Weekend in NYC

This past weekend, Brad and I traveled alone to NYC for a wedding for my friend, Jen. She was my old boss when I worked at PhysioArts Physical Therapy in Manhattan but has become a good friend of mine since we moved. We were so excited to go up for the wedding because we knew it would be a blast. I'll post more on that in the next post. The pics below were taken over the course of the weekend, minus the wedding. Again, separate post. So, Brad had taken the train up to the city on Thursday because he had a meeting for work. Brad's parents flew in from TN that same day to take care of Baker while we were away. Thank God for them! They are so great with Baker and he adores them. I took the train up Friday morning and met Brad at our hotel, the Carlton in Midtown (28th and Madison). BTW, people email me a lot asking for places to stay when visiting NYC and since we lived there and never really stayed at hotels until recently, we never have many suggestions, but I can highly suggest this place. It's gorgeous and though some of the rooms are small (what isn't in NYC?), we got a great rate of $119/night. It's usually $200+ but they had a special on their site when we booked it. So, check it out the next time you want to visit.

Our hotel lobby

Ceiling in the lobby. The chandeliers were pretty cool.

When Brad and I visit NYC, we always feel like we're going back home for a visit. We have our favorite things we like to do and places we like to eat. Our trips up there usually consist of eating and shopping and that's pretty much it. We always go back to our old hood on the UWS to see what's new and what's not there anymore. Friday consisted of trekking through the UWS, yogurt at Pinkberry, and dinner at an old staple, Republic, in Union Square. It's cheap (by NY standards), chic Thai/Asian cuisine. It's pretty loud in there with all of the talking but it's a great place for noodley kind of food and a hip urban atmosphere. After dinner, we did a little shopping at the surrounding stores but not before catching one of the local performers in the park. See the video at the bottom of the screen for that. It's pretty crazy.

Saturday morning, I made an appointment to get my hair done by Nicholas, my old stylist there, for a quick cut and blowout for the wedding. Since he works on the UWS, we spent another afternoon there but we didn't leave this time without having brunch outside at Isabella's and grabbing 1/2 dozen cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery for Brad's parents. They adore them. I'm so happy they've opened up a shop there so we don't always have to go to the village! We also made our usual stop at Levain Bakery so that we could get our chocolate peanut butter cookie fix! Later that afternoon was the wedding.

Brad waiting patiently for me to take his picture while his food sits in front of him! We ate at Isabella's a lot when we lived there. They have the best bread during their brunch service that's served with this yummy strawberry butter!!

Everyone's pretty much heard of this place. When we lived there, there was only one location, the West Village, and on a typical weekend, you would have to wait in a line that went around the block for a cupcake. Now there are a few locations throughout the city making

a lot easier to get to.

I thought their shirts were cute. It does make me a little sad that the novelty of Magnolia is going away and they are falling prey to the commercialism trap, but the cupcakes are still delish so one can't complain!

Me with my freshly coiffed hair. It doesn't look that much different but trust me, it's cut so much better. Poor Nicholas had to fix a lot that the previous girl did to my crazy mane. I have seen 5 people in DC and not one knows how to cut or blowdry my hair! I've never had this problem before. Who'd thought that finding a good stylist would be hard in DC? It's not like we live in a small town!

A view of the deliciousness. Is your mouth watering yet?

On Sunday, we visited The Gallery Church and loved it and then headed down to Soho for lunch at The Cupping Room. We decided to walk north to the Village to hang out in Washington Square Park and people watch but we made pit stop at the Peanut Butter & Co. for a picture. This was the place for our first date! While at the park, we sat there under the blue skies, gorgeous weather, on a park bench, sipping our frappacinos and listening to the coolest swing style band playing there for entertainment. It was truly the perfect ending to the most fabulous weekend. Had Baker been with us it would have been that much more complete but all in all, it was one of the best weekends away ever!!

Our first date place! Peanut butter is one of my favorite things, so Brad planned our first date around this place in October 2002. I didn't even know it existed until then!

Romance in the park.

The weather was perfect on Sunday and there hundreds of people out at Washington Square Park. This park has come a long way since we lived there! It used to be a bit run down but add flowers, well kept lawns and a fountain that works and you have one great park!

View from our bench.

This band was SO good! I almost bought their cd. Listening to this music with the backdrop of the park made it feel like we were sitting in the scene of a romantic movie.

In front of the arch at the park.

When we got home...

While in NY, we found Baker a blue doll stroller! I have seriously been looking for a non-pink stroller for him for 2 months now and of course we found it in NY! Anytime he's had the chance to play with one, he's addicted to it so we knew he would love it. Needless to say, he has played with this thing non-stop since we brought it home! Job well done!

Patty eating her cupcake!

Andy loving his! And a cookie from Levain! This was their payment for watching Baker. :)

Video: You MUST pay attention to the very beginning of this video or else you will miss it! This guy was at Union Square and flipped over about 6 people. It was pretty cool but if you're not paying attention from the start, you'll miss him doing it.

Free is Good

I'm always in the market for new toys for Baker since he get's bored with things so quickly...only I prefer not to buy them new from the store. Even though his toys are more new than used, I don't give up looking for used ones. I recently found someone on Craigslist that said they had a bag full of toys to give away and they lived in my neighborhood! Since I'm one not to miss an opportunity like this, I emailed this mom and was the lucky winner! So Baker and I went over to her house to get them, not knowing what would be in there. Now, there was a bunch of crap in there too, odds and ends pieces that had no rhyme or reason to them. I just tossed in them trash. But there were a couple of things that Baker has really enjoyed so if they have provided entertainment for more than one day, I consider it a success and worth the hassle of cleaning! So if you're looking for something new for your tot to play with, check out sites online like Craigslist. They have really expanded their site to even smaller cities in the US. You never know what you might find!

