Conley and Friends: Little Valentines and NYC Take Two

My Valentine's post is a few days late, but Conley and I had a lot of fun last week getting ready for the big day! He was much more involved this year in making his Valentines and I think his favorite part this time around was the stamps - that sure was a mess, but fun for him! We made the first few cards with glitter as well, but I soon abandoned that plan - I'm sure all of the recipient's moms appreciated that move as well! It took us a few days to get through them all this year because we had to make an extra 13 for Conley's classmates and teachers. I think they turned out really cute in the end though and Conley enjoyed the process! He had a blast at his school party and is still toting around his Valentine box and inspecting all of his Valentines. It is so fun to experience these holidays through his eyes, especially as he gets a little older!

I've never been a big Valentine's Day fan and prefer to stay out of restaurants that night, but my mom had offered to babysit so we opted for a late lunch at Sway - probably my second favorite restaurant in Austin. It is definitely a different experience without Conley, so we really got to enjoy our pad thai jay (among other yummy dishes), but I was bummed that the "soy" dessert was no longer on the menu. The replacement just was not the same! We had a great lunch though and it was nice to spend the rest of the day at home with our little cupid. It did end on a sad note though when Conley grabbed the brownie pan and burned his little hand - so sad! After a good cry and alternating between running his hand under water and holding an ice pack, he did eventually recover with no trace of the burn (I think a couple extra brownies is what really did the trick).

The final product - the one Conley made for us had a little less bling,
but the general idea was the same!

In other news, I finally got a new pair of running shoes and they sure are bright! I technically never took up running again after I got pregnant with Conley - after getting through the nausea, I stuck with walking and since then our morning walks with a stroller and two big dogs just didn't seem conducive to running, although I know many people do it. I think I'm just a little more clumsy than others! All that to say that my last pair of running shoes was probably at least three years old - and in desperate need of replacement. I've been loyal to the classic grey New Balance running shoes for my last two purchases, so I thought it was time to finally break the rut. I've seen the super colorful neon running shoes become very popular and I was resistant at first, but they finally grew on me and I gave in. I stayed true to my New Balance roots though and went with the 1400. I got them in the mail last night and am actually pretty excited about them - yes, they are loud but I really like the color combo and they are extremely lightweight - not nearly as bulky as my usual pair. I'm going to take them for a test-drive this afternoon, so we'll see how they do. Since I'm not an avid marathon runner or anywhere close to that, I imagine they will work out just fine!

As for our soon-approaching NYC trip, I am still doing some final planning and keeping my fingers crossed that the weeks of record snow they have had lets up by next weekend. Although it might be fun to be stranded in NYC a few extra days, I really hope our flight doesn't get delayed or cancelled due to weather. In the meantime, here are a few memories from Conley's second trip to the big city last year, at about 14 months.