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!

Cookie & Corey's Wedding

Koen would prefer that this post be entitled, "Koen As Ringbearer" certainly. Although we've explained weddings and marriage to him, when he was asked to be the ring bearer he figured that meant the event must be about him. A few quotes from the weeks leading up to his special job for Cookie & Corey's big day... "So, mommy, when I wear that bear costume at Miss Cookie's wedding..." "Now I pass out rings to everyone, right, Mommy?" "I don't carry the real rings? Well, who has them? Don't Miss Cookie and Mr. Corey need rings for this?" When he was pretending to make a phone call to Miss Cookie he said, "Hey, Miss Cookie. So, are you pretty excited about me being the ring bearer?" (Sure, I'm certain that was her most expectant moment of the day).

On Thursday we packed up the boys and all our gear and headed out to York, PA for the rehearsal. Our boys did great traveling as usual. Koen basically got to watch DVD's or play on Daddy's iPad on this relatively short drive (4 and 1/2 hours).Tavin, not yet into DVD's, hung out with his blanket and was silly most of the way.We got to the hotel in time for the boys to take a late nap before the rehearsal and dinner following. Tavin went right to sleep. He was exhausted since it was almost 3pm when they laid down. Unfortunately, Koen was much too energetic after a morning zoning out in the car, poor kid. He did very well being quiet and trying to sleep and finally (after 3 visits to see me in the bathroom - where I was hiding out) gave up. I let him play trains on the bathroom floor. Not many alternatives when you are staying with 2 kids and 2 adults in a small hotel room. I sat in the bathtub on a chair cushion and Koen played on the tiles with his trains. Regular afternoon, right?

The boys were adorable at the rehearsal that night. Koen was so pumped up for his job. He kept telling Doug, "hey Daddy, we are the pastor team of the wedding."

We had some time to kill while things were getting set up, so I took some pictures of the boys and they were really into it. Not necessarily Christmas card quality, but priceless to me still!Doug caught us in our photo shoot and grabbed one of me and my boys...Then we used the self-timer for this one. A little freaky since Tavin and I are in the foreground and our faces are bigger than Doug and Koen's, but not too bad of a family shot, I was at least happy we captured that we were all there together.He did a great job listening to instructions, staying with all the pretty bridesmaids and walking out on cue.
Corey's parents hosted the rehearsal dinner. They are such wonderful people. It was great to get to meet them and spend a little time in their welcoming home. The boys loved being a part of the party. It was such a neat rehearsal dinner. They love Maryland crab and ordered them in and had tables set up with newspaper, mallets and the cracking tools necessary for eating crab fresh out of the shell. Of course there was other food too and the boys did great sitting at the big tables eating their late dinner (it was after bedtime already!). Soon after dinner we left to get them in bed, but first Koen got to open his present from Cookie & Corey...a new train piece!!The boys did well laying down late (so tired!) although Koen had a few extra visits to the bathroom. The novelty of everyone living in the same room is just too much fun for him. At least he's gotten a lot better at whispering since the last time we had a trip where we stayed all in one room.

The boys slept in until their normal time just about and so we all ended up having quite a good night's sleep. Koen immediately dove into making a train track with his new piece. Very exciting! Doug did a great job working with him to include Tavin and teach him how to use it properly.Unfortunately it was another rainy day in York, PA. Ugh. Nothing to do with the kids and we were all bouncing off the walls by 9am. We took off in the car in search of something to do. After visiting the local bent and broken outlet (man, you can get some great deals in there!), we headed to the mall to kill some time. We explored and discovered some of the vehicle rides in the middle walkway area. Of course we didn't want to pay though, so Koen and Tavin just used their imagination. Thatta boys.So, after dragging that out for about a half hour and it was still only 10:15am, we decided to splurge and pay for a half hour of play in this "Tumble Time" place in the mall. They hadn't seen it, but we spotted it. It was reasonably priced for a half hour of play that would tire these guys out and hopefully get out their pent up energy! They both loved it!

Koen spent most of his time on the trampoline or in the ball pit (ugh, the germs!).Tavin went from here to there (played some funny games with Daddy too)...
until he found the roller coaster go-kart thing. He loved it. Probably did it 30 times.So, our morning ended up being successful. We went out to lunch after the germ farm at the mall. Then got home to get them to nap on time. This time they both took great naps. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the bathroom (Doug was out prepping for the wedding). Although it was nice not to have to share the bathroom floor with Koen and his trains, I am definitely not loving naptime holed up in a public restroom.I had to wake Koen up to get to the wedding. Tavin slept all through that (Nana came up from Carlisle to be with him so he didn't have to go to the wedding). Nana also took care of Koen after the wedding so that Doug and I could enjoy the adults only reception. Thanks, Nana. We had a great night and we were happy that we knew the boys were having fun with their Nana!

I got Koen dressed at the wedding location and here's a picture of the full look. I have to give thanks to Kacia for lengthening the pants, to Kyra for the bow tie and to Allison for the shoes. This was a team effort to have a frugal, yet very handsome ring bearer!We caught up with Pastor Daddy before the wedding...and even got to peek in on the bride!!! Koen thought she was so beautiful, it was precious.So, sadly enough I didn't catch a great picture during the wedding, but the photographer did and she's a friend, so we'll be able to see some soon on her website I'm sure. I'll keep you posted on that. Here's Doug and Koen after the beautiful ceremony. Cookie and Corey wrote their own declarations to one another and their own vows, they did a lovely job. Doug also did a great job in his homily and his words to them. A very personal and emotional wedding. Lovely.And a picture of 3/4 of the little fam...Congratulations, Cookie and Corey! Thanks for letting us be a part of your big day. We were happy to attend and blessed by your testimonies. We love you!

