Mother's Day/First Communion/Anniversary

May 11-13 was a weekend full of celebrating. Ethan and I drove up to Newport for Madeline's First Communion. It just so happened to fall on Mother's Day weekend and Mark and Erin's 12th wedding anniversary. I got a little camera happy but it was hard not to take lots pics of the nieces and nephew and the pretty scenery.

The Via's
The Leavitt's (minus Erin, who was tending to a mouse problem)

Miss Kira


Graham lounging on a rock

Running through the dandelions

Mark and Erin took us all on a boat cruise around Newport. We learned about mansions, famous people who have lived in them, boats, etc. It was a great day to be on a cruise.

"Cling Rock" ---A house built on a rock in Narragasset Bay only reachable by boat.

Naval Housing at Fort Adams. Not bad, eh?

An America's Cup boat

Hammersmith Farm---JFK wedding reception site and summer house. Now it's a private residence.

Dinner with the adults

Madeline and her first communion cake

First rosary


We had a great time with everyone and we hope to get back up to RI this summer.

Sleepy Hollow

On my mom's birthday,we rented a car and ventured out of the city to upstate NY. We drove along the Hudson River, passing Yonkers and Tarrytown. We didn't have to go more than 30 miles before we came to Sleepy Hollow. We went to the town cemetery and this is what we saw:

Washington Irving's grave

Andrew Carnegie's grave

If there were evergreen trees, you'd think we were back home.

Headless Horseman Bridge (a replica)

The Big Game

Our first visit to Yankee Stadium was fun, a win would have been the best outcome. Oh well, at least the M's ruined Chien-Ming Wang's possible no-hitter.

Leaving our apt for the Bronx. Yes, we wore our Mariners gear and didn't get yelled at once. But we only saw a handful of fans supporting the M's....

45 minutes before each game, Monument Park is open for fans to look at the plaques of the famous old-timers. Here is one for The Babe.

Ah, what a view....

I-chi-ro!

I-chi-ro!

I-chi-ro!

Anyone want an $8 beer?

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So that's Yankee Stadium --- a piece of baseball history---- but honestly, Safeco Field is the best stadium in baseball. :)

Mom and Dad Visit Part II

I was able to take a couple days off to hang out with my parents. On Thursday, we went to a museum, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, braved Times Square and saw Rockefeller Plaza.

The New York Transit Museum is located in an old subway station in Brooklyn. It showcases the history of the subway system, bridges, and tunnels in NYC. The subway platform holds many old subway and trolley cars, which you can walk inside, sit down and hold onto the straps.

A springtime view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Promenade.

Heading to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge.

Stay tuned for more pictures....

( We'll be in Florida for Jim and Amy's wedding this weekend, so I won't be able to post again until next week.)

Mom and Dad Visit Part I

Family photo in Prospect Park

There are lots of photos from my parents visit, so rather than see them all at once, you will have daily installments. :)

My parents were here at a perfect time, when the weather was excellent and the city was starting to look green and pretty. They were in town for ten days and were able to see many of the places on their "to-do" list. During the days Ethan and I worked, my folks explored Manhattan on their own and saw things that we hadn't even seen yet. (Parts of Central Park, Greenwich Village, the Met, etc) They even saw a celebrity--Janeane Garofalo--doing some drugstore shopping. (Sidenote: Ethan saw Sarah Jessica Parker in Chinatown last week).

It was nice to have them in town for an extended visit. They had a chance to see what our life is like here and experience what a New Yorker's day is like. They mastered riding the subway (with only one mishap--they got separated), the adopted the art of jaywalking (everyone does it) and manuevering through the crowds on Manhattan streets.

Our first full day together included a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens during the Cherry Festival. Ethan and I invested in an annual membership, so don't be surprised if you see photos throughout the year from these cool gardens. Here are some pics from the festival:

Anyone want to make an origami frog?

I know some of you are hoping to see pics from the Yankee/Mariners game (Pete, Grandpa) :) I'll post them this week, I promise. I'm off to bed now. Good night!

Christianson Visit

My grandma, uncle and his girlfriend were in town over the weekend. They couldn't have asked for a better weekend (the weather was perfect) to see the sights. As soon as the sun came out, NYC was in full springtime flair. Leaves started budding out and blossoms were blooming. The whole city was in a good mood and had a different energy than before.


My family saw many parts of the city---with lots of tasty meals and plenty of exploring. My grandma was a trooper and traipsed around town on foot and on the subway. They saw Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Prospect Park, MoMA, and the Lower East Side. For anyone who comes to visit us, we will take you to at least one of these two resteraunts: Clinton Street Baking Co. (for brunch) and Supper (for fabulous Italian). We went to both of these places this weekend and our stomachs were very happy.



Enjoying the view at Belvedere Castle in Central Park.

Turtle Pond---with actual turtles!

The Great Lawn

"Cleopatra's Needle" ---an obelisk from Alexandria, Egypt---the oldest man-made object in the Park.

Standing under the magnolias.

Up close with Starry Night at MoMA. Don't get too close or the guards will yell at you.

Warhol's wall of soup

Lounging at the Park Slope Inn Garden Apartment.....

...watching the diverse Brooklyn wildlife. We discovered that squirrels can climb ladders.

It was so much fun to have family come out, we miss all of you! You are welcome anytime. My parents come on Friday for 10 days, so there will definately be more pics coming soon. (Keep an eye out for Yankee Stadium pics).

Easter in Newport, RI

Ethan and I ventured out of the city for Easter. We rented a car near Grand Central Station and headed out to New England. Luckily, it was Good Friday when we left Manhattan and there was no traffic because the city literally seemed to shut down over Passover/Holy Week. We made it to Erin and Mark's place in Newport in about 3 hours. We had a fun weekend with them and their kids. It was nice to finally meet Mark and to see the whole Leavitt family together. We just wish they were going to be on the East Coast with us for longer than a year.

I was still getting over my cold, so I wasn't feeling 100%, but it was nice to get outside and breath the fresh clean sea air. It was however freezing cold, so when we went outside, it wasn't for too long. We walked along the water near Mark and Erin's place at Fort Adams. I would compare it to Fort Casey on Whidbey, with the stone/cement forts, lots of water and green fields. Kira and Maddie explored the shore with Uncle Ethan. We also went out to a park and the boys flew a kite. Saturday night, a babysitter came to watch the kids and us adults went out to a great dinner at the Red Parrot. The next day the Easter Bunny came and left a bunch of treats and chocolate. "One chocolate, two chocolate, three chocolate and another chocolate" as Graham put it. Erin cooked a yummy brunch and we lounged around and watched Star Wars: Episode 3.

We'll have more Newport photos come May, when we go back for Madeline's first communion.

Have a good weekend!