one big birthday bash

These five little cuties were all born within 3 weeks of each other.

So we decided to have one big birthday bash.

Here is Luke starting to demolish his cupcake. He never did really eat any of it.

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!"

Here's the end product...I think Luke won the messiest category.

Urban Babies Enjoy Pro Tennis

Here's us at the US Open. Luke thought it was much too exciting to miss a moment by napping. So, he chose to stay awake all day... even if it meant being unhappy most of the time. What a tennis fan!

Can babies go to the US Open? Luke was the only one we saw. I guess chatty babies and polite silence during matches don't mix.

I heart DR

Today was the Dominican Day Parade downtown. We knew it was coming because yesterday we started seeing Dominican Flags on all the cars. Usually the party continues uptown after the parade(since (90% of our nabe is Dominican), so we decided to go check out the Domincan Pride in all it's glory. We were sorely dissapointed, as a walk across Dykman Street proved to be very uneventful. Luke sported his Yankees cap and a DR flag on his stroller to show his support of our community. I've decided that if we were Dominican, Luke would be named Manny. So cute. Famous Dominicans include A-Rod, Sammy Sosa, and Oscar de la Renta. Long live the DR in WaHi!

Joe-Bob and Joe Jr.

So, here is my little "My Name is Earl" family. Joe shaved his gotee into these nasty chops one day before work and couldn't resist getting a white trash photo. I had nothing to do with this, I was in the shower while he did it all. Eww. I didn't know if I should laugh or cringe. He proceded to shave it all off, thank goodness!

Coney Island

Just being a cool cat on the beach.
This was Luke's first time at the beach. He wasn't so sure about the cold water.
Afterwards we went to the New York Aquarium.

Such a neat mural painted on the outside, don't you think?

Thanks to our friends the Winstons for the fun day.

(All children fell asleep on the 2 hour subway ride home)

Go Yankees!

A fan in the making...
This is one of our favorite summertime activities here. There's just something about the Yankees that makes me proud to be an American.

Oh, and it is always sweet to see A-Rod and Jeter in person too! :)
Now Luke can say that he went to the house that Ruth built before it was torn down!

My Retro Baby

my old baby blanket + 70's color clothes = one cute retro kid

Reunion

My class reunion was last month. It was fun to see everyone after so many years. We had a small class and about half of them came.

The lovely ladies. It's funny how everyone just kind of seemed the same, like no time at all had passed. Same characteristics, same personalities. It felt just like the good 'ole days. How time flies!

First Tooth

Luke got his first tooth a couple weeks ago and it is still his lone chomper. Can you see it in the picture? Didn't think so. You can sure feel it though!

The Potato State

Finally, here is the update from our trip to the West. . . This is Luke getting his first bite of bread from grandma. At first mom said no, but grandma pleaded that just a little bit would be ok. And he loved it! Luke was also fed all manner of forbidden foods by the grandma and aunties when mom was not around, including brownies and ice cream. Naughty! Grandpa had to join in the fun and give him banana peppers. Luke did not like those as much as the ice cream...big surprise.

Luke loves his aunt Peyton! She played with him and pushed him around in the stroller and made him comfy in the bean bag chair all day long.

Here's Luke with his new buddy, Xavier. Aren't they adorable in their stripes? We had a fun lunch with Angie and the grandmas and got to see Angies' cute home. Oh, wish we lived closer so we could hang out more often!

Aunt Natalee stealing one last smootch before we go to S town.

Bard BBQ

Last Sunday we had a lovely (and chilly) BBQ on the top of the Bard Hall Roof to honor our Columbia Med/Dental Student friends who will be moving shortly. We moved here the same time as most of them 4 years ago and now it's time for them to move on. We tried to corral the kiddies on the couch for a picture, but we were not very successful as they kept escaping!

There's the George Washington Bridge in the background. What a great view!

Frolicking in the Cherry Blossoms!

We took a trip to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens this week with friends Malesa and Aubrey. (It's free all day on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings, if you want to go!) The Cherry Blossom Festival was held just a few days before we went, so it was prime viewing. It was a perfect day to get out and enjoy the sun.

