One for the Books

It’s been a good great past few days. On Friday we met with friends at our local playground, and we ended up staying for four hours. We stayed through lunch and past nap time, and I have no idea what we even did. Some of this:

Julian mastered the monkey bars. And the boys just played and played. I read the paper and chatted with other parents. But I was also really hungry, because I’d only brought some post-gym snacks for myself, whereas the boys of course had a full lunch. Also, I was in my workout clothes for much longer than I would have liked. But sometimes it’s just fun to do what you want in that moment, and we just wanted to be outside.

On Saturday I took the boys to Prospect Park. We brought bagels with cream cheese and lox (their favorite), and they played at the playground for a long time. My favorite is how they are almost always together, giggling and laughing, but also seeing how they make friends with other kids.

I’m so happy to be adventuring on our bike once again. Yay for spring! After the playground we went to a little nature area. The boys always love playing and exploring there. Arthur wore his fancy taco shirt!

After some bubble blowing and lollipops we decided it was time for ice cream. The boys ate their chocolate with sprinkles cones, and I inhaled my coffee. Then Arthur sat on my lap, and two seconds later, this:

Saturday night the kids got to stay up late, and we all waited anxiously for Jeff to walk through the door. There was Prosecco and Thai food and some very excited boys who were ecstatic to finally have their Papa back home. Me too.

On Sunday we took the bikes to Battery Park City and had a fun day there.

Sunday night was the 8th anniversary of Jeff’s and my very first date, so we went back to the restaurant where we first dined together all those years ago, as we try to do every year. It was a delightful, lovely dinner.

And today, on Monday, (Jeff’s and my 5th wedding anniversary!) Julian got to stay home from school, and Jeff took the day off. We took the bikes to Central Park.

It was a fantastic day playing out in the sun, picnicking, drinking beers and lemonade.

It was the best way to celebrate our anniversary weekend. And now we eat leftovers and rest our tired legs.

Anniversary Weekend

It’s been kind of a not so great week on many fronts for many reasons, but the weekend more than made up for it.

Saturday was Jeff’s and my anniversary (4 years! And 7 years since our first date). We celebrated with an excellent bike ride to Coney Island. We made it down there in about an hour and 15 minutes, all the while listening to a song mix that included the kids’ favorites from Uptown Funk to Yellow Submarine and All About That Bass. It was so fun and such a gorgeous ride down Ocean Parkway. Look here! We made it.

We immediately celebrated our arrival (and anniversary) with a beer.

Then we took the boys down to the beach. They ran towards the water and basically never looked back.

As time went on they shed some clothes and got dirty. Those are the moments we will never forget. Happiness all around; so pure and so contagious.

Then we had a picnic on the boardwalk, and afterwards we hit the rides. It was the first time Arthur was old enough to go on them, and he was so excited. He wanted to ride them all.

He was never once scared or tried to jump off a ride (which, if you know Arthur, is a totally realistic expectation). Julian, at this point, is a total pro and directed us towards his favorite rides. He also got to ride the Wonder Wheel with Papa.

After rides, this:

Once we decided it was time to ride home, both boys fell asleep immediately and slept for a good 45 minutes on the bike. While we listened to music and enjoyed the sunshine.

We stopped at Lakeside in Prospect Park for some refreshments and kisses. It was a perfect, perfect day.

On Sunday we took it easy. We just rode around Redhook, spent some time by the water and on a playground.

Oh, and we spent around 2 1/2 hours at our favorite restaurant, the Brooklyn Crab. We ate shrimp and had beers and corn dogs and crab sandwiches. We let the boys play in the sand, played shuffle board and corn hole and lazied around in the sun.

Then we rode to Fairway and had coffees while Arthur napped. And then we sat around some more.

Seven years ago when Jeff took me to dinner at Morandi and we shared cannoli in Tompkins Square Park, I could have never dreamed up this life we live now. And even four years ago, when we got married and Julian was kicking around in my belly, I still couldn’t have predicted this.

Today I feel like the luckiest.