Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Goodbye Rye

Movers are gone, cars were loaded on a flatbed truck, the house is empty, and we've said goodbye to Rye and our wonderful friends. The past couple days have been somewhat a blur with our lives being turned completely upside down and nothing being "normal". Please remind me to never move cross country again when I'm 6 months pregnant!

Luckily Wade and I have been able to keep our sense of humor through the whole thing. I love my husband. Not sure if I've ever told you before.

It is bitter cold here in NY, and we boarded the Rye train all bundled up with our two suitcases and our HUGE car seats. We are staying in the city for the next couple nights and will spend tomorrow running around NYC as a family for the last time. We're staying a couple blocks off of Times Square and we're on the 38th floor. We have an amazing view of the square and if we were here 1 more night, we could watch the festivities and the ball drop from our hotel room window!!

Goodnight!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Happy Anniversary!

Just wanted to give my big sis and b-in-law a shout out. Happy Anniversary! What is it....18 years?? I think that's right. They got married in 1991. And it was a swanky affair, let me tell you.

Happy Anniversary guys. I hope you're able to get out and celebrate today.


I'm off to IKEA this morning with two neighbors. Sigh....my last IKEA run. Have they broken ground yet in Denver??? You Denver people will LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!! Then back to the house to finish some packing, organizing etc. Movers are showing up tomorrow am to get us packed up!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Sledding at the beach

Merry Christmas Eve!

We decided to go sledding at the beach today with all the leftover snow from last weekend's storm. Never thought I would be able to say that I went sledding at the beach! Perfect weather, lots of sun, and a lot of laughs...






Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Princesses, Princesses, Princesses

So we're back in New York, and actually had zero flight trouble given all the snow New York got this last weekend. Yeah!

I'm still a bit of an emotional wreck, as I'm trying to keep my head screwed on straight these next days. I'll just blame the pregnancy. Luckily there is no packing or anything to do until after Christmas, and even then, the movers will be packing everything for us on Monday. I just need to get some things washed and organized....oh, and I need to get the washing machine fixed as it decided to blow up the day we flew to Denver.

So today was Ava's last day of preschool and go figure, I was the one crying, not her. I was fine all day (Wade and I were helping parents in her class today) until it was time to say goodbye and she gave her teachers a hug. Oh boy. Do you know how embarrassing it is to cry in front of a room full of 4 year-olds with their parents waiting on the sidelines?? I ran straight for the tissue box. Oh well, let it flow. I have loved Rye and our time here. It's been hard, but I have loved it.

So I found these pictures on my iPhone that I haven't had a chance to post. A couple Friday's ago, I gave Ava an early Christmas present which was a date with me into the City to see a special screening of The Princess and the Frog. We had assigned seats and special passes to go meet ALL, yes ALL, the princesses after the movie. It was pretty cool. I used to think that Ava would be a tomboy and NOT AT ALL into princesses as she used to only play with Thomas trains, but one trip to Disney world changed that!! Thanks Grandpa. :) We love it.

We stood in line to get a picture with each princess except for the newest, Tiana, because the line was just too long and we were getting tired. It was a great night, and I think the movie was really well done, but I have to say that good vs. evil was definitely present in this movie, with good winning (of course)...but the evil was pretty evil, and may not be appropriate for some. I covered Ava's eyes a couple times.

Here's a self-portrait at our Rye train station waiting for our train. It was cold!!


And a quick stop by the Rockefeller tree...and oh my, the wrinkles are getting more noticeable. When did those happen???!!!


The movie theater...


And bring on the Princesses...let's see if you can name them all (even though their names are on the background).









And a quick peek at Princess Tiana.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

My body thinks I'm in NY

Good morning...

It's a whopping 5am in Denver, and I've been awake for an hour. I'm sitting in the dark in my in-laws basement trying not to type too loudly so I wake up Wade. I've been waking up pretty much at 4am every morning because my body is on NY time, and I cannot turn my brain off when my body wakes up. Are you that way?? Yesterday I woke up crying, and at least I'm not doing that today. I woke up yesterday in a panic thinking that I would have to bring Baby Gus "home" to either my parent's house or a rental house and he/she would have to sleep in a box.

