Trey Visits 2016

Trey had a wedding in New York last weekend so he came up to see our new house and visit. Saturday night he Kevin went to Port Jefferson and went to the Port Jefferson Brewery and Brewology. It was a short but nice visit. And we even Skyped with Andrew while he was here- Boca Boys reunited.

Mirands shows her painting skills to Trey

Skyping with Andrew in Japan

Visit from Trey and Sunny 2014

Sunny, Trey, Cort, and Max came to visit us which was so fun because Cort is close to James's age and and Max is close to Miri's age. Not that Max and Miri are so social right now, but still, it's cool. We hung out and took the kids to the park. Simple, relaxing fun.

At the park!

One of the cutest things was that James and Cort had a sleepover in James's room and in the morning when they woke up, Sunny heard them chatting on the baby monitor. James told Cort that they had to wait for the bunny to get up before they left their beds (referring to a special alarm clock we gave him to keep him in bed later).  Cort told James that he was going to see trains today. How cute!

James and Cort climbing everything

Cute.

And they're off!

This was our first time meeting Max and he's the coolest little guy. He hangs out and smiles and charms like crazy. He loved our jumperoo and it was so fun to watch him have a good time.

Miranda fell asleep with Dada

Max is the cutest sweetest kid. I love him.

Day 2 at the park- stroller train!

• Our last visit to Sunny and Trey in 2012

Baby Max C. 2014!

Our friends Trey and Sunny had a second baby boy this week! I love how he already looks like a little dude- a wise soul if you will. A cute one!

Max is here!

Aw, smooshy face with his Mama

Quality boys time with his big brother Cort and father Trey

• Last time we visited Trey, Sunny, and Cort in May 2012
• When Cort was born in September 2011

SE Roadtrip Day 7: Visiting Trey and Sunny in Jacksonville, FL 2012

We ventured a bit farther south to see Trey and Sunny's family. Trey is Kevin's close friend from high school in Florida, and they only get to see each other occasionally.  We were excited to finally meet Trey and Sunny's 9-month old son Cort.  James enjoyed Cort's company and his toys as they played together fairly quietly and grabbed things out of each others hands without too much fuss. Trey took the day off from work to spend with us, so the four guys spent the morning having guy time, as Sunny was at work and I was asleep.

Cort and James hanging out together

Once I got up the boys and I went for a long walk around Trey's neighborhood and two of the downtown areas in Jacksonville.  Interesting little fact, Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the United States, so there is a lot of sprawl, and quite a few "downtown areas."  We went to meet Sunny for lunch at a local pizzeria, where Kevin enjoyed torturing James by feeding him lemons. Despite the look on his face, James requested more lemon.

The boys strolling around the neighborhood

The Five Points downtown area

James actually loves lemons

The boys had more playtime after lunch, though James was a little more interested in chasing their dog Friday than in any other activities or toys. Trey and Sunny generously arranged for a babysitter to watch Cort and James while we went out on an adult double-date to a restaurant for dinner.  So we gave the boys a bath before heading out, and the babysitter put them to bed shortly after we left.

James and Cort playing with Friday

The dads gave them a bath, and they thought it was funny to label them "J" and "C"

I really enjoyed dinner! We went to Mojo 41 and had our third BBQ of the trip, as well as brisket and grits. They had different sauces on the table we could try with the BBQ which as fun. My favorite sauce was the house sauce, Mojo.  The drinks were especially delicious. By far my favorite part was hanging out with Trey and Sunny and just talking.  (Not to mention -- without the constant stress of trying to keep James from either killing himself or annoying other patrons.) Plus, we rarely go out on double dates and I had forgotten how much fun they are.  We talked about the kids, but we also talked about travel, work, and friends.  I wish we could have stayed out much longer, but sadly it was a work night for Trey and Sunny.  Thank you guys for a fun-filled day and evening!

Kevin, me, Trey, and Sunny at Mojo 41

The Clous' Southeast Roadtrip 2012!

I am going to tell you a little secret about me and Kevin. Some of you know this about me, and some of you know this about Kevin, but there are very few people who know this about both of us.  We're a little crazy. Usually in a good way. What do I mean by this? Well, let me give you a specific example.  Regular readers of our blog know that we have a 1-year-old child who hates the car and specifically his car seat. Kevin has some time off work in the summer because he's a professor. So armed with these two pieces of information, how did we decide to spend his free time? A two-and-half week roadtrip, obviously.

We are traveling through the Southeast on a quest to visit friends, eat delicious barbecue, and taste good bourbon.  But don't worry! We have a plan.  We're committed to only driving a night when James isn't too terrible in the car (because he's asleep) and only driving in small chunks so that Kevin doesn't pass out from exhaustion.  Here's our hit parade of cities: Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA,  Jacksonville, FL, Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC, Great Smoky Mountains, TN, Nashville, TN, Memphis, TN, and Bourbon Trail, KY. Then the Southeast portion of trip is over, but we're going ahead to Cincinnati, OH. After that we might either head home or keep going through the North for a while.

