PA Holidays #5: All About Abbie

Towards the end of my visit to PA, I had the immense pleasure of seeing my good friend Abbie in New York City!!! Abbie used to live one building away from me in Wymount in Provo, but because Tim and I moved out at the end of summer 2006, it's been over THREE years since I've seen her. Over that time, she and her husband Forrest moved with their baby boy to Texas to start a new job; they had a baby girl; and then they relocated again to NYC so that Forrest could start medical school at Columbia (P&S). Whoo!! Thanks to blogs, I've been able to keep up with Abbie during all these adventures, and a little over two weeks ago, I was finally able to see her IN PERSON!!! YAAAAAAAAY!!! (Super shout-out to Tim, who stayed in Lansdale with Weston so that I could travel in peace. Honey, thank yooooouuuuu!!)

Jean and Abbie:

As you may have noticed, Abbie is stunningly gorgeous. I think she looks like Liv Tyler with a little bit of Natasha Bedingfield mixed in. It's no wonder that she has ridiculously adorable children. Here's Eli:

And here's Audrie:

They are bundles of pure joy. It was so wonderful to get to know them after only seeing them in photo-form for so long!! Most of the pictures that I got feature Audrie, since Eli is a whole lot more active and moves a little too fast sometimes for my camera to capture. But look at this cuteness!!

I learned from watching Abbie (as I always learn from my two-children friends) that it's not easy being a mom to two children, especially when they're little and very energetic. But I also learned from watching Abbie that it is so wonderful and entirely doable. She somehow, magically, manages to split herself all day long between caring for Audrie and addressing her needs, and giving Eli the attention that he requires, too (all the while also cooking, cleaning, erranding, and doing all those other fun mom things!). She has really, REALLY got her act together. I hope I can be as attentive and synchronized as she is when I have two children!

After visiting with Abbie and her kids for a while in her home, she asked me what I'd like to do, and I made a special request. So, she took us all on a field trip! Now like I said, it's not easy raising two kids. But it's extra-not-easy raising two kids in the city. Holy cow, it's hard!!! But if anyone can do it with grace and determination, it's Abbie. She's only been in NYC for a few months now, but already she knows the ropes. She's a subway pro, and she is so nonchalant about navigating the city in the cold with a double stroller. She's basically like a young mom version of Sex and the City.

Look at these cuties on the subway!!

I love this picture... look at Eli's face!! Haha!

This sounds really dorky and touristy, but it's fun to ride the subway (especially when you're just tagging along with someone else who knows exactly what to do). The not fun part? Carrying a double stroller (complete with two children inside) up two flights of stairs to the street, which was really more like four flights of stairs since there was a break half-way up each flight. HOLY SCHNIKIES. I was literally gasping for breath at the top of all those stairs. I bet Abbie has developed some serious guns from living in the city and carrying children all the time when the elevators are broken. SO HARD. SO HARD. But we made it, and I survived, and Abbie was very supportive, and now I'm even stronger. :-)

Our first destination was the Imagine Mosaic in Central Park:

In memory of John Lennon, we took the mosaic's advice:

Then we wandered through the city a bit!! Having grown up just two hours from the Big Apple, I've had the opportunity a number of times in my life to visit and explore. But being there with Abbie that day made me realize how much I love big, tight, bustling, East Coast cities. Sigh. Plus, it was a sunny, chilly day, so it was especially beautiful.

Eli and Audrie got good and bundled for our voyage. They are troopers!! Look at this cute little peekaboo:

And..... TA DA!!! It's Magnolia Bakery on Columbus Avenue!!! YAAAAAAAY!!!

I've been hearing good things (very good things) about Magnolia Bakery for several years, ever since I started becoming obsessed with Sprinkles and Dots and other gourmet baked goods. But Magnolia has always felt like the one that started it all. And you guys, I discovered some hardcore sugary goodness there. HARDCORE. (And did you hear that they're opening a Magnolia Bakery here in LA? Sweeeeeeet!)

Check this place out:

Whenever I'm in a shop like this, I usually go for a cupcake. But that day, I took the sign's advice and bought something that I've never gotten at a bakery before:

That banana pudding was beyond sensational. It had big, soft chunks of vanilla wafers mixed in, and it was so creamy and so rich that it almost had the consistency of ice cream (if the ice cream were at room temperature). It was heavenly. Thank you, Abbie, and thank you, Magnolia, for forever changing my perception of banana pudding. :-)

Abbie's selections did not disappoint, either. She got a mini pumpkin pecan cheesecake:

... and a peanut butter blondie:

(Is your mouth watering yet?) Naturally, we first took pictures of our delicacies:

And then we tucked in! YUM!

It was a lovely time. Abbie's kids were SO well-behaved the entire time. Towards the end of our stop at Magnolia, they received their reward/bribe: Starbursts and mini candy canes!!

Isn't Abbie so cute with her kids??

Abbie, I love you! Thank you for such an awesome visit! I can't wait to do it again!!!