Random Iphone Pics, Part 2

More pics.

Feeding herself her yogurt and so proud!

I've been on a major brussel sprout kick lately. If anyone has any good recipes send em my way!

My stepdad Gerry came up for a visit this past weekend. The kids really loved playing in the back of his truck.

Playing gas station with the vacuum cleaner hose.

Playground!

We're having built ins installed in the living room. I've been texting Andrew pictures of the work in progress. Here are the kids posing (that will eventually be a window seat where they are sitting).

Cheesing it up at the library. Her cheese face really cracks me up.

Occasionally when Andrew is away I'll let Connor sleep in my bed for a night or two. So sweet to have this little guy (and his puppy) snuggled up next to me.

So random but he's got the most gorgeous eyelashes! Leyla does too- lucky kids!

This was our countdown to Halloween paper chain but once that passed we began counting down until Andrew's return. Today Connor cut off the last link, his Daddy comes home tonight!

Things I find in the toy box.

More skyping with Andrew. Andrew pulled the twin mattress out of Connor's room and set it up on the living room floor. Then he'd take a flying leap onto the mattress, which looked to the kids like he was just flying across the computer screen. They would crack up like crazy. He must have done it 20 times. Even when he's away, he's such a fun Daddy ;)

Random Iphone Pics, Part 1

Just uploaded a bunch of pictures from my phone from the last couple weeks. 

New Canaan Newcomers kids Halloween party. This was so much fun. They had trickortreating (here Connor is decorating his treat bag), a pumpkin search, smores roasting, sing a longs by the fire, mini golf, playground, and bounce houses. Doesn't get much better than that right?

Smores!

We're working on "put your arm around Leyla" does not equal headlock.

Trickortreating. The town postponed it until Nov. 5th because of the storm so unfortunately Andrew couldn't go with us. We went to Kimberly Place, a great in town location. The houses are close together (not the case out in our neighborhood), they're all decorated way cool, etc.

Connor was practically dragging Leyla along because clearly she was not moving fast enough for him!

"Scary cool" decorations (per Connor).

Please please please can I eat my candy now?!!

Then we went to Cole's neighborhood to hit a few more houses with he and Laney. The crew:

My sweeties.

Tree down in our driveway from the snowstorm.

Big Week!

Friday is going to be a very big day in the Eich household! First of all, Andrew returns from a two week Tokyo trip- we can't wait to see him! And secondly, all of our furniture (finally) arrives from Tokyo (no Andrew isn't coming in on the shipment- he actually arrives late Thursday night). If there's one thing I've learned from the past year- our stuff is just that- "stuff" - it's who you share it with that makes a home. That said- I must admit I'm looking forward to our house looking like a home again. I cannot promise that I won't chuck the card table (with mismatching chairs no less) we've been using as a kitchen table into the wetlands next to our house as soon as our real kitchen table is set up- I'm that sick of it. I think I've been as patient as I can be. And Connor is so excited to see his toys again, some of the things he got for Christmas he only got to play with for a couple days (I've thought about just keeping them in the basement and re-gifting them this Christmas, I will probably do that with a few of Leyla's things).  Must give Andrew a lot of credit though- during the many trips he's made back and forth to Tokyo he's brought home so much of our stuff already (in his checked luggage). It's crazy the things he'd bring back with him- our clothes, random toys for the kids, pots and pans, our kitchen knife block and knives, our (11x14!) living room rug, our kitchen rug, picture frames, wine glasses (duh), Leyla's high chair- crazy amounts of stuff! Everytime he would come back from Tokyo it would feel a little like Christmas, ha. Even so, we've somehow got almost 200 boxes of stuff arriving on Friday (the Japanese are crazy meticulous packers though- it wouldn't surprise me if each glass was in it's own box). Regardless, I CANNOT WAIT!! Super excited to see Andrew too ;)

Andrew sent me this recent picture of our Tokyo apt. The (very limited) furniture left is stuff we were renting. Poor Andrew has had to stay there with it looking like that for his last two trips.

So sad that our time in Tokyo is officially at an end. I don't think I ever even had a chance to take a picture of our place put together there (in the few days between our furniture arriving and the earthquake when we jacked out of there). It makes me so unbelievably sad that we had to leave the way we did- so abruptly, not getting to say goodbye to anyone, no last dinners or outings to certain places (La Fiesta karaoke bar), etc. We had only just begun our lives there (and were loving it!!) when our world was turned upside down. We are certain we made the right decision (for us) not to return though. If it was just Andrew and I we probably would have gone back. But having small children I worry enough about the normal day to day parenting stuff, I couldn't tack on possible long term effects of radiation, aftershocks, and the fact that the "big one" is still looming in Tokyo. Just. Couldn't. Do. It.

