Thursday, June 27, 2013

......#1, #2 and #3 is all of the above......

.....during the initial discussions of me slowly agreeing that maybe it was time to leave the city, I gave Stefan three non negotiables that he quickly agreed to......they became the new criteria of a future home, so to speak; as we had no idea at the time of these discussions whether or not this place even existed.....

.....I distinctly remember the first conversation that got the ball rolling.......it was Halloween afternoon 2010 and Stefan had driven me through a short cut on our way to spend the night at our friends house in New Jersey......I was wrapping up my first trimester of my pregnancy with Brody and my hormones were in full force.....I distinctly remember sobbing in the front seat and wailing that I could not believe Stefan wanted to move into a neighborhood and leave our urban lifestyle........he was laughing at this dramatic production, but also slightly scared at my outburst......it was his laugh when he also shakes his head and the words, what is wrong with you? also make their way to me at the same point I am wondering just the same.......I am not one for surprise emotional episodes, but I also could not believe that he would dare present another lifestyle to me in the current state that I was in.....

.....there were beautiful wrap around porches donned with bright orange pumpkins, cotton spider webs weaved perfectly in the corners of outdoor nooks, cornucopias perched outside for display and fall foliage beaming their grand finale as the peak of the season was passing by......

.....how dare he suggest that we live in a place so beautiful!.....

.....a few conversations post the traumatic Halloween 2010 drive, we settled on these three criteria if we were going to leave Manhattan.....

1. Stefan's commute must be under an hour
2. Our new hometown would have to have a beach
3. I would not budge on #1 or #2

......we did not end up in New Jersey like we originally suspected we would.....we ended up exactly where we are supposed to be......


.....fast forward 2.5 years and if I would have seen this picture on that Halloween Day I probably would have cried even harder......we are so happy in our little beach town....the summer, the beaches, the friends have all been enjoyable this first summer out of NYC......the perks of also being invited on boat adventures when we can view our new town from a different perspective has us falling harder for this place we now call home......



.....pack 7 little people in the bow of a boat, turn the music up, crack open a polar seltzer water with a splash of lime (or cold beers for every other adult on board) and call it a day......

.....life doesn't get much better.....





.....some of the small things we are savoring this June......

.....good friends making trips to spend quality time together.....

.....time with the babies in tow......


.....and time without the babies in tow.....

....delicious food, better conversation, a decadent dessert and a full and happy heart.....Stephanie brings out the best in me and I am a better momma, friend, and wife with her inspirational and positive influence in my life.....period.


.....ice cream for lunch.....

.....why not?......really?.....for dinner this evening I served chicken nuggets and black beans out of a can without any guilt that there wasn't a vegetable making a debut on the paper plate......the beans were organic, after all......besides, it's summer......



.....dudes, dudes and more dudes.....

.....Brody is at the age that he is forming his own opinions....he definitely likes having other boys around to change things up from our estrogen heavy house.....after a spontaneous play date at the park, we decided to extend our time together over lunch......we split the babes up for the ride.....girls in one suburban and boys in the other.....I drove the boy bus and snapped this to capture his sheer enthusiasm for some much needed boy time.....


.....man at work.....

.....I had never heard of a rope saw until this past weekend when Stefan borrowed one from his fireman friend.....after giving him two adirondack chairs for Father's Day, he has been determined to clear his view so he can bask in relaxation during the last hours of these summer days......he wanted a full view of his CT sunset, so that's what he got......



....wallah....

.....we will have many good talks side by side watching the sunset this summer.....


....baby joy.....

.....growing and growing and growing.....

.....in size, excitement and love.....


.....this time next summer, the one who has been missing will be here......

.....and our family will be complete.....


....swinging by tomorrow to introduce a new sponsor......stay tuned.......