The Atlanta Children's Museum (& a walk through Centennial Olympic Park!)

I was feeling really stifled. All the strange cold-warm-wet weather and the wintry hours and let's be honest, CABIN FEVER, were really getting to me. So when Stevie got home from one of his work trips, I sort of exploded (while laying on the kitchen floor) about how I need more adventure and city life and thank goodness for that sweet man, he just asked me what that meant to me. "I don't know - I want to go to more museums!" Don't laugh, guys. I love a good museum. We decided on the Atlanta Children's Museum, because even though its not a real museum, it's recently reopened and we knew Everett would love it. So we ordered tickets online at 11pm that evening and woke up early the next morning, ready to seize the day.

We parked at the CNN Center because - hello! They have free parking for electric vehicles! Nissan Leaf for the win (praise hands, praise hands). And we walked a verrrrrry bitterly cold walk from the CNN Center, through Centennial Olympic Park, to the Children's Museum. Seriously, the wind was out of control and we were NOT dressed appropriately. I keep anticipating Spring, but no. It's still winter. I should have pulled out my Boston coat.

Pictures!

Have you been to the Atlanta Eye? This was the closest we got, but I still think it would be fun to go on at some point.

The Atlanta Children's Museum. Such a great place for kids on a chilly day.

The stairs play musical notes like a piano!

With all the toys and games and activities, you know what this boy wanted to do? THROW A BALL. Well, we could have done that at home, Everett.

They had an interactive story time that was really sweet.

He got SO wet.

This one kills me. I said, "Boys, smile for me!" And look at what I got.

Centennial might not be the poshest of parks, but Stevie asked me to marry him in the middle of this park at Christmastime 10 years ago, so it holds a special place in my heart.

We had such a great time! It felt really good to get out of suburbia and do something different on a Saturday. I will say that we got to the museum right when it opened, and that first hour and a half was the best because hardly anyone was there. Then people started filtering in and it got really crowded - so word to the wise - get there early! Plus everything is super clean then :) I would definitely recommend this at the perfect place to take your kiddos, especially on a cold or rainy day. We could have stayed much longer, it just got a little crowded for our taste. I thought Everett might be too young for the activities, but they offer such a wide range of things to do that it wasn't a problem. He will definitely love it even more when he gets older, but there was still plenty for him to explore as a 19-month-old.

We visited Ponce City Market after this little adventure - check back for those pics tomorrow! xox

Glamping in the Winter.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to haul my family out to Sweetwater Creek State Park for a night of glamping in the woods. What is "glamping", you ask? GLAMOROUS CAMPING. It's a thing, guys. It's where you stay in a yurt - a wood and canvas structure - that has beds, a heater and usually a table and chairs. Bathrooms are shared with the entire yurt village, so you have to trek outdoors when mother nature calls. But it's a great way to take your family and still have a bit more protection and comfort while "camping".

I'll admit, I'm not a huge camper. I love nature and the great outdoors, but I've never had an excellent camping experience. I wish I had those fond memories that everyone talks about, where they grew up camping with their families and snuggling up by the fire and telling fun stories and playing with flashlights. I asked my dad the other day why we never really went camping and he said, "Kristen, I had three girls." Huh. Good point, Dad.

So I didn't grow up camping. I have, however, camped all over this beautiful country in the past 10 years or so. On this epic cross-country road trip, I had the opportunity to camp everywhere from the Grand Canyon, to Moab to Lake Powell to Tulsa to Jackson Hole. And those experiences were awesome... except for the actual sleeping in a tent part. I just always feel COLD. And yes, we have the right gear for that sort of thing. So this is just me, admitting to you, that although I love hiking and being in the woods, I don't prefer sleeping in them.

Which leads me to glamping. I have been working to expand my writing capacity (if you want to learn about my journey on becoming more intentional and pursuing dreams, check out this series), and I was sent on assignment to cover the new yurt village at Sweetwater Creek. If the tiny little article actually gets published, I will share it with you guys :) And oh, what an experience, camping with a 16-month old.

I'm gonna go ahead and be honest with you. Camping with my son. Was kind of terrible.

I love him. I adore him. I would lay down my life for him. But I literally spent the ENTIRE day saying "No, Everett! No Everett!" to pretty much everything. No, you can't walk head first into the rushing raging river. No, you can't walk by yourself while we hike because there is a cliff that you could fall off of if you wander. No, you can't touch the campfire. Because you can't. You just can't, son.

