An Afternoon in Brooklyn

Well, first off, who knew bubble gum ice cream would be such a hot topic! Eric is very proud it fetched so many comments! Anyways, on to our Memorial Day activities!

We have heard a lot about Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn and have wanted to go try it for ourselves. We are big fans of Lombardi's, which I've blogged about before, but have heard Grimaldi's is even better. Supposedly Lombardi's claim is best in Manhattan and Grimaldi's is best in New York and beyond. I am always up for a taste test challenge! One of Eric's friends from work and her boyfriend joined us for the day which made it even better because they are so great to hang out with! We drove down in amazing traffic and found a parking spot right in front! Could this be for real? We walked around a pier with amazing views of Manhattan. I had never seen it from that view before. Gorgeous! Nearby is The River Cafe that I would love to try someday, hopefully without children. We walked around for a bit and found a great park on the shoreline with an amazing view! Ella found a friend at the tire swing named Ella who was four too. She had a little sister named Zoe and a cousin named Chloe! So much in common! Grimaldi's opens at 11:30 and by the time we got there at 11:45 there was already a line formed outside. Within 30 minutes we were inside, not bad for a holiday. We had pepperoni and sausage and one with just extra cheese.
Both were amazing and very much like the pizza at Lombardi's, but by the end I'm willing to go out and say that I think I liked Grimaldi's better! The rest of the gang couldn't decided and said they needed both pizzas side by side to make a call.
After pizza we got ice cream at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory known for their vanilla. Yes, is was very good, but kind of pricey for ice cream $3.50 for a scoop. The line was fairly long since it was a beautiful day and a holiday.
I don't think I'd wait if we go down there again. We did find out next time we have to order a cone for Chloe. She is no longer satisfied with sharing. When I handed her a spoonful of ice cream and not the cone, she stormed off pouting. Eric took a few bites of his and then gave it up so she would come back and join us. (Great dad, but it also wasn't Bubble Gum!) She then happily came back to the group and ate her ice cream. Drama, and she's not even two yet!!

After we stuffed ourselves again the only logical place to go

next was Jacques Torres to get chocolate to take home. Eric also tried the frozen hot chocolate to replace his lost ice cream cone. It was very rich and very yummy! We did have plans to actually walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, but by the time the food tour was over the girls were getting pretty tired. That just gives us another reason to go back! If you haven't yet noticed, all our day trips involve food! That usually is what gets us out the door to see things! It was a great day and I can't wait to go back!

I Scream, You Scream...

...we all scream for Bubble Yum Ice Cream!?! Well, at least Eric does! Kids of all ages and one 29 year old man are sure to love this new flavor of ice cream! Growing up Eric always had access to his favorite kind of ice cream at Custard King, but when we moved away it's only available during the summer months, until now! I saw it at the store and thought I'd get it when it goes on sale because ice cream always goes on sale, right? Well, everything except Breyers! I never told Eric about it and knew he wouldn't find out because he never goes to the store so I just thought I'd wait. Then the other night Eric started to complain that he wanted bubble gum ice cream and questioned why nobody made it to sell at a normal store all year round and how little kids and himself would love it. Knowing that there was such a product at our local store, guilt lead me to go that night and surprise him. And of course, it wasn't on sale, ($6.00!) but Eric put it all in perspective: "But I'm so worth it!" . The ice cream has in fact been a hit for him and everyone under the age of 5, that they have consumed the entire thing! I guess I'll have to eat the Mint Chocolate Chip myself!

I Love My Dentist!

Today I took the girls down to see Eric at work to do a check up on Ella and myself. As a wife of a dentist you may feel we do this often; Ella sometimes, me never! In fact, I haven't been since I was pregnant with Ella! Yes, you read correctly! Even then they didn't do X-rays because I was pregnant. So, Ella goes first and does a terrific job! She did everything she was asked and was so proud of herself at the end. "I am so brave!" Then it was my turn. I had convinced myself that I was in bad shape and just wondering how to keep the number of cavities strictly between doctor and patient, even though I knew everyone in the office would ask how it went. So in went the sharp, pointy thing (my dental knowledge is so vast!) and the hunt was on for all the problems I must have. Eric saw a few things that needed updated. "You have one of the first composites ever in there!" Great! Just add it to my list. After the cleaning and fluoride, I got X-Rays done and to my shock, I had zero cavities!! Hooray!! As a child I was always the one with cavities and never got be apart of the "No Cavities Club". Maybe that's why I married a dentist. Just to prove to myself that a dentists can love someone with cavities too! Too bad I forgot my camera, I would have taken a picture and hung it up on my fridge!

