It's Up To You New York, New York!

At this point in life, Jon and I are able to go on date nights pretty regularly. We have reliable babysitters, and recently we have graduated to having Gretchen babysit her brothers - which is really the best option. She is responsible and knows the house rules, the boys know that they can't get away with multiple desserts after dinner or fibbing about bedtime, sister runs a tight ship! We wanted to go somewhere together for a long weekend, which is a more difficult venture with young kids and no family nearby. The stars aligned when Gran and Poppa were able to visit Texas over a weekend and agreed to handle the very busy schedules while we took a time out. 

There was no question as to where we would go in the middle of fall - New York City! Broadway! Incredible food! A city we can walk in! And as an added bonus we saw some incredible fall foliage!

We got in nice and early on Thursday so we had time to get settled, change and hit the town. We sat for an early dinner at La Pecora Bianca and had delicious Italian food sitting in a corner booth watching the city pulse. We finished in plenty of time to get in line for The Book of Mormon, a show we've been walking to see for years. Waiting in line outside the theater, we saw all kinds of folks walking into the stage door, getting Uber Eats deliveries and wondering who we will see on stage. 

Then we're allowed in, we get drinks from the most boisterous bartender I've ever seen and we sit fantastically close to the stage and wait for the show to start. Offensive and hilarious, this show is not for the tender hearted. We knew this going in, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are not known for their political correctness. 

The second day, we walked from our perfectly-placed hotel to Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue fancy shopping, Radio City Music Hall and got our fill at the Nintendo store. We walked The Highline start to finish and meandered around Chelsea Market. It was a real reminder of how much walking we did every day in Argentina, and how suburban our lives have become. 

We search for an easy dinner spot and find the brilliantly named,  Thai Food Near Me. It was delicious, the best Thai food we've had in a very long time. Texas knows how to do a lot of food well, Thai is not one of those options. 

Finish off the day by sitting at our hotel rooftop bar, staring at the Empire State Building. No complaints here. 

We get even more spoiled by having our bestest buddies come up and join us for the next two nights! 

The first day of our foursome was a rainy, dreary east coast day. The city that never sleeps didn't disappoint with the Museum of Broadway, an indoor experience available within a drizzly walk from our hotel. We all now own new, terribly crafted NYC-themed umbrellas. 

This place was my heaven! Orphan Annie's original dress *eek*, costumes from Cabaret, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hanson and so many others from the years of broadway shows. A short video on the history of Broadway and how it was created, and then they let you loose to wander the decades of theater. 

We have an early dinner at Bourbon and Branch so that we can catch our second show of the weekend, & Juliet. This show is a party! Fun, sing along songs set to the background of Shakespeare. A real crowd pleaser!

The rain cleared and we had this lovely 2nd full day to wander, this time we went Up! To the Top of the Rock and had fantastic views of the city. 

Farewell New York. We'll see you soon!

Graham Turns SEVEN!

What a treat to have Gran and Poppa in town for Graham's birthday! As he had been asking for the months leading up, we went to a restaurant for Hibachi dinner to celebrate the big day.

We came home for bundtinis and presents and had a low key birthday night. That is not to say it wasn't a busy year leading up to becoming a 7 year old. 

This year has been been a year of growth for Graham, he has become an avid shoe-tier, an emerging reader - graduating from Elephant and Piggy to The Magic Treehouse chapter books, and realizing a love of sports through baseball and basketball. Basketball hasn't started yet, but you're outside playing every chance that you get. 

Baseball was a big success this season, starting with getting comfortable with the pitching machine and learning to be a solid hitter - then following up with a great season in the field, most often playing at the pitcher's mound. The Rays ended the season with championship rings and an overwhelmingly successful season! We even had the 1st grade class pet, Kevindillo Armadillo present for a few games. 

Graham also wanted his birthday party to be celebrated at The Game Preserve, so we had a round 2 party with many of the same friends, and our favorite HEB bakery cake to complete the celebration of seven years with Graham. 

This birthday month was rounded out with some of the most beautiful weather of the year, where we joined up with a Howl-o-ween event at Northshore Park. Graham had his fill of holding precious little puppies like this one. We have no plans to have a dog, but that doesn't stop all three kids from asking, Graham having the loudest voice recently. 

