Rachel and Tim's 10th Wedding Anniversary 2016

Ten years ago, I missed the wedding of these two wonderful people, and 10 years later I'm still kicking myself. I couldn't figure out a way to get to Pennsylvania for the wedding. It's been both helpful and amusing having Rachel advise and comment on marriage as she's been three years ahead of me. She obviously knows what she's doing as they both remain awesome individually and collectively, and have two awesome mini-people too!

Rachel and Tim's wedding in August 2006

Her dad walking her down the aisle of the church

Getting married!

The bride with her parents and sisters

Tim and Rachel with Rachel's family

Tim and Rachel with Rachel's family

Cutting the cake!

Rachel and Matthew are both crazy

Cheers!

Here are some awesome things they've done.

Isaac born in 2008

Eleanor born in 2010

 

Eleanor (6) and Isaac (8) now!

Rachel and Tim celebrating their 10th Anniversary

Congratulations! I love you guys and miss you but plan on seeing you soon!

Miranda's 1st and James's 4th Birthday Party 2015

I am so grateful to everyone who came and everyone who couldn't come but sent presents for our little love bugs. Like crazy grateful- tears of joy grateful. I don't know what we did to deserve such amazing friends and family in our life or if we just got lucky but THANK YOU. (And sorry I'm late on the actual thank you cards, but I swear they are coming.)

Helping Miranda blow out the candle on her big chocolate/dulce de leche cake

James blows out candle on his Curious George "ganilla" cake (vanilla)

Super awesome Ash cutting up the cake.

Some special thank yous to Nana (my mom) who brought Miranda's cake and all the Cuban appetizers, Grandma (Kevin's mom) who brought the Curious George cake all the way from the Cape, and Ash who came a day early and did all the decorating basically on her own.

 

La Familia Cubana y Irlandes

Uncle David, Great-granda Daisy, me, Miranda

Hudson, Christina, and Tim

Rachel, Miranda, Eleanor mom, Tania

Dan, Eleanor, and Aria

Mom with besties Tania and Onel

Christina, Aria, Miranda, Bob

Jon, Nick, and Emily- totally candid.

James and Miranda opening presents.

I asked James if he liked his party and why. He said, "Yeah, and I like Happy Halloween, and Christmas. They are so fun." 

But what about your party? "I liked the cake." 

What do you think Miranda liked about the party? "I think Miranda liked everything about the party."

Out with Rachel- January 2015

Finally went out with Rachel! Originally Christina, Rachel, and I had all planned to go out together, but getting three schedules to work together was too hard. Rachel and I picked Mandoo Bar in Koreatown because it was relatively easy from both our locations. Unfortunately we picked possibly the coldest windiest night ever.

Also, we failed to take pictures but here's some of the yummy food we ate: seafood pancakes, Mandoo sampler (pork, shrimp, and veggie dumplings), and beef Bibimbap. Yum!

The seafood pancake was the best.

 

The green veggie dumplings were the best of the dumplings.

We were going to get drinks at American Whiskey afterwards, but it was too cold so we gave up when we saw Harringtons. The Yelp reviews are pretty rough, but the bar was fine for our one drink each.

As Rachel and I toasted, "Here's to husbands who are sick of us, and encourage us to go out together!" Haha. Just kidding. Who could ever get sick of us?

Rachel Visits- May 2014

Rachel came over to visit in the middle of a "we're potty-traing a toddler with a 1-month sibling" storm. She got to meet Miranda, help me eat the 10 gallons of Minestrone soup I made by accidentally doubling a recipe, and generally save my sanity. Thanks, Rachel! You're the best!

Rachel meets Miranda!

Snuggles!

• Rachel, Tim, Isaac, and Eleanor come over for James's 3rd birthday!
• With Rachel's and Christina's families at Queen's County Farm in October 2013

WWFTC Reading at KGB Bar 2014

On Thursday, Kevin read at the KGB Bar in Manhattan, which is a New York literary institution. The event was called "Drunken Careening Writers," a name which Black Balloon encouraged all too much by buying Kevin drinks after his reading. Kevin read first, followed by the host of the event, novelist & performer Honor Molloy, then playwright/performer Staci Swedeen, and then writer Kevin Holohan. I couldn't go because I'm feeding Miranda and babies and bars don't mix (well, at night anyway). But Rachel, Tim, Nick, Emily, Briggs, and Jon were there, and so I got some pictures.

Kevin read the title story, "We Were Flying to Chicago," and Rachel said the story was even better when Kevin read it out loud.

Kevin reading the title story, "We Were Flying to Chicago"

KGB Bar & Lit Mag

Kevin, Staci Swedeen, and Kevin Holohan

Here's some other stuff that happened recently regarding Kevin's collection:

The Book Notes Playlist at LARGEHEARTED BOY posted a list of the music that Kevin associated with his stories. http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2014/05/book_notes_kevi_19.html

The Bookslinger App Consortium Books published one of Kevin's stories, "Isabelle and Colleen" on their (free!) Bookslinger App: http://thebookslinger.com/

"On the Highway Near Fairfield, Connecticut" THE AIRSHIP posted a story from Kevin's collection (with art!): http://airshipdaily.com/we-were-flying-to-chicago-by-kevin-clouther/

James's 3rd Birthday 2014

Since James's birthday falls on Easter this year, and his sister is scheduled to come Thursday, we decided to mostly celebrate early. Because I'm hugely pregnant, we kept things simple. A park play date and some ice cream cake. Rachel and Tim kindly dragged Isaac and Eleanor up to Long Island to celebrate.

Walking to the park

 

James, ladies' man, as usual

 

Almost playing together

Fudgie the Whale cake for his birthday

Blowing out his candle

Trying to keep all the kids from sticking their fingers into the cake (fail)

More civilized cake-eating

Family picture but James is more interested in cake.

Easter basket/favors

Candy Land

We were planning on opening presents on his actual birthday on Sunday morning, but that didn't happen. More on that in the next post.

Queens County Farm- October 2013

Even though I see Christina and Rachel pretty often, we haven't gotten our families together since we went to the Bronx Zoo over a year ago. Even though we selected a more low-key location this time, I was still exhausted half-way through our visit. In October, Queens County Farm has a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, petting zoo, and hayrides.

Tim, Isaac, Eleanor, Rachel in the pumpkin patch

Dan, Hudson, and Christina

James, me, Kevin- James is distracted by the pumpkin magic

There's my little pumpkin!

We took James back to see the goats he loved so much last time, and he seemed to remember his love for them. So much so he kissed a goat and tried to get a goat to kiss him. Um, yeah. Luckily these goats are pretty gentle. He definitely smelled of goat when we got him home.

In love with a goat.

Everyone even got a hayride around the farm. It was James's first hayride. I was banned from the ride because I'm pregnant, and even though the ride seemed extremely gentle, I took the better safe than sorry approach. I also got 5 blissful minutes to drink a cider by myself. Ha!

This hayride is BUMPY! Or not.

Off to see the farm again.

At this point, everyone needed some snacks and refreshments, but the excitement continued because there was a loose chicken in our midst. Luckily this chicken was also gentle and tolerated kids (not just ours) chasing her around for quite a while before she was returned to her area of the farm.

Chicken pecking at Kevin's shoe

Chasing the chicken under the picnic table

Group photo that Isaac is barely in (to the right)

Also, Eleanor and James got some serious bonding in. They find each other mutually hilarious. Eleanor is 8 months older than James but the gap is closing a bit as they get older.

The flirting


The affection


Mutual joy.

Fun day at the farm!