These Two

Are seriously the sweetest kids in the whole wide world. They are so kind and loving and gentle to each other, and play so well together. Of course they have their moments but in general- they rarely bicker or fight. Connor has always acted as her greatest protector and treats her like a queen (sometimes a little too much.) They are the VERY BEST OF FRIENDS and I couldn't be prouder or  love them more!

Picture taken at the diner for lunch yesterday:

Katie!!!

A month or so ago I saw on a CT Moms blog I read that Katie Couric was going to be hosting a baby shower themed show in April and that any expecting Moms could apply for tickets. So of course I did! I requested two tickets- and I was asked to write a short essay on why I should be selected for tickets. I wrote something along the lines of that I wanted tickets for one of my best girlfriends Ashley and myself, who are once again pregnant together (Leyla and her daughter Claire are two months apart). I wrote that we've been friends for almost 15 years now, after meeting as Tri Delts at the University of Maryland. I only threw that in because Katie was also a Tridelt (at UVA) which I also made mention of :) I wrote that we were big Katie Couric fans (true) and would love nothing more than a little break from our busy stay at home mom worlds for a girls day in NYC to celebrate our new babes on the way (even more true!) And what do you know- we got picked!! Connor has his spring break this week so there was luckily no school drop offs or pick ups to prearrange. My sitter could only stay until 2pm so Andrew came home early to watch the kids until I got back (reason #1,453,754 why we are so thankful for his new job!)

Here we were in the audience waiting room just prior to going in. I've never seen so many pregnant women in one place- holy hormones! And I had to laugh because they must have reminded us to use the restroom one million times before going in.

The Day's Highlights:

1. Coming into the city for the day. For just one day- it was super fun to commute into the city. I felt a bit like an impostor on the early morning commuter train ;) It was a really beautiful day to be in NYC too.

2. Getting to see Katie Couric in person. She's so cute and funny and nice. One of her daughter's friends was in the audience and happened to be sitting right in front of us. Katie went up to introduce herself to her so we got to see her really close up. I really am a big Katie fan so this was especially fun for me!

3. Getting to see how the show was taped. I was really surprised by how fun and laid back the whole taping was. Katie and the guests would walk around and talk to the audience during commercial breaks. There was a comedian to keep the audience warmed up during any down times (when we first sat down he (jokingly) welcomed everyone to Katie's show about Obesity in America- really made me laugh although I'm not sure everyone found it quite as funny). The studio was surprisingly small, so even though we were in the last row it still felt like we were really close.

4. Nick and Vanessa Lachey were the special guests!! I've always liked Nick Lachey- he never came across as one of those douchey Hollywood types. In person, the man is downright DREAMY. His wife Vanessa was there too (so beautiful) and they brought out their (seriously) adorable new baby Camden. They seemed like such a cute (and normal!) little family. They were so nice to everyone and talked to people during the breaks. He just came out with a new lullaby album he wrote for his son (we all got a copy) and he sang one of his new songs. To see the way he interacted with his wife and son (not on camera) made him all the more dreamy to me. Big Huge Nick fan now.

5.  THE SWAG. It was nuts! The show's theme was "April Showers" and was a baby shower theme. Basically, Katie hosted a baby shower for all of us audience members!! Giveaways included (we got one of everything): Little Giraffe baby blanket and stuffed giraffe (baby #3's first real gift!), baby Ugg boots, SkipHop diaper bag, video baby monitor (I really wanted one of these!), Max Cosi carseat, Stokke Baby carrier, Quinny buzz stroller, Quinny Yezz umbrella stroller, Stokke highchair, Mom's/family initial/birthstone necklace, $50 gift certificate to Giggle (great baby store in NYC), some tech stuff like special ear buds for you to attach to your stomach to play music for the baby (do not have time for that) and a stopwatch/tracker thing to help you keep track of feedings, etc (good idea in theory but probably won't use).  AND a "babymoon"/overnight for the Mom and Dad to be- at the Borgota hotel in Atlantic City- hotel room, dinner for two in any of their restaurants and a prenatal massage (basically what we just did in Newport). This one might be tougher for us to use- it expires in June and can't be used on a Saturday night. It says its non transferable but I'm hoping I can give it to a friend. Very fun nonetheless! THANK YOU Katie Couric!!

6. Lunch with Ash. Afterwards we went to PJ Clarke's for a late lunch (ironically, the same place we were this past Saturday!) Making the most of our girl time ;) All that was missing was a few glasses of wine- but soon enough!

Post taping. So thrilled!

One last pic on our way out.

They didn't tell us when the show would be airing but I assume it will probably be sometime next week. The title of the show was "April Showers" so it must be before May! The show airs at 3pm EST.

Wednesday was absolutely gorgeous (sunny and high 60's!) and when I got home there was still time to run the kids over to the playground for a bit. The cafe/snack shack is open now so we decided to have dinner there too. We ran into several other families we know that were doing the same thing which was fun. So excited for the warmer weather and more days like that!!

Connor, my Monkey Bar man:

Sadie's NYC Birthday Party

Annie and John had their daughter Sadie's 3rd birthday party in NYC yesterday. They'll be moving out of the city soon (to a town just a few miles away from our house- we're so excited!) so they wanted to have a quintessentially New York bday party for Sadie's last hurrah. They chose the Central Park Carousel- so perfect!