Map of our roadtrip plan

We understand this might a huge disaster of a plan, but what's the point of staying home? Life is for living. Besides, even if it's horrible, at least you'll get a bunch of funny blog posts about it.

Baby Cort 2011!

Trey and Sunny had their first baby, a boy, about a week ago!  They named him after the baby's great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, all "Frank Joseph."  Since the little guy is IV, or "the fourth" they are calling him "Cort" in much the way his father goes by Trey as a nickname for III. His nickname is also after a close friend named Courtney that they lost.

At 9 pounds 11 ounces, Cort was just one ounce less than James!  Cort looks slender though, whereas James looked like a little Eskimo marshmallow. Congratulations, happy family!

38 Weeks and Nesting! April 3-9, 2011

Milestones: Nesting! I think. Maybe it's too premeditated to be nesting, but on the other hand all my premeditation about cleaning and organizing before didn't lead me to actually get off the couch and do it. This week I have completely reorganized and cleaned the bedroom and closet, the living room and closet, the bathroom and closet, put the finishing touches on the nursery with Kevin's help (see below), guestroom and closet, finally shelved all my dad's books, and reorganized the closet we use as a pantry. Yes, we have a lot of closets! Lucky us, but bad for fighting hoarding urges. Kevin also moved my office things into his office, and I set up stuff neatly, but I wouldn't say I've actually organized that stuff or have any interest in doing so. The last frontier is the kitchen. Most of the cabinet space is too high for me, so figuring out a place for the new baby stuff like bottles is challenging. Okay, I know, fascinating stuff.

Weekly Wisdom: I realized I am thoroughly not afraid of change. I might be freaked out by the idea of giving birth (what sane person wouldn't be?) but I am not afraid of actually taking care of the baby, or how my life will change or any of that. I try to imagine being afraid of that, and come up kind of blank. The only thing I can think of that would be worrisome is when the baby gets sick.
What I miss the most: Not feeling like I'm an arthritic 100-year-old fat person.
Craving: Tons of water, yogurt, seafood, Thai curries
Anti-craving: Burgers, no thank you.
Symptoms: Pain everywhere, especially my hands. Difficulty standing. Random Braxton Hicks contractions that bear no relationship to each other. A tightness here, a shooting pain there. The only thing the pains have in common is that I'm sure they're not the real deal.
Baby-size: Small elephant.
Weight: I look like I am carrying imaginary triplets, and weigh the same.

Akua visited me at home on Wednesday, which was lovely since I'm not mobile for very long distances. We got to chat for a long time and binge on organic lollipops together. What could be better?

On Thursday, Kevin's friend Trey came in from out of town, but he didn't have a lot of time so Kevin met him for breakfast in Manhattan. I was sad to miss him, but my aforementioned lack of mobility kept me at home. It was a good opportunity for them to compare expectant-father notes, though.

On Friday, Dr. C told me I hadn't progressed at all and tried to encourage me to have the baby sans c-section. For a person who never had any intention of writing out a birth plan, I officially have birth plan whiplash. In fact, for about five minutes during my appointment, the doctor thought the baby had turned himself breech again because she couldn't find his heartbet where it should be, but high up on my right side. A move to the sonogram room revealed that baby is not breach; he is HUGE and curled all around my belly.

And today, Jon came by to watch some Red Sox with us. That didn't really work out so well for the Red Sox.  Oh well, at least the baby is starting to learn the comforting sounds of the game in the background.

This is what my belly looks like most of the time:

Outside view


Sonogram of inside

Compare to:

See how oddly shaped my belly is?

Tomorrow I am 39 weeks! The official due date is April 17th. We have a 39-week doctor's appointment on Thursday, April 14th ... will we make it? It's starting to look like we will...

Trey Visits 2010!

Trey has become one of our most frequent visitors and has somehow managed to avoid the blog. No more! January 19th, Trey made his first visit to New York. Kevin and Trey went to Kevin's favorite bar Brooklyn Inn, and Sunny had to call Kevin because Trey was having too much fun to remember how to operate his phone. Having had a long long night at work (even though theoretically I was supposed to have been off for MLK Day), I found him sleeping on my couch. He politely lifted his head to say hello as I crashed through the living room in the dark.

Trey and Kevin near Empanada Mama

The next time he visited was February 24th, and though he didn't stay with us that time, he joined Jon, Kevin and I for a delicious dinner at Vegetarian Paradise in the West Village. Kevin and I love this place even though we're not vegetarians. The Chinese food there doesn't precisely taste like Chinese food, but it tastes like it's own category of deliciousness.

The next time he visited on Cinco de Mayo, Kevin took him to another favorite Brooklyn bar Boat, where they discussed their old man married dreams and hopes. I came home from work late again, and Trey again dutifully lifted his head to say hello. (Worth mentioning because I have missed other guests because of late night work and Trey was the only one to wake up long enough to greet me -- and he did it twice!) But this time we were able to spend a little quality time sharing bagels at breakfast the next morning.

