grandparents

Much Needed Family Time in New York

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

What. A. Wonderful. Weekend.

After a year of pretty much staying put in our house in Cleveland, we FINALLY made it back to New York to see my parents. My brother had flown in from Germany, so we braved the 8+ hour car ride with the two kids to see him and my parents for a quick weekend. We hadn’t been back to New York since December 2019 – it was crazy to think how much has changed since then. Not just with the pandemic, but even with our kids  — LM was still nursing, in a crib, in diapers, and not talking; FW could barely remember what my parents’ house looked like, and was hardly independent, etc. Oh yeah, and I was not 6+ months pregnant. It really seems like another lifetime. 

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It was a quick trip  – way too quick – but so great nonetheless. I got to enjoy home cooked meals and baked goods, quality time with my whole family, and even some runs with my brother. Here’s a little of what the weekend entailed:

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Running with my Parents in Town

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

Another week of run streaking down and I’m now at 65 days! I don’t know how much longer I’ll keep this up, but it’s been actually great to get out there every day. This week was easier than usual, because my parents were in town for a few days! So, Sunday and Monday I was able to sleep late (6:30-7 ish) and get in a run while the kids hung out with my parents. They enjoyed the Nonna and Grandpa time and I enjoyed the time to myself to run!
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I Have a Four-Year-Old

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I’m not crying. I’m not crying. Nope. I’m not crying, I’m just in disbelief that I suddenly have a four year old.

FW turned four last week. He is no longer a baby, no longer a toddler, and sometimes when I look at him, I get a glimpse of what he may look like as a teenager. He has his own truly defined personality, his preferences and dislikes, taste in clothing, and more. He loves running (yay!), riding his bike and playing outside. He is an amazing big brother and a great helper, and I cannot imagine or remember life without him. It seems so long ago!

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My Kind of Weekend

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It was a GREAT weekend in CLE. It was warm (in the 70s and 80s!!) for October, my parents were in town, I got in some good quality time with the kids AND we were able to celebrate LM’s baptism. 

It was great to celebrate with my mom – three generations in one photo 🙂

After the baptism, we had everyone over our house for chili, cornbread, chips, veggies …

And look at this cake! B’s mom made a GREAT cassata cake.

We all enjoyed the food.

Sunday, B had tickets to the Brown’s game (and they WON!), so FW and LM and my parents and I went to the Zoo!

FW’s favorites are the elephants and the giraffes. 

I LOVE having my family in town, and FW really enjoyed spending time with his Nonna and Grandpa. And LM is so much bigger than the last time they were in town, so it was fun to have them interact with her.

What a wonderful weekend – family, good food and good weather. I couldn’t ask for much more ❤

A WINdians Weekend With the Grandparents

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

This weekend FLEW by. I seriously feel like I blinked and it was over. Maybe because we had just too much fun?

Our weekend started with an AMAZING Indians game. They are in the playoffs again and B and I had tickets to game 2 of the ALDS vs. the Yankees. Yes, I’m from NY but I’m cheering for the Indians all the way! (don’t worry – I grew up in a Mets and SF Giants household) The game was a good one – it went into 13 innings but we came home with a win!! Now onto game 3 (which they’re playing now … eep!)

Saturday morning I took a short stroller jog with FW. It was a run/walk and we ended up at some lakes again. I enjoy this view 🙂

Then, it was time to head to Celia’s for her birthday party! I can’t believe this girl is two already.

That afternoon my parents came into town! We grabbed pizza in Little Italy after they got into town for dinner.

Another highlight from the weekend? FW transitioned into a big(ger) kid car seat! I cannot believe he’s pretty much officially a toddler. Or almost. 

The weekend also included some delicious brunch (avocado toast for me!) at Luna.

And, we headed to the Zoo to watch the animals.

FW was way more into the elephants and the other animals this time!

He was also adamant about walking around on his own. Which means things took a lot longer to get to 🙂

We ended up Sunday with a baseball-themed dinner and a little game watching. Go Tribe!

Questions for you:

  • Are you watching baseball right now?
  • Do you like zoos?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

It’s time for a (nearly) Wordless Wednesday post. This time, I’m sharing a few photos from our long Fourth of July weekend. We had Monday off and my parents were in town, so it made for a really amazing fun and family filled weekend. Here are some photos of our fun, with as few words as possible:

Friday night=homemade pizza night

Grandpa reading to FW

French toast to start our Saturday!

And a fast (for me) four miler.

Standing up – almost ready to walk!

Momma and me

And of course, my Dad

Selfies after a walk

Just glassin’ 

Stroller run

Learning to walk with Daddy

Hope you had a great Fourth of July!! Here’s to a SHORT week.

Some questions for you:

  • Did you see some fireworks this year?
  • Get in any runs during your long weekend?

Weekends with Nonna and Grandpa

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

This weekend was sunny, warm and I got to spend it with family – what could be better?

Friday was in the 50s so we started off the afternoon with some swing time with FW. He LOVES swings and it’s so much fun to see him giggle and smile on the swing.

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Saturday was another GORGEOUS day. It was nearly 70 degrees! B and I didn’t have much to do until my parents got into town around 5, so I decided to go for what I’d (right now) consider a long-ish run – 6.66 miles. I wore my Sport Skirts skirt, it was that warm!

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After the run, B and I took a look at some houses. But before we knew it, it was time for my parents to come! We had some fun playing around the apartment.

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And then of course, dinner. We had beers and pizza and salads at Masthead. 20170218_182135

Three pizzas for four of us 🙂20170218_185051

Sunday started with brunch at Yours Truly with the 5 of us.6748

Followed by a nice walk – it was again warm outside, so we went for a walk around the park.20170219_120834

And then snuck in some lunch! No, FW didn’t have anything off the menu – bananas and pears for him 🙂20170219_133905

And that night, we celebrated birthdays with B’s family – our niece turned 9!20170219_194459_005

And that was our weekend. I’m back at work this morning (jealous to all of you who have off!) after saying goodbye to my parents. It’s always SO hard when they leave … but I know I’ll be seeing them in a few months.

