Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day in VA for the third year in a row. Mommy says spending the day with her kids and her Mommy make it extra special. I was genuinely excited to let Mommy take her turn first, pick the video we watched that day, and give her special home-made treats. My middle name isn't LOVE for nothing!

Aiyana and I brought mommy a heart-shaped appetizer while Daddy made her favorite breakfast.

We were all smiles, all day.

The smiles got even bigger when Mommy told me we were having a Mother's Day picnic at a park with Nona, Poppy, and my cousins.

We picked buttercups.

And let out some energy at the playground.

Aiyana chased a flock of geese, and insisted on petting them (don't worry, she didn't.)

We tried our hands at baseball, which I turned out to be surprisingly good at. I must get my athleticism from Uncle C.

There was food a plenty.

 Many hungry caterpillars.

Dirty water.

And dirty cousins.

And plenty of cuteness and love for all the Mommies.

Happy Mother's Day Mommy. We had so much fun showering you with affection.

Love and extra kisses,

Zadia Love

Friends Forever

Sadly, some of our best Brooklyn friends will be moving in less than three weeks. The Maurer-Cohen family is packing up their 2-bedroom apartment and moving to a sprawling 4-bedroom house in North Carolina. We're trying our best to think of the positives--we'll have a cool place to visit, we can meet up for an annual summer camping trip, they can meet us half-way at Nona and Poppy's house, and Ollie and I can be penpals. But really, we're heartbroken. 

While we continue to be in denial, we're taking full advantage of the time we have left in Brooklyn together. Fort Greene park has been a meeting place for us for almost four years now, so it's only fitting that we spend some of our last weeks together there.

Ollie and Vivi, we're SOOO going to miss you guys. Mommy says she and Tracey are going to need some extra hugs in the next few months as they adjust to being more than a few blocks away from each other.

(But really, we're so happy for your family and the new life that awaits you in North Carolina. No, really.)

Love and long-distance friends,

Zadia Love

Little Bike Rider

I just got a hot pink big-girl bike and this was only my second day practicing on it. And hey, look what I can do already! (Video below.)

Watch out Brooklyn. Here I come (and Aiyana's not too far behind!)

Love and a hot pink ride,

Zadia Love

Weekend with Nona and Poppy

Mommy and Daddy's friends Ed and Diana got married last weekend (yay!) so Mommy and Daddy had a much-deserved weekend away, while we hung back in Brooklyn with Nona and Poppy. We stuck to the regular routine of pizza and movie on Friday night and the playground on Saturday. And we had a few special treats thrown in, like birthday parties, ice cream, and our first church experience. 

Mommy and Daddy had a lot of fun, but then, so did we! Here are some highlights from the weekend:

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Love and fun with Nona and Poppy,

Aiyana Eden

Spring Break Fieldtrip

Mommy thought it would be fun to end Spring Break with a bang (and a cup of tea.) The plan was to make our way to the Central Park carousel with our friends Audrey and Aisley, and then have lunch and tea at nearby Alice's Tea Cup. 

But we couldn't pass by the zoo and not go in. And finding the carousel wasn't as easy as we'd hoped. And getting two sleepy little girls home after an exhausting day in Manhattan was trickier than expected. 

Singing "Let it Go" on the train.

Exploring Central Park.

Saying hello to the sea lions.

A distraction on the way to the carousel.

We finally made it to the carousel!

It was worth the LONG walk.

Take my ticket please!

By the time we made our way to the carousel, it was lunch time. And by the time we were done at the carousel, we were hungry and tired. Good thing we had an i pad so we could watch "Frozen" in the back of the cab.

And again at the restaurant.

We were so tired and cranky, that our mommies let us get away with eating scones for lunch and cookies for dessert. (Anything to keep the peace in a restaurant with four tired girls.)

After a 7-hour adventure, we were all beat. We made it most of the way home on the train, but then hopped a cab for the last leg of the trip. Have you ever tried to get two sleeping kids and a stroller out of a cab and up to the 10th floor of an apartment building? 
Mommy says it wasn't easy.

But we made it, and we had fun. It was, however, a VERY long day. I told Mommy I don't want to go on any more adventures unless they're in Brooklyn and involve a playground. But I'm sure I can be convinced.

Love and afternoon tea,

Zadia Love

Sightseeing with the Cousins

Spring Break is great, especially if it means a visit from Ysabella and Anthony. Zadia had a 24-hour stomach bug, but got over it just in time to welcome our family last Wednesday. And to our surprise, Nona came up to visit again too. That meant nine of us sleeping in our little apartment. It can get a little tight, so we tried to spend our days out and about.

Day one was a subway adventure to lower Manhattan to see Daddy at work.

On day two we did an exhausting trip to the Statue of Liberty. We had to wait in long lines, it was cold and windy, Zadia was upset that we couldn't climb the statue, and I (Aiyana) wanted to get off the boat and swim in the river. Other than that, it was a nice day. But perhaps not an experience we would recommend for four little kids.

And when we weren't out enjoying Manhattan, we stayed in and enjoyed playing right on top of each other.

Love and lots of cousins in small spaces,

Aiyana Eden