I spent an entire day having these conversations. And he's in this really fun stage where he throws his body on the ground and screams bloody murder, so we often attract attention for all the unwanted reasons. People are making sure that our son isn't being kidnapped or something. Nope. Just a normal day with Everett in this fun toddler stage. He has a will. He's not afraid of exerting the will.

Am I being too harsh?

I'm just being honest.

Once I put him down to sleep in the yurt that evening, he fell asleep in less than two minutes with the lights still on. So all that will-exertion must have tired him out, too.

Once by the campfire, Stevie made me quesadillas over the open flames and we drank beer and made s'mores and it was so so fun. I've got a good s'more strategy, I wish I could show it to you guys. But it was just us, out in the woods. Talking. Mostly about our son. But also about the direction our lives have gone, the journey we're on, the fears we have and the dreams we hope to achieve. What is it about the campfire that draws out the most deep-seated of feelings?

It was the coldest night of the year, the night we laid our heads down in that yurt. Coldest of the YEAR. It figures that we would try to sleep in the woods on the one night when things got frosty. But going to sleep in an actual bed (with our sleeping bags on top!) really, really was the icing on the cake. I just slept so warmly, and SO WELL. Until Everett woke up screaming at 1am. Am I making you guys want to have babies yet?? We tried everything we could to coax him back to sleep in his little travel crib, but he's not so little anymore and he was aware that we were in the little hut with him. So he wanted to be near us. Thankfully, Stevie had packed a third sleeping bag (it was in case I got that cold feeling I was telling you about earlier, he's such a good one you guys), and we pulled Everett and that sleeping bag into bed with us and we all slept for 7 more hours. All of us! We haven't co-slept with Everett since he was a wee little tot, and I'm surprised we didn't all wake each other up sooner. But in the morning, I was the one with the sunlight on my face, and I opened my eyes and looked at my two boys, facing each other, mouths opened, drinking in the most delicious of sleep, and wow. I felt all the feelings. So happy, content, and kind of in awe and wonder. This little family is just my gold. Even after the previous exhausting day with Everett. These two are my world.

We spent the morning eating oatmeal, enjoying the views from our deck, and drinking our happy concoction of half coffee, half hot chocolate :) This is when Everett was his usual fun self, so we had a good (redeeming!) morning with him. Then we spent our time out in the park exploring. Aside from Everett's shenanigans, everything was absolutely beautiful. There was a ton of hiking, and a beautiful creek that leads down to a historic Civil War-era textile mill (which was used and featured during the filming of The Hunger Games Mockingjay!) The stream turns into some level 4 rapids, which is apparently awesome for whitewater rafting during other seasons of the year. We just traipsed around, until Everett's war cry was enough for both of us, so we packed it up and hit the road. And vowed not to take him camping until he's at least another year older.

The consensus? Glamping is pretty cool. Glamping with a baby under the age of 2? Not so cool. But the park and the facilities and the hikes and views and history were compelling enough that when we got in the car and started driving home, Stevie was making a strategy for how we could make it a better experience next time. So who knows. We might be nuts and attempt this thing again.

If you have advice for camping/glamping/hiking with kids under the age of two, please share in the comments! Not only do I need it, but everyone else reading this would probably be interested in helpful tips!

P.S. - Don't miss out on my Christmas giveaway for him, going on now!

Nashville for the Night.

Stevie and I took the quickest road trip ever to Nashville two weekends ago for our friend's wedding. It was our first time leaving Everett over night, and I was super nervous about it, but we all did GREAT! In fact, Everett was so happy the entire time that I'm thinking we need to make some more plans to leave him again soon. Not too soon, obviously, since his leg incident. But in the near-ish future, when everyone is healed and happy. :) My parents were amazing to watch him for the evening, thanks Mom and Dad!

So, Nashville! I wish we could have had more time to explore! It felt a little bit like a tease of a trip, because we were only there one evening, and we spent that evening at the wedding. We had the most whirlwind experience but SUCH A BLAST. I'll share the few things we did, but honestly, my list of things I wanted to see/do/eat is longer than ever. I guess it just leaves lots of hunger for another trip!

The wedding was at Vine Street Christian Church (such a lovely spot - an enormous wall of sun-lit windows!) and the reception was at the Cheekwood Botanical Garden, which I hate to say, but puts Atlanta's to shame. It was SO STUNNING. And I tried to be a good wedding guest and not tote my enormous camera along for the evening, so all I've got are a few shots of us all pose-y, pose-y. Needless to say, we had a ridiculous, almost epic kind of time. This wedding was bonkers fun. Congratulations, Justin & Jade!

