Another from the Block Party
Apr
24
Amelia’s bunting from the block party
Amazing how much she’s grown between September and now… and also amazing that we ever wore shorts in this city. Spring can’t come fast enough…
Moving on from Carroll Street :-(
Apr
17
Amelia and Theo in the bouncie house at the 2017 Carroll Street block party
We’re getting ready to move up the road (at a pretty obscene price) because of a disagreement with our landlord. It’s going to be sad to be leaving this street, but, fortunately, we’re going to stay in the general neighborhood (and actually get closer to school). It’s been a great house to have as our first NYC home, and we’re going to miss it. But life is giving us a new adventure, and off we go!
Date Day w/ Theo – M&M Store
Apr
15
The big two got a really great treat today when they got invited to a show where two folks jump in and out of balloons (and do all sorts of other tricks). As the show was sold out, Theo and I decided to go on our own adventure.
We decided to be tourists, and checked out Times Square! We were roaming about when I remembered that there was an M&M store. I really didn’t know what was there or if it was worth visiting, and so we decided to find out.
It’s relatively useless – just a glorified gift shop, but there was one part which I thought was super cool – you can add a label to your own M&Ms.
So we hopped into line, and typed away on the key pad when it was our turn. And we made about 250 M&Ms with “Theo’s M&M” on them!
As soon as we saw the big kids – who had ring pops from their own adventure – Theo showed off his M&Ms, and traded a small handful of M&Ms for a ring pop. I think he came out ahead on this one!
Theo watching as his M&Ms emerge
Our local butcher
Apr
10
Amelia, Theo, and Luka looking at the meat at the Park Slope Whole Foods
The closest we have to a local butcher is the meat counter at Whole Foods. But the kids are absolutely fascinated by it. Theo especially will make trips to specifically watch as the lambs, pigs, and the occasional rib of cow gets chopped up into the parts that we then buy and cook. I think it’s a great way to connect them with the reality of what food is while also having a chance to get quality meats.
And now with Amazon owning Whole Foods the prices are about half of what they used to be… which is a bit insane (either on the margin that Whole Foods was making, or the profit margin that Amazon has given up).
I remember going to the farmers market and the grocery store as a thing my mom and I would do most weekends. I loved doing that with her, and I’m glad that even in the age of Instacart it’s possible for us to have those same experiences in a small way (but we also love our Instacart account, and use it religiously).
Bon appetit!
The week of 2017 September 11
Sep
18
What a week…
This was Amelia and Luka’s first full week of school. I always feel really lucky because they love school, and they’re both good at it. It’s a good sign for sure, and I hope it continues into the future as long as possible.
Some highlights of school this week:
- Luka has a girlfriend
- Amelia is reading above her grade level
- They’re both making new friends – which is great
- In music class, they’re both learning “This Land is My Land” in true #resist fashion
- Art, Science, and Music are in full swing
Micky headed out to Camp Bonobos on Thursday leaving us solo for a few nights. The kids all slept together in one room which is good practice for when the bunk beds arrive. I think they just get immense calm from being around each other. Which is really great…
Mr. Theo kicked off a few new classes at NY Kid’s Club while also doing his YMCA swimming class. This semester Amelia is doing Gymnastics while Luka does swimming and soccer.
Today – Luka scored two goals, with one of them being really beautiful. He juked right, took the kid left, and had just enough speed to make it through the gap. Then he really beautifully slotted the ball into the corner of the goal.
Micky went to Camp Bonobos, and she won an award for field day. Turns out that being a klutz has benefits in its own right once you’re of the right age 🙂
We had Betsy and Cody visit us for a few days from San Francisco. Uncle Andrew showed up for the first half of the week. The kids love having so many people in their house. Their favorite though is still… Hanna. She’s somehow passed Doruk for that pole position.
Doruk took us to the Brooklyn Book Festival. It was super cute. A massive emphasis on books with strong female leads and diversity. Also a ton of independent book shops that I didn’t know existed. NYC’s ability to support a thriving independent shop community is pretty amazing if you ask me.
Totally awesome week. And as I fall asleep typing this on the airplane at 3am East Coast, 1am Mountain (which is where I think I am right now), one I’m going to hold onto very tightly.
Two firsts – Luka’s school and NYC date night
Jan
02
Today was a day of firsts.
We woke up on a much more normal schedule, and got Luka to his first day of school. In NYC, the last year of preschool is part of the public school system. So Luka is now in Pre-K. He got in, wrote his name, and had a great start.
This evening Micky and I had our first date night in NYC. I’ve been jonesing for Italian food. Micky found us a cool spot on 12th Street and 6th Ave called – Mariella. The waitress was a great character – we learned all about Irish accents. The food was good – but next time I’m going for a pasta dish.
We’re getting more and more used to our new lives. Tomorrow we’re back to a normal schedule. And Amelia starts her first day of school. It’s all getting real now.
Walking up the Brooklyn Bridge
Jan
01
Today we walked up the Brooklyn Bridge.
We live in an area called Prospect Park. It’s very much the Richmond meets Pac Heights for my San Francisco people. We’ve really fallen in love with the neighborhood, the playgrounds, the restaurants, the grocery stores. We haven’t had a car for 2 weeks, and we’re doing just fine!
And so today we went on our first big Brooklyn walking adventure – up the Brooklyn bridge. It’s a solid 2.5 miles to the bridge from our house. With three kids that means bringing the stroller, and expecting it to take a really, really long time.
In reality, it took a really, really, really, really long time 🙂
We swung by a coffee shop in Cobble Hill called Konditori. It’s a Swedish Espresso shop. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Swedish Espresso. So I did what anyone would do in the situation… I had hot chocolate 🙂
The architecture of the bridge is quite amazing. So is the architecture of the city. It’s like living in a movie – even more so than San Francisco was.
You can see the Statue of Liberty from the Bridge as well. I don’t quite know where things are yet, and I don’t have any sense of direction either. So it was really surprising to see the Statue of Liberty. But quite cool at the same time.
Instead of walking all the way back, we hopped into a taxi, got home, and lounged the rest of the day.
Our first Brooklyn walking adventure – a success!