Mom turned 60!

Mom turned 60 on March 10th!  60...can you believe it?

My mom has taught me how to be a great mom and a great wife--- two of the most important roles in my life.  She takes such good care of my dad and I hope that I can do the same for Andy.  As a stay at home mom with a husband who works very long hours all the time, I think it is easy for me to just focus on the kids. However, I often think of my mom and how she always thinks about my dad and takes such good care of him.

Mom and Dad on their wedding day in  December 1972!

She is exactly what you think of when you think of a mom. She is the best cook (my kids like her cooking way more than they like mine).  She is the most genuine and caring person I have ever met.  She is funny and silly and crazy and makes everything that she does a fun experience.   She would do anything for her children and her grandchildren and the rest of her family.   She always puts other people before herself and is completely selfless.

Mom, Chris, me and Mike on a fun family vacation.

For her birthday, I invited her to NYC to spend a few days with us.  Dad came the first day so we could have a fun girls day while he watched the kids.  Our day started by walking to the hospital to meet Andy for my 20 week anatomy scan.  I have been really anxious about this appointment because I wanted to make sure everything was okay with the baby so it was nice to have my husband and my Mom with me.  Thankfully, the baby is perfect!  We decided not to find out if the baby is a boy or girl, but we did found out that the baby is measuring large - in the 90%!  Mom loved seeing the baby and was so excited guessing if it is a girl or boy (she thinks girl) and talking about what he/she is going to look like.  She loved the little feet and fingers and adorable nose.

Is it a boy or girl foot?

So cute!

After the ultrasound, Mom and I took a cab to the West Village and we had lunch at Del Posto.  YUM!  We went to this restaurant because it is owned by two of Mom's favorite chefs- Lydia Bastianich and Mario Batali.  We had so much fun at our very fancy lunch!  We giggled when they brought over a stool for our purses (we thought they wanted us to put our feet up) and we ate every last crumb of our very delicious meal.

Delicious! 

After lunch, we headed to Chelsea Market to explore the shops and walk around.  I had never been there before, so it was a new experience for me too.  Mom loved all of the specialty food shops- especially this one shop that had lots of interesting Italian pastas.  She also loved being in the same space as where her beloved Food Network is taped.

I had to drag Mom our of the pasta aisle.  

Mom loves the Food Network and I wish we could have seen some of her favorite celebrity chefs.  

After Chelsea Market we headed to the The High Line, which is an elevated park that I have been wanting to visit.  We had a nice time enjoying the view, admiring the design of the park, and talking about how beautiful it is going to be in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom.

It turned into a beautiful day.

A nice oasis in the busy city!

I talk to my Mom on the phone at least twice a day, even if it is just for a minute.  When I go to Collingswood to visit she tucks me in bed at night even though I am 33.  Mom, I love you. You are the best mom and my best friend.  Happy Birthday!

My wedding day in December 2002.