Week in Review: Mother in Law Visit: Statue of Liberty

With the government shutdown, Liberty Island is now closed so I was so happy that my first visit to the Statue wasn't put on hold. We were able to visit the island the Friday before the shutdown and kept saying how lucky we were that we didn't plan the visit for the following week. MIL, kids and I had never been to the Statue before, Hubby had gone when he used to live in NYC in his younger years (Before Kendra). My family had gone when I was in the first grade but I refused to miss school to go see the statue, because I was that much of a nerd, even at six. We bought tickets in advance (they were more expensive then I really thought they would be) for 11am time slot but arrived there early and there was no problem getting on the ferry early. We decided to park on the New Jersey side instead of going into NYC, figuring it would make it easier getting home with minimal traffic. That plan would have worked except that we were so hungry when we left that we stopped at the first restaurant we could all agree on and then hit some traffic on the way home, but still ended up getting home early enough to have a normal bedtime. 

We took the ferry over to the island (which I am pretty sure is the only way to get there), they had a bunch of different ferries with names like: Miss Liberty, Miss New Jersey, Miss New York, Miss Ellis Island. We pointed out to the kids where all boats have their names and how each boat has a unique name. Ellis Island is still closed since they are repairing damage from Hurricane Sandy, but as the boat went by, we gave little history recaps on the island and Ellis Island. 

ferry at the dock before we left for the island

The weather was absolutely awesome, I wish I had packed a great lunch because the grounds were perfect for a family lunch. I had only packed some snacks so we wouldn't be starving while we there, but we could have spent another hour there just enjoying the view. I definitely would recommend bringing at least a sweater because the water makes it a little bit more chilly then the mainland, I took my sweater off on the island but I was also carrying around the baby and he is a little hot furnace. We even could have ate at the park from where the ferry left from and where we left the car. There was the old railway station there, built in 1913 that is super creepy but awesomely cool to take some pictures. The trip was awesome, easy to get to and other then the crowds (which you can't avoid at a huge touristy hotspot) and Steven sleeping through the climb to the pedestal, it was a perfect day trip. I was so happy to finally get to see this hugely important monument to our country. 

Week in Review: Mother-in-Law Visit: Walkway over the Hudson

The past two weeks were stressfully spent preparing for a visit from Mother-in-Law so blog posts have been falling to the wayside, although I have plenty of pictures so recap the week. After spending Monday in a hurried mess to try and get everything neat and organized, we drove almost two hours to Kennedy airport to pick up MIL. MIL and I have met before but it was very early in the relationship with Hubbs. Since there is a decent time difference between Ireland and New York, we spent the afternoon just relaxing. Tuesday we also had a late start, just trying to get MIL used to the time difference and then took an afternoon trip to the Walkway over the Hudson in Highland, NY. The bridge used to be the railroad bridge and is now part of the local rail trail in addition to being a park. It is very high off the water, but in no way feels unsafe ( I have a fear of heights so these things are important to me!). We parked the car on the Highland side of the bridge (west side) and only walked to the halfway point since it was getting late and the bridge closes at dusk. There was a spacious parking lot, a snack/drink cart and very clean bathroom facilities. We saw tons of kids on the bridge, walking and biking and the bridge is very pet friendly (they even had a water dish at the halfway point just for pups!) so if you bring the kids, be prepare to spend a fair chunk of time just petting dogs. If you wanted to make a day trip of it with the kids, you could go to the Children's Museum for the day, picnic at either end of the park and walk the bridge during sunset. Overall the outings rating would be a 6/10. It is very weather dependent, but we had a great time and it was an easy walk to just enjoy the view. 

looking south towards the Mid-Hudson Bridge

looking west towards Highland

Later we had bathtime!!! Once he realizes that it's a bath and not liquid death, Steven enjoys it a ton

Family Trip: Washington, DC and Roaring Spring, PA

This past weekend Hubby has some vacation time before his mother came over to visit from Ireland on Tuesday (ahhh mother-in-law visit). Since Steven's godfather lives in DC he hasn't seen Steven since he was born, we wanted to visit him and my grandparents. So we left Thursday night for the five hour trip to Roaring Spring to see my grandparents. We stopped at Cracker Barrel (my favorite!) for dinner, I had fish that was amazing and we got there in time to have a full night's sleep. Then we spent Friday hanging out at my grandfather's wood working shop and picking out new winter riding boots for me. (we found the perfect ones at Target). We went for a little walk around town with my grandmother at stopped at the famous spring to snag a few pictures. 
We left Saturday morning for the three hour drive to DC and had a relaxing visit with Godfather and family. Visited a new comic shop and had lunch at Red Robin. Then left Sunday afternoon feeling well socialized and less stresses about visits that we had been lax on. It was a great little vacation and perfect couple time before MIL came into town. But there is even better news coming later!!!

Altoona and Washington DC Trip in a weekend

finally trying some tummy time, much to Baby's dismay

Happy Friday and start to the weekend! Hubby's vacation started today, so as soon as he got out of work yesterday, we packed up the car (two hours later) and headed down to my grandparents' house for a quick visit and a pit stop before we head to Washington DC to visit with Steven's godfather/James' best friend. James was quick to get out of work a little early and with his mother coming to visit next week (gasp) he spent a little bit helping me get the house all in order. We also have Monday to get everything perfect, get grocery shopping done and some food made that I can just throw in the oven while she is here. I am so absolutely nervous about a week long visit from the mother-in-law, but we have met before and she is so nice but I am still super stressed about what we will do while James is at work. We have a couple things planned for when she is here, including a visit to the Statue of Liberty and maybe the Bronx Zoo, if I can convince James. Today we are spending the day in Roaring Spring, PA, the place where they make composition notebooks, at my grandparents' house. Dinner tonight, a nice sleep and then driving down to DC for a great visit there. Wish me luck in getting everything ready and still being able to enjoy this little vacation with the Hubbs!

