Hello February! Lets jump right in…
This week I saw Little Women at Studio Park downtown with some girlfriends from church and it was really really good! Full disclosure, I had never seen or read the story of Little Women and so, to no surprise to those who have read the book… my eyes were like leaky faucets. And for those that are in the same boat as I was before this week, Little Women is a tale loosely based on its author (Jo) and her three sisters (Meg, Beth & Amy). Each of the sisters is different but I found myself relating to each of them in different ways. Meg is the responsible one who takes care of her family. She made me want to be more caring. Jo (the main character) is the fiery sister who paves her own path. She made me want to be stronger. Beth is shy, musical and the peacemaker, and she made me want to be more patient. And Amy is the youngest who’s treated as such throughout the story. She’s vain and a bit self-centered. Amy made me want to work on those things about myself. And lastly, watching their story played out on the big screen made me wish that I had sisters.
Last weekend Thomas was invited to his very first big boy birthday party at R Athletics which is located off 28th and Cascade Rd. That, plus officially ditching his diapers… it was a pretty big weekend for him. Thomas had a blast at the ninja themed party and honestly, I think his switch to underwear made him more agile through the ninja obstacle course - pretty strategic timing on his part.
Both kids have been doing ‘swimmingly’ with their lessons each Monday night at Wealthy Pool. The goal is to have them both confident in the water without their swimmies by springtime. This summer at the lake is bound to be a whole new world for us considering swim lessons, potty training and dropping Thomas’ afternoon naps. We’re turning a corner, my friends, and the future looks bright!
We took the kids downtown last weekend to check out the Prismatica art exhibit. The exhibit is one that you could spend 5 minutes with (and consider it seen) or a full hour because while the art was cool, the people watching was even better! During our 15 mins there we saw an entire wedding party bail out of a bus for a few photos, a mom and daughter duo who I can only guess were snapping photos for senior pictures or social media (girl was in a short sleeved dress and heels and had to be freezing), high schoolers who were very clearly on a group date, young families trying to snap a good pic of their kids (guilty) and people who I think had simply stumbled up on the display and looked utterly confused as to what was going on. The prisms themselves were large and spun around upon heavy concrete platforms. There are chimes on the interior of the sculptures but unfortunately they were broken. We recommend for the best experience that you visit at night time because they light up!
We were joined by some friends at Prismatica and made a night out of it by grabbing dinner afterwards at Big E’s just down the street. Big E’s is located inside the Embassy Suites Hotel off North Monroe. We didn’t have a reservation which could have been a disaster with a group of 6 adults and 6 kids, but the manager was extremely hospitable and we only waited 15 mins or so. The sports bar ended up being perfect for the group: loud, good kids menu, lots of TV screens and a giant table that sat the entire group.
We recently grabbed dinner with Jeff’s parents at Grove in East Hills. It had been over a year since we’d last visited and we were happy to find that both their service and food is still excellent. After dinner we grabbed a few drinks at Buffalo Traders to finish up the night. They head to Palm Springs in a few weeks for the rest of the winter and it was nice to have some one on one time.
I finally made it over to the not-so-new-anymore Rise Bake Shop + Squibb Coffee Bar on the Westside. I was very impressed with the space and the dessert counter. It was warm and welcoming and the coffee was very tasty. I put a couple pics on Yelp and gave it 5 stars! It’s located just down the street from John Ball Zoo which will be convenient later this summer for trips with the kids.
The rest of the last two weeks have been filled with a Sip & See party welcoming the newest resident of the Ottawa Hills Neighborhood, enjoying the Super Bowl (and the buzz worthy halftime show) with friends at their home where they hosted an impressive amount of people (kids included), and last Sunday we attended the very first, official, Mars Hill Grand Rapids gathering - it’s happening!
ON DECK: The next two weeks we’re looking forward to…
Winter Family Day @ FMGs is this Saturday from 1-4pm.
Watching the Oscars this Sunday night at 8p!
Book Club - I am hosting this month and already finished the book: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. It’s worth a read if you need an entertaining book.
Valentines Day @ The Sovengard.
POSTSCRIPT: Stuff worth mentioning…
The Last Word (cocktail) from Buffalo Traders Lounge. Pro Tip (that I recently learned): it’s not listed on their menu.
All Celebration Cinemas offer T.A.C.O. Tuesday weekly which means $6 movie tickets! Also, Tuesdays they have All Day Happy Hour!
R Athletics offers Date Night Drop Off events for kids ages 4-8 from 6-10p every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month.
The refreshed and expanded Pink Lemonade in Gaslight Village opens tomorrow, Friday Feb. 6th - just in time for all the spring babies about to arrive.
A Buckeye from Rise Authentic Baking Co. Great place to grab coffee with a friend! Plus if your vegan or gluten free, they’ve got you covered.