He's becoming a real big kid, losing the baby roundness and now has a mouthful of big boy teeth. He's spunky and funny and confident. There are not many people who meet Graham and don't have a memorable story about the meeting. He's a joy and a challenge and he's ours. Happy Birthday Big Guy!

All Grown Up in Charleston

 These ladies have been in my life for as long as I can remember. They know my husband as well as they know me. We all attended high school or college or both together along with all of our husbands. Why it took us this many years to plan a trip together is beyond me. But in her usual take-the-lead fashion, Stephanie made things happen and a trip was planned! 

Charleston was the perfect location with non-stop flights and close enough for Emily to drive from Atlanta. We rented a charming little house in town. 

We took the Two Sisters Walking Tour, a fascinating tour of the history, importance and sometimes shady past of Charleston. We got to see the most beautiful window flower boxes, learn about the deep-south nature of the city and our guide knew just about everyone in town. 

My darling Emily, I miss our Falls Church days!

We used up every minute of the trip by stopping into Magnolia Plantation, a stunning property entwined with a history of slavery. The trees and gardens were incredible, I wish I had more time to explore.

We couldn't leave without a morning on the beach. It was a bit cool, but nice and sunny. The whole weekend was a great reminder of how nice it is to reconnect with true, constant friends. I am the only one of the four of us that has not pursued a career in education, so I got to pick the brains of professionals on public school, standardized tests and the state of the education system for our kids.  

One Decade of Alex

Alexander. Our sweet, sensitive, middle child, who does everything in his own time, in his own way, and if you can follow his stories you'll understand he has his own way of seeing the world. He is deliberate and kind, aloof and silly and he has no time for handwriting or stopping what he's doing to have lunch. He admires his sister, tolerates his brother, and while he can explain in painstaking detail every character in every video game he has ever played, but yet he "has no idea" what he did in school today.  

Alex wanted to have his birthday party at The Game Preserve, a great little spot in Spring. For a flat rate price per person, you can play any game you want for the whole day. Pinball, retro games, and every video game you can think of all in one place. Add in a party room and BYO food and drink and a party is made! The owner keeps his Delorean parked out front complete with an OutATime California license plate.

We opened presents at home on his actual birthday, and he was thrilled to add more sweatshirts to his collection. A new Nintendo Switch game and some soft short sleeved shirts made for a happy ten year old!

Birthday lunch with my big guy!

It's been a full decade of this sweet boy stealing our hearts. Happy Birthday Alex!!

Bonjour, Montreal!

 This year's adventure with my VT ladies was an international affair! Montreal could not have come at a better time - September marks my official "can't handle this anymore" status for Houston's eternal summer. We escaped to a location that has reasonable fall temperatures, where I could pack a sweater and closed-toed shoes and actually expect to use them. 

We stayed at an adorable walk up Air BnB condo right in the heart of the city, we could walk most of the city from our front door. We got lucky with the weather and had a lovely morning for the Fitz & Follwell bike tour that we had reserved months ahead of time. 

If I hadn't taken this photo I would think it was from Savannah, or Charleston, or somewhere in the US southeast. But no, it's Canada baby. Plateau Mont Royal to be exact, the Painted Ladies were painted bright colors back in the early 1900s to spruce up a red light district in the area. 

Montreal has a robust street art scene and we got to see some of the popular works. 

And ended the tour at the Marche Jean-Talon, a sensory overload of fruits, vegetables, chocolates, cheeses and baked goods. We tasted a few, bought some others and came home with the perfect pre-dinner snack.

Charcuterie on the porch - c'est la vie!

We took a rest, got cleaned up and left for another one of Meghan's well-researched dinner reservations.

Doing my best to look professional

The next morning we enjoyed brunch at L'Avenue, which was bumpin on a Sunday morning. 

Then took one last stroll around the city before we all headed to the airport, where only two of us would get to leave. With Humkey luck, Kristen got stuck abroad for another night, even though she had the shortest flight. Luckily, there was an airport bar and our gates were next to each other so we had maximum hangout time before I left for home and she went to watch The Office in an airport hotel room. I'm certain she would agree it was worth it for a trip with friends, I sure do!