Vacay in BK

I just spent a long weekend away visiting my younger sister, Molly, and her husband, Ryan, in Brooklyn! It was such a fun trip and a much needed break! Traveling alone is so simple and the whole time I kept thinking to my self, this is too easy. On Thursday evening I arrived at Mr. & Mrs. Reid's home to find some of my favorite flowers in vases in what has to be the cutest apartment in Brooklyn. I love my sister's style, and they have decorated their great space in such a fun and pretty manner! It really is a great apartment; 3 closets (one a huge walk in...I'm actually jealous of it!) a big bedroom and roomy bathroom. The kitchen and living area is smaller, but they have a great island for food prep that divides the living and eating space so nicely. I love it! Somehow it feels roomy, which is rare in such a crowded city. Seriously, I would have lived in that space even in Texas as a newly wed. Ryan and Molly spoiled me start to finish, and I'm so glad I made the decision to visit! We had a wonderful 3 days filled with mostly eating (Molly and I have a deep love and appreciation for food), relaxing and shopping. My Mom gave Molly and I some money for our birthdays and we had a blast shopping in the little Brooklyn shops on Friday and then some of the bigger Manhattan stores on Saturday. Shopping sans small children is a wonderful experience :)

The Reid Kitchen - so pretty!! See my special sunflowers :)

Sisters Subway Selfie :)

Saturday Morning we enjoyed these amazing gourmet donuts from "Dough" which is a couple blocks from Molly's place

We also enjoyed several yummy meals out as well as cooking a few delicious ones at Molly and Ryan's apartment. On Saturday night Molly and I had reservations at Mario Batali's restaurant Babbo. I am a bit of a Food Network nerd, so I decided that since this weekend was exactly half way between Molly's birthday and my birthday I would treat us to a fancy dinner out at one of the celebrity chef restaurants in town. After researching online I decided on Babbo, and we were not disappointed! Every bit was delicious and we had a fantastic time eating, and talking for 2 hours. When we arrived home Ryan was lucky enough to take a break from studying (he is busy with nursing school right now) to hear a very detailed recount of each of the 4 courses we shared :) Mario Batali even walked through our dining room (always fun to get a glimpse of a famous person)!

Before any food came...can you tell we were excited?? :)

just got our delicious antipasti (mushroom crepe) and the waiter offered to take a picture

I could go into great detail about our primi, secondi and dolci (ask me if you want to know) but, briefly we had 'black spagetti' with rock shrimp and crumbled spicy salumi, lamb chops with brocolini pesto and fig Sottosopra with vin santo gelato. Oh. My. Goodness. Every bite was yummy, and since we split each of the 4 courses we were full but not stuffed. We agreed we could eat that meal every night and be happy :)

I had so much fun looking forward to this trip during a time where I was feeling a little down, and it was well worth every penny. Now that I'm back home, and back to reality, I'm really missing my sister and the "single" life...ha!! A special thank you to Moe and Pop for watching the boys the whole weekend. Philip was out of town as well for another of his Lemon's Car Races in Houston. He also had a blast, and his team placed first in their division! It was a good get away for both of us, and break from the daily duties of having two preschoolers at home. We can't thank my parents enough for giving us this needed respite.

Philip's racing trophy

There are so many neat things about New York City, different cultures everywhere and so much to learn (there are a lot of Hasidic Jews living in and around Molly's neighborhood - not something you see in Texas), access to all kinds of specialty shops, great public transportation, and more. However, I am always happy to return home to my suburban life where I can walk out my back door into nature, have more room for less money, do my laundry in my own home and park my car for free right in front of my house every day. Thanks Molly for a wonderful weekend away in another world. I love you, am proud of you and wish we could spend time together more often!

Bunk Beds!

We were recently given Philip's old bunk beds, and have been planning on putting them up in the boys' room. Philip slept on the top bunk from about age 5 to 14 and added quite a few stickers in that time :). So, a few weeks ago Philip pulled them out of the attic and worked on removing all the stickers, putting new casters on the under bed drawers and new slats for under the mattresses. On Saturday he was finally able to put them together and the boys were so excited! Levi kept saying, "I love my new room! It is so much bigger!" It really does seem like a new room with more space with the crib out of there. I love that the boys are being able to use something their dad used as a little boy, and the fact that they are sturdy and solid wood is a great bonus.

It was a little sad for me to take the crib down and put it in the attic. Not only does that mean that Joel is getting so big, but it was also a reminder that we won't be putting a new little one in it for a while. Even though I don't know God's will, I do feel that He will bless us with another baby one day. We will be pulling that crib out again, so that gives me some comfort.

Joel has transitioned so smoothly to his new big bed and has been sleeping well. The first night was a little rough, with him getting up and coming to our room 4 different times, but he has stayed in his bed all night every night since! He is so proud to be a "big boy" and share a bed with his brother. Levi is thrilled to be sleeping "so high" and loves climbing in and out of bed. However, he has had two accidents trying to climb out of bed with a full bladder. Hopefully that won't continue!

