Rockefeller Christmas

Here are a few pictures from some jaunts we have made to Rockefeller this month. We find ourselves heading to this area quite a bit. It tends to be cleaner than most areas of Manhattan, less crowded than Times Square and with more "family friendly" advertisements (aka no half naked billboards), and has some of the best shopping. We also find ourselves in the Bryant Park Area- just a few blocks south which is becoming equally nice- and close to dad's work which means we can stop in any time for a free hot chocolate and snacks :). The first picture is of the girls and I posing in front of some giant Christmas Lights. The funny thing was- neither of the girls had any idea what these were until they were told. They also had these huge Christmas bulb-like decorations. The second picture is taken of Marc and the kids outside St. Patrick's Cathedral. We came back tonight (the 22nd) and to show the girls the Snowflake show and window displays of Saks Fifth Avenue- while we were there Marc stopped in to buy me a few last minute Christmas gifts. Wait, that was my dream last night :) There was no shopping to be done..... but we did get a glimpse of the Rockefeller tree from far off and that was a treat.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We were fortunate this year to have family in town so we could host a Thanksgiving Dinner. My sister Doreen, her husband Matt and their baby Hunter came in from the D.C area, and my sister Mary came flew in from Utah to celebrate. We had a nice Thanksgiving- lots of turkey and the works. We had pies galore (pecan, pumpkin, apple and cran-raspberry) to eat afterward. We were able to eat dinner in the Party Room of our building, and catch the Parade, and a few games in the process. It was fun to watch the kids interact. Owen and Hunter have become buds on this trip. After feasting we headed into Manhattan to see some sights. We went to Times Square, and headed over to Marc's office on 5th Ave to see where he works, and enjoy some hot chocolate in the break room :). On Saturday we headed into Manhattan again for shopping, and seeing sights at Rockefeller Center. Mary and I went to the MoMA and enjoyed ourselves on the 5th floor- highlights were seeing "Starry Night" and some works by Monet. Later we headed back home for more left-overs, and some board games. It was great to have everyone here in town!

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Well, we opted out of going to brave the actual Thanksgiving Day Macy's Parade here in NYC, but still were able to enjoy the show. Marc took the girls to see all of the balloons get inflated on Wednesday, the night before. The girls really loved seeing all of the characters up close- Dora, Shrek, Frosty the Snowman, etc. The weather was really warm, and they did not have to get up in the wee hours of the morning for the actual parade. They were able to enjoy it from the TV at home, all the while pointing to the TV and saying "we saw that one mom, we saw that balloon last night."

Old McDonald Had a Zoo

So at the beginning of this month I was able to get a babysitter for Owen, and go on a field trip with Eva and her Pre-K class to a “Farm” is Queens. As the bus pulled up I quickly realized that this was indeed not a farm but a zoo of sorts filled with farm animals. Farm animals were all over the grounds in these little pins, and there were a few cows chained up outside so the kids could come and milk them. Eva had a really good time petting the animals and even getting to hold a few, and trying her hand at milking. The highlight for her was getting to ride the pony, and as you can see she kept a close eye on the brown obstacles on the pony track. At the end the kids got to pick a pumpkin from the patch (aka….large pile of pumpkins on cement slab) and go on a hay ride. In all, it was a good time. NYC has a lot to offer our children…..world class museums, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, etc…..I would not however, include “Farms” on this list :).

BOO!

Halloween was pretty spooky for all of us this year. Marc spent most of the day cramming for the series 31 examination ~scary~! Madeline and Eva really enjoyed going to school in their costumes, and watching a magician perform. This year all of our kids recycled their costumes from last year- this was by request. Eva really wanted to be Peter Pan again, and it still fit, so everyone was happy. Madeline chose to be a different princess this year. This year she was Sleeping Beauty. Owen, well-I didn't start thinking about his costume until the night before, and in a sheer stroke of brilliance, I had the thought that maybe his newborn cheetah costume from last year would still fit :). It actually did still technically fit, but he looked like he was in pain when he walked so we cut the feet out and he looked much more comfortable. The girls went trick-or-treating in our building, and then a friend from our ward took them over to their building nearby to trick-or-treat. They came back with enough candy to last them until next Halloween. You can get a lot of loot going to Apt. complexes- the doors are only 15 ft. apt, and it is all indoors, out of the elements, so you feel like you could go for hours. Truth be told, half of their candy has already been eaten by mom and dad, so it will not really last until Halloween.

Eva's Birthday

Eva is 4!!!
On September 24, we celebrated Eva's Birthday. She had a little "party" at her classroom in the morning. Mom brought in cupcakes for the class. Eva enjoyed having her classmates sing to her. In the evening we continued the festivities- we had Eva's favorite dinner- Chicken Teriyaki, and then opened presents and watched Eva's blow out her 4 candles on the snake cake she helped Mom create.

Student of the Month

So Madeline is already making academic strides in school here at P.S 217 :). She was honored at the school assembly as "student of the month" for the kindergarten. It was fun for me to go and watch the assembly. I have never seen a five year old run back and forth to and from the stage as she did. I barely had time to click my camera, and she was back sitting down with her friends in the crowd. Specifically she was honored for "being a writer who takes risks." We are guessing that that is a good thing.