean breeze and rhythmic sound of the crashing waves.....


.....he was a sight that stopped people in their tracks.....it was hysterical, heart warming, adorable and he took it all in stride.....he didn't fuss one bit......a man after my own heart......he loves the beach......


.....we made it through several snacks and ice cream to top off the day......I hope there are more like it in the month before school because it was perfect......



.....overall, the last few weeks have been just what I hoped our summer would be......spontaneous, slow, easy going, adventurous and full of little moments that I have stored into the memory bank for the crazy and hectic phases of life that will surely come again......





.....because it is all of these little moments that add up to one grand, big and beautiful life......





.....and I am savoring all of them.....




.....summer love.....


      ....much love to Sara for taking the Rye beach, Dylan's candy bar and Park Ave art exhibit photos.......