Briggs' Fun Weekend

 I'm sure most of you are wondering what was Briggs-man up to while his two favorite people in the world, were gone to NYC ..well, glad you asked.

My parents (Ra-Ra and Poppa) came in from Florida to keep him.  We have been going through a little separation anxiety phase at our house so I was a little worried how he would do...but from the minute my dad got to him...they were buddies.  And as I told my mom...I wasn't worried at all about him being taken care of.  I'm pretty sure she takes better care of my kid than I do...seriously!

I wish I could say it was no big deal to leave him.  Well...not true.  I do think it's so important to carve out time for just you and your spouse.  Especially when you have children...hints why we did this weekend trip.  But to leave behind your child, who I'm with every single day...HARD!

BUT...Ra-Ra did a great job of pic and video updates.  Here are a few of our favorites from the weekend...

Briggs getting ready to do yard work (his favorite thing to do).

Apparently Ra-Ra and Poppa got this kid a Wendy's frosty every single day we were gone.  Those were my dad's instructions when he left...make sure he gets his frosty every day...OH, OK DAD...HA!

And then I would get a sweet pic like this...

mmm...makes me just want to pick him up and squeeze him!

My sweet baby, out for his walk

showing off his skills for Ra-Ra and Poppa

A little morning Bible time with Poppa

Justin has been rolling trucks and stuff on Briggs...it's their little game.  

Apparently Briggs though it was fun to run stuff over Poppa's head

Little cutie

We taught Briggs baby sign from when he was little.  

This is a picture of him telling them he wants "more" watermelon before bed.

Note: Some of you reading this may be wondering what baby sign is...I studied a lot about it's effects developmentally with children, it aids their communication when they don't have the ability to verbalize what they want/need.  It's definitely helped with Briggs telling us when he wants food or drink.

Being silly

He likes to wear his sunglasses when it's bright outside

Mom sent this pic with the caption 

"he is drinking and driving, but don't worry, we are supervising"

Justin and I both laughed out loud on this one.

I think he just got finished eating another frosty here

Eating with Ra-Ra

And...more frosty

So as you can see from these little snapshots.  I think it's safe to say, Briggs didn't even know we were gone.  He had a visit from his great grandparents (my dad's parents, who only live a couple hours from us), played outside A LOT, made a few trips to Wendy's for frosties, visited Walmart a couple of times, ate some yummy food and got lots of love while we were gone.

We didn't call or skype with him b/c we didn't want to make him upset.  And the morning we left, he was still sleeping so he never saw us leave..he just woke up and they kept him busy until his little head hit the pillow.

When we got home, he had just woke up (so my dad came to get us at the airport without him, which killed me, but I wanted him to get his nap and be happy).  My mom had him outside in the wagon when we drove up.  Justin and I get out of the car and walked up to him...he kept looking at us, and then just started crying.  It was kind of pitiful.  It was like he realized we had been gone and his feelings were hurt we left him.  It only for a second and of course I was kissing his little face off and he decided he would forgive us.  We went inside and just hung out.  Briggs was hanging out with the guys (my dad and Justin) and playing.  I was in the kitchen talking to my mom and he would randomly walk in and hold his arms up for me to pick him up and he would give me a hug....SO SWEET!

And can I just add...MY PARENTS ARE AWESOME!  My mom went above and beyond for this babysitting job.  She cleaned my ENTIRE house, cooked a few meals that we could have when we got back with some extra to freeze for a rainy day, did all the laundry in the house, potted some plants for me outside, took care of my child (as I said before, probably better than I do), went to the grocery store a few times to get things she thought I needed and all while my dad kept Briggs occupied outside.  Dad was the entertainment while mom kept everything running smoothly and made sure everybody was comfy and having a good time.  It was great to get away and I didn't worry about Briggs at all.  And it sounds like my parents had a blast too...but I do think this little guy wore them out while they were here :)

New York Babymoon

The first thing you might be asking yourself...what in the world is a babymoon?  Well our definition is a trip before our upcoming baby arrives.  We took one to San Francisco, CA before Briggs was born (that was pre-blog).  We just got back from our latest babymoon to New York City, New York.

Here is a little recap of our weekend...

Day One

Cab ride from the airport to the hotel.  Not lying...SCARY!

First stop was Crumbs.  As you can see here...

evidenced by a yummy cupcake and iced coffee.  

Don't worry, I shared a little bit with Justin.

Headed to Times Square.  This is kind of like trying to find Where's Waldo...but there was a camera set up in the middle of everything.  It puts your picture on the big screen.  Kinda cool.  Can you find us...

A snapshot of Times Square.  

Yes, it really is as busy as it looks.  Kind of stressful at times.

