NYC...

Brad had a finance conference in NYC this past week and his parents were kind enough to come watch our boys so I could go with him! I love love love NYC with all my heart and have been looking forward to this for months! I knew that being 8.5 months pregnant wouldn't allow me to do everything I wanted to, but I did get a lot of R&R which was very much appreciated as well. We stayed on the 41st floor of the Marriott right in Times Square. This was the view from our room...

 Here we are on Brad's first NYC subway ride (he mocked me for thinking this occasion was cause for a picture)...

 And here we are standing in line to see the Statue of Liberty for Brad's first time...

 Small world, we discovered that one of Brad's best friends from high school, Nick, was going to be in NYC at the same time we were. He came with us to see Liberty...

 Proof for my baby girl that she's been to  New York (since both of her brothers have and I don't know when the next time will be that we'll be back)...

 While on the subway this band entered right next to us and serenaded us in between stops...

 I love the movie "You've Got Mail" and I love the west side of Manhatten. I made Brad walk all over there with me and take a photo with me at Riverside park.

 We were lucky enough to see "Wicked" while we were there which was great...

 We also saw "In the Heights" which won the 2008 Tony award for best music. We really liked the show, but the best part was seeing Brad's other friend from high school, Zach, who's the music conductor of the show. He took us on a tour of the set and back stage after the show was over...

Other things I want to remember:
**How kind and courteous New Yorkers were to me because of my pregnancy. When I walked onto the subway 10 people would stand up to give me their seat. While standing in what was probably a 2 hour line at the TKTS booth a worker came and took me to the front of the line (this happened twice)! We had people offer free food, give me hugs, and congratualte me a number of times. I was touched.
**Levain bakery. The cookies were to die for!
** Just walking around, hand-in-hand, with the man in my life. This is only the second time we've left our kids overnight and it was nice to just be "us" for a few days.

So long, New York! I can't wait to go back!

Dear Fairy God Mother...

I want an Ergo baby carrier
And a DSLR camera so I can take nice pictures of my baby girl (now that Katie doesn't live 3 hours away)
I really really really REALLY want my neighbor (the one we share walls with) to stop smoking, and
My boys need snow pants
and boots
And I'm thinking a baby swing might be a good idea
so my sweet babe doesn't get accidentally trampled with two big brothers who are constantly running around and wrestling
The craigslist in my hometown STINKS
And Goodwill and Kid2Kid don't have the things I want or the sizes I need...

If you should decide to fulfill my wish list
I wouldn't mind if you threw in someone to come clean my window sills and windows
And a personal trainer to help me lose the inevitable baby weight
And if you could make it possible for her to weigh less than 9 pounds --
My body and I would greatly appreciate it

For now I'll count my many blessings (because I truly do realize that there are many)
And I'll stop online shopping [dreaming]
And I'll go to bed (and maybe clean a window or two on my way up the stairs)...
Good night.

Half of a decade...

 My dearest Nicky boy had a birthday today! He's been looking forward to this day for a long time and we had a blast! I can't believe he's 5...

We started this morning with presents, his favorite breakfast and then he had hours of free time without me inflicting chores and structure. :) He went from one new toy/activity to another, and also had a dear friend stop by to visit and drop off a present. 

Around 1:00 I finally made him get dressed and we went bowling as a family (his choice). When the extremely nice man working at the bowling alley found out it was Nick's birthday he let us all bowl for free and brought over a complimentary pizza and a pitcher of soda! After that we decided we could afford to go get ice cream, and we did. :)

 The evening was spent making and eating his favorite cake (white cake with white frosting and sprinkles) and playing Yahtzee junior. He didn't have to clean up his toys and we let him stay up later than usual. No wonder this kid loves his birthdays!

 Katie took Nick's birthday pictures when we were in UT at the end of August and of course I love them!

 I am constantly amazed by this boy's imagination. He loves it when we have empty boxes and comes up with endless activities to do with them. He made this one into a house -- the milk carton on top is the chimney, the diaper box is his fireplace and the diapers inside the box is the wood.

Happy Birthday, Nick! I hope you know how special you are and how happy we are to have you in our family!

We love the BEACH...

Just like last year, our wonderful friends invited us to spend the weekend with them at Fenniwick beach in Delaware. We added 4 more adults and 3 more kids to the group this year, making a total of 8 adults and 8 kids ages 4 and under! Because it was September, the crowds were s p a r s e and the water was warm. We loved every second of it -- enjoying the beach, the beach house, and mostly spending time with wonderful friends.

Nothing entertained the kids (and the dads, too) like sand and water. Nick even ventured into the water this year and Chase got much nearer to it this year than last.

 When we moved away from family we had a lot of people tell us that our friends would become our family, and how right they were! Katie, Alyssa, and Becky have been such a blessing in my life.

 Sand castle/boat/whale...you decide...

 Chase was so happy just to sit and watch the water, especially when Brad was out body boarding

 This was Nick's attempt to join in Brad's (and Craig's and Spencer's and the other Brad's) fun!

 Nick and Chase being chased by the sea monster that the tide washed in...

It was such a beautiful weekend! We'll miss our friends Brad and Becky when they move next month, and we'll especially miss them when September comes next year! :) We'll do it again, someday...