NYC

Quality time in NYC is just what the doctor ordered. Two days, about fifteen miles of walking, and one night next to central park at the Essex House was perfect. 

Brian and I are a good match for traveling. We want the most out of our time, and we love walking the best. We're also big on food, but when it's such a short trip, we don't necessarily want to spent excessive time sitting and eating. I needed a good bagel, and Brian needed a couple good slices, and we were good. 

We got a great deal at the Essex House and couldn't have asked for a better location- it was so central to Manhattan. Met up with a friend and took a subway near Union Square and grabbed Thai at ROHM on 20th in the flatiron {totally recommend it... good food/location}, coffee at The Grey Dog on University {and the most massive brownie ever served}, then called it a night. Sometimes it's good to call it a night when you're reeeeallly jetlagged and you want to get the most of the next day. 

We wanted to stop at the ShakeShack, but ah, not enough time... 

So we legitimately made the most of the next day. We grabbed bagels at Ess-A-Bagels... friends, that place is SUCH a delicious tourist trap. 

While seriously enjoying our bagels, we discussed the crazy tourist situation... The place is packed-line-out-the-door, and the friends of the ones out the door waiting were sitting in the 10 tables available... none with bagels yet, most with glares, and most also with five extra chairs for future companions. Yelp didn't mention this sort of madness.. we had some good laughs about the seriousness of ordering bagels there. Don't get me wrong, I'd go back in a heartbeat. The bagels are legit. I'm talking insanely good. How do the places in New York manage to get bagels so right, and why don't they give SF bagel shops their secrets? At least we've perfected the sourdough and the dutch-crunch breads. 

The Shop Around the Corner is, indeed, a cleaners now. 

So I was browsing the good ol' internet Friday night and noticed the 15th anniversary of You've Got Mail {thanks to SometimesSweet Friday links}, and quite perfectly, we were in the vicinity of the sites where the best rom-com was filmed... so naturally, I dragged Brian to the Upper West Side with me. We discovered that The Shop around the Corner is a standard cleaners, rather than the enchanting deep-green-with-patterned-floors- book shop it once was, but gosh, I was excited to be there. The block was charming, and I decided that if I lived in Manhattan, the Upper West is my ideal. We made it to Gray's Papaya {W 72nd}and I embarrassingly took a picture there too, without any hotdog purchase. Somehow in the moment, it felt right to stand at that corner. In retrospect, I can't decide if it's awesome or ridic. Both, I think. 

The dream slices of pizza, Bella Vita Pizza, 58th St.

Yes, I'll go back anytime. I love you so, New York City. I have the best husband ever! xo

We're Wintery

All photos by Pictilio

So. Here's the question: are you getting excited for Christmas yet? WE ARE. 

I mean really. We're singing carols around the house, eating our weight in sweets, and rocking the beanies and cozy hats everywhere we go... because it's "winter" and kids are only tiny once and tiny kids are adorable in colorful hats. 

We're headed for snow (A white Christmas maybe? The east has been getting so many snow days), and I'm ready for it. I'm ready to lay low, and eat a lot of potato chips with dip only found at my in-law's house, give gifts, and be merry. We're already merry, but there's a bit of a cherry on top when no one is working and we're all together. 

Maggie's outfit: Zara beanie & Sweater // Hand-me-down leggings & boots (similar here and here)

Photos by Pictilio.

Maggie is my little winter baby. I was scrolling through pictures of the kiddos, because naturally after spending every waking hour with them, they go to sleep and I miss their faces, and somehow these wintery pictures landed beside each other, and I love them all together. Also, she spends more of her days with giant smiles or giant tears {the life of a 2-year old is incredibly emotional}-- or running around so fast that all we get is a blur of a photo, so it's also remarkable that she looks like such a serious child in all of these, ha! 

Photo by Indu Huynh

Photo by Blink Inc.

Scarf by Peppercorn Kids

xo.

Best Gift: For a Couple

Sometimes you just need a gift that's outside the box. I'm REALLY excited about THIS gift under our tree from RedEnvelope. It is... dundunduuuunn: 

Dining Table Tennis.

I don't know what made me think I needed to spend $$$ to get a pingpong table in order to get a good game going. This is genius... it's $30 best gift for couples can actually use on the regular. It's like buying a date, buying a gym membership, and buying a pingpong table all at once. HA!

Seriously though, we're loving it. We kind of got it as a gift for someone else for Christmas, but after testing it, we may need to buy a second set for them...

All photos courtesy of the incredible Pictilio.

All table tennis pieces wrapped with ribbon in one beautiful red box courtesy of RedEnvelope.

All opinions legitimately courtesy of me.

xoxo. 

Cold. Really, really cold.

I have worn socks more days consecutively than I can remember in my adult life. I've been avoiding the great outdoors. I've been spending my days wondering if the time has come for us to move down to southern California. I have become incredibly dramatic...

... all because of the cold. 

There are people {most of you, actually}, who are accustomed to cold. Who even thrive in the colder season. Who take jogs in icy temperatures. I am not you. It has been in the 40's and dropped even to the 30's in the nights for like two weeks, and we have three days left until the normal December upper 50's come back. 

I think whoever made up the quote that the coldest winter they ever spent was a summer in San Francisco was full of it. Just completely off {ps. contrary to popular belief, it wasn't Mark Twain}. Our summers definitely can be covered in a cloud, but that cloud doesn't compare to the 30's and below that are real winter. 

My apologies to those of you who are having no sympathy for my cold toes and for the fact that we generally only own beanies for fashion statements. 

