Perfection, From the Coffee to the Yellow Brick Wall

The best laid plans...

This Mother's Day, I had two conflicting desires: to sleep all day, relinquishing all motherly duties and/or enjoy an action-packed family Sunday funday adventure.

The "funday" I had in mind involved a Staycation Mama-inspired outing to Russian Brighton Beach and Coney Island, but when my husband scoffed at how long it would take to get there (an hour and a half!!! ugh the subway is slow...) I decided to abandon my expectations and just go with the flow. 3 hours of traveling wasn't high on my list of things to do. And that relaxed mentality plus uninterrupted quality time with my perfect little family made the day so special.

We all slept a bit late. I could've stayed in bed as late as I wanted but I wanted to make the most of the day. I opened my gift - a Clarisonic gift set from Sephora and a beautifully worded card from my husband about how I raised "a sweet and adorable little girl with an exuberant spirit and playful curiosity about the world around her" and actually included the line "thank you for producing such wonderful offspring". I love him! Classic Rob card.

While I played with Savvy, Rob made omelets for breakfast and immediately cleaned the dishes and the whole kitchen - something I always procrastinate about. I brewed coffee using my new French Press - a gift from my mother-in-law - and all the rumors are true. The coffee was smooth and tastier than drip. And Rob cleaned it. We make a great team on co-parenting days.

Then Savvy painted me pictures and we experimented with bubble wrap printing a la every-parenting-blog-on-the-planet.

After our shower and naps (and after Rob took a brief trip to the urgent care center for an infected bug bite -- good times), I got dressed in my springy Mother's Day ensemble and we headed to Carl Schurz Park followed by dinner at Cafe D'Alsace. 

Savvy likes to push her baby doll, while I push an empty stroller. I guess that makes me look a little nuts.

My Mother's Day Outfit: Dress - H&M | Necklace - faux J.Crew (It's from Ebay. Shaaaaaame on me.)

Baby doll had a lady bug visitor. Savvy reacted with extreme anxiety. See next photo...

Lots of tears no matter how much I told her lady bugs were good luck.

All better. She always poses so nicely with her daddy. Every picture of them is frame-able.

Cafe D'Alsace - my go-to restaurant for brunch, family lunches, and the occasional date with myself.

An after-diner pitstop to climb stairs and practice balance.

We found a backdrop that matched my dress!!! Just like last year's red door Mother's Day photo.

My shoes are Mia from Francesca's Collections and Savvy's are Mooshu Trainers.

Another shot inspired by last year's photos.

More balancing :) Time to register for gymnastics class!

A good day with the loves of my life.

When Savvy was a newborn, I told her each day that she made my life better (often with tears in my eyes). My life was great before her, but with her in it, each minute is amplified. We have more to talk about now, but this Mother's Day I made sure to go back to the origins of our conversations by telling her over and over again that she made my life better. It's true.