Thursday, we took Eva to the Newport Green where we played in the splash pad and at the park for quite a while.
On our way home, we stopped by Target and got Eva a trike! Ever since we put that thing together, she has been on it almost constantly. She even asks to eat her meals on it.
Wednesday, we went down to the financial district to buy some half price Broadway tickets! We totally scored some tickets for Phantom later that night on the 7th row! Eva splashed at the Imagination Park next door, then we site saw a bit. It was fun to show my mom Seaport, Wall Street, Trinity Church, St. Paul’s Church, and the 9/11 Memorial. I love that area of NYC so much!
Later that evening, my mom and I headed back into the city to see our show. But on the way, we walked through Bryant park and then stopped by the library so she could see the ABC exhibit.
I’ve only seen Phantom of the Opera as the movie that came out ten years ago and listened to old soundtracks but I had never seen it on Broadway. It was SO incredible. The cast was excellent… I still am not over it. Ah! So great!
After visiting DC, my mom drove back up to Jersey with us and stayed for the week. Since she visited last year, I didn’t feel like we needed to sightsee as much in the city. We got to do just everyday type things, for the most part, so Eva was in heaven playing with her Nana everyday.
On Monday, we still had the rental car so we went on a big grocery shopping trip, spent time at the pool, had dinner together at home, and then went to the outlet mall once T.J. got home.
Since Eva is usually always in her stroller when we go grocery shopping, she was obsessed with pushing/pulling the shopping cart around.
Tuesday, we drove down to Spring Lake Beach, where I went for the first time a couple weeks ago. My mom loves the beach, so it was fun to show her this gorgeous one on the Jersey Shore. It was a crazy windy day, so we didn’t stay but a couple hours.
In the evening, we got dinner at Raaz, the Indian restaurant nearby, then took a walk along the river. We let Eva play at a park there and I started catching lightning bugs for her. All of a sudden, I had like five little Indian kids running around behind me telling me to catch more! I felt like the lightning bug queen. It was so funny!
Over the 4th of July, I saw my new nephew for the first time. Guys. He is perfect. Ah, I’m in love. The Sunday after the 4th, he was blessed at church. It was so special to be there. I’m so grateful we have some family close to us! We love you Baby Spencer!
I have a very small extended family, only two first cousins. But that just means we’ve gotten to know all the second cousins and first cousins once removed and so on… but I think we should just call them all cousins because family is family! Anyway, some of my favorite cousins visited from Florida this week. I met up with them for an evening on the Upper East Side at the Shake Shack and then played in the park a bit with Eva afterwards. My cousin Maddie was touring colleges and hopefully will be out here in a year!
When I needed to leave to meet them, it was the start of Eva’s nap time. I took a very big risk and took her out into the city instead of putting her down for a nap. I tried to get her to take a nap in the stroller but she would not do such a thing. However, she was SO good the whole night. For the most part, she sat in her stroller whenever I needed her in there. It made the evening much easier.
Here are the instagram photos from the rest of my Kentucky trip:
We dyed Easter eggs with Nana
Wouldn’t be a trip to home without Skyline Chili
Blurry but a shot of my family and I at Skyline
Fun with mirrors at Sawyer Pointe
The bottom left pic was Eva watching the cougar.
Split a banana split with Blair at Graeters while we reminisced about our first job working there ten years ago.
The conservatory was gorgeous!
Lelia and I walked through the Prom-till-dawn up at our old high school! Pretty impressive decorations!
Eva loved trying on all of my old dance costumes and dresses.
My mom and Eva after church looking adorable
Thanks, Mom and Dad! Eva and I had a great trip and we miss you all so much!
Yesterday, my dad took me to the airport. It also happened to be his birthday. I asked him, as we were driving there, what he used to do as a kid on his birthday. The conversation was basically this:
Dad: Well, my parents never did anything extravagant on our birthdays like your mom does for you all. My birthday was special though because Jeff and I had to pick dandelions everyday and weigh them in. We weighed them in on the “dreaded scale in the garage.”
Me: Dad, you’re lying. I don’t believe you.
Dad (not even cracking a smile, and really pouring out the details now): No, I’m not joking. We would weigh them in, and then half of that number was the weight of food we were allowed to have. I mean, you remember how big our yard was. There were a lot of dandelions to pick. And my dad said he’d never buy weed killer as long as he had sons.
Me: That’s ridiculous. I know you’re making this up.
Dad: No, no, no! I promise this happened. So, on our birthdays, it would be great because the ratio was 1 to 1. Not 2 to 1. And Jeff’s birthday is in April too, so twice in April we’d get to have the 1 to 1 weight ratio of dandelions to food.
