christmas in NY, part 1

a few days before christmas, evan, penny, and i hopped a plane to NY and spent our first day there hanging with friends in brooklyn before heading out to long island to be with family for the rest of our stay. we met with old friends, ate some amazing vegan lunch, had the sweetest baby playdate ever, and topped it all off with some vegan doughnuts. it was a great day that reminded me why i lived in NYC for 10 years. we must make a point to do it more often!

oh Brooklyn... you'll forever have a piece of my heart!

an early christmas...

since we were spending christmas in NY, we decided to have a little family christmas of our own at home with penny before we left. we kept it simple with just a few new toys, christmas music, and snuggles with puppies on the floor. it was a very sweet evening and she was stoked about her new books, blocks, and stacking cups. i hope we can always just appreciate the little moments as a family and never let christmas get too out of hand. it was perfect!

critters at sunset...

 penny and her little schleich animals... it's a recent love affair that's pretty sweet to watch.

to connecticut with love...

putting into words just how i feel about fridays horrible events hasn't been something i've found easy to do. i can say though that it has gotten to me. right to my insides and shaken me up like i haven't felt since i can remember. maybe it's that the victims were all so very innocent, or perhaps it's that i have i child of my own, but even september 11th didn't jolt me like this, and i was living in new york city at the time. 

i can't quite remember who wrote it or exactly how the words went, but the sentiment is what keeps coming into my head over and over, and it brings me to tears every time. it was a thought really, the thought of coming home one day to your childs "things" knowing that your baby would never be there amongst them again. i can't imagine how these parents are coping with it... it's impossible. 

so for the past few days, and from here on out, i'm going to cherish every single sweet moment i have with this family of mine. i'll hold on to every tiny hug, and slobbery kiss, and though i know i can't protect her from everything, i'll do my best to make her world filled with a little less sadness, and a lot more magic. we owe our children that at the very least...

Raleigh Person Street Holiday Market...

this weekend evan, penny, and i toted my wares the 3 hours to Raleigh to take part in the Person Street Holiday Market put on by Anvil. we've got some friends that live in Raleigh, so this was also a really nice excuse to go visit them for a bit and get in some serious hangs! thank you again Christina and Jonathan for the vegan blueberry waffles, chocolate chip cookies, "chicken" pot pie, and lattes... you made us, and our bellies, quite happy!

you can check out Anvil's site for the entire list of vendors that were there. it was good times for sure!