Tucker's Night Out

DAY 18: Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The sniffles caught up with Henry today, and he slept in until 10:00 AM. Just after he woke up, the HVAC maintenance folks came in and discovered that the compressor in our living room unit is no longer working...AT ALL. So, that's why it smelled like a car running hot when we turned on the heat or AC. Yes, I am the granddaughter of two mechanics, and my husband used to run nuclear reactors, but neither of us suspected the compressor. We just thought it smelled funny. Wow. We must be geniuses. Anyway, by the time the maintenance work was over, the boys were hungry, so we raided the goodies from Fresh Direct and had a smorgasbord of delectable eats for lunch. While I attempted to get things together for our adventure of the day, Tucker climbed up on the counters, grabbed a few forbidden objects, handed one to Henry, and commenced to carve the cardboard boxes, which were the cars of his train on Monday. I turned around, screamed when I saw knives in the hands of my babies, and promptly disciplined the elder son. Henry cried, and I put him to bed. Tucker cried, and I put him in timeout. Again. For the afternoon. Then, we ate dinner before Wes made it home, and when he knocked on the door, we were ready to head out, yummy pumpkin ravioli in our tummies and an adventure to make returns and purchase goods on our agenda. We walked, Henry rode, and Tucker ran (he's in training for the 2010 NYC marathon apparently) to Buy Buy Baby, returned the footmuff that Tucker refused to wear (I have a feeling he'll change his mind as the mercury drops), and found the value size box of diapers for a sweet $40.99 (pretty sure the same box in Atlanta costs $28). Our adventure was a practical one, but Tucker thought it was great--he saw the city lights, heard the subway trains, and announced to anyone within earshot that the miniature schnauzer in front of us had just used the bathroom on the sidewalk. Lovely. Goodnight, New York. Congrats Mayor Bloomberg. Way to go Yankees. See you in the morning.

Celebrating Life

Fountains outside Osteria del Circo

DAY 17: Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Today was a long day after three long nights. On Saturday, at the end of trick-or-treating, I took a phone call from home and learned about the tragic death of a family friend. Abbey Tsumas was 16, full of life, a beautiful soul, killed in a one-car accident on a rainy Friday night. Today, thousands of people in my hometown gathered at our church for her funeral, and thousands more, like me, watched online. Statesville High School broadcast the service into Mac Gray Auditorium so Abbey's classmates who couldn't attend could watch; Statesville Christian School did the same. It was an incredible tribute and made me so grateful to be a child of God, to have the opportunity to live this life, and to be in a position to help my children live their lives for God like Abbey did. My heart breaks for Abbey's parents and her two older sisters, both of whom I have adored since birth. Abbey was a source of joy for many, even if you only saw her smile once, and she will be deeply missed.

Abbey, in red, with friends

Funerals usually create somber days, but Abbey's funeral was a true celebration of life, and it gave us a reason to celebrate. I pulled out cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, and the boys and I had a happy celebration of life, Abbey's and ours.

Tucker gingerly removes a pumpkin from the icing, demonstrating his ability to savor treats for a very, very, very long time.

Magnolia Bakery...still the cupcake capital of NYC

Tucker is reluctant to share, as Henry begs for a bite of his brother's cupcake. Tucker tends to savor treats, while Henry likes to work quickly, freeing up his hands for more.

With our celebration complete, we headed outside. For nearly two hours, we walked along Fifth and Sixth Avenues before meeting Wes after work. It was a relaxing stroll, and we ran into an old friend, reminding me just how small this world is and how interconnected we all are. When Wes joined us by the fountains outside Osteria del Circo, I let him take the boys back to our apartment while I trekked up to the Time Warner Center for an event with the cast of Glee. Unfortunately, a few thousand teenagers arrived before I did, so I left without a signed CD for my friend in NC, but at least I have a picture of the attempt!

Glee fans fight for a glimpse of cast members signing CDs

Fresh Direct and Fun Indoors

DAY 16: Monday, November 2, 2009

Since the weekend felt like a marathon for us, we spent the day inside, primarily because we were waiting on our first, gigantic order from Fresh Direct but also because I was exhausted! Tucker and Henry still had a massive amount of energy as most toddlers do, so we played inside, turning Henry's bed into a hideout and making a series of tunnels and trains out of the seven boxes that arrived from Fresh Direct. (Our doorman had to bring the groceries up on a luggage cart!) The day was a reminder of just how much fun you can have, as long as you have each other!

Tucker plays in the hideout.

Laughs at the intruders--Henry and me.

Henry spies a new toy--my camera.

Cries when I take it away. Sorry pal!

The boys, at long last, work together to build their train.

NYC Marathon

DAY 15: Sunday, November 1, 2009

The 42,000 runners who competed in this year's ING Marathon couldn't have asked for better conditions. The weather was perfect, just sunny enough to keep the temperature in the low 60s, and the crowd was incredible, with bands playing along the route. Tucker loved it so much, I think he's ready to train for next year's race, especially since the winner was from San Diego and the runner-up was from Big Bear. If you ask him, he loves to tell you that he was born in California! Regardless, it was an extraordinary race to watch with only the second American winner since 1982.

Tucker cheers on the runners.

And uses the cow bell in an attempt to make Wes deaf.

He finds himself in a mirrored building...and laughs.

And plays with his brother at the finish line. Shortly after, we raced to lunch at Comfort Diner, only to race home for a potty break!

Halloween Treats

Our two dragons survey their pumpkins after trick-or-treating with the dinosaurs at AMNH.