 Kids on the carousel, loved it!

Singing Happy Birthday to Sadie.

Cupcakes!

Afterwards the Burnhams, Binos and us hit the playground in Central Park. Connor and Andrew spent a a good deal of time on this giant rock- one of the bigger climbing rocks we've ever seen. Connor thought it was so awesome.

Leyla on the swing. Not a bad backdrop for a playground.

Afterwards the gang wanted to go for some adult beverages at PJ Clarkes. I admit- I thought that this might be a bad idea- being that it was well past naptime and the (6) kids between us had had a really active day and probably one too many cupcakes. But I was way wrong- the kids were beyond good - not a single meltdown or whine from anyone. They hung through three rounds (Andrew takes full advantage of my current designated driver status) before we decided to call it a day. Victory!

The kiddoes. There were two more babies on the other side.

Connor was extremely pumped about the Wolverine book he got in his goody bag from the party.

Connor and James studying the action figures in the book.

The kids slept from the minute we left the parking garage until we pulled into our driveway. Early bedtimes for both as well. So thankful that we live just a stone's throw from the city for awesome days like that!

Thrilled!

Andrew brought Connor home his first set of clubs today- a hand me down from one of Andrew's coworkers! Connor is beyond thrilled. Andrew's taking him to hit balls on Sunday. I just love his sweet face!

Newport/Nana/Weekend Pics

This past weekend Andrew's Mom and Aunt Nancy came to visit. While they were here Andrew and I took the opportunity to go away by ourselves for a night. We went to Newport, RI- a spot we fell in love with when we visited there two years ago and a relatively quick drive away. We stayed at an awesome hotel, had what we agreed was the very best dinner ever (Tallulah on Thames- seriously so amazing) and overall just really enjoyed getting away just the two of us (well three if you count what's happening in my belly). A huge THANK YOU to Andrew's Mom and Aunt Nancy for holding down the fort for us back home! Some pics:

Saturday night before heading out to dinner:

For a little exercise on Sunday morning we did the "Cliff Walk" on the ocean, passing by many of the famous Newport mansions. It was such a beautiful morning!

The Breakers- the Vanderbilt's old summer stomping ground. Not bad right? We toured the inside the last time we were there, this time we just walked by.

 Walking around on Sunday.

Before heading to Newport on Saturday Connor had his baseball team pictures. When I signed Connor up for the league Andrew said he'd be happy to help out as an assistant couch or something. Fast forward to when the rosters came out- Andrew is the one and only coach ;) As with anything thrown at him- he dove right in and is actually pretty excited about it. And Connor's face when we told him that Andrew was going to be his team's coach was so priceless. He couldn't be more excited and proud!! On Saturday morning the team met up for the first time and got their uniforms and pictures taken. Connor's team is called the Junkyard Dawgs- awesome name. First game is April 27th.

 Connor is all about the action poses! He was especially excited for his first pair of cleats!

Andrew's Mom actually went to the picture day to help out while I stayed home with Leyla and finished packing. I took this from her camera. Team Junkyard Dawgs with their awesome coach:

When we got home on Sunday we found the kids out back playing with Mom and Aunt Nancy. Here's Connor and Aunt Nancy playing soccer.

Connor the baller.

Andrew still managed to work in some basement stuff on Sunday night. He's since installed all the lighting. Electrical will be turned on this weekend and then he'll begin on drywall.

Aunt Nancy left on Tuesday but Andrew's Mom stayed until today. Yesterday she got to visit Connor's school and classroom and this morning she joined us at Leyla's Mommy and Me class at the Nature Center. During story time:

We can't thank Andrew's Mom enough for all her help while she was here. Not only was she really helpful with the kids, but she spent quite a bit of time cooking. Our freezer is now stocked with meals for once the baby arrives- so thankful!!

Connor Bike

Santa brought Connor a new training wheel-less Spiderman bike for Christmas. This video was taken in early January, when we took it out for his first real spin. Connor is such a fast learner- he took to it almost immediately and didn't even need one of us to spot him!

Leyla Big Girl Bed

Catching up on some things that happened during my break from blogging... first up- Leyla's official move to the big girl bed.

Leyla's been rocking the big girl bed for a couple months now. I would have loved to keep her in her crib for longer but she had taken to (easily) climbing in and out at her will, something Connor never did. Switching her to a bed was not the smooth one night transition that it was with Connor either (unlike Connor, Leyla sometimes views rules as mere suggestions.) We ended up having to use a baby gate to keep her in, since she loved to sneak out of her room (always just to Connor's bed which was very cute but still- it's a bit terrifying to walk into your sleeping baby's room to not find them in their bed!!)

Night number one of big girl bed, I came up to check on her only to find her fast asleep in Connor's bed. It was so sweet we didn't move her back right away, instead I snuck in three different times to take a picture ;)

Even during nap times I would find that she had quietly relocated herself to Connor's bed. I thought she looked so funny under Connor's big Batman wall decal. She loves to sleep with her lovie draped right across her face.

These days she's more than happy to stay in her own bed... finally!

We're in the midst of potty training now. Trying to cross everything off the list before the baby arrives and we start all over again one more time!