APPLE PICKING

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October. Apple picking month! We headed off to Warwick, NY to visit Ochs Orchard – about a two hour drive outside of the city – and it was wonderful. Lucas had a blast exploring and eating apples that were pretty much the most delicious of all the apples in New York (really!). He loved running up and down the orchard and helping us select the best ones to take home. Needless to say he slept like a dream that night and we have been finding all the creative ways to chow down on our seemingly endless supply of apples at home.                                                  On Lucas: hoodie c/o little boogaweezin | beanie c/o kira kids

BOATING WITH THE BOYS

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Last Sunday was perfect. I woke up one day last week and decided I wanted to go row boating in Central Park. 29 years in this city and I had never been. I told Ivan that it was a “I need to cross this off my bucket list before I’m 30” kinda thing and he happily obliged. We woke up, walked to The Boat House, and got it done. It was magical and hilarious. Magical in only the way New York City can be. Sometimes it stops me in my tracks, this gorgeous city. Hilarious because rowing those boats are not easy and well, Ivan got a pretty decent work out with those oars. Those biceps are making me all sorts of school girl giddy 😉 Well worth it my love! Lucas had a blast until he didn’t. He lasted a solid 45 minutes on the boat before declaring “time to go home”. Well then.My boys sure know how to make this mama happy. Boating with the boys – the best.

HELLO OCTOBER (PLEASE STAY FOREVER)

On the first day of October we headed to Central Park.  It was perfection. We spotted our first turned trees and it was pretty spectacular. There is nothing like Central Park in Autumn. The deep crimson reds and gorgeous jewel tones are pretty much everything. Did I mention my birthday is in October..and Halloween! It’s the start to all of our favorite holidays. So yea. October I (we) love you. 

WEEKEND STROLLS

We had the perfect weekend, my boys and I. Saturday morning we took a walk around the neighborhood and wound up at T-Mobile where my guy pre-purchased the new iPhone for me (my birthday is in less than 2 weeks! hurrah!) and came back home for a quick nap. I then had a few hours to myself – Ivan took Lucas to his first Yankee game. I bragged to a few friends that I had a few hours of alone time to CLEAN. I mean. What is the world coming to 😉 Sunday we had a low key morning and decided to head out right before Lucas’s nap and walk over to our friends up in Spanish Harlem for wings and football. The weather was a dream and Lucas snoozed the entire time. We just received the Quad from Inglesina and we are officially spoiled. It is the perfect ride. The steering is magical (yes, a stroller can be magical) and it was such a treat pushing his new set of wheels as opposed to his usual umbrella stroller where I (Lucas) can feel every city bump. We were also invited to participate in Inglesina’s #strollersofnewyork series and I can’t wait to share more about that in October!              PLM tee from Little Boogaweezin | Button down from AF Mens (Old but similar here) | Boots from UO (similar here)                                                                    On Lucas: Moccasins c/o Freshly Picked 

NOLA | OUR FAVES

Disclaimer: this post has been sitting in my drafts folder for months! No time like the present I suppose 😉

A few of our faves while in Nola:
Slim Goodies – Amazing iced coffee and the most adorable back patio with chickens. Because who doesn’t love chickens with their coffee?
The Court of Two Sisters – Very tradition, New Orleans style brunch. While we ate a jazz band played and it was pretty amazing. Brunch was buffet style and it was a treat to try so many different New Orleans staples. Seafood bendict? Yes, please! 
Kawaii Nola – Because..kawaii! We bought Lucas a teeny kawaii Ninja Turtle as his NOLA souvenir.
Dr Bob Art – Famous for his ‘Be Nice or Leave’ art work, this place is seriously so cool. You can tour his studio and we even saw the famous artist at work.

Peche – Hands down one of our very favorite restaurants while in NOLA.

Bike Nola – You can rent bikes to tour the city but my favorite part of this rental shop was their amazing vintage and thrifted goods. We brought home a skull head that is hanging in our living room.