Most of the boys toys used to reside in our living room, but with the added room and storage allowed by the bunk beds we now have most of their toys in their room! It's great :) They really do seem so much more grown up with the bunk beds in their room. I can't believe we have a 2 year old and 4 year old, and that we are packing away more and more of the baby things in our house. It is so true that kids grow up in the blink of the eye! Levi and Joel love sharing a room so much, I have a feeling they just may share a room until they move out...but, lets not talk about that, or I might get really emotional!!

Mumford & Sons!

Wednesday night Philip and I were able to go to the Mumford & Sons concert! The show was originally scheduled three months ago, but the bassist, Ted suffered a blood clot on his brain and had to have emergency surgery postponing the concert. Thankfully he had a quick and complete recovery. It was well worth the wait! The show was wonderful and we had a blast! We don't get to go to concerts very often anymore, but it was something we loved doing while we were dating and early married. Our friends Lorrie and Aaron went with us and my sister Kate, brother in law Dustin, brother Seth and soon to be sister in law Morgan were all there as well. We all enjoyed the music so much, and wished it would have been longer. Sign of a good show! This band is so talented, and all of them play multiple instruments, not to mention they all sing beautifully and can harmonize so nicely! The lighting was so pretty and went very well with the music and their style. It was often subtle. The band talked and joked with each other and the audience between songs. They invited a guest banjo player to join for one song, as well as the opener to join for another. I couldn't help but think about how much I wish I had learned to play at least one instrument while watching the band members go from one to instrument to another...maybe one day :). Marcus Mumford played guitar, ukelele, kick/bass drum (often while playing guitar), and a full drum kit. Again, they are so talented!

"I Will Wait"

"Winter Winds"

Boyers and Dickersons

"Ghosts That We Knew"

"Where Are You Now?" Acoustic!

"The Cave"

Wishing it wasn't over...but had so much fun while it lasted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite moments from the show were when they introduced the fiddle player, Ross, who is from Texas. While they were talking about how proud Texans are of their state he held up a TX flag. I also loved when they sang two songs acoustically huddled around a single microphone. The only draw back to the show was that, true to British culture, they had a tendency to curse quite a bit between songs. However, I would love to see them play again if I have the opportunity. I'd love to see/hear them play Roll Away Your Stone and Sign No More, which they did not play at this show. But, I enjoyed hearing them play some of my most favorite songs, and I know we will remember this special night for years to come!

Weeekend at The Ranch

This past weekend we met my parents at "the ranch" for a couple of days of country living. We stayed in what is known as the bunk house (basically an apartment above the horse stables) but spent most of our time there out doors. Both mornings we were blessed with beautiful weather! On Saturday and Sunday morning the boys took turns riding Pistol, the little black pony on the ranch, while the adults enjoyed the breeze and pretty views.

Once the boys were done riding we loaded up the fishing gear and went over to one of the small lakes on the ranch. Everyone caught several fish, and the boys had a blast! Levi caught 2 bass and perch. He caught one on his first cast, so was frustrated when we cast and didn't get anything :)

Saturday afternoon it was warm enough for a swim, so we headed to the club house. Philip and I made lunch while Pop and Moe swam with the boys. I love watching my boys swim with my Dad because I have wonderful memories of swimming with my Dad as a little girl. He is just as much fun in the pool now as he was 25 years ago!

 
After lunch we headed back to the the bunk house for the boys to take naps. Levi and Joel had a blast sitting in Pops lap and "driving" the truck around the ranch. Although, Philip said to watch out, this could be a gateway drug to the addiction of driving...hopefully the boys we wait a long time before they are brave enough to drive a car on their own! Once the boys were tucked in for naps, Philip and I headed out for a grown up trail horseback ride while my Dad went fishing and my Mom stayed with the boys to relax and read while they slept. Thanks Mom! Philip and I had a nice time seeing the ranch from another angle and spending some time without the boys. I rode Duke who is an pretty old boy with only one eye. He was perfect for me because I used to me pretty nervous around horses (you should see some of my pictures from girl scouts...I was just slightly scared of those big animals!), so this gentle sweet boy was perfect for me. Philip rode on Beau, and this handsome fellow is strong and stubborn, another great fit!

When nap time was over we loaded up again and drove over to see the new lake being dug on the ranch. It's going to be a big beautiful lake when it's finished. After some country dirt road driving we stopped off at the club house for some more swimming. This time Pop and Moe did the cooking while Philip and I swam with the boys. It was so fun to cool off and spend some time playing with just our family of four!

After chowing down on a delicious dinner we found a little more room in our tummies for campfire s'mores. Levi and Joel LOVE s'mores, so they were super excited when we got the fire going in the fire pit and broke out the chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows!

 

The next morning after finishing up with the second round of pony rides we took a walk to Pop and Moe's plot of land (5 acres) and enjoyed the scenery and getting to know the property a little better. After a snack break we squeezed in one last bit of fishing. We couldn't skip feeding the horses some carrots before packing up and heading to town for some Dairy Queen (a small town TX must if you ask me!) and then hitting to road for home.

view of Pop & Moe's land from the lake....so pretty!

Thanks for a great trip Pop & Moe! We look forward to many more memorable weekends at the ranch and can't wait til the house is built! What a blessing for our family to have this ability to enjoy God's creation and gifts to us!