Holiday Staycation

Benji and I travel so much  throughout the year we are ecstatic to stay at home during the holidays. Christmas and New Years are THE BEST because everything at work slows down, the city empties and we don't celebrate either holiday so we can just chill out. Since Izzy was born we've really enjoyed taking this down time to hang out as a family. Now that Izzy is a non-stop toddler and we were sans-nanny during the holiday, we had to think smart and devised a spreadsheet of things to do pre and post Izzy naps. I'm not kidding! Here are all the activities we did during our two week staycation:

Staycation activities December 22-Jan 4th (from the spreadsheet)
Wed AM: Grand Central train show and Library
Wed PM: Veselka and East Village cookie shop
Thu AM: Sugar Cookies
Thu PM: Christmas dinner with Isaac, Sarah and Anna
Fri AM: Liberty Science Center
Fri PM: Shabbat dinner
Sat AM: China Town
Sat PM: Sesame Street exhibit at NYPL
Sun AM: Swimming
Sun PM: Jewish Children's Museum in Crown Heights
Mon-Tue: Nanny!
Wed AM: Scholastic Store
Wed PM: Natural History Museum and our favorite Indian Restaurant
Thu AM: Visited 6 week old Eli Demby in Brooklyn
Thu PM: Swimming
Fri AM: Nanny!
Fri PM: Shabbat with the Shin's
Sat AM: Hang out in the hood
Sat PM: Thomas the train at the NY Botanical Gardens
Sun AM: Playdate with Avery
Sun PM: Ferry to Ikea and Fairway in RedHook

Hanging with Mom on the subway

Grand Central Train Show at 9am!

Veselka XMas Eve dinner - YUMMY!

Izzy loved the herring and borsch! He eats like an old man

Making sugar cookies

Izzy picked out the shapes he wanted (yes he chose a dog bone). Benji added the chocolate! 

Heading to the Liberty Science Center via ferry - during the weekday there is a ferry that picks up just 5 minutes away and drops us off a short walk away from the Science Center in New Jersey! Only a 10 minute ferry ride! Check out the view. 

Checking out the guitar exhibit

doing science experiments

We trekked to China town (just 20 min walk from us) to find what NY Mag calls one of the best desserts in 2015 - a sesame ball. It wasn't that great - but Izzy liked his treat!

Benji playing with his new/old camera on the way to Xmas dinner

Sadly the best photos of the night are from the Polaroid camera. This was the best digital shot from Xmas dinner at the Wheelers. 

On the steps of Sesame Street at NYPL 

checking out snuffy

Swimming!

At the Jewish Children's Museum in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Across the street is the Chabad Headquarters! We kinda stuck out.

Challah jungle gym

Izzy shopping at the kosher grocery market at the Jewish Children's Museum in Brooklyn. Of course he picked up all the challah's

Having fun in the Shabbat room. Saying the prayer over the candles.

Saying hi to the butterflies

Making himself comfortable in the butterfly room 

Learning about nature at the Nat history museum

Great seats at the Thomas the Train show at the NY Botanical Gardens

Izzy's face watching Thomas. Not sure if he's happy or overwhelmed

We took the real train all the way up to the Bronx to see Thomas and the train show in the Botanical Gardens. I think Izzy's favorite part was the train ride to and from the Bronx!

fooling around at Ikea - Izzy was in his "boat" with a shark