DAY 14: Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween, Y'all! We woke up early so the boys could get in their dragon costumes and practice breathing fire before we headed uptown for all the festivities. First, we stopped at Bryant Park for soup and sandwiches, then we headed to the American Museum of Natural History for their annual Halloween party, and then we headed back down to 69th Street for their neighborhood block party and trick-or-treating. The kids LOVED it!! And I was impressed by the merchants offering treats. I have to say Tucker and Henry never saw the treats from Godiva, but I can tell you they were wonderful. Toddlers can't appreciate quality chocolate! Enjoy the pictures. We missed all of you but hope you relished many treats this Halloween.

Tucker and Henry discover their wings in our apartment before heading out.

Henry, the "little" dragon, gets ready to meet the mammoths inside the AMNH.

Tucker , the "big" dragon, leads Henry on the hunt for treats of the candy variety...

...but was happy enough to give his friend Curious George a high-five!

The 69th Street Neighborhood Association went all-out with decorations. Tucker's favorite was the giant spider next door to this spooky window. Mine was the house divided between pergatory and heaven. Heaven was simply heavenly!

This Surf and Turf costume gave new meaning to being "a piece of meat."

The hoax man, complete with life-like mullet, was a great commentary on recent news.

And last, but certainly not least, this woman posing as the swine flu spoke volumes about UWS creativity. Loved, loved, loved it!

After two trips up and down 69th Street, the "little" dragon was draggin'.:)

So was his brother.

And that was all folks! Until next year, Happy Halloween!

Nemo and Bessie

DAY 13: Friday, October 30, 2009
We attempted to go to a Halloween party this morning on the Upper West Side with our friends Lizzie and Caroline, but discipline issues kept delaying us, so we headed to Madison Square Park instead for lunch at the Shake Shack (finally!), a trip to the holiday market, and an afternoon on the playground. It was a fabulous New York day! At lunch, we sat next to a filmmaker from New Zealand who just won a prestigious contest sponsored by Bloomingdale's, his sister visiting from his homeland, and his four month old son. We talked about the struggles of trying to work from home with an infant and then toddler and the best source for homemade baby food recipes. It made for a lovely conversation, and the long-awaited trial of Shake Shack was worth the wait. Not as good as In-N-Out, but a close second, especially with the Oh My, Pumpkin Pie concrete. Yum!

Following lunch, we went to the holiday market and found a few really cool gifts, added a new monkey to our breakfast room collection, and finally, purchased two adorable hats and mittens. Tucker chose the fish, or Nemo, for himself, and the cow, or Bessie, for Henry. (Henry was sleeping in the stroller.) Then, after giving the merchants high-fives and pounds, Tucker bid his new friends goodbye, and we headed to the playground. Since it was the day before Halloween, there were a dozen or so kids in costume, and Tucker befriended a mermaid named Megan. Megan's dad took him for a spin on the tire swing, which he loved, and the two kiddos played on the slide and climbing wall. Thank goodness for kind strangers! Of course, Tucker pitched a fit when we had to leave, but I think he was adequately exhausted. He fell asleep on the way home, woke up for supper, and then went back to sleep to prepare for his big day tomorrow. It's almost Halloween!!

Why I Will Never Live at the P.O.

DAY 12: Thursday, October 29, 2009

As a teenager, I always chose running over swimming because I detested the sensation of sweating in water. Today, I discovered that I hate sweating in cold weather almost as much! We trapsed across three avenues to the grand post office beside of Penn Station to mail a few important letters. Unfortunately, the stately entrance, composed of several hundred (or maybe just several dozen) steps, did not include a ramp for those of us with wheeled contraptions. So we commenced on a hunt to find the handicapped entrance. The first person we asked, a USPS police officer, told us, in a rather thick Eastern European accent, that there was no ramp into the building and that knowing this was not his job; he was there to guard the door. I refused to believe him, since he was less than convincing and because I thought it was a federal law to make federal buildings handicap accessible. At least I remember a big stink in my hometown over the addition of an unsightly ramp to the historic downtown post office. So, we searched for additional USPS personnel and found one who had the additional benefit of being a helpful citizen. "Yes," the young female mail carrier said. "There is a ramp. It's just on the opposite side of the building." The building, by the way, spans more than two city blocks. So, in the cold weather with the sun beating down on us, we travelled to the other side of the building, which felt like the other side of the world, and found a rickety, rusty ramp into the bottom level of the grand post office. Once inside, I made a bee-line for the elevators to the grand main floor. "No," the lady said. "You can't go up there. You go in that room." In New York , at this post office, those with wheeled contraptions, are relegated to the dungeon. There were three people in line; we waited 45 minutes. Then, the clerk told me I needed to pay extra postage for my two cards because they were too small. Really? "When did the post office start charging extra for cards that were too small?" I asked. I knew there was an extra charge for envelopes that were too large and envelopes that were square, but I had never heard anything about paying extra for an envelope that was too small. The man explained that he didn't have the official measuring sheet, but he was pretty certain that I needed to pay $0.20 extra per card because my 4 x 6 envelopes were small. I told him I would take my chances and immediately thought about my tax dollars at work. If the government could attract and hire competent and efficient workers, I'm quite certain we could be out of debt in no time. With the post office experience behind us, we exited the dungeon and discovered the saving grace of this trip--a magnificent view of the Empire State building from the rickety, rusty ramp. There are silver linings in New York for every cloudy moment. Find other pics from the ramp below.