The next morning, we took a hike for wake up java, which we found at Just Love Coffee. We wished we could have been crazy late-night party animals and hit a few of the rad restaurants/bars on Demonbreun Street the night before, but you know, Intentional October has me falling asleep like a grandma these days. Mental note - come back! We pranced around The Gulch, a newer LEED-certified development, gawked at the line outside of Biscuit Love, decided not to join the crowd, and just kept walking.

I heard Sambuca is cool. But I've only heard it.

We wanted to drive by Vanderbilt on our way out, and we couldn't resist getting out on the open lawn and pretending we were students. I don't know what it is about big campus lawns, but I just love them. I want a book and a blanket and I want to lay out there reading Steinbeck all day, bettering myself just because I CAN. Actually, I can't. We illegally parked, jumped out of the car, checked out the central area of the school (we think?) and then jumped back in the car and blazed outta town before anyone could nab us for being STUDENT IMPOSTERS. Vanderbilt is just lovely in the fall, sidenote.

One of my favorite parts of our trip was actually just the road trip part. I know that might seem silly, but to have like 4.5 hours in the car with Stevie BOTH WAYS was just such a decadent, rich amount of time to talk and laugh together. We don't get that kind of time when we're just doing day-to-day life, and it reminded me of our road trip days when we were in ministry school in California. We drove back and forth from Atlanta to Redding four times, and there is just nothing like a multi-day cross-country road trip to give you an opportunity to really get to know your person. This little trip to Nashville was a sweet reminder of "the good old days", and the thing is, I think we are still living in the good old days. I know I will look back on this season of life with a smile and the warmest kinds of memories, because even though life was freer before we had Everett, it's immensely better with him.

The views of the Tennessee countryside on the way home were stunning. There weren't words. We got out a few times and just stared at the mountains and the water. Because when do I ever take the time just to stare at mountains and water? I feel like they are always telling us something, if we're listening.

So Nashville, we might not have seen your fine bars or listened to the next big country star or toured your epic distilleries - but we had a refreshing, meaningful, ridiculously fun time. Thanks for giving us a night of your time. xox.

Things To Do In New York City With A Baby.

Those wild grasses of New York City.

I know I sound like a broken record, but guys, we had SO MUCH FUN on our family trip to New York last week!

It was a work trip for him, and a play trip for me, so I was the one spending most of the time shuffling around the city with my darling, almost 1-year old son. And even though I have lived in NYC before, and visited a million bajillion times, there is always something new to be discovered in this fetching, enticing, frantic city. And exploring it with my kiddo? Well, this opportunity was no exception. My eyes were opened to a whole new slew of opportunities and places to be discovered with a baby/toddler in tow. I wanted to share a few of my finds for all you adventuring mamas (and papas!) who want to tote their babes along while exploring the big city.

That happy boy.

Making friends.

We packed a few balls to pull out and be played with at a moment's notice.

Babies love fountains. They just LOVE THEM.

Everett roamed with daddy in his stroller, he crawled around Books of Wonder (don't judge, the kid REALLY needed to get out of his seat and it was an obvious play area for babies), and there he is on the subway, where he actually threw his ball in that woman's face. I practically melted into a puddle of sweat on the floor, I was so embarrassed.

These two little dreamers.

Baby and Kid-Friendly places in NYC:

Washington Square Park- For the gorgeous fountains, epic live music, and frolicking in the grasses. We might have eaten some stray dandelions, too.

Books of Wonder - Best bookstore ever! He was free to crawl on the carpet and play play play to his heart's content. This is a very special book store, and reminds you of the Shop Around the Corner from You've Got Mail. So sweet.

Picnic in Central Park - Because when you have an adventurous kiddo, picnics are the new way to lunch. We did this on several occasions, grabbing meals from Whole Foods and Shake Shack and enjoying them in the park. There are so many open field areas to lounge on the grass, too. It was a great place to pull out all the balls that Stevie made me pack for Everett, and we rolled them back and forth to each other. That child is getting pretty good at playing ball. It's really cute, but its even funnier how proud Stevie gets when Everett rolls the ball towards him. Oh boys.

FAO Schwartz - Talk about making a kid dream. My baby's eyes practically popped out of his head at all the wondrous toys, displays, animals, and joyful atmosphere. You don't have to be a big kid to enjoy - this place is even for babies! Heck, even for adults, we really love it there, too! I always want to over shop and Stevie is always like, "We can find it on Amazon later", and of course, we never do. Because this place is special and the toys in it are just rare, rare finds.

Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place in Battery City Park - Such an awesome place for a baby, because there are TONS of places to eat and you can sit inside or outside and stare at the ocean, the boats, Lady Liberty and Jersey City. Needless to say, my child was pretty quiet while we were all eating, because he had so much to look at and take in. Score.

