Memorial Day Weekend

This Memorial Day was kind of amazing. I know I say that all the time but it really was.  The weather was perfect and we did so much stuff and most of that "stuff" just happens to be within a 20 minute walk of our house - which is also kind of amazing. Here's a laundry list of what we did over the course of three days: Audrey's Birthday at Painted Pot, Governor's Island (picnic, face painting, tattoos, food trucks, hammock grove, kid's show), swings at Pier 2, beach at Pier 4, Jane's Carousel, Fornino, Gene's parents house. I know there are like a million pictures below but that's because it was really amazing.  Did I mention that it was amazing?

 Selfie at Fornino

 Jane's Carousel (Ivy's first time sitting on the horse instead of the carriage)

 East River Beach (Sign says, "do NOT swim")

 L.O.V.E

She looks so happy but all I can think about are grass stains 

 So hot that the fire hydrant was melting

 Ice Cream at Gov. Island

 New Play Area at Gov. Island

 Is the shark eating Violet or is Violet eating the shark?

 Under the Sea

 Make a silly face!

Twins!

 I am on a boat!

Work Perks

Every year, in late April or May, there is a work conference that is typically held somewhere in Florida.  I haven't gone the last several years because I was busy having babies or raising babies. Now that both kids are toddlers and are pretty manageable, we decided it was worth it to all go together and Gene will take care of the kids while I attend the conference sessions.  The conference itself was at a private club in Key Largo but we wanted to make the most of our visit so we booked a hotel in South Beach for the weekend prior.  I am so glad we got this opportunity to spend time in the sun, especially after a very dreary and rainy vacation to South Carolina and Georgia.  This trip was great and even though I was pretty nervous about having to speak at the conference, nothing could have put me in a bad mood because the drinks kept flowing and the sun kept shining.  The only thing that was slightly depressing was everyone's ridiculous bodies along the beach.  It's as if these people live at the gym and at the plastic surgeon.  I swore that I would return home and start a work-out regimen.  Right. That didn't happen.

One note on the picture at the bottom: it somehow became a moment that I will treasure forever.  I was standing next to the girls who just came back from an hour or more of swimming and they were exhausted and attacked those french fries. For the next fifteen minutes there was nothing but silence and the crunch of the fries as the girls stared into the distance and devoured their snack.  It was a snapshot of innocence and simplicity and I wished I could bottle that moment and make it last forever.

 

Getting Ready for Dinner 

Agenda Flyer from the Conference

Snacking on Fries poolside

Mother's Day

I am such a sucker for commercial holidays and Mother's Day is no different.  Gene Violet and Ivy know that mommy will be sleeping in and when she awakes she should be instantly injected with a big dose of caffeine and showered with flowers and gifts.  This year my little ladies made me a pancake in the shape of a heart and gave me a GIANT flower arrangement that resembled something that belongs next to a casket (but lovely nonetheless).  That's not all though.  They also gave me some incredibly amazing facial moisturizer (with a gold plated spoon) that is worn by Geishas and that is guaranteed to make me look 30 years younger.  That's not Violet in the picture below, that's me after I put on the moisturizer.

Ivy's Milestones - 22 months

The other day it hit me that nearly every one of Violet's milestones was either recorded on this blog or in her baby book or through photos or videos.  Meanwhile, poor Ivy got none of that.  In fact, I can't remember the last time I dedicated a post that was just for Ivy.  As soon as I typed that I went to check and it was actually in February so not that bad.  Ivy, you're nearly 2 and here are some pretty neat things about you.

1. You have 12 teeth (or maybe 14 or maybe more - you won't actually let us check)
2. You can count to 10 (Some may say you can count to 20 but every number after 10 sounds like fourteen)
3.  You know the name of every person in your class
4.  You can sing your ABCs
5.  You speak in small sentences (mostly 2 words, but sometimes 3)
6.  You call Violet your sister
7.  You call Peter uncle Pee Pee
8.  You can pee on demand (this is a skill that most adults don't have)
9.  You can jump from the coffee table to the couch (and only missed once...ouch)
10.  You rarely eat play-doh and sand

Violet's 4th Birthday

I can't believe it's been 4 years since I first became a mom.  It's been the most incredible journey and just when I think it can't get any better, Violet or Ivy hits a new milestone and it's a flood of emotions that remind me of how lucky I really am.  Okay, enough with the sappy stuff, on to the celebration!  We had Violet's Birthday party this year at Twinkle Playspace and all her school friends and many of our friends were there to celebrate the big day.  It was the first year where she really understood that it was her Birthday and waited for it with excitement. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera so the pictures had to be taken by my phone and didn't come out too great.  Here are a few semi-decent shots.

Southern Charm

The girls had a week off from daycare during Spring Break so instead of doing the usual Caribbean/beach thing, we decided to try something slightly more adventurous.  We flew down to the South, rented a car and explored Charleston, Savannah and Hilton Head.  In order to keep this post brief and to the point, I broke the whole trip down into three categories: the good, the bad and the ugly.   Enjoy!

The Good:

-Rain didn't stop us from enjoying some great activities: jumpy castle, children's museum,  aquarium, supermarket (see pic of shopping cart below)

-Violet learns to swim - sort of (she can now swim under water)

-Most of the food was mediocre but there were a few highlights: A Lowcountry Backyard and Lucky  Rooster (mmmm shrimp-n-grits)

-Thanks to blackout shades the girls woke up at 9am instead of the usual 6:30am

-Free upgrade in Charleston caused us to end up on the "all inclusive" floor. Free booze!

-Hotel in Hilton Head had an Easter egg hunt where we learned that Ivy's fear of bunnies is greater than her love of candy

The Bad

-First day in Charleston Violet got a fever 

-It was cold and rainy for nearly the entire trip

-Ivy breaks several mugs, plates, glasses, hotel decorations and whatever else she can get her hands on

-Ivy goes to the emergency clinic for an X-Ray to make sure her arm isn't broken.  We learned she was  completely fine when she started to wildly swing at the nurse in order to avoid the physical

-Hotwire lost yet another one of our reservations (other one was in Peru)

The Ugly

-We accidentally end up in a very, very, very Southern restaurant where an extremely chatty owner      explained to us that she "aint chaahyel frenly" 

-Witnessing a romantic wedding in a park in Savannah where the groom walked out to "I am da man" by  Aloe  Blacc

-Violet eats nothing but bacon for 7 days straight (I actually wasn't sure if this was supposed to go in "the ugly" or "the good" category)