Most recently, Trey visited on June 25th and Kevin and I joined him for drinks at Jimmy's Corner, and dinner at Empanada Mama, where we ordered approximately a million empanadas. This time we all shared our old married person dreams. Rinse, repeat. Can't wait for your next visit, Trey. Please bring Sunny.

Time with Friends 2010

Somehow, despite working 100 hours in just over a week, I have still made time for friends. I hope you understand how much I love you all.

I had dinner with some of my closest friends from law school:

I went out with Michele to watch and celebrate her movie for New York Film Race:

Kevin and I had brunch with Christina and her husband Dan (Brooklyn Festival):

Then things got really crazy at work... Kevin's friend Jeff M and Brady visited but I couldn't go out with them. Trey stayed with us for the second time where I was not able to spend any time with him. Though I had a breakfast bagels with all of them before their departures. And the entire weekend that I spent at Ash's place, I spent doing work. But at least we got to hang out and watch at least one Lifetime movie, which we watched in a completely un-ironic way.

What have you done lately to make time for friends or family?

Trey and Sunny's Wedding 2009

Last weekend, Kevin, Jon, and I took a 27-hour round trip car ride to Tennessee to see our friends Sunny and Trey get married. Really one of the most moving ceremonies I have ever seen as it was all written by the couple and family and friends of the couple. The emotion between them and in the audience was palpable. As part of the seven blessings, they asked friends and family who had been married for different lengths of time to give marriage advice. They asked us to give "newlywed advice." We were really honored and touched to be asked to participate in the wedding.

Beautiful ceremony


Married smooches

The food was wonderful, complete with a three-flavor French fries bar (pepper, waffle with paprika, and sweet potato) and a milkshake bar! As if that weren't enough, dinner choices included brisket and cheese grits. That's food heaven to the Southern girl I've become.

Tented reception area

Three kinds of fries at cocktail hour!

The party began almost right away with the hora, and it went into the wee hours of the night. The collective energy of the wedding guests never waned, perhaps due in part to the copious amounts of Tennessee whiskey at the reception. Mostly, however, I think people were really happy for Trey and Sunny.

Dancing the Hora

Kevin gives it a try


Nice moves!

Trey's close friends from high school

Trey and Sunny were wonderful hosts, and made time to have dinner with us, spend time with us over the two days that we were in Chattanooga, and showed us a really good time. The best part though was seeing how much they love each other and seeing how happy they are to share their lives. It's something that's tough to describe unless you've seen them close out their wedding dancing to Dirty Dancing's "Time of My Life!" Congratulations! You guys are brilliant in every way!

Cutting the cake

We're a little warm from so much dancing and partying, but everyone is happy!

Last dance of the evening

Jon and Becky's Wedding 2008

Congratulations to Jon and Becky! They met in college, almost 15 years ago, and this weekend they had one of the loveliest weddings we've attended. The location in Upstate New York was beautiful, Becky looked stunning, and Jon looked incredibly happy.

The lovely views of the Tarrytown House

They planned to be married outside under a chuppah, but it rained. Even so, the indoor ceremony location was beautiful with large windows overlooking the gardens, and an unusual T-shape arrangement for the chairs that allowed everyone a closer and more varied view of the ceremony. We sat near the front so that Kevin could bring Jon the ring.

Becky walking down the aisle with her father

Kevin with yarmulke bringing Jon the ring.

Breaking the glass- Mazel tov!

Married!

If it were a competition, Jon and Becky would win a lot of awards in the best of weddings. For example, they had one of the best photographers I have seen. In fact, I loved their wedding photos so much that I tried to hire them for our wedding even though it would have involved them traveling from New York to Cape Cod, but their photographers were actually an engaged couple and they got married on the same weekend we were married, so they were understandably unavailable. But look at how amazing this photo is- it's not just wedding photography, it's pure art.

Swan princess

Jon knows Kevin from high school so we had a wonderful time at the cocktail hour and at the reception with Kevin's friends from his youth. Sadly, Eric is missing from this photo. Since Kevin and Jon were so close as children, Kevin's mom was also invited to the wedding, and she's also missing from this picture, possibly because she took it.

Victoria, Casey, Becky, Jon, me, Kevin, Sunny, and Trey

Another place where they might easily scoop up a hypothetical wedding award was the first dance. It was really great! I did take video of it, but the video actually fails to capture the real experience of the dance as well as the photos do. It's strange, but again, that'sprobably due to the amazing photographers. Their song was Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You," and they started out dancing slowly and romantically with dips and spins, but when Otis got to the part where he begs, "Please don't make me stop now!" Jon surprised Becky by dropping to his knees and begging her. It was hilarious, entertaining, and romantic all at the same time. Then he scooped her up and twirled her lightly like they were professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars.

Jon sings Otis to Becky

End of their first dance

Of course, since they had a Jewish wedding there were all sorts of celebratory Jewish dances including the Horah. This was followed a delicious dinner, and more fun dancing. They even had a fun little after-party in the bar of the Tarrytown House.

Dancing the Horah

 

Jon gets some serious air

Kevin dancing with his mom

Sunny and Trey dancing

Erik and his girlfriend