Happy Mother's Day!

Dinner out on Saturday night-Check!

Breakfast in bed-Check!

Girls behave at church-Check!
Read and took a nap in my room-Check!

Present by Chloe-Check!

Present by Ella-Check!

Feel like I'm the luckiest Mom and Wife-Priceless!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms and Grandmas out there!

Tag! I'm It!

I have been Tagged and asked to list some random things about me. As you can see from the list, I'm not that exciting!

• I'm really good at parallel parking.
  
  
• I don't eat anything past the sell by date and I'm obsessed with freshness in food.

• I'm a closet procrastinator. I always get a job done, but I usually wait until the last moment to plan. (I'm really working on this!)
  

• If I leave the house I at least have to have mascara and lip gloss on.

• My favorite books to read are cookbooks. Even if I don't try any of the recipes, I love to read about them.

• Through trial and error, I've taught myself how to cook. I never cooked while living with my parents. Yes, Eric had it rough when we were first married!
  
  
• I have officially turned into a dark chocolate lover than a milk chocolate lover. I guess that means I'm getting old!
  
  


• I have a brother who is three days shy of being exactly a year younger than me and we ended up in the same grade in school. (No, I didn't have to repeat!) He's kind of like a fake twin!

• I graduated college in 3 1/2 years in Elementary Education. Not because I'm such a brain, but I was diligent in my credits. Linfield College was too expensive to goof off!
  
  
• I don't like to watch movies that are stressful or sad. Which basically just leaves chick flicks. All time favorite: Pride & Prejudice A&E version, but the newer one is great too.
  
  


• I read about 4 or 5 books at a time (not including cookbooks) and it takes me forever to finish any of them because I usually only read at night. I am getting better. So far this year I've completed 4 books!

I tag Selena and Sarah!

Highlights

Some park time with Grandma.
Ella ran so much with her kite! When they flew it higher in the air she let it go and it got stuck in a tree. Eric was able to get it out after a little bit of work.

Eric and his mom by the Brooklyn Bridge.

Eric, his dad and Lady Liberty.

I took the girls to Playland while everyone was in the city. It was a special Mayfair Day and Ella loves the rides. Poor Chloe was a little to short to do much yet, but she was a good watcher.

Racing with Grandpa! I wonder who won?

The girls at the New York Botanical Gardens. This spot was the prettiest. The other areas were a bit disappointing unless you pay for the special areas. I guess when you are from Oregon, trees and grass aren't that exciting.

Family Fun

Sorry to leave my readers waiting! (Katie!) I took the week off to entertain company. Eric's parents came for a week long vacation from Oregon and I don't think they'll be moving out here any time soon! Too crowded, too many crazy drivers, and too expensive! Which I must say is perfectly correct! But we're here nonetheless. We had a great visit besides a few set backs. It had been a whole year since the last time they saw the girls and unfortunately Chloe got sick soon after they arrived. We are still not so sure what exactly was wrong with her. She had a cold, cough, and only loved to cry when I was around. And she cried a lot! They spent a few days in NYC with just Eric and got to see a lot of the sights. With Chloe not feeling well, the rest was spent close to home with a few little outings. Grandma and Grandpa did a lot of playing with characters, sticker books, computer games and lots of reading! Ella loved the idea of having someone there and willing to say yes to her almost every time she asked. She will have to get back to reality tomorrow when she doesn't get a play partner (except for Chloe) every time she thinks of something new to do. We love having family come visit, but it is so hard to say good bye. One more year and perhaps we'll not have to catch a plane for a visit!