Happy Everything

Most mornings, I hear the sound of little feet running down our hallway at 6:40am. My bedroom door flies open and Nico rushes in. Lately, he always says—or rather, shouts—the same thing. "I'm ready to start my dayyyyyyyy!" I try to pretend I'm alseep, always hoping he'll take the hint and wait patiently till I'm ready to start my day, but that has yet to happen. I sometimes beg for five more minutes, his go-to request whenever it's time to transition from one thing to the next. He'll give me about five seconds tops and if I'm not showing any signs of waking, he'll pry my eyes open while repeating a let's-start-the-day chant. All this ruckus usually wakes Leo. I go and get him and bring him into bed, hoping that somehow, they'll want to sleep in for a change. Instead, they prefer to bring on the hug and kisses, often fighting over who gets to lie on top of me, forbidding access to anyone else. This morning, they joined forces and decided to try some body slams, you know, WWF style. Leo really didn't master it, but he sure thought it was funny when Nico would jump and then land on me. It's certainly not the most peaceful way to wake up, but I'll take it. Seeing how happy they are gives me goosebumps.

I don't send holiday cards, but if I did, I would use photos like the ones above. We took them the night we decorated our Christmas tree. Daniel, his Dad and I kept trying to get a good shot of Nico and Leo posed in front of it. We bribed them with the iPad, books, goofy faces, and some singing. I'd even pulled out the matching pajamas. We finally managed to get a few good shots, but these are my favorites. They just wanted us to roll around on the floor together, laughing till their little bellies hurt, because that's much more fun, isn't it? And years from now, when I'm trying to remember what the holidays were like when they were 1 and 3, these are the memories that will mean the most.

To all my friends, family and any other This Little Piglet fans out there, consider this my version of a holiday card. Happy Everything!

Brooklyn Boys

Last week, we braved the blazing temps and spent a fun-filled day in the city with Karlyn and Fox. Unfortunately, the photo above is the only one we managed to take, but it's probably better that way. If you try to capture every moment with your kids, you often end up missing the moment altogether.

Nico loves books from the Urban Babies series, so to help us remember our fun day in the city, I thought I'd write one of my own. I'd call it Brooklyn Boys Romp Around Manhattan.

Brooklyn boys ride the subway. They prefer window seats, like to press their noses against the glass, and sometimes befriend people who look a little creepy.
Brooklyn boys take trial classes at Gymboree and pick up sweets at Tribeca Treats after.
Brooklyn boys eat watermelon at Whole Foods and pretend to cook carrots in a play space.
Brooklyn boys splash in sprinklers and cover themselves with sand at a playground along the Hudson River.
Brooklyn boys cool off in the dairy aisle of a West Village supermarket during a hot and sticky walk to Chelsea.
Brooklyn boys run happily along The High Line, up and over benches, through the new lawn, sometimes bumping into people or skinning knees, and admiring all the pretty wild flowers along the way.
Brooklyn boys eat shave ice with sour cherry and rhubarb syrup and are only willing to share once it's turned to water.
Brooklyn boys find room for mini passion fruit ice pops and licks of bigger ones with rhubarb and chamomile.
Brooklyn boys play with huge striped balloons and burn off energy in bouncy castles.
Brooklyn boys get brain freeze from citrus slushies that are a bit too sweet.
Brooklyn boys ride home in taxis when their parents are too tired to take them on the subway again.

Looking forward to more fun in Manhattan and Brooklyn this summer!

Comic Relief for Tired Parents

With Mother's Day on Sunday and Father's Day in June, here's a little something that would make most sleep-deprived parents—old, new, or expectant—crack up. Just remember, it's a bedtime book for exhausted adults, not the little kids who exhaust them.

{via A Cup of Jo, via New York Magazine}