The last two days have been a whirlwind, and we have seen about 30 houses. Did we buy one?? In a word....no.

I can't tell you how much I love Colorado, but this transition back home is proving to be harder than I anticipated. I love living here, and I love being near family, and I love the mountains and the fresh air and the outdoor living, but I'm really having a hard time.

House hunting is proving to be a real challenge for us. Ok, me. There are so many neighborhoods and so many schools. Do we buy for the school district? Do we buy because of the house? If we buy for the school district, will I really love the house? My renovation blood is going to kick into high gear, and do I want to do that with 3 little ones and a new baby? And will I over-renovate....again? If we buy for the house, will we like the schools? Is there any room for equity growth? What about Wade's commute? What about being near family? Suburb living, or city living?? Can I really live in the burbs?? I won't be able to walk to my grocery store!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Turn off brain!!!!!!!

These are the thoughts that run through my head at 4am.

One thing we know for sure is that it is a great time to buy a house. Rates are low, and I think we can get a better deal now that we could two years ago. It's just a matter of finding the right combo that fits.

My prayer through this whole thing is that whatever house we buy, I want it to be a blessing to the seller. There are some hurting people out there and if we find the right house and it could be a blessing to some family out there who HAS to sell, well then that's the house I want to buy.

We head back to NY this afternoon, despite the blizzard they are having...I guess we should double check our flights....and the movers come in one week. ONE WEEK. I have one week left in NY. And I have to say goodbye to our life and friends there. And our cute house. And our neighbors. And Ava's preschool.

OK, now the tears are coming. So much for not crying today.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Moving

I just realized today that the movers are coming two weeks from today to pack us up.

I'm freakin' out just a little bit....

We are heading to Denver on Thursday for a short two-day house hunting trip, and we also just found out today that our #1 house that we've been eyeing for the last month or so just got rented. I guess it was listed for sale or rent, and they ended up renting it. I cannot tell you how depressed I am! I had already moved in mentally (despite my best efforts not to), and I had already come up with some rearranging of just a couple walls. Argh.

I know "there's something better out there", which I've already told myself, but quite honestly that doesn't help. I just want to wallow in my self-pity for a few days.

So I'm hoping we see some great things while we're home, and I'm just praying for an open heart and mind for me. I'm just too picky!

P.S. We had a great time in DC this last weekend, but you know what? I forgot to take pictures! So lame. Anyway, the show went well, and I sold some stuff, but more importantly we got to see friends and hang out with family before we move.

Happy Monday everyone!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Come see me in Washington DC

Hi everyone!

If you happen to be in Washington DC, or the area, come see me! For 42 years, my aunt and uncle have hosted an open house to sell their wares. Mal is a potter and Judy does shibori silks. In recent years, they have invited other artists to join in, and I was able to participate about 5-6 years ago. Lucky for me, I get to go again this year.

I'll be selling prints and cards, and there will be other local artists there as well. Good time to Christmas shop!

So we are all driving to DC in the morning and will stay with our good friends in Frederick, MD. Wade and the kids will probably go to a couple museums on Saturday and Sunday while I'm at the show, and then back to NY on Sunday.

More from the show...

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Bon voyage Brad & Kendall!

Brad & Kendall leave today. Sniff sniff. They have been troopers here while Wade and I have both been sick, we're distracted with moving, and our kids are acting out because they need our attention!

You guys are saints and we love you. Lucky for us they've both been here before and they have friends in the City. It's raining hard today which kind of matches my mood since I'm sad to see them go, but I'm glad that we'll get to see them more often once we move. That will make up for our lack of quality time during their visit.

We got one date night with them on Tuesday, and ate a great restaurant in the East Village, The Smith.


If you have an iPhone, go get the Shake It Photo app. It takes your picture like a Polaroid and then you shake it to get it to develop. So fun! And it gives it a bit of a vintage vibe.

