The Big Apple

We've been back from our New York City vacation for weeks now, and I still haven't written about it. Part of it, sure, is that I met some difficulty figuring out how to get 1000 photos off of my iphone. Go ahead, Aidan and Jules, laugh at me from your very tech-savvy future at your dear old Pop's technical difficulties.

But part of me hasn't written about our first trip as a family of four because I know the write-up won't do it justice. I mean, I can go through our itinerary of what we did, and what we saw; lord knows I have photographic evidence out the yin-yang to show you. But I worry that this just won't capture the ephemeral, instantly nostalgic, plain magical nature of the trip. Maybe it was the way the sunlight lit the hairs on your little heads as it came through the branches in Prospect Park, maybe it was the the way you both grew so much while we were away, maybe it was sharing your magic (and tantrums and fits and crying too) with our far-away friends who we hold so dear, or maybe it was just being with both of you and your mother for all those days, without the interruption of work or house chores. But, whatever it was, in my memory, our trip was just magical.

This trip to the Big Apple will forever be the apple of my mind's eye. It was more than the summation of it's parts. It was well...it was magical.

It was Aidan's first real plane ride, and Julia, it was your first ever plane ride! The trip there was a little chaotic, I'm not gonna lie. A mixture of dehydrated/motion sick mother, baby Jules spilling orange juice all over both of us, and a cranky non-napped Aidan fighting sleep so hard until the moment we landed. But, you were all much better on the way back, which was good, since your Mom took you both alone. But, we did it. You did it. You survived two plane rides! (Aidan you loved riding on "the big one!")

When we got off the airplane at the airport, Aidan you saw a "Welcome to New York" sign that had a large red fruit on it. You said "It's the Big Apple!" That was truer than you know! And many adventures were about to be had:

There were more firsts:

Aidan's First Big Boy Swing ride:

Julia's first high chair and staying in seated position for long periods of time (until Aidan knocked you down..gently):

There was the Brooklyn Children's Museum, and the Bronx Zoo, and a water taxi ride (both of your first times on a BOAT!) to Battery Park in Manhattan.

There were playgrounds and pizza:

Best Buddies (new and old!)...

Who's the boss?

and Big Bridges...

and Balloons (who became best buddies):

You were so happy when I finally let you hold your green balloon without it tied on to the stroller.

You took me seriously when I told you it would fly away if you let go...so you held it tight while sleeping.

really tight...

...for over an hour...

and then you woke up and played with it some more...you finally released it back in to the wild on your own accord and said 'goodbye balloon!'

There were sandwiches and more stroller Naps:

And then there was Prospect Park...running free, running wild, exploring, bonding, basking in the magical glow of the wilderness of youth. The quality of the light ethereal; the breeze elevating; the open, safe spaces inviting fun and nostalgia instantly. Some of my favorite moments with you Aidan are in this park...like when you crashed a preschool class, Aidan, and they invited you to play parachute with them. Like when you told me you had to go potty and we raced to the nearest building and almost made it. Like chasing 'chickens' with you on my shoulders...like watching you explore on your own and going free until you were a little dot on the horizon...playing 'get you' and 'zurg and buzz' while racing through the open fields...watching you glow in the world around you...and Julia, you didn't get to enjoy the park in the same way Aidan did, but the fresh air, but you ate, you relaxed, you even played with your brother. We loved being there. It was...well...magic.

Twas the park so nice, we went back thrice.

"I'm Simba!"

I mean, it was just magic...This is the kind of stuff, the kind of memories, that I want to remember for the rest of my life. It was magical being with you both in the woods, and wonderful sharing you kids with some of our closest faraway friends like Uncle Sam, Uncle Saxy and Auntie Yumiko (who you, Aidan, thought was a mermaid).

This is the stuff dreams are made of.

And the best part is, it all really happened:

And, the best part was that we did it as a family. The Weinsteins ate the Big Apple and loved every bite!