Avery, Emerson, and Harper have been looking forward to the 3rd Annual Neighborhood Baking Challenge hosted by the Goldmans since arriving home from last year’s event. Although it’s a much-anticipated event, the girls generally don’t decide on their entry until the week of the event.
Avery – This year she decided on Oreo Dream, a chocolate cake with Oreo buttercream. It was delicious, beautiful, and professional looking. She nailed it and I, along with several others, honestly thought she would win first place.
Emerson – Emerson decided on a lovely sponge cake with orange buttercream frosting. I’m not sure Emerson has ever had a sponge cake, but that is what she decided. The sponge cake was good, though sponge cake in general is nothing special. However, it was light, fluffy, and paired with the orange buttercream it was truly a lovely tasting and beautiful dessert. Emerson used Justin’s suggestion of Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana Cake!
Harper – Harper decided to ask Bob for the Norwegian Apple Pie recipe that came from his stepmom. Harper devoured it when Bob and Cindy brought it over last year. She also made it with Bob and Cindy last year as part of her Baptism gift. The recipe was simple; the dessert absolutely gorgeous coming out of the oven with the sugar and cinnamon topping.
Avery, Emerson, and I went to the actual event as Harper had a soccer game at the same time (Justin took her). Kids and dessert were present in abundance. All the kids did a fantastic job and I know they made the judges decisions hard. Emerson won the Best Looking Dessert….it was said her cake was so beautiful and you could take it anywhere and it would stand out. I knew she would get some award! Avery to my disbelief did not place. I really thought she along with Emerson and Harper would receive an award. The first-place prize went to Harper! I thought Harper’s was fantastic, but I wasn’t expecting a first-place prize for her (sorry Harper when you read this). When she got home, Avery and Emerson told her she didn’t place…she quickly realized we were joking with her and was ecstatic when she ran up to her room and saw the first-place trophy on her bed!
The girls are looking forward to next year….though I think they are thinking about switching it up some for next year!
We have had 9 Easters in our house and it’s safe to say we have a general routine. Not much has changed: the girls on top of the stairs, a mad dash down the stairs to see what the Easter Bunny brought, church service, pictures in the same pose, and a backyard Easter egg hunt; with one exception…the size of the girls. They used to be able to sit across three stairs. Now they are a little more spread out….
Somewhat patiently awaiting the approval for the mad dash…
The Easter Bunny went very heavy on the candy this year….
Easter Service and the VPC Easter Egg Hunt…
Our family….Avery and Emerson only have less than 5 inches before they reach my height….
The yearly pose….
Ready set go….
The Easter Egg Hunt lasted much longer than in years past. The girls said Daddy did a fantastic job hiding the eggs. They weren’t as impressed with the candy selections in the eggs this year…more chocolate was the recommendation for next year and if jellybeans, at least good edible ones!
So for Easter 2024, do you think Avery and Emerson will be my height?
These were the lyrics I was singing the entire few weeks leading up to our New York Trip. Well maybe I was just getting every third work correct, but in my head I was in lockstep with Alicia Keys.
The last few trips we made to New York were slightly too rushed, so we decided to go over Spring Break when we could stay a little longer; we went full on tourists this visit. We drove up on a beautiful Saturday morning to New Jersey and spent the afternoon with Russell, Mary, Michael, Caroline, Brenna, Frank, and my dad (he drove up separately making a surprise appearance). It was a great few hours visiting and celebrating birthdays (four of them in total)! Instead of spending the night at Russell and Mary’s, we opted to head into the city Saturday evening so that we could get to our excursions first thing Sunday morning.
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island:
Getting tickets to the crown or pedestal were hard to come by, so I opted for a tour with a guide. Did we overpay? Debatable…there was something very nice about not having to be on my phone charting the next direction and navigating from place to place. The weather was very cold and windy the morning we went; ironic that Emerson and Harper both forgot their jackets for the trip! Good thing I packed multiple for myself!
The girls enjoyed both experiences; we all took in the history of Ellis Island and being able to see it first-hand helped envision not only the freedom that I originally visualized when thinking of Ellis Island, but also the poverty, families torn apart, arriving with having given everything up, not knowing the language, how scared and horrifying the situation really was.
Observation Deck Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center:
I chose Top of The Rock vs. Empire State Building as I felt reviews were slightly better for seeing the city in all four directions. I had never experienced that view before and it was truly fantastic.