But Japan and it's people will always, always, always hold the most special of places in my heart. Shoganai. (Japanese for something like it is what it is).

Anniversary Weekend/Stowstorm

As I mentioned before, New Canaan was hit with a freak October snowstorm the night of our anniversary trip to the city. We have only left both kids overnight once before so I was a little nervous anyway (even though I knew everyone would be fine- its just my nature to worry).  Andrew and I left for the city Saturday morning before the snow began but by the time we pulled into Penn Station is was practically a white out- nuts! Andrew and I had a great time anyway. We first hit Mama Mexico (an old fave) for lunch and margaritas and then did what any happily married couple celebrating their anniversary would do- went our separate ways, ha! It was only for a couple hours- Andrew to his favorite cigar bar, me to do some blissfully kid-free shopping ;) Then we hung out at the hotel for a bit before heading to dinner. Andrew picked the place- Market Table down in the village. It was perfect. And I must say, that while all the snow had me really concerned about Mom and the kids back home (I probably called home every hour just to check in and make sure they still had power), our window seat at the restaurant (right on the corner of Carmine and Bedford streets- awesome area!) made for a romantic scene. The next morning morning we had intended to head back home first thing to be back in time for the town Halloween parade but unfortunately it was cancelled because of the snow. Sunday morning was gorgeous in NYC (the snow melted really fast and it looked as if it had never happened!) so we had a long brunch (one of our fave NYC pastimes) in our old neighborhood, walked around for a while and then headed home. As always, I heart you NYC. And thanks again to my Mom for hanging with the kiddoes while we were gone!!

( Picture taken Friday night at home, a little celebratory champagne by the fire. Our regular champagne flutes are still on their way back from Tokyo so we had to use the fancy toasting flutes from our wedding night. But then again, when better to use them??) And this would be the only picture I took all weekend.

We couldn't believe the amount of snow we returned to back home. Since all the leaves were still on the trees they made a nice base for the snow to accumulate, so branches and trees fell like crazy. Apparently the town suffered more damage during the snow than during Hurricane Irene! There were a lot of huge branches that fell in our yard and in front of our house there was a tree that had fallen onto the power lines- yet miraculously we still had power! At one point half the town had lost it, we were so so so lucky to not be among them. We only lost power for one day/night mid-week (the power company actually turned it off so that they could work on nearby lines) and so we had to pack up and stay with friends for the night. Schools were cancelled for several days. Again, such a freak storm.

These pictures aren't mine (I'm still camera-less at the moment), I took them off the town's Office of Emergency Management site. I just thought they were neat pictures capturing the crazy fall snowstorm that hit my town.

 

Skype rocks!

It's nothing new, but Skype is so cool. We skype with Andrew at least once a day when he travels. He's able to join us for meals, or sometimes just snuggling on the couch.

Marathon Sunday!!!

It's going to be a gorgeous day today in NYC! Today is easily one of my very favorite days of the year. Today in the city is nothing less than magical- 47,000 people out there making a dream come true. The atmosphere is practically electric. We would always watch the marathon on 1st Avenue, where the runners enter Manhattan for the first time- its definitely one of the more exciting spots on the course. They come over the 59th Street Bridge onto 1st Avenue at Mile 16 (having already run through Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens) and the fans are just going absolutely nuts. The whole leg of 1st Ave is a big energy boost for the runners. That's right where we liked to be.

 Andrew is in Tokyo, and Connor's best bud Cole has his birthday party today- yay for Cole but boohoo for timing. Otherwise you can be sure we'd all be heading into the city right now. Andrew's teacher Miss Mary is running it, so I've been living vicariously through her training. As I told her too- someday, someday - that will be me. If only I was a better runner! I've recently upped my mileage to like 15 a week (which is nothing in the running world) and my hip is already hurting like crazy. I'm such a pansy!

"If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon" - Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to enter and run the Boston Marathon.

Live coverage begins at 9am!

Faithfully

Connor has a quilt hanging over his bed. It's a "Wishes" quilt that was given to him when he was born. Now that he can "read" we learn that it's actually Journey's Faithfully lyrics. Who knew?! I love Leyla's musical accompaniment too ;)