Traveling with the girls

Well, we did it!  We traveled with the girls! We were both nervous about different aspects of the traveling, but we made it through and they were rock stars.  Our way home was initially delayed an hour, then after boarding we sat on the plane for another 2+ hours.  All I have to say is, thank goodness I was nutty about over-packing because we ending up using everything I packed in our carry on (thank you Vanessa for pooping 3x in an hour).

There were a few moments of fussing but (thankfully) nothing that couldn’t be solved by a toy/cracker/rest.  They slept through takeoff on the way there, Vanessa thought the turbulence was funny, and they seemed to handle the delays and ear popping better than both Jay and I.

I thought I would share our lifesavers on the flight for anyone interested.  We were really lucky they went with the flow and napped, but for those upset moments here are the things that saved us (times 2)…

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  1. Before we had the girls I thought Sophie was pretty ridiculous.  It’s kind of an expensive toy, and it doesn’t do anything but squeak…it looks like something I would buy Rondo for $3.  Well, I was past wrong.  Sophie is the greatest toy ever and whenever someone starts to whine it’s Soph to the rescue.  We have a set in the house and one for on the go…not kidding.  Same goes for their Wubanubs.
  2. These Little Yums wafers are their favorite.  They have a bunch of different flavors (blueberry, kale, banana) and the girls love them all.  They can eat them independently without me having to watch them like a maniac (like when I give them puffs), they get to use their hands which keeps them busy, and they help soothe their gums.  We must have gone through 3 packs each flight.
  3. Jay got me this Kate Spade bag for Christmas.  It has a pocket for everything, comes with a changing mat, and doesn’t look like a diaper bag (I don’t think I could handle walking around with a traditional diaper bag with some horrible pattern on it).
  4. These silly keychains were the star of the show.  My aunt got them for the girls and they hadn’t really played with them until the flight, but man, they were snatching the pink one out of each others hands and chewing it like crazy.  I guess the lesson here is, bring things they haven’t played with before because new is good, and who knows what they are going to love that day!
  5. All hail HBO go with Sesame Street.  There’s nothing more to say on that.
  6. We got these Snap N Go strollers for the airport so we could each handle one baby instead of having the huge double stroller that puts all the work on one person.  They couldn’t have worked out better.  They are super light, fold up so simple, don’t have a million unnecessary bells and whistles, and could easily be checked at the gate with our car seats.  A great purchase.

God speed to everyone traveling with a baby, it’s no joke!

xo -J

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Florida

We were lucky enough to spend this past week in Florida with Jay’s family!  We went to the ocean, swam in the pool, went on walks and bike rides, were able to go out to dinner (a few times without the girls!), we got to go to the movies, and most importantly spend time with everyone all together.

Here are some pictures from the trip, more on traveling with the tiny monsters next week…

DSC_0898(girls first time seeing the ocean)

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DSC_0882DSC_0911(i love this one so much)

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DSC_1000(what twin life is really like…trying to make one happy while the other one eats my hair)

DSC_1051(these are the first onesies i bought them when i found out they were girls)

DSC_0924(love that boy)

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DSC_0967(the high chairs we rented were HUGE, made E look super tiny)

xo-j

party in the city where the heat is on

Well, I’m back from Miami, and it’s hard to be home in the cold!  It was such a fantastic trip filled with best friends, an insane amount of drinks, the beautiful ocean, hot weather, delicious food, and so much love.  I honestly don’t know how I got so lucky to have these 7 girls in my life.

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We spent our first day at the beach swimming and tanning, and that night at Story, which is hands down the craziest club I have ever been to!  We met this awesome promoter on the beach who got us in VIP and it’s a bit blurry from there!  (Adie, you are a trooper and my life savor!)

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Friday we were at the beach and then (yay!) everyone was finally all together.

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Saturday was definitely one of my favorite days of all time.  The girls rented a cabana and Fontainebleau for the day, which is the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen.  The cabana was right by one of the pools, there was a pool party, amazing service, celebs, and everything you could possibly think of to have the perfect day in Miami.

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We all had a bit of a freak out when we saw Anne Hathaway.  Normally I can keep my cool,  celebs came in and out of Rolling Stone all the time…and I have been pretty adamant on disliking her, but she was so beautiful in person, and really friendly.  My mind has been changed!

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I have to say the biggest thank you to this little babe above.  Kate, you did the most amazing job organizing and planning this weekend.  It was such a blast!  I love you unconditionally and can’t wait to see you again so soon. xo.

Now, let’s get warm up here Massachusetts, I can’t take this winter much longer.

xo-j

culinary institute

Last night my friend Erin and I took a wine, cheese, and meats of Italy class at the Institute of Culinary Education…it was so. much. fun.  We learned all about the different grapes, regions of Italy, the different textures, flavors, and aromas of not only the wine, but cheese and salumi.  We had a great time pairing the wine with the food (obviously), and learning at the same time!

Here are some pictures from our amazing class:

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(did you know all salami is salumi, but not all salumi is salami?!)

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(we had 10 different wines!)

