MoMa

Last weekend we went to MoMa, Museum of Modern Art for a showing of the movie Up.  We decided not to bring the stroller and have both girls walk, that is always interesting.  Sometimes it goes really well other times not so much.  We took the subway up and then walked to the museum, door to door it took about 50 minutes, it is much slower when the kids are walking.  

Daddy ended up having to carry Rachel the last bit.  We have been having a relatively warm winter here which makes being outside doable and even enjoyable.  The girls were excited to see the movie.  After it was over Luna said she did not like it because it was too scary. There are a few scary parts with some dogs.  After the movie we headed out to lunch and then home.

Once we got back home we had a quick turn around and headed off to a birthday party.  This is only the second birthday party we have been to in the city and it was amazing.  A little boy from Rachel's class was turning three.  We arrived at the party and they had caterers walking around offering all the adults wine or water :) This is my kind of kids party.  I wish I had taken some photos but it would have been a little odd.  Then while the kids were entertained with a musical sing along, a magic show and face painting the parents we offered more wine and appetizers.  I think everyone had a lovely time.

Snow Day!

We finally got our first snow storm of the season.  We had been eagerly awaiting it!  The Pacific Northwest was hit hard last week with snow.  I have to say I had wish we were there but after numerous days of it I started to feel bad for everyone!  We only had about 3 inches of snow but just enough to get out and play. 

It was cold in the high 20s and windy.  So we had to find spots that were protected from the wind.  The girls loved it.  They both made snow angels for the first time (I think).  Rachel really wanted to make frosty but the snow was not good for packing.  So instead she settled for eating it.  She would walk a step, bend down and get some snow to eat.  Then walk another step and eat some more.  Luckily, we got outside early and all the snow was still pretty clean. :)

After playing around we walked over to Tear Drop Park to check out the slide.  Mom and Dad had learned from our experience this summer with the water on the slide and knew it was going to be fast.  So Luna went first and Dad was at the bottom to catch her.  Good thing he was, she shot off the slide like a bullet.  Rachel wanted to go next and she flew too.  Daddy caught her as well but it was still scary for her.  She was done.  Luna went one more time sitting on Daddy's lap.  Below, they are at the top getting ready to slide down.  They shot off of it and we were all done, a little too fast for us.  :)

A fun snowy Saturday here in NYC!

FYI - Couple interesting things about the very top photo of Brian and the girls.  Our apartment building is on the right hand side, the red brick building.  You can see the Freedom Tower in the back ground, going up next to the site of the World Trade Center Memorial.  The overpass you see in the photo is where my boot camp meets if we are outside and it is raining.

Boot Camp Boxing Gym

I just completed my second week of boot camp.  This was Brian's Christmas gift to me, 4 months of boot camp :)  For the winter we are indoors and I thought I would show you the boxing gym we are using.  I have to say I think it is pretty cool, it has so much character.  

The gym itself is small, once again space is at a premium here in Manhattan.  But to get to the gym you have to go down three flights of stairs so we spend a lot of our work out running up and down those stairs.  I feel like the work outs are harder than out doors but it could just be all those treats I enjoyed over the holidays.  The worst part of the gym from my perspective is the smell, it definitely smells like a boxing gym, not in a good way.  But we are only here for 2 months and then back outside, so I am enjoying the novelty of the gym itself and not being out in the freezing cold.

Is It Over Yet?

Today was one of those days where I just try to make it to bedtime. From the moment we woke up this morning that was my goal. So instead of focusing on all the issues, tonight I will focus on my two highlights.

I finally got to make the Rocco Dispirito's Chicken Noodle Soup.  I raved about it back in the Fall when I bought some from his food truck.  I found the recipe online so I had been waiting for an opportunity to make it.  Today was the day, it was really quick to make and yummy yummy.  Maybe not quite as good as purchasing it from the food truck.  For me food loses some of its appeal when I know exactly what goes in it and how long it takes to make.  Ignorance is bliss!  But we all enjoyed it for lunch today.

My other highlight was this moment.  We ordered Luna her first swim cap and it came in the mail today.  I have spent a lot of time wearing one of these myself but none quite as cute as her pink one. She got to pick the color :)  Can't wait to try it out in the pool this weekend :)

Children's Museum of the Arts

Today we were off on another NYC adventure.  Since it was a holiday Brian got to join us!  We decided to go to the Children's Museum of the Arts.  It is located in Tribeca and is only a mile from our apartment.   

The adventure started with a bus ride.  The buses were running on a holiday schedule so we were not sure how long of a wait it would be.  With the freezing cold weather we have had, we did not want to wait too long.  We timed it perfectly, only had to wait a few minutes and we were on the bus.  Luna wanted to sit in the very back, her favorite seat.   

The Children's Museum for the Arts is full of hands on art exhibits.  The kids get to paint, play with clay, magnets and draw.  It is all about getting dirty and the girls loved it.  We came home with many many pieces of art work.

The bus dropped us off a 1/2 block from the museum.  Since it was a holiday and crazy cold, the museum was packed.  I was so grateful for another set of eyes and hands.  Our girls are polar opposites in many ways and one of those is how they approach art/craft projects.  Luna breezes through them while Rachel can spend hours, she is very detail focused.  So they both went through the museum at very different speeds having another set of hands was critical.

It was fun to watch the girls explore, create and make a mess somewhere other than home :)  We spent a little over two hours there.  The girls were going strong but Mom and Dad had petered out, did a mention it was crazy busy?  The museum eventually stopped letting people in because it was too crowded.

