We had a really great visit last week with my sister and I can’t recall ever taking so many photos on a trip before. I had a tough time choosing which ones to share so this post is a tad on the image heavy side. Hopefully they load quickly and aren’t too annoying for you all.

So we arrived in NYC on July 4th and pretty much headed straight to my brother-in-law Julian’s office party/bbq at The Lab. Their building is amazing and the rooftop decks had fantastic views of the fireworks over the river. It was Stella’s first time seeing a large fireworks display and she loved it. She had the best view sitting on Matt’s shoulders and she had enough sugar and sweets to keep her awake well into the evening. The food, beer, and music were really good and we had so much fun we are looking into making this an annual 4th of July tradition.

The following day was spent on the beach at Coney Island. Hot dogs at Nathan’s was Matt’s one goal of the entire trip. Done. We had a relaxing afternoon on the sand and finished the day with a ride on The Wonder Wheel. The kids loved it and the adults tolerated it.

Wednesday we drove out to the children’s museum in Staten Island. Another borough checked off the list and the kids had lots of fun running and playing. Once back in Brooklyn we stopped in Red Hook to walk down by the harbor and snap some photos.

I really fell a little bit in love with that neighborhood and honestly we did not want to stop taking pictures. But the kids were getting restless so we wrapped up our little photo shoot and headed back to the apartment for pizza and beers and bedtime for the littles. Matt and I stayed up chatting with Julian until later than necessary and Roxi of course fell asleep early. I couldn’t really blame her as we were all worn out from the whirlwind visit.

Now we are back in St. Louis missing my sister and the fun times but enjoying the air conditioning at home and at the store.  I used to think I was a “city girl” at heart but the older I get the more appreciation I have for life in the suburbs. But the city is a fantastic place to visit. Thanks for having us Rox!