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I would recommend this class to anyone!  I want to take so many more now! Thanks so much M&D for this great gift.

xo-j

Vacation #3 (pictures again)

Alright this is going to be the final vacation post I promise! Actually, that is a lie because I brought along a camera with film and if those pictures are great I am going to want to post them…whoops! But here are a few more pictures since it’s 30 degrees out and I miss the sunshine…

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(obligatory outfit shots)

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(more from the buggie day)

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(forcing him to be in pictures)

And because I can’t stop watching it I’m posting the video again…

Hope everyone is enjoying their day off it you have it!

xo-j

Vacation #2 (pictures)

So, I didn’t get to this yesterday like I said I would, but finally here are some of the pictures from our vacation (there are so many!).  We really couldn’t have had a better time.  Between all of the restaurants, the perfect hotel grounds, our amazing suite, private pool area, spa, white sand, and unbelievably aqua water, we were in heaven…despite the cancellation of our flight, hours on the phone, the frustration that goes with cancelled plans, and a bit of a travelers bug it all worked out in the end and is a vacation we will both look back on with love…

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(we swam with sharks and held a huge sting ray…it was as terrifying as it sounds)IMG_2572 IMG_2575 IMG_2590

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(spent the day on a sort of pirate boat {ECU!})
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(my favorite goofball in the world)

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(on the buggy tour: cave swimming, private beach, cigar making, hunter s thompson, banana trees)

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(our beach)

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(main lobby / anyone who knows me knows, where i go, this clutch goes)
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I think that is enough for now!  I will most likely not be able to stop myself and post 80 more at some point.

Tonight I go pick up Rondo and spend the weekend with my family for my brother’s birthday (my brother who is totally kicking butt right now with his phd program acceptance rate). Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

xo-j

Vacation #1 (video)

We are back!  Vacation couldn’t have been better!  We relaxed, ate a weird amount of food, drank an even weirder amount of frozen drinks, and enjoyed being in the sun with just each other for 12 days.  Yea, that’s right, 12!  Nemo (evil fishy storm) had all flights cancelled, so we ended up with 4 extra days in paradise (this is after 8 hours of phone calls with the airline, hotel, and travel company).

I took 400 pictures, not like 400, actually 400.  I am going to sift through them tonight and post some of our favorites.  In the meantime here are a few from my iphone and at the bottom a video I made (it’s my first try at making one!)…

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(don’t worry, we are smoking vanilla cigars from a cigar making thing we went to…nothing naughty ha)

Now back to 3901804 emails and snow.

(M&D&N – thank you for taking care of our little babe.  i know he is going to be sad to leave you and we couldn’t be more appreciative of you loving/taking care of him the extra days)

xo-j

A Wedding!

This weekend we were in Chesapeake City to see one of my closest friends in the world get married.  They were calling for rain but we got lovely sunshine! She looked absolutely perfect!  There couldn’t have been a more wonderful day to see her marry her best friend.

It’s hard when you’re in the wedding to take pictures, but as soon as the professional ones come in, I’ll be sure to post them.  Here are some of the ones I have…

I can’t wait to share more pictures of the beautiful venue, flowers, friends, and family who were at the wedding.  Getting to spend time surrounded by all your best friends, have a professional do your hair and makeup, and seeing a happy couple take this big step is a pretty good weekend in my book!

Rondo spent the weekend with parents at home loving life.  He got to go on long walks, get totally completely spoiled by my Mom, snuggle in a big house, and enjoy the grass.  Thank you again M&D for taking him, and more importantly, taking care of Jay and I on Sunday when we were a little worse for wear…what would I do without you two?

Last night Jay and I went to see Frightened Rabbit (one of my favs) at Bowery Ballroom.  We were both pretty tired, but made sure to get our act together for this show.  Two encores!  It was totally worth feeling a little groggy this morning.  Plus, we only drank water last night which definitely helped!

Rainy Day…

It’s a crummy day in New York.  It’s dark, pouring down rain, steamy, and the whole city is mourning the summer (doesn’t make for a pleasant commute let me tell you).  And when you are trying to leave for work and this little guy has decided to take a morning nap on you…it’s nearly impossible to leave.


This rainy day has me reflecting on the fantastic summer we just had… We moved into an apartment together, adopted about the best puppy in the world, traveled to weddings, parties, showers, visited friends and family all over, and even managed to enjoy our neighborhood a bit.  For all the times I can be grumpy or upset, looking back at these pictures from the summer makes me realize how fortunate I am to have my family, Jay, Rondo, and amazing friends.  Here’s to next summer being as great as summer 2012 and to pumpkin flavored everything starting now that it’s fall!  Below are a bunch of my favorites from this summer…

Is Summer Really Over?

This weekend was wonderful!  Rondo and I went home to my parents house and got to relax, go on long walks, run all over the park, take naps, and enjoy driving around in the car (his new favorite).  Sunday the whole family went to the beach for a delicious brunch and to enjoy the last moments of summer before school starts again for Mom and summer Friday’s end for me.

Rondo was EXHAUSTED after all of the long walks, running, and playing outside he did this weekend.  He is so cute (especially when he is sleeping).  But when we got home on Monday and he saw Jay, he forgot about all the fun we had together and only wanted to cuddle his Papa.


In other news, my plants at home survived the weekend alone which made me really happy.  My herb garden is even starting to grow!

It’s hard to be back at work today, to leave Jay and the pup when all we want to do is snuggle at home.  At least I have homemade blueberry cake for breakfast and some yummy pumpkin cider waiting at home (fall is coming!).