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April 1, 2003
April 1, 2004
Family Outings Cont’d …
When I last left off, we had just finished celebrating Aidan’s 2nd birthday with Toby’s family. However, in looking back upon their visit I realized that I had forgotten to write about their first night with us, and the absolutely amazing dinner out we had with them.
Convivium Osteriaaahhh ...
A couple of weeks prior, Toby and I took his sister and her husband out for nice dinner to thank them for letting us stay with them after our house flooded. We had a spectacular time (both Aidan and Hannah slept the ENTIRE time), and thought it would be the perfect place to take Toby’s parents when they came into town. This place is easily one of the most phenomenal restaurants I’ve ever been in. (For those of you who are familiar with Zagat’s, it gets a 25 for Food, which is unbelievably hard to come by.) I was able to get us a reservation for downstairs in their wine cellar, and when we got there, we discovered that we had the whole room to ourselves. It was absolutely breathtaking! There were candles lit throughout the room, and we were all seated around a large, square table. The cellar is small, but very beautiful and holds some of the best wines from Portugal, Italy and Spain. It felt like we had been transported to somewhere in the middle of Spain, and reminded me of the trip Toby and I took there with Court and Jon-Paul when I was pg with Aidan. (BTW, Courtney, Jon-Paul and Hannah were with us, along with Toby’s Grandma Jeanne).
The meal began with the most amazing Spanish meats and cheeses, followed by half of us ordering their pork tenderloin and butternut squash puree (the most divine, melt-in-your-mouth, I’ve-died-and-gone-to-heaven side dish ever created by mankind), and the other half ordering their giant shrimp. We completed the evening by sharing an assortment of desserts and sipping café con leches. Oh, and did I mention that we finished off 3 bottles of Spanish red wine? I swear we all smiled (and rolled) the whole way home! =)
The Park is the place to be …
The day after Aidan’s birthday, we decided to take his new tricycle and motor bike out for a spin. It was a beautiful day, and nature cooperated by warming up rather than continuing to dole out the freezing temps we’d been subjected to for weeks. Courtney and Hannah came in from the City again, and we all walked up to the Park. Aidan tested out the motor bike and then went on to his new tricycle, but once he saw the open fields he opted for his feet.
It was wonderful to see Aidan running around outside again after being cooped up for so long. Toby and his Mom had a great time chasing him around on the grass, and I think we were ALL excited to stretch our legs out-of-doors and breathe the fresh air. Aidan laughed and yelled, “Fast! Fast! Run!” and ran around as fast as his little legs would carry him. It took him a while to tire out, but eventually we were able to coax him back onto his bike and push him home. I don’t remember much more about the rest of Toby’s parents’ visit, other than the fact that Aidan was VERY sad to see them go. He cried and cried when they said good-bye, but I promised him that he would see them again very soon, and that Papa would be there in just a few days. Which leads me to our next family visit …
Papa, Papa …
A couple of months ago, my Dad sent Aidan a book by the name of “Papa, Papa”, by Jean Marzollo. It’s a very sweet book in which baby animals tell their Papas how much they love them, and is special to us because “Papa” is Aidan’s name for my Dad. Needless to say, it was a priceless moment to see my Dad finally reading the book to Aidan in person during his visit. Dad had a conference in NYC, and made arrangements to come into town a couple of days early so that he could spend some time with us. Christmas was the last time I has seen my Dad, so I honestly almost cried when I saw him get out of the car in front of our place. He took the red-eye, so it was early in the morning when he arrived and SO special to be able to wake Aidan up and tell him that Papa was here!
We showed Dad around Park Slope while he was here, and he and Toby went for a walk in the Park one afternoon while Aidan and I took a nap. The first night he was here, we took him to The Chip Shop, which is a great British restaurant a couple blocks from here. They have the BEST Fish’N’Chips and Shepherds Pie, and they specialize in all things fried. They will fry ANYTHING, including Macaroni and Cheese and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I’ve tried both, and the Peanut Butter Cups are particularly glorious!
One of the things I was most excited to do was to take Dad to church with us, since we’ve switched services and buildings since he last came with us at Thanksgiving. The format of the service hasn’t changed at all, but the FEEL of the service has changed drastically due to the change of venue. Before, there were well over 1,000 people in an auditorium and it felt very impersonal. At this service, there are about 200 congregants in a smaller church and it feels very much like a family to me. We see the same people week after week, the Sunday School teachers know Aidan and I by name and I have been able to get to know a couple of families well. I feel proud to be part of this community, and love being able to take my family with us.
After church on Sunday, we walked up to Courtney and Jon-Paul’s place and dropped off our stuff before heading out for brunch. Dad had never been to their place, so it was nice to be able to show him our second home, and the neighborhood where they live. We all came back to their place after brunch, and took a nap for a while before going to the Hotel Dad would be staying for his conference. After he checked in, we decided to walk over to Times Square to find a place to eat dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to end up at Bubba Gump’s! If you’ve never heard of it before, it came from the movie “Forrest Gump” and the character “Bubba”, who lists all the millions of ways you can cook shrimp. I know it sounds cheesy, but we had a really great time! From the appetizers to the drinks we ordered, everything was absolutely delicious. Our server was QUITE a character, and it’s always extra-special to look out the window and see Times Square in all it’s brightly illuminated glory. I DEFINITELY plan on going back again. Who knows? Maybe I’ll buy a “box of chocklits” next time! =) My Dad stayed for a couple more days, and we made it into the City at least one more time before he left. I won’t go into the details of the rest of his visit, but for many reasons it was a very special visit, and one none of us will forget for a long time to come.
Getting Ideas for TFY 2004 …
A couple of days after my Dad left, a friend of ours came to visit for a few days. (Did I mention Toby and I love having company?) She was on Spring Break and wanted to see some of the City. In a matter of two short days, we managed to show her Central Park, Little Italy, Chinatown, and SoHo, in addition to hitting a couple of our favorite hangouts here in our neighborhood. She also met another friend and saw a Broadway show. I mention this b/c it gave Toby and I some great ideas for “touring” friends and family when they come for a visit. And of course that made me think of the next TFY gathering! If it happens, I have some REALLY fun and interesting places to take everyone. =) We will have a blast!!
Alright … that’s enough for now. I realize I haven’t written about Aidan in a long, long time, so I promise to do that in my next entry. I hope everyone is doing well, and I look forward to hearing from you.
God Bless!
Rebekah and Aidan (2/26/02)
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