Raining? It's no problem. There are so many places that you can stroll around with your baby that are so enjoyable and entertaining:

Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle - It's like a really nice mall. With really nice restaurants and bathrooms and coffee and pastries. These are mom necessities, right? Also, while you're there, make sure to check out Landmarc, which is known in the city for being an upscale, kid-friendly joint. Everett ate my entire grilled cheese there. Along with his own lunch.

The MoMa - This is New York's Museum of Modern Art and it is amazing. Luckily, it was located right around the corner from our hotel. I headed that way, then the rain stopped, so we didn't actually visit this time around. But any of the museums are really great for kids, including The Children's Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Met!

Have something to add to this list? We seems to find ourselves there at least 1-2 times a year and I would love to know of some more kid-friendly places! Because, you know, I plan on bringing this little one with me everywhere :) If you have more to share, please do! I'm sure other mamas would want to know, too!

New York City, Another Tour of Eats

One thing that I love about New York City is how there is always a new "latest and greatest" thing to try, do, see or eat. Always. It's the city of change, and there is a constant, bubbling rotation of trends in every industry. You certainly don't get bored, no matter how many times you've visited or how long you've lived there. There is always more to explore.

The recent visit my family took was no exception, and we made it our mission to try all the latest eats (that were relatively kid-friendly, because c'mon, I'm not going to take Everett to Mercer Kitchen and let him terrorize the pristine-ness). But we found some great spots and were introduced to a few new ones by our best buds from the Upper West Side (who we keep trying to convince to move to Atlanta - it never works but I'm taking the it's-a-marathon approach and hoping that eventually I can convince them). They are legit foodies and always steer us in the right direction. They took us on this East Village food tour last time, and obviously, it lives on in my memory as one of theeeeee most righteous nights in NYC.

Annnnnyways, we ate and ate and ate and ATE. And Everett truly shocked us with his endurance. That boy can hold his own! I fear for my future grocery bills. They are rising, people.

Stumptown Coffee (hairbender is my favorite blend) and a Black Seed Multi-Everything Salmon Bagel. BEST BREAKFAST EVER. And that was just the start of the day :)

Oh the fame. We just want a tiny piece of it. In the form of a croissant perhaps.

Really glad my kid slept through the ice cream part of this field trip, or else he would have demanded some of his own. And I wasn't about to share this delicacy.

Look at who's re-opened since I moved away! One of my first New York memories is from eating in this restaurant with my dad and Aunt like a million years ago. And now it's back and better than ever!

We made friends sitting at the communal tables and sharing brew. And watching Everett flirt with all the girls. And stuff his face with sauerkraut.

Hudson Eats! It's like a food court except way more awesome, with some of the most famous/delicious restaurants in NYC represented.

That boy.

Eating outside at Brookfield Place, so you can watch the sun go down over the water and dream of owning one of those phat yachts. Yes, I said phat. PHAT.

BFFLS. FTW. Who cares if the photo is blurry. The friendship endures.

A few spots (where we devoured) that are worth trying:

Black Seed Bagels - Get anything. Just flippin' anything.

Dominique Ansel Kitchen - Try the Sumac Chicken Salad Toast with Parsley Tabbouleh! Oh, and of course the crazy famous Burrata Ice Cream. Dear God, that ice cream.

Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel - Always a fave. Great place to buy coffee as a gift, too.

Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place - We devoured burnt ends at Mighty Quinn's Barbeque, catfish from Num Pang Sandwich Shop, shopped at bit at Le District, and reveled in the glorious crepes from Financier Patisserie.

Landmarc - I actually ate here twice with friends. It's fancy, but a good option for kiddos because it's stroller-friendly and extremely spacious. Plus, you get a view of the Upper West Side!

Burger and Lobster - Oh my goodness, why didn't I know about this when I lived there?! LOBSTER ROLL FOR THE WIN. And sangria :)

The Beer Garden at Tavern on the Green - German style pretzels (totally made me remember this little jaunt over to Munich), awesome beer, and Everett eating more bratwurst and sauerkraut than me.

Let me know if you visit one of these places on a trip to NYC! I would love to hear about what you tried/loved/hated!

*Other posts about NYC eats and food tours: munching through Alphabet City, tasting through East Village, Cruising through West Village, testing the CRONUT, enjoying high tea at the Plaza and high tea at Alice's Tea Cup, first time at Black Seed Bagels, feasting on outdoor eats in Soho, barbeque in Harlem, pizza in Brooklyn, and a fancy meal option on the Upper West Side, just to name a few :)