Everly's First Trip to NYC!
Jason's sister Selena lives in NYC, so we planned to go visit her over the Christmas holidays as neither of us were going to make it back to Winnipeg. I had flashbacks to hotel living for a minute, as she lives in a studio apartment, but it worked out great! Everly slept great and we could still visit - her place feels way bigger than a studio and has a great layout. It honestly felt like we were staying in a magazine, she has it decorated impeccably. It was great to see her and get to spend some of the holidays with family!
I had decided that this Christmas I was going to try and make my very first turkey. Well due to a brine delay, we couldn't do it at our place on Christmas Day, so we brought it to NYC with us. It was submerged in brine and ice and traveled perfectly. Upon arrival at Selena's we got it rinsed, seasoned it and put it in the oven. Neither Jason, Selena or I had any experience with cooking a turkey. Let's just say it was an adventure. If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen our crazy journey on my Instagram Story! It involved some rubbing, basting, twisting of legs and feasting. For our first turkey I think we did a great job! It was juicy and a little crispy (I plan on perfecting the crispy skin and sharing the recipe in the future).
The highlight was getting to explore NYC with Everly. She is at the perfect age for this. We initially talked about bringing her stroller, but I envisioned us carrying it up and down Subway stairs and through the hoards of tourists, and I opted for her Baby Bjorn carrier instead. It worked out perfectly! I strapped her on around 10:30am and we got back to Selena's place at 4pm with no issues. The carrier was so comfy and easy to walk around the city with, and Everly loved facing out and being able to see everything at our height. When she got tired near the end I just faced her towards me and she fell asleep no problem. It was also 15 degrees out (59 for my American friends) which made exploring so much easier!
At this point we have been to NYC so many times that we usually avoid the touristy areas, but we wanted Everly to experience it all so we suffered through the crowds for her (like she'll even remember it). We jumped on the subway and took her to Times Square first, which I think overwhelmed her. She was quiet at first and a bit stunned by all the people and lights. Once she took it all in she started giggling and talking to the people around her.
Then we went to Bryant Park where they have a super cute Christmas market and skating rink. I seriously LOVE Christmas. My favorite time of year for sure. Especially when it's a warm winter day and you can enjoy being outside! Sometimes it takes awhile to get a good picture though...
Stopped at a few Christmasy things along the way (I currently have a thing for Nutcrackers). Had to get Auntie Selena in a photo - thank you to her for taking all of our pictures!
After that we headed to Rockefeller Center to see the skating rink and Christmas tree. We went during the day so the tree was lackluster, but still a great memory! Everly is always looking up to daddy :).
Also, I have this thing where I need to get a picture with a cop if I see one (it all started in NYC like 6 years ago) . Usually I get them to arrest me in the pic (I probably initially did it to freak my parents out), but I thought with Everly we would keep it low key. When we walked up to this guy he was actually in the process of telling another woman he could not take pictures with anyone. When she walked away I asked if we could get a picture (I'm not good with no's). He said he wasn't allowed, but I said well what if we just stand behind you and my husband happens to snap a pic? He obliged - and even smiled! What a champ. Everly's totally giving him the side eye.
Then we went to Central Park, walked around for a bit, looked at the skating rink (I didn't know we were so obsessed with skating rinks) and then went and got a caricature drawn of our little family. Jason and I got one drawn when we were just dating and in NYC together for the first time. The photo isn't really to our likeness, but it's a great memory and we decided to start a tradition of getting one drawn every time our family grows. True to form, this one didn't really look like us either, especially Everly (she looks like a 7 year old boy), but I love it and the memory we will always have from it! Also, thank you to my husband for carrying the diaper bag around all day :). Glad we have a backpack that makes it easy to wear!
After the drawing Everly fell asleep in her carrier and we headed back to Selena's, packed up our stuff and started the drive back to Elmira! She did so well on the 5 hour drive. She slept for most of it, played with her toys for a bit of it and then at the very end had enough and wanted out (that made 3 of us). She was a trooper for such a long day of adventuring, and we can't wait for the next one!
Best,
Stacey