A Day Trip to NYC

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed about visiting New York City. Since we now live a short 90 minute drive from Manhattan, I got to check visiting the Big Apple off of my bucket list a couple of weeks ago. Mary-Ann was in town and held down the fort while Ryan and I woke up with the sun and drove to NYC for the day. Our goal was to see as many sights as possible. As we rolled into the city around 8am we jammed out to Alicia Keys singing about the concrete jungle and Brooklyn Bridge. I was totally stoked to spend a day with just my hubby in one of the coolest cities in the world.

It was an overcast, foggy morning, but if you use your imagination you can see the Statue of Liberty there  on Liberty Island behind Ryan.

After checking out Ground Zero and Lady Liberty, we headed to Central Park. I loved every minute of walking through it. It was crazy to see so many lush trees just feet from enormous skyscrapers. I tried really hard not to look like a tourist, but I just couldn't help but gawk at everything I saw throughout the day. 

After walking through Central Park we made our way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We saw everything from Ringo Starr's drum to an Egyptian tomb. The Egyptian exhibit was by far my favorite. 

Ryan mapping out our next adventure on the steps of the Met. Mary-Ann's iphone was a lifesaver that day and got us everywhere we needed to go.

Our second walk through Central Park en route to lunch.

At the famous Carnegie Deli I attempted to eat the largest pastrami burger of my life. I am no longer borderline anemic. Our table was so close to the couple next to us that I didn't even dare play footsie with Ryan for fear I would touch the wrong toes. The service was terrible but the pastrami the best of my life by far. And I know pastrami.

In front of Rockafeller Plaza. Sadly, Tina Fey was nowhere to be found. 

Times Square was my favorite part of the trip. It was exactly how I imagined it and buzzing with life. We even saw an ad from the "I'm a Mormon" campaign on one of the biggest electronic billboards in the square. Pretty cool. I  can't wait to go back and see a Broadway show.

This picture was taken especially for my Lightning McQueen-loving boy. Can you tell we got stuck in the rain that afternoon? Aside from getting a little wet, the weather was actually really pleasant--not too hot and not too cold.

Taking the Subway back to the financial district. 

Ryan in front of the Bank of New York.

The New York Stock Exchange. 

The buildings were just amazing. Some skyscrapers were so close together on either side of the street that I don't think the streets in between the buildings saw more than 30 minutes of sunlight per day. It was just crazy. 

Thanks so much Mary-Ann for giving us a day away. It was one of my favorites ever and my new happy place :)
I LOVE NYC!

Grandma Mary-Ann's visit

A few days after we drove into Connecticut, Mary-Ann flew out to our rescue. I don't think she has ever come to visit us and just had a relaxing vacation. We are always either moving or taking care of a newborn (most times it's both of those things). This time was no exception as we jumped into full-fledged decorating/planning/furniture-purchasing mode just hours after she took the red eye into JFK. Picking her up was Ryan's first time driving in NYC. It was even crazier than he imagined it would be.

 I never thought I would say it, but I am 100% sick of IKEA. Almost our entire house is now furnished with their products, and while I love how it has come together so beautifully, I don't plan on going back to their establishment for many moons. I know Ryan would be happy to never put together another piece of their furniture again! He was a trooper and worked day and night to get everything set up. Ike now knows how to use an Allen wrench.

I will post pictures of our new home-sweet-home soon, but for now you get photos of the few breaks that we did take over the course of the week she was here.

The human bubble machine at a nearby Children's museum.

 Bristol, home of the Children's Museum, is also the home of ESPN.

Checking out the reptiles with Grandma.

Getting ready to say goodbye.

D took a day or two to warm up to Grandma but before long they were bffs.

Maddie wanted to try out her photo-taking skills.

She thought Grandma had moved to Connecticut with us and was quite disappointed when she woke up Monday morning to find her gone.


We also were able to hit the beach, see some cool lighthouses, and eat some famous New Haven pizza. It was a great visit---we promise a much more relaxing one next time. Thanks Mary-Ann!

Maddie's Birthday

On June 7th we celebrated Maddie's third birthday. In all honesty, I am glad that she will probably never remember anything about this year's celebration. We were right in the thick of moving into our rental home in Connecticut and I didn't pay nearly enough attention to our little birthday girl. Having the extra attention with Grandma Mary-Ann in town and Aunt Brookie here to celebrate, luckily she didn't even seem to notice.

Opening birthday presents in the morning.

Grandma Mary-Ann brought her a Rapunzel dress. Needless to say , she loved it. She wears it almost daily and  only responds to Rapunzel. She loves to stand on our stairs (her tower) and sing all the Tangled songs. 

We had donuts with sprinkles for breakfast. D was in heaven.

Maddie mowing down her Rapunzel cupcake.

The night ended with watching Tangled (per the birthday girl's request) and  a dance with her prince.

Maddie Age 3

Where do I begin with this little girl? As Ryan has put it, "I don't know how someone can be so sweet and so sassy at the same time." That about sums up our Maddie.

She loves to run.

She loves both of her brothers (she refers to Davis as "her baby"), but she is more patient with Ike than she is with D.

About a month ago I started asking Maddie if she wanted to cut her hair-wouldn't a cute bob be fabulous for the summer? She is adamant about having long hair though and I must admit I do love her blonde locks. She has told me several times that she can't cut her hair or it will turn brown and lose it's power. What is so wrong with brown hair?

Before her Rapunzel dress came along, this little number was her all-time favorite. She insisted on wearing it to the photo shoot and I chose not to fight it. 

I'm so glad I didn't because even though we didn't match just right for our family pics, this is just how I want to remember my Mads at age three. I also want to remember these things:

• Maddie falls out of her bed at least a couple of times a week. She never cries or even calls for us. We just here a loud thud, sometimes some grumbling, and then she climbs back into bed. Half the time I don't think she even wakes up.
• Friends have joked that she must be made of rubber because she can take a spill that would make me bedridden for a week, jump right back up and declare, "I'm OK!"
• She is such a little mother to her dolls, her toys, and her brothers. I have to remind her often that I can take care of Davis, she just needs to take care of Maddie. 
• I'm pretty sure she was born with her zest for life and it is as strong as ever. It is one of the things I love most about her. For days after her birthday, whenever we went anywhere in the car she would ask, "Are we going to my party?" No matter what we did, whether it was play at the beach or buy groceries at Walmart, she thought we were at her party. 
• She rarely naps anymore but is a champ at quiet time and will play independently for hours. There are times when I am certain she has fallen asleep, but upon checking on her I realize she's just playing house or dolls or Dora quietly to her heart's content.
• I would be willing to bet she is the most stubborn 3 year-old girl in the world. She pushes me to my limits with her determination.
• She is fiercely independent.
• We love her so very much- I am proud to be this little firecracker's mother!

Happy Birthday Maddie Moo!

Back in Business

We have been without Internet for close to a month now but we are back in business as of this afternoon! Oh world wide web, how I've missed you! Expect a barrage of posts over the next few days/weeks (a lot has been going on and I can't wait to tell you about it!), but for now, here are some pictures of the kids in their doctor shirts. They sported these bad boys on graduation weekend last month and I completely forgot to post the pics that my dear friend Chrissy took of them all together. My sister found the shirts on clearance at Target over a year ago and I kept them in hiding until the big day.