When cousins come to visit....

We play and I skimp on photos and details!! I feel so totally back logged with pictures right now that I'm giving in to the lazy impulse of clumping them all together as one event rather than giving each outing it's own deserved attention. However, these were high light moments from what was such an amazing visit with our Uncle Preston, Aunt Mandy and cousins Conner and Taya. They called us crazy for trying to fit an additional four bodies in what is considered a one bedroom New York apartment, but Apple calls it genius. 

Day one was the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial. We also visited Pier 25, which was one of the first areas we went to after moving out here. We haven't been back since, but I think the kids and I will frequent it often this summer. I also have to note that I had been planning on Brandon's presence and navigational skill, but when he got held up at work, I succeeded in getting us where we needed to be without the slightest detour. Toot that horn girl, you earned it!

Our last visit to the memorial was more or less chaotic. This time it was just sweaty and slightly miserable, however, Tori was very interested in all the names, so I proceeded to tell her the story of what had happened there. She wanted to the know the victims name so I read her a few, and she for some reason still remembers the last names of the Shea brothers. I thought it was a pretty tender moment amidst the soul sucking heat.

Day two we went to Central Park and the Met. It was HOT, and of course New York will shell out tons of money to provide daily sack lunches in all public parks (on the Upper East Side where clearly people are starving) but when it comes to running water in the splash parks on 80+ degree weather days they decide to be chincey about it. We fortunately found one that had some of it's water features on, which was a total life savor. 

Those freckles!! 

Ancient Playground splash pad next to the Met.

And we didn't bother with clothes the rest of the day. 

Being the seasoned New Yorker that I am now (sarcasm intended), I promised Mandy some great shopping in Midtown, and we made it down just in time for everything to close. So we did some sightseeing instead.

I just won't get sick of this plaza. A couple days later we will be at the top of that building!!

I never found out what these were in Rockefeller Plaza, but some sort of Stonehenge invasion.

Brandon's birthday weekend deserved it's own post so one, two, skip a few to day five, where we went to the Museum of Natural History and then some of my favorite spots on the Upper West Side. Sugar and Plumm is a little boutique bistro that I've wanted to try. It was adorable. And my root-beer braised beef panini was perfection. 

Picking out their ice cream flavors. 

Pink and bubblegum flavored? Um yes, we are girls!

Some great brownstone buildings, or bluestone? Whitestone? Greystone?

Apologies for the redundancy, but have I mentioned how much I LOOOOOOVE the Lincoln Center? Pres and Mandy are our good luck charms, because we have been waiting months to lounge on this grassy rooftop across from Juliard, and fortune would have it, that it was finally open. 

My final day with Pres and Mandy was spent at the High Line in Chelsea. Always a nice jaunt and in perfect weather no less.

Could they just stay forever please!! Keep 'em coming friends and family!!