Can I ride in the stroller?

Last weekend we learned that it is possible to have a family of 6 in the city. Although I'm glad there were 2 extra adults to even out the kid:adult ratio. Here's what we did:
Grimaldi's- Bean's #1 request. Little did we know, they moved buildings (one over from the old one) into a huge place where you can't smell the pizzas cooking and it kinda lost the charm. But the roasted peppers are still delicious.

Jane's Carousel- Megan's #1 request. I'd never been here before and it was more magical than I expected. Perfect old charm and the huge glass box it's in is pretty awesome too.

Brooklyn Bridge- no one's #1 request. But we made it! It was crowded but fun and the kids loved the glimpses of the statue of liberty.

 Staten Island Ferry- David and Caleb's #1 request. Thank goodness it was enclosed so we were warm and toasty to eat our ice cream and cinnamon pretzels while we sailed by the statue.

Prospect Park- It was freezing cold but we needed to get the kids outta the house for a while, they loved it but they should come back in the spring!

9/11 Memorial- No disrespect meant, this was a little underwhelming to me as far as the actual memorial goes. The fountains are really cool but that's kinda all there is. I think it'll be much better once more construction is complete. Still glad we finally made it there to check it out though.

Shake Shack- Okay this place is stressful. Trying to get a table was vicious but once we did, the burgers and fries did not disappoint us. But you know what did? The SHAKES! Um if your name is Shake Shack, your shakes should be better than the runny fast food ones you can get anywhere. 

Natural History Museum- I guess every other family in the city had the same idea to take their kids here on their Monday off of school. (duh) Despite the crowds, the kids loved it. And I think I could spend all day in the cool blue ocean room.

Conclusion: kids made things more stressful but also 100x more fun. Plus they walk at a slower pace, max out at 2 activities a day, and like to wind down with a little Netflix. Which is exactly my speed these days. Win-win-win.

In a Year's Time

It's crazy what can happen in a year, isn't it? Last year on Valentine's Day, Regan and I were engaged. He made me delicious homemade ravioli and we ate it in his attic in Salt Lake. And I don't think we'd ever been so happy. It's one of our favorite days. And today, I'm sitting in our apartment in Brooklyn, really far away from everything we knew then, staring at a baby swing our friends gave us for the baby that will be here in August. (!!!) And it's kind of like whoa, when did all of this happen? And we might not have a romantic dinner (Regan-what should we have for dinner?) and I might not be able to climb a ladder to an attic anymore (I never knew that balance disappears when you're pregnant) but I think it's safe to say we're even happier than we thought we'd be a year ago. I'll take it!

And now that that's out in the open, I can start blogging about what I eat every day, how long my naps are, what fruit the baby resembles (a lemon right now), etc. Phew!

Small Town Dreamin

The other night I dreamed that Regan and I moved to Monticello, Utah and then that we moved to Manti, Utah. It was like two simultaneous lives, showing how we'd live in each place. I loved it.

In Monticello, we lived in the house my mom grew up in and my grandpa still lives in. (Sorry, grandpa) We had I think 3 kids and we were renovating the whole house but I was weirdly adamant about some things like that no one touch the store room or the garage because they MUST maintain the same smell they'd had my whole life. I wish I could picture the whole new layout because I've thought many times (while awake) about how I could somehow make that house work for me to raise a family in. On a side note, I'd like to know how many of the 50 grandkids would fight me for this honor. Just curious. Anyway, we had a 10-ish-year-old son that was pretty ticked that we moved there. But obviously, I knew he'd be fine after his first summer of baseball. We all would. No idea what Regan did for a living there. Head up a new Design program at the high school? Work remotely from the shed? Endless possibilities, really.

In Manti, I don't remember as many details. Except that I drove some kind of old boxy car and we had a bunch of scraggly kids. We lived in a really old house that had been renovated (sensing a theme here) and we had a huge yard. I just remember driving through town with all the kids in the boxy car and passing other families in similar situations. Basically it felt like the cover of the old Cheaper By the Dozen book but in real life. Here, Regan taught design at Snow College in Ephraim. And sometimes the 6 mile commute annoyed us.

I'm surprised Pinedale, Wyoming wasn't on this list but maybe another night. I'm pretty sure I idealize small towns. I woke up feeling very nostalgic and wishing either of those could somehow be in our near future. Then again, if they were, I might wake up feeling nostalgic about living in a giant city full of people and trains and garbage.

New York Christmas

Mostly I just felt like we couldn't move on here until I proved that we did, in fact, celebrate Christmas. I don't have much else to say except that any grand, romantic ideas you have about a couple's first married Christmas spent in New York City is probably not how it was. Unless you were thinking of movies and puzzles and hot chocolate and walks and naps and never going to the city or waking up very early or over-extending ourselves in any way. Then you're dead on and you should come hang out with us.

Mt Vernon

 

 

We spent Thanksgiving in Maryland this year. We're really glad to have family close enough to spend holidays with. We went to Mt. Vernon while we there and I loved everything about it. Especially the view of the Potomac from the back porch/lawn. I could have stayed there all day but we had Five Guys and leftover pie to get back to.

I had a birthday

I'm 27. That feels okay I guess.

But you know what feels way better than okay? Talking to lots of family and friends. And singing voicemail messages! We went to dinner at a friend's house and when we left I had 4 of them and they each made me very happy.

Also of note: A perk of marrying a designer- custom/coordinating wrapping on all my gifts. Which is something I truly appreciate. And Regan made his first cake (solo) and it was DELICIOUS. Pear Oatmeal with this gooey coconut/walnut stuff on top. Has he been hiding this skill so as to not step on my baking toes? Secret's out.

We're heading to DC tomorrow after work for a long weekend! Please bless the traffic isn't bad, that I can make the sweet potatoes as good as Linsey did, that our bus has steady wi-fi, and that baby Colette still likes me.

We've been married for 8 months.