New York, New York

Okay, so I went again.

To the fabulous NYC! It has been almost two weeks ago that we got home, but I have been s-l-o-w about posting pics about it. I went with two of the same girls as last time, Jana and Melanie, and one new girl, Elise. Visiting NY for the second time, I felt a lot less like a tourist. I didn't get overwhelmed with the same touristic fascination that I was riding in a NYC taxi. I can already feel myself becoming a more seasoned traveller.

This time round I mostly went to New York to be with friends and to see Broadway plays. I didn't feel the need to rush around to all the sites (which I felt we covered most last time we were there). We stayed on the 36th floor of the Marriott Marquee which was right on Broadway in Time Square. It was a great location (we stayed there last time, too, and I just love it).

We arrived about noon, and decided to hit Soho first. We went to a couple stores, ended up purchases some things at a local NY favorite little boutique, Gap (I know, real exotic), eating a really yummy sandwich from Dean & Deluca's, and running off to see the Radio Music Hall Christmas Spectacular (you know, the one with the Rockettes). It was a pretty good show, and put me in the mood for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, when we pulled up to our hotel, the first thing I saw was a big billboard for White Christmas, the Broadway musical. HELLO! For a girl who has performed many a "Sister's" routine in public, this was exciting. I had no idea it was on Broadway, but all I knew was that I wanted to go see it. We asked how much the tickets were and the response, $120, was not really an option for us. Bummer. But then the ticket agent mentioned that they do a lottery an hour before the show, we said, 'Yes, please!" So the next day, we went to Union Square for breakfast, stopped by the American Girl Doll store for a quick visit (I know I am an adult, but I was with some girls who are a little passionate about AGDs), and then went to put our names in the drawing for a ticket to White Christmas. The way that the lottery worked was that each person could put in one name for a chance at two tickets for each name. They had 22 tickets to give. If your name was drawn, you could purchase two tickets for 26 bucks a piece.

Now, I never win anything (except, once I won a stuffed Aflac duck) so I was desperately nervous. I wanted those tickets BAD! They drew several names, and I was started to get a knot in my stomach. And then they called my name- ME! I started jumping up and down yelling "that's me, that's me!" (yeah, I took it pretty cool-like). It ended up that all of us got tickets (actually there were only two people who didn't get a ticket at all). The tickets were front row, right dab in the center. Excellent! The play was awesome, with several song and dance numbers added that weren't in the movie and most of the favorites! Being drawn was probably the most exciting part of our whole trip!

Sorry, I spent a long time on that, but it was AWESOME.

After the show, we ran uptown to a really good little pizza place called Patsy's. So good. Then we hustled back down to time square to make it to another show, "In the Heights'. It was also AWESOME (I hope that my frequent use of awesome doesn't diminish the meaning, because I mean it in all the sense of the word). It had an urban Latin vibe and it was funny and very well done.

Afterwards we went to Cafe Lalo. It is the same little cafe that Meg Ryan waits for her blind date in You've Got Mail. The desert was good, but I mostly liked the atmosphere.

You still with me. I know, long and boring, but I have to get it all down for the sake of thoroughness and longwindedness.

The next day we met up with our friend Kim (who accompanied us on our last NY trip) for breakfast at Norma's, where I ate a crunchy french toast that I will never forget. Afterwards we went to FAO Schwartz (the toy store from Big), walked down 5th Avenue, went to the top of the Rockefeller, and saw Kim off at Grand Central Station.

On the last day, we visited Ground Zero, Century 21 (a store, not the real estate agency), rode the Staten Island Ferry and then we divided into two groups- one headed for the Doughnut Plant, the other headed to the hotel to check out and get at taxi. Well, everything took longer than planned, I underestimated the length of the taxi ride to the airport and we ended up making a mad dash to the airport. We barely made it- it ended up with Melanie running through the terminal in just her socks, and the rest of us running behind with our bags and boxes of doughnuts, with "Run, Run, Rudolph" in our heads. We BARELY made it.

We made it the rest of the way home without incident. It was great to be home to see Cody and the kids again. I missed them terribly. A special shout-out to Cody for watching the kids so I could go away for the weekend and have some great girl time with my friends. It really was an awesome trip!

Give Thanks

I am thankful

For my blessings

Yes, Another One

About a year ago, I took a little test to see how addicted to blogging I was. Yes, I realize the absurdities of that last sentence- first off, that there is even a test that would be designed for such a farcical purpose and second, that I would, in fact, waste five minutes of my life taking the farcical test. Any hoot, I did and I digress.

