Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

Today we headed out to Brooklyn (no traffic, again! What luck!) and enjoyed a beautiful day in the Botanic Gardens. We found out that there is free admission on Tuesdays, so if we ever go again, ahem, WHEN we go again, it will be on a Tuesday for sure.

Did You See Me??

If you didn't, I'll be on the May 23rd show also. But here's the link to the April 22nd show.



It was SO. MUCH. FUN. We got there nice and early (like 7:45 am) and stood in line for about 45 minutes. We were numbers 19 & 20 in line! They then usher you in to a holding room where they had water bottles and muffins set up for us as well as a little basket full of lotion samples for us to take. Oh! And there was a coat check, which I thought was nice. Guess they don't want you're big, lumpy coat accidentally making it on camera. We sat in this room until all guests were inside. We watched some old show clips, and had to fill out a couple of forms- one was a release form just in case they get you on camera and choose to use your image in various Martha-related media. The other was an "Ask Martha" form where you write down any questions you might have and want to ask on camera. I wrote some question about how to start a recycling program in my building (yes, I realize it's city law to recycle, but my building does not currently have a system in place for this, even though my landlord has received citations). They liked my question, so they *starred* my ticket. So at this point I'm thinking that they choose a few questions, prep Martha on the answers and then tell us who will actually get to ask their questions. Well, due to the *star* on my ticket, we got to sit in the front row. There were 3 rows on the floor, but we were in the first row in the boxed audience area. Right in the middle. Prime location. Oh, and did I mention that my mother called in sick to work? And that her boss usually works out in the company fitness center during her lunch break? And that the Martha Show is usually on one of the monitors while said boss is in said fitness center? So we thought for sure she'd get caught, being in the front row and seeing as I'm going to ask Martha a question and get on camera and all. During the audience "warm-up" we are told that they will be filming for 3 shows that day. The Earth Day show (which aired the same day) and was filmed in full with no breaks (except for commercials), the Memorial Day Show (which will air May 23 and is largely video-taped segments, but we were the audience for the intros to the videos), and a portion of another show (whose date I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure it already happened). So we got all the audience gifts for 2 shows! It's exciting to get free stuff!

When the "Ask Martha" segment came on, it kind of took me by surprise because all of the sudden she says, "And now it's time for one of my favorite parts of the show where audience members can ask me a question. So, if you have a question, raise your hand...." and then some women off to the side raised their hands and the stage manager took the mike to them and stayed in their section for all the questions. Oh well. Better luck next time. Now I know to shoot my hand up right away.

After the show, we got some grub at Chipotle and then headed to Mood Fabrics (of Project Runway fame) to pick up some fabric for a dress my mother is planning to make. This place is awesome- so much fabric! A sewer's mecca.

Matt played stay-at-home dad so I could have a wonderful day with my mom. The only thing that would have made it better was if Joan had been with us. Oh, and my mom's boss did NOT see her. So she didn't get in trouble. Hooray!

The gifts we got? You have to watch the show to find out! Just Kidding. We got some towels from Martha's line at Macy's, a gardening catalog & discount, a couple of canvas tote bags, an aluminum water bottle (because apparently those plastic reusable ones like Nalgene that have a #7 in the little recycle symbol on the bottom are NOT good for you b/c they leach plastic & other junk into your water), this coffee table book, a little parade flag & a porch flag kit.

O is for Ocean & Octopus

So we're really sad that Grandma (Joan) Cope wasn't able to make it this week, but since it was Matt's spring break, and we had access to a car (thanks, Mom!), we decided to take advantage and see some of our city. We headed out to the NY Aquarium and spent a couple of hours watching the sea lion performance, the walrus feeding, and other various fish swim around. Then we walked down the boardwalk to Coney Island and let Lexi take a few rides. We ate some Nathan's hot dogs & cheese fries and a sub-par funnel cake (for $5! What a rip-off!) The weather was nice and best of all, we had NO TRAFFIC (even though both Laura Bush AND the Pope were in town).