This is our room.  Justin got our hotel right on the edge of Times Square 

so we could walk to everything. 

Then off to the broadway show...The Lion King.  

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. is all I can say about that one.  Justin and I both say this is one of our favorite parts of the weekend.  

A little shout out to the hubs...he planned the whole trip (we had an agenda and all).  For the broadway show he even got me a seat on the aisle so I could get to the bathroom easier.  Now that's special treatment!

Day Two

We started the day off on the double decker tour bus.  

Sorry, no pic of us together...but this is a snapshot of our view.  

We used this as our mode of transportation for the weekend along with the occasional cab.  

We pretty much focused on hitting all the big touristy spots which is where all the bus stops were..so worked out pretty good.

First stop was the top of the Empire State Building.  

If this was any indication on how the day was going to go...when we got there, you take an elevator up most of the way and then they herd you through hallways like cattle.  We are standing in line...one of the workers starts yelling out there is another option to standing there.."come take the short way" he says.  So, what do we do...take the short way...only to find out, the short way equals CLIMBING 6 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS!  Not the best start to the day.  Once I stopped sweating and caught my breath...we were able to take in the view...which was pretty cool.

This is one shot Justin got.  Looks like it goes on forever.

And another.  I'm not one for all the buildings, 

but it is pretty impressive what all is crammed into one little space.

Sidenote: on the way down from the top...

we didn't fall for the "shorter way down".  

We waited in line for the elevator :)

Next stop...Ground Zero.

Some of the construction going on, 

and the Freedom Tower that is being built

(tall building in the background) 

There are two pools (one pictured below) that were created in the footprints of the World Trade Centers as a memorial for those whose lives were lost. 

It was a very somber scene to take in.

Another view of the Freedom Tower.

We were told we MUST eat at Junior's, so we did.

It was a yummy meal and is a place known mostly for their cheesecake. 

You can kind of see it (cheesecake) behind our drinks...was VERY YUMMY. 

That night we kind of took it easy...per my request.  

I didn't include pics of all we did this day, but we did A LOT of walking and we didn't have time to stop and eat much because we were on such a time crunch to see everything.

It was actually pretty warm this day and I wasn't drinking enough water b/c that makes me have to pee.  We also figured out, there aren't many public bathrooms around NYC...which makes for a problem when you have a pregnant wife.  So, needless to say, when night time got here...I was ready to turn in.  We just moved a few things around on our agenda (yes, my husband got that technical, so we weren't losing a single second while we were there)

Justin got me settled in the room (feet propped up with a big bottle of water)
and went to scope out the night life.

Here are a few pics from his camera...

Times Square at night

These cab drivers don't play...time is money apparently...

 so they are in it to win it and get you to your destination.

Day Three

We started the day off by taking a ferry around Staten Island 

to get a closer look of the Statue of Liberty.

One thing that was interesting, once you get to Staten Island, they make you get off the ferry, walk through a building, and then load back up again.  Was kind of strange, but they said it was mandatory?  Wasn't a big deal, was just kind of strange.

It was pretty chilly but a beautiful day and we got a really good look at it.

And there she is...

We got to make a stop at the Apple store in NYC.  It was kind of neat b/c it was underground.  We didn't buy anything, just popped in for a visit and so Justin could say he went there.

Next stop Central Park.  Justin was all about taking transportation this day to prevent me from being worn out like the day before.  So, we took a pedicab to eat lunch at the Boathouse.  I do have to say, I felt kind of bad for the guy...he was riding a bike while we are just sitting back there chillin'...but I guess that's his job?

We grabbed a bite to eat at the Boathouse (pictured in the background), 

and then took a stroll through Central Park. 

This part was so peaceful but kind of weird.  There are so many movies you see with shots of Central Park and the Boathouse, and we are walking around there.  It's just strange to be in a place you have only seen from such a different perspective (tv/movies).

Central Park...really is as beautiful as Justin captured in this picture

We thought this guy was interesting.  

He was making huge bubbles from two sticks and a string.  

He had a pretty big audience too.

Next stop..Serendipity3.  From the movie Serendipity. 

We were expecting a really long wait, but it actually wasn't bad. 

It was a very interesting place on the inside..as you can kind of see in this pic

The whole reason we went there was to get their famous frozen hot chocolate.  It was very yummy! We went ahead and got fries too...sweet and salty fix.