Me: (Thinking…I feel like this is kind of like child abuse…) Wow, that was kind of tough/weird/bizarre. But what about school? How could you pick all those dandelions when you had school every day?
Dad: We still had to get the quota for the day, there were no exceptions. And you know you can eat dandelions right? They make a pretty good salad.
Me: Like their stems?
Dad: No, their leaves. You have to get a bunch of them but they’re pretty good for you.
Me: Hmmm…..
—
So, today I got on my Uncle Jeff’s Facebook page and messaged him.
They all had such compelling comments and went right along with the story, that I had no reason NOT to believe them. When I talked to my Dad tonight, I told him how Jeff and Tim backed up his story and that I was sorry for not believing him entirely yesterday. Then my dad lost it… lots of laughter. It was ALL a lie! I guess they occasionally did have to pull the dandelions but there was no “dreaded scale in the garage” and definitely no ratio thing going on! Those tricksters! They are all so sarcastic and have the driest humor. It’s the true nature of a Swainhart, I guess!
Can you even eat them, Dad? Or am I going to go try and make a dandelion salad and poison myself?!
Here are my grandparents that I believed made their children pick hundreds of pounds of dandelions so they could eat food (hahaha… it’s so ridiculous now that I think about it!):
And here’s my Dad with his older brother Tim-I guess Tim was too old in the story for the dandelion picking chore 😉 :
I have been in Kentucky for about a week now (I wrote this back on the 8th of April but scheduled it later in the month to post) and we have already had a great time! It is my mom’s Spring Break, so it’s fabulous to have her around every day! If we could only get some warm April weather around here though! At least today it stopped raining, that’s an improvement.
Let’s see what have we done so far…. Thursday, we got in around dinner time and went on a family walk down the street. Eva loves all the bikes, scooters, wagons, and toys she gets to play with outside around here.
On Friday, my mom and I went to the mall and shopped a bit. We also took pictures with the Easter bunny. Eva was SO in love with the bunny we just HAD to buy a picture to remember the moment. Friday night, we went to the Levee and had our favorite Dewey’s pizza. I ran into my old high school principal, so that was really neat to catch up with him for a minute.
Saturday was Conference but in between sessions we went over to Cincinnati’s Findlay Market. Growing up, we went there almost every warm Saturday, so it’s always fun to go over there as a family. Blair joined us for the afternoon and then I went to her apartment for dinner and to watch the UK game. I love how we can go months without seeing each other but laugh together like we are kids again.
On Sunday, we watched conference and then went over to watch my mom’s choir concert. They are a really great group and it was such a wonderful concert, plus a neat experience to listen to my mom sing in a chorus, since usually it’s been the other way around. My mom made lamb curry that night… seriously… the best!
Monday, my mom, Eva, and I went over to the Cincinnati Museum Center and spent the afternoon exploring. They have a really neat children’s museum that was overwhelmingly huge, a cool cave you can walk through, and then a Cincinnati history section too. Eva loved the whole thing and did not want to go home, even though I was wiped out!
And then finally, today, Tuesday, we went to the aquarium with my parents and my sister Ashley. We took the actual camera there, so I’ll post more about it later. But we had a great time out together and loved the new turtle exhibit.
It’s been a great trip and we’re still out here for another week! Woo hoo! Poor T.J. is missing us, but he worked until really late last night, so I have to say… I was sure happy to be here with family instead of single-momming it!
The last week of March, Eva and I spent a couple of days in Virginia visiting my sister and her family. The bus ride was SO easy and cheap, I can’t believe we haven’t done it more. We’re definitely going again before that baby nephew of mine comes!
Twins on the bus!
Eva watched Finding Nemo on the bus and was constantly asking where Nemo went. She was very concerned.
We spent the first day (and only warm day) at the park and then at the Temple visitor’s center where my sister had an orchestra concert. Mary Beth is such a talented violinist!
I know this one is blurry, but in real life is was perfect. Eva loves pointing out temples, so she loved seeing an actual temple in real life. She pretty much calls any huge building (or castles in Sophia the First) temples.
Monday, we went to Amelia’s dance class and Eva was allowed to participate which she loved! In the evening, we rode bikes outside and Eva can’t stop talking about it. I think she needs a trike REALLY soon!
Tuesday we painted the baby boy room and took the kids to Chuck E Cheese.
On Wednesday, we celebrated my birthday, went to Ikea, the mall, and a couple other fun places.
I am so thankful that we get to live near each other! It probably won’t be forever, so I’m cherishing these moments we all have together!
A couple weeks ago, my cousin came into town for a funeral. She was able to stop by for a couple of hours and visit! My family is very spread out and we don’t get together often, so it was such a treat to see Becca! Thanks for coming by and bringing your sweet kiddo with you!
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