So in short, NOLA is a MUST see. Ivan and I had the most glorious time eating, drinking, and experiencing the amazing culture. I am itching to go back! Have you been to New Orleans? I’d love to hear your recommendations for our next visit! 

A BROOKLYN BIRTHDAY

Over the weekend we headed to a Brooklyn birthday party fit for a true New York kid. In my opinion summer time birthdays are pretty much the best. Rooftops and barbecues – you just can’t beat that. Our little love Henri turned three and specifically requested a strawberry cake. Oh, the cake. I’m still dreaming of having just one. more. slice. It was that good! The boys had the best time and well, the adults enjoyed some good convo, beer, and wine. Wins for all. And on another note, I can’t believe it’s already August. This summer has flown by. I’m hoping to squeeze in a few more rooftop sessions and playdates before the cold hits us once again. Happy last month of summer (eek!). 

LEÓN WEARS

Lucas has been living in his A Little Bundle essential shirt and shorts. This set is an exclusive collaboration between ALB and Good boy Friday. I swear I have been mixing and matching both pieces almost daily. The fabric is so so soft and I think he just looks absolutely adorable! You can read more about the collaboration (and his ALB x Woven Play scavenger pouch!) over on Babiekins. 

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER | A FOURTH OF JULY RECAP

I’m about two weeks late on this one but better late than never..right? Right! Our Fourth of July weekend was pure bliss. Ivan and I both had Friday off and it was a rare 3 day family weekend. We spent a lot of time organizing and cleaning the new place but we were also able to sneak in a ton of much needed family time. The weather wasn’t great on the Fourth but a little rain never hurt anyone! We walked over to our favorite neighborhood Italian spot and ate lots of pasta while Lucas serenaded us (and everyone within ear shot) with his ABC’s. That evening we attempted to watch the fireworks on the East River. Apparently everyone on the Upper East Side had the same idea 😉 We saw a few mini firework shows and Lucas kept yelling “fireman! fireman!”. When we finally came to our senses and realized nope – we were not going to be able to see the fireworks happening down by Brooklyn (well, duh) we headed home. Saturday the weather was perfection (85 degrees and sunny – not a cloud in sight!) and we headed to the beach. Give me all the sand castles and baby beach naps! I’ve been daydreaming about another weekend just like this one. My boys and the beach are good for my mama soul.  

SUNSETS AT THE BOAT BASIN

The last two weeks have been kind of a blur. With all the packing, unpacking, cleaning, and more cleaning we really haven’t had much down time as a family. We were able to escape the moving madness for a few hours last week and enjoy some r&r at the Boat Basin. It was my mama in law’s birthday and it was a perfect celebration. Beers, tacos, family, and the prettiest sunset I’ve seen in a while. Lucas was totally enamored with all of the boats and made it clear that he has his eye on a yacht for Christmas.

lucas: tank and pants c/o nununu | sneakers from vans
nicole: choker from top knot goods | dress from urban outfitters (old) | sunglasses c/o iweartheheadress

AN AFTERNOON AT THE HIGH LINE

Over the weekend we finally crossed over to to the west side and took Lucas to visit The High Line. I don’t know why we waited so long. Sure it’s a bit touristy and crowded but there’s a good reason for it. The views are spectacular and it’s filled with exciting nooks and grassy areas perfect for toddler exploring. We started off at 28th St. and made our way down to the meat packing district. Somewhere along the walk Lucas started to become extra hyper and I knew it was time for a nap. We were lucky enough to find two empty chaises. The shoes came off and we made ourselves right at home. Within minutes I had a drooling baby on my chest. My city boy can pretty much fall asleep anywhere, anytime. There must be something soothing about all that city noise! Definite highlights were our passion fruit paletas and the water fountain which entertained Lucas for about twenty whole minutes. Looks like we found ourselves a new summer stomping ground.

lucas: tank c/o children of the tribe | shorts c/o appaman | sneakers from converse 
nicole: necklace c/o mourning dove 
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