On our trip, we also covered other hot spots including: 

• SoHo.  we even walked in Dash, the Kardashians' store (no purchases...I couldn't even afford a shirt in that place) and Tiffany & Co.
• Little Italy.  We didn't spend a ton of time here b/c there was some kind of festival this weekend.  It was pretty crowded, but we did grab a pizza while there.  We were told they have the best italian food.  I don't know that either of us were overly impressed, but it was pretty good.
• China Town.  We did some souvenir shopping here b/c we were told it was the best prices.  I agree.  We got two shirts for the price of one in downtown NYC.  It was a little nerve-wracking with all the black market vendors asking you if you want a designer bag.  They would literally come right up to you and ask you multiple times under their breath "Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach"... Needless to say, since I'm not your name brand girl...they weren't a temptation for me, just kind of freakin me out.

         I did get some cute sunglasses in China Town for $5. I'm sure they are a knock off
        of some fancy designer...I just thought they were cute :)

Below are some cool pics Justin got while were there.  

Just captured some shots of the city and things we saw while we were there.

To end our last night in NYC, we took an open-top bus tour over to Brooklyn.  It took about 1.5 hours (round trip) and was a nice way to end our trip.  We got to see NYC from across the river and a few other things.  It was too dark to get any good shots, so no pics of that part.

Overall it was a great trip.  Very busy and we both came back pretty exhausted, but it was great to get away together and spend time just the two of us.

I know you are all wondering what we did with Briggs...Well you won't have to wait long to find out.  He is getting his own post b/c, well you will see...but he was a very busy boy while mommy and daddy were gone.

Watermelon Smoothie

I LOVE me some watermelon.  So does Briggs...he got it honest. 

I have been wanting a new way to eat it since we got one literally every single week this summer.  Briggs and I would eat them pretty fast but sometimes I would freeze some of it for the following purpose.  I googled some recipes for a watermelon smoothie and came up with this...

Honestly...it's pretty much just anything I have in the freezer/frig,

 but I did get some ideas of what would go good together.

In this smoothie:

watermelon

strawberries

mango

peaches

orange juice (any kind of juice would work)

kale

Note: Use frozen fruit and it makes the smoothie more slushy, or you can add ice if it's all fresh fruit

To make it more filling, I usually add protein powder but since I'm pregnant, I'm skipping that for now. And yogurt is usually a staple in these, I just didn't have any when I made this one

This is what the finished product looks like. 

 I know it has a green tint, which is from the kale.  

Honestly you can't taste the kale, it's just for the nutrients.

And then, if you have a cute little guy like this one...

nothing is your own anymore, so you get to share everything, 

including your smoothie.

But...when it's something that's good for him, I'm all about sharing

and letting him have some of my yummy, healthy snack. 

As you can see...even Briggs thinks it's good.

Free Books

We are part of a free program offered at our library to encourage early exposure to reading.  Go here to read more about it and to see if it's available in your area. 

All we had to do was register at our local library, or there is also an option to do it online at the link above.  We get a book delivered to our house every 6 weeks or so.  The books have been really good so far and are suppose to keep coming until Briggs starts kindergarten.

I mean...he looks pretty pumped about his book 

(yes this pic is pretty old...shows you how far behind I am on my posts)

Here are the books we have gotten since we registered for the program...not bad..yeah?

Briggs loves to read and look at books, so this is a great way to encourage early literacy and learning....did I mention that it's FREE! 

 So go sign your kids up and get them some FREE books :)

Wedding Gift anyone?

We are pretty much out of the wedding season in our life, for the most part.  But occasionally we get an invite.  If you know me well, you know weddings are my FAV! I love everything about them, the planning, shopping for the dress...especially the dress, the details, the production, the character of each one, pretty much the... everything.

Anyway...we just recently got invited to a wedding shower and here is what I copied from pinterest as part of their gift.

This is my version and steps on how to make it...

Start with a package of the clear glass ornaments.  It's a great time to get them NOW..because trust me, you won't be able to find them after Christmas...I tried.  I got the medium size ornaments but I really think the smaller size would have worked fine too.

Note:  I got these at Hobby Lobby. They actually weren't on sale when I got them, but if you have an iphone, you can pull up the 40% off coupon on their website, flash it at them at the register and they will give you the discount.

Next cut the wedding invitation into strips.  I didn't measure or anything, I just tried my hardest to keep a steady hand and cut the strips to where the important words stayed mostly intact (i.e. wedding date, their names, location...).

Then wrap the strips around a pen.  I was skeptical about this step, but it worked like a charm.

Stick the pieces into the ornament, 

put the top back on, 

tie some cute ribbon as the hanger, AND...

Final gift all put together...

This project seriously took me all of 20 minutes, maybe a little less and the longest part was curling the strips and sticking down in the ornament.  

Next time..I might would try getting some more paper or tinsel a similar shade to the wedding invitation and fill the ornament a little more.  I was still pleased with the final result.  I just think since I used the medium ornaments, there was a little more extra space than needed.

Overall it's a great way to put a personal touch on a wedding gift and something that couple will treasure forever.