Martha Stewart

Matt's mother, Joan (pronounced like JoAnn), was supposed to be here visiting this week, so she requested (free) tickets to a taping of the Martha Stewart Show. We were planning on having a girls day out together with my mother & Joan's sister. Due to an unfortunate circumstance in her family, she was unable to come to NY this week after all. I am quite disappointed that we won't be able to go to the taping together, but she told me to go anyway. I haven't watched the show in a while (we got rid of our TV back in January), but I actually am a big fan of Martha Stewart Omnimedia. My mother has always thought that MS was/is the ultimate Homemaking Leader! Anything you want me to ask her while I'm there? Just in case she does an "Ask Martha" segment. For reals, though, maybe you'll catch a glimpse of me & my mom in the audience. Check your local listings for time & channel. (I'm having a friend TiVo it for me, just in case I get on camera....)

M is for Motivation for Matt

Okay, so I realize M week is over, but Matt just told me that maybe he'd start contributing to the blog. Now for you faithful readers, you'll note that I am not very consistent at posting. There's usually a dry spell followed by a flurry of posts that are all backdated. Annoying, I'm sure. So next week is his spring break, and he'll have a little extra time on his hands. But he needs a little motivation. He says he wants to be "Tagged". So who out there is gonna "tag" Matt?? Ready? Set. GO!

Good Riddance

Matt has had these Nike moccasin shoes for ages. Since before we were married. I have always hated them. I think they are really ugly. He says they are the most comfortable shoes he has ever worn. I still think they're ugly. The other night, he dug them out of the closet (that will tell you how often he has worn them over the past year) and decided to get rid of them. I almost fell over when he told me. I told him to take a picture for the blog. And posterity. I still think they're ugly.

It's Spring

This is a big patch of flowers that we pass on our way to and from the playground everyday. When we first decided to move to New York City 4 years ago, our friend Scott asked, "Will Lexi even know what a tree is?" Yes, she does. Although, while Stew & Carolyn were visiting a few weeks ago, she pointed out a tree to Stewart. He nicely informed her that it was not actually a tree, but a bush. She replied, "What's a bush?" I guess her knowledge of nature is limited. We'll have to work on that during N week.

M is for Many Thanks for the Mail

In an unfortunate turn of events, my mailbox key broke off in the mailbox lock on Monday morning. It took the super several days to get around to fixing it (surprise surprise), so when we were actually able to check the mail, Lexi hit the Mother Lode! She got 6 letters on Thursday and 4 on Friday. And we still have a letter or two trickling in. Brennan sent a puzzle (that Lexi still puts together several times a day), Great Grandma sent a Magnet and Money! Lisa sent a card with a Monet painting. And Liz underlined & highlighted every M in the letter! Pop-pop sent a bunch of fun postcards. Lexi even got a party invitation. Wow! Thanks so much, folks! You really came through. And Lexi was so happy- she still asks every day if she got any mail.

M is for Monkey Bread

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, Monkey Bread!! It didn't last long. That's about all I have to say about that.

M is for Dr. Markel

How convenient that Lexi's dentist's name is Dr. Markel and we had an appointment this week.... although, I am sad to report that for the first time ever Lexi was a completely uncooperative patient. She became quite frantic when the dentist started brushing her teeth and really put up quite the fight. He decided that since her teeth are in really great shape anyway, not to push it. He said that she is just trying to get attention and probably some of it has to do with the baby. So we'll go back in 6 months and he anticipates that she'll be a completely different patient. I am happy to hear that her teeth are in great shape- he specifically mentioned that her enamel looks "beautiful." All the credit for brushing habits must go to dad. He is a super brusher, and hopefully Lexi has inherited that.



After the dentist, we headed over to a playground in nearby Central Park. Lex had a fun time climbing and running, but then settled on the tire swing (forever her favorite!). She had no one to swing with, though, so I pushed her for a little while. Then, all of the sudden, a group of 9 year old girls came running over and wanted to play on the swings. Their teacher was right behind them and asked me if it was okay for them to play there- which of course was really wonderful! They did all the work pushing and swinging and Lexi just fell in love with them. Later, when it was time to leave, she had to run around the whole playground looking for each girl to individually say goodbye!