In other news than cold weather {IS there other news than cold weather? Not on any news reports around here, certainly}, we feel a bit genius because we resubscribed to Netflix only for the month of December. Now we can watch all the Christmas movies we want without having to buy them all. It's the little things, you know?

So now you know what we'll be doing with all this spare time indoors. That and dancing like ballerinas. Or like jibjab elves, which is a thing now. Obviously. 

Ps. We're about to experience Pennsylvania winter for Christmas. Somehow when it's there, it feels far more appropriate and I whine far less about it. 

Pps. Just read this. So funny!! At least we KNOW we're unreasonable about it all.

Weekends in December

Candle courtesy of RedEnvelope.

I know I said that fall is my favorite season, but after rainy, cozy, delightful evening that feels just right, December's stock goes way up. The candles, the lights, the Christmas music and movies just have that heartwarming effect that somehow only happens in December. December reminds us to give, to share, to get together with people we love. 

This December has been the best one for me since my childhood. To be perfectly honest, there have been some hard ones in there... when I was 11, 12, and 13 years old, my brother was pretty sick, and December can lose a bit of its charm when you're making multiple trips to the hospital in the rain + traffic as opposed to enjoying family with candles and Christmas lights. The years following reminded us of that sense of loss for one we adored so dearly. 

This December though... this December we're experiencing the magic of the season again. Our children cannot stay away from the tree and its glow and the ornaments. They sat by the tree to eat their dinner one night {not the best idea, lesson learned ;)}, Sophie will stand and gaze at an ornament just because it's beautiful {I remember doing the same as a child!}, and they want Christmas music playing at all hours of the day. We've been reading the story of Jesus' birth regularly, and talking about angels and stars and thankfulness.

Childhood is so sweet. It's such a gift. My children aren't even a bit stressed about giving gifts or about addressing envelopes or about travel. They're invigorated by it all, and their joy is rubbing off on us. I've never felt so stress-free in December and not because I'm lacking to-do's... believe me, I have plenty on my plate. ;)

December is best when a bit of perspective is handed to you daily by tiny little girls with big smiles.

Ps. RedEnvelope gave the candle to me as a gift, and it is actually one of the best candles we've had. The scent is perfection and the simple chic style is beautiful. All opinions are my own.

FIVE

Wide ribbons were wrapped around their glasses so the warm hot chocolate didn't burn little hands. 

Sooo this whole FIVE thing came and went, and now I have a kid who is starting to act like a school kid, and hold real conversations. We transitioned Maggie to a toddler bed the same week, and I've been mourning the sudden realization that my babies are not babies. 

Sophie is a big girl now. She adores girly-ness, tutus, rainbows, sparkles, and wands. All this considered, I decided to throw Sophie a sparkly, fancy hot chocolate party. I used sparkly wrapping paper as a table runner {wrapping paper is the BEST bang for your buck, ps}, got AMAZING sweets from The Sugar Studio {my go-to for birthdays!! Hilary is incredible... lucky me that I have such talented friends!}, added cake stands, macaron erasers in tiny envelopes with tiny cupcake stickers, and I made wands that I was sweetly told don't really look like wands, exactly, but they're nice anyway {five-year-olds are incredibly quoteable}. 

In spite of the fact that I texted friends to invite them {I had the best of intentions to send paper invites this time, but never did!}, and it was the end of a holiday weekend, and Maggie was in the ER getting staples on her head from running into the dresser the night before, it was basically a successful party to celebrate this sweet girl.

The best part of it? Children are beyond entertaining. I went ultra fancy and put cranberries in the pink lemonade... and they got spit out into napkins! I can't stop laughing about it still! "Mommy these cherries taste very bad!" I didn't explain, just emptied the tartness from glasses, and continued serving food with a smile... Egg sandwiches girls? Oh no, not at all, but the hard boiled eggs were spotted, they wanted their own... also: 

"I only want the cucumber sandwiches!"

"May I have anything BUT cucumber sandwiches!"

"Can you take the apples out of my salad?"

"Oh no, this cheese isn't good!" {brie}

I was dying laughing inside at the realization that this fancy party was thrown for the wrong target market. The good news is that they loved the hot chocolate and the fresh marshmallows and every sweet. The other good news is that little girls don't eat much, so there were plenty of leftovers and I didn't have to cook on Monday. ;) 

After they ate, I threw on Mariah Carey Christmas, removed the coffee table, and let the girls twirl and dance with their whole little hearts. 

Prettiest candle EVER! Sparkler five!

Sophie at five: has imagination and creates something from nothing. She steals my bathrobe strings and creates leashes for stuffed animals, or ties them to baskets to pull her sister around in a "boat." She can basically teach ballet at this point, and we have "class" regularly where she insists that my friends and I stretch with her, and fly like fairies together, regularly putting grown-ups in comedic scenarios. She has a heart that cares how people feel; I couldn't have asked for a sweeter big sister for Maggie. She is becoming very careful with her treasured items, tucking her new shiny necklace away every night, and setting her nutcracker on her shelf while she sleeps. She will climb anything higher than she should, and has learned {thanks to her daddy} how to climb down just as proficiently. She is loving and affectionate and melts with joy in our arms when we tell her how much we love her. Her eyes shine with life and excitement and we adore her with our whole hearts. Happy birthday dear girl. We're praying for you every single day. 

xoxo.

All the best photos were taken by our great friend Manus Chau. :)

All sweets made by the fabulous Hilary at The Sugar Studio. 

Ps. Remember this? Maggie's 2nd Birthday.