Weekend Warriors

Well, it was a somewhat sad Halloween this year, as it was the first time in 7 years that we couldn't host our annual Spatz-Duck Halloween Extravaganza. You don't realize how attached you've become to a place and the traditions that go along with it until you leave it all behind. We missed you on October 31, D.C.!

That said, it was a pretty eventful weekend for Chris, Orange Seed, and I. For Halloween, we decided to take in both of the NY/NJ Halloween parade extremes. We started out the day by watching the Hoboken Annual Ragamuffin Parade. I knew there were a lot of little kids in Hoboken - seriously, every other person you see is either pushing a stroller or clearly pregnant - that said, there were more kids at this parade than seemed possible. The costumes were impressive and we're definitely planning to dress Orange Seed up and walk him/her in the parade next year. There were some brilliant family costumes. For one family, both parents dressed as doctors and their little boy was dressed in a big green germ costume labeled H1N1. In another, both parents dressed in NASA caps and jumpsuits, while pushing their little one in a stroller that had been remade into a shuttle, with their little boy dressed in an astronaut suit riding front and center. Chris and I are already plotting how to outdo them all next year and win the coveted Ragamuffin Costume Contest Ribbon.

That night, we went to a slightly different kind of parade. For those who don't know, NYC has one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) Halloween parades in the country. It runs up 6th Avenue from Spring Street to 21st and it is AMAZING. This is a huge deal and though anyone in costume can walk, there are some big floats and a lot of "professional" parade groups who come fully decked out with themes and puppets and stilts and theater-quality costumes...it is really something. Few highlights below:



Overall, though the Halloween decorations stayed in the box this year, not a bad Halloween night at all. I even got a little dressed up since skipping a year of costumes just didn't seem right.


The other exciting thing Orange Seed and the parentals-to-be got to experience this weekend was the NYC Marathon on Sunday. 42,000 runners and over 2-million people lining the streets to watch, it was really the most amazing thing to witness. The energy was incredible. Now that I know the "Bob" running stroller is strong enough for "marathon distances", I'm thinking...goal for next year? Who's in?

The Winners:



and Those Who Inspire:

I'm so glad we went. It was such an incredible thing to watch. So much excitement, so much emotion...If you haven't been, definitely join us next year. You can come just to watch, don't worry. :)