labor day shenanigans.

we had a fun labor day disc golfing with the girls.  while our frisbee golf outings have changed a lot since our dating days, john and i wouldn't have it any other way!  john and i let the girls walk around and play with dirt and sticks, and then switched off holding cora and throwing.  a lot more labor-intensive but definitely still lots of fun ;) after disc golf we went to cielito lindo on olvera street and got beef taquitos.  we were all the way up there, the traffic was surprisingly non-existent and we just couldn't pass up the chance to get the best avocado sauce in the entire world.  

santa monica.

well, it's funny how things start to make a lot more sense over time.  after my last blog post, i realized that i HAD A FEVER.  yep.  our house was 90 degrees and i was barely hanging on because my body was fighting something.  

any bug the girls get, i also get.  {or vice versa}.  it hit cora the hardest, but she is finally acting a little bit happier today.  {nothing we can do about that nasty cough though!}

so since we are pretty much stuck inside today, i am reminiscing about two saturdays ago, which was a day equally relaxing and productive and fun.  just how a weekend should be.  we did some unpacking, and then drove up to santa monica to enjoy the pier and 3rd street promenade.  hazel got to ride a couple rides and we visited the cute little aquarium.  we topped it off with dinner at our new favorite pizza place, 800 degrees.

party in NYC

the hursts came to visit!  and having them here was just about the greatest thing.  we gave them space to play in NYC without us most of friday, but then pounced on them for dinner and times square in the evening.  we went to amy ruth's in harlem for ryan's birthday, and it definitely did not disappoint.  it was our first time going stroller-less, and we were also so proud of hazel for walking during our two days in the city.  saturday we spent the whole day in the city and she walked miles without complaint!  {but crashed HARD at dinner, poor thing.}

 it was quite cold and rainy this weekend, so we opted for winter coats.  and hazel wore pinkalicious and, as you can see, was THRILLED about it.  she also did some drumming with some drummer on the street.  and i quickly sanitized her hands afterwards ;)

smelling the "lips" as hazel calls them. \/\/\/

on saturday we went to the WTC memorial, chinatown for the best soup dumplings and mango boba ice drink, macey's wooden escalator, and then we took this selfie while waiting for our levain cookies.  yum!

then we went to artichoke pizza and walked the high line and went home.  but not before getting a salted pimp at big gay ice cream.  

and here's a couple short videos (from my snapchat: pbrunt) if you're interested.  the subway dancing was the coolest!  

NYC part 1 from Paige Brunt on Vimeo.

NYC part 2 from Paige Brunt on Vimeo.

bbq bust

date night this weekend consisted of mediocre "southern bbq" {we are bbq snobs though of course...} and a looong wait.  i found a good way of entertaining the toddler, and getting that picture of john and cora in front of that cool window made it worth it ;)

just some pictures of this past weekend, where we tried out one of the things "to do" here in new jersey.... go to a diner.  the summit diner is in a little train car so we thought it would be fun for hazel and a cool environment.  nothing like ordering chicken fingers at 10am for your toddler because it's all she will eat.

then we went to the livingston mall to let the girls get their wiggles out because it is COLD OUTSIDE.

{side note:  we were lucky enough to have picked up a flu bug on this delightful playground here and the girls and i were flat out for three entire days... AND john almost broke his 20-year no-puking streak.  almost}

26+ inches and lovin' it

i love being snowed in.  our first snow of the season here in new jersey was a magical 26 inches and it came down constantly for over a day.  they called it "blizzardgeddon". since it was the weekend, we stayed inside {except to take hazel out to play/dig out our cars} ate soup and ben and jerry's, and drank hot chocolate.  i was feeling a little blah before this, but being snowed in was exactly the medicine we needed.

brooklyn birthdays!

last saturday we went to brooklyn to celebrate our cousin claire and aunt janessa's birthday!  it was so much fun!  we rode jane's carousel, took pictures by the brooklyn bridge, ate at julianna's, ate birthday cake and just hung out.  hazel had the best time.  we feel so so lucky to have family living so close!  thanks for inviting us, brunts!

the best view of any city park, ever?^^^

if cora mae doesn't look happy in a photo, it is most likely a fluke.  she always looks like this^^^

the pizza dreams are made of:

 just a view of downtown on our way to brooklyn.  nbd.
also, we discovered on this day that cora knows how to use a straw.  what!?!

down the shore again.

there is something so magical about being on the beach.  the sand in your feet, the sun on your face, the cool breeze blowing in your hair... it's breathtaking.  we decided to make the drive on saturday and i'm so glad we did!  we drove in the foggy morning and stopped at meemaws for the crazy monkey french toast: banana bread french toast with maple syrup, bananas, chocolate chips, cookie butter, vanilla marscapone, and powdered sugar:

then we headed to the shore to dip our toes in the {still warm!} water and play in the sand.

we played in the sand, watched little sand crabs, swam in the water, collected sea shells, and the girls even got a nap underneath the umbrella.