This little phone was a hit! It's really a great toy and all digital. Good find!

He talked on it a lot that day. He'd pick it up and say "he-wo".

The Thomas train bead thingy is a big hit! He pushed it around all afternoon! There was also a ring stacker, another stacking toy, and some legos he's enjoyed.

Later, he decided to stick his foot in the wipes container. Why do kids do these silly things? I thought it was funny at first but he suddenly started to panic just as I pulled out my camera.

Fun in the Sun

With the summer here, going to the pool is something that we love to do and a hotel near by, Capitol Skyline Hotel, allows locals to visit for $10. It's a gorgeous hotel and they have a nice pool area. Our friends, the Arcaras, like to go with us since they live on the hill also. So, we pack a lunch and swim! Baker insists on feeding himself goldfish straight from the bag these days...handing them to him is not an option anymore. Doesn't he look way cute kicked back in the lounge chair munching away? I was trying to get the perfect picture and ended up taking a ton of pictures!

Love this picture of him!

Serious snacking face.



Mommy and her baby boy.

He just ate and ate and ate. I think he would have eaten an entire bag of Goldfish if I let him!

Finally a little tickling got him to smile!

Baker's typical face...he has this silly one down.

Buddah belly

What's Cookin'?

When at TJ Maxx the other day, I found this cute little kitchen toy by Infantino that I had spotted at Target a few months back. I loved it then but didn't want to buy it but when I saw it at the Maxx, I couldn't resist it again. I get it home and Baker is so excited to play with it, only I get it out of the package and what's missing? The all important eggs and skillet? What's a kitchen without the frying pan and food? So, I went ahead and let him play with it but I was quite frustrated because he loved it! I got a little bowl and he pretended he was stirring food in it. But I knew I had to return it. At least he got to enjoy it for an hour!

"Ooo"...one of his favorite things to say.

Serious chef. He's auditioning for Top Chef next season.

I loved it when I looked and he was laying on the floor so that he could play in the oven.

Okay, so this might be considered kind of odd but I had to take a picture. Baker totally put Bleeker's bone in his shorts! Too funny!

Down the Slide!

The other day, we checked out another park, Lincoln Park, near us. It's a gorgeous park with two playgrounds, one geared more for bigger kids and one for smaller ones. The slide is totally age appropriate for Baker so he went down it by himself for the first time! I caught a very short video of it! I was very proud and he seemed to be proud of himself too! So much so that he would go down and climb back to do it again. So cute.

Trying to go up the slide.

What kid doesn't like to draw in the dirt with sticks?

Moving On Up...

To the next nursery class at church! Yep, now that Baker is in the 18-2.5 year old class, he is officially a big boy. July 12th was his last Sunday in the infant nursery and had it not been our turn to work the nursery, we would have sent him to the other class instead. Watching him in action made it clear to us that he has outgrown that room. He's a little too rough for the small babies and is so bored with the toys in there. At one point, he saw one of the infants in a walker and wanted so badly to get in. As soon as Jake was out, Baker did his best to get in! He even took the floor mat/gym and was tossing it across the room like a frisbee.

Silly boy, he couldn't get his legs inside the holes so he's squatting instead!

Mr. Mischievous

Looks pretty uncomfortable in there. He used to love this thing when he was smaller. It's bittersweet to watch him grow up!

Later that day, Baker got the lotion and was trying to put it on his legs because of watching me do it. Thankfully, he couldn't get the cap off!

Last week, our church had Vacation Bible School and since I worked the first two days, Baker went to the older class. He really seems to enjoy it more and loves the cool toys in there. He especially loves the doll stroller, the kitchen and the tunnel! It did make me a bit sad to see him growing up and looking so big in there but that's just the way it goes. He's not our sweet little baby boy anymore. Well, he's sweet just not a baby. :) Prior to moving classes, the past two Sundays in the baby nursery, Baker did not cry when we left him! That's a big deal. Then the week of VBS, he was perfectly content to walk into his class and not get upset when I left! I think we may just be making strides towards contentment in the nursery!!

At one point, I glanced in there and he was sitting with all of the other boys. He looked so cute sitting at the big table. There were 4 others in there but they were sitting on the other sides. Yes, it was all boys in there. Our church has TONS of boys and few girls!

Playing with the new stuff!

Hartford and Micah will be two in August and October and they are just too cute!! Look at Micah in that baby doll crib.

Hartford, Noah, Charlie and Baker. We wanted a class picture desperately

but it was wishful thinking!

Summer Fun - Pool Date

The week before last, Baker and I drove out to Springfield for a pool date with our fun friends, Molly and Claire. Luckily, Molly has a great pool a few houses down from her that they are members at. It has a great kiddie pool and is perfect for the little ones. Little Claire is like a speed boat in the pool where Baker tends to be much more cautious and unsure if he completely likes it. He prefers to not be in a float and held by us when in the water but that's okay. At least he'll get in the water! We had an awesome time and can't wait until next time!

Baker looking a little stiff here...ha!

Cute Claire is one happy camper in the water!

This was the best photo I could get of the two. They are way too fast and into

doing their own thing!

Enjoying a picnic lunch before we had to head home for naptime.

Molly and Claire - These two are tons of fun!

Claire needed to take a break. Playing is so hard!