Brooklyn & NYC

On Saturday morning we woke up in our hotel in York and pretty quickly went through our wake-up, shower and eat breakfast routine so that we could pack up the car and move on to our next adventure...Brooklyn, NY! We thought it would be a 2 and 1/2 hour drive, but when we checked the map that morning we learned it was 3 and 1/2 hours estimated. Thankfully, we made it in three hours. We were excited to get out of the car as it had rained our two days in York and with sunshine and clear skies on our way to Brooklyn we were eager to get the boys out to play!

Our first stop was to meet our dear friends, Eric and Emily and their daughter, Rita, at the playground in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It was absolutely perfect. A midday play date with friends we rarely get to see, the boys got fresh air and energy expelled and we got to experience a little bit of their neighborhood life in Brooklyn.

Here's Tavin super excited to be out of his car seat and climbing around on playground equipment...Tavin liked his little friend Rita. They spent a few minutes swinging together, so of course I had to take advantage of the photo opp...Tav seems to be saying, "wow, that's a nice look on you, Rita."Still super happy swinging with a buddy and finally out of the car and a stuffy hotel room!Big smiles from Tavin (and Rita is wondering why this strange lady is taking so many pictures).
Koen was a little moody, but also benefited from the time outside. He found a dump truck not being put to use and kept himself busy in the huge sandbox at the park. He was so proud of his "snowplowing" (I was informed it was a snowplow plowing snow and dropping salt).After the playtime, picnic and a little more play you saw above we headed back to our hotel and Eric & Em headed back to their place. We all were eager to get our kiddos down for their naps since it was later than usual. The hotel we were at was new, but in true NY form, quite small. We worked with it and Doug volunteered to nap while the boys did so that I could get out of the cramped room (and not spend the afternoon in the bathroom!) and so I got to use the fitness center and business center to do my own thing (move a little and get something done!). It was a great downtime for all of us. This trip has been surprising in that way. We have those moments for sure where we are so frustrated we have the kids with us, but we also are very impressed at ourselves and our kids that it is going as well as it is. Not to mention that the boys are doing great sleeping in the same room we are (particularly Koen since he actually knows we are right there). I guess we are doing a good job of wearing them out, but I have to give some credit to them as well for being good little sleepers. =)

After naptime,Doug took the boys up to the roof deck on our hotel. Beautiful view ofManhattan and Brooklyn as well. And look at the amazing and adorable pictures of my little men he got!!!Around 6pm we headed to Eric and Emily's for dinner. The boys were excited to actually be in a comfy home with toys! Rita was a gracious "sharing" host. She must learn in it fom her mom. Emily did a lovely job of hosting us, serving dinner and not minding the chaos amidst her neat and tidy apartment. We loved visiting in that atmosphere, seeing their home and seeing Rita in her own environment. Thanks, Em, we were so happy to spend that time with you.A few friends came over to join us for snacks and dinner at Em's. Then we laid the boys down there and Rita laid down too. Babysitters from Emily's church came over and all of us adults were able to leave and go to Eric's show about a 20 minute walk away. Ok, maybe I should back up here. So, who is this Eric anyway? Well, he and Doug were roommates all through college, best men in each other's weddings and amidst that I was able to get to know Eric ("E") as well as begin a frienship with Emily, his wife. They are definitely the type of friends that we are able to just pick it up where we left off, catch up and dive right back in whenever we get together. We are so thankful for their enduring friendship despite the miles.

So, today we woke up in our little hotel room ready for a full-fledged, Melder-only adventure. Here's Tavin mentally preparing for his day by playing so dutifully with the same 4 toys we brought for him (not to mention he basically had to play under the desk in order to have any room to drive his vehicles).We took one more quick trip to the roof to see the sights. in the picture below you can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance.Here's another view...
And a little loves from my little man with the urban landscape in the background. Love it!We wanted to go worship at the church our friends Eric and Emily go to, so first we took the boys to the playground across the street from the hotel. Koen made friends with a camel statue (he thought it was so fun, he was like "Jonah" riding a camel through the desert!).
Koen was also quite proud of himself for being able to climb up this ladder and then go down the slide. He said, "hey Mommy, take a picture, you can put it on the blog that I did it all by myself!"Tavin, of course, felt quite at home amidst the playground equipment and his favorite push-toy, the stroller.
We got to walk to church which was fun. I've been loving that we've been outside walking everywhere since we arrived here. Being cooped up was really getting to me. Since we are also in an urban setting (and the fact I love to be active), I was really missing moving around when we were water-logged in York.After church, we checked out of our hotel, packed up the car and headed into Manhattan to expose the boys to their first experience in the Big Apple. Koen loved it from the first few blocks. He said, "hey Daddy, can we move here. I really like it. There are so many buildings!"