M is for Museum

Today we headed over to the Museum of Natural History. Our intent was to attend storytime in the Discovery Room and when we arrived we ran into some friends we haven't seen for quite some time. We got to explore the museum for a little while, and then got our turn in the Discovery room where Lexi headed straight for the dinosaur dig area. ((Did I ever mention that lately she is extremely interested in dinosaurs and is set on being a paleontologist when she grows up?)) After play time, the teacher read us a book about Mammals (did she know it was *M* week???) and we talked about the characteristics of mammals (they have hair, drink milk from their mommy, and something about the inner ear) and then went to see a special exhibit of mammal paintings by John James Audubon who made a name for himself with his bird paintings.

A Salt and Battery

No, I didn't get jumped again. But our friends Stew & Carolyn came down to the city a few weeks ago. A friend of theirs had a film in an art festival here, so we all got to go. But before that, we ate at A Salt & Battery, which is apparently a really good place for fish-n-chips. It was featured on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. Not being a fish-n-chips connoisseur, I couldn't really say. In fact, this was my first time eating fish-n-chips. I ordered the cod, but was told that cod is now endangered so they no longer serve it. So I went with the pollack instead. Now, I am by no means a seafood girl. I don't really like it at all and will basically never choose to eat it (except for crab cakes and shrimp). I am happy to report that this experience was, in fact, very good. And we'll definitely be going back for their deep fried candy bar. Sinfully delicious!

M is for Mail

Next week is *M* week around here. We would LOVE to receive some MAIL. So please send us something- a postcard from your home city, a cute card, a funny photo. We'll be happy to receive anything (other than bills). Oh, and please address it to Alexis or Ella (or both). Everyday Lexi asks "Did I get anything today?" You'll make her day. Promise.

First Fridays

The Children's Museum of Manhattan has a free event (thanks, Target!) on the first Friday of every month. We typically make it there every other month to take advantage. This was the first time Ella has been since she learned to crawl, so it was extra exciting for her to hang out in the baby area and explore all the sensory exhibits. This photo was taken while she played with the laser harp- as your arm/head/hand moves through the space, you are able to create sound. She loved it!

Ella crawled up some stairs for the first time while we were there... this is the same staircase that Lexi first climbed years ago.
(Insert video here... I'm having a hard time getting the video to upload. I've tried it 3 times now with no luck. I'll have to try again another time).

We ran into the Horeys while there and they convinced us to eat at Ollie's afterwards. Lexi was anxious to get her hands on some chopsticks and did very well with them. Of course, she had a little contraption to help her keep the sticks together. Matt could use one of those, too! Let's do it again, Horeys!

Lexi-isms

me: "Hey Lex, let's do our "I" collage." (during "I" week)
L: "I don't have any energy for that. I only have a little bit of energy for paper plates. Then I won't have any energy left." (she wanted to do a paper plate craft first).


After our trip to the circus way back in January:
Dad: "Tell me about the circus, Lexi."
L: "No. I have to wash my hands."
Dad: "Well, you can tell me at the same time."
L: "No. I don't think so! I have to focus on that."


Helping is the best part of being a family!


Do people use stockings to catch fish? (after watching me put on some fishnet stockings on Sunday).


We're killing the Easter eggs! (during a session of dying eggs- get it? Dying. Killing.)

Ella Pulls to Standing

She's working hard these days- busy crawling around the apartment and exploring her home. On Sunday, she pulled herself to standing for the first time and today I captured her on video. She smiles a bit in this video, too, giving you a good glimpse of the cute dimple in her left cheek.

Easter Festivities

To celebrate Easter this year, we attended a community Egg Hunt on 135th & St. Nicholas- in the shadow of City College (where Matt got his Masters). It was a beautiful day- warmer weather and lots of sunshine. They had a clown who painted faces, a cupcake & cookie decorating station, the egg hunt itself, and an easter bonnet making table. Lexi had a great time. It was a nicely organized community activity.












