John and Dor make the trek to the big city

This past weekend, my parents came up for a trip to see the new place and spend some time with us in the city. We did a walking tour of the neighborhood and showed them some of our favorite places. They were amazed how close everything was to us, and thought it was a really "cool" place :) After a brief happy hour at home, we went to Pietro's on South Street for dinner. Michael and his cousins used to go there a lot when he lived up here before, and we've been several times when visiting. The food is delicious and I love the relaxed atmosphere. The only downfall? I had forgotten how LARGE the food portions were! We left with three to-go boxes! That said, we had a fantastic dinner of leftovers Sunday night :) Apparently, there is a Rita's a few miles from where they live in Virginia but they had never been, so we introduced them to water ice as well. On Sunday, after Michael made breakfast for everyone (thanks MBT!), we took a 2-mile walk along Kelly Drive. They got to see lots of statues (Dad had to stop to read EVERY inscription...those who know him should not be surprised by this!), Historic Boathouse Row, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the famous Rocky statue! Not only is this area one of (if not my absolute) favorites in the city, my Mom always asks "Where are you in relation to Rocky?? Are you near Rocky??" The funny part is, she had never seen Rocky anyway (the statue, not the movie), so the question was moot. That said, I wanted her to see this iconic statue she asks about and I think they had a nice time. It was a gorgeous day with a light breeze, and people were out on the Schuylkill River in their kayaks and dragon boats...very picturesque.

After Kelly Drive, we took them to Rustica for a slice of pizza. Although I know we all liked it, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say my Mom would have married the pizza if she could have! She couldn't stop raving about it and even talked about it that night when she called to let us know they got home safely! I'm glad we introduced them to it, and they've already said it needs to be a stop anytime they come up again in the future. Done and done!

Pietro's on South Street

Historic Boathouse Row

Looking down Kelly Drive, boathouses on the left

Back of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Rocky!

View from the top of the back of the museum

Misleh, Party of 2.5

Last weekend, Christine and Rommie came up for a visit/eating tour of Philly and we managed to hit up several destinations in a short 24-hour time frame. Among them: Chickie's and Pete's, Reading Terminal Market, Brown Betty's, Rita's, and El Camino Real. It was our first time at RTM and it did not disappoint. Name a type of food or dessert and this place has it! It was amazing- a "fat kid's heaven" as Rommie described it. Fresh seafood, fruits, vegetables, port and beef sandwiches galore, chocolates, sweets, even a beer garden! RTM had it all and I highly recommend it to our foodie friends out there! The boys tried Dinic's famous Roast Pork & Beef sandwich (Rommie's with broccoli rabe, MBT's without), per Adam Richman's advice. It was a big hit and the ladies had to convince the men not to eat the entire sandwich, so as to leave room for dinner at El Camino Real. It was a good choice, because the food portions there were hefty and delicious!

We were really glad they were able to make the trip and I especially give Christine credit, being 8 months pregnant and all! Something tells me BBM will love visiting Reading Terminal Market one day :) Below is a picture of the famous Dinic's sandwich. YUM!

2011: The Year of the Baby

In case you haven't heard, having a baby is soooo in right now. Everyone's doing it- Natalie, Pink, Posh, Jewel, Kate, Ivanka. So far this year, I've had three baby showers (one I had to miss, so technically it would be four if I went) and I still have two more to go! And that includes only my closest friends, not mentioning extended friends and family! Twice I've been back to Virginia for baby showers; first, for Christine and second, for Katherine. Both were thoroughly enjoyable and I was so happy to see my friends again!

First up in 2011, there was William Hinson. He decided to come 10 days early and it threw Mommy and Daddy for a loop, but we were all really excited to meet him, so it was okay. He really started the whole baby trend :) Here is the smiley boy with Mommy.

Then there was Chase Neubert. Unlike his future BFF Will, Chase wanted to wait at least five days after his due date to be born...and even then, he put up quite a fight! I think Mommy was probably happier than anyone else when he finally came into the world, and we all welcomed him with open arms!

On deck: Baby Boy Misleh. Here are a few pictures from Christine's baby shower, although I have to admit that the second picture is somewhat fraudulent, as it comes from her brown shower. For some reason, I wasn't invited to that one ;) JK JK. Either way, super cute decorations that I wanted to share. BBM will be here in three short weeks, and Mommy and Daddy are both very eagerly awaiting his arrival.

Renea, Cari, me and Christine

 

 

 

 

 

Cookies are a critical part of a pregnant lady's diet!

About a month after Christine's shower, we had Katherine's! It was really a special treat because she lives in California now, so visits are far and few between. In addition to native Virginia friends, friends from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York also came...it was great to see everyone and catch  up. Little Harper will make her debut it about two months and like her parents, I am sure she will be an amazing, lovely person!

Casey, Katherine, me, and Liz

Casey is very crafty!

She did all of this! Amazing hostess!

By the end of the year, we will also welcome a baby boy for the Essamas, and a yet-to-be-determined boy or girl for the Cliffords!!!


Babies. So hot right now.