Sunday, December 31, 2017

We love New York!

The high today in NYC was 17 today, y'all.  SEVEN-TEEN!!

But, being that I AM (specifically me, mind you) a very seasoned traveler, I wasn't going to let the fact that my kids have never been outside in freezing temperatures ruin our Day One in Brooklyn. Nope, I made the kids stuck their hands deep in the freezer to experience what winter can really feel like, bundled them up, and marched them all to the subway. Yes, you read that right. Sam advocated for a Lyft but I argued that the subway was going to be Ziyan's favorite attraction of the entire week so we HAD to do it. We were both right. I thought for a few minutes that our walk from the subway to our first destination, The Brooklyn Flea might kill our children. I am happy to report that we didn't lose Z1's ears or Z3's hands to frostbite, though you could tell Ziyan was freaking out about how cold they were and I'm thrilled that Zahra survived at all. She's known to be eternally cold...in San Antonio. Tomorrow she will be wearing bibs as clothes. We will call them "overalls".

But, man oh man, Ziyan loved the subway. I wish I'd caught a photo of him saying Choo choo on repeat with his lips all pursed together. I did catch him signing "more" in a blur of enthusiasm. He loved it. I loved watching him love it. It was a total success in that regard.

The Brooklyn Flea & Smorgasbord was awesome. Of course...it's Brooklyn. We snacked on yummy grilled cheese and Korean steamed buns at bar height tables before noticing the kids section... Whoops! Lunch made me realize, though, how big my baby had gotten. He sat at the table, in a stool (!) just like the big kids. After eating, I promised the kids Nutella pizelles if they would let me hit the flea market for a bit. I got vintage milk glass and Christmas candelabra decorations seemingly made of iron. (Going to need to check that duffel bag on the way home.) Zayd got Pokemon cards, I'm not sure if their vintage. And Zahra got an old Barbie with Platinum blonde hair. Pizelles for all, and we called a Lyft for the way home.

After nap, the big kids and I had plans to meet our Mahncke Park neighbors for a "kiddie rave" at what turned out to be an old abandoned warehouse-turned-circus training school that was legitimately awesome. It's called The Muse, and you should visit. I'm not sure I'd use the word rave but the kids had a great time and it was nice to meet up with friends on the other side of the country. The kids jumped, danced, and did silks to their hearts content. We ordered lots of Rosemary chocolate chip cookies (because, Brooklyn) and each Z tasted theirs and then donated them to me. Check out the pictures. It was a great kid-friendly New Year's Eve.

Afterwards, the bigs and I headed to Black Forest to eat German food. I choose the bc restaurant because of its proximity to Greenlight Bookstore, a place I intend to make my new favorite bookstore though I've yet to go inside. I passed by last night on my way to get pizza and we were just across the street tonight but no luck again. Baby went crazy at home and we rushed home to play peekaboo and jump on the bed. Hopefully tomorrow is the day. It's a bummer that I can't buy too much as my extra suitcase is already filled with iron candelabras, ha ha ha.

Tomorrow it'll hit 20 and I think my kids have fully given over to my insistence that they really do need two pairs of pants and gloves and hats and the all of it. So tomorrow should be smoother in that regard too.

I can't wait!

Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas to All

We had ourselves a Merry little Christmas. It was so nice to have a new baby to shower with love and gifts.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Getting in the Spirit

All month I've been intending to do something Christmassy with my littles but life just keeps getting in the way. December is a mix of magic and panic for me but we are keeping up with our to do lists so no real complaints here.

This weekend we did sneak in a gingerbread baking party and frankly we found the best recipe on the entire internet. These cookies are amazing. We will be making then again next week. Zayd opted for gingerbread ninjas and Zahra threw in a few Hillary and Bill Clinton gingerbread heads. Her teachers we very touched.

We even let Ziyan in on the fun and he ate about four tablespoons of royal icing. I'm not sure if he ever tasted the cookies.

Sam was on a 48 hour trip out of town for work so I took advantage of the break in schedule to drag my kids to the suburbs (they definitely didn't want to go). We went with some favorite neighbors to visit Windcrest, a community with a 59 year tradition of setting up ridiculously extravagant light displays.

The kids loved it! Phew! Even Z3 was a great sport until about 8:45 when he just kept asking where his milk was. Poor lovey. He did a great job though, considering he was forcibly kept awake for almost three hours after his bedtime.

We made great memories these last few days and only have two days until we get to head to Houston and start the real fun!