Our very first Christmas tree!

Ever since we met six years ago, Alex and I have talked about getting a Christmas tree for about three minutes in December, and then decided against it. We go to California for the holidays every year, so buying a tree in New York first felt sort of unnecessary. But now that Toby is three—and totally into all things Christmas—we wanted to get a tree for him to decorate and start some family rituals.
So one night last week, after the boys were in bed, Alex snuck out and got a tree from a stand down our block. It was the perfect Goldilocks size: Not too big and not too little. When Toby woke up the next morning, we told him we had a surprise in the living room, and he walked out slowly and completely awestruck. "A tree," he whispered, eyes big as saucers.
We made a plan to decorate it together that evening, so after school, Toby and I went to CVS to buy ornaments. I told him he could pick out whatever he liked, and he chose red bulbs, plastic pinecones and a gold garland. (CVS nailed it!)
But the pièce de résistance was this "Best Teacher!" apple ornament. When we were at CVS, Toby loved it so much and carried it all around the store. I explained that it said, "Best Teacher!" and was really for teachers, and he thought it over for a moment and then asked, "But the pinecones are for boys?" I nodded. So we put the apple ornament back on the shelf, and bought the rest of the decorations. For the rest of the day, however, he kept talking dreamily about the apple ornament and how beautiful it was, so as I was putting him to bed later, I said, "Toby, even though that apple ornament said 'Best Teacher!' it was also so beautiful. Maybe we should just get it, what do you think?" And he said, with the cutest nonchalance, "Yeah, Mama, you know, maybe we should just get it." And so Alex went back to CVS the next day and brought it right home:)
So, that night, we cranked up cheesy Christmas music, and invited our two friends down from the 17th floor to drink spiked egg nog and eat pistachios.
We wrapped 300 tiny white lights around the tree...
...drank too much egg nog...
...and hung the ornaments.
Anton stayed up late (until 8pm!! rock star!!!) to be part of the festivities.
It was such a great night, and I'm excited to start traditions for our family, like always drinking egg nog and eating pistachios, and always giving the boys one special ornament each year. What other rituals and traditions do you have? (People's awesome rituals were so inspiring last year.)
Side note: Now we're just wondering what to put on top of the tree. Do you have a star? An angel? Something different?
Hurray!!! Now that we've seen how awesome it is to have a tree, WE CANNOT BELIEVE WE WAITED THIS LONG!!!! What were we thinking all those years?!!! It makes the house look so cozy, and even getting up for a glass of water in the middle of the night feels festive:) Do you have a Christmas tree? What do you celebrate this time of year? Hope you're having a really wonderful holiday season so far.
(The finished tree from this past weekend:)

(Thanks to our friends R&K for taking most of these photos)

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Who do you look like?

When Anton was born, we were perplexed—he didn't look like anyone in our families. "Who does he look like?" asked all our friends. "No one," we said. "It's a mystery!"

But the other day, Alex and I were watching a Tigers vs. Red Sox baseball game, and I kept staring at the Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer. "He reminds me of someone," I told Alex. "But I can't figure out who." Alex was barely listening to me, since he was trying to focus on the game, but all of a sudden, he turned to me and said, "Oh my God, he looks just like Anton."

It was hilarious. And true.

Who do your kids look like? (You? Another relative? A celebrity?) Do you have a look-a-like?

P.S. Accidental twins, and complete strangers who look exactly like twins.

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The joy of double dates

Last night, Alex and I went out to dinner for one of the first times since Anton was born four months ago. (It felt so good to be out!) We met our friends, and at one point, I looked over at Alex telling everyone a story and was struck by how funny and handsome he looked. We've been in such a new-baby fog recently, but I love that about double dates: You're forced to take a break, see your partner through other people's eyes, and you realize how lucky you are.

Alex, I love you.

P.S. We went to Cafe Cluny, which is our favorite restaurant in NYC; I'd highly recommend it, if you haven't been!

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Happy birthday, Alex!

