FAMILY TIME IN NYC: PART 1

What does it take to consider somewhere your second home? Like, do you need to have your lease on an apartment to make it official or are there exceptions?...because let me tell you...I love the city like another home. Thats how this last trip to NYC felt to me, homey, and oddly ordinary. We got to our apartment in Chelsea around midnight the night before Daxton's birthday. Our only plans for the next day were to have birthday breakfast at Bubby's in Tribeca and then make our way up to Washington Square Park for kids yoga at the playground. Which quickly went out the window when we took our time at Bubby's and stopped to climb on ALL the scaffolding and stoops. We spent most of our day wandering downtown, stopping in toy stores, and got caught in the rain on our way to a park. Dax chose edible cookie dough for his birthday dessert so we ended up walking through Washington Square Park after all on our way to DŌ. We sang Happy Birthday to Dax back at the apartment, in our pj's, each of us with our own cup of cookie dough in hand. Every time we've gone to the city we've tried to not make too many plans. Which is probably the hardest for me who wants to see, eat, and smell (almost) everything in a New York minute. At the end of the day it's those moments of cheer'sing cookie dough in our pajamas, linking arms with Navy everywhere we walked, or seeing Daxton's excitement over riding a subway train for the first time that win me over. I mean, the pictures of Naveya rolling on the ground, and the kids playing together by Bethesda fountain!!? Oh my heart!! Seeing them make the city their playground made this mama so happy!

The next couple days we spent wandering two of my favorite parts of the city; Central Park and the Upper West Side. Two places that most feel like home. The kids spent some of their birthday money on little toys at Flying Tiger and a random Duane Reade. We walked and ate, and walked and ate. If you ask Naveya what her favorite part of New York City is she'll say "The FOOD!" I have to agree. The food and the feeling there get me every. single. time. I'm telling you...I know I haven't yet experienced many of the challenges of living in that beautiful city. I know a few things though; the most worthwhile things in my life are also incredibly hard, AND I can't deny or describe the tug on my heart to be there. It pulls me in! Getting to be there with my loves has been the very best! I can't wait to get back there with them!!



Also, this is the second time we've had Amanda Petersen take our pictures in the city and she is the BEST!! Worth every single penny! I couldn't recommend her more!