Look at that serious face!

Broadening Horizons: Free Fall Classes

So I follow (also known as stalk) a blog called GeekMom. They post tons of geeky, nerdy and science related posts by numerous authors, some posts I dig, others address sections of geekdom in which I am not as familiar. But anyways, they posted two classes recently that I thought were pretty interesting.
     The first was all about The Walking Dead. If you haven't heard of the show or the comics and you are remotely into the zombie trend right now, or post-apocalyptic soap operas, then this is right down your alley. The comics are in black and white and the art isn't really my thing, I am really picky about art in comics, no matter how great the writing, but that is my own issue. The story is interesting and is way more in depth then in the television show but both are pretty interesting (and the show is on Netflix!). So anyways, GeekMom posted an article and link here about a class based on the Walking Dead television show. It is offered by University of California, is completely online, is completely free and starts on October 14th, the same day as the new season premiers. The direct link to sign up for the course is found here.
     The second class that GeekMom posted about was offered by Mango Languages here, in preparation for Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19th (today)! It is completely free and set up just like their real language classes (according to the reviews). I am spending nap time today sitting through this class just in case someone tells me that they need a talk like a pirate partner. Mango Languages offers over 50 other language courses including Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Mandarin and Haitian Creole. They are really affordable, only $80 for the first package of most of the languages while some of them are even free if your local library has an account! They even let you try the first lesson of a language for free to make sure you like it (I tried Mandarin). Go and check it out and check out GeekMom!!! It is a brilliant blog!

   

Thrifting: Target and Salvation Army

James and I had to run to Target to fill my prenatal vitamin prescription, so we walked around and true to the Target curse we ended up buying other things. Since we don't have to stock up on the school supplies that they have on clearance quite yet, we did look at the baby clothes that they have on clearance. They had a pretty great selection, there are definitely more girls' clothes then boys' that are cute. We did name our child after Captain America, so superhero shirts are always a necessity. We bought two Superman shirts in two different sizes, two Batman shirts (one with a detachable cape) in the same size and an Iron Man shirt. The shark swimming trunks are for size 12 months, which should work out since that will be next summer, and since my newly found obsession with Shark Week. We bought all six pieces for under $17. They also had a bunch of shorts on clearance for under $2 but we had picked up a couple pairs last trip so we didn't end up picking up anymore. With children, it is nice to pick up clearance clothing for the following season, I just figure that I shouldn't buy anything too trendy, but basics seem like a great thing to stock up on. Especially, considering our family's nerdy-esque tendencies, we will reuse these shirts for future children or a sweet t-shirt quilt. 

Target summer clearance found here

My other big thrifty trip last week was a couple nursing-friendly tops that also help hide my bit of baby belly that is still hanging out. It was just nice to get things that weren't as tight as my normal clothes and seemed a little more "mommy" clothes. While I will not get rid of my superhero tshirts and corsets, I do need to acquire a few more clothes that will survive playdates, spit-up and make me feel better after not showering for three days straight with only four hours sleep. For $20 I found a few things that are great quality and make me feel great wearing (even if some have to wait a little bit more until belly is a bit smaller). 

This is an American Rag CIE blouse that
really looks much better in person,
it was a little overwashed but still fits
perfectly and is nursing friendly! I also got it
for $2.99!
similar and $120

This was a cute sweater from Wet Seal that I
loved on the hangar but with my larger
 chest it made the bottom too short
so this is a maybe for now. It was marked 3.99
and marked down to $1.99
this seasons version $26.90 

An adorable navy A-line skirt with white
dots that will either have to wait for my
waistline to come back or go into the
refashion pile. I bought it for $3.99
closest version here for $39.99

This is hands down my favorite catch of
this trip, a Banana Republic jersey wrap
top with a sewn in camisole in a cream
colour. I couldn't find anything close to it
on their website but I bought this for $3.99

This is an Andrew & Co wrap dress that is a little
small in the top and I can't find a website for the
company at all, but it is 100% linen and a pretty blue
demin colour that will be perfect for next summer. I found it
for $6.99

Monday Morning: Autumn Day!!!

      This past Thursday marked Steven's 8 week birthday. I am unsure exactly when you stop counting weeks and start counting the day as his birth anniversary, either way on Wednesday he will be two months by the calendar. So, Happy Two Months, Steven! I truly do not remember what life was like before you, and I mean that in the best possible way. My days are completely filled with spending time with you, while you nap I creepily stare at you, amazed by how wonderful you are. I was not sure that I was made for this job of being your Momma, but I can not imagine doing anything else with my life. I love looking at you and feeling how much I love and how much I love your Dadda. I love that you have a little attitude, that you know what you want and if we let you cry a little, you give us angry faces when we do pick you up, just to let us know that you are upset with us. I love how you are now starting to talk, we spend a couple hours every day just chit-chatting with each other. I am bent on making your first word "moon," since your Zodiac sign is Cancer so your ruling planet is the Moon. I love how much you love baths and getting your diaper changed. I love how much you smile, even when I am not sure if it is our of happiness or a gassy belly. I love how much your older siblings love you and want to take care of you. I love how you spend every night asleep in my arms, even if it has put our love life on hold a bit (we will make up for it when we retire *wink wink*). But I love how you are becoming your own little person with your own personality and how much our family has grown since Dadda and I first met five years ago. Thank you, Steven, for bringing me the joy of motherhood and absolute love each and every day.