Alex's birthday was this past Saturday, and I thought I'd share a few photos...
Last year, I was the worst since we were traveling on his birthday and I completely forgot to get him a cake (!) so I wanted to make up for it this year. Alex loves cheesecake, so I ordered one from the fancy French bakery Lady M, which is known for its ridiculously amazing cakes. This cheesecake had a cinnamon graham cracker crust and a thin layer of sweetened sour cream on top. Whattup!
We invited our friends over, along with their two kiddos. (Toby and their daughter have been best friends for years.) They had a tough time waiting for the cake to be cut...
Finally, we sang "Happy Birthday," Alex blew out the candle and we dove right in. It was delicious.
The little foursome! Love how Anton is trying to be part of the action. "Hey guys! Back here! How fun is this, you guys?"
The next day, Alex was running errands, so Toby and I dressed up like him and text him the photos as a joke. I think we kind of nailed it, though? Haha.

Hope you guys are having a good week! Happy birthday, Alex!!! We love you!!! xo

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Getting massages at home!

When the dating and relationships company HowAboutWe reached out to me about going on a NYC date, I really wanted to say yes. But the catch was: Alex and I are pretty homebound in the evenings. We typically put both kids to bed, then eat dinner and pass out ourselves. We miss date nights! We are so boring! We have watched so many 30 Rock reruns!
But then it occurred to me: What if we could have our date at home? I checked out their site, and then I saw it. AT-HOME COUPLES MASSAGES. SAY WHAT?!
Amazing, right?! Who knew that was even a thing?! We were pinching ourselves. Although HowAboutWe began as an online dating site, they've since launched HowAboutWe for Couples—where they help couples find awesome dates. You browse their list of dates, book the ones you like, and go. They take care of all the details. It's great for people who want to do exciting offbeat stuff but don't have time or energy to plan everything themselves.
After living in New York for twelve years, I thought I had figured out almost everything there was to do here. But I was surprised to see dates I’d never thought of: couples astrology readings, old-school Brooklyn food tours, gondola rides in the East River...and, of course, at-home couples massages.
So, after both boys were in bed, we cracked a bottle of rose and put out bowls of nuts, olives and kettle chips...
...and shoved the toys to the side of the room. :)
Two really nice and friendly massage therapists arrived and set up folding massage tables in our living room.
We provided our own sheets and towels, and they put on relaxing spa music with sounds of rainforests and ocean waves.
Needless to say, it was such an incredible date and definitely the coolest night we've had in ages. What a luxurious treat!!! I've been a basketcase recently with a toddler and newborn, so it was so amazing to do this for ourselves and then just roll into bed after the massage (next to Anton's co-sleeper, haha) instead of commuting home.
I'd highly recommend HowAboutWe for Couples, which has so many fun date ideas. You can sign up for free and browse their dates in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle (and they're expanding to new cities soon). BONUS: Get $50 off your first date through this link, until December 31st. Thanks so much, HowAboutWe!

(This post was sponsored by HowAboutWe, a service we now plan to use all the time. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Cup of Jo possible. Photos by our friend Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo, who stopped by at the beginning and left once the massages started haha. Definitely one of the funnier/more surreal blogging photo shoots:)

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Our fourth anniversary

Today is our fourth anniversary! Last night, Alex and I reminisced by looking through photos from when we were first dating...
This was the weekend he met my dad. How cute is he without a beard? (Although I'll never let him shave.)
Alex's old Brooklyn apartment had dark red walls in the living room, which I remember thinking was so cool and masculine when I went over there for the first time. We had a Friday night ritual of listening to music, watching movies and eating too much cheese.
Here we were at our friend's dinner party, looking out at the Manhattan skyline. How amazing was the view from their apartment?!
On our first trip together—to Berlin for ten days. I was so nervous that we'd run out of things to talk about! (We didn't.)
Visiting my grandmother in Cornwall...
...and on a walk with my family. (My grandparents' town is so small that if you send them a letter, you have to write "Polruan-by-Fowey" on the envelope so the mail carrier can figure out how to find it.)
Alex proposed on a sailboat in the Hudson River. The boat kept tilting from side to side, so I had to stick my hand into his backpack so he could put the ring on safely!
Saying our vows four years ago. Best decision I ever made.

Tonight we're sneaking away from the babies and going out to a neighborhood Italian restaurant, Gradisca, where the owner flies his mama in from Bologna to make pasta! And of course we'll meet there:)

Happy Anniversary, Alex! I love you.

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