Luke loved digging his fingers into the grass. We gotta keep him in touch we mother earth so he doesn't become one of those typical New York babies who is afraid to touch grass.
So here is Luke puttin' the moves on Aubrey! Ok, ok, I posed the picture, they aren't really holding hands. Of course everyone who walked by thought they were just so cute and had to stop and oooh and ahhh over them.

*Fun side note: We were chillin' here under the trees for a good 45 minutes. During that time we met a group of Thai people. Not just one group or two groups, but THREE different groups of Thai people walked by and I talked to all of them. So cool! I never get to speak Thai anymore, so it was really nice. Maybe I just need to go to Brooklyn more often! :)

Ode to Hans

This is Hans. Hans works with Joe. Hans is the inspiration for the name of this blog. You see, Hans likes to wear black. (correction: Hans ONLY wears black. Everyday.) Hans gave us the best baby gift, a book called Urban Babies Wear Black and a black IheartNY onesie that you can see Luke sporting in a previous post. As Luke truly is an urban baby, we thought that this book title was a fitting name for our blog.

The book reads:

Urban babies wear black.
Urban babies do yoga.

Urban babies visit galleries.

Urban babies jog.

Urban babies enjoy architecture.

Urban babies appreciate fine dining.

Urban babies attend the opera.

Urban babies take taxis at the end of a busy day.

*The other day, Luke fell asleep in his stroller on the subway. Anyone who has ridden the subways here knows that they can be pretty loud. But Luke sleeps through all the noise. On the quiet elevator ride to the street, he started to rustle. I told the MTA guy who was also on the elevator with us that it was too quiet and Luke liked the noise. MTA guy said "He's a true New Yorker!"

Thanks, Hans, for without you, this blog would be nameless.

Upstate NY

Yes, this is 4 posts in a row. A blogging binge you might say. This blog is feast or famine, folks. Here's our trip to upstate NY! Our first stop was in Palmyra, a town rich in church history. This is the Joseph Smith log cabin.
This beautiful vintage high chair caused me to immediatly covet. I really wanted to steal it. Too bad stealing is against our religion! Oh, so is coveting. The Smith Family home. I think this is the first picture on this blog without Luke. A momentus occasion!
Here is the Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith prayed and saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It was so special to see where Joseph lived and walk where he walked. He went through so many trials to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Next, we stopped at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, the birthplace of buffalo wings. Joe has been dreaming of this place since he was last here, 15 years ago. Luke especially liked the wings. No, we did not really let him eat buffalo wings. What kind of parents do you think we are, anyways? It's just a posed picture, sheesh!

This is outside the Anchor Bar...One proud papa. Our final destination was...Niagra Falls. Thanks to our friend, Miggy, for the tip to bring our passports to go to Canada. Good thing we did bring them, because our hotel was in Canada and we didn't even realize it until we got there.

This is the view from our hotel room. Sweet, huh? Can you belive they let you get so close to the Falls? Feels like you are about to fall in, doesn't it? So amazing and beautiful.

Luke was all smiles!

Beach Baby

Here are some pictures from our trip to North Carolina last month. (yes, I am kind of late posting, I know!) Holly auntie was on spring break and went to visit, so we decided to go too. This is Luke with Grandad. Luke certainly has a round Hallmark head, doesn't he?
Luke's first trip to the beach. A little windy. Luke must have liked the salty air, because he had his tounge sticking out for most of the time.
We went to the aquarium and Luke looked at the fishies.
Luke being a little crabby.
We also went to Fort Macon, one of the best preserved forts in the US. Pretty cool. We found out that Luke's head is as big as a cannon ball.

Just some random photos...

Here is Luke in his crib with the bedding grandma made for him. We are in a one bedroom, so his crib is literally two feet away from our bed. It was thus important that his bedding match our bedroom decor. After my search for crib bedding produced nothing that I liked under $300, I decided to make my own. My mom was kind enough to sew it!
My boys after a long day at church. They both wore their pinstripe suits.
Luke and dad being twinsies again. Not planned, btw. :)
And here is our 6-month childbirth prep class reunion. All these babes were born within a few weeks of each other. Can you find Luke?