Pre-Naptime Play

Rainy day here. Koen went to nursery school (carpooled with a friend, so grownup!) and Tavin and I stayed here at the house. When Koen got home the boys had lunch and then headed right to play together. Koen does so well thinking up some kind of vehicle adventure and then Tavin decides on a vehicle to push and follow brother around with. I love seeing them learning to play together.

Tavin is really into saying "cheese" for the camera. A few great pics due to that...Here's a picture of Koen in his t-shirt from Megan and Sky. Megan is from Zimbabwe and travels back a time or two a year. She just returned and thoughtfully brought back this t-shirt for her little buddy. When I showed Koen this picture he said, "oh look, I'm all proud of myself." So cute!Here are the brothers playing...busy, busy, busy!PS - Rough discipline day with Koen. I'm hoarse from my cold/sinus infection so I just feel like I'm straining, straining to talk over Koen every time we are conversing. So frustrating! Hopefully naptime will do us all good!

Four Kids for An Hour

My friend Deborah had her 3rd baby on Sept. 24th. Today I got to meet Hazel and also take care of the older siblings, Miles and Claire, while Deborah and Hazel went to an appointment. That means I had four kids for about an hour and a half. It actually went very well. The kids know each other well enough that they were all very comfortable with each other and the sharing stuff went pretty well (Koen definitely had some teachable moments).

Here's Tavin greeting baby Hazel. Claire kept saying, "my baby" and giving Hazel kisses. Tavin is still enamored with babies after being with Eleanor recently, he noticed though that this one was definitely claimed.It was nice that lunch was an activity while Deborah was at her appointment. It kept the kids busy and occupied (and seated) for about 20 minutes or so. They loved having their picture taken..."cheese!"When we went outside, Claire and Tavin sat next to each other on the stairs and shared some dried cherries. They (especially Claire) loved saying, "cheese," and getting their pictures taken. So cute!Like I said, Claire loved getting her picture taken. She kept asking for more pictures, so here are more adorable shots of these precious little girl!! I just love her hair!Here are the big boys playing in the "work site." Like I said, they did pretty well sharing everything. Koen was a little volatile, but we eventually worked out a system that was a success and they were quite a hard-working team (except when Tav would come over and get in the middle of it).The boys hard at work, Claire overseeing and Tavin about to get into trouble...Thankfully it was a huge success. I hope that we get to do it again. It was nice to get to help Deborah out and Koen and Tavin loved having their friends here. My boys are certainly napping well after all the fun too!

Concert By Koen

Koen loves to sing! He often spends much of his wake-up time singing and playing in his room. Here are a few recordings. It's pretty hilarious. This one he sort of makes up the first part of the song, something about the "house of the Lord." When Doug saw him later in the morning he asked what he was working on. Koen said, "I'm making the house of the Lord with a conveyor belt to take avocados to the guacamole factory." Sure, that could work.

This second recording catches some humming of Koen's current favorite song, "Our God is Greater" by Chris Tomlin. It ends with a nice cough. Poor kid!


Doug actually did these recordings. I was in the kitchen also listening. I was going to record some (without knowing Doug was upstairs), but every time I went to turn my camera on he would change gears and switch to story telling or be quiet for awhile. These recordings aren't even as good as it got this morning. Koen is amazing the way he soaks in all the words and the melodies (and I love, love, love his accent (i.e. Lord = Lowd)).

Quick Catch-Up

It's been bothering me that I haven't been able to update the blog much lately. Due to the fact I've left my job, I'm in between computers and we are waiting to figure out that situation. In addition, I've also been struggling with a major cold that has now turned into a sinus infection. I got meds last night, so hopefully I will be able to breathe again in the next few days. Another udpate from the Melder family is that we had our stroller stolen from church on Sunday. Ugh! Thankfully it was just the stroller and it really isn't that big of a deal, but it's been quite a topic of discussion for Koen and has re-ignited questions about "the man" that was here in our home. Please pray that Koen's bright mind would release these things and that we would have wisdom on how to respond to his questions and concerns. We had a really encouraging conversation last night as he brought up "the man" before bed. It is actually so therapeutic to me that I have a little guy to walk through this with. It is helping my heart to be loving and forgiving towards this person as I have to tell Koen that is what we need to do. If I didn't have that accountability I could get bitter more easily I think. Anyways, Koen asked why the man came to our home. I said he was confused. Then he asked why do some people do bad things? I answered that maybe the man doesn't know Jesus and he doesn't know how much God wants us to do what is right and be kind to others. I told him maybe we should pray that he can find the Lord. Koen asked, "how can he find the Lord?" I said well, maybe someone will give him a Bible and he can read about him or maybe someone will tell him about Jesus. Koen then said, "like maybe Daddy." So sweet. After our chat we headed up to bed and he said he wanted to pray first. It was one of the most precious prayers I've ever heard from him. I just love how a child's heart is so open. He heard what we talked about. It made sense to him, it was a comfort to him and then he just brought it to the Lord. Such a lesson to me as I wrestle with healing from this encounter. Here's the prayer that Koen said, please join me in praying the same for this man...

Dear Lord, Thank you for this lovely day and our safe home. We pray for the man that someone would give him a Bible and tell him about Jesus and that he would find a good church and enjoy the singing and learn to love the Lord. Amen.

From the mouths of babes!