i set cora in the sand and she straight away took two fist-fulls and shoved them into her mouth.  

after the beach, we went to hoffmans and got ice cream.  they have a cookie monster flavor that is everything i've ever wanted in life.  it's vanilla {colored blue} with cookie dough and oreo pieces.  aka pure heaven.

i will think back on the perfect day so fondly.  love my family so much.

in the city!

on saturday we decided to go into the city.  we are just a short 30-minute drive from manhattan, so why not?!  we found street parking in the west village, and took a stroll down to the world trade center memorial.  it's such a beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives.  i think hazel could sense the somber, reverent feeling there.  

we then went to the staten island ferry and took pics with lady liberty.

 perfect view, and the boat ride was free!  hazel loved it.

check out those piggies :)

this bridge!  so pretty.

then we perused through chinatown, and found the best taiwanese drinks and most amazing fried dumplings!

then we walked up bleecker street (and fawned over cute little boutiques along the way) and had the most delicious banana pudding from magnolia bakery.  i should have gotten the large.  we enjoyed that while hazel played at bleecker park.  it really was an exhausting and fun day!

oh how we love the weekend.

this weekend was pretty great. john watched hazel on friday so i could go out for a much-needed girls night. briana and i got burgers and pinkberry and talked about girly things. which is something you just sometimes need, you know? 

saturday we ran errands, fed the missionaries, and watched a movie.

then we had some friends over for the superbowl. mostly because it's a good excuse to eat wings and appetizers as a full meal. 

some photos of life lately....

go ahead and make yourself comfortable, hazel.

at the zoo last week, when it reached 80 degrees one day. is it really january? 

frisbee golfing with dadda

we take coloring very seriously these days.

pics from this last weekend...

i just love weekends.  we get to recharge, do things with other couples, and spend time together as a family.  on friday we ate dinner and went to the galleria and walked around and saw their progress with christmas decorations.  saturday we went to the park with friends {froze our buts off i might add...} and then met some other friends at white rock lake on one of the coldest days of my life to take pictures?  i don't know.  we are crazy.  it was cold, so hazel wasn't having any of it:

poor henry.  he was so excited to be marrying hazel.  she wasn't so sure:

but afterwards, we went and got rusty taco, and then ate christmas cookie blue bell.  which basically makes everything better.  

sunday we had another couple over for fake cafe rio... which is turning out to be my pregnancy craving this go-around.  and i'm totally okay with it.

the weekend! the weekend!

well, the weekend is over.  i am so sad each sunday night when i realize that the next day john has to go to work, and i have to devise ways to 1) entertain hazel without spending all our money, and 2) do things like clean the house and shop for auto insurance.

it is especially hard for me to go back to real life when we have had such an amazing weekend.  friday night, the maloufs invited us and the hursts to their lake for a bonfire.  we roasted hot dogs, made s'mores, and dutch oven cobbler.  {mmmmmm. cobbler.}  there was even some can opening with scissors, which got very exciting.  hazel and henry devoured all the cheetos, and you can see the residue on hazel's face!

saturday we did some things.  cleaning is always on the list, since i can't seem to keep up with a 2-bedroom apartment pregnant as well as i could keep up with a 1-bedroom apartment not-pregnant.  we went on a walk to feed the ugly ducks, we had a papa murphy's pizza and watched a redbox {live die repeat - which i recommend}.  the weather here is so amazing these days.  it is making the blistering summer start to feel worth it.   

sunday we went to church, worked on our callings, and did family things.  we have added hazel to our family prayers each night, and i just love the way she folds her arms when we pray.  she is feisty so much during the day that sometimes i forget how sweet she can be.  xo

oh, how i love the weekend.

this weekend was pretty great.  besides faraway costco/homedepot/chipotle adventures, we also tried out a new instant favorite pizza place, called cane rosso.  guys, this pizza is so good, even hazel devoured it.  i'm loving the weekends more and more because hazel and i get john to ourselves for a few days and we usually try and do something extra special.  

you have to take a picture next to the red pig, am i right?

today was a good one.

today was amazing. we ate delicious food, worked out, played, and even went to the park together. the slide kind of scared hazel about a week ago when we tried it, (it had been months since we had been on a slide), but i am happy to report that she loves it again. we went to kiwanis park today but i have to admit bicentennial kind of has my heart. that park has a frisbee golf course and special baby swings and it is literally the best. now we are all sitting around watching braveheart as a family, (hazel and i also playing with toys), and i'm kind of dreading leaving this perfect day behind and going to work. i'm loving every second of it.

our weekend.

john and i both had a couple days off so we decided to take a trip up to idaho falls/island park for the weekend.  although we didn't fit in nearly as much as we would have liked, {i was hoping for an ATV ride to big springs, *sigh*}, we had a fabulous time anyway.  {although hazel has decided that she hates her car seat and hates napping in it even more... and we had some screaming that occurred on the drive home... so there's that...} thanks g&l, for hosting us this weekend, we had a blast!