Weekend

It rained ALL DAY yesterday here in Brooklyn, so we spent the entire time indoors, chasing one another around the living room, reading the same animal book over and over again, and eating roast chicken and brussels sprouts. It was the first day in Jack and Nellie's whole life that we kept them in pjs from morning till bath time; even when they were newborns, I insisted on changing their clothes during the day, no matter what. Evan and I got a few things done around the apartment, like laundry and hanging this poster that we bought in February, but mostly we just played with the babes. It felt good to be cozy and lazy.

But on Saturday...we went went to Costco. It was the first time we've gone in about two years (last time, I was pregnant and distinctly remember getting sick in their restroom) so it was Jack and Nellie's very first time there. They thought it was pretty awesome - look below at Jack inspecting the soaring ceilings, Nellie making friends with another shopper who was admiring her cuteness.

Now, those of you who don't live in NYC aren't really going to get the whole trip to Costco being an insane weekend adventure thing. You probably just go to Costco, get what you need, leisurely pay for it, and go home. At the Costco in Brooklyn, you need to get there early, or you might not get a parking space (the last time we attempted a shopping trip there, we drove right past because there was a line to get into the lot!) and you'll be battling about twice as many people than were there when the doors open. Though honestly, like most other things in NYC, it's always crowded, no matter when you go. It wore me out.

Jack and Nellie were great until the very end, when it was about a half hour past nap time and they'd only had string cheese and Costco samples for lunch (mommy fail...). We ended up driving around while they napped, stopping to get Vietnamese sandwiches at Hanco in Cobble Hill, and then making our way to Smorgasburg for some s'mores pie from Butter and Scotch.

One random funny thing I noticed when we were heading to Smorgasburg: we live near a large Orthodox Jewish community and whenever we drive to Williamsburg, we often see their large families out and about. On Saturday, it seemed that the dads were on kid duty (I'm not sure why - Evan thought perhaps the women were at service?) and although they were dressed in completely solemn, traditional outfits and looking like a much different culture than our own, I noticed that the dads had that familiar, stereotypical lenient attitude I've seen in Evan, my dad, and others I know well. We saw one group of children, including a small child pushing a baby stroller, and it seemed like there were no parents in sight. But then I saw two men walking at a much slower pace behind them, chatting; it looked like a scene from a "Daddy Daycare"-type movie, except the dads were wearing large fur hats and black clothing. Perhaps dads are a little, ahem, looser than moms in most cultures and communities? (I say this all with a wink and a smile, of course. I honestly don't know what I'd do without World's Greatest Dad Evan Hill-Ries.)

So now that it's Monday, I'm gearing up for a busy few weeks. Next weekend, our friends Dan and Yasmine are tying the knot in the Catskills, and I'm doing some baking this week for their rehearsal dinner bbq on Saturday. I can't wait! Our own wedding anniversary is coming up in early June, and we have a trip to Boston planned soon after. All good, happy things, but busy busy busy.

How was your weekend? Was it raining where you live? Any exciting shopping trips?