One of the questions on the test was 'how many blogs do I have?' Meaning, not how many I read, but how many I author on. At the time, I only had one. But a glance at my dashboard today shows a grand total of 5. That's right, 5. Of course, one is just for me to test my template, one is a secretive dormant one that my sisters never write on anymore, but the other three I show to the world. And the fact that I have three makes me a bit farcical (I just learned that word today, so I am going to use it until it is stuck firmly in my lexicon).

The most recent addition is a blog started by my friend, Laurie, who wanted to share and gather ideas on family holiday traditions, crafts, recipes, etc. She invited me to add to the forum. And you know me, I go where ever I am invited! I view it as a great place to pick up new ideas and also a place I can share what I have been plucking away at in my home.

So take a gander if you would like. We will be updating it all through the holidays because we are just farcical like that.


Have a very farcical weekend!

Bombs Away

Well it happened. I knew it would sooner or later, I just wasn't expecting it tonight. As I sat in the bathroom, watching Morgan splash gleefully in the newly drawn bath water, I was reflecting on something deep. I don't remember what it was, but I am sure it was deep, as that is how my thoughts tend to be. Morgan stands up and is having a jolly good time, and I am brought crashingly back to reality when I see the little groundhog starting to peek out. You know what I am talking about. It's not February. Think poop.

So I yell at Cody who is in the other room to bring a wet wipe, stat! There just might be time to catch the log before it hits the water, the freshly drawn bath water. Cody just sits and stares at me as if I was presenting a lecture on quilling. Nice. Is this how he would react in a real emergency (though at the time I was shouting orders, I felt like it was a real emergency and I was using my 'this-is-a-real-emergency' voice)? Anyways, I am sorry to say that I didn't make it in time. It was like bombs away. Bombs away.

Disgusting, I know. But, people, you only have to read about it; I had to clean it up. Poop. Suspended in water. Floating about like it was on display at the local aquarium. There is a reason that toilets flush and don't merely drain. I wasted two minutes of my life waiting and watching the fecal water drain out of the tub. That is two minutes I can never get back (nor do I want it back).

Next time Morgan takes a bath, she is getting her bum scotched-taped first. And I mean it.

Coincidence? I Think Not. . .

I took these two pictures of two separate kids on the same day within an hour of each other. The picture of Morgan was taken on the way to the park, when we stopped to take some pictures in the leaves. She wandered over to my stroller and simply climbed into the basket underneath, head first. She has never done this before and I was amused and made her stay there for a fraction of ten seconds to take her picture. Then an hour later, we met our friends at the park, and Aubrey wanders over to my stroller and does the exact same thing, swan dive right into the basket. Her mother's first instinct, of course, was to pull the screaming child out. But me, being the kind-hearted, compassionate soul that I am, say "NO! Let me take a picture first." I had to. What are the chances that both girls would do the exact same superman into the basket move on the same day, whilst I have my camera handy?








I know what you are thinking (I say that a lot on my blog, I must be really omniscient or just really conceited). You are thinking that it isn't that big of a coincidence because I had shiny silver wrappers at the bottom of the baskets, and kids, especially 15/16 months old, are just fur-less raccoons that will go for anything shiny. True. I concede that point.





The coincidence is that I caught it on film. And now I am going to get started on the patent process for my new toddler trapper keeper. It's going to be big.

Denied

Okay, last Halloween post, I swear.

This video was taken at the ward party. You will note that both kids are cute and adorable and doing what you expect in a family video-posing, dancing, running away from the camera. But towards the end there is a little something going on in the background that makes me smile every time I see it.



You have to look really hard, becuase the version here is really small. You will notice Morgan heads over towards Buzz Lightyear (aka, Noah) whom she is in love with. Noah will play with her and make her laugh, but then Morgan goes all clingy girl on him. Literally, she clings. She moves in slowly and consistently for the hug, then drapers her head on him and stays like that until he manages to push her off. He doesn't so much like the snuggling. And in the video, she makes a run for him, and he sees her coming and tries to give her the brush off, but she won't have any of it. He frantically scoots back to get away from her. It cracks me up. Maybe somebody should tell Morgan that, he just not that into you.

**Bother. You can't really see it because its to small, but I can see it on my computer and it makes me smile.

The Other Fairy

So Claire was not grounded from trick or treating- she actually had a great, GREAT time trick-or-treating. Plus, she went trunk or treating, attended our ward carnival, and had a party at her preschool. Let's just say, if it was the end of the world tomorrow, we have our three month supply of candy.

I forced her to be a Tinkerbell fairy- she wanted to be Princess Buttercup from the Princess Bride, but I had already made her a skirt, and by gum, she was going to wear that skirt. My favorite part of her costume were the wings- they lit up and it was super cool out in the dark.

Our Halloween was cool. Not just cool, super cool.