Kaya & Krew Turn Two: A Montrose Birthday Adventure

Turning two deserves some small adventures, so we spent the day wandering through Montrose with Kaya and Krew—spaghetti, ice cream, and a little green space in between.

We started at Paulie's—our first time there, which feels like one of those "how did we not know about this place sooner?" moments. The pasta is generous, the vibe is warm, and nobody blinks when toddlers make a mess of their meatballs. The twins went all in on their spaghetti (as they should), and honestly, watching them tackle noodles with that specific brand of two-year-old determination never gets old. The bittersweet part? We just discovered it, and it's closing at the end of this month after 27 years. That's the thing about Houston—you can live here your whole life and still stumble onto neighborhood gems just as they're saying goodbye or just beginning.

After lunch, we wandered over to Mandell Park. It's not your typical playground park—it's more of a hidden garden tucked into the city, with native plants, vegetables, quiet paths, and the kind of calm that makes you forget you're blocks from Westheimer. The twins ran around, pointed at butterflies, and generally reminded us that sometimes the best part of a birthday is just being outside with people you love.

We finished the day at Jeni's for Birthday Cake ice cream, because what's a birthday without a little sugar?

Two years with these two. Houston keeps showing up as the backdrop to our best days, and I'm grateful for neighborhoods like Montrose that make it easy to celebrate the small, perfect moments. Here's to more adventures, more mess, and more reasons to explore this city we call home.

Photographs by Caylee Loville