After a lunch at a quick, family friendly (and one of mine and Doug's favorite cheap places from years past) restaurant, Cosi, we headed out to show the boys FAO Schwartz. Koen, of course, loved it! Here he is checking out the employees performing a song on the famous big piano.He also made friends with a huge bear!And climbed up into the clubhouse with Daddy.Tavin and I didn't last long in the chaotic aisles of the toy store (their elevator was broken and there are only so many times I can do the jack-in-the-box for Tavin - he loved it!). We went across the street in front of The Plaza Hotel and played by the fountain.Doug and Koen joined us shortly thereafter and we got a quick photo.Next we crossed the street and walked into Central Park. Koen was so excited to be free to run around on the paths and climb the rocks. Here we are on one exploration...Koen and Doug took off and Tavin and I were walking behind when we found them peeking out at us on the bridge. Koen was so excited to see us and then direct us up to him. This bridge has some significance for Doug and I as Doug took me to NYC for a super fun surprise day trip when we were dating. We hung out on this bridge for awhile that evening and a man was singing in the park. Each time he passed us he sang, "Young Lovers." It's always been an inside joke since then. I even got a picture of the bridge for Doug for his 30th birthday and it hangs in our dining room. We stopped for a few smooches on the bridge and Koen was yelling, "come on Mommy and Daddy, let's go." We didn't care. It was nice to to reminisce.Here's Doug and Koen on another rock climbing adventure.They headed off on a much bigger adventure shortly thereafter. We've been reading a book entitled, "Sky Boys," to Koen about the construction of the Empire State Building. He loves it. So, he was super excited when we told him that he could visit the building today. And not only that, but that he and Daddy would take a subway to get there!! Here is the happy boy on his first subway ride. Such a pro.Doug said that it was intense how many lines and stops there are in the process to getting to the top of the Empire State Building (I did it years ago, so I don't really remember all the details of the way up). Koen did pretty well being patient and having energy despite being well into his naptime. Here he is on the top of the building. So sweet!Doug said it was quite crammed and they did look out all the corners, but didn't spend too much time up there. Koen was actually a little nervous/scared (his face sort of says it all in this pic).
Here's a picture of the seasoned subway rider on his way back to meet up with Tavin and I.Speaking of Tavin and I....what did we do while the big boys were off on their adventure? Well, Koen and Doug had left us at about 2pm (naptime), so I gave Tavin his blanket and told him to take a nap. The sweet, tired boy took my advice and in minutes he went to sleep and had a nap while I walked through Central Park. He probably slept 45 minutes, but we were in Central Park for about 2 hours walking and playing while the big boys were gone. It was great!

After we met up it was coming up on dinnertime and Koen was complaining of being hungry. We decided to stop and get the boys dinner in the city. It worked out so well. We got to sit outside and the boys loved it. Look at Koen concentrating on his coloring and Tavin totally "cheesing" it up in the background.I'm so glad we got them some food (I always carry snacks, but it's pretty slim pickings after being on the road for so many days now). It took us about twice as long to get out of the city than we anticipated. I think everyone was taking advantage of the beautiful Fall day. Thankfully, once we got through the Lincoln Tunnel it was smooth sailing and we got to our next (and final!) hotel and got the boys to bed on time. This hotel actually has a separator between our room and the boys so we are enjoying some chill time watching TV, hanging out and Doug even picked us up some special dessert. This feels a little bit more like a getaway! That's all for now! I hope you've enjoyed my summary of our 2 special days in NY. It's been great!