Because it’s Monday, I’m linking up with Katie and the weekly wraps.

Weekends with a Four Month Old

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Okay technically I guess this post should be called 4 1/2 month old. But I can barely believe that FW is four months old. He’s rolling, babbling, giggling and pretty fun. This weekend was a fun one – but B was out of town at a wedding so I played single mom for a little bit. Luckily my parents came into town for a little so I had some help along the way.

This weekend included:

Friday night pizza and beer. The tradition never gets old. Especially when my parents are here and I get to have eggplant on my pizza!

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Wine and chocolates. Because – it was THAT kind of week. And well, do you really need a reason?

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Some cold temps, which meant fall fashion. I have a thing for guys in cardigans – and while B isn’t a fan of wearing them, at least FW can!

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A walk downtown and to the Flats.

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And another walk – because it was finally fall weather!

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Lots of snuggling.

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Sunday I was pretty much on my own, which meant after I went for a run, FW and I took a walk around downtown and enjoyed some warmer temps. We did some meal prep for the week and ended the day with dinner at B’s family. And then finally B came home!

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Some questions for you:

  • Did you spend time outside this weekend? Saturday was cold but Sunday was warm again!
  • When was the last time you flew anywhere?

I’m linking up with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

 

We Love Grandparent Time

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

FW got an extra dose of Grandparent Time this weekend – he spent Friday night with B’s mom and the rest of the weekend with my parents!

I neglected to take any photos Friday night with B’s mom, but FW got to spend some time with her because B and I had tickets to the Indians playoff game!!

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It was a great night for some baseball and seasonably warm (80 degrees!). Oh yeah, and we won!

We followed the game with some local thin crust pizza. I love Pizza 216’s dough.20161007_205216

Saturday we woke up and it felt like fall was here! We decided to take my parents away from downtown for the day and spent some time in Burton, Ohio for their Oxtoberfest AND apple butter festival.

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We watched people make apple butter and of course ought some to go.

After the festival, we made quick stop at Ohio wine country. I love Spring River for its views and I’m glad my parents got to check it out.

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We started Sunday with a run (faster than my previous runs!) trip to the Market, a walk around Ohio City and brunch at Le Petit Triangle.

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My mom and I split the lemon curd French toast and the Croque Madame. They were so so good!

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B also got this fancy coffee drink. I got to have the whipped cream but he enjoyed the rest of it which had grand marinier and whiskey I think. 20161009_114952

After that it was time to say goodbye to my parents – which is always so sad. Luckily we were headed right to Sofia’s cross country meet so that helped keep my mind off of them leaving. FW was thrilled to cheer on his cousin at her race. 20161009_143056

It was fun watching the kids run!

And then it was already nearly time for Sunday family dinner with B’s family. We ended the weekend with a fall meal – beef stew and apple crisp. And of course, milk for the little guy. Cheers to a great week!

Some questions for you:

  • Did you enjoy any fall meals? What’s your favorite fall meal?
  • How do you like your eggs?

I’m linking up with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

 

Weekend with the Grandparents

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

My parents were in town this weekend! This was the longest they’ve spent in Cleveland – they came into town Wednesday night and left early Sunday morning, so I had 3 full days with them and FW. It was great!

So, what do we do when the grandparents are in town?

We celebrate!

How?

First, with tacos and patio drinks at Barrio. FW was on his best behavior.IMG_20160803_204630

And plenty of delocius takeout. Sushi one night (with Anson and Celia!) And Taza the next. LOVE me some Lebanese.

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And during the day, walks to Farmers Markets with live music. Public Square has a brand new market now that goes Thursdays through fall. You should check it out!20160804_103742

We also went for a few long walks. Down to the Flats …20160804_110737

Down to the lake  (with a stop for FW to eat) …20160804_142525

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And to the river. 20160806_114252

We of course had some playtime.

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Pedicures with mom.  And wine.

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I also took advantage of them being in town by spending some alone time – I did some meal prep (yay for roasting veggies for lunches!) AND went for FOUR runs. That’s right – that’s more running than I’ve been able to do in forever. And since I was officially cleared to run earlier in the week, I was so happy to be out there. It is hard for me to run during the week days now because of FW, so I made sure to get in as much mileage as I wanted. I got in 3.8 miles Thursday, 4.3 miles Friday, 5 miles Saturday and even 4 miles Sunday morning. I’m definitely out of shape and slower than I was this time last year, but I don’t care – it’s just great to be back!

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And even though B was out of town for the weekend, Thursday night we took advantage of having my parents in town and spent the night to ourself! It was our first night out since FW was born – and even though I constantly thought of FW and missed him, it was great. We had amazing food and drinks at Alley Cat down by the water.

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Dessert was Cathy’s cookies. An amazing ice cream sandwich that was HUGE and so worth it.IMG_20160804_213206

Followed by a pretty walk home. I really am loving the new Public Square – even the fountains light up at night! If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram (@koskim on both) you probably saw the light/water show. Who wants to be our next babysitter?

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My parents left Sunday morning and FW and I had the day to ourselves before B came home that night. We’ll be seeing them in less than a month, though, when we introduce FW to his New York (my side of the) family!

Some questions for you:

  • How often do you have date night?
  • If you had suddenly one hour to spend to yourself, what’s the first thing you would do? I guess I’d go for a run and take a shower 🙂 Life post-baby has changed me! Next on my list – mani/pedi, bake, blog …

Per usual, I’m linking up with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.