So Brad and Kendall, thanks for coming to visit us and we'll see you in a few weeks in Denver. WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sick of being sick

Well Wade is sick in bed today with 102 fever. It has been one thing after the other these last two weeks. And not all bad things either, but just one thing after the other!

Baby Gus ultrasound scare: BAD THING TURNED GOOD
Hosted a fabulous baby shower: GOOD THING
Ava got sick: BAD THING
Tyson got sick: BAD THING
Thanksgiving with fabulous neighbors: GOOD THING
Mom and Emma visit: GOOD THING
Kids still kind of sick: BAD THING
Fun in NYC with Mom and Emma: GOOD THING
Mom and Emma fly home: BAD THING
Brad and Kendall fly in: GOOD THING
I get sick: BAD THING
Kids still coughing and snotty: BAD THING
Wade sick: BAD THING

We are sick of being sick!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Sick

Sick in bed today. Throat hurting, head pounding, and just feeling cruddy. I think the last two weeks of the kids being sick off and on has finally caught up with me.

Mom and Emma flew home yesterday and Brad and Kendall (good friends from Denver) flew in. I went to bed straight after dinner, and haven't gotten up since. Good thing for us, Brad and Kendall are the EASIEST houseguests EVER!

Friday, December 4, 2009

All I wanted for my birthday....

...is Jude Law on Broadway in Hamlet.

My oh-so-tricky husband gave me my present at breakfast...which was an apple slicer and potato peeler. NICE!!!

But that was from the kids.

Then he gave me Hamlet tickets!!!! Oh, I love him (Wade, that is).

Since Mom and Emma are in town, we had built in babysitters and Wade took me out to dinner at Celsius in Bryant Park. This restaurant only pops up (literally) once a year at Christmas when the park installs an ice skating rink over the grassy park.

The park was beautifully lit with Christmas lights, there was Christmas music on the ice rink, and all the Christmas craft stalls were set up and open. Our table was right up against the windows and we looked down onto the ice rink. GORGEOUS!!! It was one of THOSE New York moments.

It's just amazing that in a few short weeks, all this will be taken down and Bryant Park will be back to normal.


And true to our tradition, I like to take pictures of our food. It was soooo yummy. I had a salad and Wade had steak and fries. For dessert, I had chocolate molten cake a la mode, and Wade had chocolate chip cookies a la mode. Although those cookies had NOTHING on the ones he and his Mom make.


After strolling hand in hand through all the craft vendor stalls, we made our way over to Times Square to see Jude.

His performance was unbelievable as Hamlet and I walked out of that theater emotionally drained from watching the 120% he puts into that role. Not to mention it was 11pm, and WAY past my bedtime.




So Wade, thank you for making my 35th so memorable. I wouldn't want to spend my birthday with anyone but you. I love you.

P.S. I love my apple slicer too. :)

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Boxes at my back door...

...make me happy!

I love finding boxes that the mailman leaves at my back door, and this one was extra fun. It was for me!!

We spent the day in the City at Macy's with the kids so they could see Santa, and when we got home, I had a surprise waiting for me at my back door!

Tomorrow is my bday, and I love getting packages!!! Thank you thank you thank you Erin!!! I love my new coasters!!!!! And the card?? Priceless!!! Love you!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

American Girl Store

I can't believe I gave in.

Ava has been talking about an American Girl doll for a year now...ever since we moved to NY. Both my nieces have one (or three), and while I think they are great, they are spankin' expensive!!!

BUT, I told Ava we would get her one before we left New York, since the big mega store is here in NYC. Of course I was planning on buying her one for her 6th birthday (in 2011), but since our NY stay has been cut short, we had to do it now!

Since cousin Emma is in town, we booked a dinner reservation in the American Girl Cafe, met Mom and Emma after they saw the Rockettes, and we bought Ava her blond-hair-green-eyed doll.

We dined, with the dolls of course, in a pink dining room and enjoyed yummy appetizers, pink lemonade, chicken pot pie, chocolate mousse, cakes and cookies.

This is a must do for every little girl in NYC. And I guarantee your little girl will go home happy...mine did.