Later that afternoon, Grandma Susan came over and brought all the things you need to dye easter eggs. She and Lexi had a good time "killing" the easter eggs (in Lexi's words). Lex even thought it would be a good idea to dip her hand in the mug, resulting in a neon pink skin color. We scrubbed it off as best we could, but there were still faint remains of it on Sunday. Good thing it matched her dress.



Speaking of which, I have no photos of the girls from Easter Day. Or any of us, for that matter. But for the first time, Alexis willingly went up and sang with the rest of the primary- and did a great job! Grandma Susan cooked dinner for us and we had about 10 egg hunts in our little apartment as Lexi wanted to hide and seek over and over and over again.

All week we had been practicing this hymn as I suspected we would be singing it in sacrament meeting. Lexi loves to sing, but she really doesn't know any of the hymns, so in an effort to help her participate more in sacrament song singing, we've started learning a hymn each week. Imagine my dismay when they announced that we would indeed be singing that hymn, but in SPANISH! Oh well. Lex still sang the Alleluias.

Daddy's Day Off

One thing we love about Daddy's job is all the holidays he gets off. He can't choose when to take vacations in his line of work- since we get 2 months in the summer, and then several weeks throughout the school year (Christmas, Winter Break, Spring Break, not to mention all the Jewish holidays etc etc). Good Friday is one of his days off. So we headed over to the Bronx Zoo. We are "members" and can get in anytime we want and have access to all the special exhibits there, like the Gorilla Forest, the Children's Zoo, the Butterfly Garden and we can also ride on the Bengali Express, the tram, the sky ride and the Bug Carousel at no extra charge. So imagine how bummed we were that half of these attractions were opening THE NEXT DAY. Seems they had been closed for the winter season. Bummer. We did get to see a tiger feeding, though. Lexi was pretty scared at first. I don't know if she thought the tiger was going to come out and stroll among the zoo guests, but once she realized the tiger would remain in her cage, she was enthralled. The tiger shares her name: Alexis.

Let me just say here, too, how Alexis does not stop. She's like the energizer bunny. She keeps going and going and going. We took the train to the zoo, which I have never done before. We accidentally got off 2 stops later than we needed to and as a result ended up walking at least a half mile just to get to the entrance. Then we walked through the whole zoo a couple of times backtracking and using the same paths as we discovered exhibits were closed, and being diverted around construction. Then we spent time in the Children's Zoo where she energetically participated in every exhibit she could- her favorite being able to run up to the top of a tree house to then slide down a slide (inside the tree) over and over and over. And over. And over again. Then back across the whole zoo. Skipping and jumping. And running. The Whole. Way. Phew! We were exhausted just watching her.

It was a bit cold and windy, but we had a fun day.

Arctic Birds


Butterfly in the Butterfly Garden (a greenhouse where you are surrounded by real, live butterflies)


On the Bug Carousel:


My two little birdies:


Spread your wings and fly!


Sliding inside the tree:


A Prairie Dog watching me quite closely:


Snacks for Alexis the Tiger:


Have you ever heard a swan trumpet?:

St. Patrick's Day

We had to do something for St. Patrick's Day... seeing as we have Irish blood in our veins and all. We didn't make it down to the big parade on 5th Avenue. I went a few years ago, and remembering how crazy it was, I didn't dare venture there on my own with 2 children, even to see our friend Marcus play the tuba as he marched by. Plus, Lexi had to be back uptown for preschool at 1 o'clock. And no. She cannot miss a day. Because I said so.

So, we settled for making little "shamrock sticks" (don't ask me what these were for- no real purpose at all). We also made a pot of gold and a little shamrock garland. For dinner we had Irish stew with a side of Irish Soda Bread- first time that I have made either one of these recipes and they were very delicious. We also dyed our milk green. Just for kicks and giggles.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Ella is 9 months