Instead of taking a bus home we decided to walk.  It was only a mile and completely do able had it not been freezing outside.  But we told the girls we could stop at Jamba Juice on the way home and they were set.  The walk went by quickly and there was no complaining :)  Nothing like a ice cold fruit smoothie on an ice cold day. :)

That night I asked both the girls what their favorite part of the museum was and they said the same thing.  The ball pit!  All the drawing, painting and creating we did and they loved the ball pit best!  Who can blame them it was pretty cool.  The ball pit was an area that was full of large balls that the kids could play in.  Each hour was divided into three 20 minute sessions.  Then each age group was assigned a session.  It was great, the girls could play in there for 20 minutes without big kids so it was safe for them.  They loved it, here are some photos.

Their favorite game was to go "night night" on the balls.

Back to NYC

We are back in the city after 3 weeks in the suburbs.  Once again the differences between the two places is fresh on my mind.  I thought I might share a few of them with you:

1. After 3 months of not driving I was shocked by how bad of a driver I had become.  Everything use to be more instinctual merging, gauging the turn radius, etc.  Surprisingly, after not doing those things I was a little rusty.  Then when we got back to the city the whole subway thing threw me for a loop.  I tried to walk through the turn stiles without paying...just following the other people through...

2.  Both Brian and I were shocked by how much time we spent in the van while in Washington.  That use to be our norm but not any more.  It really was eye opening for us.  Must say I love not having a car in the city :) never thought I would say that :)

3.  I have started my boot camp work outs again.  They are inside for the winter at a local boxing gym.  The gym has so much character, it is out of a movie, well at least for me because that is the only time I have actually seen a boxing gym.  This is my first experience in one.  They have the boxing ring in the middle and then a whole punch of hanging punching bags all over the place.  The walls are decorated with boxing articles from old magazine and news papers.  I am going to get a smart phone one of these days and then I will take a photo. (Not really a difference)

4. Our apartment is still so warm.  Last night after cooking dinner it was around 75 degrees.  I had to open the windows to cool it down.  I was looking forward to the apartment being cooler in the winter and needing to curl up with a blanket, so far that has not been necessary.  I bought/brought way too many warm clothes for this winter.  Each day when Luna is getting dress she says "where are all the short sleeves?  It is so warm in here and in my classroom." Then there is Rachel, she always wants her clothes off, she is too warm as well.  At the house, much colder if we don't turn the heat on.

5.  The noise is not bothering me as much as before.  The suburbs are so quiet and the city is so noisy, which typically bothers me but not right now...maybe it will again but so far it has not been an issue for me this time around.

Going to Preschool

We are back in to the swing of life in NYC.  The weather has been mild, not nearly as cold as I was expecting winter to be (so far).  The girls went back to school this week.  When I told Rachel she was going to school today.  She started jumping up and down saying "Yay, I get to go to school today.  Yay, I get to go to school today."  She was pretty excited to say the least!  I thought I would take photos of us heading to school.  

Today they both wanted to ride their scooters.  Luna rides her scooter every day, unless it is raining.  Rachel decided she too wanted to take her scooter.  They are bundled up and waiting on our floor for the elevator to come.

 As always, Rachel pushes "the outside button" and Luna pushes "the inside button" for the elevator.

We are off the elevator and going through the lobby of our building.  They are not allowed to ride in the lobby, so they are just pushing the scooters.  You can see the doorman (who is actually a lady) in the background, getting ready to open the door for us.  She is my favorite doorman, always full of energy and talks to the girls in Spanish.  They have no idea what she is saying but I love it, makes me smile.

Riding/walking to school.  There is a slight hill here and Rachel is too scared to ride down it so she always pushes/walks the scooter down the hill.  On the left, is the entrance to the elementary school Luna will go to next year for kindergarten.  This sidewalk can be super crowded when school gets out with Moms, strollers, nannies and kiddos.

We have to cross one pretty busy road (the west side highway) to get to school.  Here the girls are waiting for the walk signal.  They are good about waiting and paying attention to the cars.

Riding to school.   Mom is running to catch up at this point.  They can be really fast on those scooters. Luckily Luna stops frequently to point out all the dog poop so she does not get too far ahead. :)

We made it to school!  We can't enter the building until 1pm, so all the afternoon kids and adults line up outside to be let in.  It takes a little less than 15 minutes door to door, faster when Rachel sits in the stroller.

Christmas Vacation

We had an amazing time in Washington.  It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with so many different family members.  Each day brought new adventures and more family.  Luna was in her element and adjusting back to just us in NYC has been tough!  Rachel did really well too. The older she gets the quicker she comes out of her shell.  Here is just a few photos from our time in Washington.

We had a wonderful time in Port Townsend with the Vance family.  We enjoyed lots and lots of yummy food, a trip out on the boat crabbing (for Brian), puppet show by the girls, wonderful trail run (for me) and some hot tub soaking for the adults. 

From Port Townsend, we headed out to Ocean Shores to vacation with the Broz Family.   We enjoyed a couple trips to the swimming pool, walking on the beach, flying a kite and many many games of Settlers.

On the way back from the Ocean we stopped by the airport and picked up Gramma Laurie.  The girls had a blast play play playing with Gramma while I ran ran ran many many many errands.  I did not want to do any of my errands before Christmas so that left only our last week.  While I went to the dentist, Target, Kohl's, the vet and social security office Gramma watched the girls.  Thanks Gramma for visiting (I promise this summer I will be around more :)).

Have I mentioned how much I love our neighbors?  Here are the girls playing with our wonderful neighbors. The girls just adore them and always have so much fun when they come over to play.  They are such a blessing in our lives.

Our last day in Washington, the Murphy family came over to visit. I think it had been about 18 months since the cousins had seen each other.  It was a quick visit but I am so glad the kids could reconnect.  We can't wait to do it again this summer!

We are truly blessed with an amazing family.  These are the type of holidays I love!