3rd Annual Cao Family Trip to the Amazing Maize Maze!

So, I know we didn't make it last year, but we've been going to the Queens County Farm Museum every year since Lua was born.  See our very first trip here :)

This year we went as a family of FOUR! and were joined by our dear friends Becca, Audra and her adorable babe, Hugo!  It was just about the perfect day.  

First Trimester, Back Home.

The months of November, December and January have come and gone by like nothing I have ever experienced.  I will try to be brief, as this was a 'trimester' packed full of ups and downs and in betweens and if I tried to elaborate on each and every happening, we would surely be here all day;)

- In late October, we found out we were pregnant with baby Cao #2! (YAY!!!!).  What then proceeded was 8 weeks of puking every day and generally feeling like I could smell EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING made me want to vomit.  This feeling was so much worse than I had with Lua.  So much worse, in fact, that I'm debating ever getting pregnant again.  It sucked.  Especially with a two year old that just wants to play :( Andrew was really the captain of the ship and took over everything,  from cooking to cleaning to taking Lu to play.  I dare anyone to show me a better husband and father ;)

- Canada got cold.  Fast.  Thank goodness for good neighbors, playrooms and indoor swimming.

- Tragically, we did not get to make a Holiday video this year.  We promise to do something before next year, though!

- Andrew had all of 3 days off the entire time we were in Toronto.  Between that and my grossness, we pretty much abandoned all "exploring".

...and that, my friends, sums up our Canadian experience.  Pretty fun, no?...

- Now that we're back, we have been furiously looking for a new apartment.  And while staying with uncle Buster is pretty fun, we're totally ready to have our own space.  It's proven to be much more difficult finding a two bedroom in our budget, in a good neighborhood than we'd previously thought.  We're actually supposed to hear today about an offer we put in on a place.  So, cross your fingers and toes that our search can be over!

- It's COLD here, too!  Uncle Buster had a broken boiler and we were out of heat and hot water for a few days, which was actually kinda fun?.....but - I'm not a huge fan of the winter months and am really looking forward to the spring.  I know it could be a long while yet, but a girl can dream...

- I'm feeling 200% better.  Whew.  Still don't know if I want to go through that again, but man, does it feel good to be hungry again!

- Andrew starts rehearsals again on MONDAY.  Where did January go?

I think that's a recap!  Hopefully, as we get settled back into our NYC lives,  I'll be back here more often, too ;)

discovering this city.

Lu and I are trying to get outside as much as we can while the weather is still above freezing (not for much longer!) here in Toronto.  We haven't explored the subway system yet, but have an abundance of fun sights right near our "home"!

We are all quickly adjusting to this new life and home.  Can I say again that it was a good idea to splurge for the apartment with a pool? and a playroom? Ya.  This winter is going to be cake compared to our last winter in NYC.  Watch, I just wrote that and tomorrow Lu will hate the pool for some reason;)  The one thing I have to say that I miss compared to our old neighborhood is the lack of green and playground space.  I mean, I get it - we're living in the equivalent of Times Square, but that playground you see in those pictures up there?  I had to search and search to find it and it's a 30 minute walk away :(  Good thing it's going to snow in, like, 5 minutes!

Part Two.

At the beginning of the month, I wrote about getting the heck out of NYC for a bit.  Our first trip this summer to Colorado did not disappoint.  After being in the mountains for a week, the city seemed to be moving even faster - the people, well, I don't even want to talk about our flight home :(.  Lucky for us, we didn't have to wait too long for trip #2: THE MIDWEST!

Beautiful as they may be, the mountains cannot compete (in my heart) with the prairie.  The tall grass and sweeping, calm sunsets...the thunderstorms with big, fat rain...the Platte River.  The Platte River.

I mean

It's hard not to love.  Also, now that we have an almost two year old in tow, it is SO SO SO nice to have a bunch of family around to keep an eye on her.  She is literally jumping down flights of stairs one minute and begging to be held the next, so I have never been more thankful to have lots of helping hands around to keep her occupied.

Right now, Andrew is busy choreographing ANYTHING GOES at my old stomping ground (he never stops) and I'm so excited to see the "final" product on Monday.  This weekend is supposed to be cooler (please! anything under 99 degrees!) and we hope to spend some more time with my middle brother Evan and his wife Emily (with whom Lua is OBSESSED).  On Wednesday, we leave Nebraska for a bit more of the Midwest - Wisconsin!  I'm glad that our adventures get to continue and that we will be surrounded by even more family :)  When we get back to the city, we have a month to pack up all our stuff, get it into storage and get ready for our biggest and final trip - CANADA!  More to come on that soon!  For now, I am trying to just slow down and enjoy the good life ;)

 

 

 

 

Hope you have a fun and safe Labor Day!