FAO Schwartz:
For many years, Justin and I went to the city, and I never felt the need to step inside a toy store, let alone this one. Well, the store was right next to Rockefeller Center, so we popped in…why not, we were full on tourists this trip! I am so glad we did; what a fantastic experience. The girls were enthralled with so many amazing departments and items!
Carriage Ride in Central Park:
As we sat on a rock in the beginning of Central Park, eating our One Dollar Pizza right by the Horse Drawn Carriages, we decided why not. That way we could explore more of Central Park in a short time than by foot. Our tour guide was great, carriage ride fun, though it ended 10 minutes earlier than it should have and they attempted to overcharge us. A great one time experience though.
Broadway Show:
While seeing a Broadway show is an absolute NY tourist must, it was debatable for months as tickets for a family of five could run easily over $2,000. For a family who hasn’t experienced any Broadway shows in the past and I couldn’t say with certainty if we were really into it, I wasn’t going to spend that type of money. I would look for deals daily and finally decided on New York, New York, a new musical. The girls loved it. Of course, Avery and I had the man with the broadest shoulders in the theatre sitting directly in front of us.
Chelsea Market:
I’m not sure I realized this was an all in-door market. Definitely a cool spot and I liked all the various eating options for everyone; however, as much as I like those sort of eateries, I always find that I never actually purchase the food. I find that I am so overwhelmed with all the options, that after roaming back and forth for awhile, I end up experiencing all the food and delicacies through my nose only. We opted to eat at a sit-down restaurant, Friedmans.
The High Line:
From Chelsea Market, we walked the High Line, a walking path over an old railroad track, to the Vessel.
The Vessel:
While the Vessel itself was closed for safety reasons, we were able to view it and explore Hudson Yards shops at the same time.
Hotel Giraffe:
We stayed for four nights at Hotel Giraffe, the intersection of Park and 26th in NOMAD area…North of Madison. Great location with excellent restaurants. Quiet boutique hotel with great customer service and a small continental breakfast. We opted for a suite with a king bed (Harper shared with us) and a pull-out sofa (Avery and Emerson reluctantly shared). With high ceilings and great use of space, the accommodations were fantastic and reasonably priced.
Magnolia Bakery:
I had eaten cupcakes from the original Magnolia Bakery pre-kids; since then, they have expanded into multiple locations including a small location in Hudson Yards Shops. The cupcake and the red velvet cheesecake were just as delicious as I remembered.
Quick Chip:
Funny how when you are in search of an excellent bakery (as we were in attempting to find Passover dessert to bring back home with us), you can’t seem to find one, or one that works for various reasons. We walked by Quick Chip as we were exiting Top of The Rock. With no reviews, I purchased just one warm chocolate chip cookie for us all to share. Not sure why there were no reviews on it; the cookie was truly fantastic…almost as good as Levain Bakery in my opinion.
Friedmans:
Friedmans was the Jewish deli we ended up at while at Chelsea Market. I had a tuna sandwich; it was good, though I would have preferred a corned beef sandwich; ironically one wasn’t on the menu.
Dos Caminos:
Within 30 seconds of our hotel, this was a great choice for Saturday nights dinner. We went to one of the Dos Caminos location years ago and it was spectacular. I would not rush back to Dos Caminos….one, I think we have been to a lot of just as good Mexican over the years and two, our waiter lacked any personality and interest.
Upland:
Also within 30 seconds of our hotel, another great choice. A nice restaurant; however, the amazing bread was the highlight of the dinner. So, though the food was good, going in a downhill direction after the bread is never a good thing, especially when kids are involved.
Sarabeth’s:
Also within 30 seconds of our hotel, Sarabeth’s serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner; though, I think breakfast is their specialty. We forgo the hotel’s continental breakfast on the last day and ate breakfast here. Definitely yummy and enjoyed by everyone, except maybe Emerson who ordered the avocado toast, not really being an avocado toast person. Was a pricey, yet yummy, breakfast for sure!
The Smith:
Los Taco’s #1:
This is a quick bite place recommended to us by Frank, Caroline’s boyfriend, to go before the theatre. Well, us and everyone else going to the theatre had the same idea. It was order at the counter and standing room eating if you were lucky enough to find space at one of the few tables. The line was long and not knowing how quickly it moved, I was sweating. Trying to get everyone’s order with each unique toppings made me sweat even more. We almost got it right. The food was great and would most definitely have this quick bite again given the opportunity.
Everyone enjoyed themselves, more so than in year’s past. And I think another NY trip may just be in our future again, though we may consider doing some day trips from Russell and Mary’s just to make the cost a little more palpable.
