Unexpected Dates

I figured after the wedding was over and the thank-you notes were sent out, life would settle down and our evenings would be spent relaxing together in our apartment or enjoying leisurely dates in the city. That might be the case for some newlyweds, but (sigh) not for this couple. Most days look something like this... I am up at 6am and out the door by 7:15am and arrive home around 8pm. Jake is completing his master's degree during the day and most nights his gig schedule doesn't get him home until 12am. At that point I've been asleep for hours. We joke that during the week we hardly see each-other awake. So, we've come up with a few solutions.

Early bird dates. Yes, Early bird dates and spontaneous dates and climb up the fire-escape look at the moon dates and my favorite - drive Kate to work and get coffee and bagels dates. I've realized life will always give us a million reasons to be busy and pre-occupied and overwhelmed and completely exhausted... but taking just thirty minutes to slow down and be together, and be romantic is all it takes to make the entire day a success. 

Here are a few pictures from our fajita dinner and a movie date (at home)...

^^Tequila shots? Yes, please.^^

^^Steak Fajitas... seriously delicious.^^

In case you wanted to know what our date-night looked like five years ago... Dizzy's 2008 and a few photos below of current spur of the moment dates...

 ^^Those 15 minutes spent driving through the city together are always the best 15 minutes of my day.^^

^^Last Thursday there was one seriously bright, romantic moon lighting up the city scape^^

Searching for "Dandy Lions"

After our big burger lunch and three very long naps (Jake included) we headed back outdoors in search of dandelions. It should be noted that when I brought up "looking for dandelions" Matty thought I meant actual dandy lions. "Where are the lions, Aunt Katie?" he asked me once we had wandered across the back lawn. You can see how showing him little golden flowers might have disappointed, but instead he ran around squinting in the sun searching for these lovely well, weeds. He would snatch handfuls of yellow "lions"  and sprint back to present them to me and Luke. Luke and I focused on finding the wishing dandelions. It was a great way to spend the evening. And I will cherish the memories of my little darlings and their "dandy lions."

^^Please ignore my baby talk voice and try not to giggle at this adorable little man^^

^^Making wishes (and... maybe more weeds)^^

^^Cannot get enough of these little face.^^

^^I spy with my little eye, a dimple.^^

^^I bought these overalls for Matty and seeing Luke wear them makes me so happy!^^

Luke claps!

While in the playroom on Saturday I watched Luke perk up when he heard a song on one of his favorite Disney Channel shows. He immediately stood up, started bouncing up and down and clapping. On top of that - he was saying "clap!" "clap!" "clap!" I cheered, I clapped along, I took pictures all the while assuming that saying "clap" was a new trick of his. It wasn't until my brother came in and told me just how new it was! I had, in fact, witnessed Luke saying "clap!" for the first time! I was so excited!

A weekend in suburbia with the nephews!

On Saturday Jake and I hopped in the highlander and headed out to the country to take care of my darling nephews, Matty and Luke. We city dwellers decided to tour the neighborhood and walk to our favorite Long Island burger joint - Jack's Shack. Saturday provided us with the most glorious spring weather... the sun was warm, the air was cool and the trees were practically bursting with blooms around every corner. The boys sat happily in their double stroller talking to each other, pointing out dogs and giggling at their Uncle Jake's shenanigans. It was blissful. At Jake's the bliss continued in the form of a delicious cheeseburger and truffle salt french fries. HELLO!

^^Double strollers provide the ultimate work-out^^

^^Yum!^^

^^Uncle Jake eating his french fry "like a dinosaur!"^^

^^I decided to let Luke take control of his yogurt spooning - he had a blast.^^

^^This is what Aunty paradise looks like^^

Wedding: The Thank You Cards

Our Thank You notes are officially the last piece in the Wedding Stationary puzzle. The idea of using Minted, like I did for our Save The Date stationary, was appealing because the Save the Date & Thank You notes serve as the bookends of our wedding paper. It felt symmetrical and thus, I felt closure. 

Minted is fantastic, in case you were looking into using them for holiday cards, party invitations or personal stationary. The quality of the paper is incredibly thick and luxurious. I love being able to customize their templates to suit my needs. For example this card I chose was really a Save the Date format but I tweaked it to work for us. 

^^5x7 format boasting wedding & honeymoon photo favorites^^ 

^^I love washi tape, and I decided to have fun with the colors and return address labels^^

^^These Kaleidescope Flower stamps were so fun, and the inspiraton for our bright washi tape!^^